《Redemption》 Prologue the fall Rain showering down onto the land, thunder clashing, lightning flashing arks across the sky. But all through this deafening noise, the cry and screams of people from a certain castle raises with every minute that passes. The sound of swords clashing and magic flaring into the dead of night couldn¡¯t mask the scene that would soon come the morning be discovered by a traveling merchant and his band of guards. Massacre, total annihilation. While the castle blaze like a beacon in darkness, in front of the gates stood one lone man drenched in blood, his blade glowing crimson red. All around him, bodies laid by the hundreds, some belonging to the humans while others from the many of races in the land of Ithia ranging from elves, dwarves, orcs, and beastmaen. With a massive build ripple with muscles, the man stood at 6¡¯0 with long black hair reaching his shoulders. A face that shows his experience on the ever ending battlefield, but even so it couldn¡¯t mask his handsome features. Clad in only light clothing, you couldn¡¯t have expected him to fell so many. From afar one cannot help but tremble from his presence, but upon closer inspections, cuts appeared all over his body, some light while some were so deep that you can see the white of his bones. Arrows protruding in his right thigh and left shoulder, he angry bellowed ¡°WHY? WHY DID YOU DO THIS??!!!¡± Evil laughter springs forth from the shadows ¡°HAHAHA SPLENDED RICKTER, I didn¡¯t imagine you surviving this long.¡± A man walked out with hands behind his back. The man a refine body tone at 5¡¯8 dress in purple battle armor with a blood red cape attached from the shoulders, the sigma of a sword intertwine with snakes protruding outward on his left breastplate. Looking closely, you could see a tiny droplet of poison from its fangs. His helm in the shape of a snake protruding its mouth with fangs hanging out, a black visor covering his face shrouding him. ¡°WHO ARE YOU? WHAT HAVE I EVER DONE THAT YOU WOULD BRING THIS KIND OF DEVISTATION ON MY PEOPLE???!!!!¡± Rickter howled. ¡°hehehe¡­.hahaha¡­HAHAHA. There are so many that even I can¡¯t count them all.¡± Replied the mystery man ¡°But the one that tops it all is this: I¡­..hate¡­.. yooooouuurrrr¡­.. GUUUTTTTS!!!!!!! He screetched ¡°THE WAY YOU LIVE, YOUR CODE OF HONOR, YOUR ACTIONS, THEY SICKEN ME TO MY CORE. A HERO BLAH.¡± He holds his stomach with one hand while the other covers his mouth. Bewilderment crosses Rickter¡¯s face ¡°so you killed countless people and not only that, you sent your men to die?¡± The mystery man shrugs ¡°hey people have done way worse for pettier reasons.¡± He slowly turns around toward the forest and walk away ¡°oh, by the way they weren¡¯t my man.¡± Laughter rings out while his figure slowly fades into the night. ¡°RRRRRRIIIIICCCCCCKKKKKTTTTTTTEEEEEERRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!¡± a strong voice roared. Rickter turns sideways toward the valley to see a great built bigger than him with a face of a lion and body of a human don in grey armor. ¡°King Leo?!!¡± ¡±why have you killed our men??!!!!!¡± ¡°I--¡± Behind the king of the beastmaen stood other leaders including Liena queen of the elves elegant and beauty on no pare, short and stock barely reaching a human¡¯s waist Thradre Fieryshoulder king of the dwarves, chieftain of the orcs Xarpug who has the same height as Rickter but uglier and buffer with lots of scars , and lastly king of the humans James Henders VI in his midthirties 5¡¯7 in height with a lean body donned in golden royal armor. Suddenly the group¡¯s armies slowly marched out, just staying five meters between their leaders, while a selected few went in front carrying shields erecting in front. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.¡°Please tell me it isn¡¯t so Rickter?¡± King James looked sadly into Rickters eyes. ¡°Please my arse, just look around the place, bodies everywhere. Lord Rickter though you¡¯ve had my respect but by Tivdall¡¯s glory this is too much!!¡± Thradre exclaimed ¡°We heard that demeons have breached your castle so we sent a small army to help before reinforcements arrived, but this¡­.¡± He seethed. ¡°Listen I--¡± ¡°No excuses. Killed Brethren. Prepare. DIEEEE.¡± Roared Xarpug ¡°There has to be an explanation for this lets listen to him.¡± Plead Liena ¡°You¡¯re too soft hearted Liena but you do have a point.¡± Declared King Leo ¡°What do you have to say for your--¡± Prink!!! Thunk!! An arrow flew from behind Rickter hits directly in a beastmaen¡¯s throat next to King Leo. ¡°grrahh--¡± audible words escapes his mouth before collapsing. ¡°NOOOOO MY SSSSOOOONNNN!!!! Bellowed king Leo ¡°ATTTTTTAAAAAACCCCCKKKKK!!!!!!!!¡± Screamed a voice within the army ¡°IF WE DON¡¯T DO ANYTHING HE WILL KILL US!!!!¡± ¡°No wai--¡± King James tried to say but it was futile. ¡°AARRRRHHHHAAAA¡± The army Rushed At Rickter. After hours of endless screams the sound soon came to a stop. Standing on top of countless bodies stood Rickter in all his glory, with spears thrust in his body, half of his fingers missing from his right hand while his left arm was cut from the elbow. A sword embedded in his chest while his back showed severe claw marks. A bloodied Thradre limps forward and looks around ¡°Is everyone still alive?¡± ¡°Just cuts and bruises¡± Liena replied tiredly. Suddenly Liena screamed ¡°HEALERS TO ME!!!¡± while she ran to a pile of bodies. She put in her best effort to move the bodies. ¡°Liena what are yo-¡±Thradre was cut short by a gruff sound from below the piles which he realize is King Leo. The beastmaen was sprawled with a hole near his abdomen and a large gash on his chest. A bloody line running down his right eye reaching from his brow to his cheek ¡°ump ga--¡± blood gushing from his mouth. ¡°Stop Leo conserve your strength.¡± Told Liena as she place a hand on his chest. She concentrate, squeezing any ounce of her mana to maintain his conditions before the healers arrive. A sadden bloody James walked slowly while cradling his left arm ¡°why did this have to happen?¡±He whispered. He looked towards Rickter, his friend, his comrade, his brother. By his feet laid the orc chieftain who was turned into a crisped. Hehe chuckled James ¡°he has always been a genius in both the sword and magic.¡± Before his face turned sour, he looked directly at Rickter ¡°go in peace, may Ithian shower you with her light.¡± James carefully used his right hand to close Rickter¡¯s eyes before walking away. No one heard the hysterical laughing of a mad man as the shadow crept over his purple armor, sinking him to the ground showing no trace of anyone being there. A bow a few feet away crumbles to ashes. Ch 1 The Beginning Endless suffering¡­. Endless pain¡­.. But most of all the betrayal of his closest friends pierces deep in his heart, tearing and ripping it to shreds. Sigh ¡°can¡¯t help it I guess, don¡¯t blame them might¡¯ve done the same thing in their shoes.¡± With a look of grief he looked towards the rising sun Ithian goddess of light and creation, mother of all, please look after the souls that have been lost on this day. Embrace them in your never dying light, as for me; please don¡¯t forgive your child for he has sin. These were the last thoughts he had before his life faded and his light starting to dwindle. Darkness, never ending darkness thicker than the night itself wraps around him. The pain and agony upon his death has vanished, but with it a sense of dread wells up in him. For not only was the pain gone, all of his other senses have disappear. Amidst the despair, Rickter tried moving but seemed to be paralyzed. This must be hel, he sighs different than I thought. ¡°No my child, this is not hel.¡± A whisper swirls around him, bringing him warmth with a hint of lilies. ¡°WHO¡¯S THERE?¡± yelled Rickter, surprised at the fact he could say something and started to move his limbs to see if they were working, and shocked that his senses were returning. ¡°hehehe. You don¡¯t have to be so surprise my child.¡± Bells goes off in every direction no not bells, this sounds like¡­.laughter? He pondered. Without delay a bright light flashed before his eyes blinding him. As abruptly as the light came, it was gone in a second. All that stood before him was a woman in mid 20s with a golden aura emitting around her. Reaching at 5¡¯6 and wearing a whites dress, the women has long lush golden hair reaching her back that seemed as bright as the sun, skin as milky as the moon in all its glory. A beautiful face that makes one can¡¯t help but blush while at the same time gushing out motherly love. ¡°y¡­yo¡­you..c..c¡­cou¡­couldn¡¯t¡­b¡­be--¡± Rickter stuttered but he himself knew who it was. ¡°I go by many names but most know me by Ithian¡± she smiled. Mouth gaping like a fish out of water, his mind goes blank for a second before he whisper ¡°why?