《Kursed Fate》


 Prolouge

    What does it mean to be evil?


    To steal from the strong, or to punish the weak?


    To tear down a kingdom, or build it on broken backs?


    Society thrives on labels, but they are all fragile. Fragile, because they ignore the most human truth of all.


    Perspective.


    Life is essentially a myriad of views. Every single one is shaped by love, loss, and ambition. Necessarily speaking, no one is born evil, for they too once had love in their heart.


    What is the valid point in all of this? To justify your own evil?


    How can¡­evil be justified? Evil is evil, no matter what, isn¡¯t it? The possibility of any perspective being able to justify any evil is nigh impossible. There hasn¡¯t been a single act of wickedness rooted in pure evil that could ever be justified.


    Or can it?


    If evil were to be justified, and heavily lower its impact and meaning, would the people justifying said action and evilness be adorned to such? Or perhaps have a far deeper and contextual meaning?


    If¡­someone could reshape, and potentially, redefine your morals and what you consider evil.


    What does it mean to be evil?


    Crimson flames trickled before her.


    The village burned as she watched from the cliffside, her heart subtly racing in great effect. The corpses, producing a foul odor, did not make her flinch.


    If anything, she embraced the smell.


    Her midnight cloak, accented with small touches of magenta, concealed her figure. Barely noticeable under this twilight sky, however.


    Her horns protruding from her head were made of thick ivory. Her white hair, although kept in a bun, still reached her waist.


    Her red skin made her heritage unmistakable to anyone who might see her. A purebred oni. Contrasting sharply against her hair, though.


    But it was her eyes¨Cthose piercing, unnatural amethyst eyes. Gleaming, a gaze that tore into the fiery inferno before her. Unblinking, calculating.


    The reflection of the flames danced before her eyes. As if peering onto the other side of the flame. For sure, there was no one there. No one expected at least. As if she was the only one in this village.


    Or, what¡¯s left of it.


    Her face monotone. Eyes slowly narrowed down.


    There was nothing much to inspect, her job had already completed.


    A small, soft exhale escaped from her as she turned away. Not bargaining to gain one more look at the tormented remnants of the village.


    A purple hue began to shine off both of her horns. After a few more steps, and with a wave of her hand, the scenery began to change.


    The nature, the cliffside, and all of it before seemed to melt, dissolve, even. This world twisted, and turned, until she stood within her palace. A domain of shadows and secrets.


    With each step she took, it began to materialize and form more, constructing. A desk, a chair. Shelves, and shelves of books. Containers filled with rare artifacts and items never seen before.Stolen novel; please report.


    With another snap, candles around her ignited. Its wax never burning in a domain like this one. The colors of it all, were primarily black, and guessed, purple. It seemed to absorb all light that entered here.


    Black stone walls absorbed the light of flames she conjured to illuminate the room, and every dark corner seemed alive with purpose.


    Any light that wasn¡¯t hers.


    The oni approached her desk, her boots clicking against the polished obsidian floor. On the desk laid stacks of paper, and a quill sitting neatly right there. Available whenever. She eyed it for a couple of moments, then proceed to grab one.


    Her fingers grasped softly onto the document.


    Amethyst eyes traced over every word, to make sure this was right. To confirm this was correct. That she would, in fact, be doing this.


    To recreate what she once lost that day.


    That enigmatic figure who erased the boundary between the two sides.


    At the mere thought of it, she scoffed. Any attempt to recreate them would be nothing short of a mere copy, even she was aware of that. But, to raise it with love, and care, as just as she was raised when he found her.


    She was sure, it would be nothing short of that.


    Onis were naturally known to harbor great deals of anger, vengeance, and wrath. She, was no different. Guided by the few key emotions that her race had only known. However, it¡¯s different this time around.


    Her wrath had long subsided, and her journey to avenge and quench such thirst had ended eons ago.


    All that remained for the queen of wrath was the love she would give to her next creation.


    Her very own offspring.


    She chuckled softly at the thought¡ªsomeone like her, capable of love. It was absurd, and her siblings would surely think so too.


    But, she thought back to the time. A time where, she had no one else. All she did remember, or moreso, could remember, was the hand of his. Their hand alone, that felt like the sun, and his embrace of a thousand stars.


    Oddly, the thought of being alone often comforted her. At certain times, she had trouble remembering the face, but the one thing she only needed to remember was the hand.


    If there was any doubt in her mind, it¡¯s been lessened. At least for now, that is.


    A soft, content smile was placed over her lips. She had put the parchment down, and looked beyond. Despite the black brick walls of her light-swallowing domain, she could see the stars through the window.


    Standing up, her boots clicked with each step. Looking out beyond, to see the towns light up in the dark night. To believe at once, she hated this world for everything it had done to her. Misdirected hatred, and blind vengeance.


    The weight of her decision heavily pressed against her. Could she raise this creation without passing on her own flaws? Without dooming them to the same cycle she had struggled to break?


    She was never one of being a teacher, but she could only hope that the cycle wouldn¡¯t be repeated.


    It was a huge risk, of course. To add to the fact that she wasn¡¯t just any normal oni. And to add on further that this¡­offspring, wouldn¡¯t be conducted through any normal reproduction means.


    It was a huge gamble. She once believed that, if possible, the offspring always does take a few habits from the parent, or mother in this case.


    She was no different from her father, but to linger on matters that have transpired before time even had a name is no different from being stuck in the past.


    To be fair, she was a bit¡­nervous. She couldn¡¯t help but be stuck in the past. Raising one of your own, and especially in a world now thriving with magic and mana is dangerous.


    It¡¯s a huge risk, and if there¡¯s one thing this Oni remembered, was the risk he took by raising her. Would it be selfish if at the very least, she didn¡¯t try?


    She can try, she knows she can. Weirdly enough, chasing a ghost from the past fills her with faith and determination.


    If he can do it, so can she.


    With one final look, she watched the stars dance across the sky, their movements like a grand ballroom.


    She enjoyed it, a bit hesitant in this action, yes, but she enjoyed it. Perhaps, she enjoyed the uncertainty it gave her. A real emotion she hasn¡¯t felt since¡­then.


    To heighten even further, the night sky lit up. Amongst the many stars, there, a trail of blue. Quick, but sweet.


    Her amethyst eyes followed its swift path, to see none other than a shooting star. Beautiful in all of its brilliance. It had crossed over and disappeared beyond the horizon.


    As the shooting star disappeared, so did her doubts.


    Perspective, she thought.


    The stars only dance because she chose to see their rhythm.


    She closed her eyes with a very gracious smile. Her lips parted, for the first and last time.


    ¡°Welcome to this world, Kusan Ira Nagi.¡±

 Chapter 1: 1005

    Aethyra sat nicely against the coast. It is mainly known for its ports and its heavy connections towards Mana overall.


    The cities were made up of long towers coupled with multiple buildings. Their residents filled the streets. Today, like any other day, was one for work.


    By the ports, a man grabbed a barrel of fish and stacked it against another barrel. Dusting his hands off, and exhaled. The sun was still brought out, and nowhere near from done.


    No break either, but he knew his work was going towards something good. He was helping the city. As he turned around, and saw other wooden ships rocking, a slow smile came over his face.


    Looking by the mountains to his side, he genuinely appreciated how much he was here for. Getting back to work, he went by the docks to go tend to the nets.


    His satisfaction gave way to a sharp chill as a shadow blanketed the dock. He turned, expecting clouds, but what loomed above made his breath catch.


    A red blur sped past him, and many other people as well. They all looked up, and they saw it.


    A Great Red Dragon.


    It sped past, and hasted for the mountains. It¡¯s deafening roar shattered the stillness of such. Birds scattered away in terror, and the Earth trembled beneath the weight of its fury.


    The roar came instantly, shattering the tranquil silence like a thunderclap. Above, crimson scales flashed like fire against the sky. Black jagged spikes ran down across its enourmous tail.


    A smaller blur, shot past its massive frame, and the beast¡¯s tail lashed out. Colliding with a nearby mountain. The rubble sprayed out towards the blur, and he redirected them all towards the dragon.


    The Great Red Dragon descended like a living storm dodging the counterattack with immense speed, it¡¯s horn pulsating with intense heat. Humming to life, a red sphere of mana focused, and shot out, to a very smaller blur before it.


    The blur leapt off one remaining rubble in the sky, and deflected it. It exploding in mid air sending shockwaves through the valley, and also shook the city of Aethyra as well. But even then, the city remained untouched.


    The beast snarled viciously, their attacks not working currently. With one giant beat with their wings, they sped off towards the blur. Descending towards the ground in hopes of colliding into them.


    A loud thud could be heard, and dust kicked up. The Dragon stumbled, and regained its balance. As the dust cleared, a human being performed a handstand and jumped back.


    Their boots skidding on the grassy earth, their arms weaved around and tightened his pose. His smile, both challenging and confident. A crimson half-cloak, edged in gold, flowed behind him, with it¡¯s hood now coming down thanks to a breeze of wind.


    The symbol stitched onto the shoulder¨Ca bold, golden V bordered with intricate gold etchings¨Ccaught the light, its mana-thread accents pulsing faintly with latent energy.


    What was worn underneath was a black tunic with a high collar, trimmed in gold like the cloak. It fastened at the front with simple clasps, allowing ease of movement. Baggy pants of the same dark fabric were tucked into his boots, their looseness granting agility.


    Their light brown skin was revealed first, then their dirt brown hair, matched with their hazel eyes. Slight freckles on his face that traveled across the bridge of his nose, but nonetheless he looked average.


    Raek Ventus, was not average. No, far from that.


    His abilities weren¡¯t either.


    He stared the beast down without fear, inviting this challenge. To face a dragon was impossible, a suicide mission for most.


    Unless you were him¡­or stubborn enough to challenge such. It can be both too.


    His grin widened, he had seen this before. The beast was growing desperate and in most times of his honest work.


    Desperation meant mistakes.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have to do this, it¡¯s not too late to settle this and head somewhere else.¡± Raek spoke, his eyes analyzing every scale of the beasts. He himself had never moved an inch, however. Never showing any sign of backing down.


    He didn¡¯t flinch.


    He thrived on the thrill.


    Even in the danger of it all.


    The dragon grunted, steam shooting out from it¡¯s nostrils. Fury? Anger? Or perhaps just pure annoyance? Raek tried to guess it¡¯s motives, to just start attacking the city of Aethyra for no reason that is.


    If he hadn¡¯t gotten there in time, there was no doubt the dragon would¡¯ve attacked the Port, and that already cost a lot to build in the first place.


    More steam ejected from the dragon¡¯s nostrils per usual, Raek noticed it. The dragon¡¯s warning, essentially, Raek still had time to run away and forget about it if he could. But the thing was, Raek wasn¡¯t the type to run away. Especially not from a challenge.


    Before he could act, the beast unleashed a torrent of flames. The searing heat distorting the air, and making any plant life begin to quenched of it¡¯s life. Raek leapt back, boots skidding across the charred grass as he narrowly dodged.


    The inferno roared past him, engulfiing some part¡¯s of the forest in its wake. Trees groaned and splintered, collapsing into ash, and the once-green earth blackened under the dragon¡¯s wrath.


    Raek glanced over his shoulder at the destruction, clicking his tongue. Maybe the Dragon just woke up on the wrong side of the bed, er¨Crock this morning?


    He ran up, raw mana weaved and coursed through his fingers, crackling to life as sparksdanced along his left palm. The small sound of thunder followed, rolling through the now scorched area.


    The dragon¡¯s tail lashed out in retaliation, a blur of crimson and black spikes aiming to sweep him off his feet. Raek vaulted with his right hand, his body twisting with such experience.


    ¡°Missed me,¡± He quipped, and with his free left hand, he hurled a bolt of lightning toward the dragon¡¯s head.


    The crackling energy struck, exploding against the beast¡¯s horn with a blinding flash. A shockwave rippled outward, shaking the ground and forcing the dragon¡¯s head to reel back. Its roar was deafening, a mixture of pain and fury.


    It lunged forward, snapping quickly. Claws raised high to strike, and surely turn Raek into mincemeat. He noticed it quickly, and his hands moved instinctively. Clapping them together, he summoned the earth.


    A solid wall of stone erupted to his left, its surface rough and uneven, but could get the job done. The dragon¡¯s claws tore through it like parchment, chunks of rock flying in every direction. One hit the boy, and he flew back.


    He regained his balance almost instantly, and got back on his feet, dusting off dirt from his cloak. Raek let out a sharp exhale, ¡°You don¡¯t play fair, do you?¡± He muttered, his smirk returning.


    Jumping, he landed on the dragon¡¯s arm that had outstretched to attack him moment prior. Running up, and outstretched his hand. The earth slightly shook as an earth pillar had erupted underneath the dragon¡¯s claws, and arose quickly.


    Clipping the dragon, it fell back and was stunned. Raek jumped off last second as he landed, watching the beast trying to regain it¡¯s bearing.


    As he did so, he heard the sounds of walking, another set of footsteps coming from behind him. Assessing their iconic and familiar mana signature, he lowered his guard.


    ¡°Impressed yet? Or do I need to make it flashier for you?¡± Raek called out without looking back, his tone as sharp as the sparks still dancing on his fingertips.


    A familiar voice clicked his tongue. ¡°Flashier? All I see is scorched earth. The chancellor¡¯s going to love this.¡±


    Raek rolled his eyes, ¡°Yeah, yeah Clovis. I get it.¡±


    Clovis appeared into the fray, his curly blonde hair catching the light. His golden eyes, reflecting the color of his very own light. Fairly light skin as well as he too, wore the crimson cloak. His hood now coming down as well. The golden emblems glinted brightly, almost enough to make Raek squint.


    Clovis¡¯s golden gaze swept over the battlefield, lingering on the smoldering trees. ¡°We need to finish this before you burn down the whole forest.¡±


    Raek turned towards him, ignoring the dragon fidgeting to regain it¡¯s composure.


    ¡°Where¡¯s the others?¡±


    ¡°Regrouping, looks like this thing wasn¡¯t only trying to come for Aethyra, but Delpharia as well.¡±


    Raek nodded, ¡°Yeah, I just got back from there, looks like Aethyra was next on it¡¯s hit list. Aelara was with me too.¡±


    Clovis furrowed a brow, ¡°And where is she?¡±


    ¡°What do you think, Clov?¡±


    Clovis seemed to be hesitant to answer, but did so anyways.


    ¡°...I can¡¯t believe someone like her was able to become one of us at some point.¡±Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    As the Great Dragon tussled around, severely stunned by Raek¡¯s latest attack, the two continued to speak, as if the presence of one of the most dangerous beasts had not made them realize the pressure they were in.


    Raek previously looking at the Great Dragon, faced Clovis. ¡°Hey, you think we can beat this thing and leave Aethyra unscathed?¡±


    Clovis crossed his arms, as if for a moment pondering and thinking. His mind coming up with some tactical answer.


    ¡°If we can, this is a Great Red Dragon, Raek. Not a rouge Conjurer. A beast neither you, I, or any Vanguardias as a matter of fact can tango with.¡± Clovis spoke, making sure to put heavy emphasis on the great, part.


    The brown haired boy rolled his eyes, as if he didn¡¯t duel with the dragon just not too long ago, but then again he remembered. His skill, doesn¡¯t come as easy for others.


    Others, aren¡¯t blessed like he is.


    Raek listened, and looked at the badge. The golden emblem on his shoulder. Being a Vanguardias wasn¡¯t easy, and mostly required hardwork. Unless you were blessed by the Gods like Raek was, then the journey would be absolute hell for most. But Raek never had to experience that hell. Not once.


