《Rise of the Stygian Dawn》


 Awakening Chapter 1

    A broad-shouldered youth with skin as pale as the snow was looking into the mirror of his room his eyes a dark yellow almost golden color his hair an ashen gray. Cornelius was firming his resolve for the day to come ''Today is the day'' he thought for today was a special day for the citizens of the Diyu Dynasty it was the day of awakening where all the fifteen-year-olds would go through the test of the gods to see if they were worthy of the gift of magic.


    Cornelius had no choice but to succeed for the future of his house depended on it, the House of Amydros was once a powerful dukedom second only to the royal family but that was when the gift was still prevalent in the bloodline before the house started to decline the other noble houses where like vultures taking everything they could. Allies turned their back on them, so the House of Amydros fell to the rank of a mere barony, nobles in all but name.


    Cornelius started to get dressed wearing black breaches and a simple blue linen doublet with the house insignia embroidered above his heart on the left side, the insignia was of a sword with draconic wings and a crown at its top the house words reading ''Strength Beyond Measure'' words he chose to live by.


    Looking around his room he saw his bed with its bronze frame, and his study with books and paper strewn over its surface he sighed and started making his way to the courtyard, the walls were decorated with portraits of the glory days of his once great house, some depicting ancient battlefields and beautiful landscapes beyond his wildest dreams.


    He continued walking until he passed a portrait of his family his father looked a lot like him with his broad shoulders gray hair and yellow eyes while his mother looked like a beautiful flower of black with her delicate features black hair and amber eyes.


    A hint of sadness gripped his heart as he saw the portrait it had been 5 years since they died in the border war against the kingdom of Varda, ''I wonder if you would be proud of the man I have become'' he thought while he continued walking, the halls of his house was mostly empty with only a few servants and guards here and there.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Only the truly loyal ones had remained after the fall of his house so he was truly thankful for the ones that stayed, he finally made his way to the courtyard where Samien was waiting for him.


    Samien was the house head butler more than that he was a father figure for Cornelius after his parents passed Samien raised him and trained him in the ways of the sword, he had a lot of respect for Samien he was a former Captain of the Slaughter force, a unit trained for battles of attrition and gorilla warfare, he was an old friend of my father so he decided to help raise me after their passing seeing as I had no other relatives to go too.


    "How did you sleep, young master?" Samien asked he was fifty-two years of age, his face marred with scars and wrinkles he wasn''t a tall man standing at a modest 5ft7 but even in his old age his muscles were still well defined for an older man, he had a kind smile on his face wearing a simple black butlers suit with a white tie.


    "I was too excited so I could hardly sleep" he replied and yawned after he said that.


    "Sleep is important young Corne but I have a present for you," Samien said as he extended his hand I only now noticed he had an item wrapped in a blanket as he passed it on to Cornelius. Accepting the gift he felt its weight and wondered what it could be, his curiosity was peeked as unraveled the blankets he saw that it was a beautiful sword its pommel engraved with the head of a dragon he instantly recognized the blade it was his father''s sword Sky Breaker.


    It was a family heirloom from the first era of the dynasty the sword of the first patriarch legend says it was forged from the bones of a great dragon its blade was of a blurry white, and the sheath was made from grey leather with white accents the family insignia was stitched to it as well.


    "Happy birthday young Corne, I kept onto that for this day you are going to need it for the trails to come," he said a smile on his wrinkled face.


    "I...I don''t know what to say, Thank you so much, Sam," He said a tear running down his youthful face.


    "Let''s go, the trials wait for no man and we still have to go to the city," he said while motioning to the family carriage it was made from ebony wood a remnant of the past its design was archaic and engraved with dragons in an eternal dance a remnant of a time when the house of Amydros was still known as the house that births dragons, a time when we were the most powerful mage family on the continent besides the hybrids such as the royal families that are rumored to be descendants of the gods.


    They made their way to the carriage and prepared for the journey ahead, Looking out the window Cornelius couldn''t help but dream about the future to come.

 The Cathedral Chapter 2

    Looking out the window of the carriage as they left the house grounds on route to the city of Barbaros seeing the grassy hills outside of the estate Cornelius is filled with a sense of melancholy seeing the emptiness of his land, the ground wasn''t very fertile so very few plants could survive the harsh ground and weather of the Amydros Barony.


    The Barony was situated near one of the natural borders of the Diyu Dynasty: the great mountain range known as the Frozen Hand, named after the five mountain peaks that look like the hand of a great titan. The Barony was at the northern reaches of the dynasty, bordering the frozen plains of Tur, where the Barbarian tribes were situated.


    The barbarians were a hardy people. Few were capable of traversing the treacherous plains of ice, yet the barbarians not only survived but thrived. The plains were teaming with monsters and the spirits of the past.


    As Cornelius was lost in thought he was unaware that they were drawing near to the city, he only broke out of his reverie when the carriage finally stopped. "We have arrived young master," Samien said as he started getting up from his seat, and climbed out of the carriage holding the door open for Cornelius to get out.


    "Thank you Samien," Cornelius said as he got out of the carriage, attaching Sky Breaker to his side looking up he saw the great walls of Barabos 9ft in length made from the black marble common in the Frozen Hand and one of the Baronies main exports.


    Turning his head, he thanked the carriage driver and made his way to the city gates. There were two guards at the gates checking the identities of those who entered. Approaching the gates, the guard on the left asked, "State your name and the business," without even looking up from his clipboard. He wore simple plate mail made from wrought iron, painted in the colors of the barony: an elegant blue with black and golden contours.


    "Cornelius of House Amydros here for the awakening ceremony," he responded in a nonchalant tone of voice with a facial expression full of professionalism. Hearing that the guard choked on his breath "My apologies Baron you may proceed" he said his tone filled with nervousness "Open the gates," he yelled not long thereafter the sound of shifting gears could be heard clearly as the gates started to open.


    The City of Barbaros looked more like a reinforced fortress of black marble than a conventional city common in the Diyu Dynasty but that was necessary for a city so close to the border of the dynasty, this close to the border the land was teaming with monsters.


    The city wasn''t that large about 12,000 km2 housing a population of about 30,000 people but it was the only city within the barony the rest of the Amydro''s lands were occupied by some rural villages. Needless to say, it was quite a sight with the Gothic architectural design making it look like a remnant of a forgotten age.


    Entering the city fortress they made their way to the center of the city where a large cathedral stood this is where the awakening ceremony would be held, a large crowd had already gathered. the crowd was filled with parents and their children. A feeling of tension permeated the air, the cold breeze making Cornelius''s hair stand on end goosebumps marring his skin a shiver running down his spine from the unforgiving cold.


    The chatter of the crowd was silenced when a figure in priestly garb made his way from the cathedral doors to the temporary podium erected specifically for the event, as he reached the podium he took out a black stone covered in stone he finally spoke, and his voice reaching the entire crowd seamlessly "Welcome everyone for today is a day of celebration the day of awakening is upon us once more, a tradition as old as the dynasty itself may the gods look on those who will challenge the trials favorably. But I''m sure you don''t want to hear this old man continue to blabber so without further ado may the awakening ceremony commence all challengers say your final goodbyes and make your way into the cathedral." the head priest said before turning back and making his way back to the cathedral.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    Cornelius turned to his left looking at Samien before saying "I guess this is it, wish me luck," a hint of nervousness could be heard in his voice.


    "May the gods look favorably on you this day young master," Samien said before turning back and making his way back out of the city. Cornelius stood there watching him leave for a while before eventually steeling his resolve and joining the crowd of youths heading inside of the Cathedral.


    As he walked through the doors he saw the interior of the temple the hall had seven statues depicting the Seven gods of man, the first one depicted a man wearing simple garb in his one hand he held a coin purse and in the other, he held a scale this statue depicted Vigro the God of commerce.


    another depicted a woman with a blindfold over her eyes with tears streaming down her face she was on her knees wearing a simple dress, this was Aeva the goddess of mercy and Justice. Another statue depicted a broad-shouldered man with a grin on his face he wore intricate armor a sword in one hand and a head in the other, this was Aevon the god of war and death.


    The next statue depicted a woman with her legs covered by a tornado she wore leather armor and an intricate helm, in one hand she held a lightning bolt and in the other, she held a jug of water, this was Morgane the goddess of the storm and sea. The next statue depicted a two-headed man one face had an expression of pure terror while the other had a wicked grin with madness in his eyes he wore simple beggar clothes, this was Daevon the god of fear and madness.


    The final two statues were of a man with a lion''s head wearing fur armor while the second was of a woman with shackles around her hands and feet wearing an intricate gown these two were the main gods of the pantheon, Leon The god of the sun and beasts and Umbra the goddess of the moon and fate they where the most powerful of all the gods.


    As the youths streamed into the temple the nervous whispers could be heard clearly, the same priest who gave the speech was standing in front of the statues of Leon and Umbra he cleared his voice and spoke "The time is upon us you all must be wondering what comes next so let me explain, you will be split up in groups and led to different section of the temple where you will be given the Elixer of shattered dreams it is a hallucinogenic that will cause you to fall asleep and give you temporary access to the spirit world, be warned your safety is not guaranteed when the trials begin there is no turning back so those who are dissuaded by this you may leave now," he paused as some of the youths gathered turned around and where ed back out the temple.


    "Good now that the riff-raff have left we can continue, each trial is unique to every person so there is no telling what you will face all I can do is wish you all the best of luck," after saying this the other priests started to separate the youths into seven groups and lead them to different sections of the temple.


    Cornelius was in the second group they were led to the basement area of the temple, where there were simple straw beds laid out for the youths they were each assigned to their beds. The dark and gloomy atmosphere of the underground level of the temple was lit by a few candles so it was covered in dark shadows, the priest that had led them here where one of Adronei an order of priests that had their tongues cut out in servitude of Aeva and their eyes sown shut, they were capable of perceiving the world in different more mysterious ways.


    The priest of Adronei had always given Cornelius the creeps for a goddess of mercy the fate of her priests had always seemed merciless and cruel but before he could ponder on it further one of the priests approached him and handed him a glass flask it was the elixir. He took it carefully and downed it in one go.


    Shortly thereafter he started to feel drowsy and fell asleep not long after that, the sleep was strange though it was a strange mix of dreaming and lucidity at first there was only darkness, he started to panic because he could not feel his body no it was more than he could feel nothing at all as if nothing but his consciousness existed.


    Time moved strangely in this strange void for it felt like an eternity had already passed before something finally changed in the darkness of the void a star was born, and that was when the voices began at first it was a barely audible whisper of incoherent gibberish, but soon those whispers became loud screaming if he had ears in this void they would have already started bleeding.


    The louder the voices became the more the star changed at first its light was pure white but then a seed of corruption bloomed turning that pure white had become a muddy porcelain color with a nasty black running like cracks through its beautiful surface.


    Slowly another eternity passed but something changed if he still had hair they would be standing on end because a resident of the void had finally noticed his presence the last thing he felt before passing out was primal fear a fear beyond terror itself.

 Void Chapter 3

    When he awoke the void remained unchanged except for the fact that the corrupted star was gone yet the ever-present whispers remained, giving promises of forbidden wisdom, knowledge that mortals were never supposed to know.


    The more he heard the more his head started to ache and with it, the visions came fragmented images worming their way into his head foreign emotions that were not his appeared as well.


    He tried to ignore it but he could not like this another eternity passed until something finally changed, he had grown accustomed to the absence of all within this dark void. In front of him a massive eye opened, giving a feeling of familiarity it was golden in color it had a slit pupil that was a void in and of itself.


    "Kin...one...of..us..yet..not...here...yet..not" it spoke in a fragmented manner each word was like a nail being driven into his skull.


    "Wha..what are you?" he spoke a tremble in his voice whatever this creature was it was ancient and powerful he was like a single grain of sand compared to a continent.


    "We..are..you...we..are...everything...yet..nothing...we..are..VOID" it spoke again its words not making any sense it screamed the last word he shivered if he had hair they would be standing on end.


    "Spawn...of..void...child..of...Daevon...your...dream...is..over...Awake" it spoke before he was slingshot away from it in a mere instant he was far away moving at impossible speeds before he awoke.


    (POV Priests of Adronei)


    A few minutes earlier...


    Three priests were standing over the body of Cornelius he was shaking violently, black runes were flickering between existence and non-existence a ghastly black energy surrounded him giving off an air of dread and madness.


    (the priests speak telepathically)


    {It has been a long time since a challenger was sent to the void} The priest to Cornelius''s left spoke he was the youngest of the three.


    {Thirty years to be exact but even he only went to the edge of the void it wasn''t even a physical manifestation} The priest to his right said.


    {Whatever brought this young man to the very heart of the void is ancient and immensely powerful we must be prepared to extinguish this young man''s fire if need be for now we observe} the oldest priest stated in a solemn tone {May the gods have mercy on his soul}


    (Cornelius POV)


    He felt extremely groggy when he awoke, when he opened his eyes it took a while for his eyes to adjust he had grown accustomed to the absence of light so it took longer than usual, The first thing he noticed was three priests standing over him.


    Looking around he noticed besides the priests he was the only one left in the underground level of the temple "Wha...what happened?" he asked still feeling weak, he did not expect an answer from the old priests he was thinking out loud.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    {You have passed the trials} he heard a voice in his head shocked he turned his head looking at the priest to his left he did not know how he knew it was him speaking he just knew.


    "But I didn''t do anything?" he asked confused by his answer.


    {Anyone who can return from the void with their mind intact is more than worthy of being a champion} the priest to his left spoke.


    {The gods test us in many ways young one even if it does not seem like you did much the fire blazing in your soul is unmistakable} The priest paused before continuing {Come we before it is too late} he said before the priests turned and started making their way out.