¡± images from his life flashed before his eyes, him as a boy stealing for his abusive alcoholic father before running off to the army. Escaping from one nightmare to the next, he found his calling in sword and magic which outshine many of his peers and seniors, making him the irk of several individuals. Some scorn while others made him a target for their pent up aggregation, whereas the rest simply ignore him. Training as if his life depended on it; he quickly raised his ranks with his accomplishments, becoming the right hand of the king himself. ¡°Though I can be an ass most of the time, why did this have to happen?¡± he ask grief stricken, images of his people, the citizens gifted to him by the king to watch and protect, screaming for their lord. A look of sadness fell onto the goddess¡¯s face ¡°what has happen was inevitable; even if the gods intervene the results would have been the same.¡± Shocked at what he was hearing the goddess continued ¡°the man who orchestrated this is an agent for Akaizuhr.¡± ¡°Akaizuhr?! The god of the demeons?! Why?¡± ¡°Because you were a threat to him, your power grows and knowing that you would not side with him, you had to be eliminated.¡± Stumped all he could think about was it¡¯s my fault they died ¡°Don¡¯t be sadden my child for you have a bigger role than you think¡± replied the goddess ¡°let me tell you a story.¡± The environment shifted to a gray baron land, the sky devoid of life ¡°this is?¡± He asked ¡°this is the land you call Ithia¡± ¡°??!!¡± ¡°In the beginning there was nothing but emptiness, and after eons after eons, a single entity emerged from this baron land.¡± The Scene shows a being from head to toe all in white slowly coming out of the ground, tearing and ripping his way out. ¡°This being will soon be known as the almighty one or the so call father of the gods.¡± ¡°The gods have a father?¡± a look of astonishment, he glances at the goddess for affirmation ¡°hehehe do you think that all things living and non living don¡¯t have an origin¡± Ithian laughs ¡°The reasons that mortals do not know this is because we his children created the races of Ithia.¡± This story he knew, ¡°Yeah there are five main gods that created the five main races: Joasis goddess of nature brought forth the elves, Tivdall god of the forge form the dwarfs from his forge, Reenar god of war created the orcs with his like mind for battles, Aheneas the goddess of the hunt the beastmaen, and you Ithian the goddess of light and creation created the humans.¡± Nodding ¡°But do you know why I am revere by the other races even though I didn¡¯t create them?¡± ¡°Now that you mention it?¡± Rickter began to ponder ¡°Isn¡¯t it because you¡¯re the head of the gods?¡± Laughter rings all around ¡°ha ha ha ha no my child¡± Ithian smiles lovingly towards him, like a mother patiently explaining how the world works to her children ¡°The reason is because of this¡± She reached out her hand and gently place her palm on his chest, a light started to glow inside of him ¡°??!! This is?¡± ¡°This is a piece of me¡± replied the goddess ¡°like you, all the other races have a little piece of me in them¡± ¡°??¡± He looks curiously at her ¡°during the process of developing the races, Akaizuhr used his power to blacken the hearts of our creations.¡± ¡°How was that possible?¡± ¡°Because he was once our brethren¡± ¡°??!!¡± Astonish at her response Ithian continued ¡°Akaizuhr was the god of the dark, aloof and head strong he viewed his creation the demeons above all. His pride was his undoing, he saw himself even above the almighty causing him to be cast out of our heavenly realm into a different dimension known by mortals to be the demeon realm. Before he left he let a small bit of his power to infect the races.¡± A look of horror ¡°Does this mean even I have a piece of him in me?¡± suddenly a miniature black flame erupted within him. ¡°Yes my child, but have no fear, for the darkness cannot be without the light¡± Abruptly the light encircle the flames before turning into a golden light with silver hue ¡°Fortunally with my light to balance out the dark, they intertwine creating something even the almighty couldn¡¯t do: souls.¡± Whew he thought as sweat dripped from his brow, he quickly used both arms to wipe his forehead only to be laughed by the goddess. Ithian motioned her right hand at him and a warm breeze cooled his sweaty body. ¡°But like many, the war between light and darkness shall always be apparent. The decisions one makes in their life, the actions they take will influence the part in themselves to become a monster or a saint, rather my personal favorite is the kind who tries their best in the world.¡± Sigh ¡°This is a lot to take in.¡± ¡°I know my child.¡± The scene changed to show a being in pure white walking before stopping in the vast land. While looking towards the sky, it used its tendril like hands to pierce his chest, pulling out an orb ushering out brilliant light in different colors. The orb slowly rose before splitting in different directions. One brown orb landed on the ground and slowly seeped in, color spreading outward. Forests sprung forth in great batches, grasses grew in mere seconds covering the land. Another orb, light blue swiftly shot into the air before bursting, showering its substances onto the terrain. The grass turned lusher while some trees bore fruit and nuts. Some of the substance formed ponds and lakes whereas some areas became oceans. A greenish orb exploded at the center creating swirls of wind that howled throughout the geography as if announcing its existence, and at the same time a reddish sphere shot upward only to be envelope by a ball of light. With an extruding bang the sky lightens, clouds could be seen with two suns, one yellowish while the other one red; giving warmth to the planet. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. All that was left was a globe of darkness that zooms around the globe, circling around and around before turning the world pitch black. After completing its purpose, the orb en routed and headed towards the two suns at a terrifying speed. The orb smashes through both suns gathering a bit of their radiance before shooting in the opposite direction. Once the ball stops, what stood there was a moon shining pure silver beaming its light back on to the planet that would be called Ithia; particles that fell from the orb¡¯s journey turned into stars. A few of those particles just didn¡¯t become stars though; a tiny bit measuring up to two handfuls were entangled within the mass of darkness before heading for Ithia. Like meteors, they came blazing hot, the wind swirling around the mass only to crash into a lake instantly evaporating the water. After three days and three nights, the black mass cracked emerging two dragons, one jet black with red fiery eyes while the other has golden scales with silver eyes. These pair would be known as the ancestors of the dragon race, the first, the ancient ones, gods of the dragania. ¡°The dragons?¡± Rickter asked peeking his interest as he observes these legendary creatures. ¡°They were created not of our father¡¯s work¡± tilting her head slightly ¡°You may call it natures will. He took it upon himself to raise them to be the guardians of these lands.¡± Rickter couldn¡¯t believe what he was seeing ¡°Wow.¡± Ithian looks dreamily at the sight ¡°Wonderful isn¡¯t it, we know not what his purpose was but I personally believe that he wanted a world brimming with life to exclude the torment of solitude.¡± ¡°What happened to the almighty?¡± ¡°After casting out Akaizuhr our father was heartbroken and left the world in our care.¡± A thought suddenly came to him so he asked ¡°You have basically shown me the creation of the world but you haven¡¯t shown me the birth of the go--¡± a fierce wind like whip cracked by his ear freezing him on the spot ¡°The gods must have some of their own secrets¡± the goddess smiled widely but to him; it looked more like facing death I must be cautious he secretly vowed ¡°and besides you¡¯ve probably the first to ever know this much¡± she added. Rickter could only slowly nod. The setting shifted again as the kingdom of Bruinalon, Rickter¡¯s homeland blazes in ruins, screams could be heard from miles and miles horror spreading on his face as compression sets in. The assault of his castle couldn¡¯t measure to the devastation he is clearly experiencing at this moment. Extermination. The landscape transformed into an everlasting battlefield, bodies everywhere ranging from humans, elves, dwarves, beastmaen, to demeons, goblins, orcs, ogres, dragons, ect. ¡°Eons have passed with Akaizuhr trying to breach the mortal realm, and I fear that the time is coming near.¡± Ithian sighs Demeons came out of portals swarming in thousands destroying anything in their path. Distress at the sight of his countrymen dying before his eyes, he steps forward to stop the charges but was powerless as they rushed through him. In despair, Rickter dropped to his knees as helplessness crashes down on him gripping his head ¡°GGGGYYYHHHAAAA!!!!