《Vampires: The rise of a Hunter》 The Birth of a Race Have you ever heard the phrase "humans create what they fear the most"? Well, let me tell you that it''s true. It''s all true. We, the humans, are very ignorant and stubborn. We tend to ignore any advice or warning if it is not in line with our desires, and in the end, when everything goes wrong or we make a mistake we blame those who just wanted to help us. Merlin, the benign one, tried to warn us, but we didn''t want to listen, we were so focused on our revenge and hatred that we didn''t care about anything else. We just wanted those damn gods to pay, we wanted the gods to bleed. But the truth is that not one of them bled, in fact, we ran out of blood. My name is Thaddeus, I am a magical warrior of the revolution of mortals and today I am writing this so that future generations do not make the same mistake that us. Our big and terrible mistake. It all started two years ago. We mortals were fed up with the offenses of the old gods; they slaughtered us, tortured us, and mocked us. We were nothing more than toys to them and then they got angry if we didn''t worship them. Their offenses reached the limit when Zeus, the king of the gods of Olympus, pretended to be the king of "tears of Arathea" and messed with the queen wanting to father a demi-god, however, his plans did not go as he wished and he was discovered by the prince. Zeus angrily claimed that the prince had offended him and unleashed a great storm not only in our kingdom but in all the nearby kingdoms. Thousands of people died from civilians to royalty. It only took a week for all the hatred that existed between the races to be redirected towards the gods. At the end of that same month a war began, all the warriors marched towards Mount Olympus, while the kings contacted the Benigns and the last dragoons. The war started a week after the arrival to Olympus and a few days later the Benigns arrived along with the dragoons and the dragons. The fight lasted for a whole year. The simple mortals were being slaughtered by the gods, even if we were in the rearguard we were hit by the attacks of the powerful fights, especially when it was the dragoons who fought. Nobody wanted to be the rearguard of a dragoon, nor did the dragoons want to have a rearguard. Their fights were the most chaotic, they were unstoppable beasts fighting, especially Matteo, the first dragoon. The gods had to face them in a group. You can imagine, that Ares, Athena, and Poseidon had to team up to face Matteo and even then Zeus and Hades had to come to help them. Unfortunately, that fight marked a before and after, Matteo fell to the power of the 5 gods and with him fell our first line of defense. After his death everything went downhill, the deaths of warriors tripled and it was impossible for the warriors not to be seriously injured in each battle. Then at the beginning of the second year, an idea was born among us magicians, an idea that spread quickly and even the sorcerers and wizards supported it. We wanted to improve our race, we wanted to replicate the abilities of the dragorn without the need to have a ritual as deadly as theirs.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. The ideas were quickly accepted by the kings and just 2 months later, the most capable magicians, sorcerers, and wizards were recruited into the kingdom "Tears of Arathea". At first, we wanted to recruit the great sage, Merlin, but not only were we rejected, he and the other Benigns tried to dissuade us from our ideas. They said that what we were about to do was unnatural and that there was a great risk of failure, but that didn''t matter to us, we angrily told him that we would do it with or without him and this takes us back to just 6 months ago. The ritual was complete and ready to be tested. We were in the castle''s underground shelters, we were all excited to begin. -Finally, in just a few minutes we will begin the next stage of our lives- said Rick, the leader of our group. -Thaddeus, I don''t think we should continue with this- whispered Dana, my wife. She was a brilliant magician, much more than me, and next to her was our daughter Rhonna, a 6-year-old girl, red-haired like her mother - I have sent several manuscripts to Merlin and he pointed out several flaws - - flaws that we have fixed thanks to you - I told him - and what if there are more? We don''t know what can happen- Dana argued -we should stop and keep testing- -Calm down Dana, we''ve done hundreds of tests and everything indicates that this is going to turn out well- I tried to reassure him -I don''t know Thaddeus, nothing good comes from unknown magic- answered Dana seeing the witches and warlocks forming a circle around a circle made of blood -and even less when they are blood rituals- she whispered this last thing just so I could hear her -We already talked about this, we need to make a blood pact to change the body and make it stronger- I answered a little irritated -Not even the dragrorn make blood pacts!- answered Dana firmly. -And you see the mortality rate to create a single dragoon, 1 in 1000 people die when they become a dragoon and only 10% of those who became dragoon survive more than a year, the other 90% die from excess of magic- I answered irritated Dana sighed angrily and walked in another direction with our daughter. "It doesn''t matter," I thought, once the ritual was a success she would calm down. I walked around the room making sure everything and everyone was okay, and that''s when Rick approached again "It''s time to begin" he said as he walked Varion into the circle. Varion was a warrior who had made a name for himself in this war, he had led several warriors to victory against Athena''s hero, Perseus. We decided that he was the one for our first attempt. -Everyone gets ready!- Rick shouted, getting everyone ready for the ritual. Dana positioned herself next to a witch around Varion and behind her was my daughter, Dana was one of the main magicians for this ritual to be completed and was a pillar to maintain the magic shield. The rest of us were in charge of giving them magic power and stabilizing the magic, this was supposed to be a 100% safe ritual. Little did I know that "100% sure" was "100% sure to fail." The ritual began, giving way to the manifestation of a large blood bubble around Varion. Minutes passed quickly, and the other wizards and sorcerers who were just supporting and stabilizing the magic began to talk among themselves. Some were talking about the recent rumors about a new generation of gods who had been mortals first. It is said that they somehow found the source of the gods'' power and managed to perform a transmutation spell that turned them into gods in their entirety. I didn''t know much about it, but I won''t lie and say I wasn''t interested in these "new gods." Time continued to pass until half an hour had passed, it was then that we all began to feel a large source of magic inside the blood bubble, but something didn''t feel right, this magic felt very chaotic almost like the magic of that malevolent being that his father used to tell him about when he was a child. I turned to see the others and could see their worried expressions, now it was clear that something was not right, this was not planned. When I wanted to say something the doors of the room opened with great force showing an old man with a long beard who was very angry, next to him was a man with blond hair and a well-kept beard. -You fools! - Merlin shouted angrily -Stop this immediately! - Then everything happened very quickly, the blond man was no longer next to Merlin and I heard the scream of my little girl calling for her mother, after that a great fear invaded my body along with strong pain and a shadow in front of my wife. "I screwed up, I screwed up everything. Merlin hadn''t warned me, my wife warned me, but I didn''t listen. If only I had listened, this wouldn''t be happening." I thought at that moment when I was unconscious. How could I have been so stupid not to see my mistakes? Maybe hate also blinded me like it does everyone else. The Bad News After falling unconscious I woke up in what seemed to be a wooden room, through the windows I could see that I was in the middle of a forest although I didn''t recognize which one. I quickly got up and went to look for my wife and daughter. When I left the room I could see a large living room, it seemed to be the living room although there were no tables. Merlin was sitting on a chair and in front of him was the blond man I had seen before, apparently, Merlin was helping him treat his wounds. The two of them saw me as soon as I left the room, their gazes reflected seriousness and a bit of sadness, after holding each other''s gaze for a few seconds they both turned to look at a large white blanket that was lying on the floor, on it you could see several bundles. My heart sank at the thought of who could be under the blanket. Thousands of thoughts began to fill my mind and my hands began to sweat from nerves. When I was starting to get too agitated, Merlin spoke to me, revealing my thoughts as he stood up. -You''re not wrong young man, someone very dear to you is under the blanket- said Merlin giving me a look full of pity. -Is... is she my daughter?