    He was still a bit dazed but did not wish to be left here alone he reluctantly followed them to the main hall of the temple.


    When they arrived at the main hall he saw the rest of the challengers their chatter filled the hall some had dejected looks on their faces while others seemed excited, they seemed to be waiting for the High priest to speak.


    As he made his way to the crowd the three priests went to their positions behind the high priest "Welcome back to the waking world young ones" he said with a kind smile.


    "To those who have succeded congratulations are in order and to those who have failed" his kind smile faded "You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting, you can make your way to the door" he paused giving a chance for the youths to leave and put emphasis on his words.


    After the last of the stragglers left there was only about thirty out of the two hundred left. "To those who remain the gods have put you through a test and you have been found worthy of the mantel of champions but this is merely the first step on your journey to becoming a true magus"


    he took a breath before continuing "From here you will be given a runic mirror that will help you on your journey it will show you your affinity, show you the progress of your cores and record the spells you have mastered so please form an orderly line and we will begin shortly"


    The youths formed a line in front of a table where a priest was sitting, Cornelius was still a bit dazed by the fact that he had succeeded so he was late falling in line and found himself at the very back he wasn''t bothered because it gave him time to observe the process.


    The youth that was first in line made his way to the table where the priest proceeded to prick his finger with a needle and let a drop of blood fall on a small handheld mirror with runic symbols on its frame when the blood fell on the mirror the runes lit up with a red light.


    "Stephen Douglas Affinity Flame of the howling wind" the priest announced, the youth held his head high in pride before making his way to the back of the hall.


    There wasn''t anything special after that until a young woman made her way to the priest she was wearing haggard clothing she had black hair with piercing blue eyes, for a second his heart sunk she reminded him of his mother.


    When her blood fell on the mirror the runes lit up a turquoise color, there was a look of surprise on the priest''s face before saying "Talia Affinity of the Nurturing Depths"


    Now Conrelius understood the priest''s surprise a healing affinity was exceedingly rare and one appeared in his Barony he had to secure her at all costs.


    Only Common affinities appeared after that such as fire, wind, water, and earth soon it was his turn, he walked up to the table stuck his hand out, and let the priest draw his blood when it fell on the mirror something strange happened the runes first lit up an abyssal black then shifted to a corrupted white.


    "Impossible" he heard the priest whisper under his breath "Cornelius von Amydros Affinity Star of the Twilight Abyss" shocked Cornelius looked at him with an incredulous expression.


    The silence was deafening for the first time in his life he realized how loud silence could really be it was only broken by the high priest "Wondrous not one but two Rare affinities in a single day the gods smile upon us this day" he said with a bright smile.

 Duty Bound Chapter 4

    Five years earlier¡­


    Sitting in a chair a young boy with ashen grey hair and sharp yellow eyes was procrastinating while doing his studies his mind was filled with childish dreams of becoming a champion and valiantly fighting for the dynasty vanquishing great evil, the thought brought a smile to Cornelius¡¯s face.


    Just then he heard a knock on his door ¡°Come in,¡± he yelled as he hastily pretended to be hard at work, his door opened and his father walked in.


    He was broad-shouldered with a strong chin, and stubble was visible on his face he had the same golden yellow eyes as his son he was a tall man 6ft2 in height his hair was a light grey almost white in color he was wearing his military uniform, it was grey in color the emblem of the Diyu dynasty embroidered on his chest the image of a lion with a snake in its mouth, on his shoulders where two stripes marking him a captain of the army.


    A frown found its way on Cornelius¡¯s face his father only wore his uniform when he went on deployments.


    Draken Amydros was a mighty man of great military renown, he was the Captain of the Slaughter force. His father made his way to Cornelius he bent down till he was at eye level with his son a stern expression on his face, Cornelius started worrying his father was usually a carefree person rarely had he seen him this serious, a worm of doubt formed inside his young heart.


    ¡°Son, your mother and I have been called to arms, the kingdom of Varda is trying to expand their borders again so we have been tasked to deal with them, I know it''s hard son but you have to be strong.¡± his father stated and encouraging smile on his ever stoic face.


    ¡°But Dad can¡¯t they send someone else, why does it always have to be you and Mom?¡± he pleaded with his father to no avail.


    ¡°Because we are strong son, we have a duty to protect that is the oath we swore, remember our code son ¡®Strength Beyond Measure¡¯ that is the Amydros way.¡± his father said before getting up and making his way out of the room.


    3 months later¡­


    There was a storm in the Amydros Barony a rare occurrence in the northern reaches of the Diyu Dynasty especially this close to the frozen plains.


    Cornelius was sitting in the lounge area enjoying the heat of the fire with a warm cup of tea, he just finished his tea when the doors to the lounge opened up and one of the maids barged in.


    ¡°You have a visitor m¡¯lord¡± she said as she bowed and let the man in.


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    The visitor was wearing full battle regalia of plate mail he held his helmet by his side, he was an older man with scars running through his face some grey mixing in with his raven black hair.


    ¡°I bring news from the border young lord,¡± he paused as if to collect his thoughts before continuing ¡°Your parents have passed¡±.


    At that moment his world fell, at first he thought it was some cruel joke but the seriousness it had been stated with made him believe it was true. A deep pain blossomed inside him ¡®No that can''t be true his parents were the strongest people he knew there is no way that it is true¡¯ he thought.


    As if sensing his doubt the old man said ¡°Their squadron had been ambushed as they were making their retreat, your parents held them off for as long as they could giving their soldiers a chance to escape but in the end, they fell¡± the man''s voice trembled as he said the last part.


    That was the first day he had met Samien but also the day his world had fallen apart.


    Present day¡­


    It had been a week since the Awakening not much had happened since then he had mostly been preparing for the journey to come, The Champions only really had two choices and one was only reserved for nobles and affluent merchants those who had wealth could attend the great academies and embark on the journey to become magi.


    This option was out of his reach although he was a noble he was not very wealthy therefore he only had one option, to join the militia of course as a noble with an aspect that would give him a certain level of prestige.


    But even that was limited because actions and contributions would weigh more in the eyes of his future superiors, so he had been preparing this was also the fastest route to strengthen his house for there was no shortage of wars in the Alban Continent.


    He had just finished packing when Samien made his way inside his room. ¡°Young master it is time,¡± he said with a somber tone.


    Looking up at him Cornelius sighed as he gave one final look at his room, it had once belonged to his parents but as the master of the house, it was now his.


    He sighed again before saying ¡°Let¡¯s go¡±


    The closest military outpost was the fortress of Frozen Dreams, it was situated at a clearing near the top of the mountain pas the only way to pass the mountain without having to brave the dangers of the underground caverns.


    It took two days to travel there by horse, when they arrived Cornelius got out of the carriage and took in the Frozen Hand in all its icy glory.


    It was a truly massive chain of mountains and home to many harrowing monsters but they lived near the top of its icy peaks.


    Breathing in the chilly mountain air, the biting cold made him shiver so he brought his fur cloak closer to his body. Looking up he saw the ancient fortress of Frozen Dreams it was made of the same black marble as is common within his Barony, the roofs covered in snow its massive walls looked like they were built to keep giants out for they stood at an impressive 12ft tall.


    He turned his head and thanked his driver before making his way toward the fortress''s mighty gates, two guards were standing guard seemingly unbothered by the terrible cold, There were archers on the walls as well ¡®It seems well fortified¡¯ Well of course it was.


    The guards stopped him and asked in an even tone ¡°State your name and business¡±.


    ¡°Champion Cornelius von Amydros here to comply with the imperial decree, as is my duty,¡± he said in a flat tone, he did not feel in the mood to engage in pleasantries perhaps it was just the cold, or perhaps he was just tired either way he did not care.


    The guard simply nodded and motioned him to go through the mighty steel gates, and he did just that looking at the cobbled road he noticed that it was slightly deteriorated from years of soldiers marching on these roads.


    As he made his way to the fortress he noticed a large training ground where soldiers and trainees alike were put through many different drills and exercises.


    The fortress itself was truly a sight to behold just like most of the structures of his barony it was of gothic design with gargoyles adorning its walls the intricacy of its design made his eyes widen in awe.

 Training Chapter 5

    As he made his way through the training grounds he heard a yell from behind ¡°You in the fur coat what are you doing?¡± he turned around, and the man who was yelling at him was the drill sergeant. He wasn''t a man of large stature but he had quite an imposing presence.


    He wore a black cloak made from the fur of a monster, underneath he wore padded armor to protect him from the cold with chainmail over it.


    ¡°The name is Cornelius sir I''m here for the noblesse oblige,¡± he stated in an even tone.


    The Sergeant gave a menacing smile before saying ¡°Ah fresh blood I see¡± he said before turning to one of the trainees ¡°Thompson the young man to the Commander''s office so he can sign up, everyone else get your arses back to work.¡±


    One soldier separated himself from the training soldiers and made his way to Cornelius giving him a wide smile and extending his hand for a firm handshake, Cornelius of course complied returning the man''s smile with one of his own.


    ¡°Name¡¯s Thompson it''s a pleasure to meet you,¡± he said as he motioned him to follow.


    ¡°Cornelius and the pleasure is all mine,¡± he said as he started to follow. Thompson was an absolute giant of a man standing at 6ft5 he towered over Cornelius, he had unruly blonde hair and subtle grey eyes he wore the padded armor white in color marking him as a recruit.


    ¡°So what made you want to join the cause?¡± Thompson asked in an effort to make small talk,


    ¡°Well as a champion I did not have much of a choice, I figured I would rather go voluntarily.¡±


    Hearing that Thompson''s eyes widened ¡°A Champion you say what affinity did you get?¡± he asked curiously his eyes glowing with curiosity.


    ¡°Star of the Twilight Abyss whatever that means,¡± hearing this Thompson¡¯s brow raised before he started laughing.


    ¡°Oh that is a good one, but no seriously what affinity did you get,¡± he asked again.


    ¡°I am not joking that is what the priests called it, though I have no idea what it does,¡± he responded his annoyance clear in his voice.


    Thompson gave him a measuring look before responding ¡°Well it definitely sounds impressive I myself only got an augmentation affinity, it makes me stronger and I can even make myself taller.¡±


    Cornelius observed the cobbled floor made from black marble showing clear signs of deterioration even the walls were showing signs of dilapidation. The walls were hardly decorated showcasing that the commander was a man of practicality above all else. The few decorations that were present were depictions of battles against the savages of the frozen plain. Cornelius had zoned out but when he came to he was standing in front of an unadorned door at the very heart of the Fortress.


    ¡°Well this is my stop, I better get back before Sergeant Myers gives me a punishment it was nice to meet you, Cornelius, and good luck,¡± he said before turning back the way they had come.


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    ¡°Wait, what do you mean good luck?¡± Cornelius shouted back to him but he was already out of earshot.


    He took a deep breath before knocking on the door ¡°Enter¡± a deep voice said from the other side, he opened the door and made his way in looking around the office he saw a desk of ebony wood with stacks of paper orderly placed on it there were two chairs in front of the desk and behind it sat a domineering man with black hair he had a goatee with the edges of his mustache curled upward.


    His uniform was immaculately straightened not a single crease visible on it, it fit his muscular frame perfectly, he wore a trench coat with the coat of arms embroidered on his chest he had a stern expression on his face his hazel eyes mirroring the horrors he had seen in his time in service.


    Cornelius had not realized that he was holding his breath until he started getting dizzy so he slowly exhaled ¡°Champion Cornelius here for the recruitment¡± he said his voice betraying his nervousness.


    The Commander silently observed him causing Cornelius to shift nervously on his feet his discomfort growing ¡°Well what are you waiting for take a seat,¡± he said motioning to one of the chairs in front of the desk.


    Cornelius sat down in front of the commander before the commander continued ¡°Do you understand what will be required of you as a soldier in our garrison,¡± he asked raising his brow questioningly.


    ¡°Yes sir, the duty of the soldiers in the fortress of Frozen Dreams is to defend against the yearly raids of the savages of the plain and to deal with the monster hordes that frequent the plains,¡± Cornelius said trying to keep the nervousness out of his voice.


    ¡°Then there is no need to explain, now you said you were a champion, have you received training yet?¡± he asked questioningly.


    ¡°No sir I have not received any training yet,¡± he said matter of factly.


    ¡°Then on top of your normal training you will spend your evenings with Captain Zagreus he will teach you how to harness your power, now make your way back to the training grounds you are already late.¡± The commander stated before going back to his paperwork.


    Cornelius got up from his seat and made his way back to the training grounds, the soldiers were running laps. The drill sergeant looked at him for a second ¡°Fall in recruit¡± he yelled.


    So Cornelius did just that they ran for 5 lapses before doing strength training, when they were truly tired only then did they start swinging their swords some wielded spears others had glaves. Their arms were tired so every swing was like hell, only after 2 more hours of training were they finally allowed to stop.


    ¡°That is enough for now maggots get to the bath and make your way to the mess hall,¡± the Drill sergeant said ¡°You,¡± he said pointing at Cornelius ¡°Follow me I will take you to Captain Zagreus,¡± he said before turning around and walking away.


    He took Cornelius to the western side of the fortress to a small room with some chairs haphazardly placed around inside was man straight from a fairy tale he had delicate features and a face that would make women fall to their knees by just seeing him,  he had blonde hair with icy blue eyes.


    He looked Cornelius up and down a look of disdain appearing in his eyes he did not even bother hiding it. ¡°So you are the wasterel im supposed to teach, I am Captain Zagreus,¡± he said his apprehension clear in his voice.