    But none of that, ever took away his ambition. It might have come easier to him than most, but he knew why he was doing this. He was doing it for the badge, the prestige, and the honor. Expectations were already placed high on him, but this felt like this was the only thing in the world he could always do right.


    He slapped his badge, then pointed at the Great Red Dragon, ¡°I¡¯ll make sure it doesn¡¯t touch the city. You with me, or are we letting the locals deal with this?¡±


    Clovis sighed, his lips twitched. Either irritation, or resignation. ¡°Fine. But if this thing so much as scratches Aethyra, you¡¯re explaining it to the council,¡±


    ¡°Deal,¡± Raek had said, cracking his knuckles.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see what this big guy¡¯s got left.¡±


    Raek and Clovis stood side by side, the former with a confident look, and the latter with a wary expression. The two Vanguardias would have their biggest challenge yet, trying to tame the untamable.


    The brown haired boy stepped forward, the crimson half-cloak hung from his shoulders. It¡¯s gold-edged insignia catching the light as he moved. The fabric was wortn at the edges, not from neglect but from countless battles. Raek never cared much for appearances, as most could see.


    He¡¯s much rather let his actions speak for him.


    The Dragon gained it¡¯s footing, sense of place, and bearings all in one. Roaring loudly, their screech pushing back rubble. Kicking up wind as to where both Clovis and Raek stood absolute. Unmoved.


    Eyeing the two, it¡¯s pupil enlarged. In a rush of fury, it raised it¡¯s wings. Beating them constantly, kicking up even more wind. It slowly raised it¡¯s body, and with one final flap, ascended very quickly.


    Raek, shocked, and Clovis, following the dragons head. His face slowly lit up when he realized.


    ¡°It¡¯s going back for Aethyra.¡±


    Raek turned to him, ¡°What¡¯s this dragon¡¯s problem? Hungry? Gold?¡±


    Clovis stared at Raek.


    Raek tilted his head. ¡°Gold? Treasure? No?¡±


    Clovis glared at him.


    ¡°Okay, guess not.¡±


    A radiant glyph flared beneath their feet. In a heartbeat, light enveloped them, and they vanished.


    The dragon embarked on a flight towards Aethyra, not too far, but not exactly close either. It would only be a few more moments before it comes to the gates. From there? Total carnage.


    As it continued to be on pace, a bright flash occurred over the dragon, as Clovis and Raek appeared. The two diving with serious looks now, the Great Dragon posed a great threat, not only to them, but to the people as well.


    Vanguardias like them are supposed to lead, and make example. Even letting one casualty under this attack occur would carry great scrutiny towards them.


    The Dragon didn¡¯t take long to notice the two they were fighting early to be above, with the large snap of opening their mouth, fire spewed out upward. Heading towards Clovis and Raek.


    Raek, twisted midair, the searing heat brushing his face as he narrowly avoided the flames. Laughing at the thrill of it.


    Clovis clapped his hands together, and formed a light barrier around himself. Enduring the fire itself as to go through it, and didn¡¯t seem fazed for a moment.


    Below them, the sprawling city of Aethyra glittered in the sunlight, its towers and bustling streets a stark contrast to the dragon¡¯s looming shadow. Raek knew a single misstep could turn that light into ash.


    Below, the streets were frozen in collective awe and terror. Most, if not, all residents on the ground watched below. Watching an oncoming dragon be intercepted by two Vanguardias. Merchants abandoned their stalls, parents clutched their children, and every gaze followed the Vanguardias above.


    A ripple of hope, or dread, coursed through the crowd as the Dragon roared.


    Raek landed first, raw mana giving a second wind for himself. Coursing through his fingers as per usual, sparks came to life as he conjured three lightning bolts, sending them one after the other.


    The dragon noticed them, performing a barrel roll to dodge all three cleanly. It used it¡¯s large tail to knock Raek upward, ragdolling into an unsuspecting Clovis who didn¡¯t have enough time to dodge out of the way.


    The two bodies collided in the air, and the dragon used the ample time for this distraction to go. With one giant beat of it¡¯s wing, it increased it¡¯s speed.


    The dragon¡¯s shadow loomed over the Merchant¡¯s Quarter, the heart of Aethyra¡¯s bustling economy. One wrong move, and centuries of trade would crumble beneath its flames.


    ¡°Are you serious?¡± Clovis barked out, rubbing the temple of his head. Watching Raek freefall uncontrollably.


    Raek rubbed his head, trying to soothe it. ¡°I didn¡¯t know the Dragon had precognition now.¡±


    Clovis gazed at the dragon, it passed the gates. And weirdly enough, not attacking that in orderly dragon fashion. It¡¯s over the merchant quarter.


    As if, looking for something.


    He couldn¡¯t risk it. Too much business going on there. If the Dragon even manages to mess up anything slightly in there, the entire state of Aegis would suffer.


    ¡°We have to get there, fast.¡± Clovis stated.


    ¡°Thank you for pointing out the obvious,¡± Raek replied sarcastically.


    Clovis looked at Raek, then at the dragon. An idea formed in his head, as if a light candle had went off over his head.


    Raek, slowly starting to piece it together caught onto it as well.


    ¡°Wait, wait. Don¡¯t do that-!¡±


    The Dragon eyed the many people on the streets. As much as it would want to, it¡¯s goal was not the residents. There was something attracting the dragon in a specific district. Something it would get it¡¯s claws on.


    As it descended rapidly, it was about to land, before Raek crash landed onto the head of the dragon. His body skidded across as he grabbed onto the horn for support. The Dragon screeched, ascending rapidly now. The opposite of what¡¯s intended.


    ¡°Damn Clovis,¡± Raek muttered, as he reeled in pain. Both of his hands grasped onto the horns of the dragon, and pulled them back. Noticing how the dragon started to ascend now. Away from the city, not comfortably enough though.


    A large flash occurred next to him, as Clovis appeared.


    Raek shot an irritated look, ¡°You could¡¯ve teleported me too, you know.¡±


    Clovis waved him off, ¡°Less mana to spend,¡±


    Raek almost lunged on Clovis, but now wasn¡¯t the time for that. Not with a city buster on his hands.


    He almost stumbled, his concentration broken. He fought to gain and control the Great Dragon by it¡¯s horns again. Which prompted him to speak, signaling the limited time they have.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to be honest here. I don¡¯t know how to train a dragon. Would be really nice if we had a way of disposing it.¡±


    Clovis eyed the city, crouching. Muttering something under his breath. This was one of the rare times that Raek couldn¡¯t have picked it up, but he assumed he was concocting a plan.


    The boy bounded by light watched, analyzing. What could it have possibly came here for in the Merchant District? Not attacking and causing havoc instantly in Aethrya, but instead coming for the merchants.


    ¡°There¡¯s no way it knows about¡­¡± Clovis trailed off. Not wanting to consider the thought. A dragon couldn¡¯t.


    But a Great Red Dragon? Clovis had the probability calculated, and it was scarily high. Nowhere near 0.


    ¡°1005 clicks away. That¡¯s how far we need this dragon to get away.¡± Clovis got up, and pointed towards the Port. But as Raek looked further, he was pointing towards the ocean.


    ¡°It¡¯s too close to the city, It¡¯ll weaken in the large pools of water. There, we get a even chance in the playing fields.¡±


    ¡°Would you have enough mana to teleport us away?¡± Raek asked, not judging the dire plan. To be fair, that was the only plan they had.


    Clovis nodded, ¡°I should. Such a far distance, I can¡­try.¡±


    Raek furrowed a brow, ¡°Try? Clovis, I¡¯m afraid trying anything at this stage might be too late.¡±


    Clovis and his dry humor chuckled slightly, ¡°I¡¯ll try to wing it. Like you do.¡± He put a hand on Raek¡¯s shoulder.


    Raek scoffed, ¡°The difference is that when I do it, big things work in my favor.¡±


    The Dragon screeched as the two smiled at the plan, with Clovis barely. With this, surely they could get away with it. These two, Raek and Clovis, would be the first to defeat a Great Red Dragon.


    A challenge no other Vanguardias could think of.


    As Raek turned, and forced the dragon to turn with him towards the ocean, steam began to emit from it¡¯s scales.


    Raek didn¡¯t think much of it, until he thought about it again. Steam, pouring from it¡¯s scales.


    Steam was being emitted from the scales. Heat itself, actual heat was being emitted. The Dragon had just found a way of getting the two Vanguardias off their back.


    Clovis noticed it latter, his rubber boots being able to sustain this heat, but not exactly himself. Raek let go of the horns, as that part as well got hot uncontrollably.


    And without anyone holding the horns of the dragon, the Dragon was as free as it could be.


    It rotated, with it¡¯s belly facing the sky. Both Raek and Clovis fell off, losing their grip on the scaly back. Turning, they were once again freefalling within the sky and right over the Merchant¡¯s District again.


    Clovis weaved his arms around, his blonde hair swaying furiously. Wind rushing in his ears, with the dragon closing in on the two, he needed to make a final stand. Mana coursed through his hands, and became sharp.


    Took a shape, and was filled with a golden light. It¡¯s spear tip looking menacing as it could possibly be. He threw it up in the air, it¡¯s initial speed took off straight for the Great Dragon. As if everything and anything couldn¡¯t be more fast paced than it could.


    The spear skimmed the dragon, slight blood coming from it¡¯s cheek as the Dragon dove down, fast. Raek noticed it right away, and turned around, and noticed an opening, wide of grass. He knew this place, he realized this place.


    Park, a park. Not just any park, but one of the few in Aethyra where you couldn¡¯t get mauled by the goblins nearby in nature and take in the scenic route. Raek silently apologized, hopefully, the tax money can cover for this as well.


    He thrusted his arm, and the Earth began to shake below. Citizens already evacuating from the premises watched on as two rocky slopes made their way towards the Vanguardias. By the time they realized, the Dragon had stopped it¡¯s chase, and halted its motion.


    Raek and Clovis slid down the earthly slopes, their boots doing such a number on it. Being able to skid safely without any further problems. As the two looked on to the Great Dragon, they realized they were further from the Merchant¡¯s Quarter than anticipated.


    ¡°Change of plan,¡± Clovis spoke. He adjusted the pendant on his neck, reflecting the rays of the sun that had came in. Raek noticed, and turned his attention towards the Great Red Dragon.


    He nodded, and Clovis continued.


    ¡°Apprehend the Great Dragon, doesn¡¯t look like it¡¯ll be touching water anytime soon.¡±

 Chapter 2: Believe What I Say

    Raek twisted mid-air, his left hand crackling with raw mana as he redirected the fireblast with a precise strike, sending it arcing high above the city. The fiery sphere exploded harmlessly in the sky, the shockwave rippling outward but leaving the panicked crowd below untouched.


    He landed with a confident smirk, brushing soot from his crimson cloak.


    It¡¯s amber eyes stared Raek down, he looked back, but also towards the people. There¡¯s too many here, way too many in the Merchant¡¯s Quarter. There¡¯s no way they could get out everyone in time.


    Merchants struggled to clean out their stalls, and much more. While the Dragon stayed afloat, Raek stood in the middle of it all.


    For a split moment, it didn¡¯t attack. It¡¯s amber eyes peered past Raek, entirely for something else. He turned, and tried to sense anything out of the ordinary. He noticed it before, but never thought why the dragon could potentially be coming here of all places.


    There, it hit his head. A sharp rush. He could sense it¡­almost feel it. He looked amongst the many stalls, and found it. There, sitting unguarded entirely amongst the fleeing people.


    A spherical orb that sat neatly on a pillow, swirling with colors of blue and white. It oozed with mana, and anyone adequate anyone to sense it, could feel it. Could feel how priceless it is.


    ¡°A phantom orb,¡± Raek began, and looked back at the Great Red Dragon. It¡¯s gaze still fixated on the orb.


    His eyes widened as realization hit him. "It¡¯s here for the orb," he muttered under his breath, the weight of understanding sinking in.


    Before he could act, he caught sight of Clovis on the rooftop to his right. His pendant glowed brightly, light forming at his fingertips in sharp, defined shapes.


    "Raek! Keep its focus off the orb!" Clovis shouted, unleashing five luminous orbs in rapid succession. Each orb struck the dragon¡¯s flank, creating bursts of light and forcing the beast to roar in irritation, its attention momentarily diverted.


    He nodded, and bolted off with a quick first step. Grabbing the orb, feeling the immense amount of mana it was constantly generating. He had to make sure even not to siphon it not once. Anything done to it could destroy it¡¯s value, tremendously.


    The dragon roared, even under attack, it would not keep it¡¯s eyes off the orb. Even if it cost it¡¯s life.


    It¡¯s amber eyes peered through the smoke, and flew instantly straight for Clovis. He, who wasn¡¯t expecting it, became the embodiment of light before disappearing instantly. The Great Red crashed into a building toppled over.


    By the time it cascaded down, and the dragon got unstuck, Clovis appeared next to Raek, as to who was holding the phantom orb.


    Clovis pointed at it, ¡°It was here for that all along? I thought dragons couldn¡¯t sense mana? Much less even Greater Dragons¡­¡± he trails. To Clovis, it was clear that something wasn¡¯t adding up.


    It wouldn¡¯t be long before he quit most of his pondering, and outstretched his hand.


    ¡°Hand it to me. I¡¯ve trained my whole life for this¡ªnot that you¡¯d understand.¡±


    Raek¡¯s grip on the orb tightened.


    ¡°Not this again,¡± He muttered under his breath. Clovis was always looking at him like he was the thief that stolen his birthright. It was almost a never-ending battle with him.


    He scoffed, ¡°I¡¯ve worked hard to get to this position too, Clover. It¡¯s only by luck that you haven¡¯t already exhausted yourself thanks to your fancy light teleportation skill.¡±


    ¡°Luck?¡± Clovis shot Raek a look that could even cut steel.


    ¡°You think that¡¯s what it takes to keep up with you? Luck?¡±


    Raek raised an eyebrow, tossing the Orb between his hands. ¡°What else could it be, raw talent?¡±


    Clovis¡¯s fist tightened, the glow of his magic dimming down. ¡°Some of us don¡¯t have marks or prophecies handed to us at birth. We actually have to work to even stay in the same room as you.¡±


    The Orb stilled in Raek¡¯s grip, his grin fading. ¡°And some of us weren¡¯t born into prestigious families with generations of talent and privilege handed to them on a silver platter.¡±


    Raek stepped closer, his tone colder. ¡°It goes both ways Sparkk, you know it does.¡±


    Before Clovis could retort, the Great Red Dragon let out another earth-shaking roar. The sound was a guttural warning, but it was quickly followed by action. With one powerful beat of its wings, the dragon launched itself back into the air, its amber eyes locked on the orb in Raek¡¯s hands.


    ¡°Great, now you¡¯ve pissed it off even more,¡± Raek muttered, narrowing his eyes at the nearby Vanguardias and taking a step back as the beast charged straight toward them.


    ¡°I¡¯m not the one playing keep-away with the thing it wants,¡± Clovis snapped, moving into a defensive stance. Golden light radiated from his hands as he prepared another spell, his mana brimming with intensity.


    The dragon¡¯s claws slashed through the air, and both Vanguardias dove in opposite directions to avoid the attack. Raek hit the ground in a roll, the phantom orb clutched tightly to his chest. He scrambled to his feet, glancing toward Clovis.


    ¡°Any brilliant ideas, oh fearless leader?¡± Raek called out mockingly, his tone sharp but edged with genuine concern.


    Clovis didn¡¯t answer immediately. Instead, he hurled another spear of light at the dragon¡¯s wing, striking it with enough force to destabilize its flight momentarily.


