《Invincible》 Prologue 1A: Daniel ***IN A WORLD CALLED EARTH, IN A CITY NAMED MANILA*** ***Daniel*** Daniel¡¯s speeding 911 Carrera reach two delivery trucks and instead of slowing down, made a sharp swing to the left, into the small opening between them. He accelerated even faster as he left the horn blowing and curses behind. Normally Daniel is not a reckless driver, but tonight he simply needed the experiment. Two hours ago, he was declared officially as a second-term congressman in the second district of manila¡­ and he felt nothing. The near-suicidal stunt with his Porsche also didn¡¯t give him any adrenaline rush. ¡®What¡¯s wrong with me?¡¯ he thought to himself. His phone rang twice before he picked it up. ¡°Jerry,¡± Daniel said. ¡°Where the hell are you?¡± Jerry asked. Daniel could feel the annoyance of his campaign manager across the phone. ¡°I¡¯m going home.¡± There was an awkward silence before Jerry exploded. ¡°Seriously?! That¡¯s your answer?¡± ¡°I¡¯m tired, Jerry. Can we do this tomorrow?¡± ¡°You just won the election,¡± Jerry said, trying to collect himself. ¡°You''re expected to go to at least 6 parties tonight and go back to your headquarters and say thank you to your supporters. Four of your biggest backers are waiting on the phone to congratulate you and you even ditched your bodyguard¡­ She¡¯s pissed by the way.¡± The edged of Daniel¡¯s mouth curved upward as he imagines Netanya¡¯s face as he gave her the slip in the men¡¯s room. As a former Mossad operative, she is a professional, and she hates losing her primary. ¡°She¡¯ll get over it,¡± Daniel Said. ¡°I¡¯ll give her a full bouquet of flowers tomorrow and say I¡¯m sorry. The rest you can handle. Used your famous Jerry magic to soothe those feathers. Tomorrow I¡¯ll be a good boy and I¡¯m all yours, alright?¡± Jerry sighed. ¡°I know today has a lot of meaning to you and not just the election, but you need to get over it and start your new life. You¡¯re a fucking congressman, for christ sakes.¡± Daniel¡¯s vein turned to ice. The bastard simply has to go there when he is doing everything in his power to forget about this day. But he simply cannot. Today is the sixth year anniversary of him losing custody of his beloved daughter Mara to his harpy ex-wife. Then a year later, Daniel lost Mara completely when she and his ex-wife plus her new husband, went to Vegas for a vacation but then a stupid drunk driver smashes his car into them, killing them all instantly. ¡®I wasn¡¯t even able to say goodbye to her,¡¯ He thought bitterly. ¡°I understand Jerry. Goodbye.¡± And he hangs up the phone. He sighed. ¡®I need a smoke,¡¯ He thought. He spied a seven-eleven store down the road and he eased the car next to it. He jumps out, look around and entered the store. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°How you doing tonight?¡± Daniel asked the clerk who looks completely bored next to the counter. He asked for his favorite brand. ¡°That¡¯ll be 49.99¡± Daniel drops a fifty peso bill and the clerk scoops it easily. While waiting for his change, he noticed a mirror behind the clerk and observes himself. He is in his late 40¡¯s now, but no white hair has shown yet in his thick black hair. He examined his tired brown eyes and a broken nose that gives him character. The suit he is wearing looks good on him except for a slight bulged in his belly. Daniel is admiring himself when a young man stood behind him. He¡¯s holding something shiny. A gun. The boy pointed the gun at the back of his head and pushed. ¡°Show me your wallet, motherfu-¡° Without any fear or a single thought, Daniel turned and deflected the gun with one hand and clocked the would-be robber right on the chin, with the other. The gun fired and shattered the mirror in front of them. The female clerk screamed and duck behind the counter. Daniel felt the young man¡¯s chin crack as he followed through with the punch. The gunman is already falling, but he grabbed the young hooligan by the hair, then smashed his face in the marble counter. The would-be robber simply drops to the ground, his face a mask of blood. Daniel checks the man¡¯s vitals and despite the continuous wail of the clerk, he felt a strong pulse. He kicks the gun away before standing up again. ¡°He¡¯s out cold, so calm down,¡± Daniel told the clerk, his voice automatically using his command voice and the clerk responded. At least, she stops screaming. ¡°Cops will be nice right about now. Call 411 and tell them to bring some help here.¡± Daniel heard a pop and he could not understand why the clerk started screaming again. He felt a burning heat and when he looks down, a red patch is slowly growing in his chest. He turned and another youngster, this one wearing a green hoodie, stood in front of the door holding a gun and pointed at him. The Barrel of the gun is still smoking. ¡®Oh shit. A lookout.¡¯ The gunman shoots him twice more in the chest and Daniel fell to the ground. ¡®That was sloppy of you, Danny boy,¡¯ He thought to himself without fear or any real regret. Curiously, he feels no pain as well. ¡®Just sloppy¡­¡¯ Blood oozes out of his mouth as he watches the youth, angry and confused, snarl at him. ¡®Oh well. I don¡¯t mind. I¡¯m ready to be with my daughter. I¡¯m really tired.¡¯ Somewhere, someone is screaming hysterically. The gunman step in front of him pointed the gun in Daniel¡¯s face and pulled the trigger. Prologue 2A: Amriel *** IN A WORLD CALLED ABADDON, IN A SUBTERRANEAN OUTSKIRT OF A PLACE CALLED HELIX, JUST OUTSIDE THE PERIMETER OF THE SUMMONED PORTAL *** *** Amriel *** The young man charged pass the narrow cave into the vast opening. He was out of breath from fighting all day and his blue on white uniform is almost torn to shreds and burned in some places. Part of his left pants are soaked in his blood from the ice shard he took before entering the portal and it hurts like he never felt before, but he charges on. His name is Amriel and his revenge is near. He was armed as usual-rune lance in his left hand and a short sword tucked into the crease of his back. He was 19, redheaded, and his eyes were emerald green. He barely has enough mana to charge the runes of his battle lance, but he kept his weapon charge, for in front of him are the enemy. His goal is so near that he can practically taste it. He cannot stop now. A dozen of the fierce Malladon block his way as he entered the vast cavern of this out-worldly plain. They were humanoid shape individuals with unbelievable pure white skin made of complex clay-like substance, making them flexible and deadly. They are known as the silent warriors of the void. They do not have eyes or nose or ears, but they do have a wide mouth covered by small sharp teeth ready to lacerate you. And they use this mouth to snarl at the young knight before them. Amriel met the challenge by charging directly at them. ¡°In the name of Saiya, long live the council,¡± He whispered his battle cry in a throaty voice, saving his strength for the fight. Two of the Malladons were black mages, and they started throwing fireballs at him. He twirls his spear expertly and deflected the four fireballs coming his way. Amriel activated his ¡®SPEED¡¯ rune in his left arm and he vanished. The first mage did not even see the first blow of Amriel''s spear that caught him right at his neck. He was already dead even before the second and third strike in his left chest and heart pierce him. The second mage is more alert but even then his hasty shield barely protected him from the empowered blunt edge of Amriel¡¯s spear. The blue knight swung his spear to the side of the mage, which blew him ten feet in the other direction. The rest of the Malladon warriors reacted by charging him in all directions. They were far stronger and faster than Amriel, and their sheer savagery had no equal. Amriel survives with the help of his own ¡®STRENGTH¡¯ rune and his focus discipline. He moves, and dodge, and parried and block his enemy onslaught, all the while making sure that he is not completely encircled. He parried another sword thrust then countered with a low kick, staggering his enemy. He turned and exchanges blows with the warrior to his right. He receives a torn shoulder while the creature¡¯s stomach ate his spear to the hilt. Blood and gore coated his spear as he pulled it out, then backflip eight feet away to avoid another. He side step a vicious axe strike that would have cut him in two. With his rune strength he shouldered the axe man out of the way, then he threw his spear to his left when two of the Malladons aligned themselves perfectly. The spear passes through the first creature¡¯s chest and entered the brain of the one behind him. Somehow he avoided the slashing sword of two others until he finds an opening. The leading malladon took a heavy kick at the side of his head, breaking his neck and falling heavily to the ground, with teeth still chattering. He then rushes the second one and body slam him to the ground. They rolled several times in the dirt with the malladon hitting him ineffectively in the head. Out of sheer desperateness, Amriel¡¯s hand changes his hold from the creature¡¯s wrist to the blade of the sword itself. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. He angled the sword to the ground and during the next roll, he drops his full body into the sword and with the leverage, he was able to shatter the sword in two. The roll ended with him on top and with the edge part of the sword in his hand, started stabbing the malladon warrior in the stomach and chest repeatedly. He screamed in pure agony and staggered to his left when another warrior is able to stab him from the side with a spear. It was sheer dumb luck that the spear penetrated the skin and stop by his ribs. The force of the spear thrust cracks the rib, but it held and otherwise did not penetrate any further. It helps a lot that the ¡®STRENGTH¡¯ rune is still active at this time. He grabbed the spear, leaned in closer and with a slash of his broken blade, opened the malladon warrior¡¯s neck. A gush of warm blood sprayed his face, but he barely notices this as he staggered back to his feet. His eyes were now blurry because of the lost of blood and he could barely hold his weapon, but he stood tall and defiant, driven mainly by his will and need for his revenge. Only four Malladons are left who is standing in his way, including the last mage who recovered from his attack. Behind them, just fifty feet away, stood his real target. The abomination has her back to them, looking out to the cavern beyond. She is completely uninterested in the little battle they are currently fighting. A battle that is all being fought in her name. Instead, she stood there, completely naked and frozen like a statue, looking at nothing, doing nothing. She stood there, tall and elegant, completely unaware of the beauty she projects. Just like Allana. Amriel shook his head angrily. ¡°Don¡¯t think about her,¡± he commanded himself. ¡°It¡¯s not her anymore. It¡¯s an abomination that you will destroy, nothing else and nothing more.¡± The light of the two magical runes in his arm, one for strength and the other for speed, blinks once then died out completely. Immediately his feet could not support the weight of his entire body. He grinds his teeth in an effort not to scream as the pain in his body quadrupled suddenly. ¡°Not now!¡± He cried just as the remaining malladon warriors roared their defiance and charge at him. Desperately he poured non-existing mana into the runes, but nothing happened. ¡°Please, just a little more time...¡± he whispered to no one in particular. Then the rune in his arm sparkled once more and he stared at it. The light was a bit weak but even then he could feel the power returning back to him. Despite his resolve, he shuddered inside, for the rune is not showing the familiar bright golden light but a shining blue instead. And he knew exactly what happened. The runes in his body are not empowered by his mana anymore, but by his life force itself. Essentially, his soul is being burned out of him to power his magic one last time. In short, he was dying. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. He looks at the incoming warriors, pure hatred in their eyes, and he smiled back at them. Blue sparks of magic lighten his eyes. ¡°So be it,¡± he said with finality. ¡°Let¡¯s have one last dance.¡± And then he met their charge with his own. Prologue 2B: Amriel *** IN A WORLD CALLED ABADDON, IN A PLACE NAMED HELIX *** *** Amriel *** The last Malladon warrior¡¯s body bounce on the hard wet ground of the cavern, a huge hole in his neck and gallons of blood spurting out of it. It died in front of Amriel. The young knight barely notices this however as his eyes are looking directly at the naked woman thirty feet away from him. The woman is gazing somewhere beyond. His last opponent already forgotten, he began to drag his ruined body to the unmoving entity. The white on blue uniform of his order is completely soaked in blood and ruined by dirt and fire. He drags his shaking left foot forward despite the trail of blood, and his left arm is now completely useless when the last malladon mage burned his flesh to the bone. The pain itself is enough to make any man crazy, but he grimly steps forward, sweat drenching the side of his face, struggling over the uneven ground of the subterranean floor. Ahead, the young naked woman stood alone. The blanket draped over her by one of her malladon, lay forgotten on the wet floor. She ignored Amriel even as the knight started screaming incoherently in her direction. ¡®Just a few more steps,¡¯ Amriel thought almost desperately. He wipes the sweat of his brow, but it did not help his worsening vision. He found himself taking in rugged breathing, but he ignored all this and march on. ¡°Face me, Demon!¡± He shouted at the woman. ¡°For I am your death!¡± He eventually reaches her and harshly pulled her arm to force her to face him. The woman was mildly startled as if she¡¯d noticed him for the first time. The look she gave him was filled with so much confusion, of loss and even fear. The one that made Amriel hesitate the most though was her eyes, for it was full of unbridled pain that almost equal his own. But his hesitation was only for a second, He raised his good arm, which is holding a broken knife and was ready to stab her when she spoke. ¡°My brothers and sisters are all gone,¡± she said in such a lonely voice. ¡°They left me, I am all alone.¡± The voice was like an ice lance stab in Amriel¡¯s heart. He stopped. He stared at her, incredulous. It was a soft woman¡¯s voice. A voice Amriel is so familiar with. Not only thus the demon has Allana¡¯s face, but her voice as well. How could this abomination sound like an angel? Carrying her meaning and the sadness in that simple statement. ¡®NO!¡¯ Amriel thought viciously, grinding his teeth in anger. He discarded the unfairness of it all and focus on his duty instead. The void goddess must die. ¡°As you should be!¡± He shouted right in her face, flecks of saliva spitting everywhere. ¡°Why those idiotic fanatics of yours needed to revive you, I cannot fathom. Your kind has been dead for a thousand years! And even if you and your brethren are truly gods, mankind do not need your guidance anymore. So go back to the abyss that you came from!¡± And with that, Amriel use up the remaining radiance of his life. Incandescent blue fire surrounded Amriel¡¯s knife, burning cold into his cut fingers and spreading almost instantly and into the blade itself. He stabs the woman directly in her left eye and into her brain. The force of the momentum made him slip and fell to the cold ground below, but his broken knife remains embedded in the creature¡¯s eye. Amriel tried to gasp back some air, but he failed miserably. His lungs are getting flooded with blood and he coughed some of it out. He felt a gentle pressure on his shoulder as someone turned him over. Resting on his back, he watches her watch him back. Amriel has no strength left to do anything else. She notices him watching the knife in her eyes and she gave a mild surprise as if saying, ¡°Oh what is this thing doing here?¡± As Amriel watch her helplessly, she gently pulled the knife out of her brain and toss it aside. Right in front of him, the abomination¡¯s eye regenerated almost lazily, and without effort. ¡®Instant regeneration,¡¯ Amriel¡¯s thought strayed as his life ebbed out of him. ¡®Allana would have love to study that magic.¡¯ ¡°You are dying...¡± said the creature. ¡°I... do not¡­ fear you, monster,¡± Amriel said, again coughing blood. He tried to move his body. To scratch her, bite her, do anything, but his limbs were not following his orders anymore. ¡°I still swear I will kill you, if not in this life then the next!