《The Bleak Walker》


 Chapter 1: The Second Wake

    He marched along the wasteland. Wearing a worn robe with armor underneath, he used his sword like a cane. On his shoulder cape was the regalia of the Dove of Thorns and the Snake of Woes. The dove symbolized the hope of walking through thorns and the Snake symbolizing the patience of a snake. The sky was covered in dust. The lone man could barely see the road he was walking.


    "Ah," the man muttered. He felt his foot slipped and slowly he slid down where his back hit the sandy and rocky ground. His eyes reflected the sunless sky. How long has he been walking aimlessly through this desert of false hope? Images of old comrades who fought with him appeared before his eyes. The bittersweet journey has led him to this false desert.


    Hope was his opium and this addiction made him crawl through many deserts just to reach this place. He had to give up the love of her life to reach this place. They placed such forlorn hope to them knowing that he was merely marching aimlessly.


    How many has he fought? How much flesh did his sword cut in this desert? How many men and women of different tribes did he kill for this? "Where are you?" mouthed the man with his face slightly contorted. He stood up from where he fell and marched again. A gust of wind made him raise his cape, his weary eyes looking dimmer every second.


    He came across a field of bones. Armors, weapons, and even skeletons of horse could be found. He sidled to the corpses and started to search the tools. He ransacked their satchels, bags, and bandoliers for anything that might be useful. He found three throwing knives, a quiver filled with rusted bolts, and a bible that has its pages torn and was barely eligible to read.


    The thing he was praying that he''ll found was not there. He looked at the dusty sky with empty eyes. His dirt stained face and scars showed the expression of someone who was tired. The light in his eyes resembled the eyes of a fish. His kneeling figure was basked with a bit of light. The light from the skies made his hopeless eyes gleam.


    "Ah," he mouthed. His tongue was dry. Speaking would make him open his mouth, causing whatever liquid left on his mouth to evaporate. His tongue has already dried, he couldn''t feel any saliva. His eyes were dry and he could barely see because of it. His thoughts were like a storm. Memories kept on appearing as they flash upon his eyes. Men of nations went to war for the sake of different things.


    He went to war simply out of anger. He fought as a bleak walking rank-and-file soldier and marched through many battlefields out of anger. He found himself in the army of generals and heroes and held back demons that numbered thousands along with his fellow soldiers. He was a fodder for the heroes who needed the time to attack the Castle of The Overlord of the Demons.


    The Heroes won. The light was the sign of that. He thought that they have failed. He marched the wasteland because he didn''t want hope to fade. But the light alone made his weary body stop fighting. His body fell back and his arms spread on the sand. He took a long deep breath and closed his eyes. He wanted to rest...


    ...


    A wind blew to the east. A carriage pulled by camels slowly trek through the sand, the camel''s feet leaving a trail. The caravans that have sleds instead of wheels slowly moved. There were men and women who covered their heads in clothes stained with sand and dust sitting inside the carriages, some are walking with sticks. The caravan master sat in the driver, his mustache moving as he licks his mouth, his hand carrying a canteen. He looked up, watching the skies and where the sun positions itself. It was his job to make sure the caravan reaches its destination. "Caravan Master," said the driver. He pointed his finger forward. "Desert Walker"


    The Caravan Master lifted his brows. His eyes darted to where the finger of the driver was pointing. He saw a tanned young man with slightly grey hair, his garb was quite odd, his outfit seemed like it didn''t belong to a desert walker. "Wake him up," the caravan master gestured at one of the guards, his eyes pointing at the fainted young man. The guard sighs, he then dismounted and started to where the young man, his boots dragging the sand. The guard squatted near the young man. He took out his canteen and poured it on the young man''s head.


    The young man jolted as water entered his nostrils and mouth. He tilted forward and took a deep long breath as if he surfaced from the water. His eyes scanned the surrounding, finally landing to the guard and the caravan. He then looked up at the sky and his eyes widened, his eyes tearing up. The guard''s face distorted into a frown, he trailed his hand on the young man''s shoulder, "Glad that you''re alive?"


    The young man nodded. "I am. What is the Year?" He said with his hands curled. The guard replied, "Imperial Calendar, the Year 1501."


    "I see," the young man''s eyes pointed down. He looked at the caravan and then the guard. "I was heading to Oasis, got robbed by bandits. They should be on the south by now. So may I join the caravan? I''ll work if I have to."


    The caravan guard''s jaw tightened. He spun and eyed the caravan master whose arms were folded, his chin lifted as he observes. "This man wants to join us, master."


    "If he can feed the camels and distribute the food then let him."


    "You heard the caravan master," the guard stood up, extending his hand. "You''ll work for us until Oasis City. Feed the camels and distribute the rations. It should be easy."


    "Thank you," the young man pulled himself up. He followed the caravan guard who sauntered back to the caravan. He saddled up and looked up as the caravan started moving. Looking up, the young man''s eyes gleam. "I really went back to this time where it all began."

 Chapter 2: The Second Meeting

    Oasis City was a city with worn barbicans standing tall to ward off demons and raiders alike. The walls of the city were surrounded by four curtain walls. The North Wall consisting of battlements while the west and east walls were covered in ballista and cannons to protect the city from the side.


    The City was surrounded by a vast winding desert that was like hills that would swallow the city. When the wind blows the sand would transform into still waves that looked like it would swallow the whole area. They are called the waves of Oasis, beautiful to look at as they sparkle but terrible if they strike.


    The train caravan entered through the North Wall. The Caravan Master was perspiring as he felt the gaze of the hardened guards of Oasis City. His fingers interlocking together, his eyes reflected the tall walls. A guard stopped the caravan from progressing further. His rough arms, his strong gaze that would make one shiver. The Guard was a hardened veteran and many of them die just by patrolling the boundaries of the cities. The Caravan Master has journeyed through the desert and has survived for years. But will his luck continue? How can he compare to the Throes Guards? The guardsmen who face danger every day? The population of the guardsmen numbered thousands. They protect a million citizens of Oasis City from harm. There was no one that would be foolish to offend such men.


    The Caravan Master''s jaw tightened. His eyes trailed to the guard, his speech starting to look clumsy. The guard snorted, he inspected the caravan before landing his eyes to a young man with a rather eccentric outfit. He carried a spear on his right hand. He wore a hood and was covered in a cape that was stained with sand and dirt. The countenance of the young man was that of a skull. The grey hair and the jet-black eyes of the young man made the guard thought that this young man must have seen things that would break the soul and mind.


    "Are you a bleak walker?" He said in the language of the Talons.


    "Yes, hail the Talon King," replied the young man in the same language. "Thorned Dove, the Snake of Throes crawl the sand, in the dark, it patiently waits."


    The face of the guard slightly turned solemn. "You know the words of the Throe?"


    "The View From above shows our smallness. The premeditation of Evil says that one must imagine the distant bleakness," The young man replied while keeping his face bland.


    "I see. A true Bleak Walker of the Throes, what is your name, Bleak Walker?"


    "Nolan Salvatore, bearer of the Dove of Thorns and the Snake of Woes."


    The sigil of a Thorn Dove appeared on his right eye. The Snake of Woes appeared on his other eye. The sigils circulated along his eye''s iris. The guard gawked at the sigil that appeared before him. He knew that there are people who have sigils but it was his first time seeing two sigils in both eyes.


    The Caravan Master''s mouth opened wide. He thought that the young man was an experience wanderer but to think that he would be a bleak walker! A bleak walker walks the lands that no one dares to trek. And they are lone wanderers that would slay monsters and demons.


    Nolan was a soldier of the Throes. He fought in many armies and finally walked with an army of bleak walkers who were trying to help save the world from the darkness. Nola journeyed far and somehow he ended up having the sigil of the Dove of Thorns and the Snake of Woes. But was he special for having those? Of course, he was not. The bleak walkers he fought with possessed the two sigils. They followed the Heroes of Mankind through thick and thin and were able to hold the line for them. Nameless file and rank soldiers who had nothing to lose raised their shields and welcome their deaths.


    Towering behemoths and demons with skins that even silver could not pierce. Hides that even cannons couldn''t penetrate. All of them didn''t have the intention to retreat. Retreat to what home? The home where demons ran amok? Where monsters pick the corpses of the women and children? The Bleak Walkers planted their foot down and continued fighting back until they found themselves dying one after another. Nolan retreated because his fellow bleak walkers told him to fight the hopelessness. He wanted to die on that battlefield with his fellow soldiers. But he was sent away while they died. "Let the Thorn Dove fly!" shouted his comrades. "Hope lives! The Bleak walks!"


    And so he reluctantly turned his back from his comrades and marched towards the place where the Heroes should be. He wanted to know if they won. But yet along the way, he saw the sky clear up. The darkness that covered the sky was gone and he died within the sands. Yet Nolan awoke in a world where the darkness was coming again. Most men would break at this thought. But not Nolan, he experienced death twice. He awoke in this world twice from death. He shall not fear the dying of the light. No matter how bleak it was. A bleak walker would walk on.


    "Two sigils...you have journeyed far, Bleak Walker," said the guard. His countenance was that of respect. He nodded and said. "You can now pass!"


    The Caravan Master who has his mouth opened nodded. Nolan dismounted and sauntered to where the caravan master was. His perpetual calm face showed no emotion. "I thank you for taking me here, Caravan Master."


    "It was nothing. You helped us along the way," said the Caravan Master with a weary smile. The train of caravan slowly entered the northern gates. Nolan watched the train of caravan go. His hand holding his spear he looked at the gates with melancholy. It has been quite a while since he stepped into the gates. His cloak fluttered, revealing the dagger behind his back, the belt where his bandolier was tied. Nolan thought of many things from his memories. How he arrived here and how he met her, the Burned Woman who did her best in a world where people would spit on her face.


    ...


    She walked into a store. A man with a full beard was sharpening a sword with a whetstone. She paced herself near the weapon racks, her eyes gazing at the weapons. The man with a full beard narrowed his eyes. He stopped sharpening the sword on his hand. "Are you going to buy some, Cursed woman?"


    The woman clicked her tongue and pointed at the rack. "How much for the sword?" the woman with the left part of her face burnt said. The left arm she used to point was fleshy pink and it was disturbing to look at. The right part of her body wasn''t burnt but her appearance made people around cringe with disgust written on their face.


    The man with a full beard winced. He pushed his hands on the counter and said. "One hundred Talons take it or leave it!" His face was stern.


    The woman eyed the man for a long time. She grabbed her pouch and untied the string. She started picking up the Talons from her pocket until her pouch was withered. The man with the full beard assumed that she only had those coins on her. "Will this do?" said the burned woman.


    The man with the full beard eyed the talon coins. "Take the weapon. Get out of my store."


    The burned woman took the weapon and grabbed the sheath with it. The full beard man pushes his cheek with his fist and stared at the burned woman tying the sheath to her leather belt. She wore a brigandine and her cloak was stained with sand and dirt.


    She walked out of the shop. The full beard man''s expression turned solemn as the door of his shop closed. Women with burned features were ''cursed'' according to the beliefs of the people of Oasis. Most shopkeepers won''t allow them to stay too long in their shops in fear of the ''curse'' that they harbor.


    The Burned Woman walked through the sandstone street and took a left to where the low districts are. The low district consists of slums and poor people who spend their lives in poverty and backbreaking labor. There are about four districts inside Oasis City. The Noble District is where the nobleman''s and royals live. The Market Districts are where most of the trade happens and finally the Throes District where the military and residential houses are. The place was built for those who have uplifted themselves from poverty. She passed by a tall brick and stone building with a cone-shaped structure where a cross was placed. A man holding a sand stained bible preached at the men and women walking by. She ignored the man and walked to a back alley. Dirty gutters, rats loitered, and trash was scattered around this alley. She put her right hand on her sword as she carefully took a step forward. Her movement was rather practiced and she didn''t even make a single noise as she walked towards the dim-light area.


    She spotted three men surrounding a woman. She was placed on top of a crate, her legs spread, her skirt ripped open. A big man was thrusting his hips at the woman. Another man was pleasing himself with the woman''s breast. The last man was rubbing his cock at the woman''s mouth. Streaks of tears ran down upon the woman''s cheeks. This vile scene made the Burned Woman slowly sheath her sword. Her posture lowered as she stands on toes, not making any sound as she could.


    Most would shout and charge like some fool. But the time she has spent in Oasis City made her learned how stupid it was to do so. If she wanted to help this woman she would need to be careful. So she crept up behind the man thrusting his hips. She pulled her sword and sneered inwardly at the three men who were lost in lust.


    "Die," She said coldly as her sword pierced the heart of the man thrusting his hips. The man jolted his back as he spurts blood from his mouth. He tilted forward and fell down on top of the woman who screamed at the sight of blood. The other two pulled back and tried to cover their cocks. The Burned woman sneered as she chops down the man on the left at the pelvis area. The man screamed in pain but the Burned Woman stabbed her sword on the man''s throat. The last man who was still alive was able to back off. His face was fuming with utter rage. "Bitch, I''ll fucking kill you!"


    The man charged the burned woman. He was fast and this made the Burned Woman guard against. She stumbled back as her sword met with the man''s sword. The man sneered and lifted his leg, kicking the Burned Woman away. The Burned Woman took three steps back, her hands on her stomach as she gritted her teeth, trying to stay focus. The man didn''t let her. He tackled the Burned Woman to the wall. The pommel of his sword hit her left shoulder. The Burned Woman kicked the man''s crotch. He took two steps back and stayed within arm''s length.


    "You fucking cursed whore," he cursed. His eyes grew chilly as the pain on his crotch subsided.


    The Burned Woman''s expression was that of exhaustion. Her chest was heaving up and down. Her sword hand was trembling as she felt her muscles ache. The man she was facing wasn''t a greenhorn. If the other three weren''t sneak attacked by her she would have surely had no match. She realized that despite being blessed recently by the Fire that burned her. She was still a fledgling who still lacks experience. She cursed inwardly as she wonders how she could get out of this situation.


    The man charged at her. She was in thought so she wasn''t able to properly deflect. She tripped and her back smacked hard. Her hair got ruffled, as she looked and saw the man that was about to strike her head. His arms were raised as he was enveloped by the searing sun. She thought that it was the end until suddenly a spear exited out of the man''s throat.