    The dragon screeched in frustration as Clovis¡¯s light spear struck true, momentarily throwing it off balance. For the briefest second, Clovis felt a flicker of pride¡ªa rare moment of satisfaction breaking through his stern focus. But it vanished as quickly as it came when the dragon¡¯s amber eyes locked back onto Raek.


    Typical.


    The dragon circled high, gathering speed for another strike. Clovis¡¯s mind raced, calculating the best way to keep the Orb¡ªand Raek¡ªout of harm¡¯s way.


    ¡°I¡¯ll buy you a minute,¡± Clovis finally said, his voice strained. ¡°I¡¯ll try to blind it with a full-powered flash. When I give the signal, get that thing out of here.¡±


    Raek hesitated. ¡°And leave you here to get roasted? Not a chance.¡±


    Clovis looked over, his golden eyes blazing with urgency. ¡°Do you even realize what¡¯s at stake here?¡±


    Raek pressed his lips, it was more than enough, and looking back at the volatile orb in the midst of things didn¡¯t make it any better.


    For a moment, Raek looked as though he might actually listen. But then his smirk returned, quick and irritating. ¡°Wait, yeah¡ªdo your fancy teleportation move so I can copy it,¡± he said, tossing the Orb from hand to hand with infuriating nonchalance.


    Clovis¡¯s jaw tightened, his face a portrait of simmering irritation.


    "Raek, this isn¡¯t a game! Stop treating it like one!"


    For a split second, Raek seemed to look somewhere else, and then back at Clovis.


    He clenched his fists, his golden light flickering erratically as his irritation hit a boiling point. ¡°Raek, if you don¡¯t stop messing around¡ª¡±


    The dragon¡¯s roar cut him off, louder and closer than either of them expected. With a sudden burst of speed, the Great Red Dragon dove straight for them, its amber eyes blazing with fury.


    ¡°Not the time to lecture!¡± Raek shouted, shoving Clovis aside just as the dragon¡¯s claws tore through the ground where they had been standing. The force of the swipe sent both Vanguardias sprawling in opposite directions, dust and debris clouding their vision.


    The orb slipped from Raek¡¯s grasp in the chaos, spinning through the air before landing perilously close to the dragon¡¯s talons. Both men froze, their eyes locked on the glowing artifact as it pulsed with volatile energy.


    Clovis was the first to move, his light-infused speed carrying him toward the orb. ¡°I¡¯ve got it¡ª¡± he started, but the dragon slammed its massive tail into the ground, cutting him off and sending shockwaves rippling outward.


    Raek groaned, pushing himself up from the rubble. ¡°Yeah, sure, Clovis. Just walk right into the angry dragon¡¯s strike zone. Brilliant plan.¡±


    Clovis shot him a glare, his golden eyes practically searing with frustration. ¡°Well, maybe if you hadn¡¯t dropped it¡ª¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t drop it!¡± Raek snapped back, darting toward the dragon¡¯s flank.


    ¡°It slipped. Big difference.¡±


    The dragon growled, its focus now fully on the orb as it reached for it with one claw. Raek moved instinctively, taking yet again another quick first step to propel himself forward. In a blur of movement, he snatched the orb just before the dragon could close its talons around it.


    He skidded to a halt near Clovis, he exhaled and looked right back at Clovis.


    ¡°See? Right back in my hands¡± Raek called out, holding the orb with a triumphant grin.


    Clovis groaned audibly, rubbing his temples. ¡°You¡¯re going to get us killed.¡±


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Raek replied, darting away from another swipe of the dragon¡¯s claws.


    As the two backed up, and once Clovis noticed the lack of residents in the general area, the two beings became embodiments of light, before disappearing in an instant.


    Later reappearing on a rooftop not too far away from the Merchant¡¯s Quarter, the area lit up with light before Raek and Clovis materialized again, with the latter panting greatly.


    Raek looking at the view and the Dragon that was hovering over the Merchant¡¯s Quarter. He also made sure to look at the panting Clovis, and with the fading embers of the last mana skill he had used, his hazel eyes glowed momentarily before fading away.


    He held the orb, and spinned it within his hands in such a flair thing for Raek to do, as Clovis got off his knees, he commented.


    ¡°Who¡­knew¡­even teleporting that thing would take a lot of mana¡­¡± He said in between breaths, and Raek nodded.


    ¡°I told you so, let me copy your move so I can do it and have less strain on you. But noo¡­Sir Sparkk knows best.¡± Raek mocked, continuing to even juggle the orb on his thighs playfully, popping it into the air with his knee before catching it on the top of his foot. He grinned as he attempted a backheel flick.


    Clovis shook his head to wash away the fatigue, but one thing he noticed, beside Raek¡¯s theatrics, was the Great Dragon. As he stood corrected, it can¡¯t sense mana. And if it did, it would¡¯ve noticed.


    So did that mean the Dragon came here on a whim? Much less even understand what a Phantom Orb is? There was a lot of questions, and not enough answering as per usual. Clovis got used to it quite enough.


    Raek, amidst his juggling, looked far off into the distance. Seeing the Vanguardias watchtower, and a thought had entered his mind.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Iris and Kaine? Thought the two would¡¯ve been here already to help us out.¡±


    Clovis shook his head, ¡°The two must be helping everyone trying to evacuate the general area. Might take some time beofre they get here, which means that¡­¡± He trailed off.


    Raek already seemed to know where he was getting at, and continued on.


    ¡°...it¡¯s just going to be us for a while.¡±


    As Raek caught the orb on his chest, and finally grabbed it, Clovis spoke at the same time.


    ¡°We need to get this orb away, for some reason the Dragon had knew it was going to be in the Merchant¡¯s Quarter today. Get it away, and we can focus on disengaging it for good.¡±


    Raek nodded, ¡°Right. If only we knew how to get this orb away.¡±Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    Clovis did a double take towards Raek¡¯s comment, as he explained it later.


    ¡°Look, curly. You are good, and might be the best Vanguardias ever,¡±


    ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for me.¡± Raek mumbled after.


    ¡°But it doesn¡¯t change the fact that we still have to worry about the Dragon, now, I may be good, but even I know there¡¯s no way I could survive an encounter with a Great Red Dragon.¡±


    Clovis furrowed a brow, ¡°I don¡¯t follow. You seemed to be doing quite well earlier.¡±


    Raek snapped his fingers, ¡°Big difference. Out in the wild, where I didn¡¯t have to worry about a single thing. Just me and the Dragon.¡±


    But then, he points towards out there. The Merchant¡¯s Quarter, and many more buildings alongside the port in view.


    ¡°But there? People¡¯s lives are at stake, people¡¯s food, and homes, and jobs. One mistake there, and everything else come¡¯s crashing down.¡±


    Clovis crossed his arms, ¡°Get to the point.¡±


    Raek was quiet for a moment, before looking back at Clovis.


    ¡°How long have you¡¯ve known me for, Clov?¡±


    Clovis wasn¡¯t entirely moved, and was slightly confused as to where he was coming from. But this¡­was better than anything else. If Raek had a plan, him, of all people, it was either the best plan ever created, or the worst plan to come from the human mind.


    Could be both.


    A good chance.


    A gambling chance Clovis was willing to take.


    ¡°Free Phantom Orb! Free Phantom Orb!¡± A voice cleared out, the Great Red Dragon fixed it¡¯s head towards the voice. There, the light brown boy and his mud brown hair called out. Holding out the Phantom Orb.


    Clovis stood right next to him, a bit wary. He muttered low under his breath, ¡°I really do hope this plan you made works.¡±


    Raek seemed to have heard him, and spoke. ¡°I don¡¯t make plans, that¡¯s your thing. What I do make is highly optimistic and last minute changes.¡±


    Clovis shot a gaze at him, ¡°A very drawn-out way of saying suggestions, basically.¡±


    Raek shrugged, ¡°Something like that.¡±


    The Dragon noticed the two, and flew in with immense speed. Raek held the orb in one hand, and his left hand free. Slowly clenching. Mana being weaved through each and every single finger, before a slow, and small shimmer light gave birth.


    He waited, just waited for the moment the Dragon would be in the expected and desired zone he would want him to be in. By the time the Great Red did, both the duo vanished out of mid air, by yet again, becoming embodiments of light for just a small blip.


    The two materialized in the cobblestone streets of Aethyra, now just touching the ground. The tight streets forced the duo into a frantic pace, with Raek leading the charge. Vaulting over barrels and crates.


    Clovis followed closely, his innate light magic forcing obstacles aside whether they had liked it or not. Above them, however, was the Great Red that was still onto them. The Dragon¡¯s roar echoed through the pathways, its massive wings sending gusts of wind that shook nearby lanterns and toppled over lose debris.


    Raek¡¯s initial process was that as long as the eyes of the Dragon were on the Phantom Orb, it wouldn¡¯t dare attacking, not until claiming possession. He was sincerely optimistic about how much Dragon knew, but if it knew one thing, it would not to be sending a fireball to them.


    Clovis leapt upon a series of low rooftops continuing his run while Raek followed suit. The duo climbed higher, scaling wooden supports and leaping from one tiled roof to another.


    Below them, the large dragon as it was, plowed through the district. Smashing stalls and scattering goods in its wake. Raek grimaced at the sight of it, but it was a small sacrifice for his plan to work.


    Ahead, two tall structures loomed: the bell tower and the watchtower, their silhouettes cutting sharply into the smoke-filled sky. Raek narrowed his eyes, spotting movement below.


    To his dismay, clusters of people remained in the outskirts, their frantic efforts to evacuate slowed by overturned carts and the chaos in the streets. Chaos. The people were rattled, and it might¡¯ve been true that Raek and Clovis brought the Great Red Dragon right to them.


    "They haven¡¯t made it far enough," Raek muttered, his jaw tightening. Clovis noticed the shift in his demeanor and shot him a quick glance over his shoulder.


    ¡°I¡¯m not taking the chance of the Great Dragon running over a few residents.¡± He spoke sharply, but Raek shook his head.


    ¡°It won¡¯t. If it¡¯s coming for this thing, then I¡¯ll just play tag along.¡±


    Raek disappeared in a brief flash, light streaking in his wake as he materialized atop a rooftop. Clovis skidded to a halt on an adjacent building, his boots sending loose shingles clattering into the alley below.


    His breath hitched as he assessed the scene ahead, a yawning gap between rooftops, far too wide for a single leap. Even with his mana-infused speed, Clovis wasn¡¯t certain he could clear it.


    The dragon¡¯s amber eyes swept the chaos like a predator scanning its prey, finally locking onto Raek. High above, Raek was mid free-fall, his arm extended toward the bell tower¡¯s rope. His fingers brushed the rough cord just as the dragon surged upward, its massive wings propelling it faster than a thunderclap.


    The Great Red¡¯s tail ignited with a blaze of furious flames, whipping with lethal precision toward the nearby watchtower. The impact was catastrophic. Stone and timber exploded outward, shards of debris raining down in every direction. The bell tower swayed under the shockwave, its structure groaning ominously.


    Raek twisted mid-air, his eyes widening as a jagged wooden plank hurtled toward him. It struck with brutal force, spinning him off balance. He gasped, barely any time to yelp in reaction or in pain, his grip on the Phantom Orb faltering.


    Time seemed to slow as the glowing artifact slipped from his fingers, tumbling end over end toward the chaos below.


    The Phantom Orb fell with speed, and Raek turned to see the rest of the Watchtower crumbling down. It¡¯s cobble debris¡­heading straight down, for unexpected residents.


    Raek¡¯s eyes widened in realization. All of them, just trying to evacuate, and not even realize they could potentially be crushed by debris. Kids, adults, and even cattle. All of it, crushed. Destroyed.


    Could Raek teleport every single one of them out there? Would be quite impossible, and they would all need to be in the general vicinity of him, considering Clovis¡¯s teleportation skill isn¡¯t the best around.


    But to the right, he eyed at the orb, and the Great Dragon above him diving for it. Talons outstretched, it was a lose-lose situation, and Raek came short handed. Raek could use Earth magic to protect the people, but lose the orb.


    Latch onto the orb, and the people could get gravely hurt. Casualties, and potentially death.


    Raek couldn¡¯t make up his mind, and for once in his Vanguardias career.


    He hesitated.


    Nearby, Clovis watched all of it happened, and grit his teeth. What more trouble can the Great Dragon cause? He disappeared in a flash, and reappeared amongst the people with heavy steps. He panted before tapping each person, them being consumed by light as well and disappearing.


    Raek below him could see multiple lights flash below him, but it wasn¡¯t enough. Clovis wasn¡¯t fast enough.


    Just before disaster struck, thick, heavy branches erupted from the ground, twisting and shooting upward with precise intent. The massive limbs intercepted falling debris mid-air, some catching it gently while others shattered the larger chunks into harmless splinters, shielding the panicked citizens below. The sudden surge of nature¡¯s power was as awe-inspiring as it was effective.


    Standing atop one of the branches was a figure cloaked in crimson. Twin blades were strapped to her back, glinting faintly in the scattered light. As the wind pushed back her hood, long silver hair was revealed, styled with two braids reached down her waist, framing her sharp yet serene face. Raek¡¯s eyes lit up with recognition, and a wide grin spread across his face.


    ¡°Thanks, Iris! I owe you one!¡± he shouted, his words tumbling out in a single breath. Without breaking stride, he grabbed the orb and landedonto a branch that twisted and shifted to carry him through a narrow alley. The living wood seemed to anticipate his movement, bending to guide him as he took a sharp turn toward the port.


    Iris watched him pass, her expression calm yet tinged with a hint of weariness. She stepped off the branch with practiced ease, landing softly on the ground as her sea-green eyes followed Raek¡¯s retreating figure. The Phantom Orb glowed faintly in his hands, its volatile energy pulsing even at a distance.


    The Great Red Dragon roared in frustration, its massive wings beating furiously as it followed Raek¡¯s trail. Iris¡¯s relief was visible; she had arrived just in time to avert catastrophe, but the battle was far from over.


    Clovis landed heavily beside her, his breathing labored and his brow slick with sweat. He took a moment to steady himself before glancing at her, gratitude evident in his golden eyes.


    ¡°Th-thank you, truly,¡± he managed between breaths.


    Iris offered a slight smile, ¡°I was lucky to even make it in time,¡±


    She looked further at Clovis, and held out her hand. A green aura pulsating from her right hand, before it dimmed down. Her face, as per usual, wary.


    ¡°You¡¯re low on mana, Clovis.¡± She sensed, and while Clovis could infer what that meant, he just couldn¡¯t. Not when Raek¡¯s destruction plan has wrecked havoc to the watchtower, and potentially, the harbour.


    ¡°I can¡¯t,¡± He said sharply, before a golden aura coerced his body, seemingly soothing and easying any fatigue and pain he had.


    He glanced back, ¡°Iris, don¡¯t let Raek¡¯s mess get anyone killed. I don¡¯t want that idiot¡¯s guilt on my hands.¡±


    Before Iris could protest, Clovis took one step, and become the embboidement of light. Disappearing, and his entire being as well. Her outstretched hand pulled back, and later retrated into her cloak.


    ¡°Why¡­¡± She began.


    ¡°Why do you push yourself so hard?¡±


    The Great Red Dragon had it¡¯s fair share.


    Raek ran across the port, as the Dragon shot out fireball after fireball. None of them hitting Raek initially as they all exploded on contact near ships. He braced as wooden planks would go flying all over, making sure to duck against a few.