    ¡°State your name and affinity and we will begin,¡± the captain said.


    ¡°My name is Cornelius and my affinity is the Star of Twilight Void,¡± he said matching his so-called teacher''s apprehension he was the embodiment of the people Cornelius hated most a pretentious noble who sees everything as beneath him.


    ¡°Ah so you are the wonderboy I have heard so much about but do not for a second think that you are special, on that note let us begin, sit in the middle of the circle,¡± he said pointing to the runic circle on the floor.


    Cornelius did as he was asked and then sat in the lotus position in the middle of the circle, ¡°This runic circle will allow you to feel the mana of the world, we humans are not naturally attuned to mana so until you learn to control it will we use this crutch,¡± he imbued his mana into the runes causing them to start glowing with a faint ethereal light.


    The reaction was almost immediate he could feel it, it was almost like an ethereal mist flowing on his skin. ¡°That mist that you feel is the ambient mana, the first step is to try and coerce it inside of your body and make it flow like a whirlpool,¡± Captain Zagreus stated in a teacherly voice.


    He put all his effort into trying to force the mana inside of him but it hardly even moved, ¡°Do not force the mana to move you must convince it, mana is somewhat sentient so it feels intent,¡± Captain Zag said.


    Changing his approach he mentally tied coercing the mana with sweat promises and finally a change happened the mana started to respond it slowly started to make its way inside of him, suddenly he felt energized all his fatigue from training vanished he felt stronger than ever before.


    His skin started to glow a soft white looking almost like glowing porcelain.

 Chapter 6: Wrath

    Four years earlier¡­


    It was Cornelius¡¯s eleventh birthday but he was not happy he was filled with a strange melancholy for this was the first birthday he would spend without his parents. As the new lord of Amydros he had duties to his barony and vassals, his family estate was buzzing with the sound of busy servants for tonight a banquet would be held in his honor.


    But Cornelius couldn''t care less, he was standing in front of his mirror while Bernard his personal servant was dressing him. He was dressed lavishly in silken robes in the family colors of black and red, if he was being honest he hated it. He hated the fact that he was expected to appease the people in his parent''s stead, he hated the fact that the lesser nobles of his barony all tried to exploit him.


    Bernard had finished dressing him and was looking at his handiwork ¡°Thank you Bernard you are excused,¡± He said. Bernard bowed to him before making his exit. Cornelius sighed again looking at his face much had changed since that dreaded day, the childish innocence had all but left his eyes replaced by a smoldering wrath most nobles could no longer look inside of his eyes.


    He had grown by a few centimeters as well, now he was as tall as most adult men. He emanated a sense of maturity, his once vibrant yellow eyes had grown darker whether due to his wrath or due to him growing up he did not know.


    Sighing again he knew he could not hide in his room all day so he left his room and made his way to the banquet hall, he passed many servants preparing for the banquet they all wore the black and red of his family. When he arrived inside the hall he noticed that some nobles had already arrived, after his entrance, the guests turned to him, and the first to approach was Alister of House Douglas he was a baronet obsessed with the elevation of his house needless to say he was a shady character.


    ¡°Ah, Lord Cornelius may I be the first to congratulate you on your birthday,¡± he said with a slimy smile. Lord Alister was a portly man his belly protruding over his belt he was of short stature. His Thin brown hair was already balding, his smile did not reach his eyes a clear sign of false sincerity.


    ¡°Lord Alister, I thank you for coming I hope you enjoy the festivities,¡± Cornelius said with a forced smile the wrath in his eyes only growing. As he said that he continued to make his way to the end of the hall where his throne was located, it was an extremely ornate chair the base was made from Valkyrian Steel it was dark grey steel with a slight red sheen, while the seat itself was made from a red silken pillow and backrest. The chair was designed to depict the dragon House Amydros was known for. He finally arrived and took a seat on the way he exchanged pleasantries with his other guests.


    The hall itself had two long tables with a large variety of food laid out, he as the lord of the house sat on his throne by his lonely, and a smaller table was situated in front of him food and whine laid out, the food was a variety of roasted chicken, boar and cow with vegetables as a filler.


    The Banquet was beginning, Samien was standing at the door of the hall announcing the guests as they entered ¡°Baron Dreadus of House Laerd accompanied by Lady Suzan and their daughter Lady Lou-ann¡± he heard Samien announce before a family entered they bowed to Cornelius as a sign of respect and found appropriate seating befitting their rank.


    The lesser nobles sat at the far end of the table while those of higher rank sat closer to Cornelius. ¡°Dutchess Avory of House Moon and her daughter Lady Prudence,¡± Samien announced. The House of Moon had always had a good relationship with the House of Amydros so their presence was to be expected, Cornelius rose from his throne to personally welcome them. As they reached he gave a low bow befitting someone of their status and smiled, The Dutchess and her daughter were truly a sight to behold with their blonde hair and purple eyes marking them as cousins of the royal family for they were the only ones who had purple eyes.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    ¡°My lady,¡± he said turning to Lady Avory ¡°It is good that you could make it to something as insignificant as this,¡± he said while gesturing to the hall.


    ¡°Nonsense, How Could I miss the birthday of my favorite nephew,¡± she said while waving away the notion as if it were nonsensical. ¡°I am sure you remember my daughter, Prudence,¡± she said while gesturing to her daughter who gave a light curtsey.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Cornelius replied matching her courtesy with a bow of his own. ¡°I do hope you enjoy the festivities but I am afraid that duty calls,¡± he bowed again about to make his way back to his throne but Lady Avory grabbed his arm, her face turning serious for a second the wrath in his eyes grew but he corrected himself before she noticed. ¡°We have some things to discuss, it is one of the reasons I chose to attend,¡± she said her voice turning cold, causing the fire in his heart to rise.


    ¡°If it is alright with Milady we can have said discussion a bit later in the evening for now I still have a responsibility to my other guests,¡± he said his tone even not betraying the wrath he was hiding inside. The answer seemed acceptable as she nodded and allowed him to return to his throne. At the same time, they made their way to the edge of the table to the left.


    ¡°Third Prince Shtad Commander of the First Legion, The holy blade of the Empire from the Royal House of Photizo,¡± Samien announced before continuing ¡°Fourth Princess Abigail from the Royal House of Photizo,¡± there was a lull in the crowd after the announcement, no one had expected royalty to show up.


    When they entered everybody including Cornelius rose from their seats and bowed to the royals. Cornelius left his table to welcome them the shock apparent on his face. When he reached them he bowed low ¡°Your Highness I must say I am shocked by your appearance here today,¡± he said in an even tone. ¡°Why are we not welcome?¡± The prince raised a brow his tone questioningly.


    Cornelius¡¯s face paled when he said that. ¡°No, no you are always welcome I merely meant that it was unexpected,¡± he said explaining himself, which caused the princess to laugh a little while the corners of the prince¡¯s mouth rose slightly. Cornelius realized that they had made a fool of him his wrath rose once again.


    The prince¡¯s blonde hair was a light blonde almost white color his purple eyes so vibrant they looked quite majestic, he was a stoic man with strong features he had a muscular frame proof of his military might. While his sister was younger looking to be about the same age as Cornelius himself she was far more delicate looking than her brother but the fierceness of her gaze matched her brothers. She had white hair wearing an elegant floral dress of a blue and golden color.


    ¡°We merely came to pay our respects to the new Lord of Amydros,¡± he paused ¡°I knew your father he was a great man my condolences,¡± he said the last part in a somber tone. The Slaughter Force was a part of the first Legion so his father had worked under Prince Shtad. His wrath had almost reached a breaking point.


    ¡°We also have other business to discuss with you but that is a concern for later for now let us enjoy the festivities,¡± Prince Shtad said. Since Cornelius had not expected royalty to show up he did not have appropriate seating for them, so he gave up his throne to the Prince and ordered the servant to bring two extra seats for him and the princess.


    Two more hours had passed when all of the guests had finally arrived, as Lord he was expected to make a speech for this was his Banquet. He rose from his seat with a wine glass and a spoon in his hand, he tapped the glass with the spoon causing a clinking sound before clearing his throat to silence the crowd. With all the eyes now focused on him his anxiety rose ¡°First and foremost I would like to welcome everyone and thank you all for coming,¡± he said before pausing ¡°The House of Amydros is a house of great history we have left our mark upon our great empire, we have fought in every war this Dynasty has ever faced and we have continued to honor our word and oaths to this empire and it¡¯s royal family,¡± he said nodding toward the prince and princess ¡°Today I announce that it will not change, as the lord of Amydros I will uphold the standard that has been established by my forefathers and strive for the heavens once more, just as assured that the dragon will rise so shall my house soar once more,¡± he said the last part no longer holding his wrath back ¡°To those who have ill will towards my house I will burn you with dragons fire to those who think they can take that which is mine your death will be brutal or my name is not Cornelius of House Amydros, the dragon ascends once more,¡± his tone had reached a new precipice turning low and deep devoid of any emotion except for wrath.


    His blood felt like it was on fire, steam was visibly rising from his skin his eyes shone with a golden radiance his pupils had slit almost serpentine-like smoke had risen from his mouth and nostrils, those who had witnessed it would forever swear it was no mere eleven-year-old standing there but a young dragon whose fury knew no bounds.

 Chapter 7: Eye of the Storm

    The banquet had reached a bit of a lull after Cornelius¡¯s outburst, but after a while it got back to its former boisterous atmosphere. The servants had brought out the alcohol, so the nobles had already started to get drunk.


    ¡°Excuse me your highness, I have some business to attend to,¡± Cornelius said with a polite bow to the royals. They responded with a slight nod so Cornelius made his way down from the podium and approached the Dutchess Avory. She was currently talking to Lord Jansen of Bramm a Marqui of the western quadrant, he was a stout man of short stature with long hazel hair flowing down to his back he was wearing a simple but elegant dress robe green in color.


    As Cornelius approach he heard a part of their conversation ¡°Lady Avory your dukedom has truly been blessed by the gods these past years,¡± Lord Jansen said with a boisterous smile, he was one of those religious fenatics who had more faith than brains, ¡®the gods would not save him¡¯.


    Cornelius thought he had a personal grudge against Lord Jansen for it was partly his foolishness that caused the death of his parents. His wrath grew but he chose to ignore it.


    He had realized many moons ago that he had awakened the first patriarch¡¯s bloodline, it was shortly after the death of his parents death that he had first set his heart ablaze. Since then the Dragon within his soul had its clutches on his heart, for if he was not careful he would lose himself to the dragon so he had to be careful.


    Lady Avory had already noticed his presence at this point ¡°Lord Jansen it seems I have a meeting with Lord Cornelius so if you''ll excuse me,¡± Lord Avory stated before she started following Cornelius. He led her to his office at the third floor of his estate, he led her up stairs and through hallways. At some point when they were walking through the banquet hall Lady Prudence had joined her mother in following Cornelius.


    When they reached the door of his office he led them inside, its interior had a large desk with the documents regarding the responsibilities of his house strewn about, there were three chairs one behind the desk and two Infront of it the walls were adorned with bookshelves and an impressive collection of monster skulls. Cornelius took his seat behind his desk while the two ladies sat adjacent to him.


    ¡°You said that you have something to discuss Lady Avory?¡± Cornelius asked politely.


    ¡°Indeed I do Lord Cornelius, Its is in regards to the future of our Houses,¡± She said in a calm tone keeping her composure. Cornelius rose a brow at her statement.


    ¡°In what sense do you mean Lady Avory?¡± he asked curiously not fully understanding what she meant.


    ¡°Our families have been allies since the dawn of the Dynasty, even after the fall of House Amydross we have remained. I do think that it is time our Houses become one do you not,¡± she asked inquisitively.


    It took a second to realize what she meant, he blushed slightly ¡°Although I am flattered Lady Avory but I fail to see the advantage this would bring you, to me it seems like a one-sided arrangement?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Although my house is powerful, we do not have a true bloodline such as yours. Tonight has proved that you have awakened said bloodline, the first in three decades. It is more of a long-term investment you see,¡± she answered.


    ¡°Then what exactly are you proposing?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I am proposing an engagement with my youngest daughter Prudence.¡± she said nonchalantly.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    This time it was Prudence¡¯s turn to raise a brow but she chose to remain silent. Cornelius took some time before he answered. ¡°And how would that work because I refuse to give up my House name as is custom,¡± In the Diyu a marriage between nobles it is the one of higher ranks surname that is used.


    ¡°And I would never ask that you do, so the compromise I came up with is that your second and fourth born would be the ones to retain my House name, This way thee bloodline can be passed on to the house of Moon all the while the house Amydros remains, a good compromise don''t you think?¡± she said the last part as a question.


    At this point Prudence had become beet red from embarrassment but she tried and failed to regain her former composure. "It is indeed a good compromise, let it be known the House of Amydros will join the House of Moon in this sacred union, for if it was not for your assistance my House would be no more,¡±


    As a noble concepts such as marrying out of love was foreign and often looked down upon by other nobles, if there was nothing to gain there would be no interest. Besides this arrangement was perfect for Cornelius it would be an advantages union for both sides so it was the logical decision.


    Cornelius stood up and bowed to Lady Avory and said ¡°Let me not keep you from the festivities any longer.¡±


    He made his way back towards the hall and beckoned the royals to follow him towards his office once there he cut straight to business for he had no love for the Royal Family.


    ¡°So what is it that you wanted to speak of your highness?¡± he asked all emotion gone from his voice his eyes had turned cold for he no longer kept up appearance.