- I asked with fear -No, fortunately, Conner managed to cover the girl with his body but I can''t tell you that she is intact- revealed Merlin. Merlin walked until he stood in front of a bundle and delicately indicated to me that this was my wife. Uncovering the blanket, Jadie saw the lifeless body of my wife. Her torso was bare, it seemed that her clothes had been torn off by force, on her shoulder a noticeable wound from a bite surrounded by some black lines that extended to her abdomen. Her skin was pale and there were no signs that there was ever magic in it, which was strange since every living being must leave signs of magic even in death. I couldn''t hold back my tears when I saw my wife''s corpse and the little strength I had to walk had gone, making me face the ground. "How could I be so stupid as to ignore all the warnings?" As if he knew what I was thinking, Merlin came over and covered Dana as she told me what happened. -I told them several times to stop their ritual, you weren''t the only one I warned. Whatever they created was infested with the chaotic magic of damnatus. That thing gained the ability to drain life and magic from people through the bite- revealed Merlin -that thing took over the magic of everyone there in just a blink of an eye. I''ve never seen anything like this in my life- -and it''s lived for more than 5,000 years- Conner muttered to himself but Merlin heard him frowning -what happened to that thing?- I asked -it escaped- Conner answered -whatever they did to it, it made it very elusive, even Merlin can''t detect it- -I''m so sorry Merlin, if it weren''t for us you wouldn''t have to abandon your post in the war- I said with regret because surely thousands are dying for not having Merlin''s protection -don''t worry about that, in fact, the war is already over- revealed Merlin surprising me -it''s over!?- I asked excitedly -these months that they were locked up a lot of things happened, you must have heard some at least- said Merlin starting to tell me what happened Apparently a month after our departure the 4 remaining dragrorn fought in a group and faced several gods Leaving them injured, unfortunately the dragorn died in battle, which means that there is no longer a single dragorn left in the world. Shortly after, the so-called "new gods" appeared, they not only supported the mortals but also with the help of the Benigns managed to separate the "one-land" into three different planes. Sealing the gods in what is now known as "divine-land", they then took a small portion of the remaining land along with a few of each race and sent them to a place where the influences of damnatus cannot reach them, that land is called "blessed-land", while we remain in what is now known as "ash-land".Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. Not only that, it seems that Conner is one of those "new gods" along with 5 others which he did not mention much. -tch, if only I had been in good shape I would have gotten rid of that thing already- said Conner irritated. -can''t you track that thing? I heard that the gods can know where anyone is if they know their name and their magic signature- I asked, but Merlin showed me a book, a book that I knew very well, it was my book. -It seems that your theory was true, the fusion with the shadows is possible and it is completely undetectable for any of us. Now that thing cannot be traced by anything or anyone- said Merlin while the book disappeared.-I will take this book, we do not want it to fall into the wrong hands. In addition, I will continue investigating a way to counteract his fusion with the shadows and thus be able to track him- I didn''t object to Merlin''s idea, if there was anyone who could find a flaw in the spell, he was the only person who could find it. I wanted to continue talking about what had happened next, but a noise from the second floor stopped me. I looked at Merlin immediately and he looked worried as he looked at his wall clock. -Time was reduced again, they are becoming more frequent- said Merlin worried as he ran to the second floor. Conner and I followed closely behind him, and in the first room as we went up the stairs I could see my daughter writhing in pain. -Rhonna!- I exclaimed scared - what''s wrong with her!?- -Whatever you all did to Varion in that bubble, it managed to enter the girl''s body- Merlin clarified -But how? The bubble is supposed to keep the magic inside- I said upset -Yes, but once the bubble dissolves the remaining magic will spread everywhere. Usually, this shouldn''t affect adult wizards and sorcerers since they already have a fixed and established magic, but a child sorceress who is still absorbing the magic around her like a sponge is a completely different situation- said Merlin as he placed a hand on Rhonna''s forehead and recited a spell. -What''s going to happen to her?- I asked worriedly, I didn''t know what kind of effects such a ritual would have on a young sorceress, I had never stopped to think about that. -... I don''t know- said Merlin uncertainly -for the first time I don''t know exactly what to do- -But you can cure her, right?- I asked again -after all the magic of the ritual didn''t hit her directly, it was just residue- -I would like to say yes, but this is not the situation- clarified Merlin -I will take her with me, I will go to "New Corinth" There lives Arlene, the benign of love and from what I know Zirone, the benign of wisdom, went with her to replenish the city library, maybe the three of us together can do something- Merlin took Rhonna in his arms and carried her out of the house, there I saw that we were in fact in a huge forest, a little far from the kingdom, I wondered how we had gotten there. Instantly, as if Merlin had heard my thoughts, he answered me. -By the way, I recommend that you stay away from the kingdom "Tears of Arathea", it is no longer a safe place- Merlin clarified while carefully putting Rhonna in a carriage. -In fact, that is not even its name anymore, now it is called "Tears of Blood"- -What, what happened!?- I asked confused -In these 5 days that you were unconscious many things happened- said Conner -The creature you created calls itself a vampire or rather The King of Vampires and that is not all, apparently the bastard can turn other people into vampires. Now they are like cockroaches, they are destroying everything and everyone in the kingdom- Then the pressure began to increase on me, I was one of those guilty of having created that vampire and now that vampire was creating an entire army of more vampires. -Is there something I can do? I don''t want to leave things like this- I said firmly, I''m not going to sit there waiting for Merlin to cure my daughter while those vampires increase like rabbits. -There is, and you must do something- Merlin told me seriously while he took out a golden leaf from his clothes, it seemed as if it had been covered in gold. -What is this?- I asked taking the leaf -It fell from the sky when I took you out of the city, it fell directly on your chest- said Merlin -You can feel it right? The magic- -Yes, which is strange- I said seeing the leaf emanating a very pure and powerful magic Merlin continued loading his things into the carriage, while I continued admiring the leaf, it was impossible for me to believe that something so small could emanate such magic. -You have angered Elder, the tree of life- said Merlin seriously surprising me -The vampire that you all created uses the chaotic magic of Damnatus which is not natural, and now as the last survivor Elder wants you to take responsibility- -And what do I have to do?