《Red, Grey and Black》 Prologue: End? Secret Healing facility, Location unknown. Wilhelmina stood before the sealed door, her slender fingers tracing the intricate runes etched into its surface. A testament to the countless spells woven into its very core, designed to keep whatever lay beyond as contained as possible. She hesitated for a moment, her heart racing in her chest. If she could, she would never set foot inside the isolated facility again. But the weight of her responsibility bore down on her shoulders like an unyielding force. ¡°Here we go again,¡± she murmured to herself, her voice hardly audible. With a wave of her hand, the magical lock clicked open, and the door swung inward with a groan. As Wilhelmina stepped over the threshold, the thick smell of herbs reached her¨Ca scent that had been deeply ingrained in her memory throughout years of experimentation and research. Yet despite the familiarity, the sight before her stirred a sense of unease within her. The place resembled more of a prison than a medical facility meant for treating people. Magical chains shackled row upon row of beings, their eyes reflecting the hopelessness of their situation. ¡°Focus,¡± she chastised herself internally, banishing any stray thoughts that threatened to undermine her resolve. ¡°There¡¯s work to be done.¡± Moving deeper, the oppressive atmosphere seemed to grow heavier with each step. Wilhelmina¡¯s sapphire eyes flickered briefly to the imprisoned beings, lingering on one particularly haggard figure who stared back with silent pleading. ¡°Pl-ease-,¡± the woman whispered, her voice cracked from disuse. ¡°Hel-p m-e.¡± Swallowing hard, she struggled to maintain composure. Her voice was monotone as she replied, ¡°I¡¯m doing everything I can.¡± Tearing her gaze away from the woman, she continued down the corridor, her footsteps echoing through the dimly lit space. The pleas of people turned into echoing roars like that of beasts filled the air as Wilhelmina strode forward, their grotesque forms visible in the falling light. These beings were once similar to her, Humans. Some were mages, while others were valiant knights filled with happy lives and hopes of better futures ahead of their careers. But now they are not called humans for reasons. Instead, they are called by many names, beasts, monsters, demons and what she liked to call them, The Crimson Wretches with bloated heads and rotting skin were an all-too-familiar sight to her. ¡°Keep moving,¡± she muttered to herself. As she passed each cell, the sickles extending from the Wretches¡¯ tattered backs scraped against the magical chains that bound them. The sound was akin to nails on a chalkboard. But Wilhelmina¡¯s weary eyes remained unflinching. She knew these people became monsters, as happens to anyone who becomes victims of the insidious Rotmaw Soulgorger parasite. ¡°Help... me...¡± One wretch rasped, its voice barely recognisable as human. Her heart clenched painfully, but she forced herself to ignore the plea. The experiments she conducted were their only hope for salvation. ¡°I¡¯m trying,¡± though she doubted the creature could hear her over the cacophony of desperate cries. They all came-no lured here with a promise of cure, like a path to their salvation, with the end being here, to her. She remembered how they all looked at her and said ¡° We trust you.¡± What did she do with that trust? Put heavy chains on their neck and placed them under a container, to slow their change, not because she wanted to buy more time for them but because she wanted to watch how they slowly screamed in horror and cursed her in despair and finally became the monsters who roared at her sight, just like today. Those who turned wholly are nothing but crazed beasts, like the one in front of her. Despite being nailed by sharp pins, it still tried to move its hideous mouth towards her. They eat almost anything with mana, metals of artefacts, raw hard stones of mana, or the soft flesh of beasts, as well as humans. Their rotten skin was like a sheet of the strongest metal that the swords of knights can¡¯t pierce, or be destroyed by the spells of weak mages. Amidst the eerie echoes of screeches and roars, Wilhelmina observes the sickles¡¯ almost snake-like movement, defying magic suppression. Wilhelmina wonders how a bone could move with such flexibility. It¡¯s almost a whip with deadly poison. Moving on from the cells, she reached the last room, feeling as if she had been walking through the endless corridor for an eternity. Pulling a stone with a strange rune, the gigantic door glowed with soft light and opened the path ahead. Revealing a stark, sterile, clocked-in silence, a complete contrast to the horrors she¡¯d just passed. Her assistants¡ªa male mage with fiery red hair and a female with ash-blond tresses¡ªbusied themselves with preparing for their next experiment. They measured and mixed potions with trembling hands to avoid meeting her gaze. ¡°Have there been any new mutations that have appeared on the bodies of the hosts while I was absent?¡± Wilhelmina asked, her voice low and devoid of emotion. ¡°N-no, ma¡¯am,¡± stammered the Red-haired assistant, handing her a report. ¡°I have not observed any such thing in your absence.¡± The tension in the room was palpable, but Wilhelmina was long accustomed to the atmosphere her presence created and read through the report as usual. ¡°Good.¡± she nodded, her eyes scanning the room. She knows they don¡¯t see her methods as born out of necessity but her personality. They viewed her as a lunatic, a madwoman driven by her sadistic nature. Someone who would use them as her next experiment if they offended her. But she couldn¡¯t afford to care about their opinions¡ªshe had a purpose that went beyond their understanding or judgment. ¡°Have you checked for outside information?¡± Wilhelmina inquired, directing her question to the ash-blond woman. ¡°Is there anything new that we should know?¡± ¡°Y-yes,¡± she replied, clutching a small bag tightly in her quivering hands. ¡°Everything is as normal as some days before. There is no new information. Just¡­¡± ¡°Say¡­¡± ¡°L-Lord Henrik might be coming in the late evening.¡± ¡°Why?¡± She raised her eyebrows at her assistant¡¯s words. ¡°Didn¡¯t he not like coming to this place?¡± ¡°I-I tried to ask, but there was no reply from the other side.¡± The female assistant lowers her head with a slight shaking of her body. ¡°Very well.¡± Wilhelmina turned her attention back to her work, determined to maintain her stoic facade. ¡°Remember, if he comes in the middle of research, don¡¯t let him enter the room.¡± She reminded them, her tone unwavering. ¡°We cannot afford any mistakes. I will talk to him at the end, so don¡¯t worry about him blaming you.¡± ¡°Understood, ma¡¯am,¡± they both responded in unison, their voices barely above a whisper. ¡°Jame, is everything prepared?¡± Wilhelmina asked, her voice steady but tired. ¡°Did you record the readings for today¡¯s test subject?¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± He stammered out a response, and as he spoke, a single bead of sweat inched down his forehead, pausing briefly at the bridge of his nose before continuing its descent. ¡°Everything is ready.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s start the test,¡± she commanded, her gaze shifting to the ash-blond female assistant. ¡°Mina, fetch me the parasite sample.¡± Mina scurried away as if chased by shadows; her fear was palpable. Meanwhile, under Wilhelmina¡¯s watchful eyes, James wheeled into a cylindrical glass chamber filled with an eerie, luminescent liquid. Within it floated the body of a young boy, his eyes closed as if in peaceful slumber. ¡°Place it in the predetermined location,¡± she instructed. Although her heart ached, she knew what she was about to do was necessary and steeled herself for it. ¡°Double check to ensure the proper connection of tendrils.¡± ¡°Of course, ma¡¯am.¡± He carefully positioned the cylinder, expertly attaching the pointed tendrils to its surface. As the last tendril locked into place, the female assistant returned. The ice ball containing the parasite quivered fiercely in her gloved hands, betraying the fear that clenched her heart. ¡°Easy,¡± Wilhelmina cautioned, her eyes locked onto the trembling sphere. She reached out with her gloved hand, feeling its cold weight as she carefully took it from the assistant¡¯s grasp. She hesitated momentarily but soon continued. With a sigh, she placed the ice ball into the designated slot on the side of the cylinder. The opening closed as soon as she took back her hand, leaving no trace of the dangerous contents now inside. ¡°Everything¡¯s set,¡± James said, his gaze flickering between Wilhelmina and the cylinder. ¡°Leave,¡± she commanded, her tone soft yet resolute. ¡°I¡¯ll handle the rest.¡± Without hesitation, the two assistants scurried from the room, eager to distance themselves from the chilling scene. Alone, Wilhelmina¡¯s shoulders slumped under the weight of her burden. Her thoughts raced as she stared at the boy. The knowledge of what was about to happen gnawed at her conscience. Her voice was barely audible as she placed the ice ball into the cylinder. ¡°I wish there was another way.¡± With the heavy door sealing shut behind her assistants, Wilhelmina turned back to face the cylindrical cell. The temperature of the room dropped as she took a step back, her body shivering from the sudden chill. A platform rose from the floor, its surface alive with neon screens that displayed the sleeping body of a teenager and another its vital signs. ¡°Everything appears normal,¡± She started talking to herself in the quiet lab to avoid looking directly at the boy. She quickly assessed the data, confirming it was safe to proceed. Satisfied, she glanced at the unconscious boy. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she murmured again. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Mocking Wilhelmina¡¯s apology, the ice ball housing the parasite split apart. The Rotmaw Soulgorger emerged. The creature was small and unassuming - but Wilhelmina knew the terror it could cause. Even if the boy had been aware, he would not have known of the intruder entering his body. The act was sly with no indication of pain, sound or visibility. Her eyes stayed glued to the projection as she witnessed the parasite swimming rapidly through the liquid until it made contact with the boy¡¯s skin. With one quick movement, it disappeared into him, leaving only a few bubbles in its wake. ¡°It was necessary. I am doing the right thing.¡± Wilhelmina clenched her fists. But despite her conviction, she kept saying ¡°forgive me¡± under her breath, struggling to take her mind off what she was doing. She focused instead on the numbers appearing on the screen, hoping that this would be the breakthrough she needed to make her test a success. A bead of sweat slowly trickled down Wilhelmina¡¯s forehead as she fixed her gaze on the screen before her, every second feeling like a massive burden. The image it displayed depicted a young boy in a cylindrical container filled with shimmering fluid, sleeping peacefully under the effects of a drug. ¡°I should accelerate the growth,¡± she muttered quietly, her voice barely detectable in the oppressive stillness. Her eyes were transfixed as her slender, mana-laden fingers touched the runes, activating the unique properties of the liquid that surrounded him. As if responding to her command, the parasite appeared¡ªworking its way through the boy¡¯s body like a maleficent shadow and then disappeared completely. Wilhelmina took an unsteady breath. She flicked the screen and there it loomed once more, bigger than its previous size. Its tentacles were multiplying and stretching until they filled the landscape called consciousness. With narrowed eyes, as she watched the parasite¡¯s tentacles trying to push beyond the boy¡¯s consciousness boundaries; she knew this was only the beginning of the nightmares those struck by the parasite would suffer. The image of the boy¡¯s consciousness showed what looked like a dense mass of writhing tendrils spread across it; what had been empty moments ago now resembled an impenetrable forest of insidious tentacles. Her countless nights in the lab had resulted in a solution capable of preventing the physical symptoms plaguing the parasite¡¯s host. Their skin rotted or their muscles would no longer tighten, their heads ballooning grotesquely while sickle-like protrusions erupted from their backs. The liquid-filled container saved the boy from all of this. But even so, Wilhelmina¡¯s accomplishments halted on the precipice of something far more insidious: the pain. Her strongest sleeping potion had rendered his nerves insensitive to pain, yet it failed to shield him from the agony of the parasite¡¯s relentless expansion within his consciousness. ¡°Damn it all.¡± Frustration laced her words as she clutched a fistful of her hair. She studied the shimmering projection before her. The parasite¡¯s tentacles writhed like a living thicket within the boy¡¯s consciousness. Their movements were both predatory and ravenous. The creature was expanding and consuming its territory. ¡°Is the pain from consciousness really that different from normal pain to persist?¡± she murmured, her voice barely audible even to herself. ¡°The solution did provide sustenance for the parasite, preventing it from driving its host into a man-fuelled frenzy, but is it still not enough?¡± A sudden scratching sound pulled her attention back to the container. The boy¡¯s fingers clawed at the glass, his silent struggle betraying the intensity of his torment. Despite the silencing magic imbued within the liquid, Wilhelmina could almost hear his desperate screams; echoes of past failures that haunted her every waking moment. ¡°Enough,¡± her hands trembling with a mix of frustration and determination. With a heavy heart, Wilhelmina tore her gaze away from the boy¡¯s futile attempts to escape and focused on the experiment at hand. She reached for the projection, her fingers grazing the surface as she adjusted the concentration of the potion coursing through the container, her mind racing with calculations and possibilities. ¡°Stabilise,¡± Weaving a spell to restrain the boy¡¯s arms, gently but firmly pulling them away from the glass. As time ticked by, the parasite¡¯s presence within the boy¡¯s consciousness grew, multiplying until it had increased four hundredfold. Soon the parasite thrashed violently, emitting a strange energy that she recognised as a soul force. ¡°How can there be such a parasite in this world,¡± That¡¯s the question she always asks herself ¡°It consumes not only its host¡¯s consciousness, but their very soul as well.¡± ¡°Is this really what a higher form of sustenance looks like?¡± she pondered the rumours she heard from outside, but as her eyes locked on the writhing mass of tentacles that filled the projection, she thought otherwise. ¡°I doubt those cultists know about it better than what I do.¡± Wilhelmina¡¯s heart raced, but she refused to let fear hold her back. This was the moment of truth. She manipulated the metal tendrils surrounding the cylinder, unleashing a sequence of strange waves that altered the hue of the liquid inside. The boy, still restrained by a magical force, jolted violently, his body contorting as though trying to flee from some unseen tormentor. The parasite within the boy¡¯s consciousness also writhed in response to the waves, its tentacles flailing wildly as it released an ever-increasing surge of soul power. A cold sweat beaded on her brow as she forced herself to remain focused, to stay in control despite the unsettling scene before her. ¡°Come on... come on...¡± she muttered, her pulse pounding in her ears. She could feel the weight of every second passing, the pressure mounting as the struggle intensified. The boy¡¯s thrashing started to grow even more desperate. As time wore on, the soul energy emitted by the parasite began to wane, the once-vibrant luminescence gradually dimming. Through the projections, the dense tangle of tentacles that had consumed the boy¡¯s consciousness started to slow their frenetic dance. They wilted, disintegrating into nothingness like leaves consumed by flames. The boy¡¯s struggles started to weaken and then ceased altogether, his body returning to the deep slumber from which it had been so rudely awakened. Wilhelmina¡¯s pale fingers trembled as she waved a sign of slight relief. The flickering glow from the arcane symbols etched into the unyielding stone walls illuminated the unconscious boy¡¯s lifeless form, suspended within a glass cylinder before her. ¡°It¡¯s finally gone,¡± her chest heaving. Though she had managed to vanquish the monstrous contagion, Wilhelmina¡¯s heart sank with each rapid beep from the projections monitoring the boy¡¯s vitals. The once-steady rhythm now resembled a frantic wave. Every ounce of knowledge she possessed screamed that the boy would soon perish. Clenching her fists, she tried to suppress the guilt gnawing at her insides. The next person she could save might physically weaken but spared the cruel fate awaiting the boy. Eventually, she might find a way to eradicate the pain. Yet for the child before her, there was no hope. Her long raven hair fell forward, concealing the anguish in her eyes as she contemplated the only mercy left for the boy ending his suffering faster. She began gathering her energy, preparing to deliver the final blow. Wilhelmina¡¯s heart pounded in her chest as she steeled herself to end the boy¡¯s life, her hands trembling with the weight of her decision. Her fingers were a hair¡¯s breadth from emitting the lethal energy when the door to the lab swung open. A bald man with piercing steel-grey eyes made his way inside. ¡°Henrik? How did you enter here? Where are James and Mina?¡± Henrik strode into the room. His steel-grey eyes searched her face as he entered. Close behind him, her two assistants followed, their faces twisted into expressions of displeasure. A group of black-robed mages trailed behind them, their presence causing Wilhelmina¡¯s frown to deepen. ¡°Wilhelmina,¡± Henrik said in a measured voice, ¡°I think you should stop with your work now. Your tireless work since this outbreak began is commendable. But you need rest.¡± ¡°Rest?¡± she snapped; her voice strained. Her eyes locked onto Henrik¡¯s. ¡°I don¡¯t remember the parasite ending its rampage.¡± ¡°That was before. I bring news that not only can stop you but may grant you some respite. The Healing Circles have devised a method to halt the spread of the parasite.¡± Surprise flashed across Wilhelmina¡¯s face, her sapphire eyes momentarily brightening. ¡°How?¡± ¡°It is classified,¡± Henrik began, his eyes holding against her gaze, ¡°But I can tell you because of your contributions so far. The Healing Circles have developed a potion that makes human blood too poisonous for the parasite to infect, killing it before it reaches one¡¯s consciousness.¡± Wilhelmina¡¯s heart clenched at the thought of such a potion, but she held her tongue as Henrik continued. ¡° Rest assured, it¡¯s perfectly safe for humans. However, the method must remain secret to prevent panic among the populace and encourage acceptance.¡± Wilhelmina studied Henrik, her mind racing with questions and concerns. Could this be true? Was there a way to save their people without resorting to her terrible experiments? ¡°Your silence betrays your doubt, Wilhelmina,¡± Henrik said, his voice sharp and impatient. ¡°Forgive me,¡± she lowered her eyes, hesitant to meet his gaze. Her voice shook slightly as she spoke. ¡°It¡¯s just... I fear the potion may not suffice for long. In my research, I¡¯ve observed great evolutionary traits within the parasite. It would undoubtedly adhere to the survival of the fittest law and evolve to counteract this method. Look at the new mutations that kept appearing when we tried to use poison to slow their numbers. The entire cities upon cities were filled with gas clouds and they are still here.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because we are not quick enough. This time, we will start only with sufficient supplies.¡± ¡°Are you confident you can mass produce the potion in enough numbers to avoid the mutation?¡± ¡°Shut up,¡± Henrik¡¯s face darkened, his thin lips twitched as he spoke, eyes narrowing to icy slits. The air seemed to crackle around him with the intensity of his accusation. ¡°You¡¯re becoming disillusioned, finding excuses to keep clinging to your inhuman experiments to satiate some sadistic thirst,¡± he said, each word weighted with contempt. Wilhelmina flinched at his words, her mouth opening, and closing without a sound. She desperately wanted to defend herself, but the truth of her actions weighed on her heart. The painful memories of countless failed attempts and lives lost threatened to suffocate her. ¡°Our people can finally breathe in peace, but you just want to have your perverted fun. I am no longer willing to tolerate you or your sadist nature anymore,¡± Henrik continued, his gaze never leaving her defeated form. ¡°I am closing this lab, effective immediately.¡± Wilhelmina¡¯s haunted eyes flickered towards the cylinder containing the unconscious boy, her thoughts swirling with a mixture of relief and despair. ¡®Maybe this was how it all supposed to end.¡¯ Wilhelmina, thinking it would finally end for her, remained unaware of the motives driving Henrik¡¯s decision. His concern was not for the moral implications of her research but for the preservation of his reputation. Initially, he dismissed the parasite¡¯s existence, allowing it to spread unchecked among their people. When he finally acknowledged the threat, he secretly authorised Wilhelmina¡¯s horrifying experiments in desperation. Now, with the Healing Circles offering a potential solution, he feared blame would fall upon him for the atrocities committed in the name of progress. ¡°Very well,¡± Wilhelmina¡¯s voice became barely audible. Her hands trembled at her sides, feeling the weight of her sins pressing down upon her. ¡°Pack your belongings and leave the premises,¡± Henrik ordered, his tone sharp as ice. As he turned away from her, she glimpsed his clenched jaw and the tension that rippled beneath his ornate robes. He was a man driven by fear and ambition, desperate to bury his misdeeds beneath the veneer of righteous authority. Wilhelmina¡¯s were downed with resignation as she glanced between the black-robed mages and Henrik. ¡°And those who are already hosts of the parasite?¡± ¡°We will increase resources for the Healing Circles,¡± Henrik replied, his tone dismissive. ¡°They¡¯ll find a way soon.¡± At this, the black-clothed mages moved into action. They first detained Wilhelmina¡¯s assistants, whose faces bore expressions of confusion and betrayal. Wilhelmina accepted her fate without resistance as they approached her, allowing them to bind her hands. As they secured her, the mages began manipulating the projection above the cylinder containing the unconscious boy. The space morphed, shifting like liquid mercury. Wilhelmina¡¯s heart clenched at the sight. ¡°Stop!¡± Her voice rose in panic, desperate for her plea to be heard. ¡°He¡¯s still breathing,¡± she tried to lunge forward, but her arms were gripped by the black-clothed mages. ¡°I am saving him from you.¡± Henrik¡¯s cold eyes met hers, his voice devoid of empathy. ¡°Who knows what you will do to him otherwise.¡± He motioned for his men to proceed, and they prepared the container for disposal. ¡°At least give him a proper cremation,¡± Wilhelmina was unable to bear the thought of the boy suffering such an unceremonious end. But her plea fell on deaf ears. The black mages hurled the container into the space scrapper, a void between dimensions capable of tearing anything asunder. The container disappeared, swallowed by the abyss, leaving only Wilhelmina¡¯s silent grief in its wake. ¡°Place them under house arrest. Make sure they don¡¯t get into contact with any outsider,¡± Henrik ordered, gesturing towards Wilhelmina and her assistants. ¡°And ensure this site is thoroughly gone, I don¡¯t want to see anyone ever find out what happened here. ¡° As the mages led her away, Wilhelmina¡¯s eyes passed the place where the container was and thought one last time.¡®He at least deserved a proper end ¡¯. **** Chapter-1: Crashed ¡°La da da dum, la da da dum... ¡± Bella stood in her kitchen, her wispy white hair framing her wrinkled face, as she hummed a cheerful tune. The melody breathed life into the room; a knife flew from the drawer and danced in the air, chopping fresh vegetables on a wooden cutting board. Once reduced to bite-sized morsels, they fell into a pan of boiling oil that hovered above the stove, heated by no visible flame. Wooden spoons soared through the air, stirring the sizzling concoction with rhythmic precision. Bella meticulously measured a dash of soup, tipping the contents from the jar into the pan. The liquid hissed as it hit the hot surface and bubbled away, its sound almost seeming to join in with her low humming. She stood back and stirred the mixture until it boiled, singing her favourite song as she moved the wooden spoon through the steaming soup. At that moment, Cherry, a golden-furred labrador with bright eyes, padded into the kitchen, dragging something in her mouth. Unfazed, Bella continued her melody without sparing a glance at her canine companion. Then, a faint humming reached her ears. ¡°Cherry, what have you brought this time?¡± Bella adjusted the heat beneath the pan with a flick of her wrist. She turned to find Cherry holding a Queen Wasp between her jaws. The insect, adorned with black stripes interwoven on its golden body, was nearly twice the size of Bella¡¯s head. The creature¡¯s wings fluttered in a panic, the buzz of her wings filling the air, asking for her help. ¡°Mercy me!¡± Bella said, kneeling beside Cherry.¡°How many times have I told you not to bully the Lady Wasp?¡± She tapped Cherry¡¯s golden head, her fingers brushing through the soft fur. Cherry woofed in protest as she released the Queen Wasp from her mouth. The wasp buzzed indignantly, darting to the old lady¡¯s side and making small sounds with her wings as if seeking solace. ¡°Cherry, it¡¯s quite rude to just barge in and take Lady Wasp without a proper invitation.¡± Bella listened to the Wasp Queen¡¯s complaints and shook her head, her wispy white hair swayed with the movement. Cherry huffed, but a glint in her bright eyes betrayed her playful spirit. ¡°Woof!¡± her tail wagged with eagerness. ¡°Late for breakfast? Cherry, we still have nectar stored on the shelves,¡± Bella gestured towards the neatly arranged jars. The Wasp Queen nodded in agreement but faltered under Cherry¡¯s gaze. ¡°Fine, I will let you go this time.¡± Bella sighed, tapping Cherry¡¯s head once more. ¡°But next time, be more polite or I¡¯ll cut your food portions.¡± Turning to the Wasp Queen, Bella softened her voice. ¡°If you wouldn¡¯t mind sharing some of your nectar with us, we¡¯d be most grateful.¡± The insect acquiesced, flying above the pan, as it drizzled sweet nectar onto the sizzling vegetables. As it happened, a rich aroma rose from the pan and filled the air. Savouring the sweet scent of nectar-infused vegetables, Bella couldn¡¯t help but smile at Cherry, who was already salivating with her tongue hanging out. ¡°Not on the floor, you,¡± she chided gently. Bella turned to a kitchen shelf and selected a jar, opening it to reveal a fist-sized jelly orb. The Wasp Queen buzzed happily around her, eagerly accepting the treat from Bella¡¯s outstretched hand before disappearing through the window. ¡°Cherry,¡± Bella warned, her tone firm yet affectionate, ¡°Don¡¯t even think about stealing that from Lady Wasp, or you¡¯ll be eating pickles from now on.¡± At the mention of pickles, Cherry¡¯s gaze snapped back to Bella, her eyes conveying an unshakable determination to resist temptation. As Bella resumed her tuneful singing, the kitchen transformed once more into a lively dance floor for utensils. This time, however, Cherry¡¯s rhythmic tail-tapping added an extra layer to the enchanting melody. As they neared the last step of their culinary creation, Bella guided a fresh bottle from its resting place, to add her special sauce and with care, made sure to add no more than two precise drops into the pan. But in an instant, the harmonious atmosphere shattered as an explosion boomed from outside, disrupting Bella¡¯s control over the floating objects. Utensils crashed to the ground, creating cacophonic disarray. Bella was able to secure the valuable bottle of her secret sauce with a surge of panic, but the vegetables in the pan were thrown into chaos, at least by human standards. Cherry, seizing the opportunity, darted forward like a skilled hunter, devouring the ruined dish with unrestrained enthusiasm. Bella couldn¡¯t help the mix of annoyance as stood amidst the wreckage of her once-orderly kitchen, the scent of scorched vegetables clinging to the air. Her heart thundered in her chest as she took slow, measured breaths, attempting to quell the rising tide of anger within her. ¡°Cherry,¡± she said through gritted teeth, placing the unopened bottle back on its shelf. ¡°This has Bardar written all over it.¡± The sight of Cherry gleefully devouring the ruined meal while ignoring her words only served to stoke Bella¡¯s ire. She grabbed the dog¡¯s collar, forcibly tearing her away from the remains of their breakfast. ¡°Come on, you ravenous beast. It¡¯s time we taught that boy a lesson.¡± Cherry whimpered, casting a longing glance toward the abandoned food as Bella dragged her from the room. To the dog, it felt less like an exodus to the lawn and more like a march to her execution. It took mere minutes for Bella to reach the garden, though each step felt like an eternity. The acrid smell of smoke assaulted her nostrils, confirming her suspicions. A panicked voice called out, desperately urging the plumes of black smoke to disappear before others arrived. ¡°Too late,¡± Bella muttered, her eyes narrowing as she followed the trail of destruction and dragged Cherry along with her. There, in the chaos¡¯ heart, stood Bardar ¨C a man in his thirties, his tousled hair dishevelled and clothes black from soot. Sweat beaded on his brow as he frantically waved his arms, futilely trying to dispel the smoke. It was as if he had forgotten that he could use magic. ¡°Shit,¡± Bardar cursed under his breath, freezing in place when he spotted Bella¡¯s stern expression and Cherry¡¯s downcast gaze beside her. Bella surveyed the wreckage before her, the once lush garden was now littered with shattered sculptures and upturned flower beds. The fountain, a centrepiece of their backyard, lay in ruin ¨C water seeped through the cracks, darkening the soil beneath. Branches from nearby trees bent outward as if recoiling from the explosion¡¯s blast. Her icy gaze traced the extent of the destruction, finally settling on the magical shield surrounding their garden. Though still intact, Bella could see faint traces of repair work hastily done. With each additional detail, she observed, her anger deepened. ¡°Explain yourself, Bardar,¡± she said, her voice low and steady. Her grandson stood frozen, clad in soot-stained clothes. She could practically hear his heartbeat quicken as he realised there was no escape. ¡°Gr-Grandma, I... I can explain,¡± Bardar swallowed hard. ¡°Please, just let me tell you what happened.¡± The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Bella¡¯s lips curled into a humourless smile, causing Bardar to shiver. ¡°I¡¯m listening,¡± Her arms folded as she awaited his explanation. ¡°Look, Grandma, today was such a beautiful day,¡± Bardar began, attempting to set the scene. ¡°The sun was shining, and the birds were...¡± ¡°Enough with the poetic nonsense,¡± Bella snapped, cutting him off. ¡°Get to the point and spare me your bad karma.¡± Bardar coughed nervously, his cheeks flushing with embarrassment. ¡°Well, I was working on an experiment, trying to merge space storage magic with my second layer theory. But it seems some of the runes didn¡¯t work as expected, and they created a ripple in the surrounding space.¡± As Bardar explained his ordeal, Cherry saw her chance to escape. The clever labra slowly backed away from Bella, her eyes darting between grandmother and grandson. Bella¡¯s glare never wavered as she listened to Bardar¡¯s explanation. ¡°So not only did you create a mess inside our house and destroy parts of my garden, but you¡¯ve also damaged our magical shield?¡± Her voice grew even more icy, and Bardar could see her shoulders shaking with anger. ¡°Grandma, I promise, the magical shield is still intact!¡± Bardar blurted out, panic rising in his voice. ¡°Small space ripples indeed occurred, but the shield is almost functioning at normal levels.¡± ¡°Almost?¡± Bella¡¯s eyebrow arched, and Bardar could feel the temperature drop a few degrees. ¡°You mean it needs maintenance now?¡± ¡°Y-yes, I¡¯ll make sure to repair it immediately,¡± Beads of sweat formed on his brow. Bella¡¯s eyes blazed, her wrath boiling over like a cauldron of molten fury. With a swift, imperious gesture, she summoned her dreaded ruler from the depths of their home. The wooden instrument flew into her grasp, its polished surface gleaming menacingly. Bardar involuntarily shuddered, memories of past punishment flooding his mind. He recalled with vivid clarity how, in his reckless youth, he had brought down the ornate ceiling of Osasis¡¯ City Lord¡¯s Mansion. Bella had chased him through the city, ruler in hand, delivering stinging retribution to his tender behind. ¡°Stay,¡± Bella commanded, her voice icy and unyielding. Bardar froze as if rooted to the ground by her words. His heart pounded in his chest as the footsteps kept drawing closer. He braced himself for the impending nightmare to unfold. But salvation came in the form of an unexpected saviour: Cherry. Her spirited woof pierced the tense atmosphere, diverting Bella¡¯s attention. The golden-furred labra stood on the remnants of the shattered fountain, her paws digging at the debris with frantic enthusiasm. ¡°Grandmother, Cherry found something!¡± Bardar exclaimed, his voice thin with relief. He seized the opportunity to escape, scampering towards the eager dog. Bella¡¯s frown deepened, but she lowered her ruler and followed her grandson. Bardar¡¯s fingers danced, manipulating the debris with practised ease. The broken pieces lifted into the air, revealing the puddle beneath. Bardar stared as his anxiety was momentarily forgotten. ¡°What the?¡± The water was tainted, clouded with swirling tendrils of crimson. The unsettling sight gnawed at Bardar¡¯s nerves. What could have caused such a phenomenon? He glanced at Bella, seeking answers in her wise, aged face. But she remained silent, her expression a storm of conflicting emotions. Bella pushed past Bardar, her eyes locked on the dark pool before them. The water rippled with Cherry¡¯s sudden leap, droplets scattering like tiny jewels in the sunlight. Another woof echoed through the air, confirming Bella¡¯s worst fears: human blood tainted the murky puddle. ¡°Cherry, see if anyone is there," she ordered softly, her voice fraught with worry. The golden-furred labra paddled through the mire; her bright eyes focused as she searched for the source of the blood. Bardar hesitated, his earlier tension now replaced by concern. He glanced between Bella and Cherry, debating whether to join the search. In that moment of indecision, Cherry found the body - a young boy, no older than fourteen, his brown hair plastered to his pale face. His closed eyes and the pain etched into every line of his features. ¡°Grandmother,¡± Bardar finally summoned the courage to enter the tainted water. ¡°He looks like a child.¡± Bella entered and walked towards the boy before kneeling in the puddle and taking him in her arms. With trembling hands, Bella cradled the boy¡¯s limp form, her fingertips gently brushing away the grime coating his youthful face. She did not answer her grandson, her focus consumed by the deep gashes marring the boy¡¯s body. Each wound was silent evidence of the space rifts he¡¯d endured. Running her fingers over his broken, bleeding nails, Bella couldn¡¯t help but think about them. ¡°His eyes,¡± she murmured, lifting his eyelids to reveal the unnatural crimson that stained his irises. ¡°Potion overdose.¡± ¡°Will he...?¡± Bardar trailed off, unable to voice the question hanging between them. Beneath Bella¡¯s palm, the boy¡¯s heartbeat stuttered and faltered, a fragile rhythm losing its battle against time. Bardar studied his grandmother¡¯s face, seeing her eyes soften and lips quiver as she cradled the boy. He hesitated, then ventured a cautious question. ¡°Grandmother, how is he?¡± The blood seeping into the water painted a grim picture in Bardar¡¯s mind. ¡°His chances are slim,¡± Bella replied, her voice a melange of sorrow and determination. ¡°But remember, it¡¯s not your fault.¡± She brushed away the guilt threatening to take root in her grandson¡¯s heart. ¡°There¡¯s more than just the injuries weakening him.¡± Bella scooped up some water with her free hand, gently washing away the dirt from the boy¡¯s face. As she did so, she marvelled at the unusual softness of his skin, reminiscent of a newborn baby. How could this be possible for a fourteen-year-old? She pondered this anomaly but was interrupted by Bardar¡¯s quiet inquiry. ¡°Grandmother, how much time does he have left?¡± Bardar knelt before Bella, the boy¡¯s battered form still a stranger to him, yet the tragedy of a life slipping away weighed upon him. ¡°Can¡¯t really say with certainty but given his condition, it¡¯s already too late.¡± Bella murmured, her thoughts clouding over like a brewing storm. Silence enveloped Bardar, Cherry and Bella as they knelt in the murky puddle. Time itself seemed to slow as the unconscious boy¡¯s breaths grew increasingly shallow. Bardar and Cherry remained silent beside her, with Cherry¡¯s ears also down. Bella looked at the boy¡¯s closed eyes and dirt-streaked face, lost in thoughts. She didn¡¯t want to save anyone anymore, her help had not done any kindness to anyone. Besides, she saved many people in her life, so she knew. Sometimes situations are critical and give a choice of saving only a few out of many, and so a question always comes to mind, who to save first but even more so, who to give up? She can tell saving the boy was not an easy feat, falling organs, signs of potion overdose and the cuts from the space storm, none is easy to treat under normal conditions. This was not a normal condition, far from it. Tons of reasons not to save. She just met him, not enough time, and not enough will. She should just give up, just consider him one of her many patients who cannot be saved. Looking at his face again, eyes shut tight, and his hand grabbed a helm of her cloth, like a child in a nightmare or is it pain? His pain will end if he dies a little earlier. Why suffer more when the end is so near? Her hands come down from his face and into his neck. A doctor needs to end the pain when it¡¯s just too late, but why does her hand resist her will? Bella moved her hand back from his neck and brought her near her face before she closed it into a fist. ¡®You have taken so many lives, going to take more. So why resist doing it today too? Sympathetic now?¡¯ She asked herself and deep from her sealed memories, words returned to her, of the day she didn¡¯t want to remember, the day she learned how to heal others, of the vow she made towards the person she didn¡¯t want to face again. ¡®You showed me the smile of one. I will show you the smiles of Thousands¡­¡¯ ¡°You want me to buy him some more time, after all this time?¡± Her hand¡¯s resistance faded as her control returned. ¡° I too don¡¯t want to face him like this¡­let¡¯s save someone for the last time¡­¡± Having decided that her mind raced with countless thoughts, searching for the next course of action and magic erupted with Bella as a centre, startling Bardar and Cherry and making their clothes flutter. The air crackled as mana compressed and small crystals formed on the surface of the unconscious boy¡¯s skin. They shimmered with the glow of sunlight. They glinted even more brightly as the chill enveloped the trio. ¡°Uh¡­Granda?¡± Bardar said as he felt the cold, but the question remained unanswered. Bella continued till the crystals enveloped the boy¡¯s entire body, like a crystal coffin just before he could take his final breath. With the last flicker of magical energy, Bella¡¯s magic calmed, and the crystalline cocoon lay still before them. ¡°Did you just-¡± Bardar dared to ask, but the lack of strength in Bella¡¯s eyes stopped him from pursuing the matter any further. Silently, Bella nodded, her gaze never leaving the crystal tomb that held the boy. Bardar noticed her eyes getting cloudier as time passed and her consciousness left this place. He knows her condition well and how this wasn¡¯t the time for questions; she needed solace more than anything. In a hushed voice, he offered to carry the crystal coffin to the third floor, sparing Bella the burden. ¡°Thank you, Bardar,¡± she whispered, her voice laced with gratitude. As Bardar lifted the crystal coffin, cradling the unconscious boy within, he moved towards their home. His steps were measured and solemn as if each one signified a silent prayer for the child who now lay suspended between life and death. Left behind, Bella sat beside Cherry, who put her head on Bella¡¯s lap. Both sat there without bothering to get out of the wet puddle they were in. If possible. If given a choice, Bella wanted to back and stop herself from taking that photo. ***** Chapter-2: Saving that Smile. There are things people don¡¯t want to recall, memories they don¡¯t want to keep. They are such, that the more you want to forget, the more they will try to come back. To be ingrained in their mind, reminding them about their past or, in Bella¡¯s case, the person who was once her. But she was not an ordinary person. So what would a not-so-ordinary person do when confronted with things they hate, the things they loathe? They seal them into a corner of the darkest part of their minds. Never to be recalled again, ever again. One can thus continue living like nothing ever happened, but nothing in this world is made perfect. That¡¯s true with everything from humans to their spells. Memories are the part of the body. They define one¡¯s past, but also their present and future. Take them away, and the only thing that remains is an empty husk of flesh, that alluds itself to be alive. What¡¯s the solution for such a case? The answer came as a question. Why bother sealing when one can just avoid them? She did the same, casting a big spell on her mind, Bella was not only able to run away from her past, which was eating her from the inside, but also went a step further, and avoided her knowledge too. For her, knowledge was the reason which made things worse. A stupid thought, how could knowledge be a curse? Because if she didn¡¯t have them, her path would have been different, she would be different, her memories would be¡­ Again, the spell was not perfect and on some unfortunate occasions; it allowed such memories to jump back into existence. The trigger could be anything, some old tools, words, phrases or faces, or an old promise to oneself. It¡¯s not a problem for Bella. She can just erase anything that would remind her of the past. Symbols were removed, and words became forbidden to be mentioned in front of her. For faces? Who¡¯s going to come to the middle of nowhere, cross the endless sands and the beings that eat flesh for breakfast? It turned out, a teenager and with him, the memories. Bella was in the middle of her destroyed garden. Her hands rested on Cherry¡¯s soft fur as her mind drifted. Memories from long ago flooded her thoughts. She saw a young man with a red beard and curly hair, twenty-eight years old. Though he possessed no magic like her, that thing never hindered him; instead, he charged across battlefields, dodging the explosions and molten metals that rained down on the scorched earth, only to save not only his friends but also his enemies. A stupid action that amused the past Bella. ¡°What did you gain from all this?¡± Bella asked him one day, coming to his cell, unable to comprehend what drove him to such acts of courage despite the charges of being a traitor that had led to his arrest and court-martial. His response came as a smile, the most beautiful she had ever seen. He handed her a photo of the man in army uniform beside a woman holding a newborn child. ¡°This guy had a beautiful family. A good wife and healthy son who looks like just born.¡± ¡°Do you feel sympathy for him?¡± ¡°Sympathy?¡± He questioned back like hearing something rude. ¡°Look, the date on the calendar behind him.¡± She did and found the date. It was before the onset of the great war.. ¡°Don¡¯t you believe his baby was born just before the war? Can¡¯t you see the smile on his newborn face?¡± ¡°So, what about it?¡± She cannot understand his reasoning or words. ¡°You are a real hopeless one.¡± He scratches his head behind the bars. ¡°Can¡¯t you find the smile contradictory to the smiles of his father and mother?¡± Looking at the photo, the man and woman were still smiling, but this time maybe because of her attention. She found them smiling, and the photo looked filled with hope. Hope¡­ ¡°You are an idiot.¡± ¡°What? You still didn¡¯t get it?¡± He wanted to take the photo back but her hands were faster than his. Knowing her well, he gave up on taking it back. ¡°Smiles filled with hope. Call me an idiot, but I want to make sure that their next photo is full of happiness and not hope,¡± he said. She wanted to ask more, but the time for meeting prisoners was already over. But her heart was not at peace and so she left to find the owners of the photo. It took her some weeks, but she found the people. The war was already over and they lived in one of the small colonies made for veterans of war. ¡°Let me take a family photo of yours.¡± They were reluctant to have a stranger take their photo, but ¡° I have a friend who wants to see your family¡¯s well. Though he is busy with his life in cells, he still wants to see what the end of his labour is.¡± She took out the photo and handed over it to a man lying on his bed. The man took it and went silent. Unlike the photo, he had a plaster on his leg but tried to stand up. He ignored the words from his wife, who was supporting him, and asked Bella, ¡° Do you have a camera?¡± She expected some words of courtesy, even apology but the words he uttered were not of sorry or who she was or how the man who freed him was, just if she brought her camera while telling his wife to bring their baby for a photo as he took the support on the wall. Bella took what she came for, a photo of a man supporting himself with the help of his wife while holding their baby in the middle and smiling at her. Bella doesn¡¯t remember what happened afterwards¡­ *** It was not until the sky darkened that Bella could collect and force herself to come to the third floor of her house. Her clothes were still somewhat damped and dirty, just like the fur of the golden labra beside her, but that didn¡¯t seem to bother either of them. She opened a familiar door, a place where she used to experiment with potions. The moment the door made a small gap, sweet calming smells of herbs entered their noses, it made the dog twitch her nose as she took a mouthful of air. Bella, unimpressed by her old friend, instead wanted to go inside. In anticipation of a dark and silent room, she followed her habits and tried to snap her fingers, which would have filled the room with small orbs of light that immediately vanished the darkness of the room. But she stopped herself midway as the room was already lit. ¡°Look at me, I want to stop my instincts and here you are, indulging in yours,¡± she said to the golden dog, who finally stopped and followed Bella inside. The spotlessly clean room appeared in front of them, without even a speck of dust to be seen. Small light washed over the duo as soon as they entered the room, which made her clothes like newly washed ones while also making the dog feel completely refreshed. The warm feeling of comfort made Cherry¡¯s face relaxed with drowsy eyes. If not for the fact Bella restricted her entry into the room, the golden dog would have refused to leave this room. ¡°Don¡¯t leave your fur in this room.¡± ¡°Woof!¡± Runes are the symbols that represent the very presence of magic. They were everywhere, on the shelves containing different herbs and potions, on the walls, ceiling and even at the centre, which had a bunch of them forming a huge magical circle on the ground. Those complex runes hummed with flickering light. It also illuminated the shiny surface of the otherwise pure crystal, which was placed at its centre. The surface reflected the face of a man with tousled hair standing just at the edge of a circle. He observed the runes with his wide eyes but turned towards the door when he noticed the duo. ¡° Did you encounter anything strange when placing the boy in the circle?¡± Bella asked. ¡°No, I didn¡¯t.¡± Badar refused, as he finally took his eyes away from the crystal. He found his grandma¡¯s look had returned to normal, and the dog looked as same as yesterday. ¡° You know I can¡¯t help when it comes to treating others ¡­ I was just checking on the runes at the centre.¡± Bella came to the edge of the magic circle and looked at the boy sleeping inside the pure crystal. ¡° Did you check how he entered the barrier surrounding our home?¡± ¡° I tried to connect with the magical shields, but he seemed to have entered through the space storm.¡± ¡° Can''t you find anything on his origin?¡± ¡° I can¡¯t tell. The space storm shreds anything that enters there, from meat to metal, from air to mana. I doubt I would survive as long as this boy,¡± He said with a doubtful voice. His eyes moved over the boy, though there were some deep cuts here and there, but overall, everything was still there, no amputated limbs or anything. ¡° I just don¡¯t know how much luck one needs to still keep his body intact after entering the storm.¡± Or should I say, to land here? As they talked, Cherry walked around and approached the Crystal from the back. The golden labra glared at them disapprovingly, especially when Bardar stated the challenge of determining the boy¡¯s origins. ¡®Why not ask me?¡¯ She was the master of tracking and so brought her nose close and smelled the Crystal. Her nose twitched due to a lack of any recognisable smell. Worry not on to the next logical action. She brought her tongue out and licked on the surface of the Crystal, she just needed to get familiar with the taste to get started. The crystal felt cold to her tongue before the cold slowly disappeared ¡­ wait. The dog panicked as her tongue not only didn¡¯t feel any cold or heat but also stuck on the Crystal. She hastily pulled her body back to get it back. Her eyes panicky scanned past the Crystal and was thankful that no human noticed. She moved her tongue back inside to get it back to normal. ¡° Can you treat him?¡± ¡° I need to check his condition further to answer that.¡± ¡° How long will he sleep then? I remember you saying the boy was weak before he crashed here.¡± ¡° That¡¯s true, I felt his vitality leaving his body as time passed.¡± ¡°Can this crystal keep him alive?¡± ¡°It should, vampires used to say it can freeze the time of a person inside.¡± Cherry disagreed with such words. ¡®How could this glass-like material hold someone forever? Those mosquitoes just oversell their work¡¯. She raised her front paw and her long nail appeared and moved towards the Crystal. ¡®Look how it can easily scratched by my ¡­ her nail broke. Looking at the nail lying on the glowing runes, Cherry brought the paw near her mouth and licked it like a cat. She always believed what her humans said and she would bite anyone who said otherwise. ¡° Do you remember the feeling when you touched the boy?¡± Bardar tried to remember when he first came close to the boy, and he did feel something¡° Are you talking about the oily-like feeling on his skin?¡± But he couldn¡¯t remember it well. ¡° Yes, it also damped my clothes, along with water and mud.¡± ¡°Woof!¡± Cherry finally found her time to shine. Though she couldn''t find anything now there was a strange, pungent smell mixed with the flesh of humans, which was also the reason she searched the debris. ¡° I see, so there is something strange after all¡­ what are you doing near the shelf?¡± Bardar nodded at the dog but frowned. Something seemed to differ from her usual goofing, but he couldn¡¯t just tell what. ¡°Woof! Woof!¡± Cherry released an innocent sound as her swinging tail swept the broken nail under the shelf. If you can¡¯t find the stick, you can¡¯t blame the dog. Bella released her mana into the magic circle, connected to the circle, and made it alive. As the runes moved about their position, their distorted replica rose from the circle and attached to the surface of the crystal. Another set of lights rose from the circle. This time, they intervened among themselves and created another crystal made of light. ¡°Let''s find out about him, then.¡± When the crystal moved closer enough, her fingers touched the surface and then pulled towards the right side. The crystal moved, but something remained, the body of a teenager. ¡°What the¡­¡± Bardar¡¯s face changed as he looked at the red body of the boy. A shiny replica of the boy formed in mid-air, made of red lights with small bits of blue mixed within. Is this the body of someone falling into a space rift? Shouldn¡¯t it be red around the chest and blue overall? He turned to ask Bella, her frosty look stopped his words in his throat. ¡° Bardar, while I find more about this boy¡¯s health. You should rest.¡± He knows when his grandma talked with her expressions like this. She was not asking anyone¡¯s opinion. And seeing the small frosts forming near her feet, Bardar called it a day. ¡° Then I will excuse myself.¡± With him closing the door behind, Bella focused on one of the red lights on the boy¡¯s body and zoomed in on the location closer to his heart, the source of magic in the human¡¯s body. This is also the deepest red part. Zooming closer, much closer than any human eye could see and one could see cells that look suspended in strange liquid, not only from the inside but also from outside, like ¡° It looks like someone soaked him in potions¡­¡± ¡°GRR¡­!¡± Cherry came close to her and released a dangerous growl. Different from her usual self, her tail was no longer swinging and her eyes were glued to the red projection. ¡° Did you not find anything? What about his smell ?¡± Cherry¡¯s ability to identify smell was unmatched and she could tell where a person came from, as she knows the smell of most of the locations across the world. The boy smelled nothing like she had smelled before. ¡° Isn¡¯t it a sort of miracle? I thought we left such things behind, but who knows? They would chase us to the middle of nowhere. Miracle, like how he was not yet dead, even though someone wanted him dead.¡± Frost had spread with Bella as the centre and covered the fur of golden Labra who didn¡¯t seem to care much about her frozen body. ¡° Such cruelty,¡± she said with her voice barely audible in the quiet room. The blood-red colour of the boy¡¯s eyes, telltale signs of being submerged and his broken nails. ¡° Do you remember Cherry, the methods we used for dealing with serious offenders? I wonder if this boy is also one such person.¡± The runes flickered with all of their strength to fend off the ever-growing frost. ¡°A miracle indeed.¡± ¡°Cherry, search for this boy¡¯s origin, it would be a shame not to inform the guys doing such miracles ¡­ it¡¯s a shame if we don¡¯t meet such excellent people, don¡¯t you say?¡± ¡°Woof!¡± With a cracking noise, Cherry shook her body and frost fell off her fur. She might also need to seek help from the flying lizard to speed up her search. It didn¡¯t look like she could avoid it this time. *** Bella sat in her study room with a weary smile plastered on her wrinkled face. A week had passed since the boy crashed into her house, but given the condition of the boy, she couldn¡¯t see a way to save him. Leaning her body back on the chair as she looked at the room¡¯s ceiling, she found herself lost. Why worry about someone you just found? She''s no stranger to death, so why not let him go? Her rational mind says she should let him pass, but her selfish emotions resist till the end. They want him to smile no matter what. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. "Come in," she said, making sure her voice sounded normal. The door swung open, revealing Bardar clutching a tray laden with tea and snacks. His eyes flicked to the mountains of books surrounding Bella, most of which dealt with human anatomy rather than potions or spells. He hesitated, unsure where to place the tray amid the clutter. ¡°Here, let me help you,¡± Bella said, waving her hand. With a soft rustling noise, the books she¡¯d already read flew back to their places on the shelves, clearing enough space for Bardar to set down the tray. ¡°Get some rest, grandma,¡± Bardar said as he placed the tray on the desk. ¡°It¡¯s already late.¡± Bella glanced out the window, noticing for the first time that afternoon had slipped into the night. She realised that she hadn¡¯t prepared dinner yet. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry, Bardar,¡± she said, rising to her feet. ¡°I forgot to make dinner. Wait a minute, and I¡¯ll fix something up.¡± ¡° Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Bardar said while placing a hand on her arm to stop her from leaving. ¡°I already ate. You should focus on taking care of yourself.¡± His culinary skills were nothing to write home about. Bardar had prepared a simple meal for himself and brought some for Bella as well. Bardar urged Bella to eat the snacks he had brought with him. ¡°You are putting too much burden on yourself,¡± he said slowly, before echoing the same words she had once told him when he became lost in his studies. ¡°With proper rest, you can find your way.¡± Touched by his sincerity, Bella smiled at her grandson, her eyes warm with affection. She remembered the countless times she had spoken those very words to him, and now hearing them from Bardar filled her heart with both pride and gratitude. ¡°All right, I¡¯ll take a break soon,¡± She said, taking a bite of the snack Bardar had prepared. He stood by the door, ready to leave, but Bardar hesitated for a moment. ¡°I also made extra food for Cherry, but I couldn¡¯t find her anywhere,¡± he said, his brow furrowing with worry. ¡°Do you know where she is?¡± ¡° I sent her on an errand,¡± Bella said with her steady voice. ¡°She¡¯ll be back soon.¡± Bardar nodded with a smile before saying goodbye and closing the door behind him. Alone once more, she ate a few more bites of the snack, her thoughts racing back to the sealed boy. ¡°Changing another person¡¯s destiny has never been easy, even more so if it¡¯s all filled with misery,¡± Bella reminded herself in a low voice, her mind echoing the sentiment she once imparted to Bardar. ¡°But it¡¯s in helping others we find our purpose, our reason for living.¡± Though she no longer teaches such things to anyone, there was no fault in accepting such words for one last time. ¡®Living ¡­ How did the vampires ensure someone remains frozen in time¡¯ Rustling through the pile of books, she opened the page with the heading ¡°Eternal Slumber¡± and her eyes scanned the text with increased frenzy. There, the line she was searching for. ¡° The vampires had a long life and strong vitality. To seal them is to slow down their vitality.¡± When the words left her mouth, her eyes were akin to a lost wanderer stumbling upon a guiding star in the dark of night. If she wanted to treat the boy, she needed to unseal him, but did she need to? *** Bardar stood before the blue crystal, and his slender hands hovered just above its icy surface. Sweat dampened the edges of his tousled hair. Due to a deep wound on the boy, his lungs are not as whole when compared to his limbs. A month passed since Bella remained holed up inside her study room. The first thing she did after coming out was to entrust him with making something to help the boy breathe. Bardar had no problem in making such things, but first, he needed to map the body of the boy and so here he was. The unconscious boy inside remained still. Bardar¡¯s breath hitched as he touched the crystal, allowing his mana to seep into it. The room hummed, resonating with the mana that Bardar channelled through his fingers. He had honed his skills as a golem master to feel things beyond ordinary perception. Anyone can make simple artefacts for breathing, but those general-purpose ones most times cause damage to the host. He can¡¯t have someone say the same for the artefact made by him. He guided the mana deeper into the crystal and the boy¡¯s body, focusing on the delicate network of arteries and veins, gauging their capacity for pressure and airflow. The process was slow, demanding every ounce of patience and precision Bardar possessed. Hours passed, his body slick with sweat, but he mapped out a path for the wind to enter and exit the boy¡¯s lungs. Giving a last glance at the sealed figure, he released a sigh of relief and pulled back his hands. Looking out the window, an entire day passed and it was already morning. A yawn escaped his mouth. Bardar left the room, and the stairs groaned with a creaky sound under his weight as he descended to the living room. When he entered, he found Bella sitting on the sofa with a deep frown, her wispy white hair framing a face etched with worry. Cherry, a cheerful golden dog, stood before her with her head lowered and ears drooping. ¡° You guys found nothing?¡± Even after searching for one month, there was nothing Cherry could tell about the boy¡¯s origin. Her title of hunter is almost in crisis if not because the stupid flying lizard also failed to find anything. Bella was going to ask more, but her gaze flicked seeing Bardar as he approached and stopped talking to Cherry. Despite being awake the entire night, Bardar smiled as he said. ¡°Morning, Grandma, you too Cherry.¡± ¡°Hello, Bardar,¡± Bella returned the smile. She motioned for him to take a seat while she got up from the couch. ¡°Just a moment. I¡¯ll go prepare breakfast soon.¡± With that, she headed off to the kitchen. Bardar sat down on the sofa as Cherry woofed, giving Bardar a knowing look as she settled onto the sofa. He chuckled, ¡°All right, you know I am trustworthy.¡± ¡°I heard you found nothing?¡± The dog moved her head like a nod. She then released a series of woofs, each varying in pitch and tone as if describing her journey. Like an old man with a story to tell, she kept going on and on. ¡°You mean even that flying lizard couldn''t help?¡± Surprisingly, Bardar could understand her and replied like he was talking with a person rather than a golden fur dog. With a sad look, Cherry¡¯s ears dropped again. Bardar¡¯s brow furrowed in surprise when she finished. I don¡¯t remember when I heard that someone escaped from her nose. I wonder if those other elders also found it with surprise that someone could escape the duo of Cherry and ¡­ forget it, not my headache. Bardar turned to look at the downed Cherry with a smirk. ¡°So, how¡¯s that flying lizard doing nowadays?¡± ¡°Woof! Woof!¡± When the lizard was mentioned, the downed face disappeared from the dog. Her ears perked up again and her tail also swung left and right with energy. If there is something that makes her mood well, it¡¯s bad-mouthing that flying lizard. Bardar chuckled as he listened to her barks. ¡°Really? That guy had gotten so lazy that you felt bad about handing him a shameful defeat when he asked for a duel.¡± ¡°Woof!¡± Bardar couldn¡¯t help but laugh at her boastful woofs. Cherry gave him an eye. She just refused that lizard because she was at work and not because she didn¡¯t like getting laughed at. And this guy is not taking her seriously at all. ¡°Hey, hey, why are you bringing out your teeth? Also, sit down, we can talk.¡± Seeing the dog sit back with a closed mouth, Bardar stopped his smile. ¡°Both of you stop talking and come in.¡± The aroma of a warm breakfast filled the air as Bella called them to the dining table. As they ate, Bella paused mid-bite and asked Bardar. ¡°What about that artefact I asked you to work on? I will need it soon.¡± Bardar felt his cheeks flushed, that he hadn¡¯t mentioned it sooner. He admitted, ¡°It¡¯s almost done now. I just need to make some final adjustments.¡± There goes my sleep tonight. ¡° That¡¯s wonderful!¡± Bella¡¯s eyes were filled with admiration. ¡°I have already made initial plans for treating the boy. We can start next afternoon.¡± What can Bardar say other than ¡°Of course.¡± There goes today¡¯s afternoon. The artefact needs to be ready by tomorrow morning, no matter the cost. ¡°Woof!¡± Cherry wagged her tail, feeling the joy in another¡¯s misery. *** The next day, as the sun cast its golden rays through the windows, it set the house aglow as Bardar, Bella, and Cherry entered the third-floor room. The atmosphere was sombre, with dark wooden walls and floors. Shelves brimmed with different herbs and potions. The magic circle at the centre had its intricate runes humming with a warm glow. ¡°Not this time. Stay near me.¡± Before Cherry could dart towards the crystal, Bella¡¯s sharp voice stopped her in her tracks. ¡°Are you sure we should rush into this? Can¡¯t we wait and do more research before attempting anything on the boy?¡± Though he could finish making the artefact, it seemed like they were rushing things. ¡°Doing it now or later will change nothing. What I am doing is unconventional and the factor of the unknown will never leave us, no matter when we try.¡± There was comprehension in Bardar¡¯s eyes or maybe he just didn¡¯t like to ask much as Bella knew her grandson was not interested in things other than golems. ¡°Bardar, channel your mana into the magic circle, Cherry, I need you to do your usual thing.¡± Bardar lowered his gaze and focused on the intricate patterns of the circle. He didn¡¯t touch it but still let his mana leave his body and enter the circle. The lines shimmered with even more brightness, which made the entire room glow. Cherry¡¯s keen golden eyes darted between Bardar and Bella, still on standby. ¡°Make sure your mana output remains steady.¡± Countless white transparent threads rose from the circle and moved into the crystal. The threads passed through the crystal with ease, and the tips were divided into even more countless minute threads, drilled into hundreds of thousands of body cells. They focused on the vital parts of the body, the heart, brain, and lungs. Cherry came near the bottle placed at the edge of the circle and opened it with her mouth before she moved to the next one. Bella¡¯s expert control directed the countless threads to draw out a brownish-black liquid at a very slow rate. The liquid flowed through the threads toward the circle on the floor, and the once-transparent threads took on a dark hue. The golden dog kept opening the bottles one by one, and each time her nose twitched with the odour of decaying meat and blood that began to spread throughout the room. But before the stench could reach Bella and Bardar, the runes sucked it into them. Bardar glanced at the small amount of black liquid appearing at the edge of the circle and had to divert some of his attention to keep his breakfast inside. It¡¯s a blessing that I had Cherry to do that otherwise¡­ Another row of threads rose, and this time they dipped into the bottles and started the red liquid into the circle. Soon, the entire circle turned into a deep shade of blood red. The potion flowed through the circle and the threads into the cells of the boy. It filled the gaps left by the brownish-black liquid. This was a tedious process that put a heavy strain on Bella and Bardar. One needs to keep mana steady. Sometimes it needs to be increased, while sometimes it needs to be slowed. The threads themselves required constant mental control. Thus, other than the dog, no one could keep track of the time and before long, three whole days passed. Bella stopped the magic circle as her hands trembled from exhaustion. Bardar was no better, as his entire face looked devoid of blood. Both of them can only take small breaths to regain their spirit. Cherry brought a bunch of towels and placed them near them. Exhaustion weighed on Bardar¡¯s shoulders. His spine curved under the strain as he wiped the sweat glistening on his brow. Bella¡¯s wispy white hair clung to her damp forehead, her eyes red-rimmed and struggling to remain open. Cherry seemed to read the mood and made her body slump down while taking rapid breaths. ¡°We can rest for today,¡± Bella whispered. ¡°We¡¯ll start again next week.¡± Her voice held a firmness that belied her exhaustion, leaving no room for argument. ¡°Then, see you later,¡± Bardar¡¯s words were barely audible. ¡°Cherry...¡± The dog immediately stood up but then remembered that she was supposed to be exhausted and strolled towards her. A small smile flickered across Bella¡¯s face as she watched her old friend¡¯s performance. ¡°Let¡¯s go¡± Cherry followed her. Bella reached her room, she picked out a bottle of her sleeping potion, which allowed her to finally succumb to the exhaustion that had been gnawing at her for days. Cherry jumped on her side and put her head down before also going to sleep. It¡¯s just unlike Bella. She was hungry, so hungry that she couldn¡¯t fall asleep at all. ¡°Grr¡­¡± *** Bardar and Bella¡¯s gazes locked on an unconscious boy as, after fifteen months of tireless work, they cleaned all residues from the boy¡¯s body. ¡°We are at the last step. Everyone give your all,¡± Bella said to Bardar and Cherry, her voice tinged with determination. Today she will finally know whether she will succeed or not. She drew a deep breath and began chanting. The melodic words weaved into an intricate spell, while Bardar increased the mana flow into the glowing red circle. Countless threads burst forth, cocooning the crystal within, and then pressed on its surface. The constricting tendrils made the crystal release sharp cracking noises that echoed through the room. Minor fractures like spiderwebs spread across the crystal¡¯s surface. ¡°That¡¯s it,¡± Bella said, a tense feeling laced her words as the cracks spread further, the crystal barely maintaining its integrity. ¡°Woof!¡± She directed the pulsating red threads to crush the outer crystal. After that, they absorbed the splintering shards without a trace. As the process sped up, she strained to guide the threads toward the unconscious teenager. The crimson cocoon wound tightened around him, emitting light that cast eerie shadows across the room. Her breathing became rushed. ¡° Keep your breathing steady, Grandma.¡± Bardar himself had beads of sweat dotting his brow. The threads began to interweave and then invaded the cells of the boy before forming minute red-crystalline structures within. The tiny structures released small bursts of vitality as the crystal continued to disintegrate, but the speed was slower than even a snail. ¡°D-Did we succeed?¡± Bardar asked, seeing the circle¡¯s light dimmed. ¡°It has to,¡± Bella¡¯s face remained focused, her eyes never leaving the boy. Her voice was firm, yet laced with the faintest hint of uncertainty. She did what she could¡ªno, they all did. They just need to check the boy, but her feet don¡¯t want to move closer to the boy lying just ahead of her. ¡°We can always trust in ourselves and our knowledge,¡± Bardar encouraged her. ¡°Woof!¡± Under the pair of eyes, she walked forward, but before looking at his face, she used her trembling hands and placed a glowing blue pendant on the boy¡¯s chest. ¡°Why is it not working?¡± ¡°Let me see.¡± Bardar came close and, sure enough, the boy¡¯s chest was not moving. Putting the pendant on the next, Bardar pressed on the centre. Reacting to a silent command, the pendant whirled with magic, drawing air into the boy¡¯s lungs. The boy¡¯s chest rose and fell in time with the rhythmic breaths granted by the pendant. ¡°It works fine now.¡± Bella also leaned in, her wrinkled fingers pressed against the boy¡¯s heart. She could sense its faint but steady beat beneath her touch. ¡°His pulse is weak, but it¡¯s there,¡± she whispered, relief clear in her tone. However, within seconds, Bella¡¯s expression shifted from relief to concern. Her fingers pressed more firmly against the boy¡¯s chest, searching for the reassuring thud of life. ¡°His heart is failing,¡± she murmured. ¡°What!?¡± Bardar¡¯s eyes widened at Bella¡¯s words. His grandma refused to give up. Channelling mana into her palm, Bella jump-started the boy¡¯s heart. ¡°But we can still save him. Make sure the breathing compensates for the heart rate.¡± Under Bella¡¯s magic, the crystal structures released vitality, which made the whole body of the boy glow red. Minutes ticked by, and each one felt like an eternity. The room was silent except for the faint sound of the boy¡¯s breaths and the murmur of Bella¡¯s incantations. Sweat trickled down her brow as she focused on the delicate task before. . . . A palpable force that seemed to grip Bella¡¯s heart. She didn¡¯t notice the beads of sweat that formed on her forehead as she focused all her attention on the boy¡¯s fragile heart beneath her fingertips. It was very weak, almost imperceptible, and might stop beating as soon as Bella stopped controlling it. ¡° Grandma, I think he¡­¡± ¡°His heart...¡± she said shakily, like a whisper. ¡°It¡¯s beating again. Still weak, but he¡¯s fighting. quickly have the artefact increase support.¡± A flicker of hope ignited within her, pushing back the darkness that threatened to engulf them all. Determination flashed in her eyes as she urged the fragile organ onward, her vision taking shape through delicate motions and whispering incantations while Bardar recalibrated the artefact. ¡°His condition is still critical.¡± She released a heavy breath as the heart rate stabilised itself. She pulled back her hand. ¡°But I think he¡¯s safe for now.¡± Cherry woofed, her tail wagging as she ran a circle around them. Bardar nodded, his eyes shining with pride and relief as he examined the unconscious boy. ¡°So, when will he wake up?¡± Bardar asked, only to find his grandma gone silent at his words. Bella didn¡¯t answer because she can¡¯t. Her mind was full of uncertainties. The silence fell around them once again. Which made Cherry give Bardar a death glare. ¡°Later,¡± Bella finally said. Her voice was hesitant yet resolute. ¡°I am not an expert on one¡¯s consciousness, but since he¡¯s for now, he can take his time, and so can we.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s move him first,¡± she suggested, her gaze never leaving the boy¡¯s pale face. It seemed a little more relaxed than before. ¡°Ok,¡± Learning from his mistake, Bardar didn¡¯t ask more. Nevertheless, when he lifted the teenager into his hands, something gawked at Bardar. His eyes darted between the unconscious boy and Bella¡¯s downcast expression. He shifted the boy¡¯s weight in his arms before he asked, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we give him a name?¡± Cherry woofed in agreement. She¡¯s an expert in naming. ¡°Woof!¡± ¡°Red- Dish?¡± Amused at her woofs. This seemed to have diverted Bella¡¯s mind from worries, and the heaviness faded from her face. ¡°I appreciate the creativity, Cherry, but can¡¯t we do better?¡± ¡°Woof!¡± ¡° Red-chilly? Don¡¯t name him after your food.¡± Cherry woofed again, her tail wagging with determination. ¡°All right, all right, it will start with ¡®R¡¯, happy now?¡± Bardar kept his mouth shut to not spoil the mood but also because his naming sense was worse than even the Cherry. ¡°Rayan,¡± Bella announced after a moment¡¯s concentration, her voice soft yet confident. ¡°I think that¡¯s a good name.¡± ¡°Woof!¡± Bardar and Cherry both approved of the fitting name for the boy, who had survived against all odds. ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, until he tells us otherwise, he will be called Rayen,¡± Bella said. ¡°Now then, Bardar, please move Rayen to his room.¡± ¡°Grandma, shouldn''t we celebrate our achievements?¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. What kind of dish do you want me to make?¡± ¡°Woof!¡± ¡°I made recent progress on my golems. How about we let it make the foo-¡° ¡°Grr¡­¡± ¡°¡­I was joking. No need to bring out your teeth like this.¡± *** Chapter 3: Cellia And IT. Sunlight streamed through the window, casting a warm glow over the kitchen where Bella stood, humming with a soft voice as she prepared breakfast. The aroma of freshly baked bread and sizzling bacon filled the room, promising a hearty meal. Today was different from her usual solitary mornings; suspended beside her, an unconscious boy named Rayen floated in mid-air, his soft brown hair and closed eyes that gave no hint that he hadn''t awakened for months. "Rayen, my dear, today''s dish is a special one," Bella began stirring a pot of thick tomato sauce with a gentle hand. She glanced at the boy with a mixture of affection and concern. "I''m making a herb-infused omelette with some of that sweet basil we grew in the garden. It''ll be delightful." As she cracked eggs into a bowl and whisked them, she imagined Rayen asking her about the ingredients. "Oh? You''re curious about the secret to a perfect omelette?" Her wrinkled face broke into a smile. "Well, it''s all about the balance of flavours. A pinch of salt, a dash of pepper, and just the right amount of herbs. And of course, you mustn''t forget a splash of milk to make it extra fluffy." She poured the mixture into a hot pan, watching as it sizzled and bubbled around the edges. In her mind, she heard Rayen''s voice, filled with wonder and curiosity. "You see, these simple ingredients come together to create something truly delicious. That''s the magic of cooking, my boy." Bella''s weathered hands trembled slightly as she traced the deep lines etched on her face, with sadness hidden in her aged eyes as she gazed upon the silent Rayen, knowing that he couldn''t respond to her words. Her research is far away from a critical breakthrough to awaken him from his sleep. Yet, she continued to speak to him, hoping that somehow, her love and care would reach him even in his current state. As she plated the golden omelette and garnished it with sprigs of fresh parsley, she couldn''t help but think about the life Rayen might have led if he hadn''t been affected by this mysterious condition. "Remember, Rayen, presentation is just as important as taste," she said, placing the plate on the dining table. ¡°Food should be a feast for the eyes as well as the palate." She looked at the boy''s unresponsive face, his steady breathing the only sign of life. With a sigh, she brushed her wispy white hair from her forehead and whispered, "I hope one day you''ll get to enjoy this meal with us, truly awake and present." Until then, she would continue to care for him, sharing her love for cooking and nurturing their connection through stories and conversations, even if they were only one-sided. ***** The morning sun continued with its shine on the dining room, filling it with a warm glow, and casting playful shadows on the wooden table where they gathered for breakfast. Bella, Bardar, Cherry, and the unconscious Rayen all found their usual places at the table. The air filled with the enticing aroma of freshly cooked omelettes and the comforting sound of breathing. "All right, everyone, today we have fluffy omelettes filled with cheese and vegetables," Bella said, placing the steaming dish before them. "Remember, Rayen, it''s essential to chew your food well and slowly enjoy every bite." Bardar glanced between his grandmother, who spoke as if Rayen could hear her, and the floating boy with closed eyes, still lost in unconsciousness. He couldn''t help but wonder if this was all normal or if he should be more concerned about the situation. "Chew, swallow, and smile," Bella added, demonstrating the proper technique for Rayen while she ate her food. ¡®I don¡¯t think he can chew¡¯. As Bardar tried to focus on his meal, he noticed Cherry devouring her dog food with gusto, tail-wagging energetically. When she caught him staring, she growled, sending him a clear message that her food was off-limits. ¡®Wh-why is she growling at me?¡¯ Bardar thought, furrowing his brow. ¡®I wouldn''t want your food even if you offered it to me.¡¯ Bella looked up from her plate, her piercing blue eyes searching Bardar''s face. "Is something wrong with the food, dear? You seem distracted." "Ah, no, Grandma," Bardar stuttered, quickly taking a bite. "It''s d-delicious, as always." He attempted a reassuring smile, though his thoughts continued to race. ¡®Am I the strange one here, thinking there''s something off about all this?¡¯ "Good," Bella turned her attention to Rayen. "Just remember, dearie, a balanced diet is the key to a healthy body and mind." As they continued their meal, Bardar couldn''t shake the nagging feeling that something was amiss. But for now, he chose to focus on the familiar ritual of breakfast with his grandmother and Cherry. ***** The sun blazed overhead, as Bardar heaved a deep sigh. He stood near the door with arms laden with large boxes and more floating beside him. He muttered under his breath, fingers flexing around the handles, determination etched across his face. "This time, it''ll work. I can feel it." "Wait, Bardar," Bella called out, her voice warm but firm. She stood at the doorway of their home, Rayen floating unconsciously beside her. His chest rose and fell in gentle rhythm with the magic that sustained him. "Take Rayen with you. He could use some time outside." ¡®I should point it out before grandma overdoes it¡¯. Bardar''s eyes twitched, uncertainty flickering through them as he glanced between his grandmother and the unconscious boy. "Is it really okay for me to take him? The sun is quite strong today." He shifted his grip on the boxes, thinking he was the only person left with a right brain. He pointed out the problem, with concern lacing his voice. ¡°How could I take him without any protection against the sun?¡± "Ah, right." Bella tapped her head as if remembering something important. With a wave of her hand, she cast a spell over Rayen, his body now shielded from the harsh sunlight. She nodded to herself, satisfied with her handiwork, before looking back at Bardar. His expression, however, seemed to have twisted into something strange and almost petulant. "What is it?" Bella asked, tilting her head curiously. "Um, well..." Bardar cleared his throat, trying to maintain his composure. "I''m also going out, Grandma. Shouldn''t I have some protection from the sun too?" Bella''s mouth twitched, struggling to suppress a smile at her grandson''s stubborn insistence. "Very well, dear." She waved her hand once more, casting the same protective spell on Bardar. "There. Now both of you are safe." "Thank you," Bardar mumbled, still feeling a touch foolish. As they ventured outside, Bella watched them go, her eyes filled with a mixture of pride and concern. Bardar glanced at Rayen, floating beside him, his thoughts tangled with questions about the boy and their unusual family dynamic. "All right then," he whispered to himself, trying to refocus on his goal. "Let''s make this work." Outside the hot desert sun beat down on them, casting long shadows on the rolling dunes. Bardar squinted against the glare, grateful for his grandmother''s protective spell. Beside him floated Rayen, his unconscious form undisturbed by the harsh environment. Cherry trotted alongside, her golden fur gleaming in the sunlight. They came to a stop as Bardar surveyed the area, finding the perfect spot to set up. He lowered the floating boxes and began unpacking the metal components with excited hands, his previous awkwardness forgotten. "Grandma always says that golems are too dangerous, but she just doesn''t understand their potential," Bardar rambled, his words spilling out faster than he could think them through. "When I was at Oceania Academy, nobody - and I mean nobody - could even come close to my skill in creating golems." Cherry glanced at Bardar, noting the sudden passion in his voice. She couldn''t help but yawn, however, uninterested in his achievements. Meanwhile, Rayen remained as still as ever, his rhythmic breathing the only sign of life. Bardar continued to assemble the metal parts, his eyes alight with anticipation. As he worked, his thoughts turned inward. ¡®If I can just prove to Grandma that my golems are more than just trouble, maybe she''ll accept them as part of our family too?¡¯ he mused. "Ah, there we go!" Snapping himself back to the present. He stepped back to admire the intricate metal platform before him, runes etched across its surface. "Now, all we need is the final piece." He retrieved a glowing white cube from one box, holding it delicately. "All right, Cherry, Rayen, pay attention. This is how real golem research is done," Bardar said with pride swelling in his chest. With care, he placed the cube atop the platform. The runes began to light up, their glow intensified as Bardar''s excitement grew. "See?" he said in a triumphant voice. "Soon, we''ll have a fully functioning golem, and Grandma won''t be able to deny its usefulness." ¡°Woof!¡± Cherry woofed in response, her tone playful but unconvinced. Even if Bardar''s creation was impressive, she knew that Bella''s scepticism wouldn''t be swayed. Rayen, of course, remained silent. Bardar wiped the sweat from his brow, his tousled hair sticking to his forehead. He stepped back, surveying the square platform he''d spent hours assembling. Complex lines and runes crisscrossed the surface, raised on four metal legs that brought it up to half his height. ¡°Woof!¡± Cherry, the golden-furred labra, cocked her head curiously as she looked at the contraption. "What? You say it doesn''t look like a golem?" Bardar said, offended at her question. His words tumbled out in a flurry of excitement. "Not everything holding a weapon and throwing spells is called a golem, you know. Golems are things that move metal at a predefined path by using arcane magic." His voice took on a hushed sense of pride, his stutter all but forgotten. "And the reason advancement in golems was stagnated is because others are not willing to take some small risks. But I am different." With that declaration, Bardar reached for the final piece: a glowing square cube with a white opaque exterior. Turning to Cherry and the unconscious Rayen, he instructed them to watch closely. "This is how real golem research is done." He placed the cube atop the square plate of his golem. As it made contact, the first rune at the centre glowed, soon followed by the various lines connecting to it. Bardar''s eyes widened with anticipation, his heart pounding in his chest. "See, Cherry?" he murmured, his thoughts racing. "The central rune controls the amount of mana the whole golem receives. It''s crucial for the process." Unbeknownst to him, Cherry had silently grabbed the tip of floating Rayen''s cloth. She gave a soft, mischievous woof and started moving away from Bardar and his golem. Bardar''s eyes gleamed as he continued his explanation, his voice laced with passion, gesticulating at the glowing square plate. "Each rune has a specific mana input it can handle, so precision and balance are the key." He studied the illuminated runes, feeling a sense of accomplishment as they danced beneath his gaze. His heart swelled with pride; this was what he lived for, the thrill of bringing life to inert materials. Yet, as over half the second layer lit up, Bardar''s brow furrowed. He noticed an intersecting line with slight resistance, causing his pulse to quicken with dread. "Cherry, not good! We should evacuate!" he shouted, whipping around to face them, only to find Cherry woofing nonchalantly in the distance while Rayen floated beside her. ¡°Woof!¡± The labra''s ears perked up, her eyes bright and alert, seemingly unconcerned about the imminent danger. " When did-" Before he could say anything else, the explosion erupted, spewing black smoke and desert sand into the air. **** "Go clean up and come inside," she ordered gently. Bardar nodded sheepishly, following Cherry and Rayen into the house. Bella tugged at Rayen''s sleeve, leading him away to wash his hands, her touch tender despite her stern expression. After dinner, Bella guided Rayen to his room on the second floor, changing him into nighttime garments with deft hands. She then settled herself beside his bed with an old book in her grasp. "Tonight, I''ll read you the story of a group of little goblins," she said, her voice soft but firm. Regardless of Rayen''s unconscious state, she read aloud the words, painting vivid images as they danced in the air, every syllable infused with life by her melodious voice. On the other hand, Bardar sat in his well-lit room, the soft glow of a single magical orb casting flickering shadows on the walls. The scent of wax and ink mingled in the air as he stared at the blank parchment before him, deep in thought. His fingers tapped nervously on the wooden desk, betraying his inner turmoil. ¡®I am just writing to her because she is an expert on consciousness and souls. Yes, that¡¯s it, nothing else.¡¯ With a determined sigh, Bardar grabbed his pen, dipping it into the inkwell with a steady hand. Each stroke of the pen was deliberate and precise. He composed two letters, one neater than the other, and sealed them with a touch of wax. "Cherry," he called, his voice wavering slightly. The golden-furred labra bounded in through the open window, her bright eyes alert and eager. "I need you to deliver these." Bardar hesitated for a moment, staring down at the letters. Then, with a quick incantation, he cast a protective spell over the neater letter, ensuring it wouldn''t be damaged during the journey. "Take these to Bladurus," he instructed, handing both letters to Cherry. "He''ll know what to do." In response, Cherry released a muffled bark of acknowledgement, carefully taking the letters in her mouth. With a graceful leap, she disappeared out the window and into the night. As Bardar listened to the fading sound of Cherry''s footsteps, a sudden wave of doubt washed over him. He considered calling her back, retrieving the letters before they could be delivered. But he knew that once a decision was made, there was no going back. **** Darkness enveloped everything, a void so complete that it seemed to swallow even itself. Amidst this inky expanse, an entity drifted aimlessly, its form an indistinct grey mass blending seamlessly into the monochrome landscape. This being, which could only be called ''it,'' knew little of its existence or purpose. The only thing it was aware of were the cracks scattered across the distance, some of them suspended mid-air, like jagged veins etched into the fabric of reality itself. Once, these fissures had multiplied at an alarming rate, threatening to tear apart this fragile world. Yet now, they had stabilised¡ªthough for ''it,'' nothing had truly changed. As ''it'' roamed through the desolate landscape, devoid of any direction, goal, or emotion, it stumbled upon something unexpected: a voice. ¡°@###???##¡± The sound echoed faintly amidst the stillness, a ghostly whisper that seemed to emanate from the air. Intrigued, ''it'' followed the elusive call, drawn to the strange resonance that seemed to reverberate throughout the abyss. It was neither a calculated choice nor an instinctual urge; rather, it was simply an action that unfolded as naturally as breathing. The voice wove in and out of perception, guiding ''it'' through a maze of obsidian shadows and murky greys. And yet, despite the persistence with which ''it'' pursued the enigmatic sound, the source remained elusive. For a fleeting moment, the entity wondered if there was any true meaning to be found in this case, or if its existence was as empty as the void that surrounded it. But such thoughts were soon swallowed by the vast silence, replaced once again by the single-minded pursuit of the spectral voice. As ''it'' continued its endless journey, the cracks in this broken world seemed to mock its existence. They were a constant reminder of the fragility of all things¡ªa harbinger of potential chaos and destruction that loomed just out of reach. Yet for ''it,'' these formed fissures and impending doom held little relevance. Its sole focus remained the elusive voice that called to it from the darkness, guiding it ever deeper into the heart of the abyss. In this world devoid of direction or purpose, ''it'' drifted on, an enigma wrapped in shadows. And as it roamed through the emptiness, chasing after echoes and whispers, as they appeared and disappeared, forever out of its reach. The monochromatic landscape stretched in all directions with no end in sight, a realm where time and place held no meaning, not like the unfortunate residents of this place would care even if it existed. Driven by a faint, residual compulsion to flee, ''It'' moved through this chaotic existence, occasionally witnessing other beings that inhabited this strange plane. These entities, though similar in form but different in appearance, are made with intricate colours unlike ''It'', a shade of black and grey. They also possessed a purpose ¨Cto grow large by consuming others of their kind. This concept eluded ''It,'' who could only watch as two beings struggled to devour each other. Drawn more by instinct than desire, ''It'' joined the fray, not as a competitor but as prey. And yet, upon the victor''s triumph, they avoided ''It,'' vanishing into the distance. Left standing alone, ''It'' remained motionless until it randomly picked a direction to continue its aimless existence. Devoid of feelings, senses, or purpose. It was a mere semblance of life if one could call it that. Like a mysterious entity condemned to roam the spatial chaos without a sense of belonging, ''It'' existed in eternal limbo, forever undefined and unclassified. **** Meanwhile, in a contrasting world of heat and sand, Cellia marched determinedly through a vast, scorching desert. Her blue hair fluttered around her face, obscuring her piercing blue eyes that revealed her irritation and anger beneath the brim of her hat. Despite the oppressive heat, she seemed unaffected, her body surrounded by a protective aura conjured with a swift gesture. Dressed in a flowing blue robe, she appeared like a shimmering sea of sapphire in the harsh landscape. The jingling of her earrings added a playful note to her presence, which belied her annoyance. She retrieved a neatly folded letter from her pocket, her frustration grew as she read its contents. "Bardar, of all people," she muttered, vexed. "After all these years, sending a message like this? no ''How are you?'' or ''What''s new?'' Just come here and help?¡± She scoffed at the formality. As she continued her trek, the words on the letter grated on her nerves. It felt like a business proposal, not a heartfelt plea from an old friend. Her mind raced with fiery questions, "Is he trying to impress someone with his stiff invitation? Why can''t he ask about my well-being? Let''s see what kind of mess you''ve gotten yourself into this time, Bardar. You better pray it''s something serious or else," she muttered to herself, her teeth gritted in frustration. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Every step through this treacherous sand seemed to resist her progress, but Cellia refused to be defeated by this relentless desert. As she kept marching forward, she couldn''t help but complain aloud about not being able to find a suitable ride to hop on. "Why are there no normal-looking beasts in Osasis? No way am I going to ride one of those creepy insects." Her irritation, however, was momentarily forgotten when a strange sensation emanated from the letter in her hand. The paper warmed, and a tingling feeling spread through her fingers, conveying a sense of urgency. "Finally," she repeated, acknowledging the mysterious signal. With a decisive move, she pressed the dog-shaped seal on the letter. In an instant, she vanished into thin air, only to reappear in front of a three-story house. Looking at the house, her scowl softened before turning into a resolute expression as she checked her clothes three times, ensuring her blue mage robes and earrings remained free from sand. Confident, she approached the wooden door, ready to knock, but hesitated. "Can''t show up looking like I just walked through a desert," she mumbled, retrieving a small mirror from her pocket. Swiftly, she tidied her hair and brushed off any lingering sand, applying her perfume to dispel the smell of sweat and checked everything again, just to be sure. Finally, after taking a deep breath, she knocked softly on the door, her ears alert for any signs of movement inside. ¡°Woof!¡± ¡°Someone¡¯s here? Why didn¡¯t you tell me earlier? Coming, please wait a moment!¡± Unexpectedly, a dog''s bark and an old woman''s voice reached her, causing her to flinch. The door creaked open, and a kind-faced elderly woman stood before Cellia, her wispy white hair framing her gentle expression. "Hello," Cellia greeted, mustering a pleasant tone despite her weariness. "I''m Cellia, Bardar''s friend from Oceania University." Bella''s eyes lit up with recognition, and a warm smile spread across her face. "Ah, yes! Cellia! Bardar mentioned you a few times. Please, come in!" With eagerness, Bella quickly ushered Cellia inside, as though fearing she might vanish if there was even a moment''s delay. Intrigued by the grandmother''s enthusiasm, Cellia obediently followed her into the cosy living room. The warm and inviting space prompted a subtle smile from Cellia, providing a brief respite from her irritation. "Thank you," Cellia said while her gaze wandered around the cosy living room. The scent of freshly baked pastries wafted through the air, which tickled her nose and made her stomach rumble. Her eyes fell upon a friendly-looking dog with soft golden hair and intelligent eyes. "You must be Cherry," she whispered, reaching down to give the dog a gentle pat on the head. Cherry wagged her tail and leaned into the touch, her tongue lolling out in happy pants. As they settled in the living room, Cellia couldn''t contain her curiosity. "Did Bardar talk about me when he mentioned our time at Oceania University?" she asked, trying to hide her excitement. Bella paused, her face revealing a blend of amusement and concern. "Well, he did mention meeting a club-wielding, barbaric girl who was also a mage during his university days." Cellia''s cheeks flushed with a mix of embarrassment and anger, her hands clenched into fists at her sides. Despite her irritation, she forced a sweet smile as she replied, "I can''t imagine why he would say such a thing about me." Bella chuckled, seemingly unfazed by Cellia''s reaction. "Oh, I''m sure he meant it affectionately," Bella assured her before offering a glass of water. "Please, make yourself comfortable while I go prepare some tea." "That won''t be necessary," Cellia said, but Bella had already headed towards the kitchen. Just before disappearing through the doorway, she called out to Bardar, who was in the basement, "Bardar, your friend is here!¡± From the basement, Bardar heard his grandmother''s words and hurriedly wiped the black substance from his hands. His heart raced as he muttered a quick spell to clean his clothes and rushed toward the living room. As he approached, Bardar couldn''t help but overhear the conversation between Cellia and his grandmother. The sound of Cellia''s voice, though years had passed since he last heard it, stirred something within him. "¡­the walls were almost black," Cellia said, her voice dripped with sarcasm. "You should''ve seen it, Grandma. Bardar just couldn''t stand that professor, and then¡­" Bardar''s curiosity soon turned to panic. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest and a chill ran down his spine as he realized what his grandmother and Cellia must be discussing. He had no doubt Grandma would from his experiments for days if she knew the full story. Taking a deep breath, Bardar strode into the living room, trying to exude confidence despite the nervous flutter in his heart. The sight of Cellia and his grandma sitting together on the sofa engrossed in conversation, and sharing snacks, brought a wave of warmth and nostalgia over him. But the situation told him he had to address what he had overheard moments ago, so he straightened up and cleared his throat to announce his presence. "Um, Grandma, about that incident at the university¡­" Bardar began with some awkwardness, with his voice having a slight weaver as he continued with his explanation. "I think there might be a bit of a misunderstanding. It didn''t exactly... explode in the lecture room. I was demonstrating a proof of concept to my professor, who disagreed with my idea that two lines of runes and intricate patterns could be stacked on top of each other." Bella furrowed her brow, wondering if should believe his explanation. The corners of her eyes crinkled with concern as she looked from Bardar to Cellia, searching for truth. "Is that so?" she asked sceptically. Cellia couldn''t resist chiming in with her take, her voice laced with amusement. "And it exploded on the professor''s face as if it was filled with vengeance. I also remembered someone clapping behind the smoke," she said with a smirk, teasing Bardar. "Cellia, that''s not how it happened," Bardar said, feeling his cheeks hot. He glanced at the floor, struggling to maintain his composure. "Other professors investigated and found no evidence of an actual explosion. They cleared me of any wrongdoing." "Of course, no one wants to offend someone who can make a professor bedridden for months without leaving a trace." She rolled her eyes at him. ¡°woof!¡± Just as Bella was about to intervene, Cherry, the golden-haired dog, let out a low bark, catching her attention. Bella glanced at her furry companion, raising an eyebrow at Cherry''s seemingly amused demeanour. "Cherry," Bella scolded with a stern face, but in a hushed voice "What do you mean if the meat was cooked or not? How many times have I told you not to treat humans as food?" ¡°woof!¡± The golden dog, sensing Bella''s disapproval, released a guilty whine before it retreated to a corner of the room, as her tail drooped between its hind legs. With a small sigh, Bella turned to the other side which was on the verge of turning into a war and released a little cough " Why don¡¯t both of you calm down and let my old years rest? Years were not kind to me, you see." Bardar and Cellia exchanged a glance before complying with a soft ¡°hum¡±. Strangely, Cellia changed her initial position and sat side by side with Bardar on the sofa, as if that¡¯s the most natural thing. The tension lingered, but neither dared to open their mouth in front of Bella. "Now," Bella began, her tone softened a little. "Bardar, why didn''t you tell me beforehand that you were inviting a guest? I could have prepared some good food and cleaned the house." Bardar rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, his eyes darting around the room to avoid his grandmother''s questioning gaze. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, the worn fabric of the sofa suddenly feeling rough and itchy beneath him. "I¡ªI didn''t know that Cellia would come so quickly without sending a letter back," he finally admitted, his voice barely more than a whisper. Cellia interjected, a hint of defensiveness in her tone as she said, "There''s no need for such extreme hospitality, like cleaning the whole house. Besides," she continued, attempting to deflect blame towards Bardar, "He told me he was facing some trouble involving matters of consciousness and so I came here as fast as I could, without the time to send a letter beforehand." Bardar glanced at Cellia, his heart racing at the misunderstanding about his soul in trouble. He quickly reassured Bella, "Grandma, don''t be concerned. I''m fine. I am perfectly normal; there''s no need for worry." He hoped his words sounded convincing enough. Bella, who was about to stand, studied Bardar''s expression carefully before finally nodding, her concern easing slightly. "All right, but next time, let me know in advance," she said firmly, her voice carrying the subtle weight of a promise. With Bella''s approval secured, the atmosphere in the room lightened, and the three of them settled into a more relaxed conversation. Bardar took a deep breath, the scent of their garden wafted through the open window, mingling with the faint aroma of tea coming from the kitchen. "I called her here for Rayen," he began, gauging their reactions. Cellia''s curiosity intensified, her fierce blue eyes locked on Bardar as she asked, "For Rayen? Who is he?" Bella leaned forward, her wrinkled face frowning as she echoed Cellia''s sentiment. "What do you mean?" "He is someone we found by some accident," Bardar said "Though grandma treated him, he still hasn''t opened his eyes. And since no one here can work on consciousness and soul at this moment, I decided to call Cellia, a specialist in these matters." Bella went silent as her eyes started to lose their focus and the thoughts left her mind. Cellia, who knew about their family troubles, nodded as if to avoid discussing this topic. "All right then, why don''t you take me to meet Rayen first?" "That sounds like a good plan," Bardar nodded. "Shall we go now? What do you say, grandma?" "Woof!" a strong sound came from their side. "Huh? Ah, yes," Bella''s eyes cleared up after hearing Cherry''s bark. "Yes, let''s go and visit Rayen." Bella stood up like she didn''t hear Bardar''s mention of souls and walked towards Rayen''s room with Cherry. Bardar and Cellia soon followed them with a silent exchange of words between them. *** Different from the ever-changing real world and into the monochrome world, everything seemed to have become a standstill with scarce changes to be noticed, if any as even the splitting cracks in the space stopped expanding long ago. Today, however, the monotony was shattered by an extraordinary sight that captured its attention. A small, golden pearl floated in mid-air, tethered to the void by a pale, golden thread that stretched infinitely into the unknown. The entity, drawn by an unexplainable pull, approached the enigmatic object, unable to resist the allure that beckoned. Others like it noticed the golden pearl as well, swarming towards it from all directions. They too were captivated but remained hesitant, and observed the first entity who found this strange pearl keep circling as a loyal guard. A mysterious tension filled the air as these beings kept their distance, curious yet cautious. Time lost its meaning as the entity continued its orbit around the golden pearl, seemingly entranced. The other entities watched, their formless eyes fixed on the scene unfolding before them, waiting for something momentous to occur. Abruptly, the golden spiral vanished, leaving only the black and grey surroundings behind. The allure dissipated, and the other beings dispersed, returning to their aimless wandering. The entity remained rooted in the spot where the golden pearl once gleamed, bewildered and uncertain about the significance of the encounter. But soon enough, it moved on and continued with his never-ending journey in this frozen world. *** Meanwhile, in Rayen''s room on the second floor, Cellia, a woman with short blue hair and eyes, carefully removed her long needle-like tools from Rayen''s unconscious head. Her face had a subtle pallor, and a delicate furrow between her eyes., leaving Bella, Bardar, and Cherry awaiting any news on Rayen''s condition. "Cellia," Bella asked, her voice laced with concern, "what did you find?" "Rayen''s consciousness is intact, rather large but still ok." Cellia hesitated before answering, "But there''s something else there that shouldn''t be." Her uncertainty left Bella and Bardar equally puzzled. "Can you be more specific?" Bardar said. Cherry seemed uninterested in the conversation as it was too complex for her to take. Instead, her attention was focused outside the room. Bardar furrowed his brow, trying to comprehend Cellia''s statement and seeking an explanation for Rayen''s situation. "His consciousness is... contaminated by the soul," Cellia said hesitantly. Sensing the mounting confusion among her friends, decided it was time to elucidate further. "Consciousness," she said with patience, "refers to our awareness and perception of both external stimuli and internal thoughts and experiences." She allowed Bella and Bardar to take in her words before continuing " It¡¯s just that I usually check for both souls and consciousness together and when I went deeper into his consciousness, I found traces of soul.¡± ¡°Contamination of soul in Consciousness?¡± Bella, with a frown in her eyes, resisted the cloudiness that was trying to take hold of her memories. "But I checked Rayen using soul magic earlier. I didn''t find any signs of damage." "Ah," Cellia said, understanding Bella''s confusion. "While your method is correct and powerful, you might have relied on conventional soul spells that assume a standard soul structure." As she paused, Bella''s eyes widened with realisation. "Are you saying..." Bella hesitated with her next words, "That his soul''s structure is somehow different, so conventional soul spells would be ineffective and show no reaction?" "Exactly," Cellia nodded as Bella and Bardar appeared to grasp the situation. ¡°What in the world? It¡¯s common knowledge that everyone¡¯s soul is the same at the structural level.¡± Bardar said with an incredulous expression. ¡° Millions live, one soul. You know this too as we were taught in Oceania. ¡± ¡°We ¡®assume¡¯ that it is the same, otherwise no single explanation can be derived for a soul, and it is based on this theory, that most of our soul-related spells are made. But still, to have soul mix into one¡¯s consciousness¡­¡± Bella''s hand flew to her face, regret etched upon her features. How could she expect that soul and consciousness, two separate things were connected? "Then how do we even begin treating him?" Bardar asked. Bella sighed with helplessness. "Our usual soul spells won¡¯t work if Rayen''s soul structure either altered to any degree or, as Cellia says, mixed with his consciousness." "And not only that, during my examination," Cellia offered tentatively, "I discovered traces of Rayen''s soul within his consciousness is rather large as we approach a particular distance, most likely that¡¯s the place it is where both soul and consciousness meet. I have a feeling that the leaking soul is preventing the gap from being closed." "Is that even conceivable?" Bardar''s astonishment surfaced as he grappled with the implications. From the time when humans first came into contact with mana and started to familiarise themselves with magic, they have been trying to solve the mysteries behind the relationship between soul and consciousness. Even when Alliance united the whole of humanity and scrambled the best minds among them, none came close to uncovering this mystery. The true meaning of life, immortality, the creator of worlds and many more rumours were being spread throughout the ages as a reward for whoever solved this mystery. If these words got out, then even those elders might make an appearance here. Bella''s face reflected deep thought as she considered Cellia''s revelation. Deciding to confirm it for herself, she placed her hand on Rayen''s unconscious head, focusing on scanning his consciousness to understand the extent of the interaction between his soul and consciousness. The room seemed to hold its breath, charged with tension as Bella delved into her examination, hoping to find clues that could guide them towards a solution. Bella''s fingers tingled as she delved deeper into the hidden recesses of Rayen''s consciousness. She felt the familiar stillness of an unconscious mind, but this time, she pushed further, driven by the need to uncover the truth. The cold silence in Rayen''s mind was disorienting, but Bella persevered, searching for the elusive traces Cellia had mentioned. Her keen senses detected it, faint whispers of soul power leaking into Rayen''s consciousness, like tendrils of silvery mist winding their way through the darkness. As the realisation dawned, Bella opened her eyes, her expression darkening as she processed this new information. "Cellia is right," Bella said gravely, confirming her findings. "There are traces of Rayen''s soul within his consciousness." ¡°The FUCK those old bastards doing till now?¡± Bardar''s anger erupted, and he unleashed a burst of mana that shattered the window glass, sending it flying outside. The explosion echoed in the distance as the mana remnant hit the barren landscape. ¡°Woof!¡± Cherry, ever the calm presence, barked at Bardar. "Who would do such a thing?" Bardar cursed, recalling the state they had found Rayen in. "What kind of so-called miracle were they hoping to achieve by meddling with his soul and consciousness? Can''t they be satisfied with normal magic? Is it too much to avoid hurting others? At least, look at what happened to us." His words became murmurs at the end. Cellia, knowing the soul was a rather touchy subject in their family, composed amidst the commotion. "It may not be the result of a twisted soul experiment," she said. "It could be an unintended side effect." Bardar, still sullen, nodded in agreement. ¡°Cellia''s right, Bardar. We need to stay focused and find a way to help Rayen," Bella said, her voice no longer soothing. She looked at Rayen''s pale face, her heart heavy with worry. ¡°First, since we already know the source of the corruption, sealing it off is the next course of action. Then, we can focus on healing his consciousness," Bella kept ruffling Rayen''s hair as she considered their options. ¡°Grandma is right, Rayen''s consciousness was not only stagnated but also actively damaged and corrupted by the leaking soul energy. To avoid further complications, we needed to remove or seal the corrupted part as soon as possible. We don¡¯t know what other bad things would happen due to the mixing of soul and consciousness.¡± ¡°But how do we do that?" Bardar asked, his concern growing. ¡°Where do we even find a spell that can work on souls without in one¡¯s consciousness?¡± Their problem was far from simple. The theoretical solution seemed straightforward, but it posed a daunting challenge in practice. Purifying the soul or consciousness was known among wizards, but purifying consciousness from the soul was an entirely new realm altogether. The weight of the situation settled heavily on their shoulders as if the gravity of their task had manifested itself in the very air around them. Cellia hesitated before speaking. "Um, I... I think I might know how to do it." Bella''s piercing gaze snapped towards her, and she could feel the weight of the elder''s attention bearing down on her. "Speak with confidence, dear. There''s no harm in trying." Taking a deep breath, Cellia mustered her courage. "Since we know the location of the ''hole'' where it''s leaking. I know a way to push the soul energy back." Her eyes flicked between Bardar and Bella, feeling the intensity of their gazes on her. ¡° But I''m not sure if I can¡­" ¡°Tell us what you need, Cellia," Bardar said, his anxious eyes filled with determination. "We''ll try our best to help." ¡°Thank you," she replied, visibly relieved. "I need the magic circle used for the wizard awakening ceremony." At her request, Bardar''s face fell, his expression turning sombre, while Cherry''s ears perked up and her tail stopped wagging. The absurdity of Cellia''s request was clear to all. ¡°Wait, I don''t need the full circle. Just a partial portion would be¡ª" ¡°We will provide what you need," Bella said firmly, cutting her off. Cellia hesitated, her mind racing as she processed Bella''s unconditional agreement. The thing she asked was a secret of the highest order among the human race, only a few families possess it. She remembered Bardar''s words before entering Rayen''s room, emphasising they found the boy purely by chance and held no responsibility for his life or death. As Bella stood over Rayen''s unconscious form, her brow furrowed in contemplation. She ruffled his hair for the last time. Straightening up, her gaze shifted to the shattered window. "Bardar," she spoke, her voice commanding, "repair the window before you leave." ¡°Of course, grandmother," Bardar replied, his emotions evident in his expression. With a final look at Rayen, Bella left the room, followed closely by Cherry, her intelligent eyes seemingly deep in thought. The air in the room shifted as Bardar began mending the broken window, magical runes glowing faintly beneath his fingertips. Each piece of glass floated back into place, reassembling like a puzzle until the window was whole once more. The sound of their breaths filled the space, mingling with the soft hum of magic at work. Cellia watched him in silence, her thoughts a whirlwind of unanswered questions. ¡®Why were they so determined to save Rayen, a stranger they had found by chance?¡¯ "Is it okay?" she finally asked, unable to suppress her curiosity any longer. ¡°Why not?" Bardar smiled, glancing at the now flawless window. "If those other elders asked, I''d simply say it''s for my little brother. They wouldn''t care after hearing that." Cellia shook her head, still marvelling at the lengths this family would go for someone they barely knew. ¡®Just like at that time¡¯ she murmured internally. ¡®Why does everyone here go to such lengths for strangers?¡¯ ¡°Did you say something?" Bardar turned towards her, his eyes reflecting genuine concern. "Nothing, let''s just clear this remaining mess and go down," Cellia replied, standing up from the bed and beginning to rearrange the curtains. As she worked, Bardar noticed the beautiful smile that graced her face, and he couldn''t help but feel a sense of confusion. Just like at the academy, he found himself drawn to her in a way he couldn''t quite explain. Outside, Bella stood gazing at their peaceful garden, searching for solace among the vibrant blooms. Cherry sat beside her, golden fur gleaming in the sunlight. "What do you think, Cherry?" Bella asked softly, her voice tinged with worry. "Would Rayen be awake now if only I was not living under the shadow of my past? Could I have noticed this sooner and solved the problem?" Cherry offered a small woof in response. To anyone else, it might have sounded like ordinary bark, but Bella understood the depth of emotion behind it. As time passed, her eyes became cloudy and her memories foggy, but soon with the clarity coming back to them, vibrant hues of the garden faded as Bella''s face transformed, her gentle expression replaced with an icy coldness that would unnerve even the most stalwart soul. Her eyes now bore a chilling intensity, freezing anyone who dared to meet her gaze. ¡°Cherry," she commanded in a voice so frigid it could shatter glass, "go tell those old fools I want to know where Rayen came from." ¡°Woof!