    ¡°I do not know if you are aware but my father is not in good health, although we have tried to keep it under wraps it has already caused division within the Royal family and the circle of nobles it is a race for succession,¡± he paused his voice just as emotionless as Cornelius¡¯s ¡°Therefore we need to assemble allies and as one of the most ancient houses we have come to you.¡¯


    ¡°You are either a fool or extremely desperate to have come to me, your elder brother Caspien the fist prince is clearly already in favor of the succession, unless you have a plan you are doomed to fail.¡± his voice had somehow grown even colder.


    ¡°A keen observation Lord Cornelius you are truly wise beyond your years,¡± princess Abigail said in a soft tone.


    ¡°Flattery will not help you here,¡± Cornelius cut her off before she could continue.


    A smile broke out on prince Shtad¡¯s face ¡°So the rumors were true, you are as cold as the frozen plains. Good we need not a fool, what we are proposing is simple you offer us your support in this battle for succession and we will in turn help you with reinstating your house,¡±


    ¡°And how do you intend to do that?¡± he asked genuine curiosity plain on his face.


    ¡°Simple actually, after we win the succession you will marry Princess Abigail.¡± he said that as if it was the most normal thing in the world.


    ¡°Ah I see unfortunately you are a bit late for I am already engaged to someone else,¡± this time it was the prince¡¯s turn to raise a brow.


    ¡°As interesting as that may be, the Nobless Druvol clearly states that in the case of a Nobleman who serves in war he is then allowed to have many wives in preservation of his bloodline,¡± Prince Shtad said his tone even.


    ¡°That may be, but we are not at war so the Nobless Druvol is null and void,¡± Cornelius rejected the idea swiftly.


    ¡°Word has not spread but within the next 6 years we will declare war on Varda and continue our expansion efforts so the accord will be in place.¡± the prince said.


    This was a shocking revelation for Cornelius but it also brought an emotion of vengeance to resurface into his cold heart. ¡°Then prince Shtad it seems we have reached an accord,¡± he stood up and shook his hand.


    Present day¡­


    It had been three weeks since he had join the Fortress of Frozen Dreams, in that time he had been through many trials and tribulations his mind, body and soul had been refined and honed into a weapon.


    He had made great progress on his magic with the help of Captain Zagreus even with his arrogant demeanor he was a competent teacher. He had finally accomplished the external control of his mana and found that his affinity could augment both his body and his weapons and armor, as well as having a side effect of spreading like some type of corruption on the living it gave of hints of madness while on the inanimate it would worm away their control until he was the one in control.


    He had made great improvements with his sword play, Sky Breaker had become comfortable in his hand he had gotten used to its weight, it drank his mana any time he tried to infuse it and strengthen it so he changed the approach by strengthening his arms instead. All in all he had become a weapon in every sense of the word.


    But soon all the new trainees would go through the trials to prove they are ready to join. The trials are renowned for being a truly harrowing experience and each trial was unique so no one had any prior knowledge of what they would face.

 Chapter 8: Test of the Mountain

    In the weeks Cornelius had spent in the fortress he had mostly kept to himself outside of his training he was not concerned with making friends, and this had given him a reputation of a lofty lord who thinks himself too good to keep peasant company. He knew of the rumors of course he just did not care, they could think what they wanted as long as they left him alone he was satisfied.


    One morning while he was going through the drills he was called to the commander''s office, partially confused he made his way there. In his time here he had learned a lot about his stoic commander, he was lord Zoan of House Hammerfront he was the second son so his elder brother had inherited the estate while he had established himself as a great soldier.


    Growing up he had heard many stories about the great Zoan Mountain Breaker, he was a hero of the Dynasty a legend in his own right. Who had not heard the stories of how he got his title, the man who had destroyed a mountain with his mighty hammer to repel the forces of the Holy Empire of Vael, his actions directly caused the peace treaty that had been established shortly there after.


    Reaching the door he knocked before entering ¡°You called for me sir,¡± he asked politely standing at attention.


    ¡°At ease soldier,¡± he said allowing Cornelius to take a more relaxed stance ¡°Take a seat,¡± he said motioning to a chair.


    He waited for Cornelius to sit before continuing ¡°Captain Zagrues says that you have made great progress in your magic, he also says that your affinity is uniquely suited to lead soldiers?¡± he said the last part questioningly.


    ¡°Yes sir, it seems my affinity is capable of augmenting others as well as myself giving an increase in both their physical and mental capabilities,¡± Cornelius stated.


    The commander seemed to be taking the information in ¡°Good that simplifies things, you are aware of the approaching trial but what you are not aware of is that it will be a team task, units will be comprised to tackle said tasks and we have determined that you are suited to be a unit leader,¡± the commander said.


    It took a while for Cornelius to respond he was deep in thought about what the commander had just said ¡°If I may ask sir, why me? I have shown nothing akin to leadership so why me?¡± he asked.


    ¡°You are correct in assuming that it is not just your affinity that made us choose you, but instead of me explaining it will be easier if you simply read this,¡± he said while handing him a letter bearing Prince Shtad¡¯s crest, the letter had already been opened so the wax seal was already broken.


    Opening the letter he read ¡®Commander our efforts have been going smoothly, the battle for succession seems to have reached a standstill for now. But that is merely temporary, within your garrison there is a soldier named Cornelius. He is an ally of the cause I ask not that you show him any favor merely that you put him in a position where he can stand out, he is not as simple as he seems so fret not, even without your intervention he would have gained infamy but we need to speed things up a bit.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Yours truly Prince Shtad.¡¯


    While he was reading he let go of his kind facade, the room itself seemed to have dropped in temperature to match the coldness of his gaze. When he finished reading the letter understanding dawned on him ¡°I see,¡± he said simply.


    He returned the letter to the commander bowed his head and left. No words were necessary the instruction was clear he needed to make himself stand out so that is what he would do.


    Another week passed before the trials officially began, that morning the trainees were called to the training grounds. Drill Sergeant Myers was waiting for them in the middle, while the other soldiers were standing around the edge of the training grounds with savage grins displayed on their faces. The trainees were visibly nervous, but Cornelius was strangely calm not even the dragon within his soul could disturb his calm.


    Only after all the trainees had fallen into rows standing at attention did the sergeant begin to speak ¡°The trial will not be easy many of you will die, but those who remain will be the best of the best. For a soldier can only be forge in the fires of combat,¡± his words caused a murmur within the trainees.


    ¡°The trails will be simple, you will be separated into units thus unit leaders will be selected. In the fields of combat, their word is law so they will be given the ability to enforce their laws, disobedience will not be tolerated as such it will be punished accordingly. Without further ado the captains will be selected first, the leader of the first unit will be Cornelius. The leader of the second unit will be Mathew and the leader of the third unit will be Leonard,¡± when Cornelius¡¯s name was mentioned some of the trainees cried out in outrage but a stern look from Sergeant Myers silenced them.


    It made sense that there were only three units as there were only thirty trainees at the fortress so each unit was comprised of ten trainees. As such the trainees were separated within the three units. ¡°For the trials, the three units will be placed at different intervals at the foot of the mountain on the side of the frozen plains, your goal will be simple you must return to the fortress within a week of your departure and bring back trophies of the beasts you have slain. Depending on your performance points will be given these points will dictate your score, there will be both an individual score and a unit score,¡± the sergeant said before motioning to the soldiers to begin.


    Three soldiers separated themselves from the crowd and made their way to one of the units each ¡°These soldiers will guide you to your starting positions, they will also be the ones to grade your performance do not speak to them do not approach them or there will be consequences,¡± he said with his steely gaze ¡°May the 57th trial of the mountain commence,¡±


    The soldiers who had previously been quiet, started chanting ¡®Glory, glory, glory to the mountain,¡¯ it was quite eery even Cornelius had to suppress a shiver as they were led outside of the fortress.


    The soldiers who had previously been quite started chanting ¡®Glory, glory, glory to the mountain,¡¯ it was quite eery even Cornelius had to suppress a shiver as they were led outside of the fortress.


    The trainees followed their guide diligently, Cornelius led at the front walking next to their guide. He was calmly composed, and his posture was impeccable as the leader of his unit he could not show fear so he led by example. The initial outrage his soldiers felt was slowly being replaced with understanding as they watched the back of the man who was supposed to lead them, they could not deny that he was one of the best trainees currently within the fortress, his swordsmanship was impeccable he was like a storm when he wielded his blade and his affinity made him even more fierce add that to his iron will he was a perfect choice.


    They were led all the way to the bottom of the mountain, and further still, the rolling hills of the Frozen plains passed them as they were brought by cart deep into the outskirts of the Frozen plains before they were dropped off, and their guide left them stranded. Thus, the Trial of the Mountain began.

 Chapter 9: Rise of the Dragon

    After they were dropped off at the rendezvous point they were left to their own devices, they left them south of the mountain. Nervous chatter filled the air, every so often they threw glances at Cornelius, he sighed and made his way in front of his unit ¡°Everyone huddles up,¡± he said in a nonsense tone. At first, they seemed reluctant but soon went to stand around him ¡°First matter of business we will all introduce ourselves and our specialties,¡± Cornelius said in a calm tone for he understood for his soldiers to respect him he must prove he is worthy of their respect.


    The first soldier to step up was none other than Thompson the burly trainee that had led him to the commanders office on the first day ¡°My name is Thompson I have an augmentation affinity and my main weapon is a battle axe,¡± he said before returning to his previous position.


    The next one to step up was a meek looking woman with light brown hair and hazel eyes, she wore light leather armor two daggers strapped to her sides ¡°My name is Halva I have a support affinity I can heal small wounds and can strengthen tools to some extent I wield two daggers,¡± She said before returning to her position.


    A stout man with a thick beard and bushy eyebrows he was bald with tattoos covering his naked head showing his barbarian heritage ¡°I am Strom Stonefinger I can shape the earth to my will and I wield my twin axes,¡± he said in a gruff tone he was short in stature.


    A lanky man made his way to the front he stared challengingly toward Cornelius, he matched his stare with one of his own the trainees witnessing his stare felt a shiver going down their spine from its sheer intensity. Needles to say it was the lanky man who broke eye contact first ¡°I am Leonidas of House Helios my affinity is that of the raging sun I control light and fire, I am a full castor so I wield no weapons,¡± he said in an arrogant tone.


    The other five were nothing impressive they were mere auromancers who used mana to give them a bit of an edge in the sense of making their blades sharper, nothing special. When the last trainee introduced themselves they all turned to Cornelius expectantly ¡°I am Cornelius of House Amydros and my affinity is that of an abyssal star I can augment myself and others both physically and mentally as well as create constructs of light my presence spreads a passive aura of madness to my enemies, I wield a longsword,¡± he said nonchalantly his gaze never leaving Leonidas.


    After hearing that Cornelius also had a light affinity Leonidas sneered and turned away ¡°The plan of action is simple we move in a wedge formation, I''ll be in the lead position Thompson and Strom will be behind me to my left, and right, Leonidas and Halva will be in the middle of the formation as our support. The rest will complete the formation if is that understood,¡± after receiving nods of understanding from his soldiers they moved out.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    The silence was deafening, the somber mood of his trainees concerned him so he let some of his mana seep out into the world toward his soldiers strengthening their minds and wills. The process of moving his mana felt like small embers traveling through his body exerting his will over the world, while moving his mana he heard the faint whispers of the void, he ignored it and continued moving.


    His mana had an almost immediate effect. He saw his soldiers relax somewhat yet still stay diligently alert. Two hours passed without incident until they discovered their first foe. It was a solitary wolflike monster with bones protruding from its emancipated flesh. Its fur was patchy, and it gave off the stench of rot.


    He motioned for his soldiers to stop. At first, they seemed confused, but when he signaled toward the wolf monster, they seemed to grimace in disgust. ¡°Thompson, with me, we''re going to pincer it. I''ll distract it from the front while you go around and attack it from the back,¡± he said. Thompson just nodded and made his way to his position.


    Cornelius moved they were moving in the opposite direction of the wind so the monster had not caught their scent.  For the first time in a long time, Cornelius let his wrath overcome him, his blood started boiling, his pupils slit turning snake-like and smoke started rising from his mouth and nostrils. Only then did the monster notice his approach, his soldiers watched the spectacle with wide eyes for they had never seen an awakened bloodline before.


    The monster growled at him as he drew near, but Cornelius did not care he was consumed by the cold wrath of the dragon residing within his very soul. A roar escaped his lipase before he pounced on the monster, Sky Breaker clutched tightly in his hands as he brought his sword down with all his awakened might, a loud crack resounded from the impact he had shattered one of the monster''s leg bones.


    Its eyes grew wide, realizing that resistance was futile so it tried to escape but Thompson was already in position and brought his battle axe down with devastating might, with a single swing of his axe he decapitated the monster. The axe blade went through its neck like a knife through butter, the spectacle was both beautiful and gruesome at the same time. A fountain of blood erupted from its now headless neck, the body twitched for a while before growing still.


    Cornelius took a breath to calm the raging emotions within his heart and lewt go of his semi transformation, the steam finally leaving his body his eyes turning back to normal. He took a step forward and staggered a little before he finally regained his composure, he turned back to his soldiers ¡°Someone collect the fangs as proof of our kill, after that we continue,¡± he said nonchalantly as if this was a minor thing.


    His soldiers looked at him for a second reverence, and fear clear in their eyes before they got to work dismantling the corpse, it did not take long before they were back on route to the mountain. They walked for another two hours before the sun started to set so they stopped to make camp, they cooked and ate the flesh of the monster they had killed the meat was tough and tasteless but they needed their strength for the days to come so they did what they had to.