    With almost space to run out of here, he turned around, and by the nick of time, a flash appeared over the dragon. There, Clovis was handling a spear made out of pure light. Pure mana. Pure magic.


    He dived down and slashed the Dragon¡¯s eye, before jumping back and skidding towards Raek. The spear faded away as Clovis looked towards him.


    ¡°I hope this special move you planned the entire time was worth the destruction.¡± Clovis chipped in, and Raek replied shortly after.


    ¡°Would I be a mad person and say I kinda enjoyed it?¡± Raek said, handing the Phantom Orb to Clovis as the latter gave him a questionable look. The brown skinned boy chuckled and simply waved it away.


    Clovis needed the apporopaite mana control for this Phantom Orb, and as years of years of training and practicing, he held it. Making sure that he doesn¡¯t siphon an ounce of it at all.


    By the time he did, he vanished with another flash again. The Dragon snorted, and began to flap it¡¯s wings in search of Clovis, if it wasn¡¯t for Raek calling it out.


    ¡°Not so fast,¡± Raek began, as he weaved his hands. The amber eyes of the dragon studied him, and more importantly, something on his left palm.


    There, for a split second, the Dragon could see the logo of something marked in the center of his left palm. It snorted again, perhaps out of curiosuty.


    However, Raek pretended to draw an arrow from his quiver, and there, his fingers lit up with flames. Orange flames that later took the shape of a bow and arrow.


    The Dragon shook it¡¯s head, smoke escape from it¡¯s nose. It parted it¡¯s mouth slightly, and slowly, orange embers escaped. A warning, if not anything.


    Raek¡¯s eyes narrowed, still holding his fire bow and arrow that he constructed. He looked on, and saw that the Dragon was still holding it¡¯s ground.


    From a safe distance, Clovis watched the standoff, his fists clenched at his sides. Raek was powerful, sure, but this recklessness... it would be the end of them both.


    ¡°Oh, so you decided to stay?¡± Raek would go on to ask, he pulled the fire arrow further enough, it¡¯s orange flames roared out, as if, rebelling, in a way. It¡¯s true power being held back by the owner.


    The Ventus.


    A gust of wind blew everything back from the vicinity, leaving only Raek. As a matter of fact¡­it was coming from him.


    He was expelling his mana, letting everything flow through instead of holding back in this one attack. And it showed, the mana pressure he was releasing was pushing everything back. Whether it liked it or not.


    The Great Red Dragon was not intimidated by this at all, but increased the ferocity of it¡¯s flames. More of a warning, and now showing signs of an actual attack brewing up.


    But none of this bothered Raek.


    There, his flames turned a color. The orange flames slowly got darker, becoming¡­redder. Crimson like flames enveloped the bow and arrow now as it reached another stage. It¡¯s light slightly heating up Raek¡¯s face.


    His face was unmoving, along with his stance as well.


    He didn¡¯t plan on budging.


    If he needed to, he wouldn¡¯t mind taking down this Dragon and the port too.


    The Dragon hesitated one final time, its fierce amber eyes flickering as though debating some unspoken thought. Through all of this trouble¡­to obtain one Phantom Orb. It was all too much trouble.


    And the boy, who definitely had the power to back his speech, at this point, the dragon realized it would have a better chance of finding one out in the wild rather than here.


    With a sharp beat of its massive wings, it rose into the sky, its form shrinking against the fiery horizon until it disappeared beyond the clouds.


    Raek extinguished his flames with a heavy sigh, the faint crackle of embers fading into the distant crash of waves. He looked around, taking in the devastation. The port was in shambles, shattered crates, splintered docks, and scattered debris painted a grim picture of their narrow victory.


    A fish flopped by his foot, its scales glinting in the fading light.


    ¡°I¡­okay, maybe¡­just maybe I didn¡¯t think this one through entirely,¡± Raek muttered, kicking over a bucket. A dozen fish spilled out, flipping back into the water with soft splashes.


    Clovis appeared beside him, his crimson cloak rippling in the salty breeze. His expression was as stern as ever, though exhaustion tugged at the edges. However, looking at Raek, it was like he didn¡¯t even break a sweat. Clovis slowly clenched his hands¡­which later softened.


    ¡°How do we explain this to the Chancellor?¡± he asked, crossing his arms.


    Raek shrugged, his tone calm despite the situation. ¡°When was the last time Aethyra went up against a Great Dragon? Maybe he¡¯ll cut us some slack.¡±


    ¡°Considering we were down three Vanguards?¡± Clovis countered, raising an eyebrow.


    Raek snapped his fingers, his face lighting up with mock realization. ¡°No wonder it felt off. I would¡¯ve assumed Kael and the others would¡¯ve been back by now.¡±


    Clovis turned toward the horizon, his gaze settling on a distant island. The faint silhouette of Delpharia was just visible against the blue sky. ¡°I suppose whatever they went to go investigate is clearly taking a whole lot more time than expected.¡± he said, his voice quieter now.


    Raek nodded slowly, a rare seriousness settling over him. ¡°So¡­that means we are done here?¡±


    The two stood in silence, the wind carrying the faint cries of displaced merchants and the creak of damaged ships. Behind them, the glow of Aethyra¡¯s torches began to flicker to life, illuminating the destruction they¡¯d left behind.


    ¡°Iris will have a field day when she gets here,¡± Raek muttered, shaking his head.


    Clovis sighed. ¡°Let¡¯s hope she gets here before the Chancellor does.¡±


    Far off, beyond the shimmering waves, the island of Delpharia loomed like a shadowed promise. Raek¡¯s gaze lingered on it, he fixed his crimson cloak and sighed.


    Clovis already began his walk back as Raek caught up with him, the two Vanguards walking back admist the destruction¡­that could partially be blamed for Raek Ventus for the most part.


    ¡°I wonder where Kaine was.¡±


    ¡°Staying back protecting the Vanguardias Watchtower. At least that one isn¡¯t destroyed.¡± Clovis shot at him cheaply.


    Raek slowly nodded, ¡°To be fair, I didn¡¯t know the Great Dragon could do that, or even fathom the thought of doing that.¡±


    The two continued to walk, before Clovis opened his mouth one last time.


    ¡°You know,¡± He began.


    ¡°I always wondered how a muppet like you got past selection.¡±


    Raek slowly nodded his head again, yet smiling.


    ¡°Some could say I was born for this type of thing.¡±

 Chapter 3: Sins of the Father Part 1

    He glanced back briefly, his eyes straining to catch a glimpse of the port side of Aethyra. Yet, the image remained elusive, blurred by distance.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Exien. The sooner we finish this, the sooner we return home,¡± called another voice, aged and tinged with a raspy undertone.


    Shrouded in a crimson cloak, the figure pulled back their hood, unveiling their face.


    They exuded an air of composed elegance. Midnight-black hair, streaked with striking white strands that shimmered in the light, framed their face. Most of their hair was swept into a high, intricate bun, held secure by a decorative pin adorned with subtle metallic details that hinted at cultural or personal significance. Two bangs shot out, dipped in a white-cream color that had to be natural.


    ¡°Ri-right¡­¡± Exien spoke softly, before continuing. He trekked ahead, before his other Vanguard with him.


    His orange hair reminded him of the tangerines, and his orange eyes made it all the moreso as if he was a familiar in another life. His crimson cloak was decorated with a gold lining near the left shoulder, with the letters stitched on.


    VC.


    ¡°Kaelstrom,¡± He called out. As guessed, the tangerine-haired man turned around, slight confusion on his face.


    ¡°W-we can¡¯t head back already? We saw the Dragon fly off, should we not chase after it?¡± Exien commented, but Kaelstrom shook his head.


    ¡°No need to, Raek was after it, wasn¡¯t he? Glad he was able to sense it coming when he did.¡±


    Exien argued against the point though, ¡°¡­but¡­still?¡±


    Kaelstrom, turned around, halting his movements.


    ¡°Trust in Raek, he can do it.¡±


    Kaelstrom turned, and continued his walking.


    ¡°He¡¯s the Chosen One.¡±


    Exien held his head low, but even he scowled at the mentioning of the title. Such a revered title, created for one person in this generation¡­but for some reason, Exien always had an uncomfortable feeling when it was mentioned.


    He remembered all the stories, and the studies of the Chosen One. A highly revered being who shifted the outcomes of fate.


    Exien had never assumed that in this generation, another one would occur.


    But, for some reason,he couldn¡¯t shake off that odd feeling. That anxious feeling, that had always come and lingered around whenever the Chosen One was mentioned. Usually it¡¯s met with great receptions, but it didn¡¯t make sense.


    Why couldn¡¯t he feel completely fine with it?


    The two had made it past a significant clearing, where the remnants of what a gate used to be was no longer there. Burnt, and also broken to smithereens. Exien assumed this was where the Great Dragon began it¡¯s hunt.


    Both Kaelstrom and Exien entered the premises, carts destroyed, and houses empty. This village was on the outside skirts of Delpharia, not too far from the city itself.


    The village wasn¡¯t entirely small, but not too great either. The question everyone had however, is how¡­and why the Great Dragon came to this village over here.


    With a few more steps, both of their eyes widened at the putrid smell. Grabbing their cloaks to at least filter and shield themselves from it. It was evident that it came from rotting bodies, but to identify the deceased at this stage was impossible.


    Exien tried to, but simply couldn¡¯t. The Great Dragon surely had done a number.


    Each of their bodies discolored and highly unidentifiable. Dragonfire could be the trace of this, but he wouldn¡¯t call it completely.


    ¡°This is unfortunate.¡± Kaelstrom began, reaching the center of the village. There, a stone fountain was built, with a statue erected in it¡¯s place. Although it too, had fallen, and water no longer continued to spray out.


    ¡°Everyone here¡­died.¡±


    Exien tried to subtly feel for any mana signature in the radius of the village, but there was none. Kaelstrom was right. That too, also explained the trail of bodies even leading up to the village. These people¡­they were trying to run away from something.


    Something that wasn¡¯t a Great Dragon.


    He bent down low, assessing a deceased body while Kaelstrom roamed around for clues on anything to explain this event. There were clear burns, even some reaching to higher degrees. He tried not to focus on that too much though.


    But, the eyes. Lost of color and devoid of life. He tried to feel the faintest signature within this body, but it came back nonexistent. He had assumed that it wasn¡¯t even long before this attack had occured on this village, but even then something was throwing Exien off.


    The putrid smell of the bodies. As if¡­they had been left here to rot for days, weeks¨Ceven. If that were the case, then the incident would¡¯ve been reported earlier to those would notice it.


    But since the transportation rune connected to this village was disconnected, there was no way anyone would notice it unless they came to this village first, on foot.


    Coming to this village is moreso a given, isn¡¯t it? A Checkpoint Village right outside the main city of Delpharia would mostly likely have a high population to begin with anyways.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    If anyone wanted to visit and notice that the village¡¯s teleportation rune is offline, they probably wouldn¡¯t think much of it and assume construction or maintenance.


    But for possibly weeks? And that doesn¡¯t raise suspicion towards the officials nearby of Delpharia?


    Exien¡¯s tactical mind allowed him to break all of this down, but if he was seeing so many red flags and suspicions, wouldn¡¯t anybody else?


    And if they did, why did no one open their mouths to say something?


    The realization later settled down in Exien¡¯s mind, rewarding but yet chilling.


    They were the first to come across this. Or moreso, the first to come here on foot and check it out.


    If they weren¡¯t in Delpharia at the time, and noticed the Dragon flying over, then they would¡¯ve never came across this, and even if the traders coming across this village reported this, there was no way anyone else could believe them. To believe a whole village can be massacred without a decent fight put up?


    Sounds like something straight out of a play. Uncanny, even.


    He stood up, and looked towards Kaelstrom.


    ¡°These¡­bodies. They¡¯ve been here for some time,¡± Exien concluded. He raised his hand in the air, and two sigils appeared, white in color and bearing foreign signatures.


    Kaelstrom nodded, ¡°I see. No wonder why I couldn¡¯t feel a single signature out of these bodies. Mana has left them long ago.¡±


    The two sigils converged, and combined into a greater sigil. It later vanished, and Exien¡¯s eyes widened slowly. His face shown slight confusion, but was later replaced with another one fairly quickly.


    He turned to Kaelstorm, with a bit of a shocked look.


    ¡°Aelara was with us?¡± He asked, with an increasing pace of urgency. Kaelstrom slightly taken aback, shook his head.


    ¡°She shouldn¡¯t have, I told her to go ahead with Raek and follow the dragon.¡± He pointed towards the sky, until Exien recalled his words.


    ¡°You told her?¡± His words emphasized heavily, Kaelstrom slowly sighed seeing where Exien was exactly getting to.


    With a slow nod of his head yet again, he confirmed.


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t long before they heard the shimmering of magic, and the footsteps of another. Turning towards the direction, it was another one¨CVanguardias just like them. The cloak attached to her with it¡¯s crimson colors and gold accents.


    Her hair short, but pasted in a light blonde color. Her silver eyes as remarkable as the finest metals, both strong and resilient.


    ¡°Yahoo!¡± she called out, waving her hand a bit excitedly. Exien narrowed her eyes at the half-elf, while Kaelstrom chuckled nervously.


    ¡°Aelara, I thought it was pretty clear that you were told to go along with Raek.¡± Kaelstrom mentioned, she chuckled nervously and kicked nearby rocks away.


    ¡°Raek tagged alone with the Great Dragon before I could do anything. Needless to say it felt like he had everything under control, he¡¯s the Chosen One after all.¡± She reminded, Exien once again felt that uncomfortable feeling by the mention of the name alone. He was sure that it wasn¡¯t noticeable, however.


    ¡°And what¡¯s with the smell? I could smell it even before I got here.¡± She waved her hand around her nose flashily, her face slowly becoming one of disgust.


    Kaelstrom pointed at the bodies, and Aelara only then seemed to understand. Before she could speak, Exien grabbed the opportunity to explain it formally.


    ¡°These bodies have potentially been here for weeks, and no one noticed. Either those who evacuated  didn¡¯t care on reporting the news back¡­or simply enough, no one survived.¡±


    ¡°...Ouch.¡±


    Both Kaelstrom and Exien stared down at Aelara, who let out a pity sorry for her response, and then proceed to let Exien continue.


    ¡°Originally, Kaelstrom and I thought the Dragon could¡¯ve done this, and maybe perhaps weeks ago, but it doesn¡¯t add up. Dragonfire leaves you charred, not like this. They are still recognizable, barely, but recognizable. Whoever, or whatever did this, had motives we don¡¯t quite understand yet.¡±


    She eyed the bodies, each one containing a serious burn mark on their face, or arm. Some houses were even empty as well.


    She looked back at Exien, and poked at his chest playfully.


    ¡°That¡¯s why we have you, don¡¯t we? To figure stuff like this out.¡±


    Exien shook his head, ¡°It would take a lot of time. None of these bodies have mana signatures.¡±


    Aelara tilted her head, ¡°And that¡¯s important¡­why?¡±


    ¡°Makes my job easier. Upon death, mana signatures cocoon to carry your last moments, and also detail the last trace of magic used. If I could get that, then maybe I would understand a little more what type of thing these people faced.¡±


    Aelara slowly nodded, seeming to learn this information for the first time¡­or maybe had just forgotten it during the academy. She wasn¡¯t necessarily the brightest of the bunch, at least not compared to Kaelstrom or Exien.


    The captain of the Vanguardias looked around, and mumbled something. Exien picked it up and later asked him about it.


    ¡°You said something Kaelstrom?¡±


    He turned, and seemed to be puzzled. More than before.