¡± a stifle cry escaped from his mouth while tears streams down. ¡°HAHAHAHAHA LOOK AT THIS BEAUTIFUL SIIIIGGGGHHHHHTTTTT!!!!¡± This voice??!! He turns around to see the mystery man laughing hysterically raising both arms to the sky in excitement. ¡°Truly a spectacle worthy of our god Akaizuhr!!¡± He exclaimed before sighing sadness crept in his voice ¡°Rickter my friend if only you could see this¡± ¡°BAAAASSSSTTTAAARRRRDDDD!!!!¡± Rickter roared running towards him swinging a right hook that just past through him. Throwing countless punches that could not connect, a sound down the alleyway made him turn only to have his heart stop. Three kids not much older than ten years were crouched behind a barrel stacked with boxes peering through the cracks. Fear spreads among them as the noise that they caused didn¡¯t go unnoticed by the mystery man. ¡°well well well look what we have here? Come here little ones I won¡¯t bite¡± he tried coaxing the kids to come out from their hiding place, when they refused to, ¡°you dare refuse my generosity¡± he spat shaking in rage ¡°no one makes a fool out of the great MMMEEEEEE!!!! GET THEMMMMM!!!!¡± Demeons swarmed the alleyway, the children¡¯s scream echoed through the night while a powerless Rickter stood there, his mind almost at its breaking point before the scene changed to a garden of lilies. Ithian walks behind him and embraced him ¡°shush my child everything¡¯s going to be alright.¡± Rickter angrily pushes her away ¡°Get away from me!!¡± he yelled ¡°What is going to be alright? Didn¡¯t you see what happened? Why don¡¯t you do anything with all the power you possess?¡± Gnashing his teeth, he turns around only to have the anger wash away, for the goddess was also silently weeping. Smiling sadly ¡°I wish I could my child I wish I could, but before the almighty left, he decree that no gods can declare war on each other for if they do--¡± The scenery changed to show gods and goddesses in full battle armor clashing against the god of the demeons and his followers. The carnage that soon followed ripped time itself and a black hole appeared sucking everything out of existence. ¡°All existence would be no more.¡± ¡°That¡¯s just crazy!!! Then there is no means of stopping this from happening?¡± he cried, thoughts about the children from the alleyway pop into his mind. ¡°There is still hope my child, there is always hope¡± Ithian replied ¡°What can be done?¡± ¡°Have you heard about the god¡¯s champion?¡± God¡¯s champion he thought ¡°yes I¡¯ve heard stories about them, legendary tales that proclaim them the strength to even fell dragons¡± ¡°hehehehe true but even you have the strength to kill a dragon¡± ¡°True, but wait isn¡¯t the dragons the guardians of Ithia?¡± he asked ¡°Yes and some still follow that code, but centuries of power can corrupt someone let alone a dragon.¡± Nodding at this fact he knew full well about corruption for the court is full of it. ¡°The god¡¯s champion allows someone to gain strength to better serve their patron, with your current strength being a champion could allow you to alter the future that Ithia will face.¡± A light started to ignite in his soul, giving him a since of hope for a better tomorrow for all Ithia, however that thought was dashed when he realize something ¡°but I¡¯m already dead.¡± Silence sets in before the goddess proclaims ¡°yes, but there is a way¡± ¡°how?¡± Rickter inquired. The goddess smiles ¡°have you heard about reincarnation?¡± Reincarnation?!! The light that dim became ablaze by this notion, he excitedly replied ¡°yes I¡¯ve heard about it, it is the believe that after death you are allow to be reborn, but isn¡¯t yet proven.¡± Nodding the goddess continued ¡°right but being the goddess of creation has its perks, which will allow me to have you be reborn¡± A sudden thought came to him which he was about to ask Ithian but before he could ask she said ¡°no worries my child, although being reborn will set all your current skills to zero, you will have an advantage to increase your power for the fateful day.¡± ¡°What advantage?¡± he wondered ¡°You will still have your memories which should benefit you in your path and don¡¯t worry the time has yet come for the battle ahead.¡± She answered before I can ask ¡°so what do I have to do?¡± The goddess smiles before waving her hand sending him flying backwards and into the abyss. Conscious slipping he couldn¡¯t help as he heard Ithian¡¯s laughter damn it he thought before blacking out. ch 2 mana Conscious slowly returns to Rickter, with a since of fatigue, he slowly raised his hand to rub his eyes only to realize something it shouldn¡¯t be this hard to move my hands. Gradually he opened his eyes to find himself in a reddish orange room, but what shocked him even more is the fact that his hands were very small. Confused for a moment, he finally grasps the situation: the place he thought was a room was actually his mother¡¯s belly, and he was a fetus, a growing newborn within her womb. One word came to mind ¡°f***¡± Suddenly a women¡¯s voice scolded him in his mind ¡°Bad Rickter, you shouldn¡¯t be cussing especially when you are barely 12 weeks old.¡± Ithian? ¡°Of course it¡¯s me, just wanted to see how you¡¯re doing?¡± How I¡¯m doing HOW I¡¯M DOING, I¡¯M A BABY!!! ¡°Well technically you¡¯re still a fetus¡± the goddess rebuked ¡°I did tell you that you will still have your memories.¡± I don¡¯t know I thought you mean well when I¡¯m older?!! Rickter exclaimed ¡°Stop being a baby pfftt..¡± hahahahaehehehe Ithian¡¯s laughter chimed in his mind Hardy har har he drawled very funny ¡°Alright alright, just couldn¡¯t help myself¡± the goddess tried to contain her laughter Though I¡¯m happy to hear from you, I can¡¯t help but ask what you¡¯re doing in my head ¡°Well the thing is my child this would be the last time I contact you before you reach the proper age¡± You¡¯re leaving a sudden sadness overcame him ¡°Don¡¯t be sad my child, though you can¡¯t see me, I will always be with you¡± Warmth crept in his heart as he hears her words; he couldn¡¯t believe that in such short time she will be leaving. Although their meeting was brief, he felt like the goddess was his own mother. He never knew his mother as she died giving birth to him, his father fell to grief and drowned himself in alcohol. His sadness for his departed love turned into anger at the aspect of the one who tore her from him: his son. A day doesn¡¯t goes by when he wasn¡¯t treating Rickter as trash, beating and slaving the boy for his own drunken pleasure. Never knowing a mother¡¯s love until now only to have it disappear, no one can guess the feelings swarming inside of him. Ithian guessing what¡¯s on his mind kindly informs him ¡°you¡¯ve been shown pain that no child should ever face. Be at peace my child for the ones who are to be your parents will shower you with love that is greater than mine.¡± Silence was met at this proclamation, but the goddess didn¡¯t mind, some things one must personally witness to believe. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. ¡°Before I forget I want you to know that you won¡¯t be bored in here.¡± Bored? Now that she mentioned it, being in here with nothing to do could probably make him go insane. So what do you have? ¡°Hehehehe nothing much, just an advice¡± Yeah? He asked ¡°What would you do whenever you¡¯re bored?¡± He sighs I would have sword training for a couple of hours before¡­!!! Stupefy by the thought, he waited for the goddesses confirmation. ¡°You can start by channeling and gathering your mana¡± Mana The purest of energy gifted by nature itself, only those born with talent can wield these godlike powers, while training in the sternest of ways to push the limits of the human body. But shouldn¡¯t this be impossible? Only when one is at the proper age to contain the power can they develop mana. The youngest to achieve this was an ancestor of King James who was at ten years old. ¡°True, but you forget two things, first you are a god¡¯s champion and second, you yourself were a genius not far from the kings of old.¡± Ithian proclaimed ¡°well I leave you to your own imagination.¡± The goddess slowly withdraws her presence from his mind, with a sigh ¡°I guess I can try.¡± Focusing his mind, he tried to slowly will his spirit to sense the mana outside his walls. To his surprise, he immediately felt the density of mana coming from living to nonliving beings. If he could he would be dancing in excitement, grinning madly at the aspect of gaining enough power to seek revenge against the man in purple and to protect Ithia. Trying to contain his enthusiasm, he slowly meditated gathering only a small stream like line no bigger than a string to clear his body of the blockage to his mana pool. After a few minutes, he withdrew the mana and concentrated on his own mana pool. He willed the mana to slowly dissipate to the other regions of his body strengthening it. I guess this would do for know and slowly drifted to sleep. CH 3 Meet the Parents While training, this chapter will be about his future parents enjoy!! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Beyond the city of Brietwood the capital of Bruinalon, towards the east lying just past the overgrown forest of Blackwell, a tiny village could be seen, the village of Everford. The village upon closer view is like any typical village, ranging from fifty people with cottages side by side encircling a small plaza with a small well in the middle. Under the morning suns you can see merchants peddling their wares, hunters selling their games, and the sound of farmers singing to relieve the hard day of work. Following the road to the outskirt of the village lays a log cabin; smokes could be seen from the chimney, a woman wearing a blue dress in her mid twenties with a swelling belly emerged from the cabin onto the porch carrying a basket of clothing. The woman at 5¡¯5 with long black hair reaching her shoulders; a petite face with aqua eyes that radiant¡¯s warmth. A small mouth with a straight-edge nose that twitched at the morning air, taking a full breath before exhaling, she smiled brightly showing her dimples which makes her more attractive. Out of nowhere, a huge man at 6¡¯2 around his thirties, shirtless with bulging muscles and clean cut golden brown hair wearing black woolen trousers carrying a 500 lb jet brown grizzly throws down the bear a couple of feet from the porch. Breathing heavily he quickly runs up to the women distress in his rugged voice ¡°what are you doing out here Sarah?¡± ¡°Well I was getting bored with nothing to do so I was going to go down to the river to wash these cloths¡± Sarah replied. A look of horror crossed his angular face, his well trimmed beard covering his gaping mouth, his brownish eyes opening wide in dread while cold sweat drips onto his bushy eyebrows. He hastily dropped on his knees, hands clutching her blue dress ¡°please Sarah please have mercy on me you¡¯re killing me¡± he plead Looking sternly at him ¡°Bernard L. Oaks let go¡± Shaking his head feverishly ¡°never, please listen to me Sarah, what if you went down there and something bad happens¡± Tilting her head she asked innocently ¡°like what?¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± eyes moving left and right ¡°well¡­!!¡± An idea came to him, with a snap of his right hand he hurriedly answered ¡°well you could fall into the river or you could trip on rocks.¡± But suddenly his mind drifted; coming up with different scenarios which seem more extravagant than the next ¡°wait a minute, what if you¡¯re suddenly attacked by thugs are worse rapists!!!¡± he whispers, he imagines a scene where his wife begins running away while holding her belly with a couple of men chasing her with Sarah screaming for him. ¡°NO NOOOOOO SAARRRAAAAHHHH!!!¡± he suddenly cries. With a great effort, Bernard lets go of her dress to block her path ¡°you can¡¯t go, please don¡¯t¡¯ GOOOOO!!!¡± He wailed tears begin streaming down his face. With a sigh Sarah tells him ¡°fine you win¡± setting down the laundry, she goes up to him tiptoeing to reach his face to brushes away the tears ¡°you shouldn¡¯t be doing this as a man, especially as big as you are, you should be showing your manly side. What if our child sees you like this?¡± she pouted. Hastily wiping the remaining tears ¡°yes, yes your right Sarah, but just the thought of losing you and our child¡­¡± Sarah raised her hand, she placed her fingertips on his lips ¡°don¡¯t say anything, we¡¯re going to be fine, me and the baby¡± smiling lovingly. ¡°SSAAAARRRRAAAHHHHH!!!¡± Bernard tries to hug her but with an effort he settles for holding her hands. Sarah noticing this couldn¡¯t help but laugh, swatting his hands away to come in close to hug him ¡°I know you¡¯re trying your best to not hurt the baby but this is going beyond abnormal¡± Bernard stuttered ¡°I..I¡­ddoo¡­don¡¯t¡­wa..wa..want..t.t.t.t..to.ac.acc..accident--¡± ¡°Shush dear, I know¡± Sarah pulls away only to smack him on his shoulder ¡°what are you waiting for!!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± dumbstruck by her actions ¡°I did say that I agree with you but that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m not going¡± she stated, dread slowly crawled back on his face ¡°so either you go with me or I¡¯m going by myself.¡± A smile soon blooms on his face ¡°HAHAHAHA I CAN AGREE WITH THAT¡± Bernard booms loudly before picking up the laundry on one hand and slowly escorting his wife on the other. His smile beaming bright under the sun, man and wife stroll down the route behind their house which was a twenty minute walk to a small stream. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. If someone was passing by the river at this moment they would be flabbergasted, for when does anyone come across a giant of a man washing clothes by the river. The woman sitting on the edge with her feet soaked in the cool water, slowly caresses her swollen belly while humming a tune that reverberated through the forest, serene and peaceful. Suddenly she gave a small cry which startled the man so much that he fell into the stream. In a flash he stands and takes a stance, using his instinct honed on the battlefield to detect if there was any enemy. When sensing no one, Bernard slowly turns around looking curiously at his wife. Sarah appear astonished before looking at Bernard a smile spreading on her face ¡°the baby just kicked¡± mouth gaping, Bernard swiftly came out of the water and approached her ¡°Really?¡± Nodding she grabbed his hands to let it lay on her belly, after what seems like seconds, Bernard felt a thumb against his hands. He quickly retracted his hands; a look of pure joy overcame him, raising them to eye level just admiring them. Smiling sadly she looks at the man she loves and sighs, ¡°Why did such a gentle man like him have such a sad past¡± she whispers. Bernard Oaks an enigma with a mysterious past that even Sarah doesn''t know, whenever the past was brought up, he would make such a sad face that she relented. She met him when she was just seventeen, a newly upright adventure looking for excitement in life. While going on a quest from the adventure guild, her party was attacked by monsters. The system Ithia adapted to class levels ranged from F,D,C,B,A,S,X, with F being the lowest comparable to slime and horn rabbits, while S rank are around legendary level such as the dragons. The X rank, the highest rank possible puts you on the same level as the gods, which no one has been ever to attain except legends of old. The monsters that attacked their group consist of B rank silver wolves which stood at ten feet with pelts glowing in the night. Canines bigger than daggers, thirteen wolves surrounding them, the alpha wolf which was slightly bigger howled into the night, and the hunt began. All was slaughtered except for Sarah Pelt who would become Sarah Oaks when a man clad in black carrying a thirteen foot broadsword with a width of three feet, decided to take a detour from his destination. Cutting down the monsters like tofu, you can sense his immense strength. He escorted her back to her village and on their journey, love began to blossom. Once they reach Everford, Bernard decided to become a permanent resident, and a few years later they were married. They¡¯ve been trying to have a child ever since but it seems like the god''s weren¡¯t going to bless them with one until now. The delight they felt when announce by the healers that Sarah was pregnant was apparent as day. As Sarah was lost in thought, Bernard gently cupped her face, a smile plastered on his face ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Smiling ¡°Nothing much, just about how much I love you¡± Sarah responded, Bernard¡¯s face slowly blossoms into crimson red stuttered ¡°r..r..ri..rig..right¡± Seeing this Sarah couldn''t help but laugh, and in a bit Bernard joined her, their laughter ringing throughout the forest. After washing the clothes, they went back to their home, talking about the future of their child and the possibilities of his greatness. But what they didn''t notice was that a man clouded in black hood with a mask was watching them from afar. The scout pulled out a small rectangular transmitter from his pouch, using his mana, the transmitter slowly lit in a blue hue, words springing out What is the situation? The words slowly disappear only to be replace The targets are going back Good, keep a lookout, be wary of Bernard. Even if the years has taken their toll on him, he is still an A Rank warrior. Don¡¯t worry my lord; my skills aren''t that shabby either. Good, keep me posted. Yes my Lord. The man put his transmitter back into his pouch, and stare at the road that Bernard and Sarah took, a grin slowly formed ¡°soon Bernard, soon¡± chanting a short spell, he became transparent, and cautiously followed them. Ch 4 Rebirth (part 1) Several months have pass and Sarah was having a hard time going about by now, the baby could arrive in any time. Bernard was making preparations to insure the safety of both mother and child. Sarah spends most of her time in bed, her swollen stomach hidden under her night gown; Sarah couldn¡¯t help but sigh at how Bernard was anxiously going by his day, always jumpy and nervous about the delivery. It was night time when abruptly she screamed with all her might ¡°BEEERRRRNNNAAARRRRDDDD!!!!