    Cornelius had taken the first watch so he sat idly by the fire, carving a piece of wood with his knife he had no talent for it of course so it looked fairly shoddy. Disappointed he threw the piece of wood into the pyre and continued to observe his surroundings. He could hear the distant howl of monsters far away, most would be unnerved to be in a foreign place with monsters all around but Cornelius felt strangely tranquil.

 Chapter 10: Prisoner

    The shadows danced around the fire, Cornelius was entranced by the flickering of the flame as if trapped in an eternal dance he was mesmerized by its beauty. Like this, a few hours passed his arse began feeling numb from the long hours he had sat on an uneven boulder, he stood up to stretch his legs and let the blood flow in his legs return to normal.


    A rustling of leaves broke him out of his reverie, he turned his head in the direction of the noise his hand hovering over the hilt of his blade, this time it was the crunching of dried twigs that he heard. He let his mana flow to his eyes, he felt the fire in his veins spread from his diaphragm all the way to his eyes, they glowed an eery muddied golden color.


    As soon as the mana reached his eyes his vision shifted to the dark of the night replaced with the dimness of twilight, that is when he saw his would-be aggressor, a woman in dirty furs she was crouched with a simple stone dagger clutched between her fingers. He knew if he had not been aware that very dagger would have slit his throat, even with his mana-enhanced vision it was difficult to make out the details of her face.


    ¡®A Kalethi barbarian what are they doing this far south,¡¯ he thought before drawing his dagger he had already retreated to the darkness away from the light of the fire, so it was not hard to sneak up on his would-be aggressor. Although Cornelius was a swordsman he had been trained in many different forms of combat so as he snuck up to his enemy not a single noise could be heard, only the rustle of the leaves in the wind could be heard in the silence of the night.


    He channeled more mana into his muscles the fire in his veins growing more violent, but with the pain came strength, as he got into position behind the Kalethi woman his free hand grabbed her by the mouth while his dagger went to her throat. She did not get any chance to react before she was captured, she tried to resist but his man-enhanced muscles made his vice-like grip impossible for a mere human to break.


    ¡°Move and you die, resist and you die, nod your head if you understand,¡± he whispered in her ear, in his mana-enhanced state his senses had improved twofold he could almost smell her fear, and this brought a wry grin to appear on his face. She nodded her head in understanding ¡°Good, are you alone, nod your head once if yes and twice if no,¡± she nodded twice, but he could hear her heart rate increasing he knew it was a lie.


    He put more pressure on her neck, the blade biting into her flesh a trickle of blood running down her neck ¡°Do not lie to me barbarian, now drop your dagger or this night will be your last,¡± his voice was devoid of emotion, he felt the shiver running down her body before she dropped her flint dagger. ¡°Good,¡± he said simply, he moved the mana within his body once more the fire in his veins growing in intensity once more, the darkness of the night was broken by a blinding light as his magic made itself tangible forming a rope made of light restricting his prisoner.


    He got up from his crouching position a trickle of blood flowing from his lips, such was the price of magic his body was far from adapting to the magic humans were never meant to wield, only after constant use would his body become adapted to his power. The whispers of madness could be heard as his mana traveled through his veins, he looked at his prisoner as she was struggling against his magic bonds ¡°Resistance is futile barbarian,¡± his disdain was clear in his voice.


    He moved back to the fire where his travel bag lay next to the boulder he had sat on, once he reached the bag he took out a length of rope and tied his prisoner''s hands and feet before dragging her toward the fire. He unceremoniously dropped her next to the boulder and sat once again, the twilight of dawn was already approaching so he awoke his soldiers to prepare for the day''s journey.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    Once they were awake he threw dirt on the fire and fastened the sheath of his blade to his hip, his soldiers approached him they threw a questioning glance at the barbarian, she had already accepted her fate the resistance having left her green eyes, her hair an unruly mess of red.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Thompson asked he was clearly confused by the prisoner sitting at Cornelius¡¯s feet.


    ¡°She tried to slit your throats while you were sleeping, so I handled it,¡± Cornelius said not bothering to elaborate.


    ¡°That still does not explain why she still draws breath,¡± this time it was Leonidas who spoke up.


    ¡°When have you heard of a Kalethi that was captured alive?¡± Cornelius asked ¡°They would rather die than be captured, yet today one is bound at your feet, think just for a second the wealth of knowledge that she holds, these lands have not been conquered in all this time because we know not the dangers of the land, the harshness of the climate but now we have someone who grew up on these lands that knows its ins and outs,¡± he said his statement left his soldiers flabbergasted.


    ¡°If what you say is true then we stumbled on a goldmine,¡± Halva said understanding dawning on the faces of his soldiers.


    ¡°We have wasted enough time on this conversation, it is time we move on we are burning daylight,¡± Cornelius said as he started moving in the direction of the Frozen Hand his soldiers following closely behind, he had cut the rope binding his prisoner''s feet so she could walk the rope binding her hands was put in Strom¡¯s hands as he dragged her along.


    At noon on the second day they had reached the foot of the mountain, their journey so far had been somewhat safe as they hadn¡¯t encountered any more monsters besides the one on the first day, but they knew that safety was about to end as the mountain was wrought with danger.


    ¡°We continue to move in wedge formation, everyone to your positions and stay alert,¡± Cornelius ordered his soldiers. ¡°Strom give the rope to Halva she will be responsible for the prisoner from now on,¡±.


    The soldiers followed his orders without hesitation once they were ready they started to ascend the mountain path, the black marble of the mountain covered in snow a sign of the approaching winter a cold breeze blew down from the mountain making the soldiers wrap their cloaks tighter around their freezing bodies.


    They climbed for another two hours before they found a small indent in the mountain ¡°We make camp here Leonidas prepare the fire Strom Make a wall around the perimeter to protect from the cold everyone else start making camp I will start interrogating our prisoner,¡± Cornelius said a cold look flashing in his eyes.


    He took the rope from Halva and dragged his prisoner to the back of the indent, and dropped her on the rough uneven stone she winced in pain after hitting her elbow on the stone ¡°Dro hak no stra vola,¡± she spat in a venomous tone (May the hunt take you, you honorless dog) she spoke in the Kalethi tongue.


    ¡°The hunt will not come for me this day outcast of the Kalethi,¡± he spoke in her people¡¯s tongue surprise appeared in her eyes as she heard this.


    ¡°You speak our tongue yet you are not Kalethi,¡± she asked her confusion evident in her tone.


    ¡°How do you know of my dishonor man from beyond the mountain?¡± suspicion appeared in her green eyes.


    ¡°I know your tongue because I was once trained by a Kalethi man, I know of your dishonor for the Kalethi never hunt alone yet you did which tells me you are an outcast, a true Kalethi hunter would have never accepted defeat nor capture they would have rather accepted death,¡± Cornelius spoke in an even tone.


    Anger appeared in her eyes ¡°You claim to be trained by a Kalethi, but as you said they would rather die than accept such dishonor so speak truth man from beyond the mountain,¡±.


    ¡°Whether you believe me or not it matters little you are my prisoner so you are in no position to make demands, so tell me from which tribe do you hail?¡± he asked his tone making it clear he was in no mood for unnecessary words.


    ¡°And why would I tell you?¡± She said in a defiant tone.


    ¡°Because if you do not you will experience pain beyond your imagination because what will await you is a dishonorable death so your ancestors will not welcome you in the eternal hunt and only the void will embrace you,¡± the Kalethi believed that if they died in an honorable manner their ancestors would welcome them to the eternal hunt something all Kalethi strived for was an honorable death what Cornelius had said the fate he promised her was the worst thing that could happen to a Kalethi warrior to die without honor like a dog in the mud.

 Chapter 11: Danger on the Horizon

    The Kalethi woman looked at Cornelius with hatred in her eyes ¡°You have no honor,¡± she spat at his face. Cornelius wiped the spit off of his cheek and backhanded the Kalethi woman ¡°Do that again and you will lose a finger,¡± he said his voice as cold as the frozen peaks.


    Getting up from his crouched position he made his way to the fire, his breath was visible in the cold. His soldiers were huddled around the fire, the sound of chatter, the howling of the wind, and the crackling of the fire could be heard as he made his approach.


    He sat down on a stone bench that Strom had summoned for the soldiers and sat next to Thompson, he nodded toward his soldiers and stared into the fire. ¡°Who do you think will win the challenge of the mountain?¡± one of the soldiers asked.


    ¡°Who else but our leader, no one can match his blade nor his might,¡± another said matter of factly.


    ¡°You are crazy if you think Mathew the leader of the second unit will lose, he is the Blue Blade, a legend in the tournaments of the capital,¡± another replied.


    Cornelius having grown tired of listening, got up and told Thompson to take first watch, he was finally going to get some shut-eye.


    (In his dream)


    Cornelius found himself standing on an uneven hill, the stench of rot and copper filled the air looking around he realized he was not standing on a hill but a mountain of corpses. He shifted his gaze up he found himself on a bloody battlefield, corpses littered the ground in the dozens, rivers of blood were flowing on the mud, and a shiver went down his spine from the sheer brutality of what he saw.


    He heard the caw of a crow from above, carrion birds like crows and vultures were having a feast on this graveyard. The sound of footsteps made him turn around, standing amidst a true mountain of corpses was a man with snow-white hair, and eyes as black as the abyss from which his power came, he wore armor as black as onyx with a blade that seemed to eat the light around it.


    The man lifted his head and looked directly at Cornelius his eyes were like two abysses, and a shiver ran down his spine, goosebumps marking his flesh, that was the first time Corneliu had felt true unbridled fear. ¡°It is not yet your time,¡± his voice was like hundreds of voices speaking at once, it thundered with barely restrained power, and with a flick of this stranger¡¯s hand, Cornelius awoke from his strange dream.


    He was drenched in sweat from head to toe, he felt something wet running down his cheek, touching it with his finger he saw that it was blood leaking from his left eye. Another shiver ran down his spine, looking around he saw that the sun had only just started rising, the fire had died out sometime in the night only the embers of the coals produced a soft glow.


    Cornelius sighed he did not have the time to ponder on his strange dream so he got up from his bedroll and started to wake his soldiers they had a long day ahead of them.


    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    They had been climbing the mountain for three hours before something happened, they had been moving along the rocky path when a strange monster barred their path it was a large humanoid ape covered in white fur, it had large yellow teeth and steely blue eyes, it was 9ft tall towering over the soldiers with it teeth barred.


    Cornelius quickly commanded his soldiers to form a square with the shield bearers at the front and the spearman standing close behind them, he ordered Strom to summon a wall of stone around their flanks and Leonidas to shoot it with a ball of raging fire.


    The fireball only singed the beast¡¯s fur and seemed to enrage it further, it was still a hundred paces from them but its roar was deafening. Realizing that his initial plan would not work he told Thompson to follow him as the second strongest in his unit and Leonidas to cover them. He and Thompson were making their way to the white ape they both enhanced themselves with mana, Cornelius could feel the fire coursing through his veins as he enhanced his muscles and went even further to enhance Thompson as well, he let his wrath free and steam started rising from his body, his pupils had slit and his nails had turned to black claws.


    Enhanced by both his mana and his bloodline he felt like a god trapped in mortal flesh, but he knew that in reality one wrong move and he would be nothing more than a smear of blood on the wall. ¡°You go high I go low,¡± he said to Thompson just before they arrived at the monster.


    And true to his words he struck with a horizontal slash at the monster''s legs, Sky Breaker whistling as it traveled through the air, and when it struck the monster¡¯s flesh he felt a great resistance even after all the enhancements he had put his body through a swing with all his monstrous power behind it barely left a scratch on the monster¡¯s hide.


    For the second time that day, he felt fear, Thompson¡¯s swing had not even reached its mark before the monster swatted him away like you would an annoying bug, and he was flung back into the line of shield bearers knocked unconscious from the blow. Realizing that they would not win this fight Cornelius was faced with a difficult decision either fight and cause the death of his soldiers or retreat and be hunted by it instead.


    He wracked his brain for a solution as he was dodging the monster''s attacks it might be strong but it was still slower than Cornelius, That¡¯s when it hit him earlier they had encountered a crossroad, if his soldiers retreated while he distracted the monster they had a chance to escape because it was far easier for a single man to avoid the detection of the beast hunting him than it was for a group. With his mind made up he shouted ¡°Soldiers retreat! Go to the crossroads and follow the other path, I will distract the monster while you make your escape, Strom you are in charge while I am gone!¡±


    His soldiers had troubled looks on their faces, they did not like the fact that they were essentially leaving him there to die but they followed his orders nonetheless ¡°May the gods have mercy on his soul,¡± a few of them whispered under their breath.


    They threw a final glance at the man who was giving his life for them before they finally retreated. Looking over his shoulder at the backs of his leaving soldiers he breathed a sigh of relief for he had no more need to hold back his power, the steam rising from his body grew in intensity as he grew larger, small scales appearing in patches on his skin, two nubs appeared on his forehead.


    He was unleashing the full might of his bloodline, the final ace up his sleeve. The battle grew in intensity, the wounds he inflicted were still shallow but the once pristine white coat of the monster now had patches of red from its own blood. The monster roared in outrage its wounds freezing over, its eyes glowing an eery blue as mana surged from its body, Cornelius recognizing the danger he was in quickly dodged to the right just before the monster paw covered in ice smashed into the place his head had been previously.


    Whipping the sweat from his brow, he knew he would not last much longer, his mana was almost depleted and his muscles ached from the strain of using his bloodline at its full capacity, he did something most would consider stupid. With the last vestiges of his mana, he poured it all into Sky Breaker to make it as sharp as possible before charging at the monster, and with a sideways swing he brought his blade down on the paw of the monster, his blade met no resistance as it went all the way through severing its hand. With his mana completely depleted and his bloodline almost running out he dashed underneath the monster''s legs and made a run for it.