¡± Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! The thing simply watches him with those unfathomable deep brown eyes. ¡°You cannot kill me with your weapons nor with your magic,¡± she said. The very simplicity of her words gave weight to its honesty. ¡°I am simply too strong for you.¡± Amriel watch as the woman grab his hand and raised it. With her other hand, she touches her chest and a brilliant red crystal emerges out of it. It was huge, the size of an ostrich egg, and Amriel could feel the very river of the source empower the radiance of the crystal. To his astonishment, the woman forced him to hold the crystal. ¡°This is my soul stone. It holds my very life force itself,¡± she told him. Her brown eyes never wavering from him. ¡°If you truly want to erase my existence, then you must destroy my soul stone.¡± Amriel turned his gaze to the soul stone. It was pulsing with power that he could not even begin to estimate. ¡°You do not have any radiance left. And even if you do, it is simply not pure enough to destroy it,¡± she said. Her words was a statement and not a question. ¡°So I will give you my own.¡± Even before it could register, powerful red radiance envelope his hand that is holding the creature¡¯s own. He could feel the destructive power that swirls around him and he knew just then that he can crush the soul stone in his other hand with nothing but a small effort. He can kill this monster once and for all. But even then he hesitated. He looks back at her and studied her intently. ¡°Why?¡± he finally asked. For a long moment, the abomination simply watches him back. Then she spoke: ¡°You are the spark of fire in the darkness of night.¡± ¡°¡­ What?¡± She smiled at him. ¡°Kill me, knight. Send me back to oblivion.¡± ¡°¡­¡± It was so easy to finish it all. All Amriel had to do was squeeze and the soul stone will be no more. He would have fulfilled his duty to his land, to the order, to lady Cylene and the royal council, and most important of all, to himself. He would have avenged the death of his beloved wife, and keep the continent safe once and for all. So why is he hesitating? Isn¡¯t this the reason why he charge into this source-forsaken place? Where only his death awaits him or worse be trap here for all eternity? Isn¡¯t the reason the army is still out there desperately containing the gate so evil will not spread in the world, comes down to this moment? His inner-self screamed at him to choose now, for despite the unbelievable magical energy that wraps around his hand, he can still feel his life ending¡­ ¡­ And so he chose¡­ ¡°I understand my duty,¡± he whispered to himself, looking at the soul stone in his hand. The woman beside him did not move, waiting patiently. And then he screamed to the high heavens. He screamed his frustration, his burden, and most of all his pain¡­ and then finally releasing the soul stone in his grasp. ¡°¡­ But I cannot kill her,¡± Amriel said in anguished. ¡°May the source help me, but I cannot kill her.¡± His scream turned into a miserable broken sob that tore what¡¯s left of his rugged soul. It was her smile. That half knowing smile that always makes him crazy. Allana the cold bitch, they call her. The efficient master healer who manage her infirmary like a factory. Healing those who can be saved, but throwing away those who cannot. She was responsible for the deaths of thousands in order to save tens of thousands more. Such responsibilities would have broken someone weaker, but not her. As a consequence, she rarely smiles to anyone. But once you see it, like a drug, you wanted more. And so Amriel invested a lot of his time to his lame jokes and goofy antics to see those smile from her just one more time. That half smile. That reluctant tired smile. Allana¡¯s smile. He simply did not have the will to erase that beautiful smile in this world. Despite his vengeance, despite his duty, and even despite his very soul. Even if the smile belongs now to an abomination. Only then did the knight named Amriel let go¡­ and died. Prologue 3A: Daniel and the Goddess *** A PLACE WITHOUT A NAME *** ***Daniel *** Daniel opened his eyes and gasped. Below him was his own body drenched in blood. The last bullet hit him just below his right eye and blood poured out of it like a faucet. He was dead. He slowly shook his head. He should be appalled or shock or freaking out on what happened, but he wasn¡¯t. And he finds it amusing that he is more interested in the state of his mind than the state of his actual health. He did cringe when the young man who shot him, kick his body to confirm his dead. The moron simply didn¡¯t believe that a shot in the head might not be fatal. He then went to his unconscious friend. He was about to say something to his friend when some powerful force suddenly lifted Daniel up and suck him to the sky. The next thing Daniel knew is that he is floating in somewhere black, with tiny brilliant lights all around them. Floating sensation slowly changed into a more movement of purpose. When he tried to analyze how he felt, he is surprised to feel nothing. Absolutely nothing at all. No that¡¯s not exactly true. He felt something. A sense of unbelievable peace is what is in his heart at that moment. ¡°I guess this is the other side,¡± He said to himself. He didn¡¯t feel any apprehension or fear. He actually felt something close to acceptance. Then a face of a child entered his mind and suddenly he cannot wait. An overpowering sense of happiness filled his heart. ¡°How could I ever forget,¡± Daniel said. ¡°I will be with her once more. Finally.¡± Nothing in his previous life ever made him happy anymore when his child left him. He should have died a long time ago. But that was the past, and now is now. He can be with his beloved daughter once and for all. Suddenly he is urging whatever force that is pulling him to move faster. While he is doing so, he almost jumps when he finally notices the woman smiling next to him. ¡°Jeezes woman! You almost give me¡ª¡° ¡°A heart attack?¡± She asked mildly. ¡°Do you know how ridiculous that sound? You¡¯re dead, remember?¡± ¡°Yeah well¡­ You know, still¡­¡± He mumbled lamely. With nothing to say, he went on the attack. ¡°And who the hell are you anyway?¡± The woman raised an eyebrow and giggled. ¡°I¡¯m your spirit guide. I¡¯m supposed to ease the transition from your old life to beyond. But I guess I¡¯m not needed in your case. My, I have never seen a more enthusiastic spirit, and I¡¯ve been doing this for years.¡± Daniel had an inkling that her description of ¡°doing this for years,¡± was a mild understatement. But Daniel barely acknowledges the woman back for something peculiar is happening to him. His overwhelming longing to see her daughter Mara, made his senses zoomed in further and suddenly he can feel his daughter¡¯s spirit essence. It was inside the light that they were going to. *** IN THE PLAINS OF THE VOID, A SPACE KNOWN ONLY AS THE HELIX *** *** Mysterious Goddess *** ¡°No!¡± The naked woman said, almost empirically. ¡°You must not die, knight. I still have need of you.¡± She leaned down and touch the dead knight¡¯s chest. Multiple magic circles suddenly appeared, bright yellow lights surrounding them. Two spheres of Radiance generated on top of her and started gathering pure life force around them, only to be channeled back to the woman for her exclusive use. The magical circle brightened even more with its own inner light and the runes around the circle began to move and change. Repairing the broken body is child¡¯s play to her. Cells were regenerated, veins were regrown, anything that can be repaired is fixed and body parts that cannot be repaired are discarded, only for a new parts to be regrown. The massive amount of blood are refilled and infections from bacteria and dirt are vaporized. All in all, it took exactly 6.4 seconds for Amriel¡¯s body to become good as new. But the real problem was his damage soul. The woman immediately anchored the young knight¡¯s soul to his body. But almost half of Amriel¡¯s life force was burned out during his last fight. And that¡¯s what made his situation really critical for the goddess. She can do a lot of things, but re-growing souls were not one of them. She did repair it to make sure nothing else leaks out, but that is the extent of her divine healing powers. ¡°Think Alshurasha-an,¡± She admonished herself. ¡°What would your brothers and sisters do in this situation?¡± Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. They will let the poor soul go and join the creator. The child is too far gone, nothing can be done with him. Despite all their considerable radiance and massive powers, they too have their limits. ¡°No!¡± She said to herself. ¡°I will not let him go.¡± And then an idea came to her. The woman has many names since the beginning of time. Some she made for herself, others were titles given to her. Alshurasha-an, the daughter of the moon, Mustada-Ashi, Sheyra, The lady of the ocean forest, She-wolf of the red desert, Goddess of the third ring, Mav, Red Eyes, Death, the Hag, and Demon Bitch. Whatever they call her, she is part of the void. The old ones, the balancers. Many worship her and her siblings as gods and to them, magic holds no secrets. So what she is attempting to do is what an Archmage of the 11th order will consider impossible, but to her is merely difficult. The magical circle around her enlarge on its own and became even brighter as more pure radiance poured into it. The runes at the edges of the circle started to float in the air, becoming even more complex sigils and runes, as the very magical circle itself started to rotate, change and evolve. What she is trying to do is cast a massive radiance net that will encompass all seven plains of existence. She is trying to grab a lost soul, someone who has no heavenly destiny or someone who is not bound to the cosmic law. She knew it is a long shot but it was her only chance to save Amriel¡¯s soul. *** A PLACE WITHOUT A NAME *** ***Daniel *** ¡°What the ¨C,¡± Daniel said, startled. For he had sense his daughter¡¯s spirit suddenly started moving out of the great light beyond that he is going to. ¡°Wait, what the hell is this?¡± He said incredulously. ¡°What is it?¡± The woman beside him asked. ¡°What is going on with my daughter?!¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Daniel tracks the spirit of his daughter moves out in the direction to his left. ¡°My daughter¡¯s spirit is moving away!¡± Daniel protested, but the woman simply looks at him sadly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I too was hoping that you and your daughter¡¯s spirit will be reunited. But if you have seen her moving somewhere else then that is her destiny.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Your daughter¡¯s spirit is destined to be reincarnated somewhere else. To be reborn and start a new life in a new world.¡± Daniel looks at her, and she stared back at him, willing him to understand. ¡°I see,¡± he said almost calmly. ¡°Then I will go there as well.¡± ¡°But-¡± ¡°I¡¯m not leaving my daughter¡¯s side ever again.¡± The woman shook her head very slowly. ¡°It doesn¡¯t work that way. You also have your own destiny, and that is to go to the great light in front of you.¡± ¡°Like hell,¡± Daniel growled. He watches the tiny light that represents her daughter¡¯s essence move to a different place. Then without actually knowing how he did it, his own self started to slow down then gradually change direction and followed her daughter¡¯s path. ¡°What are you doing?!¡± the girl with him said, aghast. In all her years in this place, no one has ever done what Daniel had just done. ¡°You cannot fit your will against destiny!¡± ¡°Watch me!¡± Daniel answered, gritting his teeth. ¡°You cannot do this!¡± ¡°Be gone!¡± The girl tried to hold Daniel but she turned into blue dust and evaporated into the wind even before she can do so. Daniel meanwhile, had already forgotten her, and all his attention was concentrated on following his daughter. ¡°I¡¯m coming, babe. Wait for me¡­¡± He whispered. ******** Author¡¯s tiny note: Author has a day job and with traffic, means being out of the house for more than twelve hours a day. Weekends are strictly for the family. That means that the only real time to write my novel will be that one or two hours before I go to bed and sleep. If you like my story, please comment, follow or favorite. Those small comments are really the difference between when you hit a blank spot, you either just shrug and say ¡°let¡¯s do this tomorrow¡± or get some milk or do some stretching exercise while you think about new scenes for the story, and then start writing some more for another extra 30 minutes. Good day to you all and hope it¡¯s not raining in your part of the world Very Happy Prologue 3B: Amriels revival *** IN A WORLD CALLED ABADDON, IN A PLACE KNOWN ONLY AS THE HELIX *** ***Mysterious Goddess *** ¡°There!¡± The Goddess cried. Her disciplined patience finally bore fruit as she sense a compatible soul moved into the river source, and she maneuvered her magic to catch it. It¡¯s been 82 hours since she builds her magical circle, and although technically she can keep going forever, the only weak link is actually herself. You see, the magical circle is self-sustaining because it is directly link to the river source, while she herself is only reawakened less than ten days ago. Her body and mind has not yet adapted and is still very weak. She calculated that she can only keep the magical circle for another half a day or 14 stick of time to be exact. Once the spirit reach her net, she closed the trap and started reeling it in. She felt it struggle, and she is surprise by the will of the spirit. It¡¯s as if the spirit is self-aware and not just dormant. It peak her intellectual mind but there was no time for it. It was such a shame though since immortal like her are very rarely surprise. And so she mercilessly pulled the spirit to her and coldly suppress its essence. Then she began to mold and combine the new spirit with the damage one of Amriel by synergy. First, she needed to artificially change the radiance signature of the two spirit to make them completely alike so they will not reject each other. Next, without any preamble, she started to tear pieces of the new soul to make the two souls relatively equal. If this is not done, the new soul will completely dominate Amriels and it may completely erase his personality. Once the two souls are combined, a vast amount of radiance is poured into them to create a unique magical sealing enhancement around the souls. This helps it to naturally mold together and permanently cement the combination and make sure the universe will accept the new life form. *** Daniel *** Daniel¡¯s soul screamed again from the unbelievable agony as he felt itself tore apart. Is this hell? Amriel thought, almost panicking in his despair. Is this what I¡¯m going to feel for all eternity? My god, my mind will shatter. Please let it happen soon. I cannot continue feeling like this! And then he screamed again. The moment he entered the light and started looking for her daughter¡¯s essence, an unbelievable force begun to pull him in. This is not like that time in the store when the universe pulled me to send me to my destiny, Daniel thought. That one he can still resist, but this is completely different. Next thing he knew, He is inside a bluish light that is poking and dissecting him somehow. He knew he doesn¡¯t have a physical body but somehow he knew that the pain is cause by pieces of him being viciously torn off one by one. He can feel another entity next to him who is also screaming, but he cannot muster enough interest for the agony he faces is absolute and all consuming. But even that was forced upon him, when he and the other entity was¡­ well, there is no way to describe the phenomenon, but to put it in its simplest form then the only description Daniel can put it is that they are being¡­ melded. Daniel felt his essence touch the essence of the other entity and their minds begun to link together. He can feel his memories, his wants and pains, his innermost secrets all become part of the other spirits mind, just as his memories and secrets poured into Daniel¡¯s own mind. The intimate violation was so profound that it become more agonizing to Daniel than the original pain. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Amriel, Thought Daniel. That is the name of the other spirit. He is a Rune Knight of the order of Celes. What the hell does that mean?! Whatever it is, I do not have time for it. I have to find my daughter and be with her. That¡¯s why I need to escape whatever this is! He began to struggle, to move away, to bite, to shout, anything to scream his defiance to the magical force that is detaining him. He kept moving and thrashing until he felt something give way. And so he re-doubled his effort even more. Then a memory of Amriel distracted him. He saw the beautiful dying woman in Amriel¡¯s arm, and the mewling babe besides them. He remembered how Amriel ignored the pitiful cry of the baby as he grimly travelled by horse for two straight days. The Baby in his strong arms finally succumbed to her exhaustion and slept restlessly, while the knight still drowned from his own grief upon losing his wife from the foul traitors. Eventually, they reach the outskirt of a compound outside the town of Gentra. Amriel went directly to the small hut at the end of the street, and in the middle of the night, begun knocking at the door of his only family left to him. A man opened the door with a knife in his hand, the surprise in his face was unmistakable when he realizes he is looking at Amriel himself. They argued for some time until the other man finally agreed and Amriel push the babe into the man¡¯s reluctant arms. Two days later, Amriel was a part of a huge army that did battle against a god and her minions. Here in the field of battle did the knight found his death. But what really took Daniel¡¯s attention was the baby, for when the knight Amriel held the babe in his arm, Daniel felt the same spiritual presence of his own child Mara. He already found where his child is. He knew from Amriel¡¯s memory that the child was born a few months now, despite the fact that he was following the child¡¯s essence just several minutes ago. But things like this didn¡¯t bother him anymore since the mysteries of the universe and the divine are things better left unanswered. The baby Amriel let go was his own child, he named her Ella and she used to be Daniel¡¯s own child, Mara. These are the facts that Daniel find important and that Daniel¡¯s destiny is now irrevocably tied to Amriel¡¯s. Without another qualm, Daniel stop resisting and let their souls merge into one. ***Mysterious Goddess *** The woman gasped in surprised. The other soul suddenly stop resisting. She was surprise by the will of the new soul and she almost lost her hold. Whatever made him stop she really didn¡¯t know, but she is simply grateful for it for she needed all of her remaining strength to complete the magical ritual. If she fails, the resulting magical backlash is strong enough to kill millions of mortal souls in this plain of existence. ¡°Just a bit more¡­¡± she said, gritting her teeth as she eases the new soul in Amriel¡¯s old body. ¡°Good, there is no rejection. I just need to empower the life force with my radiance and jump start the body and¡­ Done!¡± The bright light covering the magical circle slowly deemed and died down. After checking that the young man is slowly breathing, she rested her head in his chest. Her exhaustion was something she finds surprising because the last time she ever felt like this, was when she and her siblings help in the creation of dragons several millennia ago. But unlike then, this time she fell into exhausted sleep with a smile in her face. Chapter 1: Returning Home *** IN THE WORLD OF ABBADON, IN THE KINGDOM OF OLLAGON, OUTSIDE THE TOWN OF GENTRA *** *** Amriel ¡­ 5 years later *** Amriel steps out from the shade of the big oak tree that is straddling the dusty road, and sighed. He scanned the rolling fields of wheat, oats and alfalfa that dotted the land, the massive forest in the horizon and the ice-tip Mountains beyond. He messed up the back of his reddish hair with one arm and grab the Knapp sack with the other. He sipped a sizable portion of the floating cold bubble of water in front of him that its size drop down considerably. The water bubble started off with the size of Amriel¡¯s head but now it is just the size of his fist. He considered if he wanted to put more of the surrounding moisture to his bubble, but decide not to. Instead, he willed the water to float on top of his head and then drop it. SPLATT! The water soaked his face and Amriel smiled from the refreshing feeling of it. He ignored the invisible woman that was silently watching him and unable to understand what this latest antics of his actually means. He wipes the remaining sweat and water with the long sleeves woolen shirt he is wearing, and smiled. ¡°Not long now,¡± He said to himself. It was late morning ¨C a sunny but cold third day of the ten-day week cycle ¨C 7th turn of the 211th year of the age of Arthorn. While walking, he gazes again at the wide expanse of rolling uneven fields, and just over the horizon, the even more gigantic forest that surround them. As a soldier of a very active army, and then becoming a knight, Amriel had a lot of experience out in the field. He¡¯d been in the mountainous area between the borders of Ollagon and Elagani Empire, the red deserts of the south Shar-Arana tribes, or the muddy swamps of the independent cities, but where ever he¡¯d been, this lands that belong to the kingdom is always been the best place to live, in his opinion. I wish Allana had seen my clan, He thought. The moment that stray thought came to him, he dismissed it coldly. No good will happen if you indulged yourself from what ifs. He can feel his fellow spirit sighed, chiding him for being too hard on himself. And he did feel better. Seeing things that he had seen before but also have not, is really mind boggling. He can feel the excitement and giddiness his other self is feeling upon seeing his land. Amriel could not help smiling as he took a deep breath of the fresh cold air. ¡°I¡¯m finally home,¡± He said, sighing. ¡°This wasteland is your home?¡± Amriel¡¯s smile immediately vanished. He had stop wasting his time three days ago pleading, and begging, and threatening, and tricking this woman to leave him, maybe even to stay in Helix, but she continued to follow and pester him all throughout his journey. He knew that the woman had her own reasons for sticking with him, but that doesn¡¯t stop amriel from getting annoyed. If only he is strong enough to beat that bitch ¨C He felt the bubbling laughter coming from the other spirit at that thought. At least she had kept her promise to stay invisible and quiet at all times. Amriel remember her shrugging, and saying ¡°I have no interest in communicating with other lesser mortals. Therefore I will agree to your request not to interact with others. I will continue to keep my silence, unless something annoys me. And then¡­ we shall see.¡± It also help that any magic this god creates is a work of wonder and therefore is very useful when actually used. Her invisibility spell for example is perfect, not only does people around her cannot see her but she is also ethereal. Basically she can go through walls like ghost if she wanted to. No one can touch her or feel her presence if she doesn¡¯t want to. This magic is something Amriel is very grateful for. Explaining to your clan why a god is following you is simply not to his benefit. ¡°This is not a wasteland,¡± Amriel said, gritting his teeth. ¡°This land is part of the shanto valley, which in turn is considered to be the most fertile land in all of the kingdom¡¯s vast territory. We grow everything here from herbs to spices and almost any vegetables known to man.¡± ¡°I hate to say this boss, but the monster bitch has a point. What I remember of this place: it¡¯s a dump!¡± said Tubby, the one eyed giant cat walking next to Amriel. Rex, the little Chihuahua on top of tubby¡¯s enormous head, meanwhile woofed his agreement. A seven footer Swedish beauty walking behind them, who is wearing a Japanese school girl uniform, nodded her head once. ¡°Dump,¡± she said in a soft sad voice. Her name is Aida. Amriel sighed. ¡°Well since Simon did not agree with any of you-¡° ¡°Actually I do,¡± said the ten year old Asian boy with glasses walking next to Aida. He is not paying much attention to the road ahead because he is reading a book. ¡°But I rather not voice it, because it will hurt your feelings.¡± Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. A vein started popping out of Amriel¡¯s neck. ¡°Regardless, I did not ask for any of your opinions. Keep your observation to yourself, and by the source shut the hell up!¡± As Amriel turned, he notice that the woman is looking at him with an indescribable expression in her face. ¡°You are talking to your hallucinations again,¡± she said, a statement and not a question. Amriel again sighed. He felt that he has been doing more sighing in this journey than any other time in his life. Despite being stuck with him for a very long time, there are still things about him that the abomination could not get used to. One of the most important of all this is his aspects, as he called them. Because of some special circumstances inside the cavern where he last fought, died, and eventually revive, his mind is now divided permanently to six parts. And if need be, he can still divide that even further to 24. It is one of the long lost secrets of magic that he rediscovered inside the cavern they called Helix. With a partitioned and disciplined minds, Amriel can do more calculations and weave far more complex runes and magical circles to create even more powerful magical arts. This is no secret to the woman since her mind is even further partitioned to 64 minds and be divided even further to two hundred and fifty six in an emergency. The difference is that Amriel¡¯s 5 other minds has a personality of their own, which the woman find weird and rather perplexing. ¡°I would suggest that from now on, if you do need to speak to me or your hallucinations ¨C¡° ¡°I call them Aspects,¡± Amriel said lamely. ¡°- then it would be better if you use your mind magic to do so. I have trained you long enough in this field of magic, that you should be able to do something trivial such as this.¡± ¡°Agreed,¡± Amriel said resigned. ¡®Agreed,¡¯ He repeated in his mind. He was planning to do just this, once they are in the clan compound anyway. ¡°And one more thing,¡± said the woman. ¡°Since we are practically in your home now, I would like you to give me a name.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°A name,¡± She said, looking Amriel in the eye. ¡°Any name you will be comfortable using to address me that is not derogatory. I¡¯m tired being called that woman or abomination or demon bitch.¡± Amriel stared back at her for a long time, and she stared back waiting for his reply. She wore that toga like white silk around her that is now familiar to Amriel as life itself. She had been his only true physical companion for the last 15 years, but he stubbornly called her monster or abomination to dehumanize her. He really didn¡¯t understand why the goddess never really smoked him for all those years of disrespect. Maybe she finds him just an idiot and disciplining the moron will just be a waste of her time. Besides, does an elephant really get affronted when a cockroach cuss him? But the truth of the matter is that Amriel persist on calling her abomination because she still have his dead wife¡¯s face, and he could never forget that. He remembered the first few years when a single look from her made him remember everything that he lost and will attack her. Of course it will always end with him smashed in the ground with several broken bones. Only her benevolence and of course her powerful super healing spells kept him alive inside the Helix for those first few years. As the years passed by, the pain of her wife¡¯s loss never really healed but it gradually lessened. Like a dull headache at the back of your head that you just learned to live with. Eventually, the woman became a completely different entity that Amriel have no problem differentiating from his dead wife, despite the fact that she was a virtual twin of the woman she love. To give her a name will complete that separation once and for all, and make this woman a different individual to him. I have to let go¡­ ¡°What name do you want me to call you?¡± Amriel asked. The woman¡¯s eyebrow raised. She didn¡¯t expect this to be his answer. But if you expect me to call you Allana, then by the source I will let the kingdom and the Elagani Empire along with the red desert to be swallowed whole before I- ¡°Shayla,¡± She said, a bit of hesitation that Amriel never heard from the goddess before. ¡°I want you to call me Shayla.¡± Amriel pretended to think about it for a moment. ¡°Fine,¡± he said finally, sighing in the process. ¡°Shayla it is.¡± He turned and continued walking back home. The woman named Shayla smiled behind Amriel, then followed the young knight back in his journey. Chapter 2: Ella *** KINGDOM OF OLLAGON, TYLER¡¯S WOODEN COTTAGE HUT *** *** ELLA *** The little girl wipe the sweat of her face and continued to clean the dishes. Tears are about to leak out of her brown eyes but she savagely forces herself to stop crying. She¡¯s been trying to clean the stain out of her mama¡¯s favorite pot, but the stain simply wouldn¡¯t badge. Her small hands were raw but she kept at it. Mama is already angry with her and this will only make her even angrier. She didn¡¯t know why her mama is always angry with her, but that was her reality ever since she remembers. Her earliest memory was when one night it was raining really hard and she got scared by the boom of thunder. She unconsciously snuggled next to her Mama¡¯s back who is lying next to the bed. Her Mama was so angry at her that she push her hard out of the bed until she fell with a thud into the dirt below. Papa was so outraged that he and Mama started arguing and screaming all throughout the night. She didn¡¯t want to add to their problems that she never reveal the cut on her leg despite how painful it was. And she never cried again. Ever. Now that she is a bit older, she is always guarded when she is near her Mama. She always follows her order without complain and she has to listen very carefully because sometimes Mama use big words and she could not understand it and Mama always cuff her ears if she asks her to repeat it or indicate in any way that she didn¡¯t completely understand what she said. She is grateful though that at least Papa is not like her. Papa likes to be hug and smile and tickle her every now and then. But he is very busy, and Ella didn¡¯t like that he always drink a lot this days. Drinking lots of water is good for you, according to Master Lohan, but the drink Papa likes to guzzle in has a funny smell and one time she tasted it and it was awful. Papa and Mama are always fighting a lot this days, and somehow Ella feels that her Mama is getting angrier whenever she sees her and papa laughing. Even Papa sense it and now we only laugh and hug and tickle and wrestle when mama is not around. Someone is knocking at the door. ¡°Oh no,¡± Ella whispered in anguished. ¡°They are already here.¡± Today is market day, and Papa and Mama always go to the big town of Gentra with brownie, to get some goodies for the house like flour for bread, salt, honey, some jams, candles, magic scrolls, empty crystals, potions, and other essentials. They left her a few things to do, but she is nowhere near doing half of them. Mama will definitely get angry again and will hit her bottom with the stick again. She hated that stick. For a second, she considers hiding the stick but that will only make her Mama even more angry with her. Someone knock at the door once again, and Ella sighed again with sadness. There is nothing else to do but accept her faith, she thought forlorn. ¡°Comiiiing,¡± she said weakly, sadness in her voice. When she opened the door, a tall man with red hair and an astonishing green eyes stared back at her. She blink and her little heart skip a bit. She knew she has never seen this man before in her entire 3 years of life, but the man with the weathered face looking back at her, looks so familiar. His emerald green eyes is intently looking back at her, and it was filled with a mixture of joy and pain and sadness. The little girl solemnly stared back at the stranger and despite her reserve, she wanted to hug and console the man. Instead, she asked a question. ¡°How can I help you sir?