    The man let his sword go as he tries to cover the wound on his neck to no avail. He kneeled, his eyes rolled as he fell on a pool of dirty water. The Burned Woman'' eyes were wide opened. Her beating heart soothed as she cranes her neck to where that spear came from. A man garbed in a hood and a cape was striding towards her.


    Out of caution she regained her senses and placed her sword in front of her chest. The man who was striding towards her looked with his jet-black eyes. The strands of his grey hair swaying as he stops four steps away from the man who he killed. He scanned the surrounding. His eyes were observing the three men before landing at the woman who was hugging her knees in fear.


    The Burned Woman looked at the man cautiously. She curled her fist on her sword, ready to act if he does anything. Now, come and look at me with the same eyes as everyone! She thought. The hooded man slowly turned his eyes towards the Burned Woman. She expected him to cringe or wince at the burned look on her. But yet what she saw was something she didn''t expect at all.


    The hooded man looked at her with melancholy. His eyes showed sadness, longing, and warmness. "Are you okay?" said the hooded man.


    "I am," the Burned woman said immediately. "What do you want?"


    The hooded man didn''t reply for a second. "Nothing, I saw you were in trouble and I thought that you needed help."


    "You want me to pay you?" she wheezed. "Rob them, take their coins. I have no coins in me."


    The hooded man''s expression was still as water. She thought the man by now would cringe or look at her with disgust with her attitude but instead, he kept a perpetual calmed countenance. "Not everyone wants coin. I came here to help, you wouldn''t believe me?"


    "Are you a cleric? Some sort of good Samaritan?" she said coldly. "Well good for you."


    "Not at all," he mouthed. "I am merely someone who wanted to help. Not everyone in this world is a cruel person."


    "How would you know?" The Burned Woman sneered.


    "I know."


    The Hooded Man''s eyes suddenly transformed. His eyes revealed two sigils that made the Burned Woman froze. The Dove of Thorns and the Snake of Woes were the signs of a Bleak Walker. "Two Sigils...you''re a bleak walker?"


    "That I am. So now do you believe me when I say that the world can be good? You probably won''t but not every person is cruel. Not everything in this world is evil." He pointed his finger at the sky. "View the World from Above and you would realize how we are specks of dust in this world. Life''s a cruel game, and acting bitter about it will do you no good. Take my words and be lenient."


    The Burned Woman stood still. Her eyes showing different emotions, her heart like a storm. Bleak Walkers were people who trek through forbidden lands and experience the worst of the worst that could break the mind and soul. She heard of the Sigil and the Bleak Walkers she knew only had one. But the hooded man was different; he had two sigils on him, showing how much he suffered as he walks bleakly.


    "I," her mouth moved. She looked at the direction where the man left. If a bleak walker could say those words then why should she not listen? She has spent the last two years of her life in discrimination. But the calm and peculiar look of that Bleak Walker made her smile slightly. It could be said that Ciara, the Burned Woman felt something change on her. A warm feeling rose on her chest.

 Chapter 3: The Bleak Path

    Once upon a time, a young man was thrown into a world of cruelty. His beliefs were questioned and he had to face his own monsters. He sweated blood and cried pools of tears in his suffering. He was a sheltered kid whose life turned into a big mess. He lived his life like a beggar who would do anything for alms.


    He fought with armies and made a living of killing monsters in both forms. But within his life of suffering, there was a glint of hope. In a world where one would spit on his face for being different and queer. She was there for him when no one would.


    The Burned Woman Ciara was a war maiden who was known in the Oasis for her cold exterior. Part of her body was burned out of spite for her beauty. Throughout the years she was able to gain the ranks of a war maiden devoted to war. The only thing she knew how to do in this world. Being burnt was considered a curse in this world. No one would hire her as a worker for their shops. No one would even dare to sleep with her ugly, burnt, pinky flesh of a body.


    Their meeting was nothing grand. He was assigned to fight under her. She fought with the soldiers as a war maiden who dazzled everyone, not because of her beauty. But because of her competence as a warrior who would fight with the Heroes who would rose to save the world.


    She was cold and calculating. But even with that, he was attracted to her. He followed her like a good dog. He obeyed her orders as if possessed. This made her wonder and when she found out that he was enthralled with her. She cursed him. She insulted how terrible his eyesight was. This didn''t bother him and he still followed her as if he didn''t hear anything. Her cold countenance stood strong against his stubbornness. She scolded him when she can. She would try to make him go away, fearing that all of this was a long ruse of her enemies.


    She wasn''t favored by everyone. There were many who would plot for death to take her title as the war maiden. She didn''t trust easily and for long she made sure that no one would be able to plot against her. She distrusted him but he didn''t falter on his stubborn love. Like a foolish dog, he would protect and fight for her. He didn''t have anything in this world. All he had was his sword and stubbornness. In this world, he was nothing special. He was some fool who lost his way to a cruel world. He was not gifted, not especially capable and neither did he have powers that defy fate. He would not save the world. He might not even change anything. He was just another man in a cruel world.


    So he could only follow the burned woman who he fell in love with. He didn''t care about her burned parts. He didn''t care what she thought of herself. He saw more than that. He didn''t falter no matter how distrusting she was. Even though he stumbled upon assassins who were trying to kill the burned woman and remove her from her position. He did what a loyal soldier would do and fought with his might.


    He was heavily wounded and at that time he thought that was it for him. But he was rescued by the last second by her. She slew her enemies and looked at him who was struggling to breathe. "Fool," she said. He smiled at that. She was the same but he widened his eyes when he saw her usually cold face contorted in tears. The cold mask fell off and what was left was the face of a woman who was confused.


    "Why?" She said crying. His heart was torn to see that look on her face. He was battered and wounded. His body was leaking blood. Yet he kneeled on his knee. "I love you truly," he said with his eyes half-opened. She shouted, "How could that be!" and he replied. "I don''t care for appearance! I just want you! I didn''t fall for your face! I fell for you because of your hard work and steadfast resolve! Many could not see past that veil but I can! So please let me love you!"


    He poured his heart. She didn''t know what to do. She wanted to run away but how could she leave him alone? Her hand trembled, but yet heart told her to accept him. In this cruel world, someone would dare to love her despite her burns. There was someone who would want to be with her. How could she resist this temptation of happiness? It was foolish she thought, but that didn''t stop her from accepting the love of the fool who spent ten years following her.


    Thus the two continued their fight against the darkness. They fought as partners and did not hide their relationship. Many thought of him as a weirdo for falling in love with the Burned Woman. But it didn''t matter to him as long as he could be with her.


    The Heroes at that time were able to push the darkness back. The campaign against the enemy was doing so well. Many hearts gladdened at the thought of victory. With the Heroes and War Maiden leading the way how could they lose? That was what they thought until the first behemoth attack happen.


    The Old Monster of the Pale Mountain attacked the light''s army. The soldiers scattered and many died at the first attack. They fought bravely. They were able to deal damage but the Monster of the Pale Monster was too strong. He never felt fear other than losing her. All he wanted was to rescue her out of the battlefield. It wasn''t his place to fight along with Heroes. So when he caught sight of the Old Monster he shivered. His body quivered. His chest heaved up and down as he ran doggedly through the enemies.


    Perhaps if he didn''t come for her she wouldn''t have to be forced to rescue him instead. She was his weakness. He was her weakness. So to save him from the danger she pushed him away down to a river. He could not hear her words as flames enveloped her. But he could make it out. "Thank you for loving me, Nolan," was the Burned Woman''s last words.


    ...


    The death of the Burned War Maiden resounded through the lands. The Heroes who were thought invincible under the heavens were defeated. Nolan survived but his heart was torn to pieces. He became suicidal and he treks through lands as if he was seeking death.


    It was then he was found by a group of Bleak Walkers. He was led to their army and he marched along the bleak walkers for the rest of his life as a soldier. He followed them through many lands where the demons have taken over. He fought with his brothers and protected people as if they were seeking death.


    The Bleak Walkers then got assigned to spearhead the assault to the territory of the Overlord of the Demons. Like the rest, he had two sigils in his eyes. The Heroes who knew his wife no longer remembered him. He changed too much and he didn''t speak of his name. His rugged and grimy look made those who suspect turn away. The Bleak Walker''s Army launched the attack against the enemy. They spearheaded the assault against the territory and captured forts and bastions to fortify the light''s army. The Heroes were stronger than ever. Their might could cleave demons and even when the higher demons came. They slew them easily.


    The Old Monster of the Pale Mountain appeared. Nolan who hated the Old Monster joined the fight along with five hundred bleak walkers who acted as support for the enemy by using cannons. They weren''t prepared but with the cannons and the ability of the Heroes. The Old Monster of the Pale Mountain was beaten down by the Heroes.


    Nolan who saw the death of the monster who took the life of his wife cried tears. He removed his steel helmet and burst into tears as he finally saw the death of his wife''s killer. The Bleak Walker''s kept their personal history to themselves. No one asked why a Bleak Walker would cry. Even the Heroes who spotted Nolan left him alone to grieve. Even they could understand why a steeled bleak walker would cry. All of them lost someone over the darkening of the world. They knew what loss felt like.


    The Darkness covered the sky. The Heroes continued their journey while Light''s Army and the Bleak Walkers followed behind. They fought many battles and won. But when they saw the might of the Overlord''s army, they knew that they wouldn''t stand a chance. Fighting against so many demons would only tire the heroes out. So the Light''s Army and the Bleak Walkers distracted them while the Heroes would launch an assault against the Overlord. Nolan knew that they wouldn''t survive for too long. But they fought as if they were in a trance. Nola was ready to die but they wanted a spark of hope to live. Nolan traveled and only when the sky cleared that he let his battered body to rest. He thought that he would be able to see her again.


    He did see her again. He saw her once again and saved her from attack. She was distrustful but he knew what she was like. She wasn''t as cold as she was when they met. This second meeting was vastly different and he knew that he might be able to win her heart.


    He wanted to. He would do anything to make that happen. But he knew that doing so would change her fate. If he wasn''t there she wouldn''t have died under the attack of the Old Monster of the Pale Mountain. If he didn''t hold her back throughout the years they spent together. What glories could she have achieved?


    Nolan couldn''t care less about the world. But he cared for her. He wanted to embrace her but he had to hold back. He gave her some parting words and wove through the crowd. His lips trembled, his nails dug into his palms. His eyes wet with tears. His teeth clenched tightly as he allowed the love of his life marched to her path.


    Nolan knew that she would succeed. She had the blessings of talent and the resolve to reach the ranks of a war maiden. He knew that even without him she would fare better. She would steadily climb to greatness and finally become the War Maiden he knew and loved.


    His lone figure stood at a stone bridge. His countenance hidden was hidden by his hood so no one would able to guess that he was crying. The sun behind him, the passerby strode to their destination with noise. Their feet made noise as they continued on. He stood overlooking the crown below. His jet-black eyes reflected the sandstone paved roads. Caravans slowly passed, hawkers advertised their goods, and criers shouted for shops. A group of soldiers marched the streets with their banners raised up high.


    He was back at this time. He knew the events that would unfold. He knew the people that would hesitate and push Oasis City into the edges of destruction. He knew of Cruel and Greedy men who think of nothing but gold and women, spending their life in debauchery while the common people suffer.


    He wiped his tears. His teary eyes turned bone-chilling cold as his expression hardened. His jaws tightened as he started to recall the names of the men who would put this City into danger. He thought that if they didn''t exist then the Lord of Oasis City would be able to do his job. But the Lord of Oasis City was someone who didn''t have a steadfast heart yet. He knew that the Lord of Oasis City would realize his wrongs. But it would take years for that to happen.


    And throughout the years the leeches of Oasis City would grow fat and they would have the arrogance to lord over the common people. They are sick dogs that need to be put down before they can bite their master. Oasis doesn''t know of these fools but he knew. He knew where to find them.


    He must have been sent here for a reason. He was a bleak walker who went back in time. So how he could not do anything this time? He needed to punish these fools before they could hurt anyone. It was a bleak path but he would take it.fools before they could hurt anyone. It wa a bleak path but he would take it.

 Chapter 4: Monsters Dressed Like Men

    The room was filled with grimy-looking men. Their eyes were dim and around their neck were capes sewed with sigils of animals. There is a long counter, a man with a full beard placed his hand on the counter. His eyes reflected a grey-haired man wearing a hoodie and a cape that covered his outfit. He inspected the grey-haired man. He was young and underneath his cape was a leather body armor, behind his back was a dagger sticking out, carefully concealed. His gait was practiced and soft. His pace was silent as he pressed his hands on the counter.


    "You''re here in the Throes District," said the bearded man dispassionately. "What do you want from us?"


    The grey-haired young man cocked his head. He stared at the bearded man as sigils of animals appeared on his eyes. The Dove of Thorns and the Snake of Woes appeared in his irises. The beaded man widened his eyes. His posture straightened up as he looked at the eyes of the young man.


    "How far?" asked the bearded man.


    "Reach Old Pale Pass."


    The bearded man quivered. His face tightened as he frowns and looked down. "That far...how did you make it so far?"


    "Took the Satin Path," said the young man with a mechanical voice. "Fell down the Stasis River and marched back here." He gestured with his right hand.


    The bearded man sweeps his eyes over the young man. "You''re badly equipped. Got done in by something?"


    "Yes." He sailed his hand on the counter. "Bandits and Sand Eaters almost got me. Thought that I might get helped here."


    The bearded man searched the counter. He brought a small crossbow, a belt of throwing daggers, a waterskin, and vials containing blue liquid. The young man''s eyes sailed on the counter. He looked at the items and took one vial with his index and middle finger.


    "You need to compensate us. You reach the Old Pale Pass and must have trekked the Stasis River. Pay in maps."


    "Okay," he nodded. The bearded man pulled a parchment and charcoal. The young man took the charcoal and started drawing the maps in an obsessively detailed manner. He was preoccupied with drawing the map that he didn''t notice that the other grimy men were watching his hand move.


    "Satin Path, Old Pale Path, Stasis River, I recognize some of these paths from the maps in the headquarters. This one looks detailed. How the hell did you reach that far alone?"