    From behind him, he heard the monster howled in pain, but he did not focus on it all unnecessary thoughts left his mind as he ran. He did not know for how long he ran but the sun had already set when he finally collapsed on the snow incapable of running any further.

 Chapter 12: Lord of the Mountain

    (In Cornelius¡¯s dream)


    He was running in the snow, a large monster chasing him, he did not know for how long he was running, he just knew that the monster was drawing ever closer. So he ran like the wind even when his muscles gave in he kept on running, when his fingers gave to the frostbite he kept on running, yet the monster never gave in to its pursuit. All that was around him was the whiteness of the snow and the black of the rock, the cold was biting his skin like small needles being stabbed into him constantly, eventually, even the cold ceased and all that remained was numbness.


    Finally, his body gave in and he could run no more, he collapsed into the snow, his entire body numb from the cold, he knew that this would be his end as the monster had finally caught up to him. It was a behemoth of fur and ice, its face contorted in anger as it looked down at Cornelius, it reached down and picked him up, it brought him to its face and roared, spit flying in his face its putrid breath assaulting his nostrils, it brought him to its mouth and he heard a sickening crunch as it bit off his hand yet he did not feel anything accept the numbness he had grown accustomed to.


    (Outside Cornelius¡¯s dream)


    The ape had caught up to his unconscious body, red blood coated its once pristine white coat, and the place where its hand had once been was replaced with a block of red ice in the shape of a morning star, spikes adorning its surface. The beast stood there for a while looking down at the insignificant prey that had taken its hand, just as it was about to devour its prey a shadow fell from high above, blocking out the sun, a truly monstrous roar shook the mountain causing avalanches to appear all around the mountain range.


    All around the mountain both monsters and people alike looked to the sky in fear, Cornelius¡¯s unit looked back and saw a truly massive hegemon of the mountain fly above, it had two powerful wings flapping in the wind, and its two hind legs were adorned with sharp claws that could tear a man in two, and its head was adorned with a crown of horns. ¡°A wyvern,¡± the Kalethi woman whispered as she shivered in fear, goosebumps running along her skin,


    Commander Zoan was sitting at his desk doing paperwork when he heard the mighty roar looking to the north he whispered ¡°It seems someone has awoken the lord of the mountain, fools,¡±


    The roar caused the monstrous ape to run away in fear completely forgetting about its prey, in the preservation of its life. The mighty wyvern known as the Lord of the Mountain landed above the unconscious body of Cornelius, it leaned its head down and sniffed, recognition appearing in its eyes as it moved and picked him up with one of its hind legs with the care one would use when handling a newborn, it flapped its mighty wings and flew up the the peak of the mountain in a cave where its lair was.


    (Cornelius POV)


    Cornelius awoke screaming, the last thing he remembered was the monster biting off his hand sp he patted himself looking for wounds he saw that he still had his left hand, realizing that it was just a dream he sighed in relief.


    He quickly jumped to his feet looking at his surroundings he saw that he was no longer on the treacherous slope of the mountain but instead, he found himself in an icy cave, in a nest of sorts with a single egg lying next to him. He shivered realizing he was in a monster''s nest, he continued looking around and saw a truly massive statue made of ice depicting a dragon-like creature with two wings and two hindlegs the details of its scales would put even the greatest of sculptors to shame, looking up he realized it was no statue but a living, breathing being he knew that he was fucked just looking at the sheer size of this creature.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    ¡°Ssso you have finally awoke little dragon,¡± a Low voice rumbled in a deep tone, the voice sounded like the thunder of a powerful storm as it boomed and echoed in the icy cave.


    Cornelius had never heard of monsters that could speak not even in legends was this thought possible, he was frozen in fear for the mere presence of this being was enough to suck the air out of his lungs, only when the discomfort grew did he realize that he had stopped breathing.


    ¡°Fear not little dragon for I will not eat you,¡± the voice rumbled in a thunderous chuckle as if the mere notion of eating something so small was amusing. ¡°No, I have brought you here for a different reason little one,¡± it said.


    Cornelius was too afraid to reply all he could do was stare at the beast standing infront of him, he could not think of any reason this creature would need him for. ¡°You see little one, I am old far too old,¡± it paused as if gathering its thoughts ¡°I have lived for many epochs, I have witnessed Kingdoms rise and fall and quite frankly I am tired,¡± it said.


    Finally gathering his courage he asked ¡°So what is it you require of me oh great one,¡± he bowed his head afraid of the beast striking him down for his insolence. ¡°Hahaha, never would I have thought that I would see a dragon showing me such respect, raise your head little one for I am not worthy of such respect,¡± its voice boomed.


    Cornelius was confused ¡®why does it keep calling me a dragon, and what does it mean not worthy, ive never seen a beast as powerful as this¡¯ he thought.


    ¡°You see a long time ago, in the age of monsters I made a promise that I would look after an egg until it hatched, centuries have passed yet it still has not hatched. For a longtime I roamed trying to find the reason for why this egg has not hatched and when I found the reason, I thought I had been cursed by fate for it would only hatch when it is in the presence of its kin and the last dragon died centuries ago and as a lesser dragon my soul was too weak,¡± it paused ¡°Imagine my surprise when I sense the presence of an adolescent dragon only to find a human in its place, for how can a human have the soul of a dragon I thought but it does not matter for I can finally fullfill my promise and finally I can rest and join my brothers in the eternal hunt,¡± it said.


    ¡°What do you mean soul of a dragon sure I have some draconic blood but I am still just a human,¡± he asked confused by the wyverns words.


    ¡°Hahahaha,¡± it laughed again amused by his question ¡°If you are JUST a human than I am JUST a lizard.¡±


    ¡°No little one you are no mere human, but that is irrelevant,¡± all amusement left its tone the very air reverberated with its seriousness it was suffocating. ¡°You have two choices little one, you either promise to me that you will look after this egg or,¡± it paused ¡°you die,¡± its voice was colder than the mountain air yet again a shiver ran down Cornelius¡¯s back as gulped in fear ¡®Fuck of course there would be an ultimatim¡¯ he thought.


    ¡°That is not much of a choice now is it,¡± he sighed ¡°Fine, I promise I will look after the egg,¡±


    ¡°Now repeat it two more times,¡± it said and he did repeat it two more times as he said it the finall time he felt something happen inside of his soul ¡°Thrice said, and thrice heard thus it shall be, an accord has been struck, but I will not just take without giving something in return, I will soon die and as a reward I will leave my body unto you, I would advise that you drain my blood and drink it to strengthen your bloodline,¡± it said.


    ¡°No offense but you are as large as a house how am I supposed to carry you down the mountain, as a matter of fact the egg is almost half my size how am I supposed to even pick it up?¡± he asked.


    ¡°At your feet is a ring, I want you to imbue your mana into it,¡± it spoke criptically, looking down he saw a silver ring adorned with a small amber jewel he picked it up and did as the wyvern asked, when the mana entered the ring he felt a conection form and all of a sudden he could feel a space of about a hundred square meters. ¡°What is this?¡± he asked.


    ¡°It is my final gift to you little on it is a spatial ring, by imbueing some mana into it you can store things inside of it, but little one my time left is short I wish to ask you one more favor,¡± it said.


    ¡°What is it?¡± he asked. ¡°It is simple really I wish for you to know my name so that I would not be forgotten,¡± it said.


    ¡°What is your name?¡± he asked ¡°Its Aevor and with my death so too does my species die, it has been an honor to meet the last true dragon, may your wings take you further than the clouds and your claws lay wasted to all that stand in your way,¡± the last part was barely a whisper as this once majestic beast drew its last breath.

 Chapter 13: The Only Way to go is Down

    As was advised by Aevor, Cornelius imbued the spatial ring with mana and thought of storing his corpse in the space within, one second the body was infront of him and in the next, it was gone. The ring had taken more than a quarter of his total mana, it made sense as Aevor had been as large as a house.


    With that done he turned to the egg, looking at it he saw the intricate detail of the scale-like shell, it was dark gray in color with yellow accents, and the shell itself looked like storm clouds. Cornelius moved closer to the egg and reached his hand out to touch it, when he made contact with the shell he felt more of his mana leave him, the fire in his veins making the process almost unbearable.


    Before he even realized it the egg had taken the last vestiges of his mana, Cornelius fell to his knees all his strength leaving him he coughed up blood right onto the egg. When the blood made contact with the shell something strange happened the egg seemed to have absorbed the blood causing it to start glowing in the same corrupted white of his mana, he felt the dragon within his soul roar in triumph as if it had accomplished something great.


    He felt a shift within his soul as if a bond had formed with the being within the egg, he could almost feel its emotions, he felt the recognition it felt toward him and the curiosity but the emotions soon faded, replaced with tiredness as the being within the egg returned to its slumber.


    But Cornelius could still feel the bond tugging at his soul. Shaking his head to clear his head of these thoughts he got back up to his feet and dusted of his clothes, he knew that he could not continue his journey as he had exhausted all of his mana so he started looking around the cave he found himself in.


    The cave seemed like a strange mixture of ice and stone intertwined in a bizarre dance, resembling something like a cathedral mixed with a throne room, pillars of black marble were strategically placed around the hall. It seemed like it had once been a wonder of engineering but nature had already run its course and started to reclaim the hall.


    Whatever this place had once been Cornelius did know one thing this place was truly ancient, after looking around ensuring that it was safe he sat down next to the egg and started meditating to replenish his spent mana. It took a full three hours to replenish his mana to an acceptable degree, he made his way to the egg and stored it within his spatial ring.


    Cornelius did something that he had been avoiding, he took out his runic mirror and imbued it with mana.


    {Cornelius Von Amydros}


    {Affinity - Star of the Twilight Abyss}


    {Manacore - White}


    {Mana Adaptation - Initial stage}


    {Bloodline - Dragon Soul}


    {Mage rank - Apprentice}


    {Runes - None}


    {Soul Bonds - Runic mirror, Mystery Egg, Spatial Ring}


    Nothing much had changed from the first time he had looked at his Runic mirror except for the extra line depicting his soul bonds, The manacore was where one stored their mana and the rankings were in order of the colors of the rainbow Starting with white and going in order of violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange, red and finally black. The higher the rank of one¡¯s core the more mana you could store but it can only be improved by long hours of meditation by slowly expanding the size of the core and then compressing it when it reaches its precipice, causing all the core to change not only in the quantity of mana but the purity of it too.


    While mana adaptation worked differently, it is wholly related to the exposure to mana, once your body reaches the bottleneck of what it can endure it goes through a process of metamorphoses where all the impurities inside of your body are expelled and the body is reformed into a better conduit of mana, but the higher your adaptation is the more you become one with your element which can even affect things like personality and looks.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Cornelius sighed and stored his runic mirror within his spatial storage ring and started making his way out of the cave there was nothing left for him there, he did not know how much time he had wasted in his unconscious state so he started his descent.


    (Back at the fortress)


    Three days later¡­


    Sergeant Myers was standing in the middle of the training grounds with the soldiers waiting around him even the commander was sitting on the balcony overlooking the entrance to the fort, it was the seventh day of the test of the mountain and they were awaiting the return of the trainees. The first ones to arrive was Mathew¡¯s unit they looked haggard and exhausted from the week''s travel, some of the trainees had not made it so only five of the initial ten had made it.


    The relief was evident on their faces as they walked through the fortress gates ¡°Welcome back, you are trainees no more,¡± Sergeant Myers said as they stopped in front of him, the soldiers cheered at their new brothers.


    It was another three hours before the next group returned, Leonard¡¯s group had mostly been wiped out, Leonard himself being one of the casualties. Only three people had survived in that unit but even then they had barely survived they looked gaunt having lost a lot of muscle, they were littered with wounds, and their armor was ripped and shredded. Needless to say, they did not look to be in good shape the embers of life seemingly having left their eyes.


    They were ushered into the infirmary as they were in terrible condition. Not even an hour later it was Cornelius¡¯s unit that arrived, they looked healthy if a bit tired but all the soldiers except Cornelius himself were there. They were boisterous as ever laughing and joking as they walked through the gates. They all looked around hoping that Cornelius had made it there before them but he had not, worry started growing in their hearts.


    ¡°Has Cornelius arrived yet?¡± Strom asked.


    ¡°No, he has not.¡± Sergeant Myers stated calmly ¡°Welcome back, you are trainees no more,¡± he said as was custom to those who have passed the trial.


    Commander Zoan sighed he had hoped that the wonderboy of Prince Shtad would have amounted to more than just another corpse frozen on the mountain, at least he had kept his unit alive on the journey, even bringing a Kalethi prisoner something that had not been done previously.


    Just as he was about to get up to leave one of the lookouts yelled ¡°Look,¡± he said pointing above towards the mountain. Looking to where he pointed he saw the silhouette of a man covered in a bloodied white fur coat, his gait was not straight he was stumbling from exhaustion, blood leaking from the many wounds littering his body, the worst being from the one that vertically stretched from the top of his left brow all the way down from his eye ending at his lower lip, the blood was pouring like a fountain as he walked.


    He walked all the way through the gate ending right in front of Sergeant Myers before he collapsed, The head of an ape-like monster was attached to his side, his clothes could barely be considered rags at this point. Cornelius¡¯s unit rushed to his side Thompson lowered himself to pick up Cornelius he looked to Sergeant Myers who simply nodded as he made his way to the infirmary.