    ¡°I¡­I just don¡¯t understand. This village is right outside of Delpharia. You¡¯re telling me that no traders, no officials, or even any wandering conjurer just happened to not come across this?¡±


    His doubts surely made both Exien and Aelara arrive to a point they had never thought of before. Now while Exien did entertain the idea of traders, just anyone else could¡¯ve fit in this scenario too.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t make sense. As if someone pulled a curtain over the village and pulled it off weeks later.¡±


    ¡°But¡­how? This is a checkpoint village a bit far from Delpharia, if anything, someone would have to go out of their way willingly to not come across it.¡± Aelara chipped in.


    For another moment between he three Vanguardias, there was silence, before she opened her mouth to speak again.


    ¡°Illusion magic?¡±


    Exien scoffed, ¡°I doubt it. Experimental magic like that is only reserved for Vanguards, no? I find it hard that any Vanguardias would do something as treacherous as this¡­which means there¡¯s only one answer left.¡±


    ¡°Just possibly, by chance, no one came across this village.¡±


    There were collective sighs and sounds of disappointment, as Exien fixed a confused face.


    Kaelstrom began his walk to explore more of the forgotten village now, which prompted Exien and Aelara to follow suit as well.


    ¡°Exien, to think that just out of perfect chance no one had came across this village is¡­is insane.¡±


    Exien, sure to defend his statement, rebutted. ¡°Sure, agree to disagree. But it¡¯s the only logical answer any of us can come up with as of now.¡±


    Kaelstrom looked back amidst his paced steps, ¡°Yeah, a logical answer that doesn¡¯t make sense.¡±


    ¡°And what does? The whole situation doesn¡¯t make sense. It¡¯s not every day a village gets massacred and everybody doesn¡¯t acknowledge it for weeks.¡±


    Aelara chipped in at rather a horrible time yet again, ¡°Maybe an inside job?¡±


    Both Exien and Kaelstrom looked at her, gave her yet again another glare, and yet again she gave another ¡°sorry¡±.

 Chapter 4: Sins of the Father Part 2

    The three continued their walk in silence. Their minds constantly think of new scenarios, new answers, and new plans on how this could¡¯ve came to be. None of it made sense, but would it be any better if they just left this to rot?


    Kaelstrom came to his conclusion already, ¡°We have to tell the council about this. If Delpharia decides to pretend the Checkpoint Village doesn¡¯t exist anymore now, then surely the ones back home will do.¡±


    Exien nodded his head in agreement, with Aelara¡¯s face brimming with confidence. With the two behind the captain¡¯s decision, it was clear. There was nothing left in this village for them.


    The Vanguardias trio headed back, walking past deceased bodies, empty houses, and empty carts. Aelara took some time to look at them, prompting a question.


    ¡°You guys never checked the houses?¡± She asked.


    Kaelstrom¡¯s face lit up with realization, but Exien made sure to comment before he did.


    ¡°Already checked, just like the bodies, nothing was worth checking.¡± He said, and Aelara took his words as truth.


    Kaelstrom tried to remember when he did, and simply the time with Exien¡¯s special investigation magic when he pointed out Aelara had followed them. He must also have checked the entire village as well.


    In the end, truly nothing was there for them.


    By the time they got to the gate, or what was left of it, Exien delayed his steps purposefully to trail behind. He spoke up with Kaelstrom and Aelara heavy into their own conversations about their duties and the Vanguardias.


    ¡°I¡­I¡¯ll catch up with you guys later, I¡¯m going to check one last time for any mana signatures.¡±


    Both Aelara and Kaelstrom turned around, while the former didn¡¯t really care, the latter was a bit paranoid. He never did really like eerie situations such as this, and anything this unreal.


    ¡°Are you sure? Did you not already check with your investigation magic skill?¡± Kaelstrom asked, and only asking because the forgotten village was starting to slightly unease him minute by minute.


    Exien shook his head, ¡°Sometimes it¡¯s not positive. I wouldn¡¯t want to leave anything as valuable as a signature for this.¡±


    Kaelstrom nodded his head, but he slowly became wary of that statement. Something Exien was saying¡­wasn¡¯t exactly clicking on with him.


    ¡°Then¡­should we head back and check for the houses like Aelara said? Your investigation might not be as positive as it was promised to be.¡± Kaelstrom shot back. Aelara watched the one-two between them go, and was genuinely lost.


    As of now, she wasn¡¯t reading in between the lines as much as Kaelstrom was.


    Exien was taken aback, surely the more the merrier rule would apply here¨Cespecially with the mighty Vanguardias. With both Kaelstrom and Aelara staring at him, Exien spoke again.


    ¡°We can. A lot of houses there is¡­but I know we can. Surely the Great Dragon wouldn¡¯t have done too much in damage to Aethyra by the time we get back. ¡±


    Kaelstrom narrowed his eyes down at Exien, his unmoving, and not betraying any sense of his position. He didn¡¯t want to jump towards any conclusions towards his peer, but with each second he couldn¡¯t help it. Only for a split moment, when a tumbleweed had gone past him, did that solidify Kaelstrom¡¯s decision alone.


    ¡°Fine, knock yourself out. I figured creepy places like this is your type of thing.¡± He confirmed, and turned around with a wave of his hand. Aelara looked back between the two, as confused as she was, and followed Kaelstrom anyways.


    The moment the two were out of earshot, Exien sighed. He began his walk, making sure not to hold them up in something like checking for mana signatures would be lazily. There¡¯s no telling what the Great Dragon had done to Aethyra.


    He checked a few more bodies, walking with steady paces with each one. No signatures, as he figured, burns oddly placed around bodies.


    ¡°Dragonfire leaves you charred, whatever fire this was¡­left with a whole lot more than just this.¡± He commented, lifting the hand of one. Cold, but faintly, carrying the traces of something. Mana¡­but yet not mana at the same time.


    He noticed it earlier, with the first body he inspected, and then the other. That seemed to be the common trait among these fallen people, but what was it? It was still unclear to him, and there was no way he could let Kaelstrom or Aelara know.


    They already had too much on their plates to begin with.


    With the cold hand still within his grasp, he still didn¡¯t understand. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Kaelstrom¡­he was there. I figured even he would¡¯ve picked up on it¡­but he didn¡¯t. Was this apart of the mana scan?¡±


    It was moreso a question Exien asked himself. As brave he knew Kaelstrom to be, he had no doubts that he wouldn¡¯t have pointed it out.


    Exien scratched his head, just as well as confused. ¡°But¡­what I felt. It wasn¡¯t entirely¡­a signature, so to speak. Not only that¡­but what I felt earlier when I conducted my mana scan skill.¡±


    He looked towards the direction of the village, a part where he, Kaelstrom, and Aelara didn¡¯t head to. If anything, all of his questions could be answered right there, potentially.


    Maybe¡­just maybe¡­all of this would start to make sense.


    He began his trek, coming across stairs as he took his time. From time to time occasionally looking at the bodies of the fallen against this foe.


    He would press his fingers ever so slightly against each other. Trying to remember what that mysterious source felt like. Gripping, and pressurized, even for the faintest touch he had it in.


    Exien was curious about it. It was unlike anything he¡¯s ever came across. Even mana doesn¡¯t tend to pretend it¡¯s mana, so why did this source attempt to? Why did it feel¡­so different?


    By the time he got to the bottom of the steps, he accessed another part of the village, which looked like to be some sort of downtown urban district. However, just as the initial part¡­this district too was devoid of life.


    He kept walking, occasionally touching the bodies of the dead to feel for the source. It struck true everytime, but to understand it became another big feat.


    With his Mana Scan skill earlier, he felt a large concentration of the source around this area. No doubt it was the same thing. And thanks to it earlier, it would be no different than the empty houses.


    He followed his directions, and came across a statue. A large one, not like the destroyed one before. A stone statue. He studied it more, trying to dig up anything from his mind of studies or history.


    Exien hummed lowly, ¡°A stone statue of a Serpent? I didn¡¯t think anyone still remembered Lord Xavi in this day of age.¡± He shortly commented, calling back to the history of Aegis.


    But, he wasn¡¯t here for history lesson so to speak, he was here for the source.


    And as he walked up the statue more, he could see it. A dark purple energy leaking from the deceased body against the statue, Exien could only assume that they too, try to run away.


    With each step, and the closer he got, it¡¯s pressure became more intense. A bit weary on Exien¡¯s physical state, but heavily dampened his mana overall.


    The dark purple energy seemed to remain unstable, chaotic even. It soared around the body and moreso around the statue as if to say it was it¡¯s home.


    Carefully enough, he made sure to come across it. There¡¯s no telling what this source could be. If anything, Exien might have came across something entirely new.


    ¡°Could this¡­could this be the source of the massacre?¡± Exien thought. He wouldn''t know why this might have been the reason until he brought it in for testing.


    He got closer and closer, feeling his mana dampening even more now. At the very least, he still could exude mana as a physical presence. That¡¯s all Exien really needed honestly.


    Exien clasped his hands, and later set them apart. Exuding mana as a physical presence, he slowly formed a clear sphere around the dark purple matter. Nothing special, but should be enough to contain the source.


    It¡¯s unpredictable nature did not like being confined apparantly, Exien scoffed. Such a unknown but yet intriguing thing. He just couldn¡¯t wait to get back to Aethyra and test it constantly. Even his face couldn¡¯t hide his own excitement.


    As he got back up from crouching, a flash of pride washed over of him. To think that he found the source of the destruction¡­or at least one step closer. It was nothing like ever before, and yet something entirely new.


    He traced his finger along the sphere, and the dark purple mass seemed to follow along with him, despite it¡¯s volatile and chaotic nature. Exien, just for a moment, considered it¡¯s properties.


    ¡°Unfortunately, I can¡¯t know anymore until I get closer to it. Responsive? Yes. Sentient, however? Highly doubt it.¡± He spoke, already giving out his verbal notes for the substance as he continued to trace his finger around the sphere.


    In his other hand, he pressed his fingers. Remembering the pressure and hold it had, it felt¡­addictive, almost. While the source in the sphere nullified the effects it put on Exien concerning his mana¡­he just couldn¡¯t help it.


    With both of his hands, he slowly tore down the sphere. The substance laid there, within it¡¯s hands. Moving ever so slightly. As expected, it felt light, and he could feel the immense power from it. This must¡¯ve been what the traces were showing him previously in trials.


    Not mana, but he could feel the immense power it carried. Exien figured that only if you had gotten real close like he was could you feel it. The increasing wave of power coming from the source felt¡­


    ¡°...i-incredible.¡± He spoke out. It¡¯s dark purple light pulsing against his face. The moment he realize he had caught himself looking at it for too long, he shook his head out of it.


    ¡°I need to take it back, and if perhaps I can keep it confined. Kaelstrom and Aelara¡­they need to see this.¡±


    Exien¡¯s hands slowly began to warm up with mana, taking a bit longer due to the substance¡¯s immense negation of mana around it. He needed to study that too.


    But, it twitched.


    Exien noticed it.


    It twitched at the sudden mention of, ¡°confinement¡±.


    For a moment, Exien thought.


    ¡°...you¡­you can hear me¡ª¡±


    Caught off rapidly, the substance latched onto his face. Exien stumbled backwards, moving everywhere frantically to get it off of him. His hands dug deep into it, trying to get it off of him, even if by a piece.


    His leg hit the head of a deceased body, and he tripped over. Continuing to dig deep, and by the time his vision was restored, he instantly stopped.


    His eyes gleamed a dark hue of purple before returning to their natural color¨Cblack. He took a deep breath, and exhaled.


    ¡°What¡­what just happened?¡± He asked himself, and he couldn¡¯t find the answer.


    Maybe doing all of this searching wasn¡¯t worth the trouble.


    He began his trek back, looking back once. Placing where the substance could¡¯ve went. Did it go away with his efforts?


    Exien decided to be optimistic, just this once.

 Chapter 5: Sunlight by the Bell

    Clovis looked amidst the destruction. What was once a beacon in the sky, a genuine piece of perfection and art for Aethyra, was nothing but mere dust and rubble. What was once paired together along with a watchtower was now nothing.


    He occasionally looked around, some injured, and some discussing what they had seen while evacuating. Most of the conversations pertained to the Great Red Dragon, Raek defending effortlessly, the destruction of the Merchant¡¯s Quarter.


    Although¡­Clovis begged to differ. The last time he was over there, he didn¡¯t remember it looking that bad. A few destroyed stalls, crates, and important items and food sprayed out all over the streets.


    It wasn¡¯t bad.


    He sighed, his hand running over his face. He didn¡¯t know where to begin, or where to start. Things happen, Clovis understood that. A beast as fierce as the Great Dragon looking to terrorize cities is a tale as old as time.


    But for some reason, a gnawing feeling clawed at him. Where did it all begin? What could have he done better to not let this happen?


    ¡°Yo, done monolouging over there?¡± A familiar voice called out, hearing the footsteps behind, he brushed past Clovis. The brown skin, the black tunic underneath the crimson cloak that was trimmed in gold, the hazel eyes and the wil¨C


    Who else could it be?


    Raek stood next to him, his hands in the pockets of his baggy pants as he too, watched.


    Clovis called back to his earlier comment, ¡°Not now, Raek.¡±


    Raek slowly nodded, leaving Clovis to wallow in his own brewing guilt. As people passed by, taking in the sight of two Vanguardias rather than the destroyed bell tower.


    ¡°This bell tower was built 55 years ago. An important landmark for Aethyra¡­¡± Clovis trailed off. Recalling the history that it had to the city.


    He didn¡¯t bother turning towards Raek, still looking at the remnants of it. ¡°You know who built it?¡±


    Raek fixed a face, as if trying to come up with an answer. Racking his brain for any Aethyra trivia he had waiting for this special moment. Ultimately, nothing came to mind.


    ¡°No idea.¡± He said very blankly.


    ¡°Voelt Sparkk.¡± Clovis admitted confidently.


    Raek gave out a silent, ¡°oh¡±. The name alone carried power, and respect. Not for Clovis, but for Raek as well. In some way, he felt like he should¡¯ve known this.


    He later followed up on Clovis¡¯s random fun fact for Aethyra, ¡°And¡­this matters why?¡±


    Clovis turned towards Raek with such haste, his face an annoyed look. ¡°It matters to me. One of the Sparkk¡¯s greatest contributions, and it was simply tore down.¡±


    His eyes would go on to narrow down at the other Vanguard. Clovis however, didn¡¯t need to say anything. Raek already understood the message.


    He smacked his lips and rolled his eyes, ¡°Clov, you can¡¯t be serious. It¡¯s not like I intended for it to get destroyed.¡±


    ¡°It was a part of my plan.¡±


    ¡°Your plan that laid waste to the district and the tower?¡± Clovis asked, his voice steady, but becoming sharper. His annoyance evolving into something far more. Raek noticed it, and tried to calm him.


    ¡°Well, with all due respect here, right? It could¡¯ve been just far easier to use the Phantom Orb as bait and take it outside of the city. But then it wouldn¡¯t be exhausted, and we would have to fight against that thing at practically full power.¡±


    Clovis furrowed a brow, ¡°And¡­why didn¡¯t you? You¡¯re the best Vanguardias ever, aren¡¯t you?¡± His words laced with a mocking tone. The same mocking tone Raek would do from time to time lightly and jokingly. Seemed like neither of those applied to Clovis now.


    But Raek called back to what he was getting at, when he mentioned it earlier. His mumbled words somehow made it into the ear¡¯s of Clovis. Either that¡­or the many, many times he¡¯s mentioned it before mumble or not. Both bad.