¡± *** KINGDOM OF OLLAGON, TYLER¡¯S WOODEN COTTAGE RESIDENCE *** *** Amriel *** Amriel stared longingly at the little girl who answered the door. She barely reaches his knees and yet she has the solemnity of a well-bred lady. He knew exactly who the girl was the moment she opened the door, for he feel the very radiance signature that Daniel already memorize in his soul. And the radiance signature belong to this girl, Amriel¡¯s child Ella. Her long silky black hair and the intelligent brown eyes were her mothers. A miniature Allana. A heartbreaker in a making. Amriel had to consciously stop himself from stooping down and crushing the little girl in his arms, or risk scaring the girl. The girl blink at him, and Amriel recognize Allana¡¯s expression when she is deeply observing something. Despite himself, the corner of his lips twitch upward. ¡®She looks so beautiful,¡¯ Amriel thought, helplessly. Unknown to the little girl, a giant cat is rubbing his face in her left shoulder, while a tiny dog wiggled his tail wildly as he looks up adoringly at Ella. Behind them, Aida is hesitatingly patting Ella tiny head while openly crying a river. ¡°Beautiful,¡± she echoed sadly. ¡°How can I help you sir?¡± She asked. Amriel immediately compose himself. ¡°I¡¯m looking for Tyler the second of TwoTree,¡± he said formally. ¡°Papa?¡± Asked the child, her face perking up. ¡°He¡¯s out for the moment. If you could wait for 1 stick of time or you could just come back later.¡± Amriel had a sad smile in his face. ¡°I see,¡± He said. Shayla silently watch him in one corner, her face unreadable. Amriel blink and frowned around him. So did the boy named Simon next to him. When the nearby barn did not show any horses, Amriel already half expected that Tyler is out. Damn, I don¡¯t want to meet Navina alone, Amriel thought. ¡°So how about your mother then,¡± Amriel prodded. ¡°Anyone else I can talk to inside your house?¡± Ella smiled. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m all alone in the house right now,¡± Ella said innocently. ¡°You can talk to me!¡± Now Amriel and all 4 of his Aspects were frowning directly at Ella. ¡°You¡¯re alone here?¡± Ella bobbed her head in confirmation. Aida glances at the incense stick next to a window. The great Gray Monks of the Elagani Empire first introduce this stick and exported it all over the world. Now, every household in all of Abbadon used incensed stick to drive away mosquitos and freshen the house. Unlike the smoke created in a faraway world called Earth, the incensed actually have a therapeutic effect to strengthen the lungs. That is why very few instances of Asthma was ever recorded in the world. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. And most importantly, this incense stick is the universal unit of time in all of Abbadon. Time is measured by how long it takes for a standard incense stick to smolder away, which is approximately an hour for a whole stick. ¡®She¡¯s been alone in this house for only the river knows,¡¯ Amriel thought grimly. ¡°Alone,¡± said Aida sadly, again patting Ella¡¯s head. ¡°Hhmmph, at least we are NOT talking to Navina,¡± Tubby said, rapidly scratching the back of his ear. An imaginary tick the size of a tennis ball flew out of him and landed directly at the head of Rex, the Chihuahua, who is sitting next to the big cat. Rex was grimly nodding, despite the fact that he is turning white from the giant tick in his head. ¡°Forget about Navina or Tyler for now,¡± Simon said harshly. Amriel nodded to himself, then smiled at the little girl. ¡°By any chance, Are you Ella, little lady?¡± The girl¡¯s eyes twinkled easily, then she performed a cute curtsy. ¡°Ella the second of twotree.¡± Amriel bowed back, his courtly manners coming back to him easily despite the lack of practice. ¡°And I am Amriel the seventh of twotree. It is my pleasure to meet you, young lady.¡± Ella¡¯s smile widen at his name. ¡°Are you a clansman then? I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t recognize you. Please come in!¡± ¡°By the source, she is too trusting,¡± Simon said frowning. That didn¡¯t prevent him from entering the house though. ¡°Actually I am Tyler¡¯s little brother,¡± Amriel said. ¡°I am your uncle.¡± Ella¡¯s eyes bulged in amazement. Half a stick later, Amriel finally remove the stain in the cooking pot and started drying it. He did not have the heart to tell the little girl that the stain is actually a rust in the iron pot. Amriel is only able to get rid of it by the use of magic. ¡°I¡¯m all done with the pot,¡± Amriel announced. ¡°Oh good! Thank you thank you thank you!¡± Ella said happily as she continued brushing one side of the room. ¡°I¡¯m really grateful for your help. And there are still a lot to do before Mama and Papa arrived.¡± Amriel was asked to clean the window cover, water the plants, hang the laundry outside to dry, widen the dung pit and reinforce a rickety chair. Amriel cannot believe that a 5 year old child is tasked to do all this as part of a daily chore. Now Amriel is asked to retrace the magical runes in the left side of the wall. Amriel scratch his head looking at the old rune etch in the wall. ¡°I forgot to ask you if you know anything about runes¡­¡± Ella said, watching me looking at the runes. ¡°A bit,¡± Amriel said, he stood next to Ella and explain the situation. You see those three runes in the corner. Ella nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t understand the two side runes but I think the big one is to make the wall strong.¡± Amriel blink. ¡°Aah, essentially that is correct. The big rune is called a ¡°REINFORCEMENT¡¯ rune. It¡¯s designed to harden the raw building materials of the wall itself. The one on the right is an anti-fire rune to make it real hard for that wall to catch fire. The last rune is an insect repellant rune, mainly to make sure that termites don¡¯t make a colony out of the wooden wall.¡± Originally the wooden wall was created with just the reinforcement rune. The builders infuse the wall with enough radiance and with its natural ability to absorb radiance in time, there should have been enough radiance to empower the runes. The problem started when someone added the other runes below the original Reinforcement. Normally each new rune should have received its own power bank, but who ever created the two other runes made a shortcut and simply re-channeled its circuitry so that it sponge up from the older rune. As time goes by, the abnormal rune design is now seriously affecting the structural integrity of the entire wall itself since radiance had completely dried up. Recently, someone stops the other 2 secondary rune from working by adding a huge cut to its left side, stopping the flow of rune to it. But the damage is done. The wall itself is very dry and crusty. Amriel sighed and drop to his knees in front of the old runes. ¡°I have an idea to fix this,¡± He said for Ella¡¯s benefit. The little girl peek behind his shoulder and watch Amriel as he started lighting the edge of each of his fingers with blue radiance. Expertly with bold strokes and confident swish of his hand, Amriel drew a new bigger rune. Once he is finish he slowly push the air in front of him and the floating rune moved and etched itself covering the other 3 older runes. Ella¡¯s eyes watch the new runes and nodded happily. ¡°Your rune will absorb new radiance from the air around the wall. It¡¯s a bit slow but soon it will empower all three runes without absorbing the radiance from the wall. It¡¯ll fix the wall also eventually.¡± Amriel was astounded. The rune was complex enough for other much older mages to take a longer time to understand it. But Ella understand the very nature of the new rune just by scanning it once. Even Amriel only started to learn about runes when he started studying to become a knight. Tubby had a smug look on his face. ¡°Why are you even surprise? Of course my little Ella will be a genius! She got it from my side of your brain,¡± he said proudly. Aida slowly stood next to the giant cat. Her smile can light a Christmas tree. ¡°Genius!¡± she said. The karate chop in tubby¡¯s giant head floored the big cat. ¡°But my side.¡± ¡°You¡¯re really good at this, do you know that?¡± Amriel said softly as he smiled at the young girl, ignoring the chaotic fight of his aspects behind him ¡°Un!¡± said Ella. She accepted her uncle patting her head and messing her hair. I think I like my new uncle, she thought warmly. Chapter 3: Tyler ¡°Ella! We¡¯re home!¡± A man¡¯s voice yelled outside and Amriel recognize his brother¡¯s accent immediately. ¡°Get your butt in here!¡± ¡°Papa!¡± cried Ella, as she ran outside. Amriel meanwhile took a sit and settled himself down. ¡°Your heartbeat is increasing,¡± Shayla said through his mind. She had silently stood in one corner and made herself ethereal so she wouldn¡¯t bother anyone. But now, she notice the change in Amriel. ¡°It¡¯s as if you¡¯re readying for battle.¡± Outside, he can hear whispers and he knew that Ella is reporting his presence inside. He knew that Tyler needed to compose himself before he goes inside the house. He didn¡¯t mind that. What he is most concerned about is the presence of- ¡°What?!¡± A shrill voice said. The door opened and a young woman in her twenties entered. Her long curly black hair and blue eyes made her the bell of the clan. She still has those hypnotic hips that made every young man in the clan drool all over her. But as Amriel look at her, he can see the tiredness at the back of her eyes. He could not believe that once, he ever fell in love with this woman, but he did. But comparing her to Allana now, she looks so¡­ ordinary. ¡°Hello, Navina,¡± Amriel said calmly. ¡°Long time no see.¡± The woman was speechless for a moment, but she easily recovered. Amriel could feel her growing anger as she straighten up and her nose rose to that familiar disdainful look. ¡°So you came back,¡± She said coldly. ¡°I am,¡± Amriel answered simply. ¡°Did you come back to-¡± ¡°Amriel!¡± cried Tyler. His big bulk entering the house. Amriel had just enough time to stand up before receiving a bear hug from his brother. Amriel is not a small man, by earth standard he is about 188 cm, but compared to his brother, everyone is puny. He let his brother raised him in the air until he is satisfied. Awkwardly, Tyler let him down after a while. ¡°You look well brother,¡± He said, eyes gleaming. Amriel laughed as he sat down. ¡°I am, brother,¡± He answered. ¡°I¡¯m still in one piece at least.¡± He carefully did not look at Shayla¡¯s direction. Amriel meanwhile decided not to make an issue about Ella¡¯s chores. The girl has food in the table and roof over her head. It¡¯s more than he could wish for when he went out to die all those years before. Instead, they talked at length on what is happening in the clan. Who is still there and who isn¡¯t. Tyler mostly told him about happy stories or at least funny ones, but eventually, he reluctantly also told Amriel about the important changes in the clan. ¡°Wait, you¡¯re telling me that the new head elder is Burrlock?!¡± Amriel said astonished. He change position in his chair. ¡°What happened to Master Lohan?¡± Tyler winced. He forgot that Amriel is Master Lohan¡¯s prot¨¦g¨¦. ¡°It was a close vote. But in the end, Master Burrlock become the new Head Elder when Master Quilan died. Many like Master Lohan, Amriel, but many of us also believe that Master Lohan is not ruthless enough to carry the clan to the future,¡± Tyler explained, rubbing his beard. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Amriel smiled at his brother¡¯s concerned face. Amriel always find his brother as this gentle giant. Everyone else who didn¡¯t know him always gets intimidated by his bulk. A formidable warrior in his own right, Tyler¡¯s main problem is that his kindness always made him hesitate. And he easily gets pressured. Those several years getting separated from Amriel actually did Tyler some good and now he is his own man. Normally a potential conflict will make him just shut up, but now if he believes what he wanted to say is actually important, he will continue to say it. And Amriel respect him for that. ¡°Listen, it¡¯s been 3 years since Master Burrlock took the staff of high Elder. I know you are close to Master Lohan, but this is already an old issue. Everyone accepts that Master Burrlock is the boss around here, including Master Lohan. So don¡¯t make any troubles,¡± Tyler said gravely. Amriel smiled and raised his hand in surrender. ¡°I did not come back to make any troubles, brother,¡± He said. They were both silent for a while until Tyler broach the subject that they were both waiting for. ¡°So why DID you come back, little brother?¡± Amriel sighed. ¡°I¡¯ve spent more than 9 years of my life serving the kingdom and roaming the world. I¡¯m done with it,¡± He said. Tubby snorted, who is sitting next to Navina. ¡°Nine years? We spent more than 3 times that in our service to the kingdom.¡± He spat bitterly. ¡°No one needs to know that,¡± Simon said behind Amriel. ¡°¡­ I just want to spend my remaining days with my family and the clan.¡± ¡°And Ella? Are you planning to take your daughter back?¡± Tyler asked bluntly, an edge to his body and voice. Slowly, Amriel shook his head while maintaining eye contact with his brother. ¡°No, you¡¯re her father now,¡± Amriel said. ¡°I will never be good at that. For what¡¯s it¡¯s worth, giving you my daughter 5 years ago was the best decision I made in my entire life. I¡­ I just want to see her grow up¡­ from a distance of course.¡± Shayla watches from the window as the little girl carry a small sack into the barn, a determined but a happy smile is etched on her face. Tyler¡¯s shoulder suddenly lost its tension. He didn¡¯t even know he was that tense until he let go. He nodded wearily. ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear that,¡± Tyler said, suddenly there is a twinkle in his eyes, an almost exact copy of Ella¡¯s. ¡°Especially now that you¡¯re going to be an uncle.¡± Amriel nodded. ¡°I know that. I will be the best Uncle there is and ¨C¡± Tyler started shaking his head happily. ¡°No no no no! I mean NOW you will become a true uncle!¡± ¡°Wait, you mean¡­¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Tyler Guffawed triumphantly. ¡°Ella will become a big sister soon!¡± Chapter 4: Navina *** IN A WORLD CALLED ABBADON, IN THE KINGDOM OF OLLAGON, IN THE TYLER¡¯S RESIDENCE *** *** NAVINA *** Navina wanted to throw the clay mug she is holding in her hands. Which of the two brothers she wanted to throw it to she didn¡¯t know. WHY she is holding that stupid mug in the first place, she doesn¡¯t even know. All she knew is that her blood is boiling. It is like the universe is conspiring to keep her down. To make sure she doesn¡¯t fulfill her full potential. And these two brothers are the agents of demons that are pulling her down into the mud. Ever since she was born, Navina knew she is destined for greatness. With her wavy black hair and expressive blue eyes, along with her voluptuous drop dead body, Navina is able to manipulate any man to get what she wanted, at the age of five. Her family were the top merchant of the clan at the time, and she live like a princess. Then she met the young Amriel, and she fell madly in love. The boy¡¯s green eyes seems so vivid, so intense like he always has a plan. His father was the clan¡¯s head carpenter, but he is already grooming his older son Tyler to replace him. With his younger son having no more place in the art of wood working, he sent Amriel to Master Abishi, the clan iron smith, to become his apprentice instead. Since he is the second son, naturally her father is against their relationship. Amriel¡¯s father is also against the union because he is backing the new rising star of the clan: The young and ambitious Burrlock, who is eyeing Navina¡¯s father¡¯s job as the head merchant of the clan. But she was madly in love and she ignored her parent¡¯s warnings and threats. She became even more smitten when Amriel shrugged off the opposition. ¡°I will work hard and become rich just like your father. You¡¯ll see, I will slowly earn their respect!¡± A fourteen-year-old Amriel said. ¡°Then one day, they will accept me and then we can get married in the eyes of everyone!¡± ¡°And I will become the most beautiful bride in all of Abbadon!