¡± Cherry released a sharp bark of acknowledgement, but Bella didn''t spare her so much as a glance. "Tell them I don''t care if they have to dig deeper than dwarfs or fly higher than the sun," Bella continued, her tone authoritative and unwavering. "I am not asking them but ordering them. If they fail to provide me with a satisfactory answer, I''ll have Thar cross the ocean and search every nook and cranny of Terralea. Every single piece of land whether held by Humans or otherwise. It''s their choice whether they want to do it themselves or not." The weight of her words hung heavy in the air, each syllable uttered with the finality of a verdict. Cherry¡¯s eyes also became completely red, sharp like that of a beast out for her prey, black wisps rose from her golden fur before she bounced off, passing the magical shield-like air to deliver Bella''s message. As Bella watched Cherry vanish into the distance, Bella returned her gaze to the garden, its once vibrant colours now muted, the lush flush full garden covered in a thin layer of frost with her as the centre. She heeded no mind to the dead plants as she would not rest until she uncovered the truth, no matter the cost ¨C for in her heart, the soul is taboo. ¡°Whatever it takes," she murmured to herself, her breath forming a cloud of frost in the air, with an equally chilly voice. *** Chapter 4: Fleeting Memories The sun''s relentless rays bore down upon the desert, but under the shimmering, magical shield, the garden remained an oasis of cool respite. Vibrant flowers bloomed amidst verdant foliage, and the air hummed with the soft rustling of leaves and gentle buzzing of bees. The fountain, which was earlier destroyed due to the space rift, had long been replaced with a new one, a gleaming white one, that mirrored Cherry''s outline. "Woof!" Cherry yipped, leaping into the water and scattering the small fishes that called the fountain home. Her golden eyes sparkled with delight at the sudden chaos. Cellia, standing a few feet away, watched Cherry with a bemused smile as she surveyed the vast garden. "Cherry always brings excitement," she said, her blue eyes widening with awe. "This place is even bigger than I thought." Tending to a nearby flower bed with small cages, Bardar grinned at her. "Oh, Grandma has different sections with various biomes for growing herbs. This is just a small part of it." "Really?" Cellia''s curiosity piqued, and she moved closer to Bardar, her gaze darted around the plants. She imagined the magical herbs that thrived in this environment. "I would love to see those sections someday." As their conversation continued, Cherry frolicked in the fountain, her soft golden fur cascading like a radiant halo. The splashing sounds she created added a lively backdrop to their exchange, causing Cellia to struggle to suppress her smile. "Right, we should get back to our side of things," Cellia said as Bardar grumbled while setting down the last of the cages, and the surrounding air became filled with the clucking of chickens. He stole a glance at Cellia, who was fully immersed in reading her book. Her fingers traced the intricate designs etched into the pages. "Uh... why do you need these chickens again?¡± "You don''t seriously expect me to start treating Rayen''s consciousness and soul without any prior practice, do you?" Cellia looked up at Bardar, her expression filled with incredulity. "Of course not, I was um¡­checking to see if you knew what you were doing." Bardar gave an awkward cough, attempting to mask his embarrassment. "Uh-huh," Cellia was still sceptical about Bardar''s words. Nevertheless, she set them aside and redirected her focus to preparing for the wizard awakening ceremony. With precision, she drew a series of intricate runes and circles on the clear white stone ground, utilising a mixture of blood and never-blossom flower extract to bring them to life. The symbols seemed to respond to her touch, emitting a subtle, mesmerising glow that danced across the garden floor. "All right, it''s ready, get the chicken and place it there" Bardar followed her words and approached the circle, holding one of the caged chickens carefully, and placed the bird at the centre, ensuring not to disturb the delicate lines. "Stand back," Cellia said and raised her hands to channel her magic. Bardar took a few steps back from the circle as told. As she chanted incantations, the runes and circles began to pulse in a breathing motion.The chicken also became agitated as he noticed the change. He squawked and flapped its wings frantically, trying to escape but the situation was hopeless. An ethereal aura enveloped the bird, bathing the garden in an otherworldly radiance. Soon, a faint apparition of a mythical creature materialised around the chicken, its form enigmatic and hard to decipher. Before anyone could comprehend the sight, the image vanished with a loud burst, leaving behind only the lifeless body of the chicken within the now-fading circle. "Damn it!" Cellia said, with frustration evident in her narrowed eyes. Something crucial was still missing within the circle. Watching from a safe distance, Bardar waited for a moment before moving forward to remove the lifeless chicken from the circle. As he did so, he noticed Cellia slashing her pen in her notebook with ferocious energy as her brows furrowed in deep concentration. "Cellia, what do you plan to do next?" "I''m crafting a method to disengage Rayen''s soul delicately from his consciousness," Cellia shared, her focus unbroken as she continued poring over her notes. "I know, that¡¯s why I asked, what are you planning to do?" "Imagine it like shaking the dust off a blanket," Cellia paused whatever she was writing and looked up, only to see Bardar¡¯s confused face. She knows him too well. His motivation is very high when it comes to golems but will sleep through the rest of the subjects. "But instead of using a stick to beat the blanket, we need to coax the soul away from his consciousness without being detrimental. It''s a delicate balance, and I''m still searching for the right approach." Cellia then started to once again go through her notes. Bardar, meanwhile, was done with disposing of the chicken in a box named fertilisers. ¡°All right." Bardar said with a nod. He wanted to ask something different from these boring topics, but when words left his mouth, they turned into another question. "I think I understand what you''re saying... But how do we do what you are saying we need to do? Without any damage, that is." She sighed, her gaze drifting to Cherry, who floated in fountain water with an effortless grace, yawning as if bored by the proceedings. Cellia rubbed her temples, trying to come up with a simpler way to explain her plan. "Imagine Rayen''s consciousness is like a dusty blanket. By hitting the blanket with a stick, you can make some of the dust come off. Similarly, I plan to send a shock wave through Rayen''s consciousness, which will ruffle the soul power sticking to it." "Ah, I see¡­" Bardar said, relief washing over his face as at least understanding dawned on him. "But how do we control the intensity of this shock wave? Won''t it be risky for Rayen?¡± Cellia paused what she was doing and met Bardar''s gaze. Her blue eyes bore into his brown ones. "There is no foolproof method, Bardar. So we must take calculated risks, you know it too.¡± "Success through Risk, Reward, and Assurance," Bardar said, recalling the teachings of his professors from his first year. ¡®The world is like a jungle, where choices become inevitable. Is it worth risking everything for immediate sustenance or better to wait for a more opportune moment tomorrow? Let me help you make such decisions. You must consider three crucial factors: the level of risk, the potential rewards, and, above all, the assurance of success.¡¯ "Is that why you asked for that?" "Yes, precisely. Taking risks requires some form of assurance. This is where the initial phase of the Wizard Awakening Ceremony becomes relevant." "The strengthening of consciousness, right?" ¡°That¡¯s right, so why don¡¯t you come here and help me with making the circle? It¡¯s your daily routine, isn''t it?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know any runes that deal with things other than metal and control.¡± ¡°ha¡­¡± Bardar''s eyes followed Cellia''s every move as she prepared the next sacrificial chicken. Bardar murmured, running a hand through his hair. As she continued her work, Bardar''s eyes instinctively gravitated toward Cellia''s face, where beads of sweat adorned her skin, casting a radiant glow in the sunlight. Lost in the glow, a sudden wet sensation struck the back of his head, tearing his gaze away from Cellia. Startled, he turned to find the source: a fish, lying on the ground behind him. Glancing over at the fountain, he saw the culprit who threw the fish, the golden dog. Cherry was staring at him and then pointed to Cellia with her nose. The golden eyes conveyed some hints that only Bardar or Bella could read. With a small, awkward look, Bardar retrieved the struggling fish and tossed it back into the fountain. ¡®I can do it, let¡¯s ask nicely if she found any boy- err friend. Right, I can do it.¡¯ Clearing his throat, he turned his attention back to Cellia. "Um, do you need any help?" " Not at this moment." Cellia¡¯s focus was still on the panicked chicken. A low bark sounded at the back which she dismissed. ¡° That umm¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Are you finally able to make any friends out there?¡± ¡°Are you trying to get me mad?¡± "Hahaha ¡­ I thought to lighten the mood." He said sheepishly, catching her disapproving look. The Libra dog floated lazily around the fountain, seemingly uninterested in Bardar''s attempts to redeem himself, before eventually drifting off to sleep. *** Three days later, the night sky shimmered with stars like a celestial canvas. Inside Bella''s house, tension filled the air as Bella, Cellia, and Bardar gathered to remove the soul corruption from Rayen''s consciousness. Cherry floated nearby; her golden eyes gleaming in the dim light. In the same third-floor room where Bella and Bardar had first treated Rayen. With utmost care, they positioned his unconscious body at the heart of a meticulously crafted magic circle etched onto the rich, dark expanse of the wooden floor. "Are you ready?" Bella asked Cellia, her voice composed, yet tinged with concern. Cellia nodded, her determination shining through despite the fatigue evident in her eyes. "Let''s get started." Bella took a deep breath. Her hands trembled a little as the magic circle hummed to life, glowing faintly with power. Something extraordinary unfolded in a different world. ''It'' circled a blue pearl, entranced by its faint glow, just like the golden one it had found earlier. The landscape trembled, but ''it'' remained unfazed, only momentarily displaced by the swirling mass of black and grey that surrounded the pearl. Despite a stronger force pulling at ''it'' into the distance, the entity resisted the call, drawn once again toward the vibrant light. As ''it'' neared the pearl, an unfamiliar sensation surged within the entity, causing momentary paralysis. This peculiar feeling didn''t alarm ''it''; instead, ''it'' accepted the stillness, feeling an inexplicable closeness to the radiant orb that defied the surrounding darkness. The pearl''s light pulsed with an ethereal glow, casting eerie shadows that danced across the void. The thought flickered, almost slipping away, but in that fleeting moment, ''it'' found fascination in something beyond the eternal monotony of black and grey. Suddenly, it was like the world held its breath as the blue pearl erupted like a long-contained volcano. ''It'' broke free from its immobility, propelled backwards by the explosive force. Before the magnetic pull of the pearl appeared and sucked it with intensified affords, accompanied by the swirling black and grey mass that composed the monochrome world. **** "Did it work?" Bardar asked, his voice was like a whisper, like being afraid to break the silence that had fallen over the room. "I''m not certain yet," Bella said, wiping sweat from her brow. Her eyes fixed on the magic circle moved to the person beside her. "But we will know soon. Cellia, are you all right?" Cellia nodded, her breath coming in ragged gasps, exhaustion painted across her features, but still, she said in a hoarse voice. "I think so. It''s just more tiring than I expected." "Take a moment to rest," Bella said, placing a reassuring hand on Cellia''s shoulder. "You''ve done well." As they waited with bated breath, the air in the room seemed to hum with energy, the magic circle still glowing faintly. All eyes were on Rayen, lying motionless at the centre of the circle. "Whatever happens, we did our best for him," Bardar murmured, his gaze never leaving Rayen''s prone form. "Indeed," Bella agreed in a soft tone, her voice heavy with both hope and worry. Rayen lay motionless, with only his chest rising and falling in slow motion. As Bella approached, she noticed the faint flutter of movement beneath his eyelids. Slowly, they began to open, unveiling the deep brown of his irises. As he gradually opened his eyes, his vision initially blurred as it transitioned from darkness to light. As the haze cleared, a completely different world unfolded before him. When his sight returned, it was no longer the monochrome shades of black and grey; instead, the warm, unfamiliar faces of other never-seen beings greeted its newfound sight. Uncertain about its current state, he nonetheless realised one thing, it had finally found the source of the voice he had been searching for. ¡°He opened his eyes, wait he looks tired.¡± A voice that echoed within it, connected to something deeper than it could comprehend. The sensation was both foreign and exhilarating. It wanted to listen more, but soon darkness took hold of his vision. ¡°Grandma, he¡¯s closing it again. We need to do something!¡± ¡°Stop shouting, you idiot. He¡¯s just tired. Let him rest for a while.¡± ¡°Woof, woof!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right Rayen, take some rest.¡± As Rayen''s eyes fluttered and for the first time, an unknown feeling of heaviness assaulted him. Surrounded by the familiar and strange noises, the entity let the unknown feeling take hold of him closed his eyes once more and retreated to the recesses of his mind. "Rest well, dear child," Bella said, watching Rayen''s consciousness drift into slumber. "Hope you have a nice dream.¡± *** The world ¡®It¡¯ known since the dawn of its existence had shifted, and ''It'' found itself in a realm of unfamiliarity. Gone were the monotonous shades of black and grey that once dominated its existence. Instead, an array of colours now danced before its sight. The change was jarring, but ''It'' felt no curiosity or desire to explore this new environment. After all, purpose and meaning were foreign concepts to such an entity. Waking from its first experience of slumber, confusion briefly flickered through ''It'', but it quickly dissipated like smoke in the wind. In this strange world, ''It'' attempted to continue its aimless wandering, only to discover that it could not move. An invisible force held ''It'' captive, forcing it into stillness. Bound by unseen chains, ''It'' focused on the one thing it had always known how to do: observe. Yet even this simple act proved different in this new reality. No longer able to see everything around itself at once, ''It'' could only gaze forward. But this did not matter; after all, what difference did it make if its view had changed? ''It'' felt no need to understand the how or why behind its current predicament. As ''It'' stared ahead, the darkness that shrouded its vision dissipated, revealing a world teeming with vibrant hues. Walls of warm wood encased the space, furniture dotted the room, each piece a different hue, a stark contrast to its previous monochrome existence. Though ''It'' did not know the names of these items, it sensed that they were not different from itself. A fleeting moment of peace washed over the entity as if sensing a kinship with these seemingly lifeless objects, believing these immobile objects might be akin to itself. That was, until the door opened, and something else entered its field of vision. Bella walked into Rayen''s room, her white hair like a halo around her wrinkled face. She noticed for the first time that Rayen was no longer sleeping, his eyes wide open and fixated on her as she approached. Concern tinged her voice as she asked. "When did you wake up?". ''It,'' now Rayen, continued to stare at Bella, feeling a strange familiarity in her voice but unable to tell what. As he was thinking this, other people also entered through the door, but their voices were not familiar to him and so he ignored them. "Are you in any pain?" "..." "Are you feeling any discomfort?" "Rayen hasn''t spoken since he woke up," Bardar observed, watching the interaction with furrowed brows. "Give him some time," Cellia said "He just woke up after so long; he must be confused. Why don¡¯t we introduce ourselves? I don¡¯t think we did that before." "That''s right, we should introduce ourselves. I am Bella. You can call me Grandma. I would be happy if you do." This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it "Woof!" Next, Cherry woofed a greeting. "And this is our lovely companion, Cherry." "I am..." Bardar and Cellia followed suit. But despite their attempts, Rayen''s eyes remained locked solely on Bella, like being unaware of the other¡¯s presence. "Rayen," Bella said, "can you understand me? Do you remember anything about yourself?" Rayen¨C or rather, ''It''¨C didn''t respond, merely continuing its silent observation of Bella. It couldn''t discern the meaning behind the noises emanating from different people in the room, nor could it comprehend their significance. And yet, there was something about the sound closest to it that seemed almost... magnetic. Bella''s kind smile never wavered as she continued to study Rayen''s unresponsive gaze, her blue eyes filled with unwavering patience. "Rayen, is there anything that feels uncomfortable?" she asked once more "Cherry, no!" Bardar said with an urgent tone which stopped the golden-furred labra from leaping onto the bed. ¡°Gggrrr¡­¡± Cherry froze mid-air and emitted a series of indignant woofs. Bardar hastily backpedalled under her threatening glare, chuckling nervously. "I only meant that... well, our dear Rayen here might be shocked beyond speech if such a great lady suddenly appeared before him." Cherry seemed appeased, her tail wagging as she sat obediently by the bed, her bright eyes locked on Rayen. "Really?" Cellia said, She rolled her eyes at his clumsy attempt to avoid conflict. ¡°Do you think I am also a beautiful lady?¡± "Um-That-haha¡­¡± A hollow laugh was the only reply she got which annoyed her and she hit his leg. Bardar could only suffer in silence as the words ''You are the most beautiful person I have seen'' Just refused to leave his lips. But Bella paid no mind to their banter, her attention solely on the silent figure before them. "Rayen, do you remember anything about yourself? You''re safe here, among us. Please, feel at ease." Yet no reply came, only an empty stare devoid of thoughts. "Maybe I should check his consciousness?" Cellia said and leant towards Bella. The old woman shook her head, her wispy white hair swaying gently. "No, dear. He''s just confused," Bella said, her voice steady despite the uncertainty of the situation. She turned back to Rayen and turned her gaze tender. "Can you understand me, Rayen? Not what''s happening around you, but my words?" The silent stare seemed to answer her question, and Bella kindly ruffled his unkempt hair. "Don''t worry, all the bad things have passed. You''ll understand everything soon enough." "Hey, Cellia, Doesn''t it seem like Rayen can''t move anything besides his eyes?" Bardar said in a hushed voice. "Rayen can''t move because most of his body is still practically sealed," Cellia said, her voice tinged with a hint of frustration. "He won''t be able to move until he learns to control mana." Bardar furrowed his brow. "But how would he do that?¡± ¡°You need to teach him later,¡± Bella said. ¡°But grandma, how will I teach him? He can''t even speak yet, let alone understand what I''m saying." Cellia rolled her eyes at Bardar''s lack of foresight. "Obviously, we''ll teach him to speak first, you dolt." she snapped, her words cutting through the air like a whip. ''Is it just me or am I getting more bullied these days?'' Embarrassed, Bardar could only mumble a small retort under his breath. In the midst of it all, Rayen continued to observe them. Unknown to others, his vision was vastly different from anyone else in the room. Instead of seeing faces, it saw only outlines of beings, each with a glowing orb at the position of their heart. But ''It'' didn''t question why this was; ''it'' simply accepted it as normal, just as one doesn''t question why black is black and white is white. The orbs varied in colour and size, but the one that drew ''It''s attention the most belonged to Bella, the second largest among everyone, emitting a golden ray laced with icy blue light. Strange noises emanated from the orbs, sounds that ''It'' couldn''t understand but felt inexplicably drawn to. "All right, Rayen," Bella said with a warm smile. "Let¡¯s go, it¡¯s time for some breakfast." **** In the dining? room. The soft light of the setting sun filtered through the window, casting a warm glow on the room''s occupants. Rayen observed in silence as the orbs of Bella, Bardar, Cellia, and Cherry moved about in harmony with one another. Their strange noises had ceased for the moment, replaced by an almost palpable tension in the air. "All right, Rayen," Bella said, her golden orb pulsating with warmth as she held up a spoon filled with sweet purple liquid. ¡°Let''s try this again. Say, Ahh.¡± Rayen stared at the spoon with black, not understanding the purpose of the gesture. Bardar, Cellia, and Cherry waited with expectant eyes, but no response came from him. "Perhaps he needs an example," Bella said, turning towards Bardar with a mischievous glint in her eye. "Come on, Bardar, open up. Say, Ahh¡­" "Gr-Grandma, what are you doing?" Bardar stammered, his face flushing a deep shade of red beneath Cellia''s barely suppressed laughter and Cherry''s mocking gaze. "Rayen needs to see how it''s done," Bella replied firmly. "Now be a good boy and show him." ¡°a-ah¡± As Bardar reluctantly opened his mouth, Bella spooned the sweet liquid between his lips. A shiver of embarrassment ran through him, but he swallowed obediently, hoping his sacrifice would prompt Rayen to follow suit. "Your turn, Rayen," Bella said with encouragement, turned back to their silent charge. Rayen''s eyes flickered between the spoon and Bardar''s flushed face, without any hint of comprehension. Soon, they returned to Bella or in his eyes, the golden orb. Still no different from earlier, silent and motionless. "Maybe we should show him more than once," Cellia said, and her orb glowed a thoughtful blue. ¡°Y-you¡­¡± Bardar''s hands trembled as he gripped the edge of his chair, his eyes darting between Bella and the spoon. "Hahaha¡­!"Cellia, finally unable to contain her laughter any longer, leaned against a nearby table, her shoulders shaking with mirth. "Come on, Bardar," she gasped between chuckles. "Say ahhh!" He glanced at Cherry, who watched him with intent, her ears perked up and her body poised to spring into action should he attempt an escape. The knowledge that there was no way out weighed down upon him like the chains binding a prisoner to his fate. Despite the mirthful atmosphere, despair clawed at Bardar''s heart. ¡®Just one more time, He will learn it after this. Please do, Rayen.¡¯ He pleaded in silence for Rayen to mimic him. But it seemed his prayers fell upon deaf ears, as Rayen stared back at the scene unfolding before him, making no move to imitate the actions of those around him. "All right, one more time," Bella said with a firm voice, brandishing the spoon in front of Bardar''s face. "Ah." With a defeated sigh, Bardar opened his mouth and accepted the spoonful of sweet liquid, swallowing it down with as much dignity as he could muster under the circumstances. He cast a desperate glance at Rayen, hoping that this would be the moment it all clicked into place for the silent figure. Yet, nothing changed. Rayen remained motionless, his eyes lost in thought, staring at them. As the hours dragged on, Bardar found himself showing Rayen how to get fed over 500 times. Each attempt met with the same unresponsive gaze from the enigmatic figure. Eventually, even Cellia got her chance and spoon-fed Bardar which finally made him slump in his chair, his pride in tatters, wondering if they could ever teach Rayen or if he was destined to get spoon-fed for lunch and dinner too. "Maybe... maybe we should take a break," Bella said and looked at her grandson''s face full of weariness. "We can try again tomorrow." ¡®So there¡¯s no escape huh¡­¡¯ Bardar thought numbly, his heart heavy as he rose from his chair and left the room. The only way to escape from this nightmare was to indulge in his golems. "Tomorrow," he whispered, clinging to his final hope. ''It''s just for tomorrow. Rayen is a good learner. He will learn tomorrow for sure.¡¯ *** An inexplicable familiarity washed over ''it,'' stirring confusion within its limited vision. The room shrouded in the darkness of night, revealed only vague outlines of furniture that evoked a peculiar sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu. Frustration gnawed at the edges of its consciousness, but it couldn''t decipher why this sensation haunted it. Soon It didn''t care to dwell on this thought for long and urged its vision towards the door as if guided by an instinctive force. The sun slowly illuminated the dark sky outside, its rays piercing through the gaps in the window curtains. A sound echoed from beyond the door, and Bella appeared, her wispy white hair framing her wrinkled visage. She surveyed Rayen, who lay awake, "Did you wake up before me, dear, or did my footsteps rouse you?" ''It'' remained silent, captivated by the magnetic timbre of her voice. Unperturbed by Rayen''s silence, Bella moved to open the curtain, flooding the room with light. With a soft hum, she began tidying the room, her happy morning tones dancing through the air. ''It'' observed in quiet fascination as the golden orb of light traced strange patterns in its vision, accompanied by the soothing melody of Bella''s singing. Soon, the room was immaculate, and Bella turned her attention to Rayen. With a graceful wave of her hands, a gentle breeze swept over him, whisking away the dust and dirt from his body and nightclothes. Though another person might have shivered from the cold, he felt nothing and offered no reaction. Bella didn''t seem to mind Rayen''s silence or lack of response; her ever-warm smile persisted as she spoke. "Let''s change your clothes now and go for breakfast, shall we?" With another flourish of her hands, Rayen''s nightclothes transformed into casual wear. Bella''s skilled hands carefully lifted Rayen''s body, her movements precise. Under his silent stare, she guided him to follow behind her as they made their way to the dining room. ''It'' observed, in quiet bewilderment, as the once familiar outlines of the orbs that were Bardar, Cellia, and Cherry appeared before it, yet somehow different now. Unable to comprehend the reason for this change, ''it'' abandoned the thought and focused on Bella as she took her seat at the head of the table. She helped Rayen into the chair next to her. Bardar, Cellia, and Cherry settled into their usual places across from Bella and Rayen, the atmosphere warm and inviting. "Seeing everyone here reminds me of a saying I heard long ago. What doesn''t kill you makes you stronger." Bardar said, then added with a wry smile, "But I''d argue that what doesn''t kill you makes you shameless." "Come on, say ''ahh,''" Cellia said, raising her spoonful of sweet purple liquid towards Bardar. Bardar, whose face resembled that of a veteran who had witnessed the horrors of war, maintained the stoic expression he had learned from Rayen. Without a word, he opened his mouth and allowed Cellia to feed him the liquid. "Really? What¡¯s with your reaction? No fun at all." Cellia said as she clicked her tongue, disappointment evident in her voice. "Then why are you still doing this?" Bardar said in a monotone tone, barely portraying any emotion. "Because it''s still funny," Cellia said, readying another spoonful. But then corrected herself, "I mean, because it''s necessary." "You''re heartless, you know?" Bardar said in his static tone. "Coming from a man with a stoic face," Cellia retorted, under Rayen¡¯s vision, her sky-blue orb met with outlines of shadows surrounding the earthen brown orb. As she leaned closer to Bardar, a wave of pink emanated from within the sky-blue orbs. As he watched the strange interaction unfold, a new feeling emerged in him, with both an odd familiarity and something new. The pink wave that had emerged from the sky-blue orb confounded him, unable to decipher its meaning. A flicker of pink crossed his vision, emanating from the earthen brown orb. Curiosity piqued, he pondered the mysterious colour''s cause. He observed Bella turning her attention to Rayen. "Come on, Rayen, say ''ah''," Bella said, holding a spoonful of sweet pink liquid in front of his mouth. Intrigued, he attempted to imitate the action but found himself restrained by an unseen force. For the first time, Bella detected a glimmer of struggle in Rayen''s eyes. This was precisely what she had been seeking - some sign of effort from him. She knew Rayen couldn''t move his body, but seeing his desire to try brought her hope. The liquid in the spoon transformed into a wisp of smoke and entered Rayen''s nostrils. "Such a good child," Bella praised, ignoring Rayen''s bewildered stare. Bardar, brimming with excitement, shouted, "Rayen, I knew you would understand us in no time. You are a genius!" Cellia shared their happiness but couldn''t shake the disappointment that crept in as she glanced at her spoon, which hung motionless in the air. "Next time," she said, placing the spoon in her mouth and savouring the sweetness. "He may have succeeded this time," Cellia interjected, "but it might be a fluke. We should keep guiding him through the process to ensure he internalises this experience." While still observing Rayen, Bella locked eyes with Cellia, recognising the vacant spoon in her hand and comprehending the underlying motive behind her proposal. With a warm smile, Bella encouraged Cellia. "You''re right. Let''s not stop." ¡°Wait why wu- '''' As Bardar began to protest, but Cellia shoved the spoon into his mouth, cheeks flushed. "Just hush up and say ''ah,''" she said, embarrassed that Bella found her hidden purpose. *** With breakfast finished, Bella gently guided Rayen towards the sofa in their cosy living room. Her wrinkled hands held a small, worn book, and she flashed a tender smile at the enigmatic figure sitting before her and tried to draw his attention to her hands, which had never truly left her face. "Rayen, Do you know what this is?" He turned his eyes to her hand and regarded the book, but offered no response. Sighing, Bella knelt so that her wise eyes met Rayen''s mysterious gaze. "This, my dear, is a children''s book." She opened it, revealing the first page where an ornate letter ''A'' stood with pride. "Now, I want you to listen carefully and repeat after me: A." The golden orb in front of Rayen emitted a strange sound, and though he couldn''t grasp why, he listened with intent, but then again, he couldn''t do anything else. His form remained still, unable to convey any understanding or confusion. Bella''s eyes twinkled as she raised her hand, and with a graceful motion, a plump red apple floated from the kitchen into her palm. "A is for apples," she explained, pointing at the fruit. "Did you get that?" She searched Rayen''s eyes for any glimmer of comprehension, but only the silent darkness stared back at her. Undeterred, she repeated herself, emphasising the connection between the letters and objects. "A for Apple. Come on, Rayen, say it with me." " B for Bardar, C for Cel¡ª" "Woof!" "Ah, right. Cherry," Bella corrected herself, smiling at the eager golden labra who sat nearby. Her wagging tail betrayed her excitement, and her intelligent eyes followed every movement. "All right then, C for Cherry." With patience and love, Bella guided Rayen through the letters, repeating alphabet after alphabet and their corresponding words over and over. She knew that he wouldn''t learn everything in a single day, but she was determined to give her all. As Rayen continued to hear the sounds, Bella kept going between letters and words. He didn''t understand why these strange noises kept coming from the golden orb, but it couldn¡¯t move and so could only listen to them. Cellia stood near the stairs, her fierce blue eyes watching as Bella taught Rayen in the living room below. "You know, Bardar," she said, leaning against the wall and addressing her friend beside her, "Grandma seems to enjoy teaching him." Bardar nodded in agreement, his tousled hair falling into his kind, yet anxious, eyes. "Yes, she used to teach children back in the day. She loves them." "Speaking of which, "why does Cherry seem so much more intelligent than other dogs I''ve met?" Cellia said, her gaze shifting to Cherry, who was watching Bella''s lesson. "Uh, well..." Bardar said, a hint of awkwardness creeping into his voice. "Cherry is intelligent, but I wouldn''t exactly call her-.a dog." "Really?" Cellia raised an eyebrow. "Why not? And how come you all understand what she''s saying? Do you have a book for Cherry''s language, too?" Her tone turned to tease, amused by the absurdity of the idea. ¡°Hahaha¡­¡± Bardar let out a hollow laugh, but before he could respond, Cellia heard a muffled woof. She glanced down, her eyes widening in surprise when she saw Cherry standing near her feet, a rough book held in her mouth. "Cherry, what''s this?" Cellia asked, her curiosity piqued. "Take a look," Bardar urged her, his grin betraying his amusement. She took the book from Cherry''s mouth and read the title aloud, her voice incredulous: "Learn the Woofs and Woofs of Cherry'', Really?" Shocked, she looked between Cherry and the book multiple times, then turned to Bardar, demanding an explanation. "What does ''co-sponsored by Cherry'' even mean?" "Exactly what it says," Bardar replied, finally able to meet Cellia''s astonished gaze. "If you have any doubts while reading, just ask Cherry." ¡°Woof!¡± Cherry offered an affirmative woof, her playful spirit shining through her bright eyes and wagging tail. "Unbelievable," Cellia said, shaking her head as she leafed through the book. The sun dipped below the horizon, casting a warm orange glow across the room as Bella tucked Rayen into bed. She noticed the weariness in his eyes, a testament to their long day of learning. She reached for a worn, leather-bound storybook and settled into a cosy armchair by the bedside. "All right, my dear," Bella said. Her voice was soft, carrying the faint weariness of one who has seen too much suffering yet a faint hope. "We''re up to chapter eleven. Let''s see what adventures await us tonight." Rayen listened, his eyes fixed on Bella¡¯s golden orb as she read. Her voice flowed like honey, painting vivid images of enchanted forests and daring heroes in his mind. The world of the story came alive around them, and Rayen felt himself drawn into its magic. As Bella reached the end of the chapter, she closed the book with a soft thud and gazed down at Rayen, her eyes full of warmth and affection. "Time for sleep now, little one," she said, and with a gentle touch, she closed his eyes. "Sweet dreams, Rayen." With that, she left the room, leaving Rayen to drift off to sleep, immersed in the enchanting tales she had spun. But instead of slipping into the familiar embrace of slumber, Rayen found himself in a completely different world. A feeling of unfamiliarity washed over him as he looked around. There was no ground beneath him, no sky above, just an endless expanse of space filled with countless colours illuminating the world. He remained oblivious to the untold beauty of this world. He had no concept of beauty or wonder. The constraints he had felt before vanished, replaced by a sense of freedom that greeted him like a bird released from its cage. He floated along, his form transformed from the cloud of smoke he had once been into the same outline of a figure he had seen before. He briefly pondered this change, but soon abandoned the thought, his limited mind growing foggy with forgetfulness. As the sensation dissipated like smoke in the wind, Rayen''s vision cleared to reveal nothing but blankness. Driven by instinct, he chose a random direction and moved through the vast space, chasing no sound or purpose, seeking no end. Time and direction held no meaning for him as he journeyed through this strange world, leaving behind the feeling that something was missing. His thoughts drifted to Bella''s kind voice, her loving touch, and the familiar of his bed. But in this boundless realm, those memories seemed distant and elusive, slipping away from him like sand through his fingers. *** Rayen blinked, his gaze wandering around the familiar room as a sense of confusion washed over him. He couldn''t quite place the feeling, but it clung to him like a stubborn shadow. His eyes roamed across the well-worn furniture. Why did everything feel so strange, familiar yet elusive? A peculiar sensation washed over him as he observed the shadowy outlines of furniture in the darkened room. The unknown feeling of familiarity puzzled him, though he couldn''t place its origin. Yet, he felt constrained by this unknown force, urging him to shift his limited vision towards the door. As if guided by instinct, he kept his gaze steady, awaiting an imminent event that he couldn''t quite predict. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the curtains, casting rays across the room while footsteps approached from beyond the door. Bella appeared, her wispy white hair framing her wrinkled face as she opened the door. "Rayen, did you wake up before me, or did my steps rouse you?" she asked, her voice gentle and soothing like a soft breeze rustling through leaves. Rayen didn''t respond, merely drank in the almost magnetic sound of her voice. Deep within him, a silent feeling of familiarity stirred, accompanied by fleeting memories that danced just beyond his grasp. "Rayen?" Bella prodded gently, ignoring the confusion in Rayen¡¯s eyes, a tender smile graced her lips. "Did you have a good dream, my dear?" *** Chapter 5: Terralea And The Hunt Bella''s wrinkled hands enveloped Rayen''s, guiding his fingers to cradle the fragile herb. "See, H is for herb," she whispered, her voice like a warm breeze on a summer day. "G is for gardening, the thing we are doing now." Bella moved Rayen''s hands to place the herb in the soil. "S for soil," she said with a knowing smile. From the side, a floating watering can sprinkled water on the just planted herbs. "W is for water," Bella informed the ever-silent Rayen as she washed their hands together, the cool liquid cascading over their muddied fingers. "M is for mud." "And this is what we call planting," Bella finished, her voice tender and patient. She urged Rayen to repeat after her, but his eyes only held confusion and a strange sense of familiarity. It was as if he had been here before, the outlines of plants blending with Bella''s soothing voice. But why did it feel so familiar? No answer came to his troubled mind. "All right then," Bella said, perhaps sensing his confusion or simply choosing to let it be. She wiped their hands with a cloth, then took Rayen''s hand in hers. With a subtle flick of her fingers, Bella made him float and brought them back inside into the living room where another student was learning from her teacher. Cellia sat on the sofa, her blue hair framing her delicate features, and asked Cherry, "Is it woo-f or wo-of?" ¡°Woof!¡± The golden labra corrected her with an enthusiastic bark, causing Cellia to say, "Okay, it''s woof then." ¡°Woof!¡± But once again, Cherry corrected her, creating a playful back-and-forth that continued until Bardar''s barely suppressed smile made Cellia snap. "What?!" ¡°Woof!¡± Cherry whined in agreement, and Bardar translated. "She says you''re her slowest student yet." Bella clicked her tongue, waving a hand to summon books that sailed into her grasp. "Enough teasing, you two." She passed a text to Cellia. "My old notes. They should help." Cellia beamed gratitude at her saviour before glaring her eyes at Bardar and Cherry. Those two had been toying with her for days now. Well, no more. A sudden chill raced down Bardar''s spine as Cellia shot him a piercing sidelong glance, causing him to squirm in his seat. ¡°Woof!¡± Cherry let out a sad whine as if mourning the loss of her entertainment. It''s not like she found hapless people to poke fun at every day. Bella placed Rayen on the sofa, allowing him to observe the scene unfolding before him. Contrasting energies of playful banter and solemn introspection filled the room. As night fell, Bella emerged from Rayen''s room to find Cellia waiting in the hallway, her blue eyes reflecting deep concern.¡°Is there something on your mind, dear?" Bella asked, her voice soft and inviting. "It''s about Rayen," Cellia hesitated for a moment before confessing her thoughts. ¡°I can''t help but suspect that he still has memories locked away somewhere. Every day when I look at him, there''s this confusion in his eyes... not like a child seeing new things, but like someone struggling to remember what they''ve seen before." "You''re quite observant, Cellia," Bella said. Her expression was unreadable but her tone was casual, almost dismissive. This only served to confuse Cellia further. ¡°Shouldn''t we do something?" Cellia asked, desperate for answers. Bella shook her head and looked towards Rayen''s door. "Let us not." ¡°We shouldn¡¯t do things anymore?¡±Cellia couldn''t fathom why Bella would be so nonchalant about the matter, especially considering how much effort she had put into saving Rayen. Sensing her thoughts, Bella posed a question to Cellia: ¡°Cellia, have you ever met someone who had no will to live?" Bella said while Cellia remained silent, unable to reply. "Or someone who wished to forget everything just to escape the nightmare they were living in?" ¡°¡­¡± The silence fell upon them until Bella finally spoke again. "Rayen is such a person. If he were to remember all that has happened to him, there would be nothing but pain, unbearable enough to see life as something meaningless. It has broken him once before. His body is not allowed to die, and his consciousness from being destroyed, all efforts were there to hold him in that state. Now tell me, what do you think a boy in that situation would do?" Cellia remained silent, her mind racing at the thought of the torment Rayen must have endured. "Sometimes, the only solace we can find is in forgetting.¡± ¡°Forget?" Cellia said, her eyes searching Bella''s for understanding. ¡°When faced with tremendous trauma, the mind tries to protect itself. To prevent outright death, it blocks out the pain. To keep living, the body tries to make the brain forget it ever happened. It''s not uncommon for people in such situations to lose their sanity at one point. Rayen is one of them. He learned to¡ªno, he forced to learn, to forget anything that would bring him more pain ¨C memories, feelings, even his own will to live. Can you say that''s a problem, rather than a skill?" Bella said while looking at her with an unwavering gaze. Cellia bit her lip, unable to respond. Her experience paled in comparison to Bella''s, who no longer sealed her memories. "Of course, there are spells that could restore Rayen''s memories," Bella admitted to herself, "But they would also bring back all the pain he fought so hard to forget. And though I saved him once, what right do I have to subject him to that torment again? Besides, there''s no spell in this world that can give some a will to live, the very thing Rayen needs.¡± The hallway fell silent as Cellia struggled to find any words that might counter Bella''s wisdom. Unable to think of a retort, she let out a defeated sigh. "Listen, my dear," Bella said with a gentle tone, trying to lighten the mood, "there''s no need for you to worry yourself over this. You''re still young, after all. Let''s not push Rayen in this matter. He may not have any memories of himself or maybe he does, but why does that matter? " "All I want,is for him to find peace in a place he can call home." She glanced at the door to Rayen''s room, her expression softening. "Now, it''s getting late, and you should get some sleep. I can''t have a beautiful lady like you developing dark circles under her eyes, can I?" With that, Bella urged Cellia towards her bedroom. As she watched Bella walk away, Cellia couldn''t help but think of a place called home. ¡®So that¡¯s where that idiot learned those words from.¡¯ ** As the last light of the day vanished from Bella''s house, the day ended for many but not all. Away from the vast empty desert landscapes, leaving behind the almost endless blue ocean, the sun was still shining on the huge landmass called Terralea. From the vast coastlines to the wilder regions, home to large swaths of lands, claimed as well as even larger unclaimed. It teemed with life, both intelligent and feral. But going beyond the many living cities built near the shores as well as open grassland and into the uncharted wilderness, the sense of security dwindles. One could even smell a faint scent of danger that hung in the air. As was the case this rural road running through the middle of dense forest, present with the many scenes of broken carriages lying on the sides for one to see. They were full of broken exterior and interiors with few also had large splashes of dark red blood with rotting corpses still inside them. ¡°Boom!¡± At such, one broken carriage, a little away from the road and into the deep woods, the echoing boom of an explosion filled the air, sending frightened creatures scurrying for cover. A black-furred beast, towering over the tallest man and brandishing forearms as thick as four human heads, roared in fury as it attacked a fleeting shadow. Its massive paw slammed into a tree, splintering it with such force that the trunk went hurtling through the underbrush. "Watch out for the tree!" shouted a voice. "Keep your distance!" Encircling the monstrous creature were thirteen knights clad in shining armour and three mages with their hooded robes, their expressions focused and intense. Everard Blackthorn, adorned in his obsidian-black plate armour, deflected the beast''s attack with practised ease. "We''re almost there, Keep luring it!" With a swift kick, Everard forced the beast back, only for it to be assailed by his comrades. Enraged, the creature roared and lunged at the knight who had struck it, its red eyes blazed with murderous intent. The knights darted away, their movements agile. "Get ready!" Everard shouted to one mage as the beast missed its target once more. At his command, the mage unleashed his power, causing the ground beneath the beast to vanish. It plummeted into the depths of a just formed pit, its roars of anger echoing through the trees. ¡°Roooaaaa¡­!¡± The surrounding trees trembled with his roar. Seeing his prey above, the beast leapt out, but as he did its eyes widened in surprise as it met with the sight of Everard''s hammer hurtling towards it. Midair and helpless, it had no escape from the impending strike. With a sickening crunch, the beast''s head burst open like an overripe fruit under the immense force of Everard''s hammer. The creature''s lifeless body crashed back into the pit, blood and gore splattering across the surrounding earth. "Lord Everard!" Tristan said from above, his voice filled with both awe and concern for his commander. "Are you all right?" "Of course," Everard said as he shaked off the remnants of the beast''s skull from his hammer. "Have someone get this carcass out of the pit. We need to get back to the city before nightfall." Climbing out of the pit with a heavy thud, Everard surveyed his fellow knights. "Did anyone sustain injuries?" he asked Tristan, a trainee knight under him. "Nothing serious," Tristan said, already prepared with his answers. "Just some minor scrapes and bruises. The mages are a bit tired from keeping the beast disoriented." "Good. Let''s be quick about this then. Drinks are on me tonight." Everard clapped his hands, urging his knights into action mixed with the cheers of others. In no time, they had hauled the enormous beast onto a nearby carriage. As the sky started to become dark, the small company made their way towards the city, its stone walls illuminated by the soft glow of lanterns. Upon reaching the gates, excited murmurs from the gathered crowd greeted them, eager to glimpse the slain monster. ¡°Thank the Lord he finally defeated the beast.¡± ¡°Step aside, I want to see too.¡± ¡°Why is there such an enormous beast near the city?¡± ¡°Mom, what¡¯s inside that huge cloth?¡± "Tristan, uncover the beast and give them a show," Everard said with a hint of amusement in his voice. ¡°My god, did our lord kill this beast?¡± ¡°Are you doubting our lord?¡± ¡°No, I-¡° Gasps and exclamations rippled through the crowd as the cloth revealed the sight of the ferocious creature. ¡°Have the mages freeze the body.¡± Upon arriving at the city hall, Everard said to Tristan, ¡° I don¡¯t want it to spoil before processing.¡± ¡°As you wish, my Lord.¡± He then entered his residence, where his trusted head butler, Orlaith, awaited him. "Welcome back, Sir Everard," Orlaith said with a respectful bow. "I trust your hunt was successful?" "Indeed, it was," Everard said, his laughter booming through the hall. "The merchants should be safe on their routes for some time now." "That¡¯s a relief!," Orlaith said. "Your bath will be ready shortly, and I will ensure prompt processing of the beast and send the notices to merchants, informing them about the date for the auction date." "Beforehand, make sure to take ?care of the hunting party tonight. Provide them with nice food, plenty of alcohol, and a small bonus for their efforts." "Of course, sir Everard. I''ll handle it right away," Orlaith assured as he left to attend to his duties. Everard, now out of his heavy armour, sighed with exhaustion as he approached the room where his wife, Elowen, lay reading a book. Her flowing white hair cascaded like moonlight around her, and her deep violet eyes sparkled with warmth along with a big belle. "Elowen, how was your day?" Everard said with a tired smile, leaning against the doorframe. "Better, now that you''re back," she replied, setting the book aside and patting the space next to her on the bed. "Looks like the hunt was a success." "Quite successful," he said, joining her on the bed. "The merchants should be safe for a while now." He then furrowed his brow, noticing her awake state. "Why are you still up? I''ll have to remind the maids to make sure you rest properly." "Stop overreacting, dear. It''s not as if you''re the one carrying our child." Elowen rolled her eyes and playfully swatted him with her book. Everard rubbed his head and a sheepish chuckle escaped from him. "I suppose that''s true... but I can''t help but worry about you." "Shouldn''t you be resting too?" Elowen asked, her concern evident in her voice. "Of course," he said, stretching his left hand out beside her. "But then how can I talk about the hunt?" He was going to start but before they could continue their conversation, a gentle knock sounded on the door.¡°Enter.¡± The door opened, revealing Orlaith with an apologetic expression and said. "Sir Everard, someone has come to see you," "Must be the merchants," Everard said, not prepared to rise from the bed. "Tell them to come back tomorrow." "It¡¯s not the merchants, sir. It''s someone from the alliance." "Did you check their credentials?" Everard asked, his brow furrowed hearing the words. "Indeed, I did and they insisted on meeting with you, but they didn''t say why." ¡°You should go and see.¡± Elowen urged her husband ¡°It must be important if they came all this way at this hour.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Everard said with a reluctant look and followed Orlaith out of the room. On the first floor, which houses all government related offices, in the meeting room, two men and one woman sat waiting for the city lord. Upon Everard''s arrival, they stood and greeted him with the usual code of alliance. "I am not afraid of darkness ahead." Everard responded in kind, and said, "For the Stars guide my path. I am Everard Blackthorn, the current Lord of Faeleaf.¡± ¡°My name is Caius, the other male is Orion, an adept knight and the girl is called Lysandra, an adept mage.¡± Said the older looking male with a gravel voice. Everard glanced at him, and found his head shaved as well as grey eyes. The other male had silver eyes and chiselled features and midnight hair. And finally, the lady with ebony hair intricately braided, a sharp steel-grey gaze, and a regal bearing. She looked around 30s, just like Orion. ¡°It¡¯s my pleasure to meet you all. Please have a seat, my people will bring some snacks soon.¡± ¡°I appreciated the hospitality, but I am afraid I have to decline. We don¡¯t have much time on our hands.¡± Everard heard Caius¡¯ words and looked at the badge on his chest, with three blue stars, representing an official mage and took back his words. A small city lord like him can¡¯t afford to offend an official mage even counting his adept knight strength, which is also below a level. ¡°Then, If I might ask, what''s the reason for Sir Caius¡¯ urgent visit?¡± Instead of answering him, Caius brought out the letter and handed it to Everard. ¡°Star Light Order¡­¡± Everard muttered under his breath as he looked at the radian light coming from the seal and the hand holding the letter became stiff, just like his body. He opened the letter and sure enough, it was what he thought. It¡¯s not his fault for reacting like this, after all that¡¯s the Star Light Order, an Order the alliance issues when humans face extreme threats. With this Order, Caius now has complete authority over all the manpower that comes under his command, and refusing to comply is not an option for anyone who values their life. Clearing his throat, his voice became deep and tinged with respect as he said. ¡°Sir Caius, the entire city and our manpower stand ready to heed the Order, but I must ask if there is something we don¡¯t know regarding its sudden issuance?¡± Caius met Everard¡¯s gaze and said with his gravelly firm voice.¡°Fear not, Everard. There is no war or calamity before us.¡± ¡°Then why did the alliance issue such an extreme Order?¡± Everard asked with a frown. ¡°Truth be told, I am not sure either,¡± as he said, Caius¡¯ said with a bland face. ¡°This Order came as suddenly to me as it did to you. Our current directive is to search for any traces of an experiment.¡± ¡°Experiment?¡± ¡°Indeed. A human experiment. But no one has provided us with specific locations to search, so they issued a blanket order instead.¡± Everard¡¯s stiff posture relaxed ever a little, though questions still swirled in his mind. ¡°Is there any information about this experiment? Its purpose?¡± Caius shook his head, disappointment coloured his tone. ¡°None?. They left us to our own devices.¡± ¡°Then where are we to begin with no intel?¡± Everard said with hidden frustration. ¡®Isn¡¯t it like looking for the needle in a hay, but without knowing what the needle even looks like?¡¯ ¡°Since they issued such an order, you should know who is the one ordering us, right?¡± Caius interrupted his thoughts. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. ¡° The Great Elder-¡± ¡°See, I think all our questions can rest now. So first,¡± He cut Everard¡¯s words and raised his hand, ¡°gather every trainee knight, mage, and those involved in managing the city.¡± ¡°Can it wait until morning? The hunting party has just returned and is exhausted,¡± ¡°No, rest can come later.¡± He looked at Everard with an intensity that brooked no argument. ¡°I know this place is little away from big cities but you know what will happen with delaying such things, right? While I have not received specific information on where to search, they relayed one command to me. In simple words, to avoid any uncertainty.¡± ¡°Which is?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t come back until you find something. That¡¯s the Order I received.¡± Everard¡¯s mind raced as he grasped the complexity of the situation. He decided not to ask anything, not only because Caius didn¡¯t seem to know much but also for his own safety as well. After all, he doesn''t aspire to be made an example of. With renewed urgency, he called for his butler, Orlaith, who was waiting outside. ¡°Orlaith, quick, go gather all the trainee knights, mages, and other officials in front of the mansion. We have an urgent matter to address.¡± In just half an hour, everyone assembled at the front of the mansion. The moon hung far high in the sky as midnight approached, casting a silver glow on the scene below. The scent of alcohol clung to many of the hunting party members, their annoyed expressions betrayed only by the slightest tightening of their brows. But the annoyance dissipated when they learned that representatives from the Alliance had arrived, along with an official mage. From the shadows of the mansion, four figures emerged. Caius strode forward, mage robes adorned with three blue stars on his chest. Lysandra followed, two blue stars gracing her robes, and Orion trailed behind with his knight armour, also bearing two blue stars. Everard walked beside Caius, his armour gleamed under the moonlight, which too had 2 blue stars. ¡°Everyone!¡± Everard said towards the gathered crowd in a clear voice, ¡°We feel honoured to have Sir Caius, Sir Orion, and Lady Lysandra from the Alliance joining us. They bring with them important matters that require our immediate attention.¡± ¡°I understand that many of you feel annoyed, having been called here in the middle of the night.¡± Caius stepped forth and addressed the gathered trainee knights and mages. Some murmurs of agreement rippled through the crowd, but they remained attentive. ¡°However, I will not waste your time with useless words, just know that I am Caius, beside me are Lysandra and Orion. And starting now, the Star Light Order is in effect in the city of Faeleaf, and from now on, I will be overseeing operations.¡± A wave of shock swept over the onlookers, and the smell of alcohol seemed to fade as they sobered up. Whispers spread like wildfire, as confusion set in ¨C no one knew what had transpired to invoke the Star Light Order. ¡°Is there a big war coming?¡± Tristan asked Caius with a respectful tone, voicing the question on everyone¡¯s mind. ¡°Nothing like that. We¡¯ll be going on another hunt.¡± Caius shook his head. Relief washed over the crowd. ¡°Has the Alliance spotted a new wild beast in the forest?¡± Caius¡¯ voice took on a serious tone as he addressed the trainee knights and mages once more, silencing the whispers among them. ¡°There is no new beast,¡± he stated firmly, ¡°but perhaps a rat.¡± With a wave of his hand, red badges flew from his space pocket towards the gathered crowd, who scrambled to catch them. Each of you now holds an artefact,¡± Caius said as his eyes scanned the attentive faces before him. ¡°Starting this very moment, you are to search every corner of Faeleaf for any trace of our elusive ¡®rat.¡¯ Every house, inn, shop, and even the toilets ¨C leave nothing unexamined.¡± ¡°Entire city?¡± Tristan said with uncertainty etched across his face. ¡°Indeed, the complete city.¡± Caius said. ¡°Take these badges with you. We''ll receive information if they emit a red light. Your task is simply to return. Everyone got one? Good, now go and start the search.¡± ¡°Now? Sir, our intrusion will annoy many citizens at this hour. And then there is this ¡®rat¡¯ you just mentioned.¡± Tristan asked. ¡° Who is this ¡®rat¡¯?¡± ¡°If they feel irritated, so be it,¡± Caius dismissed the concern with a wave of his hand. ¡°Just do your job ¨C the Alliance will take care of the rest. You are allowed to use force if they resist. As for your second question, he¡¯s someone doing human experiments whether the rat is human or not itself doesn¡¯t matter, that¡¯s all you need to know. Follow your orders and don¡¯t ask questions you¡¯re not told. Lysandra, you also follow them.¡± As the trainee knights and mages dispersed into the night, Caius turned to the butler, Orlaith and the people behind him. ¡°Are you the ones overseeing this city¡¯s paperwork?¡± ¡°Yes, sir, we are in charge of all administrative duties.¡± Orlaith executed a respectful bow. ¡°Very well. Go get me the records from the previous five years involving people going missing, transactions of someone buying beasts, etc., focus especially on the persons who are still missing. Bring them to the office as soon as possible.¡± Orlaith nodded and led his team away, leaving Caius, Orion and Everard standing alone. ¡°You both come with me.¡± Caius said, as he made his way back to the office. Everard follows a step behind him, unable to shake the thoughts that his simple evening turned into such a mess. ¡°Can you handle the paperwork?¡± Orion said while walking beside him. A unique smile on his face. ¡°Sir Caius is known to be a workaholic, you know.¡± Everard tried to contain a groan, wondering if they expected him to do paperwork at this time. Just then, a bottle sailed through the air, landing at Everard¡¯s chest. He bent his head to inspect it, and noticed the faint green liquid inside. Orion¡¯s voice reached his ears, accompanied by a sly smile. ¡°It¡¯ll help clear your mind, in case you get sleepy.¡± *** Three days had passed since their search began, and the strain was visible in every line of Everard¡¯s face. Deep dark circles framed his emerald eyes as he handed over the documents to Caius, the parchment rustling in his armoured grip. ¡°Another lead, I hope?¡± Caius said, scanning the records with furrowed brows. The search of the town was uneventful. Caius felt relieved that there¡¯s nothing suspicious in the town, no missing person or traces of any experiment but that¡¯s also the reason he felt a headache, since now their search needs to be expanded. ¡°Perhaps,¡± Everard said, exhaustion clear in his tone. Besides Lysandra and Orion were also there, both looked weary from the endless hours of investigation and leaned in to examine the documents. ¡°These records show transactions involving alchemy and beast bodies over the years. The problem is that each time it was a different person, making it difficult to pinpoint a single suspect.¡± ¡°Interesting.¡± Lysandra¡¯s gaze flickered across the pages, her mind analysing each piece of information. ¡°I have my doubts about the guild these individuals belong to. Their route and choice of supplies seem odd.¡± ¡°Is there a town beyond the West Forest?¡± Caius said as his piercing eyes bored into Everard. ¡°Meshy Woods,¡± Everard said as he rubbed his temples. ¡°But it¡¯s an eight-day journey by carriage. The Dumpy Forest guild claimed they needed to take the beasts and supplies there.¡± ¡°Is the route secure?¡± Caius pressed. ¡°Mostly,¡± Everard said as he tried to remember the details, ¡°but one should always take precautions.¡± Orion frowned, his silver eyes narrowed ¡°That¡¯s not enough to fully implicate the guild. Perhaps they¡¯re merely fulfilling orders for some special customers in Meshy Woods. What supplies do they buy? Is there any record?¡± ¡°Orlaith might know. He handles the dealings with the guilds.¡± ¡°Call him outside,¡± Caius said as he stood up. ¡°Let¡¯s see if our suspicions hold any merit.¡± Soon, the group found themselves outside the mansion, the crisp air serving as a brief reprieve from the stuffy office. At the gates, Orlaith awaited them, his posture impeccable as ever, with Everard by his side. The old butler bowed to Caius and the others before speaking. ¡°Sir Everard informed me of your inquiries,¡± Orlaith said as soon as he saw Caius. ¡°I can confirm that Dumpy Forest guild didn¡¯t purchase supplies for a journey of a week or more.¡± ¡°The journey to Meshy Woods takes at least a week,¡± Lysandra narrowed her eyebrows as she asked, ¡°Why did you not suspect anything earlier?¡± ¡°Each time the guild came, it was only one person. He claimed to be a trainee mage, and his worn clothes suggested his guild might be struggling financially. I didn¡¯t think it was necessary to ask further.¡± ¡°Who is this man?¡± Caius asked. ¡°Every time, it was someone different. But recently, a man named Riko has been coming.¡± Orion¡¯s silver eyes flashed with scepticism, ¡°A guild short on funds wouldn¡¯t have so many trainee mages. You guys didn¡¯t check their id¡¯s?¡± ¡°It was lacking in our sight.¡± As the butler bowed, Everard tried to explain to them instead. ¡° Not many people come to such remote areas and due to recent peaceful times, I tried to do away with messy paperworks, to make it easy to do business here.¡± ¡°Which gate does he usually leave from?¡± Caius said, not interested in going further into this topic, it¡¯s not a secret many small towns do such things to promote business and Alliance also looks the other way on such things as long as the amount is not large enough.. ¡°The south,¡± Orlaith said without hesitation. ¡°Very well. Keep an eye on the town. Everard, you¡¯re with us.¡± Caius motioned for Lysandra and Orion to follow. ¡°Shall I prepare the rides?¡± Everard asked, already walking alongside them. Caius shook his head. ¡°We¡¯ll be faster without them.¡± He turned to Orlaith. ¡°Did Riko buy potions to keep the beast¡¯s bodies fresh or bring his own?¡± Orlaith paused, thinking back. ¡°He bought some initially, but later resisted my offers.¡± ¡°How many bottles?¡± ¡°Three.¡± ¡°Did that match the interval of his purchases?¡± Caius continued. Orlaith hesitated before nodding. ¡°Riko didn¡¯t buy anything for two trips after the initial purchase.¡± ¡°Did you apply the potion here or not?¡± ¡°He resisted my offer.¡± At this point others understood why Caius asked in such details. Without the potions to keep the meat from decaying, Riko couldn¡¯t hope to take the meat far away from here. Casting spells will not be effective as dead things decay at a rapid rate and thus the spell needs continuous casting. ¡°Then the base should be around 10 km from the south gate,¡± Caius concluded, his scarred face set doggedly. ¡°Given the size of the beasts and the time between transactions. Let¡¯s go with this and see if it hits.¡± ¡°Should I gather the knights and mages?¡± Everard asked. ¡°No,¡± Caius said. ¡°The opponent is likely an adept mage or a group. Bringing others will only risk their lives unnecessarily. If an official mage is there, then the casualties will be even higher. We will need to check the actual situation first before deciding on our next action.¡± *** Half an hour later, the figures of Caius, Everard, Orion and Lysandra sped through the dusty roads between the trees with swooshing sounds, their feet floating above the ground. They jerked to a sudden halt, and Caius grounded their feet. ¡°Sir, did you find something?¡± Everard said, his voice filled with anticipation. ¡°Look here,¡± Caius murmured, uttering an incantation. The trees he had been examining began to shimmer with a subtle glow. ¡°An accelerated growth magic is cast on these trees,¡± Lysandra said as she scrutinised the scene.¡°These trees look about three months old, consistent with our reports of Riko¡¯s last transaction.¡± Caius nodded, his scarred brow furrowing. ¡°Riko must have passed through here and entered the forest. The magic was most likely him trying to hide his tracks. Since he didn¡¯t fly outright with the beasts, his strength should be that of an adept mage.¡± ¡°The feeble attempts at wiping mana traces after casting spells suggest he¡¯s a rogue mage.¡±Orion added his observation, his gaze sharp and analytical. Each member of the group drew a breath of relief as they realised their enemy wasn¡¯t beyond their capabilities. A rogue adept mage is way easier to deal with than a group or even an official mage. ¡°Let¡¯s continue with our search. His hideout should not be far from here.¡± Orion said. ¡°Let¡¯s blend in then,¡± Caius said as he muttered a spell and their figures disappeared. Even the sound vanished. Beneath the spell of invisibility, Caius led his team of four through the dense forest, their every movement silent and swift. The trail of remnant magic left by Riko guided them forward like a beacon in the night. Everard Blackthorn¡¯s deep emerald eyes scanned their surroundings, his red hair flowing behind him as he moved. ¡°Riko¡¯s hideout should be near,¡± Everard¡¯s enhanced senses allowed him to catch the strange smell in the air. ¡°There¡¯s a scent of Warding Powder in the air. It¡¯s used to keep beasts away.¡± Caius frowned, his scarred head reflecting the seriousness of the situation. He slowed their pace, allowing the team to move with caution. Ten minutes later, they arrived at what appeared to be a remote area of the forest. No beasts roamed the area. Everard and Orion picked up only the twittering of birds and chirping of insects with their keen senses. Lysandra focused her gaze and deepened her frown, but she held back from unleashing any spells. Instead, she concentrated on sensing something with her mana. ¡°Have we arrived?¡± asked Orion, a hint of concern in his voice. ¡°We have,¡± Caius¡¯ tone was grave. ¡°But it isn¡¯t as simple as we initially thought.¡± He noticed the confusion on his companions¡¯ faces and pointed at a tree far to their right. Something had made a clear cut on a small patch of grass from one side, an unnatural act that a beast can¡¯t do. ¡°It most likely happened during the placement of magical shields,¡±. ¡°Does that mean there¡¯s a magical field surrounding Riko¡¯s hideout?¡± Lysandra looked at the air in front of them, but failed to find anything. ¡°How did someone with a rogue background know how to arrange one?¡± Orion raised his eyebrows as the question troubled him. ¡°Riko may have acquired it from somewhere,¡± Lysandra offered as a possibility. Caius nodded in agreement and pulled out a small blue orb. He compelled the orb to emanate a faint light. It lit up the silent air before them. A red circle formed on the orb¡¯s surface, causing Caius¡¯s expression to turn even graver. ¡°Circles of Life,¡± he muttered. At the mention of that name, the expressions of the others shifted to extreme seriousness and concern. Circles of Life is a name well known by everyone on Terralea. An organisation made of drug traffickers, murderers, terrorists and even cultists. One just needs to name an illegal organisation and chances are, they are a member of Circle of Life. Though no overt threat to Alliance¡¯s rule, it makes every other house have headaches just listening to their name. Everard shifted his weight from one foot to the other, trying to suppress the unease settling in his stomach. ¡°Perhaps we should call for reinforcements,¡± he said while the deep emerald eyes scanned their surroundings with caution. ¡°Or fall back for now.¡± His voice was firm, yet it quivered with uncertainty. ¡°It may not be the Circles at all. Riko might just be a customer. Buying a small-scale magic shield isn¡¯t that difficult, and it could explain why he wears those worn-torn robes.¡± Orion, however, shook his head in disagreement and said. ¡°It¡¯s a possibility, as you said this might explain Riko¡¯s worn torn robes.¡± Lysandra nodded in agreement, her gaze searched for the traces of the magical shield. Caius considered their input, he moved his fingers which looked like they were toying with the blue orb but in fact seeking answers within its depths. Soon, he nodded in agreement with Orion and Lysandra. ¡°This magic shield does look like a low-level product that Circles of Life sells. I haven¡¯t found any evidence of human disappearances near Faeleaf, but I can¡¯t return empty-handed.¡± He then put the orb back, and went deep in thought. A determined glint appeared in Caius¡¯s eyes. ¡°We¡¯re going to capture Riko.¡± ¡°Sir, I must object¡ª ¡° Everard said, but Caius cut him off. ¡°Listen, every clue we have indicates that there might be just one or two rogue mages with adept mage strength at most. As long as we remain cautious, this should be a straightforward task.¡± Caius directed his gaze to each of his companions. ¡°Everard, you will act as our only knight, given your focus on strength. Orion, since you specialise in speed and manoeuvring, hide using an artefact and wait for the opportunity to strike. Lysandra, you will assist in supporting and disrupting the enemy¡¯s spell-casting. I¡¯ll be the dominant force. Any objections?¡± ¡°Sir, what if the enemies try to escape rather than fight?¡± Orion said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that, my spell will take care of it,¡± Caius said as his eyes gleamed with assurance. ¡°How are we going to attack?¡± Everard¡¯s emerald eyes flickered between his companions. ¡°We¡¯ll destroy their hideout, and as the enemies appear, we¡¯ll strike with an element of surprise.¡± ¡°Sir, should we capture them alive?¡± Lysandra inquired, her gaze calculating. ¡°Capture them alive if possible, but based on the risk involved, you are allowed to execute them. Any more questions?¡± ¡°No Sir,¡± Everyone nodded in understanding, Caius handed a ring to Orion, who slipped it onto his finger and his figure vanished without a trace. Next, he presented a blue badge to Everard. ¡°This can save you from three direct strikes by an Official mage.¡± ¡°Thank you, Sir,¡± Everard replied, hesitating as he glanced at Lysandra who offered a reassuring smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we already have one.¡± ¡°Spread out and prepare yourselves, remember since Riko bought so many beasts it¡¯s probably because he used them for his blood magic or some ceremony. Stay clear from his spells until I tell you otherwise.¡± Caius finished giving orders and then began chanting his spell. Within a minute, a massive azure sphere formed above his head, its energy pulsating like a beating heart. With a final incantation, he shot it towards the invisible magical shield in front of them. As the sphere struck the shield, a cacophony of shattering glass echoed throughout the forest. Undeterred, the azure sphere continued its destructive path, obliterating trees in its wake before slamming into a location near the lake 50 metres ahead. A deafening explosion rocked the lake as a rock-built house appeared for a moment, only to crumble under the force of the impact. From the wreckage, a black shadow emerged, clad in a red tattered robe that concealed his face. The figure looked around in shock, every direction surrounded by bright blue flames, even the water of the lake was aflame, yet the plants remained unharmed. But he didn¡¯t dare to go near as his instinct screamed to stay away from the flames. Suddenly, heavy pressure descended upon his body, and a booming voice echoed through the air. ¡°Rogue mage, the forces of the Alliance have surrounded you,¡± Caius¡¯s voice rang out, releasing a heavy pressure that descended on the red-robed figure from all sides. ¡°Surrender, and we promise not to mistreat you.¡± The mage, shrouded in his tattered red robes, jerked at the sound of Caius¡¯s booming voice. He looked for the source as a voice came from everywhere but no one to be seen besides the blue raging flames, but he knew hesitation would be his undoing. With a swift motion, he pulled out a ruby stone from within his robes and hurled it into the sky. The stone erupted with a blinding flash, distorting space in his far left for a moment before everything returned to normal. But that¡¯s all he needed to know as he pulled out a black staff from his space pouch. ¡°Careful, this guy has an anchor,¡± Caius warned, his voice like a whip cracking through the air. The rogue mage ignored Caius¡¯s final ultimatum for surrender. He gripped his long staff tight and pointed at the place where the space just distorted and unleashed a bolt of negative energy from the tip. The bolt shredded the air like a violent purple flare, thrashing wild toward its target. As it passed through the air, the spell struck the trees engulfed in blue flames, causing them to wither in the wake of its entropic ripples as it decayed everything it touched. ¡°Dammit!¡± Everard said with a growl under his breath as he looked at the place they were standing just a moment ago. If not for the Caius who shifted them under the cover of invisibility, they would be the ones to be decayed instead of trees. He gripped his hammer tighter. ¡°This guy isn¡¯t going down easily.¡± As if responding to their thoughts, the rogue mage they called Riko conjured a screaming vortex of whirring metal shards around him, threatening to expand outward and tear them apart. Caius responded by conjuring a brilliant sphere of arcane energy, which he sent hurtling toward the vortex. It collided with the vortex in a thunderous explosion, dismantling the vortex and scattering its chaotic essence. Riko, however, had achieved what he wanted, as Caius, Lysandra, and Everard were now revealed before him. ¡°Get ready!¡± Caius¡¯s stare fixed on Riko, who staggered from the explosion''s impact. With a snarl, Riko raised his staff once more, creating a sphere of inverted gravity that lifted rocks upward and moulded them into boulders. With a flick of his wrist, he sent them hurtling toward the trio with brutal force. ¡°Let me take care of this,¡± Behind Everard, a faint illusion of a beast materialised as his muscles inside the black armour bulged with power, he swung his heavy hammer with expert precision, shattering the incoming projectiles before they could reach Caius and Lysandra. Lysandra¡¯s rings crackled with energy as she unleashed a torrent of blue-white lightning, the sparks dancing around her hand before flying toward Riko at breakneck speed. The rogue mage, panic seizing his movements, formed a gory barrier of blood around himself, congealing into a crimson bulwark that strained to withstand the onslaught. That¡¯s not the end as air crackled with tension as Riko¡¯s staff thrummed, from behind him, inky tendrils surging forth like snakes writhing and coiling towards the group. Caius¡¯s bracelet emitted a golden light that struck the black tendrils, forcing them to retreat with a hiss as they emitted plumes of acrid smoke. A grim smile played on Caius¡¯ lips as he formed a cluster of razor-sharp crystal shards before him. ¡°Stand your ground!¡± Caius said before he launched the crystals at Riko, who attempted to dodge but found his movements sluggish under Lysandra¡¯s spell. The shards found their mark, colliding with the crimson barrier around him and sending violent ripples across its surface. Blood trickled from the corner of Riko¡¯s mouth as he snarled in frustration. Everard watched, wide-eyed, as Riko raised his staff once more, firing a caustic yellow ooze toward him. He tried to dodge but failed and as the ooze connected with his armour, the metal began to decay before his fearful eyes. ¡°Damn you!¡± Everard yelled, but Riko unleashed another torrent of the corrosive ooze, only for it to be met by a wall of air conjured by Caius. The air shimmered as the ooze collided with it, dissipating without harm. ¡°Stay close to me.¡± Caius¡¯s bracelet lit up again as he released a kaleidoscopic beam of energy, a maelstrom of chaotic effects consisting of¨C lightning arcs, erupting flames, acid rains, and crystallised ice cones.Wild, untamed magic bombarded the rogue mage, the sheer intensity of the assault dissipating the tendrils and thinning the crimson shield to the point where it seemed it might have shattered with another strike. Lysandra¡¯s eyes sparkled with anticipation as her ring brightened again, fiery red embers dancing between her fingers. With a flick of her wrist, she launched the projectiles at Riko, their searing intensity too much for the weakened barrier. It shattered like glass, and Riko screamed in agony as his tattered red robes ignited. Caius was about to cast a binding spell on Riko when the rogue mage roared out a chilling proclamation: ¡°The stars will fall!¡± His eyes turned crimson, and blood-red symbols manifested on his skin. Caius¡¯s face paled with panic as he screamed, ¡°Stay away! This guy is a cultist!¡± Caius chanted the strongest spell he knew, conjuring an icy blue wall to protect them from whatever horror Riko had unleashed. ¡°Orion come here, Quick!¡± Beside Everard and Lysandra, Orion appeared behind the barrier, his eyes too etched with concern. ¡°Sir Caius, that thing¡­¡± ¡°A projection of a twisted spirit. Brace yourselves,¡± Caius warned, no longer speaking to him, instead he concentrated all his attention on the writhing body of Riko. The runes pulsed with an eerie red light, and Riko¡¯s body dried up almost instantly and no longer moved. Above his being formed by the runes with a large heinous mouth and swirling tongue coupled with twisted red tendrils all over the body. Ignoring the dead Riko, the twisted spirit roared angrily towards the others behind the ice wall. The roar behaved more like a spell as cracks appeared on the ice wall. ¡°No, you don¡¯t.¡± Seeing the spirit coming towards them, Caius¡¯ bracelet let out the strongest light as the blue flames surrounding the battlefield formed a vortex around the twisted spirit before completely closing in on him.The twisted spirit released another roar, this time infused with pain as its body burned under the blue flame. Relief washed over others seeing the flames effective against the twisted spirit, but that was short-lived as the spirit released red lights from all over his body which pushed the blue flames back and his tentacles lashed into the air as to grab something and before the shocked eyes of Caius and the rest, the spirit launched itself high into the air. Seeing the spirit choosing to flee rather than fighting back, Caius crammed more mana into the blue flames to increase their intensity but the barrier protected the spirit until it left the area covered by the flames. Everard glimpsed the direction it headed and roared in panic. ¡°Sir Caius, that thing is moving towards Faeleaf!¡±. ¡°What!?¡± Chapter 6: The First Step Rayen floated in the endless space, surrounded by colours that illuminated this realm, filling his grey and black form with vibrant hues. The colours in the sky bled into one another like watercolours on a beautiful canvas, each hue blending and swirling, obstructing the passage of time as Bella¡¯s voice echoed throughout the space. Her words, fragmented and disjointed, cascaded around Rayen like shattered glass, their jagged edges glinting in the light. ¡°A...K...R...¡± The tone was gentle and kept urging him to repeat after her. The sounds and letters battered his confused mind, but a feeling of familiarity surged within him, refusing to be subdued. His eyes darted, struggling to make sense of the chaos, but the confusion only grew stronger. Like a tug of war between understanding and confusion, constantly pushing each other back and forth with Rayen¡¯s mind as the battleground. The resulting chaos was such that it not only shadowed the time, but also the changes happening in this strange world. Broken images flashed in the colourful sky, orbs with shadowy outlines flickering in and out of existence. They whispered their own broken words, adding to the cacophony. One moment, a brown orb appeared, manipulating boxes that released unknown waves; the next, sky-blue orbs emitted sounds both similar and different from the ones he recognised. But it''s the golden orbs that dominated this strange landscape, appearing more frequently than all the others combined. Whenever they manifested, Rayen¡¯s cloudy body rippled like a storm, brewing the chaos inside him with even stronger intensity. ¡°Z...E...Q...¡± Like a hammer moulding a metal, the words kept hammering his smokey body, but soon, amidst the overwhelming confusion, a pattern began to emerge. Unknown to Rayen, the noises became broken letters, symbols that transformed into something he could recognise but didn¡¯t understand ¨C A, F, C ¨C their sequence as random as the images that filled the sky. Their intensity grew louder with each passing day, drowning out the other sounds until all that remained were the letters themselves. With each word he uttered, his grey and black body quivered, the ripples within him growing larger and more powerful until they penetrated his very core. The confusion that had long plagued his pitch-black eyes began to recede, pushed back by the relentless tide of familiarity. With a surge of some unknown power. For the first time, he attempted to repeat what he had heard out of his own free will. ¡°K-K.¡± The vast expanse trembled with the power of the uttered sound, as if on the verge of rupturing. For a moment, silence fell in the world, only to be replaced by an even louder and stronger one. The broken words continued to flow from the golden orbs with overwhelming intensity. The sea of noise drowned out his voice. ¡°U... S... D¡± ¡°R...K...V...¡± As he repeated, the fragmented letters began to form more coherent words. The once chaotic images that filled his world now appeared in sharper focus, their tearing and distortion long subsidised. ¡°Z...Q...M...¡± The letters flowed from Rayen, each one uttered with growing confidence. With the confusion receding in his eyes ¨C once clouded with darkness and uncertainty ¨C now shone bright with understanding. If light could travel through that nothingness, it would have illuminated his eyes with the intensity of a hundred suns. The surrounding images transformed into something more recognisable ¨C scenes of everyday life, fragmented memories that always escaped from his grasp once he returned here. The voices that had once threatened to consume him now seemed to be working in harmony, guiding him towards clarity. ¡°O...H... P¡­¡± His voice grew stronger as the remaining fog of confusion evaporated. Slowly, the letters coalesced into incomplete words, and Rayen found that the sounds did something else¡ªmade sense. As he tried to repeat the words, the last vestiges of the turbulent world around him melted away, leaving only the warmth of a newfound understanding. ¡°Ca...me...Grand...¡± ¡°Gran-d-ma!?¡± Absurdly, as this word sounded in the space, the images changed into streams of lights and rushed towards him. They passed through his shadowy body and concentrated on his heart. Intermixing among themselves, they formed a golden sphere and released an intense light that filled the entire space. *** The morning sun spilt through the window, casting a warm golden light on the walls and furniture of Rayen¡¯s room. For the first time, the house makes sense to him ¨C the hazy shapes recognised by him as the pieces of furniture and the walls, though they weren¡¯t things he desired in his vision. Lying on the thing he knew as the bed, his gaze turned toward the door, where the outline of a golden orb appeared. As if summoned by the sunlight, Bella entered with her usual warm face, her wispy white hair haloed by the morning glow. ¡°Good morning, Rayen,¡± she whispered. ¡°Did you have a pleasant dream?¡± This was a question she had asked him every day for the past four years, though she never received an answer. She moved to begin her usual routine, but something caught her old eyes and made her freeze. The lack of confusion in Rayen¡¯s eyes startled her, and for the first time, she witnessed something astonishing - a tiny blink from him. Different from the involuntary action of the body, like an attempt to answer her call. She didn¡¯t know how he did it, but he did nevertheless. ¡°Rayen, did you just¡­ ?¡± Her words hung in the air like delicate silk threads. She noticed Rayen¡¯s eyes ¨C they lacked the familiar confusion that plagued him when she greeted him every morning. For a moment, she wondered if her old eyes were playing a mirage on her, but when the unthinkable happened again, she realised it was the reality. But her disbelief soon gave way to joy when, once again, Rayen answered by blinking his eyes. It¡¯s as if he was confirming her questions without using any words.Bella couldn¡¯t contain her elation and began to ask Rayen various questions, all of which he answered with a few more blinks. From his responses, she learned that he understood what she said and could communicate with her without speaking - a fact that amazed and delighted her beyond measure. ¡°Cellia, Bardar, come quickly! Rayen can respond!¡± *** In the living room, Bella sat beside Rayen on the sofa. Cellia stood nearby, controlling different animals made of water and asking for their names from Rayen. Though he couldn¡¯t speak, Rayen had somehow learned to blink, which allowed them to gauge his understanding. It seemed like a miracle in Cellia¡¯s eyes. ¡°Is this one called a sparrow?¡± Bella asked, her voice gentle, as an ethereal bird made from water fluttered above them. Rayen blinked again, recognising the object before him in an instant. Of course, he only responded to questions asked by Bella and no one else. Cellia stood nearby, conjuring water animals, each one more intricate than the last. She asked their names, looking to Rayen for answers. ¡°Is this one the dolphin or the whale?¡± she queried, pointing at a shimmering creature hovering above her palm. Rayen looked at her for a moment but didn¡¯t offer any response and went back to look at the sparrow again. Cellia appeared content that Rayen was at least following her brief movements when he heard her. Her delight became even greater when she found Rayen refused to grant even a single glance at the other two in the room. ¡°I can believe he responds to Grandma, but also to this brute mage?¡± Bardar muttered, his voice a mixture of awe and annoyance. ¡°Maybe if you hadn¡¯t refused when I asked you to come with me and teach Rayen, you wouldn¡¯t be complaining now,¡± Cellia retorted with biting sarcasm. Bardar lacked words to counter her statement, left to stew in his frustration. Meanwhile, Cherry lay slumped on the carpet, her golden fur reflecting the sunlight as she looked depressed. If she had known this would happen, she would have never left Rayen¡¯s side and would sit on him until Bella dragged her out. ¡®Wait¡­¡¯ A sudden spark of inspiration ignited in Cherry¡¯s eyes, her depressed body now filled with energy. What if she started trying to win Rayen¡¯s attention from today? After all, he had started to remember others. Cherry¡¯s once slumped form seemed to spring back to life, her golden fur bristling with renewed energy. She stared at Bardar, a fire igniting in her eyes. This was her chance to defeat him and avoid being last in the pecking order. This was a battle of pride, and she refused to lose. Bardar, feeling the intense gaze from Cherry, became bewildered. Fortunately, he didn¡¯t have to dwell on this for long, as Cellia posed a question to Bella that captured his attention. ¡°Grandma, what do you think caused this sudden change in Rayen?¡± Cellia asked, her voice laced with curiosity and concern. Bella ruffled Rayen¡¯s soft brown hair as she considered the question. ¡°Sometimes life finds its way,¡± she said. ¡°Instead of worrying about such things, we should celebrate his progress.¡± At the mention of celebration, Cherry¡¯s ears perked up, her fighting spirit disappeared and her once limp tail wagged. Woofing with excitement, she did a quick round body motion, expressing her delight at the prospect of a party. ¡°Let me translate,¡± Cellia interjected, smirking haughtily. ¡°Cherry agrees and wants to add Spiced Carbs with sweet curd as a party dish.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Bella chuckled, amused by Cellia¡¯s translation. Bardar, however, couldn¡¯t help but comment on Cellia¡¯s inflated confidence. ¡°Although mostly correct,¡± Bardar began as he tried to have his voice dripped with sarcasm.¡±I think anyone could have guessed that just by observing Cherry¡¯s behaviour for some time.¡± ¡°Ho?¡± Cellia shot back, her navy-blue eyes narrowing for a challenge. The two began bickering, their voices overlapping and filling the room with a familiar cacophony. ¡°Relying on luck is your job, isn¡¯t it? And speaking of work, how come our ¡®Explosion Master¡¯ is sitting here instead of helping within the mines?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a Golem Master!¡± Bardar shot back defensively. ¡°And I need to keep tabs on some barbarian mage.¡± ¡°You are really bad at everything you do, aren¡¯t you? Otherwise, you should be following her everywhere, whenever she calls.¡± ¡°I am keeping a watch, not working as a butler.¡± As the argument continued, Bella shook her head, bemused by their inability to express their feelings for each other even after four years of living under the same roof. Cherry sidled closer to Rayen, releasing a small woof, as if concurring with Bella''s musings with a tactic. ¡°Enough!¡± Bella¡¯s firm voice cut through their bickering like a knife. ¡°You two need to stop arguing in front of Rayen. He can understand your words now.¡± Cellia paused, her face softening as she recalled Bella¡¯s earlier revelation. She glanced at Rayen, her fiery expression melting into a warm, sisterly smile as she once again made small animals in her hand and asked their names. Bardar watched her transformation with wide eyes, his thoughts racing. ¡®How is it possible for Cellia¡¯s face to change this fast? Is it just her or is this normal among all women?¡¯ ¡°Ahem! Did you hear what I said?¡± Bardar scratched his head. ¡°Could you repeat that, Grandma?¡± Bella gave him a stern look before repeating herself. ¡°Cellia and Cherry will go fetch fresh crabs tomorrow morning. In the meantime, I want you to start teaching Rayen how to control mana.¡± ¡°Aren''t we moving too quickly?¡± Bardar inquired hesitantly. ¡°No. Since Rayen can understand us now, there¡¯s no reason to delay. The sooner he learns to control mana, the sooner he¡¯ll be able to walk again.¡± Bardar nodded. It will take Rayen years to reach the point where he can control his body with mana, so they should start early. He turned towards Rayen, determination shining in his eyes, and announced, ¡°I¡¯ll start teaching you first thing tomorrow morning.¡± Bella noticed Cherry inching toward Rayen, preparing to plop down on top of the boy. With surprising agility, Bella grabbed Cherry¡¯s brown collar and pulled her back. ¡°What are you doing?¡± she demanded. A woof escaped Cherry, prompting Bella to raise her eyebrows. Cherry woofed an explanation, and Bella understood. ¡°Why do you want to stay in front of his eyes again?¡± Bella asked. Cherry woofed once more, causing Bella¡¯s eyes to twitch with mild irritation. ¡°That¡¯s not how memory works," she sighed, giving her permission for Cherry to stay close. ¡°Fine, but don¡¯t cause any trouble for him.¡± Cherry agreed, wagging her tail triumphantly as she shot a victorious glance at Bardar. ¡®Too bad, Cherry. You should have listened to Grandma,'' Bardar thought smugly. ¡® No matter how long you stay in his vision, you can never beat the sacred bond between a teacher and his apprentice.¡¯ Cellia sidled up to Bella, her voice just above a whisper. ¡°Why are Bardar and Cherry making such strange faces? And are those evil smiles?¡± ¡°Never mind them, both are a bunch of idiots,¡± Bella dismissed their antics with a wave of her hand. ¡°Let¡¯s focus on getting some books for Rayen. Maybe we can lay some foundation work for his writing classes.¡± Cellia nodded, casting one last glance at Bardar and Cherry before following Bella and Rayen out of the room, ignoring the unusual duo to their silent battle of wills and evil smiles. *** As he floated in his strange world, the pitch-black of his eyes was devoid of any confusion. His body, a smoky grey-black, appeared unchanged except for the small golden orb nestled within him, releasing faint pulses of light from time to time. The absence of confusion allowed memories to pour into Rayen''s mind with greater ease. "That''s called a children''s book," Bella''s ethereal outline appeared before him, revealing a beast''s skin tone. Etched on its cover were the words ''children''s book by Bella.'' "Grandma, did you write this?" Cellia, also present in the images, asked with curiosity, to which Bella responded, "That''s the book I used to teach children during my past days." The images flickered and showed Bella extending the book towards Rayen, her voice gentle as she read it aloud. Yet Rayen''s attention fixated not on the book, but on the golden orb burning inside. His vision in that world is limited, obscuring his view of anything further than the immediate foreground. Bella, sensing his rebellious attitude towards the book, made the book follow his gaze. As the only book left in the images, Rayen found himself unable to avoid it. When he was finally forced to think about the book in his vision, a change occurred, and an identical book materialised before him, capturing his black-eyed stare, only for a short while. Yearning to focus on the images again, Rayen attempted to turn his head, but the same problem persisted ¨C he couldn''t get a ??view of the golden orb. He tried flying sideways around the images, only to return to the beginning. Briefly, confusion threatened to cloud his eyes once more, but the golden orb within him released a pulse of warm light that circled his body, banishing uncertainty. His gaze shifted between the floating book and the faint outline of Bella. Finally, he reached out and took the book in his hands. Holding the book, Rayen mimicked the posture of the images and moved his vision to where the orb was supposed to be. Yet no golden orb appeared in his line of sight. He tilted his head, flipping through the pages before looking again. Over and over, he went through the entire book, but nothing happened. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. The confusion threatened to resurface, but once again, it vanished as the light emitted from the golden orb within him. Rayen stared at the book in his hand. He finally thought of something and decided to re-enact the memory more closely. As he thought so, the images changed again and showed Bella handing him something: a pen. Acting on instinct, Rayen reached out and grasped the empty space. Just like the book, the pen appeared out of nothingness. With the pen on his smokey fingers, Rayen did the exact movements from the images. His initial attempts were sluggish and rough, and the letters resembled gibberish. He didn''t know what writing was, but for the golden orb to appear again, it needed to be perfect. Only then the golden orb will appear again. Without losing focus, Rayen continued practising. The gibberish he had made disappeared from the book as soon as he wanted it gone. He repeated this until crafting a perfect rendering of a letter. The elegantly curved "A" danced across the page. Though Rayen had no concept of appreciation. He proceeded with the next letters. An unknown time slipped away before the entire book embraced meticulously written cursive, culminating in a concise yet compelling paragraph. Done with the same movements, he turned his eyes to his side, but he found only the endless void ¨C no golden orb in sight. It¡¯s not perfect enough. He made a mistake. With such thought, Rayen turned his attention back to the book, which had become clean and new again. He repeated the process and looked again and again, but no matter how much time passed, and how many times he filled the book, the golden orb refused to appear in this endless realm. *** After breakfast, Bardar carried a small box into Rayen''s room and placed it near his bed. He gazed at the silent boy lying there and cleared his throat. "Rayen, let''s get started with your mana training. But first, do you know what mana is?" The boy didn''t even try to look at Bardar; instead, his pupils focused on his left, where the golden orb resided. Bella sighed, her concerns validated. Although her grandson was a genius when it came to mana, he wasn''t adept at teaching others ¨C especially someone like Rayen. Thankfully, Bella had Cellia to help with household work, allowing her to oversee Bardar and Rayen''s interactions. She couldn''t help but feel elated about her decision to oversee Rayan¡¯s first class. Turning to Bardar, she advised, "First, you should introduce yourself and get familiar with your student. If they don''t feel comfortable with you, it''ll be a difficult boat to sail." Bardar scratched his head awkwardly, about to say something, but Bella beckoned him closer. "Kneel," she instructed, "so you can see eye-to-eye with Rayen. You shouldn''t look down on patients." Bardar obeyed, and Bella coaxed Rayen to shift his gaze towards his new teacher. That brief moment was enough for Bardar to provide a concise introduction of himself and his profession as a golem master. He added that he would be Rayen''s teacher, eliciting a satisfied nod from Bella. Before Rayen could refocus on her, Bella suggested that Bardar perform a trick to pique the boy''s interest. "Anything will do," she assured him. Bardar racked his brain, unsure of what to do at first. ¡®Explo-no, Golem creation was my forte, but that wouldn''t draw Rayen''s attention. He needs something more captivating.¡¯ As sweat beaded on his forehead, Bardar finally had an idea. He moved his fingers, and mana streamed from his fingertips like shimmering silk threads. As he weaved his fingers before Rayen''s eyes, lines of light appeared in the air. With a last flourish, Bardar connected the lines to form a miniature replica of their house. The glowing figures of Bella, Cherry, Cellia, himself, and even Rayen materialised within. "Allow me to be your teacher," Bardar said with muted determination, "and I can teach you how to do this." Bella''s heart swelled with warmth as she watched the disappearing figures of their house and family. Bardar turned to her, seeking approval. "Did I do well? I can try something else if that''s not enough." Bella reached out and ruffled Bardar''s hair, a tender smile playing on her lips. "You did better than what I expected, like you usually do, dear." Peeling her eyes away from her embarrassed grandson, she glanced at Rayen. To her pleasant surprise, Rayen''s gaze remained fixed on the empty air where Bardar had drawn the house and family. Seizing the opportunity, Bella called out to him. ¡°Rayen!¡± The silent boy looked at her again, his brown eyes wide and curious. ¡°Wouldn''t you like to listen to your brother?" Bella asked. ¡°Trust him; He will not let you down" He stared back into her eyes, seeming to search for something deep within that ice-blue hue. A silent tension hung in the air as Bella held her gaze, refusing to look away until she found the answer she sought. And then, as if finally understanding the depth of trust being offered to him, Rayen''s eyelids moved ever so and stared back. She didn''t look away until his silent gaze gave her the answer she sought as they blinked in a yes. Bella glanced between Bardar and Rayen, her ice-blue eyes shimmering with determination. "Since Rayen now agrees to be taught by you, I am going to give you guys some space," she said, her voice firm but gentle. "But call me if you face any troubles." With Bardar¡¯s nod, she stood up and left the room, her wispy white hair swaying behind her as the door closed. Rayen''s gaze flickered between his own hands and Bardar''s anxious eyes. The slender man cleared his throat, breaking the stillness. "Before we get started, we need to thank our ancestors for their great contributions and sacrifices," Bardar murmured, joining his hands together. Rayen''s hands also moved and did the same. "See?" Bardar said, releasing control over Rayen''s body. "It''s not any spell, but pure control over mana." Rayen stared at his own hands and blinked with confusion, for he had never seen anything like this. Finally, not getting an answer, his eyes turned back to Bardar, who said. "Interesting right? you can do the same, but first, we should ask ourselves: what is mana and what''s its origin?" The golem master offered a small smile, his words tumbling out like an eager stream. "There are lots of answers for the first one. Some say it''s the source of life, some say it''s the source that breaks laws, and so on. Every mage has a different answer; being a golem master myself, that influences mine. Mana is just another source of energy, and living beings are simply good at using it." He didn''t reply, but Bardar gave him a minute to process the information before continuing. "As for the second question, there''s no conclusive evidence as to how and where mana originated from. Theories abound, but they''re fiercely debated and thus irrelevant to us." "Mana as energy," Bardar went on, "when used through some medium, produces physics-bending effects. The medium could be anything from spells, anchors, runes, and even the human body itself. Almost every living being ¨C and sometimes dead ¨C possesses some mana, which is usually fixed. But there are enough potions and artefacts to help overcome this limit." As Bardar spoke, he used his mana to draw figures in the air. He gestured towards the first figure, drawing it closer to them. "Based on mana usage, we have four main branches of mana. Focus on the first one." When it approached, Rayen''s eye drew to it. The first figure resembled a tiny human clad in knight armour. Bardar explained, "If we''re talking about improving physical strengths using mana, then we''re talking about knights. Before the Alliance unified all human territory, knights were hardly worth mentioning compared to mages. But now they are incredibly strong and ridiculously fast at high and grandmaster levels ¨C even faster than the speed of sound, generally speaking." The minuscule armoured figure flexed its muscles and punched a tiny boulder into pieces before moving back. A second tiny figure appeared, dressed in mage clothes, wielding a massive staff. Bardar regarded it with interest. "This one is what we call a mage. They use a medium called spell or their staff, which acts as an anchor, turning raw mana into physics-bending effects known as magic." The tiny mage raised its staff and shot a small firecracker into the air. Bardar continued, "Mages should have turned to dust long ago, but some people in the Alliance are keeping them competitive with their Wizard counterparts." The figure of the mage stepped back, making way for another tiny individual to approach Rayen and Bardar. This figure wore elegantly intricate robes, its right hand raised in a snapping motion. Bardar''s voice became serious as he said, "These are called Wizards. Don''t confuse them with mages; they''re entirely different in how they learn and use their spells. In terms of pure power, mages can barely keep up with Wizards, and at higher levels, there''s no comparison between them at all." "Arguably," Bardar added, "Wizards are also the default rulers of this world if not for the Alliance keeping them in check and heavily regulating their movements. Grandma, Cellia, and I are wizards as well." The figure released several different coloured firecrackers into the air before being sent back to join the others. Bardar''s voice grew eager as the fourth tiny figure appeared, accompanied by several tiny cubes beside it. "Look, Rayen. This is the broadest path, as it includes rune masters, formation masters, and The Great Golem masters like me. Our strength lies in making others keep casting their spells or swinging their swords." He gestured towards the tiny figure and its assortment of cubes. "Just think of it: if you need to produce water for yourself, no problem, just use a spell. But what about your entire city? That''s where we golem masters come in. We make formations and arrays to create water and free people to go on with their lives." He continued, "We can also make shields to protect against the extreme heat of the sun, create suitable habitats for beasts, and even giant knights carrying shields to take care of mindless beast hordes. Alas, this branch is the least explored. Who wants to struggle for months upon months before they can even see the fruit of their labour when you could just use that time to learn five basic spells? But worry not, those brutes will be lining up to buy my golems soon¡ªmark my words." As Bardar finished speaking, the tiny figure moved its hands, and the cubes beside it transformed into multiple knights and mages before disappearing. The room grew muted, and Bardar looked at Rayen, who stared back at him. No one spoke, and Bardar was the first to blink, coughing to break the sudden awkward silence, given that Rayen couldn''t reply. "Alright, Let''s not bore you with other theories and nonsense. Let me show you instead. You just have to remember the feeling you felt; no need to try anything for today; it''s your first lesson, after all." He placed his hand atop Rayen''s, and a warm current flowed through Rayen''s hand and into his entire body. As the crystal seals most of his body, this feeling was the first sensory experience Rayen had felt since he had come to this world, and it made him blink. It differed from the golden orb''s sensation and drew his attention towards it. Bardar saw Rayen''s eyes move towards his hands and became delighted. "See? I knew you would like it. Now concentrate and get used to this in the coming days; we will have to find this same feeling in your body." Troubled about how to ask Rayen about his feelings of finding mana in his body, which, according to Grandma, was very low. However, he pushed these thoughts to the back of his mind for now and started to have his mana circle around Rayen''s body. *** Meanwhile, in another part of the continent, as Rayen was having his first class in this world, Cellia stood at the edge of a cliff, overlooking a vast sea of jagged rocks jutting out from the water. She glanced down at Cherry, who wagged her tail. "Didn''t you say you knew the best place for fishing?" Cellia asked, raising an eyebrow. Cherry woofed, her tail shaking. "Are you lost?" she asked, her tone flat and doubtful. The dog woofed again, and Cellia sighed. "So this is what you mean by the best place for catching crabs?" Cherry woofed once more, nodding as if proud of her choice. Cellia scrutinised the surroundings with a hint of scepticism, before deciding to trust Bella''s judgement since she had told her that Cherry was familiar with the southern continent. "Alright then," Cellia said, resigned. She reached into her tiny thumb-sized purse and pulled out a huge fishing net, spreading it across not the sea but the plain rock surface behind her. Cherry came to the edge, woofing before lying down beside Cellia, motioning for her to do the same. "Whatever you say," Cellia thought, sitting down beside the eager dog. As she waited, until the sky turned dark without anything noteworthy. She wanted to quit earlier but Cherry told her to wait for something so she waited. Suddenly, ominous sounds echoed from the sea and monstrous waves grew ever higher, spinning Cellia''s attention to the edge of the cliff. When she staggered up to it she encountered a different scene than before. The terrifying roars of the treacherous swells seemed to deafen her ears, while the whipping wind pounded against her body like a relentless hammer. Chills ran down Cellia''s spine and every single hair on her body stood on end as the thoughts screamed at her--something evil was fast approaching. Grey tentacles wriggled through the water, snaking around jagged rocks with a loud and shrill crackle. A colossal face broke through the surface with an intimidating number of giant red eyes transfixed upon Cellia. The beast''s gigantic figure had risen so high that only a third of its stronghold was visible yet towered hundreds of metres above Cellia who remained petrified in terror. The creature soon unfurled one of its long tentacle-like arms and dropped a load of crabs onto the net without even glancing at Cellia. Cherry, picked up one in her mouth and released a muffled woof, finally drawing the creature''s attention to the scared woman. Another tentacle descended towards Cellia but stopped just above her head. A murky, thick liquid formed at its end and soon dropped on the top of the trembling woman, dousing her with an icy, fish-like smell. Even though the smell was disgusting to her, her terrified frozen body refused to move. As abruptly as it had appeared, the creature retreated into the sea, its massive body fading from view. Unlike Cherry who yelped at the disappeared figure, her drenched body trembled, with a pale face. She murmured ¡°Prince of the Sea..." **** Away from the shores of the Southern continent, at Rayen¡¯s ever so empty world, a new book in his hands, he was busy reading the story Bella just read for him. She said this story defines a lesson of life but he doesn''t know what that means so he just read it again and again. ¡®Deaf Things May Not Be Death, After All¡¯. It tells the story of a mage who once found a ghost and made a garden with him. When he finished the story for the last time, his smokey body started to drift into the ethereal world. But this time, some odd assortment of objects orbited around him¡ªbooks, pens, flower pots, sofas¡ªyet his dark eyes remained fixated on his hands. They seemed to call out to him, begging him to remember the warm sensation gifted by the mysterious brown orb he had encountered earlier. A strange feeling indeed; he knew how it felt, yet didn''t somehow. His gaze shifted between his hands and the golden orb nestled against his heart, a vague recollection stirred within him. It too had emitted something akin to warmth, but ''when or why'', eluded him. Compelled by an inexplicable force, Rayen''s mind lingered on the orb, in search of the elusive sensation from before. The intensity of a silent stare can unnerve the target by itself and the orb seemed no exception to this rule. After a long time, the orb finally responded by releasing a minuscule amount of warmth. It vanished as quickly as it appeared, but it was enough for him to latch onto. Time held no meaning for him, and neither did the number of times the orb shared its warmth with him. Their stubborn exchange continued like a dance between two obstinate partners, each refusing to back down. Unbeknownst to Rayen, something shifted in the two hollow spheres of darkness on his head. That once foreign warmth began to feel familiar, like a part of his body, and when he looked at his hand again, the same sensation returned but this time, it came from the golden orb and moved into his hands, under his will. The entire realm vibrated at this as the colourful sky shone even brighter than before, but Rayen had more pressing issues to deal with to notice that. He raised his fingers and the warmth flowed out not from the fingers but his elbows and dissipated into nothingness. Rayen did what he did best, kept trying and trying. Kept repeating the same without any success and change is madness, and Rayen is no stranger to it. In this strange world with nothing to find other than the empty space and the unreachable sky. *** Back in Rayen¡¯s room, Bardar sat beside his bed, his tousled hair framing kind, anxious eyes. Today Bella decided not to come with him and he was worried if Rayen would ever notice him but his worries seemed to settle down when two eyes moved towards him. "Are you ready for our second class, Rayen?" he asked softly, not expecting a response. "Do you remember anything from yesterday''s lesson?" To his astonishment, Rayen blinked at him. It¡¯s the moment Bardar remembered that Rayen seemed to have a good memory considering he could differentiate between different objects Grandma showed him. Thinking himself to be the stupid one for thinking that, he coughed in an attempt to change the topic. "Great, since that¡¯s the case, let me show you what I did earlier." He chuckled, assuming Rayen would at most recall different branches of mana users and since other theories were unnecessary for him, there was no need to waste their time. But Rayen heard what the brown orb said and when Bardar held Rayen''s hand, a subtle warmth emanated from the boy''s fingers. It¡¯s minuscule¡ªbarely a tenth of what a normal teenager could produce¡ªbut it¡¯s there and ?concentrated at a point instead of being scattered all around. "Ra-Rayen," Bardar¡¯s eyes widen with surprise, "wait here for a moment." And with that, he darted out of the room, leaving Rayen alone. Rayen, seeing the brown orb disappear, turned his attention back to the faint warmth in his hand, but moving this warmth in this world was much more difficult than his last attempt in the endless world. *** ¡°I told you to go get the crabs, not to call the Prince out. Not only are you bullying that guy to get some crabs but you also frightened Cellia. Do you know how much trouble I had to calm that child down?¡± Bella said with an angry look on her face. In the living room, in front of Bella, Cherry released a little whine with her head lowered. ¡°You are only getting pickles from now on.¡±Cherry¡¯s body slumped on the wooden floor after hearing Bella¡¯s verdict. ¡°Wait, grandma,¡± Bella was going to say something more but both of them heard a sound, along with rapid footsteps on the stairs. Both looked up as Bardar rushed in. Cherry''s eyes lit up at the sight of Bardar. In her heart she always knew Bardar cared about her, not only was he rushing to greet her. Just look how he was rushing towards them, most likely he heard what Bella said to her and wanted to help her. Cherry¡¯s slumped body stood up and bent as she also sprinted towards him. The true friend¡¯s feelings need to be reciprocated and so she leapt into his arms with unrestrained joy, But her dreams shattered by the hammer of reality followed by Bardar¡¯s words. "Get away!" His mana stopped Cherry¡¯s body in the air and pushed her out of the room from the window as she released a long confused dying woof. "Grandma," he panted, facing the equally confused Bella, "Genius, we have a genius in our home! We need to do something about his lack of sufficient mana." Bella, who became confused seeing his arrival, became even more baffled and said. "Calm down, Bardar. Stop shouting in my old ears and explain slowly, please." Bardar took a deep breath. "You remember how I showed Rayen how to feel mana yesterday, right? And I was going to do it again, but to my surprise, he already can." ¡°So what about it? It¡¯s normal when you jus-wait what did you say? He could already do what?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I am saying-¡­¡±Before he could continue, Cherry woofed as she jumped back from the window, having recovered from her shock. Bardar paused. "What''s that? Cellia brought a gift for me and is waiting in the garden?" Cherry woofed again, which made Bardar scold her. "You should have said so earlier." He began walking toward the door. "Wait, don''t go to the garden now! it''s dangerous," Bella warned, trying to hold him back. She had just calmed Cellia and one should not mention her trip in front of her, even more so if it¡¯s Bardar. But the guy didn¡¯t wait for her to finish. "Don''t worry, Grandma," Bardar assured her, his voice full of determination. "I''ll be back in a moment and we can continue discussing Rayen''s situation. As Bardar disappeared from view, Bella turned to Cherry, who wore a smug expression. "You''re very evil, Cherry. What if he dies?" "Woof!" Cherry replied calmly, her tail wagging. Just as she spoke, Bardar''s scream echoed through the house, followed by water crashing against something. Cherry cocked her head and added another woof with a hint of uncertainty, which said. "He won''t die ¡­ Probably". Chapter 7: Brewing Storm Back at Rayen¡¯s room, Bardar knelt by the bedside, his blonde hair darkened and matted from the moisture, strands dripping water down his face. The fabric of his drenched tunic and pants clung to his slender frame. ¡°She shouldn¡¯t have hit me like that,¡± his eyebrows drawn together in an expression of wet disgruntlement. His anxious eyes held a hint of indignation as he went on complaining. ¡°That¡¯s why they call her a brute. She didn¡¯t have to wash me away, just for asking about a gift.¡± As he spoke, droplets of water rolled off his hair and clothes, splashing onto the wooden floor beneath him. He looked like a soaked cat, bedraggled and stewing in his soggy state of distress. Rayen lay unmoving on the bed, eyes closed, with a faint awareness of intermittent sounds emerging from the brown orb hovering near his head. Instead, he directed his focus to regulate the flow of mana. ¡°And Cherry, that troublemaker. She set me up for this, didn¡¯t she? Telling me to go talk to Cellia, knowing full well how she¡¯d react. Now look at me, drenched to the bone.¡± He released an exasperated huff, wiping the lingering moisture from his face with his soaked sleeve, only to get wet again. The fabric squelched as he moved, saturated with water. The prank orchestrated by Cherry had put Bardar in a rather disgruntled mood, judging by his continuous grumbling. His vexation was evident in every sodden inch of his being. Meanwhile, Rayen remained lost in his own world, visualising the mana flowing outward like a stream. He tuned out the complaining sounds from the orb, directing his full focus on maintaining control. The consequences of mana overload were too dire to spare any attention from Bardar¡¯s current waterlogged predicament. Finally done with complaining, Bardar looked over at Rayen again. Noticing the wispy trails of mana releasing into the air around the boy. ¡°Don¡¯t do that!" he exclaimed. "When mana leaves your body unguided, it will just disperse uselessly.¡± Rayen glanced over at the anxious orb, his concentration broken. ¡°The second rule of magic is to concentrate the mana outside your body to cast spells,¡± Bardar explained, trying to turn out his words enthusiastically, but failing to spell out anything other than a calm voice. ¡°There are two principal methods. The first is the outdated approach of practising over and over until you learn to shape the mana through the force of will alone.