    Raek took his hands out of his pockets, and outstretched one towards him in a disarming manner. ¡°C¡¯mon. You know that¡¯s not what I meant. Clearly, I thought even you would know there¡¯s no way I¡­we can handle a Great Dragon.¡±


    Clovis didn¡¯t respond, his eyes falling to Raek¡¯s left hand. The palm of it. There.


    A black, obsidian mark¡ªa crescent¡ªpulsed faintly, a dark gray light flickering in the dying evening sun. His gaze lingered, narrowing slightly. That mark alone handily made Raek Ventus everything he is and everything he will be in the future.


    The mark of Fate.


    He looked away to hide the tension that could be visible through his face. His pendant shone as ever as he looked towards the people scattered across the streets. Some limped, others sat, their wounds hastily dressed. Conversations buzzed faintly in the distance, a stark contrast to the roaring chaos earlier.


    Without looking back at Reak, he spoke, his voice steady. ¡°Maybe I could¡¯ve done better. Had we went with my plan, perhaps things could¡¯ve been different.¡±


    Raek¡¯s brow furrowed, confusion flickering across his face. ¡°Don¡¯t beat yourself over it. You and I had gone with my plan and it failed. There are consequences and repercussions. We¡¯ll both learn from it grow stronger.¡±


    He stood side by side with him, Clovis had moved a bit to keep a better view of the people. Raek saw them too, injured, and attmepting to move around much after the chaotic sequences that had occurred before.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to the people,¡± Raek said softly.


    ¡°But this was probably the only way. You know you come up with most of the plans off the jump, and if you couldn¡¯t this time, that meant that only I could.¡±


    Clovis¡¯s annoyance flickered, the sharp edges of his expression softening. He hated to admit it, but Raek had a point. Tactically speaking, there wasn¡¯t much else they could¡¯ve done. Not this time. Still, the words didn¡¯t ease the knot in his chest.


    Raek exhaled in relief, noticing the change. The last thing he needed was a fully irritated Clovis. He knew his friend was hard on himself¡ªsometimes harder than necessary¡ªbut Clovis seemed to take this particular failure personally.


    Deciding to lighten the mood, Raek added on with a soft smile.


    ¡°You¡¯re the second-best Vanguard, aren¡¯t you? We¡¯ll both learn from this. I promise¡­and maybe the people could do a little bit more practice evacuating.¡±


    A soft chuckle came out of Raek as he put his arm around Clovis¡¯s shoulder, but the sound barely registered to Clovis. Raek¡¯s laughter faded into the background, drowned by the noise of his own thoughts, the deeper frustrations he never voiced.


    ¡°Raek,¡± He began. Quietly, his voice low.


    The laughter stopped, Raek¡¯s smile faltering. He glanced at Clovis, sensing the shift in tone. ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°You know what¡¯s worse than being second best?¡± Clovis asked, his eyes fixed on the horizon now. Raek seemed to have think, and queued up another joke, but Clovis didn¡¯t wait for an answer.


    ¡°It¡¯s knowing the gap isn¡¯t skill or effort. It¡¯s fate.¡±The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    He finally turned his head, his gazy heavy with something unreadable.


    ¡°And I can¡¯t outfight fate.¡±


    Raek¡­blinked. Caught off guard by the weight of his words. For a moment, he didn¡¯t know how to respond, or even if he could at all.


    The silence stretched between them, and Clovis took Raek¡¯s hand off his shoulder. Without saying more, he walked away¡ªinto the streets and into the many people. He not once blended in with the crowd, his crimson cloak still visible.


    But as he got further and further, his light faded away, and so did his image as well.


    Raek sighed in defeat. Not wanting to see his best friend be consumed like this. But¡­not like speaking to him more was going to do anything. He could try to be oblivious¡­but that just isn¡¯t him. That isn¡¯t the Raek he knows himself to be.


    Taking this defeat, he sighed heavily. ¡°Can¡¯t make everyone happy.¡± He spoke, and went towards the opposite direction of Clovis. Somewhere away from this area.


    He moved, with most passersby pointing out his appearance. He didn¡¯t linger to stick long enough, too lost in thought of what Clovis said. What? What do you mean, outfight fate?


    Raek looked at the palm of his left hand. That obsidian mark looking back at him. Black, and yet, pulsing. That gray color from time to time. Ambiguous and vague, yet something Raek has known his entire life.


    If anyone couldn¡¯t outfight fate, it had to be Raek, right? The boy shook his head to throw away the thought. It wasn¡¯t about him. It¡¯s about Clovis¡­


    ¡°He¡¯s always been ambitious, so I can¡¯t really put it past him to act any different now¡­¡± Raek spoke to himself. This time, it seemed to have struck more than a nerve with Clovis. Something Raek didn¡¯t initially mean to do.


    Guess this was another thing the Chosen One had to deal with yet again.


    Raek looked back, seeing how far he¡¯s walked. What he noticed first was the gaping disappearance of the belltower, and what was left of the duo of the beacons in the sky, the watchtower.


    He made a mental note to apologize to the people of Aethyra when it was all said and done¡­and the damage done to the port as well. Oh, he didn¡¯t even want to think about that.


    But one thing he did notice, was his hesitation earlier. His mistake. If he had decided to make a decision between the people¡­or the phantom orb. What would it be?


    Hours later after the scenario, and Raek still couldn¡¯t make his mind up. It felt¡­an impossible answer to ask. But no matter what, his failure always had it¡¯s fair share of consequences too.


    It didn¡¯t take long for the boy to look around, and see what barely remained of the Merchant¡¯s Quarter. This could affect Aethyra in some way¨Ceven Raek knew that¨Cbut this all happened thanks to his plan.


    Granted, some things were out of his control, but Raek couldn¡¯t pretend. Failure was different for him, not like the others. Not like for Clovis, Iris, or for even the Chancellor.


    Failure as the Chosen One often brought death, and destruction. Raek felt like he had received a light slap from the Gods. What happened here, was the result of his improper decisions and actions.


    Turns out, you can still be Chosen and still have imperfections. Of course, Raek isn¡¯t perfect, no matter how hard the people of Aethyra or in general, Aegis, might treat him to be.


    But what is simply a Vanguardias trying his best to fill the role of someone long ago.


    Oh, and Raek hated that too.


    Raek knocked on a wooden door, clean and trimmed with gold here and there. Nightfall had approached, and while he wondered around the streets of the city aimlessly for hours and hours, he was called here.


    He opened the door, and found a man clad in white robes. His back turned, and hands held together.  Raek exhaled, this was going to be hard.


    ¡°Greetings, Chancellor Lucen.¡± Raek began, and shut the door behind him. Raek was not one to get unnerved easily, and usually kept his composure.


    But in front of the Chancellor? Of all people?


    Needless to say it was never easy, and always the more difficult.


    He took two steps, and stood. His face neutral and his hands in the pockets of his baggy pants as per usual. Looking around the Chancellor¡¯s office was one thing many people in Aethyra didn¡¯t get to do, high ranking or not.


    Lucen, still with his back turned, did not greet Raek. Never laid an eye on him, but instead the view of the city. Aethyra, and everything that it contained. The Vanguardias Watchtower, the Merchant¡¯s Quarter¡­or what¡¯s left of it, the port¡­you get the point.


    ¡°Tell me Raek,¡± He began. His voice very well middle aged. Raek couldn¡¯t see much of his expression, but assumed it wouldn¡¯t be anything pleasant.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    The question stung him, a simple question, but it leaned more into the side of philosophy. Raek could fell it, it was always neverending with him.


    But, for some reason, Raek chose not to answer. He didn¡¯t want to. If anything, buy time. Dance around it as much as he could.


    ¡°Raek Ventus.¡± He spoke, his voice lacking any mocking or lightness to it. Purely monotone and devoid of any emotion.


    The Chancellor did not speak, his back did not turn again. But, Raek could feel it. The lingering silence, he was expecting another answer. He wanted another answer.


    Raek gave in, uttering the answer the Chancellor as so much wanted to hear as if it was some curse.


    ¡°The Chosen One.¡±


    ¡°Correct,¡± Lucen sharply spoke afterwards.


    ¡°The Chosen One is a gift from the gods, isn¡¯t it Raek?¡±


    ¡°Gift, huh? Hell of a gift.¡±


    Chancellor Lucen narrowed his eyes at Raek, black eyes meeting with the hazel. He exhaled, and later continued.


    ¡°The incarnation of the being to bring balance to the life of magic and mana, while also fulfilling their duty and destiny. People look to it as a symbol of hope, and peace. Prospering vitality and safeguarding a better future for tomorrow.¡±


    Lucen slightly looked to the side, eyeing Raek. His cold expression made it all the more clear that he wasn¡¯t pleasant with Raek, even if he needed to juggle the answer to begin with anyway.


    ¡°They see you as the hope for the future, so when the Chosen One fails, what do you think happens, Raek?¡± Lucen asked.


    Raek didn¡¯t want to answer that question either. Every answer he had to give out created more turmoil within him. He pressed his lips shut, not in defiance, but moreso in silence. Hoping to treat the question as a rhetorical one.


    Lucen, seeing his silence, didn¡¯t bother pressing further. He turned right, and there laid another room with an open hallway. He took a few steps and entered. Raek watched as he did so.


    There, Raek took another step. Lucen didn¡¯t need to say another word, however. Raek already knew to follow him, and where this was exactly heading.


    The two entered a room, with an open ceiling. The night sky filled with stars endlessly, capturing the emotion of a painting perhaps. Raek didn¡¯t bother to look upwards though.


    There, statues, made straight from quartz encaptured figures within history. Raek noticed most of them, members of the ancient roundtable. A few more from Aegis¡¯s ancient history, and a couple more from even further than that.


    ¡°You¡¯ve recognized your calling at a very young age, Raek. You¡¯ve shown time and time again that you are dependable and the one that not only Aethyra can count on, but the entire prospect of Aegis.¡±


    Lucen says, while halting to a stop. Raek does so too, and they both look at one statue.


    Raek looked at Lucen at the mention of the first word he spoke. It was obvious he felt indifferent, but not like mentioning it now would¡¯ve changed anything.


    ¡°Which is why particularly I could not be mad at the destruction of the Sparkk Belltower, nor the Merchant¡¯s Quarter. Against a foe like the Great Dragon, these things are expected.¡±


    ¡°But you know what you lacked most?¡±


    Raek¡¯s eyes follow up on one statue. His eyes wanted to reject the sight of this very figure so much. The sword, the pose. The armour, the helmet, everything.


    And that.


    The little marking etched onto her left palm. The mark of the sun. Even on a statue, it replicated quite easily.


    Raek sighed lowly before answering. ¡°...tenacity.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Lucen added on fairly quickly.


    ¡°Alexandria had the merit for it. She had understood the mentality quite quickly. That simply, no one could do it as best as her. That is what propelled her, to be the best emperor Aegis had ever known¡­¡±


    ¡°...and quite possibly the greatest Chosen One to ever exist.¡±


    He would go to turn around, and barely pass Raek who was still looking at the statue of Alexandria. Putting a hand on his shoulder before he spoke again.


    ¡°You have the strength, Raek. You and I both know that. It won¡¯t be long before your calling is universally accepted within Aegis, and you too will be in the position of Alexandria.¡±


    Raek felt a bit of unease with the sentence, once again feeling the turmoil it created within him with each word spoken. Lucen didn¡¯t notice, he never did. And if he did, he pretended not to notice.


    ¡°Everyone is counting on you, Raek. If you fail, who else who they look to next?¡±


    Lucen¡¯s hand slipped from his shoulder, and his steps began to fade away in the corner of Raek¡¯s mind. There, he stared at the statue, his vision slowly becoming blurry as he wiped them along the sleeve of his crimson cloak.


    The air here was depressing and suffocating, everything that was told to him sounded worse than what he imagined. Exaggerating or not, Raek wanted to leave. Run away even.


    Not only run from this room, but Aethyra, and Aegis too.


    Maybe the continent, and maybe his calling as well.

 Chapter 6: Weight of a Mark

    ¡°If you thought it was easy being the Chosen One, then why didn¡¯t the Gods pick you, huh?¡±


    Raek violently kicked a rock from the street''s side, his emotions moving forward towards the surface. None of the mocking and cockiness that most would experience, none of that. Pure annoyance, with a mixture of frustration.


    He hurried his steps near the Vanguardias Watchtower, as he took a left before the entrance, and was heading towards an open area of silver dummies.


    He unlinked his crimson cloak, revealing the black tunic underneath that was fashionably trimmed in gold. A gift of his status and power, but none of that mattered, not now.


    Wrapping it around a pole, he eyes the silver dummy. Laced and made in the strongest metals around. Raek was hoping it could take a beating, because nothing other than that deserved his frustration in the form of this.


    His left hand clenched, sparksdanced around it per usual. He walked forward, each step getting him closer to the dummy. Leading with his next foot, he pulled his fist back, and lunged forward.


    Sparks flew around the area, as the sound of thunder cracking loomed around. Smoke emitted from the dummy, a black mark right from it¡¯s mid-region. However, Raek wasn¡¯t done yet.


    He pulled his fist back, feeling the recoil. Even in this day of age, it¡¯s almost a bit crazy to strike something made out of pure metal. But if you were frustrated enough like Raek was, you could care less.


    ¡°Expectation this, expectation that. You think I wanted to be the Chosen One? If it was that easy as, win against anything that came across me, you think I wouldn¡¯t have done it?¡± He asked himself, sparksdanced around his left fist once again.


    Less controlled and becoming wilder.


    He struck it again, and more sparks flew out. Smoke emitted more from it now, and the metal dummy had a considerable dent. Raek still didn¡¯t care, this was the only way to vent out his emotions and feelings. To something that was neither sentient nor listening.


    The sparks faded away from his hand, and a bruise mark between his knuckles became slightly visible, but he could care less for all of that now.


    This wasn¡¯t anger. It was frustration, and a well built up bubble of emotions that had never dared to leak outside of Raek¡¯s character. Would be disappointing if he didn¡¯t fall in like to the stereotypical child of prophecy.


    But then again, it was always about expectations.


    For as long as he could remember.


    He clenched his left fist tighter than he ever could before. The sparks flying off with much more velocity and ferociousness. A lethal attack, if this was posed to any creature, needless to say they would suffer grave injuries.


    Looking at the silver dummy one last time, the dent was still visible. Smoke still emitted from that same spot, Raek, posed to attack again, never did.


    The sound of the sparks died down, and his fist lessened it¡¯s grip bounded by frustration. Raek took a deep sigh, and looked at the dummy.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­I get nowhere with this.¡±


    He turned around, and walked away. Making sure to grab his Crimson Cloak off the pole before leaving the training grounds. The next spot that he looked for was none other than the Vanguardias Watchtower.


    The door opened automatically to his interest. It was a large building, and was only coined the Vanguardias Watchtower because for namesake, its iconic. It was recently renovated over the past year to include barracks and an entire training ground.


    Raek took hurried steps, entering a hallway before opening a door to his right. There were steps¡ªstairs.


    He climbed them, almost in routine. This wasn¡¯t his first time doing this, nor heading here whenever he felt these¡­overwhelming expectations.


    By the time the steps finished, he opened another door, the exit, and walked through it. There, the viewing was better here than it was over by the Chancellor¡¯s domain.


    He felt the wind, his hair swaying slightly. His cloak fluttering along with it.


    He slightly looked up, and saw the night sky. Looking down as well as the the street lights turning on. People amongst who would turn on the mana-based lanterns, some even walking the cobblestone streets after the attack.


    It was the safety, and the faith in peace that what the Vanguardias stood for. They knew it was safe because they deemed it safe.