- I asked confused -That, young wizard, is something that you have to discover- said Merlin and then turned to look at Conner -And you, you already know what to do- Merlin looked at me again and said with a smile - Don''t worry, our paths will join again very soon- -Calm down, I''ll take care of it- said Conner Merlin nodded and got into the carriage looking at us for the last time and then moved forward leaving us behind, Conner didn''t take long and got ready to dig a hole, which I also began to dig to bury my wife. Shadows Lurking Conner nailed the shovel on the ground, finishing the job of burying the corpses of the wizards and sorcerers. Thaddeus looked at him confused since they hadn''t buried any witches or warlocks. -Aren''t we going to bury the rest?- Thaddeus asked confused Conner turned around and looked at him as if Thaddeus was retarded, but quickly looked away realizing that Thaddeus still didn''t understand what had happened and was happening. With confidence he approached Thaddeus and then pointed to the north where Thaddeus could see a huge castle in the distance, it was the "tears of blood" kingdom, and around the kingdom there was an extensive dark fog that emanated a gloomy and sad feeling. -I see that you still don''t understand what is really happening- said Conner -you do know who damnatus is and what he did, right?- he asked -Of course, before he died he managed to control 70% of the earth-one. Even now, with the separation of the lands, his followers control a total of 90% of the earth-ash- said Thaddeus -I understand that his magic was so great and powerful that he could create beings with only malicious intentions- -correct!... more or less- congratulated Conner -you see, Damnatus was not so powerful as to create living beings, he was so powerful that he created his own magic- he revealed -create magic? How do you create magic?- asked Thaddeus totally confused -magic is supposed to be able to acquire special attributes depending on the species and its level of manipulation, but create another type of magic?- Conner looked at Thaddeus amused, in fact almost no one knew about this fact about damnatus, in fact, there are many things that both gods and mortals do not know about him, even damnatus'' own followers. -Yes, he was a son of a bitch, but a very powerful son of a bitch. The most powerful being that the earth has ever seen - the only one in fact- revealed Conner seriously, in his eyes you could see a flash of fear and hatred, it was clear that Conner had seen the power of Damnatus in person. -And how did they kill him?- asked Thaddeus curiously, he could not think of a way to kill such a being. -Kill him? Who said he was dead?- asked Conner -No... no one could kill him, but they could seal him. Anyway, we are getting off-topic. The point is that Damnatus'' magic was not natural, his magic was born from the darkest feelings of living beings and focused only on those feelings, this did not please the Elder tree, and offended by Damnatus'' actions he rejected this magic and any user of it- -Wow... wait! So those wizards and witches?- Thaddeus couldn''t finish speaking when Conner was already nodding. The wizards and witches who hadn''t been buried were using damnatus'' magic. -Yes, and now, since you participated in the creation of a creature made with the magic of damnatus, it is very likely that the tree wants you to take care of that "vampire king"- Conner clarified -I suppose it is my responsibility...- said Thaddeus looking at his wife''s tombstone -I don''t know why but I thought he would cry more for her loss- -Oh, no, those are the side effects of being close to Merlin or any benign in general- revealed Conner -his very presence helps you face your fears and sadness in an incredibly fast way- -I see- understood Thaddeus -Well, you should prepare yourself for...- before Conner could finish speaking he felt a breeze run through the forest they were in. A disgusting sensation along with the stench of blood and death flooded the surroundings of the forest. Little by little a dark mist settled over Thaddeus and Conner, limiting their visibility. Conner just looked around with obvious disgust, his face reflected the disgust towards the smell that the mist emitted. -What the hell is this smell?- asked Thaddeus covering his nose. -Don''t go away from me... it''s them- said Conner As if it were a summoning spell, 4 shadows appeared from the mist, Thaddeus tried to distinguish their appearances, but he could only see a blurry silhouette with red eyes that looked at him as if he were a defenseless prey.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Conner stood in front of Thaddeus protecting him from the shadows, by his gaze, Thaddeus could tell that Conner had already faced these shadows in the past. -Is it that my message was not clear enough to you days ago? Filthy leeches- asked Conner showing evident disgust towards the shadows -As clear as water...- said one of the shadows. His voice was very raspy and you could even tell that it wasn''t human and from its clear tone you could distinguish a strange hatred and desire at the same time. -So, what the hell do you want here, suckers?- asked Conner still hostile towards the shadows "Suckers? Wait, those shadows are vampires?" Thaddeus thought alarmed, he quickly remembered Merlin''s warnings and how these vampires could suck the blood and magic of other creatures. -The girl...- -We want her- The other shadows spoke, their voices were very similar to the first shadow. Conner showed a grimace of disgust followed by a simple movement of his hand causing the fog around them to disperse instantly. In front of them now were the 4 vampires completely visible. They were 3 men and a woman, all had very pale skin and the color of their hair was a strange dull tone; their clothes were tattered, especially where they had a bite mark. One of the men and the woman were not even wearing clothes and their appearance looked wild and uncivilized, they even wore collars where they could be tied. -Oh, you brought two flea-bitten ones with you, is there no more manpower?- asked Conner mocking the two vampires with collars -I''m sorry for such... indecency of my pets, as you can see I haven''t trained them properly yet- said the vampire who looked more stable and sane. His clothes had a few tatters but nothing as serious as the others, this one was obviously their leader. Thaddeus looked at the vampires horrified, in just 5 days they had clearly already established a hierarchy between them which led him to wonder "how many vampires are there already that they have to establish a hierarchy?" -Give us the girl!- shouted the male vampire with a collar -or we will be forced to... In an instant, the vampire''s upper body disappeared, leaving only his legs on the ground next to a large pool of blood. Conner had killed the vampire with a simple wave of his hand. -to What?- asked Conner The remaining Vampires looked at him warily, they knew that Conner was not a guy they could mess with, even their king was probably unable to face Conner. -I already told you that we will give you no one, besides the girl is already gone. She left a day ago to a place where you will never be able to reach her- said Conner -Now get out of here if you don''t want to die instantly!- he threatened The Vampires looked at them angry and full of hate, they didn''t like the idea of ??leaving empty-handed, but they knew they had no other choice. The Vampires took a few steps back and when they were about to leave Thaddeus called them. -Wait, I have something to ask you!- shouted Thaddeus getting their attention -Why do you do it, why suck the blood of your victims and their magic? And why do you want Rhonna?- The vampire leader looked at Thaddeus for a few seconds, inspecting him from top to bottom and then gave him a sinister smile showing his elongated and bloody fangs. -Thirsty... human blood is so satisfying, so tasty that it always leaves us thirstier. The more we drink the stronger we become, the essence of life in the blood is so... delicious- he mentioned while giving a quick glance at the vampire woman, it was obvious that she was nothing more than a simple dog, no, even less than a dog that was made to obey -mph, in that case, suck dick. You might find more essence of life there and who knows maybe you''ll like it more- Conner mocked The vampire ignored Conner''s comment and stared at Thaddeus, while speaking again. -As for the girl... that is not my concern, my king wants her and I will give her to him, sooner or later...