¡± Bardar reached over to a small wooden box sitting beside him, his clothes still damp from the earlier dousing. ¡°Let me show you the better way,¡± he said, lifting the lid to retrieve a small object. It was a spinning top made of polished ash wood, with delicate traceries etched along the sides. ¡°This is an anchor I crafted,¡± Bardar explained eagerly, holding up the top between two fingers about the size of a plum, perfectly balanced, with a slender point on the bottom. The orb¡¯s voice swelled with obvious pride as he displayed his creation. ¡°An anchor is an object you imbue with your mana, allowing you to practise shaping and directing magical energy more easily. It acts as a conduit, giving you greater control compared to trying to form raw spells from your inner reserves alone.¡± Bardar¡¯s eyes seemed to glow as he continued. ¡°To make an anchor, you must choose a material with innate mystical properties, like ash wood. Then you instil it with-¡± ¡°What the hell are you babbling about?¡± His smile paused as the door opened and Cellia walked in. ¡° What are you doing here?¡± He flinched a little, seeing her like this, afraid she would wash him again. ¡° I was free and¡­ why are your clothes still wet?¡± ¡°Why do you think so? Anyway, don¡¯t disturb me when I am teaching.¡± Bardar looked back, and while holding up the top, he concentrated for a moment. The intricate etchings shone with a soft blue light as mana flowed from the orb into the spinning top. ¡°Here, I will show you.¡± Placing the glowing top on the ground, he flicked his finger to send it spinning in a rapid circle. ¡°With my mana stored inside, I can direct simple spells through the anchor, like this.¡± Bardar made a sweeping gesture, and the spinning top began leaving a shimmering trail of icy frost behind it as it whirled across the floor. ¡°You see now?¡± he asked Rayen excitedly. ¡°We will have far more control this way. In present times, mages craft their anchors to make spell casting much easier to master.¡± The top wobbled and fell still, its glow diminishing as Bardar pulled the mana back into his body. ¡°Hey, listen¡­¡± ¡°Shss ¡­ not now.¡± Bardar¡¯s eyes lit up, eager to explain more about anchors. ¡°They are, at most, a fancier version of wands, though we don¡¯t use such terms too often these days. The principles remain the same, but anchors can take any form¨C- like this broom here.¡± Ignoring the women beside him, he picked up an ordinary-looking broom that had been lying on the floor nearby. ¡°With the right runes etched into the stick, it can become an exceptional anchor. Runes allow for near-instantaneous spell casting.¡± Under Rayen¡¯s eyes, a trickle of mana flowed from the brown orb into the broom. The runes etched along the handle glowed a little. Suddenly, the broom seemed to take on a life of its own, sweeping up dust around the room. ¡°The broom acts as my anchor, directing the mana into a simple animation spell,¡± ¡°Bardar, what I want to say is¡­¡± Not listening to her at all. Bardar picked up a pendant from the box. ¡°Anchors can also be jewellery, too. Let me show you.¡± He poured mana into the necklace, causing it to glimmer. A gentle breeze began circulating through the room, drying Bardar¡¯s sodden clothes. Cellia¡¯s eyes gleamed at the pendant, with a small thought of getting a gift like that. ¡°This pendant channels air magic. Imbuing anchors with your mana allows you to control what type of spells you cast.¡± At this moment, a force grabbed his head and turned it sideways. A beautiful face with blue hair greeted him up close as warm breaths hit his face. ¡°What I am trying to say is, what the hell are you blabbing this nonsense for?¡± ¡°Huh!?¡± ¡°Even I feel my head spinning. Look, even he is confused.¡± Finally, Bardar turned and, seeing Rayen¡¯s blank stare, Bardar tapped his head from his free hand as if just remembering something. ¡°Oh, I forgot to explain the standard ranks used for mages and knights, thanks to a certain brute...¡± He wanted to continue, but Cellia was not done. ¡° Did you seriously know how to teach?¡± ¡°What do you mean? I explained everything¡± ¡° And it flows over the bridge like a tsunami of words.¡± Her eyes twitched seeing him still not understanding the point. ¡° Even a normal adult would have trouble understanding what you just ¡®explained¡¯. Do you really think Rayen can understand what you just said? Like at all?¡± She turned his head to the third person and, seeing the stares of Rayen, silence fell into the room. ¡° Um-hm., right, since our focus is on the older ways, all this talk of anchors doesn¡¯t apply to us.¡± Feeling Cellia¡¯s hand tightening around his face, Bardar hastily pulled away, lest she crushed his head, and took out a strange black metal ball from the wooden box and set it on the floor in front of Rayen. Made of some dark, unearthly material that shimmered as it caught the light, strange symbols etched across its surface in silvery script. As Rayen watched, the etched symbols glowed with a soft violet light. Before his eyes, the glow intensified until thin tendrils of light started wafting up from the sphere like vapour rising from a lake on a frosty morning. These wisps curled and bent in the air, being drawn inward as if sucked into an invisible vortex. Soon, all the shining threads got pulled inside the metal ball, and its surface dimmed for a moment before the glimmer returned. Rayen continued staring, transfixed, as the mystical sphere repeated this cycle over and over. More shining wisps rose from the glowing runes, only to be inhaled again into the dark depths of the metal orb. Bardar cupped the smooth metallic sphere in his palm and focused. He began gathering mana, drawing it from the surroundings like glistening mist. The wispy tendrils converged above his palm, swirling faster and faster around the shimmering ball. With deft motions of his fingers, Bardar shaped the spinning mana into a thin, condensed ring, wrapping with force around the sphere. The magical energy compressed under his expert direction. He manipulated the mana as easily as a potter moulds clay upon a wheel. The swirling ring of mana grew brighter as Bardar increased its velocity until the metallic surface enclosed within began to warp and stretch. The magical pressure deformed the pliable dark metal, pressing it inward. Bardar¡¯s expression remained placid, betraying no strain as he coordinated the swirling mana with elegant gestures. Under his masterful control, the sphere indented further, crumpling under the focused mana constricting it. Within moments, the once smooth orb became pockmarked with deep gashes and grooves from the crushing force. Yet still the mana ring spun, dense and burning, directed by Bardar¡¯s deft movements. Finally, Bardar lifted his fingers, and the spinning ring dissipated in a flash. The mangled sphere lost its supernatural glow as the mana reabsorbed into his orb. With a casual wave of his hand, Bardar reshaped the metal back into a perfect orb, erasing all evidence of damage. Mystical metal endlessly deformed under his skilled hands. Even Cellia can only marvel at this, but she still didn¡¯t forget to ask. ¡°This thing is useful, right? You are not just doing it for the sake of doing it, right?¡± ¡°Meaning? Y-Yes, of course, it had a meaning.¡± He felt something obnoxious as soon as he started and corrected himself. ¡° What I want to show is that with proper technique, your mana not only can overwhelm any leeching, but also exert physical pressure. A neat trick to flex your strength, if you ask me.¡± ¡°I see¡± Cellia nodded with dead eyes which creeped him out. ¡° And it is useful for Rayen because¡­?¡± ¡° B-because the crystals seal his body, some of which are feeble. If he didn¡¯t keep such things in mind, then the crystals might break at weak points.¡± To avoid looking at her, Bardar shifted his attention and placed the pristine sphere onto Rayen¡¯s bed. ¡°Your training will be about how to guard your inner mana against being tapped. Stop the passive outflow before attempting to direct the mana.¡± Bardar placed the sphere into Rayen¡¯s palm. ¡°Observe closely now,¡± he said. As soon as the cool metal touched Rayen¡¯s skin, it began glowing, although dimmer than before. The boy felt gentle currents of warmth seeming to move toward the ball. It drew his nascent mana outward. But Bardar swiftly intervened, extending a tendril of his mana to block the leaching effect. ¡°Without resistance, it will drain your reserves dry,¡± he warned. ¡°You¡¯ve awakened your mana now, so you must maintain a minimum amount in your body or face backlash. Now you try¨C- to stop your mana from being leached away. But stop the exercise if you feel any discomfort.¡± But Rayen was no longer focused on Bardar¡¯s words. His attention had turned inward, sensing the radiating warmth flowing just under his skin. When he tried to restrain the currents, he encountered fierce resistance as they stubbornly persisted in moving toward the sphere. Suddenly, a new swell of warmth entered his palm, mixing with the first. This vital influx swirled around, pulling the drained heat back up his arm until it collected near his heart. After a pulse, it flowed again until it reached near the metal ball before being pulled away again, forming a cycle. The warring currents created a mesmerising equilibrium of energy throughout his body. Unnoticed by them, the sun began its descent. *** In the endless void of Rayen''s inner world, his wispy grey form floated without any direction, as usual. But now, the metallic sphere from reality had manifested within his ghostly hands. Rayen contemplated the strange object and the elusive warmth it sapped from the glowing golden orb at his core. This inner warmth moved with fluidity, drifting toward the metal ball just as the brown orb had described. Here, Rayen could direct the currents with ease, like swimming through water. Yet when he tried to halt the outward flow into the sphere, the warmth resisted, like swimming through mercury. The dark-coloured metal kept drawing the mana, as if compelled by otherworldly laws. Rayen focused on stopping the transfer, but made little headway. The warmth poured forth unabated. If Rayen''s phantom form could reflect expression, he would have furrowed his brow in consternation. Time passed, but the stalemate persisted. The brown orb''s instructions proved simpler to speak than to accomplish, and so the stalemate persisted. After an indeterminate time, Rayen finally glanced back toward the glowing golden orb - the source of the elusive inner warmth. He sensed the orb was constantly generating and releasing fresh energy to replace what the sphere had leached away. Under his scrutinising gaze, the golden orb seemed to shudder ever so little, as if in protest at being forced to produce such an unending supply. But try as he might, Rayen could detect no way to lessen its output. The orb radiated endless warmth, like the sun shedding ceaseless light. With no other recourse, Rayen returned to his repetitive ritual of trying to restrain the outward flow into the sphere with little success. The cycle stretched on without end or progress. An eternity seemed to pass in the timeless void. *** The next day, once again, Bardar drifted into Rayen¡¯s room, his expression a mask of calm despite inner turmoil roiling beneath the surface. Only the slightest tension in his jaw betrayed the lingering upset from yesterday''s incident. He moved to place a polished wooden box on the floor with deliberate care, as if any sudden motion might crack his fragile facade. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Cellia trailed after him, crystal blue eyes clouded with guilt. She chewed her lip, grasping for the right words to pierce Bardar''s armour of false equanimity. "You''re not as fine as you''re pretending to be," she finally said with the barest quiver in her voice. "I should never have lost control of my magic like that and washed you away." She finally said the word. These were what she wanted to say yesterday when she first came to Rayen¡¯s room, but when she heard his constant rambling about anchors, the thoughts eluded her mind, as she swept with the flow. ¡® No, I was just running.¡¯ She shook her head at the thought. Bardar didn''t meet her gaze, busying himself with aligning the box just so next to Rayen''s bedside. "It was nothing," he replied breezily, but the nonchalance felt forced. "Just an accident." Cellia''s shoulders slumped. She had hoped for at least a flicker of honest emotion, some crack in his polished veneer. Sucking in a breath, she tried again. "I''m trying to make amends here. Won''t you tell me something I can do? Anything to brighten your mood again?" That finally provoked a reaction, Bardar''s head jerking up in surprise as he remembered a package he had received some time ago and ideas already churning in his mind. "Actually, there is something..." Cellia fixed her eyes on him with a sceptical look, sensing the devious gears already whirring to life in his brain. "Nothing weird now," she warned. "I''ll plump you again if you make me regret this." But Bardar just hummed with innocence. Lost in anticipation of whatever mysterious idea he had conceived. In fact, he had been waiting for this moment since last night when he came up with such a plan. Bardar and Cellia then finally focused on the third person in the room, their cheerful greetings ringing out in tandem. Bardar moved to the bedside and picked up the strange metallic sphere that had become a fixture by Rayen''s side. Gently, he placed the innocuous-looking orb into the boy''s open palm. He opened his mouth to offer some instruction or encouragement to the concentrating child. But before any words emerged, Bardar paused, eyes widening as if in dawning realisation. Noticing the abrupt change in demeanour, Cellia asked, "What''s wrong? Did something happen to Rayen?" Bardar shook his head, taken aback by his finding. "It''s just...I think Rayen may be starting to resist the mana absorption," surprise coloured his tone. "That''s impossible! It''s only been two days! There''s no way he could manage that yet." Cellia scoffed at this claim. Undeterred, Bardar gestured for her to check for herself. Though not on Bardar¡¯s level of control, Cellia possessed enough innate magical sensitivity to perceive impressions through physical contact. With an indulgent sigh, Cellia rested her palms on Rayen''s shoulders. Closing her eyes, she focused her awareness, trying to detect the flows moving between the boy and the sphere. At first, she felt nothing unexpected. But then, deep within, she became aware of the subtlest pushback against the sphere''s constant pull. Difficult to perceive, yet the small turbulent undercurrents gathered strength against the overwhelming tide. Gasping, Cellia jerked her hands back as if burned, eyes flying open. "You''re already doing it?!" she cried in delight and astonishment. "I can''t believe you''re resisting the absorption!" In her excitement, she swept Rayen into an enthusiastic hug. But the sudden embrace broke the boy''s fragile concentration. Without his fledgling control to hold it back, the pent-up mana released in a rush into the greedy metal ball. Cellia opened her mouth, ready to shower Rayen with enthusiastic praise over his rapid progress. But the words died on her lips as she noticed Bardar''s expression. He was staring at the metal sphere resting in Rayen''s palm, his face etched with some indecipherable mix of emotions. Cellia fell silent, her elation dimming. At that moment, she remembered Bardar''s dedicated efforts back at the academy, holding those metal spheres day in and day out. It took him a long time, two years to be exact, before he could show something noteworthy to his professors, who all just seemed to dismiss his efforts. "Are you okay?" she asked, studying his tense expression. "You had a really strange look just now." Bardar blinked a few times before replying, as if emerging from deep thought. "I''m fine, don''t worry," he said with a reassuring smile that didn''t quite reach his eyes. "It''s just incredible to see such rapid talent manifest right before me. A veritable genius in the making. Let''s continue where we left off yesterday," he said, extending his mana to mingle with the energy flowing between Rayen and the sphere. As he guided the lesson, the odd moment seemed forgotten. His enthusiasm returned. The memories of the past also soured Cellia¡¯s mood and so she just stood by, muted as the lesson continued to progress. Until an idea came to her and she left the duo. *** A few days later, in the kitchen, usually a place where Bella cooks but for the onlookers, it becomes more of the spectacular show of floating knives and a ton of ingredients, all dancing to the happy tunes of her voice while the room gets filled with smell which makes one''s soul be at peace. But today¡¯s atmosphere was something different as instead of the old lady, a lady with short blue hair wearing an equally blue apron with azure hues in the corner. Cellia asked Bella to have her make all the food by herself despite the latter¡¯s offering to do some side dishes. The reason for doing this was also very simple. Si¨½ce last week when she washed away Bardar with her magic, she wanted to apologise, but her attempt resulted in souring the mood for both of them. So this time she decided that actions speak louder than words, and when one wants to improve someone''s mood, the best way is to follow their stomach. And so here she was, cooking the favourite dish of Bardar, a Curry. The only problem is. ¡°Should I sing some little tunes, too?¡± Looking at the book Bella handed her, Cellia can¡¯t help but doubt the recipe''s authenticity. In the past, she had also tried to make sense of the steps. It¡¯s not her first attempt to make a curry, but even though she made it when she first found out about his favourite dish, she didn''t understand why he got food poisoning. ¡®He definitely ate something outside. There¡¯s no other way he could have got food poisoning otherwise.¡¯ The recipe in the notebook was very simple and the most basic one and that¡¯s the hardest part for her to believe, for she too had tasted Bella¡¯s curry and the taste was just too magical to be described by mere words. She looked at the only line of words which was marked as secret ingredients and her confusion just compounded. ¡®A joyful mood has magic of its own.¡¯ ¡°Should have taken her offer to help.¡± Words were so simple but easier said than done. Yet she tried to take Bella''s advice, imagining Bardar showering her with praise as he took the first heavenly bite. Maybe he would even ask her on a date, flashing his handsome smile. A dreamy expression crossed Cellia''s face at the thought, but she soon composed herself and, seeing no one was looking, focused back on the task at hand while making sure not to lose her attention like the last time she had made it. *** Outside Rayen¡¯s room, the golden labra looked at the doorknob and reached out with her mouth and turned it sideways. A muted, rhythmic click resonated through the corridor as the door surrendered to her and the wooden door swung open, its ancient hinges protesting with a mellow groan. Rays of daylight streamed into the room, revealing the inviting interior bathed in a warm amber glow. Entering through the gap, Cherry tippy-towed her way towards the only inhabitant of this room, a brown-haired boy lying on the bed with a black metal ball floating above his left hand, not a bit concerned about the intruder. As every dog says, one needs to introduce itself before they get down to sprinting, so Cherry as the faithful follower of the dog¡¯s sayings, placed her butt on the wooden floor, brought forth her chest, lowered her ears and enlarged her eyes and finally with a swing of her tail which matches with her swaying golden fur, released a small ¡°Woof!¡± Not a deafening noise, yet sufficient for an average person to take notice. Well, an average person. Rayen was still concentrating the mana flow towards the ball and was not interested in the noises surrounding him. ¡°Woof!¡± Cherry knew this human was a little slow to start with and again released her voice but this time with more depth to it. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Woof!¡± ¡°¡­.¡± . . . ¡°Wwoofff¡­!¡± ¡°¡­¡± . . . ¡°WOOOFFF!!¡± ¡°¡­¡± This human is stupid, Cherry concluded after thirty minutes of woofing around. Even her wet tongue got dried in the air, but this guy on the bed didn¡¯t even blink. A great humiliation for the dog with the shiniest golden fur in the world. She had to do something quick, but what? She finally glanced at the ball in Rayen¡¯s hands and her eyes shined with brilliance. Running her eyes around the room, she found the box Bardar carried with him and sunk her entire face into it. Finally grabbed the same ball with her mouth and brought it near the bed and placed it near Rayen¡¯s right hand. Under her eager look, Rayen¡¯s eyes finally moved, shifted to his right hand and the ball near it. Cherry released a relieved breath as the second ball lifted from the bed and floated above Rayen¡¯s right hand and decided to introduce herself again. ¡°Woof!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Cherry¡¯s head slumped onto the bed¡¯s edge as her eyes looked at the human, who started to float two balls. ¡®This piece of black ball is more interesting than my golden fur? It¡¯s neither soft nor warm, but hard and cold.¡¯ Putting her head away from the bed, she scratched her left ear with her legs like a baffled human thinking about his next course of action, but nothing came to her. Bella also once warned her not to jump into this human ¡®otherwise¡­¡¯ Cherry then brought her face close to the boy and her nose blew air into his face, but Rayen didn¡¯t seem to notice. She then used her long tongue and licked his face, nope, still not giving her an eye. Releasing a low growl, once again she slumped into Rayen¡¯s bed but maybe because this time most of her body impacted the bed instead of just her head, the vibrations were much stronger than before and it made Rayen disturbed enough to knock out his control over the second ball and it rolled into bed. Cherry, with a downcast look, made her body stand up and grabbed the ball again, trying to crush it between her jaws. How the hell is this thing more interesting than her? As the dog started releasing her frustration on the innocent metal ball by crushing it between her jaws, her eyes paused as she met with the brown eyes of the human. He seems to be gazing at her without blinking, or rather the ball in her mouth. Another frustrated sound and Cherry got close to Rayen¡¯s right hand like finally giving in to a demand from a child and placed the ball back into his hands, who once again suspended the black sphere in the air. ¡®Wait¡­¡¯ Cherry¡¯s ears perked up and her eyes changed between the boy and the ball and decided to do something different. She grabbed the metal ball into her mouth and moved her head to the edge of the bed. Looking at the human, it fixed his brown eyes on the ball in her mouth as expected. Filled with energy, Cherry placed the ball back, and the eyes returned to hands. Grabbing the ball again, the eyes on her, placing it back, the eyes not on her, she took the ball to the edge of the room and as expected; the eyes were on her. Finally, her eyes shined with the brilliance of the dog finding the stick and after placing the ball back into Rayen¡¯s hands, she ran off outside the room. On the other hand, Rayen didn¡¯t give much thought to all these things that just occurred and concentrated on the two balls. Controlling his mana to suspend two balls using the mana is not something he can do very well, and thus requires a singular mind to it. But after some time, in the middle of his efforts to get these things right, something disturbed him again. Something snatched both metal balls from his control and so his eyes finally shifted to the culprit, a very big sphere of ash-black colour. Its size was the second biggest Rayen had seen till now. The golden orb was as big as four heads, but the orb in front of him was half of that. But the size was not the thing Rayen cared about at all but the metal spheres that it took from him. Instead of giving them back, the ash-black orb dropped a book in front of him. Before long, the orb opened the book and pointed at the first symbol before releasing a strange sound. ¡°Woof!¡± A strange sound that made no sense to him, and so he stared. The thing he knew the best. Then the orb finally placed the metal ball back into his hands, but before long, she took it again and once again pointed at the first letter of the book with the same strange sounds. ¡°Woof!¡±. At times, even the canine companion must soil its paws. Cherry, the loyal adherent to the sacred dog code, deemed it one of those moments. She pointed her paw at the very first letter of ¡°Woof and Woofs of Cherry'''' and again did the pronunciation for the slow human to understand. But since that guy gives her a blank response every time, she took the metal ball from his hands and put her paws on the similar imprint of her legs in the book and released a muffled woof. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°grr¡­¡± Repetition is the mother of success. What separates a good dog from a bad one is the refusal of the latter to keep jumping up till it catches the ball mid air and Cherry was not ignorant about such dog codes, which once again proved to be right as finally, finally, after more than 146 tries, the human with slowest thinking looked at the first letter of her book without her need to take the metal spheres from him. ¡°WOOOOOffff¡­!¡± Like a successful hunter, Cherry released a long howl with small tears. Finally, this human is following her paws, now he just needs to keep the ball rolling and so she put her paws on the second symbol and did the pronunciation for it, with hopeful eyes on the boy. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Grr¡­¡± That guy was still looking at where the first letter was and didn¡¯t seem to have heard her sound at all. Cherry finally decided no matter what, even if Bella ground her for another week and gave her nothing more than pickles every time-¡¯no breakfast, only breakfasts,¡¯ Cherry refused to be a good girl anymore and grabbed the metal ball again in her jaws, this time her teeth sunk into the metal. Putting her paw on the second symbol, she remembered again what the dog code says, ¡®If the human can¡¯t keep up with your speed, you drag him with your leash.¡¯ *** Meanwhile, as Cherry confronted the challenges of human training with an unruly dog, Bella sat in her study room while her grandson, Bardar, looked at her with questioning eyes. ¡°Grandma, I heard from Cellia that you told the other elders to stop with their search.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, my dear. Is there something that bothers you?¡± ¡°Grandma, it is not that I don¡¯t trust your judgement, but we can¡¯t stop the search for Rayen¡¯s origin.¡± Bella stood up and reached the window. Looking at the garden outside before finally asking. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Grandma, Rayen is different.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°No, Grandma, you are still underestimating him.¡± Bella finally looked back at him and noticed a small unease hidden in his eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t know if we can call it talent, but it is ¡­ scary.¡± ¡° Bardar¡­¡± ¡°I have been teaching him for six days but the amount of progress he has shown is what I cannot even achieve in 6 years and that is only if I just shut myself in to train and nothing else. Mere genius isn''t sufficient to capture the essence of his character. I don¡¯t know how, but as long as I can show him, he can do it the next day.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Each of his tiny movements is precise to the point like he has been practising over the long years. It''s not possible to achieve that by just talent alone. And this is when most of his body is sealed by the crystal. We need to find out his origin!¡± ¡° Bardar.¡± Bella finally stopped his relentless words and, with her wrinkled hands, pulled the drawer and handed him an already opened letter. Seeing it like this, Bardar took it from her hand and read with furrowed brows. We are done with the initial searching in and out of the surrounding areas of the Alliance; the results were negative as far as human territory is concerned. The next phase of the search was going to take some time, but we are preparing our personnel for penetrations into territories of other species. ¡°Do you know what this report from years long search doesn¡¯t say?¡± Seeing Bardar done reading the content, Bardar said in a calm voice as she stood from her seat and came to the window with her back facing her grandchild. ¡°Numbers, my child. Painted in pure red, which cannot act as an ink for this letter.¡± ¡°¡­are there any casualties?¡± ¡°Five towns with heavy casualties and dozens of smaller villages just vanished as those old guys tried to dig into anything not in their visible sight. And that¡¯s when they went with maximum force, even in small areas. To go beyond human territory, the best way is to negotiate, but you know those races. The next best is sending spies or small groups of mercenaries. Many would be just marching on their deaths as they tried to enter the forbidden areas of other species.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I am getting old, Bardar. The Sands of Thar is screaming in my ears and I don¡¯t have the energy to divert the attention to another continent like I used to do.¡± Bardar opened and closed his mouth multiple times, but couldn''t force any words out from his dry throat. Seeing the weak shoulders of his grandmother, he struggled to overlap her outlines with the figure who always used to stand tall despite the odds stacked against her. ¡°I promised you after all, when you take over Thar, you would not need to spill any blood. I will just focus on that for now.¡± Why were their lives changed like this? This is the question he always asked himself. Things were moving so well, like dreams coming true. Instead, it became a nightmare. Now, the pot was boiling again, like another storm in the making, but Bardar was more worried about Bella. Last time, she was there to control the fallout, but he couldn¡¯t just see her take the burden anymore. ¡°Grandma, I think I will go to Oasis.¡± *** Chapter 8: Professionals Have Standards In Rayen¡¯s World. When Bella ends the day with her last story, he always returns to this endless world. It¡¯s a tragedy that this world, covered by the canvas of beautiful colours, lacks a person who can admire that beauty. Someone who can marvel at them, admire them and uncover the mystery about them. They radiate a hue of colour they have, like to fill the endless void of this world with the multitude of colours. Like a breathing cycle, they brighten themselves like tiny suns, but then it might be because this world is just so big that their strengths fall short and they have to give up, and thus, the world dims, allowing the darkness to conquer this uncharted land. It¡¯s like the world only contained darkness that appeared and disappeared, and the canvas as the sky which breathed colours and vanquished the dark, both in a perennial state of war for the control of this world. And then there was a drifting anomaly called Rayen, in his greyish-smokey body that resembled a human. Unconcerned as always, the rays of myriad colours that fell into his greyish form couldn¡¯t unnerve him, and neither could the darkness that followed. He once looked up towards the vast sky, but never admired it, for he didn¡¯t know how. Bathing in the silence of darkness, he never felt scared, for he was born in darkness. He knew many words, taught by Bella and Cellia. He could identify many things by looking at them, for he knew what the dark was and what the light was. But never did he ever stop and ask himself what they signified. Like asking a child what¡¯s breathing or moving his hand. He can do both if one asks for it, but can¡¯t explain the how and what. For he never thinks much, and why should he? He was born in eternal darkness. If he ever felt the need to talk or think, that will to think ended as he roamed the endless world without meeting another soul. At one point, it became the only life that he ever knew. Just him and the void, that¡¯s all he had, all that he would ever have, at least until he met Bella and everything changed. Now, when drifting, he would anticipate the moment he could see others, Bardar, Cellia. For them to stay longer, he would try to do what they told him to. It always worked, and they all stayed with him. He didn¡¯t care what else they did in the meantime, for he just wanted to admire them. And that¡¯s why he doesn¡¯t like the one called Cherry, for she stopped him from doing the things that can make him be with others. But that¡¯s just a minor episode as Bella pulled her away when he finished with his fifth eye blink. It was now a cycle for him, practise till others appeared, admire them as they have him do something, repeat until everyone disappeared, and keep doing it till he saw them again. This is how he lived and how he will live. That¡¯s how it was all supposed to be until a change happened. As he was practising with his metal spheres, he felt warmth pulsating through his body. He looked down at his chest and found the golden orb nestled in his chest, thumping. And with each thump, a warmth coursed through his entire being and radiant light pierced through his greyish body and made its existence known to the world. Small ripples surged through its inside that soon turned into turbulent waves and the orb moved. Passing through the smokiness of his body, the orb floated in front of him. The light that it released bent and circled, forming a vortex with the open end being towards the sky. From the size of a few centimetres, the vortex enlarged to several hundred metres high. And then it started. Like a hungry beast awakened from its slumber, the vortex opened its mouth wide and released a suction with all its strength. Its target was not the grey Rayen, nor the metal spheres beside him, but the very sky itself. A deep rumbling sound reverberated across this ever-silent world as different hues of the multi-coloured sky started moving towards the vortex. The force was so strong that it peeled the hues from the canvas above and mixed with the golden colour of the vortex. Sky seemed to have the will of its own as the hues became concentrated into a much darker colour and the hues on the verge of being pulled into the vortex froze midair before they moved back into the canvas. The vortex responded with even more intense suction. The world became a mess, like an artist throwing a fit, the colours spilled everywhere. One even passed through Rayen¡¯s body, though that failed to taint his greyish form. But the vortex didn¡¯t give up and its size expanded and before long, it was a few kilometres wide and the resistance of the sky became useless and even more colours ended up being pulled. Then a sound of rumbling entered Rayen¡¯s ears. He looked up and unknown to him; the sky had changed. The myriad canvas rotated around the vortex while the dark clouds appeared instead. Within them, lightning flashed from time to time and kept getting brighter and brighter. And then, with a loud roaring sound, it struck the vortex that was swallowing the vibrant colours. The force materialised in front of Rayen and sent him flying, along with everything close to the vortex. The vortex became slow and pale. ¡°YOU!¡± As he was flying back, the sound of an unknown woman entered his ears. ¡°How dare mere fragments of soul dare to resist me!¡± Another rumbling resounded from the sky and hit on the vortex. This time, the vortex collapsed as soon as lightning smashed into it, and the culprit appeared. No longer in its golden colour, its surface reflected the colours that were once a part of the sky. The moment the vortex disappeared, the dark cloud receded back and thus the hues of colours returned to the canvas of sky. Rayen, meanwhile, finally stopped his body and found tranquillity returning to his world. He looked to his side and found the metal spheres in the distance. But before he could do anything else, the orb appeared in his front, with its surface boiling with different colours and sunk into his chest. The moment it touched his body, the greyness evaporated like ice meeting hot magma. But that¡¯s just the after-effect as the now mixed colours branched out from the orb. They roamed on his body like tiny snakes with a bunch of them concentrated on his top. The moment they reached his head, they divided into countless threads before intertwining among themselves. Rayen felt dizzy and unusual heaviness. In his head, beneath the usual greyness, one could see the outline of what appeared to be a brain, made with colours from the sky and connected to it, the dense mesh of lines that spread throughout his body. The rainbow coloured eyes replaced his otherwise hollow black eyes, which felt too heavy for him to open. He felt the urge to close them, and his consciousness began to fade. When he was about to close them, he felt something rush into his head, but he was too tired to do anything and fell asleep. *** In the innermost land of Terralea, surrounded by mountains on every side, a small river flowed in the deep valley with crystal clear water that reflected the moonlight in the dark of night. Along with the moonlight, the water also reflected the bright light from the many runes on the high, reinforced walls. A group of flying beasts flew from one side, passing over the river, with their riders on the top, their wings making gusts of wind and ripples appeared in the water. There were ?five beasts, each holding a group of twelve men on its back. Covered from head to toe in dark red-coloured robes with only their glistening blue eyes visible from the darkness. The leader who stood on the first beast had a four-star badge on his chest, the symbol of the second highest rank of power one could attain. But that didn¡¯t stop his eyes from scrutinising every single thing below despite this being his twentieth time passing through here. How can he not? This place, known as ¡®Nebula¡¯ was the most guarded of the alliance and sometimes called The Centre of the World. In another place, he could be a person worthy of respect, but here he was, just a leader of a patrolling unit. One among many. Inside the reinforced walls, groups of knights and mages kept patrolling throughout the year. Trespassing here was nothing less than the declaration of war against the alliance. In one of the deepest places, a figure of a woman with long hair lay in peace on the highest quality bed. Each strand of her hair was of a different colour, other than black. But the most noticeable was not her hair but her dress. An off-shoulder dress with sleeves that wrap around the upper arms, leaving her shoulders and collarbone exposed.A mystical, smoke-foggy essence enshrouded the fabric of her clothes. A delicate mist atop its surface, creating an entrancing play of opacity and translucency. The smoke-fog-like tendrils wrapped around the fabric, lending it an ever-shifting appearance. Her delicate features had otherworldly beauty, entangled by the deep frown on her sleeping face. Slowly, the woman opened her eyes, but only up to half a point. But that was enough for her eyes to be glimpsed at. They were the same as Rayen¡¯s eyes, in colours of a rainbow but brighter. She stretched her arms as a deep yawn emanated from her rosy mouth, contradicting her beauty. She ignored her dishevelled posture and gazed into the distance. A deep sigh left her mouth mixed with tiredness. She turned her head and looked towards her left, which seemed to pierce past the walls and the distance as the sleeping body of a boy appeared in her vision. ¡°If I knew you were going to be this troublesome, I would never have allowed you to enter my world.¡± Her eyes got tired as she spoke. She turned back and let her eyes be and once again receded into her sleep. *** Rayen opened his eyes. The darkness of night was still present, but that was even more good for him. As he felt the mana inside him, everything remained the same as he practised. From the total amount to the murkiness. He knew what he needed to do next, and under his will, the mana surged to cover his body. Moving through his many tendons and muscles, it made its way into his legs and hands. As he raised his left arm, he heard a crackling sound. He ignored the constant crackling sounds, not because he knew what they represented, but because he knew nothing was getting broken. He had practised it until he could execute it with his whole body, and he kept repeating it even after that. From his heart thumping minuscule amounts of blood to the brittle bones that, at most, could sustain his weight, he was all too familiar with them. When he first woke up in his inner world, he felt something was different, but he couldn¡¯t tell what. But there were already some memories inside his brain, something about how to move and he decided to just practise it. He supported his body with his arms and changed his posture to sitting. From here, he needed to make his mana support his bones or else they would collapse, irrespective of whether he tried to move them or not. A sound of glass grinding echoed in his body, audible only to him. His knees were being rubbed against the bones, and thus he needed to make a protective cover around them, to prevent them from wearing and tearing. With an effort from his hands, his body left the bed, and the legs touched the ground. But he never practised walking and thus, despite knowing what to do, his balance shifted to the front and he fell. He avoided colliding into the furniture as Bardar removed them earlier to make room for kneeling beside him. By using his hands, he got on his knees, with a figure that wobbled with every effort. He tried to stand up. It took some effort and the support of the bed, but he stood up. However, he fell as soon as he let go of the bed and needed to keep holding it. It was a little hard to see because of the lack of proper light, but his goal was clear. With the bed supporting him, he raised his legs and walked towards the door. It took more effort than before. And soon reached the edge and paused. If he continued from here, then his vision would change from the door and the thing below him would take centre stage. The thought came to his mind, a sign which would otherwise be called a fall. Undecided on how to proceed from here, he became lost in thought. And so he didn¡¯t notice the knob getting turned. Bella entered the room with confused eyes as she heard strange sounds from Rayen¡¯s room. She thought Cherry was trying to do something in Rayen¡¯s room and decided to make the sourest food for her. Her thoughts stopped in the middle, as her body froze at the sight of Rayen standing by the edge of the bed. Seeing her, he stepped forth, but the balance was off and started to fall. Her stupefied body flashed and appeared right beside him in an instant. She reached with her hands and pulled him into a hug. Looking down, she couldn¡¯t help but check his body for any injury. Her hands could feel the mana coursing through his body. Why was he like this? How was he moving the mana like that? So many questions came to her mind, but the eyes that were looking at him softened with moisture. The boy just stood in her embrace, without replying as she tightened her grip around him. *** ¡°How in the sands did he? do it?¡± The sound came through the living room. ¡°Stop being a party spoiler. Rayen, come to your sister here.¡± Bardar scratched his head as Rayen tried to walk towards Cellia, though he doubted his actual goal being Bella instead, who was standing just beside her. He knew no one was going to answer him about how Rayen began walking suddenly. ¡®I mean, the principal being simple and all. Nevertheless, shouldn¡¯t they be a little more curious?¡¯ ¡°And what happened to you?¡± He turned his head and found the only one with a downcast expression: Cherry. She slouched on the ground, her head resting on a book¡ªa sight he knew all too well. She made small noises to respond to him, without raising her head or swinging her tail. ¡®Am I the odd one here or the most sane one?¡¯ Bardar thought as his face twitched hearing her reply. Apparently, since her less than ideal results yesterday, she was going by the motto of the early bird catches the worm. And so woke up much earlier today and with renewed vigour grabbed her book in her mouth and walked towards Rayen¡¯s room, hoping to get some woofs into his head before Bardar came. But the moment she entered the room, she found Rayen standing while being hugged by Bella. The shock made her drop the book. Now her fear manifested in front of her. Bella would be teaching him how to walk and she would never get her chance. Bardar shook off the thoughts of living among weirdos from his mind and, since no one was worried, why should he? But he couldn''t see himself watching Rayen trying to walk all day and decided to attend to his other important things. ¡°Grandma, Cellia, I am going to my lab. Call me if you guys need anything.¡± ¡°Just like this Rayen. I can already see you running any time now.¡± ¡°Wait, Grandma, isn¡¯t it too fast? We should let him jump first.¡± Bardar sped up when the words reached his ears, lest he became the same as them. Soon he reached the door of his lab. The lab was in the basement and looked no different from others from the outside, but as soon as he opened the door, a big, well-lit space appeared in front of him, filled with all kinds of things, from smelters to the small crafting bench. At the rightmost corner, he could see another door with the words ¡®Storage Room¡¯ written on the top. On any usual day, he would go straight to the centre where all his crafting benches were, and would start working on the still half-completed golem, which was just hanging on the far left part of the room without the chains holding it. Like being glued to the air itself, with many spider-like legs above the ground. He sat on the chair and took out a small red box from the drawers. His casual expression became deep as the frowns appeared on his face. His eyes gazed deep into the box, like piercing through the cover to look inside.The fingers of his right hand tapped on the desk, which was covered in metal. He took a deep breath and held the box with his left hand and put his right hand on the lid, opening it. What appeared before his eyes were the two rings, made from ornate silver settings. They also showcase a resplendent blue-green gem at the centre, radiating an enchanted ocean glow, He took out one of them and ran his fingers over the fine metal before standing up. With a wave of his hand, a doll with loose armour appeared before him. He steadied his heart, which was beating faster and faster, and came close to the doll, kneeled on one leg.¡°My lady, would Y-you be¡­¡± As the face of a blue-haired woman overlapped with that of the doll, the words clogged in his throat. Seeing his attempt fail once again, a deep sigh left his mouth. ¡°Haa ¡­ it''s not working. Maybe I should just w-¡± ¡°Woof?¡± ¡°WHAA¡­!?¡± He screamed at the sudden sound he heard beside him, throwing him off balance and smashing his body right into the doll. ¡°Ouch¡­! Wait, where did the ring go?¡± He didn¡¯t even get the time to scream in pain as his hands moved to lift the armour in panic to find the missing ring. Fortune favoured him as he discovered the ring just a short distance away. He released a breath of relief as he held the ring with two hands. There was some dirt on it and as he tried to clean it, he felt an unknown gaze bore into his back. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. With a stiff body, he turned, only to find Cherry with her questioning gaze. ¡®Human, what are you doing?¡¯ The eyes seemed to scream at him with absolute disappointment, making him fudge with unease. He cleared his throat as he slid the ring into his pocket. ¡°Ahem! Cherry, for how long have you been watching me?¡± ¡°Woof!¡± ¡°What I was doing? Well, you see, I got these extra rings on me and so I was, umm¡­ planning to gift one to Cellia. Yes, that¡¯s all I was doing.¡± ¡°Woof!¡± ¡°What do you mean, look in your eyes and answer? I am looking at you, aren''t I?¡± Cherry looked at the man in front of her and noticed his eyes focused on the metal armour he had bumped into headfirst. But she had seen enough. She turned back, not aspiring to be associated with a weirdo, and decided to leave. But as she took her first step towards the door, Bardar grabbed her collar. ¡°Wait, since you are already here, why don¡¯t you help me?¡± She put more strength into her legs, but stopped as soon as she heard the next sentence. ¡°I will pay you.¡± ¡°Woof!¡± ¡°What!? Where the hell would I get five ml of nectar from? Do you think I can just barge into the Lady Wasp¡¯s nest like you? No, Don¡¯t go! W-what I was saying is that I am not that close to her. Yes, that¡¯s right, you are just too special to her.¡± ¡°Woof?¡± ¡°Yes, don¡¯t you see how Lady Wasp gets frozen every time you visit her? She gets dazzled by the shine of your golden fur.¡± Bardar wiped out the sweat from his face as he breathed a sigh of relief at seeing Cherry no longer walking away. ¡°How about three ml? That¡¯s my whole savings. You will give a family discount, right?¡± After a round of negotiations, Cherry at last agreed with him for three ml of nectar and a recommendation from Bardar to have Bella make something sweet. Then he positioned her in the place of the doll and kneeled. But Cherry got annoyed by him soon. ¡°Is my posture correct? I think I should do another one.¡± He kept asking the same question, alternating between both of his knees. So much that Cherry began baring her teeth, which made him flinch back a little. ¡°I am doing it, alright. How can I just put the ring on? These things take time, you know. My future depends on it. It''s delicate work.¡± He took a deep breath and when Cherry thought he would pull the ring, he said, ¡°I got it. It¡¯s your appearance that is the problem. Wait a minute.¡± He ran to the other drawer and pulled out a neat one-piece cloth that made Cherry stare with full, round eyes. Only one question came to her mind. ¡®Why does he have that?¡¯ *** Outside Bardar¡¯s lab, Bella decided to have Rayen walk all over the house while Cellia went to the kitchen to prepare for the night. ¡°Come on Rayen, this is our house¡¯s storage room, but your big brother turned it into his workshop, though he called it a lab.¡± She urged him to open this door by himself. Rayen had no problem following what she said. After all, this was his fifth time opening the door today. He already mastered this, and so put his hand on the knob and opened the door. A room with a high ceiling greeted his eyes. Larger than what he saw today but also small as various unknown things occupied the space. But instead of looking at the different things, his eyes drew to the two occupants in one corner of the room. The one called Bardar was kneeling in front of the irritable Cherry with a strange cloth on the top. Bardar had a ring in his hand while Cherry had a blue wig on her head and a blue-coloured one-piece that fit loosely on her body. Both frozen at the sight of Rayen. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Rayen? Why did you stop?¡± Bardar''s body jerked the moment he heard Bella¡¯s voice. His mana surged, and with an accompanying scream from Cherry, he threw her to the right, colliding with the door labelled "Storage", and closed the door. Bella entered the lab and found Bardar sitting in his chair near the crafting bench with a hammer in his hands. She looked at his serious face and got confused for a moment. ¡°I thought I heard Cherry¡¯s voice. Was she with you just now?¡± ¡°Cherry? I don¡¯t know. I was busy with my work.¡± He said with a straight face. Rayen found a wave on the brown orb and found it kept making fresh waves. ¡°Are you sure? I seemed to have heard something¡± ¡°That¡¯s your misconception.¡± ¡°If you say so.¡± She didn''t dwell on this much. Cherry had a habit of doing strange things and thought it might be one of those. She took Rayen¡¯s hand and walked towards the door on the right. ¡°W-wait, grandma! Where are you going?¡± Badar became flustered. ¡°To show Rayen our storage.¡± ¡°But there is nothing there. Why not go and show him the garden instead?¡± Bardar wanted to say more, but Rayen¡¯s hand was already on the knob. When Rayen opened it, the room too had many things inside, and a thick layer of dust covered everything. Except for the central portion of the floor, where a straight line cut through the dust. Bella followed suit and lifted her eyes at the scene. ¡°Did you drag something here?¡± ¡°No, it might be Cherry... didn''t you say you heard some voices.¡± ¡°Well, I will ask her later.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± ¡°Sorry?¡± ¡°No, nothing.¡± Bardar looked away as Bella¡¯s eyes dug into him. His brain ran at full capacity to find more reasons, and the messy scene of fallen wooden barrels entered his sight. ¡°I will take care of this mess. Why don¡¯t you take Rayen away? We don¡¯t want him to get dirty, right?¡± ¡°Hmm ¡­ If you say so.¡± Her eyes ran over the mess in front of them. ¡°How did she even make such a mess?¡± ¡®That¡¯s probably where she got hit after sliding.¡¯ Bardar dared not to say his thoughts. He bowed down and tried to pick one barrel, but bumped into another one since they were all placed together. ¡°Be careful!, you shouldn¡¯t¡­¡± As another barrel fell, Bella wanted to warn him but stopped. The barrel''s head came off the moment it struck the floor and its contents spilled out in front of them. A long sword, wrapped in a leather sheath. A frost formed surrounding it the moment it landed. Her eyes remained glued to the sword, covered with black leather, engraved with outlines of some beasts. Because of the dust, it was difficult to see them. Her thoughts became clouded and an irresistible urge to hold the sword overwhelmed her. But Bardar snapped her back. ¡°Grandma, STOP!!!¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡± Her eyes snapped back, only to find herself half kneeling and her left hand just a few centimetres away from picking the sword. With a forceful jerk, she backed away and held her left hand with the other. With ragged breathing, she turned to Bardar, eyes burning with anger. ¡°I told you to throw this thing away. Why is it still HERE!?¡± Under Rayen¡¯s eyes; the mana emanated from her words and mixed with them. The force made the dust fly away and struck Bardar head-on. Making him slam into the wall behind and coughing in pain as a magic shield appeared before him."G-Grandma, I..." Rayen watched as the golden orb began losing its original colour. Instead of that, a new snow-blue colour emerged from the centre and kept expanding. That colour gave him a feeling of uneasiness as his ears filled with the sound of crystals cracking. He moved his hand and grabbed on towards the golden orb, wanting to stop the unusual change. Bella¡¯s cold eyes glanced at the touch that bumped into her. A boy covered in frost came into view. With haste, she took back the frost and with a hand on Rayen¡¯s, a warmth travelled from her into him. ¡°Are you ok!? It didn''t hurt, right?¡± Rayen looked as the golden orb recovered and stopped himself. Though he didn¡¯t get the chance to do anything, he felt he didn¡¯t need to move anymore. Bella confirmed he was ok and moved to Bardar, who was on the ground. He released a small grunt as she checked up on him before making a grabbing motion and a bottle appeared in her hands. ¡°Sorry. This should help with the pain.¡± Her voice lacked empathy. ¡°I-it''s ok, I am not hurt anyway.¡± Bardar coughed as he stood up with her help. He smiled, unconcerned about whatever happened and looked at the room. ¡°In fact, I should be thankful to you, Grandma. Now I don¡¯t have to clean this room. I was planning for it in the future, but you always took care of such things before I ever could.¡± Bella sighed at him at his attempt to shift the topic. ¡°Well, I am taking Rayen back. Be sure to get ready for tonight¡¯s party. And¨C¡± ¡°Throw that trash away. It has no use in this house.¡± She rubbed her left hand with a soft touch and gave a last glance at the sword. Without waiting for his answer, she took Rayen away. Her steps were fast, almost like running away from this place. Bardar waited for them to leave and walked towards the sword. It lay in the now cleared space. He picked it up, and the frost formed on his hand. A small roar echoed in his ears as soon as he touched the sword. With a wry smile, and in an almost inaudible voice, he said, ¡°How could I?¡± *** The night soon came. The house was lit with lights and joyous decorations from outside. Bardar and Cellia had been working on this for some time. The initial party for Rayen¡¯s recovery was supposed to be given much earlier, but it kept getting delayed. Today, despite much of the work still needing completion, they all decided the moment had come. Though Bella and Cellia were the only ones who felt the decorations were lacking. Bardar felt it already exceeded expectations. While Cherry, who just wanted to eat, instead had to bring various decorations and help with the work. ¡°Rayen, pick your glass like this, and when we say cheers, touch it with ours.¡± Bella was busy instructing Rayen, who was wearing a black suit with a small bow tie around his neck. She wore a new snow-white attire with loose sleeves. In the front, Bardar also wore a black suit with well-combed hair, almost the same as Rayen. He kept his top button open. As Bella was busy looking at Rayen, Bardar was busy staring at the person beside him. Cellia was wearing a long dark blue one-piece with much of her tender white hands visible. ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Under Bardar¡¯s eyes, Cellia¡¯s fair skin glowed with a tint of red, with a smooth neckline behind her short hairs. Seeing her eyes filled with thin mist, his heart thumped, whose sound overwhelmed the sound from outside. He took a deep breath, and for the first time, decided to be honest with himself. ¡° You ¡­ look beautiful.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± she smiled hearing him and looked away. Her institution told her that something was different about him today. But that didn¡¯t stop the warm feeling rising inside her chest. Even her face felt a little hot. For unknown reasons, she felt her skin too thin today and was unable to maintain her usual demeanour and shifted her eyes to the table. There were many types of food placed on it, from all kinds of seafood to Curries, but her eyes then threw to one particular dish, Shahi Paneer. It was creamy, fragrant curry embracing tender paneer cubes, a symphony of cashew, tomato, and aromatic spices. ¡®I don¡¯t remember making it?¡¯ She grabbed the opportunity to change the topic. ¡°Did Grandma make that? I don¡¯t remember seeing her make something like that.¡± ¡°Um¡­I made it.¡± ¡°You can cook?¡± ¡°A little,¡± He scratched his head with a sheepish face which raised her eyebrows. ¡°It¡¯s your favourite dish, right? So I thought maybe¡­¡± ¡°You know about it?¡± A little surprise flashed on her face, she didn¡¯t expect him to know since she never told him about it. ¡°Well, considering how close we are, it''s only natural that I would know." ¡°U-m¡­¡± ¡®Right, we are close¡­close.¡¯ She felt blood rushing into her head. She got distracted for a second and didn¡¯t notice that her right hand was touching the hot soup. ¡°Be careful.¡± Bardar grabbed her hand. She looked at him as he examined her hand with a serious look and felt the warmth from his hands. At this time, Bella¡¯s voice reached her ears and she hastily pulled her hand back. ¡°Ahem! Now let¡¯s all raise our glasses.¡± Bardar and Cellia both followed and from the corner, Cherry also grabbed her empty bowl and raised it with them. The party was small, and Bella felt the stares of Cherry from her side and felt they shouldn¡¯t waste the time with words, and decided against the round of speeches she planned. Nevertheless, despite all this, the party took more than 3 hours for them to conclude. They had to stop as she didn¡¯t want to put a strain on Rayen. She took him to his room and Cherry followed after her while Bardar and Cellia decided to take a walk outside. ¡°It¡¯s cold.¡± Cellia said the moment they entered the garden. Bardar felt the chilly winds hit him. He took out the shirt and put it on top of her. ¡°Thanks.¡± She could no longer feel the cold wind and her complexion became rosy again. She found him looking at her and to hide her embarrassment, she walked to the front. ¡°Careful!¡± It was because she was wearing heels that she forgot and walked too fast and got her ankle sprained. It threw her body off balance and she tilted left. In panic, she closed her eyes, but the anticipated fall materialised. Instead, two warm arms enveloped her in an embrace. ¡°U-m..¡± She opened her eyes and the hot breath from him hit her. She couldn¡¯t form coherent words as the next moment, Bardar carried her in his arms. ¡° I-I can walk.¡± Her voice was so small that even she had difficulty hearing it as she buried her face in his chest. ¡°Here, let me take a look.¡± He placed her on the bench near the fountain and kneeled. His hands tenderly grabbed her ankle and removed her heels. ¡°You should take care of yourself.¡± ¡°Um¡­¡± He looked up at this moment and found the moonlight glinting on her face, the slight wind blowing her hair with her eyes that gaze deep into his. The view was so mesmerising he lost the words he was going for and both stared at each other till Cellia decided to ask. ¡°You ¡­ look very different today.¡± ¡°Do I?¡± He looked at her ankle and didn¡¯t find anything to worry about. ¡°I just wanted to be honest with myself for today.¡± Cellia felt his hands rubbing her ankle, but she didn¡¯t interrupt him. ¡°I thought so much about tonight. I wanted it to be a grand moment for me-us ¡­ But I am not that good with many things ¡­ politics, fighting¡­expectations.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true. How can you think of yourself like that?? There are many things that only you can do.¡± He ignored her, his eyes lost in his world. ¡°I was not originally from Thar. I lived as an orphan on the streets of Terralea.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°I used to beg every day, sleep anywhere that was warm. I always wondered if I''m gonna survive the day or not. That was until I woke up in the middle of the night and found the face of a dog staring at me with her mouth wide open.¡± His words paused, as he remembered the time, the scene of a golden-haired creature with his mouth as wide as his whole body, filled with thousands of teeth that keep getting closer. Unknowingly, the corners of his mouth pulled to the sides. ¡°I still remember how I screamed?. I thought that I was going to be eaten and die for sure.¡± ¡°What happened afterwards?¡± ¡°Well ¡­ A small ruler flew from somewhere and hit the face of that creature, followed by the sounds of hurried footsteps.¡± ¡°Cherry and Grandma?¡± He nodded at her. ¡°I remember Grandma yelling along the lines of ¡®Not taking humans as food¡¯ and me shaking at her words.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°After screaming at Cherry, she turned to me and asked what my name was and I shook. From fear and helplessness, as I don''t remember anyone giving me one, so how could I tell her? I was worried about her feeding me to the thing beside her.¡± ¡°Then¡­¡± ¡°I remember her hand reaching out towards me and somehow my body grabbing it.¡± He looked at his right hand and the touch from years ago still felt like yesterday. ¡°Before long, I was being called as Bardar. I soon found out she was a big shot and panicked. I didn¡¯t have mana at that time, and was always worried if she would throw me away.¡± Bardar felt Cellia''s hand gripping on him. ¡°It was only after she got me a mana awakening potion that I could do something, but again, I was not good enough. I was not good at fighting, nor healing. It took me ten years of constantly trying to pass the Academy¡¯s entrance exam while my uncles all did in their first. You know the rest.¡± He paused, and looked straight into her eyes, but his heart rate was getting faster and faster and only calmed down after he took some deep breaths. ¡°All I am saying is, I am not good enough with expectations. I always disappoint people around me.¡± ¡°It''s not true.¡± She can¡¯t help but say this to him. ¡°I am not disappointed in you and neither is Grandma Bella. You shouldn''t treat yourself like this.¡± She didn¡¯t know why he suddenly started to talk about his past like this. He never talked about it in the past and changed topics whenever she asked about his childhood. She felt at ease about him finally opening himself to her. He looked down, and she couldn¡¯t see his expression. The silence remained between them until she found him taking huge breaths and pulling something from his pocket. ¡°I may not be good with expectations.¡± He said as he opened the small box and two rings appeared inside, which made Cellia¡¯s pupil contract. ¡°But sometimes ¡­ I too dream of things that I want to cherish, even though they might be just my disillusionment. That¡¯s why, Cellia, here, on this everlasting night, I ask you with my bare-naked emotions put together. Despite many flaws, would you be willing to marry me?.¡± ¡°You know?¡± She took a deep breath as Bardar felt his heart reaching his throat. ¡°I always told you, from the time I met you for the first time, that you shouldn¡¯t do things like that.¡± ¡°Does it mean..¡± He felt his being crumbled, but he fought hard to maintain it. ¡°You should have more confidence in yourself.¡± She reached out her hand to him and felt the slight tremor in her own body and in his the moment he grabbed it. ¡°Well, I think we will have enough time to deal with that.¡± She felt the cold ring slide on her finger and noticed his face coming closer and welcomed it with her eyes closed. *** Some distance away, from the window of Rayen¡¯s room, Bella and Cherry glanced at the scene below with a smile on their faces. But that smile soon crumbled and her face twitched as the dog beside her made strange sounds and pointed her paw at Bardar. ¡°What do you mean you raised that boy?¡± Cherry heard her and turned her body back towards the door, and walked in slow motion and disappeared into the light with a final woof. ¡°Professionals have standards?¡± Seeing Cherry not getting back, Bella shook her head. She decided to not think more about the antics of her long friend. She closed the curtains and gave a light kiss to the sleeping Rayen. ¡°Hope you have a pleasant dream,¡± and left the room, closing the door behind. Chapter 9: Shsss...Stay Inside Mosswood, a small village in Terralea, with around seven hundred humans.Distant from the big cities, like many others, an agrarian village, surrounded by double layers of farms on the inside and a forest on the outside. Mud houses and unpaved roads lead to the city lord''s mansion, the only structure made from stones. In one such small house, in a small room, a little girl, around nine years old, was playing with her doll. She had a mop of unruly raven curls that often broke free from the braids her mother would weave. Her equally dark red eyes would peek out from her eyelids whenever she pauses her smile. ¡°Delilah. Come and eat the food.¡± ¡°Coming!¡± she said in a childish tone. Putting the doll down with a reluctant face, she stood up on her two petite feet and came close to the lone oil lamp that hung high to the wall, acting as the only source of light, as this room didn¡¯t have any windows. Just walls made from mud and a bunch of dried yellow sacs of hay that acted as the roof. After placing the doll below the lamp, she covered it with a small cloth stained with yellow strains resembling the ragged clothes on her body. ¡° Little Lily, stay here. I will be right back.¡± Saying that, she left the room. She passed through the door, and the sound of a cough entered her ears. The path to her right led towards the kitchen, which had space for only two people to stand before they started bumping into various utensils. She found her mother Abigail in the cramped kitchen, coughing as the smoke from burning wood entered her lungs. She had a weary face from years of working. Her blonde hair had faded and greyed over time, pulled back in a loose bun. Despite that, her blue eyes still twinkled when she smiled at her daughter. ¡°Here, help me set this up. Others might be returning soon.¡± Delilah took the empty plates from her mother¡¯s hand and began placing them in the room just to her left. This one was only fractionally larger compared to the earlier two rooms. Soon after she finished arranging the plates with small rusty corners, her father and two brothers walked in. Her father, Max, had rugged features with thin blonde hair. Followed by a similar but younger version of him, about 23 years old Carter and, at last, a teenager around 18 years old with a lean figure and green eyes named Kai. ¡°What¡¯s my little princess doing?¡± Her father said as soon as he saw Delilah, and picked her up in his calloused hands and pinched her nose with a hearty smile. ¡°How dare Lily make you do such things? Just wait and I will scold her big this time.¡± He said with his rough voice. ¡°Papa, no,¡± Delilah said with a panicked voice, but her face was soon full of smiles as Max made her feel like flying. ¡° She wanted to help, but I stopped her.¡± She tried to put a frown on her face to sound serious, as she had seen her mother do, but all she got was small laughs from everyone. ¡°Really? Then I will leave her be for now.¡± Seeing his daughter nod at this, another smile escaped his lips. He wanted to continue to tease her but stopped as his wife glared from inside the kitchen. ¡°Dear, stop playing and go wash yourself or the food might get cold. Carter and Kai, you too.¡± The sky was close to going dark. Soon, the group of five sat on the ground, forming a small circle. And Abigail started to serve the food. Some rice, a set of cooked mixed vegetables, and a cuisine made from lentils and bread. ¡°You look more worked out than usual?¡± She asked her husband, noticing his down face. ¡°The canals are running low.¡± Max sighed with a frown as the worry took hold of his rugged face. ¡°If this continues, then the crops might die.¡± The weather has not been kind to them with a few to no rain in recent years.If the canals are already running low and if they run out, the crops would dry out. ¡°How could that be? What about the city lord? Does he know?¡± ¡°We went to meet him today, along with others.¡± Carter, who was sitting beside his father, said, recalling the scene from the afternoon. ¡°He said the alliance will soon dispatch the mages to fill the reservoirs.¡± His words eased some of Abigail¡¯s worries, but she still asked. ¡° But what if the crops die before that? What would we do then?¡± ¡°He said, this time, the mages would also help revive the dead crops, if any.¡± His words put her at ease. In usual years, they don''t have to worry about the ?weather, as the alliance takes care of these things way before they notice. ¡° They have been so erratic for some years,¡± she said. This question made Carter silent and before she could ask, her husband said, ¡°I heard the priest from the church will go to every household to bless them for successful crops.¡± Her face strained as soon as she heard him. ¡° W-what? Why...¡± her voice kept breaking when she said so. ¡° No, we can¡¯t allow them near this house. What if they-¡± ¡° It¡¯s ok.¡± Max grabbed her shaking hand and said with calm to help reassure her. ¡° They are not going to enter the house ¡­ we just need to act as always.¡± His eyes turned towards his daughter and her raven-coloured hair that didn¡¯t match either his or Abigail''s. Distracted by her big brother Kai, who handed her a little sunflower he brought with him. ¡°We just have to make sure of that.¡± *** The next day was uneventful, as much as Delilah was concerned. She woke up and helped with tidying the house with her mother. By the time both of them were done with their work, others also woke up and before long, they had their breakfast. Her father and two brothers left soon after, followed by her reluctant mother. She needed to go to the river to wash their clothes. ¡°Stay inside, Delilah. I will be back soon.¡± She kissed her on the head before leaving. ¡°Lily, it''s all us now.¡± She said to her doll, her only friend who keeps her company. ¡°Let¡¯s play princess and knights.¡± The corners of her mouth tightened as she held on to her doll. ¡°A prince in shiny armour will come and release you from the caged castle.¡± She was not clear whether she was saying this to the doll or herself. Her parents never allowed her to walk outside, no matter what she said to them. Today was no different and when she prepared to play her usual game, her eyes drew to the window of the kitchen. Rays of sunlight pierced through the tiny gaps of the worn-out wooden window and landed on the ground, the dust glowed under the rays of the sun. She came close and raised her right hand and grasped towards the beam of light. Her eyes widened and feeling the surge of warmth from her hand made her eyes a little wet. ¡®Prince always saves the Princess. He would come from the window, uh?¡¯ Her thoughts stopped when her eyes noticed something different, unlike usual days, the lock of the window was not fully closed. She then thought of something and dropped her doll and moved to her room. From there, she dragged a small wooden stool, about half her size, which made her face out of air and she opened her mouth big to take in more air. ¡®Almost there¡­¡¯ She was going to push her body up against the stool but then remembered her doll, which she dropped and ran back to grab it and then with effort, stood atop the stool. The window was way above her, but with the help of the wooden stool, now her height was just perfect. She used her hands and opened the window. The light from the outside momentarily blinded her for a moment before the vision returned and her eyes expanded and her mouth stretched in surprise. A blue sky with white clouds greeted her, with some brown birds flying in the distance, followed by sounds of their chirping, mingled with the many sounds of insects. ¡°Wow,¡± The words left her mouth. She looked on, wanting to etch that view into her mind. But when the words from her mom came back, her spirited face lost its glow, as her mom would not allow her to go outside. Her upward-facing eyes bogged downwards and she could see the black soil with some green grass and wild plants. ¡®It¡¯s not high¡­¡¯ There was a heap of soil just below the window. ¡°Lily, Mom would not notice me if I came back before her, right?¡± The doll obviously couldn¡¯t reply. Her mother usually takes three hours to come back, which makes her confident. Her face struggled as it continued altering between the window and the door before her desire won in the end. She steeled her will and tried to climb the window. It was difficult for her to lift her own weight and she needed to use her two hands so she threw Lily outside. ¡°No going back now ¡­ hu..¡± She took a huge breath in and put strength with all her might and with a thud, her butt landed on the grass. ¡°Lily, let''s go.¡± she dusted off the dirt from her and chose one direction at random before setting off. The winds flew past her hair, making her ears visible, but only for a moment as they became hidden again. ¡°Lily, where are the fishes? Brother said they live in the water.¡± Her eyes scanned the surface of the water but only a constant stream of water came into her, that reflected the golden light from the sun. Farm fields surrounded the place she arrived at, not big ones like the wheat that her brothers brought with them, but some small ones that she couldn¡¯t tell the names of. A small canal ran through them and carried water to fields, and the moment she dropped her feet into it, the cool feeling made her yelp. A small plant with sharp leaves at the edges of the canal and a yellow flower caught her eyes. She plucked a bunch of them and before long, merged them into a small crown woven with grass. ¡° Now you look like a proper princess.¡± She put the crown on the top of her doll, but the size was too big for her. So instead, she placed it on her own head and smiled while looking at the reflection in the water. ¡°Who are you, child?¡± A sudden voice from behind jerked her body. She turned her head, only to find an old-looking face of a man and a white-robed man with golden stripes that ran through the length of his chest and arms. He also wore a deep yellow long scarf with some circles drawn in the middle. ¡°I um-a-m¡­¡± She tumbled her words at his sudden arrival and didn¡¯t notice that his eyes gleamed at her raven red hair and soon narrowed while the initial smile on his face disappeared. *** It was evening when Max and his two sons finished their daily work. He wiped the sweat from his head and said to Carter, who looked equally tired. ¡° Let¡¯s go home for now, otherwise it would be too late.¡± Carter nodded his head and so did Kai. Their farm was a thirty-minute distance from their home on foot and they lacked the cart to carry them back, thus they would need to walk on foot. The trio started to pack their tools when the rapid footsteps sounded from afar, followed by the cries of a woman, whose sound they were all too familiar with. ¡°MAX!!!....Max!!!!!¡± ¡°Abigail!? What are you doing here?¡± Max said in a surprised voice. His wife doesn¡¯t look good. Her breathing was rough, her eyes red with tears streaming down her face. She tipped when she reached near him. Despite him being able to catch her, the foreboding feeling of something terrible increased inside him. His sons were offering some consoling words to calm their mother down, who was bursting with tears, but he ignored them and asked her with a sense of urgency. ¡°What happened!? Why are you like this? Tell me, did something happen?¡± ¡° She ¡­ she..¡± She tried to talk, but her tears made it difficult to make something out as they erupted even more strongly when she tried to explain. ¡°Deli-lah¡­¡± ¡°What happened to Delilah!?¡± ¡°S-she left the house through the window and somehow ended up meeting the P-Priest!¡± The moment these words came out, it was like lightning struck Max and he froze, unable to respond. His sons were no better, for their eyes became round as panic spread to their eyes. Only sometime later did he come back to himself and hear Kai¡¯s voice. ¡°Where is she now?¡± Villagers are taking her to the city square and saying they would¡­¡± She couldn¡¯t continue after that. Max took a deep breath, trying to calm his bursting heart, and said to Carter and Kai. ¡°This is not the time to waste. Kai, you stay with your mom. Carter, you come with me.¡± ¡°Where are we going, dad?¡± ¡° To the city lord¡¯s mansion. Only he could help us now.¡± Max ran as soon as he finished talking. Carter followed soon after. The city hall was more than half and a quarter hour away from his farm, but he covered that much distance in just fifteen minutes. And only stopped when the guards at the front blocked his way. ¡°Please ¡­ I n-need to meet the lord.¡± He squeezed out these words when his knees gave way and he was on his four. His lips were dry, his lungs felt on fire, and he needed to open his mouth wide to take in the large air. He was all alone, as Carter was nowhere to be seen behind him. The two guards in light armour looked baffled. One of them came close to him and asked with concern. ¡°Who are you and why do you want to meet the Lord?¡± ¡°What¡¯s happening here? Who is this man?¡± A man in a black butler suit walked from inside and beside him was a man in armour with two stars on his chest. The other guards bowed and said to the man in armour with respect. '''' Sir Thaddeus, we don¡¯t know who he is. He just came running to us and wanted to meet you.¡± ¡°Meet me?¡± Thaddeus had untamed, greasy blonde hair and a short but well-groomed moustache. He looked at the kneeling man, and dismissed him with a wave of his hand. ¡° Come later. I have more pressing issues now.¡± ¡°My lord, please, they will kill her,¡± Max said with a dry throat, but the pain from his throat was not enough to stop his words. ¡° Only you can save her.¡± Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°Save her? Wait, are you talking about that witch?¡± Everyone¡¯s head turned to Max when they heard him. The butler narrowed his eyes and stepped forward to take a good look at the kneeling man. Some recognition flashed in Butler''s old eyes. ¡° I remembered you coming yesterday ¡­ Max, was it? You came with the crowd yesterday.¡± ¡°Yes, you remembered me.¡± The butler, Cosimo, nodded his head and helped him stand back. ¡°What is your relationship with the witch? Are you his family?¡± ¡°M-My Delilah¡± Max grabbed his clothes. The guard wanted to stop him, but the butler motioned them otherwise. He looked at the pleading eyes of Max and asked. ¡°Did you hide her till now?¡± Mosswood was a small village, and it was not strange for Cosimo to know most of them, he, after all, was working here for a decade. It didn¡¯t take him time to guess the pattern of events to led up to this situation. ¡°You over there, go get some water and have him rest some.¡± ¡°Sir, she did no wrong. She''s innocent. I will pay-¡± Max wanted to say more, but the guards were already taking him inside the city hall. ¡°He looked desperate.¡± Cosimo said to Thaddeus as Max was being escorted inside. ¡° What does that desperation do? You already know we are kind of helpless here.¡± The City Lord, Thaddeus, could only shake his head at this. They already got to know about the villagers discovering a witch and their plan to burn her in the city square. Both of them were also discussing the situation just now before Max arrived. ¡°The Church¡¯s influence is powerful in this village. Since that priest is there, I am afraid he would rally the crowd against us if we try to stop him.¡± The Cosimo went silent at him. As Thaddeus said, if they want to solve this problem, then they might have to use force. But the knights and mages under them were just some trainee knights and mages. They are not adept at restraining their strength yet. Once chaos erupts, the chances are villagers would burn the houses, loot the shops and might even kill each other. Then there was also the worry about the fallout from saving the ¡®witch¡¯, too. ¡° You know about witches too, right? Cosimo, the Devil''s Advocates. Even the alliance remains muted about their conditions.¡± ¡°Ambiguity is a feature, not a disadvantage. It allows for careful interventions and strategic retreats.¡± ¡° Perhaps.¡± Thaddeus joined his hands at his back and gazed towards the Five Stars embedded on the top of Mansion¡¯s gate. ¡° But I don¡¯t want my family to be called Devil''s worshippers, for a person I barely even know about.¡± ¡°She was just nine years old.¡± Butler said with a sigh. ¡°Just a year bigger than your daughter. You sure we should stay out of this?¡± His words made Thaddeus silent, and from his sides, Cosimo could see him clenching his fists behind his back ¡°And you also know what the alliance wants with the church at this time, right? If they found you did nothing when the church was being so rampant, then¡­¡± ¡°You look like some third-grade villain, you know that?¡± Thaddeus said as he gave him a look of disgruntlement. He turned to the City Hall¡¯s gate and said to the guard. ¡°Go get my helmet and gather all the manpower.¡± ¡°An amicable choice.¡± ¡°And also, you owe me one.¡± *** ¡® Sun God¡¯s brilliance is unceasing.¡¯ Luxor, the Head Priest of Mosswood thought. He couldn¡¯t explain otherwise how he found the Devil¡¯s advocate by just trolling around the farms. As he looked at his front and through the blanket of night had taken hold of the village, the lights from torches made his target clear for everyone to see. Strapped to the thick wooden pole with arms up in the air, the scarlet-coloured hair witch. He looked at her face full of tears with a cloth stuffed into her small mouth from where she made some whimpering noise. He snorted with disdain and turned to his back. ¡° Look at this devil!!¡± He shouted towards the countless men and women holding the torches as they surrounded the village square. ¡°Don¡¯t let her looks fool you. It is what demons ??good at, deceiving kind-hearted humans.¡± The zealous screams from the crowd made his chest swell with pride. For he couldn¡¯t ask for more, other than to have every person bath in the brilliance of Sun God. Their enthusiasm made him know that his task of spreading the words of his Lord was not a failure. He looked back at the witch and noticed the fear in those red eyes. ¡®That¡¯s right, you wretched beings should be like this, cowering in fear of god.¡¯ He turned back to the crowd, for such a joyous occasion demands more than just a few words, but he noticed some disturbances in the distance and noticed ?the irritants to his mood. Clad in armour, a group of some twenty knights tore through the crowded space and formed a circle around him and pushed the people back, which made the surrounding space bigger around the pole, followed by five robed mages that stood just behind the knights. One person with full metal armour and two stars on the chest came towards him, and he could hear the disgruntled voice from inside the helmet. ¡°Priest Luxor, what¡¯s the meaning behind this?¡± ¡®These blasphemous fools,¡¯ Luxor had to swallow his disgust as he looked at the knight and after he made efforts to prevent his smile from crumbling away. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t I be the person asking that question, Sir Thaddeus? Why are you stopping the work of god?¡± ¡°What work that might be, if you don¡¯t mind me asking?¡± Thaddeus paused as he noticed the red lines with dripping blood on the hands and legs of the tied girl that looked like being made from whips. Although Luxor couldn¡¯t see the expression inside the helmet, he felt Thaddeus¡¯s piercing glare. ¡°It looked to me like you were trying to murder some innocent child.¡± A chill ran through Luxor¡¯s body when the word reached him, but the anger from inside soon suppressed that feeling. ¡°Child? Don¡¯t let this thing fool your eyes, Sir Thaddeus.¡± He grabbed the hairs from the witch and pulled her head up by force, more whimpering followed as the tears made a waterfall on her face. ¡°Look at this. This thing is a master while playing with a human''s heart.¡± He said without a flinch across his face. ¡°Don¡¯t let it fool you. It¡¯s a devil.¡± ¡°A devil? Your eyes have got old, Luxor. All I see is a child with mana awakening.¡± Thaddeus¡¯ shoulders grabbed his hand with force and the pain made him release the hairs from his hands. Despite that, Thaddeus didn¡¯t ease his grip on him. ¡°And according to the laws of Alliance, you have to come with me.¡± ¡° Me? Are you trying to save a devil¡¯s advocate from facing justice, Thaddeus!?¡± He pulled back his hand and said with an angry face, to hide his pain. ¡°She has bewitched you.¡± With his shouts, the crowd of villagers seemed to get agitated, and Thaddeus noticed them pushing against his knights. He wasn''t worried about them breaking through the perimeter, but the escalating situation did.¡®I need to be quick or else they might start to riot.¡¯ ¡°Tell these things after the investigations. For now, you are coming with me.¡± He again reached for his hands, but Luxor was a step ahead and pulled a short knife from his pockets. As he was wondering if Luxor had gone mad and tried to resist him, his eyes widened behind the helmet. He watched as Luxor swung the knife and cut open the left hand of the tied girl. But he soon came back to himself and moved swiftly to pull the guy away from the pole and pinned him to the ground. ¡°Have you gone crazy!!?¡± All he heard was laughter, and soon found out why. At the pole, the girl was struggling with every effort against the ropes and her sounds were even larger, but the shouts of the crowd suppressed that sound. Thaddeus¡¯s eyes were on the red trail of blood which was trickling downwards and the moment it touched the ground, it turned black and his nose caught the smell of sulphur in the air. ¡°See that Thaddeus, now even you can¡¯t deny it anymore. It¡¯s not a mana awakening, but a devil¡¯s advocate, a damned witch.¡± Luxor tried to free his pinned body, but it was useless. ¡°Release me at once. We need to purge that thing before it¡¯s too late!¡± ¡°I said, SHUT THE FUCK UP!¡± He grabbed Luxor¡¯s head and pressed it into the ground and said to the mage immediately next to him. ¡°Go tend to that child and free her. We are moving out of this square in five minutes. MOVE!!¡± ¡°S-sir, she..¡± The situation was not good. The crowd had become fully agitated the moment he pinned the priest down. Knights were holding them back while the other four mages were busy deflecting the stones and whatever the crowd kept throwing at them. They needed to leave this place fast, but the mage who was supposed to free the girl paused mid-way and asked him in a shuttering voice. Thaddeus then noticed ?the surrounding air was getting hot. He looked at the source and the girl was glowing scarlet, not just her hair but the entire body, even the tears. ¡°Not good. Everyone gets down.¡± It didn¡¯t wait for him to finish when a force hit him and everyone around the girl. A ring of fire appeared with her as centre and in just a second, it extended outwards into a ring of more than ten metres. The force threw everyone back into the distance. Thaddeus felt his head was spinning, and the armour felt hot. He noticed a metallic taste in his mouth, but that was just one sensation. Shouts from everywhere reached his still-ringing ears and in front of his eyes, everything was ablaze. Houses and shops that were close to the city square were on fire. The crowd was running everywhere in panic, trampling those who fell to the ground. And the culprit, the Little girl which he came here to save, was nowhere in sight. The pole she was bound to was also gone. Only some small remnant of charred back wood from the bottom ground was to be seen. ¡°Ahh... Knights, mages ¡­ Gather around me.¡±He didn¡¯t have time to think about the girl anymore. His eyes scanned for the priest and found him rolling on the ground some distance away, screaming in pain as the fire on his body made him glow yellow. **** ¡°Come in.¡± Bardar said as he heard the knock on the door. Soon it opened, and he found Rayen coming in with a glass of water in his hands. He put the incomplete artefact in his hands down and whipped his hand. Then he unwrapped the small cloth around his ring finger. After all, he didn¡¯t want it to get dirty. Looking at it, he still couldn¡¯t believe his lacklustre proposal got through. If not for ?the sudden guest, he would be wiping this ring the entire day. He forced his eyes away from the green gem on his ring and said to Rayen. ¡°Alright, what¡¯s this time? A glass of water? They are grasping at the straws, huh?¡± As Rayen handed him the glass without any expression, Bardar couldn¡¯t help but contemplate. ¡®Just what is going on in their head?¡¯ It was some days ago, after Rayen became more ¡®normal¡¯ that Bella and Cellia made him do some chores with them. He still remembered them saying something along the lines of, ¡®We need to make him more familiar with us.¡¯ Their reasoning made him baffled. ¡® Sure, he doesn''t talk much, doesn¡¯t show any expression, and will stare at you all day if you don''t tell him anything. But does this have anything to do with him giving me a glass of water?¡¯ ¡°Wait a minute, where are you going?¡± When he broke free from his thoughts, he noticed Rayen almost passing through the door and moved quickly to grab him to pull him inside. Seeing Rayen turn his face towards him with a blank stare, he couldn¡¯t help but sigh. ¡°You should try to speak sometimes. I know you want to get back to Grandma as soon as possible, but you shouldn¡¯t be like this all the time.¡± Rayen just tilted his head at him. Another action he seemed to copy from Cherry when she didn¡¯t understand anything. ¡®Did he pick this up when grandma was teaching him Cherry¡¯s language? Did he even understand this?¡¯ Rayen had no idea what was going inside Bardar¡¯s head and seeing him not talking, he made an effort to turn back to the door, but the hand on his shoulder did not budge. And so he was back to staring. He found it very effective when dealing with others. Just wait and they would do something. He was not good at thinking about things, he was not familiar with it yet. ¡°I don¡¯t know what is going through your head. Hm ¡­ Wait, I think I have something that could gain your interest.¡± Bardar then clapped his hands and from the storage room, a thing flew and unfolded itself into a table. The round table was three metres in diameter and at the top, instead of hardwood, there was a layer of sand. From the raised corners, some depth to the layer of sand was visible. Rayen didn¡¯t know what it was, but he didn¡¯t need to think. He just turned to Bardar and sure enough, he was there to answer on his own with a big smile on his lips. ¡°This was what I made during my academic years to help with designing models of golems. You like the flow of mana, right? You would love this.¡± Bardar came close to the piece of clear glass that was embedded on one side of the table. He then opened it and pulled out a pure white stone and put it in the depressed space beside the glass. ¡°Since I put the mana stone to power it, you don¡¯t have to worry about putting your mana for consumption. Now come here and put your hand on the glass.¡± Rayen also came close and did as he said. Bardar made a rune in the air that struck the glass and made it glow with a soft blue light. Rayen felt something entering his body. Under his constant gaze, a thread of little blue hues rose from the screen and latched onto his hand on the glass. It passed through his body and when he was waiting for something to happen, he found himself back in his inner world. But he was not alone this time. From his right, the thread with blue hues was also there. Rayen didn¡¯t get time to do much as the thread jumped towards the canvas of the sky with extreme fluidity and he found himself back in front of the table. He blinked with confusion and his head tilted to the side. ¡°It felt strange, right? I also felt it when it happened to me, the feeling of it being connected with your consciousness. Now try to imagine what you are seeing with your eyes.¡± Rayen¡¯s simple mind got distracted the moment he heard such words. HIs thoughts focused on the things in front of his eyes and the sand on the table surged with waves. The sand rose to small heights and started to form the outlines of the room, from the benches to the hanging golems. Soon some small, lifelike miniature replicas of various objects appeared on the table, made from the sand. Badar nodded his head, seeing the table working as intended even after such a long time. He walked around to reel in the feeling of nostalgia and wanted to say some words, but those got stuck in his throat. He noticed an anomaly that made him narrow his eyes. His figure was now opposite to Rayen, and naturally, his figure formed in the sand bed. But the figure was very strange. The outlines were that of a human, but they lacked the density as sand particles were too far apart from each other. And then there was a small floating sphere inside the outlines. He made some more runes with his hands and struck on the table which made the sand shake every time, but the vision didn''t change. He then found Rayen looking at his strange movements and said with a cough. ¡°Ahem! I was checking on something. Don''t worry, everything is normal. Huh?¡± Bardar¡¯s keen eyes then noticed slight shakes on the spherical orbs inside the figure, which made him pause. ¡°Rayen.¡± His face became serious and focused everything on the sphere. ¡°Do you know I hate golems?¡± The sphere shook. Bardar then changed his words. ¡°No, I loved it.¡± ¡®No way. Did he just respond to my lie? There is no problem with the table, so does it mean that¡¯s how Rayen sees us? I need to confirm this.¡¯ ¡° Rayen, do you know¡­¡± Bardar didn¡¯t stop there and under the baffled eyes of Rayen he continued with his round of lies and truth and when he was finally done, he bit his lips looking at Rayen. A range of emotions ran through his face before finally, a sigh left his mouth. He came to Rayen and took his hand. ¡°Come with me.¡± Bardar took Rayen with him and arrived at Bella¡¯s room. He knocked and entered when a voice came from inside. ¡°You wait here for a moment.¡± Left alone, Rayen didn¡¯t know what to do. He had to wait more than thirty minutes before the door opened again and Bella and Bardar walked out. Bella doesn¡¯t have much change in her face and always looks with a kind smile, but Bardar is the opposite of her. His face was down and with fists clenched and he was biting his lips with such force that blood was coming out. ¡°Rayen.¡± Bella kneeled and said while maintaining her smile. ¡°Your brother is going to Oasis tomorrow. I hope you can go with him. You don¡¯t mind, right?¡± Chapter- 10 : Oasis, The Heaven Of Thar (1). ¡°Oh, the sky is more blue today,¡± Bardar said as he looked at the vast blue sky. Not that he liked to admire the sky, but because he couldn¡¯t bear to look to the front or the side. He readied himself for the big day. He didn¡¯t want to go to Oasis, but he had no choice. So he donned a dark khaki suit that had a dark shade of tan with a slight yellowish tinge. A suit that was tailored to perfection, followed by a muted yellow shirt peeking from underneath the blazer. The ensemble gave him an air of authority, accentuated by the golden badge on his left chest, with outlines that resembled a human figure. He did a last check on his dress as they were supposed to leave for the city. That was thirty minutes ago. His eyes got tired of looking at the sky, and with a sign of defeat, he looked to his left side. Standing just some distance away from him in the shades provided by the house, Cellia kneeled and kept checking on Rayen. She wore her favourite royal blue blouse with billowing sleeves, paired with navy blue pants that complemented her eyes. Blue crystal earrings dangled from her ears and a sheer white face veil protected her fair complexion from the sun. Rayen wore a simple yet sharp crimson shirt with black trousers that matched his dark brown hair and eyes, giving him a bold look. ¡®It¡¯s good and all. But why are you taking thirty minutes?¡¯ He could also hear her words while she fixed Rayen¡¯s collar and the mana fluctuations as she stacked spell after spell on Rayen like clothes in winter. Some for protection, some for cleanness, some for coolness against heat and one which deals with the smell of sweat. ¡®Just why? He will not spend that much time outside, so why? Are you preparing him to meet his future wife?¡¯ With his grumbling stomach full of complaints, he turned to his right. A scene of Bella and Cherry walking together in the shade entered his view. Not the shade from the house through, but from the mountain of things piled up in front of the house. Rows of food that reach twice the height of Bardar, sealed barrels full of fruits, stacks of boxes containing potion bottles and at the end, Bardar could see three tents along with camping equipment. ¡®What is it? A trial of survival?¡¯ As the duo drew near him, he could hear their words. ¡°Alright, you are good to go. Did you remember Rayen¡¯s schedule?¡± ¡°Woof!¡± ¡°If you say so¡­ tell me, when do you have to give him the red potion?¡± The dog answered each question like a first-class student and only when she finished asking a set of twenty questions did she nod to herself with a satisfied smile. Bardar could only take a deep breath at this and pinched his nose while closing his eyes. ¡°You are a normal person, Bardar. Take a deep breath¡­¡± ¡°Dear, you shouldn¡¯t talk to yourself like this,¡± Bella said as she came near him and concern filled her eyes. ¡° What if people start to think you are crazy?¡± ¡®I wish I was crazy¡­¡¯ He took another deep breath and while Bella waved her hand to put everything in the subspace of Cherry, which was also her collar. He asked in a meek voice. ¡° Grandma, can we leave now?¡± ¡°Bardar, you are now a grown-up man. You should have patience for things.¡± She shakes her head at him. She looked at the side and Cellia also came up while holding Rayen¡¯s hand. Bella put her gentle hand on Rayen and said, ¡°Rayen, remember to follow Cherry while you go out there and don¡¯t trouble your brother or sister. Got it?¡± Rayen nodded his head. As they prepared to set off, Bella finally remembered something and looked at Cherry. ¡°And don¡¯t you dare to bite Bladurus this time.¡± Cherry dropped her ears at this and raised her right paw into the air, followed by a small whimper from her mouth. Bella stopped her with knitted eyes and said with utmost seriousness. ¡°No means no. Stop troubling that child.¡± Cherry lowered her face at this. ¡°Take care and Bardar, you are going to Oasis after a long time,¡± Bella said with a serious face and utmost focus. ¡°Make sure you let them know about your presence.¡± Bardar stared at her before giving a deep nod. As the group of four walked some distance away from the house, their figures snapped and disappeared into the air. Left alone, Bella looked at the vast endless sand and only returned to herself when the sky was dark. A deep sigh eluded her mouth as she made her way back inside. *** The air swirled, and four figures appeared in another location. The yellow sand still made up the endless landscape, but one could see the outlines of a mountain at a distance. Badar¡¯s fingers snapped, and the wind made the trio of him, Cellia and Rayen, float into the air, before zapping towards the outline in the distance. Neither their speed nor height above the sand was too high, and Cherry had no problem matching their speed, at least up to some point, before she disappeared somewhere. ¡°Slow down, Cherry can¡¯t catch up.¡± Cellia noticed the absence of Cherry and said to Bardar while her dress fluttered with the wind. She thought Bardar would slow down, but he just shook his head and said. ¡°She¡¯s not supposed to. Don¡¯t worry, she will be there even before us.¡± His answer only raised doubts within her. She turned her head sideways and found the sand changed while they talked. The yellow colour that glistened in the sun changed to red and kept getting darker as the mountain closed in. The dry smell of sand becomes an unpleasant rusting smell, with the mufti smell being mixed in between. In the distance, to their left, was a half-buried, decayed carcass of a beast with big burnt holes. It still had multiple legs and scales with remains of decayed flesh that half rose from the sand. Scattered remnants of humans, some with armour and weapons, while others without surrounded it. Whenever the wind blows, it moves the sand with it, which swallows everything whole, humans or beasts alike. Cellia tightened her lips to prevent the vomit and put her hands on Rayen¡¯s eyes and said while trying to maintain a natural tone. ¡°Don¡¯t look there.¡± She can¡¯t help it. As they kept moving, the scene of decayed bodies became like the sands in the desert. Too many to count. They passed through the scene in silence. Bardar was busy navigating their path, though he would glance occasionally at the many bodies. The majority of them were old, with a few adults mixed in. It took them another twenty minutes without meeting a single living soul as they came close to the walls that surrounded the bottom of the mountain. It was at this time that they finally noticed the group of other people. In a long line that goes back, with old people in the majority, waiting for their turn to enter through the city gates. Each one had some kind of injury on their body, some still fresh, as Bardar could see the clothes they used as bandages getting red. Some were missing limbs but still waited with patience to enter the city built on this lonely mountain. They had come over from all over the Thar and passed through countless beasts to enter Oasis. Sometimes, some junior family members come with them, but most times, it''s old aged ones, those on the verge of their ends. And thus, most die outside before even reaching the city. Even so, they kept coming in droves as they chased after the mirage that was Oasis. But he didn¡¯t stop and zoomed past them. It was his control that even though they flew at speed, no cloud of dust generated behind them. ¡° Halt! Who are you to break in the line?¡± He finally stopped in front of the line. Cellia also removed the hand from Rayen¡¯s eyes and what appeared before him was the gate made from some wood. Laden with cracks as big as his head, that allowed him to see the thickness of it. The wood itself was rotting with some fungus on the top part of the gate. The top part had makeshift wooden planks nailed to it, but through some tiny gaps, he could see the other sides. He looked sideways, and the walls were no exception. Filled with cracks and signs of ruin from lack of repairs. Bardar didn''t bother to say much as he just looked at the guard that blocked them. A cloth covered the guard¡¯s face while he dressed in the light khaki dress made from a simple shirt and pants and three red ribbons on the shoulder. The guard saw Bardar¡¯s silence and was about to shout, but his colleague stopped him with haste before he kneeled. ¡° Greetings to the Young Lord!¡± It was then that other guards, as well as the crowd noticed Bardar¡¯s dress, and most important of all, the golden badge on his chest with a human outline that made them freeze for a moment. ¡°Greetings to the Young Lord!¡± they shouted the moment they came back to themselves and kneeled in front of him. The crowd behind them was no exception either. The moment they heard the guards, it didn''t matter if they had injuries on them, each one of them kneeled without a question. Those who missed a leg simply fell to the sand. ¡°They¡­¡± Cellia looked at such a crowd and opened her mouth to say something but failed to. Bardar¡¯s face remained the same. He knew this scene all too well. The almost blind devotion that superseded their self wellbeing, mattered little to them whether he told them to stop or not. He looked straight ahead and said to the guards. ¡°Inform the city lord that we are here.¡± He then strides forward without caring if the guard or crowd were still kneeling or not. Cellia pursed her lips and grabbed Rayen¡¯s hand before following behind. They didn¡¯t choose the main road which led straight to the city lord¡¯s mansion, but used alleyways instead. Cellia couldn¡¯t help but ask him, but more than the need for an answer, she wanted to lighten the mood. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we take the main road? It would be faster.¡± ¡°No, we will get delayed even more. Besides, it''s better not to take that road.¡± Bardar said but didn¡¯t explain and just moved his feet faster. ¡®Besides, I better not have you or Rayen look at that.¡¯ On the way, he sometimes answered the questions of Cellia, who was introducing the city to Rayen, but most of the time, his mind was not on them. It was as such that they arrived at the top house of the mountain, the one that houses the city lord. The mansion was similar to how other surrounding buildings looked. Made with yellow stones with some murals of beasts engraved on the walls. The only difference was its size, others at most reached two stories, it reached seven. Before one could enter, they had no choice but to glance upward where an arc made of pure gold was shining with bright rays as the gate was facing the direction of the sun. It had the noticeable figure of a faceless human, surrounded by a wasp, beetle, centipede, cat and a strange wolf with six eyes and sharp teeth sprouting from his mouth. ¡°Look Rayen, do you see your reflection up there?¡± Cellia pointed at the spotless mural of gold, which made Rayen tilt his head, unable to understand the reason for her shouts. Bardar shook his head at due and looked up straight before releasing a whistle. ¡°Woof!¡± The whistle just sounded and Cherry ran from the right alley. Seeing her arrive, Cellia can¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Are you waiting for us here?¡± Cherry was going to woof, but Bardar didn¡¯t want to wait. ¡°Let¡¯s go inside first. We shouldn¡¯t let Uncle wait anymore.¡± Cherry was much more excited as she ran towards the mansion¡¯s door and almost jumped too, but her body stopped in a crouched motion. She remembered Rayen was also there and over the past days, she had meticulously developed her image in front of him as a well-behaved lady, and can''t ruin it yet. She straightened her body and moved with grace. When Rayen came to his side, she matched his speed and released the woof in intervals, telling him about the bowing guards and servants they met on the way. Cellia, who could understand her words, had a smile stretched on her hidden face with shoulders that trembled ever so little as she tried to stop the laughter that threatened to erupt. Bardar also had a wry smile on his face. The cause for this was not Cherry introducing servants, but the way she introduced them. The left guard at the first door has crispy meat, the servant who bowed first needs to be marinated, and one person leading them overall is high quality but needs some spices to taste better. ¡®Why did I even learn her language?¡¯ Bardar thought. To distract himself, he looked at the maid leading them. ¡®And high-quality meat? Isn¡¯t it because she hands you the sweets now and then?¡¯ Like all servants, dressed in light yellow khaki attire with billowing sleeves. But unlike the others, whose face covers matched their pale dresses, hers was a deep purple that contrasted starkly. Through the slit, one could glimpse at her wrinkled skin. Shasta, the oldest person working on the mansion and even Bardar gave her two points of respect. ¡°Aunt Shasta, how has your health been in recent times?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, little Bardar,¡± Shasta said. Despite what she claimed, her words lacked pitch and strength. ¡° These old bones of mine could still go along fine for years to come.¡± Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°But you should still take a rest from time to time, and should offload this kind of work to others.¡± ¡°He¡¯s not wrong, Madam Shasta,¡± Cellia said at this moment. She found the reason to get familiar with the people around Bardar, and this was a chance she didn''t want to miss. ¡°A good rest now can allow you to recover soon and would enable you to keep helping Sir Bladurus for more time. Also, I heard overseas that there was a case which makes you age twice if¡­¡± Bardar felt Cellia had a thing for talking, as whenever she could maintain the conservation with almost anyone. Then an idea hit him. ¡®I will just offload my management work to her and free myself for my research.¡¯ Soon they reached their destination, the room on the seventh floor. Shasta knocked before she opened the door, and when Bardar entered the room, he found the person they came for. But calling him a person was a stretch, as he was a towering presence. His frame stretched out as wide as three people standing abreast. Even with his loose khaki-coloured dress, the fabric still strained against his body, emphasising the sheer mass they carried. He saw the group entering and smiled as he walked towards them. It was a wonder that he not only stood with two legs but also walked with each step that tested the floor to its limits. ¡°Bardar, you are here. How was the journey?¡± ¡°It¡¯s like the breeze on the sands,¡± Bardar said and hugged him. How are you, Uncle Bladurus?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. All I need are the delicacies and my life keeps on increasing.¡± Bladurus then looked at Cellia and, with an even stronger smile, hit Badar¡¯s back, almost launching him to the wall on the opposite side. ¡°I thought you were a no boomer-only golem breed, but you turned out to be a silent killer. How the hell did you catch on to such a beautiful lady?¡± Bardar can feel blood rushing to his face, but he is not sure whether it is because of the hit just now or the embarrassment. He coughed when trying to say something, and Bladurus hit him again. This time, the force was manageable. ¡°Lad, don¡¯t just stand there. Come on now, introduce me to your wife already.¡± ¡°Woof!¡± Bladurus'' next words got stuck in his throat the moment he heard the sound. Current ran through his whole body, followed by the hairs that all stood up. With a slight turn of his head to behind Cellia, Cherry was introducing him to the boy. The boy didn¡¯t matter to him at this moment because the golden labra beside him was looking at Baladurus with sharp eyes and he caught a saliva dripping from her mouth. Bladurus also knew Cherry¡¯s language and could tell what she said. ¡°A full buffet of juicy meat.¡± ¡°Ah, L-lady Cherry, you are also here?¡± Bladurus repositioned himself behind Bardar and said with a face full of sweat. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you would also be coming.¡± ¡°Woof!?¡± ¡°I-I would have prepared the sweetest food for you if I knew.¡± Cherry¡¯s face and ears dropped at this. If she knew this would be the case, she would have sent a letter in advance. ¡°Uncle, let me introduce you. This is Cellia.¡± Bardar was too used to this, and his face didn¡¯t even flinch. He knew if Bladurus knew Cherry was coming along with them, forget about the meeting, he would not even be in Oasis. ¡°And the boy over there is Rayen.¡± ¡°Sir Bladurus, I always hear about your name back in the academy. It''s an honour to meet you.¡± Cellia placed her right hand on her chest followed by a slight leaning to the front, a typical gesture of greeting a person of respect. Bladurus found Cherry turning to the boy, who started patting her. This made him relieved, and he regained his demeanour. ¡°Don¡¯t call me. We are now a family. Just call me Uncle Bladurus.¡± ¡°Then, Uncle Bladurus, it''s a pleasure to meet you.¡± ¡°Wait, let me give you a greeting gift.¡± Bladurus still didn¡¯t move from behind the now uncomfortable Bardar and gave Cellia a small box with a soft yellow colour. ¡°But, I can¡¯t just-¡± ¡°It¡¯s the thing Bardar refined while learning to inscribe runes. Some kind of ornament.¡± ¡°Then I would accept it.¡± Seeing them shift their faces like this, Bardar felt the difference in skill. But he felt they should start with business. He turned to the strange duo near the gate. Since Cherry was here, Bladurus would not be going near Rayen at all. ¡°Cherry, take Rayen for a walk,¡± he said. Cherry turned around, but only after asking for tonight¡¯s dinner. Bladurus couldn''t conceal his relief the moment he heard her. He''d do anything to have her go away. Rayen received the instruction to follow Cherry and obediently trailed behind. As soon as the duo stepped outside the room, Bladurus released a sigh of relief. "Why are we still standing? Come here, let''s sit and talk." Cellia intended to follow, but halted when she noticed Bardar''s lack of movement. Bladurus also sensed something amiss. Stepping forward, he narrowed his eyes as Bardar stared deeply into his own. Bardar remained silent, like being lost in his thoughts. Before long, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. And Upon reopening his eyes, a bottle of red potion materialised in his hands. "Grandma sent this for you." Cellia felt he was too slow and deliberate until the change happened. Bladurus'' pupils to contract. His corpulent form trembled beneath his clothes, resembling a brewing storm. Cellia''s senses tinged, and she took a step back. While Bardar looked at Bladurus'' ravenous gaze upon the potion with only one thought. ¡®Just like a crazed beast. Why did we go so wrong?¡¯ *** Cherry took Rayen through the hallways laid with red carpet and towards the gate of the mansion. Rayen was following right behind. He looked straight ahead and gave little mind to the various attention-seeking paintings. Some depicted rows of people marching towards the mountain city, others had countless wasps dotting the sky with endless numbers. The largest painting among them was to the right and goes along the length of the wall. In it, the range of mountains stood tall and fireballs with countless arrows rained down from their snowy peaks, towards the city that stood at the foot of the mountain range. Cherry turned and woofed with force towards the two maids and the five guards who were following behind them the moment they left the mansion. Her bark made every single one of them tremble. They bowed their bodies before going back inside. Rayen followed Cherry to the side alleyway and stopped as Cherry turned and circled around him. As he tilted his head, Cherry opened her mouth and in front of Rayen¡¯s eyes, peeled away the layers of spell Cellia stacked on him. Spells that could attack and defend, but also maintain the cleanness of his clothes. Each one got sucked into her mouth without any resistance. A crunchy sound came from her mouth as she chewed on them before swallowing them whole. She then used her paws and kept throwing the sand into the air. It should be called a cloud of dust that one could choke into, but it was not. The sand seemed to be under some unknown influence as it stayed well away from Rayen¡¯s nose and only stuck to his body with a gentle nudge. When the dust settled, Rayen looked like a dirty bagger with his hair filled with sand as to his clothes. One can¡¯t even make out the fabric of his clothes from looking. Cherry was the same as him, her golden hair had become brown, like some rundown street dog. Then, like some human who invented his beautiful creation, she moved her head up and down. Compared to Rayen, who tilted his head and looked at his dirty clothes, she was used to this. Once this was done, she started walking again, and Rayen could only follow. She started explaining the city to him. There was not much in terms of artistic nature in the alleyways. Crammed pathways with old stone buildings, few even having the remains of any paint. Even with Cherry, they walked away from the main street. Thus, the view can only have some webs of spiders in the half-broken windows. Cherry didn''t forget to explain about not eating them as they lacked the sweetness. Then she kept woofing and woofing, and before long entered another alley, this one was not empty. Some people walked back and forth. The reason for this was because of the endpoint of this alley. It meets with the path of the main market. Rayen observed these people because when he looked through their smoky figures, he had to strain his eyes to see the orbs in their hearts. They are too tiny. Only occasionally could one or two even reach the size of his fingernail. The size difference attracted his attention and while Cherry was entering another alley, he walked towards the market. The scene outside the alleyways was like another world, with wide streets filled to the brim with aged people. A flow that doesn¡¯t allow one to stop, and thus pushed Rayen along with it. Clatters of their voices filled his ears, each going on to their mundane daily tasks. Some argue for a fair price, others shout in hopes of getting the attention of the wave of crowds. Stalls had what one could hope for, from the low-hanging clothes that swung with the winds to the pieces of jewellery that shone in the sunlight. From the small mountain of spices to the meat being grilled. Under his eyes, the small orbs in people¡¯s hearts glowed as they bargained for a higher price, while others wanted a lower price. These back-and-forth bargains made their orbs shaked with every word they spoke. For someone who can see the lies through with a single glance, it made him tilt his head. How could he understand what bargaining was? Only that whenever an orb shakes, a lie is being told. No idea what it signifies, but Bella said it was bad and one should avoid it. He wanted to go away from here, but the wave kept pushing him along until it didn¡¯t. A ring of bells sounded throughout the market, and everything seemed to stop in motion. A silence fell into the crowd. Everyone looked at the other end of the main street, the source of the sound. And everyone kneeled to the ground. From the shopkeepers to the guards that patrol here, no one was standing anymore, other than Rayen. They just kept their heads down in absolute silence. Farther ahead, unknown to Rayen, a wide space had appeared among the wave of people. Another ring sounded. With that bell, the silent people seemed to have regained their lost voice. ¡°Great Mother is Coming!