    "I didn''t," he confessed. "I wasn''t alone. I was with a group and they fell and I survived."


    The one who asked crossed his arms and nodded. "They are good men."


    "They are, and they all had eyes like me." The sigils in his eyes didn''t disappear. The man saw that and nodded lightly. He continued watching the young man draw the maps with squinted eyes. The others kept silent, keeping a grim countenance on their faces. Their faces showed bleakness and a perpetual frown. Most of the men gathered around the counter, their eyes pointed at the maps that were being drawn.


    The young man stopped his hand. He pushed the maps to the bearded man. "That should be it," he mouthed. The bearded man gently dragged the maps and studied them. There were ravines, details about monsters, the paths that should be taken as well as the dangers of each path. His brows rose and his forehead wrinkled.


    "This is...can you write more details?" he looked at the table.


    "I can. Add in some chainmail and a sword."


    "Will do," the bearded man searched the storage behind the counter and brought the young man chainmail and a sword. He placed them on the counter along with the other stuff that he brought out. The young man nodded at the items and took the parchment that the bearded man handed. He wrote how to avoid the man-eating vines. How to keep out of sight from man-lizards with corroding spits. There was a line on how to break through a violet crystal and how to craft a mask that can be used to pass an area filled with paralyzing gas.


    Bleak Walkers are natural Rangers, Explorers, Drifters, Scouts, and Soldiers. They trek the land in search of dangerous places and trod through them and map them out. They usually carry marking equipment that allows them to warn anyone from danger. They carry empty bottles and put letters on them in dead drops to help adventurers paid to exterminate nest or dungeons.


    One of the men behind the young man made a low grunt. "Someone took you in since young?"


    "Yes," answered the young man in an uncaring tone. His eyes still focused on the parchment, his right hand moving continuously without any emotion on his face. The man who asked grimaced and tightened his folded arms. His eyes pointed at the maps and parchment, carefully examining the things that were written.


    If anyone would enter they would find them sticking close to the counter. They would wonder what would make a bleak walker so interested. A lazy streak of light entered from the left window of the room. The sound of charcoal and pen scribbling sounded out.


    The lantern on the side slowly dimmed. By the time the sounds of scribble were gone the men who watched the young man draw the maps and write details were stroking their chin. One nodded as if he understood something, another one started writing on a scroll with a tube on the side.


    The others scattered and took out their travel journals, writing the same details. The bearded man played with his beard, he studied the maps and table as he watches the young man wear the chainmail, the bracers, and the new pair of boots he had while strapping the item bag and the sheath carefully around his waist. He inserted the sword inside the sheath. He adjusted his bracers and rotated his wrist to see if the straps were wrapped tightly. The bearded man looked at the young man.


    ''I am Castro, what''s your name?"


    "Nolan Salvatore."


    "I see," Castro nodded. "Nolan, you just save some lives."


    "Hmm," Nolan cocked his head.


    Castro has seen a lot of Bleak Walkers. Young and Old, men, and even women that are destitute enough to trek barren lands infested with beasts from hell. But it was his first time seeing someone who had two sigils on his eyes. The sigils cannot be faked for they are bound to the soul. In other words, this young man has been walking since young. At least that''s what Castro thought.


    ...


    Nolan sat quietly in the left part of the room. His right hand carefully dipping poison on the bolts. He focused on making sure that the bolts were coated well. He looked at the uncoated bolts. He took another and slowly dipped it on the vial of poison.


    The Bleak Walkers were quietly studying maps and journals from passed bleak walkers. Nolan''s face wrinkled and he took out a rag and slowly wiped the table. He carefully held the shaft of the bolts and put them inside the quiver. His hands pulled back, he curled his fist and drew his sword out of his scabbard. Faint glint reflected in his eyes, he closes one eye and inspected sharpness of the sword. He nodded and sheathed the sword back to its scabbard. He reached for the small crossbow he was given and tugged the strings.


    Placing the crossbow on the table, he took out his dagger and used its pommel to move the metal part of the crossbow. He put his dagger back to where it was and aimed his crossbow at the wall. "Quite fine," he muttered. He placed his crossbow down and looked outside. The sun was lazily drifting away, his face shone by the lantern light.


    "Night''s coming," he thought. His face darkened as if a cold rage seeped out of his face. His face tightened. The image of men who would trouble the Oasis City appeared before his mind. These men were garbed in high-quality clothes. They wore gold and silver jewelry. Their neck fattened like a pig.


    Nolan was penniless. He didn''t have anything so he instead traded information in exchange for equipment. The Bleak Walkers usually has outposts in cities. He came here to get equipment, and that he did. He was now garbed well for battle, a chainmail to stop a dagger or a dart, bracers and the body armor to lessen strikes from weapons. It was wax-treated leather body armor but it was sufficient enough for Nolan.


    He wore heavy armor once but he has forsaken it for light armor such as leather armor. He wasn''t fond of heavy armor even though it can stop strikes effectively better than a leather body armor. Most Bleak Walker favored light equipment for their journey. Nolan shares the same opinion.


    "Who should I go after first?" he stroked his chin. Nolan has been pondering who among the ten nobles who he should kill first. These nobles were the scum of the lowest denominator. They are Greedy men that would rather see the city burn than lost their fortune; they are empathetic men with calloused hearts.


    Nolan has fought many forms of monster. He''s familiar with two kinds of monsters. There are grotesque demons and there are humanoid men disguising themselves as humans, pretending that they know any humanity inside their heart. Nolan knew of monster disguised as humans, frolicking among the living despite their hearts being cold as stone.


    To Nolan, these men don''t deserve to live. They are nothing but sick dogs that need to be put down before they can bite and cause trouble.


    ...


    The night was deep. Nolan walked out of the Bleak Walker''s outpost, his cape billowing. The moon sheds light on the streets. A torch was burning ten steps away from him. A column of patrols trod the sandstone paved road with their boots crunching pebbles.


    He silently crept into the shadows. He sneaked through the alleys that branch to many roads. He took several turns before he arrived through a manhole. He descended down the manhole. Nolan found himself under the sewers. It was tall enough for men to move around. His eyes were used to the dark so he trotted along the dirt and mud-ridden footpath and followed a tunnel that led to the noble district. He climbed up a wooden ladder and slowly opened a manhole and appeared on an alley.


    He poked his head out. He looked forward. The road was well lit and he could hear the sound of armor clanking. He clambered up and sticks himself in the shadows. He grabbed an edge from a wall. He slowly climbed and uses the foothold and handholds to climb up the building. There was silence among the houses. His eyes gazed at the tiled roofs. He scaled the balcony and pulled his body up to the roofs. The city reflected on his vision. Flat roofs, curved roofs, and high towers.


    There was no one guarding the rooftops so he passed by the roofs and arrived on a building facing a mansion. He eyed the mansion with cold eyes. He took out a coiled rope from his item bag and fixed it on the bolt. He aimed his crossbow at an adjacent building and fired. The coil of rope zigzagged as the bolt struck the building. He pulled the rope and then leaped off the building. He used his weight to swing across the walls of the manor and landed on the grass, he broke his fall by rolling. He pulled the rope and the bolt and retrieved it. He pocketed them and slowly crawled along a courtyard. The mansion had a second a floor. Two guards were watching the door. They were talking but they weren''t looking around.


    Nolan sized up the wall. He took four steps back and sprinted up as he then grabs an edge with the tips of his fingers. He moved to the right and slowly pressed his tiptoes on the balcony''s rail. He took out his dagger. He inserted it into the lock of the balcony door and twisted it open. He opened the door quietly. A man with a bulging belly lay snoring with two naked women on both arms. He slowly approached the bed and looked at the man. His eyes seething with serene rage, his right hand held his dagger as he then covered the mouth of the man with the cloth he used to wipe the poison earlier. He slid his dagger into the throat of the man; the dagger slowly got coated in blood. He pulled the dagger back and wiped it with the cloth he used to cover the mouth of the man. The eyes of the fat man rolled back.


    "That''s one," he muttered. He crept out of the room and into the balcony. His figure was basked in the moonlight. He looked over his shoulder before vaulting down.

 Chapter 5: The Rattled Oasis

    She squeezed her eyes. The morning sun made her wince. She pushes her blanket off, revealing her toned body, at the same, it revealed the left part of her body that was burned, her burn scars trailed from the left part of her face, down to her left thigh. She winced at the sight of her own body. She darted her eyes on the wall. Her brigandine was hung on a nail, along with her new sword.


    Memories flashed. The scene of that grey-haired man took a lasting impression on her. His jet-black eyes marked with the sigils of Dove of Thorns and The Snake of Woes, a sign of hardship and suffering. His expression didn''t even wince or cringe at the sight of her scars. Even she would feel disgusted by her own scars, yet that man never thought about it. He must have seen a lot, she thought.


    The noise from outside was quite loud. She walked to where her brigandine was, her hips swaying. She garbed herself and fastens the sword she brought and walked out of her room. She was greeted with an empty corridor with worn walls. She trotted down the stairs. A woman was straightening her hair. She noticed Ciara and winced. How boring, Ciara thought.


    She ignored the woman and sidled out of the building. Her face crumpled, her eyes squeezed against the searing sunlight. A group of women readied their swords and swung it. The rest are jogging while the tall woman with wavy hair stood with her arms folded. Her face was riddled with scars. She has huge gashes that it was enough for her to be mistaken for a man. Her mouth was opening and closing. She shouted at the women who were running around the field. "Lazy! Run faster! Do you expect to beat anything with such laziness?"


    Ciara''s expression tightened. She sauntered towards the tall woman and saluted. The woman noticed Ciara saluting by the corner of her eye. She spun, her face transformed into a scowl as she inspected Ciara. "You slept too well, Sergeant!"


    "Pardon, Captain Celesta!" she said.


    The Tall woman snorted, her jaws tightened, her eyes turned cold. "While you were asleep ten noble merchants had their throats slit! In one single evening, we have ten dead noblemen! Do you understand the situation!?"


    Ciara''s face didn''t change. Her expression remained perpetually bland. The tall woman hissed. She slumps her shoulders and said, "That burned face of yours doesn''t except you! Do you know that the ten nobles are important figures in this city?" The sun shadowed the tall woman, her face changing to a furious one. Ciara took a step back at that face. "These are men that keep this city alive! They handle the rations which mean that you will all starve! Not to mention that there are now various tradesmen are gunning for the control over these supply lines! It is chaos!"


    Ciara''s mouth curved. Her brows knitted together. "So you are saying that we in trouble?"


    The tall woman grimaced. "That''s right. It would have been fine it was only one nobleman that died. But ten of them died in a single night. I don''t know what person was thinking of doing this. But the assailant disrupted the city. The order that was created is now broken. I hope God will be lenient. We cannot fight the enemies with an empty stomach."


    Ciara frowned, her forehead wrinkled. She understood that the situation was nothing to scoff at. No matter how tasteless or cruel these men are. They have the power to keep the men and women of Oasis City alive or dead. They can muster the troops and have the coffers to supply the city. The King of the Oasis and the Ministry of Trade handles the situation. Ciara didn''t dare to think how she would handle the situation.


    Captain Celesta''s face was riddled with trouble. Her brown tanned skin shone as her eyes looked at the distance. Ciara grabbed her left wrist, she shuffled her feet. "So what do you want from me, Captain?" she asked.


    "Gather those who can fight. Locked the doors of the storage and tightened the security around our hold. Assigned people to buy bulks of food and barrels of dried meat and buy enough water for a month. Get some of the trainees to look out for any caravan and have them buy their supplies. The Throes will be favored for they guard the perimeter of the city."


    "What about the Bleak Walkers?" she said while thinking of the bleak walker that helped her.


    "What about them?" she said with a dispassionate voice. "The Bleak Walkers practiced misfortune. Months of little food won''t take those men down. They are the hardest whoresons you will ever meet. Those tough sons of bitches could trek through barren lands and eat one single bread and they won''t lose their strength!" her tone was that of admiration.


    "They are that hardened?" asked Ciara.


    "Steeled, focused, committed, and have sheer will despite being gloomy. What made you mention them?" she raised her eyebrows. Her mouth slanted.


    Ciara said, "I met someone yesterday, Captain." she said softly. Her expression was warm, and her lower lips trembled. "The person who helped me was a Bleak Walker."


    Captain Celesta widened her eyes in surprise. "I see. How did you know he was a bleak walker?"


    "He had two sigils in his eyes."


    "Two sigils!?" shouted Celesta.


    "Is there anything?" Her brows met. She looked at Captain Celesta with an inquisitive look. "If your words are true then you met someone experienced."


    "But he looked young."


    "Age doesn''t matter," retorted Celesta. "There are orphans that walk the Bleak Path early in their life. I am guessing that this walker you encountered is one these orphans that walked along with veteran walkers through barren lands, living a nomadic life."


    "Is that?" she nodded. Her eyes rippled.


    Captain Celesta sported a glance at Ciara, "Enough about the Bleak Walker. Try and focus on the task. I need you and others to move immediately. I''ll be giving you fools talon coins. Don''t lose them and make sure to buy oil from the merchants."


    Ciara nodded. She spun and walked to one of the buildings. Captain Celesta focused her eyes on Ciara before shaking her head. She pointed her eyes at the women practicing, she gathered strength from her diaphragm and started shouting.


    The Caravan Master felt his folded arms stiff. He looked at the person across the table who was offering him a map with details that would be treated as gold in his line of work. The person mouthed the details with an obsessive-like demeanor.


    The Caravan Master was named Diego. Although his ears were perked up, he thought. "This person knows this kind of supply line! He knows a route that would allow us to hasten our travel an old route built by the ancients! Why would he tell us about this route, unless..."


    "Do you hear me?" said the person.


    "Yes. But I cannot understand why you would want to hand this treasure to us?"


    "I have my reasons. But if the route is true then will you give what I want?"


    Diego stroked his chin, "I believe you. Your eyes don''t lie."


    The person frowned, "How can you be so sure?"


    "I have met people and traded with them. I can tell by how you move your body and eyes," he explained. "Even if you are lying to me right now and I am being fooled. I will still take this chance. This route that you are showing us will cut the time to travel within a week! How can I let this opportunity go?" Diego''s eyes sparkled, his grin clear as day.