- said the vampire. This last thing was like a whisper that faded with its appearance between the shadows of the forest leaving only a feeling of coldness behind along with a strong concern in Thaddeus, the king of the vampires was looking for his daughter for some hidden reason. "I definitely have to take care of Varion" Thaddeus thought worried about the health and life of his daughter. After a few seconds of the vampires leaving, the horrible stench began to disappear along with the disgusting feeling. Conner breathed in a calmer air, it was obvious that those vampires had irritated him. Thaddeus looked at Conner somewhat surprised, even though he had been informed of Conner''s condition, he had never thought about how powerful he was and boy was he strong even if he was hurt. "We better hurry up," said Conner. Conner walked towards the house calmly, when he passed by the corpses of the witches he extended his hand causing a bolt of lightning to come out of it and incinerate the bodies in the blink of an eye, it was as if he had turned them to dust in an instant. Conner arrived at the door of the house and before he could open it, a small bird landed on Conner''s shoulder. In its beak, there was a letter apparently addressed to Conner. The letter was pink and had several flowers painted around it. Conner took the letter and read it quickly, then nodded to the bird, who quickly nodded back and flew off to the east. -This is where we part ways, Thaddeus- Conner said as he took a leather bag and put it on his shoulder. -You have a mission to complete and I have to go east. One of my companions is waiting for me there to treat my wounds.- Conner approached Thaddeus, extending his hand in farewell, and Thaddeus did not hesitate to take it. Conner gave him a small smile and then walked away. -I hope your trip goes well and if you see more of those leeches don''t hesitate to kill them- Conner recommended -by the way, there are some provisions there. Take them for your trip, you will need them-As soon as Conner finished speaking his body was surrounded by blue lightnings and after a few seconds he flew at high speed towards the skies. Thaddeus watched Conner''s departure with a slight sigh, leaving all uncertainties aside he entered the house and looked for the provisions Conner spoke of. After a few minutes he found them in the kitchen and without delay he put them in a leather bag and put it on his shoulder. This was not his first time making a long trip, but he was making a trip alone. He used to travel long distances with his companions and his wife to other allied kingdoms, but this time he would not be traveling to another kingdom but to a completely unknown place. Without saying or thinking anything else, Thaddeus created a small crystal sphere with his magic, leaving the golden leaf inside the sphere. Little by little the leaf began to move until it hit the crystal, showing the direction it had to go. -There is no other way...- thought Thaddeus and prepared to begin his journey to wherever the leaf would take him. His destiny would be determined by the legendary Elder tree. A King Without Crown The Kingdom of Blood, once known for being moderately prosperous, was currently in chaos that seemed to be endless. The streets were immersed in a thick, dark fog that barely allowed you to see the houses a few meters away from you. Fear and hunger plagued the inhabitants of this kingdom, who did not leave their homes to buy food for fear of being devoured by the vampires who roamed the desolate streets. "What a beautiful day..." said Vari¨®n, seeing the fog that covered the entire kingdom. "Could there be anything better?" he asked into the nothingness and then looked at the castle in the distance, apparently the fog could not cover his vision in the slightest. "Yes, a castle for a King like me." Vari¨®n walked through the streets of the city, making his silver armor sound with each step he took. A few steps away from him were three vampires waiting for him, two of them looked calm and had a certain elegance, and the last one was the vampire who had been sent to find the girl that Vari¨®n was looking for, Rhonna. -My King!- the three of them bowed at the same time, causing a slight smile to form on Vari¨®n. -Now, now, now. That''s enough, get up- ordered Vari¨®n, seeing the three standing upright Vari¨®n looked directly at the vampire who had gone to look for Rhonna and indicated with a hand movement for him to speak, but seeing that the vampire did not understand he spoke directly to him -Well, filthy. Where is the girl?- asked Vari¨®n looking at the vampire with a little disgust. -I''m sorry my king, apparently, the rumors were true, Conner was taking care of the house- clarified the vampire -he revealed that the girl is no longer in the kingdom or anywhere nearby- -Ach, you can''t be entrusted with anything, useless- said Varion angrily then he gestured to the vampire to leave but the vampire didn''t understand again -Get out of my sight!... What''s wrong with you, did vampirization make you imbeciles or what?- asked Varion irritated -I really can''t handle you...- he whispered -I''m sorry about that my King- said the vampire who was watching with Varion and the other vampire as the vampire that Varion had just dismissed walked away. The 3 of them watched the vampire arrive with what they thought was his squad and for some reason, they all looked strangely idiotic. Some more than others. -Hendrick infected those, right? Make sure he doesn''t infect anyone again, he picks out idiots- ordered Varion -even the most uncivilized vampires can follow simple orders- -of course my King- said the vampire -this has made me remember, Jenna, how is the progress of the most uncivilized vampires? Have they shown progress?- asked Varion. His vampire army was composed of a hierarchy of 5 levels, being the top and known as a royal vampire or royal vampire. Then there are the two vampires that were in front of him, Jenna and Grog, known as first-generation vampires. Then there are the second-generation vampires and so on. -no sir, it seems your speculation was correct. The only way for a vampire to increase in level is by consuming other vampires- answered Jenna. -The only improvements we''ve seen are in a vampire named Racket, he had a fight with another vampire and ended up absorbing his blood and magic- continued Grog -Apparently this helps to make a vampire''s blood purer, making them stronger- -*sigh* Anyway, we''ll see about that later- said Vari¨®n -What I want you to do now is prioritize taking control of the kingdom and finding the girl. I want you to bring me that girl, dead or alive!- Varion walked away quickly while his cape billowed in the air giving him a dramatic appearance. -Our King has certain... mannerisms- said Grog as he watched Varion leave. Jenna looked at him with a furious look and grabbed him by his armor bringing him closer to her to headbutt him in the nose and throw him to the ground.