¡± Their overlapped voices took away the attention from their hidden faces, which were stretched to the limit. Their bodies tremble with anticipation and hands gripped tightly on the sand with closed eyes filled with absolute devotion. The shouts filled the entire market. A big carriage, draped with strips of red-coloured piece of cloth, which was laced with golden threads at the ends, appeared at the end of the street. Made from the yellow stones that got splashed in the front, from the blood of humans that pulled it. A group of thirty-six people were at the front with their hands nailed to the support they pulled. Blood seeped from their hands as they pushed the carriage of stone, with eyes that had lost their will. They cared about nothing. A good look at their bodies and one could see some tattoos of the sun, which were now covered with dried blood. Even among them, the people in the back row were the ones treated with the most brutality. Large nails dug into their backs, connected with chains that clinked with each moment on their part. Eyes dug out into hollow circles and mouth sewed shut. And atop the carriage they pulled was a headless skeleton of a human that glowed red with heat that boiled out the air surrounding it. It was kneeling in front of a white statue of a woman. A spotless statue that no dust could touch. One could see the many efforts put into it by the sculptor, as even though the outlines of cloth hide half her face, one could still feel her arrogance along with her enticing smile. Her equally smooth left hand held a long sword and her right hand raised to her chest with a front finger along with her thumb half open and rest closed. At this, the people who were guiding the carriage from behind noticed Rayen. One of them walked towards him. He was carrying a big club in his arms. That club, too, dipped with fresh blood and stained his otherwise black attire. Similar to an executioner, no part other than his hands was visible. He stopped in front of Rayen and stared at him from behind his black mask. Then, without a word, as Rayen was tilting his head, he raised his club high into the air and dropped without a thought. ¡°Wait! He¡¯s mentally ill.¡± A voice called out, and the club stopped just an inch away from Rayen¡¯s head, who just stared at it. The executioner turned his head sideways and a skinny, malnourished-looking boy of about 15 years with fiery red hair and sharp eyes. With old, torn clothes that draped his lithe frame, along with many holes in the fabric. The boy bowed his head and said again. ¡° Mercy my lord. My brother here is mentally ill. That¡¯s why he showed disrespect to the Great Mother." The executioner shifted his eyes back to Rayen, and when he gazed back into those brown eyes, he didn¡¯t find any fear of the club that emitted a smell of blood just inches away from smashing his head. He took back the club and said with a grunt voice. ¡°Bow before the Great Mother. She would have mercy on him.¡± With his words finished. A sudden pressure fell on Rayen¡¯s body which pushed him to the ground. In just a blink of an eye, he was lying on the ground. Only then did the executioner turn towards the carriage that had long passed through the market. ¡°Hey, do you have a death wish?¡± The red-haired boy asked Rayen as others stood up and returned to their business. From outside it looks like nothing happened, if one ignored their eyes that were shifting towards Rayen. ¡°Shit, come with me.¡± He grabbed Rayen, who lay on the ground and pulled him through the crowds and into a random alley to the far left. *** ¡°So who are you? I didn¡¯t see you here before.¡± After fifteen minutes and passing through many cross alleys, the red-haired boy stopped and seeing them along, a relief washed his face. He took a look at Rayen and found him to be the same as him, a street kid. ¡°Come on now, I will give you a discount for making me lie in front of the Great Mother.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Hey, I am still waiting for the magic words now. You know, if I didn¡¯t say you were mentally ill, you would be a goner now.¡± He crossed his arms and waited for Rayen''s words of thanks. But the party in question only stared back. Rayen had no idea what he was talking about and also did not want to follow him. But his body was too weak as compared to normal kids. Seeing him not replying, the red-haired boy scratched his head. ¡°You are not really a fool, right? Or are you just too scared? Hey?¡± He shaked his hand in front of Rayen¡¯s eyes but the eyes didn¡¯t waiver. ¡°Ha¡­ just wonderful. That¡¯s all I needed for my life.¡± He sighed. But he knew the rules of Oasis. Disabled people needed to be treated with care. If not for this, the executioner would not have stopped his club. And since he saved him one, he planned to finish his job. ¡°I think you don¡¯t know where you come from, right? Let¡¯s go. I am sure there were some market guards stationed near this place.¡± He once again grabbed Rayen¡¯s hand and started walking after choosing a direction. ¡°By the way. My name is Azir. Make sure to remember this until we are together.¡± He said without turning back. Chapter 11: Oasis, The Haven of Thar (2) The main market, being the busiest place in Oasis, had a unit of guards dedicated to it. They not only patrol the area but also help in maintaining order, collecting taxes and sometimes helping with miscellaneous works, like through very unlikely, finding the lost children. The reason for being unlikely was simple. Oasis is the city of old people which rarely had young adults and no children. But today, Joseph, a knight with a sixty-year-old body and whose face seemed to scream boredom, got to see some children. He leaned in towards them from his wooden chair that made a creaky noise and looked at the pair that came to him. One was red-haired with rag-tagged clothes, a combination of a yellow shirt and slightly blue pants which had some back greasy substance stuck at some places. And behind him was another boy, a little shorter, with brown hair and eyes, with clothes covered by dust. Seeing the first one holding the hand of the other, they looked like brothers. He was in his thoughts as the red-haired boy interrupted him. ¡° Sir, are you listening?¡± ¡° Huh¡­ ah right. You said your name was¡­¡± ¡°Azir.¡± ¡° And the person behind you is¡­?¡± ¡° I don¡¯t know his name.¡± Azir released a long breath and felt his throat drying. When he came, he found this old man sleeping in his chair, and even now he looked slow to get to the point. Joseph looked at the brown-haired boy who was observing the spider web on the ceiling and then looked back at Azir. ¡° You sure he¡¯s not your brother?¡± ¡° No, he¡¯s not. And something seemed wrong with his head.¡± Azir then raised his hand and shook it in front of Rayen, who ignored his movements. ¡°See?¡± ¡°You sure it''s not just your brother sulking?¡± ¡° Why do you keep insisting on him being my brother?¡± ¡° Because this is Oasis.¡± Azir¡¯s mouth got shut when he heard this. He almost forgot about this thing. He was going to say something, but a bell rang from the other room. Joseph stood up when he heard it and said to Azir. ¡° Wait here for a minute.¡± Azir was once again left alone with Rayen and couldn¡¯t help but sigh. He pulled Rayen to the side and made him sit on a wooden chair. They didn¡¯t have to wait for long, as Joseph returned with a baffled look after a few minutes. ¡° We will search for his whereabouts. You don¡¯t have to worry.¡± He said as soon as he arrived in front of Azir. ¡° Alright, I will leave him in your care, then.¡± Nodding, Azir looked to Rayen, wanting to say goodbye, but Joseph''s words made him stop. ¡° Take him with you.¡± ¡°What did you say?¡± This time, it was Azir¡¯s turn to look baffled. He scratched his ears and asked again while pointing to Rayen, ¡° Did you just say take him with me?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Joseph gave a quick nod and said to him. ¡° We have been lacking funds for some time. So you have to take care of him till we find his caretakers.¡± Azir stared at his face and took a deep breath as he tried his best to hold back the list of curses towards this old man. ¡° You want me, a poor teenager, to take in another teenager with me?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°And take care of him until you guys find his caretakers?¡± ¡° I see you are sharp for your age.¡± ¡°..You sure you don¡¯t want to retire yet?¡± Azir can¡¯t help but blurt this out. Anyone who looked at his skinny body could tell at a glance that his situation was not good, but this old man was telling him to take in another mouth to feed. It¡¯s no wonder he started to question the mental being of market guards. At this time, another ring sounded from inside and Joseph jerked and he began to push Azir and Rayen outside while saying. ¡° Alright, we will find you later if we find something. Now we need to clean this place, so go out.¡± ¡° Are you trying to make us go away?¡± Azir wanted to push back but found that the old man was stronger and pushed both of them outside before closing the door. Azir started for a minute at the closed door before he turned to Rayen and said. ¡° I always heard guards being useless, but this? This is a call for revolution against the system.¡± Azir looked back at him and found him with a tilted head. He pitched his nose and took some deep breaths. Not wanting to disappoint the Great Mother, he grabbed Rayen¡¯s hand and started walking. ¡°Ai, my life is really tough.¡± As they walked away, inside the cabin of the guard¡¯s captain. A man with rugged skin sat on a chair with a face that dripped with drops of sweat. He gulped as he glanced at the letter on the table with multiple paw prints on it. This letter, which just flew from the window had instructed him to turn both Azir and Rayen away, without force in the first part. ¡®I need to inform higher-ups.¡¯ He thought about the latter parts of the letter before leaving towards the city lord¡¯s mansion. *** On the other hand, Azir brought Rayen into a different colony. Far away from the market, built near the walls of the city, at the foot of the mountain. It was a very different scene, with rows upon rows of broken buildings. Some of them had marks of black ash on their outer walls, which showed the signs of a big fire that had once spread around this area. Because of such a scene, few people would even come here, minus those who had nowhere else to go, like Azir, who called this place home. This journey took them an hour to make and ended in front of a similar half-broken, single-storey building. Only some remains of walls for the second floor remained while the wooden beams protruded from the ceiling of the first floor. Surrounded by a pile of debris with wild plants on adjacent sides. When Rayen stared at the door, which looked like it might fall the next moment, Azir coughed and said, ¡° Don¡¯t look at it like that. Finding a still intact building near the walls is difficult.¡± He didn¡¯t want to wait outside any longer and thus pushed the door. The door didn¡¯t have any lock to it and Azir didn¡¯t worry about someone breaking in. After all, almost all those who managed to reach here had always prided themselves on being the greatest sons of the Great Mother. For them, Oasis is the Holy Land, and they don¡¯t want to bring shame to its name. That is why he doesn¡¯t get surprised at Joseph sleeping in his chair. In Oasis, being a guard was the most useless job. Even the guards at the gate of the city didn''t carry any weapons on them. Beast from outside never came close to the walls of Oasis and guards just maintained lines among those that arrived. Entering through the door, a somewhat dirty room with half of it being filled with rubbles appeared in front of Rayen. And of the remaining space, a hay sac, almost half their height, took the most central place. Azir pointed his finger at it and said.¡° Look over there, that¡¯s our comfy bed. And that worn-out barrel holds the most important thing of Thar, Water.¡± He pointed at the mud barrel beside the hay sac with a white cloth on the top. There was a wooden plank that covered the small hole right next to it. ¡° That¡¯s where my secret vault is.¡± ¡°Woof!¡± ¡° And that¡¯s a dog beside..huh!?¡± Azir then paused as he just noticed a dog sitting beside his vault. With its dangling tongue and huffing chest, the dog looked at home as he looked at both of them. It was Cherry who intruded upon Azir¡¯s house without knocking. Azir froze when he saw her and soon a frown appeared on his face. With careful movements, he walked towards his vault and removed the plank. Inside was a bag with some coins, some pieces of chalk, a blackboard and a thing wrapped with clean red cloth. He picked up the red cloth and opened it to reveal some pieces of bread along with dried jerky inside. He made sure Cherry¡¯s eyes caught the bread as he moved out and placed it in the middle of the road before moving inside and standing beside Rayen. Cherry tilted her head in confusion, but then understood the gesture. She''s used to this, everyone in Thar pays tribute to her and this boy in front of her was no different. At normal times, she was very picky about her tribute, but today she¡¯s got some trouble of her own. If Bella comes to know that Rayen¡¯s head almost got blasted today, Cherry could imagine Bella ripping open her mouth and forcing the barrels of pickle into it. No, she might even throw her in a lake of pickles and her body shook just thinking about this. To avoid her ever so darker future, she needed to delay Rayen''s return. At least until Rayen forgets about that scene because there''s no way he''s gonna tell a lie in front of Bella. That¡¯s why she moved ahead and made sure guards didn¡¯t take the case of finding Bardar and Cellia. Now, since she¡¯s a guest in Azir¡¯s shabby house, she decided to humour him and accept his tribute. Though she felt him lacking in proper rituals for paying tribute, she decided to overlook this as him being a pub. When she eventually arrived at the middle of the road and picked the piece of bread with her mouth, the sound of something slamming entered her ears. She turned her head back and the piece of bread dropped from her mouth. Azir had closed the door and left her staring at the door for quite a while without any movement while the wind blew her hair. On the other hand, Azir clapped his hands after throwing the uninvited guest and had Rayen sit in the hay. He then jumped on the hay and said,¡° See that? It''s a little strange to sleep on hay at first but once you get used to it, there¡¯s no going back.¡± But when he looked back at Rayen, he found the problem he had ignored till now. He didn¡¯t know what to call him yet. He asked many times, but Rayen never told him his name. ¡° Hey, did you really not understand me?¡± He can¡¯t help it. Rayen never replied, even though he dragged him the whole day. Azir had never seen another boy of his age and thus didn¡¯t want to abandon the one he just found. He then remembered something and pulled some water in an old cup and handed it over to Rayen, who looked at the cup in his hands and then again at Azir, who sighed. At this moment, a strange sound came from outside. Azir stood up and moved close to the door and planned to peek through the gaps in the door. But the moment he came close, the door fell towards him and crushed him. Cherry, who had just jumped and crashed on the door, looked everywhere to find the fiend who did the disrespect towards her, but only found Rayen¡¯s blank stare. She hid her teeth again after not finding her target but she definitely remembered hearing his sound just now. ¡°Ah, get off of me.¡± Azir finally pushed the door with Cherry from the top of him and huffed. ¡° Ah, you four-legged rotten brains!! Look what you just did.¡± He started shouting the next moment while glaring at Cherry, who also refused to back down in the face of another disrespect towards her. ¡° What are you even opening your mouth for?¡± Azir had seen the various monster beasts that haunt the city outside. In front of them, Cherry¡¯s bark sounded like a child''s cry. It was then he noticed the collar on the neck of Cherry and he got the swords he needed to attack. ¡° Right, who the heck is your owner? Bring them to me. I will talk to them.¡± Cherry flinched at this. She just remembered about her dark future and her barks sounded much like low whimpers. After all, sometimes, one needed to compromise with their foes, and she felt this was such a moment. But the balance had shifted towards Azir¡¯s favour and, like a general who found the weakness in the enemy''s formations, he rushed straight to finish them with a final scoop. ¡° I will sue them for compensation, for not only you breaking the door but also the pride of the Great Mother.¡± In fact, in the moment of rushed feelings, Azir didn¡¯t even know what he just blurted out. But Cherry¡¯s defence got broken after the ultimate attack of Azir and, like a shameless enemy, she ran off to another safe haven. Azir looked at her running to Rayen and rubbing her head on him, who in-turn rubbed her head. The scene made Azir twitch his lips, and he found the hidden party he ignored during his conquest. ¡°You- you are his owner?¡± This was the moment he found the dog going for a proxy battle. This situation demanded a different approach since he can¡¯t shout at Rayen. Azir softened his tone and asked the other key party, ¡° Hey, friend, we are friends, right? Come on, help me throw this intruder away.¡± But Rayen seemed to commit to neutrality and refused to extradite the dog at his request. This made Azir rub his head with frustration. But he¡¯s not to be outdone, and brought his hand forward towards them and said with a firm voice to the dog. ¡° Then, pay the damages.¡± Cherry stared at his hand and then his face, speechless. She had met many people over the years, but it was the first time for her that she met someone like Azir. Forget about him not being afraid of her razor-sharp teeth, which she¡¯s sure would shine in the sun. Just him trying to reply to her without even understanding her woof was something she had never seen before. Heck, not only talking to her, but he was actually blackmailing her. What would she do if Bardar found out about this? And sands forbid, that flying lizard came to find out about this, she would become a laughingstock for the rest of her life. She had no choice but to turn to her last option and woofed. Rayen looked for a while as he listened to Cherry, but it took more than one nudge from her for him to stand up and kneel in front of hay. And under Azir¡¯s wide eyes, Rayen moved his fingers across the sand on the floor and wrote some words on it. Negotiable? These were Cherry''s words that he translated, but Azir doesn¡¯t care about such a thing now. He looked at the impressive cursive on the sand and said with astonishment stretched across his face. ¡°You can write?"He found Rayen staring back at him. ¡° Woof!¡± Cherry, on the other hand, was still downcast seeing Azir like this.Rayen erased the previous words and wrote a new one that made Azir''s brain turn in full. Still not negotiable? ¡®Hey, I think I can use her.¡¯ Azir turned to the down-faced dog and decided to say his offer. ¡° We can negotiate.¡± Cherry¡¯s ears rose at this, ready for his price. She knew humans like gold and shiny stones. She had them in tones on her collar. But Azir''s words made her pause for a while. ¡° Tell him to write his name and I can forgive you.¡± She made another woof, and Rayen followed suit. You stupid? ¡° Where are your owners?¡± Cherry decided to not think too much. She was sure that something was wrong with the cub''s head., otherwise he would not ask for such a small price. She urged the silent Rayen and completed her side of the deal. Rayen and Cherry. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡° Rayen. That¡¯s a nice name.¡± Azir at this moment felt happy. He knew how to talk to his new friend now. ¡° Say, where are you from?¡± Cherry¡¯s eyes turned sharply at this and her teeth came out. She felt Azir was trying to go back on his words and she would not allow it. ¡°I am just trying to help him. Why are you bringing out the teeth?¡± Cherry backed down, but she refused to believe this cub. He¡¯s both too stupid and smart for her. She would not take any risk with him, her reputation and bright future depends on this. And without her active nudges, Rayen didn¡¯t write anything on the sand. Azir rubbed his head at the strange duo. He talked some, but the answers mostly depended on how well he could convince Cherry, who was on guard against him, for some unknown reason. Thus, after going back and forth, he decided it was for the best to just save his breath. For the broken door, he decided to just have it leaned against the gaps. It¡¯s not like he needed to worry about thieves in Oasis and then there was also a dog with them now. The sun was going down and Azir once again pulled the food from his vault and placed bread with jerky in front of them. But the thing that followed next made him blank. Cherry¡¯s collar flashed and a bottle of some purple potion with a spoon appeared in front of her. And Rayen translated again, which Azir wished he didn¡¯t. Edible. Gave in full. ¡°Is it some medicine?¡± Azir took the bottle and poured the potion on the spoon. He didn¡¯t notice any smell. He brought it close to Rayen¡¯s face, and when he thought Rayen would drink it, the potion turned into purple smoke and flew into his nose. Azir¡¯s mouth opened wide at this. His eyes slowly moved to the spoon. He ignored it before, but now when he looked again; he found it to be a silver spoon with one of the Thar¡¯s five beasts engraved on it. Sandwing Scuttlebug, a beetle with shiny armour. ¡° Well, you seemed to be rich.¡± Cherry once again felt this pub was a strange one as he stopped looking at the spoon and continued feeding Rayen. Soon, the bottle became empty and Azir¡¯s stomach made some noise. Cherry saw him picking up the piece of bread and another potion bottle appeared. ¡° Huh? How many do you have in your collar?¡± Although Azir never owned one, being the capital of Thar, Oasis never lacked the space equipment for storage. He also felt curious about the potion and thus didn¡¯t refuse the offer. When the potion turned into smoke and entered his nose, different flavours of food came to his tongue. It was hard to describe. Sometimes it was spicy but also sweet, mixed with different spices like turmeric, ginger, and garlic being dominant. He looked at the potion with wide eyes and found it difficult to form some words to say. Rayen tilted his head and Cherry was too busy eating Azir¡¯s dried bread. It was such that the night fell on the Oasis. *** In a room decorated with red colours with intricate designs of beasts and a well-lit interior from a cool white magic orb at the ceilings, Bardar sat on a sofa. His face frowned as he studied the city map of Oasis. Sometimes, he would use his quill to mark down some areas while erasing other times. It was then that he had to look up in surprise when Cellia slammed the door open and ran towards him. ¡° We have a situation!¡± She didn¡¯t stop but until directly in front of him and pulled while ignoring his look. ¡° A local guard delivered this letter from Cherry and I have lost my tracing spells on Rayen.¡± Bardar frowned even more and took the letter from her. Cellia got more impatient when she saw his brows getting eased and said again. ¡°We need to hurry and find Rayen. The night had already fallen on the city.¡± ¡° Don¡¯t worry. The letter says Cherry would take care of him.¡± His words surprised her a little as he put the letter on the table and leaned back. ¡° As long as Cherry is there. Nothing in the city could harm Rayen.¡± ¡°Listen, I know Cherry is a monster beast.¡± She felt that Bardar and Bella trusted Cherry for far more than the limit. After all, just how far could they trust a monster beast? ¡° But that didn¡¯t mean we should leave Rayen only in her care.¡± ¡° Cellia¡­¡± ¡° And this mansion had serious problems.¡± Her mana swept and covered the surrounding space in a silent spell. Just in case someone heard them. " Servants don¡¯t seem to follow my command. Not only did they refuse to search for Rayen, but also stopped me when I wanted to do that myself. They say it was an order from Cherry. I believe they are just using an excuse to oppose us. Like trying to show us our place¡± Bardar stared for a moment before he sighed. He didn¡¯t blame her for such thoughts. She, after all, was from overseas and first time being inside Oasis. Since it¡¯s an ultimate resting place for many, the things that happened here, stay here. ¡° No, they are just following the order. Remember when I said Cherry was not a dog?¡± ¡° I know she is a monster beast.¡± ¡° Not any monster beast. but the guardian of Thar.¡± ¡° What!?¡± Shock flashed across Cellia¡¯s face and she rejected his words almost instantly. ¡° You are kidding, right? No way that she¡¯s that guardian.¡± One can¡¯t blame her for saying this. When Thar spoke of their guardian, they did so with respect, but the word of praises stopped within Thar. Overseas, the guardian had much to do with infamy and little to reputation. Brutal, savage and bloodthirsty were the titles donned by the guardian of Thar, who shallows hundreds of villages in Thar as her food each year. Few had lived to tell how she looked. But everyone knew its name, The Dusty Devil. With the figure that looked similar to the six-eyed wolf at the gates of the mansion. Cellia couldn¡¯t overlap that devil¡¯s face with that of Cherry. ¡° But that¡¯s the truth. And in terms of priority of order, Cherry¡¯s only second to grandma.¡± Bardar stood up and helped her sit beside him to ease her worry. ¡° You could have said that to me before.¡± Cellia took some deep breaths to calm her beating heart. She knew she was lucky to be Bardar¡¯s friend and now his fiance that she was still breathing. After all, there are none as outsiders that are still living after meeting her. The Dusty Devil¡¯s infamy was not just to boast about. ¡° I need to pay proper respect to her next time.¡± ¡° If you do, she would probably get beaten by grandma. Better not to do this.¡± He smiled as the fatigue from earlier lessened a little. Cellia then noticed the map of the city and asked him. ¡° Are you planning something?¡± ¡°Hm. You were not wrong when you said about people not taking you more seriously.¡± ¡° Are you planning a show of force?¡± Both of them are wizards. There were many differences when compared with mages, but one of the most striking ones was how they trained. When mages focus singularly on spells and about one or two different professions of their liking, Wizards major in most things, from spells to management, city or business alike. Becoming one is not easy, it demands more about the will to continue through thorns than the talent it takes for mages. When people say wizards as rulers of the world, they mean it. One could send them through any situation, and they would thrive there. That¡¯s why they were the backbone of the Alliance that stood the test of time. And Cellia and Bardar were not different either. Though Thar had left the Alliance long ago, that changes little for both. Although they didn¡¯t take politics as their major during their training as wizards, they still trained to take over a hostile base of power. As the saying in Alliance goes, it takes more than raw power to rule through the generations to come. ¡°Would you transfer them?¡± Cellia asked. If they both unhinged their ways, then the only person they needed to be mindful of was Bladurus. But that itself had too many complications to it, like the fallout from such an open display of hostility in Oasis to be the one, the spiritual land of Thar. But most importantly for her, Bardar doesn¡¯t like to spill blood, a rare trait among the wizards. That¡¯s why she could only suggest an alternative instead of using more forceful and direct ways. ¡° To replace them, I would have to bring the people from overseas.¡± He shook his head at her idea of getting people more loyal to them. In the whole of Thar, Bardar was not sure if someone would even support him.¡° And you know the thing about Thar, even the wizards don¡¯t easily step foot in these sands.¡± ¡° Then how do you plan to display authority?¡± ¡° By the only thing I know best.¡± His eyes moved to the map of the city when he said this. *** The chilly night of darkness passed away and the bright sun began to climb the sky. Inside Azir¡¯s place, he along with Rayen, slept on the hay while Cherry lay between both of them. To be more specific, Cherry¡¯s face was too close to Azir¡¯s face and her breath blew to his face. Because of the habit of waking up early, Azir¡¯s biological clock rang and his eyes slowly opened. The first thing that appeared was the half-open mouth of a dog that made his sleep go away. Seeing her not waking up, he planned to throw her away but found her too heavy to move and only made her back leg twitch like a sloth human being tickled. Since he¡¯s afraid to wake up Rayen, he can¡¯t shout and thus, could only let her go. Taking some water, he started washing his face and after checking the position of the sun, he decided to wake Rayen and tapped his face. ¡° Rayen, wake up. We need to go.¡± He found him much easier to awaken as Rayen¡¯s eyes opened the moment he called out. Cherry also opened her eyes and yawned with her big mouth. Before Azir could comment, a bottle of teeth-cleaning potion and soap appeared in his front, which made his whole face twitch. He held the pink bottle in his left hand and soap in the other with only one thought in his head. ¡®Am I the nanny and she¡¯s the boss? Or is it just my imagination?¡¯ Soon, he was able to make Rayen ready and used this chance to use the teeth-cleaning potion for himself. It had a flavour of mint. After dusting off both of their clothes, he grabbed Rayen¡¯s hand and set off. Rayen didn¡¯t understand, but that didn¡¯t stop Azir from pulling through the web of alleyways and only stopped when they arrived in the eastern part of the city. They stood at the back door of a shop. ¡° Come on, Rayen. Let me show you to someone. Remember, everyone in Oasis needs to work. You are no exception. But don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s not labour work.¡± He raised his hand to knock on the door and shouted. ¡°Boss Sam, I am here.¡± ¡° Stop beating on my door. Who gonna pay if it breaks?¡± A ruffed and old voice came from inside, followed by that of footsteps. As the door swung open, a middle-aged man greeted them. He sported a black beard, with a white cloth streaked with grease wrapped around his stomach. Beneath it, he wore a blue sleeveless shirt and matching pants. His bald head, gleaming with oil, caught the sunlight, momentarily blinding Rayen. He looked at Rayen beside Azir and asked right away. ¡°Who is this person with you?¡± ¡°This is Rayen and Rayen, this is Boss Sam. The one we would be working under.¡± ¡°When the hell did I hire him?¡± Boss Sam¡¯s eyes grew sharp when he heard Azir. This was not his fault as too many times he got swept by the flow of Azir and many times took a loss. Azir made a confused face when he heard him and asked back. ¡° But you said some days ago that only if there was someone of the same age as me and you would hire him right away. That¡¯s why I searched the city for many days and at last found Rayen.¡± Azir said as a matter of fact. ¡° You have to increase my pay this time. You don¡¯t know how much effort I took to convince him to work with us. The competition in the job market is very tough these days.¡± ¡®This rascal.¡¯ Boss Sam became speechless. Azir did not lie about this. As he was an artefact repairer and in need of more hands. Alas, those who came to Oasis didn¡¯t come seeking a job and so he needed to overwork. But that didn¡¯t mean he would hire anyone, even more so Rayen, who kept staring at his chest without a pause. He decided to interview him on the spot because something bugged him when he looked at those eyes. Like they lacked something, but he can¡¯t tell what. ¡° Who are you, boy?¡± ¡° Didn¡¯t I just introduce both of you?¡± ¡° Quiet, I want to hear from him.¡± Sam looked back at Rayen with his black eyes, but Rayen never replied. ¡° He¡¯s not stupid, right?¡± ¡° Of course not! Why would you even think so? He¡¯s more of a silent type.¡± ¡° Silent type?¡± ¡°Ya, also a little shy towards strangers.¡± ¡° You think my eyes are blind?¡± Sam said, but he still underestimated Azir¡¯s thick face to sprout bullshit with a straight face. ¡° Boss, he¡¯s not stupid.¡± ¡° Then?¡± ¡° He¡¯s extremely situational.¡± Seeing the serious face of Azir, even his beard felt twitching. But the boy kept talking. ¡° In fact, I checked last night and he could do calculus like a breeze.¡± ¡° Aren¡¯t you going too overboard here?¡± ¡° But that¡¯s the truth.¡± Azir wanted to point towards Rayen¡¯s face but resisted the urge. He felt this would have the opposite effect. ¡®I am also shocked at his maths skill, but his face doesn¡¯t really help in terms of confidence. Let¡¯s end this quickly before this goes out of hand.¡¯ Having decided on it, he said his last words. ¡° And he came with a pack of two. Hire one and get a guard dog free. With absolutely no hidden charges.¡± ¡° Huh? D-dog?¡± ¡° Wait a minute, she was just behind us a moment ago.¡± Azir was so busy looking back and whistling to call Cherry that he missed the slight panic in Sam¡¯s eyes. He had lived here much longer than Azir did and so knew more things about Oasis. Only one dog appeared in this city and he didn¡¯t want to meet that. ¡°Look, here she is.¡± Maybe she was not far away, but after Azir whistled some times, a brown hair dog appeared from the end of the alleyway. Seeing the colour of her fur, Sam released a sigh of relief, but that soon got stuck half in as he noticed a collar around her neck. He didn¡¯t hear whatever Azir said next as the bad premonition crept into him. To confirm his suspicion, he moved closer to the dog sitting in his front. His hands moved towards her collar, and Cherry allowed him to do so. The badge with outlines of a human on the desert on one side and a monster beast on the other appeared before his very eyes and he started to lose his focus. His hand got sweaty just like the rest of his body that shook and he abruptly kneed before her. ¡° THE LO-ahh¡­¡± He wanted to shout her name with reverence but the words got cut in the middle as the sands surrounding him flew to him and strangled his throat. He felt his blood being sucked of life and the body lost its control with a layer of sand atop. Cherry licked her teeth and didn¡¯t even spare a glance at Sam and walked past his kneeled body and after the duo of Azir and Rayen, who long slipped through here when Sam walked towards her. Inside, Azir pulled Rayen into a shabby-looking room with a bench with various artefacts and a basin in the middle, cloth holders on the left side of the door. He moved to the right, and there was a basket with lots of artefacts. Each had some layer of sticky, greasy black thing on them. ¡° That¡¯s where we would be working today. Don¡¯t worry about Boss Sam. He might have looked like an old grumpy man with a bleeding heart for money, but in fact, he got a soft heart beneath that rotten shell.¡± Rayen felt the words by the orb called Azir made no sense, and despite his stoic face, Azir seemed to have understood his confusion without even looking back. ¡° Don¡¯t believe me yet? You know, when I first met him, I just told him I got first rank in the Silver Citadel. He hired me right away.¡± Silver Citadel Academy was the institute responsible for educating the people of Thar. At its peak, it touted itself as the beacon of equality and enforced mandatory free education from the young age of five. The rule was such that even though it lacked a formal branch in Oasis, a local branch opened one for a single child who was born here, Azir, and closed the day he passed. Azir made Rayen sit down next to the basket of artefacts and explained the task. ¡° Here, you see, we need to clean these repaired artefacts and place them in another basket here.¡± He pulled one of the bamboo baskets that was hanging from the nail on the wall behind. But he soon encountered a problem. Rayen still doesn¡¯t follow what he says to the end. That¡¯s why, even though he handed a rectangular box-like artefact to him, whether Rayen would clean it with the cloth was a question. ¡° Where did that dog go? Oi, you rotten brains, come here for a while,¡± Azir shouted as only Cherry could make him do anything. He wondered if Rayen only knew her language, and she was a translator, or is it the reverse? As Azir contemplated the deep question, Rayen looked at the box in his hands. Under his mana-sensitive eyes, he could glimpse at the hidden array beneath the greasy layer and he felt an unease from inside. He wanted those arrays to be clear and bright, just like the time when Bardar showed him. On his other hand, Azir had handed him a dirty cloth, and he unconsciously used it to wipe off the artefact. Seeing Rayen single-mindedly working on the job, Azir wasted no more time. His pay depends on the number of artefacts cleaned per day. He picked up the artefact from the pile and started to clean, too. Azir hummed to make the work less tedious when Cherry entered through the door and snuggled her way on top of Rayen¡¯s crossed-legged. ¡°Oi, find another place to sit.¡± ¡°Woof¡± She refused. This time, she was not here to goof around as she grabbed the now mostly cleaned artefact from Rayen¡¯s hand and under the strange look of Azir, licked the rest of the impurities away and dropped it into the empty basket. Her tongue stretched out as she made a face that could vomit but still grabbed another dirty lock-shaped artefact and handed it over to Rayen, who started cleaning it next. Azir doesn¡¯t know what to say. How could he have known that Cherry was at the end of her ropes as nothing came to her mind that could save her from her dark future. Since she found the taste of grease better than pickles, she decided to do this and hoped Bella would show mercy on her. Chapter-12: Oasis, The Heaven Of Thar (3) There¡¯s a saying among the people of Thar, nothing in the sands could escape from the ears of the Dusty Devil. The beast that crawls in this endless stretch of yellow nothingness bowed their head to that guardian¡¯s command. Beasts don¡¯t refer to only monsters walking on their many legs, but also those walking on two. Those who know about Thar know this very well. Sam was also such one, born in a remote village, he escaped from the mandatory strict education of Silver Citadel Academy, and that¡¯s why he views the world differently than most. For he hated the feeling of his village being overrun by the hoards of monsters. It was then when he got transferred to a different village that he learnt how different the world was. The beast tide that ran over his village was not one of a kind, but a periodic cycle of many as such. Every time, people across the villages and the cities prepare for it to come again. It was an enormous shock to him?. He was foolish enough to ask, ¡°Why are we not doing anything to this threat?¡± The reply was big laughs from all the adults. He soon found out why. It was only three days that the last tide was over and the attacks stopped, but the beasts didn¡¯t leave. Instead, they did the unthinkable, helping rebuild the destroyed city. All those tens of metre-long centipede-like beasts whose sheer number makes one gone were carrying loads of medical and food supplies to the newly set up relief centres. Some even had dried red blood along with some yellow bodily fluids from the victim they had just munched on some days ago. It was the shock that made him shut his mouth, and like that, he watched on and the strangeness of Thar became even clearer to him. The beast tide came under the order of the Dusty Devil, the same being whom everyone called their guardian, and the battle for survival was the tradition for the people. It¡¯s their way of life. Only Oasis never got attacked by the tide, the only city with any walls in the whole of Thar. The place of rest for the valiant warriors who survived through their prime. If they could reach here, that is. A feeling of rebellion threatened to spill out from his chest and so he travelled far to search for people similar to him, but as he met more people, the feeling of revenge started to shift to that of fear. One only knows about the true extent of danger when he experiences it. The Thar was vast, and filled with beasts that outnumbered humans with one to twenty on any given day. He needed power to go against such a force, and so he joined the army. It was then that he met her, the ruler of Thar, that he learned the true meaning of the word ¡®fear¡¯. The thought of villages disappearing because of the beast tide, the name of Dusty Devil, felt all too normal to him, in fact even tamed a little. Now, he would rather choose to live his life like someone who gave up his revenge than ever face her. She lacked humanity in her, and enjoys the screams of her victims, the screams that still haunt him to this day. ¡®Looks like my luck ran out today.¡¯ The thought came to Sam as he looked at the wooden door. Behind it, was his workshop and also the being that once ruined his village. His face changed continuously as the feeling of getting oppressed and fear charged through his body. He didn¡¯t know how Azir came to be with her, but Sam was sure he didn¡¯t know much about her real identity. Otherwise, he would not be in such a carefree state. The suspicion only strengthened even more when he remembered the feeling of his throat being choked with sand when he tried to say the name of Dusty Devil. He¡¯s not stupid and could tell many things from that one exchange. That¡¯s why he didn¡¯t run away, not like he could even if he tried. He put his hand on his chest to calm his heart. He had lived most of his life while trying to hide his true feelings; to show only what others want. The current situation demands he act normal, and so he put away his thoughts and opened the door, though it was a little slower than usual. Inside, it all looked too same, but also different. Small room which used to give him peace, but now, a little dread. The dread increased the moment the scene of Azir singing some tunes and the face of the dog was making a sound similar to one of vomit as she sat on the top of Rayen and licked off one of the artefacts clean. His legs trembled inside his pants, but he kept his face straight and moved to his usual workbench, at the side middle of the room. ¡° Boss, what took you so long?¡± ¡° Nothing, just thinking about something.¡± As Sam answered Azir, he arrived at the table but thinking about the work he usually does and the guardian cleaning the aftermath while on the verge of vomiting, his life kept flashing in his eyes and so he said to Azir without turning his head. ¡° You can go home today.¡± ¡° Huh?¡± Azir stopped cleaning the artefact in his hand and looked at Sam with some confusion. Sam didn¡¯t need him to ask more as he continued. ¡° Don¡¯t worry, I will not cut your pay.¡± ¡° Boss, is today Aunt¡¯s birthday?¡± ¡® No, that would be a joyful occasion.¡¯ Sam screamed inside. ¡° Something like that¡­¡± Cherry, who heard this, suddenly raised her head and growled at Sam, who flinched, but Azir did as he looked at the ground where Rayen wrote something new. My Redemption? ¡° Redemption? What kind of redemption are you babbling about?¡± Azir just couldn¡¯t understand half the time what was going on in Cherry¡¯s head. It doesn¡¯t help that Rayen also doesn¡¯t write full sentences, which he doubts because he translated the words of a dog. Cherry didn¡¯t take away her eyes from Sam, for she would not allow anyone to come in between her redemption. She¡¯s still not sure if her working like this would be enough to escape from Bella¡¯s anger or not, and this guy was stopping her. She even ran a small possibility of Sam taking this chance to even the score with her because of her earlier action. Sam, who was the target of such starters, felt the wrong in the atmosphere and hastily changed the words. ¡° I mean- um¡­ just tired earlier. I feel ok now. Let¡¯s return to our work.¡± ¡° Boss, you are acting very strange. Are you sure age is not getting to you? You should take some rest, how about a little sleep?.¡± ¡®If I took a rest, I would probably never wake up again.¡¯ Sam felt if he kept talking, the hole he just dug would get even bigger and thus, with a closed mouth, started to work. Cherry took her eyes back, but not fully. Ready to move the sands if Sam tried to interfere in her redemption. Azir also started rubbing the artefacts, but his eyes focused not on the cleaning but on the work of Sam. He watched as Sam picked up a small knife with some rusted inscriptions and put it in the empty sink. Then, he picked a leather pouch from the drawer of the workbench and poured a green oil into the sink. The pouch looked small, but it had a small space of enchantment on it from which he filled the whole ten litres of sink to the brim. Next, he brought out some strange orange dust, small pieces of black wood and dried leaves. He crushed the leaves with the dust and poured it on top of the oil. Next with the brush with golden hairs, he started to draw on the oil surface. The process was slow as he also needed to maintain a constant mana to the tip of the brush. At the end, a strange three triangle with two circles in the middle, each filled with complicated lines, appeared and then sunk into the oil. The green colour of the oil started to become black. Within a minute, there was no oil, only black, murky liquid. When Sam opened a tap, the sink got drained and the dirty artefact appeared at the bottom. He picked up the knife that still had the black oil sticking to its surface, nodded, and put it in the basket for Azir to clean. Azir found Sam picking another artefact and so, also turned his head and whispered to Rayen. ¡°Did you see that? One day, I will be doing that too. It would be the best of my hobbies. Remember this.¡± ¡°Woof!¡± Mana where? Rayen wrote for her. ¡° How do you know I lacked mana?¡± ¡°Woof!¡± Bad Smell. Azir¡¯s eyebrows twitched at her. Now he¡¯s hundred percent sure, this is not a dog, but a monster beast. An intelligent beast at that. ¡®A nanny beast? Probably like that, but she¡¯s not trained well.¡¯ He thought up this and decided to ask Sam about it. ¡° Boss, do you know any beast out there who that is used as a nanny?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡° I mean, look at this dog here. Isn¡¯t she a monster beast trained for nanny work?¡± Sam paused and turned his head to see Cherry and couldn¡¯t help but think ¡®Did he look at the sun too many times that his eyes got damaged or is it ignorance?¡¯ But Azir¡¯s words filled the information he was missing. When he looked at the other boy, who was so silent that one might ignore him altogether. When he first met him, Sam thought something was amiss, but now he knew what it was. He could see nothing in those brown eyes. No curiosity, strangeness, or emotions, or anything. Nothing. They lacked interest in life, eyes that were similar to the ones he saw on the Great Mother. And when he remembered the entity besides Rayen, his body couldn¡¯t help but shake at that thought. He focused on the things on his hands, to prevent his mind from digging something out that he shouldn¡¯t. ¡°There are some beasts like that.¡± ¡° So, which breed is she?¡± ¡° I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡° How can you say that? You didn¡¯t even look at her?¡± ¡° I would be cutting your salary then.¡± ¡° Come on, boss, how could we be talking like this when so much work needs to be done? Let¡¯s not waste our time anymore.¡± Listening to him, Sam always felt that when it came to being shameless, Azir was never outdone by anyone. Like such, half a day passed and Azir stretched his body while he stood up and came to Sam to take his daily wage. Sam was quick too, for he too was waiting for the day to end and send these guys away. Azir counted the number of copper coins and found them more than normal. He wanted to ask, but Sam seemed to be even faster than him. ¡° They are a bonus. Keep them and buy something good.¡± ¡° Boss, why don¡¯t we celebrate Aunt''s birthday every day?¡± Sam wanted to punch this shameless guy but was helpless, and thus quickly pushed him out. He doesn''t want to talk anymore or he doesn¡¯t doubt Azir¡¯s ability to extort more money from him. It was his luck that Rayen and Cherry had already gone outside and didn¡¯t hear even a little of Azir¡¯s words, and closed the door behind him. He then put his ear on the door, and only when he felt Azir and others going away did he release a sign of relief. ¡®My life keeps getting short. She won¡¯t be coming tomorrow too, Eh?¡¯ The moment he asked himself such a question, the power left his body, and he leaned on the door. ¡®Just how did that rascal meet such an entity?¡¯ He dared not to say it out loud, but the question kept bugging him. His mind just calmed down, he could think more about it. What are the chances of any given day for one to meet the guardian of Thar? And the teenager beside him, too, was a different breed. Sam believed if his conjunctions were right, there was no way that boy was poor inside those dirty clothes. He¡¯s a big shot, and he suddenly met Azir in such a conspicuous way? Sam would never believe that. So the only thing that was the variable left was Azir. Sam furrowed his eyes when he thought about Azir. It¡¯s not like Azir was a normal person himself. Those who graduate from the Academy are hardly a normal person, especially more so for the top rankers like Azir. Thinking up to this point, Sam clapped his cheeks with both hands and murmured. ¡° Forget it. Let¡¯s just live like always. Not like I can change anything.¡± **** ¡° Look at this Rayen, it''s three hundred copper coins. That is three silver coins.¡± Azir kept throwing the pouch into the air before catching it again. When the sounds of coins reached his ears, his smile grew even wider. ¡° Though, Boss Sam is a little stingy with bonuses.¡± ¡°Woof!¡± Cherry stopped his wider grin as he turned to her, he wanted to ignore but she was too smart for him to ignore. They stopped in some desolate alley. It was much faster to move around here than on the main road. Besides, he doesn¡¯t want the incident with Rayen to be repeated. Rayen then bowed down and wrote something again. My portion? ¡° What do you mean by your portion? You are a dog.¡± Azir put the pouch into his pockets which made Cherry bark at him. ¡° Alright, alright. Man, Oasis is getting more and more strange these days.¡± Azir''s heart bleed as he pulled three copper coins from it and handed it to Cherry. Cherry looked at the three coins on the grounds then at the pouch and then again? at the coins before she snapped and barked even louder. ¡° Hey, hey, back down with the teeth. I am being fair. I didn¡¯t cheat.¡± Azir found Cherry listening to him and explained even more. ¡° I just cut the expenses from it. You know, the rent for your stay, the food expenses, the door you broke.¡± Cherry¡¯s ears dropped when she listened to this, but Azir not done yet as he kept listing out the expenses one by one. ¡°...then there are colony maintenance charges, then their income taxes and there was welfare for monster charges. See, you are lucky I am the one with the connection or else you would be paying charges for paying taxes too.¡± Cherry stared long, baffled at the sheer number of charges. It was her first time working a job and thus she felt the pain of Azir. ¡° Woof!¡± She felt it was not right for her to take this money from someone already taxed to the bring and so pushed the coins back to Azir, who quickly denied her actions with a righteous face, as he said. ¡° No, no, no, how could I take your share? The times are difficult for me too, but my heart doesn¡¯t allow it.¡± ¡°Woof!¡± ¡° Well, since you are also a kind soul, I would kindly accept it. Don¡¯t worry, I will make sure to use them for the good of mankind.¡± ¡°Woof!¡± ¡° Ya, monsters too.¡± Rayen tilted his head at the exchange between them, but couldn''t tell what was strange. Azir¡¯s orb inside his heart was so small that even if he looked for a long time, he couldn''t say with certainty if he was lying or not. There was a little light that took his attention away. Just a small distance away, sunlight got reflected from an open stack atop the garbage. He could see through the torn corner that something spilled from the inside, which looked the same as the thing which Cherry was arguing with Azir for. It was a small pouch filled with gold coins that was thrown by someone into the dustbin. For those at the end of their lives, money is hardly a thing that interests them and for most people that can reach Oasis, most had more than enough money on them. So they just throw it away when their last day draws near. Rayen felt that¡¯s what Cherry was searching for and he should give that to her. He moved to the pouch and picked the pouch when Azir noticed him. ¡° Hey, what are you doing here?¡± Azir noticed the pouch of gold in Rayen¡¯s hands and his face became serious with narrowed eyes that didn¡¯t his demeanour. ¡° Rayen.¡± He said as he gazed deep into Rayen¡¯s. ¡° Throw that thing away?¡± Seeing him tilting his head, Azir¡¯s face changed a bit, and he again insisted on his words. ¡° We are the sons of Thar, children of the Great Mother. We never, EVER pick the money that is thrown at us. Remember, it''s better to die of hunger than to disappoint the Great Mother.¡± There was no scope of argument for these words. For Azir, anything other than this was the words of fallacy. Rayen stayed silent, and Azir kept his eyes straight. Azir doesn¡¯t know whether Rayen understood him, but he, in the end, released the bag from the grips of his hand and it fell to the ground. ¡° Now, now, just tell me what you want. I will buy it for you ¡­ well, probably.¡± The moment Rayen did so, Azir put away his serious face and returned to normal. He grabbed his hands and started walking. Cherry on the side looked at the dropped pouch of gold and licked her teeth. She came close to it and kicked it away and followed after them. *** That night, Bardar sat on the sofa in the City Lord¡¯s mansion and finished reading another letter while Cellia beside him took a slip of tea. On the other side, Bladurus was sitting on a custom-made extra-large sofa that could at last bear his weight, with a tray of fried rice in his hands. ¡°What does the letter say?¡± Cellia asked as she found Bardar rubbing his temples. ¡° Cherry says she found a little stupid but brave pup outside.¡± ¡° Wait, you mean there''s another child in Oasis?¡± Cellia had a surprise flash across her face. Bardar felt she was showing such a face for a long time now. He nodded his head and looked at his uncle, who was busy taking a big mouthful of rice. He noticed the slight change in his hands, which slowed when he mentioned the child. ¡° Uncle, do you know about him?¡± This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡° As the Lord Guardian says, he is a little brave child blessed by Oasis.¡± Bladurus was the acting city lord till Badar came to take charge. There is no way he couldn¡¯t know about the anomaly of the Oasis. ¡° Too bad his parents died in a battle.¡± ¡° And you allowed him to stay?¡± Cellia asked with a raised eyebrow. Oasis had special rules and though it sounds like a dead-brainer, the rules don''t specify any laws for orphanages. One could say they didn¡¯t need special rules to establish one, but authorities rarely ever break their own rules to maintain deterrence. ¡° We thought about shifting him to another city but you know the rules too. Once in Oasis, we can¡¯t throw anyone out until there are some serious charges or their own will.¡± He put the plate down on the table and wiped his mouth. Bardar waited till he finished speaking before asking more. ¡° So, what¡¯s the workaround?¡± ¡° We just had some people take him in, but alas.¡± As he shook his head, the sofa made a creaking sound, but both Bardar and Cellia ignored it. ¡° The people who took him were too old and also died when he was five. He''s been alone since then.¡± ¡° Alone?!¡± Baladurus doesn¡¯t mind Cellia¡¯s sudden interruption and continues unabated. ¡° Don¡¯t underestimate him. He¡¯s got the will of Thar in him.¡± ¡° What did you guys do to him?¡± Bardar had a deep frown on. Cellia was a little confused, but Bardar knew about his uncle very well. If he is praising someone, the chances of something being wrong with the person in question are very high. ¡° I did nothing. It¡¯s just that he passed with ninety-eight percent from the academy.¡± There was a momentary silence in the room after his words. Even Cellia knew about the significance of this. The academy had a unique purpose. In the now removed quotes from the academy¡¯s head professor, ¡°Getting their world view right.¡± With such a goal, the top ones too mostly stayed in the eighties. That¡¯s because the last ten percent of total marks were judged based on loyalty rather than academia, coupled with the internal philosophical way of the student. There was no way a normal person with a normal ideology could ever pass with such high marks. Those are the kind of people especially nurtured to take the top positions on Thar. That¡¯s why, he asked.¡° You.. are you nurturing him as a prot¨¦g¨¦?¡± ¡° Well¡­¡± Bladurus then put the strength to his legs and stood up. ¡° Have you a teenager who can choose to live in a sad excuse of a house, and go hungry for nights? Just to save a little more for buying a mana awakening potion on his own? I just respect his will. As for his final destination? Who am I to judge about it? Besides, you already know, even if I nurture him, that guarantees nothing for him, just that his life would be a little easier.¡± Bladurus moved his body out of the room and left the duo on their own. Bardar sighed as he slumped down on the sofa. While Cellia also followed the same and only after some time did she ask him. ¡° Would you be doing something for him?¡± ¡° No.¡± He rejected it with some hesitation. ¡° The best age for drinking mana awakening was around fifteen years. He¡¯s already close to it. The best I can do is respect his will and provide the best quality mana awakening portion, but I guess Uncle already prepared something like that.¡± Cellia didn¡¯t argue much. As Bardar said, the boy already went through such. They don¡¯t feel the need to interfere at this point. ¡° You shouldn¡¯t worry too much about him.¡± She thought he was feeling sad as Bardar leaned back, but his answer differed from what she expected. ¡°Actually, I am not worried too much about the boy. It¡¯s more about the second part of the letter.¡± He made another sigh when he mentioned the last part. Cellia found it strange and took the letter from the table and her eyes, too, twitched at the content. ¡° See, I bet the uncle read the letter from above and that¡¯s why he left in a hurry. Lest I discuss it with him.¡± Cellia kept reading the letter again and again but still didn''t understand the reason behind it. ¡° What does she mean to stop the oppression towards the working class and cut the taxes to half?¡± ¡° The hell I know.¡± Bardar decided to just ignore this part altogether. And he also remembered some incident from the day and couldn¡¯t help but ask her. ¡° I heard you berated someone in the afternoon?¡± ¡° Well, something like this has happened.¡± ¡° Did they do something bad?¡± She shook her head and, seeing his worried look, decided to elaborate. ¡° They didn¡¯t do anything, but that doesn''t mean I can¡¯t find the fault on my own. Just a little magic and a broken vase here and there. After all, who told them to ignore my direct commands?¡± ¡° So¡­how did it go?¡± ¡° At the very least, there was no outward opposition anymore.¡± She didn¡¯t choose her target at random, but found the servant with the most outspoken attitude towards her. Once she got the high ground, she almost made him lose his job today. She still had much more stored for them, it¡¯s just she needed more time observation before moving again. ¡°Any loose ends?¡± Her methods did not surprise him. Everyone who met a wizard even once knew this very well. Kind heart? Wizards don''t have them. It¡¯s just a matter of when, and to whom, they show their fangs to. ¡°Hey,¡± she put her head to his shoulders and said in a light tone. ¡° If they could also find the traces of my magic, then I might as well go farming.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡° By the way, how was your plan coming? You still haven¡¯t told me anything about it.¡± ¡° Well, you will know in a week?¡± ¡° If you say so¡­¡± *** On another side, Azir finished feeding Rayen and was prepared to sleep, but Cherry had another plan for today. She moved to the hay sack, and kicked at it, throwing the threads away. ¡° Oi! What the hell are you doing to our bed?¡± ¡°Woof!¡± In a panicked move, Azir moved fast and pulled her back, but the difference in strength was too big, and Cherry hardly moved an inch. ¡° Rayaann!! Say something to her.¡± His cry got wasted as the silent boy just looked on as every hay got thrown out by Cherry while she dragged Azir with her. ¡°Woof!¡± Azir was on the verge of exploding and released Cherry. Then, before Azir could fire his salvo of words at her, she shook her body and in front of Azir¡¯s wide eyes, her size tripled. Her body occupied half the room. She then sat on the hay sac and woofed again. Rayen looked at her before moving closer and then lying on her stomach. She then looked at Azir, who was still staring at her. He stared for a long time before uttering his sincere words. ¡° Just what kind of beast are you?¡± There was a book about general monster beasts in the academy, but he never read anything about such a beast as the one in front of him. With a glance, almost half of Rayen being sunk into the hairs of Cherry came into his view and a thought came into his mind. ¡®It looks comfy.¡¯ With this thought, he moved closer to her, and under the eyes of Rayen and the impatient Cherry, he laid his body on her stomach. ¡°Wow..¡± It was an unforgettable feeling that he felt for the first time. The hay was like a bland staple in front of the Royal cuisine. Most of all, it was warm and soft. When he grabbed the hairs, his fingers would just sink into the soft fur. ¡° Hundred percent a nanny beast.¡± ¡° Woof!¡± Cherry huffed with pride. If someone said her fur is not the best, then she would eat them first, then ask again. But Azir was too tired to look at the proud face of the dog-bed. The warmth slowly pulled him into slumber. Rayen had long closed his eyes. With no one to talk to, Cherry moved her long tail and covered both of them. She placed her head in front of them and also closed her eyes. After all, she too had work tomorrow. *** ¡° Rayen, do you see those things?¡± Time never stayed still and in an instant, a week passed for them. Nothing out of the ordinary for Azir, other than taking Rayen and his nanny to work, spending the whole day there, and then him ¡®trying¡¯ to refuse the portion of Cherry. Now even he felt bad for making a fool of her and decided to buy her some food, which was nothing but chocolate. And so, they came near the marketplace, and in the alley, he pointed to the side of the wall. The time had it, that Rayen now didn¡¯t ignore him, and looked at the place he pointed. A somewhat raised wall of cracked walls, about half his size, ran along the length of the walls. Through trash and dust filled the gap between walls. ¡° I heard that those were part of the water canal system that once ran through every part of the city.¡± He remembered the content of the history book. ¡° With the power to self-clean, the city lacked people who would ever get thirsty.¡± Nowadays, he needed to get to the middle of the city every two days to get the water. ¡° Too bad it got destroyed some fifty years ago, along with much of the city.¡± ¡° Woof!¡± When he mentioned that, even Cherry woofed along with higher than usual pitch. ¡° I know, right? Those bas- Ahem.¡± Seeing him almost cursed in front of Rayen, he corrected himself. ¡° What are they called again? Something sun-like? Whatever, those guys ruined this beautiful city. They would not have a good end, I tell you.¡± It was then, Cherry¡¯s paused and her ears perked up. ¡°Woof!¡± She said after listening to some and not only once, like something urgent. Azir looked at Rayen, who kneeled and wrote. Leave fast. At once. ¡°What happened? You heard something?¡± Azir asked but Cherry seemed disinterested in answering. Instead, she tugged with her teeth and pulled at Rayen. Rayen obliged her and Azir hastily followed. They returned to the workshop, much to the dismay of Sam, who felt every day was closer to death for the past week. He wants to scream at the boy, who cheerfully said. ¡° Boss, how¡¯s the evening?¡± He felt that if he had the hairs on his head, they would have gone white. Just having Cherry for the day is straining enough, now they come in the dark too. Seeing them entering the workshop like nothing, Sam took a deep breath and asked. ¡° Why are you here? Your work for today is done.¡± ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t know. But did something happen in the city?¡± Azir pointed to Cherry, who was pulling Rayen away from the basket of artefacts. ¡° She suddenly asked us to leave, and so we did.¡± Sam paused. Every action of the guardian carries some meaning, so he dismissed it outright. But he was in the shop all the time, and thus, didn¡¯t know about anything that could have happened outside. ¡° You wait here, I will check.¡± Azir also wants to go, few things could happen in Oasis. For most of the time, the city was static, like frozen in time. If there was a change, he didn¡¯t want to miss it. World might have heard his feelings, that a loud sound of bells entered his ears. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± He asked in surprise. The city bell. Sam had his complexions changed. He listened more, and the bell rang exactly five times. ¡° You all stay inside. The city had declared a martial law.¡± He told Azir, who made a confused look. ¡° I never heard something like that?¡± ¡° You haven''t lived long enough.¡± Sam¡¯s words had more meaning to them as he gave a side glance to Cherry. But it was for a brief moment. He turned his body and said before leaving. ¡° I would go meet with your aunt. You guys stay here.¡± He didn¡¯t give a chance for Azir to say anything before disappearing. ¡° Now, what do I do?¡± Azir looked at the duo beside him and scratched his head. *** ¡°Well, how is it?¡± Bardar stood at the balcony of the city lord¡¯s mansion, and in the blanket of darkness, he looked at the city down the mountain slope. Some had the lights coming out from some houses and shops near the market, but most of the city was cloaked in darkness. Nothing like what he remembered from his childhood. ¡° The patrol teams have returned. All civilians are told to stay inside. There is no soul on the streets anymore.¡± Cellia, who was just behind him, said as she too took a glance at the city. ¡° What would you be doing now?¡± She asked. She remembered that for some days, Bardar had been working with the layouts of the city. Yesterday, he even opened the godown of the city took out most of the things, and piled them beside the mansion, into many small mountains, some even five stories tall. ¡° Showing them my presence,¡± Bardar said, as his body started to float in the air. His height kept climbing as soon as he was more than a hundred metres away from the tip of the mountain on which the city was built. He spread his arms wide and began. Cellia, still on the balcony, felt strong gusts of wind sweep over her short hair. With the winds came an overwhelming presence of mana that descended into the city, and she could feel her body being pressed by an unknown force. But that¡¯s not the only thing, as the wind carried another thing with it, sand. A huge salvo of sands got picked up by the winds and then filled into every corner of the city. Soon enough, all lights were suppressed by the sandstorm that swallowed the city as a whole. Strangely enough, she could see the sand sticking to the walls of the mansion, but they entered the inside of it. She only had thought about such a situation. ¡®Ai, his habit of going big has changed.¡¯ Under the cover of sand, the pile of materials too got lifted and flew mid-air. Then, like being put into a blast furnace, the metals started to melt and changed into a gigantic ball of molten metals, which continuously got mixed into each other. The rest of the things like dark wood, dry leaves and green herbs too, were not left alone as they either got crushed into powder or cut into tiny pieces before being thrown into the molten metals. Just this took a little over thirty minutes when Bardar pointed his finger downwards, the molten hot well-mixed metal sphere, descended towards the city. *** ¡° Hey, nanny dog, what is happening?¡± Through the gaps in the windows, Azir could see the sandstorm raging outside and couldn''t help but worry. But his luck had it, Sam still had not returned and he didn¡¯t want to go outside in this situation. He had no choice but to ask Cherry beside him. ¡°Woof!¡± Renovation. ¡°Huh?¡± Azir had no time to understand the words, as in front of his naked eyes, the walls of the workshop started to glow orange. ¡° Stay away from them!¡± Azir said to Rayen and pulled him to the centre of the room. He couldn¡¯t help it, as the walls gave him the strong winds of hot air. ¡° Shit, the sand is not enough for it.¡± He said while looking at the stone floor. In case of fire, he was thinking of using sand to put it out. Contrary to his sweaty face, Cherry was carefree, in fact, she even yawned a little, which eased some of Azir¡¯s worry. But then, he looked sideways and Rayen was staring at his face, which made him feel that he was the strange one here. He didn¡¯t have to think too much about it, as another change took away his attention. Strange, complex intervened symbols appeared on the walls, and just looking at them, made Azir¡¯s head spin. He forcefully looked away and also covered Rayen¡¯s eyes, to prevent him from looking at them. To his relief, the symbols lasted only for a moment as they disappeared into walls. When he looked back through the gaps in his eyelids, he found the strangeness from earlier returned to normal. ¡°Huh?¡± He released a confused sound. ¡° Just¡­ what happened just now?¡± It looked like nothing changed at all. No explosion, no shaking of walls, no fire from the glowing walls. He looked at the calmness of Cherry and Rayen, and it almost looked as if he had a misconception till now. Only, when he looked closely, he found the walls to be a little different. Earlier they looked like some stone walls aged without anyone¡¯s care. Now, they look freshly carved out. That¡¯s true for every piece of structure, from the floor to the ceiling and the window, even the webs disappeared. ¡°What¡¯s that sound?¡± ¡°Woof!?¡± It looked as if he was not the only one in such a situation, from outside, acclaimed voices of the crowd came into the workshop. Cherry jumped into the door, urging him to go outside. ¡°Stop jumping, the door was locked by Boss Sam.¡± Seeing Azir not helping, Cherry woofed again towards Rayen, which made Azir shake his head. He decided to show her the door was locked. But how could he know that Cherry used the sand to open it from outside and thus, when Azir tried to open it, the door just opened. Azir¡¯s face twitched as he refused to look at the proud face of the dog. Cherry then ran past him. Azir was going to follow, but he remembered something and returned. He then grabbed the hand of silent Rayen and pulled him along with him. ¡° Come on Rayen, let¡¯s see what¡¯s out there.¡± ¡°Wow..¡± That¡¯s the only word that came from his mouth as soon as he looked on. Everything looks new, whether it is the buildings or otherwise. The ground below was completely paved, with engraved images of five beasts, Centipede, beetle, cat, wasp and lastly, a symbol that was not seen in Oasis for a long time, a scorpion. But the renovated road was not the thing that drew one¡¯s attention, it was the soft blue light that was coming from the ground. The road glowed and the light got reflected onto the new walls, which made an illusion of a shiny surface on the rocks. A strange sound came into his ears. To the left side, the before-destroyed water canal now looked anew, and a stream of water ran through it. ¡°Rayen, come here. Look at this.¡± He pulled Rayen with excitement. Near the canal, which too was lit below the water. He then pulled some dirt from the ground and dropped them into the stream. It disappeared the moment it entered the water. ¡°Self-purification canals. Rayen, look at this, this¡­¡± ¡° Why are you so excited about it?¡± Sam¡¯s voice came from the back. Azir turned back, wanting to ask where he was all this time, but stopped at the end, seeing another person beside him. ¡°Aunt Senorita, how is the evening?¡± She was Sam¡¯s wife and looked around his age. With slight loose skin and few strands of white hairs. Dressed in plain maroon clothes and smiled towards Azir when he asked her. ¡° It¡¯s all good. A blessing from a great mother. Don¡¯t feel down due to my husband¡¯s words. It''s your age to be excited about.¡± ¡° You spoil him too much,¡± Sam grumbled about this. But it was always like this. At last, seeing Azir, putting sand into Rayen¡¯s hand to drop them into the canal, said. ¡° Stop doing such useless things. Come, Let¡¯s tour the city.¡± ¡°Wait, Rayen, let¡¯s wash our faces first.¡± ¡°Wait, I happened to have some clothes on you guys too.¡± Senorita, too, seemed excited despite her age and left to fetch some clothes which she once bought for Azir but the guy refused to take them. Now she had a good opportunity to give them to him. Only Sam remained silent. He looked at the symbol of the scorpion on the ground. A symbol which was almost erased from the Oasis over time. ¡®Is it an olive branch or a warning before a storm?¡¯ He thinks as the eyes draw to the top of the mountain. Azir was still young, and couldn¡¯t think much but Sam was different. He knew about things. To make such citywide magic, and that too, in such a short amount of time. There is only one person in the whole of Thar, no, perhaps the only one in the world who can do it. ¡® Bardar, the Arc Wizard of Creation.¡¯ The arc wizards, the pinnacle of ranks of wizards. And that too, is a titled one. Only those who did something extraordinary get a title. For Bardar, he redefined the way mana is taken and with it, the way of making artefacts as well as golems. No enchanter in the world didn¡¯t know his name or read his theory of mana. ¡®Alas, he is here, in this cursed land.¡¯ With that scorpion on the ground, Sam could feel the drums of war on the horizon. After all, Thar would never get ruled by a kind person. *** ¡°Hu¡­how was it? You like it?¡± A little out of breath, Bardar landed back on the balcony. Cellia came forth right away and supported him. He didn¡¯t need it, but there was no reason to refuse. Both turned to look at the city. It was a difference of worlds. Everything was lit from the grounds, their good eyes could see many black dots moving through the glowing streets. And lights dim as well as brighten with a breathing motion. Cellia stared for a long at such a marvellous view, before she could say anything. ¡°I never knew a city could be this beautiful.¡± ¡°Well. It''s the heaven of Thar, after all.¡± Cellia leaned on to him and his free arm across her. Both were lost while looking at the city and didn¡¯t notice Shasta, at the back, who silently closed the door without disturbing them. Just like the door, she made sure to keep her steps quiet throughout the hallways. She knocked on the door of the first floor. ¡°Come in.¡± Bladurus¡¯ lazy voice came from inside. Shasta entered and found him standing near the open window and gazing at the city. ¡° It¡¯s beautiful, isn¡¯t it?¡± He asked her, without turning his back. ¡° It is.¡± ¡° If Mother were to see this, she too would be happy.¡± Shasta lowered her head at his words. He might have felt it, but he didn¡¯t mind. ¡° After a long time, Oasis had returned to its glory. Let it be a memorable day for everyone.¡± ¡° Should I?¡± ¡° Yes. They have sullied our holy city for far too long.¡± Shasta could feel the coldness from his words. ¡° Those followers of the Church¡­make sure they don¡¯t sully our holy city again.¡± It had been five decades since the Divine army reached the gates of Oasis, and perished. With their defeat, the prisoners got paraded through the city every day, since then. Most had already died, but now, Bladurus wants each of them gone. ¡° As you wish.¡± ¡°Leave then.¡± Shasta bowed her head. Bladurus left look, kept looking at the city, lost in thoughts. *** Chapter-13: The Ways Of Gold Keepers (1) Rayen¡¯s smokey body floated in front of a perfect replica of the Oasis¡¯ canal system. And with pitch-black eyes that hid one¡¯s curiosity, he observed the clear water flowing in the canal. Moments later, a bunch of sand appeared in his hands, which he then went to drop into the flowing water. It simply disappeared into the void, but his question remained. Why did the one named Azir make him do that? He thought some more, but as always, no one was here to reply to his silent queries. With no way out, he gave up and turned his body back. Into some distance was a replica of a house where he spent most of his time, his home. Going through the same door, he walked up the stairs, into the same hallway up the door of his room. For some reason, he never wanted to fly inside the house, and would walk slowly, glancing past the empty furniture along the way. In his room, he settled himself into his bed. A book flew to him from the window. Bardar once said that when in doubt, read a book. The book in his hand had a rather peculiar name. ¡°Seven Colours of Life: Joy''''. *** In the newly built Oasis¡¯ city wall, rows of brand-new, but mostly empty houses dotted the once-ruined area. Even from the outlook, the new houses were sized bigger than before, and looked no less than a well-off neighbourhood with well-designed architecture, fitted with a balcony, a small back garden, and most importantly, a constant supply of water. In fact, Bardar had outdone the very limit from the past. He connected not only the public spaces but also all buildings with the central water canal system, and with that, eliminated the need to supply water through manual means. For people who had lived most of their lives in Oasis, and especially those who lived here for more than five decades ago, before the onset of the Divine War against Thar, it left the most profound impact. Even for those who arrived not long ago, the impact was no less. One such person who was impacted greatly was none other than Azir. He never thought that one day, there would be a big house in the place of the pile of ruins that he called home. And not only that, but a black slate with golden words etched in front of the house, with ¡®Azir¡¯ written on it. It was such that he stared at the name till his eyes started to get wet. It was a good thing that Cherry handed him some napkins from her space pouch, that he didn¡¯t cry outright, and firmly cemented the image of Cherry as the nanny dog, much to the latter¡¯s dismay. Bella packed everything in her space pouch, and it''s not like she usually carries these around. But her internal grumbling stopped when Azir asked for a chalk from her, well she had that too, and under her eyes, Azir wrote Rayen and her name just beside his. However, when they entered the door, they found the house relatively empty. The lack of any furniture also eased Azir a little. He still didn¡¯t like to receive excessive help from others. But otherwise, the house not only improved on almost every parameter but also kept some parts the same from the ruins. Like the hidden compartment on the floor where Azir hid all his savings along with food. On another note, it too seemed to be improved as some runes flashed inside the space. The lack of bed was fulfilled by Cherry¡¯s soft fur, thus came the sun of the next day. Everyone slept till the afternoon. ¡°Alright, almost done.¡± Azir gave a satisfied look at the pouch of his coins. A mana awakening portion cost around five hundred copper coins or five silver, he now had four hundred and eighty-eight with him. He wanted to buy it the next day, but then his face turned a little down as he remembered that he needed to place the order for it first, and then wait for it to be transported from outside. To no one¡¯s surprise, no one makes a mana potion in Oasis. Despite this, Azir was not lost in the moment of heat, his goal was much larger. And just looking at the glimpse of the powerhouse of Oasis, who can create cities in a matter of hours, with pinpoint accuracy. The thought only made his will stronger. ¡®More books need to be brought soon¡¯. His professor once promised to allow him to study for higher standards if he could awaken his mana. Since his mana awakening is all but set, he thought about buying some books in advance, and going through them before going to pursue a higher standard. Decided such, and took out a slip of paper from the space. On it was a list of densely packed names of different books, each separated by one¡¯s chosen profession. A list Azir asked his professor to make when he was in the last days of his academy. ¡°Hiss ¡­ what are you doing behind me?¡± Azi said as he felt some breaths on his back, and when he looked at the culprit, it was Rayen, along with Cherry. One was staring at him while the latter was at the list in his hand. ¡°Ahem! Right, do you need something Rayen?¡± ¡°Woof!¡± ¡°I asked him, not you.¡± ¡°Woof!¡± ¡°Ai, what my life has become. Alright, what are you doing behind my back?¡± As Azir lamented his fate of arguing with a dog, the time became sand on a fist, and kept slipping. *** ¡°Is he going to do that?¡± ¡°Shss¡­ don''t be so loud.¡± ¡°But still, to ban the tradition of beast tides. It¡¯s just absurd.¡± Marisol said as she looked at her coworker, and her cautious head behind the veil. ¡°Don¡¯t you know how things were here for the past week?¡± Marisol pursed her lips to her friend¡¯s question. ¡°I will be going then.¡± Marisol found her friend¡¯s unwillingness to talk anymore, and thus took the now-prepared tray from her friend¡¯s hands and left the kitchen. Both of them arrived at Oasis about a week ago from their home branch, the southern port city of Thar. Initially, they were excited, rightfully so, as they were among the ones handpicked by their seniors to work at Oasis. They are supposed to take over the work as maids in the mansion. It was nothing short of a dream come true, who doesn¡¯t want to work in the city attributed as heaven? It was after coming here that they found the situation to be very different from their initial thoughts. The city was as the rumours described it, but the same can¡¯t be said for the City Lord¡¯s mansion. The very first day when they arrived here in a batch, the same amount of people got fired from the mansion. Fired, not transferred. The one who fired them was called Cellia, the fianc¨¦ of soon-to-be Lord of Thar, Bardar. On top of that, they also heard a major reshuffle being done not only in Oasis, but also in other cities. All by the directives of their new lord, Bardar, but for some reason, Marisol felt it was Cellia¡¯s order, but she kept that thought to herself. Through a series of doors and hallways, she was near her destination. But before she could enter, some guards outside stopped her, and under the veil that hid her displeased eyes, they cast some magic on the food. ¡®Just who would poison anyone in the holy land?¡¯ For a city whose guards lacked even the basic weapons on them, such an action felt like an insult to Marisol. For her, it''s unbecoming that anyone would commit a crime in their holy land. This procedure, which was added just some days ago, only reinforced the view among her that the new lord was afraid for his life. Not a good outlook for a warrior. Inside, in the middle of the large decorated room with various shiny ornaments, three people sat. Two men, and one woman. Precisely, Bladurus, Bardar, and Cellia. They seemed undisturbed by her arrival, in fact, they didn¡¯t even glance at her. But Marisol was experienced with her work, and thus instead of pausing for their attention, she silently moved closer to the table and poured tea for the three. The short blue-haired woman picked the cup almost instantly, but the other two didn¡¯t. Instead, they seemed to be in a tense confrontation. As she backed away and stood near the wall, she could hear Bladurus¡¯ words, coupled with his knitted eyebrows, which almost made his eyes disappear. ¡° Listen, I knew you didn''t like it. But it¡¯s no longer a matter of one¡¯s liking anymore.¡± ¡° I knew. I just wanted to give it more thought.¡± ¡° Look, we have already confirmed the trader¡¯s words. And he told us, the package is ready to be dispatched, given we start moving from our side too.¡± Bladurus then noticed the tea on the table and took a sip while Bardar kept tapping on the table with his finger. After the sip, Bladurus continued. ¡° Besides, he is getting too impatient these days.¡± ¡° He waited for so long. Surely he could wait some more.¡± Bardar was still not willing to agree with Bladurus, which seemed to have riled up the latter, who said with a little higher voice. ¡° It¡¯s not about time, Bardar. He said things are getting tough there. If we keep delaying it anymore, then he¡¯s not sure if he could keep things under wraps. We would pay the increased price at the end, not him. We should start the next phase immediately.¡± ¡°...¡± As the discussion continued, Marisol couldn¡¯t help, but internally get displeased with the soon-to-be lord. It was no secret among Thar that Bardar, though famous for his golem-making skills, rarely ever excelled with others. Especially more so, for a nation which requires quick decision-making. Thar did not look favourably towards an indecisive leader. At this moment, Cellia put her cup down and gently nudged Bardar. ¡° Bardar, I think you shouldn¡¯t try to delay it any longer. We would not be saving any more lives by doing this.¡± From what they could see, the war was almost on the horizon. One can¡¯t avoid it, a lot depends on it. The other side would not compromise on the things they demand, something they know all too well. But Bardar still wanted to look for some way, something inside him wanted to try a hand at negotiation, even though the outcome looked all too bleak. But at last, he knew there was no escape from this, and Bardar released a long sigh. ¡° So, we would finally go east, then.¡± ''East?¡¯ Marisol thought about a sudden promotion when East was mentioned. She didn¡¯t know why she was allowed to listen to such talk. But in the absence of any other order, her mind started to wander off. One of the open secrets of Thar was the unruliness of the eastern parts of the Thar. Different from Terralea, where the ruling structure follows the way of houses. Thar¡¯s overall structure follows more concentrated powers, with some big city centres surrounded by many smaller but numerous tribes scattered under its area of influence. A city lord ruled each such big city, with being a Grand knight or Grand mage rank. That¡¯s not all, but under each city lord, was a fully functional military, guarding their own area of influence. In total, there are five such individual large cities and seven large armies that make Thar¡¯s military might. In case of war, Oasis needs to ask them to dispatch their armies, as otherwise, Oasis holds no other army of its own. The lack of armies under Oasis¡¯s direct control was not an issue in normal times, as Oasis had something that those city lords didn¡¯t command over monster beasts. In a sense, it¡¯s a division of power between Oasis and the city lords of Thar. Oasis then collects taxes from all cities in a centralised form, which eventually gets distributed over the cities in different ratios. The system works fine when it works, but when it doesn''t, it crashes with a big noise. ¡®I wonder. Is the East really dead set on opposing Lord Bardar? The difference in power looks huge. Is that why he¡¯s afraid of assassination?¡¯ The Divine War had changed a lot of things. Even though the armies of the Church perished, they left many scars, quite deep ones, in fact. The population and economy of many parts of Thar faced a near collapse just after the war, but the eastern part not only recovered, but also boomed. That¡¯s not all. Under the succession rules of Thar, though the past rulers could recommend a new ruler, the actual accession depends on the skill of the candidate. The war as a means of opposing the accession, is the legal way of Thar. Marisol looked at the face of Bardar from the side, and her feelings about the upcoming war just got stronger. Eastern city lord, was none other than the once the two favourite sons of the Great Mother. Everyone in Thar thought either he or his brother would be the one succeeding her, but in the end, she chose Bardar, a relatively less popular person in Thar. Despite her words being paramount among Thar, even more paramount for Thar, was keeping the pride of the Great Mother high. ¡®Isn¡¯t it also the reason for divine war¡­¡¯ Her thoughts got cut off as she heard a much stronger voice from Bardar, who seemed to have finally decided on something. Bardar picked up his quill and signed on some paper. ¡° I ordered the dispatch of Gold Keepers. Have them audit the records of Easparton. ¡° ¡° What if they refused?¡± Bladurus asked, though it¡¯s not a question if they would refuse the audit, but how they would refuse the audit. ¡° It was just a formality, ?wasn¡¯t it?¡± Cellia said as a matter of fact. ¡° Give a call to all other city lords to come to Oasis. By the time Gold Keepers do their work, we would be ready to dispatch troops.¡± Bardar said nothing to her, and Bladurus seemed more than satisfied by such an outcome. ¡°I should reply to our trader as?¡± Bladurus asked at last. ¡°Why bother?¡± Bardar said as he picked up his now lukewarm tea. ¡° He will get the message loud and clear soon.¡± And then drank the whole cup in one go. Since the cups got empty, Marisol picked each one into her tray and silently left the room. Bladurus soon followed after. When only two of them were left, Cellia said, looking after the fading figure of Marisol. ¡°She looked like a thoughtful person.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you hand-pick her? Still, why did you allow her to listen to us?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you know?¡± She smiled at his question. ¡° Rumours travel fast among women. We need that, don¡¯t we?¡± **** Five days later, in the eastern part of Thar. A long range of continuous peaks that reached high up to the sky. Stretching from the north and into the south, and thus called Verdant Divides. These mountains marked the end of Thar¡¯s eastern border, and divided the Southern continent into two parts, two-thirds of which consisted of a desert ruled by humans under the Thar empire with the other half continent full of lush-full, rainforest ruled by a race known for their love for nature, Elves. Their relationship with Thar, who lived in the desert was like fire and ice. That¡¯s why Thar established one of their most important cities near the peaks of Verdant Divides, to guard the mountain passes, and prevent the invasion of elves. Some distance from the mountain ranges was the biggest city of the Thar. Its size outmatched even that of Oasis, but population and size seemed to be its only advantage. The city lacked any wall, and was built with the simple use of bricks and mud. Same for the streets, which looked as if someone put some marking on the sides and called the middle sands a road. Except for the mansion of the city lord and some structures around it, which were built using brownstones. But it did have one thing that stood out from the rest. A giant outline of a Scorpion was etched on the top of the building''s entrance. Made from the carcasses of beasts, and glowing-white bones of elves. Inside one such building made of stone, beside a road with heavy traffic of people much larger in density than any of Oasis. A man with a stern expression slammed the table hard, his face distorted with rage. ¡° You still have no information, do you? I wonder what reason the esteemed officer will give me today?¡± The man looked around the sixties, with clothes slightly different from the khaki-coloured clothes worn by Thar¡¯s officials. Instead, he wore black clothes with the same design, with golden strips running from the shoulder to down below. On his left chest was an emblem with an image of a sealed treasure chest, with some coins spilt beside it, everything was drawn in pure gold. Behind him were two people in almost the same attire, but a little younger than him. One man and another female. From the agency of Gold Keepers or simply Treasurers, under the direct command of Oasis. Their work, as their names would suggest, involved keeping records of all revenue by all cities in Thar. Money moved everything. That¡¯s why the Gold Keepers had a wide range of authority and had the right to inspect any document from anyone, even from the City lord himself if they deemed so necessary, but that never happened throughout Thar¡¯s entire history. The three of them were here to find those irregularities as Easparton had been evading sending their share of taxes to Oasis for some time. So after going through the initial trouble, they asked for the documents, but the answer from the official in front of them, with a small scorpion badge on his chest, was nothing short of disrespect towards their authority. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡° Sir, as you can see, I can only offer this much for now¡­¡± These words infuriated the old man, who was also the leader of a three-man team. The other two behind him were also like him, with anger hidden behind their eyes. Before coming here, their head had informed them that the conflict between Oasis and eastern city lords was heating up, and when they were told to come here they expected some difficulties, but the treatment they received after arriving here was beyond their imagination. On the first day, which was two days ago, they were not allowed to enter the City Mansion, which was a little unexpected but that was just the beginning. Next, their request for an official residence was denied, citing a lack of vacancies. As the last option, they went to look for a private one, only to be refused again, and for the same reasons. One even said there was a lack of air quality in the room before showing them the door. They had to look for one shabby-looking room, with no furniture to speak of, downtown after paying a hefty price. Thus, the man beside the leader already had enough of these, and so he released his magic to put pressure on his voice and asked directly. ¡° Is that all you can say? We want a definite time for when you will bring the rest.¡± As he used force, the officer in front seemed a little nervous but still repeated his previous words. ¡° Sir, as you can see, our bureaucracy here is a little slow, but I will try my best.¡± He then pointed at the table. " Until then, why don¡¯t you start working on the documents over there?¡± On the leader¡¯s right, the woman with slightly darker skin tone, ruffled red hair, and light red eyes, the junior officer said in a mocking tone, ¡° What would be the time you will suggest it will take us to go through them? For two pages barely containing 120 words each? Maybe 3 or 6 months?¡± ¡° Mam, I think no amount of information is big or small.¡± The official gave her a dead-eye expression. She could tell, this guy¡¯s skin was quite thick. "Oh?" The man with cropped hair, piercing blue eyes, and olive-toned skin on the left said while raising his eyebrows. "Since it was such a case, why didn¡¯t you call your City Lord here? Surely, such valuable information is worth his time?" "Sir Mike, I had to remind you to take care of your words," the official seemed to get angry at Mike¡¯s words. "Also, Sir, the City Lord was busy and would not be available for a meeting on short notice, as I already told you before." The exchanges between them were endless, with one side pressing the other for more documents and the other dodging the best he could. Both sides continued in a deadlock until late at night when the guards came and three ¡®decided¡¯ to leave with the escort of guards. After they left, the official finally released a long breath and wiped the sweat off his head, but didn¡¯t sit for a rest immediately. Instead, he moved towards the inner room of the building and knocked on the door with a nameplate, Vice city lord, Adrian. "Sir, they have left, but they will return again tomorrow," he said soon after entering. Across the middle of the room was a middle-aged man. The man looked quite handsome with raven-colored hair, pale golden eyes, and a short beard to his chin. He looked at the official and said with a carefree voice, "You did a good job." He paused after seeing his subordinate with a tired face and dry voice and said with a smile, "Don¡¯t worry. Hard work always pays off at the end." He then dismissed the tired but eager official and sat back in the chair. With a quick spell, a bottle of red wine along with a glass flew into his hand from the drawer to his left. He poured himself a glass with a strange smile on his face, making his golden tooth barely visible. When he was close to taking a sip, he muttered to himself, "Today was a lovely day." He looked in the direction where the city of Oasis was supposed to be and then rubbed his fingers on the golden cup before drinking the whole glass. ''The wine tasted exceptionally lovely today.'' *** "Sir, it got out of hand," After they arrived at their residence, Mike said to their leader, John. "Why weren''t we asking for reinforcements from the capital? We couldn''t handle these officials on our own at all." There was more truth to his voice than just authority. Both he and Margretta were only at the level of an official mage. "Sir, I also second him. These officials here are simply too contumacious," Margretta felt anger rising in her chest whenever she glanced at the shabby-looking house they were currently in. Their leader, John, was calmer. He looked at their sullen faces and slowly sat down on the floor. Seeing him like this, the other two looked at each other and followed suit. This was a small mud house on the outskirts of the city. The house looked dirty and weak, as if it would collapse any moment, but that¡¯s the only shelter they could find. Seeing them sitting across from him, John finally said to them, "It''s not like I didn¡¯t send a letter back when we just arrived here." "Is there still no response from them, sir?" Mike asked in a voice that almost sounded like he was looking for a straw to grab onto. He couldn¡¯t help it. He felt that the atmosphere of officials here seemed to contain more than just disobedience, and he trusted his feelings. They all had to travel to the city¡¯s mansion for the past few days and had to start walking even before the sun woke up as the passage was riddled with guards, who always stopped them at almost every crossroad for ¡®checkups¡¯. Being late meant the door was closed for them as they were ¡®visitors¡¯. "I did receive a reply," John said as he scratched his chin a little. "You did," Margretta asked. If one looked closely, there were dark circles under her semi-red eyes. "What did they say?" Mike also looked very hopeful as he said to her, "Surely, Margretta, the letter should have our retreat order. There is no way we can keep up here any longer." "...the order does not contain any such things," John said, pouring cold water on their hope. They all were from different cities. But he still had read their files. Mike and Margretta were not weak-willed people; it¡¯s just their intuition, which was exceptional and it was screaming at them to leave this city at once. John could guess why it even got mentioned in their files. ¡®Rough gems?¡¯ he thought, looking at his juniors. He said the latter parts of the order, "We are to continue with our work as it is, and they have noted our complaint." A silence descended in the room when Mike thought of something and said, ¡°Sir John, I think we should try to give a detailed report explaining our situation here as they might not have¡­¡± ¡°Mike, I have already done so on the first day, and the second day, too. The point is, that they eventually allowed us to examine some records, which put doubts on their real intentions. Now, Oasis would just look at it from the sidelines until the situation became clearer.¡± John did wonder just how well Mike and Margretta understood their current situation. Or did they understand, but didn¡¯t want to show it? If the records on their files were to go by, they should have gotten a promotion long ago. But of course, with their uncompromising attitude of work, probably their work got them into more trouble than necessary. So one might believe they were out of favour from the top heads, but that¡¯s not true either, because before John came here, his City Lord had some personal message for him. John still remembered his words, ¡®Just, look out for these young hatchlings. Would be better if you could teach them how to get things done.¡¯ He could see the duo as hot-headed. Mike looked on the verge of cursing someone but swallowed it back, seeing himself in front of John. He wanted to sigh when his eyebrows suddenly raised. On his left arm, a small circle lit up, which turned red. ¡°Sir, did something happen?¡± Margretta asked. Among the three, John was the strongest, high-mage rank official. Mike, too, put a hand on his space ring, ready to bring out his anchor at a moment¡¯s notice. The circle on John¡¯s arm disappeared while his brows eased too. He released his shoulders and said with an easygoing voice. ¡°We got some guests.¡± Here, John pulled out three cups and poured some tea into them. ¡°Keep calm and let me do the talking. Understood?¡± But Mike and Margretta couldn¡¯t reply as the rapid sounds of heavy boots came from outside. Mike was going to check but sat down again, seeing the eyes of John, who then flicked his fingers at just the right time, which made the wooden door open. Like this, a leather boot entered the room. The man to whom the foot belonged became a little unstable as the door opened before he could kick it open. But as a trained knight, he didn¡¯t fall. It allowed others to observe him more closely. The knight wore light leather armour, a short sword on his wrist, and a brown cloth draped around his face that matched his overall reddish armour. Typical attire for forces under Easparton. He also did the same and found Mike and Margretta staring at him with angry faces, while the old man at the centre calmly drank his tea before asking him, ¡°It¡¯s my honour to meet an Esteemed knight of Easparton. I am John. The male one beside me is Mike, and the female one is Margretta.¡± The knight, taken aback by the calm tone, took a moment to get his words together and said, ¡°Ruth, Official Knight rank. Under XII Mountaineering division.¡± ¡°So, Sir Ruth, I wonder what could have demanded your presence at such a late night? Surely, not a cup of tea, but it¡¯s not like I would mind another company.¡± Ruth stared at John, but that was only for a second. ¡°I am not here for tea. I have received news that some elves might be hiding here. I am searching for it. I have the search warr-¡± ¡°Ai, those damn elves. They always run over here to create trouble in our holy land,¡± John cut him off. He also nodded his head to Ruth, which baffled not only the knight but also Mike and Margretta. ¡°As the sons of the Great Mother, surely we cannot allow those elves to mix among our sands. Mike, Margretta, let¡¯s go out and have our friend search this house.¡± John picked up his things and moved his eyes. This confused everyone in the room. Seeing Mike and Margretta also following behind John, Ruth stared for a long time. ¡®Is that how this raid is supposed to be?¡¯ He thought. For he can¡¯t help it. Tonight, he was asked to raid this house, hosting a bunch of Gold Keepers. In simple words, late-night harassment. When he first found out that the guy leading Gold Keeper was a High Mage, he was sweating, but when he found that he would go along for this operation, he was panicking inside and thus almost lost his balance just a moment ago. But the orders are such, and so he braced himself and kicked the door. And almost lost his balance because of panic. In fact, behind the cloth, he was still sweating with a heart that kept punching his chest from the inside out. He thought a lot. Would the guy be angry and fire a big spell at him? But the response seemed unusual. He quickly pulled out his scorpion badge, and its colour was still red, representing no curse being thrown at him. He released a sigh of relief and looked at the small, empty room. He couldn¡¯t help but scratch his head. ¡®Just what am I supposed to search here?¡¯ He never thought he would reach this point. Still, he was already here, so he just ruffled some sand here and there. He even knocked on the wall, but as expected, there was nothing to be found. At last, he decided to move on to the next step, that is, the interrogation of suspects. Thinking of the step, his throat felt a little dry, and he pulled a pouch of water, drank a big mouthful of it and then raised his chest to go outside again. ¡°Sir, I want-¡± ¡°Sir Ruth, this is not good.¡± Outside, in the middle of the night, the usual cramped street was empty. Other than the trio that just got out. Seeing them, Ruth just wanted to ask, but John again cut him off. This time he looked a little angry too. ¡®Finally, he¡¯s behaving like a normal person.¡¯ Ruth thought. At this moment, he glanced at the eyes of Margretta and found them to be glowing red. The light made him dazed a little, and then like being jerked out of a bad dream, he came back to himself. Sweat covered his head, as he hastily looked at his badge and only when he found it to be the same as before did he release his breath. After he wiped the sweat, he didn¡¯t dare to look at Margretta again, but asked John with a strong voice. ¡°I don¡¯t understand your words, Sir John. Are you trying to st-¡± ¡°We shouldn¡¯t trust the elves. What if they used some illusion magic and hid among humans?¡± John said, without giving him any room for argument. ¡°We should be interrogating everyone on the scene.¡± ¡°Huh? That¡¯s right. All of you now-¡± ¡°Luckily for you, Sir Ruth. Today you got some trustworthy people to help you out on your noble cause.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Sir, I know you have doubts, but worry not. For I am here to help.¡± John hastily pulled out a bunch of papers and handed them to Ruth. Ruth found them to be the records from the checkpoint. Like afraid he would not understand the meaning, John continued with his words. ¡°As you can see, we are verified officials. On this day alone, our credentials had been verified a total of 48 times. And this paper has the sign of each of the officers that approved of us.¡± ¡°I-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say anything, sir, I know your doubt. You want to ask, is the paper authentic or not? Am I right?¡± ¡°I am sa-¡± ¡°Look here.¡± John¡¯s old hands were unlike his age, as they skillfully took Ruth¡¯s scorpion badge and brought them closer to the seal on the documents, which looked like chains of a mountain. The seal started to glow in red light, verifying the authenticity of the papers. ¡°See, now you have verified us. Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Go? Where?¡± ¡°Of course, to kick those bastard elves'' asses.¡± John seemed to be a different person, and he started to curse. Ruth even noticed some of John¡¯s saliva being spilled onto his clothes. He started to feel uncomfortable around this old man. John was not done as he pointed to the other shabby house to his left. ¡°Let¡¯s start our search from there. Hey, you ungrateful bastards, open the door for Sir Ruth. We are here under his command to search you. Sir Ruth¡¯s sword would cut anyone who disagrees in half.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s the fucking drunkard, shouting at the night?!!¡± An angry voice came from the door. Ruth got cold feet just listening to this. He knew this street was infamous for criminals and the owner of the voice looked less than kind of person. And quite enough, he got his feeling confirmed by the next line. ¡°Shut your damn trash of a mouth, or I will pull that rotten tongue of yours.¡± The voice seemed to come from the door, but something felt wrong to Ruth. Everything else was so quiet. Not even the sounds from insects could be heard anymore, only the howling of the cold winds of the night that sent shivers down his spine every time they blew. He found it strange and thus wanted to calm the person before him, but his ¡®teammates¡¯ didn¡¯t seem to think the same. ¡°Oi, how dare you call Sir Ruth a pile of rotten trash, with a pest-infected dump yard?¡± ''He wanted to murder with a borrowed knife.¡¯ Ruth thought he found the reason for John¡¯s actions. Something more strange happened as his senses started to notice an unknown number of eyes locked onto his body. He turned his eyes to the sides and noticed slight movements in the darkness of the spaces between the buildings. He didn¡¯t know what, no matter how he looked, but his eyes never picked a clear picture of the figure. He felt a hand touching his right shoulder, but when he moved his head to look, no one was there. Next was a small laughter that reached his ears, it sounded like a woman. The source was the same dark place from a moment ago. This revelation sent his heart almost flying, and he hastily distanced himself from John who was coming closer to him with a strange smile. ¡°I just received news from the HQ, the elves are now captured. See you later.¡± As soon as Ruth said that, from behind him, an outline of a beast emerged and he disappeared the next moment. ¡°Ai, Sir Ruth ¡­ And he¡¯s not coming back.¡± John clapped his hands with a quick nod to himself. But as he was doing so, he felt strange stares at his back. He turned around and found Mike and Margretta looking at him silently. He got confused by such and asked them directly. ¡°What happened? Is my performance not good?¡± ¡°It¡¯s good.¡± Mike was the first one to say. But he felt something was incorrect. Isn¡¯t it supposed to be a little different? ¡®Why does it feel like something important happened just now but at the same time, didn¡¯t?¡¯ He thought. John didn¡¯t seem to think like him and tapped his back in appreciation as he said, ¡°You are not bad either, lad. I didn¡¯t know you had such good talent with voice mimicry magic. Man, he didn¡¯t even doubt a bit about it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing, sir.¡± Mike could only say so. ¡°Margretta, you are also very good with your confusing magic. You have a real knack for scaring people.¡± "Thank you very much, sir." She didn¡¯t feel happy about it. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go and sleep. Tomorrow we have a lot to do.¡± John yawned a bit and moved into the house. Mike and Margretta stared into each other¡¯s eyes for a while, and only when the chilly winds of the night awoke them did they follow him inside. They had a feeling this old man was going to do something very soon. Chapter-14: The Ways Of Gold Keepers (2) On the sides of the main road, in a medium-sized building with a ¡°Roadside Kitchen¡± written on it. It was what its name would suggest, a restaurant with a big hall inside. With well-spaced wooden chairs and red cushions at the top, and a decorated dining set on the table. If that¡¯s not enough to relax a weary traveller, then the exotic smell from the colourless flower just beside it would. However, it failed to calm the tense bodies of the three persons sitting on the table. Well, that was the case for the relatively young-looking male and female concerned. They were none other than the Gold Keepers from Oasis.The oldest among them, John looked at ease like on a family trip. Even his voice sounded like a person on some tour when he said to his companions. ¡° I always heard my friends say this restaurant is the best in Easparton. Even the water has a sweet taste to it.¡± ¡° Sir.¡± Mike kept looking at the door when he asked. ¡° Are you sure we should be here?¡± ¡° Why not? And stop looking at the door. People would mistake us for criminals.¡± Mike wanted to say more, but a waiter came close to their table, dressed in pure white with red linings that ran along the sides. On his head was a hat with a large fin-shaped cloth reading towards the ceiling. He said with a little bow. ¡° Respected Sirs and Madam, what do you like to order?¡± ¡° How about you get me a Shahi Dosa?¡± John said with a glance at the menu. ¡° Also, get me a plate of idli too. What about you guys?¡± ¡° I think I would have idli.¡± ¡° Get me a Masala Dosa.¡± Mike and Margretta said respectively. But the waiter looked a little embarrassed and said, ¡° Sorry Sir, but we are unable to serve Shahi Dosa at the current time.¡± ¡° Why not? It¡¯s your signature dish, no?¡± John was a little surprised that he was not able to get the dish his friend talked about. ¡° That¡¯s right, but we currently lack paneer. ¡± The waiter sighed at him. Paneer was one of the main ingredients of Shahi Dosa. ¡° In fact, we lack many other things too.¡± ¡° Is the business not booming these days?¡± ¡° No, no sir, you got the wrong idea.¡± The waiter looked sideways and only after confirming that no one else was watching did he say more. ¡° Actually, they were supposed to be brought here, but things got messy in the middle.¡± ¡° I don¡¯t hear Easparton having trouble with bandits,¡± Margretta said. ¡° Not bandits, Madam-¡± ¡° Miss.¡± Margretta said as she didn¡¯t want herself to be addressed as old. Besides, she was still single. ¡° Of course, forgive my slip of the tongue. The beast on whose back our things were supposed to be got out of control, again.¡± ¡° Again?¡± John raised his eyebrows at him. ¡° Yes, and so the city lord banned the beast from entering the city.It also increased our cost.¡± Here, the waiter looked particularly cautious and turned his words into a whisper. ¡° Actually, there is a rumour going around in the city.¡± ¡° Oh? What kind?¡± Margretta got her interest up and her tense body due to last night''s raid eased some. ¡° Well, you know how Lord Guardian controls the beasts of Thar? Over the years, not only the beasts are going more and more out of control and not only that, but the beast tide too is getting more and more tough to handle. The last one even continued for half a day more since the end of the tide.¡± The Waiter didn¡¯t want to end his words here for them to interpret by themselves and continued. ¡° This is not a normal phenomenon and is happening in all other regions of Thar. Words have it, that the Guardian is at her life¡¯s end. That she can''t even maintain her true form and now lives solemnly by herself in Oasis. That''s why her control over the beast is getting lower as time passes.¡± Others didn¡¯t notice, but when the waiter said this, John¡¯s eyes dimmed for a moment. As an official with a high position, he knows more about it. It¡¯s not out of reason that Oasis was getting more active just before its new heir could take control. In the truest of senses, one could say that Oasis is at its strongest at this moment, but the more it waits, the weaker it gets. For when the Divine war reached the doors of Oasis, it was the Guardian beast that took the full brunt of Church¡¯s Sacred Artefact. Ignorant of John¡¯s inner thoughts, the waiter continued. ¡°Some say that soon she would be dea-¡± ¡° We would have three Masala dosa and two Idli.¡± Mike cut him off with an annoyed look. The waiter seemed to understand and left after taking their orders. Mike then did a quick spell that prevented their voice from getting heard by others and asked John. ¡° Sir, what is our next course of action?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it eating breakfast?¡± John also got back to himself and said as usual. ¡° Don¡¯t worry about the knights, I bet even they didn¡¯t think we would take a detour mid-way.¡± ¡° Sir¡­¡± ¡° Ai, it¡¯s good to be young, so energetic.¡± John sighed and asked back. ¡° Since you want to work, who am I to say no? But let me ask first. Why do you think Oasis sent us here?¡± ¡° To search for tax evasions?¡± As Mike was thinking, Margretta answered first. Mike took a minute before answering. ¡° If I am allowed to be a little rude. To create trouble?¡± When he thinks about the recent relationship between Oasis and Easparton, and how the latter openly threatened to not accept the rule of the new lord, the answer comes quite clear. But still, he felt it should not be so simple, for they are just three people, unless they plan to openly fight in the city, the trouble they could cause was very limited. But even so, with a High Mage rank leading them, he can¡¯t fandom themselve anything other than living targets. ¡° That¡¯s right. Oh, the service is a little quick here.¡± John said as the waiter put the dishes on the table. It was after he left that John continued again. ¡° You know, politics and all, it''s messy to get into. Leave that aside, and we are here just to grieve people. Now another question comes to mind. Can you tell me how to grieve someone?¡± This question was a little tough for Mike and Margretta to answer. They were, after all, not talking about a person, but a system that governed over the many people under it. Normal things didn''t matter and bigger things just got worse. It also didn¡¯t help that they already seemed to be under constant eyes. ¡°Should we try to unearth the corruption of some Officials?¡± This time, Margretta¡¯s words were in sync with those of Mike. Since it looked more logical to just do things under their power and find some financial mismatch to create an issue. This was the safest bet they could think of. Any other direct confrontation, and they could either be detained or killed depending on how strong of a reply Easparton wanted to send. In either case, that was not the outcome they wanted for themselves. But John seemed not to hear it and took a bite from his whistle idli dripping with sambar, a reddish-brown lentil vegetable stew. Seeing it like that, Mike and Margretta also started to eat. ¡°Pretext, do you know about it?¡± John said as they all ate half of their food. ¡°In my batch, we used to call them the stairways of moral high ground. Get it ready first, or choose one at random at the start, but having it is a must.¡± He had seen it with his own eyes, no one starts a fight without having a moral high ground to stand on. Be it the historic right to land or some old grievance of them getting a cold coffee when they asked for hot. It ranges from logical to complete garbage, but almost everyone searches for them. Almost everyone. ¡®If she was here, pretext or not, this city would be burning now.¡¯ Such a thought passed through his head, but another voice brought him back. ¡°Should we look for one, sir?¡± Mike asked, but John shook his head. ¡°Why should we? We have it in our name. The thing we need next is intent.¡± They are the Gold keepers, the one responsible for keeping track of all money that moves around Thar, they lacked many things, but not the pretext. ¡°Griefing?¡± Margretta said after wiping her mouth with a cloth. ¡°Yes. Then Mike, what is next?¡± To John¡¯s question, Mike took some deep thoughts. What did they need next? The answer, he knew it, and so he said. ¡°Target.¡± ¡°Nice one. Let me help you with one.