    A day earlier¡­


    Cornelius had been making his way down the mountain to return to the fortress when the Ape monster blocked his path once again, This time he would not run for he had been growing angrier by the day after leaving the wyvern''s den, he got angrier at the situations fate constantly forced him in all the hopes and dreams that were left on him, from the prince to the now dead wyvern it seemed like everyone wanted to leave the weight of their dreams on his shoulders and he was growing tired of it so his wrath grew by the hour so when he found the ape-like monster stood before him all he saw before him was an outlet for his wrath.


    So without wasting a second he ignited his draconic blood unleashing his full fury on his would-be aggressor, steam started rising from his skin, his pupils slit and his fingernails turned to razor-sharp claws that could tear through iron if necessary. He imbued his muscles with mana the fire in his veins growing in intensity his eyes started glowing in unholy light, smoke rising from his mouth and nostrils. His bulging muscles grew in both size and density, and a thin web of scales grew over his skin, he started dashing towards his opponent, the snow melting beneath his feet from the heat.


    He drew his sword mid-dash and brought it down horizontally on his unsuspecting enemy, it passed through its fur and stopped only when it reached the bone, he heard an ear-splitting roar drowning out all other sounds. In response, he unleashed a roar of his own spittle flying on the back of the monster''s head, mid roar he felt a heat rising in his throat as black and white fire was expelled from his mouth setting the white fur on the monster''s head ablaze.


    Shocked he jumped back and got in a ready stance as the monster turned to face its opponent, it roared again and moved in to sweep his legs from under him, he jumped up and delivered a slash to it causing a thin trickle of blood to flow from the wound. He jumped back again just in time to avoid a swipe from the beast''s claws. They stood facing each other, neither one making a move until the beast dashed forward swiping vertically with its claws, Cornelius was a moment too late as one of its claws slashed him from his left temple all the way to his lower lip. His wrath grew again as he roared in pain fire escaping from his lips and burning the frozen hand of the monster melting it with barely any resistance for there were not many things as effective as dragon fire when it came to sheer intensity.


    The monster staggered back, and Cornelius formed a a small block of light behind the beast''s legs causing it to trip and fall on its back. Blood flowed from the cut on his face and the wounds on his body but he did not slow as he stood above his downed opponent and stabbed the blade through its eyes killing the beast instantly. With the last of his strength he skinned the beast and took off its head, for you never knew if the monster would regenerate or not, he flung its fur over his shoulders like a cloak and tied the head to his side, and continued his descent down the mountain.

 Chapter 14: Cogs of War

    When Cornelius awoke he was in a straw bed with a white blind surrounding him, the first thing he felt was pain, half of his face had been bandaged along with most of his body. He could hardly move but he still tried to get up, but that was an exercise in futility, accepting the fact that he would not be moving anytime soon he decided to meditate. Looking within he pictured his core and all the adjacent mana channels as Captain Zagreus had taught him, and as he breathed in he pictured himself taking in the mana in his surroundings, the mana had been tainted somewhat by the deaths and suffering of all those who have been in the infirmary previously.


    Mana had a way of being changed by the environment that was where most ghost stories originated from, if something terrible like a truly horrendous murder happened the mana in the area would change like a scar on the world itself. Here in the infirmary the mana was filled with hopelessness and misery, death and despair. Most would advise against using this type of mana to strengthen their manacore but Cornelius¡¯s unique affinity was oddly suited for war and carnage it seemed like it fed of pain and suffering. He envisioned the mana flowing through his channels until they reached his white core, the mana felt different from the usual fire in his veins no this was more like icy water as it traveled through his veins. When the mana reached his core it was instantly absorbed making the core grow slightly larger.


    For hours he meditated, this was the first time he was meditating in a suitable environment so his progress was doubled. When he finally finished his core had grown double its initial size, just as he stopped a nurse came in to replace his bandages and clean his wounds. She opened the blind carrying a bowl of water that she subsequently dropped when she noticed that he was awake, she was shocked because due to his wounds he should have been comatose for another week before waking so this was quite a surprise, though not many were aware of the benefits of his bloodline one of which was increased natural regeneration.


    She quickly bowed and left seemingly forgetting about the dropped bowl, not long there after she returned with both Sergeant Myers and the Commander himself. The Commander turned to the nurse and said ¡°You are excused, tell all the other personnel to vacate the area,¡±


    ¡°But, I still need to clean his wounds,¡± she protested. ¡°I said you are excused,¡± the Commander said in a stern voice leaving no room for discussion.


    ¡°I must say I am impressed, young Cornelius for you are the only unit leader to keep all his wards alive, not only that you killed the white terror and even brought a Kalethi prisoner. When I said you had to make an impression this was not what I meant but I am impressed nonetheless,¡± the Commander said with a raised brow causing the few wrinkles on his face to be accentuated.


    ¡°This is merely the way of my house ¡®Strength Beyond Measure¡¯ is the words all Amydros live by,¡± Cornelius said trying to downplay his achievements for the nail that sticks out gets hammered down.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°Nonsense boy, I worked with you¡¯re father and not even he could boat such achievements,¡± Sergeant Myers said brushing of his attempt at being humble.


    ¡°As much as this is an interesting topic of conversation we have business to attend to,¡± the Commander stated as he handed Cornelius a letter with Prince Shtad''s seal. Accepting the letter from the Commander he broke the seal and started reading out loud.


    ¡®Cornelius all though I am happy to hear of your achievements there has been a shift within the court due too your capture of the Kalethi woman, the court has decided to reward you with the title of Captain so congratulations are in order.


    But that comes at the cost of you leading a squad within the frozen plains as the court has decided that we have let those barbarians be for far too long and that it is time for them to either submit or die. Be warned my elder brother is aware of our affiliation and this is a ploy to try and remove you as a piece on the board, so be wary and yet again I wish you the best.


    Commander Zoan has been given authority to organize his army and start the expeditions into the Frozen Plains, plus they have decided that the best one to lead said army would be Sergeant Myers also known as the bloody first of the dynasty. May the gods have mercy on your souls.


    Best regards Prince Shtad.¡¯


    After Cornelius finished reading the letter there was only silence as they processed the information, ¡°Shit, those pig-headed fools there is a fucking reason we have not attempted to conquer the Frozen Plains, the so called barbarians are born warriors and masters of guerilla warfare. Shit,¡± Sergeant Myers started ranting or should I say General now? Well these thoughts are irrelevant right now it seems the cogs of war are already spinning.


    ¡°Calm yourself General,¡± Commander Zoan said calmly he seemed the least perturbed by the news ¡°we have an advantage now that we had not in the previous campaign of ten years prior.¡±


    ¡°And what would that be Commander,¡± General Myers said his voice dripping with sarcasm, Commander zone gave him a steely look that shut him up ¡°My apologies Commander,¡± He said.


    ¡°Its quite simple really with our new prisoner we can finally have an understanding of their tactics and terrain, now we only need to learn the language so that we can actually interrogate her,¡± the Commander said. Cornelius cleared his throat, causing both the Commander and General to turn to him ¡°That will not be a problem sir, for I already speak Kalethi,¡± Cornelius said simply.


    ¡°A man of many surprises I see,¡± the Commander said giving him an appraising look. ¡°You see general things are already looking up for us. Now Cornelius your first focus should be on recovery after that you will begin with your interrogation,¡± he said before turning as he started making his exit motioning for General Myers to follow.


    In the following weeks while Cornelius was recovering he spent most of his time meditating, nothing interesting happened until one day while he was meditating his body started feeling strange as he was in the process of compressing his core a very delicate procedure that if messed up could end in death. It seemed that his body had adapted enough to reach the next level of mana adaptation, in any other circumstance this would have been good news but not while he was compressing his core.


    His body first started shaking violently as he started to excrete a stinky black liquid from his pores, his body felt like it was being ripped apart piece by piece all the while he had to keep his concentration on his core because one mistake would be fatal. He firmed his resolve and pushed the pain to the corner of his mind, needless to say the pain was unbearable but he kept on compressing his core. Just as he was about to lose consciousness he finally completed the compression his core turning from a white color to a light Violet color and finally he let the sweet release of sleep embrace him as he had made it to the next level as a champion.

 Chapter 15: Meaning of War

    Three weeks later¡­


    Cornelius had finally recovered enough that he was not forced to stay within the infirmary, it helped that his mana adaptation had reached the formation stage. The formation stage allowed his body to handle far more mana than previously possible, which allowed the healers to speed up his recovery process. Cornelius was standing in front of the mirror in his newly appointed room, as a captain he was given some liberties. His room was simply but a far cry from the barracks he had been living in since his time in the fort, it was adorned with a simple bed and a desk made of wood it wasn''t a large room but it was his and that was all that mattered.


    As he was looking in the mirror he noticed that he was no longer the angry lordling who wanted revenge but that he had matured, the scar running along his face gave him quite the imposing visage as well as the countless other scars that littered his body, his muscles were far more defined. He truly looked every bit like the warrior he is, snapping out of his stupor he sighed as he put onhis military uniform, the captains uniform was different from the normal gray of the soldiers uniform, it was black with blue accents with two gold stripes adorning his shoulders on each side.


    As he finished getting dressed he exited his room and made his way to the war room, whenhe arrived he knocked on the door before entering. Inside the others were already there waiting for him, Commander Zoan sat at the head of the table with General Myers sitting to his right and Captain Zagreus sitting to his left, there were three other people sitting at the table all of varying different ranks and positions. The table was adorned with a map of the Frozen Plains with wood figures depicting key positions and possible strategies. During the past three weeks Cornelius had periodically interrogated his Kalethi prisoner and uncovered some important information in the process, the Commander looked up from the map, all discussions stopped as they noticed the new arrival.


    ¡°Ah, Captain Cornelius it is good that you could finally join us we were just about to begin discussing possible strategies for the invasion,¡± the Commander said his voice booming around the room.


    ¡°Yes, the healers finally gave me clearance to leave,¡± Cornelius said as he gave a furitave glance at an unassuming woman sitting at the edge of the table, she was the head healer of the fortress and an extremely stubborn woman even when he was at full recovery due to his advancement of his mana adaptation she had insisted he stay for another week to ensure he was fine.


    ¡°I do not see how we can avoid detection even with smaller units,¡± a simple looking man sitting at the third chair from the end. ¡°I was getting there, my plan is risky but the reward would be just as great, what I would suggest is that we attack during the winter,¡± his statement was met with outrage but was yet again silenced by the Commander ¡°Explain your reasoning behind that,¡± he said giving Cornelius the chance to explain.


    ¡°Well during winter is the only time where the Kalethi do not patrol their area, which is the perfect time to approach un noticed besides that also limits their ability to procure more food and supplies so our sabotage would impact them far greater. And when they are weakened we can use their own traditions against them, we can invoke the Drukai where the leaders face each other and the winner gets command of their territories, this way we can beat them with minimal loss,¡± his words causing the leaders around him to yet again to go silent.


    ¡°Good, good please take a seat so that we may begin,¡± the Commander said motioning to a chair on the far left corner of the table.


    ¡°I say we approach from the north, that way we cut around there most guarded bases,¡± a short broad shouldered man said as Cornelius took his seat, the man elaborated by moving a few of the wooden figures as an example of his point.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ¡°Captain Asmond, that is foolish our information states that this area,¡± Captain Zagreus pointed to the place on the map that they would have to traverse to reach the suggested approach ¡°Is a monster den, not just any monsters mind you but the infamous Blood wolves we would not get there unscathed,¡± he said while toppling over the figures that represented the soldiers.


    ¡°Then what would you suggest,¡± Captain Asmond said with a snear.


    ¡°Simple, we could always split our army and attack two fronts at once, that way we can do more in less time, or we could smoke them out,¡± Captain Zagreus suggested.


    ¡°No that wont work they may be savages but they are born warriors we would just be sending our soldiers to die,¡± General Myers spoke up for the first time ¡°What would you suggest?¡± he said looking straight at Cornelius ¡°You know the most about our enemies,¡±.


    As everyones heads turned to look at him he sighed he really hated politics ¡°Based on the information I have gathered all these choices would result in defeat,¡± he said simply, the others started cursing saying things like what would a greenthorn like him know. Commander Zoan silenced them all with a raise of his hand ¡°Elaborate,¡± was all he said.


    ¡°To put it simply, we are wholly unprepared for the environment. And that says nothing of our enemies, to ensure victory we have to change our tactics. You are all planning as if you expect to fight an army but that is not the Kalethi¡¯s tactics, they will try and break our spirit before they ever even engage us in battle,¡± he said the silence at the table lasted for a while before General Myers spoke up ¡°Then what do you suggest,¡± he asked raising a brow in curiosity. ¡°From the information I have gathered facing them as an army would be futile, so instead we operate in specialized units. We put a focus on sabotage and subterfuge, we burn their store houses, we poison their wells and water sources and to be able to do that they should not know that we are coming,¡± he paused giving them time to digest the information.


    ¡°I do not see how we can avoid detection even with smaller units,¡± a simple looking man sitting at the third chair from the end. ¡°I was getting there, my plan is risky but the reward would be just as great, what I would suggest is that we attack during the winter,¡± his statement was met with outrage but was yet again silenced by the Commander ¡°Explain your reasoning behind that,¡± he said giving Cornelius the chance to explain.


    ¡°Well during winter is the only time where the Kalethi do not patrol their area, which is the perfect time to approach un noticed besides that also limits their ability to procure more food and supplies so our sabotage would impact them far greater. And when they are weakened we can use their own traditions against them, we can invoke the Drukai where the leaders face each other and the winner gets command of their territories, this way we can beat them with minimal loss,¡± his words causing the leaders around him to yet again to go silent.


    ¡°Hmm, we will have to think on this,¡± the Commander said breaking the silence, just like that his first war council ended flawlessly just as he had predicted.