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. -Don''t you dare talk about my king again... even if it''s true, you don''t have the right to talk about our King- she threatened Jenna angrily. Jenna was about to go after Varion, but she looked at Grog lying on the ground and got angry again. Jenna turned around and kicked him with her pointed heels right in the abdomen, sending Grog with great force against one of the houses. -Mph, bastard- said Jenna turning in the direction where Varion left. -Ugh! Thank goodness I''m immortal... - Grog said to himself, emerging from the rubble of the house as he watched the hole in his abdomen close at high speed but leaving a scar on it - or almost? - Grog emerged from the rubble and turned into a cloud of black ashes which quickly headed towards Jenna''s side where it gathered again and transformed into Grog. - Will we organize a search party for the girl? - Grog asked as if nothing had happened. - Definitely. Send a group of 5 level 2 vampires, the girl must be found at all costs - Jenna stated as she clenched her fists so hard that she ended up jamming her nails - As for conquering this kingdom, you and I will do it in person. We can''t leave our king without a crown, right? - Grog nodded at Jenna''s words and turned into a cloud of ashes and left at high speed towards the depths of the city. The cloud entered the sewers, heading down an underground path until it reached what seemed to be a large room full of vampires who did nothing but fight and reaffirm their power over other vampires. The clouds gathered together, transforming into Grog, who looked angry but in his smile you could see a hint of amusement. -Let''s see, you bunch of useless people, we have a new mission for you! - Grog shouted, drawing attention -I want 5 level two vampires to step forward, today is the day you can please your king! - Grog announced Without much delay, 5 vampires stood in front of Grog, their simple appearances showed a great contrast compared to the other vampires, they looked like high-class warriors, almost like guards of the nobility. -Well... you will serve. Your mission will be outside the city, so you will not be protected by the magical mist of the king of sunlight. And although sunlight doesn''t kill you, it does weaken you, so I recommend that if you have to fight, do it at night or in a completely dark place, understand? - asked Grog The 5 vampires nodded quickly, on their faces you could see the excitement and the desire to go out, especially on Racket''s, who had recently ascended to level two. -Sonia, you will be the leader of this team. Make sure you bring that girl no matter what happens, it doesn''t matter if you bring her to me dead- ordered Grog as he turned around and walked towards the exit of the room, stopping right at the entrance and giving one last order -The others prepare, tonight we will launch another attack on the kingdom- Then Grog disappeared in a cloud of ashes leaving all the vampires excited, especially the 5 level two vampires. The 5 vampires were talking to each other excitedly, they all wanted to have a chance to impress the king and thus be able to receive his blood and become purer. -Did you see how Mr. Grog disappeared?- asked Deck -Yes, only level ones can do such things- answered Reynold -I can barely control my flight- Racket, who had been very quiet, was thinking about all the possibilities that this exploration could bring. When he ascended to level two he realized that the purer a vampire was, the stronger he became and the more abilities he obtained. Before he only had the basic abilities of a vampire, super senses, super physique, and more powerful magic, but when he ascended to level two he obtained the ability to fly, become invisible, he could heal faster and also all his previous abilities tripled and now he could survive in sunlight although he weakened a lot. Racket thought that if he ascended to level one he could do the same things that Grog and Jenna do like turn into ashes, summon the mist, merge with the shadows, and be able to regenerate parts of his body. Before Racket could continue lost in his thoughts Sonia spoke bringing him back to reality. -You heard Mr. Grog, take your weapons, and let''s meet at the entrance in half an hour, not a second late- Sonia ordered. Sonia approached the exit and turned to see her companions, telling her to hurry up and then leave at high speed, leaving behind only a small silhouette where she was. -Sonia is a beast, if someone goes up to level one it will undoubtedly be her- affirmed Reynold -tch, it''s nothing. We can all do the same- answered Deck with a little displeasure. -can we?- asked Collin, finally deciding to speak Deck didn''t answer the question and simply looked where Sonia left, even though he didn''t like Sonia at all, he knew that they were on completely different levels of strength, but he would never accept that. Before he could speak again, racket advanced heading towards the entrance and looking at them with a big smile. -Yes, we can- said racket disappearing at high speed just as Sonia had done. ¡ªBreak¡ª In the depths of the kingdom, Varion was sitting on a throne made of human skeletons, these were the victims that Varion had personally killed, his bite had become so powerful that he left nothing but bones after biting someone. Varion held his hand which trembled with pain, this was one of the only two wounds his body had, but it was the first and only one that still hurt. Varion took off his glove showing a bite that seemed to be freshly made, this wound was caused by Rhonna in a desperate attempt to protect her mother, Dana, from Vari¨®n. Chickenpox had tried everything to heal, but nothing seemed to work, he even tore off his hand making it grow another, but the wound reappeared. The second wound had been done to Conner, just when Rhonna released him from his bite Conner appeared in front of him giving him a powerful blow to the chest that destroyed much of his body, if it weren''t for his immortality most likely he would have died with that attack. After a few moments his wound healed, but he left a huge scar and lightning burns, almost announcing "Conner was here." -My King...- Jenna announced her arrival and bowed to Vari¨®n. Analyzing the situation, Jenna looked at Vari¨®n''s injured hand quickly going to incarse right in front of the throne where she took Vari¨®n''s hand and began to use a dark magic that helped relieve the pain for a few hours. Vari¨®n looked directly at Jenna, she was his most faithful servant, Even before being Vampires Jenna followed him like a faithful dog that would obey any order. In fact, it was thanks to Jenna that they were now vampires, she influenced the ritual with the magic of Damnatus to make him the King he should always have been according to Vari¨®n. Varion was not stupid, he knew very well that Jenna was crazy about him and that''s why he kept her by his side, he knew that she would never betray him. He had even already promised her a position by his side as his queen once they took the castle. Varion stretched out his hand caressing Jenna''s cheek. -How are the preparations going?- he asked -The preparations are ready, my king. They just wait for your orders- Jenna answered quickly -very well, today our reign will begin- Varion said. Cursed Forest Thaddeus, dressed in simple leather armor and a black hood, was walking through green meadows that stretched as far as the eye could see. It had been two days since he had embarked on his journey to where the Elder Tree would guide him. The meadows were quiet with no sign of fighting or destruction, almost as if the war had never happened. Of course, this was nothing more than a facade, a simple attempt by the world and magic to correct all the chaos caused by the constant wars and senseless destruction. In the distance, Thaddeus managed to make out an imposing figure of an elephant, its height extended to the clouds which covered the body of the immense green elephant that seemed to be made of branches and grass. With each step, the rumble of its weight could be felt crushing the ground and reforesting it to what it once was. -Root, son of an elder- said Thaddeus amazed -I never thought I would see such a creature with my own eyes- Thaddeus took a notebook out of his leather bag and began to draw the huge elephant. Little by little, without Thaddeus noticing, an old man with a long beard approached him, this old man was Merlin. -Beautiful, isn''t it?- asked Merlin surprising Thaddeus. -No matter how much damage we cause, the earth will eventually reign over everything again. As if we had never been there- -Merlin, how did you get here? Weren''t you supposed to be with Rhonna?- asked Thaddeus confused and a little excited -Is it better now? Have you found the cure?- -I''m afraid not, young wizard. What you see here is nothing more than a simple copy of me, made of magic and a lot of my will- revealed Merlin - my true body is still on its way to Nuevo Corinto, there is still a long journey to be able to get there- - So, what are you doing here? You don''t come to give me bad news, do you?- asked Thaddeus - Of course not, in fact it''s the opposite- said Merlin as he stood right next to him - you see, I recently had a vision of you, some small ephemeral dreams. A very dangerous journey awaits you and I cannot allow you to go alone towards what would be your death, that is why I will travel with you until my magic allows me- Even though Merlin had brought him bad news, Thaddeus looked at him gratefully and nodded at Merlin''s company. He would not waste a valuable ally and even less if that ally is Merlin. Merlin watched Root walk in the distance, no animal was scared or ran away from him, as if they knew that Root is not dangerous at all. Birds perched on his long green fur that resembles the branches of a tree and on his large fangs that shined white. -Have you seen Root before, Merlin?