¡± John pointed his finger to the man sitting at the centre-right. Mike and Margretta followed his finger and found a man around his fifties with long green hair. A golden chain could be seen on his luxurious dress. ¡°Can you tell me who he is?¡± Margretta and Mike shook their heads. John also sighed a little at them. ¡°Next time, before you go to your next location, do a sweep of old files about that reason. For the time being, he is Jacob, the medium-sized trader.¡± ¡°Why would a trader be our target sir? Is he a relative of some higher up?¡± Margretta asked. ¡°No. But he deals with the most important treasure of Thar.¡± Mike and Margretta quickly got what John meant by this. Others might be confused, but when it comes to the treasure of Thar, few things come to mind. One is water, the other one is food. It turned out that for a nation under constant clouds of war, getting it to the path of development was nothing short of impossible. Even if someone tried to, defending it from the next beast tide was a difficult task, thus no lord even bothered to develop any industry. Food, the lifeline of civilization, requires a large spat of land. A fertile land, or at the very least, soil that could be made fertile with magic. But all that Thar had was nothing but sand. So people of Thar could only do three things, catch fish in the ocean from its shore, import from outside, or if they happened to be unable to do a second due to some reason, for say due to being a pariah of the world, they smuggle. Smuggle they did, on a rather big scale at that. Big enough that despite fish being the staple of Thar, a decent-income family could still get food that included other things like green vegetables. But the food¡¯s value became even more important when something big like war happened. ¡°Tell me something,¡± John asked with a smile on his face as Mike and Margretta finished their breakfast. ¡°Surely, it would be grieving for lords when they found themselves lacking in food during a war, no?¡± ¡°Are we going to steal from their granaries?¡± Mike felt he got the gist of it, but John seemed to have other things planned. ¡°You need to think a little bit. For now, why don¡¯t we take our friend with us and chat a little.¡± John took out a small bottle, about the size of his finger with some liquid inside. He then placed it on the table and opened the cap. And from the bottle, black smoke rose at an astonishing speed and enveloped the whole hall. The moment smoke started rising, everyone in the restaurants started panicking, and chaos spread everywhere. It didn¡¯t help that the smoke was strong enough that no light could get past its cloud, and amid the panicked sound from scared people, everyone started to run out. The guards at the door tried to use wind magic but the smoke didn¡¯t move. Only after half an hour did it disappear, and a mess of thrown food as well as chairs came into view of others. For the ones who were keeping a watch on the three gold keepers, only a table with empty plates and some silver coins could be seen. Sadly enough, when they did a count of them, they found that the customer paid in full, but didn¡¯t leave any tip for the waiter. But those knights and mages could care less for him. **** ¡°Alright, put him here.¡± In a somewhat dark room, John told Mike to put down the struggling body of Jacob. But Mike was not gentle with this and what came out was similar to throwing a bag onto the ground, the impact seemed to be painful enough just from the loud thud it made. ¡°Sir, how did you find this place so soon?¡± Margretta looked at the room, it was not big but not small either. It was a little distance away from the main street and most importantly, she saw John using a keystone to open the door of this place. It means a formation was protecting this place. These houses don¡¯t come cheap. ¡°I don¡¯t, but I happened to have some friends among Sableclaws.¡± Margretta shut her mouth with wide eyes when she heard it. Sableclaw, the most prominent intelligence-gathering agency of Thar. People don¡¯t ask questions about their work or them. If Gold Keepers could question anyone, then Sableclaws could kill anyone.To this day, no one was clear just how many had died under them. ¡°Now then, Mike, remove the binding on his eyes.¡± ¡°Ummmhh¡­¡± ¡°His gag too.¡± ¡°Ha, ha..w-who are you guys, why did you kidnap me? Do you know who I am? I am¡­¡± ¡°Sir, Jacob, can you please ask one question at a time, I am quite old, you see.¡± John looked at the struggling man in front of him, but his voice didn¡¯t change a bit. ¡°We didn¡¯t kidnap you. But officially took you in for an interrogation for a crime. Please choose your words carefully, for they might be used against you.¡± ¡°You think I would believe that? You might not know it but I got¡­¡± His words got cut short as Mike kicked him in the stomach. As the burning pain distorted his face, he heard the voice from the one who kicked him. ¡°Shut your traps. How dare you talk to a High mage like this?¡± ¡°H-High mage?¡± Jacob¡¯s face distorted again, but it was difficult to say if it was due to pain or the talk of the High mage. Mike was going to kick him again, but John stopped him with his raised arm. ¡°Easy, Mike. He¡¯s just shocked.¡± John could tell that his juniors were under some stress. After all, they just picked a man from the restaurant in the daylight from many eyes. It would be strange if he were not panicking inside. John pulled his badge out and said, ¡°Sir Jacob, let me introduce myself. I am John, an official from Gold Keepers and also a High mage. My other two juniors are Mike and Margretta.¡± His words, or maybe the revelation about the people he was talking with, calmed Jacob a little. He asked with a cautious voice, ¡°Why would gold keepers be after me? I did no wrong.¡± ¡°Sir Jacob, please, lying is not good for your health.¡± ¡°I- I didn¡¯t lie.¡± ¡°That¡¯s no good. If one of the richest people of Easparton lies like this, what can I expect from others?¡± ¡°Richest?¡± Panic took hold of Jacob¡¯s face with large beads of sweat forming on his head. ¡°Sir, you made a mistake. I am only slightly rich.¡± ¡°Sir, Jacob. Though we smuggle food from outside, that doesn¡¯t mean we don¡¯t keep a record of things that land in the ports of Thar.¡± John''s eyes stretched with a smile on his lips. ¡°You have been in our crosshair for a long time now. It¡¯s just that we have some beef with some people here, that¡¯s why we never told anyone about you here.¡± Margretta came near the window and closed the curtain, leaving only a little gap for her to peek outside. As the light in the room became less, Jacob only became more nervous as he said, ¡°Mistake, there¡¯s definitely a mistake somewhere. Let me go so I can help you find them. I think we can reach mutually beneficial terms if you allow me.¡± ¡°Ai, my job forbids taking gifts, what can we do?.¡± John just shook his head at him. ¡°Anyway, let me get to the point since we are short on time. I want the locations as well as keystones of granaries where you have illegally stored food stocks.¡± ¡°What locations and keystones? I told you somewhere a mistake had happened.¡± ¡°Sir Jacob, don¡¯t you understand your current situation? Over the years, you bought lots and lots of food that you bought from other cities and then smuggled them here.¡± John had looked deep into the records, but there was doubt as to why Jacob brought such large quantities of food over the years. A small section believed it was for war preparations, but they never found any strong relationship between him or the city lords. In fact, for some reason, even the file of Jacob was below all the others. John was not sure if it was the result of Jacob¡¯s bribes, but he felt something was big on this one, so he looked some more. In Jacob¡¯s file, it was mentioned that he smuggled food that was enough for thirty thousand people for six days. Big? Sure, but not enough to annoy someone on a scale. But when John looked more and collected data from different sources, some values didn''t add up. Whoever was it, the work was extensive to keep Jacob away from the lens of Gold Keepers. John was not sure about the scale or the person as time was less, so he decided on Jacob as his target. ¡°Sir Jacob, you know I am low on time. That¡¯s why I will give you two options.¡± John turned to Mike and said, ¡°Go get his wife and son, his house is two streets away and should have his name written on it.¡± ¡°Wait, what do you mean by this?!¡± Seeing Mike nod and leave, Jacob shouted with panic. John looked at him trying to untie himself on the ground and thought about something as he gazed into the amber eyes and said, ¡°By the way, about your gift, I think we can do something about it.¡± His words made Jacob pause, and even Margretta looked over. Then, as life came to him, Jacob said with an excited voice, ¡°Of course, of course. We can all be honest with each other. We are all good people after all. We should look out for each other.¡± ¡°In the files, it said you brought a cumulative of thirty tonnes of pink sea shells from the western region. I want fifteen percent of it.¡± ¡°What, fifteen percent? It¡¯s daylight robbery.¡± Jacob said with the intent of refusal, but he noticed the narrowed eyes of John and the thought of his family being brought over here came to his mind. Thus he decided to give up his struggles. ¡°OK, alright. Fifteen percent and not a point percent more. How about you guys untie me first.¡± ¡°Um, sir?¡± Margretta asked with doubt. She didn¡¯t understand why John, who was known to be quite upright, would do this. But John was silent; he seemed to be in thought, even though his eyes got eased. Seeing his request being ignored, Jacob could only shut his mouth, With an unsettling feeling that tightened his nerves when he looked at the eased eyes of John. In such an uncomfortable silence, time passed, and only when Mike came with an unconscious woman and a ten-year-old child, did some sound return to the room. ¡°Sir, did something happen?¡± Mike asked as he noticed the change of atmosphere in the room. ¡°This case looks more interesting than I initially thought.¡± Said John as he gleaned over the two additional newcomers. ¡°He¡¯s not the guy we should be searching for.¡± ¡°What?¡± Mike and Margretta both have a confused expression. Even Jacob seemed panicked at his words; he wanted to ask about this but felt his mouth being sealed by some force. In the meantime, John didn¡¯t let his juniors in the dark. ¡°Mike, have you heard of pink sea shells?¡± ¡°I did.¡± Mike was unable to understand John''s meaning, but that didn¡¯t stop him from answering questions. ¡°They are the speciality of the local mermaid tribe in the southern port.¡± ¡°Wait, they are not from the western region?¡± Margretta asked as she remembered John¡¯s words a little while ago. Mike shook his head at her and explained some more. ¡° No. They are only available at the shores of southern regions and only when you meet someone from a mermaid tribe can one get them.¡± ¡° So, the things about earlier..?¡± ¡° Was a lie. Jacob didn¡¯t seem to even know much about what he was smuggling.¡± John added to her words. Mike was still confused, but Margretta whispered to him about the convo he just missed while John asked Jacob. ¡° Who do you work for?¡± Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. ¡° I-I don¡¯t know what you are talking about. I work for myself.¡± Jacob said as he felt the force blocking his mouth disappear. ¡° Earlier, your body relaxed when I asked for pink shells. Looking at your eyes, I don¡¯t think you have received any training for resisting interrogation either. Your replies also show a lack of situation awareness. Not the qualities of a smuggler.¡± Though John was looking at Jacob, his words were meant for Mike and Margretta. ¡° I was in a stress. It was a slip of the tongue, and nothing more. Believe me. I am telling the truth.¡± ¡° By the way, were they not allowed to enter the granaries? Did they even tell you their names?¡± John ignored him and kept asking more while he observed every motion of Jacob¡¯s body. ¡° Look, what I am saying¡­¡± ¡° Listen, I told you before. I don¡¯t have time to play around. I think this should bring your memory out quickly.¡± John motioned to Mike and he grabbed the child and brought him closer. With such, panicked shouts of Jacob filled the room. ¡° I believe this is something you should be familiar with?¡± John had a purple crystal in his hand, and when Jacob¡¯s eyes fell on it, his face started to become white with pure terror. ¡°T-this¡­y-you¡­¡± ¡° That¡¯s right, it¡¯s Pantheon¡¯s Dust.¡± John introduced its name. A potent drug made by the Circles of Life. Its addictiveness is such that once even a little enters one¡¯s body, the person can¡¯t live without it. But there is more to its name than just some drug, for there was a time when it smuggled not only within the territories of Alliance, which one Thar was a member of but way beyond it. Its addiction spread like wildfire in dried grasslands. Just one year and more than thirty percent of the human population was under its addiction. Circles of Life may have existed for years, but it was this drug that put its name on the eyes of Alliance. Its speed of spread also resulted in an equally strong reaction from the Alliance, but in Thar, it was draconic. The tribes of warriors cannot stomach the truth of their proud warriors being addicted to such a simple drug and a massive crackdown followed. But instead of treating those addicted, they ordered completed sterilisation. Jacob knows it well, once someone takes even a little of it, no one can save him from being fed to the beast. His struggle against the robe became even stronger as John put Pantheon¡¯s Dust closer to his child¡¯s face. ¡° I would say in a single line. Tell me the locations of the granaries and give me their keystones to open them.¡± ¡° Please, listen to me. Aren¡¯t you guys from law enforcement? Why are you doing this?¡± ¡° Five minutes.¡± John was not interested in his plea for mercy. ¡° I don¡¯t care about your back handlers, so just tell me the location you know.¡± But Jacob seemed to have thought it was just a pressure tactic, and still tried to negotiate. Mike and Margretta thought the same too. But when the five minutes ticked in the middle of Jacob¡¯s attempt to dissuade John, his eyes, along with that of Mike and Margretta, shook to the core. John didn¡¯t bother to even look at the sleeping face of the boy, and just opened his mouth and put a tiny bit of purple crystal into his mouth. ¡°NO, Stop!!!.¡± Jacob shouted but he was pinned by Mike. He could only look helplessly as dark blue lines started to spread from the throat of his child, with an expression of bliss on the child¡¯s face. ¡° It takes upward of two minutes till a person becomes fully addicted after taking it,¡± John said, ignoring the eyes of fear from his juniors, he pulled out another bottle with red colour. ¡° I happened to have something that could stop that, but whether I do it, is all in your hands.¡± ¡° Please, I don''t know who they are. I am telling the truth. They would murder me if I said anything about the location.¡± When no one replied to him, Jacob felt his throat becoming dry as with his lips, his heart drummed in his chest and eyes, fixed on the body of his child. The silence of the room enhanced the breathing sound from the bliss-faced child, uncaring about the blue lines that completely dotted his face, contracting with his fair skin. ¡° One and a half minutes.¡± The uncaring, casual tone sounded much like a grim reaper to Jacob¡¯s years. It seemed a routine for that old man. Without even an ounce of sympathy. Jacob looked up from the boy and found the old man gazing back at him. Again there was no guilt in those eyes. At this moment, when every second felt like hours, he knew this man would not save his child. His words came through from his face, now fully soaked with sweat that ticked down to his throat. It contained a plea from a father towards his child, for once these minutes passed, he could never save his boy¡¯s life. Even if he did save his life, the future would be gone. He just couldn¡¯t face himself if that happened.¡° Three blocks away from here, is a building with a hole in the lower left side of the wall. I was only supposed to open the door for people coming in. I know nothing else. I swear. Please, save my boy..¡± ¡° And the keystone?¡± ¡° The necklace on my boy¡¯s neck.¡± The blue lines had spread through half of his body, but John didn¡¯t look at them. He shifted the collar of the boy and found the necklace, with a red stone on it. He ignored the thumping web of blue lines that spread around the young child¡¯s chest and took out the necklace. Then under Jacob¡¯s pleading eyes, he opened the red potion bottle near the boy''s face and red smoke entered his nose. The blue lines significantly eased the bulging blue lines, but not completely. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Hearing his words, Mike gulped and asked back. ¡° Sir, about him?¡± ¡° Untie him. He¡¯s useless for us now.¡± Mike untied Jacob who crawled to his son. Margretta opened the door and walked out first, Mike followed after her. John was the last one, he looked at Jacob holding his son, while also going close to his wife and a knife appeared in his hand. He threw that knife near the foot of Jacob who looked at him with some tears in his eyes. ¡° You are really a disappointment towards the Great Mother,¡± John said. The moment such words left his mouth, Jacob seemed to panic, and in his amber eyes, a green light started to emerge. ¡° NO. No. I didn¡¯t do it. I didn¡¯t do it.¡± Jacob seemed to forget the child in his arms as he dropped his son and grabbed his head and screamed the words of denial. Jacob lost his ability to hear anything after that, as he just kept screaming about the words from earlier. ¡° No, I didn¡¯t. It¡¯s not my fault.¡± The green light in his eyes became stronger as he kept screaming such words. Then his eyes landed on the unconscious bodies of his child and wife, and then on the knife. ¡° Yes, it''s their fault I disappointed her. Yes, I did this for them, not for myself. I did no wrong, they did.¡± In the unknown dark, with his amber eyes now completely turned green, his hands reached towards the knife. **** ¡°Let¡¯s move to the place that Jacob mentioned,¡± John said the moment he came outside. But seeing no reply, he looked at his juniors and found their bodies stiff. A closer look revealed their eyes also turning green. He narrowed his eyes and took out a bamboo stick with a silver bell at the end. He shook it a little, and the bell strangely didn¡¯t make a sound like it should. Instead, it lit up with colourless mana, sweeping over Mike and Margretta, who jerked and felt cold all over their bodies. ¡°I said let¡¯s go. I don''t want to run from knights at such an age.¡± John didn¡¯t give them time to think more and moved to the front. Seeing him getting away, Mike and Margretta shook themselves and followed him. On the road, they spotted many knights and mages searching around the streets, but John, being a high mage, had covered them with an invisible spell. Not only that but also some other spells that his juniors were not sure about. As they moved, people made way for them, and despite so many mages being present, no one found the situation strange. It was such that when the sun went past its midpoint, they arrived at their designated location: a somewhat normal-looking building that one couldn¡¯t distinguish from the surroundings. Before entering, John again took out his magic dish and checked something before a smile appeared on his face. ¡°They are really courageous.¡± ¡°Sir, are there many people guarding it?¡± Margretta asked, while Mike silently took out his anchor. But he was bound to be disappointed as John shook his head and said, ¡°No. In fact, not even a single one.¡± ¡°Are you sure about that, sir? Would they really leave such an important thing unguarded?¡± Mike asked with surprise. This situation seemed unlikely to him. ¡°As I said, they are courageous,¡± John replied, starting to move towards the building. He came near the door and found the lock to be the simplest one. When he was about to open it, Margretta stepped forth and said, ¡°Sir, let me do it.¡± ¡°Sir, I don¡¯t want to doubt your judgement, but are you sure about that thing working correctly?¡± Mike asked John. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. That thing was made by the greatest golem master of our time. There is no way it would malfunction,¡± John reassured them while thinking.¡®If it malfunctioned, it would just explode anyway.¡¯ Margretta didn¡¯t take much time, and soon the door opened with a click. Inside was nothing special, just some old, dust-covered furniture. But it didn¡¯t sway the three Gold Keepers; getting dust to cover something was just a spell away. ¡°Jacob didn¡¯t say much about what was inside, so I think we would need to look for the entrance ourselves,¡± Mike said. ¡°I think we should look from the ground,¡± Margretta said. ¡°Most likely, there is an underground route from this building.¡± ¡°Now, now, lad. As much as I would love to look at your investigative skills, there are some people on our tails,¡± John said as he pulled out a bronze coin and tossed it up. What followed was a burst of light that momentarily blinded them. When they opened their eyes, they saw the ceiling glowing with many magic circles. Mike then looked at Margretta, who in turn looked away with red ears. John was more direct; he threw the pendant up to the ceiling, and when the red stone touched the biggest circle, a black hole appeared. Before the three could think of how to enter, the black hole fell towards them, and they all got swallowed by it. ¡°Wow¡­ where are we?¡± Margretta asked. Around them, rows upon rows of boxes could be seen. The ground and ceiling were made of stone, and the place was illuminated by lamps dangling from the ceilings. They realised this place was much bigger than they thought, resembling a small village in terms of pure area. Mike moved closer to one of the wooden boxes. With a flip of his anchor, the box opened, and his eyes widened. ¡°Sir, we caught something big.¡± His surprised voice drew the others closer. Inside the box, they found swords. ¡°Search everywhere,¡± John said with a deep frown. This seemed like a big catch to him. Soon, they unearthed the smuggled grains and many types of weapons: enchanted spears, swords, armours, and more. ¡°This looks like an armoury. So much for granaries,¡± Margretta said as she examined a small gauntlet-like anchor in her hands. ¡°Model no-3301. I''ve never heard of such a series being used before.¡± ¡°Sir, how should we proceed?¡± Mike didn¡¯t feel good about it. Such a big cache of arms, right under the shadow of war. It was clear to him who these things belonged to. He moved to the side of the crate and found a big ''Y'' written on it. ¡°It seems this is some code word,¡± he said. ¡°That seems to be the case,¡± Margretta said, as she observed other crates. ¡°Perhaps. During my time serving in special forces, we used to write the first letter of our target on the supplies or the weapons to strike fear in our enemies,¡± John said after a little thought. ¡°But I don¡¯t remember any big city or higher officials having names starting with ¡®Y¡¯,¡± Mike said, with Margretta also nodding in agreement. ¡°In any case, we can¡¯t have them be used by Easparton,¡± John said. He had too little information at this moment; he was just here for grains but found weapons instead. No matter who was the owner of this place, he didn¡¯t plan to leave it intact anymore. ¡°Margretta, Mike, take one thing you have a liking for, then we will leave.¡± ¡°No, sir, it''s not like that,¡± Margretta said as she hastily put away the shiny anchor she was just polishing, but John paid no mind to her action. ¡°Consider it an official benefit for working within the system,¡± John said. Mike, unlike Margretta, directly took an anchor for himself, while Margretta followed, trying to be a little sneaky but failing. *** ¡°You don¡¯t know where they are?¡± Outside the roadside kitchen, the vice city lord, Adrina, looked at the messed-up interior of the restaurant with a frown on his face. It¡¯s not that he wanted to come here to personally oversee such things; he had no time for that. But the person in question was a High mage, as well as from a little troublesome background. The background he only came to know about this morning.¡®If they had done their job better, I would have changed my approach.¡¯ "He thought. He couldn¡¯t help it; it was after John''s performance last night that Adrian ordered a deep background check on John. And when he got the new information, he knew trouble was coming. He turned to his assistant in the back and said, ¡°Send a show-cause order to whoever is responsible for doing a preliminary check on the Gold Keepers. Suspend him till further investigation.¡± ¡°I understand, my Lord.¡± The assistant, Heron, was around middle-aged, with light maroon hair and a small beard. He wore the standard official dress and carried a notebook in his hands, on which he was constantly scribbling on. ¡°Who was responsible for keeping watch on these guys again?¡± Hearing his lord''s words, Heron knew that if he didn¡¯t mention anything about the investigation, many people would be suspended today. So he took the notes from the knights responsible for the investigation and said to Adrian. ¡°My Lord, about those Gold Keepers, I think we found some clues. It seems that along with the Gold Keepers, a merchant was also missing from the restaurant. We are currently on the lookout for that merchant¡¯s whereabouts.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s go to his house. It¡¯s better than staying here and blocking the traffic,¡± Adrian said, glancing at the blocked street with mages and knights bustling about. If nothing else, he wanted this street to be unblocked soon. ¡°Speaking of merchants, wasn¡¯t there a meeting with their union leader today?¡± ¡°Yes, my Lord. It was about recent food supply disturbances.¡± ¡°Right. Call him there too. We can talk at the scene.¡± With that said, they started to move closer to the house where Jacob was supposed to live. Halfway there, a knight came and whispered something to Heron. Adrian looked at his assistant''s distorted face and raised an eyebrow. ¡°Something new to add?¡± ¡°We found Jacob, but he seemed to have gone mad.¡± Adrian wanted to see for himself before asking more questions. The knight led the way, and they soon found themselves in another blocked-off area. ¡°Has he also gone berserk?¡± Adrian asked as he noticed knights moving tenants away from their homes. ¡°I don¡¯t know, sir. The knight didn¡¯t seem to be informed about the actual situation,¡± Heron replied with some doubts. But those doubts didn¡¯t last long as they almost reached their destination. A single-story building with a mud and brick exterior, guarded by more than ten fully armoured knights and robed mages. Their armour and robes bore the white scorpion mark, a symbol of Easparton¡¯s special forces. They all saluted as Adrian and Heron approached. One knight stepped forward and said with respect, ¡°My Lord, the captain is inside waiting for you.¡± ¡° Heron, wait here.¡± Adrian too found the situation more serious than it seemed. And that thought was verified the moment he entered the room. The first thing he was hit with was a staunch, pungent acidic smell, mixed with the smell of urine. This smell made him almost puke his breakfast out. Only when he used his sleeves to block off the smell that he got some respite. But the next thing that followed was the sound of hitting a puddle. He looked below and found his left led into the small pool of blood. His eyes shook a little at such a sudden shift of scene, and his breathing became rapid. It took a great deal of his will to calm himself back. ¡° I thought you would puke.¡± a voice sounded in Adrian''s ears. He looked at the side and found a guy covered with heavy armour, along with a helmet that hid his face. Behind him, was a long, heavy sword. His name was Kevin, the head of Easparton¡¯s special forces. ¡° You could have warned me beforehand.¡± Adrian said after swallowing his vomit back. ¡° But that would not be fun.¡± Kalvin sounded casual in his tone. Adrian knew about his attitude and didn¡¯t want to argue about such. He instead looked at the scene. It was no less gruesome, with splashes of blood on the walls, as well as the ceiling. Two mutilated bodies, one big and one small. Calling them bodies was a stretch as only their pieces remained, and that too scattered across the room. The only one intact was lying at the right-most corner of the room, with both hands holding a dagger that was plunged into his own heart. ¡°What in the sands happened here?¡± ¡°Soul riot,¡± There was a small silence in the room. ¡°Who was courageous enough to use her name?¡± Adrian asked. He understood why the area was suddenly emptied off. The name, once mentioned, could set off waves in Thar. Adrian, being the vice city lord of Espaton, knew very well about it. Once that name was mentioned, a reel of madness took hold for whoever heard it, there was nothing that could not be done for that name. No hatred that couldn¡¯t be melted anew. No friendship that couldn¡¯t be broken. No kinship that couldn¡¯t be abandoned. Even the word, Great Mother was much like a trigger to make an ordinary person into a raging beast. Only when one became a High Knight or High mage could the effect somewhat lessen. For people like Adrian, who was only at an Official Mage rank, it was the badge of a scorpion on his chest personally given to him by the city lord along with a simple warning. ¡®Never leave this badge away from your body, lest the madness consume you.¡¯ ¡°That Gold Keeper, I think you know about it too, right?¡± Kelvin said, not caring about Adrian¡¯s pause. ¡°He¡¯s from Batch 32. You know what this means, right? There is nothing they dared not to do.¡± ¡°It looks like Oasis really sent their best,¡± Adrian didn¡¯t need Kelvin¡¯s reminder, The Batch 32, the legendary batch of its time. Legendary, for it was the batch which was personally led by the Great Mother herself. Unafraid of pain or death, detached from family or friends. They were the ones who unleashed terror upon anyone who ran afoul of the Great Mother. In a sense they were similar to Wizards, for once they locked on to their target, no price was too steep for them to pay. ¡°I want them to be found soon.¡± ¡°Oh? You have something planned?¡± ¡°I think a little ceasefire was much needed between us.¡± ¡°Tch. I don¡¯t really like this part of you.¡± ¡°I am not here to please you,¡± Adrian looked at the knight for the last time and then left the room. ¡°Clean this place and find-¡± He didn¡¯t get to finish his words as the sand beneath him shook and he had to use the side walls to stop his fall. ¡°What now?¡± Fortunately for him, the turmoil stopped after just a few seconds. When he heard the smirk from Kalvin. ¡°Looks like we don¡¯t need to search anymore.¡± Kelvin looked to his side, he could tell the location of the source of the turmoil. *** ¡°Well, there goes my plan of resting,¡± John looked at the now demolished building and the cloud of dust rising into the sky and sighed a little. He neve thought that the building would be gone too when he destroyed the armoury. He could feel some strong people coming towards them and knew they couldn''t run away. He looked at his juniors and found them tense, and so said to them, ¡°Put down the weapons. We don¡¯t want a losing fight, do we?¡± ¡°But sir, we just...¡± Mike wanted to say, they just made such a big move, how could they still be carefree? If this happened in another region, being labelled a terrorist with a kill-on-sight order was not strange. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If push comes to shove, I am a master of running away,¡± John¡¯s words calmed his juniors and they somewhat relaxed their bodies. Soon with rapid sounds of footsteps, rows of knights in full armour surrounded this place, followed by the flying mages who landed on the distant buildings. At a glance, there were more than twenty knights and mages surrounding them. ¡°I always hear that anyone would run, but not the 32''s,¡± Kelvin came forth from behind, followed by Adrian to his left. ¡°Would I have the honour of knowing their fierceness too?¡± ¡°Sir Knight, you sure joke a lot,¡± John moved towards them with a smile and said. ¡°How could such an old man be fierce? I am just waiting for my retirement.¡± He finished and gave a small salute to the knight and the person beside him. ¡°Name''s John. Others are Mike and Margretta.¡± When he said their names, his juniors also performed a little salute but otherwise remained silent.¡± ¡°I am Kalvin.¡± ¡°Ah, the bright student of Sir Lord Arcturus. It¡¯s my honour to meet you,¡± John said. He then looked at the person beside Kelvin, who was still silent, but he got an idea of who he was. ¡°Who might this person be, perhaps the architect of the East?¡± ¡°Sir John seemed to know me,¡± Adrian glanced at the kind-looking old man, and couldn¡¯t help but feel how deceiving the look could be. ¡°Who has not heard about the man who can make gold from the rubles,¡± John said with genuine respect. Many lords had come and gone through the time in Thar, but few could have made their region prosperous under the constant cycle of beast tide. But Adrian did what once seemed impossible, instead of being trapped in the cycle of building what was broken after beast tides, he developed the eastern region into what it is today. The economic as well as industrial powerhouse of Thar. Never had anyone imagined a day would come, that Thar¡¯s region would be associated with the word, industrial. That¡¯s why Adrian was the vice-city lord of Easparton, while being just an Official Mage. ¡°I wonder if I could have a walk with Sir John, I wanted to have a little chat with you.¡± Adrian was not flattered by his words. He just decided to get to the point. ¡°No, no. It¡¯s my honour.¡± John didn''t mind and said, John beckoned his hand to Mike and Margretta, and left with Adrian. The mages under Kelvin casted a spell on the street that made it difficult for others to enter it easily, thus they got an empty street to walk on, despite such a big commotion being caused. One old, another slightly older than young, walked in the street. Until John decided to ask first. ¡°Sir Adrian, you seem to have something on your mind.¡± ¡°I was just appreciating the hard work you kept doing despite such old age,¡± Adrian¡¯s eyes looked at the pile of rubles in the distance, and just remembering the shake he felt earlier, he felt the work being thrown at him above his pay grade. ¡°I wonder if I can ask Sir John a question?¡± ¡° If I can answer, I sure will.¡± ¡° Why are you working so hard for Oasis?¡± Adrian couldn¡¯t understand why the people under the Great Mother, the people personally trained by her, would accept the rule of someone, who never led any war. ¡° I have deep respect for Lord Bardar¡¯s achievements. None can match him for golems. But I don¡¯t believe he was suitable for leading a nation like Thar.¡± John gave a deep look at Adrian, he didn¡¯t expect him to be this direct. ¡° I think you are making a mistake on something. I only give my life and loyalty, only to the Goddess of War. Her words are a divine degree to me. If she says her grandson would be the lord, then that¡¯s all I need to know.¡± His words put Adrian into deep thought. The loyalty to the Greatmother, rather than her grandson, these words meant something could be done. There was still scope for negotiation. He was arranging his words when he heard a question from John. ¡° Sir Adrian, you don¡¯t look like you were born in Thar.¡± ¡° What makes you think that?¡± Adrian was a little surprised at him, but his years of work allowed him to reply in a calm voice. ¡° No one questions the way of life here, they just accept what it is.¡± He looked at the lit houses and thought of the changed Esparton which kept reminding him of something. ¡° This city seemed to be made with love. I asked around, and you seemed to spend much more time patrolling the city, rather than sitting in an office.¡± ¡° Is that so strange? That¡¯s just my work.¡± ¡° No.¡± John shook his head. ¡° If it was for war, then I have seen various lords do much more than this, but few put such efforts in building something that would be gone next year.¡± ¡°Right,¡± In a sense, Adrian found himself a little lost for words. Sometimes, he does wish the peace to last longer, such would allow him to do much more, but reality doesn¡¯t allow such dreams. He got his words together and asked his real question. ¡° Have you ever got time to rest, in between your busy work?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like that, I just want to leave a good record before my retirement.¡± ¡°It pains me to see you work so tirelessly,¡± Adrian didn¡¯t lie, the pain was real. ¡°I think you should take more care of your health.¡± ¡°Ai, I understand your words,¡± John sighed, with an understanding look. ¡°But I just can¡¯t find a place or time to rest.¡± ¡°I happen to know some people around. Maybe, I could arrange a place you might like.¡± ¡°Hm... it¡¯s not bad to rest sometimes,¡± John said with a nod. ¡°But I am still a workaholic. Old habit, you know.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Adrian also nodded at him. ¡°I think we could try to make your work easier somehow. Just have to pull some levers here and there.¡± ¡°Well, if Sir Adrian insists so much, I have no choice but to agree,¡± John said, having reached a deal, he offered a salute to Adrian. ¡°Since it is such, I would be leaving. The night is already upon us. You should rest too.¡± John then left Adrian, who looked at the three moons up in the sky, one big, two small, and fixed his collar before leaving too. He had a lot of work to do tonight. *** Chapter- 15: Our Origin Bella woke up from her sleep and rubbed her eyes. When she looked through the window, the night was still up, and the moons made her know it was past midnight. On the small drawer beside her was a half-empty potion bottle with some pale yellow liquid inside. She turned away from the window, grabbed the bottle and shook it a little. Her insomnia required the use of sleeping potions, though the amount needed had gone down for some time. As she prepared to open the bottle, her ears picked up a strange sound. ¡°Hahaha!!¡± A cheerful laughter from a girl entered her ears. She frowned, no one was supposed to be at home other than her. She was silent, and she heard the laughter again. This time, it sounded very familiar to her, but that brought no joy to her face. She slowly moved from her bed, and towards the door where the sound came from. When she opened the door, no one was there. ¡° Caught you!¡± This time, the sound came from the living room. Bella clapped her hands lightly, and the dark hallway lit up in bright light. She was dressed in her pale white sleepwear that wrapped loosely around her body. She moved down the stairs and into the living room, but again, no one was there to be seen. She stood still and focused more on her ears, her attempt was not futile as she again caught the laughter, this time, coupled with splashes of water. She moved across the living room and entered the garden. There, at last, she could see the source of laughter. A woman with long snow-white hair that contrasted her fierce red dress. She sat on the fountain while dipping her legs into the cold water. ¡° Would you not sit beside me?¡± The woman seemed to have known about her arrival and thus asked Bella with her very sweet voice, but received no reply. She turned her face back and Bella found herself in front of the face she couldn¡¯t ever forget. Herself. ¡° I thought you would be happy to meet me after such a long time.¡± ¡° You are just an illusion of my mind,¡± Bella said as she gazed at her eyes. Different from Bella¡¯s brown eyes, her younger self had clear icy blue colours that not only complemented her beautiful smile under the moonlight, but could also make one feel chills with just a glance. ¡° I feel so sad.¡± Young Bella said, not minding the ever so frowned look of her older self. ¡° You knew, I came just to help you, but here you are. Without an eye for appreciation.¡± ¡° I don¡¯t need your help.¡± ¡° Wrong. I don¡¯t need anyone¡¯s help.¡± Young Bella turned her face back to the fountain water, near her feet, she could see the fishes going about their business. When she moved her feet, there was no wave in the water, but Bella still heard the sound of splashes. Followed by words from her younger self. ¡° Can you do something about these little things here? I don¡¯t like how they ignore my presence. ¡± When she received no reply, her smile turned into a sigh. ¡° If I knew I would be this boring at my old age, I would have plunged the dagger into my heart.¡± ¡° Why are you here?¡± Bella asked. But she didn¡¯t expect an answer either. For she knew herself better than others. Her guess was not wrong. Instead of replying to her, Young Bella suddenly put her hands on her lips as she faced her gain. ¡°SSShhssss¡­¡± She said, before putting both hands on her ears. ¡° Can you hear it? The sound of the sands? Can you tell what they are saying? Rain is coming.¡± Young Bella said, with the face of a prophet who just made a prediction. ¡° Soon, the white peaks of Verdant Divide would be dyed in red, and the resounding cheers of our name would shake the very foundation on which they stood for millenniums.¡± ¡° I fail to see what''s there to cheer for.¡± Old Bella knew it was futile to argue otherwise with herself. She didn¡¯t plan to either and thus turned around to leave. ¡° Our old friend is going to retire and give us another glass of victory. Is it not good enough for a celebration?¡± That was until she again heard her younger self. ¡° Shouldn¡¯t you send her off to the end of the world with a grand party? It¡¯s not every day one gets to go there.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t thirst for victory anymore.¡± Bella turned back and came closer to the fountain. Truth has it, Cherry would not survive another war, but this was the war Thar couldn¡¯t avoid. But for her, it¡¯s not a question of victory but the price itself. If given a chance, Bella does have the power to do this herself, without a single casualty, but chains of the world bind her. Like every Wizard, she too was forbidden from direct involvement in affairs involving the world. She could strategise to the very limits, controlling the armies to the last recruit. But cannot fire the spell herself. It mattered very little whether the Thar was still part of the alliance or not, they still needed to follow their bottom line. That was, no wizard shall partake in worldly affairs directly. Bardar was the same, and so was Cellia. Other than life, they have all the stakes one could look for, their land, their people, their values. When she looked at the water, an old face appeared in front of her. A wry smile took hold of her. ¡®Right, when did I ever care about such things?¡¯ ¡° What do you see?¡± Young Bella seemed to have no interest in her older self¡¯s thoughts. Her body moved and she flashed behind her older self, and put both hands on her eyes. ¡° Remember the game we used to play? We put blindfolds on our eyes and let the toys escape.¡± ¡° I have no time to play.¡± Bella removed the hands from her eyes. ¡°No? ¡± Her younger body disappeared from place and appeared beside the statue of the fountain, her feet floating just above the water. And said ¡° For when I walk, none would stop me. For when I stop, none could demand me. For when I demand, none shall deny me.¡± they came out more as a declaration of fact, rather than talk. With her hands spread wide, a smile that enchanted under the blue moonlight, and eyes that looked at all with disdain. ¡° Tell me, can¡¯t you see the star in front of you?¡± ¡° You shouldn''t speak more.¡± ¡° Should I?¡± Young Bella lowered her hands at her old self. ¡° Have you heard about not seeing the forest for the trees? Wash out your eyes and look clearly. Can¡¯t you see that fish toy we once saved? Rotting at the corn-¡± ¡° Rayen is not rotten. Neither is he a toy.¡± Bella¡¯s sleeves fluttered as mana emerged from her hands. Small frost started to appear on the fountain water which made the small fishes swim around in panic. ¡° If all you are doing is running your mouth, I have no time to hear it.¡± ¡° Sure.¡± Young Bella was carefree despite the cold around her. ¡° But remember this, I appear, because you made me. I know how to get out of this precedent of ours. So do you.¡± This time she came directly to the point. ¡° There is no other way.¡± ¡° Project New Moon.¡± Young Bella said as her older self kept repeating her helplessness, which started to make her sick. ¡° It was time we restart it.¡± ¡° That was a failure.¡± Though Bella said it, her eyes waived a little. ¡° For others, maybe.¡± Younger Bella¡¯s smile returned as she said ¡° But we have our grandsons with us, no? The world is begging for us to make history. But you are busy denying it.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡° You know.¡± Seeing her other self lost in thoughts, Younger Bella had a melancholy expression, with eyes lowered along with her voice. ¡° When you met that man in our dreams, I too, dreamed of that man. And that¡¯s why I am here. Start that project again. It holds the key to our redemption.¡± ¡°...¡± ***** Next day, Easparton. Adrian rubbed his temples with an irritated look as he read the report in front of him. Across him, was Kalvin with his armour still on but without his helmet. He had a fair look to it, with short blonde hair and pale blue eyes. But when Adrian looked at him, his irritation only increased as he said. ¡° I really want to suspend you.¡± ¡° Why? This time, I didn¡¯t even do anything.¡± Kalvin said with an innocent expression, that made Adrain slam his hand on the table. ¡° That¡¯s right. You didn¡¯t do anything.¡± Adrian shouted. ¡° Look at this file. I could see nothing of value in this. You are telling me that some guys from Oasis come here and destroy a building which happens to have access to some underground cave and then destroy it. But we, the actual authorities of Easparton, do not know about either the cave or the things that were destroyed yesterday. Does that make sense to you?¡± ¡° You are trying to put useless blame on me.¡± Kalvin crossed his arms. ¡° My expertise is in fighting. If you must shout about us not knowing anything, then shout at Alvin. He¡¯s responsible for intel works.¡± ¡° That didn¡¯t absolve you of responsibility. You are supposed to know what is entering or leaving the city.¡± ¡° That¡¯s true but¡­¡± ¡° All the fiasco yesterday just showed that Oasis knew more about things happening in Easparton than we do. Do you know what this makes of our situation?¡± Adrian refused to buy into Kalvin¡¯s usual excuses. The war¡¯s shadow was on the horizon, and this incident was the biggest intelligence failure in Adrain¡¯s eyes. ¡° If you had allowed me to deal with the Gold Keepers first-hand, this would not have happened,¡± Kalvin said, though he lacked the confidence in his voice. He also knew inside, that just defeating Gold Keepers would not have changed anything. ¡° Fight a High Mage in the middle of Easparton?¡± Adrian had a deep frown at him as he tried his best to keep the boiling anger inside. ¡° Do you want to turn the city to ruins?¡± As an official mage himself, he knew how big of a jump High Mage was in terms of individual strength. Just from simple spells, one starts to have their own law domains which suppresses everyone inside. ¡± It¡¯s not like they would matter in time.¡± Kalvin said but this time, his words were more like whispers. ¡°...You are dismissed,¡± Adrian said as he couldn¡¯t counter his words. Kalvin was not wrong in his words, but even so, Adrian wanted to see his city without harm. He took a deep breath. ¡° I would inform the City Lord, and ask for additional military personnel. So be prepared.¡± ¡° You want me to do what?¡± ¡° Check every single house. I want you to make sure that more such houses don''t exist.¡± ¡° And people say I overreact to things,¡± Kalvin said as he stood up and left the room. Adrian then rang the bell on the table and Heron entered the room. ¡° Request the City Lord for a meeting. The matter is urgent.¡± Adrian said. Heron nodded and left. Adrian on the other hand took some time to rearrange the papers as well as reports from the recent incidents. When he was done, he had a knight pick up the files and moved towards the highest floor in the City Lord¡¯s Mansion. ¡° Just in time my Lord. Sir City Lord is waiting for you inside.¡± Heron, who was already standing outside the room, said as soon as he saw Adrain. With his left arm, he opened the door. Inside was a rather spacious with comfy sofas, atop a red carpet that had a big scorpion drawn in the middle. At the end, was a table made from dark wood with a shiny polish that made it reflect the light. And on the top of it, in between the many papers and a flower pot, was a small colourless scorpion. Adrian stopped walking, for this scorpion looked faulty, unremarkable, and about the size of one¡¯s hand, but it had the second deadliest venom in its tail¡ªa direct bloodline of the Scorpion Queen. Adrian had a rather tense relationship with this one. ¡° You are here.¡± A deep voice brought Adrian back to himself. On the chair beside the desk, sat the City Lord of Easparton. He was a middle-aged man with hazel eyes, coupled with an olive skin tone that complemented his chestnut and silver-coloured hair. There was a small goatee which was trimmed nicely with his neat Dark Khaki uniform with red and black stripes on his both shoulders as well as a Colour Scorpion Badge to his chest. He was none other than the city lord of Easparton, and also an Arch Wizard. ¡° Greetings to Lord Arcturus.¡± Adrian bowed. The colourless scorpion too heard his words and moved its stinger in a stabbing motion before jumping to Acrturus¡¯ body and resting on his shoulders. Arcturus pulled a small dried meatball from his desk and put it closer to the scorpion who started to eat it. ¡° You looked troubled as always,¡± Arcturus said to Adrian with a smile. ¡° Sometimes, you should take it easy.¡± ¡° I would do that.¡± As Adrain said this, the knight placed the reports on the table and left with a salute to the Arcturus. ¡° So, I got to know the gist of the matter from Heron,¡± Arcturus said to him. ¡° I already made plans of my own. You can take it easy, Adrian.¡± Adrian sighed a little. It was clear that he couldn¡¯t have every house checked as he wished, but since Arcturus himself said to be at ease, he decided to leave it at that. ¡° Then I am reassured. Moving on to other things, my Lord, I would like to request some increase in the temporary workers under the food department.¡± ¡° Oh, you have something in mind?¡± ¡° Yes, due to ever-increasing beast riots, I have to ban their entry into the city. Which is causing some supply chain disruptions.¡± Adrian moved his hands and from the bunch of files, a file got pulled up in front of Arcturus, who opened it and started to read. ¡° I would like to move them with human workers instead. This should also give us some more control over the food supplies, at least it would be easier to track how much food is coming inside the city.¡± ¡° Right.¡± ¡° Then regarding the recent supplementary budget.¡± Adrian seemed to have a lot on his plate as once he started to speak, he didn¡¯t stop for hours. Arcturus on the other hand didn''t interrupt Adrian¡¯s words, only sometimes he spoke either to refuse his ideas or give an alternative. He didn¡¯t shy away from even speaking with an open mind, that city management was not the thing he excelled at. That¡¯s why most of the time, he goes along with Adrian¡¯s plans. On the other hand, Adrian never made any comment on the things which involved military planning or their tactics. If Arcturus didn¡¯t agree with something, he would just change the plan or drop it altogether. Each works within their limits, that was the reason that even people like Kalvin, a High Knight, would allow an Official Mage much weaker than him to order him without much of a fuss. ¡° That¡¯s all,¡± Adrian concluded at last and drank some water. But when he looked back, Arcturus was still looking over some of the flies. He hesitated a little to speak. ¡° Sir, is it okay for me to ask something with a free mind?¡± Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ¡° Why not?¡± Arcturus said as he looked back. ¡° Are you really going to proceed with that plan?¡± When Adrian said this, he found the colourless scorpion on Arcturus hissing at him. He always heard Arcturus being the best son of the Great Mother, but when he looked at the carefree man reading the files, had such bloodlust hidden inside him to sacrifice half the population under his rule, just to overcome the Soul riots. ¡° Do you know what my mother once said to an Arch Wizard?¡± As much as it came as a surprise to Adrian, Arcturus¡¯ words lacked the tension, and sounded much like a routine talk. He rubbed his fingers on the back of his small scorpion and continued. ¡° You only see the cruelty, but I could see the history. The history that I have written with my victory. But it need not to be. For there would be nothing to tell, if I didn''t win. Now that would be a sad reality. Don''t you agree?" Adrian dared not to look at Arcturus¡¯ face, as he started to feel some pressure compressing his chest, making him difficult to breathe. ¡®Right, there was no other way.¡¯ He thought as the scene from yesterday came to his mind, a man who always loved his family, but slaughtered them with mere mention of a name. Using such people to take into a war against her choice, he would not be surprised if mutiny happened the next day. If they didn¡¯t deal with them first, then there was no hope of victory. ¡®But do we need victory?¡¯ This thought came to him, for a small chance he thought to argue about just going for compromise and avoiding the war entirely. Those words almost left his mouth, but they got choked on his throat. He remembered his goal when he first came to Easparton. Not even counting on Arcturus¡¯ motive, his own motive didn¡¯t support peace. ¡®Maybe that¡¯s what life is.¡¯ He then rearranged his words and said as he stood up with a bow. ¡° Then, I would not be disturbing you.¡± Under Arcturus¡¯ nodding head, he left the room. ¡° Easy, you don¡¯t plan to do friendly fire so quickly, no?¡± Arcturus said to his small friend who started to eat the dried meatball with increased pace. Arcturus stood up and behind him, a space warped into a black hole. When Arcturus crossed through it, he appeared in the underground cave similar to the one that John destroyed yesterday, but this time, it was much, much larger. Through the lamps, many shadows of people were busy moving all around, some were carrying huge crates and loading them into the huge ship that was floating just above the ground. Made from the skeleton of some beast, its thick white bones were visible as protruding outlines from the sides, along with a big ¡®Y¡¯ that was painted red. ¡° My Lord.¡± A person came to Arcturus and said with a bow. He was the same as others, with his body fully covered in black clothes and only his two red eyes visible to others. Even the voice seemed to have been disturbed by some magic, which made it difficult to tell whether it was a male or female. ¡° What¡¯s the damage report from yesterday?¡± Arcturus asked after he looked at the ship. ¡° I didn¡¯t expect such negligence from you guys.¡± ¡° It¡¯s a small armoury that got destroyed. Should not have too big of an effect on our plan.¡± The person said. ¡° It¡¯s my fault. I didn¡¯t want to draw attention and diverted the personnel from the guard duty. Honestly, I never expected someone to actually investigate us like this.¡± ¡°What about the rest of the armouries?¡± ¡° We are moving all of them to the battleships.¡± ¡° Make sure to not make too big of a sound. My vice city lord doesn¡¯t like trouble in his city.¡± ¡° I would make sure of that.¡± **** As Adrain left the room, he was a little upset-minded. He didn¡¯t return to his office, as the whole day was spent just talking with Arcturus. Inside his house, he walked across and came to the underground room and made sure to close the door. He taped on the block of stone just beside the door. A strange writing flashed in the air, slowly turning transparent. Only then did he release a sigh of relief. From his spatial necklace, he removed two round stones, one black and one white. And lightly tapped them three times in different rhythms. Soon, in the enclosed room, a wind appeared that blew his hair, and soon a strange form appeared in front of his eyes. It had the shape of a tiny human but had pointy hairs. With transparent wings on the back and almost translucent hairs, coupled with azure eyes. An elemental spirit of wind. ¡° Connect me to the Queen,¡± Adrian said and the wind spirit joined her both hands, soon from the mouth of the spirit, a sound entered his ears. ¡° Be short with your words.¡± It was a voice from a woman, but even Adrian could feel the disdain in it. ¡° Yes, My Queen. I have confirmed the authenticity of the plans of Easparton and there was no mistake or error.¡± Adrian was used to her words, he didn¡¯t expect anything less. ¡° I have witnessed the influence of the Great Mother with my own eyes. There was no way for Easparton to succeed, other than to follow through with the said plan.¡± ¡° Keep reporting back if there is anything more.¡± With such words, the voice was cut off, Adrian felt it was mostly because she didn¡¯t want to talk with a human for a long time. The spirit also disappeared soon after and Adrian was the only one left in the room. It was as John had said, Adrian wasn''t born in Thar. But that didn¡¯t matter much to him, but inside there was just a voice. ¡®Would it be different if I was from Thar?¡¯ The answer he couldn¡¯t get. *** On the other side of the Verdant Divides, it was a difference of world, the scorched sands of Thar were replaced with ever so green lush rainforest. When moonlight filtered through the canopy of trees, it cast an eternal glow on everything below. The air was crisp and cool, filled with the sweet fragrance from the many blooming flowers and the earthy scent of the forest floor. The sound from the nocturnal creatures, the rustling of leaves due to small movements of creatures and the gentle babble of streams provided a soothing melody, complementing the peaceful ambience of the forest. This was the centre of Silverglade Forest, a place on the other side of the Verdant Divides, the home of elves, the kingdom called Aurelianaethil. The largest river named Tethys, flowed gently through here and on its side stood a magnificent tree, a towering structure that reached up to the sky, overshadowing all other trees nearby. Its lush full green branches stretched out in every direction and seemed to glow in the moonlight. It was Aurelianar, the sacred tree of elves. On its trunks which were thicker and sturdier than one¡¯s imagination, a magnificent Royal palace was built filled with Elvish architecture and beauty. In one of the rooms of the palace was an equally grand and beautiful room, lit by the soft glow of moonstone, that cast shadows upon the intricate carving that adorned the walls. A person who sat on a chair. It was a woman with long silver hair cascading down her back. She was fair and graceful, her skin pale as the moon and her eyes were of the colour of the ocean and two pointy ears. Her dress was made of the finest silk, shimmering in the light with pearls and jewels that sparkled like stars. She was Seraphine Aurelia Silverleaf, the current queen and the ruler of Elves. Her face was proud as she talked with an elemental spirit shimmering with a pale blue light, its form shifting and changing like the wind. ¡° Keep reporting back if there is anything more.¡± She ended the communication with such words. Seraphine then looked towards the wall, a portrait was hanging on the wall. In the portrait, a woman similar to Seraphine, along with a male elf just beside her. Her eyes softened a little when she looked at him, but that was just a moment of distraction. She stood up and walked out of her room. As she walked through the high hallways of her palace, she soon reached her destination. The reason she cut her spy before lay beyond this wooden door. A meeting of the Elvish Elder Council was supposed to take place at the moment. A fourth meeting of this month, called once again by her. As she walked past the ever-so-bowed guards, she found all the other members had arrived. Including herself, the Elder Council contained a total of nine odd members, with the highest purity of blood, called High Elves and each member of the council was referred to as Elder. Although she was the queen of elves, in peacetime her powers to rule all over Alurelianehil were limited to a majority vote of the Council. As she sat on her chair, her eyes moved towards the sixth seat from her, where a middle-aged looking elf called Finwell Woodspirit could be seen with his iconic wood-coloured eyes and long straight hair. He, along with his three supporters, held considerable sway in the council, and it was because of him that the council meeting had come to a standstill. "Sir Eryndor, I believe that you should be aware of the current situation of those lowly beings and should proceed with the voting now," She averted her gaze and turned towards the elf next to her, Eryndor Silverbough, the senior member of the council and its official head. She already had the support of three members and needed his vote to break the current deadlock. "My Queen, I understand your desire to move forward quickly, but Elder Woodspirit''s objections sound valid enough to warrant a debate," Eryndor said, who was quite old even for an elf with little wrinkles across his face. Finwell endorsed his words. ¡°I am extremely glad that the Grand Elder decided to listen to my words,¡± Finwell said as he stood up with grace and forwarded some letters. ¡°Besides, I am sure I can convince everyone that the Queen¡¯s plan, though filled with good intentions for elves, sadly lacks in the broader vision.¡± "Elder Woodspirit, while I value the opinion of every member present in the council, I think you overestimate the capabilities of bugs," Seraphine replied, her eyes filled with annoyance. If possible, she wanted to remove these elders who lacked the courage to embrace change and were too entrenched in the past to see the potential for the greater cause. ¡°The bugs you are speaking about currently control half this continent,¡± Finwell countered, not bothered by Seraphine¡¯s words. ¡°I fail to understand the reasoning behind not taking them seriously.¡± ¡° The land they hold was once our land. Our great forest, that now they turned into a wasteland where even grass can¡¯t grow.¡± Seraphine said as she narrowed her eyes. She didn¡¯t hide her disdain for humans.¡°Are you suggesting we should treat those bugs the same as our noble kind?¡± ¡°Not at all, but due caution should be given when required, lest our house get chewed by those bugs.¡± Eryndor didn¡¯t take part in the heated discussion from both sides but read those letters given by Finwell with a thoughtful look on his face. ¡°My Queen, you should look into these reports; I am afraid that Elder Woodspirit¡¯s concerns are not without cause.¡± As he handed the letter to Seraphine, Finwell decided to explain the content to all. ¡°Fellow elders, let me elaborate on the current situations at the Verdant Divides. These reports that I handed over today are the latest information our army scouts have gathered from the other side.¡± When everyone looked at the report, it contained numerous accounts of new structures being built on the mountains, many close to the guardian posts of Elvish Rangers, the one who patrols those mountains. As he succeeded in drawing attention to himself, Finwell had the confidence to convince others. ¡°Those humans are building several temporary shelters along our whole borders, with quite a few of them already in place.¡± ¡°Elder Woodspirit, can you elaborate on what types of structures those are?¡± With a tactful understanding, one of the elders from his faction asked, and Finwell made a grim face. ¡°We are not too sure, but they are similar to field hospitals, accommodations, and temporary command centres from the outlook.¡± ¡°This¡­¡± ¡°When did this happen? Why were we not informed about this before?¡± ¡°If true, why are we discussing the removal of troops rather than increasing them?¡± Almost all other elders had their faces changed as soon as the words reached their ears, turning into worry and panic. This almost looked like the humans'' preparation before the invasion, and the consequences of which made even the members of the Queen¡¯s faction waver. They all looked at her for clarification. Finwell too did the same, but his earlier confidence turned into a frown when he found no change in Seraphine''s face. ¡° We are calling our troops back because they, as the swords of our nation, have become rusted.¡± She said as she kept going through the reports. ¡°Your Highness, you are not going to deny my reports as false positives, right?¡± ¡°Elder Woodspirit, you need not worry about such things, as I already know about this and can say with certainty that the reports are mostly correct.¡± Her attitude put Finwell in further doubt. This was not how someone on the other end of the argument should behave when cornered. Especially about the part about her knowing it beforehand. He couldn¡¯t tell if that was a bluff or a fact. ¡°But as I''ve said before, Elder Woodspirit tends to overestimate the bugs. Those structures are indeed being built for storage, to treat the wounded and as a temporary HQ for their kind.¡± ¡°Then¡­¡± ¡°But the conflict will not be with us,¡± Seraphine cut his words and pushed forward with a confident voice. ¡° It was the end game of Easparton. They plan to hold their fort in the mountains.¡± ¡° How are you so sure about it?¡± Finwell ignored the arguments from his colleagues and asked her. This was an important question, because just some decades ago, when Thar was reeling under the Divine War, the elves under his previous elvish king launched a sudden attack towards Verdant Divides. The conditions were all right for them to make a move, Thar¡¯s forces were busy fighting elsewhere, and their supply lines already stretched. They should be unable to defend the Verdant Divide. But they did, not only did the invasion end in failure, but they also lost their king as he was beheaded. The late husband of Seraphine, and a friend of Finwell. They expected a retaliation after the Divine war, but that never came. This was why, elves under the rhetoric of pure blood by Seraphine, now dream of taking back the desert as their own. ¡° I have my ways,¡± Seraphine said but avoided the topic of her spy. ¡° But what I say with full assurance, is that those bugs would not be a threat to us. I know some Elders here want me to contact Oasis and have them explain about these constructions. But what I see is some bloodthirsty insects out for blood of their kind. They, after all, lack the pure blood in their bodies like us.¡± Finwell found her faction nodding at her words, and that didn¡¯t help his cause. ¡° Even though you might be correct. Pulling our forces from the border was not the wisest move we should make.¡± ¡° I am disappointed in you, Elder Woodspirit.¡± Seraphine stood up and said with a greater voice. ¡° Just look at ourselves. We are of noble birth. The one born from nature itself. Are we so afraid that we can¡¯t even see our victory? What more do you need to get back your pride? Beyond the high walls of mountains, our enemies are nothing but hollow shells of their past. That shell too is now getting rusted and being hammered by their kind. All we had to do was let them finish themself but even that we cannot do, because we have forgotten our origins.¡± There was a reason why her words resonated with many of the elves. There was a time in history when the whole of the southern continent was once a forest, ruled by none other than elves. But one day, a small tribe got their guardian and the forest soon turned into a desert. Thus when the Queen of Elves up her rhetoric of her prideful blood as well as her dream of taking back their land, it just sells too well. ¡° Queen Seraphine, I know your dream of wiping out the humans from the Southern continent,¡± Finwell said. At this point, his influence was getting lower and lower, and to protect his interest, he had no choice but to interfere with her. ¡° Even if I overlook the old ruler of Thar. You are forgetting that there was still the human alliance to look for.¡± When he mentioned that, everyone had a frown. For they know, as much as the fierce speeches go, the realities don''t change with it. ¡° We all know this. The Human¡¯s alliance was the one which now runs this world. If we ever decided to attack humans, pariah or not, they would be coming too. And that meant wizards too.¡± ¡° Do you still believe such nonsense woven by those humans?¡± Seraphine said with anger across her face. Wizards are a taboo subject for her. How couldn¡¯t they? For it was rumoured that the one who beheaded her husband was none other than a wizard. She pointed her finger at him and said with force. ¡° As much as the wizards are concerned, they would be tied down by the treaty, if only we stop dilly-dallying ourselves and go through the Illusionary Alliance with my plan.¡± ¡° That plan is borderline stupidity. How could we do that?¡± The Illusionary Alliance was made up of all other races that are not humans. As the room started to get heated again, Eryndor stood up and raised his voice. ¡° Everyone, we are the Elders, not some brawlers. So I would suggest you guys to cool down.¡± Because both factions needed his support, none wanted to offend him and thus backed away. ¡°Since it looks like we couldn''t reach any agreement for today. I would be postponing the meeting for another time.¡± With his words, no one refuted him and the meeting was dismissed. FInwell exchanged some words with his faction member and though his face always had a smile, one could tell he was not happy inside. When everyone chose to go their way, Finwell returned to his room. The moment he closed the door, his tense face disappeared and was replaced with a more cheerful one. He sat down on his sofa and started to eat an apple from the table. ¡° You sure change your face fast.¡± At this time, an unremarkable voice came from the shadows under the window. Finwell was not surprised that it kept eating the apple. ¡° So, why did you come here?¡± Finwell said after eating a bite from the apple. ¡° Surely, you are not here to convince me to go with Seraphine¡¯s stupid plan after you heard her speech of noble blood or something.¡± ¡° Our customer says the plan could be delayed.¡± ¡° On whose wish?¡± Finwell paused but didn¡¯t put down the apple. ¡° The eagle or her hatchlings?¡± ¡° Eagle.¡± ¡°....¡± There was momentary silence in the room. Before Finwell returned to his smiley face and took another bite of the apple. ¡° Tell them I don¡¯t mind. But the time shouldn¡¯t be more than a month or two. Otherwise, I would not be able to deliver the parcel anymore.¡± When he finished that, no more sound came from the shadows, but he knew his message had been heard. His eyes then fell into the portrait of three elves on the wall. Two males, one female. But his eyes were focused on the female, who looked similar to Seraphine but a little younger than her current self. ¡° Seriously, you should have chosen a better person.¡± He muttered under his breath. Chapter 16- Tying the Loose ends. The next day, Finwell couldn''t really put the words to his mouth as he sat in his room. He was supposed to meet his fellow elders, to assure them not to panic too much with what happened yesterday. Then for the next meeting, whenever it would be called, they need to take the initiative. But it seemed to be impossible for now. It doesn¡¯t help that the person sitting across from him, dressed in elegant clothes and plastered with a face that reeks of pride, Seraphine. Even her words sounded cold as she said. ¡° I am telling you again. Stop your opposition to my plans. For the good of all elves, you must stop with that cowardly attitude of yours.¡± "Rather than me being cowardly, it¡¯s you being stupid." Finwell said and put down his cup of tea. ¡° Your so-called plans are nothing but smokes of dream and require the luck that even the spirits could not deliver.¡± ¡° That is because you can¡¯t see beyond your limited thinking.¡± Seraphine snapped at him. ¡° Opportunities are all based on luck.¡± ¡° They also require one to be grounded in reality, which you seemed to be missing.¡± ¡° I am not disillusioned.¡± Seraphine then slammed a stack of files on the table, almost as thick as one¡¯s palm, that almost made the tea spill from their cups. ¡° These are the hard facts and not some empty dreams.¡± ¡° These are?¡± Finwell raised his eyebrows when he saw this and picked the papers. ¡° Reports on those insects'' vision for their future.¡± Finwell picked them up to inspect. He knew she had some spies among humans but he never knew at what positions. And as he went through the content on papers, he could now at least tell that the position was not low. ¡° Right, let me assume whatever you put has some truth to it and the so-called ¡®insects¡¯ plan to kill a bunch of them just to ¡®free their will¡¯ from the grasp of that Princess." ¡°One-third.¡± ¡° Right. And so, after losing ¡®one-third of their kind¡¯, you believe they still stand a chance against Oasis?¡± Finwell gave a raised eye with stretched lips, like an elf who couldn¡¯t understand the joke being spoken in front of him. ¡° Just that beast of Oasis is enough to level those remnants in no time. Where did the elves even come in this? You don¡¯t believe we can kill all those that remained after the war, do you?¡± ¡° Are you purposely acting as a blind spirit?¡± Seraphine raised her fist in front of her chest and said in a deep voice. ¡° We have a one-in-a-thousand-year opportunity to fully get rid of humans from all the South Continent and reclaim the land that once belonged to us.¡± ¡° Here you go again.¡± Finwell shook his head at such a display of arrogance.¡° Okay, let¡¯s ignore those wizards of humans, since Thar does not have direct control over them. And also ignore their many City Lords who each have either the rank of Grand Knight or Grand Mage. You know, those guys that could literally sink half the continent individually? Since the human alliance would flip upside down if they make a move, there¡¯s no fault if we ignore them.¡± Seraphine narrowed ocean-coloured eyes at his mocking words, but otherwise said nothing. ¡° Let¡¯s just count their High Knights and High Mages, the guys faster than the speed of sound and makers of the pseudo-law domain. Let me count their numbers, Thar had like, let me see, one, two, three,..¡± Finwell flipped the papers that Seraphine herself had brought and counted each one such individual on his fingers, not forgetting to say each number exaggerating in front of her eyes.¡± Ya, some hundreds of them. Oh wait, that¡¯s just for the Easparton?¡± ¡°...¡± ¡° How many wizards, Grand Knights or Grand Mages do we have? None. Ah, we choose to ignore them. Sorry, I have a habit of forgetting things.¡± Finwell tapped his head, like in a self-blame. But soon he returned to his words. ¡° So tell me, what makes you think we can do anything to them? Did you forget what Thar is? They founded that human alliance with four other families and have ruled since then. Even with them being a pariah now doesn¡¯t mean anything if you look at their power. They have thousands of high knights and mages alone. How many do we have? A dozen or two if I really stretch it? And how many times have they fought with each other over this crown of theirs? It¡¯s too many to count. It¡¯s just a routine for them. Tell me, what makes you think it would change anything when their upper-level strength is almost intact?¡± Seraphine just sipped her tea with calm, like his words didn¡¯t reach her ears. This was from her own sources, so there was no point in arguing. In fact, that was just human manpower. Finwell had not even started with beasts, which too got a force equal to High Knights or Mages. One could almost touch the speed of sound while another could create his own pseudo-law domain. None was easy to deal with. ¡° Sipping the tea would not make the facts go away, you know that, right?¡± he said to her. ¡° As I have said before, your thinking is still old, as always. Times have changed.¡± ¡° Prove it to me then.¡± Finwell leaned back to get himself comfy on his sofa. "Prove me how right you are." ¡° The Spirit stones. I will soon send it to Thar.¡± ¡° And here we go again ¡­ wait.¡± Finwell suddenly had his back straightened up. Spirit stones are the highly concentrated essence of spirits made after they die. If an elf eats it, his blood would become purer and he will gain power, but that¡¯s only true for elves. If another race got it, then even though they got power in a short time, they also became mentally ill and depending on the exposure, being a psychopath was not uncommon. He looked at the first page of the files, which labelled the plan of Easparton. A great sacrifice ceremony circles being built among the depths of mountains, soon, many humans would be sacrificed here at the same time and it would free their will. He could guess what her plans could be, if she could get access to these circles then, it makes sense for a lot of things.¡° You plan to¡­¡± ¡° The Princess of Thar tried to make everyone her slaves but she failed miserably. Her effect weakens as the power of individuals increases, but that doesn''t mean it¡¯s not there so all higher-ups of Easparton would take part in this ceremony and open their souls to free their will. I would then use my tool to place some spirit stones in their ceremony. Great Knights or otherwise, may have some resistance to its corruption in normal times but whether that would still be the case when they purposely allow it into their soul would be an interesting case to see, don¡¯t you agree.¡± Seraphine had a signature smile across her looks. For all she knew, humans were already half dead. All they needed was a little push. ¡° When they all become crazy, who says they would not make a move?¡± ¡° But what about that alliance?¡± Finwell asked with some doubts. He could see the path, even if the plan didn¡¯t succeed fully, the people who had gone mad would inflict heavy casualties on each other. Whatever the result may be, Thar would be too weak at the end. It was a great opportunity for them, but the alliance¡¯s intervention needed to be prevented for that to happen. ¡° That¡¯s why I need you to agree with our plan. We would use the Illusionary Alliance and have them sign a treaty with those insects on the other continent.¡± Seraphine was sure of her victory. She could see the struggle within Finwell¡¯s shaky eyes, she knew he just needed a little push. ¡°We are losing nothing even if the plan fails. But we can have all the rewards if it succeeds. Think about it, with their beast dead and society battered, we just need to use our world tree and expand its domain beyond the mountains. We would not get this chance again.¡± Finwell fell silent at her words. The reason elves could survive for such a long time with such a huge difference from Thar and even had the confidence to mount a surprise attack at them five decades ago lies in their world tree, Aurelianar. It was not just a sacred tree, but an entity equal to a World''s artefact. Something which could make a law domain over the long area. The Whole of Silver Glade Forest was under its domain which suppressed anyone other than elves. If the Thar¡¯s Guardian beast died and Aurelianar¡¯s domain expanded beyond the mountains, humans being wiped out of the Southern continent was not just a dream. ¡° I need some time to think about it.¡± He said to her after a deep breath. ¡° Sure, I will be calling the meeting again in a week.¡± Seraphine stood up and walked towards the door but stopped at the last step. ¡° By the way, I knew about your faction''s diverting troops to work in mines. If you don¡¯t want it to be blown off in the open, you should choose wisely.¡± She left with such words. ¡° Looks like the next meeting would be a lost game.¡± He murmured and picked up his cold teacup again. For some reason, he felt the ginger tea lacked the taste it once had. *** Nebula, Terralea. The woman with enchanting looks and an ever-shifted foggy dress yawned with her rosy lips. But this time, there was a small piece of paper in her delicate soft hand. She looked at its content and muttered. ¡° One million contribution points deducted, left account, Eleven million contribution points.¡± The moment she finished, the paper in her hand dissolved into nothingness. Instead, some distance in the air, an old wall clock with a body made of wood and silver metal as the frame. Coupled with a golden pendulum downward. The glass before its hands had some noticeable cracks in it. She made the clock move closer and opened the glass. Her multi-coloured eyes focused on its second hand, the one made with a dark metal of unknown origin. Then, casually, she raised her index finger and stopped it in front of the second hand. As its path got obstructed, the gears made a grinding sound, with speakers that lit the back cover of the clock. The very space around her trembled and the lights surrounding her flickered. For a while, it looked like the second hand had unimaginable strength as it pushed along its path. But there was no change of emotion on the woman''s face. Her multi-coloured hairs all lit up and her finger became firm. Soon, the sparks died out and the space returned to normal. She pulled back her finger but despite that, the second hand no longer moved with the speed that it should have. It was a lot slower. She closed the glass again and the clock disappeared. With nothing else to do, she yawned again and returned to sleep. **** Faeleaf, Terralea. With the sound of a smack, a boy around four years old fell to the ground. He had fierce red hair with violet coloured eyes with some build of tears in them. Just some distance away from him had his wooden trainee sword laid on the ground just like him, and in front of him was the middle-aged man with the same hair, but with emerald eyes that lacked the pity for the child. ¡° Stand again,¡± Everard said with a bland tone. ¡° But it hurts.¡± The child said as he rubbed his head. He looked on the verge of crying as he pleaded to the man in front. ¡° Dad, can we stop for today? I can¡¯t continue anymore.¡± What came next was Everard¡¯s wooden sword, and hit squarely on his head. As the pain surged again, he heard the words from his dad. ¡° Stop crying. Pick your sword up, Leo.¡± Leo had no choice even if he cried with all his lungs out, his dad would not stop with his attacks. If anything, the strikes would be more painful if he refused to pick up the sword. Leo was small, but he was not stupid. He understood his situation well, or maybe he just didn¡¯t know any better. In any case, he raised his hands and picked up the sword. And get into the defensive stance. For all he knew, his father only beat him more if he didn¡¯t do as he said. ¡° Focus on my strikes, see if you can track the path of my sword,¡± Everard said and attacked again. Leo tried to focus, but his eyes could not see the trajectory of the sword. The most he could see was the strike was supposed to come from the upper left side and so he raised his sword to defend. But the pain came from the lower left. ¡° Don¡¯t close your eyes mid-way. How are you going to defend like that?¡± Everard said and ignored the cries of pain from Leo. He was ready to strike again, but at that point, a guard came close to him and said with a bow. ¡° Sir Everard, butler Orlaith asked me to inform you, he needs your presence in the city.¡± ¡° We will finish the training later.¡± Everard turned and walked to his horse. He was originally supposed to patrol the surrounding area but the forest was silent for some months so he stopped here for today. This place served as the temporary camp for their patrol team. The guard, a young man with short brown hair and pale yellow eyes, came close to Leo, and helped him stand up. ¡° Are you ok?¡± He asked. ¡°Uhm¡­¡± Leo was still rubbing the place that just got hit. Some tears also fell from his eyes. ¡° Here, I found this sweet in my room, it should help with the pain.¡± The guard¡¯s name was Ravin, and he pulled a small red sweet wrapped in a blue cloth. Leo took it without much ado, it¡¯s not the first time he had gotten something from Ravin and just as he took a bite, he heard him saying, ¡° Let¡¯s go follow Sir Everard, it¡¯s not good if we stay outside too late.¡± It was close to evening in the forest, and the city was some distance away from the trainee ground. ¡° Can we not go there?¡± Leo said in a small voice. He always felt as if his father didn¡¯t like him much. Ravin scratched his head at his words. ¡° That¡¯s not true, he¡¯s just a little strict with your training because he cared for you.¡± ¡° You always lie to me.¡± ¡° No, no, no. I am telling the truth.¡± They didn¡¯t stop while they talked but walked to the city. It was a twenty-minute journey by foot. But Leo didn¡¯t want to come here. The very sight of the city gate, filled with cracks and rusting iron because of lack of care made him not want to come here. As he entered through the gate, the small city had nothing much left to its name. With many houses left empty, filled with overgrown plants and dust and webs. The more one moved closer to the city hall, the more such a scene became common. On the way, near the roadside, there was some fence of white, dusty old cloth covering the view, mostly to hide the ruins of whatever structure once stood there. Leo had asked Ravin about it and all he said was that some beast ran into the town some years ago and left with many casualties. He didn''t know why, but the people here seemed to avoid him. Even now he could see some people looking away from his direction as he passed by. Only Ravin seemed to care about him. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡° Would he be home?¡± Leo asked. ¡° I don¡¯t know?¡± Ravin shook his head. ¡° But I heard something good for you?¡± ¡° Good?¡± ¡° Ya. It seems like the alliance no longer believes that Faeleaf could function on its own anymore and thus might shift everyone into a different city.¡± ¡° Why is it good news?¡± Leo had a confused look on his face. ¡° Because then you could play with children of your age.¡± Ravin then rubbed Leo¡¯s head with a big smile. ¡° Also, it meant that you no longer had to train anymore.¡± ¡° Really?¡± Leo''s eyes finally shined at him. ¡° I don¡¯t have to train anymore?¡± ¡° Of Course. In fact, you would be allowed to go to a place with a group of children close to your age.¡± Ravin said as Leo cheered, but left some words unsaid. ¡° Would you also come?¡± ¡° Well, it depends.¡± Ravin found Leo¡¯s eyes getting down the moment he said this and hastily followed with his next words. ¡° Worry not little guy, I am more than able to meet you once a month.¡± ¡° Really? You would come and meet me?¡± ¡° Of Course. I promise on my dad¡¯s hair. But since we are not going to come here anytime soon, how about we go for a trip around here?¡± ¡° Ah¡­¡± Leo almost nodded his head but then became down-faced again. ¡° But he would not agree.¡± ¡°Leave that to me.¡± Ravin thumped his chest. ¡° It¡¯s decided then, tomorrow I will have you learn how to swim.¡± ¡° We are seeing a river?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a surprise.¡± Ravin put a finger on his lips. Leo just nodded. They already arrived at the manor, but there was only one knight to be seen. Ravin greeted him and moved inside. Everard didn¡¯t come to see Leo at night, but he was used to it. *** The next day was the same, he didn¡¯t see Everard¡¯s shadow at all. Only a smiley face of Ravin who had a paper on his hands and said. ¡° Look, I got the permission. Let¡¯s go?¡± Leo too, smiled with him. He soon dressed himself in a red T-shirt and black pants. He planned to go through the front door, but Ravin stopped him. ¡° Wait, we need to go through the back door.¡± ¡° But why?¡± Leo looked at him confused. ¡°That¡¯s the fastest way to go there,¡± Ravin said and grabbed his hand to walk faster. Leo didn¡¯t notice much but as they passed by people, they always avoided being noticed by them. It was the same when they reached outside, the unattended road with growing weeds in the middle. It was a path which was rarely taken by others. Soon they arrived at the desolate house. Made from wood, a two-story tall house some distance away from the city wall. Ravin entered it from the side of the broken wall. ¡° Why are we here?¡± Leo asked, he didn¡¯t understand why they were here at all. But Ravin was the only guy he knew and trusted in the Faeleaf. Ravin seemed unconcerned at his question but instead looked through the path they had just come from. Only when he confirmed no one was following them did he look back at Leo. ¡° I heard that Sir Everard will be leaving the city soon. I thought there would be a crowd in the gate.¡± ¡° Crowd?¡± Leo was only four years old, but he heard that there were not many people in Faeleaf. It was related to the demon that once attacked this city. But that¡¯s not the reason why he remembered such details. It was because his mother died in that attack, and sometimes, he heard some townsmen blame his dad¡¯s absence for the attack. ¡° Yes.¡± Ravin nodded his head and said. ¡° You are small so you don¡¯t know, but there are still many people in the city and since they are going to be shifted to another location soon, they are a little agitated.¡± Next, he came to the side drawer, which was covered with dust and broken stones. He pulled a short stick, and pointed towards the drawer. As the tip of the stick flashed, the drawer moved to the side and revealed a hidden path just underneath it. ¡°Wow, you can do magic?¡± Leo looked at him with shining eyes. ¡° I thought you were a knight?¡± ¡° Who says the knights can¡¯t do magic?¡± Ravin raised his chest with a proud look. ¡°The world is big. If you want, I can make you learn it too.¡± ¡° Really? I want to learn fire spells.¡± ¡° Not now, let¡¯s first make you learn swimming.¡± The hidden path was dark but Ravin was prepared. His anchor shined with enough strength that made the wet soil walls with sprawling roots appear to the naked eye. Below their feet was the makeshift road of wood for them to ply over, thus not slippery. It was rather straight for what Leo could tell, but because there was darkness otherwise, he grabbed the shirt of Ravin and made sure not to fall behind. He didn¡¯t know how long they walked but when they walked out, it was from some green bushes that hid the exit. Sun was past in the morning and when Leo thought he had to walk more, he found one brown horse with a big tail tied to the tree. They hopped on the horse and marched southward. With the speed of the horse, it was way past afternoon when they finally took a different turn to the unpaved dusty road and into the forest. But Leo felt tiredness in his eyes, and unknowingly fell asleep on the horse. Ravin made the horse stop in the middle of the dense forest and stepped down. ¡°Leo, can you hear me? Hey?¡± He tapped Leo¡¯s head and when he got no response, he smiled in relief. ¡° I thought they sold me a false drug.¡± He took Leo from the horse and into his hand and walked further in. He soon arrived at a large open lake in the middle of trees. ¡° You are late.¡± At this time, a man said to Ravin. He was standing near the lake, near the piles of rock and wooden planks from the now-destroyed house. The man was wearing a greyed-out robe, with no descreening symbol to it. His left eye was pure white, just like his unkempt white hairs. With his figure a head shorter than Ravin, he had to look up to the shoulder where Leo was being carried. ¡° Put him here, I need to check his body first.¡± ¡° I am telling you, that is the right boy.¡± The old man didn¡¯t listen and walked closer to Leo as soon as he was placed on the ground. ¡° Remove his clothes.¡± Ravin¡¯s hands moved fast and all the clothes on Leo turned into threads. The old man kneeled and drew out a black knife. Without much hesitation, he made cuts on Leo''s tender skin and red blood flowed out from the wound. Leo¡¯s face strained despite his slumber. Soon, his whole chest was made into rest. Soon, from his heart, a wisp of black oozed out that made the old man¡¯s only eye become red with excitement. ¡° He¡¯s the guy, our lord¡¯s soul fragment is in him.¡± ¡° I already told you,¡± Ravin said but the old man was busy once again with his knife. He felt a little pity for Leo. Four years ago, one of their friends, Riko, was tasked with guarding the Soul of their god inside the lake and feeding him some occasional blood. Unfortunately for them, the Alliance issued a Starlight Order and caught up with him. Riko died and also their god had to release a part of his soul to take the heat away from the people of Alliance. Faeleaf was destroyed as a result and Leo¡¯s mother too got injured because of it. During that time, part of their god¡¯s soul managed to sneak into the still-unborn baby. The doctors could save only one, and Leo¡¯s mother died. Now, they need to retrieve that and move away. And since Ravin heard that the final merger negotiations for Faeleaf happen to be today, that¡¯s why they rushed with their plan. ¡° Throw him in the lake. We shouldn¡¯t delay.¡± The old man shouted. Ravin came close and found that the whole of Leo was mutilated. He could see the white bones peeking out from his chest. Even his face was not visible anymore. He had been cut with precise measurements so that he could not die. And no matter how many times Ravin saw such a scene, he could not help but marvel at the art of his teacher. ¡° Try to be reborn on our side in the next life.¡± Then he picked Leo and threw him into the lake like a rag. With a splashed sound, Leo¡¯s bloodied body started to sink. He gagged on the water and his eyes struggled to open, but nothing changed. Like a fish off the water, his mutilated body struggled in the water as it sank, which only made the pain increase even more. Just when his struggles weakened and were close to the end, the surface of the lake cracked. The darkness of the bottom disappeared and a glowing blackish-red eye, with a size that was as wide as two houses appeared. Leo¡¯s weakened body jerked and stopped, it neither sunk nor floated anymore. Then came the change from the symbols on his body, they too sensed the eye and glowed in the same colour. A small creaking noise followed, it came from not the bottom of the lake but from Leo¡¯s chest. A visible thumping could be seen through the red light, as it wriggled and thumped like a heart. More blood swept from his ears and eyes, and it all was sucked into the eye at the bottom. From the eye¡¯s side, a tendril, made entirely of rotten flesh and bones swept up and dug into Leo¡¯s heart. A suction force followed and sucked the part of his soul that resided in Leo¡¯s body. It was done in a minute, but it didn¡¯t stop there. Leo was his next meal. On the outside of the lake, Ravin and the old men threw themselves on the ground the moment the red eye appeared in the lake. They shouted. ¡° Servants greet the Lord. The STARS WILL FALL. STARS WILL FALL.¡± ¡° Geeze, can¡¯t you guys say something better?¡± At this time, another voice asked them. It sounded like that of a middle-aged man but that put both Ravin and the old man in shock. They didn¡¯t notice before when another person approached them. Their hearts rang the bells of fear and sure enough, when they looked up, their fear was confirmed. Dressed in a dark blue robe that was more like a cameo, with little shades of blue mixed in. His face too was covered with the same coloured cloth, as the rest of his body. Leaving only his pale azure eyes. He walked towards them without a care about their shocked reaction. On his chest was a Four-star badge that filled the eyes of Ravin and the old man with terror. They wanted to move their body in the hope of attacking or most likely, escape from him but it was futile. They found their body too rigid to move. Even their thoughts started to become slow and they felt like sleeping. ¡° Rest for now, we will talk later.¡± As the man said, a small space vortex appeared between Ravin and the old man. It then started to suck them by pulling them with such force that their skin almost got peeled. Their bodies morphed into streams as they got closer to the vortex and soon got sucked in completely. In the place of the vortex, a clear crystal appeared with the faces of Ravin on the surface. He took the crystal and placed it in his inner pocket and turned his eyes to the lake. A fierce hot flame materialised in front of him and like a slash from a sword, sped past into the water and cut straight into the tendril of the eyes. The cry of pain created waves in the water. The moment its tendril got cut, Leo¡¯s body got pulled back from the water and came next to the man. He pulled out a bottle of red liquid and spilled it on the body of Leo. Before the naked eye, all his wounds started to heal and disappear. But the next moment, both of them flashed and appeared in the air above the lake, just in time to avoid the many tendrils that were stuck in the place they just moved from. A big crater was formed on the ground that just got stuck. The mage looked down and in the depths of the lake, he could see the giant eye glowing red. It was an eerie view and the lake water constantly became more and more blacker. Under his azure eyes, he notices the fast-approaching attack in the form of a wave as it is released from the eye. With a big bang, those waves collided with the air in front of him. As with his centre, his pseudo-law domain started to spread outwards and covered the whole lake and the five-hundred-metre area surrounding him. Once again, the eye tried to release the wave attack but they got suppressed the moment they appeared. A huge cry of anger followed after and just as it prepared to attack again, the mage raised his right hand and a ball of fire, about his head, dropped into the lake. It was fast, and only took a blink of a second to come near the centre of the eye. ¡° KKKRkkkkkakka¡­¡± It was a soul-wrenching scream that followed as the fireball exploded with full might and scorching hot flames no different than boiling magma appeared and expanded to the entire length of the lake. So hot that the very water of the lake evaporated and the bottom surface became a red charred soil for the naked eye to see. As the whole lake evaporated, the sky was filled with white vapour that obstructed the view but that changed nothing for the mage. Nothing in his law domain could escape his senses. He flashed again with Leo and the tendrils plunged into an empty air. At the bottom in the middle of vapour and the smell of burned meat, the whole eye was visible. Its true height was that of a five-story building, and its skin was made from the skin of decayed animals with wriggling tendrils. A blackish-red light surged forth from it and fired towards the mages who appeared left of the lake. This time it was a more sinister attack, a curse. It tore through the air and zoomed towards its target. But the mage was ready, some of his hair flew out from inside the robes and sucked the water vapours from the surroundings to create a condensed, doll-sized water body of his. The doll got hit by the black ink and absorbed the curse. It became muddy the moment it got hit and fell to the ground. This made the eye scream one more time, this time it understood the seriousness of the situation and didn¡¯t choose to hold back. It sacrificed half of its body and let it be swallowed by the same black ink substance. But it was worth it. It grew new tendrils made from the ink sped up like never before. The mage had to flash again to avoid it. This time multiple times, the moment he appears, he needs to shift his position again. The sheer number of tendrils could fill a small town plaza, and they kept coming. Most importantly, they kept releasing black smoke into the air, which made the mage frown. He knew it was trying to corrupt his pseudo-law domain to escape. As he again dodged the barrage of tendrils, he made the vapour condense into water and shaped them just like the tendrils that kept coming at him. It all happened in two blinks of an eye and he made the tendrils of water and black ink collide with each other. The eye thought it would be easy to crush them but it was wrong. They looked like water, but the looks can be deceiving. Whenever the water and ink tendrils collided, an explosion rang out in the air. Below the layer of water was another layer of spell that hid the presence of two fires, normal and cold flame. And it didn¡¯t end there with just an explosion as it attached itself to the surrounding tendrils and burned them into smokelessness. A quadruple chantless magic. Next, amid the screams of the eye, the ink tried to move in, to put out the invisible fire but the moment it appeared, a wave of blue lightning struck them. It burned them into the air, before making them stiff as the temperature dropped to below zero and ice appeared on them which then exploded into tiny pieces, only to be burned by cold fire in the air. The eye was not done yet, its skin wriggled and from it, the ink surged again but this time, it started to take the distorted form of beasts from the flesh consumed. Some had their eyes on their knees and stomachs acting like a mouth with decayed teeth inside. But different from the eye which was the manifestation of soul and flesh they got only glorified meatballs in the pseudo-law domain. All pretence and no substance as each one exploded into a black tar the moment they appeared without a glance from the mage. Mage frowned upon seeing the tar coating the land and thus diverted a little attention to it. The vapour above the soil got sucked up as well as little dirt and a seed with flashing thunder inside started to appear. Thousands of such seeds appeared and got thrown into the tar. They took the tar as soil and started to germinate into small, blue grasses. As they sucked the tar, they died in a blink. That¡¯s how they are made to do as the next instant they place they died had been overrun by the tendril. The eye wanted to stop them but was a little late. All the liquid tar had now solidified into the solid block which turned into dust due to the impact. But it got better because not only the grass sucked the tar but also the pollution from the domain which it worked so hard till now. It screamed even more, but because of the weakened state of using the black ink, his voice was partially suppressed by the domain. Soon, it would be his turn, the eye knew this and gave a final struggle in hopes of escaping, it sacrificed all of his tendrils and much of his body. Even the red pupil got turned into pitch black. Seeing it the mage used both hands and drew a huge magic circle in the air, the wind swirled around it, and so the remaining vapour with some earth. From his hands, a blue flame shot forth and into the circle, when it came out, it intensified into a whole circle, from head to a whole one metre in diameter, just in time to meet with the blank ink shot from the eye¡¯s pupil. Like a sonic boom, the explosion ripped the air and even the pseudo domain got jittered because of it. The eye seemed to find its way and pushed more power into its final attack and thus it failed to notice the small grass growing on the still red-hot soil near it. It never thought something could grow in the iron melting temperatures. The lightning in the grass exploded at the moment, but only this time, it passed through the rotten flesh and stuck directly into its consciousness. The attack made the eye scream and for the attack, it was giving its all till now. It was a fatal mistake as the very next moment it got distracted, ten clear crystals appeared surrounding it in a circle and the very space shirked to the singularity, completely crushing the huge eyeball into wriggling munched flesh only to get sucked into the crystals. Which then combined to form a new but bigger crystal and flew into the hands of the mage. He could see the image of flesh inside and smile behind his robes. ¡° Stars. We are not going anywhere.¡± He said and glanced below. The lake was gone and everywhere was nothing but destruction. Because of the fight and the black ink, every single tree was now a hollow dried wood. But it was easy for him now. Without the presence of evil souls, he had full control over the domain. He snapped his fingers and from the centre of the previous lake, everything started to revert. From the surface which cooled down, followed by the flood of clear water. The dried trees turned into sawdust and new ones grew in place of them. In just five minutes, no one can tell that a fight once happened here. He then looked at Leo''s unharmed, naked body, still asleep. But he didn¡¯t have clothes on him and so decided to leave him at that. His figure then disappeared, along with that of Leo. Chapter 17- Ignorant’s Courage Back at the Faeleaf, it seemed the town had regained its long-lost liveness as the crowd once again filled the streets. But not the kind that one would expect, as most of them were from the security division of the alliance. The armed anti-terror specialist unit, with their signature dark and light blue shades, adorned their robes and armour. They have turned the Faeleaf into the command centre for the forward base for their operations. The city hall was naturally turned into the control HQ and part of the hospital. In one of its rooms, Everard looked at Leo with closed eyes being checked by a guy in white robes. His face was stern but constantly tapping his left foot betrayed his anxiousness. ¡° How is he? When would he wake up?¡± He asked the middle-aged man. It was already two days since Leo was brought back, but he still hadn''t opened his eyes. ¡° Don¡¯t worry.¡± The man replied. His name was Max and he had black hair with some strands of white mixed in. He was the senior head of the medical team under the anti-terror unit. He mopped up his final spell from his ring-shaped anchor and looked at Everard with a reassuring smile. ¡° As I said, because we already expected the soul inside him years ago, we came prepared for this operation. And Leo was treated at the time so he didn¡¯t suffer any long-lasting damage. Though there could be some side effects.¡± ¡°He would not become an idiot, would he?¡± Everard said and almost clenched his hands into a fist. ¡°No, no, nothing serious like that.¡± Max shook his head and said with the air of dismissal. ¡° Just that there are some remains of consciousness from the evil spirit. It might have left some influence on him.¡± ¡°What!!?¡± ¡° Shhh¡­ Don¡¯t shout in front of the patient.¡± Max put his index finger on his lips. ¡° And no, it''s not that. Just might make him more mature, if I have to put it in better ways. That¡¯s it.¡± Everard released a breath of relief. As long as it was not making his son evil or leaving behind any major injury, he didn¡¯t mind. For him, it was better than having an evil spirit live inside Leo. ¡° By the way, mind if I ask something personal?¡± Max said suddenly. ¡° Is it related to Leo?¡± ¡° Kinda. There seemed to be some kind of trouble between you and him?¡± Everard fell silent. It had some truth to it. Whenever he looked at Leo, it always reminded him of his wife, especially those eyes, they were the exact copy of Elowen, the deep violet purple. They always reminded him of the last day when his wife begged him to save the child and not her. And whenever he remembers the evil spirit responsible for her death living inside Leo, he can¡¯t help it. His eyes would just turn cold and before he knew it, his heart was too closed for Leo. Such that he rarely met Leo unless it was time for his training. Never asked him about his day or ate with him. ¡°Listen I understand your circumstance a little, so I would not say much, but it¡¯s still not too late to correct the past mistakes,¡± Max said as Everard didn¡¯t reply. He stood up from his stool and tapped his shoulder before walking away. Outside, two guards stood guard and he turned to the one on the left and said ¡° If there is nothing serious, don¡¯t disturb them.¡± Having received a nod from him, Max turned to walk again. He didn¡¯t stop until he stood at the front of the city lord¡¯s office. After passing through the guards outside, he walked in to find two men inside, one with short red hair with robes of the anti-terror unit, the regional Deputy head, Jim. Besides him was an old man, the butler, Orlaith. ¡° Ah, Max, you are here. So how serious was it?¡± Jim said after seeing Max. He already captured the main evil spirit that they came for, and all that was left was to take care of the remnants and Leo. ¡° It is nothing serious¡­ for now.¡± Max''s fair face turned serious, unlike when he was talking with Everard. ¡° You mean it would require attention in the future?¡± Jim caught the words in between. And Max nodded at that. ¡° Yes, the evil spirit left some seeds in Leo¡¯s consciousness.¡± ¡° You meant those things that allow them to take over the host?¡± It was Orlaith who asked him. He has worked at the administrative level of Alliance for years. He knew some things about the not-so-publicly available information. ¡° But I remember it as a treatable problem, no?¡± ¡°I have destroyed the seeds, but the traces remain.¡± ¡° So, of what type?¡± Jim asked with thoughtful eyes. When the seeds are destroyed, they always leave behind some unnecessary things, mostly memories, sometimes made of useless memories and other times, some forbidden spells. The specific value depended on the level of the being that left the seeds in the first place. ¡° Two Stars,¡± Max said his rough guess. The alliance even had a designated star system for such cases. One start meant to indicate some memories with minimal alteration in personality, while Five starts meant almost complete knowledge of spells and fully altered personality. He couldn¡¯t tell the specifics as it would require a deeper dive into Leo¡¯s consciousness, which he can¡¯t do here and also it might need some permissions to check one¡¯s soul. A forbidden endorsement which was difficult to get. ¡° Well, this looks like a small problem. Given that it was just a tiny part of the evil spirit, rather than the main body.¡± Jim thought for some time before he said that. ¡° How much did Everard know?¡± ¡° I told him Leo might become mature after walking up, but nothing serious.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­Keep it at that. Orlaith, you are close to him so keep an eye on Leo. If he doesn¡¯t do anything against the alliance. We are all good to let him go free.¡± Jim had no problem saying this to Orlaith because despite him being called a butler in name, he didn¡¯t report or work for Everard. That¡¯s just the acting for the people to see. Instead, he reports directly to the Alliance and runs the bureaucracy, the real power lies with him and in the fine print of the Alliance¡¯s constitution, the City Lord was bound to follow his advice. For the Alliance had learnt over the years, to make their rule lasting, trusting the many individual city lords was not the wisest of choice. Orlaith rubbed his right hand with another. Below the white cotton glove, was an intricate magic circle with densely packed lines, pulsating with palatable magic. *** The west side of the Southern Continent holds the city which was once hailed as the biggest and richest city of Thar. Built along the coastal blue waters, the city holds the deep sea ports which handle the majority of cargo ships of Thar. Thus, despite being dethroned by Esparton from being the richest, it could still hold its other title, the logistic hub of Thar. Thus it was named, Saharahub. It¡¯s from that cargo that got loaded into the back of the Scavengers, the giant centipede-type beasts which act as the means of transporting things as well people across the vastness of the Thar. But the city also had one more thing that made a heartful contribution to its riches. Away from the bustling city of Saharahub, into the blue waters of the Ocean. Some Six hundred kilometres away from the shores, was the series of long chains of islands. When looked from above, they form a rough outline of Six¨Chead hydra. But if one strained his eyes enough, then he could also see the vague outlines of three more heads on the southern side, just not above water. Those were the heads that got sunk into the depths of the sea when Thar asked the mermaid race to hand it over to them. Now, these islands as well as their bloody history had long been washed away by the waves. Only that remained was the unquestionable importance of these islands for Thar. For it was the perfect place for them to do what they could never do on the mainland, building an industry. Even the most staunched ruler of Thar, with the firm belief in survival of the fittest, could peek at the not-so-far-distant future of Thar of slowly withering away due to constant wars and beast tides. They needed a place which could offset their biggest flaw of not being able to build anything on the mainland. These islands were the things that ticked all the boxes for them to avoid their demise, proximity to the Southern continent, blessed with spacious land among thousands of islands and most of all, lack of beast tide. The last one was the main important one as it allowed Thar to turn these relatively barren islands into a giant economic zone that produced everything Thar could ever need. All connected with a dense web of bridges and ports, these islands make things ranging from clothes to armour, food to potions, kitchen knives to swords and everything in between. It was the land that fed the hungry beast called Thar. The only thing that these islands required was manpower, a total of Fifteen million men and women, ranging from workers to mages, alchemists to enchanters, which rotated every three years. Without these islands and their constant war supplies, the war-hungry beast would have collapsed long ago, far from the power that they enjoy today. On one of the large ports on the middle hydra head, a strange group of six was present. With their green skin and deep bluish-orange pupils without the presence of eyelids. The side of their neck had deep cuts from where the red gills and ears looked no different than the sharp fin-shaped hands on their forearms. Instead of legs, they had the long tail of fish. The very mermaid race whom the island once belonged to with their signature fishy smell that reeked out from their skin oil that oozes itself out from the glands of their skin. ¡°All right, that¡¯s all there is to it. Ten thousand tonnes of wet ores.¡± The man in front of them said as he wrote something in his book. Dressed in the standard pale white and navy blue uniform. He had loosely tied black hairs and sharp light green eyes. A little darker tone to his skin and a well-built figure. He smiled towards the leader of the mermaid, the one that had a slightly transparent green bead on his head. ¡° You guys sure worked hard for this delivery. I was surprised when you delivered everything on time.¡± ¡° I am always on time,¡± His words came in a slightly rougher tone. He then turned his pupil behind the human where a series of large wooden boxes were placed and said, ¡° Besides, you offered something big this time.¡± ¡° You bet.¡± The man, Charl¡¯s smile got even bigger and he released a small laugh. ¡° Here let me show you. It¡¯s the latest of the anchor series we are making to date.¡± He opened the box next and picked a metal gauntlet with a thin blue line running through it. ¡° We call it Model No. 3301-N. Navy variant. The first mass-produced anchor that could fire Ten, Three-star level spells at the same time. While also working as a part of a bigger group spell. I tell you, if it reached the open market of Terralea, it would create a frenzy.¡± There were many ways a spell could be cast and many ways to increase its strength. It could be cast by a single strong person or a group of weak but many people. ¡° Here, give it a little try.¡± The leading mermaid caught the gauntlet, it was light, around half a kilo but he found the problem when he saw it up close. His hand was bigger than the size. He looked at Charl¡¯s smile and looked back to examine it again. He knew the human front of them was waiting for him to ask for help, but he would not give him this chance today. The gauntlet itself looked nothing special, with the lines of formation being hidden from the naked eyes, a special way for protecting the magical circle beneath it. With no headway, he tried to put it on his left and finally found a reaction from what he was looking at. The gauntlet produced a small suction force and the mermaid quickly realised something and released his own. The next thing he knew was the gauntlet increased in size to match perfectly in the hand. ¡° Whoa! That''s unexpected.¡± ¡° I know right? They are said to have enough room for improving the comfort of military-grade anchors. What do you say, wanna try its power next?¡± ¡° No.¡± ¡°What? Why not?¡± ¡° You have that terrible smile on you which says I am waiting for a person to make a fool of himself.¡± When he said that, Charl¡¯s smile crumbled into a disappointing face. He asked. ¡° So, is it related to the sudden shifting of port?¡± They were initially supposed to meet at a port in the leftmost Hydra head, but suddenly they were asked to come here. He also found that many of the ships from not only their races but also from humans got shifted to other ports today. ¡° Well, some big shots seemed to have come to these islands. They didn¡¯t tell me who though.¡± Charles said. ¡° But man, the convoy was big enough.¡± ¡° Why do you say such?¡± ¡° You see, the mansion on the left most of Hydra Island has been completely shut and almost the whole Island is being overrun with knights and mages. And for the remaining islands, the cats are deployed to keep watch for trouble.¡± ¡°Cats?¡± If he could have raised his eyes, the mermaid would but he lacks the eyebrows for it. It couldn¡¯t be helped, the cats that Charles just mentioned were the short form for the most infamous agency of Thar, SableClaws. Which made him ask another question. ¡° Why are you making me create trouble then? You are not afraid of getting picked up by those cats?¡± ¡° About that.¡± Charles rubbed his head as his smile returned to his face. ¡° You see, I happened to see a glimpse of the cat who was in charge of this area. And I tell you, she was as hot as one could get.¡± ¡° Huh?¡± ¡°So I tried to hit a convo with her, but she turned me down with a cold voice. And then, you came, so I thought to use your help and have her come to me.¡± As Charles finished his words he found no reply from the mermaid. So when he looked at the front, he found every single mermaid giving him a dead fish stare. ¡° What?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± ¡° Why do I feel you are being disrespectful towards me in your head?¡± *** On the leftmost Hydra head, the one facing towards Thar, a big Mansion was built. Made of completely white walls with a spacious garden filled with different flowers. Passing through the fountain with a big centipede statue in the middle, one could see two people, one male and one female entering through the door. Precisely Badar and Cellia. ¡° Has everyone arrived?¡± Badar asked the guard at the door. ¡° Yes, my lord. They are waiting for you in the conference room.¡± Guard said with a nod. Bardar then turned to Cellia who was wearing her blue dress with a silk mask and entered. The conference room was built on the east of the mansion, second floor. And everywhere on the way, they found many people walking here and there. Many bowed as they saw them, and gave way for them to pass before walking away in a hurry. ¡° People are very busy here,¡± Cellia asked as they walked. She watched as the knights and mages seemed to be semi-panicked as they all ran towards the west side of the building. ¡° My lord, I think you should wait a little.