¡± Navina exclaimed. Amriel laughed, and they were happy. Everything is just so intense and flowery when they were together. But then she couldn¡¯t take her parents constant nagging and spouting nonsense. That Amriel is not good enough for her, that she doesn¡¯t know anything about hardship and responsibility. And so she ran away and went to Amriel. At the time, Amriel is staying with his mentor, Master Abishi. The old man ranted all night and demanded that Amriel returns her to her parents. But Amriel defended her and they started their own little hut away from the clan compound. Immediately, her parents disowned her, and Amriel¡¯s parents followed suit a few days later. For a while, both of them were happy and didn¡¯t care. But as the months move on, Navina began to feel the discomfort of being poor. Amriel is working nonstop but it doesn¡¯t seem like their station in life is improving. She began to complain and bitch about everything. She convinced herself that it was Amriel who stole her from her parents and she started hating him. Amriel tried to be patient with her but Navina just knew which button to push and small arguments become screaming matches. It didn¡¯t help that it was around this time when Master Burrlock launched his campaign to take the head merchant position from Navina¡¯s father. Burrlock¡¯s agents began to give crucial information to rival merchants, they undermine prices, damage some of the more important goods and sometimes even hiring bandits to attack clan convoys. Navina¡¯s father retaliated by going after Burrlock¡¯s supporters within the clan. On one occasion, a group of masked men ambushed Amriel¡¯s father on his way to the town of Gentra to deliver four wooden barrels. They beat him up so hard that Amriel¡¯s father never woke up ever again. Someone found him in the dusty road and deliver him back to the clan. He was in a coma for an entire ten-days before he succumbs to his wounds. Unable to deal with her grief, Amriel¡¯s mother died 2 ten-days later. His brother Tyler asked to stay with them because he too could not handle his grief alone. Because Amriel feared what his older brother will do if he is left alone and because he truly love him, Amriel agreed to keep Tyler with them. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. To this day, Navina could not tell exactly why she seduced Tyler. She didn¡¯t know if she simply lost her respect to Amriel or if she really fell for Tyler, but one night she simply slips into Tyler¡¯s bed and they become lovers. When Amriel found out, she admitted to everything. Her original plan was if Amriel found out about her and Tyler she will scream bloody rape and pin it all to Tyler. But there was something about Amriel¡¯s blank stare, that piercing emerald eyes, that infuriated Navina and next thing she knew she was screaming at him that Tyler was so much better as a lover, that she was happier with her older brother and that she is glad that he finally found out about it. Amriel looks at his brother who could not look back at him. It infuriated Navina even more that Amriel cared about his brother¡¯s betrayal even more than hers. Amriel turned around and never look back. Everything would have been fine for her except that a few days later, a great disaster arrives in her life. The clan was in an uproar when it was reported that her father killed her mother for allegedly having an affair and then committing suicide himself. Head Elder Quillan convened an emergency meeting, and she was called in. They gave her a watered down version of what happened and asked her for additional questions. When she couldn¡¯t wait any longer, she blurted out and asked them, ¡°Did my parents leave me anything?¡± Sadly, Master Lohan handed her a letter. ¡°This was found with your parents. We believe that your father wrote this before his¡­ er, end.¡± With trembling fingers, she opened the letter and read: ¡°I have no daughter. What¡¯s left of my personal wealth will go to the clan. May the source forgive me, and I hope I will become happier in my next life.¡± Despite this, the elders still gave her 30 emerald pieces. A small fortune by clan standards, but a pittance to her. Eventually, she and Tyler got married and settled in. Six ten-days later, a royal envoy arrived and announce that the army was expanding due to the increasing threats on the border. Since there was a lackluster result in the numbers of volunteers, a mandatory service is announced. A lottery with the name of all men 16 yrs. old and up, but no more than 40, was drawn and five names came out in their sector, including Tyler¡¯s name. Navina smiled, thinking she will be a widow in due time. But the coward runs away. Two days later, Amriel appeared to the envoy, declared that he is tyler and took his brother¡¯s place in the army, despite the fact that he is barely 15. Navina wanted to shout and protest, but the clan, including the elders, accepted it so no one spoke. And so life returned to its boring routine. For 4 years, she wasted her life away with Tyler, with nothing exciting happening in the clan compound. Then one silent night, Amriel appeared at their door like a ghost and with a baby in his strong arms. The grimness of his face did not hide the fact that little Amriel is now a man, and strangely her heart fluttered for a moment. He and Tyler argued for a while until Amriel reminded his brother what he did for him. ¡°You owe me your life, brother,¡± Amriel said harshly. Eventually, the coward, of course, gave in and now we are stuck taking care of Amriel¡¯s bastard. He called the baby Ella, as if Navina cared. And now his back for good five years later. But he still doesn¡¯t have the decency to take the brat away, so now we are still stuck feeding two children. She admits that part of her irritation is the fact that Amriel barely noticed her. As if she is now just another unimportant person in his life. While the way she looks at Ella¡­ She deserves that same devotion and love from someone as well. After all, she is Navina the first of TwoTree. Chapter 5: Clan TwoTree *** KINGDOM OF OLLAGON, CLAN TWOTREE COMPOUND, OFFICE OF THE HIGH ELDER *** *** Daniel *** That afternoon, Daniel found himself sitting in the office of the High Elder Burrlock. The office was cramp and functional, something Daniel found surprising. There is a small shelf on one side, filled with scrolls and books, a desk with three sturdy chairs facing each other and a huge window behind them. That¡¯s it. No decoration or pictures or statues or anything else otherwise. ¡°So you were in the army and now you want to come back to the clan,¡± Elder Burrlock said, eyeing him. The Head Elder was a big man, not as big as Tyler, but his presence made everyone notice him at once. He is nearing fifty, with blue intelligent eyes as hard and as permanent as the Mythril he had been force to peddle in his youth in the royal capital, and as dangerous as the axe that he always carry when he travels. His clothes are rich and the knife at his boot are bejeweled. His full beard is graying like his hair, and Amriel hates him like the plague. Ironically, Daniel like the guy. ¡°That is correct, My Kai,¡± Daniel said. Kai literally means ¡°the one who leads¡± in Elagani. It is normally used by the kingdom to address someone who is in a higher position than you, or someone who is older, acknowledging the fact that he knows more than you. Basically, a term of respect. ¡°When did you arrive in the clan compound?¡± ¡°I arrive this morning, my kai.¡± ¡°And you do not deem it necessary to come here as soon as you arrive?¡± Daniel nodded to himself. This is a standard tactic officers used to unbalance new recruits. ¡®So it¡¯s true that this bastard actually has experience in the army,¡¯ Daniel thought amused. Amriel remembered that Master Lohan always speculated that Burrlock used to be in the army, but he can never prove it. It is a tactic that Amriel used himself all the time. ¡°Or maybe he is just an ass,¡± Simon said, sitting in the other chair and cleaning his glasses. ¡°Please excuse me, my kai,¡± Daniel continued, in his most honeyed tongue. ¡°But I am not sure if you remember me. So I deemed it necessary to meet first my family so that I can be reintroduced to the elder. I seek no insult.¡± The Elder grunted. ¡°Of course, I remember you, I ain''t stupid,¡± Burrlock said. ¡°I mourned your father¡¯s death. At least, he left a good son behind for the clan. Also, Master Lohan had nothing but praised for you.¡± ¡°So he remembered your father at least,¡± Growled Tubby, who is sitting near the window. ¡°The man that he betrayed.¡± Daniel offered his elder the credentials that he was holding. It was a forgery, of course, one he obtained at a great cost in the capital. But nothing in the report is a lie. All the citations and medals and honors listed in the reports are actually given to Amriel. It¡¯s just that Amriel had been missing for the last 5 years and when he came back he found out that he is already a hero. The knight who sacrificed himself to closed the void gates from the void army. They called it the Resurrection War. His own unit he heard, is now in a choice station and proudly call themselves the ¡°Pig Riders.¡± Daniel can feel Amriel blushing at that memory. He scanned his own memory about that incident and he chuckled. ¡°What was that?¡± Burrlock said, annoyed. ¡°Nothing, My Kai.¡± Burrlock grunted again, and look back at the young man in front of him. Like a true predator, Burrlock can sense another dangerous animal when he sees one. And this man, with his cold green eyes, is one dangerous man. Instinctively, the elder hated the young man. But the clan must come first. ¡°Look, I acknowledge your credentials. For a young man, you¡¯ve brought honor to the clan with your services to the Army,¡± Burrlock said, scratching his beard. ¡°I can hear a BUT coming,¡± Simon said. Another one of Amriel¡¯s aspects, a Bum drunk that you can smell across the room, named Greg, burped loudly. ¡°So can I,¡± He said. The silent giant beauty named Aida held Rex the Chihuahua in her bosom, and they are both nodding. Only Tubby, the giant one-eyed cat, is sniggering. ¡°He said BUTT¡­ hurhurhur,¡± Tubby said to himself, laughing like Beavis. Daniel remained silent and waited. ¡°But, I cannot give you the post that you wanted,¡± Burrlock said. ¡°I already have a good head of security for the clan and his second in command is the best trainer for the guard.¡± Daniel nodded. He expected this because, despite his skills, Burrlock put more premium to loyalty. He simply did not trust Amriel yet. Daniel expected to start from the bottom and make his way up. ¡°I understand your reasoning, my kai. I will take any other opening then, I just want to serve the clan.¡± Burrlock¡¯s eyes narrowed. He didn¡¯t expect this kind of reaction. ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear that,¡± Burrlock said. ¡°Not many young people today understand that a strong clan helps their future. That is why whatever they are doing for the clan, be it small or big, is very important.¡± Burrlock handed Daniel a cup of wine made of blood berries. It is a drink made in the capital and very popular. Daniel took it and gulp it down in one throw, which in this world is the correct etiquette. Sipping wine is an insult to your host since it implies that you don¡¯t trust the drink that is offered to you. ¡°Report to Master Lucio tomorrow morning near the edge of the forest. We are trying to clear as much of the woods in that area to expand our settlement. Also, go to the quartermaster office later so we can give you the necessary supplies to build your new home. The quartermaster will also assign you a plot of land for you to use. Do you have any other questions?¡± Abruptly, Burrlock stood to end the meeting. Daniel sighed and stood up as well. ¡°No, my kai. I do not.¡± ¡°Good,¡± Burrlock said. He surprises Daniel when he thumps his barreled chest with a closed fist, the clan sign for greetings. ¡°And welcome back to the clan, Amriel the seventh of twotree.¡± Amriel gives the clan sign and bowed before leaving the office. He immediately went to the quartermaster. He gave his credentials and Elder Ergo, the head quartermaster gestured for him to follow. Hey went deeper into the compound until they reach a wooden warehouse. Daniel is familiar with the place because this warehouse is where Amriel and his friends used to play hide and seek. Inside they met Akton, Elder Ergo¡¯s son, who is sitting at a table and writing something in a scroll. Next to him are more scrolls and an ancient looking abacus. Daniel knew that they are related even before the elder introduce them because they look almost exactly alike. Protruding stomach, vanishing hairline, hook nose, suspicious brown eyes, and a penchant for biting their lips when they are thinking. ¡°Stay here for a moment while we get your thinks.¡± Elder Ergo ordered. Daniel nodded and watched them go. He started looking around and noticed a painting of an ugly fat woman on one wall, presumably Master Ergo¡¯s late wife. Below the painting is a small table with an incense stick. The incense is mainly used as an insect repellant, but it is also the closest thing the kingdom has for time keeping. One stick of incense is roughly the equivalent of one hour. After a while, Daniel started humming and tapping his boots. He is fooling around a bit until his eyes rested to the goddess Shayla, who is standing in one corner, invisible to all except him, and she is looking directly at him. ¡°What?¡± Daniel asked, slightly annoyed. Her head turned slightly to one corner, like a cat, and she continued to watch him. ¡°You didn¡¯t even noticed,¡± She said finally, a slight wonder in her voice. ¡°That you just change with your other spirit.¡± Daniel was taken aback, because what the abomi- He means Shayla, had just said was absolutely true. The spirit known as Daniel had taken over because Amriel finds the task of talking to Burrlock tedious at best. When both of them first awaken inside the cavern known as the Helix, there was a power struggle between the two spirits inside Amriel¡¯s body. Only when they compared notes did they realize that the spirit Daniel was looking for is familiar to Amriel as well. The life essence that Daniel felt was the same radiance that now wraps around a baby girl. Ella. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. Daniel¡¯s previous daughter reincarnated into Amriel¡¯s current daughter. Even Shayla was amazed at the coincidence. She concluded that there is some sort of new destiny created that will happen because of the union between their spirits. After all, Shayla proudly admitted that the synchronization of their spirit was something unique and far remarkable. They switch spirit when they need to and took advantage of the knowledge of each. And they only needed 2 hours of sleep each day because of it. It wasn¡¯t always like this of course. It took years before they become use to each other. Two alphas sharing the same body is never easy. Daniel normally wins any fight when they exerted will power but the stubbornness of Amriel means he can only be in full control for a few hours at most. But now, they interchange their spirits so naturally that sometimes they are not aware who is actually is in the driver¡¯s seat at any given time. Shayla believes that it is progress in improving their entity. But both Amriel and Daniel find it a bit disturbing. Daniel¡¯s train of thought is broken when Elder Ergo returned with his son. They were both holding small wooden crates full of supplies. One by one, Elder Ergo in a bored voice, gave detailed info on what Daniel is getting from the clan: A sack of potato; another half sack of a mixture of carrots, onions and other tubers; a smaller sack of flour; an even smaller mug container made of harden mud that house one for salt, one for pepper, 2 for yam berries and four other spices Daniel is not sure about; He also receives 2 woolen long sleeve shirts, a woolen pants with slim leather for straps, a slipper that is made from a flexible bamboo-like plant called ¡°Arucha¡±; Four meters of extra linen cloth; Two thicker woolen blankets; half a wheel of black cheese; and lastly two small wooden barrels of seed oil. Daniel is astounded. With Amriel¡¯s memory, he expected a bit of help and assistance from the clan, but not like this. The clan really gave him a lot of essential supplies that he really needed. ¡°The clan must be doing well,¡± muttered Simon, inspecting the goods. ¡°You also get this,¡± Elder Ergo said in his raspy voice. His son handed Daniel a wooden round shield and a short iron sword. ¡°Like every clansman, you are now a member of the militia. You and your fellows, my son here included, will train every 1st day of the ten-day week for at least two hours. Do you understand?¡± Daniel nodded. ¡°I understand, My kai.¡± ¡°Good. Now lastly, Elder Burrlock wants you to sign this.¡± Elder Ergo offered him a scroll and Daniel quickly read it. The scroll is giving him access to 1 kabuk of land (approximately 1 hectare). A committee made up of himself, a representative of the elders, and his immediate neighbor, will set markers as boundaries for his new land. Now although the land is hereditary, the land technically still belongs to the clan. What it means is that he still need permission from the clan if he decided to sell it, and if he is proven guilty to a major crime or in a time of a great emergency, the clan has the right to take back his land. Also, he is free to cultivate his land as he sees fit, however, one in every four profit made in the land will be given back to the clan. This is on top of the ten percent harvest that you are obligated to give to the clan warehouse every year. Daniel shrugged. ¡°Everything seems fair,¡± He said, smiling. ¡°Where do I sign?