    The person gave a quick and a nod. "I will trust Master Diego to do his best. You have read the rest of the details. Are you worried?"


    Diego''s eyes turned solemn, his face serious. "A horde of beasts will try to destroy this city. I am worried about it, who wouldn''t worry? But if your words are true then this route that you gave us will be a goldmine of success. We can hire the people that you want and defend this city. Even the King will not take this information granted! Not from a person like you!" Diego curled his right hand.


    "I am no one important," said the person. "I merely walked the barren wastelands and discovered many things. You are quite lucky, Master Diego. With the ten nobles dead you can take the reins and petition the King to give you control of the trade of the city."


    Diego''s mouth curved into a frown, his eyes slightly narrowed. "Do you know what happened to the ten nobles?"


    "Who knows?" the person said, his eyes darting towards the door. Diego swiveled his head and saw the door swung open. Three women wearing brigandine and swords on their hips appeared. The person saw them and turned towards Diego. "That will be all, Master Diego. I hope that you''ll have good fortunes and you will not be like those ten nobles."


    The person''s eyes burned with serene fury. His countenance was of that a Specter that suddenly rose out of nowhere. Diego sweated, he moved his chin and watched the person crept out to the back door of his building. The three women caught a glimpse of the person but didn''t ask.


    Diego craned his neck at the women. His face winced and cringed at the sight of the woman that was leading them. "Ciara...why does Captain Celesta always send you to my company?" he folded his arms. "Does she despise me so much?"


    Ciara sneered. "Perhaps, but I came here to order supplies for the hold. Barrels of Dried Meat, Water, and Pots of Oil, the Hold will take care of the payment once you deliver them."


    "Is that so?" Diego shrugged. He lifted himself up and sidled towards his charter and started writing. "Is there anything else that you ladies of the Sword Maidens want other than this? How about ammunition for your bows and crossbows? Powder for your cannons? Metal Balls for your cannons? Anything, do you need lamps?"


    "Add the ammunition," said Ciara. She then thought of the person who they caught talking to Diego. "Who was that person, Master Diego?"


    Diego''s eyes seethed. "It is none of your business. I prefer customers that don''t pry. My company has good relations with your hold and I rather not spoil it with your needless prying."


    Ciara nodded. "I understand. That will be all."


    "Right," Diego examined his chart. He called for someone. An attendant appeared and took the charter, bring it with them.


    Ciara looked Diego, her eyes trying to pierce through. Diego ignored Ciara and slid back to his seat. He dragged the map and papers to him and started to study them. There was nothing to do so Ciara and the two women who were accompanying walked out of the building.


    The road was bustling with people wandering the city. In one of the corners of the road, a Herald stood in a platform. He announced decrees and news from the government. His bald head shining as light strike it. His brown robes billowed as he gestures with his hands.


    Ciara folded her arms. Ever since leaving the hold she has observed the situation outside. The traders were wary and have started gathering supply. Most of the traders that she tried to deal with refused her request and even though they were going to pay, they still refused. Only Master Diego''s Trading Company didn''t refuse them. If she came here first then she would have assumed that it was because of the relations between the hold and Diego''s company. But even those who that have better trading relations with their hold refused. It bothered her that Master Diego traded with them as if he didn''t have any worries about the incident that shook the whole city overnight.


    A wind blew from the east, carrying dust. Ciara raised her cloak and covered herself. The two women that followed her raised theirs too. "We should go," one of the women said. Ciara turned to the direction where the wind blew. Her eyes misty as a storm conjured inside her head.


    She marched forwards. In the shadows, a person stared at Ciara''s departing figure. His eyes longing, his mouth curved into a grimace. His nails were digging into his palms as he mumbled, "Let it go, just walk away and try not to show off...damn it!" His eyes teared up. He took a deep breath in and out. He spun, his gait lonely as walked to his destination.

 Chapter 6: His Greater Good

    A statue stood, stained with dirt, worn by age yet strangely dominant. A helmet with an eagle engraved on it. It''s armor that seemed like it was made of the finest materials. The figure of the statue shadowed a well. The square was empty. The shacks made of wood were deserted. The only thing you could hear is the sound of wood creaking.


    "Hmm, rain in the desert?" said someone. "Strange didn''t know it rains in the desert."


    The person has green hair. Her face was gloomy yet there was this graceful defeated look on her face. Her eyes pointed at the beam where a rope was tied. It has been cut off. The walls of the well were moldy green. The rain made her face slightly beam up.


    "Oh, I cannot swim. I didn''t learn how!" said the person. Her eyes examined the light armor that she was wearing. On her left shoulder, there was an arrow that pierced near her shoulder. "Hmm, I''ll be dead?"


    The clouds turned darker. A hooded man stepped in the square, his eyes swept the area. The deserted houses reflected in his eyes. His jet-black eyes darted to the wall. He paces slowly towards the well and looked down.


    The person was hugging her knees. Her brows rose as she looked at the shadows blocking the light. Is the storm getting nearer? She thought. Her head swiveled up, to her surprise she spotted a grey-haired man poking his head inside the well. His jet-black eyes gawked at her.


    "Hello?" said the person. Am I stupid? She thought. Her body moved, her right hand pressed on the wall. She forced her quivering body up. "I am Vie! C-can you help me?"


    The jet-black eyes man stared at her silently. His expression still as water, he eyed her up and down. Vie swallowed her saliva, she said. "Please?"


    The man suddenly left. Vie open her mouth, puffing a cloud of breath. She was quite dumbfounded that the man didn''t reply and just went away. She looked down. She was about to sit down and hug her knees but a rope hit her head. The man who she thought left threw a rope at her.


    "Coil the rope around your waist. I doubt that you can climb up." said the man.


    Vie nodded. She tied the rope around her waist and pulled the rope. The rope suddenly tightened around her waist. She slowly ascended up the well. The leather armor she was wearing tightened harder on her waist. She opens her mouth to say something but she thought of how she ended up in this situation and decided to close her mouth instead. Her head lowered, her silence made the rain that was pouring seem louder.


    Her eyes reflected the deserted houses. The man who pulled her grabs her by the armpit and pulled her out of the well, her toe was caught by the edge of the well and landed on the chest of the man who pulled her out. She pushed her hands on the ground. The man groaned as he dusted his clothes.


    "Sorry," said Vie


    "Its fine," said the man.


    Vie grunted as she felt her left shoulder twinge. The man looked at her injury, his left hand landed on her shoulder. His right hand grabbed the shaft of the arrow. With a quick pull, he pulled the arrow out of Vie''s shoulder. She uttered no groan.


    "Let''s get inside," said the man.


    Vie nodded. She followed him inside one of the houses. She sat on the wooden boxes. She tried to unfasten her leather armor but found it hard to do so. The man took a glance at her. "Want me to help?" he said with indifferent eyes.


    "Please," said Vie.


    The man moved to her with a slow gait. His fingers went to the fasteners of the leather she wore. He undid the belt, and lifted her arms, removing the leather armor. She wore a brown sleeved shirt, blood stained her left shoulder. Her eyes met the man''s, she hesitated. "Can you please?"


    The man heaved a sigh. He unbuttoned her shirt and lifted her arms up. Her shirt grazed her armpits, making her ticklish for a second. The man put the shirt in the same crate where her armor was laid. He rummaged through his pouches, took out a bottle of alcohol, and poured it on her left shoulder.


    "Ah," she bit her lower lip in pain.


    "Endure," said the man.


    "I will," replied Vie. "May I ask what your name is?"


    "Nolan Salvatore, I was wandering around when I heard that there were bandits talking about a woman vaulting inside a well. I was near the area so I thought that I might as well see if it was true. What in the world were you thinking?"


    She lowered her head. Nolan lifted her left arm up and wrapped the cloth around her armpit and shoulder. With a pull, he tied the cloth tightly, making Vie contort in pain. "I panicked."


    "I can''t blame you. But a deserted village, in the middle of the desert, the first thing you thought was to hide inside a well?" said Nolan.


    "I was shot, okay?" said Vie. "There were ten of them, and I was tired after exploring a ruin."


    Nolan glared at her. "Why not poison them?"


    She widened her eyes. "I don''t know about that," she said with a stutter.


    Nolan pointed at her hair. "Green Ivy Dale, right?"


    "You''ve been there?" said Vie.


    "Thrice, went to Hillock Village to concoct poison once," said Nolan.


    "So you are?" Vie tilted her head.


    Nolan gave a quick a smile. His eyes whirled as two sigils appeared on both of his eyes. Vie widened her eyes, her right eye swirled as an Ivy covered in thorns appeared. Her eyes sparkled her mouth slightly open. "The Dove of Thorns and the Snake of Woes, you walked so far?"


    "I did," said Nolan. He leaned back and looked at the ceiling. "It''s nothing special really. Even my companions had two sigils in their eyes when we took the Satin Path."


    "I see," Vie nodded.


    "Where''s your companion?" said Nolan.


    Vie nodded her head. Her countenance became strangely still. Her eyes turned dim as she became still as water. Nolan nodded his head. It was a few bleak walkers to turn gloomy when speaking of the dead. Not because they are cold-hearted, but because they were used to it.


    ...


    The weather loomed over the deserted village town. A wooden plank flew as the strong wind blew it away. Oasis City was famous for being the only place in the desert where strong rain can happen. It was truly an Oasis in the desert that also acts as the border of the Kingdom of Talon, the wall against the enemies of humanity.


    Inside the house, a fire was lit inside a pot. A man and a woman neared the fire with their hands raised. The man wore a cape stained with dirt and sand. The green-haired woman wore a brown shirt. Her gloomy face was shined by the fire''s light.


    The storm outside the house grew stronger. Nolan and Vie kept indifferent faces as they stare at the fire. His hood was down. His eyes reflected the crackling fire. Vie eyed the flask filled with herbs. She took the heated flask, poured it into a small bowl. She dipped her pointer and middle finger and rubbed the green salve on her wounds.


    She took the dagger and checked it. She pointed the dagger at the flame, she heaved a sigh. Vie sheathed the dagger back. The bags on her eyes, her slanted brows gave her a gloomy countenance. Nolan eyed Vie briefly before diving down to his thoughts.


    "I thought that the joke about someone falling down a well was all a joke. But she really was inside the well. If I didn''t visit this area then I am sure that she would have been buried. She could barely lift her left arm it was impossible for her to swim. Not to mention that the well was old and moldy. The insides were crumbling so he would have been buried alive if the water from this storm didn''t kill her. She would have been found by someone, and the only thing she would leave behind is her green hair transformed because of poison."


    "What are your plans?" said Nolan.


    "To Oasis City," she raised her head. Her eyes focused on Nolan''s eyes. "I was planning to get some supplies from the Throes District and continue on."


    "I see," he nodded. "Where are you going?"


    "To the Green Maw, I heard that there was a strange hut there that reeks of poison. I was planning to map it out but looking at it now, it was stupid," she said.


    "The Green Maw is impassable, there are three bone eaters guarding the footpath. Spit-Poison Lizards are just crawling around the vegetation," he said mechanically.


    "Do you know the way?" asked Vie, her eyes showed curiosity.


    "I do. But it''ll take a group to get out or one Hero. I suggest that you don''t go there," said Nolan. He had no qualms about where a walker should go. But if she lives and goes there, it would mean that there would be some event that will change. A hero will conquer the Green Maw, and doing so would mean that the Hero of Earth would be able to strengthen her abilities. He could tell that Vie was someone who wasn''t that incompetent.


    "I see," she nodded. "If a two sigil walker would say that then it must be really dangerous. Then where should I go? A walker without a purpose is nothing but a wanderer."


    "You should help around Oasis," said Nolan.


    "Is there a problem?" she asked, her chin lifted up.


    "Hordes of Beast, I fear that there''s going to be Phantom Trekkers attacking the City."


    "Oh," she said indifferently. "That will be a problem. You''re going to need wizards from the Capital to defeat them. That will be troublesome. They don''t move unless the King or Money orders them. How about the Crusaders of Salt Passing, maybe they can help Oasis?"


    "They might if we told them. But can they march to the Oasis City at the right time?" Nolan tilted his head. He bobbed it meekly.


    "True. Are you going to end your path in the City?" asked Vie with her brows knitted.


    "No," Nolan took out a map and unfolded it. Vie squinted at the map. She played with her left ear as she studies the map with great interest.


    "An uncovered ancient route, I can tell that it is legit. Recently drawn, I am guessing it is yours?" said Vie, she patted her right knee.


    "Yes, there''s been a recent assassination spree on the City of Oasis. Ten noblemen died in same night two days ago. The City''s rattled and traders are hoarding their goods," he said gesturing. "It is a bit heinous but I contacted a caravan master to petition to use this ancient route in his name and control the trade lines. He would help the city hire the wizards needed to neutralize the Trekkers from their tracks so cannon fire and weapons could work on them."


    Vie''s eyes pierced through Nolan''s. Her chin was slightly lifted. Her eyes lacked any emotion as she dully continued staring at Nolan as if probing the truth behind his words. Nolan cocked his head and met her eyes. They stared through the fire with a cold aura around them.


    "For the Greater Good?" she said.


    "Yes. The View from Above says that one must take a whole look above. One must contemplate and meditate the misfortune that might happen, to prepare and expect what to do when misfortune comes. Life is ephemeral. One must remember the weight of things, ten meaningless lives for the sake of hundreds. It is within my control, therefore I can. Hope lives, as long as we choose to walk that bleak path."


    "Yes, as we always do," she nodded. She folded her arms. "For the Greater Good it is, I shall not judge you for the bleak path you walk."


    Nolan didn''t answer. He stared back at the fire with an indifferent stare. Vie continued applying the salve she made to her wounds. The winds outside grew stronger, the sky rumbled, and the rains poured harder. The fire crackled. The wood around the house loosened up. But the two stayed dispassionate about what was happening. For the two already expected the storm and wind. They stayed relax, still, and unpressured. A Bleak Walker expects misfortune not out of pessimism, but because they knew that only fools would get worked up or trouble their soul by things they cannot control.