¡± At this time, a knight with four stars came to them and said with a respectful bow. ¡° For some reason, we have lost contact with the western part of the mansion. Please leave this place with guards till we find out what happened.¡± ¡° Don¡¯t worry, I already know why they are not replying to you. You need not worry about that. Just try to be at ease.¡± Badar said without explaining. Knight was confused but couldn¡¯t ask more as Bardar and Cellia soon arrived at the conference hall. The guards saluted them and then opened the door for them. When they entered they were greeted with sight of a spacious hall with a large U-shaped table placed in the middle. The arrangement of chairs seemed a little strange as not all chairs were placed near the U-shaped table. There were nine chairs in total directly at the table, while the other ten were positioned behind the five tables. In the middle of the table were chairs with a dark golden colour, while the other eight had the same golden colour but were lighter than the one in the middle. The chairs behind all had silver colours. On them, a group of people were already sitting beforehand. But they all stood up when they found the duo walking in. With almost the same synergy, they gave a salute. ¡° Hail the Future lord and Madam.¡± Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Bardar and Cellia returned the salute for the first time. They seemed not informed about the chaos outside or probably they did but it didn¡¯t cause any worry. The reason was the presence of three people who had their chairs near the middle. Each one of them was in almost the same deep khaki suit and with a golden badge on their chest. Each badge depicted some insects: a wasp, a centipede, and a beetle, matched with five stars above them. Behind them, other people were sitting, but the colour of their uniforms was not as dark, and their badges, like their chairs, were silver with the same insect as the person in the front. The strongest of Thar gathered here, there were not many things that could make others worry about intruders. ¡°Here, let me introduce them to you,¡± Bardar said as he introduced the people one by one to Cellia.. ¡° The person on your right, with a centipede on his badge, is Xandriel, The city lord of the Western port city, Saharahub.¡± ¡°It''s my pleasure to meet you, if you ever feel the need to deliver something please do tell me, our centipedes are unmatched in terms of reliability,¡± Xandriel said with a respectful greeting. He had a slightly dark skin tone with medium-length blonde hair with a messy textured layer atop and looked as if he tousled them somehow. ¡° The person on his left with a wasp badge is called Lirien, the city lord from the southern region and was also responsible for wasp division¡± ¡°It''s a great day meeting you, though I didn¡¯t bring my beautiful friends with me, I assure you, the sound they make is mesmerising,¡± Liriens said with a small regret. He had dark green hair with a textured crop top and seemed to have used some kind of wax to keep his hair in a twist. He had pale skin with light green eyes and on his right hand was a brown wood flute. He wanted to say something more but Bardar hurriedly moved to the next person ¡°The person you see with a Beetle on his chest, is called Galadrielle, he leads the northern region of Thar¡± ¡° You should call me uncle.¡± Galadrielle had yellow hairs with a crew cut style coupled with tapered sides. With wine-red eyes, his overall body was well-toned and maintained a proper straight posture as he moved. ¡° Besides, I am wondering why you suddenly called us in a hurry.¡± ¡° For celebration, of course,¡± Lirien said from the side. And then the next moment he brought his flute up to his chest. ¡° And the moment I heard he was going to marry a beautiful lady, I didn¡¯t take even a wink to write the best notes for the occasion. Here, let me give you a small taste of what is to come.¡± ¡° Hey, hold your dangerous thoughts right there. Do you want to scare away our soon-to-be family member?¡± Xandriel was quicker than most as he tried to take the flute away from Lirien but he failed. Cellia¡¯s eyes twitched as she watched two men with high esteem strangle each other like some kids and when she looked beside her, she found some sweat beads atop Bardar. And the sweat always increases whenever Lirien comes close to blowing the flute. ¡®Is it so bad?¡¯ She thought to herself and thus asked Bardar in a low voice. ¡° You don¡¯t like his music?¡± ¡° It¡¯s not about liking,¡± Bardar said to her without taking his eyes away from the duo. ¡° It¡¯s about surviving.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± ¡° Stop both of you. Can you see where we are?¡± She didn¡¯t get her answer as Galadrielle decided to intervene between his brothers to stop the embarrassment. His words seemed to work as both Xandriel and Lirien stopped their struggle. He then said to Lirien. ¡° We are here to work. No music in between.¡± Lirien looked a little down but didn¡¯t bring his flute up, but he vowed to play it after the meeting. Galadrielle then looked back to Bardar and Cellia and said with a cough. ¡° So, why did you call us on such short notice?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Bardar''s face slowly became serious which made the other three knit his brows. But Bardar didn¡¯t get to finish his words as the door opened again, and a voice reached their ears. The voice was so cold that it dropped the temperature of the room and into complete silence. ¡° He didn¡¯t call you. I did.¡± *** Some ten minutes before Bardar and Cellia entered the mansion. Another person was walking in the hallway on the western side of the mansion. Dressed in a pure white long-sleeve attire, was Bella. She had well-combed hair but without any jewellery. Her face was cold and static which didn¡¯t allow one to peer into her thoughts. Her eyes looked straight on her way. On the red carpet floor, her low heels shoes made an undulating sound with each step that reverted throughout the hallway. The reason for such an occurrence was the presence of absolute silence across the hallway. That despite her being not alone in the room. There were many people across the hallway. Everyone lined up sideways on her path and kneeled without raising their head even though she had passed them. Doesn¡¯t matter whether they were knights, mages or otherwise. Their bodies froze like an ice sculpture the moment their retinas first registered her presence and their hearts slowed down the moment their brains confirmed her presence as not just an illusion but a real entity. With a jerked motion, they bowed down with their bodies which refused to stand up again unless she said so. But she didn¡¯t say a thing nor spare a glance as she passed by them. ¡° HAIL THE GREAT MOTHER!! VICTORY TO THE GODDESS OF WAR!!¡± shouted the four-star knight who told Bardar to leave the mansion some time ago. He too was on the ground. With him as the lead, it was like a spell was cast on everyone, as the whole mansion became filled with shouts of the same words. ¡°HAIL THE GREAT MOTHER!! VICTORY TO THE GODDESS OF WAR!!¡± But Bella had become long deaf to such words. Ignoring that, she then moved into the room as the door behind her closed on its own. Everyone present there froze on her arrival. Bardar too was a little uncomfortable listening to Bella¡¯s old voice. Cellia on the other hand was shocked from inside, with sweat forming within her palms. She had never felt so much chill in her life. Her instincts screamed at her, she would die if looked back. And when the sounds of footsteps started to come closer, her heart started to beat faster as her back filled with sweat. It was cold, not only metaphorically but also literally, as she noticed a small frost starting to appear on the top of her. She panicked and was about to use her magic to remove it, but her actions were stopped by Bardar who suddenly placed his hand on her shoulder and moved her body to bow to the ground. His mana took control of her body while also defrosting her. Her head was also on the ground which made her unable to look up and she didn¡¯t try to. Bella felt too different from her usual self. At this time, Bardar''s sound came into her mind. ¡®Don¡¯t do anything, I will explain later. Just keep your head down, or those guys will kill you.¡¯ On the other hand, Bella had walked up to the dark golden chair and sat without another word. She then looked to the front, and everyone was kneeling, without a sound. On their bowed heads, green light burned itself into their eyes as their breathing became rougher. Despite the coldness of the room, their bodies still sweated. Bella¡¯s eyes then looked at the three empty chairs, each one had a scorpion drawn on them but that was only for a moment before her eyes moved on. ¡° I would restart project New Moon. I want all preparations to be done in the shortest time possible,¡± she said. ¡° Your wish is our command!¡± Xandriel, Lirien, and Galadrielle said in a loud voice. It was so loud that it caused the air to vibrate. She then turned to Bardar and said her next words. ¡° Bardar, go get Rayen. He will be the key to our success.¡± ¡°...I understand.¡± As Bardar said after swallowing his questions, Bella was left to herself and got lost in thought as she glanced back at the three children she picked. She looked at what Xandriel said with ever so little softened voice. ¡° I heard you have a son now. He¡¯s now, what? Twenty-seven years old?¡± ¡° It is as the mother said. He¡¯s now a veteran two-star knight, and is leading the frontlines against beastide.¡± He answered without raising his head. ¡° What¡¯s his name?¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t need one.¡± ¡°Why didn''t he need one? Did you not have one?¡± Bella¡¯s words lacked any surprise in her voice. If anything, it had more apathy to it. ¡° He didn¡¯t deserve one,¡± Xandriel spoke as if he was talking about some hardened criminal, rather than his son. ¡° If he couldn¡¯t get a name from Mother herself, then what¡¯s the use of it?¡± Cellia¡¯s heart got even more cold as she heard his words. But the more shock she got was from Bella. It was as if Bella felt nothing from such an act and seemed to move on as she heard her voice again. ¡°Lirien, why did you lower the age by which people must go into the Wasp¡¯s nest? Did you not know the sound they make is deadly to humans and especially mages?¡± ¡° Mother, over the years, the quality of people under my command is dropping. I am afraid that soon, they will not be able to cut through the beast tides.¡± Different from Xandriel, Lirien bowed his head a little more as the overall strength of cities under him couldn¡¯t remain steady and thus, was no different from a failure. ¡° That¡¯s why, I wanted to have my mages refine the spell casting under wasp¡¯s sound.¡± ¡°So how successful was it?¡± ¡° They now have enough room to sing a song amid battle.¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± Bella turned to her last son. She placed her left arm on the chair arm and used it to support her head while saying with an air of boredom. ¡° Galadrielle, tell me something interesting.¡± ¡° ¡­¡± There was a deafening silence in the room. For some reason, Cellia¡¯s whole body started to sweat and her clothes became wet. ¡° How boring.¡± Bella raised her bored eyes and looked behind her sons. Her eyes went through each one of them. Despite them not facing her directly, it was as if she could see right through their minds, and thus made everyone¡¯s body shake with visible effect. She then pointed at one person behind Xandriel. He had a more rugged face with dry lips and a slightly short body. ¡° You over there, which person did you pledge loyalty to?¡± ¡° TO THE GREAT GODDESS OF WAR!!¡± He shouted with his dry mouth and rammed his head into the floor. But the person in question turned her eyes away and pointed to the person behind Lirien and asked the same but slightly different question. ¡° Did you usually remain under Lirien¡¯s command?¡± ¡° I do not.¡± His words shocked all but Bella. Different from the one before, he had average height, with slightly long amber-coloured hairs. ¡° I listen to the command of Lord Adhira.¡± He spoke a name that made even Bella raise her eyes. For it was a name few spoke anymore. It was once used in tandem with Arcturus. Both brothers were the best Bella had to offer when it came to the succession of Thar. But there was another reason why this name was not spoken anymore. It was Adhira who ordered a mass execution of believers of the Sun god overnight, killing close to Five hundred thousand in total. That was the beginning of the Divine War. He was then expelled from Thar by Bella. ¡° Leave Thar in under four hours,¡± Bella said after a silence. And moved to the last person that caught her eye. He looked less healthy than others, with a build that lacked muscles or body mass with a clean shaved head. ¡° Did you give your loyalty to me?¡± ¡° No. I don¡¯t. But I am unable to tell who I work for as I don¡¯t know either. They never told me.¡± This made everyone¡¯s heart stuck in their throats. Two in a row, and all had a problem with their loyalty. Their eyes couldn¡¯t move, but they wandered off, what about the first? ¡° Why not just lie to me? It¡¯s not like I could know about your lie or can I?¡± ¡° I was told.¡± He said with a slow voice, even a little sigh was mixed with it. ¡° Never lie in front of a Great Elder.¡± ¡° What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡° It¡¯s Qilich.¡± ¡° Raise your head, Qilich.¡± He did as told, and Bella could see a man prepared for his death. She raised her index finger and the frost gathered itself from the air and circled itself just above him. ¡° I would send you to Astral Battlefield. Tell your master, I am impressed by his effort of putting you inside Thar.¡± With her words, the frost fell and stuck into his body and cooled before his naked eyes. Soon it made his whole body look like an ice sculpture which then burst into tiny little shaders. But it was not the only thing, as those shaders moved into the air, instead of falling, towards the very same person who Bella asked her question. The man wanted to scream but no sound came from his open mouth. The shards surrounded his whole body in no time and then started to compress inside. He wanted to do something but found his strength as an Official knight as useless as a child in front of an adult. It started to tighten the space around him and although no one could hear his screams, they could hear the sound of the very bones being squeezed, the sounds as they burst in the face of an unimaginable force and at last, like a being fruit put under the hammer, a squish resounded throughout the silent room. In the palace where the man once stood, was just a red ice cube, about the size of one¡¯s hand. Inside, through the transparent walls of ice, one could see some pieces of organs as well as other human things. It then flowed in front of Xandriel and her voice again. ¡° Take this back and hang it in a place where you can see it daily. Also, when you return, remember to bring your son to me. Got it?¡± *** Oasis, Thar. Boss Sam suddenly remembered some words that his friend once said to him. About how the importance of a person keeps on diminishing the more you stay with him. But he felt those were more about half-truths as it really depends on the person. Say, if a dangerous person with more records of eating people as time passes than sparing them keeps coming to your house, what are the chances for someone to start ignoring them? From his personal experience, he could proudly answer, zero. No matter how many times he steals a glance at the two or the monster sitting behind him on the lap of a child. And no matter how many times she cleaned the artefact he made with a face close to vomiting, he still felt his heart would explode when her eyes locked on him. He still had nightmares about getting eaten by the thing behind him. Such that his wife suggested him to think positively and handed him a new bottle of oil. It was only after he put it on his head that he found that it was known to also give the meat a good taste. Needless to say, he wondered if his wife was sending some kind of message but he was too afraid to ask. Then there was the root cause of all his heart trouble, the child sitting a little distance away from him. He peeked a glance at Azir, who despite having his arms working as usual, was lost with his eyes. He was staring at the wall as if his eyes peered past them. Sam couldn¡¯t help but ask him in a low voice. ¡° What are you looking at?¡± ¡° Boss, there is no hope for humanity anymore.¡± ¡° Huh? Where does that come from?¡± Boss Sam could only make a confused face at him. ¡° Do you know Boss, I got a good score on my report card. I thought I had a bright future ahead of me.¡± Azir on the other hand sighed like a lost man. ¡° But yesterday, reality broke my dream, like a glass.¡± ¡° Did something happen? Is there someone who badmouthed you? Tell me who it was.¡± Sam frowned when he said that. And regardless of the daily shenanigans of Azir, Sam still liked him very much like his own child. ¡° No, it''s not like that.¡± Azir sighed once again. ¡° Just that I got completely wrecked in the chess competition.¡± ¡°Ah, only this much and you are behaving like this? Come man, grow up, it was just the way things go. You win some and lose some.¡± ¡° By that dog over there.¡± ¡° Cough, cough.¡± Sam coughed for a solid minute or two and forgot the words he was going for. His eyes were wide open when gazing at Azir. Like he was looking at some new wonder of the land. ¡°And under ten moves no less.¡± ¡° Uhm..T-That¡¯s all? It¡¯s normal these days.¡± ¡° Normal?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Sam lied through his mouth as he suppressed his shock. ¡° The world is big, of course, some bea-¡± ¡°Woof!!¡± Azir looked at the word written by Rayen on the ground and then said to the frozen Sam. ¡° She said to use Dog.¡± Azir meanwhile ignored the word beautiful written before the dog much to Cherry¡¯s dismay. ¡° Ahem, so some dogs are better than others.¡± ¡° Even humans?¡± ¡° Naturally.¡± Sam wiped the sweat off his head. But other than that, there was one question which was plaguing his mind. So he asked the culprit. ¡° Why did you even play a game like chess with her?¡± ¡°Oh that, you see. I found that she was very gullible and bordering on stupid side. Especially when you praise her a little and give her a small sweet to eat.¡± Azir too lowered his voice and looked towards Cherry and found her lying on Rayen as he combed her hair. Cherry¡¯s idea to remove slow Rayen while she cleaned the artefacts to double her income. Only after making sure that she was not looking at them did Azir continue. ¡° So, my genius brain started to fire with full blast.¡± ¡°What did you do?¡± Sam also comes closer to him. He always gets surprised by the many ways Azir could think of, most of the time they are stupid but they do sound good to listen to. He felt this was such a moment. ¡° So you see. I praised her ability to clean and put her on the higher ground. And set her, eh, encouraged her big time with the promise of a lot of sweets. And then I strapped four scrubbers on her legs and a broom on her tail. And unleashed her on the whole house.¡± ¡° You IMBECILE!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Woof?!¡± ¡°Ahem! No, nothing. Please continue.¡± Sam almost lost control of himself and his heart once again thumped like crazy. He felt like he just dug himself a deeper hole to jump into. Just the image of Cherry coming after him to silence the witness made his body shake with terror. But Azir was not done speaking. ¡° So after I''m done with the house. I thought the waters were deep enough for me to fish and so I started a house cleaning service.¡± ¡°....¡± ¡° Initially it was all good and dandy. But fast forward into a week, and suddenly she somehow figured out I made a foo- eh, that I over-encouraged her a little. And she started to bark at me. So I had to hide behind Rayen and bicker with her for one hour. Then, at last, she pulled a chessboard from her collar and crushed me.¡± ¡°Y-You you¡­¡± Sam couldn¡¯t form any coherent words for a long time. He didn¡¯t even notice when Azir and others left. Only when his wife called him for dinner did he come back to himself. And muttered after looking at the ceiling. ¡° Ah, Ignorant¡¯s courage.¡± Chapter 18: Sometimes, Azir feels lonely talking to himself. ¡°Rayen, Rayen, wake up! We got things to do.¡± The voice urged Rayen and he had to open his eyes. Despite it not being the usual time for him to do so, he still opened his eyes. After that, he focused his eyes to see Azir, who was before him. Currently on the top oversized Cherry as the bed, he tilted his head. For he didn¡¯t understand why he had to open his eyes before the usual routine. But Azir had his plans for waking him up before the sun rose. ¡° Come on, let me help you get ready. I will show you something good today.¡± Azir said and pulled Rayen up. Then he looked at Cherry¡¯s sleepy face with her closed eyes, and shaked her too. ¡°Woo!!¡± Came a sleepy reply from the lazy Cherry. But Azir didn¡¯t put too much mind on her as he took Rayen and started to wash him up. In ten minutes, Rayen had to follow Azir as he did various things including combing his hair. When they came back, Cherry was still sleeping like a drunk man with a hangover. But Azir knew how to wake her up. ¡° Rayen, looks like we will eat the sweets by ourselves.¡± ¡° Woof!!¡± As Rayen was not sure Cherry¡¯s eyes shot wide open and her large body sprung back from the ground like a spring, almost hitting the roof. Before Azir or Rayen could do anything, she was in front of them, using her extra large nose to investigate them front and back. It was only when she confirmed that there was no sweet at all did she stopped and stare up close at Azir''s face. ¡° I, too, am happy to find you awake. Now let¡¯s go.¡± Rayen got pulled up as Azir passed through an oversized Cherry with a small circle. Cherry looked at such and her size started to become that of a normal dog before she too followed after the duo. When she walked outside, Azir closed the door and started to walk towards the city wall. The sky was bright but the sun was not out there yet. And Rayen found Azir rubbing his hands as well as some lingering fog from the night. ¡° It¡¯s still a little cold.¡± Thar¡¯s temperature of day and night was opposite of each other. The day was hot enough to boil the water while night was cold enough to freeze it. ¡°Woof!!¡± While on the walk, Cherry asked for their early walk since Rayen was not going to. But when Rayen was going to kneel and write the translation, Azir stopped his movements. ¡° No time to delay. I got something to show you.¡± Azir said and got two different responses. Rayen tilted his head while Cherry yawned at him. Soon, they were at the wall¡¯s foot. The newly renovated one looked way better than what Azir remembered without any noticeable cracks or missing portions filled with mud. This was a proper stone with some beast¡¯s images drawn into it. ¡° Now where did I put it?¡± As Cherry and Rayen looked, Azir got closer to the wall and started to dig something up. When neither of them had any idea of what he was doing, he pulled a long rope from the small pit. When he brought the robe back, he found four eyes digging into him. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Woof?¡± Cherry asked and this time, Azir didn¡¯t need to have Rayen translate for him to know her queries. ¡° It¡¯s easy. You see, we''re gonna climb the wall.¡± He said with absolute seriousness but got no reply and only stupid faces, which made him feel like he was the one being stupid. So he explained his full plan. ¡° For some days, I have been doing some intelligence-gathering work and I know the routines of guards at the top of walls.¡± Despite having said that, Azir was surprised to find that there were not that many guards at the top of the wall. Only one on patrol and that too rarely goes for early morning patrols. He didn¡¯t know why but guessed it had something to do with Oasis¡¯s status. But overall, the odds worked in his favour for today. ¡° Now, watch me. I would use this rope to get all of us at the top.¡± ¡°Woof!¡± Cherry glanced at the rope and then at the wall¡¯s height. And before Azir¡¯s wide eyes, she pulled another rope from her collar. This one was thicker than the one in Azir¡¯s hands and also had a metal hook at one end. ¡°... Why did you have a rope in your pocket?¡± Azir asked but Cherry had nothing to add. Seeing the sun also rising, Azir quickly took the thick ropes and pinned the hook to get the momentum going. ¡°Rayen, look at me. I''m gonna teach you something good.¡± With that said, he threw the hook up to the wall. But the hook didn¡¯t even reach the hallway so it fell back into the ground. Azir again found four eyes digging behind his back. He just remembered that he didn¡¯t practise how to throw the hook high. Now, it was too late and had come to his little pride and he couldn¡¯t go back. He had to get it right. Cherry on the other hand was bored and was licking herself like a cat. A very bizarre view as Azir was huffing in front to get his hook up but failing, Rayen beside with eyes closely following the trajectory of the hook. Ten minutes later, Cherry was all cleaned and Azir was huffing with some sweat. She then yawned and sat down, ready to take a nap or two when she got another idea. She pulled a little trick and when Azir threw the hook again, the winds pulled up the hook in the mid-air and directly fixed it up to the top of the wall. ¡°Woof¡± She turned her head and said to her. But Rayen failed to understand her reasoning. It was something about her being benevolent and then ending with asking him not to tell Bella about him almost becoming a paste. But he failed to see why he shouldn¡¯t say something when Bella asked him, for all he knew, there was never a case of not doing what Bella asked him. Cherry came down after seeing his blank face, she felt talking to the wall was easier than talking to him. ¡° See, that¡¯s how experts do it.¡± Azir on the other hand came back with a very excited face for getting the hook up. He even jumped in happiness like a warrior who trumped his enemy in a battle. It was then he noticed Cherry with a downward face and Rayen who were looking up as he missed the moment it reached up. He then moved quickly as he wasted quite a lot of time in his hook throwing, which he was still not sure how it reached up. He walked to the rope, grabbed it tight, and used his feet to get into the inner lining of the walls. This part was something he had to learn while in the academy. So, it was the easy part and in just ten minutes, he reached the top of some twenty-metre tall wall. With sharp eyes, he examined the top for the patrol which might come for a round. ¡° Alright, Cherry come on, grab it and I will first pull you and then we pull Rayen.¡± His words made Cherry stare back at him. Her eyes were exceptionally good and she could see Azir atop the wall like he was beside her. Looking at his figure, though not as malnourished as earlier, it was still that of a child. Then she tried to imagine a scene of him trying to pull her up and suddenly a terrible thought of falling from such height shook her body. It¡¯s not that it would be painful but it''s against her pride. After all, for all she knows, someone could be talking behind her back about how she fell from a small height. Not a good outlook as far as she was concerned. She looked beside her and then said which was much easier for Rayen to comprehend compared to the time she tried to negotiate. ¡°Woof!¡± Her size then started to increase to around a little more than Rayen and then she lowered her body. Rayen came close and did what was told, climbing the top of Cherry¡¯s back. Then before another of Azir¡¯s shouts could reach them, she jumped right straight up, with such force that it left a gust of wind below. The wind blew against Rayen''s as well as Cherry¡¯s hair as they landed on the wall with a loud thug. While the jump made Azir stare with his mouth opened with a big ¡®O¡¯. Rayen climbed down but then noticed something different and started to look to the far right. There in the distance, there was a strange phenomenon which caught his eyes, a group of orbs surrounded by what he judged mana lines but way crude than what Bardar had shown him. Meanwhile, Cherry who just made it atop also found something was wrong and looked to her left towards speechless Azir and tilted her head in confusion. ¡° Woof!¡± ¡° You made me do all that¡­when you can do this instead?¡± Azir said as he put his hands on his hips. He felt he just performed a fool¡¯s play. ¡°Woof!¡± ¡° Forget it, Rayen, come here.¡± Azir then remembered their original purpose for coming here and quickly came to Rayen and pulled him to the wall¡¯s edge. ¡° Look, the party has come to Oasis.¡± When Rayen followed his words, he found the bottom of the walls filled to the brim. Far from the empty red sands that usually surrounded the city, it was now filled with sprawling tents, big and small, lined in order. With big ones surrounded by smaller ones. Despite the dense fog that spread in between the tents, Rayen could still see the many orbs as well as shadows of the figures that held them inside even the smallest one was much bigger than Azir¡¯s. Many were already awake and a small percentage of them could be seen beside the fire to warm their bodies. Others were running in the big space in the distance. With even more tents that spread into the far distance. ¡° I heard that it was the Saharhub¡¯s army that pitched their tents here. And they camped here and are waiting for other armies from tribes to catch up. Their final destination seemed to be Esparton.¡± Azir said as he marvelled at the rising sun that pierced through the fog of morning. Rayen looked as Azir climbed atop Cherry¡¯s back and then pulled Rayen too. ¡° Grab with strength Rayen¡­Yeehaa¡­!¡± With his cry, he pulled Cherry¡¯s hair. Getting her signal, Cherry raised her front body high and jumped down. When they disappeared from the wall. In the distance where Rayen was staring, the space distorted and the figures of a few people appeared. Most had the same outfit donned to their bodies with light clothes and small swords and shields in their hands. One of them, a slightly old man with white hair, looked at the person who just undid his magic and asked. ¡° Are those kids the reason for Cat¡¯s sudden interest in our patrols, sir?¡± ¡° Take it as that.¡± The person¡¯s voice was distorted and was indistinguishable from men or women. He was dressed in a completely black attire that also wrapped his face around and only allowed his green eyes to peek out. He had a small badge with an outline of a cat. He looked at the space where Cherry jumped in and said to the men behind him. ¡° Continue with your patrol but be careful with your words.¡± With that said, his body melted into black smoke and moved towards the tents. *** ¡° Man, that¡¯s a lot of people out here. Rayen remember not to go on your own.'''' As they arrived this early, Azir thought that the place would be less crowded, but only now he felt how wrong he was. The passage between the tents was packed with different rows of people passing in different directions such that it was difficult not to bump into someone. As such, Azir decided to grab Rayen¡¯s hand making sure he would not disappear behind his back, Azir had no thought to try finding out if he could find a lost person in such a place. Rayen, who was being pulled, gave no thought of the direction he was being led to since Azir was in the front and thus with nothing else to do, eyes wandered unconsciously in an attempt to look around. It was an experience he was both familiar with and a stranger to. It was his first time seeing so many unfamiliar shadows, and unnoticed by the passing onlookers, his eyes captured all of them. The vision change was a great contrast to the otherwise happy and laughing atmosphere of the road. All kinds of orbs, from small to big, red to blue, but none matched that of either Bardar or Bella that he was most familiar with but still significant compared to Azir¡¯s. With most of the words uttered by the pedestrians, their orbs shook with some waves, an effect when lying. Here, he pointed towards a group of giant centipedes enclosed in a ring with a wood railing, facing the direction of the Oasis. The smallest one measured over 10 metres in length and 3 metres wide, covered by a segmented exoskeleton that gleamed in the morning sun. It had numerous thick legs, numbering in dozens and shaped like powerful long curved claws with many tiny hairs. A colouration blend of brown and yellow makes it seamlessly bend in the desert, if not for the amount of sand they left behind. And on their backs were big, almost two-metre-high platforms for holding things like massive crates. Called Scavengers. With formidable mandibles and venomous fangs, coupled with thousands of sharp teeth that were coated with green thick saliva which impressed Azir. These beasts were the backbone of Thar¡¯s logistic network. They move everything and everyone across the vast emptiness of Thar. Cherry on the other hand was not impressed, she believed none could match when it comes to beauty. And snorted like a human would. Azir continued not minding the small nudge from her. He asked Sam before who said there are at least several thousand of them here in this camp and are still increasing day by day. When Azir first heard that a large group of soldiers was going to arrive at the Oasis he did think they would be given a room in many of the empty houses of Oasis, but now it was clear to him that the rulers of Oasis don¡¯t think so. Other than some marketplaces, the soldiers from outside are not allowed to enter the city at will. Azir then thought of something and picked Rayen¡¯s hand before starting to walk somewhere. He pulled Rayen to the outermost part of the camp where the tents thinned out but still, a large crowd could be seen making loud noises. Azir pushed from the crowd using his small size and brought Rayen to the front with him. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. ¡° Look,¡± Rayen followed him and found a group of people on the top of rapidly moving Scavengers, with a dash and flashing sands behind they all arrived at the other end where a large number of crates were placed, stacked at the top of each other in multiple columns. The people riding on the top jump down even before the Scavengers stop. Each of these comprises a group of five people clad in brown clothes with fully covered faces. As soon as their feet landed on the sand, three men ran near the crates and grabbed the whole stack, about four metres in height with their hands. Filled with some unknown things. ¡°Wow¡­¡± Azir cheered beside him like the rest of the crowd as the trio easily lifted crates with ease, their sunken feet told the onlookers about the abnormal weights of those crates. The Scavenger then caught up at that time and as soon as it was drawn closer, the trio suddenly jumped above it while still holding the stack of crates. Multiple booms were made as the crates dropped on the backs of Scavenger who were unaffected by the impact of such loads. The crowd exclaimed even more when seeing the fourth person of the team whose anchor-shaped glove shined the moment he landed on the ground finally released his magic and the iron chains emerged from the end of Scavenger and wrapped them around the many crates on his back, placing them tightly in place. Following this, the others jumped back on their previous seats and the Scavenger turned his body swiftly around and moved fast towards the other end. ¡° Rayen, don¡¯t you think these are beauties of the desert?¡± Azir suddenly said as the last Scavenger also ran away, it was a little slower than the rest but still, all this took no more than 6 minutes from the Scavenger closing in towards crates and then going back with them. ¡°One day I will be like them, I tell you.¡± Rayen meanwhile found the sizes of orbs of the persons at the top of Scavengers and also that of Scavenger itself was much larger than that of Azir¡¯s. That was the difference between a small grain of sand grain and that of a small stone. At least a difference of 5 to 8 times. Azir also found Cherry looking at him and then at the people in front. She even raised her right paw and woofed once. He seemed to have guessed her doubt and coughed. ¡°What are you looking at me like? Besides, I am not talking about power here. Look, did you see that person sitting among the group of five?¡± Rayen found the person almost immediately as he was sitting at the forefront, near the head of Scavenger. He was also the person who Rayen didn¡¯t see doing much but Azir seemed to disagree. ¡°....¡± ¡° They lead people¡­or you can say they let people do their work according to their words¡± Seeing Rayen as well as Cherry stared at him, Azir cut off the shiny coated words about leaders and offered them the shortest answer he could think of, ¡° I told you, When I grew up, I will open transport agency and will buy thousands of those Scavengers to work under me¡± Rayen didn¡¯t understand but Cherry gave a special glance at the face of Azir when he finished his words and that too without blinking, just like Rayen. That face of unmasked scepticism affected Azir, making him fumble around with his words ¡° That¡¯s too high¡­maybe be hundred¡­no ten..yes that the number I will have¡­surely¡± At the end of his words, Azir''s words lowered in volume lacking much confidence in them. Many times he felt too lonely to talk like that, but despite his efforts, Rayen never talked back to him. Finally, Azir decided to just walk around and see something else, anything is better than getting questioned by a dog. Moving back into the camp, they entered what seemed to be a market. Different vendors set up early stalls here and sold all kinds of things. Rayen was indifferent, but Azir had an eye for beauty and pointed to different things as they walked. Lots of counters had rows of sea shells and corals of all sorts of shapes and sizes while good ones even have some intricate patterns drawn on them. Some have pearls and rare jewellery, those smooth, shiny and lustrous gems of different kinds always drew passerby''s attention and gave most a sense of loss as they eventually asked about their prices. After that, there were stalls selling foodstuff, dried and fresh fish, salts, some seaweeds and other aquatic food. There was also some other kind of food, but their numbers were low compared to stalls selling seafood and seafood-related stuff. ¡°Hey, boss, how much is this?¡± Azir suddenly asked the vendor selling spices. His face was very rugged due to moving frequently in the heat of the sun, an appearance typical for many of the low-level traders around. The vendor looked at him pointing to a bottle of ink black salt and said ¡° Two silver coins for a hundred grams.¡± ¡°What? Aren¡¯t you stealing people in broad daylight?¡± The vendor gave a quick look at Azir and Rayen¡¯s clothes and scruffed at them ¡° Take it or leave it, these are the Kraken Ink black pepper, harvested from the depths of the sea where Kraken dwells, it cost a fortune to get if not for the mermaids who usually provide it, ask outside Thar, and it will not be less than Fifty silver.¡± ¡° Forget it,¡± Azir shakes his head, he was already expecting such a result and so was not disappointed and pulled Rayen forward. He once again pulled Rayen through different paths, occasionally asking people for directions and soon led him far south of the camp, away from the market. They passed through a lot of tents before finally arriving at their next destination. A big tent with occasional cheers from people coming from inside. They followed the entrance and Azir felt heartache as he gave ten copper coins each to buy the entrance ticket for three of them. Despite his solid argument of Cherry not being human, the guard refused to agree to let her in without a ticket so he had to pay ten copper extra. The tent was big from the inside, with a small arena at the centre where two magical insects were locked in a fierce fight. Both of them looked like some giant beetle, each about Cherry¡¯s height. But before they could get a clearer picture, one of the Beatles put so much strength into its legs that he threw the other crashing straight into the wall of the ring, where it struggled a little but eventually couldn¡¯t stand up for some time and thus was declared defeated, drawing another cheer from the crowd. Called Scuttlebugs, one of the five Sacred Beasts of Thar. Instead of going into the cheering crowd of people with a strong smell of alcohol, Azir¡¯s eyes focused more on the person some distance away from the arena. At the small counter made from brightly coloured pieces of cloth, was a middle-aged man with a long beard. His hands were stable, and almost mechanical in motion as they took the money from one person and gave it to another. Azir''s eyes shined as he pulled a copper coin from his pouch. Then like a person who already had a game in his bag, he tossed the coin into the air before walking toward the counter. ¡° Hey, Boss.¡± He said with a smile as he arrived at the counter. ¡° What¡¯s the odds of each one?¡± *** It was nighttime when everyone started to leave this place. The man with the beard who was responsible for the counter also left the main tent and arrived at the much smaller but also more intricately designed tent just some distance to the right. It was guarded by some local guards who bowed to him as he walked inside. With the wave of his hands, a small shield enveloped the inside with sound and vision-blocking spells. ¡° Finally returned, man, I was almost bored sitting here. You know, when you visited this morning, I almost thought you were looking for some donation or something¡± A voice reached his ears which was surprisingly similar to his own. He looked to the comfy leather seat to his front and what appeared was a man drinking a cup of wine. He looked at the exact copy of the man. ¡°But first can you do something about your looks? It makes me think I am mentally ill talking to myself. Or we could call you Jaky 2.0¡± The man named Jaky said to the newcomer whose figure started to distort and soon changed into a man with fully black attire with a badge of cat to his chest. Jaky laughed as he drank more. ¡° My work is done. You can take over from here.¡± the Cat said. ¡° So, I supposed I shouldn¡¯t look around for what you did while acting like me, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡° If you care about your tongue being still attached to your mouth.¡± The Cat threw him a badge that had a treasure chest engraved on it. ¡° This should allow you to cope with your losses today.¡± ¡°Hey, stop doubting my belief,¡± Jaky said with a deep voice while looking at the badge. His eyes flashed with green light but that soon resided. ¡° Even my life could be spent at will for the Great Mother¡¯s cause, what about such a small amount?¡± ¡° It¡¯s a reward for good work. Surely, you won¡¯t reject her good will or would you.¡± The Cat said. He seemed to have anticipated Jaky¡¯s reaction and thus his body showed no surprise. He then turned around to walk away but Jaky''s next words made him halt his steps. ¡°Say, how did you find those children coming here? Did you trail them for long or just you just sharp enough.¡± Jaky noticed the Cat no longer replying and was about to return to walking. ¡° Why don¡¯t you consider it your ally¡¯s curiosity? It does not harm if I knew how to find out about them, no? Especially how you made the odds in their favour.¡± ¡° If one wants to make money, there are not many places he could go to. Your place was the one which ticked all the boxes.¡± Cat said after thinking a little. It was not that deep a secret anyway and Jake had already found out what he was doing during the time. A few more words to it would not change anything. But despite saying that, he had dealt with a lot of people and he could tell what the other person¡¯s actual motive was, and thus he asked, trying to probe Jaky. ¡° So, what¡¯s your real question? Let¡¯s get it over with quickly. I will answer if I can.¡± The reason for such an offer was to improve the relationship between Cats and Jaky, who was one of the biggest businessmen in Thar. ¡°Good enough. I would be short then. The winds have it, the Great Mother has once again taken the reins of Thar. I wonder if that had some truth to it.¡± Jaky¡¯s eyes narrowed at his words. His words had not finished when he found Cat disappeared from his place and felt a cool sensation on his neck. The Cat was holding a shot dagger up on his neck, laced with a small transparent liquid. That situation made Jaky laugh instead of fear. ¡° Hahaha¡­ it turned out, the words are true. It will soon be the time for history to be written again. Ain¡¯t that the truth, Mr. Cat?¡± ¡° Is that your last words?¡± The Cat pressed the dagger into his neck. With just a little more push, it would penetrate the skin of Jake and the deadly poison would kill him even without serving his neck. ¡° Heh, I thought you would ask how I came to know about this. Don¡¯t you want to know about it?¡± ¡° You being alive had nothing to do with it.¡± The Cat didn''t lie to Jaky. They would be in a jittery state of how the words leaked so quickly but it doesn¡¯t matter whether Jaky remained alive for that to see. They didn¡¯t need him to find out about how he got to know this. ¡° Maybe, but what about a dead man¡¯s last wish?¡± Jaky was still unnerved by the closeness of his death. He didn¡¯t doubt the Cat¡¯s words at all. But he was expecting such results the moment he decided to ask. ¡° For a long time, I have been hearing the disheartening words of an eminent civil war. Can you feel the deadness in the air? Why are we all here? Tell me, Mr. Cat. Who does your loyalty lie to?¡± He asked. The reason lies in the person who could move the Cats. To whom do they listen? The answer was simple, the ruler of Thar. With Thar usually eliminating most of their successor in line for the throne through constantly occurring beast tides, the Cats were made to follow only the words of rulers of Thar and show no favouritism to anyone. Badar might be the chosen ruler of Thar but he still lacked the authority to move the Cats. That¡¯s why, whatever Cats do, means the will of Bella. This was a problem for Jaky for he knew many things from his connections. ¡° Tell me, if Great Mother had already decided on Lord Bardar as her successor, why are you guys not made to help him? Are you trying to go against her will?¡± Jaky shouted with an agitated face at the silent Cat. The silence only increased the agitation of Jaky even more. ¡°Tell me, why are you guys being silent as the latest weapons from the Hydra Islands are being smuggled to Easparton? When you can find every shipment leaving for Terralea, how can you be blind to what is happening in Thar? Are you trying to lead a coup when she¡¯s not looking?¡± Jaky could feel his neck getting closer and something warm leaking from his neck. But the sensation of being cut by a dagger was just a tiny piece in front of his whole mind dedicated to finding the answers. ¡° Tell me first before you kill me. Or else I would have to wait for us both to reach the afterlife to see who was right all along.¡± ¡°...I only represent the will of the Great Mother,¡± Cat said with slow words, almost at the time when the position had reached the main parts of Jaky, thus making him fall to the ground. He looked at the fallen Jaky whose body was getting bluer with each passing moment. He fell into deep thought. It was long but at the same time, a short moment. The Cat pulled a potion from his space pouch and threw the liquid inside atop Jaky¡¯s neck. He then left the tent, without saying a word. Chapter-19: Where’s my Epic Battle? Easparton, Thar. Adrian walked in the wide path that led straight into the hearts of mighty peaks of Verdant Divides. The city was surrounded by these rocky, barren, snowy peaks in all but one direction. As he walked, he couldn¡¯t help but look at the city behind him. The city had stood the very test of time, even before the rise of Thar and humans as a whole. Built as the front line against elves, along with Nertherend to the north and Ember Reach to the south, these three cities had kept Thar out of reach from elves. Fighting among narrow white peaks was no easy feat, the wind alone cut through the mountains at fifty kilometres per hour at minimum. People die more from falling and frostbite than through swords or arrows. For much of history, these peaks have only known about their bloodyness but nowadays there is a change when one looks at them. Adrian arrived at the end of the road, in front was the giant metal door with an engraved Scorpion in the middle. Guarded by a platoon of knights and mages, around a hundred or so humans, the gate led to the chambers carved out into the mountains. A personal project of Adrian, but its purpose was not to build fortified bunkers, not for the people at least. It was built to guard what could not be dreamed of in this barren desert of Thar. Industries. Industries are the very foundation behind the prosperous land as well as the availability of many artefacts throughout the human land. But setting them up was not as easy as it sounds. They cost a fortune just to build. Just setting them on sand that keeps on sinking just inflates their cost to new heights. And then there were beast tides, the very root cause for why Easparton built houses from mud rather than anything more common materials like stones. When Adrian came to Thar, he planned to slowly infiltrate their hierarchy, but he found himself on the good side of Arcturus soon after. Whether it was a stroke of luck or not, Adrian knew that he had a job cut out for him. Trust, after all, was not known for lasting forever. For that, Adrian got to work and after he travelled to many small tribes under Easparton before coming to these peaks for an answer. When a thought came to him, ¡®Why not just build those things inside mountains?¡¯ It took much effort from him as well as almost half of Easparton¡¯s annual budget to a tenure of two continuous decades, but his call didn¡¯t go unanswered. Inside these hundreds of mountain peaks were the magic factories that allowed it to look straight into Oasis¡¯ eyes. Without these, Easparton couldn¡¯t even hope to achieve much against the Oasis¡¯ rule. For he had heard Arcturus once saying ¡°The war is all about men and logistics.¡± Adrian agreed and that¡¯s why, he could say to the elf queen with confidence, that nothing was stopping Easparton from going to war, only the will. The door opened and as Adrian walked in, he was greeted with a big map of the southern continent drawn on the stone wall. It was a fleeting thought, but he did wish for the flow of time to stop. For things not to progress beyond this. This whole southern continent once belonged to Elves with dense forests everywhere. He had heard a lot about how humans slowly rose through a tiny land and soon consumed almost two-thirds of the forest and turned it into a desert. But the hatred goes much deeper than just taking the land. For elves, being unable to stop the humans as well as their guardian which sucked the very life from anything that moves, the elves had to resort to extreme measures. The Verdant Divides was made when the Earth spirit King sacrificed himself. The loss of one of the five King spirits means there could be no peace among Thar and Aurelianathil. Especially more so, as elves now find themselves landlocked. On the other side, the Great Reef wall ensured no ship could pass through any of the shallow ports of Aurelianathil. And on the off chance they tried to make a deep port, Thar had unapologetically bombarded their coast with their mages while also enacting a naval blockade. The most severe was around three hundred years ago when Bella found elves using Thar¡¯s people as slaves in northern Moonstones mines and ordered them to bombard the whole coastal regions of Aurelianathil as well attacking any ship that dared to sail towards ports of Teldrassil or Mithrest or even Aurelianar. Despite the multiple deadly skirmishes and two wars along the peaks of Verdant Divides and even the elf king himself coming to Oasis and pleading for relief, the blockade continued for three decades. The coastal forest kept on burning throughout the day or night and crippled much of the elves¡¯ economy as well as any imports. Only one of them could survive on this continent, it couldn¡¯t be any more clear. But he knew the helplessness of such thoughts and so he forced his eyes to look away. ¡° My lord.¡± A guard near the door with short sword said to Adrian. ¡° The other vice city lords are waiting for you inside.¡± ¡° When can I expect Lord Arcturus as well as others?¡± Adrian said, composing himself. ¡° Lord Arcturus is currently sharing pleasantries with other lords. They could be here any moment now.¡± Having heard that, Adrian gave a small nod and walked into the rather grand room. One of its walls was nicely decorated with the same map of the Southern Continent plastered among the golden clothes that draped the side walls. There was a group of people already present in the room discussing something but stopped seeing him enter the room. They stood up and offered a customary greeting to him which he also returned. Each one had the badge of scorpion on their chest but they were not under Easparton¡¯s control. They belonged to the other two cities, Netherend and Ember Reach. Verdant Divides¡¯ importance was such that the three different commands or cities as known in Thar were set up to take the lead. It shows even from the rulers of Thar, with most coming from three such cities or Arcturus put it, from the scorpion tribes. The other rival to the throne came from the wasp tribe, and this time too, it was supposed to have happened from these two aggressive tribes, but that¡¯s not what happened. He walked towards them and took a seat as he discussed some recent incidents while waiting. Adrian didn¡¯t have to wait much, as after just five minutes, the guards informed him about new arrivals. The doors opened and led by Arcturus, two other people followed amidst the saluted of everyone inside the room. Arcturus took his seat at the small round table with two others and Adrian sat a little behind him, just like the other two people taking the number of people in the room to a total of six. ¡° Arcturus, since we all are already here let us get to the point,¡± One of the lords said, his figure was quite tall and muscular, his hair closely cropped and had a square jawline. He was the City Lord of Nertherend. He gazed at Arcturus with his piercing blue eyes and said in a firm no-nonsense voice ¡° What plan do you have to solve our apparent food crises.¡± His words were clearly enunciated and precisely dictated. ¡° Jameson, come on,¡± Another lord says to him ¡°You make it sound like we are already in a crisis which I remind you, we are not.¡± ¡° If that¡¯s so, would Sir Rodriguez want to suggest your cities could go by as usual, then I have nothing else to say.¡± Rodriguez smiled warmly at Jamson¡¯s words through the frown on his face, making the smile less warm. He looks like a lean, agile man with short, dark hair that he keeps neatly trimmed and warm sun tanned skin. He led the other city of Ember Reach. With his sharp brown eyes with a body having precise movements. ¡° We will be in a crisis if we fail to do anything substantial. Which I believe is what we are going to do,¡± His voice was confident and firm. Arcturus, not the first time dealing with them, interjected himself in between to steer the discussion back to the topic ¡° My friends. Let us not get sidetracked here¡­ though I do agree with Rodriguez that we are not going to end up in trouble just yet¡± ¡°Then what would you suggest?¡± Jamson asked while Rodriguez didn¡¯t cut him this time. ¡° The Oasis had started to gather its forces and according to reports, the number of those that pitched tents outside would soon reach five hundred thousand and as they would move towards here, the number was expected to cross one million. If we are going by the book, they would be cutting out food supplies soon.¡± ¡°For starters, how about we distribute a stock of food in our cities? Easparton currently has enough food stock for six months and five days and double that without rationing.¡± Arcturus said the figure he prepared beforehand. Jameson and Rodriguez followed him while stating their figures. ¡° Five months, twelve days and triple that for war stocks.¡± ¡° My city can hold for as long as two months and eight days.¡± ¡° If I don¡¯t remember wrong, it¡¯s stated by law to maintain a three-month stock of food at all times, ¡° Jameson asked Rodriguez. ¡° Well, I don¡¯t like to keep them inside warehouses only to find them rotting when the need arrives,¡± Rodriguez said calmly to Jameson¡¯s gibe. ¡° Though if we started to follow rules, I doubt we would all be sitting here now, don¡¯t you agree?¡± ¡° We are not breaking any rules. To fight for your right is the way of Thar.¡± ¡° I suggest we don¡¯t wait for the market stocks to dwindle and start rationing the food as soon as possible,¡± Arcturus said he doesn''t like them bickering with each other. The others also read the dissatisfaction in his words and decided to stop their bickering at once. ¡° How long are we going to hold in that case?¡± Jameson asked his vice city lord in the back who prominently answered ¡°It will double if we start rationing from tomorrow and could be even more if we supply half of that amount.¡± ¡°I agree with starting to ration food as soon as possible.¡± Rodriguez voiced his approval ¡°But we need not be so drastic as cutting the supply in half, it will greatly increase the dissatisfaction among people. Besides, we also want them to join the army as additional troops for ¡®Cross Roads¡¯ to work.¡± Rodriguez sounded as if he didn¡¯t want to recruit people with low morals in order not to affect the overall quality of his troops. But Adrian knew more, Cross Roads, was the codename of the plan to eliminate people with questionable loyalty. ¡° For this, I have a solution.¡± Arcturus had already prepared his answer for him. ¡°We can cut the food by one-third but only for normal people. Anyone helping the army can be given the same amount as before.¡± ¡°That solves one thing but there is still more¡­¡± Jameson said as he gave them a deep frown. ¡° The thing about increasing the army size is not quite easy. We can''t deploy the personnel from the mountain corps quite yet, it will take more time than we currently have. We also need many people working for magic factories to keep commodities going.¡± Arcturus and Rodriguez agreed with him. The border with elves is a delicate thing and the thought of elves crossing the mountains while they are busy somewhere else is the last thing they want to happen to them. Adrian on the back frowned when he listened to them but stayed silent unless directly asked, the vice city lords are not allowed to speak in such meetings. According to his understanding, every person of Thar could fight well due to beast tide as well as due to the mandatory battle training given to them when they go through Silver Citadel Academy. Though Adrian has never gone to it personally, he was still amazed by such an academy, in other races where people worry if their magical knowledge can be stolen, Thar and the human race looked like an outlier. Without even considering Thar which needs constant warriors to just exist, Alliance had no such threats but even it seemed to be worried about people not willing to learn magic or knights and thus had laws punishing parents for not sending their children to the academy. Back to Thar, Adrian did have thoughts of visiting the academy in the past but it was too risky before. After all, according to him, it was the academy which made Thar into frantic. ¡° For that, I have a plan¡± Rodriguez offered ¡° Why don¡¯t we first reinforce the mountain with recruits, despite not being trained to fight in mountains, as long as we only planned to defend, that could be achieved with a short training. We don¡¯t have to teach them to fight anyway.¡± ¡° This is more plausible,¡± Jameson nodded as did Arcturus who adds further ¡°Accordingly, it could work for deterrence against elves, but then we also need to consider their responses.¡± ¡° Sometimes I just wanted to stop thinking about roundabout ways and just smash those arrogant fools personally,¡± Rodriguez said. ¡° Well, why not try a little and see if the alliance could kill you within five minutes or not? Maybe you can make a record of surviving more than that.¡± Jameson said with an unkempt sarcastic tone. As both of them were on the verge of pulling each other¡¯s hairs, a servant quietly entered the room and said something in the ears of Adrian whose eyes suddenly contracted after listening. The other lords also noticed his anomaly and stopped their discussion. ¡° What¡¯s the matter?¡± Arcturus inquired to which Adrian replied with a difficult face. ¡°My lord, The Scorpion Guild has suddenly dissipated and ran away¡± The Scorpion Guild, was an organisation built solely for one thing, smuggling as well as transportation. They were the ones responsible for the safe delivery of ships from Terralia to all parts of Thar. Like many things, Thar likes to concentrate power into a handful of chosen power centres to make their rule easier, and Scorpion Guild was no different. It was under the control of Oasis for all intents and purposes, and they expected things to go wrong with this guild. That¡¯s why they tried to infiltrate all the people of the guild that lay within their control. At least, that¡¯s what was supposed to have been the case. ¡° What?¡± The city lords and other vice lords look shocked and confused at him, but Adrian doesn¡¯t stop. ¡°It is true my lord. My people staying outside the guild just discovered their disappearance and also there¡¯s more to it¡± ¡° Get to the point,¡± Jameson said with displeasure. ¡°...As they left, some of our warehouses caught fire and someone seemed to have spread the news about the low food supply as well as the blockade of supply routes and now there is confusion around the city which might become chaos if we didn¡¯t do anything about them¡± Adrian finally says in a breath but his words made all others silent in the room as an atmosphere of solemn descended upon everyone. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. **** On the other side, John sat on a comfy sofa while reading a letter. In front of him were his two juniors Mike and Margretta. The room was the living room of the official¡¯s bungalow, still made from mud but this time, it was renovated with the spells of mages to look and feel like that of marbles. A huge improvement after their not-so-recent adventurism. It was the middle of the night but there was no sleep in anyone''s eyes. Quite the opposite, the letter took almost all of their attention. ¡°What does it say, Sir?¡± Margretta, dressed in casual light pink clothes with loose hair asked. Mike beside her was no different. He was dressed in his casual yellow long-sleeve clothes. ¡° How much do you trust the HQ?¡± John didn¡¯t answer but instead asked them another question that surprised them. In their eyes, John didn¡¯t look like a person who would doubt the orders given to him. Their eyes landed on the letter, the most likely culprit of such change. They were not wrong for they heard John continuing. ¡° Order this time is slightly different. They have told us that ¡®Operation Salvation¡¯ has been started in full and so all non-required personnel are being pulled back from here.¡± ¡° Operation Salvation?¡± They both have never heard of such an operation. But it was not difficult to understand as they worked for a revenue service, rather than the military. But then, Mike asked the main question that came to their minds. ¡° What do they want us to do? Involve deeper into the mission and do something for the operation?¡± ¡° It would be easy if that was the case. But in their typical fashion. They didn¡¯t say anything about the operation. They recommended that we surrender to Easparton.¡± ¡° Sir, your letter is not spoofed?¡± Margretta asked, she couldn¡¯t believe such a nonsense order came from the Oasis. Even Mike had his hands turned into fists with a face that struggled to maintain his composure. ¡° Easy. I said it was recommended, didn¡¯t I?¡± John said as he threw three badges made from some copper-like metal but not quite. ¡° These were the props sent with this letter. If we used it before sunset, then it would teleport us to the small team of the Scorpion guild which will take us out from here.¡± Mike and Margretta looked at the badges, only to be confused again. A question remained, why would they recommend something like surrendering to an enemy while also giving an option to reject? Do they want some moles for a hidden dagger? Margretta looked at the calm smiling face of John and with a little sceptical voice asked him. ¡° Sir, what have you decided?¡± ¡° Me?¡± John raised his eyebrow but then his eyes shifted his focus from the duo to the letter. At the bottom left of the letter, was the seal of Gold keepers as well as a beetle. But they were not his focus. Instead, it was the signature above them. It read, ¡°Signed by Bella Coven Ashenmoon¡±. It was a sign, not her one but a more standard one to be used in official works. Nevertheless, he had not seen it for a long time. Even if it was not signed by Bella herself, it couldn¡¯t be put on any paper without her approval. With the sign on the letter, he doesn¡¯t need to think more about his choices. ¡° I am going to surrender by morning. But I leave your life at your discretion.¡± There was silence in the room. John¡¯s eyes were firm, no words could convince him otherwise. All that was left was Margetta and Mike, for they didn¡¯t know what was the right course of action. Getting captured by Easparton means there would be no escape from the torture. They knew what kind of treatment one would receive when being unlucky enough to land there. ¡° Sir, I-I would stay with you,¡± Mike said. ¡°...I will too.¡± Margretta also said. They both know deep down that they don¡¯t like the taste of running away from what they started. That¡¯s the reason they were not liked within their work circles. They just don¡¯t know how to compromise with other parties. The words from those two made John raise his eyebrows and stare deep into their eyes. Their faces were tense and he could see Margretta gripping her clothes under the table, but their eyes were firm and unnerved under his sharp gaze. He was planning to discourage them but his words didn¡¯t come out as he remembered his old days in the army. He chuckled at them and said. ¡° If that¡¯s the case, should we greet our friends outside? Let''s do a dress-up first.¡± He clicked his anchor on his wrist and the blue lights covered all of them. When it disappeared, all three of them had their official clothing. The letter was already burned with the ashes taken away with the winds created by John. As John stood up, Mike and Margretta followed behind him to the door. Outside, just as they appeared, they witnessed a large group of people, in heavy as well as light armour spread about with them as a circle. ¡° It seems to be a busy night today, isn¡¯t it?¡± John said while maintaining his smile. Even waved his arms as a greeting towards the man with the heaviest armour in the back. Hearing his words, the man in armour walked towards him, with each step, he made a heavy sound of metal clinking. ¡° Busy? No, it''s the opposite. Today is the best night I could hope for.¡± Kalvin said from his helmet. ¡° Not every day did one get a chance to see the fierceness of Batch 32.¡± He pulled out a great sword, equally as big as him while about half his thickness. ¡° Sir Kalvin seems to be preparing for a fight. But I wonder why. Mike, Margretta, who do you think offended Sir Kalvin this bad?¡± John was unnerved and asked his juniors behind him in a joking tone. ¡° Probably his own breaths,¡± Mike said to him. Margretta was too willing to say something but before she could, Kalvin who was already impatient for a fight motioned to his vice-captain who came over with a piece of paper. ¡° By the order of the City Lord Arcturus, the three Gold Keepers, John, Mike and Margretta are found to be in cahoots with the network of traders as well as smugglers. They are found to be extorting money and bribes to give clean chits for people with genuine as well as Trump-up charges. And thus hereby are to be arrested and in case of any resistance, use of force is authorised.¡± ¡° Bullishit. I have never seen such brazenness.¡± Mike cursed out loud the moment he heard the vice-captain finish reading the order. ¡° So it was what it is. Now then, shall we start?¡± Kalvin said as other knights started to back away. They had their orders to interfere only when John and others tried to escape. But Kalvin was bound to get disappointed tonight. ¡°Ah, about that. Since it was already such, I think we can¡¯t do anything now, can we?¡± John shook his head and pulled out his main anchor, a long stick made from some wood with a metal casing on the top. Mike and Margreta were also the same and pulled out their anchors. A wind blows in the night with three moons in the sky. Just as Kalvin was about to make a move, he happened to see John and others throwing their weapons to the front while raising their hands above their hands. ¡° We surrender.¡± He heard John saying. It caused a pause in Kalvin¡¯s brain and also too many of the knights and mages who had one thought on their minds. "Why does it feel like something is wrong today? It was supposed to be an epic fight, wasn''t it?¡± *** ¡° You mean they all surrendered?¡± Adrian had a deep frown when he heard that. He was on the other end of the city, in the biggest retail market of Easparton. He was already prepared to hear deep explosions throughout the night and go tomorrow morning to see the ruined buildings everywhere. But this was unexpected in a strange way. ¡° What¡¯s the reason for such an incident?¡± ¡° We are still investigating but we found three teleportation artefacts in their possession. Our initial assessment suggests that they could have escaped if they wanted to but didn¡¯t, mostly the order from Oasis. But we are not quite sure¡± the messenger said to him. Another guard came next to him as he walked out. ¡°My lord, the city was fully under martial law and our people had already searched all known locations of the Scorpion Guild but found nothing there.¡± ¡°Keep searching for remnants. They shouldn¡¯t have all left, but the numbers can be reduced. Send all the extras to help in raids. I wanted them finished by sunrise.¡± The arrest of three Gold Keepers was just one part of many raids that had happened the previous night. From the moment he had received news of the trade blockade, Adrian had ordered a list of all traders, sellers, and private shops dealing with food commodities to be made. Now that news had been released by the Scorpion Guild, it would soon reach all parts of the city, likely causing panic, hoarding, and artificially inflated prices due to profiteering. Adrian had decided to move first and take direct control of the food stocks available in the market. ¡°I will order them to speed up.¡± But Adrian''s thoughts were elsewhere. For years, he had always known and heard of the exceptional loyalty among people from other regions towards Osais. Even witnessed a homicide just weeks ago. But even without considering all that, he just couldn''t fandom what Bella did to make her influence so strong. Perhaps it had something to do with the Academy. Adrian could only reach such a conclusion as he remembered the city lord making a scene years ago when he marched soldiers to surround and enter the academy. Some even said a fight had erupted between the teachers and soldiers at that time. Later, all personnel from Oasis were expelled, and new ones were put in place by Arcturus, who took direct control of its local branch in Easparton. At the time, Adrian hadn¡¯t thought much deeper into the incident beyond a small power struggle, as Osais had only issued letters condemning such acts. For some reason, a warning from Arcturus came to his mind. It was when he had just joined as the vice city lord and was in his new office that Arcturus had suddenly come to meet him. ¡°I want to talk about some very important things with you that you must remember as a new vice city lord,¡± Arcturus had said with such seriousness that Adrian still vividly remembered forgetting to breathe in his presence. ¡°The first thing you must be clear on is to never, and I mean never, utter any words concerning Bella. Not even in private talks. It doesn''t matter what you think or plan to do. Once you disrespect her by not heeding my warning, the consequences are unimaginable for your future.¡± The aura Arcturus had released at that time was so dreadful that it had almost overwhelmed Adrian. Thus, he had never dared to inquire further about the taboo of Easparton. Perhaps Arcturus understood its terror better than he did and was willing to go to extreme lengths, unofficially banning all references and changing everything related to her as Oasis''s representative and so on. Much time had passed, but Adrian still wasn¡¯t willing to test the waters, especially not at this critical time when conflict could erupt at any moment. However, he still wanted to try something, so he said to the guards following behind him, ¡°What do you think about those Gold Keepers? Will they switch sides after spending some time in prison?¡± ¡°My lord, I¡¯m not too sure¡­¡± the guard replied hesitantly, his face showing confusion, though his grip on his sword tightened unconsciously. ¡°But I''m sure we can break them given some time.¡± Adrian felt it was a misunderstanding, but there seemed to be a hint of killing intent in the guard''s final words. No, it couldn¡¯t be, he denied such thoughts. Too much had happened that day, and he was simply tired, he reasoned with himself. After all, these guards were responsible for the palace¡¯s safety and had passed Arcturus¡¯s strict scrutiny. Surely, he wouldn¡¯t keep hidden dangers so close; he had no reason to. ¡°My lord, are you alright?¡± the guard asked, noticing Adrian¡¯s pale face. Adrian looked at his hands, which were wet with sweat, and felt a chill run down his spine as a breeze blew through the streets, soaking his back as well. He took a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Let''s go back. There¡¯s nothing more for us here.¡± The guards nodded, and Adrian started to walk back, his eyes occasionally glancing at the guard from earlier, but finding nothing unusual. He finally decided to put the matter to rest. ¡°I''m really tired today,¡± he muttered as they disappeared into the night. *** The next day, a crowd of people flocked to the city square, the usual place for major announcements. Many were uncertain about what was to come, though some were better informed than others. They gathered in clusters, small and large, discussing the latest developments. ¡°Do you have enough food to last for months?¡± one speaker asked dramatically, trying to instil a sense of dread in the onlookers. ¡°If not, you and your family will be out of luck.¡± Some people looked at him distrustfully and moved on, while others stayed, questioning his statement. ¡°Because war is coming,¡± he declared loudly, his voice rising. ¡°And they want us to starve because of it.¡± Most dismissed him, knowing that Thar hadn¡¯t seen civil war in thousands of years. They pointed out that the blockade might be due to an increase in beast numbers, blocking the routes, which Thar would clear in due time. ¡°Don¡¯t believe me? You''ll see soon enough,¡± he said, patting his buttocks as he walked away. ¡°But I¡¯m not waiting. I''m buying food while it''s still cheap before prices skyrocket.¡± There were always those who preferred to believe the worst, while some saw opportunity in crisis. There will always be winners and losers in a crisis; why not be a winner? Amidst various reasons, some followed the man who had spoken, while others stayed, waiting for official clarification. Anxiety grew as more people joined them and discussed the events of the previous night, and the sun began to rise. Soon, a path was cleared by guards and officials who finally arrived, their solemn expressions weighing heavily on the onlookers¡¯ hearts. The guards ushered people away from the makeshift platform hastily assembled from wooden crates. This was unlike their usual practice, where officials arrived riding giant scorpions to make announcements. Such practices had not been seen for years, continuing the trend of magical beasts entering the city. As the official finally ascended and became visible to all, it was Adrian, the vice city lord of Easparton, with his typically confident demeanour that calmed many present. It didn¡¯t seem so bad, they thought, until his next words shattered their hopes. ¡°People of Easparton,¡± Adrian began, his voice carrying to even the farthest corners of the crowd. ¡°Today may be a difficult day for many of you, and confusion may reign, though it is unintended, it is unavoidable. As many of you may know me, I am Adrian, the vice city lord of Easparton,¡± he stated. ¡°And I am here to dispel your confusion.¡± Ensuring all eyes were on him, he continued, emphasising his next words. ¡°Our city lord, Arcturus, needs no introduction to any of you. Born in the glowing sands of Thar, he is the great leader who, through miraculous leadership, elevated us from just another city in Thar to the most renowned city on the land.¡± Invoking the pride of Easparton, he pressed on. ¡°Our city is not just any city. Under Lord Arcturus''s leadership, it stands as a symbol of power, pride, and glory, known even beyond the formidable walls of Verdant Divide.¡± People raised their heads, captivated by his words, which worked wonders, evident in the eyes of the crowd. ¡°Our glory is such that even our beloved Mother, seated at the heart of Oasis, has taken note of our progress.¡± His words ignited a frenzy among the crowd, which erupted with a force that could shake the sturdiest of hearts. ¡°Mother Bella!¡± ¡°Mother Bella!¡± ¡°Mother Bella!¡± Seeing this, Adrian signalled to the soldiers behind him, who attempted to restore order, but their words and the spirit spells cast by wizards into the sky failed to quell the frenzy gripping the crowd. ¡°For this purpose, we must overcome all challenges she places before us,¡± Adrian proclaimed, his voice amplified by magic to suppress the crowd. ¡°Let her know that while there may be countless children of hers across Thar, we are the finest among them all.¡± The crowd cheered, forgetting their morning worries. Observing their reaction and the effect of Adrian''s carefully crafted words he had just spoken. He felt certain things in his heart. Yet, despite maintaining his confident demeanour, dread lingered regarding the use of the word "Bella." and the new reality it signified¡ªa test rather than a war. Chapter-20: Celestia And The Show (1) Terrale, Near Red Cliff forest. Built among the mountains and surrounded by red trees, a big city stood out among the sea of red. It was a major city, with almost two million people. Not just a city but also the administrative capital of the Red House Territory. A mass of land equivalent to a state under Alliance. At the far side, the foot of the mountain and also the border marked the start of red forest. There a big mansion was built with red stones to compliment the aesthetics of the overall territory. Spread over a large area, the mansion was divided into multiple blocks with rectangular fronts and wide entrances. The only difference which stood out like a sore thumb was the garden at the back of the mansion. Encased in a big dome-like class structure, the inside was filled with green leaves and many flowers not necessarily red. Inside the path was made with white marble stones, and sunlight piercing through the glass provided a peaceful view for the visitors. In the centre of the garden, near the fragrant flowers, a stone table of the same marble with decorative vein designs could be seen, with a tea set placed on top. On the chair nearby, a girl sat while reading a book titled "A Brief History of Sterling House." Her long, straight hair swayed along with the pages of the book as the wind blew through them, and her red eyes occasionally frowned as she tried to comprehend the book in her hands. She appeared to be Fourteen years old. Wearing a loose sleeve of dark green coloured fabric with occasional black stripes here and there that runs through the length of her dress. ¡°Elaina, what did I say about keeping it under control?¡± She said as the wind sped up and hit her long hair along with some pieces of grass, she raised her head and looked to the other side, where a girl with short blonde hair could be seen practising with her wooden sword. With each swing she made, a faint phantom of a beast materialised behind her in the air but the outlines couldn¡¯t be maintained for more than five seconds. A gust of wind swayed the nearby plants whenever it appeared and disappeared. ¡°Ah, sorry,¡± Elaina said as she slowed down and wiped the sweat trickling from her head. She looked a year younger than the girl sitting in the chair. Her dress contrasted the previous girl''s, they were tight instead of long and loose casual against the formal attire. ¡°Anyway, you should stop now. Mother would not like it if you exhaust all your energy,¡± the girl with black hair said, putting aside the book she had been holding, picking up a cup, and drinking from it, all the while maintaining her graceful posture. Her name was Eloise, the bigger sister of Elaina. ¡°Um... is it time already?¡± Reluctantly stopping her practice at the mention of their mother, Elaina moved towards the table and sat opposite Eloise. She picked up a cup and filled herself with a drink. ¡°Ugh, Sis, how can you drink such bitter tea?¡± Elaina said, adding some sugar to her cup. ¡°If you add so much, your teeth might give way. Didn¡¯t she tell you not to add more than one spoonful of sugar?¡± ¡°It will be okay. Just don¡¯t tell Mother, okay? Otherwise, I will be scolded.¡± ¡°If you promise not to blow winds in my face again.¡± Seeing her nod like a doll, Eloise sighed, wondering why her sister didn¡¯t follow better table manners like her. ¡°Also, keep your back straight and take care of those fingers as you hold the cup.¡± ¡°Ah, Sis it''s too troublesome. Besides, you are even stricter than mother.¡± ¡°I am just helping you for the future,¡± Eloise said helplessly while keeping her cup away from Elaina, who was about to add a spoon of sugar to her cup too. ¡°My lady, the mistress is calling you,¡± a middle-aged maid with red colours and stripes suddenly appeared from the path and said to Eloise with a bow. ¡°What about me?¡± Elaina asked the maid with her large blue eyes. ¡°The lady told me to wash and dress you ready for tonight.¡± The maid found Elaina still calmly drinking her tea and thus decided to add. ¡° She said she would check soon.¡± ¡°Hey, you should have said it sooner. See you at dinner, Sis.¡± Elaina said as she drank her cup in one go and ran away like a scared cat. Eloise and the maid both shook their heads while the former slowly stood up. ¡°Well then, see you at dinner.¡± She followed behind the maid, and passed through the garden and into the hallways with green carpet and designs, passing guards in armour and butlers in their formal clothes who all gave a small bow upon seeing her, they reached their destination. A big red door with shiny wax layered atop the decorative outlines of a big star which was showering its light down to the mountain valley with forest. ¡°Mistress, we are here,¡± the maid gently knocked on the door and then remained silent. ¡°Come in.¡± Hearing a cold voice from inside, the maid opened the door for the girl behind her and bowed, letting her pass, then gently closing it without entering herself. Inside was a large room with sofas and a glass table with a fireplace on one side. Near the middle, in front of a large window, a table was placed, and a woman with long black hair and eyes sat there with her back to the window, Matched with her otherwise red and black dress that exuded an air of superiority as she wrote something on a letter. In front of the desk was the red nameplate that read ¡®Isabella Sterling¡¯. Isabella, who finished writing, handed the letter to an older maid beside her, silently taking it. ¡°I expect the report on it soon enough.¡± ¡°Mistress, I am afraid that isn¡¯t quite possible.¡± The old-looking maid said to her while still maintaining her body posture with a slight bow. She moved her left arm and pulled a small five-star badge from her space pouch. ¡° It¡¯s the direct order from Celestia. I hope for your understanding.¡± With that said, the old maid gave a final bow and started to walk towards the door. Eloise greeted the old maid as she left the room, who nodded but said nothing to her. ¡°Good evening, Mother.¡± Eloise greeted her mother seeing only two of them. Her mother looked almost like her but more mature with an equally beautiful face. ¡° Did something happen today?¡± She asked as she felt a little tense earlier seeing both of them. ¡°Nothing much. Just some off-record diversion of funds that I caught. But things were never simple here. Anyways, how was your day today? Surely you didn¡¯t forget to review the book I gave you,¡± Isabella asked as she changed the topic, motioning her daughter to sit in a chair in front of her. ¡°It was wonderful as always, Mother.¡± Seeing her daughter maintain her posture as she sat, Isabella nodded inwardly. ¡°I have completed the review.¡± ¡°Well, let¡¯s have a little test, shall we?¡± Isabella tapped her finger on the table, and tea leaves floated into the air, moving into a porcelain tea holder, followed by water. The holder started to release a small amount of aroma, but Isabella and Eloise¡¯s focus was on something else. ¡°Tell me about our house¡¯s history.¡± ¡°Yes, the House of Sterling has a long history dating back 2500 years and was the first house among others to be given the land near the Redcliffe area for management. We started as a small house with the first head named Rozovet Sterling but soon expanded into the largest house in the nearby territory. Our house traditionally emphasises knight training, but mages can also appear occasionally. With hills to the north, forests to the south, fertile plains to the west, and the Red Mountain ranges to the east, our territory offers a good geographical place. The great Starling River, which eventually meets the sea, also starts from here.¡± ¡° A textbook-worthy answer. Indistinguishable from simple memorisation and compression.¡± Isabella said without any hint of being impressed. ¡°Tell me, what is the importance of our house?¡± ¡°We have at least¡ª¡± ¡°You are committing the biggest mistake by that. Those knights and mages outside don¡¯t give their loyalty to us but to the constitution of the Alliance or Alliance in general. Having them or not makes no difference to our importance.¡± Isabella said as she shot her answer down. ¡° I asked, what makes Sterling House important?¡± Eloise furrowed her brow, her toes tapping on the floor momentarily before she stopped. ¡°I don¡¯t know, Mother.¡± ¡° You don¡¯t find these things in the book straight away but small hints were on page 266, fourth para,¡± Isabella pointed out. ¡°Do you remember what was on that page?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t remember, Mother.¡± ¡°It''s a Red Flower Juice Potion. Maybe that will ring some bells.¡± Eloise thought for a moment and said, ¡°It¡¯s a potion used for calming spirits and healing spirit-related wounds, a speciality of our house and the second most profitable commodity we export.¡± ¡° That¡¯s right, it was one of the things only we can make. Its importance to the Alliance was what made us powerful. ¡± Eloise bowed her head upon hearing this. ¡°Generally, I expected you to not confine yourself only to the books that I gave you.¡± ¡°I apologise, Mother.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need your excuses. Just remember, the world is big with many people lining up to replace you. If you don¡¯t want to be cast aside like a rock lying by the roadside and blaming your fate for an unfortunate demise rather than your ignorance. I suggest you open your mind wide.¡± Isabella¡¯s eyes bore into her daughter as she spoke the words from her childhood but she soon snapped out of it. Her eyes softened soon as well as her tone slightly as she spoke to her daughter, whose head was bowed in fear, her toes unconsciously tapping the ground in panic. ¡° Well, it''s not that bad actually. You shouldn¡¯t read more than what I gave through just yet or else Edward would be angry about you being holed up in the room.¡± ¡°Yes, Mother,¡± Eloise said and Isabella didn¡¯t ask her anything further, but picked up the tea jar and filled both their cups. As she poured the tea into the cup, an aroma filled the room. Eloise felt her earlier anxieties dissipate as the scent entered her nose, and her spirits felt relaxed. ¡°I think that¡¯s enough for today. How about we enjoy our tea now?¡± Two beautiful women, one older and one younger, happily drank their tea before Eloise excused herself to prepare for tonight¡¯s dinner when she heard her mother saying. ¡°Tonight, your dad will also be joining us. Inform Eliana about it when you are at it.¡± Eloise left the room after a curtsy bow. Gazing at the closed door for a moment, Isabella pulled a letter from her drawer that she had received just before her daughter knocked on the door. Her expression had been serious as she gazed at the seal at the end of the letter, which glittered with light. The image on it, resembling a star field with five large stars surrounded by smaller ones, seemed alive as the tiny stars rotated around the five main stars in slow motion. This was the official seal of the Starry Sky Alliance, comprising the human race with nearly every noble house on Terralea. It was a powerful entity whose authority could not be challenged; every conflict between noble houses required their approval, and attacks by foreign races were considered attacks on all. However, it wasn''t the cause of Isabella''s worry. It was the prospect of a new proposed law, up for discussion. Laws passed by them were binding on all and could make or break the fortunes of any noble house. As she read through the contents, she couldn''t help but release a sigh of relief. It turned out to be just an invitation. She set it down and began writing her reply. "Lady Isabella, the dinner will start in one hour," A sound from the maid from outside called respectfully as Isabella finished sealing the letter with the House Sterling insignia. "The bath water is ready," the maid added. "I will be there in a moment, give this to Fay and have her deliver this letter as soon as possible," Isabella instructed, handing the letter to the maid. Fay was the name of the old maid who left just after Eloise entered the room. Isabella stretched her body, which made a cracking sound after sitting for hours in the same place. But there was no time to waste on rest; she walked towards the bath to prepare for dinner. It took her no less than 45 minutes, but she managed to get ready before dinner time. Her straight black hair was neatly combed, and her noble dress in shades of greenish-red shimmered as she reached the door of the dinner hall. The maids outside bowed and opened the gates for her to enter. And she also found both her daughters already sitting there on their chairs. "Good evening, Mother." "G-good evening, First Mother," Both of her daughters greeted her as she arrived. But Isabella''s eyes narrowed as she looked at Elaina, who stood beside Eloise. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. "Good evening to both of you," Isabella said, correcting Elaina, "though Elaina..." "Y-yes, Mother," Elaina flinched at the use of her name and seeing Isabella''s narrowed eyes, her nervousness heightened. "I''ve told you to call me just Mother, not First Mother, like your big sister," Isabella said, observing the short blonde girl''s body which flinched with fear. She wasn''t Elaina''s biological mother; Elaina''s mother had passed away shortly after her birth. Despite this, Isabella loved her just as much as her daughter, Eloise. Perhaps a little more to relax her rules for her a little. Yet, for some reason, Elaina always showed fear and awkwardness in her presence, causing Isabella to worry. "I am sorry, Moth¡ªMother," Elaina bit her tongue, but quickly regained composure and attempted to maintain a proper ladylike posture like her sister, though she wasn''t as skilled. "Mother, is Father at the mansion?" Eloise asked, sensing the tension between Isabella and Elaina and tried to shift the conversation. "Yes, he will be here any moment now," Isabella replied, giving Eloise a look. Eloise''s attempt to redirect the discussion seemed crude to Isabella, but she decided to let it go for now. Both sisters, especially Elaina, looked relieved to hear they weren''t the only ones dining together tonight. Isabella shook her head lightly, having witnessed it all. Soon, footsteps echoed outside, and a man with blond hair, red eyes, and a short beard entered the hall. He wore casual noble attire with a sword at his side. "Father, good evening!" Both sisters greeted him enthusiastically as he entered, but Isabella frowned slightly at the newcomer. "You''re late," She remarked.. "Ah, sorry-sorry, the guys at the regiment just won¡¯t let me go without a party. Allow me to apologise," he replied hastily. "W-wait, what¡ª?" Before Isabella could finish, he suddenly drew close and kissed her on the lips, surprising her into a soft moan. "Ouch... my foot! Hey!" She finally managed to step on his foot to break free, blushing furiously as she sat down alone. Glancing at her daughters, who were avoiding eye contact with reddened ears, Isabella wished she had stepped harder. Whenever she was with him, her carefully crafted image always suffered a casualty. "Shh... You''re all grown up, yet still so shy. What''s there to be shy about? We''re married." "I''m not thin-skinned, just not as shameless as you," The man, Edward Sterling, said as he sat down. Normally as the lord of the house, his seat would be at the centre of the rectangular table, but he moved it to sit beside Isabella, facing their daughters. "Why do they keep forgetting my position even after I''ve told them?" Isabella retorted with a resentful glare, embarrassed by his display in front of the children. "You shouldn''t change your seat so casually." "Oh, come on, you''re too strict. There are no outsiders here," Edward replied casually. He was a high knight and lord of the Sterling house, though he rarely behaved as such outside, if not for Isabella. "What about you two, Eloise and Elaina? Anything interesting happened today?" Edward asked. "Nothing noteworthy," Eloise said reservedly. "I finally caught that squirrel I''ve been after, and then..." Elaina, in contrast, shared every detail without hesitation. She also forgot about Isabella who also listened to her daughter running all over the forest and jumping the trees, becoming more concerned the more she listened. But she couldn¡¯t bear to stop her daughter with her cheerful face and so, decided to punish the main culprit besides her. "Ouch¡­ hey, I didn''t do anything this time," Isabella ignored Edward''s protest as she turned to Elaina, her youngest daughter. "Elaina, you''re too old to be chasing after squirrels or jumping from tree to tree. It''s not proper." She said after Elaina finished her words. "I won''t do it again," Elaina muttered, chastened by Isabella''s reprimand. Before Isabella could say more, Edward intervened. "Hey, come on, she was just having fun. When I was little, I used to chase birds all day in the Red Mountains," Edward interjected, leaning closer to Isabella. "I even caught a big bird there one time. Remember that?" Isabella gave her shameless husband another light kick under the table as the servants began serving dinner. The atmosphere lightened, and dinner continued merrily until Isabella decided to inform Edward about the letter from the Alliance. "Hm... You''re leaving tomorrow afternoon?" Isabella nodded. "Yes, the new vote for a new bill was about to be called. And then there''s a situation in the southern continent that the Alliance wants to brief us on. But since they''ve called for main representatives from every house to be present, I suspect there''s more to it than meets the eye." Her words made Edward frown. In normal situations, nothing good comes when the southern continent is mentioned. He didn¡¯t even remember how long it''s been since someone even mentioned them. They are after all like forbidden words in the Alliance. "Mother, is that the trip you were mentioning about before?" Eloise asked, wiping her mouth with a handkerchief. "Not just me, you''re coming along too," Isabella confirmed. Edward looked surprised. "You''re taking her with you?" "Yes, it''s not often we get the chance to go there. It''ll be good for her," Isabella said. "Hmm..." Edward seemed uncertain but didn''t object. "Get ready tonight, let the maids know what you need, they will do it¡­¡± Isabella then turned to Elaina, who seemed like she wanted to say something but still bowed her head. She sighed softly and gave up, saying, ¡°We''re not going for fun, and you''ll be bored there.¡± Isabella understood her daughter''s character well, reminiscent of her bold husband. Like him, Elaina enjoyed freedom whenever possible, a luxury not afforded at Alliance meetings. Isabella couldn''t permit Elaina to wander off while she and Eloise were occupied with the sessions. "Why don¡¯t you take her with you? She can stay by her uncle¡¯s side while you¡¯re busy," Edward suggested, glancing at his dejected daughter. On the off chance she didn¡¯t, he already planned to take Elaina exploring in the Red Forest. "Fine, just don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t warn you," Isabella relented eventually and stared at Edward "And if I hear you¡¯ve shirked your duties after we return, be prepared for consequences." "Hahaha," Edward chuckled dryly at her response. Soon after, Eloise and Elaina excused themselves and headed back to their rooms. Isabella was about to follow when Edward caught her hand, a sly smile playing on his lips. "Shouldn¡¯t we make the most of our time together, since we won¡¯t see each other for a while after today?" "Edward, I still have work to¡ª" Isabella began, but Edward disregarded her protests, sweeping her up in a princess-style carry and heading towards their bedroom. Along the way, he didn¡¯t hesitate to kiss her passionately, despite the presence of servants, leaving Isabella thoroughly embarrassed and a face wanting to die. **** ¡°Sis, what were you reading this early?¡± Elaina asked Eloise when they met the next morning on their way to the carriage. She noticed a book of about three hundred pages with a brown cover in her sister¡¯s hand. ¡°History of the five houses,¡± Eloise said, but then gave Elaina¡¯s clothes a look and pointed out, ¡°Why are you wearing these clothes like this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s easy to walk this way.¡± ¡°Walk or run? You will get earful from Mother again,¡± Eloise told her. Elaina, like always, tended to avoid noble attire with long skirts since she tripped over while running during her childhood. ¡°She will not,¡± Elaina said as she dismissed her sister, but her words sounded unconvincing, so she added, ¡°After all, it was brought by maids.¡± She looked at herself just to be sure. A tailored silk dress with a flared skirt that fell just above the knees. A modest neckline with delicate lace to add sophistication, with minimal accessories: blue stud earrings and a necklace. ¡°...she might be thinking to preemptively strike you,¡± Eloise¡¯s clothes looked opposite her little sister''s. A rich black dress with a long flowing skirt embroidered with intricate silver designs, a high neckline, and long, flowing sleeves. ¡°Haha¡­¡± Elaina gave her a short laugh. ¡°Anyway, enough with such talks. Sister, how many days do you think we needed to spend in the carriage to reach the alliance?¡± ¡°One hour,¡± Eloise returned to her book and simply replied, but the answer seemed to surprise Elaina. ¡°But didn¡¯t Mother say it would take some days just to reach the alliance?¡± ¡°She did,¡± Eloise nodded. ¡°Celestia, the city where the HQ of the Starry Sky Alliance is located, will take us two days to reach or about the time when you get a total of six meals consisting of breakfast, lunch and dinner.¡± ¡°...sister, though I don¡¯t read as many books as you do, that doesn¡¯t make me an idiot.¡± ¡°It didn¡¯t?¡± ¡°Big Sis,¡± Elaina said with a cheeky voice as she hugged her, ¡° You could ask Mother to stop somewhere fun, right? You won¡¯t allow me to get bored to death, right?¡± ¡°One more try at being cheeky and I will tell Mother you went for another squire chase in the morning,¡± Eloise pushed her back with her hand. ¡° Also stopping in between is impossible.¡± ¡°But aren¡¯t most cities being interlinked by rivers?¡± ¡°Yes, Some 2000 years ago, the alliance started a plan called the Nebula Gateway project, interlinking all capital cities home to one another and, most importantly, to Celestia. But since it''s an important trip, stopping in a different state capital city is almost impossible.¡± ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have told me that at first?¡± Elaina¡¯s words were ignored by Eloise, who sped her steps. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t ignore me.¡± Soon in between the sisters¡¯ talk, they arrived at the gate where both Edward and Isabella were already waiting beside the carriage. ¡°Morning, Dad¡­ah, what happened to your eye?¡± Eliana asked with a curious face. ¡°He fell after waking up,¡± Before Edward could explain the giant black ring around his left eye, Isabella answered for him, while also giving him a death glare. ¡°What about the marks on your neck? They looked like some cat¡¯s paw.¡± ¡°Y-yes, it was just a cat, I found one last night,¡± Edward said with quick successions, though he thought Isabella didn¡¯t need to punch him this badly. Wasn¡¯t it just some servants seeing them walking while hugging? No need to get violent over it. ¡° As for the eye, I fell from the bed, just like your mother said.¡± ¡°Are you sure? It looks like someone punched you badly, though,¡± Elaina asked with suspicion towards him. She felt like everyone considered her an idiot who would fall for such lies. ¡°Eloise, Elaina, we are leaving if there is nothing else that needs to be prepared anymore,¡± Isabella cut Elaina and Eloise¡¯s questions short. She felt her face might just burn off if she remained any longer. Eloise could read the mood, and Elaina simply dared not to question her mother, so they both nodded and got into a carriage with Isabella. ¡°Take care,¡± Edward waved at the fading carriage, which was more of a group of carriages with knights in front and back and separate carriages for luggage and servants. ¡°Well, since we have some time until we reach the port, get comfortable,¡± Isabella said inside the carriage to her daughters sitting opposite her. She half-closed the curtains after Edward was no longer visible and asked, ¡°How much do you know about the ship we plan to board?¡± She asked Elaina, who was busy looking out of the window. ¡°T-that..umm¡­a big ship on water¡­umm.¡± ¡°Sigh¡­Elaina, though I don¡¯t expect you to suddenly start reading books like Eloise, I do expect as the second daughter of Sterling to at least know their way of the journey and some background surrounding it.¡± ¡°Mmm...,¡± Eliana said. Fay, Isabella¡¯s maid, who was also inside the carriage handed them a cup of tea. The inside of the carriage was rather large, with enough space for a table in between the seats. Isabella motioned both of them to eat the sweets while saying, ¡°For now, we will be travelling on the streams of Nebula water systems. It¡¯s the fastest mode of travelling.¡± ¡°But mother, isn¡¯t water travel quite slow?¡± Eloise asked. As though she knew about them travelling with a ship over the river, she couldn¡¯t get this thought off her head. ¡°Normally yes. Eliana, adding too much sugar is not good for your teeth,¡± Seeing Eliana put the sugar cubes back with a reluctant face, Isabella continued, ¡° Normally, we should be using teleportation formations or spells to travel. But it''s very risky, and costly to maintain. And even more so as even one such formation requires heavy investment to be built and then they need to be rebuilt every year or so. So Alliance only uses it for very specific cases. Another way is to become a four-star mage but that¡¯s easier said than done. So the Alliance thought of something different to speed up travel.¡± ¡°Sigh¡­if only your personality were not like your dad¡¯s,¡± Isabella lamented as she found Eliana¡¯s eyes drifting away. She just hoped instead of wielding swords every day like her father, Elaina would give some time to read books. She decided to instead focus on her first daughter. ¡°Eloise, these days there are four houses for the title of ancient but originally they were five. Can you tell why?¡± ¡°That¡¯s because¡­after the Divine War, House of Coven Ashenmoon, one of the Ancient was expelled from the alliance, and their power declined from then on. They are now referred to as the pariah of the human race,¡± Eloise answered. She referred to the sanctions placed on Thar by the Alliance, forbidding any kind of trade or exchange with it. ¡°You both are right, but also wrong on some points. First, their power has not fallen as much as anyone would tell you. It couldn¡¯t happen because they could make their wizards, who occupy the top seats of Alliance. I cannot tell you everything now since I took an oath, but remember this. The reason wizards were considered superior to mages in almost everything is that they go through the Awakening Ceremony. Many do it at Oceania University, but the five Ancient Houses are the exception in this case. It is their ancestors who originally came together and created the whole ceremony, so naturally, each has know-how about the ceremony. Just this point alone makes them not weak.¡± Though Isabella attempted to explain to her daughters, she knew they didn¡¯t understand the true importance of having gone through the Awakening Ceremony and not going through it at all. But that¡¯s the limit she was allowed to say about this and so she skipped to the next point. "Secondly, they didn¡¯t get expelled from the Alliance; they gave notice of their withdrawal just a day before the Alliance voted for the war and also their official expulsion. And so, our next point¡­forget it, looks like you will just fall asleep if I continue," Isabella stopped herself, noticing Elaina''s almost closed eyes and Eloise''s evident confusion. "Anyway, remember this: that ceremony is a big deal and its knowledge can¡¯t be allowed to fall into other species'' hands. There were reports of imminent civil wars in Thar. That¡¯s why this meeting might have been called¡ªto discuss whether we should be involved or support any faction. Since the fall of Thar can be devastating to us if the Elves, the neighbours of Thar make a move and take control of the ceremony in the chaos." It was at that time that the carriage reached the river port and four of them disembarked. It was a big port, with many people going about their lives. But the eyes of two sisters caught the biggest ship at the port. The reason was not the body made of metal or the red mountain painted over it, but how the ship floated above water. It was suspended just above the water''s surface, not letting the water touch it at all. It made the ship stable against the swagging motions of river water. And if one concentrates a little more, one could see the water below the ship, shining with little light. It was the Alliances'' answer to slow movement across their territory. The very river itself was cast with magic to allow the flying ships. The ships travelling like this could travel even thousands of kilometres at speeds, but the ship of Sterling House was not designed for such speed. It was made more for comfort and protection than anything else. ¡°Let¡¯s go, otherwise it would sail without us,¡± Isabella said as she walked towards the ship. With others also hastily following behind. *** Chapter 21: Celestia And The Show (2) The ship was a marvel of an artefact enchantment and ship design. The whole ship from the outside looked like a sleek metal body and carried the crest of Sterling''s house. Its length would not exceed more than one hundred and fifty metres but was only to help with cargo loading and unloading. Inside was much more spacious the halls, though not large, weren''t cramped either and even the crew quarters were big enough, around that of a normal house in a land. Made possible by the use of spatial enlargement formations as well as those to stabilise the constant shaking of the boat. Among them, in the specially built luxury quarters, Isabella sat on her desk. On the other side, were the old-looking women with maid attire. She had wrinkles all over her exposed face but the eyes didn¡¯t have the cloudiness that matched her old body. She was Isabella¡¯s maid, Fay. ¡°So, had the alliance decided to pass the bill this time?¡± Isabella asked. The thing was, the assembly of stars had been called for a vote, but that call was not made for her. No, it was made for the maid sitting in front of her, the executive head of the territory under a house. Fay¡¯s vote was what counts and Isabella was bound to follow her advice in all matters. ¡° Yes, that is the case,¡± Fay said to her. ¡°It¡¯s long overdue.¡± ¡°Five decades to be exact.¡± Isabella looked at the draft on her desk. It was the bill that once passed would become a law. It couldn¡¯t be helped. The actual bill and conditions were long discussed by a separate meeting between the Head Maids and Butlers of each house. Even what they were supposed to vote for or against was also decided. For this very reason, the assembly was sometimes referred to as the rubber stamp assembly.¡° Life of Equality¡­ I still cannot believe it was the bill that came from that land.¡± ¡° Mistress, I suggest you not,¡± Fay said. The bill does more than what its names suggest. Five decades ago, slavery was the common norm in the alliance and much of the world. Of course, no one dared to put chains on a human''s neck, not the one who planned to live. But that didn¡¯t mean the market was not saturated with other races, beastmens, elves, dwarfs, mermaids, the list goes on. If the price was high enough, then in some dark underbelly of Alliance, humans too could be bought for. Humans, after all, are greedy beyond life and death. The bill was supposed to ban all kinds of slavery and put quite a lot of houses in tense situations. Their economies and much of their workforce after all were built on free, unpaid labour. But it was not the reason why people avoided discussion of that bill. It was the person who introduced it. ¡° Why not? Are you so afraid to say her name to those who did such good things? Or did you just not like this bill enough for that?¡± Isabella said as she grabbed a cherry from her plate beside the documents. ¡° I just don¡¯t want to remember the tragedy that it brought,¡± Fay said to her. She understood why Isabella was very interested in the bill. For without it, Isabella was once too sold on one such market. ¡° Right.¡± Isabella had nothing else to say. Their destination was already set in place in any case. It wouldn¡¯t change even if she wished for it. She just wanted to see what show Celestia brought this time. Fay meanwhile, sorted the papers across the table. The nitty-gritty of events are already discussed by them to death, but more could be done after reaching Celestia. It was then she remembered some words from the secret letter she received from there, and a small thought appeared in her mind. ¡®A lot of people might lose their cool this time.¡¯ *** ¡° Nah sis, do something,¡± Eliana said to Eloise in their room. She lay on the bed, upside down with her head falling off the bed. Her legs kept on moving up and down on the bed. ¡° About what?¡± Eloise asked, without looking up from the book in her hand. ¡° It¡¯s so boring here.¡± ¡° I see. How about you go for a walk?¡± Eloise already knew why her sister said this. For she was not used to staying in a place without moving her body. ¡° But I already tried that. I went up the deck to run but Mother told me not to until she was there too.¡± Eliana said with a sigh. ¡° She said I would fall into the water otherwise.¡± ¡°Run?¡± Eloise caught the word from her sister but still refused to look up. ¡° Anyways, what about the hallway?¡± ¡° It¡¯s crowded. If I hit somebody while running, Mother would be angry.¡± ¡°How about the lowest level? I heard there was some big storage space there?¡± ¡°Sis, you think I am a fool, aren¡¯t you?¡± Eliana sat up on the bed and eyed her sister with a raised chest. ¡° I already went there once but it was too dusty and I had to leave. It was the first place that I visited.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Eloise turned her page of the book. In a sense, she was almost baffled at her sister. She wondered if she had already visited everywhere on the ship while she had not even left the room yet. ¡°Sis, look what I found there.¡± Eliana on the other hand pulled a board from below the bedsheet. It was a game of ludo with dice. ¡° Sis, Sis, let''s play. One match, pretty please. Come on, just one match till you win.¡± She jumped over to her sister''s bed and kept pestering her till Eloise became so annoyed that she dropped the book and grabbed the cheeks of Eliana and stretched them wide. ¡°iiiiit huuuuurts!" ¡°No? How many times have I told you not to jump on my bed while I am reading?¡± ¡°Suuryy¡­¡± ¡°Also, where did you find this game in the first place?¡± ¡° ouch..it was the first thing in front of me when I opened the storage room,¡± Eliana said as she rubbed her cheeks with a teary eye. ¡° So which colour do you want?¡± Elaina didn¡¯t wait for her answer and started to set her the game. Eloise on the other hand noticed the board being brand new with shiny wax coating on the wood. She remembered her mother ordering some servants to buy some board in the morning and wondered if that was it. But she didn¡¯t say much about it as Eliana finished setting the game up. ¡° Only one round, ok.¡± ¡°Of course, you can win that round.¡± ¡°You will see.¡± It was needless to say, Eloise¡¯s luck turned out way worse than her little sister and thus the rounds kept on increasing. Because of that, she didn¡¯t notice that in the book that she had just read, the word next to Alliance¡¯s history quietly changed from Three thousand years to One thousand and Five hundred. *** The next day, Eliana was sitting near the window of her room and held a fishing rod while Eloise busied herself with snacks. Eliana doesn¡¯t want to go fishing, but this morning Isabella caught her trying to run on the deck and told her to go back to her room. Then she tried to do her sword training but almost damaged the walls of the room. At last, Isabella came and took her wooden sword away and handed her a fishing rod instead. She was too bored at this point as the scenery outside only consisted mostly of lines of trees on the river''s shores. Sometimes, they would pass by some cities, but due to their haste and speed, they didn''t stop at all. At this time, someone knocked on the door and a maid¡¯s voice came from outside.¡°Young Misses, the Mistress told me to inform you both that the ship will reach Celestia in half an hour.¡± ¡°Really? Finally, we can be done with this,¡± she said in a cheerful voice, replacing her earlier bored look. ¡°At least you can stop jumping at my bed,¡± Eloise said from the side. The initial excitement Eliana had felt had dried up after just one day on the ship. She couldn''t practise her swordsmanship for fear of damaging the vessel, which she had almost done. ¡°Sis, what do you want to buy from there? I heard there are many big shops,¡± Eliana asked with anticipation, handing the fishing rod to the maid. ¡°I have not decided yet but I plan to visit some libraries around there.¡± Eloise stood up and walked inside with Eliana. ¡°But I heard you can also find dwarf-made artefacts in Celestia.¡± ¡°Ah, I see. Do you think I could order custom-built magic armour at a shop?¡± Eliana''s eyes gleamed. ¡°I want it to have storage in the form of a pendant or earring when not in use.¡± ¡°You sure wish a lot,¡± As time passed, the ship drew closer to Celestia. The river banks shed their green and brown hue, and were replaced by rows of wooden buildings on the outskirts and stone buildings nearer the city. The rows of houses dotted the whole riverside and expanded much into the distance. ¡°Wow, look at all those ships,¡± Eliana said as she exclaimed. She was on the deck and was observing the variety of ships and boats of different sizes and flags coming and going. Most were smaller than theirs, but some were quite large, about five hundred metres long with a large open deck. ¡°Celestia acts as a hub and a capital for Humans, as well as a transit point for ships crossing Terralea,¡± Eloise who was beside her said as she explained. ¡°Most of these are cargo ships, like those larger ones.¡± Eliana looked at them again and saw that her sister was right. These larger ships were loaded with various wooden boxes visible on their decks. Unlike their own ship¡¯s ornate design, these ships had a more minimalist appearance. ¡°Mother, are we going to dock there?¡± Even Eloise seemed interested as she pointed towards the bustling harbour, a large structure made of metals and stone with ships queueing up, indicating a waiting list. ¡°No,¡± Isabella, sitting behind them, shook her head. ¡°We are a recognized family, so we have the right to develop our private port here.¡± ¡°Really? What does it look like? Is it similar to back home?¡± Eliana asked eagerly, but Isabella just smiled mysteriously. ¡°You''ll find out soon.¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± ¡°But I can tell you its port number in case you ever need to find it in the future¡ªPort Thirty-two.¡± Eliana looked ahead with anticipation, searching for the number Thirty-two somewhere. Eloise, however, asked a question that made Isabella¡¯s smile wide. ¡°Mother, what about those unrecognised noble houses? Do they have a common port too?¡± Though not very well-informed, Eloise knew there were Fifty-two recognized houses, but that didn¡¯t account for the total number of families, which exceeded hundreds of thousands. The alliance system worked on a territory under the rule of a single house whose position was hereditary. Meaning, the lord of a house was usually from the same house There were a total of Fifty-two territories ruled by Fifty-two recognised houses. It was the same for all steps below. Small towns and villages too had a family which ruled them as their lord but they were not recognised by the alliance. Given the number of ships coming and going, Eloise felt there had to be a separate port somewhere for them to dock in too as they too were invited to this session as observers. ¡°Look over there,¡± Isabella pointed to the smaller ships lined up behind a cargo ship, waiting their turn. Eloise tried to examine them closely. Although shabby and small, they were not cargo ships. ¡°If you look closely, the captain of that ship looks anxious. A while ago, he was shouting at his crew. Why do you think he did that?¡± The ship in question was three hundred metres away from them, and winds flowed right next to their ear on the deck. But all these were non-existent for someone of Isabella¡¯s strength. ¡°Because they smell bad?¡± Eliana jumped in her excitement, but fell silent under Isabella''s disapproving gaze. Eloise frowned and said, ¡°Frustration? Maybe because by the time it''s their turn to dock, the meeting will likely have already started.¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct,¡± Isabella nodded approvingly. ¡°So, there''s your answer. Unrecognised nobles share a port with traders and follow a strict first-come, first-served policy.