    Cornelius made his way back to his room to solidify his thoughts and ponder on what comes next, because for the next few months he would have little time to rest as is usual of a war. Just as he was about to call it a night he noticed an envelope neatly placed on his bed, picking it up he saw the Princes wax seal and promptly broke it.


    ¡®First of I want to start off by stating that you have exceeded expectations thus far, as such we have been able to speed up some of our developments. We have slowly but surely been solidifying my claim to the throne, which has caused my older brother to start loosing his patients causing him to make more mistakes that serve toonly further solidify my claim.


    The problem now is that all eyes are now on me and my allies so be careful, they will try to sabotage you and you must not allow that to happen. We have word that assassins have already been hired to eliminate you, but we are not really worried about that. At the bottom of the envelope is a memorie cube with information in regards to runemancy to expand your repertoire.


    Best regards Prince shtad,¡¯


    Just as the letter stated inside of the envelope was a small cube covered in various runic symbols, he had heard of memorie cubes before a magical item capable of storing memories just as the name suggests. He imbued some mana into the cube causing the runes to glow, he was assaulted with a stream of information in regards to runes, it almost over loaded his system so he quickly cut his mana flow from the cube and the information stopped, it seems he would have to experiment to be able to use it correctly but nonetheless he was quite pleased with the gift.

 Chapter 16: Troubled Heart

    Cornelius had been sitting at his desk, planning his strategy for the upcoming assault, when he was interrupted by a knock on his door. He put down the quill he had been writing with and got up from his chair to open the door. Standing in front of him was an unfamiliar soldier. He stood at attention, straight like a rod.


    ¡°Yes?¡± he asked the soldiers, ¡®Hmmn, I wonder what he wants,¡¯ he thought.


    ¡°Sir, you have a visitor waiting for you at the canteen,¡± he said his face not betraying any emotion.


    ¡°Who is it?¡± he asked unsure who it could be.


    ¡°She said that she is your fiance, sir,¡± the soldier replied, ¡®well that still did not help much considering he had two but logically it could only be Lady Moon,¡¯ he thought.


    ¡°Lead the way,¡± he said motioning him to move, and so he followed the soldier to the canteen. When he arrived he found Leonidas conversing with Lady Prudence and to his amusement, he was actually trying to court her.


    ¡°... Just think of it house Helios and House Moon what a union that would be,¡± he heard Leonidas say as he made his toward them stopping right behind Leonidas.


    ¡°You know it is in poor taste to try and court another man''s fiance,¡± he said an amused smirk marking his face, this caused Leonidas to flinch back in surprise he almost lost his balance as a result but quickly corrected himself.


    ¡°And what do you mean by that Captain,¡± he said the last word dripping with sarcasm it was clear he did not respect the fact that Cornelius had been promoted. Instead of answering Cornelius ignored him and walked closer to Prudence embracing her in a hug and giving her a light kiss, causing Prudence to blush profusely and Leonidas to look extremely confused, he would be lying if he said that was not deliberate.


    ¡°Wha.. what is the meaning of this?¡± Leonidas said with a mixture of shock and outrage, it seemed he had a crush on his fiance but no matter Leonidas never stood a chance anyway.


    ¡°What do you mean? What is wrong with a man embracing his fiance?¡± he asked questioningly he had to admit he was enjoying this more than he should have but he did not care he had been very busy recently and this was a pleasant distraction.


    ¡°You..you, you are engaged to him,¡± he asked Prudence pointing at Cornelius. ¡°Well of course we have been engaged for years, he is actually the reason for my visit. I would have told you if you had actually given me the chance instead of blabbering about yourself,¡± She said in a polite tone


    ¡°Now if you would excuse us, my fiance and I have much to discuss,¡± She said while taking Cornelius¡¯s hand and motioning him to take her further.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    As they walked away from a shocked Leonidas, Cornelius led her to his room for privacy, when they arrived he closed the door behind them. ¡°So what is it that you wanted to discuss?¡± he asked curiously.


    She let out a breath and sat down on the bed patting next to her so that Cornelius would sit, it seemed this would be a long conversation so he took a seat next to her. ¡°First of I want to thank you for helping me with Leonidas, he has had an obsession with me since we were young,¡± she stopped collecting her thoughts before continuing ¡°My mother said that you will be going to war soon?¡± She asked.


    Seeing no reason to lie ¡°Yes, we are going to attempt to conquer the Frozen Plain,¡± he said nonchalantly. This caused her to sigh ¡°That is unfortunate,¡± it seemed she wanted to say more but her face suddenly became beet red causing Cornelius to become worried ¡°Are you okay?¡± he asked his voice depicting mild concern.


    ¡°Ah¡­Yes, I am fine but uh, my mother said in the case that you actually were going to war um, we had to how should I put this,¡± she seemed very nervous which caused Cornelius to worry a bit. ¡°We have to consummate the marriage a bit early,¡± she finally said her voice reaching quite a high pitch. ¡°Uh, what?¡± he said not understanding what she was getting at.


    She sighed before she said, ¡°My mother is worried that you might die in this war, so she sent me here on the day that I am most fertile¡­¡± Now it was Cornelius¡¯s turn to turn beet red.


    Two weeks later¡­


    It was time his unit would be setting out within the next two days, he had done everything he could in preparation but there was only so much one could do. He was currently in the dungeon of the fort heading to a specific cell, the one that held the Kalethi woman he had found out her name was Karra Liontusk she had been exiled from her clan which was the reason she was all alone. When he arrived at the cell he walked in and saw that Karra was doing some strange exercise, she had taken off most of her fur clothing and was in a tank top-looking leather shirt exposing her arms and shoulders. This was the first time he had seen her without all of the furs, he noticed she had these strange red tattoos marking her arms stretching all the way to her shoulders and vanishing within her shirt there was probably more but he did not really care.


    The tattoos depicted Lions in different actions one was eating a wolf-like creature, while another looked to be hunting. Snapping out of his stupor he approached her and embraced her from behind, in the time he had spent interrogating her they had actually grown close to some degree, it was not like his relationship with Prudence and Abigail was more of a business deal than an actual relationship as was common amongst nobles, no he actually felt something for her.


    Of course, no one could know of this it would end up being quite the scandal if it were to get out, so they had been putting up an act in the presence of others. She responded by turning around and giving him a passionate kiss before breaking away from his embrace and looking at him the concern on her face was obvious she made no attempt to hide it. ¡°You are leaving soon,¡± she said more like a statement than a question.


    ¡°Yes,¡± he sighed ¡°I want you to come with me,¡± he asked her, he did not trust the people of the fort for she had already served her purpose it was only a matter of time before they killed her and he could not allow that. ¡°It is not safe for you to stay here, we can make it so that you escape while we are out there, you can finally have your freedom,¡± he said giving her another kiss.


    ¡°If that is what you want then I will follow,¡± she said while looking into his eyes, she was always so considerate. He could not allow her to die.


    Two days later¡­


    All the preparations had been made and it was finally time to set off on their mission, Cornelius¡¯s squad consisted of Strom the earth shaper, Halva the healer, Thompson the muscle, and finally Karra. Initially, General Myers wanted Leonidas to be in his squad as well but Cornelius adamantly refused he clearly did not like him so he would only be a liability to his team and he had no illusions that he would not try something when they were so far away from civilization, because, after the whole Prudence situation, Leonidas¡¯s general dislike of him had turned to hate.


    Looking at his squad he felt a slither of pride worm its way into his heart, this was only the beginning of his goals but he knew he was on the right path. The squad set out on their journey descending down the mountain it was winter so the snow was thick underneath their feet the cold was extreme but at this point, they had ways of circumventing the cold through the use of mana they could circulate some of it through their channels causing their muscles to heat up.


    He knew that the next few months would be long and hard he just hoped they were ready for what was to come.

 Chapter 17: Touch of The Cold

    Honestly, I did not know what I had expected but this was not it, we had been trekking through the snow for two weeks now and we were not any closer to our goal. We had been faced with the harsh weather of the plains plus to add insult to injury we had been attacked by a multitude of monsters along the way.


    Looking around I saw Strom was constructing earthen walls around our campsite, the sun had already set the fire was burning and the rest of the squad was preparing for the night to come, night time was the most dangerous time of day because that was when the most dangerous monsters lurked. Cornelius was sitting down at the campfire deep in contemplation, something had to change and he knew it, things could not continue as they had or something bad would happen he could feel it in his very soul.


    He was still in contemplation when he felt a tugging in his soul, it started out as a simple tugging but soon turned into a deep and painful pull as if something was being ripped out of his soul, he fell to his knees clutching his heart. The pain was coming from his bond with the egg, without thinking about the consequences he took the egg out of his spatial ring, the pain grew in leaps and bounds, and the egg itself was pulsating with light which attracted his squad to come and see what was happening, when they saw the egg shock appeared on their faces but Cornelius could not focus on that as the egg had started to crack, the pulsation of light growing in intensity.


    His squad had taken a step back when the cracks started to appear, but for Cornelius that was irrelevant as his soul had become as tranquil as still water and his mind had reached a different level of clarity. When he opened his eyes he saw a small dragon standing in front of him she, he did not know how he knew it was a she but he did, she was beautiful her scales looked like a beautiful onyx black with golden scales mixed between in a pattern of that made it seem like lightning was trapped inside. He was enraptured with her beauty her golden eyes with slitted pupils were focused on his face, she moved closer until their faces were mere inches away from each other, and the bond between them responded with an influx of emotions making their way into his head, curiosity, recognition, and a feeling of safety in his presence.


    She raised her head into the air and let out a roar although coming from such a small creature it was more adorable than intimidating but she was announcing her birth to the world a sense of pride rose from his bond. ¡°Is¡­ is that a dragon?¡¯ Halva asked incredulously.


    Cornelius was shocked out of his stupor as he heard this and looked up at them ¡°Yes,¡± he said simply as he did not really know what to say. ¡°I¡­ I thought they had gone extinct,¡± Strom said a tone of awe clear in his voice. He looked at each of his squad mates individually, they all seemed in awe but Karra gave him a look a question clear in her gaze but she chose to stay quiet, he was thankful for that for he was extremely exhausted after the pain he had experienced from his soul.


    Instead of answering any more questions he simply stood up and and picked up the baby dragon and went to sleep next to the fire.


    (In Cornelius¡¯s dream)Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    He found himself in the field of corpses once more, the strange man was standing there once again but this time he was closer and it did not take long for him to notice Cornelius. He looked at him once more the red eyes looking back at him, there was a palpable bloodlust in the air. Cornelius¡¯s hair stood on end goosebumps marring his flesh, he was afraid whatever this thing was it was not a man, its limbs were elongated, and the proportions were all wrong, now that it was closer he could see that this creature had fangs, one of its arms were made of metal that looked like writhing worms and one of its eyes were replaced with a metallic ball the iris was gold in color, it had the same ash gray hair as Cornelius but more white than gray, it gave of an air of ancientness.


    It looked at Cornelius and tried to speak to him but he could not make out what it was saying except for a single word ¡®father¡¯ and that was when he woke up, a baby dragon curled up on his chest sleeping soundly.


    He was gasping for air his heart pounding in his chest whatever that dream was he did not take it as a good omen for that creature was truly ominous, as he finally got himself to calm down he looked around and noticed Karra was sitting at the fire the sun not having risen yet so he picked up the sleeping dragon in his arms and made his way to her.


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t sleep?¡± he asked as he sat down next to her giving her a passionate kiss. ¡°No, I could not,¡± she said staring at the fire. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± he asked.


    ¡°The expedition, I don¡¯t know is just wrong, the way the weather has turned against us is not a good sign it means the spirits are displeased,¡± she said a sour look on her face.


    ¡°Weather the spirits are pleased or not does not matter,¡± he said shaking his head ¡°What matters is that we complete our mission and that we are together,¡± he said clutching her hand a warm feeling growing in his heart for the first time since he lost his parents he felt at peace even here in the middle of enemy territory, he felt that there was more to life than revenge or the restoration of his house, but hope for what the future would bring.


    A few hours later when the sun started to rise he made his way and started to wake his squad mates as they had a long day ahead of them. They had dismantled their campsite and started their long trek, they walked for hours before they reached the first landmark on their journey, the great glacier of Tuneval it was an absurdly massive glacier spanning hundreds of miles long.


    They walked for another hour in the blistering cold before calamity struck, they had been walking on the glacier on the snow when Karra who was in the lead fell through the snow, Cornelius ran as fast as he could to try and catch her, she had fallen in a large crevasse that was hidden by a layer or snow. When he reached her she was clinging tightly to a ledge a few meters down in the crevasse. ¡°Karra,¡± he yelled the worry clear in his voice, no, no, this can¡¯t be happening not now not to her, he thought.


    She looked up at him a sad smile adorning her face as she let go and fell down the crevasse for she could not hold on anymore, he watched her fall until he could see her no more, he stayed there for hours the sadness he felt was beyond comprehension, just when he had finally attained happiness and had hope for his future, life had to go and rip that away from him. Slowly but surely his heart grew as cold as the very ice that had taken the life of his beloved, all emotion left his face the emotion in his heart replaced by cold wrath, his body went through a permanent change his eyes stayed with the lit pupils his fingernails were forever replaced with claws and the anger was like a pit that kept growing.


    From his bond he could feel the baby dragon mourning with him for she could feel his pain, he decided that she would be called Karra after his lost beloved. ¡°Let us go,¡± he said to his squad mates his voice devoid of emotion, they looked at him the worry on their face palpable but he did not care anymore all he cared for now was to see his enemies burn, he knew it was not their fault but that is all that could help with his ever-growing wrath.