 Chapter 7: The Carried Weight of Will

    He entered the small room. A group of men had doting looks on their eyes as they stare at the green-haired Vie who sat with her shoulders tuck. The group of men had their arms folded and asked Vie questions. They were particularly interested in the new arrival.


    "Your hair is it poison?" said one of them.


    "Yes. The enchantment gave my head the enchantment of over 152 poisons," answered Vie.


    "Are we going to get poisoned by it?" asked another.


    "No, the poison is dormant unless it is plucked off my head or I will it to become poison. I am immune to the effects so I have no problems with it. I can drench my whole hair inside a barrel and I can turn a barrel of water into poison."


    "So I can do this?" said the man who patted Vie''s head.


    "Yes, but I am not a kid!" said Vie.


    "I see," the other man patted her head.


    "Stop it!" she said with her cheeks pouting.


    The men who were surrounding Vie laughed heartily. Castro who was eyeing the scene took a glance at Nolan and approached him with a slow pace and arched his arms on his shoulders. Nolan grunted. He looked at Castro. His brows closed together.


    "Nolan, why would you put a flower into this place of men? Now, look at the bumbling fools, acting like fathers to this young woman! She''s going to be doted here!"


    "That''s bad!" said Castro. "These sons of bitches would miss their long lost ones! We are steel hearted and tough sons of bitches that could brave through hostile lands! But in the end, we are lone walkers who lost everything!"


    "Yeah, but she''s a walker too. She must have lost everything to walk the bleak path," Nolan retorted.


    Castro said, "I know that. But look at that gloomy face of hers. These former fathers would want to protect that! But it isn''t bad since they would have to act like role figures. Really, they just can''t help but dote on young ones."


    "I get that," said Nolan. He experienced the doting of these men who were former fathers. Despite the sigils in his eyes, they would try and give advice to Nolan when they can. They know that Vie isn''t an incompetent person but they still think of themselves as older men who have experience in life and that they need to advice them.


    Nolan glanced at Vie and saw that even though she was pouting. Her gloomy countenance beamed a strange happiness. There were women bleak walkers that would come to the outpost but they don''t often stay too long. Bleak Walkers might be men and women who have lost everything to walk the bleak path. But they are not heartless men who feel no emotions. They just expect things to happen so they can ease their hearts and prevent it from breaking.


    "You don''t have to walk the bleak path with just two legs," said Nolan. "


    Castro smiled. "That''s right, there''s no rule that you can walk down the bleak path alone. Even if those you walk with are left behind, you carry the weight they would leave behind on your chest. And you haul it with you until you stop, lay your back on the ground and stare up."


    Nolan nodded and Castro pulled his arm back. Nolan walked to one of the tables and put down his mantle. On his hand was a contained filled with paint. Nolan took a brush and started drawing a cross with a snake coiling around it. On top of the cross, there was a dove standing in the middle of a crown of thorns.


    Vie slid to the seat across Nolan and eyed the sigil that he was drawing. She nodded her head at the sight of the drawing. She kept her silence. The men that were talking to Vie noticed Nolan drawing the sigils and nodded their heads. They dispersed and went back to their seats and continued doing what they were doing.


    Castro went back to the counter and started to sharpen the weapons and oiled them. Nolan was quite as he slowly adds detail to the cape. He made sure that the drawing was clear and the painting would stick. Vie kept her silence and folded her arms quietly.


    Nolan was lost in thought. His hands slowly stopped moving as he took the cape with him and clamber up to the balcony. He put the cape on the ground and let it dry under the sun. He gazed upon the blue sky and started to feel dizzy. He trotted down and went down to the underground beds. He walked to where his bed was and laid his body. He stared at the ceiling and thought of many things. He raised his hands up and looked at his palms, his eyes flickering. His face contorted into a frown as if the scars he carried inside him ached and throb. He closed his eyes and slowly fell into slumber.


    He found himself in an abyss of nothingness. A chilly feeling invigorated him as he found himself reliving the nightmares of the past. His painful days as a lost child transported into a cruel world. He remembered the days he begged for alms and scavenges the alleys behind taverns for leftovers. He remembered the days he suffered training as the guard of throes. He remembered the times he escapes death and fought to survive. He remembered finding hope and acting like a love-struck fool. He remembered breaking his heart to the point that he was throwing his life away for the sake of revenge.


    The abyss suddenly stirred and rippled. He found himself reliving the events. He found himself walking through many lands and climbing a slippery mountain along with a Band of Bleak Walkers. They followed a trail until they reached the highest summit of the mountain. He remembered the strange happiness as he rested his body and drinks the canteen he was carrying. The others rested their butts as their chest goes up and down. A man started to lay down the tents and some started to check their gear. He was about to help the band he was with but noticed someone walking to the edges of the cliff.


    A man stood tall and faced the half rose sun and basked his body upon the warmth of the light. The man wore worn leather armor and a cloak torn stained with blood. His face showed exhilaration as he looked over his left shoulder.


    "The warmth of light blesses us! Haha, do not fret brothers! We have longed walk this path for too long!"


    The same man lay bleeding on his own pool of blood. His face showed a daring smile as he gazes at the grey-haired young man that was holding his tears back. His face contorted as if he would break at any second. The man in his pool of blood grinned up to his ears.


    "Nolan! Be good! Be strong! Be brave! Carry your heart through the bleak path! Do not let the Light of Hope die! Live and fight through this hell!"


    A bearded man with a head full of white stood standing despite the arrows on his backs. His face was stolid and stern and his bastard sword acted as his support. The man with the grey-hair in front of him was holding his tears back. His hands shaking and unsteady as he looks at the bearded man with a head full of white.


    "Why do you fear, Nolan! You''ve walked this Bleak Path! You''ve fought monsters no adventurers would dare to face unprepared! You fought through the barren lands and marched with Heroes! So stand up and steel your heart you fool! This old man will be your shield until the last of my blood drops! Now go and Charge damn it!"


    In a hill of flowers, a group of men garbed in hooded cloaks stabs swords in the ground. They held gloomy faces as they began to form up into a column. They muttered prayers and blessings. They shed their tears and clenched their fist.


    "Brothers, we will leave you all to rest here!"


    A battlefield with armies of men scattered and charged at gigantic beings and monsters with hides and scales harder than iron. A column of robed men raised their staff as they fire arrows made of energy and chanting words of power that silenced and blinded the enemies. A tall man with muscled arms raises his great sword and shouted.


    "Why do you fear, my brothers! Why do you hesitate when you''ll have nothing to lose! Or could it be that you want to live forever? In the name of all that is good in this world, attack!"


    Six figures glowed with the elemental power faces a gigantic hill-like monster with their backs steadier than any wall. They unleashed their powers and faced the hill-like monster who unleashed an Armageddon of spells towards them. The six figures fought with fire, water, wind, earth, energy, and light. Their domineering figure shining as the rank and file soldiers held their shield wall. Men garbed in torn cloaks with sigils of animals wove through the shield wall and shouted


    "Hold the line! I don''t care if you lose your heads! Hold the fucking line! Damn it Shawls! You still have a fucking arm left! Push now!"


    "Nolan! You pick up that shield! Damn it! We are still not near the Overlord! So when I say push! You will fucking push!"


    The image changed into another chaotic battlefield with demons standing ten feet tall and overlooking the whole army with sneers and scoffs. The army charged with their pikes. The great helm wearing men armed with maces and shields glowed as they smash their maces on the army of demons. Men with battleaxes charge at the giants and held them off. Men garbed in torn cloaks with sigils ran doggedly as they strike the enemies that have been neutralized by a wizard''s spell. Maidens in plated armor rushed with their spears, their plated armor protecting them from projectiles.


    Men and women wearing animal fur turned their bodies into bears, wolves, lions, and even panthers. Their bodies were slowly torn and skinned as enemies charged. The men and women fought as armies of horrifying and grotesque demons charged them with intents to devour them.


    "Nolan! Charge to the Castle of the Overlord! Let the Overlord see the sigils of hopes in your eyes! Let it be known that a Bleak Walker reached this far! See the Light of the Days for us! Hope lives! Don''t extinguish it! We shall burn them with our might!"


    "Run Walker! Run and let it be known that Light''s Army trusts you with this task!"


    "Go! Tell them Crusaders of the Salt Passing reached the barrens!"


    "Go! Tell them Marlon''s disciples reached the pale pass!"


    "Go! Tell them that army of men reached the barrens!"


    "Go! Tell them that the Sword Maidens of Throes reached the end!"


    The Grey haired man hesitated before weaving through enemy lines. A person in violet robes gazes at the dashing figure of the Grey haired man. Her eyes pouring tears, her hands trembling as she bit her lower lip and unleash a myriad of spells!


    "Run! Let hope live, you tasteless man!"


    He saw the myriads of spells that landed on him. It invigorated him as he sprints out of the battlefield and into the barren desert where the overlord''s castle should be. The surroundings suddenly started to blur. The images of those who were left behind appeared as he runs.


    Their faces were stern and solid. Their chest was thrusted out with pride as they raised their chin. There was no regret for their actions. Their visage stayed still as if protecting him. The dim darkness and the glow on his body from the myriad of spells made him look like a torch in the dark.


    "Go!"


    A scarred woman with a gentle smile appeared like a mirage and patted his back. His mind and heart steeled. His fist clenched as he runs from the battle behind his back. His figure slowly vanishes into the horizon of the desert. The sigils of the Dove of Thorns and the Snake of Woes flowed on his cape. Nolan opened his eyes. His face wet with tears as he slowly rose up and scan his surroundings. A trace of bitterness riddles his face. His countenance turned into a grimace. He sat up and grab his hair and started to feel the weight he was carrying along with him...

 Chapter 8: The Need to Act

    The streets were barren and the townspeople carried little to none produce in their baskets. The hawkers and food sellers were not present. A herald weakly brought the news to the townspeople, reading the decrees given by the King.


    An effeminate peasant pulled a cart, coughing as the dust blows from the west. In a district where the houses are made of stone and bricks, a finely-dressed nobleman looked at the sky. He watched a man in padded clothes and a tricorn hat cross the paved road leading to the castle.


    Two guards with spears on each hand looked at the man. The man in padded clothes with the tricorn hat entered the hat and crossed the corridors leading to a throne hall. The throne hall was without retainers or noblemen prancing socializing to their peers. A man with a crown, a toned body, and held a scepter gazed upon the man in padded clothes. He winced at the sight of the man with the crown, before regaining his composure.


    "King Terill," said the man in padded clothes. He looked at the man standing near the King. "Lord Gideon, it is my pleasure to be in your presence."


    "So you are Diego?" said King Terrill. "You are the one that sent this petition to us? To grant you this ancient route that has been explored by a Two Sigil Walker?"


    "I am," he nodded.


    King Terrill sized Diego from top to bottom. He looked at Lord Gideon who was stroking his chin. "What is your opinion about this ''petition'' Lord Gideon?"


    "I think that it is well-timed. Ten noblemen died and the next two days someone hands over a solution to our problems. A big solution that might help us passes this famine. I believe that this Diego knows. So tell us, Diego. What your reasoning''s are."


    Diego gulped. His jaw tightened. His hand shook for a moment. He calmed himself down and looked at the King and his Right Hand. "I believe that this petition will allow us to secure a route that is much safer. I am here to ask the King to give me the rights to all trades and lead a caravan. I do not know what Lord Gideon says of what I didn''t do. But I can say that if you reject me and put my head into a sword. This city will suffer harder than it is right now."


    "Is that a threat?" the King squinted and raised his head.


    Gideon shook his head. "No. I have no courage to speak to you two. I find myself cornered and shaking but my father, and my father''s father, and his ancestors have lived their lives in this City. The Walker that gave me this route told me of a horde of Shadow Trekkers. Man-Beast that is protected by the shadows, unable to be hurt by blade or cannon fire. I am a humble caravan master, of a humble trading company. My Lords, a tide of beasts is coming, we are going to need the arcane to defeat them. The Bleak Walkers aren''t enough to fend them off, the Royal Guard, and Guardsmen of Throes however brave they are won''t be enough to kill these beasts. So I implore you to give me this right so we can gather the funds."


    The Right Hand of the King clasps his hands. "You speak of your ancestors and saving this city. How can we believe that you are telling the truth?"


    Diego''s face hardened. "I am willing to lead the caravan myself. I''ll be taking my guards and I will import goods from the Inner Lands and bring them to you within four weeks! Let someone come with me and witness this route!"


    The King pushed his cheek with his right hand. His eyes stayed on Diego as he locked gazes with him. The King rose from his seat and took his scepter and pointed it at Diego. "I will allow you this ''right''. Bring me the proof within four weeks, don''t even try to escape for I will have you hunted down, Diego. You will be monitored by one of my guards. Don''t try escaping."


    "I will not!" said Diego.


    "Good. I shall believe you and this ''route'' of yours for now. I am willing to overlook whatever is happening behind the scenes and whoever is the puppeteer of yours," declared the king. "Go to my Censor, tell him the King has granted you all the rights of trades temporarily!"


    Diego stood up, he bowed his head. "I will not fail you, my King."


    "I hope so," the King said. He sat back on his throne and watch Diego walk out of the throne hall. Lord Gideon stood right to the King and glanced at the door.


    "You believe him?" said Lord Gideon.


    "I do," replied the King. "He faltered and his body told me that he was telling the truth. No man would face me with an absurd demands to all trades unless they are desperate or they know that they have to. I might be wrong and this man might be lying. But Gideon, this City stood tall and fended off mighty beasts to protect the Inner Lands. They call this City and Oasis, but it is nothing but a border that protects them from the threat behind the barrens lands."


    "I am no fool. That man wouldn''t have reached my throne hall if he didn''t utter the word Walker within his petition. The route was discovered by a Bleak Walker, and he warns that the beasts that are coming cannot be harm by our steel and cannons. You know how Bleak Walkers are, Gideon. They do not involve themselves in politics unless they have to. The Ten Men he killed were parasites, but they were nobles and I would have protected them even if they died and had that man''s head cut off. But he brings us opportunity and warnings. How can I ignore that? Bleak Walkers have nothing to lose. They speak bluntly because of their beliefs and they do what''s needed to be done."