    Raek softly sighed, a common slip up here. Had he not hesitated to pick between the orb or the dragon, maybe things would be different. Maybe he wouldn¡¯t have another soul-crushing talk with the Chancellor.


    It was just¡­something of the sort Raek had always gotten used to. A common mistake from anybody else doesn¡¯t carry as much as impact as his mistakes did.


    If Raek messed up, someone could pay for it. Didn¡¯t matter who, if he wasn¡¯t strong enough, or fast enough, or cunning enough. Someone would always pay for it.


    And when he was told to be ferocious, be bolder, have more tenacity, it made him sick. Because in the end, he felt no different from his previous rendition. Alexandria. And when that happened, he felt the numerous other of expectations he also had to fulfill as well.


    He reached a point and sat down, his legs seeping through the metal railings as his chest leaned against it. He was sure it was sturdy enough to endure.


    The left palm of his, gleamed slowly. A pale grey color, slowly pulsed. Raek sighed yet again, and so, he turned his gaze to his left palm.


    A crescent mark stared back at him, it¡¯s color obsidian. Etched onto his very skin, unrelenting, and never letting go. It was apart of Raek, and somehow, became more than what Raek wanted to be.


    He traced it idly with the thumb of his other hand, as if he could rub it away. Of course, it wouldn¡¯t go anywhere. Not now. Not ever.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    Raek¡­never hated the mark. The Chosen One symbol. No, never did for once in his life. It had never done anything to him that he didn¡¯t get used to. But what it brought, and how it interacted with the world.


    That, was Raek¡¯s problem with it.


    But for now, he would attempt to forget it. Forget that it ever exist, and whatever association he had with it. In some sort of¡­daydream, he always felt better for some reason when he did so.


    He heard the door swing open behind him, and with the sound of light footsteps, but he never cared to turn, as his gaze was still fixated on the night atmosphere of Aethyra, and all of its beautiful lights.


    ¡°Raek?¡±


    A soft voice called out. He already recognized it, and he turned his head. Meeting one of his longtime friends and Vanguardias alike.


    Her sea-green eyes connected with his hazel ones. The slight wind between them made her pointed ears twitch. The elf had made her way here as well, to the top of the watchtower. Raek wasn¡¯t sure if she had followed him¡­or she came here on invite. But he chose not to say anything first.


    ¡°Have you seen Clovis? After what happened, I haven¡¯t seen him earlier since.¡±


    Raek¡¯s suspicions had died down. Not that Iris had followed Raek here because she was worried for him. Not like that.


    He waved his hand around, ¡°He might be back at his family¡¯s estate. You know him.¡±


    Iris slowly nodded, holding her hand close to her chest. She fixed her face, puzzled¡­but analyzing. Analyzing Raek. She had always naturally done this when she believed one looked way too suspicious for her.


    He chuckled softly, ¡°Calm down Iris. I¡¯m just up here catching the view of the city. It¡¯s quiet up here, like my own little solitude.¡± Raek explained, turning his sights back to an Aethyra at night.


    ¡°Care to join me?¡±


    Iris eyed Raek, narrowed down to his being. She wasn¡¯t entirely moved.


    She took a few steps forward, ¡°Is this another one of your pranks?¡±


    Raek shook his head, and Iris sat down next to him. The two watching the city in it¡¯s quiet peace now. She had kept her knees up to her chest with her arms wrapped around them, the wind clearly getting to her.


    ¡°Had to do a lot of damage control with Kaine, the Merchant Quarter wasn¡¯t affected as bad as projected¡­but the Aethyra watchtower¡­¡± Iris trailed off, Raek noticed it, and picked up on it not too long after.


    ¡°Yeah, Clovis after went to go wallow or something.¡±


    Iris¡¯s ears twitched at the word, ¡°Wal¡­low?¡±


    Raek nodded, ¡°Yeah, means to like, camp up and be miserable by yourself or something.¡± He informed her, and she shortly nodded.


    It was during certain times like these where Raek had originally forgotten about Iris¡¯s origins. An elf yes, but she was never really from Aethyra, or Delpharia, or Aegis the country as a whole.


    Even more so that this language wasn¡¯t even her first language. Speaking primarily Elven for most of his life, Raek could still remember times at the academy when her accent was quite heavy. It was funny, but it dissipated over the years.


    Now, was nothing short of a 19-year-old fully comprehending the language, except for some words that still sounded foreign to her.


    As the two continued to watch the city in silence, now moreso in the presence of each other.


    Raek¡¯s frustration died down now. Even moreso thanks to Iris¡¯s presence. Her tranquil and calm demeanor, minus the occasional flare up, proved to be soothing.


    Escape the expectations of reality, and come up here with a friend. If only Raek could do this forever. Unfortunately, this is anything but the truth.


    For a moment, he had forgotten why he had even came here.


    Iris continued to look at the city, looking at it¡¯s other monuments of Aethyra. Her face lit up slightly, as if just remembering something.


    ¡°Raek.¡± She began, he turned his head. A soft smile gradually appeared at her lips.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Raek fixed a confused face, ¡°For what?¡±


    ¡°Everything.¡±


    Raek furrowed a brow, confused even more by these string of statements. Something out of the blue¡­usually made no sense.


    Even so coming from Iris? His friend? It was different when regular people of Aethyra or any city he traveled to thanked him. As the Chosen One, he¡¯s probably influenced their life he¡¯s not even aware about.


    ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t thank me for my performance against a Great Red Dragon. Uh¡­nothing to be proud of there.¡± He commented, seeing the remnants of the belltower discarded into rubble. Iris didn¡¯t seem to care much for that however.


    ¡°But¡­it¡¯s something few would do in your boots, isn¡¯t it? Not many live to tell the tale after an encounter with a beast like that.¡±


    Raek listened. Something few would do in his boots? He scoffed at the comment of it. If anyone was in his boots, they probably would do a whole lot better of a job.


    ¡°I highly doubt it. Clovis seemed fine out there, but still felt like he could¡¯ve done more.¡± Raek lifted his left hand, turning it to see the mark.


    ¡°The port and the belltower is gone thanks to me and my decisions. And yet, here you are thanking me. I don¡¯t get it.¡±


    He slowly became skeptical. But Iris continued to press on.


    ¡°Which is what I say. Maybe, this was the best thing. If it was anyone else, and not Raek Ventus. It could¡¯ve been far different. No need to¡­how does the saying go again?¡± She asked him.


    ¡°Beating yourself up?¡± She followed up, and Raek nodded his head.


    ¡°Ah, Iris. I¡¯m not beating myself up. Just moreso¡­thinking. You know me as well as Clovis does. If I fail my job at being the Chosen One, things turn ugly quite fast. You know this.¡±


    Iris¡¯s face fell, of course. Raek wasn¡¯t wrong. There had been plenty¡­and plenty of events where he has failed early on. But Iris begged to differ. Was it really failure, for things out of his control some of the times?


    ¡°It¡¯ll start with the people, and then they¡¯ll wonder why I¡¯m not a carbon copy of Alexandria the Great from almost a century ago. Then comes the wonderful and achievable expectations.¡± Every word Raek spoke was clear with his sarcasm. It didn¡¯t take long for Iris to understand he didn¡¯t like the process of these things.


    ¡°The Chancellor will call me up, give me a speech about being like Alexandria, being the strongest. And then¡­when it¡¯s all said and done amongst the variety of things they¡¯ll say to me, expect me to change overnight.¡±


    ¡°All these comparisons, and yet they forget I¡¯m still Raek Ventus.¡±


    His eyes widened, and he made sure not to look at Iris. He spoke out way more than what he think he would. It almost just¡­came out naturally. Halfway he must¡¯ve assumed that he was still alone here, speaking to himself.


    The frustration from earlier might¡¯ve died down, but not his personal feelings about it.


    In hopes of not making Iris worried, he attempted to switch the topic of the conversation as fast as he could, but Iris picked up on his earlier statements.


    ¡°But forget about that, I¨C¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    Raek turned to her, and furrowed a brow. Her genuine questioning of everything he said had caught him off guard. He had figured that Iris would just gloss over it, or even better, agree.


    ¡°Did you really hate all of the comparisons¡­and the comments?¡¯


    Raek refused to open his mouth, not to answer the question, but to also refuse about speaking of this any further. He already talked to much about this¡­how he felt about his calling and the atmosphere of it all.


    Minute by minute, Raek knew he would be burdening her with something she couldn¡¯t possibly comprehend. Only meant for him. She wouldn¡¯t even know where to begin with the myriad of meetings that the Chancellor and Raek both have that are not about speeches.


    There, he sat. Not sure whether to answer or not. But for once, just once, he could try something different. Maybe, just maybe, Iris could see where he was coming from.

 Chapter 7: Wake Up Mr. Ventus

    ¡°You¡¯ve always had a smile on your face. Even during everything, so I would never assume that you¡­hated the expectations. I just¡­sort of assumed that someone like you would thrive under them.¡±


    Raek¡­didn¡¯t furrow a brow. He didn¡¯t give out a response. He looked at her instead, maybe more in an astonished way. Perfectly said.


    To be fair, he¡¯s never seen it as that. Hard to see yourself with two eyes, but nevermind that. A smile? Raek was no stranger to smiling. But sometimes it was genuine, and sometimes it was¡­not.


    Fake? No¡­not ever. A fake smile isn¡¯t necessarily a smile. Maybe a half-smile? Raek¡¯s thoughts became more clouded. He wasn¡¯t sure where he was getting at. Maybe, just maybe some of Raek¡¯s smiles were not true to itself.


    But even then, that gave birth to another question.


    Could anyone see the difference between the two variations of Raek¡¯s smiles? Both genuine and fraudulent?


    He parted his lips, opening his mouth. But closed them. He couldn¡¯t find the words. And the crazier part was the expectations. To say someone like him, Raek, would thrive under them flawlessly is just¡­


    ¡°To me, you never complained. Never showed any signs of frustration, never had even called yourself the Chosen One not once.¡± Iris continued, her view turned towards the city now. Perhaps seeing Raek stunned for once was not something she intended behind her words.


    In attempt to perform crowd control, she shortly spoke after.


    ¡°I..that¡¯s not¡­I mean¡­¡± She trailed off. Struggling to find words to explain herself. Her pointed ears twitched again, another wave of embarrassment. She would look with her eyes to steal a glance at Raek every now and then to see if he was still stunned.


    Raek shook his head to snap out of his trance.


    ¡°Don¡¯t stress, I think I know exactly what you mean.¡± He chuckled after, attempting to lessen her doubts and worries. It proved successful as she exhaled greatly. Ears dropped down after moments of spontaneous twitching.


    ¡°I just think¡­what I want to obtain in this life¡­and what I imagine myself I am is¡­impossible.¡± Raek begins, now looking at something different. Something past the city, and much more Aethyra. Looking past the city borders, and the country that was on the horizon.


    ¡°Sometimes¡­I just want to go and reenact Runner¡¯s Journey. Go far, far away. Enter the countryside and build a cabin.¡±


    Her eyes trail to him yet again, and for once, Iris supposed that Raek wasn¡¯t speaking in any other form. He was being¡­wholeheatedly. It almost took her off guard for a second.


    The past few moments, she had never taken Raek as the¡­deep sentimental type. Or maybe just highly philosophical. To Iris, it sounded like a goal. A goal Raek wanted to have amidst all of it.


    But she was going to be honest, she didn¡¯t know too much about the term runner¡¯s journey. Must be a new saying nowadays, she figured. But nonetheless, as a great friend, she¡¯ll strive to help Raek reach his goal.


    ¡°I¡¯ll¡­help you.¡±


    Raek widened his eyes, and snapped his head towards the elf. Expecting a laugh, or tracing her words for any mocking tone. But she looked back, her face as serious as ever.


    ¡°Yo-you¡¯ll what¡­?¡± His voice cracked, and a slow blush crept upon his face. He started to fidget as Iris repeated herself.


    ¡°I¡¯ll help you! I¡¯ll help you get to the countryside, and build that cabin!¡±


    ¡°N-no! Not like that!¡±


    Raek stood up and outstretched his hands to the sitting Iris, who tilted her head in confusion. She didn¡¯t assume she said anything wrong. All she did say was that she would help him. Nothing more, nothing less to her.


    Raek stuttered upon his words, ¡°I-it¡¯s a play¡­that I watched some time ago! A-and¡­agh!¡±


    ¡°What? Raek, you¡¯re blushing deeply. Is it getting hot up here? Here, let me help you take your cloak off.¡±


    ¡°N-no! I¡¯m good!¡±


    The sudden cause for panic caught the entire atmosphere, and even the mood that had started to settle off guard. Raek, already flustered and blushing madly from Iris¡¯s proposed statement found only one escape before things had became forcibly awkward from him.


    ¡°I-I think it¡¯s getting a little bit late. I¡¯ll toss in for bed, thanks for everything Iris see ya!¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Raek said everything quickly in one breath, and shut the door behind him leading to the watchtower''s top. He didn¡¯t look back, he didn''t bother. Not that he wanted to anyways. If he could forget everything that had went up there. He would.


    He hurried down the steps, the blush still on his apparent face. He couldn¡¯t believe what she had just proposed still. Out of nowhere? And during a time like this?


    Raek gave out a frustrated sigh, and by the time he reached the bottom floor level, he walked to an adjacent hallway. The barracks.


    There, doors lined up on each side of the hallway. It didn¡¯t take long to find his however, there were only 7, and each door was customized specifically for each Vanguardias.


    He opened his, and shut the door behind him. It was a room tad bit clean, and fairly large for the most reputable mages within Aethyra. However as decorative as it was, or as it tried to be, it never did feel like home for Raek.


    He unlinked his cloak and laid it on his chair. Continuing to sit down on that same chair. Exhaling greatly, he closed his eyes. His mind running back the last moments of the day. Anything that could¡¯ve went wrong, went wrong.


    Not to make it any better that the state he was in currently, was not good. Not the best he considered himself to be in.


    What was he supposed to do? Just act like everything is okay? Today felt like everything was crashing in front of him and he was supposed to rebuild it all back up. That¡¯s almost impossible!


    He opened his eyes which granted his moment of silence to himself. What he needed after a long and draining day.


    Leaning his head back, his mud hair fell back in response. His face in a clear neutral expression that felt¡­almost out of character for someone like him. But what character is it? What character is he supposed to be?


    Raek Ventus? Or the Chosen One? Alexandria the Great, or just another Vanguardias?


    Anyone else in Aethyra would die to be compared to a Chosen One in terms of impact, influence, or even power. What more could you say for Alexandria? People who weren¡¯t even born around her time still feel as if they could¡¯ve done something.


    To be compared to Alexandria is a feat not many have accomplished, and usually anyone would be overjoyed to hear such¡­but with Raek, it was so different! Why? Was it that the comparisons tainted his view?


    Or that the comparisons never allowed him to be his own person? He didn¡¯t understand. Everyone else would die to be compared to Alexandria, but for Raek, he would choose to die over being compared with her anyways.


    It¡¯s not like he hated her. Barely even knew her. Only thing that kept them in common conversations was the mark, and the title of the Chosen One.


    Thinking about everything, he couldn¡¯t help but sigh again. ¡°One moment, I spend it fighting against a Great Red Dragon, and the next, I spend it having deep sentimental talks with Iris at the watchtower.¡±


    He scoffed, almost in a way to mock himself.


    ¡°What has my day¡­what have I come to? Because, in all honesty, feels like a really¡­horribly paced play.¡±


    Looking back at it, he shook his head, quite obvious that he did overreact. But amidst everything, Raek had slightly messed up on his part. Truly letting someone know what goes on in the brain of the Chosen One, much less that Raek was even capable for having basic philosophical conversations.