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Both sisters were surprised. They hurried along the way since the invitation had come on short notice. Judging by the line, it could take anywhere from one day to several, but the meeting was scheduled for tomorrow evening. If they had to wait too long, they might miss it. As they looked around, they counted more than fifty such ships. ¡°Why? And what will they do if they can¡¯t get their turn?¡± Isabella said the question that was on her daughters'' minds. ¡°For the second question, missing the meeting could incur a penalty of anywhere from Three hundred to a Thousand gold coins, and repeated absences could lead to loss of membership.¡± ¡°Look, we are at our port. There¡¯s Port Thirty-two,¡± Isabella didn¡¯t answer the first question but pointed towards the port in the distance. Eloise and Eliana followed her gaze and were amazed at the sight. Unbeknownst to them, the wooden houses had completely disappeared from view, replaced by stone buildings that seemed to gleam in the sunlight. The paths and ports were similarly constructed with the same stones. Every port they could see, though larger in scale, surpassed anything they had seen before in terms of style and artistry, even back home. The Port Thirty-two Isabella had pointed out was adorned with art resembling some kind of floral pattern surrounding a knight statue, visible to ships docking there. The water itself looked pristine and crystal clear, allowing them to see white broken stones at the riverbed as they approached the area around the knight statue into Port Thirty-two. "Wow, so many fishes, but I think I have seen them somewhere," Eliana remarked, peering into the water. "They are the same fishes that are in our fountain¡­" Eloise said, equally surprised. Both were so taken aback by the contrast in scenery just a few metres apart that they forgot their previous questions and began to observe the distant city. Isabella watched them silently, choosing not to interrupt. She hadn''t answered Eliana''s earlier question because she knew it might dampen their spirits upon seeing such a beautiful sight. Alliance had been staunchly indifferent towards other houses, especially to unrecognised houses. Some even call it an unkempt disdain towards others. But Alliance doesn¡¯t care, it never did. Late due to short notice? Why not hurry up? No place to dock your ship because of heavy traffic? Well, try swimming to the shore; it''s what others do. Flying, jumping, or using small boats near the riverbanks is prohibited; the dockworkers handle the ships themselves. With a clear message, You''re not the first to swim across, and would not be the last either. For the Alliance, your attendance is all that matters. That¡¯s truly all that mattered. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. *** "Mistress Isabella, it was an honour to meet you again," A somewhat Fifty-year-old man in a butler''s dress greeted Isabella as soon as she stepped onto the port. He looked old, but his voice was still full of vigour. "I hope you had no difficulties during the journey." "Thank you, Jenkins," Isabella replied with a polite smile. "The journey was uneventful." Jenkins noticed the two sisters behind Isabella and also gave a respectful bow. "I see that the two young ladies are also here this time." "They are mostly here for a trip; I may need to trouble you later if I am unavailable." "It¡¯s my pleasure," Jenkins nodded and gestured towards the carriage already waiting at the gate. "Mistress." "Let''s go," Isabella said to her daughters and walked towards it. Jenkins walked behind with the two sisters, and gave a greeting to Fay. "Are there no knights in Celestia?" Elaina asked, noticing the absence of knights who usually acted as escorts during their travels. Instead, all she found was normal butlers standing behind Jenkins. "Lady Elaina, it¡¯s your first time here, so you might not know this, but these people are, in a sense, knights," Jenkins said, gesturing towards others similarly dressed in butler attire. "Just, the laws of Celestia prohibit private knights from acting as escorts, so they don¡¯t wear their armour or carry weapons like swords." "Isn¡¯t that illegal?" Elaina lowered her voice, which earned a small smile from Jenkins. "Young ladies need not fear, after all, the higher-ups in Celestia are too aware of this," Jenkins said full of confidence. ¡° We have quite an understanding between us.¡± "Do the Celestia higher-ups not care if we do such things?" Eloise also asked, observing the presence of these ''knights'' in such a clandestine manner. "Aren¡¯t they breaking their laws by doing this?" Jenkins hesitated, but Isabella stepped in to answer. "Not every law needed to be enforced with full force. The laws are just tools, ones that can always exist but require discretion from the men in question." Their carriage left as soon as they boarded, heading south of the city. But just ten minutes after they left, the carriage stopped. Isabella looked outside and found a small checkpost of knights and mages blocking the way. She turned to Jenkins who hastily bowed to her. ¡° I will check.¡± He said and stepped out. After a few minutes, he came back with a knight with armour behind him who also performed a salute as he saw her. ¡°Mam, sorry for this inconvenience. But it was a higher-up order, all carriages needed to be checked. Please understand.¡± He said with an apologetic tone. ¡° Do we have to disembark?¡± ¡° No, not at all.¡± The knight said the moment he heard Isabella¡¯s question. ¡° Just tell us what you have in the carriage and space artefacts. No need to be specific, just say clothes, food, etc. Anything related to weapons might need to be checked separately.¡± The reason for not being specific was the spell used by mages. It was a simple-sounding name, The Search Spell, but it was not to be underestimated. It could find out what and how much something was inside a space artefact. The only drawback was that it was not very specific. The mages thus had to ask about the things inside and then they could match that with their finding. Only in case of suspicion or specific intel did they search for more but needless to say, there was no need to suspect the person in front of him. Isabella nodded. She turned her head inside and looked at her daughter. ¡° Tell me if you got something in your space artefacts.¡± ¡° I have some books and clothes. ¡° Eloise said. ¡° I-I..¡± Eliana started to stutter when her space artefact was mentioned. Especially more as Isabella¡¯s eyes raised at her. ¡° S-some chocolates.¡± ¡° How much?¡± Isabella asked right away. She got a feeling something was not right. ¡° Um..a couple of hundred.¡± There were some tears in her eyes when she said so. She just got them from her father when she was leaving who told her not to tell Isabella. But now the deed was done. Her hands shook as brought her red-earning shaped space artefact and placed them in Isabella¡¯s extended hand, who took it away without saying anything. ¡°I would start the search then.¡± The knight who happened to watch had stopped his upcoming laughter and hastily walked away. With his words, a group of three mages formed a triangle around the carriage and chanted with a singular tone. In less than a minute, the whole carriage was surrounded by a magic circle from above which then came down on the carriage and passed through it into the ground. ¡° Alright, things seemed to match the descriptions. You are good to go. Have a nice trip in Celestia.¡± With that being said, the carriage started to move once again. It then moved without a stop when Eloise suddenly asked Isabella. ¡° Mother, aren¡¯t we a recognised family?¡± ¡°Name means nothing in Celestia. Don¡¯t bother mentioning it.¡± Isabella didn¡¯t say much and started to look outside. With not much chatter inside the carriage entered a big mansion with red walls. "Uncle Marcus!" Elaina exclaimed energetically upon seeing a middle-aged man waiting as they stepped down from the carriage. He resembled Edward but older, with unkempt haggard hairs and wrinkles on his face and a deep scar running around his neck with deep dark circles under his reddened eyes. He also used a heavy amount of perfume to hide the smell of alcohol from his body. "Look who¡¯s here," He said while giving Elaina a hearty hug. "How come you''re not tired after such a long journey?" "Because there was nothing to do on the boat, how could I be tired? I¡¯m not that old like you." "Ah, look, even the princess is calling me old these days," Marcus sighed, though those who knew him would say otherwise¡ªa High knight like him would hardly, if ever feel tired, even after running for thirty days. "It is a pleasure to see you, Uncle Marcus," Eloise said as she performed a respectful bow towards him from behind Elaina. "Eloise, as I always say, put some strength into your greetings," Marcus said with a deep frown. His words were quite the opposite of his response towards Elaina. "Sir Marcus, it''s a pleasure to see you again," Isabella stepped forward and said, "Eloise didn¡¯t go through knight training and is tired thus she couldn¡¯t perform her salute. She needs some rest." "Well, the rooms are already prepared," Marcus said curtly and without care. "Have the servants deliver your luggage to your rooms." "Eloise, Elaina, go to your rooms, I will join you after attending to some matters." The sisters didn¡¯t protest, and even energetic Elaina calmed down and hurried off with Fay. Marcus turned and walked towards his office, with Isabella following silently. Their relationship could be considered frosty and limited to business. One of the main reasons was Isabella''s background. For many reasons, Marcus had opposed it and wanted Edward to limit their relationship to that of a concubine. But Edward eventually took her as his first wife, though he later married a lady from the Riverside family, an unrecognised house. The very first moment they entered the office, Isabella¡¯s noise twitched as the heavy smell of smoke burned her lungs as well as the smell of alcohol that seemed to emanate from every furnisher in the room. Marcus walked towards his rather small table and started to make himself a drink from the bottle on the table. It was not until he drank a full glass did he speak again. "I suppose you already know the gist of the situation," Marcus got straight to the point "The meeting is scheduled for tomorrow evening." "I read the letter from the Alliance," Isabella said as she adjusted her breathing, "But since you called me, it must not be a simple briefing on the passing of the bill, is it? Was something bugging Alliance these days? They look tense from the knights on the streets. They even checked our carriage." Marcus paused at her words, and she noticed from his back that his shoulders trembled slightly. It took a while when he replied to her. ¡° Do you know about the barbarians of the South?" He sounded like he was asking her but not planning to wait for a response. "There are rumours that someone from that place is in Celestia. That¡¯s why the security has been tightened.¡± ¡°And why would they be here?¡± Isabella frowned at the words. Since Thar had pulled back from Alliance, they had not stepped a foot in the whole of Terralea. Their sudden presence raised many doubts in her. ¡° The guardian of the Ashenmoon Family. It is believed he will not last much longer." "Is it because of the Divine War?" Isabella was shocked at first, but then the reason became clear to her. The Thar Empire, which existed for thousands of years and claimed to be among the five ancient families, the pillars of Alliance, owed its status much of its existence to a single entity¡ªthe Ruler of Sands, Dusty Devil. The name sounded unimpressive, but it was the nightmare that had swallowed the Divine armies when they reached the foot of Oasis. The church has not dared to speak its name nowadays. "That beast which swallowed tens of millions of lives was at its end," Marcus made another drink for himself as he said so. "The others believe this time, the civil war is a direct result of this." "What does the Alliance intend to do?" Isabella said as she noticed Marcus¡¯s arms shaking whenever he mentioned Thar. Being the one pillar of Thar five decades ago, it''s stupid to say that Alliance doesn¡¯t care about things that happen there. On the other hand, Marcus was trembling even more so often. Every time Thar was mentioned, his tremor would increase by one. He couldn¡¯t stop himself from drinking more and more alcohol just to stay sane. "I asked Sir Victor about this, but he just advised me to settle in," Marcus said, as he finished another glass and right next moment, he started to light his cigar but after his constant shaking of his hands, he decided against it. "It also appears we will be meeting a representative from the Illusory Alliance. For this regard." "Why would they be here?" A deep frown appeared on Isabella¡¯s face and her feelings didn''t get settled as Marcus offered no clear answer. "Who knows? They are tight-lipped about all this." "Are they seriously considering involvement in Thar? Nothing good comes out when someone does so." "I don¡¯t think anyone dares, not anymore¡­" Marcus¡¯ words had something Isabella never noticed before, even at the time when she slashed her knife at him which left a scar on his neck. Fear. He was behaving way too strangely for someone who wasn¡¯t even afraid of death as he gulped a drink directly from the bottle this time, ignoring the person behind him. ¡°What happened to you?¡± She asked tentatively but Marcus stopped responding to her. She waited but he only drank as if there was no one else in the room. At last, she could only resign herself and leave him alone. "I think you need more rest. I will meet you tomorrow." Isabella said and started to leave. She felt he was too tense and drunk, but then again, he had been known to be a useless alcoholic for as much as she could remember. That¡¯s why her husband, Marcus¡¯ younger brother got to be the head of the Sterling house and not him. "Everyone had lost their minds." Seeing her gone, Marcus started to furiously chug down a new bottle of alcohol like there was no end. *** "Mistress, is there something you would need help with?" Just outside, Isabella found Jenkins waiting at the door. ¡° I hope Sir Marcus wasn¡¯t rude to you today.¡± ¡° What happened to him?¡± She asked while walking. ¡°Well, you see, he was a little involved in the Divine war. And so¡­¡± Jenkins left some words unsaid. ¡° I never heard about it.¡± ¡° It was not as a combatant, he just went to bring back his friend one time. And he never talks about it¡­¡± ¡°He said someone from Thar has come here. Who is he talking about? He seemed to be getting some kind of paranoid about it." "If they have, I haven''t heard about it, not for years at least," Jenkins said and lowered his voice. ¡° But some rumours say that the abundant house of Celestia was cleaned some time ago.¡± He stopped there and didn¡¯t elaborate further. *** Isabella left Jenkins at that, sometimes, it''s better not to dig too deep into things. Thus she left Marcus¡¯ paranoid to the back of her mind and followed another servant who swiftly led her to her daughters¡¯ rooms. Their rooms were side by side and looked nearly identical, but Isabella decided to enter Eloise¡¯s room, just to be sure. The first thing she was greeted with was Eloise sitting on the chair and Eliana, jumping high on her bed. Isabella¡¯s eye then contracted and time slowed for her a little. Eliana was still up in mid-air when Isabella moved with breakneck speed, got just below her and caught her in her arms. She got a little amused as her daughter¡¯s face started to change from joy to shock to panic in slow motion as she slowly rotated her body and before Eliana knew it, she was sitting in front of Isabella with her back facing towards her. ¡° You would get hurt if you jumped like this.¡± Isabella''s hand was holding a small comb from somewhere and she started to go fix Eliana¡¯s hair with it. ¡°Eeehh¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make weird noises.¡± "Mother, how did the meeting with Uncle Marcus go?" Eloise asked her at this time. As Isabella worked on Elaina¡¯s hair, she found her elder daughter sitting in front of her. She was relieved to see that the room was much like any guest room back at their manor in Redcliff. "He didn''t have exact details, but that was as expected," Isabella answered and then asked the girl in her arms. " What are you doing in your sister¡¯s room?" "She was bored in her room," Eloise said as Elaina still seemed to be too shocked to answer. "Well, don¡¯t take your uncle¡¯s previous comments too seriously, he simply prefers the path of knights over that of mages," Isabella said a lie to hide the complicated reason behind his dislike. Then she put Elaina to the side and motioned for Eloise to sit in front of her instead. As she worked on her long hair, Isabella tried to find something positive to say about Marcus, despite his clear preferences. Eloise seemed unperturbed and simply replied, "I understand." "Sigh, if only your little sister were as understanding as you, many of my troubles would have ended¡­" Isabella glanced at her younger daughter. "And how long are you going to behave like a statue?" "I will not jump again," Elaina said tentatively. "Mother, are we still visiting the market tonight?" Eloise asked while Elaina sat on the bed, her ears tuned in to her mother¡¯s words, swinging her legs happily just moments ago. "Not tonight," Isabella replied. Elaina looked disappointed, but her spirits lifted when Isabella added, "We''ll go tomorrow. Both of you need to rest today." "Really? Where are we going? The dwarf armour shop?" "No, first we''ll visit the clothing stores; we need to get you some nice clothes," Eloise interjected, seizing the opportunity to refine Elaina¡¯s fashion sense, since her mother wasn¡¯t inclined to do so herself. "But, sis, I already have clothes at home." "Oh? Then tell me how many," Eloise challenged, causing Elaina to falter. "I have... about three outfits." Eloise gave her a look and turned to Isabella. "Mother, doesn''t this seem more serious?" "It does. Looks like we''ll need to visit the clothing stores first thing in the morning," Isabella agreed, feeling that Elaina could no longer be trusted to choose her clothes. "Are you coming with us, too? Isn¡¯t the meeting scheduled for the evening?" Eloise questioned Isabella, concerned that her mother¡¯s absence might affect the meeting, which would take up the entire day. "Fear not," Isabella reassured them both, affectionately rubbing their heads. "I¡¯ll be with you most of the day until the meeting begins. After I leave, you two can continue on your own." "Then let¡¯s visit the weapon shops first!" "No, we need to get you some clothes first." "But you''ll take hours choosing them!" "Alright, don''t argue. We¡¯ll just have to be quick," Isabella said firmly, rising from the bed. "Now, rest a bit while I take care of a few things." As Isabella closed the door behind her, she could still hear her daughters bickering inside. She shook her head and turned to Jenkins who once again happened to be outside, waiting in the hallway. "Bring me a summary of recent events in Celestia from the past month, including arrivals and those expected soon among the recognized families." She said to him. "Mistress, those are already being delivered to your room." "And also¡­ provide me with a list of local parks around here." "I''ll have them brought to you promptly. But is there a specific need?" ¡° I am hoping they have some cute animals in it. Like squirrels.¡± Jenkins gave her a look. She didn¡¯t look like someone who would find them interesting. His concern seemed to have been taught by Isabella too. ¡° Eliana will be alone when we go to the assembly. I suppose you can take her there in the meantime.¡± She then handed him a red earring, the one she took from Eliana. ¡° Here¡¯s some sweets for her. Just don¡¯t let her eat too many at the same time. Jenkins noted Isabella¡¯s requests carefully as he followed behind her. Once she had finished, he added in a respectful tone, "Mistress, please rest assured. Despite any differences between Sir Marcus and yourself, they won¡¯t affect the well-being of the household¡¯s children. In fact, despite his earlier words, Sir Marcus made sure personally that Miss Eloise and Miss Elaina¡¯s rooms were equally comfortable." "...I see," Isabella replied quietly after a moment of silence. Jenkins wisely refrained from saying more on the matter. They both continued down the hallway, disappearing from view. *** Chapter-22: Celestia And The Show (3) "Mistress, breakfast will be ready soon." Isabella glanced up from her documents and looked at the person who asked her this question, Fay, her maid. Her tired eyes peeked at the window of her room. Unknowingly, the entire night had passed while she was engrossed in her work. "Are Eloise and Elaina awake?" she asked. "Yes, they''ll be waiting for you at the table. But Sir Marcus said he won¡¯t be able to attend the breakfast today.¡± "I see." Isabella rubbed her eyes and glanced back at the remaining pages. "Tell them both to eat on their own. We still have some work to finish." "Yes, Mistress." Fay nodded and turned to leave. "Would you like me to bring you something to eat?" "Something light." Isabella felt extremely lethargic and hungry after working through the night, but with her workload, a light meal seemed the only option. "After they finish eating, have the maids prepare Eloise and Elaina. We''ll be leaving the manor at Ten o''clock." Fay bowed and left. Isabella refocused on the papers spread across her table, feeling a headache coming on. The documents were dense with information and meticulously detailed, but Marcus''s staff hadn¡¯t summarised them yet, possibly due to the short notice. The pages stretched with unbroken lines of text, enough to lull an unaccustomed reader to sleep. After sifting through numerous documents, she learned that the Sterling family was the second-to-last to arrive in Celestia. Others, including the Church members, had arrived a day earlier. Thinking of the Church made Isabella frown. She wondered if their invitation was related to matters concerning Thar. The Eternal Radiant Sun, as the church was formally known as, despite being a longstanding ceremonial member of the Alliance, hadn''t been invited to a meeting in her memory. They had been suppressed at every possible turn since the Divine War. She could guess a thing or two as to why. Alliance never liked someone challenging their authority. And the church had grown far too big for its good. In the war, they pulled no less than Eleven million people from war in a short time. A number Alliance couldn¡¯t ignore. Pushing these thoughts aside, Isabella continued her work. Some time later, Fay returned with a light meal, breaking her concentration. It included a variety of hearty fruits and grains, warm bread slices, juicy oranges, and a bowl of steaming porridge garnished with nuts and honey. The vibrant colours of the food stood out against the monotonous paperwork. By the time Isabella finished eating, it was already late, and she needed to prepare herself. With only a short time left for their trip, she set about getting ready. *** "Mother, are you sure it''s okay for you to come with us?" Eloise asked, settling inside the carriage, observing Isabella deeply engrossed in thick documents that rivalled the size of the books she usually read. "You seem very busy." "Don''t worry," Isabella said without looking up. "I just need to finish these last few pages. I''ll be done before we reach the shop." Elaina, seated by the window, had been quiet, watching her mother work. As the carriage entered the bustling streets, her eyes widened in awe. People hurried through the streets in a ceaseless stream, a sight that fascinated her. "Sis, look over there," she said to Eloise in a whisper so as not to disturb their mother. "Doesn''t that look like a dwarf?" "He''s just a short person," Eloise replied flatly after glancing at the individual in question. The figure was small, with shoulder-length hair, dressed in a crisp blue shirt and brown trousers. All dwarves have three red teardrop-like markings beside their eyes, but the person Eliana pointed to had none. "Oh..." Undeterred, Elaina continued to observe outside, soon spotting other races besides humans. "Sis, sis, looks there¡¯s a big cat. Let¡¯s go and pet it!" "You mean beastmen, right?" Eloise said, noting their unnatural cat-like ears, hairy bodies, and distinctive long tails. "Catfolks, to be precise." "Wow," Elaina exclaimed in amazement. "Don''t they look quite different from the Beastmen we saw in one port while passing? Where are their collars?" Eloise inspected their necks and confirmed their lack of collars. "They''re adventurers," Isabella said as she finally put down her documents, and looked outside.. "Look closely at their attire. Though unarmed, they wear light leather armour beneath their casual clothes. Plus, higher-ranking Beastmen rarely dressed like that when coming to Celestia. But realistically, no important beastmen would come here." "Why not?" Elaina asked innocently, she heard from her father that beastmens were born stronger than humans. In her mind, there was no reason they wouldn''t be allowed anywhere, but Eloise''s perspective was less naive. "They''re highly valued." "Exactly," Isabella affirmed, giving Eloise a nod, then explaining to Elaina, "Just like the slaves you have seen some time back. It¡¯s actually less prevalent these days but during past times, almost every beastmen had a price on him." When she finished, a slight frown appeared across her fair face for an instant as some old memories flooded into her mind. But it was only for a short moment. "Mother, can we go meet them?" Elaina asked eagerly. "No, most of them don''t like interaction with humans. Besides, we''re here to shop for your clothes." The carriage pulled up in front of a grand multi-story building with large glass windows showcasing various aristocratic attire, predominantly for women. The artistic clothing featured multiple luxurious clothes of a multitude of different coloured fabrics adorned with intricate lace, delicate beading, and a palette ranging from deep jewel tones to soft neutrals. Many dresses of all sorts and sizes were displayed from the glass which was as clean as it could get. Both sisters¡¯ eyes sparkled at the sight. Isabella smiled at their excitement and ushered them inside. "Come on, or are you two going to keep staring?" "Wow, they look so soft, Sis. I''m afraid they''ll tear up if I run with them." "Then don''t run. They are not made for that." ¡° Hello, how can I help you?¡± As they entered, a female attendant greeted them, ready to guide them through the store. ¡° Get me the best you have for these two.¡± Isabella then once again got busy with her lengthy day, this time starting to dress her daughters like dolls. To say she didn''t enjoy the look on both Eloisa and Eliana coming out from the dressing room would be a big lie. She only found it a pity that Edward was not here, otherwise, her joy could have been even more. " Mother, isn''t it good already?" Elaina almost pleaded with her big eyes and crumbling face after spending three hours on the thirtieth dress. " We should take it." " Since you like it, we will get it." " Huh, finally..." She just released a breath of sigh. At last, she could escape the hell of trying not-so-exercise-friendly dresses and go for a real shopping trip instead. But her small thoughts were short-lived. "Now try this one..." Isabella suddenly handed her another dress to try. Elaina looked at Fay standing behind her mother with a mountain of clothes in her hand. For a moment she asked herself why she didn''t just stay back home. " Sigh..." She turned her head down in defeat, and took the new dress from her hands and went back to the dressing room. Eloise was no better than her, but she had more interest in dresses than Elaina and so was not so troubled. "Sis..." " What..." Inside the changing room, Eloise was looking at herself in the mirror when she heard Elaina''s words. " Say something to Mother. If we keep going like that, we will be here for the whole day." Seeing her sister¡¯s ignorant smile directed towards her as she turned full circle in front of the mirror, Elaina knew what she was asking. "We can go to the bookstore next, or anywhere as soon as we leave this place. Sis, I noticed a book with the history of mages.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say it before?¡± Eloise agreed quickly as she stopped what she was doing and moved out. She didn''t plan to miss out on such an offer. "Why did both of you suddenly leave the dressing room?" Isabella asked them, just as they appeared, "Mother, I think it would be better if we go to the next store now. There''s a really rare book out there." "Alright then, let''s go to the bookstore next," Isabella said with a smile on her face, it''s not every day when Eloise asks her for something. Thus, Isabella was more than happy to comply. Besides, the time for the assembly was coming closer and they had less time to spend now. **** "Do you not understand you are here for a meeting and not some shopping trip?" Marcus said to Isabella with an irritated face when she, along with Eloise and Elaina returned to the mansion. It was already late in the evening by this point, leaving only an hour before the scheduled meeting. Isabella didn''t refute his words but simply said, "Let''s go. We shouldn''t waste any more time." Marcus continued walking toward his carriage but stopped when he realised that Eloise was following them. "Are you taking her along too?" he asked Isabella. "Yes," Isabella replied. "That was why I brought her here." " Whatever, it''s not like our job was anything serious or something. Just tell her not to open her mouth there." " You don''t have to worry about that," Marcus said, climbing into the carriage. One thing he was glad about was that Eloise seemed to be quite well-behaved. Eloise seemed to take after her mother more than a certain someone he could remember and didn''t need to be worried about any embarrassing situations or, more importantly, offending someone like his brother used to do. Isabella and Eloise followed suit, hopping into their carriages right behind Marcus and heading straight towards the Celestial Palace, the building where the meeting was supposed to take place. It was roughly twenty minutes away from there. " Do you remember what Marcus just said?" Inside the carriage, Isabella asked Eloise, who was waving to Elaina. Eloise nodded. "Although it doesn''t sound too serious and won''t be a serious punishment if you do, one mustn''t speak carelessly about anything or any house, especially ancient houses as others may interpret hidden meanings within casual words, which is often the case in these types of places." Eloise nodded solemnly before her mother and said, "Be diplomatic." " See, now you can talk." Isabella gave her a praising remark. As their carriages kept inching closer to their destination, Isabella continued to brief Eloise on some important points to remember. It was about half an hour when they again stepped out of the carriage and Eloise felt a deep feeling for the first time. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Grand, this was what Eloise felt when she stepped down from the carriage and gazed at Celestial Palace, the meeting hall of the alliance. Its pillars were as thick as seven people side by side, with hundreds of white towering steps leading to the gates. They stood at its northeastern gate, one of the five main gates of the palace. Before they even started to climb up the stairs, they were greeted with a big sword and shield embedded in the ground. "That''s the sword and shield wielded by the First Grand Knight," Isabella explained to her before motioning her to bow in front of it. Eloise quickly bowed respectfully to it, along with Marcus, Isabella and Fay. Each five gates of Celestial Palace had something in front of the very first step. Each with its significance to the alliance''s history. Slowly, they started to climb up, and as she reached the top, Eloise had a new understanding of the palace. Its ceiling was too high, with walls depicted with beautiful drawings of various knights. Like ants in front of humans, the sheer scale of it all made her feel tiny. But Eloise felt something strange about it all, from the glossy floor to the high, dark ceiling above with lights-shaped orbs that twinkled like stars. The whole building exuded beauty and architectural marvel, but something felt off. She looked again at every corner of the building, and then suddenly it dawned on her¡ªthe design and architecture. It was too big, the pillar''s thickness would need at least seven people of Marcus¡¯ size to encircle. The ceiling was also grand, about twenty metres, a needless endeavour. And then there were veins like stone engraving that wrapped around the pillars to reach the sky. It was almost night with the sky outside getting dark but these veins released soft blue light from the stems and red from their flowers which then dimmed to nothing. It looked as if the whole building was alive with a breathing motion. As they reached the hallways, they were greeted with a stone statue of a knight with heavy armour, made of completely white stones, hanging its blade above their head. They had to pass from below it to go inside, leaving behind a feeling of insignificance compared to the massive palace and the darkness above, punctuated only by the stars. When she looked at the painting on the walls, her pupils expanded as her consciousness started to waiver. Before she knew it, she was no longer in the hallways but in a valley. A barren valley with black rocks and few sprouts of green grass. Her eyes expanded wide and shook as they showed a rare emotion, panic. But even before that, the ground started to shake, and rocks started to fall. She too fell to her knees. She felt pain in her knees as she fell but she ignored that and started darting her head around the surroundings. ¡° It looks like he is here.¡± A voice reached the now dismayed Eloise. She looked up, and found a man with a devil''s mask that covered half of his face. Even his eyes too were kept hidden by a cloth on the mask. His whole body too was covered by mostly black with an occasional deep red stained dress. The red colour, she first thought it was colour but the distinct smell of acrid-iron like smell made her know, it was the dried blood that spilled from the torn holes of his dress. ¡° You look pathetic.¡± The man said as he found fear in Eloise¡¯s eyes and ran his left hand through his high collar. The termour on the other hand kept on increasing. She could feel it, something huge, heavy was coming towards them. The rocks fell more and more like the whole valley might collapse the next moment. ¡±Go and run towards there. If you are fast enough, you will meet the knight regiments protecting the retreating human convoy.¡± He pointed to his left. It led towards what she could tell was a cave. She could feel a piercing eye looking at her whole body despite not seeing them up front due to the mask. It was chilling that made her sweat like crazy. She knew this feeling well, it was when her mother taught her to be careful of what she called, a killing intent. She was trained to notice the intent of anyone out to harm her. Thus she knew this man wanted her dead. Her heart thumped like no end. She couldn¡¯t barely find any strength as she tried to stand up but failed. While she tried so, the man was not finished. He pointed to his right, the one that leaves towards a distant forest. ¡° But if you don''t like knights, go there. The mage regiment is leading another group from here.¡± Seeing her not able to get up, he looked away. ¡° Forget it, it''s too late for you now.¡± Eloise on the other hand felt something different, along with the shaking of the ground, an invisible pressure descended upon her. A pressure that made her hard to breathe, with a burning sensation that washed over the skin. It was getting too hot, and she could smell the rotten smell of sulphur. And kept on increasing more and more, along with the shaking, until she found the source of all of this. From the far end of the valley, a giant some Eighty metres in height peeked out with his equally big head. Its head was that of a ferocious beast, with a long pointed nose and sharp teeth with big ears. She couldn¡¯t see his eyes because they were not there. Instead in place of eyes, were two blue flames in contrast to his whole body which was red hot like flowing magma. Her now dry lips barely scrambled to form one word. ¡° T-Titan!?¡± These were the last words that she uttered as her vision started to distort when some words entered her ears. ¡° No, just his slave.¡± Before she knew it, she was back in the hallways. ¡°Take deep breaths.¡± She heard her mother¡¯s voice who was supporting her body. She took a deep breath to calm her tumultuous feelings. She then found the painting on the walls shining with small blue light but it was getting dimmer and dimmer. She then looked back at her mother and motioned her to not worry. Everyone was looking at her while she sorted out her thoughts. "Feeling better now?" Isabella asked. "...I''m okay," Eloise replied. "Mother, what..." "We can talk later," Marcus interjected, his tone sharper than usual. " Let''s go," Isabella said, and Eloise could only nod and follow. "Don¡¯t worry about what happened just now. We will talk after getting home." Isabella said as she started to walk Eloise with Marcus. Eloise felt she did something she shouldn¡¯t but didn''t know what as Isabella just walked without elaborating much on the earlier scene, leaving her puzzled. She felt their speed was a little faster than before but she dismissed such thoughts. Behind her, the old maid Fay who was walking silently suddenly felt her left hand burning. Beneath her white glove, the complex circular magic circle was pulsating with mana, which then travelled through her hand and into her mind. It was a direct communication magic that was used in case of emergencies. Her eyebrows shot up as her old face flashed with a brief astonishment which was quickly hidden by her. She then walked closer to Eloise and asked in a whispered voice. ¡° Are you ok, young lady? You can tell me if something happened.¡± ¡° Yes, I am. It''s just..¡± Eloise said with knitted brows as some hesitation flashed across her face. She looked at the back of her mother and decided to ask Fay. ¡° Do you know about those murals? They felt¡­different.¡± ¡° I do know some things. These are not just murals but also trail grounds. Or at least they used to be.¡± Fay looked to her right, a man too big to be human was walking towards an army of ants of what she knew were humans. ¡° It was a gift of Gaia to humans before the dawn of the Alliance.¡± Eloise too had read about it. The Age of Titans or what the Alliance referred to as, The Age of Darkness. It was the time when humans were not united under five stars but divided among many nations. But she didn¡¯t know if it was her misconception, that she felt Fay¡¯s mouth curved down ever so slightly with her words that seemed to be laced with disdain. ¡° Power people of that time used to send their children, mostly about eleven years old. Here they used to undergo trials of life and death. In hopes of getting some pity from the Titans. For knights, they need to look into these walls. While mages need to look at the ceiling.¡± Fay pointed her fingers at one of the knights in the mural who was bowing in front of a mountain. ¡° Look at him. Named Argus, who had just returned after killing his wife and children who refused to bow to Titans. A worthy slave indeed.¡± ¡° Was it that brutal?¡± Eloise looked at Fay with wide, shaking eyes. She remembered the red giant which was peeking from the valley and her breathing started to increase. ¡° Yes. Even among those who survived, many were left crippled.¡± Fay tapped Eloise¡¯s back and used a small calming spell on her which helped her return to normal. ¡° But you don¡¯t have to worry. The Alliance limited the power of this palace and now it shouldn¡¯t be affecting humans even if they are drawn in.¡± ¡° Why didn¡¯t they just seal it for good?¡± Eloise, who was now back to herself, felt some doubts about the intentions of Alliance. She felt the magic used in this palace seemed to be waving. ¡° They sealed it before. But they reopened it later.¡± Fay¡¯s word filled Eloise more than it solved. She planned to ask some but was interrupted by words from her mother. ¡°Because they found better use for it.¡± Isabella gave Fay a side glance but still mainly talked to Eloise. ¡° Alliance¡¯s knight and magic techniques were getting more and more powerful at that time, which made other races anxious. So they laid a trap. They created a flawed version of their techniques and mixed it with the power of Titans and then called a first meeting of alliance here and invited other races to attend. Needless to say, some of those races entered the trial by ¡®mistake¡¯ and felt that Titan¡¯s power was hidden in these murals. Now, they too could get a share of it.¡± When she finished speaking, she found Eloise¡¯s eyes becoming wide with shock. It couldn¡¯t be helped, she was shocked at the brazenness by which Alliance conducted their plan more than anything. She asked in a meek voice. ¡° How did they react when other races found out?¡± ¡° What do you think?¡± Isabella asked with an air of dismissal. ¡° Alliance said, ¡®If guys were getting thrown into some random trials, why did you keep silent about it for all these days? If you had told us earlier, we would have curbed the power of evil Titans¡¯, or so. At that time, the Alliance''s army was already on their border, so they had no choice but to suck it. That¡¯s why they no longer bring their younglings into Celestia these days.¡± ¡° Well, it was all in the past,¡± Fay said as tried to reassure Eloise about the trials. ¡° But worry not. Even back then, Alliance made sure nothing happened to humans if they got dragged into trials. Just, maybe you can have a nightmare or two.¡± ¡°Huu¡­¡± Eloise released a breath of relief. A nightmare or two was nothing compared to what Isabella and Fay just described to her. She also got a new understanding of the workings of Alliance. At the very least, they seemed to be bold enough to plan other races with no conscious. After all, it takes years to become a powerhouse. The number of talents other races might have lost wouldn¡¯t be small at all. ¡° By the way, what did you see inside?¡± Fay suddenly asked her as they were at the end of the hallway. Her question made Isabella frown a little and even Marcus¡¯ ears twitched a little. None of the duo was a fool, they could guess Fay talked all this just to ask this one question. ¡° It was a valley with some red giant coming towards me.¡± Eloise on the other hand felt a little strange but still answered. ¡° A guy in devil masked was also there wit¨C¡± ¡°What did you say!? A devil mask?¡± Marcus¡¯ shout cut her words short. She flinched a little as Marcus suddenly turned around and stared at her. His body was agitated with rapid breaths and shook like no end. ¡° You are lying! Stop lying! There¡¯s no way you could have met one.¡± ¡° Behave yourself. We are in the palace.¡± Isabella said, moving her hand between Eloise and Marcus. Her words were unusually cold and Eloise felt the same pressure she once did in front of that masked man. Her actions seemed to have worked, as Marcus¡¯ body backed off with his eyes getting back to normal. He looked at the slightly whitened face of Eloise, turned back and walked ahead. ¡°Mistress, please forgive him. He has a slight paranoia of Wizards.¡± Fay said to smooth things over. Isabella didn¡¯t care but started to check Eloise instead. Her face started to regain her lost blood from earlier. ¡° Was it really a wizard you saw there? He didn¡¯t do anything strange, right?¡± Isabella asked her in a concerned voice to which she shook her head. Only after seeing this did Isabella release her back. She looked at Fay and asked with a deep frown. ¡° Why is there such a thing in these murals? They were just supposed to be only knights and mages. Not wizards.¡± ¡° I don¡¯t know. Probably a rogue wizard. You know how difficult it is to control them.¡± Fay said with a bow. She too doesn¡¯t know why a wizard left such a trail in the murals or if it''s the only one. She rubbed her left hand from above the gloves and relayed the message back to the person who first contacted her. It seemed to her that the Celestial Palace might be locked after tonight. ¡° Mom, is there something wrong with wizards?¡± Eloise asked as both Isabella and Fay stayed silent for a while. ¡° Yes and no. Each wizard has a dual personality disorder.¡± Isabella said after some thought from what she remembered about wizards. ¡° Usually, when they don¡¯t wear a devil¡¯s mask, they are on their holidays and usually remain as any other person. But when they wear the mask, their personality starts to twist. They stop considering any value to human lives or their suffering.¡± Isabella gave Eloise a deep look and said slowly. ¡° Remember, if you find someone who claims to be a wizard. Stay far away. None of them are good people. None of them.¡± ¡° Um..¡± Eloise nodded at her mother¡¯s serious words but she felt a small doubt. Why? Isabella didn''t plan to answer and started to walk again. She looked at Fay, who bowed to her with an apologetic face. ¡° Please forgive me for earlier. I should have been more careful.¡± ¡° No, it''s not your fault.¡± ¡° Still. Please forgive me.¡± She bowed again and then thought about something to make up when her left hand burned again and she got another message. ¡° Do you know about the Astral Battlefield?¡± ¡°The plane detached from our world?¡± Eloise said with a thought. The place was not a secret. About every recognised family sends their members there once a time. But what she didn¡¯t know was that it was a place where the Alliance was fighting a genocidal war for much of its history. That war was still ongoing. ¡°Yes. There our worlds collide with that of two more worlds. One is ruled by a demon race and another by sub-humans who claim to go against the heavens or whatever that''s meant. They all have different worlds, probably different from us but still, they exist. Thus, have you ever thought about it? If there are two more worlds different from ours, couldn¡¯t there be more?¡±. Her words made Eloise stare with wide eyes. She never thought of it like that. But it sounds logical, if there was a place like Astral Battlefield where three worlds collide, then who says there couldn¡¯t be more? ¡°Wizards have some ways to travel to different worlds. And that¡¯s why all have slight problems with their personalities. They call those worlds Dreams.¡± Fay said in a hushed voice. ¡° Let¡¯s keep this a secret between ourselves, ok?¡± Fay smiled at the end. She didn¡¯t know why she was allowed to tell Eloise these secrets but since she got her orders, she doesn¡¯t mind telling. ¡° Let¡¯s speed up. Otherwise, we will be talking here all day.¡± Isabella suddenly said when Eloise was about to open her mouth again. She then sped up and Fay followed right after. They didn¡¯t plan to talk anymore and Eloise had no choice but to keep silent and follow after them. As they walked some more hallways, Eloise again felt this palace being needlessly huge but it was not something she was actively keeping track of. During the course, Isabella was walking beside her, making sure she didn¡¯t get dragged into another such trail. In the end, they found Marcus near the door, talking with two attendees. "House of Sterling," Marcus said the moment they arrived. He presented the Sterling house seal to the person at the door. The person inspected it, making a small movement that caused the seal to emit a faint glow, before handing it back and saying, "I fear not the darkness ahead of us!" "For we are guided by the stars above!" Marcus, Isabella, Fay and Eloise responded simultaneously, before proceeding into the meeting hall. Chapter-23: Celestia And The Show (4) " Wow..." These were the only words Eloise could utter when entering the meeting hall. A hall not less in grandeur, beauty and size when compared to its gate outside. The hall was divided into two wells, one upper and one lower. She walked into the lower one. The room was beautifully lit with light from stars drawn at the ceilings that shined their lights on the floor below which had a lifelike map of the world drawn on it with all three continents. Terralea at the centre with its land that goes all the way to the northern hemisphere with the iconic hexagonal division of territories using waterways that marked the areas of human control. A continent in the south, which was almost as big as the first one but seemed to be divided between two colours of Yellow and Green. And at last, another continent to their west, the unexplored continent which was fully covered in green. It was about half the size of Terralea with a big boiling volcano in the middle, called New Dawn, surrounded by different Island Chains. As she stepped on the blue ocean, it created small waves even though the ground felt very solid. She stepped some more, a little more forcefully than before and the waves crashed on the distant shores of the continent. She wanted to step more but seeing others walking ahead she decided to not do that. Following Marcus, Isabella, and Fay, she was soon able to find their seat. It was ahead but still within the map, which was stretched till the end of a semi-well-shaped hall. Their seats happened to be above the blue ocean. Isabella and Marcus decided to offer pleasantries to people sitting adjacent to them. The hall was already filled with small chatters and the back and forth of maids and butlers serving wines and snacks. She found the layouts of the seats very interesting, with the main platform having a big table at the front facing towards them. Behind them, the walls had five different flags that dropped down from the top and took up special focus from the start light as if to highlight them. The flags bear their respective family crests and were in mainly five colours. Amber Red with the mark of claws, Silver metal with a broken shield, Neon Blue with an old dried wand, Deep Purple with a wand and a sword that made a cross symbol and Khaki with a figure of a human at the centre. The last one looked more dirty and also worn out in front of her eyes. The colour pattern followed onwards and was visible on the seats of all that sat in front. Further behind her, an even bigger circle of seats was formed with thousands of unrecognised family representatives, but this time there was no colour at their table and each chair was in the monolithic colour of black, indisputable from each other if not for the people sitting on them. Eloise then looked at her surroundings and noticed an anomaly that she missed before. More than half of the seats were empty. Not fully, as the head butlers and maids were all there, but the representatives from the recognised families like Isabella or Marcus were not there beside them. From the Seventy-two recognised families, only Thirty-six were filled in full. Even more strange were the extra seats that were adorned with khaki colour on the left side. All nine of them were fully empty, with no maid or butler and covered with a thick layer of dust. It felt as if no one had even gone near them for all these years as the dust also covered their surroundings. She looked at Sterling''s Silver Metal Colour chair and then at the main table. That¡¯s where the four Ancient family members sat beside an empty chair at the far right. A clear boundary seemed to be formed, with unrecognised families at the upper hall in the back, recognised houses in the lower hall, and the ancient house at the main table at the front. " Look at the right corner, they are represented by the Illusionary Alliance." Isabella suddenly said and Eloise found an odd five people sitting there. Two of them have very pale skin which sparkled as the light hit them with sharp red eyes. Beside two short, rough-looking people with three red raindrops marking with a small tail near the sides of both of their eyes. And to their left, was a person with fair skin wearing lousy silk clothes, pointy ears and long blonde hair. An expression of indifference was formed as he sat on his chair. ¡® Vampire, Dwarfs and Elf.¡¯ Eloise was easily able to tell their races with one look. ¡° Are they also here as guests?" Eloise asked. Since the bill primarily affected their races, she felt it was natural they wanted to witness such progress with their own eyes. ¡°That¡¯s a good question.¡± Isabella said as her eyes narrowed at Fay but the latter just smiled and remained silent. ¡° Elves and vampires together at the same place? You don¡¯t see that every day.¡± Seeing no answer, Isabella doesn¡¯t plan to dwell more on it. " Vampires most likely don''t want them to steal their limelight which they seemed to be trying for a while. For Dwarfs, it''s interesting. They not only have no interest in a power struggle between vampires and elves, but also have an excellent relationship with most races including humans and thus were acting as non-threatening mediators between both alliances." " They are just merchants selling their metals to anyone who comes asking. So everyone smiles in front of them. But it''s good for them to be here, otherwise, likely, those Vampires might not want to be at the same table with some arrogant Elves." Fay finally said at last. She then brought a small badge from her pockets and handed it over to Eloise and said. ¡° Please keep this. You might need it later.¡± Eloise looked at the badge and found it to be made of some metal with a silver coating over the body. It had a smaller wooden shield-like symbol drawn on it with four stars that overlapped on top of the shield. Her eyes changed to confusion. She could tell that it was a magic shield artefact with four stars representing the maximum strength of attack and a small wooden shield representing the user¡¯s strength. It was made so that even someone who¡¯s not even one star could remain safe in case of attack equal to four-star strength. But that¡¯s what made her question, why would she need this here, in Celestial Palace. "You should heed her advice and keep it.¡± Marcus suddenly said to her, in an unusually soft voice. She looked at her mother who also said nothing. ¡®I wonder if there¡¯s more for today¡¯s show.¡¯ Marcus turned back seeing her taking the artefact, a little lost about the show that was about to begin. Once again he had a watch happening in front of him. He didn''t want to come here, for their presence was meaningless. But again, they don¡¯t have a choice here. Soon, everyone had exchanged their greetings, perhaps drinking a glass or two of their wines. And then, the small chatter of the hall started to dry down as a pin-drop silence descended in the room. Eloise found no one, whether in the bottom hall with recognised families, or the upper hall with thousands of unrecognised families made any sound. Almost like a spell that was cast upon them. The silence was so oppressive that only the sounds of breathing could be heard and Eloise started to sweat as she felt some force kept pressing her chest. She looked around but no one was talking and her mother motioned with her eyes, ¡®Don¡¯t make noise.¡¯ ¡°Stand.¡± Then a voice was heard as someone called out. Like being practised thousands of times in a careful motion, everyone stood up in a parade-like discipline. Eloise had a difficult time wrapping her head around the unusual atmosphere that took such a drastic change, but Marcus was no stranger to it. He knew this feeling all too well, for it had been the same for the past few decades. What was a powerful Vampire or the prideful Elf? They all have difficulty breathing in the silence of the room. Soon, new sounds broke through the oppressive silence but the force that kept the silence only increased ever so. The sound of people walking. The main gate opened with unusually creaky sounds despite his hinges being flooded with oils. A total of four people appeared. Each step of them left stronger waves on the map that swallowed the shores of the continent, and their sound echoed like the thumping of hearts that hit the chest of everyone. Whenever they pass by, all people lower their heads and put their right hand on their chest. The four soon took their seats at the main table. Time passed for about ten minutes but others stayed still until a voice sounded throughout the hall. " At ease." ¡®Like the puppets and the puppeteer'' Marcus suddenly remembered some words he read in a book. Attached from the strings above, the puppets moved with the will of its puppeteer. They see what he wants them to, and listen to what he demands them to, that¡¯s it. For otherwise they are silent lifeless beings. The present hall was no different, a show of puppets being run here, and they are the puppets, with their puppeteers in the front. Followed by that chair, was the Deep purple where a middle-aged lady with carefully combed green hairs and eyes. She sat with a stern face atop her purple coat with a golden chain across. Viva Valor Wolfblade, from the house of blade dancers, scanned the hall. For it was a house which combined the techniques of both the knights as well as mages into a set of moves which looked similar to an elaborate dance. But even more than that, it was their unnatural control over the Alliance¡¯s Justice department that kept people on their toes. Those who refused to come to this assembly were prosecuted by them with iron-fisted laws. Right next to her was a tall, muscular man in a black shirt covered in a silver suit. With short black hair and blue eyes that seemed to be looking at the surroundings with an unquestionable air of superiority. He sat on the Silver Metal coloured Chair, Victor Griffinguard Honour was written on his nameplate. The ancient family ran everything from the administrative as well as the current show of Celestia. Wolfblade might have made everyone at the toe, but it was this house that took away their voice. He was followed by a Neon blue seat, where a guy, a little shorter than him, sat. His face was completely covered by his robes and only the long white hairs were visible to others. Even his hands were covered in gloves. Named Cyrus Radiance Sorcerous. Their control over knights and mages was such that not only did city lords require their permission to deploy them, but they would also be sent to arrest those who refused to come to this show. In an almost perverted sense, their ranks would be stripped before being handed over to the Wolfblade to carry out public sentences. And lastly was the most eye-catching one, with his long fierce red hair and pitch black tight battle dress with red claw marks across. His eyes were big and red. And his haughty laugh reached even to the end of the hall as he talked with the person next to him. Roselt Drakon Flame, the only family among the Alliance to have the blood of not only humans but also another race, Dragons. With their ever-so-greedy eyes looking for gold, they used their control of Alliance¡¯s anti-corruption bureau to shallow anyone who came into their crosshairs. The four confidants of the Alliance run the show as they like. To go against them, was the sin that deserves no mercy. " Ladies and Gentlemen," It was Victor''s voice that sounded with the cheerful orienter presenting his show to the audience. " My heart is filled with joy seeing everyone who came here today and hope that you had a wonderful journey when travelling here for the 1884th session of Starry Sky Alliance. Today I, Victor Griffinguard Honor, will be your host. I also hope that I will not be the reason for your disappointment today." Despite his earlier looks, Victor''s words carried a light-hearted tone and a warm smile which contradicted his earlier self. " I know for sure that everyone present here has a bubbling question in their hearts, about the reason for the presence of representatives from Illusionary Alliance in this session. And surely many might already know the reason but allow me to officially say it here once again." This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Victor was talking towards everyone, but Eloise felt, and Marcus knew that his main audience was not the recognised as well unrecognised families at the back. But the head butlers as well as the maids, who showed no surprise at his words. After all, Houses like Sterling only knew about the bill passing as the reason when they received the invitation. But from the look of it, they seemed to have been called here without any other prior information. Isabella had her mind running, and probably others too. But Marcus was calm, without many questions towards things. For does it even matter? These four people would give some great speeches about something, and probably will also joke a little. And then, would pass the law whether these recognised houses agree or not. If they asked for their opinion at all, it would be an improvement for this show. " But if I say it myself, I think the joy of today¡¯s session would be lost. So, to find out the truth without losing the joy, please allow me to call on our valuable friend from the Illusionary Alliance, Lord Augustus Darkwood." Seeing his name called out, a person, a vampire, arrived at the front of the main table, facing the high platform of the main four chairs. His back turned facing towards them. Eloise couldn¡¯t see what expression he was making. Augustus performed a general salute towards the four. " Esteemed lords of the humans, I am Augustus Darkwood, the current chairman of the Illusionary Alliance." He seemed to be addressing all but never turned his face towards Eloise even once and continued with a deep voice. Almost as if she and others don¡¯t exist in his eyes.¡° This is an honour for me to be here in front of you all today. Especially more so for today is the day when we discuss the upcoming future. One that involves every one of us present here." ¡°Tch!¡± To his words, a sound came from the back. Eloise turned to see who was so courageous or foolish to do that in the silent hall. It was the elf that came with Augustus. With his chest held high as his face looked down at the surroundings. He was covering his nose with a handkerchief. ¡° Do humans not clean themselves? This place reeks of bad odour.¡± His words were provocative, or they should have been. That¡¯s what Eloise thought. Many eyes from the upper well turned towards him. Almost like digging a hole in him. For when it was time for another race to talk this high in front of them. But the lower hall was a different world. Only a few looked at him, and that too with disdain no less than his before turning their head away. Eloise wanted to observe better by turning more but her eyes caught the moving lips of her mother. ¡®See that? That¡¯s what we call a blinded fool.¡¯ The meaning behind the voiceless words shocked Eloise a little. But looking at no one from her family turning in for a response, she too didn¡¯t bother much. The lack of response and the utter silence of the hall infuriated the elf for being treated like a fool. A sigh of relief came from the dwarfs as well as the vampires when the elf just shut up and didn¡¯t talk anymore. ¡®Motherfucker can¡¯t read the room. Does he want to go back in a body bag?¡¯ Augustus thought as he struggled to not shout at the idiot and cleared his throat, to take the attention away from the elf, to himself. He decided to cut his speech short, for the eyes of four people in front of him were turning a little playful the more they looked at them. ¡° Chairperson Victor, today I am here to propose a non-aggression pact with the Starry Sky Alliance. Let us no longer work against the interest of each other. For the prosperity of the world, we shall live in a lasting peace.¡± ¡°Of course, for the prosperity,¡± Victor said, though there were small murmurs from the upper well. They became silent when he gave a glance at them. When Eloise looked around, she was in a two-man show. A scripted show, not an assembly of lawmakers. Victor turned back to Augustus, and nevertheless, looked not as cheerful as before. ¡° But, if I remember it right, the Illusionary Alliance doesn¡¯t have a mechanism for a common treaty, no? So, If I might ask, how many races are actually on board with the idea.¡± ¡° Most are on board, but it might take some time to make others sign.¡± When Augustus finished his words. The maids and butlers around the assembly placed a sealed envelope in front of all recognised as well as unrecognised families. Isabella opened it and found it to be the terms and conditions of the non-aggression pact. It was not short, about three hundred pages long. She couldn¡¯t finish reading it here even if she wanted to. But some parts were highlighted. Notably, once the treaty was signed, no one of either alliance could attack each other. Trade routes were among other things that were mentioned. But eyes got drawn into two lines which made her click her tongue. For it mentioned two things don''t match up. First was the proposer of the treaty, the Elves and not the Vampires. This was surprising enough, but even more shocking was the races that were already on board with the treaty. Notably, it has Vampires but not Elves. These words evoked surprised glances from most. Ignoring the fact that the Elvish race, who couldn¡¯t seem to acknowledge the reality of humans as de facto rulers of this world could ever advocate for a non-aggression treaty. But would not join it before being presented. And then there were humans and vampires. There might have been a time when humans needed to sign a peace treaty with others, but not anymore. Only the old Ancestor of Vampire was able to reach the Five Stars'' strength. What could humans gain from this was not highlighted in the treaty. Even at face value, the ancestor of vampires was only one person, and this hall already had four people of that strength. But that¡¯s not even the final number. The very reason the Illusionary Alliance, the loose alliance of all races not human, even came to be was because they couldn¡¯t rival the Starry Sky Alliance at all. ¡° Let me put light on the need for such an alliance.¡± Victor was able to guess the words from their hearts. ¡° We have confirmed that Thar had broken our absolute taboos five decades ago. They have overplayed their hands and have touched the secrets of souls.¡± The alliance had few taboos it wanted no one to ever touch. It caused the forever-ending war with the Demon world in Astral Battlefield and busted the thoughts of ever unifying the human Alliance with what was now known as the subhuman world. These taboos had always caused bloodbaths whenever they were mentioned, and it was felt keenly by everyone in the hall. Victor put strength behind his voice, to overshadow the fearful faces of those in front of him. They had all reason to be fearful of if the Alliance wanted to do something to Thar for this taboo, this very idea shook all. Many have witnessed the Divine War themselves, and Marcus was one of them. His hands gripped the table and dug his fingers into the wood. ¡° We are not just ancient houses. No, we are the stars who always stood out to guide humanity towards their greatness. That¡¯s why, whenever any humans made a mess, we never hesitated to clear their mess. Today is no different.¡± He slammed his hand on the table, with a force that was felt even by the last person at the back, forcefully bringing them back from the stupefied bodies. ¡° You know how much of a mess is when someone plays with souls. It is no longer an option for us to just sit. We have to clear this mess that Thar left behind. Otherwise, humanity''s future would be at stake. That¡¯s why we, the four stars, have decided that today is the time to make up for past mistakes.¡± Under the shocked eyes of people, Roselt laughed with his wide mouth as he raised his hands, the temperature rose to a sweltering hot that Eloise felt her eyebrows on the verge of burning. At the same time, the defence artefact given to her by Fay activated on his own and a small blue layer was formed surrounding her. It allowed her breathing room and from the ever-shaking shield, she could see a small dragon, made entirely of blue flames appeared in the hall. Just his existence was enough to make the four-star artefact tremble all over. She wiped her sweat which also covered all her back and looked at Isabella who was the same as her, sweating profusely but not as much. Most hit were the unrecognised houses, for they even dared to cast a defence spell in front of the dragon. The butlers and maids had it easy, there was no sweat from their side like the heat was not there for them. With a roar that reverted across the celestial palace. It carried a shock wave with it that hit everyone except butlers and maids. The water of the ocean looked like anything, the trees on the continent flattened and a dust storm appeared in the desert. Eloise suddenly wanted to back off but her chair¡¯s back was up against another table from behind which prevented her. The shield dimmed as she felt it gonna break soon, but suddenly it became stable as another purple layer appeared outside it. She looked at the front and found that the spell came from Viva Valor who just lowered her hand. But it was that, for the dragon leapt, took a deep breath and sprew the flame in front, towards the khaki-adorned chairs. It was not a match of equals as everything vapourised the moment it touched the flames. In an instant, all nine chairs were gone, even the dust was not to be. The vision shocked her to the core, this was considered the most sacred place in her mind. Never in her dreams did she think of seeing such a display of power. But even more so for what was behind her. Filled with groans of pain, she found all the people from recognised families lying on the ground, covering their ears. Her mother was beside her with a pale face, with an almost shaky body. The elf seemed to be hit the hardest, he was unconscious and blood leaked from his orifices. The dragon humphed at the onlookers before disappearing. He left behind a hall, like a training ground, filled with cries of pain and nothing else. Even the last chair on the main table as well as the platform was no longer there. ¡°We will now officially accept the letter of Thar¡¯s for their breakaway.¡± Victor continued with the same valour like he couldn¡¯t see the people in front of him. ¡° I will put forth the treaty of Peace in front of the main council, does anyone have an objection?¡± ¡° House Wolfblade Absent from voting.¡± ¡° House Radiance Sorcerous vote in favour.¡± ¡° House Drakon Flames also in favour.¡± ¡° Since the votes are in favour with no veto, I, Victor Griffinguard Honour, will present the treaty for general voting.¡± Fay, as well as all other head butlers and maids, pulled out a seal of their houses. In the same motion, they all raised it towards the ceiling and a green light was shot into the ever-dark ceiling. ¡° With Seventy-two in favour, and Zero against or absent. I deemed this bill to be passed.¡± Victor looked at Augustus, who had already recovered his face back to normal. ¡° I hope that all other member races of Illusionary Alliance get on board with this treaty as soon as possible.¡± ¡° Please be assured, Chairman Victor. I will make sure of it.¡± Seeing Augustus¡¯ solemn words, Victor nodded and at last looked at the sorry state of people around. ¡° I would like to say some more about some other bills for today, but it looks like it is not possible for now. The assembly is dismissed.¡± With his words, he as well as others stood up and left without another word. The Illusionary Alliance also picked the unconscious elf and followed soon after. Their departure brought much relief to people as they hastily started to cast healing spells on themselves. They glanced at the now-gone chairs but didn¡¯t dare to linger for more. No one said anything about what happened in the hall. Afraid to repeat what happened to those who did so decades ago. Many smelled blood in the air. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Isabella said with a little unsteady breath. Eloise wanted to ask about something, but she didn''t feel the time was right. She moved in with Isabella and Fay. But Marcus didn''t move from his chair and no one bothered him otherwise. When almost everyone was gone, he was still staring at the ceiling, blankly as scenes from earlier played in his eyes and also from decades ago. In an almost inaudible voice, he murmured to himself. ¡° For all your show, you still didn¡¯t dare to touch that, did you? There¡¯s no way you can. For you guys know her better than anyone.¡± He raised his body, but some blood still leaked from his nose which he didn¡¯t bother to clean. Behind him, on the ceiling, were the five stars, shining ever so bright. Eternal as the time itself. *** Ch-24: The Lost Golden Orb The world of solid outlines made from black and white, and inhabited by greyish forms that keep moving from one place to another. Tall to short, thin to fat, all forms walked here, on legs of two or more. Their forms were many but also the same as in a sense, one could gaze past them. The only noticeable thing that set them apart, the one that screamed difference was the size and colour of the orbs within their chest, the place where their hearts should belong. That¡¯s the world from Rayen''s two brown eyes. It was a tasteless world which seldom catered to anyone¡¯s interest, if any. Look at it over time, and anyone would lose interest. As the entity born in the empty void with the same colours, Rayen also lost his interest in looking at this world. The monotonic colours of grey had a strange indifference to them, the one he was most familiar with as he too was born with that colour. The orbs meanwhile, were the things he once chased after. Thus his eyes would naturally seek them out. But not every orb can catch his eyes, like a well-experienced chief at the end of his career, he¡¯s very picky about the things that are worthy of his interest. First of all, one shouldn¡¯t lie to him on their first meeting, a very high ceiling to cross. Then comes the ¡®interest¡¯ part, for all Rayen knows, it''s the duty of orbs to get his interest, not his. It was the same with Bella or any other. The owner of the orb had to do something different, something that resonated with the indifferent entity called Rayen. Should it be called an extremely difficult endeavour with a low rate of success? The answer would differ from person to person, but luck seemed to be with Rayen, for he found a person just after arriving in Oasis, who was willing to take such a risk. Azir, in his attempt to save Rayen from a falling building, struck a note with Rayen that his presence was now felt by him. ¡° How the hell did I lose?¡± That very person was sitting on the hard cold floor of his house, scratching his hair. In front of him was the black and white board on which the white king was surrounded from all sides. It made him irritated, not only because he lost, but also because of the opponent who defeated him. In front of him sat two beings, a boy and a dog. It would have been alright had it been the boy, but destiny had it the other way. Azir was defeated by the dog. In just ten moves no less. Azir glanced at her extended paw as she took away the small bottle of honey with leaking saliva which dripped over her chin, where she increased her hair to form a goatee. As if she was some great strategist of her time. Rayen started to rearrange the pieces in a well-practised manner. This was Azir¡¯s eleventh loss for today. Seeing Cherry licking the honey with joyfully stretched eyes, he couldn¡¯t help but ask ¡° Why does anyone teach a dog how to play chess?¡± He thought that whoever did it had very bad taste. He could understand teaching a dog about some tricks, if he overextended his thoughts, maybe help with house chores. But the dog¡¯s skill in front of him puzzled his mind. ¡®Are you so lonely? You can¡¯t find another human to play against so you taught a dog how to play chess? Are you autistic?¡± He ended up thinking. ¡°Woof.¡± Cherry, who couldn¡¯t read the mind, was more than happy to answer. Through, she would answer anything as long as someone gave a barrel or two of honey. Rayen beside her had firmly set on his job as the walking dog to human translator. The only thing was, he was not a very good translator. For Cherry woofed for a long time, ten minutes for her glorious glory, five minutes of her easygoing life of laying in a cave, one minute for when a female came and tricked her into becoming a guard dog and another ten minutes at the end about her comeback plan. Rayen did his job to the best he could and compressed the context of all her woofs into one word, Revenge. It''s not that Rayen comprehended the story of Cherry, just that he never wrote anything more than five words. It was the ceiling where he stopped writing and started to look for a common word. Revenge was the word Cherry repeated multiple times over her end part. Thus, it was the word that he wrote. Azir looked at the word, then at the honey-dripping face of Cherry and gave up thinking. Not only because Cherry kept woofing despite him saying otherwise. But also as he felt himself becoming more and more stupid, the more he tried to understand the thinking of a dog. Instead of wasting his time, he looked at Rayen, who was staring back. Looking at those brown eyes, Azir felt a little unwell, but he couldn¡¯t tell why. Those eyes lacked emotions, with only his reflection staring back at him. ¡°Rayen, do you have something to say?¡± This question had been asked many times, but Rayen would tilt his head after hearing it, just as he did now. Azir couldn¡¯t help but scratch his head, a little annoyed. He wanted to talk to someone other than a dog, which he could barely understand. He refused to learn from the book, ¡®Woof and Woofs of Cherry¡¯, that she gave him. He was a teenager, and since Rayen, who looked a year younger than him, just sat across from him, Azir refused to talk only with the dog. ¡®How do I make him talk?¡¯ Azir knew Rayen was a picky eater. He won¡¯t communicate with just anyone, and not that he couldn¡¯t. It''s a personal interest issue, he concluded. That made it problematic for Azir, how to generate interest. He had already tried many things, just yesterday he even juggled three balls into a ring while Cherry jumped from its middle with a somersault. Rayen doesn¡¯t blink at that, which makes both of them despair. The boy for lack of Rayen¡¯s interest, and the dog for loss of her honey which was tied to Rayen¡¯s getting interested. Azir shook his head with a bitter taste in his mouth. ¡®Even the clap at the end was only because-wait.¡¯ His thoughts suddenly stopped and looked back at Rayen who was still the same. ¡°I got an idea.¡± He said with an excited face. He quickly goes to get his blank slate and chalk. Rayen on the other hand soon found himself sitting in the front as Azir and Cherry discussed something among themselves. Cherry¡¯s tail started to swing with excitement the more she listened. But that was for normal eyes, under Rayen¡¯s eyes, the orbs released some small golden threads that lingered at the peripherals of their surface. Almost transparent. Soon they turned their heads towards him. ¡°Rayen, now I will give you some words. You have to remember them, OK?¡± Azir asked him. Rayen never understood what he wanted from him. He never did. But that never stopped him from nodding his head. Soon Rayen was shown a slate with words written on it. Who are you? Waiting for him to remember them, Azir gave him another word. Rayen. Seeing him nodding his head, Azir said ¡°Remember, whenever I ask ¡®Who are you¡¯ you have to reply to this, no matter what. Got it?¡± Rayen nodded his head. But Azir and Cherry held their breaths. It couldn¡¯t be helped, this was the only way they thought could make Rayen more normal. What defines someone as normal? Was it the ability to understand the very meaning behind the words, or the ability to recognise a set of words before choosing an appropriate response? Can it be called dead if one day a magical golem could be made to reply to all questions in an almost human-level tone, despite its not understanding anything itself? Many people would doubt to say no. Azir was one of them. As much as he knew, if Rayen could be made to reply even in such a small way, it was just a matter of time before he would be seen as normal. Rayen. When the boy in front of them suddenly wrote it, Azir and Cherry exploded with joy and jumped from their seats. Rayen was a little slow, and somewhat jerky when he wrote that, but it didn¡¯t matter to either of them. Azir was happy that he could now talk to some, despite him being somewhat restrictive, it was an improvement over the statue like Rayen. Cherry was happy that she finally found a way to escape the impending doom that she had been feeling for some time. After all, Rayen¡¯s head almost exploded by the executioner, and she was having nightmares about the punishment she would receive since then. Now, she no longer feels like that but instead the moment to ask for a reward. She started to jump around as she woofed at the ceiling like a wolf on a full moon and circled Azir and Rayen. In her dreams, she was already given a lake of honey to bathe in as her reward. Azir was more grounded in reality than her. He started to write full sets of keywords for Rayen. Rayen looked at this, the golden light surrounded the orbs with every so strong brightness. He felt attracted to it, for it was similar to one he was searching for whenever he went to an empty world at night. Similar to the one from Bella. If there was anything they could make him return to a place again and again, it was this golden light. If he was asked, if he would do anything for this light, he wouldn¡¯t hesitate to say yes. Every time he repeated the words of Azir, the brilliance would keep shining. At this time, a small ripple appeared in the still eyes of Rayen. He raised his left hand, in an attempt to reach out to this light. It was so close, he was almost there and the thing sought would be within his reach, but an anomaly happened. A knock sounded from the door. Azir looked at the door, wondering who might have come to meet him. But Cherry was faster. She moved her nose and smelled the air and a familiar scent entered her nose. Her eyes widened in surprise, for she had not done with her plan about asking for forgiveness yet. She couldn¡¯t let others know that she almost made Rayen burst like a watermelon. Ignoring the shouts of Azir as she knocked him down while also using him as her springboard, she jumped high and escaped from the open window. Leaving the hand of Rayen hanging in the air, grasping at the emptiness. He looked at Azir who was rubbing his painful butt, he found that the golden light had disappeared. He paused for a moment, and then the ripples in his eyes vanished like a dream as he took his hands back. He had never reached what he was searching for, he was used to it. He did what he was good at, and moved on, like he always does. ¡°My window?¡± Azir on the other hand ran right after Cherry. Only after making sure that there was no damage to the window did he breathe a sigh of relief. He didn¡¯t see Rayen¡¯s small action and opened the door. ¡° Who are you guys?¡± He asked the guest. There were a total of three people, two men and one female. One old and two adults. The adult male had long brown hairs with slight curves at the end, while the female had short but red hairs. Both were dressed in rather plain clothes white shirts and lower for men, while the female wore a blue top and white pants. He noticed blue earrings on the female which looked rather costly and didn¡¯t match with her overall plain attire. The old man was the only one Azir was familiar with. He was dressed in light khaki clothes with an old face, the face which read bored. He was the same knight that Azir first went to report the lost child Rayen, who then told him to take Rayen away. Remembering the past, Azir suddenly made a dark face and asked. ¡° You have not come to ask to take care of these two guys too, right?¡± ¡°No? Why would you think that?¡± Joseph asked Azir with raised eyes. He felt he was being assumed to be a lazy bureaucrat, but that thought was soon replaced by a big smile as he introduced the two people. ¡° Here, let me introduce them. The man on the right is called Baru, while the woman is called Anatalia. They are the relatives of that child.¡± he said with a rush of words. Rayen looked at the lying ¡®person¡¯ in front of him and tilted his head sideways. He could see the two orbs being very familiar to him. Namely Bardar the brown orb and Cellia, the blue orb. He ignored the lying orb and glanced at the other two. Cellia at this time was hugging Azir as she kissed his cheeks while saying. ¡°Thank you for taking care of Rayen.¡± Bardar too was saying thanks to the now suffocated Azir, but more restrained. Since they came to pick Rayen up from his friend, they decided to come with a disguise. After all, when people hear they are closer to Bella and are closely related, they start to behave less than normal. Not in the traditional sense of respect, but borderline devotion to the one they call Great Mother. They didn¡¯t want Rayen to lose his only friend. Entering the house, the trio sat on the ground, without caring about the lack of furniture. ¡°This is a nice house,¡± Joseph said as he took a glass of water from Rayen with some unease. He felt the boy in front of him was looking through him as air, rather than at him. Cellia then made Rayen sit in front of her while she used her little magic to clean Rayen¡¯s hair. She looked at the still breathless Azir in front of him and smiled. She initially planned to even shed some fake tears to make the reunion more natural, but after thinking about Azir being only a teenager, she decided to end the meeting with a hug. ¡°You are his relatives? Brother and sister-in-law?¡± Azir meanwhile asked them as he looked at the duo in front of him. Their faces didn¡¯t look anything similar in terms of appearance or otherwise. ¡°Of course, though it is easy to prove with the help of Cherry, but where is she?¡± Bardar said as he started to whistle to call back Cherry. ¡° Over there.¡± Azir pointed at the open window and said with a strange face. ¡° She ran away after hearing your knock.¡± His words made Bardar pause, only to shrug later. He had long since gotten used to her strange behaviour. Seeing him like this, Azir almost confirmed that they were not lying. After all, if nothing else, Rayen listened to Cellia when she asked him to sit down near her. For others, it doesn¡¯t matter, but for Rayen, it was the most authentic piece of paper for closeness. ¡° How did you enter Oasis?¡± Azir asked as he looked at their faces. Both Bardar and Cellia looked young, and Oasis rarely allowed young people to enter here. ¡°About that, we entered this morning. The rules got changed recently.¡± Bardar said with a casual tone. They made changes to the rules this morning itself. He had all the reasons already prepared for long. For their background, they were small merchant families, who came to leave their grandmother with Oasis. But it was the bad luck that Rayen got lost during the process and they had to camp outside since that day. Today was their lucky day because Joseph told them not only they found Rayen, but they could also enter the city. It was not that elaborate of the lies, but given the person in front of them was less experienced in worldly affairs, they decided to go with it. They have all the records to prove it anyway. ¡° I see, so you will be taking him back soon?¡± Azir asked as he suppressed the uneasiness from his chest. Their background doesn¡¯t matter much to him regardless, only that his only friend might be leaving him soon. He started to feel some sadness as his eyes lowered some, despite him expecting such a scene in the past. After all, Rayen was always a lost child that he found, not a resident of Oasis. Rayen found Azir¡¯s azure orb suddenly starting to give out some grey light, the same way it gave out the golden light. For he tilted his head, Cellia hit Bardar with her elbow which made him cry out. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be sad. We might not be leaving for long.¡± Cellia ignored the questioning eyes of Bardar. After all, she felt he still couldn¡¯t read the room, much less deal with other people. She smiled with a reassuring smile and said. ¡°We might be neighbours soon. Because the new city lord almost emptied the treasury of the Oasis during his rebuilding efforts. Oasis is now almost unable to pay for its employees. So they are making some big changes to generating revenue.¡± ¡° Really?¡± Azir heard her rather assured voice and looked up towards Joseph, who gave a nod with a bad face, for he had not gotten this month''s salary yet. Azir released a breath of relief and praised the new lord for being so lavish with his spending. Only to remember that he would be living under such a lord and frown. He felt the future was not too bright for Oasis. He shook his head to remove such messy thoughts and asked back. ¡° So when will you be coming back?¡± ¡°The application is submitted and it should be done soon.¡± Bardar who finally had the chance to take the topic away from his lack of financial discipline answered. ¡° In the meantime, we will be leaving Oasis for a time.¡± ¡° How long?¡± ¡°You won¡¯t be able to miss us. It''s a short trip.¡± Things were already decided like such. Azir thought of some and from his secret compartment, he pulled out a bag of coins. Which he handed over to Bardar. ¡°Some days ago, we went outside and placed some bets. It was the share of Rayen and Cherry.¡± Bardar looked at the bag filled with gold and silver coins. He didn¡¯t care much, in a ring match if Cherry even if she didn¡¯t bet on the winner, she would make him one anyway. He could count on his hands the ways she could cheat there. So it was not that surprising for him that Azir won so much. He gave the bag back and said, ¡°You can keep this. You took care of Rayen for so long. We can¡¯t accept this money back, in light of your help.¡± Azir wanted to refuse and give it back, but Bardar was even more stubborn than him. After all, he used to debate the magic theories, and rarely ever had he refused to budge on his point. He pulled out the fancy words of consumption-based economy and individual contributions. Making Azir lose his words for he didn¡¯t even know many words that were thrown at his face. Cellia on the other hand was busy with Rayen¡¯s hair, who himself was seeing the epic duel between two stubborn people. Joseph meanwhile was the only casualty for he didn¡¯t know what to say. He wanted to say ¡®If none of you want money, send it to Oasis donation funds so that I can get my salary.¡¯ But after thinking some, he felt the upper section of people would be first to get their salary while he may be the last, he decided to remain silent. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. ¡° So, we will be leaving them.¡± It was not until the afternoon that the debate finally ended in Azir¡¯s defeat. He couldn''t be compared with Bardar at all. His throat became dry after some time while the opponent didn¡¯t even flinch. He didn¡¯t even notice the lack of sadness he initially had when Rayen was about to leave. Cellia gave him another hug. And after some thinking, asked Rayen to do the same. The boy was confused, but when he hugged Azir, he felt some warmth flow into him. He looked down and found some golden light coming from Azir¡¯s orb. It ended when he pulled back. For a moment, he wanted to keep hugging Azir, but Cellia was already pulling him with her by that time. It was under such, that Azir soon found himself alone in the house, again. *** From the balcony of the city lord¡¯s manor, the entire city could be gazed at once. A newly built clean city, with well-made structures, wide clean roads, and the formidable walls that tower at the end. And most of all, the lack of decade but mostly burnt houses as well human corpses, like the time when Bella left the city. Her white dress fluttered along with her hair as the wind roared in her ears. Her eyes looked at the city she vowed never to return to. With her hands on the railings, the scene of a breathing city filled with people couldn¡¯t help but make her smile. But when her gaze landed outside the towering walls, at the endless rows of tents built on the red sands outside. The smile dissipated, and a deep frown cast itself on her face which had few wrinkles to it as compared to before. She turned back and gazed at the three people in the room. The old maid Shasta was standing with her bowed head. A fat man who was the acting city lord of Oasis till some days ago, Bladurus. Unlike Shasta, he was kneeling with his hands up in the air, and hundreds of beads of sweat on his face. And finally, Rayen who was training his mana control with a cube on the sofa. Bella looked at the maid and asked with a displeased tone. ¡° Shasta, can you hear something from outside?¡± ¡°No, Great Mother, I can¡¯t.¡± She shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s right. And it was the time for training bands.¡± Bella cleared her left ear and told in straight words. ¡° Tell them to either play the bands right or go home to play a lullaby. I don¡¯t want to see them the next day.¡± Her tone was not too high, but it still made Shasta shudder. She knew Bella was not joking about her words. She always does what she says. ¡°I will make sure of it.¡± Shasta bowed and walked outside, almost running with her old body. Bella didn¡¯t care and looked at her son kneeling in front of her. ¡°Tell me, Bladurus. Do you know why you are being presented like this?¡± she asked the sweating man. ¡° Yes. Because I made a mistake.¡± He stuttered while answering. ¡° I should have done more to protect Rayen.¡± ¡°Did I not do a good job at teaching you? Pray tell. What do we call people like you?¡± Bella¡¯s face was still as water but it only made Bladurus feel more nervous. ¡°That¡­a deaf fool with power.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. A fool that won¡¯t even know why he died.¡± Bella nodded with a smile, and asked with a thoughtful look. ¡° How should I deal with you? Should I marinate you and throw you into the nest of scavengers with a constant healing spell? They sure would love their treat.¡± Seeing his body fat shaking with huge turmoils, she wondered about the feasibility of such punishment being more and more thought-provoking. But first, she needed all the culprits here. ¡° Where¡¯s Cherry?¡± ¡° We are unable to find her. If you give me a chance-¡° ¡°How much stock of honey do we have in Oasis?¡± She cut him off and asked. ¡° Go and shout at the sands that you are going to throw away all honey into sewers in fifteen minutes. If she doesn¡¯t come, throw it away. If she comes, then throw it away in front of her eyes. Got it?¡± ¡°Y-Yes.¡± Bladurus knew Cherry could listen to everything that happened inside Thar. Thinking of her end, he felt a little at ease. At the very least, he¡¯s not alone in suffering. ¡°Since you heard it, what are you waiting for? The time limit is fifteen minutes.¡± Hearing Bella remind him, Bladurus stood hastily and ran away like Shasta. It was just that he was too fat despite being a knight, and each step sounded like a giant jumping on the floor. Alarming the guards who thought it was sounds of battle. Bella waited till he left and turned to the last person in the room. ¡° Rayen.¡± Rayen looked up from his cube hearing the familiar sound, but then he tilted his head with confusion. There was no golden orb to be seen. In place of it, was a huge icy-blue orb, surrounded by a lot of black murkiness at the peripherals. A little bit of grey too, but it was too little as compared to the black. ¡° What happened Rayen?¡± The voice came again, but with no golden orb in sight, his eyes started to look beyond the shadowy outline that held the orbs within. Soon, he turned his attention back to the cube. ¡° Rayen.¡± The voice called him again. Bella looked at Rayen who moved his head at her words, only to look back at the cube a second later and sigh with helplessness. She came in front of him before kneeling to his level. She gently held his head to make him look straight at her. ¡° Rayen, it''s time you come out from your state of confusion. The world expects a lot from you, even if you don¡¯t want to stand up to it. I still hope to hear your denial. I won¡¯t allow you to ever walk again without facing it.¡± Her words only made Rayen more muddleheaded, he would have tilted his head if she hadn¡¯t held it with her hands. For he can see the source of the voice, the familiarity was there for him to see, but the orb which was he expected. Ignoring the unknown has always been Rayen''s norm. It was his attitude since he found himself being rejected in the endless broken worlds. If there was ever a time when he would have asked questions about the very discrimination, the eternal loneliness made it disappear. Now, he no longer asked about things beyond his little eyes, he only knew how to walk, just walk. But Bella couldn¡¯t allow him to continue any longer. So she said, with a much gentler tone ¡° Rayen, it''s time you stop running away.¡± She extended her right hand forward and waited patiently. It took time, an hour. During this, she didn¡¯t look away from Rayen¡¯s eyes at law. Those eyes that make others unwell due to lack of emotions, couldn¡¯t sway her away. Rayen was much more muddle-headed, he couldn¡¯t look away from the strangeness that he felt. By holding his head, she took away the only thing he had ever had, freedom. As much as the words meant less for others, for Rayen, it was everything. There¡¯s no problem regardless of its size or otherwise, that could not be solved by him using the simple action of walking away. Before he was called upon from the endless walls of the world with a face of death that ever so peeked out from the vertical cracks on the very fabric of space. In the endless darkness without any semblance of time, faced with the rather indifferent attitude of entities more alive than he could ever be, made him developed the art of survival. He doesn¡¯t remember whether it was by choice or lack of it, knowingly or unconsciously, with purpose or accident, he created the very thing that makes one alive¨CA goal. ¡°Rayen, what do you want to do?¡± Her question entered his ears. Could there be a being without a life goal? Simple as a four-letter combination made it to be, all beings who called themselves alive seek it. From the blinding warmth of the day to the freezing dark of the night, they just walk towards it. Like the prisoners bounded by the chains, they had to walk. Perhaps it was this lack of goal that others rejected the very presence of his existence. Or perhaps it was something more insidious that was lost to the time. In the endless march of time, the very first instance that he came to be, he felt empty. An emptiness that could only be matched by the very place he was born in, but the presence of others made him know he needed them to get this feeling away. But it was a wish that was denied. At some point, when everything other methods was exhausted, unconsciously, his goal contracted to something that would never end. Roaming. At first, it was to meet the being who would end his emptiness that rather changed to his way of life. The only way that I remembered till now. The simple motion of walking took away all the indifference that he felt since his existence. Soon, the very action consumed even the emptiness. It was all he had, but now, even that was taken away. Bella grasped the very essence of Rayen. Taking away his freedom, made him feel something different, something unknown. A feeling long lost to him, Restless. He knew the voice was from the golden orb, it was calling him. He had to walk, he couldn¡¯t stay still. He had to find it, to watch it up close, and most of all, feel its warmth through his hands. He tried to move his otherwise less-than-free body, but his mana got overshadowed by the new Bella in front of him. She might not have the same control over mana as Rayen, none have, but she was just more strong. Enough to make Rayen not move an inch. Other than his left hand, and the eyes with small turmoils, everything else became still. Was it a desperate attempt or the dawn of understanding? Bella was not sure. But she got her wish, Rayen¡¯s hand moved and landed atop hers. Rayen himself was not sure, if only he could go back to his inner world, he would have found the sky shining with a godly amount of brightness. Not as much as when the golden orb nestled into his heart, but enough to still daggle the already bright world. Bella, who felt the rather cold hand of Rayen, understandably due to the lack of many body functions of Rayen couldn¡¯t care about the nit and gritty of the process. Her lips stretched sideways, as the smile bloomed on her face. She stood up with Rayen following suit and turned back towards one balcony for the last time, she could now hear the much louder sounds of the marching band. Remembering something, her right hand came closer to her mouth as she released a small white fog from her mouth. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Bella said with a wide smile that went ear to ear. Rayen¡¯s cube slipped away from his hand and into the sofa but no one picked it up. Behind them, the outside temperature started to go down at an astonishing speed. Dark clouds appeared in the clear sky and soon, white snow started to fall all over Oasis as well as beyond. But it had less to do with Rayen and Bella now. They walked through the set of corridors and arrived at the third floor. Other than a few, all people were transferred out from the mansion so it felt relatively empty. But the room in front of them was important for it was guarded by two knights who knelt immediately after seeing her. She dismissed them with a wave of her hands as one of them opened the door, but she suddenly raised her hand again to stop them. The door was only half open, but it was enough for her to see inside and others to hear the sounds from there. ¡° How dare you? Hexagons are the bestagones.¡± What appeared was a bunch of angry voices. A small group of people were strangling each other¡¯s collars. Two men, one young while the other old. Their arms are up at their collars, and whenever they talk, saliva jumps from their mouths as an excited kid on a trampoline. Bardar was the young man. He was so busy in his actions, that he noticed the door half opening, but no one else noticed. ¡° Hexagons are the best suitable shapes with star-blessed geometry. How dare you say they are inferior to circles?¡± ¡°Because it''s a fact.¡± The old man with half bald head and almost unkempt short white eyes resorted back with equal force. Named Karvi, he was the head magician of the research division. From the gaps in his collar, one could see the deep scars on his chest. He didn¡¯t care whether the person in front of him was the supposed future lord of Thar or not. All he knew was that the person in front of him was denying the studies of the past as ¡®not that good¡¯ and as a fellow researcher, he had a duty to correct his wrongs. ¡° Circles are the very essence of magic. When you draw one, you just know its magic.¡± He shouted back. Bardar, not to be outdone, started his counterargument. While Cellia was trying to separate them. Well, trying but without coming too near to both, for she wanted to avoid getting splattered with their saliva. She didn¡¯t understand how a casual discussion about magic suddenly turned into a brawl. She now felt that whenever Bardar tried to justify his blowing up the researcher''s convent as an attempt to show his theorems, while not getting a ban for life seemed to have some truth to it. ¡®Just what these guys were doing during such important meetings? Do they come with a club and beat anyone who disagrees with their new theorems?¡¯ Her body shuddered at the thought. She shouted at the duo in front of them. ¡° I said, stop both of you, or I will knock you guys out with my club- I mean my anchor.¡± Her words fell on deaf ears. Bella looked at the scene in absolute silence before turning to Rayen and saying, ¡° Rayen, stay here for a moment.¡± She then entered the room and closed the door. The sound cut off as the door closed, but there was no door for Rayen¡¯s eyes. His eyes pierced the shadowy outlines of doors to look inside. He could see the icy-blue orb suddenly shaking with huge waves of what he knew as mana that overshadowed all others inside. It was only after five minutes that she came back and took Rayen inside. The room was different from before, now it was covered in white snow all over the things. Bardar and Karvi were kneeling on the ground with some front on them, while Cellia was standing at the side with a down head. Rayen noticed some grey light coming from all three orbs but it was not much. In the meantime, Bella started to talk to others. ¡° So, could our future rule of Thar, the one who is dignified for his post, and not an idiot who wields a stick for talking, tell us humble few if our proof of concept is ready or not?¡± Her eyes were as sharp as her words. ¡° Yes, let us show you.¡± Bardar almost jumped from his spot, he knew if he delayed, he would probably be handed on the wall. With the help of Karvi, he brought in a table similar to the one he used for golem designs. Made from clear glass, everyone can see the densely packed yellow runes all over its body. He made Rayen put his hand at the top of the table and then placed a mana stone at the side chamber. It was the white solid cube which released the wisps of white smog into the air. A distance away from the table, near the centre of the room, a big red circle with multiple spells as well as runes was drawn. Cellia walked to the centre of the circle and said to Rayen. ¡° Rayen, be at peace.¡± Cellia then placed her hand on her heart, and closed his eyes. Her vision changed as the magic circle glowed beneath her and so did the table in front of her. She found herself in the world of black and white. But instead of getting shocked, she released her mana to better control the magic circle and moved ahead according to their planned path. On the top of the glass, a projection of images appeared. The world was made of black and white, with orbs in the shadow forms. While they tried to understand it, a visible mana thread rose from the point of view of Rayen and moved towards Bardar¡¯s soul. Under the astonished eyes of everyone, the thread ignored all substance of reality and got entangled with her soul. Cellia shivered at the sensation that came from the depth of the soul and so to Bardar. Before coming here, she even placed many soul-defensive artefacts on Bardar just to check the limitations of Rayen. But none of them even reacted to her spells at all. It made no sense at all. She felt her whole theory of souls being undone in front of her very eyes. She hastily cut the connection and took her hands away. Some time passed, but no one spoke. All the people here could be considered among the top powerhouses of this world, with the best artefacts that this world could offer. But despite that, all it took was the eyes of a single child without even proper body, mind or ability to express or feel others'' feelings to touch the deepest and most guarded part of them. She soon ended the chanting and everything returned to normal. ¡° So, those orbs are the souls. As for the colours, we need to investigate.¡± It was after a deep silence that Bella asked them. She looked as before, but her eyes seemed to be not present for the discussion. Bardar and Karvi said something after but she didn¡¯t listen much to them. It was only when the window suddenly broke and someone jumped inside with the familiar sounds filled with rage that she came back to herself. She looked to the side and found her long-lost friend, Cherry. With her sharp eyes and perked-up ears. She had just finished dealing with the fiend called Bladurus who had the audacity to try throwing her honey into sewers. Now running high on her victory, she had arrived to deal with the main mastermind behind the scenes. With especially sharp teeth which she was showing in full. This made Bella¡¯s thoughts return to normal. She moved her hands and a bottle of blue potions appeared in front of her. She threw it towards Cherry. The bottle opened in midair and the blue liquid inside flashed with unnatural speed before directly entering Cherry''s mouth, which was still in the middle of barking. She choked and coughed some as her body started to wobble here and there before falling on the floor. Soon, some white froth appeared from her mouth as her body twitched. Rayen on the other hand grabbed one scribble from the table and wrote her last words, Honey for life. It was not that he liked the situation, but he was conditioned to do so. It was a part of his routine now. Others just looked at his words without thinking much. They all could understand Cherry¡¯s words. ¡°Great mother, what did you put in that potion?¡± Karvi asked seeing the rather anticlimactic end of their guardian. Below his neck, some green lines started to appear on his dark skin but soon receded. ¡° A strong lemon extract with enhancements to make the flavour long-lasting.¡± ¡°No wonder, it''s lemon after all.¡± He said with a gloating look. He remembered one time Cherry eating his research papers when he forgot to give her honey. He felt much better today. He rubbed his rather dry hands and walked towards Cherry. ¡° Let me mark the places where we might need to inspect later.¡± He pulled out the brush and black ink. Ignoring the presence of everyone who looked at him with strange eyes, he started to draw on the face of Cherry. Even Bella¡¯s eyes twitched when she glanced at the unsuppressed smile of his as he drew a pile of lemons on her fur. ¡° Eat my research papers huh?¡± Everyone heard his murmurs. ¡°Bardar, take her and do in-depth research. If she starts to wake up, throw another potion into her mouth.¡± Bella ignored Karvi¡¯s small thoughts and threw a pouch at Bardar. For she knew, she was not done with Cherry¡¯s punishment quite yet. ¡° Grandma, there¡¯s something about Rayen.¡± Bardar didn¡¯t move straight away. There¡¯s something that only he noticed. Since all people here could maintain normal sanity in front of Bella, he called her like he usually does. ¡° Rayen¡¯s doesn¡¯t seem to be stressed by controlling golems.¡± He had this doubt for some time and now it was confirmed. The table he made was almost similar to a golem with almost similar controls. It connects directly to the soul of a user. From the experiment just now, according to Bardar¡¯s understanding as well as general observations, Rayen, when controlling the golem through a connection with the soul, feels neither tiredness nor strain. Must know, it was one of the three ways to move a golem, and also quite restrictive on the user. The control requires extensive training and first-time use usually tires out a person. There¡¯s nothing of such sort for Rayen. It was a minor skill compared to gazing at the souls but for Bardar who only focuses on golems, it was not a small matter at all. ¡°I will keep it in mind for the future.¡± Bella gave him a nod of understanding. But she didn''t want to focus on it for the time being. Looking at the Cherry in front of them, they have quite a lot of work stretched out for them. They couldn¡¯t afford to turn their attention elsewhere. ¡° Let¡¯s get to work.¡± Chapter-25: The Stars of this World (1) Gigantic was the word that came up to everyone¡¯s awe-struck lips as they overlooked the very map of the world. From the biting cold Iceland stranger to life to the boiling peak of a volcano whose mega-filled crater releases dark fumes of toxic smoke to the surrounding lush forest. From the ever-drifting sands of the desert to the evergreen farmlands. From the huge masses of land to the ever-so-blue endless waves of oceans. It had everything that could satisfy even someone with the thirstiest soul that lounges for an adventure. But the most peculiar of all was its name, Sarvalokag¨¡mi. Written in the ancient language of the land, ¡®The Travarser of All Worlds¡¯ or so it meant. Why and where the name came to be was lost in the realms of the staunch historians, but few if any would call it anything else. But even so, few are those whose existence could be heard throughout the world''s edges. Be it the Capital of the Starry Sky Alliance, sometimes also called the power centre of the world or the black smoke-filled volcanic nest of Phoenix, the mystical bird symbolising rebirth. Each was an awe-inspiring place to be at. Some were in the most accessible areas of all, others not so. The elvish kingdom fell into the latter bracket. In terms of its isolation, few can compare with it. Aurelianar, the Elvish World tree was a unique existence whose name was their capital and eventually, the kingdom was named after. Tethys and Tethailys river¡¯s gentle water flows through its foot where the well-dressed, heavily armoured elves stood guard throughout the years. Behind them marks the end of the stone marble road and the long wooden steps that hang from the arm-thick veins of the Aurelianar. Filled with boutiques of fragrant flowers, the stairs spiral around the thick trunk of Aurelianar before reaching the peak, where an entirely different scene came into one¡¯s view, a palace. At the top of the tree where the sunlight could no longer be blocked by the leaves of their guardian tree, the elves had built a magnificent palace of white, blue as well as other marbles. And filled every inch of it with their mark, be it their art or literature. A group of playful elemental beings called spirits pass by and live among the leaves. Born from the very essence of Aurelianar, spirits weld the very powers of nature and nonetheless, were called the best eternal friends of elves. A rather unattainable feat for simple-minded beings to couple with those who value others as nothing but beneath them. A belief of racial superiority as well as that of bloodlines primates the mindset of those who live below the shadow of this sacred tree. But not all elves confine themselves and view others through the mindset of superiority, or perhaps they just don¡¯t show it much. Only they might know the truth. On one of the balconies of the many luxury rooms of the elvish palace, two elves, one male, and the other female sat around the circular table covered with soft white coloured cloth. Atop that was the variety of snacks, triangular golden brown crispy-looking pieces of samosa coupled with red spicy tomato sauce being one of them. A delicacy famous throughout the lands, but only one of them enjoyed their taste while the latter didn¡¯t glance at them. The sounds of their rather subtle quarrel and the sounds of winds could be heard that gently swayed their hair. ¡° I think it''s pretty clear now. You are just using delayed tactics to stop the inevitable.¡± The woman in a gorgeous white open-shoulder one-piece dress with a large skirt said to him. She was none other than the Queen of elves, Seraphine. Her eyebrows were furrowed, much annoyed by the elf sitting in front of him, Finwell Woodspirit who sipped his lemon tea with a thin smile across his lips. ¡° I sometimes feel you are too overworked. So much that you forget things that matter the most or don¡¯t at all.¡± He said, wiping his mouth with a fine golden neckerchief. His smile didn¡¯t fade despite the ever-so-increasing glares from his guest. ¡° Besides, I am not like you, who could charm all the branches into one single trunk. I have a lot of branches to manage, most of which grow in different directions than my own.¡± He shook his head gently as if to convey his helplessness. ¡° Aren¡¯t you too anxious to get the council votes?¡± Seraphine¡¯s furrows ease some. She knew Finwell¡¯s allies on the Elvish Council worked with principals of interest rather than ideology like hers. For them, having the proposition of their interest cut short and that too by their own will was an unprecedented task to be asked for. After all, though she did threaten them with an investigation into their corruption, going through that threat was much easier than done. ¡° I am not anxious. If anything, I am worried. You know it well, don¡¯t you? They have hollowed out our army over the years. You too are no different.¡± She glared at his face as if to see through his true intent. ¡° As I said, you are missing the forest for the trees.¡± Finwell met her gaze with calm eyes. Not at all thinking about her sharp words. ¡° Let¡¯s say we go according to your¡­ ¡®Plans¡¯, which sounds no more than political rhetoric.¡± ¡° There¡¯s nothing political about my plan, you just can¡¯t see it.¡± ¡°No? You say if we pull our troops from the border, it would lessen the pressure on Easparton, which then could fight with Oasis in full. Tell me, when was the last time you heard them not fighting? For others, it might look like a civil war, but we know the truth. It is nothing more than a celebration for them if you call it one.¡± He paused and looked at her but didn¡¯t find her weaving much. So he added some thoughts. ¡° Even if many died there, nothing would change for them or us. Perhaps there would be few of those, but not too few to matter.¡± ¡°And as I said, your eyes have lost their ambition since you started to mend with those greedy fools.¡± ¡° Then enlighten me, please.¡± He raised his hands sideways and motioned her to continue. ¡°This time, it''s special. That beast¡­ their so-called guardian was at its last breath. You know what it meant, right? It meant an only chance to bring back the glory of elves, to wipe out those insects from our land for good.¡± Finwell sighed at her ferocious face, she seemed much convinced by herself. An attitude that had not changed since the death of her husband at the hands of humans. ¡° And so you forgot? That beast was at most Four stars in terms of strength. Humans sure call it their guardian, but we all know that he stopped being one long ago. Even if he died, there¡¯s not much to say about Thar¡¯s five-star-level threatening force. That¡¯s why I said, nothing will change as much as the overall picture is involved. They didn¡¯t make their move during the Divine war, much less now.¡± ¡°It''s different.¡± She cut him off, who wanted to say some more. She stopped herself from growling at his mention of those insects as ¡®humans¡¯, and continued. ¡° Did you forget why that beast is even mentioned so much?¡± Her words made Finwell think about something. Indeed, Thar¡¯s guardian beast was not crowned as such because of its strength as much as others think. No, the most important reason for its nefarious reputation was its ability to suck the very life of the world. Different from the Law domain of Four Star Mages which was the manifestation of the world¡¯s laws, his ability was natural. It was there much before when even the concept of law domain became famous. That beast would suck the life from anything and everything. From the blade of the grass beneath their shoes to the towering trees above their heads, nothing would be spared. There was once a time when forest spread to all corners of the Southern Continent, collectively called The Great Elvish Forest. It was the rise of the Dusty Devil which changed much of that into a barren wasteland of today. It was he who ensured not even a speck of grass could grow in the lands of Thar. To say much, he was the natural enemy of their sacred tree. One crates life while the other consumes it. Such was the destiny of these two guardians and the races beneath them. ¡° To assimilate the life of others.¡± He answered her question which got a nod from the elvish queen. ¡° Yes and once he died, there would be no one left to suck the life from the living beings.¡± She straightened her already straight back and leaned slightly forward. ¡° And once that happens, no one can stop the expansion of the domain of our world¡¯s tree.¡± ¡° You mean..¡± A look of understanding suddenly drew on his face. He looked excited with rapid breaths. ¡° If we use this means to suddenly insert our law domain into the whole of Thar, even their Five Star level force would have to step back. As long as we handle initial attacks well, this whole continent would be ours.