    "But a Bleak Walker with two sigils," said Lord Gideon. "Can we really trust that?"


    "We have to." King Terill shook his head. "We have face monsters and saw magicians bringing down spells. A Bleak Walker with Two Sigils in both eyes is no surprise. For now, we just have to see what lies ahead."


    Lord Gideon silently nodded his head. There was nothing needed to be said. He too wanted to believe that such route really does exist.


    ...


    Diego walked into his company and home. He looked. A man with grey hair and a woman with green hair sat on the table he uses to entertain customer and guest. They both sat still as if they were statues. Their movements were so little that you mistake them for dead. It was a habit of Bleak Walkers to stay still and relax as if they are dead.


    "You two are like statues!" Diego said while placing his tricorn hat on the hangar. "Are you always like that, you two?"


    Nolan blinked. "Not always. But it is our habit to stay still and save our energies."


    Vie turned towards Diego. She bowed her head and kept brooding face. She stayed still like a statue. Nolan stayed his gaze at Diego until he sat down and faced him.


    "How did it go?" said Nolan.


    "The King allowed me passage." He took a decree with a seal of the Censor of the King. "He will hand me all the trades of the City."


    "I see." Nolan narrowed his eyes. His brows arched. "It looks like the King is a reasonable person. I thought that he would have beheaded you and served your head on a platter. I expected you to fail and sell me out. But I doubt that he''ll need to do that much to locate me."


    Diego frowned. His eyes slanted. "Then I am glad that he didn''t. The King seemed to have seen through us. He knew but he stayed his hand. I thought that he would force to me speak of you. How did he understand, Nolan?"


    "The King''s not a stupid person." He rubbed his thumb. "He understands. He knows that no one is stupid enough to want all the trades in the city and ask for it directly after ten noblemen of trades just died. It is so absurd that the King has to believe you. No one speaks in the name of the Bleak Walkers easily. He knows that we rarely involve ourselves in politics unless we want to. He knows how we act. If this was the Inner Midlands you would have been dragged to the dungeons and we would be cellmates. But King Terill practices misfortune, he expects bad things to happen, and he knows that a word of a Bleak Walker cannot be taken lightly."


    Diego wiped his brows. He held a pen between his forefinger and thumb. "I was scared but the thought of these beasts wrecking this whole city scares me most. Is that why you were lying that in the desert wounded?"


    Vie eyed Nolan. Nolan ignored Vie''s gaze and lied. "Indeed, that''s why I had to hide among your caravan incase the beast have sniffed me."


    Diego smiled lightly. "You were feeding my camels and I thought you were some well-experienced adventurer. You Walkers really do strange things."


    Nolan said, "We do, it is our habits. But anyway, my fellow walkers will accompany the route. I have given them the maps and the details of this route."


    "That''s a relief." Diego heaved a sigh. "Having Bleak Walkers and Adventurers and Royal Guards eases me."


    Diego stood up. "Well, I shall be taking care of the caravan. I have to contact my peers and hire men willing to take this route."


    "You do that." Nolan stood up and Vie followed. "We shall take our leave."


    ...


    Nolan and Vie walked out of the company and walked along the market district. The markets were empty and there were no stalls selling food. Townspeople who were holding their stomach eyed the stalls and can only leave dejectedly. Vie walked side by side with Nolan.


    "Men and Women are starving," said Vie.


    "I know," said Nolan.


    "Are you sure that Shadow Trekkers are coming?" said Vie.


    "Yes, if they weren''t I wouldn''t have done all of this. I killed ten parasites that would do nothing to their wealth. They will not do anything. They will only fill their coffers and when the time comes they will surely die," Nolan retorted.


    "You are so sure," said Vie. "Why?"


    "Because I learned how much of a parasite these bastards are. I saw villages and towns and cities go to hell because of their greed and inability to look at the bigger picture. This City was clogged by these ten parasites. Killing them was the only way to unclog this city," said Nolan.


    "And to do it you starve an entire city and sowed chaos among the nobles who want to get the rights of trade for themselves. While they are busy scheming at this chance you move your piece while they are distracted. You gave a King an offer he cannot refuse or take lightly. A new route and a word of a walker, even I could see the merits of this," Vie confessed. "But the blood that has been shed on this chaos will be on your hands, Brother Nolan."


    "I know that," he said with a grim smile. "There are thousands of people living in this city. Most are now starving while some still have food on their table. This city stood tall for generations and I believe it can hold the beast horde. But by the time help comes thousands would have died. Many men and women would have to witness the death of their children. This city will burn and will smell of blood and corpses. Carcasses will rot and by the time the enemy is defeated what would be left behind is a city of cadavers and ruins."


    He stops and looked up. "I could just ignore this mess. I could continue my path and walk until I see my end. I could have told the King about the threat but I know they will argue and debate what to do first. Therefore I can only force them through this. The new route will open a path for both soldiers and caravans while giving them enough time to send help. The King could do that but like I said they think too much and act too slowly. Diego will deliver the warning and I know that those who receive it will come. They will not ignore the fall of this city."


    Nolan knew that his actions will change the events that will happen. He wasn''t that arrogant to think that everything will go his way. But he cannot cover his eyes and do nothing. How could he allow this city to be destroyed again without doing anything about it?

 Chapter 9: They Shall Not Plea

    Four weeks passed easily. Diego returned with a train of caravan long enough to fill three streets. Men and women who were starving started to praise the caravan master for the goods he brought. The sale of the goods started while Diego delivered the proof to the king, he was accompanied by a group of robed men carrying staffs. The streets were filled with people. Guardsmen of Throes and Sellswords acted as watchmen for the goods. They were watching for people who have no dime from stealing the goods.


    Men and Women garbed in cloaks sewed with sigils of animals clambered up a vantage point where a grey-haired and green-haired woman sat on the stone rails. A man nodded at the grey-haired man, he returned the nod with courtesy, his eyes darting back at the train of caravan.


    "They really arrived within four weeks," commented Vie.


    "I know they will. I provided the map after all," Nolan folded his arms. The dust wind billowed. His face slightly wrinkled.


    "Why now?" Vie asked. Her hands pressed on the stone rails.


    "It was hard to explore the area," he said. He stroked his chin. "All I know is that route; that''s why I let our brothers with them just to make sure. Adventurers and Sellswords and Guards are good. But having people who expect misfortune gives me relief. Besides, I think that our brothers will try to scour the whole route. It is ancient and I believe there''s merit in doing so."


    Vie nodded her head. Her green hair fluttered when the wind blew. Her eyes were pointed at the caravans, her countenance giving this serene expression. Nolan turned his eyes back to the caravan. The townspeople were walking around with their goods. A column of men that came from the direction of the Throes District arrived. He spotted Guardsmen of Throes and Royal Guards taking one of the carts back to the Throes District and Noble District. A group of women wearing brigandine marched and took hold of a cart as well.


    Nolan''s eyes pointed in that direction. A woman with burn scars led the women back to their hold. In the spot he was standing he could see Ciara. His eyes went moist and mellow. A rush of sadness and melancholy engulfed him. He clenched his fist. He observed her from the distant, his eyes longing for her.


    He wasn''t that presumptuous to think that he could protect her. He knew that she was strong and that even without him she would do well. They weren''t even supposed to meet this early after all. But even then he had to stay out of her way. He loved her and he was willing to do anything for her. But because of that reason alone that he must stay away from her.


    It was a painful path to follow. But he has seen what the future has for her. She would become the war maiden followed by many for her strength. She will be the trusted ally of the Six Heroes who would rely on her. Nolan has no reason to change that role of hers.


    ...


    Diego walked across the red carpet and kneeled on one knee. King Terill lifted his chin to look at Diego and the robed men that followed him. The robed men kneeled on one knee. Their robes were weathered and their staffs looked old.


    "So you bring proof. You made a commotion, Lord Diego," said King Terill.


    Diego''s eyes widened. His mouth rounded but he shook his head. "I gave you my word, my King. I intend to honor it."


    Lord Gideon folded his arms and nodded his head. "I am gladdened that you fulfill your promises, Lord Diego. And you brought enough produce for this city." He looked at the robed men. "And these gentlemen are?"


    One of the robed men stood up. He took steps past Diego and put his hand on his heart. His expression was serene. His eyes were like the calm sky. "We are the Wizards hired by Lord Diego. I am Braun the leader of these learned men. I came here to pay respect and summon the army of wizards to defend against the Shadow Trekkers. Our Master, have taken interest in this matter. In exchange for our help, all the Trekkers that will be subdued will belong to us."


    "Why do you want these monsters, Wizard?" King Terill asked.


    "To kill them better," said Braun. "And see what they are made and what can normal people do about them." He eyed the king as if he warning him not to pry further. The King knew how fickle Wizards are about their research so he nodded his head.


    King Terill said, "You said that you will summon an army of Wizards?"


    "Yes," he replied. "We will place markings on the curtain wall and the north and south barbican. Unless the King does not want it then we shall not proceed with it."


    King Terrill narrowed his eyes. "I see. Are you doing this for the Pact of Light?"


    "Yes," Braun said. "Our Master has told us of this Ancient Pact. We will abide by this Pact for the sake of humanity and its allies. Oasis City has stood tall for generations from the barren lands. Cities such as Oasis are the defense against the barren lands where demons live. Letting Oasis City fall means the Inner Lands will have to fight a war against the demons."


    Braun gestured. His pointer finger drew a circle of power that summoned a phantom of Knight. Great helmet, Plate Armor, Sword and Shield, and a Mace, the phantom made a heart salute and pointed his phantom eyes at the King. "I represent the Crusaders of Salt Passing. King Terill, we shall abide by this ancient Pact and marched to Oasis City''s defense."


    The fanatical voice of the Crusader shook King Terill. He regained his composure and looked at the Crusader with a nod. Braun the Wizard tapped his staff. The Phantom of the Crusader vanished. A man in body armor glanced at the King and did a Heart Salute. "The Talon Knights have received a word of an impending army of beasts. We bring silver and steel, and our latest weapons."


    The King nodded. The Phantom vanished like a wisp of smoke. The King looked at the wizard with a complicated expression. Braun merely lowered his head. His eyes darted to Diego who brought this wizard. His head swirling, wondering, who was the person that orchestrated all of this.


    ...


    King Terill and Lord Gideon gathered around a long table filled with petitions and documents. The Royal Censor, Creighton stood with his hands clasped behind his back. The room was white and the walls are decorated with stones and marbles shaped in simple shapes.


    King Terill pulled a paper closer. "Look at all these fools," he sighs. "I gave them the reason yet they still complain about how I granted the rights of all trade to Diego."


    Lord Creighton scoffs. "These men are parasite indeed. At least this event allowed us to see the fools that will drag this city down. A bunch of parasites, how can they write letters of reconsideration when beasts are coming at the walls of the City?"


    "Because they have confidence in the Guardsmen of Throes," Lord Gideon chimed in. He was aloof. "Oasis City has stood tall for a generation without meeting any perhaps. The games they play are simple and they see this chance to gain an opportunity. The ten that died left behind spots that will allow them to rise up in ranks. I understand why they would be angry at the thought of giving someone all the rights of trade."


    "Diego is competent. He did a lot within our meeting that I am surprised myself. We need more proactive men like him that could get things done. He''s told by someone but at this point, we know that someone is a Bleak Walker. They don''t involve themselves in our games of politics. Honestly," King Terill laughed helplessly. "This only opened my eyes. We schemed too much and because of this, someone was able to do what it would take us days to finish debating. There are too many snakes around that they do not understand this threat."


    Lord Gideon and Lord Creighton nodded. King Terill curled his fingers around his scepter and pointed it at the table. "Have these fools taught a lesson. Remind them of the situation. Move our men and have them dirty their names. Stain their prestige and warn them about trying anything. Creighton, tell that I will have them thrown into the dungeons if they dare to try anything."


    "As you wish, my King," said Lord Creighton. He sauntered out of the room and left Lord Gideon and King Terill inside.


    "Things are going well," said Lord Gideon. "I hate it."


    "I feel the same, my friend," King Terill nodded. His eyes squinted at the thought. "We''ve seen enough to believe that everything will work our way. The Talon Knights are aiding us. The Crusaders of Salt passing and the Army of Wizards are ready to help us because of the Pact of Light. But yet our enemies, the fools in the north will take this as gathering our army for an invasion. We share the same enemies but yet they''ll still point their swords at us. What a bunch of fools."


    "The Northerners are a wary bunch," Lord Gideon commented. "They''ve been treated ill for generations and their desire for the warm weather and fertile lands make them irritable. I have sent a messenger to ease their worries but I doubt they will completely trust us. Not to mention that the Tian''s Emperor will surely have his men use this opportunity while the Crusaders of Salt Passing helps us."


    "Those bastards lived in their island nations yet they bother the Inner Lands. If it weren''t for the Leviathan''s attacks on one of their islands and the Inner Lands helping them. They would have long tried conquering the Inner Lands. But with the Salt Pass blocking their way they do not have the will to do so. Their navy is advancing and soon they might rule the seas. But I doubt the Leviathan and Sea Folks will make it easy for them." King Terill scratched the back of his hand.


    "The Pontifex Maximus and the Light''s Army cannot help us with them guarding the death valleys of the Barren Lands. I am relieved that they are helping us but can we really defend us this time? We know that they are coming but we don''t know how many beasts are coming. Who leads them? Which of the Warlords is trying to take the Inner Lands? I fear, my king." Lord Gideon''s face contorted. His jaws tightened. His sinews hardened.


    "I know," King Terill said. His hands quivered at the thought of a certain prophecy. "The shadowed army will come; they bring with them death and despair. The light shall flicker; men of nations will wait for the six stars that will shine brightly. The Sword Maiden''s light shall spark. Maidens who bear the sword shall be tested. The old monsters shall wake. They bring the darkness."


    Lord Gideon''s fist clenched tightly. "If this is the start of the dark days, then we have no choice but to trek forward."


    King Terill nodded. His face showed sadness. "I thought that I would live my days fighting the demon folks and raiders. Yet we are at the brink of this darkness. We plan happy tidings but it seems that we cannot do that anymore, my friend."