    Not that he has told many people that he suffers under expectations, or that he hates it when others expect him to match up to said expectations. Or perhaps take a step even further when the citizens of Aethyra look at him differently than anyone else.


    This is not even scratching the surface of what he had to go through with his childhood, however. He could ramble on, and on about that. But alas, nobody thinks the Chosen One suffers with these type of things.


    It was apparent through Iris first when Raek had initially thought that maybe, just maybe some could see some part of it. But no. To everyone, all they see is a smile. That¡¯s all they see, and all they¡¯ll ever see. Raek is to blame for it and no one else.


    If they don¡¯t see the smile on the Chosen One, then that creates problems. Chancellor Lucen made sure to remind him of that multiple times. Not like asking for a therapist would do any good, then others would wonder why the Chosen One needs a therapist.


    That is if Chancellor Lucen wasn¡¯t pretending to be a therapist already.


    All in all, Raek felt stuck. Some days it felt bearable, though. He would maybe endure for weeks at a time. Then just melt down at the Vanguardias Watchtower. All the way at the top, and let his words be carried by the wind to be heard by no one.


    It was his only source of mediation in this city. Raek was sure no one else would understand, and they never tried to. Hell, Clovis has never even referred to him as the Chosen One. Iris as he had just seen assumed it was all rainbows and a pot of gold at the end of it.


    What kind of Chosen One would he be if he had the problems of some middle-aged teenager?


    ¡°Oh.¡± He gave out, remembering his age. It wasn¡¯t too far from it, but still not an excuse in this day of age.


    He slowed down his thoughts, that his brain almost seemed to run on infinite energy. He took a deep breath, and got up from his chair. Maybe decompressing and slowing down would be the answer.


    Taking off his black top tunic, he threw it somewhere in his open closet and entered the bathroom. Turning the knob for cold water, splashing it onto his face with his hands.


    Going on to look back at the mirror, he saw the same face, still trying to endure. A good¡¯s night rest mattered, that¡¯s what Raek told himself. Of course, he will either be chewed out, or be revered as once against God amongst men per usual.


    A loop? A loop of what he had to go through constantly, over and over again. Sometimes Raek used to think that no one else could go through what he goes through. Maybe the Gods had chosen him specifically.


    For a reason, maybe not for a reason. A to be, or not to be type of thing.


    Maybe it¡¯s not time to compare. The whole thing was never about comparing, was it?


    Raek sighed, and sat on the edge of his bunk.


    A day with the Chosen One, how much would people pay for that?


    Raek scoffed, who knows.

 Chapter 8: Hall of Our Thorns

    The morning bells of the Aethyra towers rang, an early reminder for Raek, who laid nicely on his cot. Each ding forced him to keep his eyes open, no matter how much he wanted to twist, and turn on his bed.


    Morning light streamed through the high window of his room, spilling across the crimson cloak draped over a chair. As he blinked against the sunlight for a brief moment, he let himself imagine a world where he wasn¡¯t the Chosen One.


    Where he wasn¡¯t Raek Ventus.


    The illusion shattered as a knock echoed through the door. He waited for a moment, expecting anyone now. In his line of¡­well, life, he had to get used to practically everyone, and anyone, having the comfortability of knocking on his door.


    A well-aged voice spoke out. ¡°Sir Ventus, the Chancellor has requested your presence in the Hall of Crowns,¡± a guard announced from the other side.


    Sir Ventus.


    Raek took a deep breath and grimaced at the title. He swung his legs over the edge of the bed, his bare feet touching the cool stone floor. His eyes peered over to the lengthy rope laying on top of his storage chest.


    He, the Chosen One, had just wondered for a moment what if he could call it quits one day. Just, stop acting like the title he was born with. What if, he just decided to¨C


    ¡°Can¡¯t do that,¡± Raek spoke softly. His voice a low tone. With a sigh, he reached for his boots. Foolish enough to even think he had an option to escape the calling he was born into.


    Those exact thoughts traveled back to him of last night, his conversation with Iris, and how that ended. He never intended to¡­overshare that much, and usually, most people don¡¯t believe him when he explains the burden of being the Chosen One.


    He cringed, remembering even more now. Ah, to run away and get flustered. He felt like he could blame himself for not being composed, but it¡¯s not like everyday someone wants to reenact Runner¡¯s Journey with you.


    He had already assumed if he had seen Iris again, he was going to act like nothing happened that night. Better to just shove it under the rug, right?


    He had gone through his normal morning routine, sometimes staring into the mirror for minutes at a time. To feel something, anything. The rush of his blood through his body, and the throbbing energy of his own mana coursing through his veins.


    Apparently, that was only a raeklike thing to experience. He often asked if anyone else did. If they too, could feel the mana rushing through their veins each and every morning.


    Easy way to spot the outlier within himself.


    And also the gradual sense of feeling like a beacon from time to time. More on that later.


    He got ready fairly quickly. No one would be stupid enough to leave the Chancellor waiting, especially within the Hall of Crowns. And if the atmosphere in the city wasn¡¯t already bad thanks to the Great Red Dragon, Raek somewhat expected a verbal explanation from himself.


    The Chancellor might want him to explain to the people, or to the higher nobles, of what happened, and how he and the rest of the Vanguardias plan on doing better from there on.


    Or maybe something something about politics.


    It was a toss up honestly, and knowing Chancellor, he didn¡¯t quite know the answer ironically enough.


    Raek had left the room, all tidied up and into his standard Vanguardias outfit. Cleaned entirely from yesterday¡¯s battles. His face was neutral, the call to the Hall of Crowns meant anything. And not even his natural smile could¡¯ve cracked through.


    By the time he made it to the Vanguardias Hall, he was met with a set of Elite Conjurers¨Cthose who were great and talented enough to be more than your average Conjurer, but just fell a bit short of their ability.


    All of them, fitted in metal armour bowed down instantly at the presence of Raek. Each manning a spear that had went down along with them too. To Raek, this was just a warm up of the inevitable, and the undeserved praise he would get for the rest of the day.


    He took a few more steps, and then spoke.


    ¡°It¡¯s only me guys, c¡¯mon.¡±


    Raek¡¯s total casualness in his voice alerted them, and in totally synchronization, had stood up from their bowing position and assumed their guarding forms. Raek took a few more steps, and had left the hall entirely.


    Hall of Crowns, what a palace of a place it was. Reserved for high duty nobles, the Chancellor, and anyone else who piqued the interest of the Chancellor. And for most of the time, it was usually Raek.


    He began his walk as usual, being able to see the port from here, and all the damage that was done to it by the Great Red. Surprisingly, the port had already undergone reconstruction.


    Looking away, he set his sights on the Hall of Crowns, the large building further up the path of the main street. It perched so high and mighty above everything else, and well, given the altitude and elevation of the inner most parts of Aethyra, it looked like anything could be on the high ground.


    As he tried to recall the tasks of his own friends, his mind was sort of¡­blank. He wasn¡¯t sure what they were doing, or what they could be doing. Assuming one of them would be helping with the reconstruction of the port¡­Clovis perhaps?


    Then¡­what about the others? He did remember leaving Delpharia to track the Great Red Dragon that was en route to Aethyra. Kaelstorm, Aelara, and Exien were all there. But he hadn¡¯t seen them since yesterday¡­so perhaps they are still over there?


    Lost in his own thought, Raek ignored the citizens calling out to him, greeting him. Limiting any chance of conversation. Citizens loved walking the streets, not only for the exercise, or for the breath of fresh air, but also for the chance to see Raek.


    If it wasn¡¯t already established that seeing Raek was a spectacular thing to witness, then now it is. Sometimes Raek would assume he had the same level of popularity as a king or a monarch. That¡¯s just how much these people wanted to see him.


    They acted as if Raek was something more than just beyond a human. A God walking amongst men, some would say. Ah, that¡¯s his favorite saying. He says it alot because, well, it¡¯s true.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    But, he begged to differ. He was anything but that. Just another human too, that was called up by the Gods to carry this¡­


    This burden.


    Nearing the entrance of the Hall of Crowns, nobles lined up. Usually most of these nobles had spectacular wealth, power, or lineage. He noticed a few of Clovis¡¯s family members here as well.


    He exhaled greatly, preparing himself mentally for whatever that could go on, and entered the building.


    The morning sunlight poured through the high windows of Aethyra¡¯s Hall of Crowns, or more specifically, the Council Hall. Only for the fancy name that houses many legends, Alexandria, Raek, and Vanguardias alike.


    He took two steps on the marble floor, and just somehow, Raek stood at the center of it all. His eyes didn¡¯t need to look around, he could easily just sense them all. As if this was the first time he was here.


    It didn¡¯t matter, it never mattered. The Hall of Crowns has seen him age year by year, he¡¯s seen renovation and even new attendees from time to time. If anything, he wasn¡¯t done. Not by a long shot.


    A crowd had gathered, as they always did when he was called upon. Diplomats, merchants, scholars, even children¨Csomehow, everyone found a excuse to be here, to glimpse their Chosen One.


    ¡°Raek Ventus!¡± Chancellor Lucen boomed, his voice echoing off the grand walls. He noticed him quite easily amongst the mass. Raek grimaced slightly before forcing a solid grin.


    Raek looked back at him, with some endearment. He couldn¡¯t shake out their last conversation just yet, and how much he heard words that he didn¡¯t want to hear. Needed more time to adjust, yeah, but for now, he would have to endure as he always done.


    ¡°Morning Chancellor, came here as fast as I could.¡± Raek began, as Lucen nodded.


    ¡°Great, hope you had a great night¡¯s rest?¡±


    Raek furrowed a brow, before laughing it off. If only the Chancellor knew.


    ¡°Yeah, something like that. The bells woke me up before I could get any extra minutes in.¡±


    The Chancellor fixed a slightly confused face, and opened his mouth to question Raek, but his eyes gazed amongst the crowd, and he dropped it.


    ¡°Yeah¡­yeah. The nobles are still shaken up about the attack from the Great Red Dragon. But I¡¯ve begun to sweep their opinions of the whole ordeal.¡±


    Raek looked down for a bit. The Great Red Dragon he failed to protect Aethyra against? He figured. However, the Chancellor suddenly ¡°changing the opinions¡± of the high ranking nobles was nothing new, at least not to him.


    Even if some couldn¡¯t realize it.


    In the next moment, Lucen had called out amongst the people. All eyes were on the two as Lucen separated himself from the Chosen One.


    ¡°On behalf of Aethyra, and all of Aegis, we commend you for your service and bravery in the field. Despite the damage done, The Great Red Dragon¡¯s retreat was still no small feat.¡±


    Before Raek could open his mouth, a roar of applause erupted. A thunderous wave of admiration that swelled through the hall. Raek forced a smile, bowing his head slightly. Who couldn¡¯t love a great warrior and hero for the city?


    ¡°Thank you, Chancellor.¡± He said, his voice steady. All of the eyes, he looked around. Each and every single pair on him. Raek didn¡¯t quite understand it to be fair. Someone as grand as the ¡°Chosen One¡± is supposed to fend off dragons flawlessly and easily.


    Maybe Iris was right? Maybe they realized someone like Raek had the best outcome. Out of anyone else, that was.


    Lucen beamed, motioning to the crowd. ¡°Let this moment remind us all of the strength and resolve of our Chosen One, the hero who will lead Aegis into a new age of prosperity!¡±


    More applause, celebratory screaming, and cups beings raised. Raek¡¯s smile slowly fell. And to think that he was getting somewhere with this. Just as the expectations he believed were put down, once again there was another level added to it.


    He hated this part¨Cthe ceremonies, the speeches, the way everyone looked at him as though he were untouchable. It was always the same thought, Raek was sure of it. They all think that being the Chosen One means that nothing can affect you.


    He had Alexandria to blame for that one, and even then, he wondered if she too, had felt like this sometimes. The immense pressure and expectations weighed upon him since he was able to read and write.


    After what felt like an eternity, the Chancellor dismissed the gathering, and the crowd began to disperse. Raek turned to leave, eager to escape the weight of their gazes, but he was intercepted by a young boy no older than ten.


    ¡°Sir Raek!¡± the boy exclaimed, clutching a small wooden carving of the Vanguardias insignia. His wide eyes shone with awe.


    ¡°Can you sign this? Please?¡±


    Raek crouched down, silencing his sigh. He smiled, a great relief from all of the eyes that were staring at him earlier.


    ¡°Of course. What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°Syren.¡±


    Raek blanked out, his smile remained, but his attention not. The name that had entered his mind, was no ordinary name. He was familiar with it. Years, and years ago. Before himself, Clovis, Iris, Kaine, and anyone else was in the Vanguardias, much less even Vanguard level.


    Back at the academy, the Aethyra Academy of all places. On that fateful day, where his own life had¨C


    Raek caught himself. Blinking away the confusion, he couldn¡¯t help but ask again.


    ¡°Come again?¡±


    The boy spoke, ¡°Cyan. Like, the color.¡±


    Raek let out a breathe of relief, and to be fair, he don¡¯t know why he did. The uncomfortability that came with that name alone always made his stomach turn. He didn¡¯t like the name, or anything else associated with it.


    He took the carving, and signed his name with a flourish. Etching onto it with pure solidized mana. Handing it back with a gentle pat on the boy¡¯s head. ¡°Stay strong, Cyan. You¡¯ve got a bright future ahead of you.¡±


    The boy grinned and ran off, leaving Raek alone with his thoughts.


    The sun painted Aethyra in warm hues of gold as he walked through the bustling marketplace. The streets were alive with the chatter of merchants, the laughter of children, and the rhythmic clatter of horse-drawn carts. But as Raek passed, the noise shifted.


    ¡°Look, it¡¯s him!¡± whispered a woman by the flower stand, clutching a bouquet of Ventus Daisies. Her companion¡¯s eyes widened as she turned to see the young Vanguardias.


    ¡°The Chosen One!¡±


    Raek heard the title, but it didn¡¯t feel real much. The standard given praise, he has tried to dismiss it, ignore it, and even speak out against it. Just like the brain of a rock, the people as a collective didn¡¯t seem to remember, or even care.


    He continued to walk, and a vendor by the fruit cart bowed his head deeply. ¡°Good morning, Lord Ventus! A fine day, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    He stopped briefly, forcing a polite smile. ¡°It¡¯s just Raek¡­and yeah, beautiful day it is. Take care.¡±


    Before the vendor could respond, and before he could even take another step, a boy darted out from the crowd, holding up a makeshift wooden sword. Raek noticed it, but this wasn¡¯t the same boy he met earlier in the Hall of Crowns.


    In his line of life, you gradually get used to seeing many faces, but not putting a name to any of them. But even he knows what it feels like to have a role model, and for that, he could never forget any of the children¡¯s names.


    Except for new ones that appear out of thin air from time to time.


    Raek chuckled, ¡°Jakk?¡± He noticed the boy, wasn¡¯t the first time he¡¯s seen him. He usually paid visits to the Aethyra Academy, those up and coming to be the next in line to Conjurers-in-training.


    The boy nodded happily, ¡°Sir Ventus! Sir Ventus! Can I be like you when I grow up?¡±


    He crouched down to the boy¡¯s level, his face amused, ¡°I highly doubt you¡¯ll be the chosen one¡­but there¡¯s always room for you to be better than me.¡±


    Jakk beamed, his mother pulling him back with a grateful nod toward Raek.


    He began his walk again, but paused for a moment.


    There was one place he had to go to.


    He promised someone he would.