¡± The man dropped whatever he was doing, face as white as sheets, came running to their bedroom on the second floor ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is it time?¡± Bernard asked only to have a pillow thrown at his face. Sarah exclaimed in a huff voice "why are you doing nothing but pacing around?!! If you have that much time on your hands then do something useful!" She angrily grabbed another pillow and threw it toward him. The pillow arcs its way to hit Bernard''s chest "I''m sorry hon it¡¯s just...." At a loss, he looks at his wife pleadingly Sigh "I''m sorry Bernard; it''s just my nerves getting to me" Seeing how shaken his wife is about the upcoming birth, he hastily waves his hands "no no Sarah you''re right, it must be tough on you when I''m acting this way" Laughter erupted between the couple as the tension began to lessen, but abruptly Sarah¡¯s face contorted in pain. She looked at Bernard and whispered "my water just broke" Lightning struck Bernard, as comprehension came to him whom slowly turned into panic. "OK ok we can get through this" breathing heavily, dizziness started to shroud his mind. ¡°Bernard!¡± Yelled Sarah Blinking for a sec, he regains his mind, but the panic increases "what should I do?" "Get the transmitter in the dresser" replied Sarah Bernard hastily went forward and flung the clothes trying to find his transmitter "where is it?" He feverishly asked himself With a thud, the transmitter fell on the ground; quickly he retrieved it and looked at his wife for further instructions. Sarah irritably answered "call healer Kate and her husband Jonathan!" "Yes yes" flustered by Sarah¡¯s temperament. Pouring mana into the device, he urgently urges the couple to hurry. After a couple of minutes, his transmitter lit up; rapidly he views the contents only to have fear written on his face. He looked towards his Sarah ¡°Jonathan and his wife were on their way here, but they were caught up by a behemoth boar¡± ¡°Behemoth boar?¡± stifled Sarah. An image came to mind, a massive boar with skin of bronze and red like magma etched in its hide streaking from their spine running down to their limbs. Two curl like tusk longer than lances, with a horn jutted out its forehead. Four eyes brimming with intelligence, its purpose only known to bring forth destruction in its wake. And last but not least, the behemoth boar was an A rank monster. ¡°But how did a behemoth boar show up in these parts?¡± Sarah gasp ¡°I don¡¯t know¡± Bernard was out of the room in a flash only to return carrying his sword hilt, the blade long gone, ¡°stay here Sarah, and try to hold on while I go get them¡± Nodding ¡°please hurry Bernard¡± Bernard grimly nodded before heading out. Once Bernard was out, Sarah heard the door reopened, thinking that her husband must¡¯ve forgotten something ¡°what is it Bernard? You should hurry and get them¡± ¡°There is no rush my lady¡± a man walked into the room, wearing a white shirt and a blue jacket, brownish pants buckled with a sword, his looks befitting a noble. Chestnut hair tied into a long pony tail reaching his neck, with handsome qualities one couldn¡¯t help but swoon, a look of terror crossed Sarah¡¯s eyes. ¡°L..Lord William¡± An ugly grin started to form on his face; he bowed half-heartily before cackling madly contorting his features, his blue eyes gleaming with insanity. ¡°Yes my love I¡¯m here for you¡± William replied Lord William a C rank warrior and eldest son of Lord Geoff of the house of the Northwinds, they ruled a small town by the name of Dunwich in the north a few miles from Everford. During one of his travel¡¯s, William passed by her village and became so smitten that he proclaims his love for her but was rejected. For William has a quite a reputation that has spreaded far and wide, an arrogant man who believes himself superior than others, he uses every chance he can to torment anyone in his grasp while he views the opposite sex as nothing more than a pleasure to sate ones desire and for breeding. When Sarah decline his love, he angrily forced her to go with him, if not for Bernard¡¯s intervention, Sarah would¡¯ve had a fate was than death. Being an A rank warrior, not much people would get involve in their matter, nevertheless for a lesser noble. Burning with humiliation and anger, he left in a jiffy, planning to wreck havoc on these two people when they least expect it. When he heard they were getting married, something inside of him snapped, demolishing everything in his path to vent his anger. William wanted to hurt Bernard for getting his hands on something that¡¯s his, and for that he must pay and William realized that there is a way. He set to motion this day over the years planning and preparing to give the biggest pain imaginable to Bernard, as for Sarah, she still has her uses. ¡°W..wha..what are you doing here?¡± Sarah stutters, the pain getting to her ¡°nothing my love, just giving a helping hand, especially in your time of need. I did say that I will always be there for you when you need me¡± smiling proudly, William snapped his fingers and two healers entered the room, one of them was as tall as Sarah wearing a blue robe while the other could be nothing but a child wearing a scarf, draped in a dark blue hood. The tall healer was around Sarah¡¯s age wearing brownish dress with a shawl covering her reddish hair, her greenish eyes widen in fright. ¡°Keep calm Aenor, as an apprentice you mustn¡¯t show any fear¡± the other healer at mid height proclaimed in a high voice. She lifted her hood and slowly unraveled her scarf to show an aged woman with white hair and blue eyes with depths of piled knowledge. Removing her robe, her light yellow dress showed her plumb figure, she looks disdainfully at William ¡°if you wish to follow this profession, you must never allow the mother to feel alarm at any moment for it could cause the child its life¡± She told Aenor, but clearly this message was towards Lord William. ¡°Yes master Bedolda¡± Aenor replied ¡°Humph, just do what you¡¯re paid for dwarf¡± William says disdainfully Looking coldly at the man, Bedolda turns to face Sarah, a smile playing on her face ¡°don¡¯t worry my dear, everything¡¯s going to be alright, believe me¡± for some reason, her words gave comfort to the weary women ¡°al..alright¡± Sarah whispers. The smile on the midwife¡¯s face soften, nodding her head ¡°alright, then lets deliver your baby¡± ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rushing out of the house, Bernard raced towards the road leading to the village. After a couple of minutes, he heard the sound of battle and accelerated in the direction of the noise. What he found there was a pile of corpses, blood running red on the ground, and in the middle of it was the boar. When the village guards heard the roar from the behemoth boar, they rushed to help, which sadly turns into nothing more than a slaughter, most of the guards were either dead or injured. Jumping into the fray, Bernard whips out his sword hilt, giving a mighty roar, he channeled his energy into the hilt. The hilt glow a yellowish light before a blade started to extend, reaching its maximum height of thirteen ft, he slashes vertically at the back of the monster. The beast gave a roar of pain, but Bernard doesn¡¯t stop there, he executed a mid flip and ended by the monster¡¯s side, he shrunk the sword to five ft before swinging at the monster, he quickly increase the speed of his sword, hacking away trying to finish the beast. Out of nowhere, the boar twisted his head and lunges his tusk at Bernard. Back stepping, Bernard barely dodges, cold sweat dripped from his forehead. Charging at the boar, he sidesteps and twirls gathering momentum before slamming the sword horizontally at it, but the monster charges at Bernard causing him to shift the slash into blocking the beast¡¯s tusk. The sword blocked most of the force, but Bernard was still blasted a few feet, blood spurting out. A magical pentagram unexpectedly appears directly above the monster ¡°hurry up Bernard¡± someone shouted. Looking around Bernard tries to locate the voice, when his eyes met with the owner, he jumps back ¡°secret arts fifth form: sword rain¡± Bernard bellowed, his sword gleaming in bright yellow light, using both hands, he swung his sword skywards. Several energy swords dropped from the sky and pierced through the symbol enlarging the swords and adding a blazing fire, stab the monster. With a wail, the behemoth boar slouches down, bringing up debris and slowly the dust falls covering the beast. Breathing haggardly ¡°Jonathan get your ars here!¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. ¡°Is the coasts clear?¡± ask the voice which belonged to Jonathan ¡°Get out of there already before I beat you!!!¡± ¡°hahaha alright my friend alright¡± a man and women slowly climbs down from a nearby tree ¡°man you did a number on that beast!¡± exclaims an dishevel man in midthirties with short black hair and brown eyes. ¡°Shut up Jonathan, what were you doing up there anyway?¡± ask Bernard Kate slowly brushes any remaining debris from her dress before slapping Jonathan on the arm ¡°we were on our way to your home but suddenly out of nowhere that behemoth boar appeared¡± replied Kate, her long ash brown hair covering her brown eyes; she gently used her hands to fix her hair. Nodding Jonathan added ¡°right, before that beast could notice us, I used a small spell to lift us up and another one to cover our smell. Knowing that you could arrive any minute, I conserved my mana for that big spell just now.¡± ¡°I know Jonathan; you don¡¯t have to explain yourself. In this kind of situation you would have done more harm than good if you intervene.¡± Bernard replied Bernard knew that Jonathan wasn¡¯t a coward, heck the man has more courage than anyone he knew, but being a D level mage, he could never do any real harm to an A rank monster. ¡°What was that spell you used just know?¡± Bernard asked curiously Puffing his chest out in pride ¡°that my friend is a spell I crafted called inferno blaze. It not only has a fire base attribute, it doubles the targets power.¡± Rubbing his chin ¡°hmm not bad Jonathan, not bad¡± says Bernard before they start laughing Swiftly a fist came to rap on the guys head BAM BAM ¡°I hope you guys aren¡¯t forgetting about Sarah¡± Kate sternly looks at both of them Bernard looked up in horror ¡°how can I forget? I¡¯m so stupid!!¡± slapping himself hard enough to leave red marking on his face. Kate hurriedly stopped him ¡°what are you doing? If you still have the time to inflect pain on yourself then hurry to your wife!!¡± ¡°Right right sorry Kate¡± Bernard replied Laughter suddenly rung throughout the forest ¡°HAHAHAHA why are you people leaving so quickly when the party just started?¡± Lord William walks out of the forest in plain view, following him were two man donned in leather armor. ¡°Lord William? Was this you¡¯re doing?¡± seethed Bernard Smiling in a crooked grin ¡°yes you mongrel it was me¡± ¡°Why?¡± anger glimmering in his eyes ¡°Because of this¡± with a wave of his hands, four men came out of the darkness; one was carrying his wife while another was carrying a white bundle. Two others were dragging a tied bloody dwarf and a tousled lady ¡°Sarah?!!¡± Bernard rushes at them only to be stopped by Jonathan ¡°what are you doing? Let go!!¡± ¡°Are you stupid or something? If you charge in recklessly you can endanger your wife and child and besides, you¡¯re hurt.¡± Jonathan retorted gravely Anger welds up in him, but Jonathan was right. The damage taken from the boar was not small, and considering the amount of power he had to use to unleash the secret arts, most of his energy was depleted. ¡°What do you want?¡± ask Bernard ¡°You know what I want¡± smiling slyly, William walks toward Sarah and gently stroke her face ¡°?!!¡± controlling himself with every ounce of willpower, ¡°I¡¯ve told you before that she doesn¡¯t want you. Why can¡¯t you leave her alone?¡± ¡°What do you know?¡± William snaps angrily ¡°she was meant to be mine but then you just have to appear and took her away from me!!¡± Bernard frowns and looks toward Jonathan and Kate to make sure he was hearing it right. They looked at each other and they all came to the same conclusion: insanity. William continued ¡°I knew that I can never go against you, no one wants to face off against an A rank warrior. So I design a plan to take care of you once and for all¡± snapping his fingers, a figure walked out, removing his mask, Bernard couldn¡¯t help but gasp ¡°y..you?¡± A man with thin brow and skinny hollow face peered at Bernard, his yellowish eyes gleam evilly ¡°yes it¡¯s me, It¡¯s been a while Bernard¡± ¡°Jerome? w..w.h..why are yo-¡± ¡°why am I still alive?¡± Jerome answered ¡°well you did do a number on me but you know me, how tenacious I am once I put my mind on something.¡± The man glowered at Bernard before drawing out a pair of chains from his bag ¡°put these chains on¡± he threw them to him. Seeing the chains, the dwarf struggles against the ropes but to no avail, the guard struck the women trying to stop her from struggling. ¡°Stop it!!!¡± shouted Bernard ¡°HAHAHAHA always the uptight man, hurry up and put these chains on or else she¡¯s not the only one to get hurt.¡± Jerome walks in front of the white bundle pulling out a dagger. ¡°Wa..wait!!¡± hands out, Bernard tries to calm him ¡°fine, I¡¯ll do it¡± he bends down to pick up the chains, but before he could touch them, the chain snakes towards him. The chain coils around him, sealing him in place. ¡°HAHAHAHA I can¡¯t believe you fell for that¡± Jerome laughs ¡°you were always a fool, now we can go on as plan.¡± ¡°?!! What do you plan to do?¡± Bernard struggles but the chains tightens around him, the pain was so intense that his knees buckled, crashing to the ground writhing in pain. ¡°That my friend is the chain of oblivion; an ancient artifact used to shackle monstrosities deemed a danger to the world. No one has ever been able to break it.¡± Jerome looks at William ¡°milord¡± Nodding ¡°you two go over there and tie those peasants¡± he ordered. The men by his side quickly tied Jonathan and Kate to a tree ¡°HEY WATCH WHAT YOU¡¯RE DOING? IF YOU¡¯VE GOT THE GUTS COME AT ME LIKE A MAN!!!¡± Jonathan roared only to be met by a right hook. The punches came left and right causing blood to splattered around the area, after a while breathing heavily, the man walked back to William¡¯s side. Jonathan¡¯s face was bloody mess, with a busted lip and cuts and bruises all over his face, he was barely conscious. Kate grabbed his hands to make sure that he was alright and silently transfer a part of her mana to heal him. William raised his hands ¡°NOW LET¡¯S GET TO THE MAIN EVENT!!¡± he walks to the man carrying the baby and swiftly lifts the baby into his arms. ¡°Wh..hat are yo..you planning to do t..to m.m..my son?¡± Sarah weakly inquired ¡°SARAH, ARE YOU ALRIGHT?¡± Bernard squeezed out. ¡°I¡¯m fine dear¡± she replies in a whisper. William angrily marched to Bernard and gave him a harsh stomp to the face ¡°how dare you call my love?!!¡± he snared ¡°Your love? Ha is it wrong for a man to call his wife sicko?¡± Bernard smiles wit-fully earning William¡¯s annoyance, he looks around before going to a small area and ripped a tree branch at four feet and six inches wide and started whacking at Bernard ¡°who..¡± thump ¡°do..¡± thump ¡°you..¡± thump ¡°think..¡± thump ¡°you..¡± THUMP ¡°ARE!!!¡± he screeched, breathing deeply ¡°now let¡¯s go as plan¡± he walks a few paces from the group ¡°Jerome, start the preparations¡± ¡°Yes my lord¡± Jerome starts taking out items from his bag, organizing everything to start their plan ¡°Where was I..¡± William ponders before gathering his thoughts ¡°right right, like I said I could never beat you so I came up with a plan. When will the Great Bernard, the A Ranker eeeevvvveeeerrrr show a sign weakness?¡± he says sarcastically ¡°then it clicked, the greatest flaw of all great heroes is¡­.. their families. Once I heard that you mongrel got my love pregnant, I set to motion my plan. I used all my wealth and more to secure that behemoth boar to occupy you while I went and fetch my love¡± ¡°You¡± Bernard looks at William pitifully but he was too much embroiled in his story to care. William continued to drooled ¡°and here¡¯s the best part, your son will die a cruel death before you very eyes¡± ¡°My son?¡± Bernard whispers looking at the bundle in William¡¯s arms A crazed look entered his eyes, laughing hysterically ¡°after that, I will defile your women in front of you while you struggle, powerless to do nothing!¡± RRRAAAWWWRRR Bernard roared at William, struggling at against the chains to only have them slowly tightening. Thrashing about violently, ignoring the pain, Bernard lunges at William only to be knocked away by his guards. ¡°HAHAHAHA I always thought you were a monster and I stand correct¡± William beamed The pain finally register with his body, Bernard starts to convulse, the throbbing agony enough to make him lose conscious. ¡°Tsst tsst, can¡¯t have you out on me buddy, the show is just getting started¡± William motions for one of the men. One walks forward while taking out a canteen, he pours the contents onto Bernard, the cold water making him gasp for air. Ribirth (part 2) Sorry for the long wait, I''ve been busy lately but will try to post sooner!! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lord William smugly grasp Bernard¡¯s hair, pulling it upwards ¡°you think it¡¯s so easy for you to miss such an event, your breaking my heart¡± he sneered in his ear. ¡°Milord, the altar is finished¡± Jerome bowed. Smiling, he lets go of Bernard¡¯s hair ¡°alright, lets proceed¡± he handed the baby to Jerome. Beside Jerome is an altar, with strange symbols encircle by ancient text, five wisps of dark flames enclose around it. Jerome pricked his hands with a ceremonial dagger before smearing the blood on the baby¡¯s chest, with a finger; he drew a marking on the baby¡¯s forehead. He started chanting inaudible words of power, the writing slowly glowing in blood red. ¡°This here is a ceremony for our Mistress Lamuslea, the dark goddess of lust and sin, the daughter of the almighty Akaizuhr!!¡± Proclaims William ¡°through a primeval carving discovered by my forefathers I shall gain everything I desire¡± He smiled ¡°with the help of your son of course.¡± ¡°S..t..stoop¡± groan Bernard ¡°Why should I stop when I¡¯m about to get everything I ever wanted, the love of my life at my every whim and the destruction of the man I loathe with my every fiber. This is possibly the best day of my life¡± William Laughed hysterically ¡°just sit back and enjoy the show, or should I say lay down¡± HAHAHAHAHA The group laughed at their lord¡¯s joke while a crestfallen Bernard cursed silently at himself for not being able to do anything. In an instant three things happened: the first occurrence is when an arrow flew and hit directly at the back of Jerome, an exhausted village guard holding a bow leans against the tree while blood leaks from his side. Two men carrying swords, one with their arm ripped off while the other had one of his legs crushed by the behemoth boar slowly walked towards the group despite their injuries. Second a chain of pure blue erupted from the ground to coil around the seven guards and Lord William, two men and a woman stepped out from the shadows. Third, the transparent like aura from the baby that went unnoticed. ¡°I never thought a day like this would happen aye Jakke?¡± a burly of a man with wild red hair asks the guy on his left. Pushing his glasses upward, the scrawny man answered ¡°humph, we can¡¯t all be as paranoid as you Ranffus, but I agree¡± his short grey wavy hair skirting in the wind, a lone braid covered in silver beads flow behind his left ear reaching his earlobe ¡°for the ¡®mad blazer¡¯ to be in this position is preposterous¡± ¡°Don¡¯t speak like that idiot!¡± the blonde women yelled wearing white attire of a nun ¡°how can you talk like that when you are with the church!¡± ¡°HAR HAR HAR we¡¯re just messing around here Tara, no harm done¡± Ranffus tried to ease the nun. Tssk snorted Jakke, which seems to further rile the women; her aqua eyes scorching in fury ¡°fine then, wait til we head back. I¡¯m pretty sure the pope would interested in the events back at Yarith¡± Jakke shuddered at the thought, sighing ¡°fine, let¡¯s get this over with¡± ¡°WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE??!!¡± roared William. The group ignored him, Jakke looked toward the village guards ¡°be at peace my brothers, for the goddess has seen your bravery. Your families will be taken care of; you don¡¯t have to worry. Go my brothers, for the goddess is awaiting you with her warm embrace.¡± The three village guards saw the sincerity in his eyes, relief and acceptance shown on their faces; they slumped down one after another, the light in their eyes slowly disappearing. The playful Ranffus gradually turned cold ¡°for you to have done this, be prepare for the consequences¡± his gaze froze the guards in fright. ¡°HAHAHAHA you think you can stop us?¡± William sneered ¡°the ceremony has already begun and nothing you do can stop it!!¡± The inaudible words that Jerome chanted started to amplify in volume, the arrow in his back rotted away, from the ground sprung black jets of spumes that flew towards the guards. The black smoke entered through their mouths, their scream of agony rung through the forest. The sound of bones grinding and snapping filled the air, in less than a minute what stood there were abominations. Three of the guards were shrunken in size, black leathery wings spouted from their hairy backs, small orange horns jutted along their forearms to their shoulders. With faces of gremlins, the guards were an ugly site. Four of the other guards, unlike the other three, were enlarge to nine feet, muscles swelling at an extreme rate, their leathery skin a dark shade of black and grey. Two horns rupture from their skulls reaching at six inches, three small beady eyes arc downward from left to right. A mouth full of fangs at five inches, they roared with all their might. ¡°The robiboz and abotsan?¡± Jakke¡¯s face distorted in disgust ¡°you would have your men turned to demeons to satisfy your whim?¡± ¡°Their lives belong to me and I can do whatever I seem fit¡± replied William ¡°stop the small talks, you¡¯re ruining my mood. GET THEM!!¡± The demeons struggled with their chains and with an effort shred the binding that held them, little by little they made their way toward the group. ¡°What now?¡± ask Ranffus crouching in battle stance. ¡°We have to stop Jerome from finishing the chant of prayer, if he completes the rites then even our lives will be at stake¡± replied Jakke ¡°Alrighty then¡± eyes gleaming Ranffus gave a howl before transforming into monstrous werewolf, his pelt glowing bright red, charges at demeons. ¡°O Goddess of light and creation, Ithian be thy name. Grant this child the power to vanquish all evil.¡± Jakke chanted and grabbed his silver necklace, a small medallion engraved of two suns and the moon intertwine ¡°morning star!¡± he threw the medallion upward, the pendent shined in silver and enlarge into an full circle before falling on top of him. Whenever the light touches him, his body became donned in armor, by the time the light touched the ground, what stood there was a knight of pure silver with gold engravings. By his side were two medium size swords holstered in golden scabbard. With a glance ¡°Tara seal their movements, set a barrier around the others.¡± Nodding her head ¡°roger that! Go kick some butt or else¡­¡± replied Tara straining the last part. A slight shiver ran down Jakke¡¯s back, shaking his head, he jumped into the fray. Tara closed her eyes and cast [barrier], a light blue hue surrounded Bernard and the others. After seeing that they were safe at the moment, she cast another spell [slow], which caused the demeons to sluggishly move around. The dwarven healer rushed to Sarah¡¯s side ¡°hurry Aenor, keep her safe while I prepare [heal] and [cleansing]¡± ¡°Understood Master Bedolda¡± replied Aenor, she uncertainly crouched in front of Sarah, blocking her view of the battle. Ranffus ducks a swipe from an abotsan and launches himself towards the flying robiboz, tearing the wings on one while biting on the other. Their screams barely heard over the furious roar of the abotsan demeons, a flash of light arcs horizontally towards the remaining flying demeons cutting them in half. ¡°Crescent slash¡± Jakke whispered. With one sword out, he withdrew the other and dashes for the nearest abotsan. The demeon swung a right hook, but Jakke leaned backwards, dodging by a few centimeters, he spun one-eighty before unleashing nonstop slashes. Under less than a minute Jakke had slash more than a hundred times, the demeon gave an anguish cry and slumped dead. Seeing the situation growing worse, a howl erupted from two of the abotsan. Looking at each other, they charge into one another, what happen next caused the cool headed knight to shiver in disgust. Once the demeons collided, the force they emitted caused them to explode, their organs spattering around them. Stunned by the abotsan¡¯s actions, the group stood still, not sure what to do. After a couple of seconds the body matter slowly pulsated, with renew energy, bit by bit it crawled together to form a blob like creature, but it seems like its transformation isn¡¯t done yet. Ranffus attacked the other demeon while keeping his eyes on the blob ¡°we have to finish this soon¡± he growled. Nodding in reply, Jakke shifts his weight and shoots off like an arrow at the demeon. With a cry, the abotsan fighting Ranffus threw him off before blocking the path of Jakke. With a grunt, he deflected the claws of the abotsan, but just as quickly stabbed its throat with his right sword while using the other to slice open the creature¡¯s stomach, its organs dripping to the ground with a retching smell. The abotsan gurgle his own blacken blood before dropping on his knees and tumbling over on his side. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. The blob gave a vicious roar, his transformation complete. A colossal humanoid taller than the trees stood before them, skin blacker than night with purple like veins coursing through his body. The creatures face devoid of any features with only a gaping mouth that keeps opening and closing. ¡°N..no way¡± gasp Ranffus ¡°the S rank Hollowmouth?!!¡± The hollowmouth, a demeon that has indestructible like skin that is as tough as the scales of dragons. It senses its enemies through heat signatures and vibrations, but the thing that got the creature its name is because of its mouth, for that gaping mouth is like a black hole. Just a few short breaths and everything within the area will crumble and be sucked right in increasing the demeon¡¯s power. ¡°Quick Tara release Bernard!¡± said Jakke ¡°Ye..yes!!¡± she squeak, she turns around and runs off. He shifts his gaze to Ranffus ¡°and you stop playing around.¡± ¡°No one was playing around!!¡± shouted Ranffus, face beet red with rage. ¡°Shut it mutt, we have bigger problems.¡± Jakke calmly says which riles Ranffus further, with no retort, he angrily charges against the demeon while muttering how unfair, just you wait¡­ not hearing the rest, he jumps towards the hollowmouth. Tara knelt by Bernard ¡°the chain of oblivion is an A rank artifact, no one has ever gotten out if it. But legends say that there is a way; stories that were passed down from generations to generations but were lost with the passage of time.¡± Using her left hand she stroke her hair, raising it up above her ear, she bent down and gave a gentle kiss onto the chains. A yellowish hue glowed from the chains, slowly expanding before sliding off of Bernard. Bewildered, he asked ¡°how?¡± Smiling gently ¡°through countless tales, besides killing the monsters, doesn¡¯t one method remain?¡± Confused, all he could do was looked dumbfound at her, shaking her head ¡°true loves kiss.¡± These three words froze his heart, face turning ashen ¡°Ta..Ta¡­Tara..I..I..I¡± Bernard stuttered. Laughter sprung forth from Tara ¡°HAHAHAHA you think¡­¡± she tries to hold herself together but it seems like she can¡¯t, she falls down holding her stomach for twenty seconds before gasping for breath ¡°hehehe don¡¯t be mistaken Bernard, although I find you cuddly like a baby bear, all I see in you is nothing but brotherly love.¡± ¡°Ri..right¡± nodding his head, Bernard couldn¡¯t help but feel his pride being hurt. Something crashed behind the duo, coughing in the dust; Ranffus angrily yelled ¡°if you pansies are done with your little talk we really need you in the game now!!¡± He howled [shadow wolf] before splitting into four miniature size shadow and charged at the howlmouth, its speed increasing at a dramatic pace. ¡°Alright let¡¯s hurry¡± rubbing his shoulders, ¡°my son needs me.¡± ¡°hahaha do you think you can stop me hahahaha¡± Lord William spat, looking over at Jerome, ¡°hurry up with the spell!!¡± Jerome continues with the spell despite William¡¯s outburst, for this was an ancient spell that needed complete focus or else the backlash would be immense. With the destructions of their battle the surrounding area became more barren, the battle raged on with no visible winner. As the minutes pass by, Bernard became more desperate; he tries more reckless tactics to overcome the hollowmouth but seems to be in vain. Jakke lands a few feet from Bernard, he angrily glares at him ¡°do you have some kind of death wish?!! At this rate the hollowmouth will not only kill you but use you as a stepping stone for raising its power!¡± ¡°And what would you have me do?!!¡± Bernard yelled ¡°we have to finish this as fast as possible or else my son is going to die!!¡± Suddenly a scream of pure agony erupted, Bernard and the others looked around to find the source, but when they do they couldn¡¯t help but gasp. For the one who was giving this heart wrenching screech was none other than Jerome. ¡°Something must¡¯ve gone wrong with the ritual¡± Rannfus said looking worried. Red and black wisp of energy surrounded Jerome; the energy fluctuated at a fast rate, cracks began to appear within the symbols. With quick reflexes, Tara used all her mana into her spell [barrier] reinforcing one a top another before the circle exploded. A wave of pure force blew everyone ten meters, the barren land that suffered from the continuous attacks from both side became a wasteland. Being chained, Lord William suffered the full blast and became nothing more; even a speck of dust couldn¡¯t be found. The hollowmouth even with its hard like skin was unable to leave unscathed, but with the ritual being broken, the power that allowed the hollowmouth to remain on Ithia weakened, the demeon slowly felt the pull back to the demeon realm and gave an anguish cry before disappearing. Coughing uncontrollably, blood began to seep from the group¡¯s mouth. Sarah weakly stood up and though her strength was waning, through sheer will she walked towards the altar. When she reaches her destination, all that lay there was a white bundle, with shaking hands, she kneeled and reached out to it. Tears streaming down her face, she lifts the bundle to her chest and gave a cry towards the heavens. Bernard crestfallen falls on his knees, grapping his head he gave an audible scream before bawling like a child. Seeing this scene, the rest felt their hearts shredding in pieces, the women silently wept while Jakke and Ranffus stood still, sadness and regret filled their eyes. ¡°Gua¡± a single sound that would¡¯ve likely been unnoticed but within the brief moment of silence was loud enough for everyone to hear, shocked Sarah quickly unfold the blanket and found her newborn, her son breathing and gurgling words as if ascertaining that he was still alive. Relief and happiness spread on her face ¡°Bernard look our son¡¯s alright!!¡± Bernard moved clumsily next to Sarah and peer over her shoulder, when he saw his son raising his hands towards him, all the burden and guilt lifted from his chest. He quickly turns around ¡°he¡¯s alright!! My son is Alright!!¡± Disbelief spread among the group, for the backlash of the spell was enormous; they themselves barely survive so how can a new born who was at dead center of the shockwave survive? Ranffus walks toward Bernard and pats his shoulders ¡°please don¡¯t do this Bernard; I know this must be hard to accept but you must harden your heart if not for yourself then for your wife.¡± ¡°but..¡± ¡°I know I know, it may seem like the world has turn upside down, but no matter what you do you must hold on. Your son has been grace with Ithians love and is probably enjoying his time in her company¡± Replied Ranffus. ¡°Are you cursing my son?!!¡± Bernard angrily yells, he bends down and picks up the bundle from his wife ¡°does this look like he¡¯s dead!!¡± With the bundle in his arms, he arcs sideways to show the laughing face of his son. ¡°???!!!¡± The group was gasping in shock before cheering loudly. ¡°How can this be?¡± Ranffus stupidly ask. ¡°Why it¡¯s a miracle of course!!¡± replied Jonathan. ¡°aww he¡¯s shoo cuuutee¡± said Tara. ¡°It seems like the goddess has taken an interest in your little one¡± said Jakke before glaring at Ranffus ¡°and you were cursing the man¡¯s son just a minute ago¡± he sadly shook his head ¡°pathetic.¡± ¡°I..I..¡± Ranffus stutters before sighing, ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡± he knew that he was at fault for assuming too soon. ¡°It¡¯s alright Ranffus, no need to burden yourself¡± Bernard replies before turning to Sarah ¡°sorry for the late introductions these were my teammates during my adventure days, Ranffus Nightclaw of the bloodred wolf clan, Jakke Conanus paladin of Ithian church, and Tara Adete an nun and white mage also from the church.¡± Ranffus gave a silent wave while Tara happily introduced herself ¡°it¡¯s nice to finally meet you.¡± Jakke gave a bow towards Sarah ¡°a pleasure to meet you, for one to be able to tame this mad beast, I¡¯m impress.¡± ¡°Thank you¡± Sarah tiredly replies, seeing this Bernard hurriedly says ¡°alright alright, we can go rest at my place before heading back to the village, I know that everyone is exhausted from this.¡± Everyone nodded their heads, but before they could leave though ¡°ung?¡± Tara exclaims in surprise ¡°hey Bernard can you give me your child for a bit?¡± Not sure why, he reluctantly handed his son to her, with the child in her arms, she closely inspected him. After repeatedly examining the baby, she looked up at Bernard and Sarah, tears began to fall ¡°Bernard, y..yo..your..¡± she began to bawl her eyes out. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Bernard urgently asks Sarah grips his arm with worry. Tara hands over the baby to him ¡°take a close look at his eyes¡± Bernard and Sarah peer closely at the child¡¯s eyes and when the baby opens them, grief overtook them. For staring at them were eyes of silvery white, for they knew that their child was highly likely to be blind.