¡± Elder Ergo is looking at him with an odd expression in his face. ¡°That is a radiance scroll. All you have to do is infuse your radiance and that¡¯s it.¡± Now Daniel hesitated. When he was a newbie congressman he personally went against any form of personal data collection like blood and DNA. Radiance collection smack closed to that. But that was not really the point, his radiance signature is completely different from the radiance signature taken by the clan when he was younger. In fact, it will show a completely different person because of the difference. And even if his radiance is still the same, the fact that it is so much purer now and so much more powerful than before will simply generate too many questions he is not prepared to answer. ¡°Ah¡­ Shayla? Can you hear me?¡± Daniel asked through his mind. Unlike Amriel, he doesn¡¯t have any problem with the goddess. In fact, he kinda like her. ¡°Yes,¡± was her only reply. ¡°Hey listen,¡± Daniel said. ¡°I¡¯m kinda in a bind here. If you don¡¯t mind, can you go outside and create a distraction? But don¡¯t show yourself.¡± Daniel hesitated, then added almost as an afterthought. ¡°Oh, and don¡¯t kill anybody.¡± ¡°Good,¡± Shayla said, as she passes through a wall like a ghost. ¡°Finally, something to do.¡± ¡°Is there a problem?¡± Elder Ergo said, impatiently. ¡°Nothing. Nothing at all, my kai,¡± Daniel said hurriedly. ¡°So I just squeeze this scroll really tight, is that it?¡± ¡°No no no, you imbecile. You hold it normally, just infuse your radiance in the paper and ¨C¡± A huge explosion erupted outside. Window glasses burst inside the room and the wall actually cracked. Daniel and the others staggered, Akton even fell face first in the straw covered floor. When the smoke and debris subsided, Elder Ergo followed by his son, went outside to see what happened. Tubby was running around the room, excited. Simon meanwhile is cleaning his glasses while shaking his head. ¡°You¡¯re an idiot! This is what you get for asking a mad woman for distraction,¡± he said exasperated. Aida next to him is nodding her head sadly. ¡°Idiot.¡± Daniel shakes his head as he approached the table. He grabbed the scroll with one hand and started to infuse radiance in his other hand¡¯s fingers. Quickly, he created a new magical circle and updated the complicated runes around it. When he finished, he guided the floating magic circle to the table until it rested there. When the circle started to glow, he gently put the scroll on top of the circle. The circle made the scroll float and revolve around it, and then with a single hand, Daniel begun to tap the sides of the glowing sphere. His hands blurred as he taps the right magical components in time until the scroll was encased in a holo tank-like magical dome. Only then did Daniel infuse his radiance into the scroll. The circle intercepted his radiance and magically change it back to the normal radiance signature that he used to have. The scroll glowed white once then stop, only then did Daniel dismissed the magical circle and walked briskly outside. The entire ¡°programming¡± took him exactly 22 seconds. Daniel smiled, remembering that less than 5 years ago, He was a mere newbie in magic. Now he is expertly creating master level magical circle under a minute, how cool was that? Outside he distinctively heard the increasing incredulous voice of Master Ergo¡¯s son Akton. ¡°What in the source was that?!¡± He screeches to an equally dumbfounded worker who was nearby. ¡°A meteorite, sir?¡± the clan worker suggested helplessly. Outside the building, just missing the donkey with the cart of Amriel¡¯s supplies, was a small 4 feet deep and 10 feet wide crater. A black stone is embedded in the ground and it is still smoldering. Daniel¡¯s mouth was open. He closed it immediately before turning to Shayla who is sitting demurely in the cart, one hand resting on her chin while her eyes admired her handiwork. ¡®A meteorite? Seriously? You cannot do anything more subtle than that?¡¯ Daniel asked, astounded. Wordlessly he steps next to elder ergo who is talking animatedly with another clan worker and pushed his scroll to the elder¡¯s chest. The elder looks at him almost absently then to the scroll and nodded. Shayla just shrugged. ¡®At least it¡¯s not a meteor SHOWER.¡¯ Daniel cringed. ¡®I guess¡­ (Gulp) thank you is in order, then.¡¯ He thought. The Goddess accepted his thanks graciously, and the two of them walk out of the compound unnoticed, dragging the donkey and their supplies, while behind them chaos ensued. Chapter 6: Start of a new life For the next ten days, Amriel had become incredibly busy setting up his affair in the clan. It turns out that his next door neighbor in the plot of land given to him was no other than Tyler himself. That made it simple to plot markers in their adjoining lands (Tyler actually have 3 kabuk of land for his years of labor for the clan.) and everything is finished by the end of the second day. After that, Tyler and some friends help Amriel to set up his new home. Gathering fine woods in the forest, they were able to erect a two-room cottage in a span of two days plus an outhouse ten meters away from the hut. The frame of the house is made from the ancient redwood, abundant in the forest, but the wall is made by pack clay dirt, mix with a peculiar purple sticky plant called ¡®Shalagoo.¡¯ The grounded plant leaves and flower create a paste-like quality that hardens mud and makes it quite durable. With magical runes, the walls can last decades. In the next few days, Tyler will show his expertise in wood crafting when he deliver to Amriel a wooden bed, a small table and a few chairs. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Amriel asked, showing a small rabbit sculpture. Tyler shrugged. ¡°Navina bought that from a passing merchant once, it¡¯s just stuck in a barrel now so I thought I bring it here, put some character in your home.¡± Amriel turns the rabbit over and etched below it reads: ¡®Made by Weed.¡¯ Amriel shrugged and put it in a corner window, forgetting all about it. Tyler manhandled the wooden door and place it properly in the opening of the house. ¡°I just need to buy some fasteners and latch bolts and everything should be finished.¡± ¡°I¡¯m really grateful for this brother,¡± Amriel said. Tyler waved him away. ¡°Think nothing of it, we¡¯re family remember?¡± Amriel smiled at that. ¡°Indeed, we are.¡± ¡°So what¡¯s your plan after this?¡± Amriel scratch his chin while looking outside the window. ¡°Well, first of all, I need to fix my land, and then see Master Abishi and find out if I can get my old job back.¡± Tyler frowned at him. ¡°Then I¡¯ll come by early tomorrow and help you cultivate your land.¡± ¡°Get going you fool!,¡± Amriel said laughing. ¡°I don¡¯t need your help digging dirt as well. I know you have lots of work back home, so do that instead.¡± Tyler looks at him seriously. ¡°Old Ergo screwed you over when he gave you this plot of land. You should have received one of the newly cleared lands beyond the river, but he gave you this forested land instead.¡± Amriel smiled affably. ¡°They are planning to send me to the clearing crew anyway, now I just have to clear my own land first. Two birds with one stone.¡± ¡°I¡¯m serious little brother,¡± Tyler said frowning. ¡°I¡¯ve been in that clearing crew and what you got here is serious work. The land is full of hard rocks and there are more than a hundred trees dotted your place. These are ancient trees with roots that go for miles underground. It won¡¯t be easy. You need to start fixing your land now or you may not be able to plant anything this coming planting season.¡± Amriel nodded soberly, showing his big brother that he understood the importance of his words. ¡°I understand your words, brother. And I thank you for your concern, but you seem to forget that I am an ex-soldier. I¡¯m used to hard work. Digging up holes in the ground is something we do in the field on a daily basis, and I think can manage for now. If I learned that I bite more than I was able to chew then I will ask for your help again. But for now, I don¡¯t want you to worry about me. Worry about yourself.¡± And my daughter. Tyler thought about what Amriel had just said, then nodded. ¡°As long as you are aware of the danger,¡± He said. Tyler patted Amriel in the back and started to live. ¡°Tyler, wait,¡± Amriel said. He grabbed his old knapsack and pulled a small pouch inside it. He then pushed the pouch to Tyler and said, ¡°Here take this.¡± Tyler looks inside the pouch and paled. ¡°I can¡¯t accept this!¡± He said, looking again in disbelief at the ten emerald pieces inside the pouch. ¡°This is yours! How the hell did you get that in the first place?¡± Amriel laughed. ¡°Soldiers can only spend his money on either women or drinks. I have no need of either and so I have been able to save this much in my stay in the army.¡± Besides the ancient Elagani Empire, the monetary system is not yet fully integrated into the economy of the rest of the world, including the kingdom of ollagon where the clan of twotree resides. At the far reaches of the kingdom, bartering is still the primary form of the trading system. In the capital and the rest of the major cities, however, the kingdom is slowly introducing a new system of coinage that the rest of the people are beginning to accept. A small crystal known only as quartz is now being distributed in the kingdom¡¯s economy. The royalty owns the only two mining facilities in the entire kingdom, and besides its simplicity and easily transportability, the quartz are naturally made and counterfeiting it is next to impossible. Eventually, the quartz becomes the standard payment for wages and has become an acceptable replacement for products and services rendered. However as time passes, banks and merchants found out that it becomes harder and harder to calculate, analyze and store vast quantities of quartz especially if hundreds of thousands or even millions are involved. That is when they started using another natural mineral to augment the quartz, and that is the emerald. Unfortunately, the green gemstone turns out to be very rare and it¡¯s hard to come by. That is the reason an imbalance of emeralds and quartz immediately affected the economy. At last count, each emerald is an equivalent of a thousand and two hundred quartz. Putting it in perspective, a worker in the kingdom who works all day will be paid a standard 5 quartz a day on average. This is the reason why Tyler¡¯s mouth gaped open when Amriel offered him 10 pieces of emerald. ¡°I cannot possibly take this.¡± ¡°Why not?,¡± insisted Amriel. ¡°I¡¯m a single young man who just receive a plot of land, a home and work opportunities. You, on the other hand, has a growing family, and we both know that you can put this money to good used. Take it, brother. I don¡¯t need it but you do.¡± It took another 15 minutes for Amriel to bully his brother in accepting his money. But in the end, Tyler took the money, albeit unhappily. They said their goodbyes and Amriel watch his bigger brother as he disappeared inside his own house. Amriel sighed and continued to work. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Amriel carried all the crates with his supplies given to him, inside the house. Amriel look around him then his eyes begun burning in blue light. He kneeled in the dirt and by igniting the radiance in his fingers, he began to write runes in the air. The Runes who started out as either a square or triangle or diamonds with specific numbers of dots inside, evolve into a much more complicated graphics, then they began to intermingle with each other until they created a completely different complex rune. Amriel raised his left arm and a red radiance sphere started to form from nothing. It crackles with power as it spins faster and faster on top of Amriel¡¯s head. When he was ready, Amriel guided the sphere and slammed it into the complex rune he just created. Like a virus, the red radiance spread throughout the Rune just as Amriel somehow maneuvered it down into the ground. The moment it touches the dirt, the radiance flash outward into the ground and a small tremor rage around them. Slowly, the ground shook and then suddenly the floor started to go down. But it turns out that only thing that is going down was a circular patch of ground about five feet in diameter that includes Amriel himself. They went down and down into the earth until they reach about fifty feet underground, then the magical flatform stop, only to expand in all direction in a fifteen feet radius where in Amriel is the center. Once it finishes expanding, Amriel already has another rune glowing in his left hand where he slammed it to the ground. Runes of all shapes and sizes in magnificent gold color raced out of Amriel hands and spread throughout the walls positioning themselves in a pre-designated area. ¡°Haaph!¡± Amriel cried, as an even more unbelievable amount of radiance poured out of him and alighting the magical circuitry created moments ago. The runes in the walls exploded like fireworks and even more runes and circuitry covered the entire room from the ground, wall, and ceilings. Four pillars made of unknown metal, also covered in complicated glowing runes rose up in the ground until it touches the ceiling, then covering it up with more earth magic. The runes glowed in an unprecedented heights and the entire room was bathed in a blinding light for several moments, and when they diminished the place was now filled with a circular granite table and an even longer L-shape table in the middle of the room, plus the edges of the circular room is now filled with shelves filled with books and scrolls. Both tables are covered with other scrolls, alchemy tools, experiments, and magical devices. On the north side of the room even including its own furnace complete with a fan blower and a smith anvil. Next to it is a half-buried massive cauldron filled with coals for the furnace. On the left side of the furnace stood a silent 12 foot Mithral Golem, eyes scanning the room for any unwanted intruder. Its glowing purple eyes rested on Amriel for a second, recognizing its master, then continued its sweep of the room. Amriel remained kneeling for a second more, before collapsing to the ground, exhausted. His aspects meanwhile were roaming the room. Tubby was smelling the scrolls in the table. ¡°Seems like everything is the same as we left them¡­¡± Simon perused one of the open books, and nodded. ¡°Indeed. I guess the spatial teleportation rune you made works perfectly. You should thank Shayla then for teaching it to you.¡± Amriel¡¯s eyes rolled to his brain, and Daniel appeared. He did the ninja flip and he was on his feet, stretching. ¡°I told grumpy this will work,¡± Daniel said. ¡°Only he is skeptical from the beginning.¡± Everyone nodded. For some reason, even both Daniel and Amriel never notice directly, but Daniel actually has 2 more aspects normally around him than Amriel. One is the British girl with blond ringlets skipping around the room named Lizzie, and the other is Greg, the drunk bum, who smack the girl¡¯s bottom when she pass him near the table. ¡°Kyaaah!¡± Lizzie screamed, before smacking Greg with a karate chop in the forehead. She ran behind Daniel for cover, glaring balefully at the drunk. ¡°Why in the source name do you need to bring all of this from Helix anyway?¡± Greg asked as he drank deeply in the paper bag ¨Ccovered vodka he always seems to carry. He is sporting a huge bump even bigger than his head, tilting it to one side due to its weight. Aida, behind him, is placing a cute but completely inadequate pink band-aid in the enormous red bump. Daniel didn¡¯t answer. He just smiled and tap his foot. The ground rose to elevate him back and when he reach the ceiling it opened up so easily like a ripple in a water and Daniel was back to his little hut. He sighed and went outside and for the rest of the afternoon he continued to cut trees, pull giant roots, dig out rocks and small boulder out of the soil. At night, he is part of a volunteer group of militia who patrol the clan territory, since the full-time guards had their hands full in guarding the clan merchant convoys. As the newest member of the group, he gets the graveyard shift that patrols early morning until the crack of dawn. Daniel didn¡¯t mind really. Since this is the time that he can think and plan for the future. See, unlike Amriel, he is not content with the status of their child. He agreed with him not to tell the child that he is the real father because Ella is already attached to Tyler. But that is the extent of their agreement. For one, he did not accept Ella¡¯s condition in Tyler¡¯s household. And Ella has talents. Amriel is content in letting his only child work hard in the time of peace. To grow up, meet someone, get married, have children, and die in old age with her family surrounding her. But Daniel has a different Idea. He wanted Ella to at least taste everything that is good that life could offer. For her to achieve all the opportunities that she might want to explore in the future. And then one day, she might find what she is truly looking for, and finally be truly happy. ¡°Why in the name of the source do you need to bring all of this from Helix anyway?