- asked Thaddeus -Oh yes, 2 times to be exact- said Merlin without taking his eyes off Root -and I always marveled at his great calmness and kindness- -Have you ever seen him angry?- asked Thaddeus curiously -Once, although it was a long time ago. 3 thousand years ago- revealed Merlin -3 thousand years?... in the time of Damnatus if I''m not mistaken- said Thaddeus thoughtfully -What was he like? I mean, I know he was very despicable and bad, but how much?- -Him? No... that thing is not something you can call by him or her. It is a being made of hate and malice, it is the cause of hate in this world- said Merlin. His gaze reflected the anger and resentment kept towards that being, something that Thaddeus never thought he would see in a benign - his rise to power lasted 2 thousand years, 2 thousand years in which the Benigns could do nothing but watch as damnatus took control of the earth-unica little by little. Then, after 2 thousand years, he remained in power for 3 thousand years controlling more than 70% of our planet. His power and influence were... are such that even today we have not been able to recover even the smallest part of the lands he conquered. Even being locked in that prison he managed to curse the earth-unica so that the races live in an endless cycle of hate- -It''s a demon- said Thaddeus amazed by everything that Damnatus caused. -It''s not a demon, it''s Damnatus- said Merlin firmly while his gaze was lost in the direction Root went.-I hope that with this you understand why the Elder Tree is so angry about what they did, we all fear that somehow Damnatus can use these vampires to come back- -I understand- said Thaddeus. Merlin gave one last look to Root and then lightly hit Thaddeus on the head with his staff and continued north. -Come on, young wizard. A long journey awaits us- said Merlin advancing at a fast pace -*sigh* I hope it''s not as dangerous as he says- whispered Thaddeus to himself Thaddeus and Merlin walked north, passing through the green meadows that seemed to have no end. As they walked, Merlin told him stories about when he was still human and how he met the Benigns. He also told him about how he met Tempus, the hero who faced and imprisoned Damnatus in an extradimensional prison where he would not be able to escape for thousands of years. The two continued walking for days, to the point where Thaddeus came to think that they were lost going around in circles. It was not until the third week that the two managed to see a forest a few kilometers away. "Finally, I came to think that we were lost," Thaddeus confessed, quickly approaching the forest. "In a few moments you will wish you had gotten lost in the meadow, young Thaddeus," said Merlin with a slightly amused tone. In front of them was a dark and somewhat sinister forest, a complete contrast to the beautiful and peaceful meadow in which they had been walking for days. Thaddeus looked at the strange forest with complicated feelings, it reminded him of the mythical forest from which the creatures of the night were born. -You know, it may sound a little ridiculous, but this forest reminds me of the forest of stories, the cursed forest- said Thaddeus nervously. -Hohoho, this is the cursed forest!- revealed Merlin with a big smile when he saw Thaddeus'' expression. -Wait what!?- asked Thaddeus excitedlyIf you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. -Hohoho, we must not delay young Thaddeus. A hard journey awaits us and we have no time to waste- said Merlin advancing towards the forest without any fear, Thaddeus even assured that Merlin was excited. -The last time I was here was when I hid the chocolates from the benign of love and I came to hide here, how exciting! She''s not as loving as they say if you mess with her food- revealed Merlin Thaddeus simply sighed and followed Merlin through the entrance of the forest. Every time they advanced it seemed that the forest was getting darker and little by little a mist was appearing. A few meters after entering Merlin raised his staff and turned it over their heads causing a thin transparent cloth to cover them. -A spell?- asked Thaddeus -Yes, it''s a simple illusion spell, it reflects all the light around us making us invisible- clarified Merlin -As long as you don''t move too far away from me the effect on you shouldn''t disappear- -I find it incredible that being a simple clone you can do magic without problems- admired Thaddeus -If you study enough you can get to this level- revealed Merlin calmly -It seems a little impossible to me, I can barely perform basic spells- admitted Thaddeus dejectedly -Spells and charms separately are not a problem at all, but when I try to combine them it becomes impossible for me- -You just need more practice and one day you will achieve it- cheer up Merlin. The two continued their journey going deeper and deeper. The trees were getting closer and closer together and the grass more and more leafy and frequent. Before Thaddeus'' eyes, the poisonous herbs did not go unnoticed, magical herbs that were usually very difficult to get here were in abundance. Little by little, the sounds of wild animals became present around them, although they never appeared before them, Merlin assured that it was due to the senses of the animals, although they could not see them, they could feel them and smell them, so they did not get too close. The day passed quickly, faster than it normally did according to Thaddeus, Merlin laughed at Thaddeus'' concern, explaining to him that this was one of the effects of the forest, it is normal to lose track of time in it. Merlin took his staff and stuck it hard into the ground, causing the trees around him to grow and expand until they joined together and formed a small house above them. Merlin assured him that although they had not fully entered the forest, they were already in a place dangerous enough to be attacked while sleeping. Thaddeus extended his hand creating a flame which he threw towards the small fireplace that Merlin created to keep warm. Thanks to Merlin''s help Thaddeus learned to vaguely sense the great source of magic that ran through the forest in the form of mist, according to Merlin it is the magical residue of the monsters and magical beasts that reside in this forest. The magic is so much that it accumulates and manifests itself visibly, this made him think of the fog that was over the Blood Tears kingdom, "How powerful would Varion have to be to be able to manifest this magical fog over an entire kingdom without problems?" Thaddeus thought, it''s not like the Blood Tears kingdom was small, it contains more than 5 million people after all. Merlin sat right next to Thaddeus, in one of his hands he held two cups and in the other a teapot. Thaddeus wondered where he had gotten the teapot and cups from, but decided to leave the question aside. It was Merlin after all. According to legend, this man could move mountains with a little effort and separate the sea between kingdoms without breaking a sweat. ¡°Getting a cup out of his ass would be the least impressive thing about Merlin,¡± Thaddeus thought. ¡°I didn''t get the cups out of my ass, and don''t be rude,¡± Merlin replied, pouring hot water into the cups. ¡°Can you read my thoughts?¡± Thaddeus asked, alarmed. ¡°Don''t be silly. I can''t read anyone''s thoughts,¡± Merlin said. ¡°I can hear them, which is very different. Reading thoughts... how ridiculous.¡± Merlin poured the water and prepared what seemed to be tea, a purple tea with sparks coming out of it. Something totally strange for Thaddeus, who had never seen such tea in his life. The two continued chatting and drinking tea for a few minutes until Merlin asked Thaddeus to rest first since Merlin didn''t need to rest at all. Thaddeus, already accustomed to this routine, went to sleep without hesitation leaving Merlin to stand guard. ¡ªBreak¡ª -Young Thaddeus¡­ Young Thaddeus¡­ Young Thaddeus!!- Merlin exclaimed, waking Thaddeus -Merlin, what''s wrong?