    "Yes," Lord Gideon nodded. "We are old, and our bodies aren''t as strong as they were before. Our sons and daughters must know about this."


    "They must," King Terill walked towards a window. He gazes upon the searing sky. Endless and blue, he never thought that he would witness its dimming. It brings him sadness and a bit of bleakness. But yet he tightened his jaws. He steeled his heart and lifted his chin up. It was not time to be afraid. With darkness coming, how could King Terill be meek? How could he stay passive and wait for his City to fall?


    "Gideon," he said. "Conscript more men. Hire builders to look after the walls. Have the blacksmiths ready spears for the ballistae and powder for our cannons. Have every grapeshot, and fire shots ready. If these beasts cannot be killed with steel and powder then we will delay them as best as we can. Gather all the retainers and tell them the truth. Tell those who are unwilling to leave. Tell those who are willing to grit their teeth and protect their territories."


    "As you wish, my king," Lord Gideon bowed his head softly.


    "We shall not plead for our lives. We shall scream at our last breathes, Gideon." The King''s back became sturdy despite his age. His wide back became a wall for the City of Oasis. Lord Gideon''s posture straightened as well. His eyes brightened as if the old soldier was awakened.

 Chapter 10: The Shadow Lingering Beasts

    Two grotesque humanoids with dark smoke coming out from their bodies crawled through the sand. Two guards stood at the gates with their spears at hand. Their eyes scanned the environment with vigilance. The beasts that were covering their body in sand slowly swam towards the blind side of the guards.


    They made use of the darkness and their body emitting dark smoke to blend in with the dark. The guard''s instincts tick as they felt something. The guard''s sinews hardened as they tightly curled their hands on the shaft of their spear. They look at the shadow and found nothing. That didn''t stop them from observing closer.


    The two beasts became part of the wall. The guards were staring face to face with the two beasts but they weren''t able to detect them. The two beast watch the guardsmen of throes go back to their post. The two beasts clambered up the Barbican and peek up the upper wall. They crept through the dark and landed down the main roads.


    The patrols were everywhere. They carried torch ubiquitously. Their armor made clanking sounds as they march through the dark. The two beasts crawled through the shadow and evaded the patrolling guards. They wove through the branching alleyways and found themselves staring at the quiet slum district of the City of Oasis.


    The houses were shacks of makeshift wood hurriedly built. Some slept within wooden barrels, hugging their dirty stained blanket to fend off the cold. There was a round clearing that made the two beasts cringe. Around the bonfire were poorly dressed men and women. Their garments were poor and worn, they were barely clean.


    The two beasts had pale hides as if they were skinned; the shadow was protecting them, like a smoke that covered them from being seen. The flame revealed the grotesque appearance of the beast. Their heads were pudgy, their eyes were melted and their teeth''s were finger-length. Their red eyes glowed slightly as it reflects the people hogging the fire.


    A man was able to catch a glance of these beasts. He dropped the bottle he was holding. He pointed his pointer finger at the shadows. "Ah, monsters!" shouted the man. The people darted their eyes to the corner. They sneered as they turn their eyes back to the man.


    "You drunk fool."


    "You have too much to drink already whoreson!"


    "Run! I saw beast! I knew I did!"


    "Whatever man, just keep your lip sealed okay?"


    The young man squinted. He eyed the man who went silent. He saw a line of blood around the man''s neck. The man''s eyes rolled back, his neck spurted blood as he drops face down. The young man eyed the man as if he didn''t know what happen. Only when the woman hugging her child screamed suddenly that the young man opened his mouth.


    He tried to shout but he found a long claw piecing his throat. One of the two beasts was looking down at him. He moved his eyes to the front. He saw the others who were sharing the fire get eviscerated by a shadowy beast. The young man was lifted up. He was thrown to the bonfire, his body got seperated.


    His blood doused the bonfire. The light of the bonfire vanished, replacing it with a dim darkness. The two beasts made a crackling noise similar to a hyena''s grunts mixed with a bug''s crawling. The other people who were awakened by the noise saw the grotesque figure of the shadowy beast.


    The two beasts bolted towards the man. With a quick horizontal swipe, the man was shredded by the beast''s claws. Another person went to check out; he saw the beast shredding the man. He tried to run but the other beast tore his neck by biting it off.


    A woman saw what happen but froze when the red eyes of the beast pointed at her. A trace of a liquid streak across her legs, she tried to move but she was disemboweled. The pain she felt made her scream to her lungs. This made everyone in the slums district wake up.


    Those who had weapons came out with the teeth gritted. They held their fight tightly until they saw the beasts that were taller than normal men. Their bloodied figure stained with blood made them shiver. The bulky man with the shortsword charged at one of the best. He made a thrusting motion to the hips of the beast. But his weapon never pierced the smoking shadowy hide of the best.


    He looked. His face scrunched up as his jaws chattered. The beast raised its pale blood-stained arm and brought it down to the man. Brain matter spread on the ground. The other men who thought they were brave took four steps back. The beast didn''t howl. It continued to make a critter-bug-hyena-like sound as they pounce at the men who bared their arms.


    The beasts were unstoppable. Even the ones who fought once in battles were able to discern how iron and steel didn''t work on them. Knowing this they started to scream in despair. The loud sounds attracted everyone. They came out of their makeshift shacks and look at the beast that was hunting them.


    There were only two of them. But they were fast and cunning. Their bodies were untouchable. Attacking them was futile. They realized that and started to spread. A guardsman of throes heard the scream and sprinted with his torch. He put his torch forward and spotted the two beasts eating the entrails of the people. Their nasty red eyes pointed at him. He shivered at the sight of the beasts. "Shadow Trekkers!" he showed his teeth. He readied his spear and gracefully retreated.


    The beasts dashed towards him. They stopped at the edge of the torch''s light. They circled around the guardsman before one of the beasts threw a corpse of a woman to the guardsman. His torch rolled away, he tried to recover his footing but the beast pounded at him. The two beasts tore his limbs. His body armor didn''t help as the long sharp claws of the beast tore through his bowels. The guardsman lost his life. The last sight he saw was his arms being chewed by the beasts.


    The two beasts continued to make their critter-hyena-like howls. The shouts of the poor echoed around the slum district. Men and women were hunted and only when the sun came that the shouts dissipated.


    ...


    Nolan walked in the slums district. A scene of carnage welcomed him. Chewed heads, torn limbs, entrails are strewn everywhere, stained marks on the shacks, and bodies that were placed everywhere. There was no exception. From young to old, from strong to weak, the scene made those who were curious pale. Their faces scrunched up.


    His legs carried him to one of the bodies. A guardsman eyed Nolan, he was about to open his mouth. But he saw Nolan eyeing the scene with intense focus. His face hardened, his eyes dimmed. His fingers traced the wounds of the victims. He moved the bodies. He inspected the pieces of torn limbs, scurrying around with great interest.


    The guardsman eyed Nolan. He looked at him with a disturbed look on his face. The guardsman would have bothered Nolan if it weren''t for the two sigils sewed on his cape. The Dove of Thorns and The Snake of Woes and the way he was garbed showed that he was a bleak walker. The guardsman followed Nolan silently until they reach the round clearing where there most of the corpses are.


    Nolan squatted near the corpse of a man placed on top a doused bonfire. "I know it."


    "Know what, Sir?" said the guardsman.


    "Shadow Trekkers, they are the ones that killed these people," said Nolan, standing up and folding his arms.


    "How could that be?" The guardsman took a deep breath. The nerves on his face hardened. "Those monsters lurked the barren land. How could they come here, Walker?"


    Nolan said, "Look around the city. It''s covered in sands and Ithese beasts probably used the sand to cover themselves. They do not have noses and only have gills on their ribs. They can stay quiet enough to blend in the shadows. This man right here got thrown because their cloak of shadows got dissolved by the bonfire. Once it got put out the monsters were able to massacre the city." He pointed at a bloodied gauntlet. "That belongs to a guardsman and clearly the gauntlet got spit out after being chewed. Along the way, I saw a torch stained with blood as well."


    Nolan moved to a spot. He took a dismembered hand and gawked at it. "This hand still smells of alcohol but the pointer finger has been extended stiffed." He looked at the direction where the finger was pointed. His eyes followed the trail of blood as well. "I can guess this man was drinking some ale when he dropped it and pointed at the direction. Probably spotted the monsters and died."


    He left the hand and sauntered towards the doused bonfire while sniffing. He looked down and squatted. He pointed a finger the corpse placed on top of the extinguished bonfire. The guardsman pace towards Nolan with his mouth rounded. "What is it, Sir?"


    "This guy probably was the first one that died here. This man here," he moved the head of the man. "Probably saw that drunken man got killed. He looked like he died and got toss to shut the fire off."


    The guardsman twitched his fingers. Nolan placed his vision at the man and shook his head. He walked along the corpse-ridden street and darted his eyes at the worn weapons scattered or still at the hands of somebody''s corpse. He pried open a corpse''s hand and examined the tip of the weapon. The guardsman squinted trying to gather anything.


    "This proves it." He eyed the dark bit of the weapon''s tip. "The work of Shadow Trekkers alright, there''s no denying this."


    The guardsman breathes in. He wrapped his fingers around his spear''s shaft tightly while swallowing his voice. The wind blew slightly from the north. Nolan smoothed his cape and pocketed the weapon. "You don''t mind if I take this?"


    The guardsman shook his head. He looked at the corpses and then looked at Nolan. "How many do you think of these monsters are, Sir?"


    "Two at most," said Nolan.


    "Two!?" shouted the guardsman. "But there are many corpses around!"


    Nolan''s expression stayed aloof. "We''re not dealing with just normal beasts here." He took the weapon out. "These types of monsters are vulnerable to magic and can be hurt by elements. At best fire would temporarily smolder their hides. Steel and Iron cannot hurt them as you can see why you can''t smell an atrocious smell of the abominations blood. Shadow Trekkers can only hurt by anything magical or through concoction and blade oils."


    The expression of the guardsman darkened. He jerked his spear and quivered at the thought of facing the monsters. Nolan glanced at the guardsman before shaking his head. "They are strong and fast. They can tear through non-enchanted armor easily. Their reflexes are far better than any trained soldier. But make no mistake, they can be killed."


    "Walker," said the guardsman. "How do you know all of this? Have you killed these Shadow Trekkers?"


    "Yes," Nolan nodded. "I killed these monsters while I was journeying through the barren lands. They are hard to kill if you don''t know how to. Sometimes a good rune can make a difference."


    Nolan''s eyes turned blank. His skull-like countenance made the guardsman shiver. He felt his spine tingle. Nolan shook his head lightly. The dim light in his eyes returned. He looked at the guard and nodded his head. He pocketed the weapon he got and walked across the body-ridden streets. The searing sun shone his cape. The snake of woes and the dove of thorns that was sewn on his cape fluttered.


    The guard stood still as Nolan blurred from his line of sight. He spun and saw more guardsmen pacing around the streets. A cart was being pulled by an ox. It parked near one of the shacks. One of the guardsmen saw the guardsman standing still. He approached the guardsman and manhandled his shoulder. The guardsman rounded his eyes. He bit his hip, he cocked his head.


    "What''s wrong?" said the man.


    "Shadow Trekkers," answered the guardsman. "A Bleak Walker said that this place has been massacred by those abominations."


    The man''s brows knitted together. His countenance turned into a grimace as he realizes that the situation was not normal. Even if they closed the whole district news will spread. They can seal the street but the smell of blood that stained the air won''t vanish. Oasis City has now two abominations to worry about. And they didn''t even know that there were only two from a horde of abominations.

 Chapter 11: A Question Of Bravery

    He walked along the sandstone bridges that connect one section to another. His boots created clouds of sand as he trudges through the dust riddled roads. His right hand would trace the rails of the bridge. He stops and looks at the differently shaped roofs of the city. Flat, curved, oblong, round, the diversity of the roofs depended on each house.


    The searing sun annoyed him. He covered his eyes with his hand. The sun''s light seeped through his fingers, he put his hand down. He saw the image of the city flicker before him. The sunlight tinted city began to change to the image of fire and smoke. The buildings turned into ruins. The roads turned into bone-yards, a place for vultures and hyenas. His eyes swirled, his irises revealed the signs of animals.


    "Looks like I would forever see this sight?"


    The end of the world and the dimmed days would be forever engraved in his eyes. The Dove of Thorns and the Snake of Woes would forever remind him of the world that he has seen. They are the mark of suffering and at the same time a curse for Nolan. They will forever remind him of the shortness of life.


    "Remember ¨C It''s all ephemeral."


    Those were the words of his nameless comrades. After losing everything he was taught how to continue forward with such thoughts. He was taught that everywhere and any second or any minute he would meet death. He could leave life right now suddenly and that''s it. He would die like every single being. That reminder let him determine what he would do, say and think.


    "Yet here I am again."


    Yet that belief was slightly shaken by this second chance. He was here in this time again. He will soon face those darkest days again. All those sufferings will come again for him.


    "Is this within my control?"


    He asked himself.


    "I can control some with the knowledge I had. But can I predict everything that will change? The domino effect of what I would do would cause ripples that would change events."


    He was not stupid. He knew that every action would result in an effect. Every choice has consequences. Every motivation has a reaction. He wasn''t that arrogant to think that he would perfectly do everything right. He wasn''t that smart. He wasn''t that brave. It is just that he learned how to imagine the worst that could happen.


    Pre-meditating about the things that could happen has helped him a lot. How he would react and what he should expect. He would imagine what would go wrong or what would be taken from him. He was taught how nothing would happen to a man against his expectations. It prepared him for every disruption and enviable setbacks. But it doesn''t mean that he has control over everything.


    He expected something to happen sooner. But the recent carnage over the slum district was something he did not expect. He wasn''t able to remember a slaughter in the district so soon. Somewhere and somehow things have changed. A butterfly effect has happened without him knowing anything about it.


    "This wasn''t supposed to happen. There should be no Shadow Trekkers appearing at this time. Could it be that an unprecedented event happened?"


    Nolan wouldn''t know that Diego''s caravan made finding the city easier for the monsters. Diego was leading a train of caravan to the ancient route that Nolan mapped out for him. It resulted in the two Shadow Trekkers noticing Diego and finding the trail back to the city.