¡± Greg had asked him before. He did not answer before but now he can. ¡°It¡¯s all for my preparation. If the world does not accept my child, then I will change the world for her.¡± This he promises himself as he continued his patrol. Chapter 7: Intruders! *** IN THE KINGDOM OF OLLAGON, OUTSIDE THE CLAN TWOTREE COMPOUND, THE FOREST *** *** Amriel *** Amriel leaned against a tree and watched in full fascination as a monkey 145 meters away from him and squatting in a top branch. It was completely dark and the light of the moon is not penetrating the thickness of the forest, but Amriel is using a combination of his mage eyes, infrared visions and zoom in capability of an eagle eye, and he could see clearly as a sleepy monkey struggled not to fall off the branch, completely unaware as a blue bat is sticking near his ass and drinking a portion of his blood. Amriel raised an eyebrow when the monkey nonchalantly started to scratch his butt, obviously rubbing the vampire bat¡¯s wings and still he didn¡¯t notice the flying mammal. ¡°It¡¯s right there, you stupid monkey. You can feel its wings!¡± complained tubby, prowling around the tree Amriel is leaning in. ¡°Idiot,¡± Aida agreed, frowning right next to Amriel. ¡°Woof!¡± barked rex in Aida¡¯s arm. He growled at the stupid monkey, but yelp when he started to suffocate in Aida¡¯s bosom. He watches for another half stick of time before the monkey fell asleep and the bat, having drunk its fill or had enough of the monkey¡¯s farting, flew away undetected. Amriel sighed. He looks at the moon high above, guessing that it¡¯s already midnight or early morning. His guard shift is always at night because he has a lot to do in the morning. But the downside is this; pure boredom. ¡°Might as well do another round of patrol around the compound,¡± he said aloud. ¡°If you have nothing else to do,¡± said Shayla next to him. ¡°Why not confront the intruder moving around the compound?¡± Amriel staggered to a halt. He turned to face the goddess, his face shocked. ¡°There is an intruder in the compound?!¡± He asked, aghast. The Goddess simply nodded innocently. ¡°For how long?¡± ¡°About a stick of time.¡± ¡°Then why did you not tell me?!¡± Amriel said, controlling his outburst. ¡°You did not ask.¡± With an effort, Amriel controlled his breathing. ¡°I¡­ am watching a flying rat-¡° ¡°For more than an hour,¡± Simon added, grating his teeth as he glared at Shayla. ¡°- Suck. a. monkey¡¯s ASS!¡± Amriel continued, almost shouting now. ¡°You didn¡¯t think of telling me any of this?¡± ¡°Perv,¡± concluded Aida, nodding to herself. Amriel, Simon, and the dog whipped their heads to Aida¡¯s direction, annoyed. Only tubby was sniggering behind the bombshell. Shayla frowned at Amriel. ¡°Your specific words is to scan the place for any intruders. I did. YOU did not say anything about reporting anything I detected. Besides, I have no idea you didn¡¯t sense them yourself.¡± Amriel stopped, controlled his breathing then close his eyes. He concentrated in the radiance around him then he expanded outward, towards the clan compound a mile and a half away. He felt all the familiar radiance, including Burrlock who is sleeping next to his wife. There are two guards near the gate but like him, they are not alert and bored out of their minds. Almost unconsciously, his senses went directly to Ella¡¯s home and only after he is reassured by her deep undisturbed sleep did he scan elsewhere. ¡°Where¡¯s the intruder?¡± ¡°Intruders,¡± Shayla corrected. ¡°In the main building.¡± Amriel directed his senses to that direction and sure enough, an unknown radiance is slightly glowing in the second floor. He wasn¡¯t able to detect the second but if Shayla said that his there, then his there. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Amriel commanded. He runs fast, moving smoothly into the thick forest. Brushing over trees, hopping over bushes, gliding over a pool of waters, then he was out. He burst through the field faster than a charging Cheetah, not that this world had ever seen such an animal. He could feel the wind battered his face, but he ignored it. The closer he gets the stronger the radiance of the intruder. How could he have missed this? No matter, he will be there in a few more seconds, and then he will have answers. Shayla effortlessly flew next to him, watching him. ¡°Would you like me to deal with this intruders?¡± ¡°No!¡± Amriel and all his aspects said in unison. He has no question that Shayla can stop this intruder. Or any other intruder or group of intruders for that matter. She is a goddess after all. The thought of Shayla being overpowered by anyone is laughable. The problem is that the woman wouldn¡¯t care if she destroys half the compound while doing so. ¡°Thank you but no,¡± He repeated more calmly after seeing the frown in Shayla¡¯s face. ¡°I want to do this in a more subtle way.¡± ¡°Very well,¡± The goddess said, disappointed. ¡°I will not interfere then.¡± Good. ¡°Thank you,¡± Amriel said. Twenty meters before he reaches the building, he touched his chest and a magical rune named ¡°Shadow walk¡± is created and then activated in his body. It was not the all concealing technique that Shayla is using but at this time of night, the magic was just as useful. Shadows swirl around Amriel making him semi-invisible at night. He bolted the twenty feet wall of the compound then landed on his feet and rolled to contain the force, then stood up again to continue on. He reached the building with no one noticing him, then he again bolted the 2nd floor of the building. The windows are open and Amriel simply swings pass the door and landed inside quietly. The long corridor of the 2nd floor was completely dark but with his mage eyes and infrared, Amriel can see the intruder easily at the end of the corridor fiddling with the locks of Burrlock¡¯s office. With Amriel¡¯s heightened senses, He can hear the angry mumbling from the intruder, as he sneaked closer to the masked man. ¡°I guess lock picking is not his strong suit,¡± Tubby whispered to the other aspects, despite the fact that no one can actually hear him. Amriel in passing, wondered where the giant cat found the ninja mask covering his face. The intruder is wearing an all-black attire that covered him from head to toe. Daniel is reminded of a ninja, whatever that means, Amriel thought. For a moment, Daniel wanted to switch places, but Amriel resisted. A battle is imminent and he is the warrior in this body, not Daniel. The fact that Daniel gave in, reassured the former knight. Five feet away, Amriel stopped and then cleared his throat. The intruder froze, then slowly turned to face him. Amriel smiled at him easily. ¡°Can I help you?¡± The intruder stood up and started to walk over to Amriel without any hurry. Amriel¡¯s smile grew even wider. The way the intruder walks, Amriel knew immediately that his legs are taut, the center of gravity is well maintained and the steps are very light. In other words, this guy is a professional and very confident. He can just imagine what he looks like to the intruder, just another part-time militia guard from an unknown backwater clan. Carefully, Amriel rested his clan issued spear to one side of the wall, then his eyes started glowing blue. ¡°You don¡¯t want to do this,¡± Amriel said, matter of factly. The intruder continued to walk closer and closer until he is an arm¡¯s length away from Amriel, only then did he stop. Amriel can feel the intruder gather radiance around him, then without warning, he flicks a quick blow to Amriel¡¯s face. Amriel swung his head to the right, then deflect the next blow to his ribs. His own left-hand snake out and grabbed the intruder¡¯s shoulder, who automatically jerk it away. Suddenly the two combatant is engaged in a rune¨Cassisted, complex, and swift moving series of moves that ended with the intruder¡¯s left arm bent at an awkward angle. Amriel quickly snap a low kick and the intruder fell to his knees with his other hand supporting his weight. The intruder was good, but magical grappling was Amriel¡¯s specialty, and it¡¯s been awhile since anyone ever beat him in that, excluding goddesses and abominations of course. Amriel applied more pressure and the intruder screamed. Suddenly Amriel knows two things about the intruder. One is that she is a woman because of her voice when she cried out and two is that she is a knight. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report itOr at least knight-trained. The Army mold young peasant farmers into cold-blooded killers by drilling techniques into the soldier again and again until it becomes second nature to them. This way, when a real fight actually starts the soldiers can retreat into this familiar drills and let their bodies move according to their training even if they are scared shitless that they are pissing their pants. What¡¯s more is that technique made sure that the soldier can preserve his stamina while his enemy hacks away. Hold shield in front. Block. Absorb attack. Twist. Stab center mass. Again. Block. Stab. Block. Stab. To be honest, this is the primary thing that differentiates an army from a mob. Nothing more. But as time goes by, veterans realized that these drills are full of holes. There are times that their training is not enough, especially against another soldier who is also trained the same. They begin to change and tweak a few things about what they learned to better adapt against an enemy attack. This is what differentiate a veteran from an OLD veteran. This is where the knight order came in. The knights are originally old veteran soldiers who used what they learn to teach others how to cover the weaknesses learned from the standard army training. And this female intruder is highly trained. She could easily beat another regular knight, but unfortunately, she is against Amriel who had years of battle experience. Besides, Amriel¡¯s normal sparring partner is a god, far stronger and faster than any human has a right to be. ¡°Let¡¯s start from the beginning,¡± Amriel said coldly. ¡°Who are you and what are you doing here?¡± The intruder snarled at him. ¡°You¡¯re dead! Do you hear me? I will cut out your heart and feed it back to you!¡± ¡°Right, but before that, you will tell me who you are and what the source are you doing here, or I will pull your arm from your socket and-¡° Amriel felt the build-up of radiance behind him. He let go of the female intruder, turned around and at the same time infuse his own radiance to his arms. Half a dozen magical missiles homed into his body from the darkness of the corridor. He deflected them all with his arm and it all exploded in the ground next to him. His mage sight revealed an individual hiding in the darkness at the end of the corridor. He is about to retaliate when he felt another attack behind him. His body is already ducking to one side when a snake like attack whooshed pass him. The female intruder is holding two bullwhips, and she is expertly twirling it around. Amriel can feel that both weapons are infused with elemental magic. One by lightning, the other by wind magic. Like a Jedi, Amriel pointed to his short spear near the wall and it flew to his hand quickly. With radiance coursing throughout his body, he slides two fingers over the length of the spear, sort of coating it with magic. Instantly, two dozen runes are etched in the spear and Amriel empowered it by infusing his own radiance. What Amriel had just done was a revolutionary new technique in rune markings. A rune knight can normally only create two runes over their weapon at least twice a day, senior rune masters can probably create just over 3-4 runes but that¡¯s it. No one has ever reinforced a tool or a weapon with 5 or more runes in the history of the kingdom. The problem is not creating runes but how their radiance interferes with each other. Amriel created a technique from an idea Daniel gave him by using ¡®radiance channels¡¯. Essentially, you create the specific places where a radiance of a specific rune will go to so that they can spread around the tool or weapon without interfering with the radiance of the other runes. His wooden spear has now turned into a bluish metallic spear glowing from the inside. And he expertly swung it around like a dancer, blocking and deflecting the attacks from the bullwhip-equipped intruder. The attack is really tricky to handle because the angle of attack is truly unpredictable. And on top of that¡­ Four more magical missiles raced at him from the other direction. Again Amriel deflected it to the ground then immediately fired two high-pressure water elemental sphere to the direction of the second intruder. ¡°Seriously?¡± Tubby said, watching Amriel. ¡°The first magic that comes to your mind are your bouncing water balls of doom? That¡¯s just lame, dude.¡± ¡°Lame,¡± Agreed Aida. Amriel blushed slightly, but then again he didn¡¯t have the time to elaborate as the woman¡¯s attack started to become faster and faster. Amriel ducked, deflect, blocked, swing to the sides, and rolled away from the deadly whip. When his water spheres exploded on the other side of the corridor, Amriel made his move. Amriel poured radiance to his left foot and when he stomps it to the ground, the wooden flooring in front of him started to crumble. The woman staggered for a second and Amriel moved it. He started falling to his left, then teleported to his right. He appeared behind his opponent and with his spear, swung it to catch the woman on the side of her face. But the woman wasn¡¯t fooled and drop to the ground and performed a perfect sweep of Amriel¡¯s foot. It was a clean hit and Amriel started to fall on his side, his body literally parallel to the floor, but with a single hand, he not only arrested his fall but actually jumps back into the air. He quickly throws a straight punch to the advancing woman. ¡°ARRGH,¡± She grunted. She blocks the punch, but Amriel¡¯s strength made her stagger two step behind. This set her up for the two kicks Amriel is able to perform in that position and hit the woman twice on the side of her head and neck. She flew to the side of the wall and burst right through it. Amriel twisted in the air and landed easily on his feet. He felt another radiance build up from the other intruder and, this time, he is upgrading the attack by changing it into a fire element. Amriel raised a radiance shield around him just as the heat of fire burst all over the corridor. It glances pass his shield, but he remained unharmed. He then raised his spear and threw it in the blinding light of the fire. Unfortunately for the intruder, Amriel can feel him just by looking at his mage sight. The spear penetrated his left shoulder, and he fell on his back. No matter what kind of shielding the other intruder has, his spear has a resistant to it. A new magical circle suddenly surrounded the intruder and spread on the wooden ground. The intruder, reeling in pain, seems to be unaware of this magic enveloping him. Amriel¡¯s eyebrow had risen as he studied the circle. It was a far more complex rune markings, and he didn¡¯t think the intruder himself is at a level to create one such as that. Amriel took a step forward. He is already docking even before he knew it and the body of the female intruder went past him. She glowered at him, then sat near her comrade. Her fingers infused with radiance, she started writing in the air as she mumbled an incantation. Amriel recognized the runes she is writing in the air, and he started writing his own runes. Suddenly the wooden splinters all around them started shaking then begun to float in the air. They were infused with radiance and like a storm started to move all around the two intruders, protecting them like a shield. Amriel meanwhile, called the earth elements and an earth armor wraps around him. He steps toward the storm and grimly absorb the blows from the infused wood missiles that were hurling themselves around him. ¡°I just need a few more inches and I can stop the magical circle,¡± Simon told Amriel as he also grimly moved into the storm. But before he could touch the magical circle that spread on the floor, the two intruders glowed white then blink out of existence. Instantly the storm around the room vanishes and every wood splinter in the air drop down like nothing happen. Amriel cursed. His prey had gotten away from him. He slides to the floor and touched the magical circle. He started reading and understood that the magical circle serves as a teleport beacon somewhere near the capital. Amriel easily found the first trap in the magical programming that any other teleportation using that same circle will cause the body of the one who teleported next, to be transported in 5 separate location, essentially killing him. Amriel¡¯s hands glowed, and he started rewriting the magical program of the circle when Amriel saw the second trap. The moment the teleportation was used, a 3rd party program in the circle was designed to gather radiance and start to overload. The radiance capacity is already full so Amriel can¡¯t do anything about it. He somersaulted away from the circle before it exploded and destroy a huge chunk of the second-floor building. Amriel who is next to a window was blown away 50 feet from the building. Amriel twisted in the air and landed on his feet, but it took another 10 more feet to arrest his momentum entirely before he skidded to a halt. People around the compound started to shout warnings and everyone started to grab buckets to stop the fire. Burrlock in his skivvies roared in anger as he directed people how to fight the emerging fire. Amriel simply watch. Shayla steps right next to him seemingly from nowhere. She too was watching the conflagration in the building. ¡°Your idea of subtleness completely puzzles me,¡± She said. All Amriel can do is a grunt. "Damn it." Chapter 8: Questions and Answers Ella stomped her foot in frustration. ¡°Oooooh!