- Thaddeus asked, confused -We have company- Merlin said with his staff in hand -Company?- he asked again Before Merlin could answer, the two could hear heavy breathing, as if someone was tired. Thaddeus stood up quickly, focusing his senses and vaguely managing to feel the magic of the being outside. A disgusting magic even greater than that of vampires in Merlin''s words. -What the hell!...?- Thaddeus couldn''t finish speaking as Merlin covered his mouth and made a sign for him to keep quiet. Walking slowly, Merlin reached the door, opening it slowly and delicately until he could see 2 creatures wandering in front of the makeshift house. The creatures had a body very similar to that of a human, however they walked with both hands and feet, they had 2 large white horns coming out of their head and their skin was completely black with only a few red lines that crossed their bodies without forming any pattern, in their mouth only a few sharp teeth and a strange black liquid dripping from there, and completely red eyes. -Corrupted- Merlin muttered surprised and then looked at Thaddeus -Curse, at the least opportune moment- -Corrupted? What are they?- Thaddeus asked -Why are they here?- Merlin looked at him for a few seconds before answering. -Because of you. You spent a lot of time with me and you ended up breaking the curse of hatred- revealed Merlin -I thought that being a clone it wouldn''t have as much effect as my real self, but I was wrong- -Curse? I don''t feel anything different- said Thaddeus quickly -Do you remember I told you about how Damnatus cursed the races?- asked Merlin -Was it literal?- asked Thaddeus only to receive a nod from Merlin -And now what do we do?- Merlin looked at him seriously and then gave him a slight smile and raised his staff.-Fight of course- he answered Merlin walked out the door waving his staff and releasing a powerful discharge of lightning against the corrupted, waving his staff again he summoned a large blue wave that hit the corrupted directly. Not wanting to finish yet, Merlin raised his hand causing the wave to contract attracting the two corrupted to the center and then exploding in a large flame incinerating the corrupted to death. -Consecutive spells conjured!!- said Thaddeus with admiration approaching Merlin -Mph, they were nothing- said Merlin A little later the nearby bushes shook and from there came 3 corrupted ones surrounding Merlin and Thaddeus quickly. Thaddeus turned quickly, standing back to back with Merlin, ready to attack at any moment. -Do not fear young Thaddeus, these are nothing more than simple disposable minions and without much power- revealed Merlin showing to be excited -Of course- answered Thaddeus while moving his hands forward and began to take out blue rays. -Take this!- he exclaimed throwing the rays and hitting two corrupted ones throwing them towards the bushes. -Good job, but remember not to waste so much magic. Magic may be infinite in itself, but your energies are not- Merlin advised, getting rid of the other corrupted man by breaking his back with his magic-enhanced staff. ¡°Sometimes Merlin can be very sadistic¡± Thaddeus thought, watching the corrupted man writhing on the ground in pain until he died. -I''m not sadistic, it''s survival. Live or die- Merlin clarified quickly -aha- Thaddeus answered, ignoring the sermon Merlin was giving him while he went to check that the two corrupted he hit were dead. Thaddeus opened the bushes, looking at the two corpses of the corrupted men but also noticing some shadows not far away, many shadows approaching. Thaddeus tried to focus his vision, noticing several horns and dark skin. -Merlin¡­- called Thaddeus -And what seems strange to me is that normally these corrupted being are very weak and travel in groups of 10 to 15, but these were only 5- Merlin continued with his reflection -200 Merlin, that''s 200!!- shouted Thaddeus running next to Merlin and entering the forest. Merlin looked confused at Thaddeus and then felt the massive group of corrupted approaching at high speed. Without hesitating for a second, Merlin waved his staff over his head and ran in the same direction where Thaddeus went. -200? That''s at least 300!!- said Merlin passing at high speed next to Thaddeus -and among them there are generals!!- -Did you put a speed spell on yourself? Put one on me too!!- exclaimed Thaddeus. Tears of a Dragon Thaddeus ran at top speed through the forest, dodging fallen trees and branches, occasionally turning quickly to throw a fireball to minimize the group that was following him. About 10 minutes had passed since he had lost track of Merlin, who had apparently abandoned him to his fate. Thaddeus ran for another 10 minutes, his face showing fatigue and he was visibly sweaty from running so much, when he thought he could no longer run he heard labored breathing, like someone''s sobbing, but they were louder as if they were from someone much larger than a person. Thaddeus without hesitation ran towards the sobs, vaguely feeling Merlin''s magic in that same direction. Thaddeus jumped through the fallen trees until he reached a huge open area. The area had clearly been cleared by someone or something, there were lots of trees lying around, as if they had been forcibly torn away by a great blizzard. In the middle of the area there was a large hill and in front of it was Merlin, looking directly at the hill. Thaddeus stopped slowly, realizing that the corrupted ones were not advancing any further but they were not willing to leave either and stayed waiting right at the edge of the area. Thaddeus approached Merlin panting, he could still hear the sobs but he could not see anyone else besides Merlin. -Merlin¡­ finally¡­ I find you- Thaddeus said panting tiredly. -shhh- Merlin silenced him and made a sign for him to be quiet. Merlin slowly approached the hill and slowly caressed it with his hand, Thaddeus looked at this silently without knowing what Merlin was doing until he noticed something strange on the hill. The hill rose and fell constantly, as if it were breathing. Merlin clapped his hands lightly and looked at the hill sadly. -Oh... Stella... you don''t need to hide, not in front of me- Merlin spoke to the hill Slowly, at Merlin''s words, the hill moved, letting the grass and dirt fall, revealing bright blue scales. The hill slowly changed shape until it became a huge and imposing dragon. The dragon turned to look at Merlin, bright golden tears dripping from its eyes, as if they were made of liquid gold. -DEAD, THEY''RE ALL DEAD!!- cried the dragon known as Stella, letting herself fall in front of Merlin. Thaddeus looked at Stella in shock, it was the first time he had seen a dragon so closely. Merlin approached Stella, hugging her just below her eye. Stella sobbed even harder at Merlin''s hug. -I''m so sorry, Stella. No one knew this would end up like this- Merlin apologized When the kings called the benign to war they asked Merlin to contact the dragorn and the dragons for support since Merlin was the only one who knew where they lived. Merlin asked them for help to which they quickly accepted, unfortunately the dragorn died during the war at the hands of the gods giving their race for extinction. Since then the dragons had been mourning their death, the two races had a strong bond for thousands of years ago, the dragons had seen and helped the creation of the dragorn and for them they were something more than just another race of the bunch, they were almost like their children, hence the name dragorn, an abbreviation of dragon born. -THE GODS, IT''S ALL THE GODS'' FAULT!!- Stella cried angrily, her eyes burning with a barely controlled fury -IF ONLY WE HAD REFUSED, IF ONLY WE HAD NOT PARTICIPATED IN THE WAR THEY WOULD BE ALIVE!!- -It''s not fair that you say that and you know it, participating in the war was their wish and you know it. They couldn''t have just stood by and done nothing- Merlin answered -I... I know it. We know it better than anyone- Stella answered and then looked towards where the corrupted were -BUT THAT DOESN''T RELIEVE THE PAIN IN MY HEART!!- Stella roared releasing a powerful torrent of magic that swept away all the corrupted and spread until it opened a direct path to the meadows that Merlin and Thaddeus had entered. Thaddeus threw himself to the ground, holding on to whatever he could to avoid being blown away by the strong winds caused by Stella''s attack. Merlin quickly stood in front of Thaddeus, raising his staff and creating a semi-transparent white shield out of pure magic. -CURSE!!