¡± Seraphine smiled as she looked at his shaking body. Everyone who knows elves knows the reason for their continued existence under the thump of Thar and such an overwhelming force was not their national strength but the strength of their sacred tree. It holds the power of the Law domain, which covers much of their territory. Unless somehow this power was forced to be repelled, it mattered less for how many came. They are all manageable. That was the real reason why Seraphine was so confident about her success. She knew even Finwell knew how great their chances of success were. Sure he didn¡¯t ask about how she could suddenly expand the law domain to such a large area, but both of them are smart people. Not everything needed to be said. She stood up and said to him as she moved towards the door. ¡° Since you know it now, you have to understand our future can¡¯t be made with the hollowed army we have today. I think we should start to honestly work towards the glory of elves.¡± The sound of the door closing came from behind and Finwell¡¯s excited body became calm. He looked at the door with the same smile as in the beginning and once again picked up the slightly cold tea. ¡° Ai, how cold. I don¡¯t think that much time passed, or was it?¡± It was unsure if he was talking about the tea or someone, but he nonetheless muttered with calm. ¡° You didn¡¯t seem that much excited about the prospect of elvish glory.¡± A strange monotone sound came from the dark shadow near the curtails. The shadow looked eerie, wriggling as it talked. ¡° When someone lives inside the iron castle for too long, they tend to get disillusioned from reality.¡± Finwell was not surprised at the sudden voice and replied with calmness. ¡° Luckily, I am also responsible for our foreign relationships so I don¡¯t have this problem.¡± ¡° You seemed too smug for someone whose race might get doomed soon.¡± ¡° Ain¡¯t that true for both of us, my human friend?¡± His words garnered no response from the shadow as if it didn¡¯t hear his words at all. Finwell was not discouraged and chimed every so steadily. ¡° Since you are here, I presume you are now ready to take the delivery?¡± ¡° One week.¡± The shadow replied and the flickering of it stopped as if all before was just an illusion. The only sound that remained was that of gentle wind and the moving of curtains. ¡° So anxious. Why do no guests of mine finish their snacks before leaving?¡± Finwell said to himself but his smile was much wider than before. He stood up and left whistling to himself. *** Easparton, inside one of the hollowed mountains that now acts as the make-shift industry. Today it was greeted with the presence of a high-level visit, the vice city lord, Adrian. Looking at the dark stone walls of the interior and the many people moving to their day-to-day work, only to stop when he visited them, Adrian had some mixed feelings. He felt a little empty inside, for he wanted the industries to be expanded, and produce much larger of an output. But it was inside the mountains, everything was limited and slow. An air of oppression floated around whichever place he visited, only held back by the many spells which made it this confined place well-lit. ¡° The ventilation here seems to be lacking, is it always the same?¡± He asked the man following behind him. He was the owner of this place, a middle-aged man who looked to be in his thirties. Large tied red hairs and most notably, he was missing one middle finger from his left hand. ¡° Somedays go we suddenly got an influx of workers. That might be the reason.¡± The man, Max said with a humble look. Who doesn¡¯t know the strict vice lord of theirs? He didn¡¯t want to get fined and besides, he didn¡¯t lie. ¡° We are essentially working over capacity, but I already noticed this problem and called for improvement, but the other side is taking their time.¡± He added at last. ¡°Overcapacity?¡± Adrian didn¡¯t take his last words seriously but focused more on the former. After all, this place was a part of the defence corridors, and things that were made here were all war-related. He looked at his assistant for an answer who shook his head after flipping through the thick files on his hands. ¡° Sir, the order came from City Lord¡¯s Mansion,¡± Max said with haste. Worried he might be questioned for making some side money in times of need. ¡°That, it was a strange artefact, perhaps a golem,¡± ¡° You made them here and are still not sure?¡± Adrian raised his eyebrow at his words. After all, if the order came from the City Lord¡¯s Mansion and even his assistants didn¡¯t know about it, then it only meant someone with power higher than his own ordered it. There is only one. ¡° Please come with me sir,¡± Max said and started walking towards the interior, passing through rows of workbenches where different people with dark robes kept fielding with many metal equipment. As they walked, he kept explaining some things to them. ¡° We don¡¯t reforge parts of artefacts or general engraving here, only things that might need a more delicate hand. Like a mana amplifier for anchors.¡± Seeing Adrian giving a short nod, he continued. ¡° Some days ago, we were rushed with many new helpers and were told to stop whatever we were doing and make certain kinds of artefacts.¡± They soon stopped in front of a guarded door, the one that led to the storehouse. He motioned the guard to open it, who only did so after using some spells at them to confirm their identities. ¡° You see sir, these guys are also with them, they won¡¯t even let me inside without further body checks for both coming and going. But since you are with me, they are going easy today.¡± Max whispered in a low voice. Adrian felt an even stronger curiosity for the artefacts behind the doors. The room inside was spotlessly clean. Large metal boxes with sealed runes were placed in neat lineups. But not too many as he expected, just seven, about half his height. ¡°Open them,¡± Adrian said to one of the guards who was guarding the door. He figured Max might not have the key to open it, which turned out to be true. The guard didn¡¯t say much as he just came forward and started to open the boxes one by one. The thing that appeared in front of them surprised everyone. ¡°Mosquitoes?¡± Adrian sounded unsure. Inside the boxes, the densely packed things were placed in trays. They looked like tiny metal insects with small wings, almost similar to flies or mosquitoes. Adrian recited a quick levitation spell and one of such things floated up to his hands. Looking closely, it looked well similar to a small insect, if not for the metal body. ¡° Just what are these?¡±This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°They are golems, sir. I asked one guy and he replied with such.¡± Max spoke from his experience earlier. He too was surprised earlier. ¡°Can they be so small? Can someone even control them?¡± Though not much, even Adrian knew some about golems. And to control one, the easiest one was engraving control formations on reshaped metals. Max hesitated but still said. ¡° One of them said it was not made to be controlled traditionally. They said something about adding some runes related to souls on them.¡± Adrian paused, his eyes grew wide for a moment as he looked at the face of the man beside him. He then squinted his eyes and stared deep into other¡¯s as if to see through his words. He couldn¡¯t help it, soul after all meant too much trouble. There were two principal ways of controlling golems, Manipulation and Possession. Later was self-explanatory, which needed one¡¯s soul to be transplanted into golems. But the conditions are not well known and no one can do it, at least Adrian had not heard of anyone who could achieve that. That leaves only manipulation, which again was done in two ways. One by engraving formations on the golem, it was the most famous of all. Another lesser-known one was connecting a golem directly with one¡¯s soul and moving it to one¡¯s will, which puts a heavy burden on the soul in return for absolute control and perfect synchronisation with the user. He looked at the boxes again, there were at least thousands of such small mosquitoes in total. ¡® Did Easparton train mages capable of controlling golems with soul manipulation in secret? But then, why order to make such golems now?¡¯ Adrian couldn¡¯t help but think. In the end, he couldn¡¯t guess too much about the specific use case. He put the golem back and started to move outside. ¡° How many did they order you to make?¡± ¡°They didn¡¯t say the exact number. Only to not stop making these until they told us to.¡± ¡®I wonder what prompted him to do so¡­.¡¯ Adrian thought as he left the room where the guards started to reseal the boxes. Their eyes, hidden behind the vial of cloth that covered much of their face flickered with some thoughts as they looked at the backs of people who just left. *** Inside his room, Azir stood up and stretched himself as if to wake his still-sleeping body. Looking at the rather spacious room, he felt his heart was the same as the room, empty. He has been alone in the house since Rayen and Cherry left. Though he wanted to say to himself he always lived alone, those words never truly left his lips. He stood up from his plain red bedsheet that he laid across the floor to compensate for the lack of the furry dog who also acted as his makeshift bed, and started to wash. Today was a special day, as evident that he wore a clean, bright red shirt with a golden strip collar, finely made silk engraved into small beetles to the front and a large centipede that wrapped around the back¡ªcoupled with green pants with scorpion engraving at the sides. He washed his hair and used rose-fragrant oil to comb it well. Not something he does daily. He took a final look at his dress before setting himself off. The moment he opened his door, a heavy sound of bands with their constant thumping of drums and blowing trumpets with heavy shouts from leading men who kept shouting for steady footsteps crashed into him. He couldn¡¯t adjust well as his eyes got blinded monetarily due to sunlight, but soon his vision returned and provided a view that couldn¡¯t be expected here. White, was the only colour that dominated the landscape of this time. From the side of the roads, knee-deep snow was piled up, a rather strange phenomenon in the middle of a barren desert. The heavy snowfall covered the whole of Oasis and even the surrounding for days at this point. Azir looked at the snowfall coming from the sky and from what he knew, the snowfall was very tame inside the city. He heard from some people that outside it was almost blizzard-level snowfall at nighttime and sometimes even during the day. He didn¡¯t have seen what a blizzard looks like but he thought it would be significant in scale to even make their gossip inside the walls. But even if that was the case, he felt it was not his problem, because he felt no more chilled than any normal day. If anything, he felt a little cosy as if he returned to his Cherry in bed mode. It was strange, so much so that when he told Boss Sam about it, he noticed Sam¡¯s eyes going wide and lips almost drained of colour. He then refused to talk about it when asked, which just puzzled Azir. Remembering the scene, he bent down and put some snow into his hand, and that¡¯s the only time he felt cold from it. It was for this reason that he wore no cold clothes atop himself. But by this point, he had to throw the snow away and put his hands on his ears, it was loud. So much so, that he could feel the very air vibrating from their presence. He couldn¡¯t tell what medicine they took, but for the last two weeks they just kept going ever so loud that one could hear it even on the other side of the city. The only salvage he got was the house walls were thick enough that no noise could break into his house. Shaking the distracted thoughts and moving his feet towards the shop of Boss Sam. It wasn''t too long of a walk and he found the man standing in front of the closed door of the shop. Different from him, Sam wore a thick black coat with yellow hand gloves and a brown muffler wrapped around his neck. Despite this, he could not help but shake a little whenever the chilly winds flowed. ¡°Boss, is it cold?¡± Azir couldn¡¯t help but ask when he got close. He found Sam¡¯s shiny bald head too was covered with some kind of woven hat. Sam could only nod, stopping short of snort. He got in an especially bad mood when he found the boy walking just fine with thin clothes. He couldn¡¯t help it as he got shouted at by his wife yesterday for sneezing all over the place whenever a mild gust of wind blew while the one in front of him could throw his whole body into the piles of snow just fine. Azir even got praised by his wife, but not him. Thinking up to here, Sam gave a closer look towards the boy who was tilting his head towards him as if to imitate Rayen who was not there. Sam also found that with the right clothes, Azir looked rather handsome. It turned out, his wife¡¯s many praises towards Azir were not so wrong after all. ¡°By the way Boss,¡± Azir, who was unaware of Sam''s thoughts, asked him. ¡° Are you sure the city lord¡¯s mansion was looking for investors?¡± ¡° Do you think I would joke about such things?¡± ¡°No, no boss, it''s just that you didn¡¯t look like someone who would part with his money for things like this?¡± ¡®You think I want to?¡¯ Sam almost screamed inside his head as he looked at the carefree boy in front of him. The scene from two days ago was still fresh in his mind. Two old men were loudly talking just outside his workshop window. First, he wanted to ignore them. But who would know that they would keep shouting with no end, which soon turned into a brawl with curses that never stopped? He had enough soon, and with a conviction to curse even louder, he slammed open that window, which happened to also hit one of the old guys and made his nose crooked a little. As the man fell back, Sam noticed his shoes which made his anger turn dead cold. Their disguise of plain white kurta and pyjamas looked civilian enough, but their shoes gave away. Those were custom-made brown leather shoes with thin black striped carcasses of scavengers as the hardened point, something only the people from the city lord¡¯s mansion had access to. He knows them well, for he sold many of such similar but counterfeit products during his heydays, he would never mistake them to be anything else. But what was in front of his eyes was genuine. Needless to say, he was too far ahead to ignore them and had to bite his tongue and ask them about their less-than-savvy behaviour. Who would have known, they started to talk almost immediately, as if waiting for this exact moment. They had a certain sharpness to their eyes when looking at him, not something one finds in those normal persons who talk about the sudden investment opportunities at the city lord¡¯s mansion. But still, their language puzzled him. They said they fought because one on the right, the one whose nose got crooked, refused to bring their workers for investment. He didn¡¯t understand until he asked Azir, and guess what? That boy had money to spare. He had lived a life of a fool if he still didn''t understand anything. He keenly had a feeling, perhaps if didn¡¯t understand why they were suddenly talking so much about investment this and that, he might have been given a ride at the onset of night, and be brought to a dimly lit room somewhere to have a friendly discussion. So now they were here, walking towards the highest summit of the mountain. The road was not so lonely, people on both sides cleaning the road, with big smiles on their faces and bodies so energetic that it didn''t match the look of white and grey hair of them. Many were even kneeling while facing towards the peak, muttering with rigorous voices ¡°Long Live Great Mother!!¡± again and again. Sam felt his chest tightening when he looked at their excited, almost frantic eyes but Azir was unaffected. ¡°Boss,¡± The boy asked in a somewhat puzzled voice. ¡° There¡¯s no parade of the Great Mother upcoming, right?¡± ¡° That¡¯s the thing with this snow, it holds a special significant value to us old guys. You don¡¯t feel cold, do you? You have seen Lord Bardar¡¯s magic, right? But let me say it, he can do many things, but even he won¡¯t have such fine control over it.¡± Sam shook his head, Azir even felt his eyes looked a little disdainful about it. But he couldn¡¯t think much as he heard Sam saying, ¡°And most of all, Oasis has a history of such snowfall which is not recorded in books that you read till now.¡± ¡° Boss, why is it not recorded?¡± Sam didn¡¯t answer his last question but continued on his own ¡° It is always used to be like this, covered in the deep snow, whenever she holds the reins at the top. In a way, the snow represents her presence at the peak.¡± His eyes were a little lost and so was his voice towards the end. Sam didn¡¯t mention the name, but Azir was not stupid to need it. For a moment, deep green flashed within Azir¡¯s pupils, it stayed there for a moment before it disappeared in them, unnoticed. It was a silent walk from then until they arrived in front of the city lord¡¯s mansion. Where the guards who seemed to be waiting for them took them towards the back garden. A big garden with a green patch of grass laid everywhere until rows of different plants, not all flowers. Moving just a little forward, just when the sweet smell of the garden hit their nose, they found a table with chairs of wood just some distance from them. The chairs were not empty either, someone was sitting there, looking towards them. ¡°Professor Bladurus? What happened to you?¡± Azir suddenly shouted. He knew the man who sat in front of them. He was surprised. Far from the man who made even the most enchanted chairs cry out in anguish at his presence, the Bladurus in front of him was skinny. He was so skinny that he looked like a malnourished worker who only ate three dry breads and water for a day while working in mines. His dress was almost slipping through his neck and eyes as if he would fall out from their sockets. ¡°It''s nothing, I just fought a beast some days ago.¡± Bladurus was expecting such a reaction as he shook his thin arm in front of them. ¡° Please come here, it''s bad for valuable investors to keep standing.¡± ¡°No, no, the pleasure is ours.¡± Sam suddenly said as he put his hands on Azir¡¯s head and made him bow along with him. Only then did he pull the boy to sit at the chair facing towards Bladurus. Azir wanted to complain, but he found Sam glaring at him so he shut himself up. ¡°Please, be at ease, I can¡¯t feel comfortable otherwise.¡± Despite hearing Bladurus say so, Sam can only smile with a stiff face. It doesn¡¯t help that even though he knew his acting skills were top-notch, the man in front of him was not something to be fooled around with. Honesty, sometimes after all, also has its uses for an actor. Azir was different, he knew Bladurus from his kindergarten days, and he was much more at ease with him. ¡°Professor, what kind of beast did this to you?¡± ¡° What do you know? That beast was the most despicable of beings. She''s a heartless, brainless, brutish thieving ball of discarded fur made of decade hairs that should be locked in a basement full of pickles for the benefit of mankind. If not for that nine-eyed piece of rotten socks, I wouldn¡¯t have ended up getting punished.¡± As if pent up for too long Bladurus started to rant with a series of curses. Perhaps he felt there was no outsider that he named forty different curses for the beast in question. Azir was still ok, who would occasionally nod along with him, but Sam almost choked on his glass of water. He felt the description of the beast in the mouth of the vice city lord seemed too similar to Thar¡¯s guardian beast. Coincidence? Sam thought it was not, because he heard Bladurus add at the end. ¡° By the way, don¡¯t say these things in front of your dog. We shouldn¡¯t teach bad things to pets.¡± Azir thought some and agreed, he too knew that his professor feared dogs for odd reasons. Sam had an interesting face when he looked at the teacher and student cursing at how bad the dogs could be. A little voice inside him wanted to complain to the dog in question about how these people were badmouthing her behind the scenes, but he quickly suppressed those evil thoughts back. It was just so that he heard Bladurus was not all about side talks. Soon he told them his ¡®investment plans¡¯. The tax was foregone, investment time was short, about three years and the return rate was guaranteed. Double per year. Sam was speechless. What about subtle hints? Call for investment? He felt they were being invested here, rather than them investing. His eyes were a little red, if he knew the terms were so good, he would have brought the whole treasure chest to invest. No, he would have taken loans using his property. ¡° Brother Sam, are you ok?¡± He suddenly heard Bladurus asking him, seeing him being dazed. ¡° Ah, I am ok. I just remembered something. What were we discussing if you don''t mind me asking?¡± Sam took a deep breath and asked, but the one who replied was the hateful boy, who was so obvious to all. He felt he found the weakness of Azir, he lacked the worldly experience to see through the faultlines. ¡°By the way,¡± It was when they were done signing some documents that Bladurus suddenly turned to Azir with a smile that looked a little out of place. ¡° What do you think about Great Mother choosing a somewhat pacifist to rule over Thar?¡± It was an absurd question, seemingly out of nowhere. And the topic itself was almost a taboo, at least it should have been as much as Sam thought with a palpitating heart, but he found the man in front of them smiling ever so little. He turned to look around with caution and found no one was there besides them. Just as he prepared to act frantically like others who mentioned her, Azir spoke before him. ¡° What¡¯s there to ask? I don¡¯t have any complaints.¡± As Azir said, his eyes were unwavering, and there was a strong green light within his eyes. ¡°Since the Great Mother chose Lord Bardar as her successor, it simply meant he was better than all others. Everything else is just rumoured, worth less than the sand here.¡± ¡° Even the war?¡± ¡° Would someone chosen by the Great Mother be afraid of war? Besides, isn''t everyone here our people, does it matter whether one lives in the East or West? All are equal in front of her.¡± This time, both Sam and Bladurus noticed the strong green light in his eyes. It made the former shut up while the latter smiled even more. ¡° Correct, but not fully. But I am happy that you can have such clarity of thought. Only Thar understood Thar the best.¡± He didn¡¯t say much and kept nodding his head as if thinking about something. ¡° By the way, Professor, why did you make them set up this table and chairs at the gate of the garden?¡± Azir asked about the question which puzzled him a little. The green light in Azir''s eyes faded away. He looked at the inside of the garden, he felt some strange kind of feeling from there, but he couldn¡¯t tell what. ¡°Oh that, it is because there is a secret hidden there. You see, what you see there is an illusion made from magic and in truth, there is a deep well at the centre with flowing blood.¡± Bladurus lowered his voice and looked around as if to hide this secret but Azir didn¡¯t buy it. ¡° If you don¡¯t want to say then don¡¯t. I won¡¯t fall for your pranks like during school days.¡± Azir stood up, not wanting to talk to the guy who once caused him to eat lemon pickle mixed with his pastries. Sam besides him was sweating a lot. It was a relief that their talk also came to an end and some people came to take them away. After all, they couldn¡¯t just talk to Bladurus the whole day. It was just as they were gone, that Bladurus shook his head and snapped his fingers. The green garden behind him disappeared in haze and instead, a rocky surface appeared. It was covered with red splashes of blood that led to the centre of the well, which was so deep that one couldn¡¯t see its end. Only the constant sound of some splashes and the iron-like smell of blood leaked from there. ¡° Ai, as they say, no one believes you when you tell the truth¡­hmm wait, Rayen would definitely believe me. But it doesn¡¯t matter though, all are our people.¡± Only these words lingered in the air. Chapter-26: The stars of this world (2) Oasis, the heaven on Thar, or as it was always called. The reason was simple. One that eluded all that resided in this strange landscape of barren sands, beast or human¡ªPeace. It was the same old story of fighting on the land. Fighting to survive the beast tides. One was forced to hone their skills in the struggle for survival, irrespective of their wishes. People here have nothing to them, neither the shelter nor the warmth of their loved ones. Everything washes away when the tide comes. Death. The concept has lost its meaning long back. Father, mother, brother, sister or anyone in between, no one was further to death than others. Barbarity, the outsiders called it. Like the sands of the barren desert, these thoughts seemed to be buried deep in this land. Just a tiny effort away to dig it up back like an almost mirage-inducing illusion of normalcy within one¡¯s reach. But those who try to dig soon find later that they have sunk deep into the sands, like the very thing they sought to unearth, peace. And then, there were the tall walls of Oasis that had stood for much of the history of Thar. Towering over the onlookers who seek peace within its wall, they were the only ones who still remembered their purpose till now. Strong and patient since the first days of their inception, that perhaps one day, others would too remember what they seek from them- Peace. That one day, like the dark of night, the barbarism would be passed and bring in the new dawn to the people of Thar. And the days always passed on with this thought of theirs, in silence. The first rays of dawn crashed into the snow-covered, towering walls of Oasis. It was just the start of the day for many inside the city, but the same couldn¡¯t be said for those outside. Hundreds of thousands of men and women stood with their backs straight. The last frost of the night still held onto their eyebrows and much of their clothes, but the fire in their eyes couldn¡¯t be cooled at all. Rows upon rows of different formations stretched the white landscape. With large columns of centipedes flanking the human formations to the right, many were buried within deep layers of snow as well as all the tents and supplies that once dotted the place. Soon, the sky slowly brightened but the land below was still dark, not because of the clouds but due to the swarms of wasps that appeared atop them. Each wasp was as big as a grown man¡¯s arm with two big red eyes, and black long antennas, the rest of the body being yellow with multiple shades of blue, red, and black. A symbol of their highly venomous nature that rests in their concealed stings. Their wings vibrated the very air with such force that the snow fell from the tens and even hundreds of meters of large centipedes down below. The falling snow revealed the rows of mountable seats covered with tight-fitted, brown leather enough for several dozens of people to sit on. But no one got the time to look at the carrier on the sands, their focus instead went to the gates of their holy city. Their fierce eyes kept searching at the top of the walls and beyond to look for their goddess, the one whose call brought them here. Heavy snow beside them made her presence felt across ranks of people, and their blood boiled with excitement at her ordering them to the heart of their enemies. The thought of an upcoming opportunity made them look at the peak of the mountain with rapid breaths that revealed the glowing green veins below their necks. At the forefront of formation was the band division of the army. Dressed in a bright array of red, green and yellow coloured dresses with a blue feathered cap on their head. With arrays of drums, trumpets, flutes and clarinets, as their instruments as they prepare for the military band. ¡°Attention!¡± A shout brought many of them back as their bodies jerked with trained motion. A local field commander in the front issued a command. Dressed in a deep khaki military uniform, with the chest having a centipede badge which shined to the reflection of light. Soon, the military bands started to spring up with life. Only this time they didn¡¯t roar like the marching band during daily parades, but something different. A song, the one written in Oasis. Unlike the blaring of trumpets that rally the masses, with drums that don¡¯t drum up the urgency of war. No, they were just the beats of the background. Instead, it was the gentle stringing of violas, like the whispers in the air. The clarinets with their smooth tones along with the fluttering piccolo, much like a delicate bird soaring into the unknown. The gentle tones brought down the thumping hearts of the masses as their eyes regained focus. With the bold lyrics to stir their souls, their breath soon smoothes over the song. It was not an overly long song, as the final notes of the band ebbed away, the moment passed as swiftly as it came. It gave the people what they wished for in the Oasis, though only for a moment. For it left as soon as it appeared, just like the concept of peace, it too was gone. From the air as well as the souls of the masses. ¡°Move! Maintain the lines!¡± Field commanders¡¯ shouts filled the air once again but for the last time. Every personnel moved on to their seats. With one last glance, the leader turned around and motioned the coachman to start moving. The lines of beasts turned their heads towards the east. The walls of east, Verdant Divides were not so far away for them. **** Celestia, Terralea. Isabella rubbed her eyes for the last time, or so she thought as she looked at the letter in front of her once again. It was written in all the cheeky lines that felt like a cake with extra sugar-filled layers that would cause one to die of diabetes. The sender was none other than her husband, Edward, who was too lonely at home and couldn¡¯t wait to express the same when given the chance. But it was not the cause of the problem for her. No, the main problem was not the letter, but the purpose itself. She had asked him earlier to report something about the movement of knights and mages under him. She wanted to see if the Alliance was moving the troops soon or not. A simple enough question but in the end, she had to go through his rattling for two pages on and on about his loneliness there with her before she found what she wanted at one last para. She then picked an empty paper. Thinking about the time she wasted reading the letter, she wrote a big ¡®NO¡¯ in the first line as the reply to his suggestion for arriving here too and spending time with them. It finally made her snort when imagining his face and calmed her mind. That¡¯s the only word she wrote before packing it neatly to be sent back. As for his letter, she placed it in the drawer among the rows of similarly packed ones. She stretched her hands and looked outside the window and the sun was still up in the sky. She remembered her daughters were still out on a visit and couldn¡¯t help but think ¡®Wonder what they are doing now.¡¯ *** Celestia was a city divided neatly into parts, one can see the Celestial Palace at the centre with roads stretching outwards in radical directions. The world was geographically cut to maintain the exact centre of the city and the peripherals were staunchly limited to maintain the unique hexagonal shape of the city. A giant hexagon of white surrounded by brown. Even the rivers got an unnatural bend to them almost making a right angle, and few even outright diverted to underground canals beneath the cities with enough space that let the whole of their ships pass through. But regardless of all paths the water might choose to traverse, the moment it enters the borders of the city, it must follow its rules. No filth was allowed in the city. All turbidity of water stops near the city¡¯s ends and only the clear water brimming with life flows into it. Atop one such canal, a whole district was built to the city¡¯s east. It was special, for despite not being a commercial or tourist one, the rows of people still flocked the four-lane roads here. Rightfully so, for it was none other than the education district of Celestia. With many institutions that taught everything from history to current affairs, geography to astronomy, magical or non-magical. All things have a place to be studied, whether private or alliance-owned. But most of all, it was their libraries that made this district special. For all of them were open to the public, no matter who comes, human or otherwise, any institution or university couldn¡¯t deny him access to their libraries. Needless to say, it made the district a unique attraction to lovers who thirst for knowledge. Anyone could enter, but not before they were greeted with a line of text at the gate of every such institute, ¡°One shall see the end of Stars when they block your path to knowledge.¡± Among many of these buildings, there was one place which boasted being the second largest library in the world, called ¡®One Page Bookstore¡¯. Filled with an unusual amount of white marble statues of men and women to both sides of the footpath that led into the campus, stood a fifteen-story tall building which was shaped like a palm holding the open book with a¡®V¡¯ shape towards the sky. Strangely, it was not white like most other buildings out in the city but more of a yellowish-creamy colour. Inside, one could see a flock of books flying across the open balcony and into the different floors in complete silence. In fact, not even the sound of the crowd could be heard inside the library despite their lips being seen moving. Despite the wide area spell maintaining the silence, people inside couldn¡¯t avoid being scolded for talking loudly by the attendants. But it failed to deter people from talking in whispers. ¡°Sis! Sis! I found a secret this morning.¡± On the fifth floor, deep inside the maze of bookshelves, Elaina put another picture book with cute animals on the table and whispered to Eloise beside her. ¡° I saw Mom taking a squirrel for a walk!¡± Eloise nodded her head at her ever so slightly but didn¡¯t look up from the book she was intently reading. ¡°Do you think she named it already?¡± Elaina asked as she kept dangling her small legs while she pushed her picture right next to her sister. ¡°Look, there¡¯s many in here.¡± It was this time Eloise raised her head and looked at the picture book pushed in her face. Her eyes twitched as she found a black girl with two cat ears on her head, wearing a white, almost see-through lingerie and posing on the sofa with her legs crossed beside the fireplace in a dimly lit room. ¡®Caisy¡¯s favourite whisky¡­¡¯ read the top line suspiciously near her breasts. Eloise took the book from Elaina¡¯s hand and closed it with a bang. ¡° Why are you reading this?¡± she asked with a red blush around her cheeks. ¡° How did you even find this out of all those books you could have picked from?¡± ¡° I found many people in armour picking it up and reading in groups with painted smiles while praising it for the poses, so I picked it up. It does have some nice poses, right Sis?¡± Elaina lowered her head and said with a low voice near her ear. ¡° I remember something similar in mom¡¯s closet too. I once heard Dad asking Mom to wear it one time with a different pose so I was trying to find the names I heard that time.¡± ¡° Why the hell were you listening to adults talk? She will pull your ears when she finds out.¡± By the time Eloise finished, the red smeared the whole of her face, which didn¡¯t escape her little sister¡¯s eyes at all, and a smile crept onto her lips. ¡°Na, sis. Do you want to try them too?¡± Eliana said as she found her chance and slammed her hands next to Eloise. ¡°W-why would I? Never!!¡± Eloise shook her head like a broken doll and tried to move away from her sister but she was held by the arm around her neck. ¡° What if someone special asks you with his puppy eyes?¡± ¡° I don¡¯t!¡± ¡°Like a prince char-wu wuwu swrry¡­¡± Elaina¡¯s words morphed into apologies as Eloise started to pull both of her cheeks with force. ¡° Still want to tease me? Let me see where you get the courage from,¡± Eloise said with her face recovering to her original colour much to the contrast of her sister, who had tears in her eyes.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. "Bwut you wooked happy!" ¡° Say that again?¡± ¡° Swrry¡­¡± It was only after a few minutes that Eloise took back her hands and grabbed the magazine from her sister who was rubbing her cheeks. She pushed her book on the history of human migrations into her hands instead and said. ¡° Stop reading junk and read this instead. I will go and grab a new book in the meantime and also return this one.¡± Seeing Elaina nod with fervour at her, she jumped from her chair and started to move into what were essentially the alleys of bookshelves. With a bright yellow and red carpet below her feet that had multiple floral designs with black outlines. It took her some time to walk around in her soft, light-green gown, crafted from satin with layered tulle at the skirt that hid her small feet. She found the shelf where the magazines were placed. But before she could place the book back into the self, a voice called out to her. ¡° It should go on the upper shelf, not the lower one.¡± It was an old voice. Eloise turned around and found an old woman with long grey hair set into a bun. A high purple collar around her neck with the same colour going below for the rest of her tight-fitting cuirassed bodice. She was tall with a straight back and sharp black eyes. The woman took the book from Eloise¡¯s hand and looked at the cover. ¡° I never got the appeal of these things, but young people seemed to like it as always.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t read it, my little sister did,¡± Eloise said with haste to clarify to the old woman. It was good that she still had the self-restraint to not raise her hands in panic and was able to form cohesive words. ¡° Why not? Do you not like them? You don¡¯t seem to hate it, do you? Perhaps a different taste? hm..¡± The old woman raised her eyebrows at her, hinting to continue the words. ¡° I know quite a lot of books that were placed in this library over the years, maybe I can recommend one or two for the young mind of yours. Of course, if the young lady here would give me the chance to.¡± ¡° Is anything fine? I want to read more about wizards and their history.¡± Eloina asked with some thought. She had this in mind since coming back from the meeting days earlier. It left her with a deep fascination with stars that everyone seemed to bow to, but even this library lacks a book that mentions wizards. ¡° Oh, that¡¯s unexpected from your age. Normally, one only asks about them when they are much older.¡± Her question pulled a wide smile across the old white face of the woman, as she brought her white glove-covered hands closer to her lips. ¡° I just want to know them better.¡± ¡° Everyone says the same, sadly all fail at last. You won¡¯t find out about them from books.¡± She shook her head and raised her head. Soon, a red-coloured book flew from somewhere into her hands. ¡° To know them you have to know the only truth of the world.¡± When Eloise took the book into her hands, she found the cover to be made of some leather. Her eyes were drawn to the title written in golden colours, ¡®Stars of Our World¡¯. ¡° It won¡¯t teach you about the wizards in general, but you can always start with the Five Ancient families under which they eventually fall.¡± The old woman''s words reached her ears. She seemed to think about something and added at the end. ¡° Madam, can I ask you about something? Since there are only four ancient families left in the alliance, why do people still call them five?¡± Eloise asked with a sudden urge. She remembered what her mother once told her but she never really understood the meaning behind her words. It was then in the Celestial palace where the worlds seemed to have revealed the reality of times, the unquestionable voice of the four families and the absolute silence of the people kept repeating in her mind. It felt strange, to see the empty dust-covered chairs placed in the hall, as if the time stayed still in the meeting hall. ¡° Do you know what differentiates an adult and a child?¡± Her eyes looked at Eloise up and down. For she found the little girl in front trying to chew more than she could. ¡°It is the ability to convince themselves about the truth that was not.¡± Eloise tumbled for words, barely stopping herself from screeching the head. She thought some but couldn¡¯t open her mouth again to avoid making a fool of herself. ¡° You should smile more and read more stuff like the magazines that you just put back, young lady. That¡¯s what children of your age do.¡± The old woman didn¡¯t have time for Eloise anymore and started to tug her hands to go back. The little girl had no choice but to give a small salute to the woman and left more confused than earlier. Looking at her leaving, the old woman muttered in a low voice. ¡° The Sterling family sure produced some good seedlings this generation. Perhaps we could soon have someone promising in the alliance.¡± ¡° Does the esteemed Judge want her to be in the judiciary?¡± At her words, another middle-aged man with short yellow hair and the same purple-coloured dress, but with a tight-fitting shirt and pants appeared from behind the shelves. He had the four stars on his shoulders with a badge with a cross of sword and wand to the left chest. ¡° I do. But it''s a tough competition going ahead. Griffinguard already had their eyes on her and wanted her to be in the Central Council. If we Wolfblade also put our hand on it, they might start to breathe fire at us. I remember that guy crying to me for not having capable people and delaying his vacation many times.¡± She said with a shake of her head. ¡° In either case, we still need them to lift the emergency first to get courts back on track. That¡¯s the highest priority right now.¡± ¡° I understand. Also, there¡¯s some news from the alliance.¡± The man nodded and then spoke with a stern face. ¡° It seems the Ashenmoons are finally moving with the plan. There shouldn¡¯t be any more delays.¡± ¡° At last.¡± The woman said with relief. ¡° Because of their troubles, the courts are being put in limbo for such a long time. They better clear the mess this time. By the way, I heard they got someone new in the family there, no? Someone said he was very special, did you get some info about him?¡± ¡° I don¡¯t know, they are very tight-lipped about him. But I heard that the Great Elder there especially liked him for some odd reason.¡± ¡° Leave it then. It''s none of our business anyway. ¡± ¡°Understood.¡± *** Some three hundred kilometres south of Oasis, there was a strange mountain range. But not because of its narrow but deep valleys and short but sharp peaks. Filled with unnatural black-coloured rocks, the temperature plummets at night to negative twenty Celsius. The sharp winds that flow from the narrow paths cut anything living in their path as if they were the sharpened blades of a butcher himself. The still air was highly poisonous due to the presence of a colourless and odourless miasma surrounding the outer ring of the valley with a distinctive heaviness to it. It was called, ¡®The Valley of Damned¡¯. Similar to its name, it was nothing more than a prison for those who were deemed to suffer the remaining part of their lives. Be it criminal or political, each prisoner here has their own story to tell. The distinctive background of their intertwining lives, all condensed into a singular experience after entering the valley, miserable. From the centre of the valley, covered under the shadow of high peaks, inconspicuous stairs spiralled deep down. Different from outside wherever the winds roared throughout the passes between mountains, it was quiet, eerily so. As if it was without a single existence of life. Dark and dry, chilly with layers of dust and debris everywhere as if to tell the days it was neglected. Only the rune-covered metal gates of prison cells released a soft red light which was the only source of visibility across this place. At this time, under the static, monotone hallways, the sound of steps echoed through the entrance. Soon, a figure walked into the place with unhurried, steady steps. The red light soon revealed the entity, with a long white gown, and bright, blue lines moving around like calm waves of ocean. Her half sleeves ended a little after her shoulders, and meshed-like long gloves extended to the end of her arms. Despite the gown being dragged across the dirty floor, not a single dust got stuck to her dress as if some force kept them at bay. Her ice-blue eyes gazed over the cells and frowned. Inside those softly glowing doors were those who were deemed beneath the pride of Thar by her. Those that survived in the end, on the day she crowned herself as the ruler of Thar, thousands of influential people across Thar¡¯s political elite class were suddenly found dead, hanged silently in their rooms. Then came the less savvy ones who lived under the grey zones, the cowards who don¡¯t fight with the valiance of their tradition. Then the one who doesn¡¯t toe her lines, the list goes on and much like the years, one by one the cells kept getting filled but also remained empty. Inside, the new inmate would have to share his room with the deceased, rotting husks of their seniors as the many insects slowly chew on their meat layer by layer. Inside the cells was nothing but dark, not a drop of water, much less food. Only the echoes of their beating hearts and their breathing bring in the air of death mixed with the smell of decayed bodies. The walls of these cells once were so full of screams of their new inmates, that many of the guards lost their minds guarding it before they abandoned it altogether. Before the silence of today sat in. Such was the end for those who dared to go against her. But their plight was not the reason for her frown.¡®They are dying too fast.¡¯ She thought as many of the cells had become completely dark. With a thought, mana flowed from the tips of her nails and drilled into the still glowing runes and the dimming light became strong again. Her frown eased as she healed all those inside to their peak condition and with a self-humming sound, she strode forward. The sealed door held back the roars of fear, as the inmates got to find that their nightmare had come to visit them and extended their terms. Bella was still humming to herself till she reached the deepest level of the prison, and a rather big door greeted her eyes. She smiled seeing the door still glowing as strong as ever. As she moved forward, the door opened as if it had a mind of its own. With the clunking sounds of metal and grinding of gears, it slowly creaked open. A strong gust of air blew past her hair along with the strong smell of blood mixed with decayed flesh as well as that of sulfur. The moment she entered, the whole cell appeared in front of her eyes. It was red, not the light but everything else, the walls and ceilings, for they were not made of stones. No, they were made of something more alive but also dead. Bodies of humans, both male and female, young as much as teenagers to old, almost weathered white hairs. Each has its share as the bricks of this cell. Held together with many swords that pierced each of their four limbs as well as the hearts and dyed their otherwise azure cloths completely dark. Their faces were strained with wide open eyes and all turned towards the deeper parts of the cell. Bella kept humming without a hint of change as she crushed the bodies beneath with her continuous steps. It was called a cell, but felt more like a hallway, for the bodies kept on going. Tens turned into hundreds, then into thousands, with the only change being the fullness of the bodies. As the distance increased, so did the freshness of the bodies, some not only had soft skin but also warmth, even though all of these were dead for an unknown time. But not everything was dead here. At the centremost part, where the trails of leaking blood all converged into what looked like a small lake, a man sat with his eyes closed. He had old, long hair and loose skin with inner lines of bones visible to the naked eye. His robes were drenched with blood and hid the deep green striped silk loose robes underneath. Without a single wound on his body, other than his missing left hand. On his chest a word was itched with golden threads that read, Heavenly Sword Immortal, Lin Shu. Hearing the sound of steps, the oval-shaped face coupled with narrow razer-shaped eyes slowly opened. His dry lips rubbed against each other as he revealed his deep set of green eyes which contrasted with the deep dark circles on otherwise fair skin. His eyes became sharp the moment it fell on Bella, as with his fastened breath. But only for a while as he soon returned to normal. ¡° Your eyes¡­¡± His voice sounded dry and coarse. He licked his dry lips and continued, ¡°I remember them brimming with the arrogance that disdains the world itself. Wonder why it''s not there today. They look much pleasing to see now.¡± ¡° About a thousand years since I put you here with your whole clan, no?¡± Bella just chuckled, and just as her voice sounded, layers of ice started to spread with her as the centre. The room¡¯s temperature dropped at an astonishing rate and in no time, all the dead bodies got covered under the ice. ¡° But even so, you subhumans never fail to pretend, do you?¡± She said, and the mana morphed the very space around the cell. Lin Shu couldn¡¯t even utter a word as he was crushed into a munched block of meat which then started to violently suck everything around him. With the sounds of crunching bones and splitting blocks of frozen blood, everything moved towards him and kept getting crushed. Soon, only a ball of a very dense sphere of frozen meat remained suspended in the air. She extended her left arm and held onto it. She looked around for the last time, the hidden black stone walls with deep scars of swords that once beneath the bodies were all that was left, without a single drop of blood. She turned back and left the way she came from. *** Chapter-27: The stars of this world (3) It was another valley, not much different than the Valley of Damned. Same black rock but more rounded, and perhaps gentler gusts of wind. Called ¡®Five Beast Valley¡¯, it was lit with bright coloured lamps of yellow light throughout the valley. With the chill as strong as it could get. Five gigantic, eight stories tall statues of the Thar''s main beasts overlooking the spacious centre of the valley ground, enough for a small town to be settled. Carved out of the mountains, they had furious postures, with their fangs, pincers or whatever threatening part of the body they could expose outwards in full glory. Their gem-laden eyes glowed with the reflection of whatever light struck them. With a closer look at their heads, and along their bodies, many of the smaller bodies of humans could be seen moving across the length using elaborate paths of stairs, converging at the top of their heads and sometimes, their backs where huge magical circles were drawn. Along with the sounds of flowing winds and flapping clothes of humans, there was another sound that tried to pierce all others, screams and curses. ¡°Let me go, you bastards!¡± In huge metal cages, a bunch of people were curdled together, with glowing red chains around their necks and ankles. About fifty people per cage for a total of ten cases per beast. Each wore worn-out black and white uniforms with clothes that didn''t look like it was washed in ages. Long unkempt hairs and haggard faces, they shouted at the masked guards outside the cages, to the long-robed mages talking in cryptic words and armoured knights carrying things around while also maintaining overall coordination but none of them responded to their cries. Despite no spell suppressing their sounds, the lack of response tightened their hearts. ¡°What are you gonna do with us?¡± Again, people refused to look at them and the commotion refused to die down, as they felt the chill outside increasing. Looking at their cages in the middle of a magical circle on the ground, they know within their hearts that their time might run out soon. Anything is better than being sacrificed here, with the singular thought some people started to beat other prison mates to draw the attention of guards. But as the drenched bodies of fallen inmates caused a spill of blood to leak from the cages and onto the magic circle, it started to glow with a dim light. ¡°You cannot sacrifice us like this, we both are citizens of the alliance. Let us out, Alliance would never let you guys go if you crossed their bottom line!¡± And the cries of many continued from the cages with no response from others as if they were already dead to them. Different from the small commotion on the back of statues, the centre of the valley was almost silent. The many knights and mages didn¡¯t dare to enter the intricate mess of lines overlapping each other across different layers upon layers. Up in midair, the magic light orb shone the warm yellow light on the lines forming a huge tree-like structure on the ground coupled with multiple shapes of triangles, circles, rhombus and at the centremost, an enlarged hexagon with a golden hue to it. The tree''s root circled at the periphery of the valley and branched out towards the five statues. But the most noteworthy thing was the golden labrador¡¯s body lying atop it, just at the centre of the tree. The hue was not too strong but was strong enough to cast a shadow behind the four people standing beside the labrador. ¡°Are you sure about it? I don''t think it''s appropriate to do it like this.¡± Bardar asked the man beside him as he rubbed his chin with his hand. His head was down and occasionally he would look up. Different from his normal attire, he dressed in a black and red shirt with matching pants that fit right with the black long leather boots. The shirt had a hard red striped collar with a small skull engraved to its right and on his chest, the five red stars in black background. The most catchy part of all was the red devil mask with dark hollow spheres for the eyes where the blank ink dipped down like some tears. Cellia was not different either, she too had similar clothes on her, just with three stars rather than five. ¡°What¡¯s the problem? Didn¡¯t you know if ain¡¯t broke, don¡¯t fix it?¡± Karvi said as a matter of fact. He¡¯s the only person besides Rayen who was not a wizard and dressed in his loose robes. He threw a bunch of fried peas into his mouth. He offered them to the others too but they declined with a polite gesture of their hands, except Rayen who didn¡¯t get the offer and just stared at Bardar. He was seeing lots of greyish fog emitting from the brown orb, which he now referred to as the souls of others, or as told by others. Another change was the overall turbulence of his soul. It used to be calm but now, Rayen could see some slow waves appearing and disappearing on his soul. ¡° I am not saying it won¡¯t work but I have strong feelings that Cherry might not like the way we did it?¡± Cellia said as she held back a twitch on her face. ¡°Nonsense, she should be jumping with joy that we are trying to save her in the first place. Why would she not like it?¡± Hearing his words, Cellia looked at the Cherry again. The whole of her fur which she never tired to boast about, was now covered in black and blue ink. Everywhere one looked were jiffies and doodles of lemons, stick men and sometimes, funny faces of humans in between the thick and thin lines that spread all across her. ¡°I think she might want to kill us instead after waking up.¡± Cellia ended up saying at last. She felt her feelings were quite accurate, which she didn¡¯t like. ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have drawn the magic circles as in magic circles? Instead of drawing them into this¡­¡± ¡°Art.¡± ¡°...Art. Sir Karvi, shouldn¡¯t we do things that are more in line with standards? It is an important ceremony.¡± She knew they needed Cherry''s body to be covered with magic formations for today and then found this. Where were the magic formations she knew of? She had no idea, only that this so-called art drawn atop Cherry was too magical, just not in the traditional sense. Needless to say, it was just not cutting it as a reason to her and despite her strong urging to Bardar to convince Karvi, nothing changed, and they ended up discussing for hours and still ended up going nowhere. She couldn¡¯t understand how these people¡¯s brains work, and she was the wizard here. Karvi was about to open his mouth but his eye caught Rayen looking at him. Remembering the little guy in front of him being sensitive to lies, he swallowed the words back and said them in a straight way. ¡° Think, do you expect me to miss this once-in-a-lifetime chance? Today it''s either a case of Cherry sinking into the afterlife or getting back with power-ups. In both cases, it''s a perfect time to collect some interest from her. How many people were there in the history of Thar that claimed to have done it? I am making history here.¡± ¡° Sir, I feel you should not be extracting some past grievances here.¡± She shook her head at his honesty, but Karvi was not done with his words. ¡° Think about it, if she passed on, she would be mocked by other souls for looking like a fool in her soul form, but if she survived, I could sell her images like this and make a fool of her in real time. It is lying gold begging to be picked up.¡± Karvi just finished his words and Cherry¡¯s body twitched visibly but she couldn¡¯t wake up. A small roar came out from her mouth which was heard by everyone, including Rayen who was about to look for a place to translate, but Cellia gently held his arms and stopped him. ¡°Won¡¯t she eat you guys as the first thing after waking?¡± Cellia added when she found Bardar slightly nodding to Karvi''s words as in agreement. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I have things planned. Outside the magic circle, I used my connections to get a temporary teleportation artefact to Terralea. Once there, I will be free from her measly jaws.¡± Karvi patted his chest with full confidence. ¡°Well, you guys do your best then,¡± Cellia said as she found the duo not going to change anything at this point. She looked at Rayen and patted his head and said. ¡° Rayen, you wait here for grandma to come back and I will be going near the peripherals.¡± With such words, she waited for a slight nod from Rayen but before going her eyes stopped at Bardar for a moment. He was still looking at the ground near Cherry in silence and a frown forward across her face. She paused a little and her lips moved but no sound came from them. At last, she didn¡¯t say anything before floating away. ¡° I think my plan is pretty good, don¡¯t you think? Bardar?¡± Karvi asked after watching Cellia fly away. But there was no response from the guy beside him so he had to shout to bring him back. ¡° As Cellia says, we should try to do it like that.¡± ¡° Cellia already left.¡± Hearing his words, Bardar finally looked up and found it to be true. He looked at Karvi who stared back with raised eyebrows and Rayen was always there in silence. Some winds blew by and Karvi shook his hands and pulled out a red alcohol bottle from his space artefact along with three glasses. ¡°Alright, what¡¯s on your mind?¡± Karvi asked as he opened the bottle and filled the floating glasses that slowly moved towards Bardar and Rayen. Former caught it but the latter just stared without touching it, though he tilted his head. ¡°It''s nothing special.¡± Bardar, despite saying that, still held the glass and drank the whole of it in one gulp. ¡° Right, so how come you didn¡¯t notice your fiance leaving?¡± Karvi also drank the glass and then did the same with the glass suspended in front of Rayen whose hands were almost reaching the glass to follow Bardar¡¯s actions. Ignoring the stares of teenage boys, Karvi looked at Bardar and refilled their glasses again. ¡°Come on, though I don¡¯t say that I understand women, I don¡¯t consider myself as dense either. Ain''t no way she got any interest in stopping me drawing over Cherry as this idiot got no such charms for that. Instead, she seems to be more interested in distracting you from whatever is going on in your mind. Since we are already here, we might as well talk.¡± ¡° I was thinking about improving the ceremony.¡± It was after some thoughts or perhaps the alcohol did it thing that he started to talk. ¡° I wanted to do something to ignore their use.¡± ¡° Humans...right.¡± Karvi finished his glass and grabbed himself a cigarette to light it up. He took a deep breath in silence and released a huge puff of smoke. Then he seemed to remember something and pulled another one and made it float towards Rayen but without lighting it up. Bardar never smokes so he didn¡¯t offer him one.¡° You understand we don¡¯t get to choose here.¡± ¡°We can, but we refuse to.¡± ¡°It''s inefficient and risky.¡± ¡° Both of which have never stopped us before.¡± Bardar looked at the empty glass in his hand. There were still some drops of alcohol left in there which he lifted with the force of his mana and brought them into his lips. ¡° But then again, I am the chief formation expert of this project. I did nothing to oppose their use and sign its approval as it is.¡± ¡°Wear your mask then.¡± Karvi stood there in silence after saying that. He knew more than ten thousand people were waiting just outside the formations in their small cages, to be brought in just as those on the formation got used up. He found no wrong in it, for the greater cause of theirs. But his nephew was not like him, he¡¯s like no one among his brothers either. ¡° I will. I brought it out just for that.¡± ¡° Listen¡­¡± Karvi wanted to say more but Bardar cut him off. ¡° It''s time.¡± Rayen¡¯s eyes then caught the soul of Bardar sucking all the grey fog into itself and all waves disappeared. And just as it happened, it didn¡¯t calm down but started to churn in from the centre and a small, blackish-red colour peeked in the otherwise brown soul. He would have looked more but then a sound came out from the distance. The clear sound of heels hitting the now hardened ground and hands thumping on people¡¯s chests. From the right of them, a figure soon appeared in the distance. Dressed in all white with a red frozen ball in her hands, Bella. Unlike Cellia, she walked in leisurely, without worrying about damaging the formation down below. Bella smiled as she handed over the ball of frozen meat to Bardar. ¡° Here, I got you a gift on my way. You looked like you could use it well.¡± Bardar¡¯s hands shook a little as he took it but Bella didn''t care. She looked at Karvi and asked. ¡°Are preparations done?¡± ¡°Yes. We can start with your order.¡± Karvi said with a stern face. They have finished all the checks that were needed long ago and that¡¯s why they had the leisure to drink at the work site. It was then that he noticed the glass in their hands and a cigarette in Rayen and screamed ¡®fuck¡¯ in his heart. Just in time to see Bella looking at Rayen and his hand. ¡° I heard you have plans to go to Terralea after this?¡± In his panic, he heard Bella asking this. Karvi nodded with difficulty as the panic spread through his body and sweat started to flow from his head. ¡°Stay here for three months more.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Karvi had a strained smile on his face. ¡®Cherry would kill me now. Should I practise my begging skills, no, I should be writing my will. Perhaps, a small tank of honey would do the trick?¡¯ His mind already started to run at full speed to escape from his impending death. Cherry on the front also shook a little with a low howl and mouth that was a little more stretched than before as if a smirk had formed on her face. ¡° Let¡¯s start then. We got things to do.¡± Bella clapped her hands and took the cigarette from Rayen then crushed it into nothingness. Karvi and Bardar were not standing there either, with the former flying in the back towards the giant centipede statue while the latter just flew straight up. He didn¡¯t stop until he could overlook the whole valley down below. It was especially cold up there, with the chilly frost forming atop his clothes just after a minute of staying up there. With a deep breath that created white vapours in the air, he moved his right hand and pulled up the mask hanging to his side. The moment he wore it, his breathing became exceptionally calm and without wasting a single minute he got to work. His eyes behind the mask glowed with a green light that allowed him to observe everything happening down below, to the individual grains of sand. Followed by the spell that made him hear the sounds from below, from the screaming sounds of prisoners crying to the whispers of individual guards, nothing could escape his attention. With practised movements that negated the impact of such enhanced vision and hearing, he clapped his hands once and a shock wave hit everyone¡¯s head along with the sound. The frozen meatball too was suspended beside him. ¡° Focus. We will begin soon. Do not delay the timings of prisoner swapping during the ceremony. I know all of you have the conviction to die, but I remind you not to test it today.¡± His words had a distinctive deepness to them as well as indifference that was hard to ignore. The younger mages who worked with him for several days looked at each other with confusion at his words, for they had never heard such words from him while the older ones got an ugly expression, for they thought of a possibility from that sound, the sound of a wizard. They straightened their backs and moved to their positions on the circle, in haste but with discipline. ¡° Release mana to activate the circles on my words, one, two, now.¡± The whole valley¡¯s ground lit up in full with a multitude of lights the moment he finished. With a strong invisible thread rising from the ground like a strained string up in the air, only Bardar could feel it and only Rayen could see it. It was not just a string with a U-type bend facing upward but more of a connection that joined not only the people with formations but also acted as a bridge for connection between the souls. Bardar raised his left hand forward and a suction force pulled the string towards him. Just as it touched him, his eyes became completely white, but that didn¡¯t take away his consciousness as it mixed with the formation itself. ¡° Great Mother, you can start now!¡± This time, his words came from the magic formation and echoed throughout the valley. ¡° Rayen, can you do it like during the practice?¡± Bella doesn¡¯t have to urge him much this time as Rayen already knows what to do. Under his eyes, a smaller string of mana rose in front of him. It didn¡¯t wait for him to raise his hands and come to him by itself. Rayen¡¯s black-and-white vision distorted for a moment as his mana merged into it. It took several minutes for it to stop distorting his vision and in the next moment, every soul in the valley appeared in front of Rayen. Their sounds came to him as he was beside them. It was like he was everywhere and also nowhere. As he was drowned in the noise-filled world, a particular voice drew his attention. ¡°Rayen, search for Cherry.¡± It was Bella¡¯s voice, and Rayen unconsciously followed her words to search for Cherry. It was not so difficult of a task, and Cherry¡¯s soul appeared in front of him. Suspended above one of the shiniest magic circles with deep cracks filled with blue burning fire all over it. It was the enhanced vision he got from the formation. ¡° Alright, go forth and connect with it.¡± Another familiar voice came from his left. He looked towards and tilted his head. It was supposed to be the voice of Bardar, but what appeared in front of him was not the brown soul of Bardar, but the darkish red hue with murky black beneath. ¡° Don¡¯t hesitate, get it done asap.¡± the voice urged him. Less than comprehension of the change, Rayen¡¯s body moved out of trained habit. His mana moved with blind trust toward the voice and just as it left Rayen¡¯s body, Bardar¡¯s mana with a dark red colour to it, attached itself on its tail and followed straight into Cherry¡¯s soul.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. The moment mana touched her soul, it was as if a spark met a rope doped with oil, it combusted with visible blue fire. Outside, beside Bardar, the frozen ball of meat too lit up in flames and released a nauseating smell of burnt meat that got blown away by the wind. During the Divine War, the army of the church used their holy artefact to release the power of the sun onto the soul of Cherry. That power never really left and had to be sealed in cracks in her soul. To heal her in full, that power first needed to be removed and for that, it needed to be shifted to another container and consumed there. But it had to be humans as the power of the sun became mild when their blood was used instead of a beast which would just burn it on the Cherry¡¯s soul itself. When the first connection was made, it was like a dam gate was opened. Bardar made small symbols on his hands that hit the ground and soon, the formation started to suck the blood of humans from the many cages. The excruciating screams of the victims filled the valley as soon after but it stopped as quickly as it appeared for only the dried mummy left. The connection using the meatball beside Bardar was only enough for one connection but they needed many more. Soon, hundreds of threads much thinner than the first rose from the ground and followed the same path and attached it to Cherry''s soul. The other end was the same, with the meatball but it was not the direct one and formation acted as an intermediate path for auxiliary help. Small white smoke started to appear from multiple places. But it was more manageable to take care of, for it was not picky about the blood it needed for cooldown. Knight and mages started to drop barrels after barrels of green beast blood on the runes which made sizzle noises along with a disgusting smell of burnt sulphur. But the consumption just kept on increasing and so did the temperature of the whole valley, which felt like an open oven. ¡° We need barrels here.¡± It was not the only shout to ask for more blood. And thus it was mixed in all other voices asking for the same. Despite it being noted, the momentary delay of just thirty seconds caused a cracking sound to come from the rune which had completely dried off blood. The man overlooking it had panic flashed across his face and planned to shout more but before he could, his whole body burst like a balloon and his blood flew towards the formation. It was the same with dozens of people near him, all popped like balloons. Their blood gave enough time for more beast blood to be added to formation. When it was stabilised, the surviving people gulped and wiped the sweat from their heads as they looked up at the floating wizard who intervened just a moment before. Their backs soaked with sweat as they remembered what just happened, in truth the tolerance band before formation could break was still far away by one minute but Bardar still used their colleague''s blood as compensation even before that point was reached. Seeing the blood getting drained again, they moved even faster because they didn¡¯t want their blood to be part of it next. After half an hour of what felt like an eternity, Cellia on the top of the wasp statue found the situation finally started to calm down and took some deep breaths. The next part was taken from knights, the pillar which had propped Alliance for ages. Knights have their path evolved over the many years. From just breathing technique to the now a blend of spirituality, mana and aura. From just being fast and somewhat stronger than normal humans to leaving behind sound and death in every strike. From being servants of mages to now more than just allies. Their history spanned countless efforts of the Alliance to make them what they were. ¡°Spirit. Rise.¡± Cellia shouted while raising both her hands. Behind her, dozens of mages started to chant in synchronised words. The big eyes of the wasp started to glow green. Soon, followed by other beasts one after another. And at unison, the light burst out from their eyes and fell onto the body of Cherry whose fur now turned black with black tar leaking from her pores. Above her, a large projection of an intricate tree appeared. A spiritual projection, it was used to convert singular mana into the sharpest form, Aura, that could cut through all spells like a sword through the air. It was also responsible for the explosive speed of theirs. The tree¡¯s projection induced a strong sucking force as if a thirsty man in front of the water. Rayen felt his mana moving towards it despite his strong control that almost sucked his main body inwards and only stopped when Bella put her hand on his shoulder. Other people were prepared for it, and thousands of dense cubes of white mana got released into the air which got sucked into the tree after a rapid disintegration in mid-air. As it happened, the projection¡¯s green body became more real from illusion and stopped only when it was almost a substance. The long aerial roots dangle from its top and as if with a mind of their own, they grew closer towards Cherry. With a piercing sound, their tips pierced into her body and kept on expanding. Under Bardar¡¯s control, the life force mixed with mana, called Blood Qi, entered Cherry and followed a circular path throughout her body. It was the second step which acted as a counterbalance against the sharp aura that cuts everything it touches, following the path of spiritual projection that acts as its regulator. Along with the injection of Blood qi, Cherry¡¯s body started to heal, including from her hidden injuries. It was at this moment, that Bardar threw in a series of runes onto the tree¡¯s trunks and the holed-up mana inside it started to flow violently, and with the ever-so-increasing speed, the mana was compressed with high temperature of plus two thousand degrees despite being in vapour form. But when it passed through the roots, it expanded along with temperatures that dipped to the extreme cold of minus fifteen degrees Celsius. It was in that state that it entered Cherry who shook violently due to the cold that ran through her body. The cold acted as the test of willpower for knights, and beasts tend to lose control over mana due to it. But Bardar was the one controlling mana here, he ignored Cherry¡¯s violent movements. He used Blood Qi to maintain a balance between the damage due to cold and healing. He never stopped despite the occasional burst of blood veins due to miscalculated expansion of mana. One can see the bulging veins all over Cherry¡¯s hairless body, and the green blood leaked from her eyes. The speed kept on increasing with waves of mana turning into aura and some leftover leaving her body outwards with violent bursts. One of them happened to hit Rayen¡¯s mana thread and severed it directly. But he was not the only one, the deep cuts started to appear on the ground and so did the formation where sparks flew constantly. Bella close to the scene didn¡¯t seem to do much but a force field kept both her and Rayen unaffected. Rayen meanwhile tried to reconnect with Cherry¡¯s soul as he was taught but the mana kept getting cut, so he kept trying. Bella didn¡¯t stop his behaviour either. The sharp Aura had started to consume the remaining mana inside Cherry and was now mixing in with Blood Qi that tried to maintain the balance. The tree also started to become illusionary, and if one looked really close to Cherry and inside her veins, they would notice small runes being formed all over her cells. Most strange of all, they looked organic and a part of the whole, instead of something that got slapped on the cells. The more clear ones have similar structures like the tree outside with the aerial trees connecting with other trees of neighbouring cells. As more and more such runes appeared, Cherry¡¯s whole body started to get bloated with a dark purple membrane covering her body like a cocoon, and Bardar slammed his hand downwards and pushed the remaining meatball into the centre of the disappearing tree. The chants of mages became even louder, and the tree slammed into the cocoon where a miniature version of the tree appeared on the foremost layer, still flashing with green light. The tree absorbed final breaths of mana in the air as the cocoon expanded like an over-inflated and over-stretched balloon. It kept growing bigger and didn¡¯t stop despite going to a two-story tall building. Bella narrowed her eyes and pulled Rayen closer to her just in time for the cocoon to explode with a loud boom. Outside the small force field surrounding Bella and Rayen, sticky liquid kept sliding and a strong gust of sand obstructed the view. But that didn¡¯t stop a smile from creeping on the face of Bella. A big roar followed behind the still suspended sands, that now seemed to move with a will on its own, and then a big cheer from humans. ¡° Hear that Rayen? The sound of victors that now drown the screams of their comrades killed beside just some moment ago.¡± Bella said to Rayen who was looking at her blankly. ¡° Remember this day, for it is a symbol of a victory justifying the cost. Everything is fair as long as you and you alone win in the end. Everything else is just noise that will be drowned beneath you.¡± At the end of the words, one could see a huge shadow just in front of them and the cheers of people soon turned into a roar, just like the beast in front of them. *** Three days later, Oasis, it was another evening with the sun setting on its course. Azir lazily walked towards his home from Sam¡¯s shop while whistling to himself. But it was more crowded near his home than usual. In fact, Azir could avoid bumping into others in the main market but couldn¡¯t do so near his home. And before he knew it, the wave of people kept moving him along with it. ¡° Excuse me, where are you guys going? My stop is here, hey!?¡± His voice got mixed with loud chitters of people and Azir found himself unable to go against the crowd of people. With reluctance, he had to follow them too and soon found himself even more trapped and baffled. The crowd seemed to go nowhere but circling the lower edge of the mountain and many kept joining despite the already low space. And it was then he found why the roads at the bottom circle of Oasis were made especially wide. They seemed to be for this exact ceremony of people circling the mountain, but Azir found them still lacking in width. His face was much more tired-looking due to extra walking with a crowd that kept on repeating ¡°Victory for the Goddess!¡± It was too late that he found something was very wrong with tonight and it seemed to come out of nowhere for him. At least, no one told him what the occasion was for cheering for their Great Mother, otherwise he too would have done it. When the sky was dark, he found himself on the top of the wall with reluctance. He tried many times but no one gave him space to even breathe. It was only when the clear wind hit him that some fresh air could be taken by him and he found the wall to be packed full. Some invisible wall seemed to have kept people from falling on either side while he could hear even more noises from what he assumed were people below the wall. ¡° Where are the guards when you need them? Haa¡­.¡± He released a big sigh of defeat. He would have taken Rayen along with him for this if he was here but doing it alone and he can¡¯t seem to enjoy himself. At this moment, he decided to look for what was happening since people stopped moving. From the tiny gaps, he could see some tornado appearing in the distance but it was too little space for clear visibility. ¡° Go forth, Victory for the Goddess!¡± People who were at the front screamed with their lungs and the blind crowd followed. In the distance, a huge shadow appeared under the moonlight, its height was as big as the wall and a storm of sand surrounded it. But from the sands, those with strong eyesight can see the nine eyes with amber-red colour and long fur in complete ashen black. A big wolf-like jaw that dipped with acidic saliva that created drizzled sounds when it hit the sands. Not to say about four thick legs filled with razor-sharp claws just beneath the fur. The moment those nice eyes looked towards the walls, everyone including felt a weight being pressed down on their chest. Azir panicked as he felt his blood churning but others cheered even more. Azir felt his nose wet so he touched it with his hand and found it leaking blood. He tried to move backwards, but the wall of humans stopped him. He didn¡¯t know what happened as he prepared to scream to give way, he felt the pressure disappearing. ¡°Huh?¡± He released a confused voice. Outside, Cherry¡¯s eyes moved away from Azir and scratched her ear using her legs. It was good that the sandstorm covered her body, otherwise, they would have found their guardian sitting on her butt with the usual big mouth making a stupid face when looking towards them. How couldn¡¯t she? For she almost sent Azir to the hospital tonight. But it was ok, or so she thought as she stopped her ear scratching and got back on her feet. She drew in a large breath and then, a big roar sounded across the whole of Oasis. It was mixed with some aura and the sparks flew all over the city as it collided with the invisible shield. This time, everyone other than Azir felt as if a hammer hit their chest and the closest to the wall spouted blood. When they looked up, Cherry was long gone, only the storm that was moving towards the east. *** Easparton. A light cough was heard on the streets as Adrian felt his throat burning. Despite his neat clothes, his face looked strained, with dark circles and red eyes. He couldn¡¯t say why, but for the past few days, he felt something bad was going to happen. But it was not like mages were more sensitive to things and so he couldn¡¯t tell what was going on. He already heard from the wind spirit that elves have moved away from the border and according to news of Easparton, their armies should have a preliminary contact with that of Oasis tonight. Everything seemed to be going as planned, small-scale skirmish then turned into a blood river, all was calculated multiple times. He shook his head and felt he was overthinking. Perhaps lack of sleep over some days was getting him now, making him more paranoid. He felt the chill of the winds and upped his collar a little, but it didn¡¯t make it go away. He shook off such thoughts and kept moving on the road. The path had more knights and mages than citizens, rightfully so as the city was in lockdown. He stopped on the empty city square. He looked at the guards, who bowed but didn¡¯t follow in with him. There, a man was standing with his hands behind his back, facing towards the empty space. ¡° Lord Arcturus.¡± Adrian bowed towards his city lord and asked tentatively. ¡° I heard you called me for something?¡± ¡° You look haggard?¡± Arcturus turned towards him with a well-fitted military uniform. The five stars across his chest looked especially shiny tonight. Even the top collar of his which was usually open was closed tonight which didn¡¯t escape his vice city lord¡¯s eyes. But Arcturus had the most noticeable difference, a big smile that was not there for a long time. ¡° You should rest sometimes.¡± ¡° It''s all right, my lord. I can sleep when it ends.¡± ¡° Your attitude is what I appreciate, even more so for this place where no one seems to give a second thought.¡± Arcturus smiled even more as he heard his reply. He looked at the city surrounding him, countless times they had been rebuilt to cover for the beast tide washing over it, but no one among the people cared about the destroyed houses than the man standing in front of him. On his shoulder, the small scorpion pinched his pincers as if to remind him of something. ¡° Do you remember your past, Adrian? The most significant day of your life that changed your life?¡± ¡° I do,¡± Adrian said after a pause, he felt the man in front of him kinda moody, unlike his normal days. ¡® Perhaps the war made him worry too and he wants to release some tension?¡¯ He thought and decided to help. He was not that far off in his guess. ¡°I too remember them. Years ago I was the same as you, an orphan, not from Thar.¡± Arcturus¡¯ words made Adrian¡¯s eyes twitch, for he always thought his origin was covered up as an orphan of Thar, instead of being born in elvish territory from the local slaves. At this moment, the scorpion jumped from Arcturus¡¯ shoulder to his and he had to calm his beating heart while Arcturus kept talking. ¡°It was a rainy day in a small town of Terralia, I was beaten by a group of children over the last bread. I won in the end, but I can''t bring myself to eat it. So I just lay in the dumpster in the cold rain. Do you know what I thought?¡± ¡°...¡± ¡° Cold. That''s the only thing I could think of. Very cold. I wanted to sleep and never wake up. So I did. But then something woke me up. A freaking bastard of a dog.¡± ¡°A dog?¡± Adrian asked and Arcturus nodded. ¡° A bastard dog. It was licking me like some food and needless to say, I hit her with a piece of bread in my hand as a reflex.¡± He chuckled to himself and didn¡¯t mind the confused look from Adrian. ¡°And then there¡¯s a light laugh from her. I still remember her, you know. Dressed in snow white without a single drop of rain or filth. She didn¡¯t even look at me that time and was only interested in the dog.¡± There¡¯s a reminiscent look on his face. ¡°I don¡¯t know what she said and wanted to sleep more, but found my body getting lifted. With some effort, I found myself in her arms and didn''t know why, I stupidly said, ¡® Don¡¯t touch me, you will get filthy.¡¯ Needless to say, she stared at me for some time and then followed with ¡® I don¡¯t like your name¡¯ but I didn¡¯t tell her that or perhaps I did but I can¡¯t remember.¡± ¡°What happened then?¡± Adrian felt he knew who that woman might be, but he dared not to speak out loud. He also found it curious what made an orphan so special and made him reach up to this point. But he was bound to be disappointed in search of those questions. ¡° She said ¡® From now on, I will call you, Arcturus.¡¯ Pretty good name, don¡¯t you think?¡± He stopped and looked at the person in front of him who nodded his head. ¡° No, you don¡¯t.¡± Arcturus shook his head and continued. ¡° It was the problem with you, you never understood the minute details despite living in Thar. And that¡¯s why people say you were not born here but no one can say the same to me.¡± ¡° I¡­¡± ¡° It¡¯s not your fault. But let today be a special day, so I will tell you my secret.¡± Arcturus¡¯ words made Adrian¡¯s hair stand up. He felt a palpitation in his heart and before he knew it, the words followed which sounded more like devil¡¯s whispers to his ears. ¡° I know the elves sent you here from the day you entered Thar.¡± ¡°What-¡± Adrian¡¯s words cut short as he felt the pain from his neck. The scorpion¡¯s tail injected the poison into his blood which made his mana sluggish almost immediately. Followed by the paralysis and a deep pain from the very soul. ¡°Hekk¡­¡± Arcturus looked at Adrain¡¯s distorting face and nodded to himself with pride. ¡° See, I liked how you can still not scream from the pain. I asked my friend here to not paralyse your throat.¡± He clapped his hands and a mage walked in with a small cage in his hands. Inside was the wind spirit that Adrian used to communicate with the elf queen. It also made Adrian understand many things, for why Arcturus insisted on elves removing the army in front of him, and why they never said anything about the Great Mother. It made all sense if their target was not Oasis but the elves and the Verdant Divides itself. He tried to move his mana to activate the artefacts on him, but nothing happened. At last, he just settled in.¡°So...it ends tonight?¡± Adrian said with difficulty but one could see some relief on his face too. The things bugging him for long seemed to not be happening. He didn¡¯t care about the elves from his heart and the city where he worked for so long would not be touched. ¡° It''s just beginning.¡± From the distance, three long battleships made of bones and a distinct ¡®Y¡¯ written on their sides, rose from the depth of sand and flew towards the mountains with increasing speed. Arcturus looked above and the moons got hidden under their shadow. He looked at the mage that appeared with the captured spirit and said to him, ¡° Tell the Professors in the academy, to rework his values with care. Esparton still needs their vice-city lord.¡± ¡° As your wish, my lord. I would personally oversee his re-education myself.¡± The mage bowed with respect and took away the now unconscious Adrian. Chapter-28 : Colour of Sands (1) ¡°You really jumped with that attitude of yours, huh?¡± the male voice said. It was human, but the face of an elf. Fair-skinned with long tied red hair. He wore a green hair jacket while sitting on the wooden bed. Lirael yawned as he got up from his bed. ¡° To be thrown here along with a demotion. I wonder how you offend the local commander so much.¡± He said with a look of curiosity. ¡° I only told the truth. People don¡¯t join the rangers to work in mines.¡± Opposite him was another elf, with green hair and brown irises. He had light green armour on his body that contrasted with black, long-laced boots, Amaril. His face distorted into disdain as he looked at the armour made of thin lark and shoes. ¡° This gear is for city guards, not rangers in the snow. Might as well go naked. ¡± ¡°Now, now, you don¡¯t want to end up with cleaning duty on the first day, do you?¡± Lirael began putting on his armour too. It was somewhat worn out, and one could see the lark inside having long cracks from the sides. Amaril just scoffed off at his words and walked towards the door. With a woosh, chilled winds rushed inside along with massive white snow. The sudden cold swept the room, chilling both elves inside. ¡° Stop! I am freezing here.¡± Amaril shivered when he said this. ¡°So much for being a Knight. Stop whining and let''s go. I don¡¯t want to be late.¡± ¡° Well, I feel your problem now, people should have flexibility in their life.¡± Lirael said with annoyance. Rubbing his hands for some warmth, he walked outside. ¡° Let me say this in full, do not open your mouth when meeting the team leader. Let me handle the talking.¡± ¡° And why should I worry about that?¡± ¡°Ha¡­¡± With a lot more sighing the duo walked on the rocky lands with paths that were enough for only four people to cross side by side, leading up to a somewhat spacious ground. It was dark of night, and they had to walk with caution lest they fall off into the deep valleys that spanned either of their sides. The winds kept blowing their elvish flag of a green background and a world tree with white in the centre. The snow had already started to pile on the ground and few could be seen standing near the flag. This was the foremost elvish post up the high peaks of Verdant Divides. The Elvish Rangers, or so they were called, were part of the border patrol command of the Elvish army. ¡°I say, he won¡¯t be here for some time. What¡¯s with the love of becoming a snowman?¡± Lirael said with a shaking body. ¡°You can leave whenever you want.¡± ¡° Come on man, no one would notice in the dark of night anyway.¡± Despite saying so, Lirael stood beside him. Then a couple of more elves in similar armour walked up to them. ¡°Yo, why so early? Did you eat something wrong today?¡± A short elf smirked as he approached Lirael. He glanced at Amaril and said. ¡°And what¡¯s with this straight pole beside you?¡± ¡° Beth, meet our new teammate,¡± Lirael said, his hands spread apart helplessly in the air. It doesn¡¯t help that the magic torches, which are not only needed for light but also to provide warmth to others, were not adequate in number. Only one was available near the flag. But it was not difficult for the knights, as they could see at night much darker than today. Soon, among the chattering of people, a total of six elves in different stages of worn-out armour lined up on the ground. And soon, another elf, with somewhat rusted armour walked in front of them. When they saw him approach, they stopped talking and straightened their backs. ¡°Sir Rorathiel.¡± They all said with a salute. Rorathiel, the elf with his margarita hair freckled face and a small hot bun on his hands, returned the salute with a sloppy hand. He walked up near the torch and hardly looked up towards them from his bun. ¡° Lirael, is everyone here?¡± he asked with a light tone. ¡°Yes sir, all men are present and ready to go.¡±Lirael stepped forward and said in a little loud voice. Rorathiel nodded a little and said after taking another bite. ¡° By the way, a letter came from HQ. Apparently, the oil supply might get delayed this month. Remember to keep that in mind.¡± ¡° Understood, Sir.¡± The words invoked no surprise on anyone¡¯s face, except for Amaril who had a frown up his eyes. The army has been getting more and more neglected over the years. He didn¡¯t have much hope since his revelation of working in mines, but he nevertheless felt disappointment creeping in. Amaril knows it was a rot that ran too deep, he after all was demoted from Team leader when refused to work in the Moonstone mines up in the north. ¡°Let¡¯s get going then.¡± ¡° Sir, we got a new soldier reporting today.¡± ¡°I know, I just don¡¯t care. Let''s move, I don¡¯t want to stay up in this cold night for longer than necessary.¡± With those blunt words, Rorathiel walked up front and others soon followed after. The path soon became narrower, so much so that only two people could walk side by side from four. The cold winds kept howling at them while they slowly made their way forward. Not long after they left the camp, the path got piled up with snow, a lot of it. It reached till their waists but posed little challenge for knights. The flame of the torch was barely enough to light in the dark of night and it was clear the leading person was walking based more on his memory rather than light. ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t know you could listen.¡± Lirael followed up beside Amaril and said so. He looked to his right and into the valley before moving a little closer to his left. Pushing the other elf closer to sharp rocks. In some places, one could see parts of stones turned dark red, with leftover pieces of clothes stuck to the sharp rocks and sometimes, being used as makeshift warning signs. After fifteen minutes, they came across a place where the light green mixed haphazardly stitched together along the khaki-coloured clothes in rough ways to make a rooftop of a light tent. Besides it, cut-off limbs could be seen peeking out from the thin cover of snow. ¡°Want some armour? You can pick a better one here.¡± Lirael said to Amaril as they walked closer to a pile of snow. ¡°Stop fucking with me, who would want a human armour?¡± Amaril said with a disgusted look on his face. Different from others who just walked in a leisurely way, he was moving his sharp eyes all around. Here he could see multiple cuts on the walls, some of which were deeper than the length of his arm. ¡°I was offering elvish armour, you know.¡± Lirael shrugged his shoulders. ¡° Think we¡¯ll run into them?¡± Amrail asked as he fixed his eyes on the rocks. ¡°Who? The humans?¡± Lirael shook his head. ¡° Not usually. We patrol at different times to avoid skirmishes.¡± The boundaries of humans and elves were poorly defined. Both claimed the full Verdant Divides for themselves but were lacking in full control. Most forward posts lacked significant built up of forces from either side.This part of theirs was more remote because of a path that was among the narrowest and roughest. As Lirael explained the patro schedule, the narrow path ahead forced him to take the lead. He stopped in suddenly as the path below his feat disappeared. ¡° It¡¯s a small gap here, remember to measure the distance well.¡± He said before jumping across to the other end. The ends resembled a cut running across the mountain. The cut on the mountain was neither sharp nor coarse but rather it was as if the mountain was melted by something before being frozen again. ¡°Also, check for the winds. One time a guy got blown by them during his jump.¡± Amrail took a deep breath and leapt across, ignoring Lirael¡¯s cautious warnings . With a thumb, his legs were steady, and as he walked, the frost over his body shook off. The scene made Lirael¡¯s mouth twitch, just a little shy of throwing a whistle at it. He used his hands to remove the frost from himself before going forward. As the party moved, sometimes the paths went under the cover of rocks, while other times, they had to squeeze their bodies and walk sideways to pass through. It was after such a two-hour walk that they arrived at another checkpoint, a space caved inwards into rocks to make enough space for the team to stand on. A half-torn green elvish flag stood beside broken spears repurposed as guardrails. ¡°It''s troubling.¡± Rorathiel said at the front as he knelt and looked at the flag and untouched snow ¡° Hey new guy, see if you can find any cigarette butts around here.¡± ¡°Yes Sir,¡± Amrail walked up front and did as was told, but where could he find a cigarette? ¡° There¡¯s nothing here, Sir.¡± All he achieved was clearing the snow and making extra room for the people to stand on. ¡°Lirael, how many days will it be without them today?¡± Rorathiel asked with a deep frown. He looked at the winds, which were starting to pick up speed and fell into thought. It would soon be the time for the upcoming blizzard, and they had to make their way back before it caught up to them. ¡°About three months and seventeen days, Sir.¡± Hearing his words, Amrail gave him a questioning look and so, Lirael whispered to him. ¡° Those were usually left behind by humans to indicate their patrolling route and also act as markers.¡± ¡° Do you think they gave up this route?¡± Amrail asked with a confused face but before Lirael could reply, Rorathiel spoke in between. ¡° Humans don¡¯t give up,¡± He said, waving dismissively. ¡° More likely, they are brewing something up behind.¡± ¡°Sir, I heard they have a civil war upcoming. Won¡¯t it make them give up borders?¡± Amrail asked, as he couldn¡¯t agree with the high evaluation of humans from the mouth of elves. For him, it was not the deeper conspiracy of humans but the lack of courage to patrol such harsh lands. But his words earned him the disdainful chuckle from the Rorathiel. ¡° Ah yes, the pitchings of ¡®Make Elves Great Again¡¯. Even at the end of the land, we can¡¯t escape from it, can we?¡± Rorathiel said after dusting off his knees. As Amrail opened his mouth, Rorathiel raised a hand to silence him. ¡° Don¡¯t open your mouth. I feel next you would be selling us a big speech to commit mass suicide by walking up to human posts for investigation. This is our last patrolling point, and we are turning back from here.¡± ¡° But Sir¡­¡± ¡° Why don¡¯t you take a look at your armour, and tell me about your thoughts on taking a spell to the face? ¡± Without waiting for his words next, Rorathiel looked at Lirael and said, ¡° Leave the marks as usual. And write me another unread letter to be reported back to HQ. Kinda makes me wonder how such a wasteful usage of paper and ink survived the budget cuts.¡± ¡°Understood, sir,¡± Lirael said as he hit Amrail with his elbow to get him moving outside. As they started to move back, he came closer to the grumpy-faced Amrail, who looked as if he swallowed a whole bug alive and whispered, ¡° Don¡¯t worry too much about his words, he didn¡¯t even curse at you yet. Besides, don¡¯t you see the winds howling next to your ear?¡± ¡° We are knights.¡± ¡° Look at the sky, man, if you want to show humans their place, you gotta wait till the sky is lit, no?¡± In between their words, they kept moving on, while the snowfall increased so much that despite their enhanced eyes, no one could see more than ten meters ahead of them. But it was not far from their destination, about fifteen minutes or less of a walk. But it was just before they could enter the camp that the team suddenly stopped. Everyone looked at Rorathiel who stopped moving and stared at the fluttering flag of the camp. ¡°Is there something wrong, sir?¡± Beth asked him in a puzzled tone. ¡°The winds, it''s not right.¡± The captain¡¯s words made everyone look at the flag to see what was wrong. The flag was fluttering with its free end in the opposite direction to them. At night, the cold winds from the mountains sweep into the lands of Thar, and so the flag should have been fluttering with the free end facing their direction. Instead, the opposite of that had happened. ¡° Let¡¯s move inside the base and wake up the other teams. I am not getting a good feeling for tonight.¡± ¡°Sir, should we really worry so much?¡± Beth asked, he didn¡¯t know about it, but Rorathiel was stationed here for the longest among anyone present and even known to have taken part in the last Human-Elvish war. ¡°You don¡¯t understand. I have seen it change direction like that once. You don¡¯t get the meaning of it. A war is coming.¡± Rorathiel''s eyes quivered as he licked his lips when he finished saying it. He still remembered that day when humans had just finished their Divine war and focused on this front to push them back. It was the first time he saw the yellow sands that pushed up the winds back into the elvish forest. Despite their HQ believing the Thar¡¯s guardian was seriously injured, whoever entered the sands never came back. Seeing the confused, non-believing look from his men, he didn¡¯t bother to explain more. ¡° Get moving, it''s an order.¡± It was said, fortune never comes in pairs, while misfortune never comes alone. He was just going with another set of orders when the winds howled in strength as if a beast had awakened. And speed was unseen as it pushed everyone back while the snow on the stones also slid across. All knights had to use their strengths, and unprepared ones got dropped to their backs while especially unlucky ones fell to their faces. ¡° Grab something, you idiots, do you want to hop on the wind for a ride?¡± Seeing his men in panicked disorder, Rorathiel shouted across his lungs. But he stopped looking as even in the dark of night, he could see the thing that terrified him in the past. The grains of sand crashed towards them as they ripped through the ice. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°That¡­¡± Roratiel¡¯s breath stagnated when his eyes caught up with the ever-so-increasing sand. Only when he noticed them getting stopped outside the camp, as if clashing with an invisible wall, did he release his breath. ¡° Get your shits together, no one goes outside! Stay within the protection of spirits. Anyone who disobeyed would be dealt with by mutiny laws." His body started to shine with pale yellow light, which steadied his heart. Those were not just the sands, but the extension of the law domain of Dusty Devil, which was always countered by the power of their world tree. It was, after all, the thing that kept the frontline stable till now. He turned back towards his men, who were barely on their feet and had faces that screamed confusion, and it only furthered his anger. ¡° I said stop gawing an¨C¡± At this moment, a loud sound entered his ears that made him swallow his words back. A sharp, high-pitched crack of a glass rupturing reverberated through the mountains. Followed right after by a loud howl of a beast that sent shockwaves through the camp and had everyone¡¯s ears ringing. A sharp pain came next as if someone had hammered their head with a sledgehammer and sent their consciousness weaving while blood started to ooze from their orifices. Lirael was among the few most unlucky, as he was physically thrown back from the shockwave and crashed right into a wooden bunker. He shook his head, and by his ears, the only other sound besides the sharp ringing of the bell was the screeching sound of pain. He struggled to look up with now red eyes, which shook the moment they registered the view in front of him. The sands covered all elves and dug into their flesh by piercing them through their skin, only to come out from the other side dripping in blood and pieces of flesh. The scene shocked his mind, and he couldn¡¯t respond until sharp pain from his skin ran through his spine to his brain. He hastily looked down, and everything from his chest to his toes was covered with sand. He tried to use his aura in panic, but to his horror, it didn¡¯t move to his will. Instead, he felt a strong suction force that not only pulled his aura but also his blood and spread out from his back as the sands crushed his spine and destroyed the bunker. He opened his mouth to scream, but the sand choked his throat and suppressed his voice. It only took less than ten seconds for his body to stop moving, and all that was left was the dried, broken remains of his former self that no one could use to identify with. It was the case with all other life forms in the camp. Only the howls of a beast kept reverberating again as the sandstorm moved deeper into the borders of the elves. The same story repeated with all other forward camps of elves, the last and the biggest of them, at the base of the mountain, with about thirty thousand elves too fell in less than one minute. No one among the elves expected the sudden storm and died with an unwilling face. The storm slowed down for a moment as it crossed the mountains and came into contact with the forest. Different from Thar, it was filled with sounds of life, from the chirping of birds to the buzzing of insects. For a moment, as if it was appreciating the beauty of the surreal scenery, the storm started to move again and kept speeding up. The moment it crashed into the trees, the sand attached itself into the trees, which became visibly dry and black. The green leaves turned yellow as they fell into the dried and cracked soil from which the very moisture was sucked. The sounds of insects and birds were simply no more for they didn¡¯t even get the time to scream. Only one or twice would one be able to hear the sounds of a big beast, before it too disappeared into the sands. But the storm kept marching on deeper into the elvish heartlands, and ever so closer to the elvish settlements. Up in the mountains, cutting across the winds, three big warships flew towards the elvish kingdom. Made of big bones with a big flag scorpion while the sides were engraved with a big ¡®Y¡¯ letter. They were not alone either, surrounded them were the countless wasps and giant black beetles. The latter were tied with ropes and nets to carry large rolled-up centipedes with them. Their buzzing sounds were so loud, that some weaker buildings shook from their force. At the top, the deck of the central ship was crowded too. A column of about a hundred people, with armour and robes stood straight. Each one had four stars on their chest while their hearts thumped with power as they looked at the last peak being crossed by their ship as they entered what once was the elvish lands. A loud cheer rang through all the ships as the land after mountains appeared in front of them. In front of them were standing a bunch of people with hands behind their backs and a calm tone different from all others, though some had more smiles on their faces with the rest having a solemn look. ¡° It seems like a done deal,¡± Bardar said with a somewhat deep tone. Still dressed in his wizard robes, he looked more solemn than the rest. ¡° It is just beginning.¡± Arcturus beside him said with a small smile. His eyes looked down from the ship and at the dried-up trees, and couldn''t help but nod a little. ¡° But it sure was almost half done. At the very least, elves can forget about reclaiming the Verdant Divides ever again.¡± ¡° I am surprised how smooth this step went.¡± ¡° Yes, it saved us from the most difficult of tasks. At least we won¡¯t have to use blood ceremony to break through the law domain.¡± ¡°How long till Yavannaithil?¡± Bardar asked back. It was the second-largest city of elves and their main target. Currently, the Three independent armies of Thar have invaded from three different places. Up in the north, from Nertherend towards Moonstone mines, the main export mines of elves. From Esparton towards Yavannaithil and lastly from Ember Reach to Teldrassil, the most important port of elves. Originally, the Thar¡¯s main army was supposed to fight in the mountains to distract the elves while they went in the rear to secure the main objectives, but now it was not needed for they have completely outdone their opponents and taken the whole of Verdant Divides in less than one hour. ¡° About twenty minutes,¡± Arcturus said with some thinking. He looked at the small elvish settlement in the ground which was surrounded by the storm but it didn¡¯t enter to kill. Just remained in an encirclement. ¡° Alvin, have the men go in and secure the towns. Remind them about capturing all non-combatants alive.¡± ¡° Commander, I have assigned the men, and they are about to drop down as we speak.¡± Alvin, the four-star mage said with a salute and continued. ¡° But I expect some casualties among elvish non-combatants due to lack of suitable training on our side.¡± ¡° Those are just lousy excuses.¡± A refuting sound came from his side. It was from the man in knight armour with a big sword, Kalvin. ¡° You should be familiar with the operational limitations of ours. We never planned to take over those settlements like this, and our men don¡¯t know how to be precise.¡± Alvin shot back with long eyes beneath his hood. ¡° Just get hit once or twice, what¡¯s the big deal?¡± ¡°Not everyone has a thick skull like yours.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get started in this place.¡± Arcturus stopped both of them with a stern voice. He then looked at Alvin and said in an absolute tone. ¡°Though rash, I agree with Kalvin¡¯s words. We have an absolute advantage over them. Let them get hurt if they need to, but I want all non-combatants elves alive. Have them know my words.¡± ¡° Understood, commander.¡± Seeing them getting back to relay the orders, the deck started to move as more and more people started to get off the deck and move to assume command of the men under them, Arcturus reached back to Bardar. ¡° You don¡¯t need to be that harsh, I know when to put away my little thoughts,¡± Bardar said as the winds blew across him. ¡° I am only making them know that the time of endless bloodbath is coming to an end,¡± Arcturus said slowly. On his shoulder, the little scorpion seemed to be asleep when it was picked up by him and held in his hands. Seeing him moving his tail in annoyance, he couldn¡¯t help but press his tiny head. ¡°You think too highly of me.¡± ¡° Quite the opposite, I feel I should have looked up at you sooner than now.¡± ¡° Right¡­¡± ¡° I know you don¡¯t believe it. But I know my mother¡¯s vision better than you. And that¡¯s why I feel like I have to cover up for my men right now.¡± Arcturus said while Bardar started to frown at him. Putting the little scorpion back on his shoulder, Arcturus said as he looked forwards, at the distance where a big tree was getting closer and closer. ¡° Don¡¯t tell me, you don¡¯t have a contingency plan up your sleeves to deal with everyone not working along with your ideas. Did you not?¡± There was silence after that, and in such peace, their destination appeared in front of them. *** Yavannaithil, was the city unlike any other in the whole of Aurelianaethil. The houses were made of stones with green moss growing over them. Sometimes, the flowery veins drop down from the three-floor tall buildings. They hid the sharp corners and rather lack of woods and hays which prevailed much of the elvish kingdom. The city lacked any river or lake, but the water spirit never made them feel the need for them. The pathway itself was made from broken chunks of stones and wood filled with hardened mud and magic light poles stood on either side of the roads. Sometimes it was wide for the commercial streets, other times it was much narrower on the residential streets. Along the twists and turns of the road, wherever possible beside the road drainage were the sweet plantations of flowers which filled the air with a sweet smell that even the winds can¡¯t take away. And most noticeable of all, was the presence of young saplings of the elvish world tree at the centre of the city, Yavannaithil. It was the sole existence that attracted more than a million elves into the city, making Yavannaithil the second largest city of elves. Legend among elves mentioned the Yavannaithil¡¯s sweet smell that could calm the very soul of living beings, but ought to be proven wrong. ¡°Commander, it''s not good. We lost contact with all teams.¡± An elf in armour said with a panicked voice and face full of fear. Among many elves in armour that stood at the edge of the city where a visible wall of pale blue separated the sandstorm and them. The most noticeable of them was the elf called Caladwen, dressed in a red-sleeved undershirt with armour made of fine vines around his chest. His hair was of a dull golden hue while his eyes had a red tint to them. He had a deep frown across the eyes with black lines on the otherwise fair face. ¡° You meant all of them? Even the spirits?¡± His voice was deep, which hid his inner panic. He was the commander of the garrison troops stationed in Yavannaithil. But most of all, he too knew what the sandstorm represented. ¡° Sir, what should we do?¡± The words made Caladwen take deep breaths before his eyes focused again. ¡°Declare an emergency. I want you to gather all the manpower in the city and start building a reinforced wall. Also, get women and children towards the centre of the city.¡± ¡°But sir, the centre of the city is¡­¡± His deputy commander, Firiel said with uncertainty. The area around the centre city was an area reserved exclusively for the High Elves, the ones with much purer bloodlines than the rest. It was in fact a criminal offence for elves of lesser pure blood to even enter there, much less take a refuge. ¡° It''s alright. We have a situation here.¡± Caladwen said but before he could say more, a voice cut across the elvish garrison. ¡° Is it so? How come I didn¡¯t know about it?¡± With the words was the sound of thumping boots. An elf dressed in bright but pale golden silk robes which were filled with intricate brown branches of the tree with a pink flower. With white hairs neatly combed. Thranduil, the governor of Yavannaithil. Seeing his appearance, all elves including Caladwen saluted him. Thranduil on the other hand, didn¡¯t respond to them and instead looked at the sandstorm and said. ¡° Why are you guys making a fuss about such a prank?¡± ¡°Governor, I feel you are not understanding the situation.¡± Caladwen has to stand forward and say with a frown. Thranduil had never fought with Thar¡¯s forces, and neither had he, a high-blood elf, ever been deployed to the frontline. Elves like him rarely ever do. They were simply too important to be sent there. ¡° It''s not a prank, but the ability of the Dusty Devil.¡± ¡°Puff¡­that dead thing.¡± Thranduil laughed at his words, unconcerned. ¡° Caladwen, it seems your eyes are getting bad. There¡¯s no way that a dying insect could ever be here.¡± ¡° Then, what about the sandstorm outside? Is it only my eyes that seem to be able to see it, Governor?¡± ¡° The elemental spirits, we know how mischievous they can be at times. It''s nothing more than their way of creating trouble, give them some time and all will return to normal.¡± ¡°Sir, all spirits have run away towards Yavannaith, they too feel fear from whatever beast is outside,¡± Caladwen said with visible annoyance across his face. He tried to hold it back, but his voice couldn¡¯t help but raise a little. ¡° If it''s a prank why would they run? They are not even responding to our call anymore.¡± ¡°Which prankster would not run after his prank?¡± Thranduil, for the first time, narrowed his voice. ¡° Besides, the Queen has accused me, and like our past, there¡¯s never a time that those insects could ever breach the Verdant Divides. Unless you believe yourself to be above us, the High elves, to deny our words. Are you doubting the words of our Queen?¡± He placed his index on Caladwen¡¯s armour and questioned him. In elvish society, the purity of blood has always been the determinant factor of one¡¯s standing. But most importantly, the elemental spirits would listen more to the one with a higher bloodline and would simply abandon with lesser pure blood. A devastating outcome for beings whose magic borrows heavily from spirits. It was for that reason that Caladwen found it difficult to argue against the illogical reasoning. But more so, he knew the futility of arguing against him. It had never worked since the day he had been in this position. He released a long breath, and said with visibly less energy. ¡° Then, what would be the optimal course of action, Lord Thranduil?¡± ¡°Go back to the barracks. Don¡¯t disturb the city. We would be able to ask spirits to stop playing after some time. I don¡¯t care, just don¡¯t create any fuzz tonight.¡± Thranduil waved his hand and started to walk away. Leaving behind a group of confused-looking elves. ¡°Commander, what should we do?¡± Firiel asked helplessly but more so, his heart was full of fear. ¡°...don¡¯t disturb the city,¡± Caladwen said in a low voice. ¡° Also, start moving people closer to you towards the city centre. Remember not to make too much noise.¡± Hearing his words, the elves looked around each other before nodding to him. They could only pray to spirits that nothing goes wrong. On the other hand, Thranduil arrived back to the stone luxury quarters near the roots of Yavannaith, the lights were streaming from the windows as well as the movements of elves dressed in high silk dresses. Inside the city lord''s mansion, made entirely of blue and green jade marbles, long red carpets, the smell of fruit wines and alcohol and the lavish dinner plates could be at a glance. At the centre stage of the hall, a band of beautiful elves with long braided hair and long earrings of different sizes was playing soft retro jazz. Perhaps it was because they didn''t want to disturb the guests, as from the onlookers, no one was listening to the music. They were talking and laughing, while some wondered where their spirits had suddenly run away to. But no one had any serious face, much less worried. Thranduil arrived and greeted some elves before moving towards the table close to the stage. There, a group of elves, mostly young, were sitting. One person particularly stood up among others, she had long silver hair with almost white skin. A slightly tall stature for her age, wearing an elegant dark green off-shoulder netted frock dress with long white gloves that go halfway through her hands. Her eyes like light blue with small tints of green, as if the colour of the ocean. Lyra, the daughter of Seraphine Aurelia Silverleaf, and the only princess of Aurelianaethil. At this time, she seemed not in the mood to talk, as she kept declining the dance invitations from others. ¡° Princess Lyra, you don¡¯t seem to enjoy the night. Was it not up to your mark?¡± Thranduil said as he arrived. Lyra noticed him too and told others to excuse her who promptly retreated. As much as they would like to talk, they don¡¯t want to offend Thranduil, who was next in line to be the Great Elder in the Elvish council. ¡°It¡¯s not like that, Lord Thranduil.¡± Lyra shook her head. Her voice was a little soft but still firm. ¡° I am feeling some nausea and strange unease, especially when I call spirits but they are not responding to my call. Even the communication with Yavannaith seems to be shaky. Did something happen outside?¡± ¡°That¡¯s worrying. I think we should have you checked. Besides, you are still young, so you might face trouble with calling to spirits¡­ or Yavannaith.¡± Thranduil said with concern. But denied anything happening outside. ¡° It''s just some spirits playing a prank.¡± ¡° A prank?¡± ¡° Nothing much to talk about. After all, we live under the protection of the Aurelianaeth. There¡¯s nothing in this world that can go wrong here.¡± Thranduil then started to introduce her to some people in his closer circles, and Lyra could only suppress her unease.