¡± She said. ¡°I missed it! Why is the bandit attacking the clan when I¡¯m sleeping? Almost everything that is interesting happens when I¡¯m sleeping! It¡¯s not fair¡­¡± Daniel watches her in amusement. ¡°I don¡¯t know what to tell you, sweetheart, I too miss the commotion last night,¡± Daniel lied. ¡°I¡¯m inside the forest when I heard a loud boom. I ran back here and everything is in chaos.¡± That very morning, a very angry Burrlock organize several teams to try and track the bastard that gutted the biggest building in the clan compound. Amriel (Daniel) was part of the first team that moved out early that morning but after several miles of fruitless tracking they went back. They returned and explained the situation but Burrlock didn¡¯t want to hear it. He organize another team and then another. This newest team will be led by Tyler himself and he is now being brief by the head elder. Daniel is keeping the child a bit of company while Tyler is still inside. Daniel didn¡¯t mind because he simply love watching Ella. Amriel meanwhile was still brooding inside of him. The two intruders were good, but the truth of the matter is that they got away simply because Amriel underestimated them. That portal alone was made by someone more powerful, Amriel was sure of it. The design and sophistication of the traps suggested a far more experience mind than those two. Oh well, too bad Daniel will not be able to question them but unlike Amriel, he is more interested in what they are doing here than anything else. Ella looks over his shoulder and ran toward an emerging Tyler who is still talking to the head Elder. Tyler scooped Ella with one strong arm and tickled her. ¡°Do you have any questions?¡± Burrlock asked brusquely. ¡°No, my kai,¡± said Tyler. ¡°I have no questions.¡± ¡°Good, hopefully, your group are more observant than the last few ones I sent,¡± Burrlock said, looking meaningfully at Amriel¡¯s direction. Amriel bowed politely and Burrlock left. Tyler turned to Amriel. ¡°Can you take care of this little beastie while I¡¯m gone?¡± He said. Ella giggled. ¡°I¡¯m not a beastie!¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Daniel answered. ¡°But where is Navina?¡± Tyler had a troubled look and choose not to answer Amriel¡¯s question. ¡°I¡¯ll be back in a few hours.¡± Amriel grabs his brother¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Take care of yourself out there.¡± In this world, Nature is not the slogan environmentalist used on our planet. Here nature is cold, hungry animals, poisonous plants, roaming monster and foul magic. Here, nature is the enemy. Tyler simply nodded, messed up Ella¡¯s hair and left with a few man. Daniel watch him go then levitated the surprised Ella and drop her on his shoulder. ¡°What¡¯s our plan for the day, little princess?¡± ************************************ That very night, Amriel glided down from the roof of the clan building. The two guards below, while alert and ready, still did not see him. And even if they do, Amriel already prepared a minor for sleeping and mind alteration magical programs. The door has both updated physical and magical lock covering it, but Amriel simply created a small portal to the side wall and entered that way. He felt the magical radiance in the air, another security measure to detect unknown radiance entering the room. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Amriel recognizes the radiance signature as something that Master Lohan had made. And it took only a swipe of a few lines in the magical rune in one corner and the magical detection was disabled. ¡°Now for the hard part,¡± Simon said next to him. Why would highly skilled mercs come to a backwater clan like Twotree and snoop around? Normally those kinds of mercs are already working for kings and emperors. I find it hard to believe that kings or emperors are interested in our small little clan. Greg the Bum sat outside the door and served as a watchman, while the rest of the aspects started searching around the room. Daniel swap with Amriel since he understood espionage better than the straight and narrow Amriel. Simon read the scrolls on the desk and those inside the cabinets but found nothing special. ¡°This is all receipts and ledgers for the clan trade,¡± He said. ¡°Anything interesting?¡± ¡°Besides the fact that the clan trade volume increase by almost 300 percent in the last year¡­ no, nothing special.¡± Tubby started smelling the desk with a serious glare in his single eye. ¡°What?¡± Daniel asked impatiently. ¡°Master Burrlock boink someone in this desk very recently, perhaps 2 days ago!¡± Both Simon and Daniel had to hold the bridge of their noses just as Aida¡¯s karate chop hit the giant cat squarely in the head. ¡°We¡¯re missing something here,¡± Simon said, ignoring the giant cat as he rolled around in the floor Rex the Chihuahua barked and Daniel¡¯s eye widen. ¡°Of course!¡± He exclaimed. His eyes glowed blue and his mage eyes activate. Suddenly, it was all so obvious. One side of the wall has a huge open and hollowed out space. The place is covered in a very week radiance that at first glance blended perfectly with the surrounding. It was an illusion magic and cleverly made. But once you focus on it, the magic is dispelled for that person. Inside the space is another ledger, but this one is different. It seems that Burrlock purchases a sizable land in the merchant quarter in the capital of Abbadon. For a bargain price of 90 emeralds. Normally no one can buy a piece of property in the ancient capital for less than 500 emeralds even in the port district, much less the old town quarters where the oldest nobles stay. But somehow, our clan is the proud owner of a 20 room building apartment in the merchant district and even now is expanding the place upward to accommodate another 12 more rooms. ¡°I didn¡¯t know the clan is that rich,¡± Daniel said to himself. He felt Amriel agree with him. The ledger went on to describe that the clan also owns a sizable supply of consumable goods at the vast warehouse in the port district. Almost 5 emerald worth of goods, mostly dried food and essentials. ¡°Burrlock, you sneaky bastard, what are you up to?¡± Daniel said to himself. This discovery only created more questions than it answers. Chapter 9: One fine day It took him a while, but Simon finally convince him that whatever those intruders reason in trying to infiltrate Burlock''s office, it did not mean that it is a direct danger towards the clan, and so he should put it at the back of his mind for the time being. For the next 2 ten-days. Amriel devoted most of his time in cultivating his new land. It was back-breaking work and the sun was scorching hot, but Amriel loved it. The clan logistics is able to give him an idea about the market process of every known grain or seeds or vegetables and fruits. The most important of it all is corn, then wheat. But the clan warned him that the soil in the surrounding area is rich but is not good for corn or wheat. instead, he was encouraged to plant Lushkaite, a form of root crop that is best for soup. The market is alway in constant demand for the crop and the soil is perfect for it. Amriel shrugged and accepted the tip, especially since the clan offered him a small sack of the lushkaite seed for practically peanuts. By the 3rd ten-days, his land is as ready as it will ever be. the planting began and people walk out of their huts even before the sun is up and return home when the sun is already down. Amriel realized that it is normal for people to fall on the bed without cleaning up or eating anything and in seconds are already asleep snoring and dead to the world. Only to wake up exactly 8 hours later to do their backbreaking job all over again. Despite not being born to the job like most of the other farmers, Amriel is able to keep up because of his innate strength and the radiance flowing inside his body. That afternoon of the 3rd day, Amriel was manhandling a giant boulder buried deep in his plot of land and he was trying to set it aside. His progress was very slow. "Hello, uncle!" A little voice interrupted Amriel''s idle thoughts. Amriel smiled brightly as the unmistakable voice of Ella, her secret daughter, echoed in the vast field. He waived back to the little girl, and five aspects followed suit. "Hello young lady, how can I help you this fine afternoon?" He asked as he neared the little girl who is holding a basket. She wore a straw hat as well and the combination made as cute as a button. Ella giggled. "Mama wants me to buy some eggs and tomatoes. Do you need anything?" Amriel hid his frown from the little girl, but his aspects openly did so. "By The source, the girl is freaking Five! Girls that age doesn''t get chores like going to the market a few miles away! They just don''t! We should talk to Navina about this," Tubby, the one-eyed cat said. "That won''t solve anything," Simon said, cleaning his glasses. "Maybe," Growled the cat. "But I think screaming at the bitch will make us feel better." The sad Aida nodded near Simon. This time she is wearing a nurse uniform with her voluptuous body almost popping out of it. "Feel Better," she said mournfully. Rex the Chihuahua woofed his agreement. "Even so we are not going to do that." Said Simon as a chair appeared and he sat down to read his book. Mutely, Aida pulled out a gigantic injection needle and proceeded to stab Simon''s arm. "Ouch," said Simon with a straight face as he continued to read his book. Without a word, Aida pulled out the needle then stabbed Simon once again. "Ouch." "Ouch." "Ouch." "ummmhm, Uncle?" Amriel turned back to the little girl. "Yes, Ella?" He asked.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. "You''ve been quiet for a long time, is anything wrong?" "No, I''m fine," Amriel said, then without Ella noticing, Daniel exchange mind with Amriel. "You know what, I cannot think of anything to ask you to buy but I''m sure I needed something, so if you don''t mind, can I accompany you to the market instead?" Ella''s face brightened. "Alright, let''s go!" *************************************** "You gotta be shitting me?!" Daniel said, horror etched in Amriel''s face. The clan vendor is looking at Amriel with a weird face. "I already told you: We don''t have anything with what you described. What do yo call it again? Beer?" He said, handing Ella her eggs very carefully. The moment he asked for beer, and when the vendor said they don''t have it, Amriel from the other side of his brain access his memory of this beer, and confirmed that they don''t have anything like that in this world. This was a devastating piece of information for Daniel. "But... But you guys understand fermentation! You got wine! How can you not have Beer for christ sake!" "Would you like some apple cider?" Ella asked anxiously, her uncle''s behavior is worrying her. "I think papa have some left." Absently, Daniel patted Ella''s head. He is already looking for ways to introduce beer in this world because a world without beer is a definite hell and he will not just let it be. Leaning next to the stall was the bum Greg who is smirking at him. "Not my problem," He quipped as he drank deeply from his paper bag covered vodka. Daniel snatched the drink from his aspect and despite feeling the splurged of liquid inside it, when he tip it over to his mouth, no liquid came out of the bottle. Disgusted, Daniel threw the imaginary bottle out into the field as it twinkled in the horizon. Cartoonishly, Greg in anguished, ran after the vodka bottle screaming, "Noooohh!" When he calmed down and turned, both the vendor and Ella are gawking at him. "Aaah, some bee is buzzing around me," Daniel said lamely. "I hate bees." "I see," said the vendor very slowly, eyeing him. His eyes going back and forth from the mad man and the little girl next to him. He was obviously concerned about leaving the little girl next to the not so sane man. Daniel, as well as the rest of his aspects, sighed heavily. "Come on, Ella. I''ll treat you to some candy." "Really?!" Squealed Ella, forgetting about his uncle''s weirdness. "Well come on then! I know just the place who sells the best candies and treats around!" Daniel was mildly surprised to see Greg there again next to Simon who is reading something. He is guarding his vodka bottle protectively and glaring at Daniel balefully. Daniel let Ella pull him away. They pass a few more stalls, and some of the clan members recognized Amriel and they greet each other with a shoulder grip, as is proper to greet a family member. Ella laughingly performed a few curtsies herself, but her full focus is in the treats. The stall Ella wanted to but the treats turned out to belong to Mrs. Salark, an ancient looking woman who looks like she is always brooding. When they were little, Tyler and Amriel always wanted to get a few of Mrs. Salark''s black oranges in her backyard and even then the old croon is already old. He and Tyler have a healthy respect for the old woman''s throwing arm. "Err, Mrs. Salark, you''re still alive then," Daniel said. "Young Amriel," The old lady said as a way of greeting. "You look as mischievous as ever." Ella didn''t have any fear of the old woman, unlike every other child that gaze the old woman''s features ever since the beginning of time. "Can I buy some of your sweet bread, Aunt Sal?" "How many do you want?" Ella turned to me with an expectant glow, Daniel gave her ten quarts which she then gave quickly to the old seller. Without hurry, Mrs. Salark gave Ella 4 pieces of hard bread. Daniel tasted one and almost gag. The damn thing was just a dried bread with some sort of thin sweetened syrup on top, but Ella loved it and so Daniel kept his mouth shut. One day, I''ll have you eat real cakes and brownies and marshmallow and freaking ice cream with real chocolate on top! Not this hard tasteless bread that even a dog back home will not even eat. And so Daniel and Ella walked back home after a few stick of time exploring the myriad items available in the market. frankly speaking, Daniel wasn''t that impress with the available product in the clan''s market. They are lacking a lot of the essential items and what is available is overprice. Consequently, Daniel wasn''t able to buy anything useful during that trip. But Daniel wasn''t that disappointed. For him, and to Amriel no doubt, the point of the trip is to spend some time with Ella as much as possible and seeing the delighted the face of her daughter as she enjoyed her treat was enough to keep Daniel''s mood up. He escorted the girl back to her home, awkwardly greeted Navina, then he made his way back home.