- Thaddeus screamed in fear at the pressure of such immense power. Merlin''s shield could barely resist until Stella decided to stop her attack. The corrupted had been completely eliminated by the attack, not even ashes of what they once were remained. Merlin gasped at the effort he had to make to resist the attack. Stella saw Merlin''s tired form, discovering that something was not right. -You''re not the real Merlin, a clone?- Stella asked and Merlin nodded quickly -Mph, I figured. That attack shouldn''t have been the least bit difficult for you to cover- Stella laid down again, allowing Merlin to approach again and Thaddeus to get up with a bit of difficulty. Thaddeus looked surprised at the new clean area Stella had created. -What are you doing here, Merlin? I see you didn''t come to comfort a grieving friend- Stella asked -Don''t say that, Stella, I''ll always be there for you and you know it- Merlin answered -If only I had known you were here and I didn''t have so much on my plate, I would have come in person- -Well you know I''m here, now tell me what''s keeping you so busy?- Stella demanded to know. Merlin sighed at his friend''s anger, taking a few seconds to calm down and organize his mind, Merlin proceeded to tell him what had happened in the Blood Tears realm. Stella, upon hearing that the main purpose was to create something similar to a Dragon, did not take it well and even less when they told her about the participation of witches in the ritual, along with the book that Merlin had taken from Thaddeus where he had written down the entire process of the ritual. Stella glared at Thaddeus who thought she was going to eat him.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. -You... how dare you disrespect our sacred ritual by trying to replicate it and even more, by using witches and blood magic! - Stella scolded Thaddeus approaching him. -Stella wait, they didn''t know this would happen. None of them knew that the witches were using Damnatus magic - Merlin pleaded for Thaddeus standing in front of him. -tch, then what brings you to this forest, shouldn''t you be taking care of those Vampires?- Stella asked still angry -and that''s what we do...- Merlin said indicating to Thaddeus to show the leaf Thaddeus quickly took out the sphere where the Elder Tree leaf was and showed it to Stella. Stella looked at the leaf carefully and quickly understood the situation. The Elder Tree was known for not contacting anyone unless it had an important task for that person. -so Elder wants you to take care of those vampires, huh?- Stella said understanding the situation -it seems fine to me, you humans created this plague, you clean it- Stella settled back down and little by little several branches and herbs began to grow again on her body. Merlin understood that Stella no longer wanted to talk to them and this was her kind way of telling them to leave, shaking his head Merlin turned to Thaddeus indicating that it was time to leave. Thaddeus without refuting advanced quickly with Merlin, entering the depths of the forest. But before they could go too far into the forest, Stella''s voice rang out through the forest until it reached them, giving Merlin a message. -Be careful, your magic is too scarce being just a clone- Stella warned making Merlin smile slightly. ¡ªBreak¡ª Merlin led the way through the depths of the forest, their destination still unknown to the two, he did not force them to stop but to advance more quickly. The trip from the edges of the forest to the depths lasted a month, in which they were constantly attacked by corrupted and goblins. Little by little Merlin felt how difficult it was for him to recover magic, his original body was very far away and it took longer to send magic to him, so without much to do about it he decided that it was better to leave the fights to Thaddeus in order to accompany him a little longer, and also take advantage to teach him magic. -Come on, young Thaddeus, I know you can do it! - Merlin supported Thaddeus watching from a slope. -You''re not helping! - Thaddeus claimed dodging a tree "Who would say that this trip was actually dangerous" he thought A few minutes ago, Thaddeus and Merlin were practicing magic when suddenly they were attacked by a 10 meter ogre, Merlin decided to let Thaddeus fight due to his low amount of magic. Thaddeus looked up, seeing that the ogre grabbed another tree and was about to hit it, he quickly raised his hand and snapped his fingers producing a purple wave that destroyed the tree and hit the ogre directly. The ogre fell disoriented and covering his ears. -Excellent use of the sound spell, I see that our training has been useful to you- Merlin said proudly. -And from what I see, it''s easier for you to use incantation spells than charms, isn''t that so?- -Yes, I find it easier to use natural magic than to use my own magic- Thaddeus revealed -Mmm, that must be why you find it so difficult to use conjured charms. While incantations require natural magic and charms require your own magic, conjured charms require the use of both and good control, control that you don''t have in your own magic- Merlin revealed. Thaddeus clapped his hands unleashing another sound spell that hit the ogre squarely, the ogre crawled until it reached the tree that he had cast before, the ogre took the tree and threw it at Thaddeus causing him to dodge again. -You''re going to have to put him to sleep soon or you''ll run out of magic- Merlin recommended -I already realized!- Thaddeus answered dodging another tree -What can I use? I don''t have any spell of such magnitude- -Well... you could use a charm- Merlin advised -Are you kidding?... Shit- Thaddeus answered Thaddeus ran towards the ogre, using another sound spell that stunned the ogre and causing magic to run through his body he made a great leap climbing onto the ogre''s head. Thaddeus put his hands on the ogre focusing his magic on him. -Come on, it works, it works- Thaddeus tried to get the charm to work for a few seconds but all his efforts were useless, the ogre only got angrier when he felt Thaddeus'' magic trying to put him to sleep -To hell with this!- Thaddeus hit the ogre''s ears with his palms and using a sound spell he emitted a wave that ran through the ogre''s head. The ogre stopped his fight instantly and large amounts of blood began to come out of his orifices, the ogre collapsed on his front allowing Thaddeus to get off. Merlin slowly approached seeing the lifeless body of the ogre and then looked at Thaddeus. -brain death- Merlin mentioned the cause of death -and I''m the sadist¡­- he said looking at Thaddeus -at least it worked- Thaddeus answered -of course it worked, what creature could survive such a thing?- Merlin asked pointing at the ogre who had a slimy thing coming out of his ears. -is that the brain?- Thaddeus asked -what else could it be?- Merlin answered -*sigh* well at least it''s over- Merlin turned to look at a lake not far from there, indicating to Thaddeus to follow him, the two walked towards the lake, a black lake that separated two different types of land. Thaddeus and Merlin were in a green land, the grass was a dull color and a little creepy, but it was still green. On the other side the land was a gray color, the grass seemed to be dead and without any color. -What is that place?- Thaddeus asked as he took out the sphere where he had the Elder''s blade and saw that the blade pointed to that place. -As I feared...- Merlin said seeing the blade -That place, young Thaddeus, is the true cursed forest. A small forest right in the center of the cursed forest, from there the creatures of the night are born, a place where the light of day does not reach and only the stupid decide to explore- Thaddeus closed his eyes in resignation and cursing his luck while Merlin squeezed his staff tightly, Merlin begged not to have to go into the depths of that land, since even he could not help Thaddeus much before disappearing due to lack of magic. -Merlin... what is that?- Thaddeus asked feeling a magic that came from under the ground. -That is the accumulation of magic from the creatures of the night- Merlin responded -From now on we will have to advance very carefully, we do not want to alert certain unwanted creatures- Merlin ordered.