    If he didn''t tell Diego about the route and made a caravan towards that route. They wouldn''t attract the Shadow Trekker scouts this early. Nolan wouldn''t know about this because he wasn''t all seeing. So he could only stand and wonder.


    "It doesn''t matter. Why should I worry about things that I cannot control?"


    He tapped his right foot on the ground. It created a cloud of dust. He took his gaze back from the city and trudged forward. He came across peddlers and little children playing swords. He caught sight of hawkers and heralds who were shouting the decrees of nobles and kings.


    Along the road, he heard of chatter about what happened to the slum district. The eyes of the people showed their fear and anxieties. They heard of monsters and giant sand-worms in the desert. But creatures that came from the barren land were unknown to them.


    Nolan shook his head. He started to his feet and continued walking to the Throes district. He found himself walking through the branching streets of the City of Oasis. He would walk along building-lined streets. And cross the roads with camels and ox pulling carts.


    His head was wet with sweat. His eyes reflected the populace as he marches on. The fear about the monsters was discussed by the people. But it didn''t mean that they would stop. Even the road he was crossing was filled with people busy with their lives.


    The bustle of the streets he walked slowly went quieter as he proceeds to the Throes District. He paced around a straight road and nodded his head at the two guards watching the Throes District. They were already acquainted with Nolan so they didn''t bother him.


    The streets of Throes district have building-lined streets and people wandering around. Soldiers were visible around the district. From heavily armed to the barely armored. Strong warhorses trotted along the streets. The sounds of weapons clashing resounded through the district.


    A group of men was sparring in a dirt courtyard. Men, Women, and Children watched them from the fences with interest. Nolan stood near the courtyard before continuing his walk. He found a building hugging the walls of the district. It was hidden and was not easy to spot.


    He entered an open area. He spotted the stables. An old man was feeding the horses and camels. A group of people garbed in cloaks was discussing something. Nolan walked passed by them quietly. He was able to gather their gazes which he returned with a slow nod.


    The small room of the building made it looked like a tavern. Men and women were lowering their heads as they drink the contents of their mug. Castro was wiping a mug while entertaining a green-haired woman. Nolan slid to one of the seats in the counter and leaned his elbows on the counters.


    "You were gone," said Castro. He sized Nolan up and down.


    "Went to the slums to check what happen." He retrieved the weapon and put it on the counter. "I found something. Look at the tip of the weapon."


    Castro and Vie cast a glance at the tip of the weapon. Their eyes examining the sword until it reached the tip. There was a noticeable black stain on the tip of the weapon.


    "Shadow Trekkers?" said Castro. Vie nodded her head hearing that.


    "Yes," Nolan grabbed the hilt of the weapon. "The carnage in the slums was done by Shadow Trekkers. Probably two of them were able to massacre the slums."


    Vie folded her arms. "That''s troubling. It means that they must have retreated underground. I am guessing the sewers of the City."


    "I agree," Castro bobbed his head. "Shadow Trekkers won''t get out of the sun. At least that''s what I heard."


    "They don''t." Nolan stroked his chin. "Shadow Trekkers are nocturnal beings. Unless there''s someone leading them they won''t come out in the open."


    "So you are saying that someone ordered these beasts?" Vie asked.


    "Yes," said Nolan. "Someone''s controlling these beasts. I am guessing that it''s the same warlord that will be coming to invade. This is not good."


    "It''s not." Castro pressed his hands on the counter. "It''s written that they travel in pairs. I believe that they will be mating to produce a nest. How did they get here?"


    Nolan narrowed his eyes. His head lowered. "They must have found the City. The desert is vast but a few noises can easily attract these creatures."


    "Must be from Diego''s caravan," Vie said. "Their caravan was long and the amount of noise they generated and the trail they left behind must have been followed."


    Nolan eyed Vie with his eyes blank. "I see. It looks like that was the cause."


    "Probably," Castro nodded. "But whatever is the cause of them appearing in this city. Having them breed inside the City will be a problem. They could crush the defenses from inside. The abominations would be able to bypass the defenses. Chaos will ensue."


    "The sewers are big." Nolan pointed out. "They could be everywhere."


    "Do you know how to find them?" Castro raised his chin while looking at Nolan.


    "I know," said Nolan. "They would pick the darkest area but we are going to need a map and people that will want to go after them."


    Nolan scanned the room. The Bleak Walkers that were inside the room was lesser. There was a few who seemed like they would stay in the city until moving on. Nolan shook his head. He looked at Castro and Vie.


    "I''ll be going," said Nolan.


    "I''ll follow you," Vie said with her usual perpetual gloomy face. "I don''t have to do anything. And you''re going to need someone who knows a few spells. And I think that the poison produced by my hair would help in killing them."


    Castro said, "And don''t forget Phantasmal Blade Oils and Silver. We''re going to need some smoke to stun these beasts. How do you fight them, Nolan?"


    Nolan''s brows curved into a frown. "Take out their legs. Then tire them by hurting the gills on their ribs. We''re going to need some throwable oils to expose their true skin."


    "I see," Castro nodded. "I''ll try contacting some of the guys that I know. I think they will help since they are staying idle here for a while."


    The door swung open. A man with a feather hat carried a bag filled with letters. He trotted towards the counter and chimed in. "Letter from the King''s Censor!"


    Castro took the letter. The courier started to his feet and bid him farewell. Nolan watched the courier disappear before swiveling his head back to Castro. "What''s the content?"


    "Looks like the King wants the presence of the Bleak Walkers of the Throes," Castro took his eyes away from the letter and slid it towards Vie.


    "The King wants to see us?" Nolan raised his brows.


    Vie said, "Ah, it looks like his majesty wants to discuss something. It says right here that it concerns the City of Oasis and its people." Vie tried to hide her grimace but she wasn''t successful at it.


    "What shall we do?" said Nolan. "The King probably wants our opinion on the carnage in the slum district. They''d want people like us in their throne hall to deal with this."


    Vie scoffs. "They probably want us to lead." Vie neared Nolan. She whispered, "And I am guessing that they are looking for the two sigil walker that gave the map to Diego."


    "Is that so?" Nolan raised his head. His eyes gleamed with ice.


    "Anyway," Castro said. "This outpost owes the King. We share the maps we have and he gives us money and supplies in return. I know that you rather not dwell in any royal court. I can clearly see that. But King Terill has been good to us. We repay kindness with kindness."


    "I know," said Nolan. "What I don''t like is speaking to those pompous nobles in the throne hall. They looked down at us and treat us like we are all insane."


    The word of a Bleak Walker isn''t taken lightly. But there are na?ve fools that linger in their bubbles. They are haughty and cocky, despite not knowing about the cruel world they live in. Nolan has met many fools and knows how to deal with them. But a wise man will try to avoid them.


    "It doesn''t matter." Castro folded his arms. "We have to meet the King and hear him out. And if it relates to the carnage then we might get some help from the King."


    Nolan commented, "Does it? I heard the King would rather hire adventurers or sellswords other than us. We aren''t as fickle as them. Not to mention they hate people who can observe things."


    "It depends. We are no monster slayers but we can hold our own. They might actually prefer the presence of profession walkers like us with them," said Castro.


    "Sure," Vie scoffed. "But you''ll do the talking, Castro. I rather not open my mouth in front of nobles."


    "I''ll try to help," Nolan said.


    "I guess that settles it. Let''s go see the King after I finish cleaning up this mess." Castro taps the counter and hollered at one of the Walkers.


    Nolan stood up. He smoothed his sleeves and cast a glance at Vie. "What is it?"


    "Be careful, Brother Nolan." She patted his back.


    "I will," Nolan nodded.


    ...


    The three traveled to the castle with haste. They walked along the red carpet and faced King Terill and his Right Hand, Lord Gideon. On his left was a man wearing decorated plate armor. His head was raised up. His chest thrust out as if he was superior.


    Castro, Nolan, and Vie''s eyes went dim. Their countenance changed into the usual grimace of a bleak walker. Their brooding expression made King Terill frown with his brows. He stood up and said.


    "It is pleasure to meet you again, Castro."


    "Such as I," said Castro with a blank tone. Vie and Nolan nodded politely.


    King Terrill shuffled across the room. His retainer''s eyes followed him. "I am sure that you have already deduced what I am asking for. I shall not tarry. I need the help of the Bleak Walkers to find these beasts that have massacred the district of the poor."


    "I see," Castro answered with an aloof tone. "But by right of the free dove has given us the choice to be free. It is written that we shall not interfere. We walk the earth and we are thankful that your majesty allows us to rest our tired feet. We are eternally thankful."


    "So you intend to refuse me?" said King Terill.


    Castro was about to reply when he heard a scoff coming from the mouth of the man in decorated plate armor. King Terrill silently cast a glance towards this person. The man with decorated plate armor felt the stare of his peers. He took a step forward. "Forgive me, my lord. I just find it baffling that these people are daring to say such things after receiving your grace."


    King Terill straightened his posture. Lord Gideon watched the man in decorated plate armor speak his mouth. Castro, Vie, and Nolan stared at the man with impassive looks. The man was shameless enough and he started to gesture with his hand.


    "These people lived under your grace, your majesty. Now that these abominations have done something heinous to our people they should be acting in this city''s defense that has given them abode!" He clenched his fist like a righteous man. "And yet they speak of a free dove that gave them the right of choice. The brave should fight! Pardon me my king for scoffing. It was rude and unbecoming of a noble. But I believe that they should act as a favor for your Majesty''s grace!"


    King Terill showed a dispassionate face. He tapped his scepter and eyed at the Bleak Walkers who didn''t show any hint of emotion. The man felt like he was convincing so he continued to speak long-windedly as if he was in a stage giving a performance. His act made the other nobles in the court believe that he was right. Nolan eyed the man with an inexpressive countenance.


    The man in plate armor caught a glance of Nolan''s face. He thought of how young looking Nolan was so he directed his eyes at Nolan and spoke. "I thought the Bleak Walker fears none? So tell me why do you Walkers hesitate?"


    Nolan eyed the man. "May I know your name?"


    "I am Zachariah, of House Sibyl!" said the man. His face showed dissatisfaction as Nolan spoke his name without any hint of respect.


    "I see. You say that we fear none."


    "I believe so," he snorted.


    "You''re wrong," said Nolan.


    Zachariah smiled lightly. "Then are you telling me that you are not?"


    "Are you?" said Nolan.


    Zachariah frowned. He folded his arms. "What is your meaning?"


    "Are you brave?" Nolan cocked his head.


    "I am!" Zachariah tapped his chest.


    "Is that true?" Nolan asked.


    "You doubt my bravery?" Zachariah scowled. His chest was starting to heave up and down. His hands were touching the hilt of his sword.


    "I was just asking." Nolan shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. "It''s just that you are implying that we are not. I mean pardon me for saying this but you don''t look like a brave man."


    "What!?" shouted Zachariah. His face was seething with anger. "You dare to question my bravery?"


    "I did?" Nolan said in a bone-chilling tone. His eyes swirled into two sigils. The Dove of Thorns and the Snake of Woes appeared in his eyes. "I''ve seen brave men. I watch brave men die. A brave man doesn''t wear decorated plate armor that adds no combat value. Their feet''s are dirtied and stained. Their gauntlets don''t have traces of powder. Their body doesn''t reek of perfume and scent of coquettish women. They say that Clothes make the man. No brave man would wear such polished armor. Your armor shines. Yet it reeks of a man whose metal hasn''t been tested. You lift your chin and throw your chest out but to these eyes of mine, you are nothing but a na?ve fool projecting the image of a Brave Man. That''s right. We do not call ourselves brave. Cowards can be brave when they triumph over fear. Fear harms a man. It is like fire and can be harnessed. It helps you and protects you. But a brave man who calls himself ''brave'' cannot be trusted unless I saw their armor torn and tattered."


    Zachariah tried to retort. But before he could Nolan continued. "I would have believed that you are a brave man if I saw the callus in your hands or the distant look in your eyes. But yet I see no warrior but a theatrical man thinking he''s brave. And even though you are from a Noble House you speak without letting him continue. So now I shall speak for him." Castro nodded at Nolan. "King Terill, we''ve come here knowing that you''ll help us slay these abominations. I have traveled past the barren lands. I''ve slain monsters such as these. I''ve reached the Old Pale Pass and Crossed the Satin Path and swam the Stasis River. I am Nolan Salvatore, and we have come here to hunt the beasts that have infiltrated the city."


    Nolan spoke with such a mechanical voice that time seemed to stand still. The King locked his gaze with Nolan. He was fascinated by the two Sigils in his eyes. Normally, such tone against a noble would mean that he would be challenged to a duel. But those who look at Nolan''s eyes would be persuaded at the abyss-like darkness that it emits.


    Zachariah felt like that he was just slapped hard.

 Chapter 12: Friends and Bastards

    The throne hall was separated by stonework. Four marble columns within that separate those who go in and out. Robed men and women stood still on the walls near the double doors leading to the throne hall. Their ears perked up as they heard the noise inside. The double doors swung open. Three people clad in cloaks stepped out. A grey-haired man casts a glance at the robed woman talking to a knight.


    The man''s eyes met with the robed woman. Her pointy long hat swayed as she turns her eye towards the man. The knight that was talking to the robed woman craned his head and followed the woman''s eyes. Nolan, who had an argument with the head of the Imperial Royal Guards, neared the two.


    The scarlet-haired woman cocked her head back. The Knight curled his scabbard and fronted Nolan. He blocked Nolan''s way, he was about to speak but Nolan grabbed his right wrist, pulled him, and put his other hand on his shoulder. Nolan''s dim eyes produced light.


    "Are you a Knight of Sunspawn?" Nolan beamed. "Your armor strikes me beautiful, and you look robust, friend!"


    The man''s wariness disappeared. He beamed a smile. "I hear that a lot." He nodded. "Are you perhaps the Walker that made that fancy one squeal? His head was like a berry!"


    "Indeed," Nolan took a step back. He pointed his eyes at the scarlet-haired woman. She glances at him with impassive eyes.


    "The lady''s bothered by the searing sun. My name is Todd, Knight of Sunspawn!" said the Knight. "And you are?"


    "Nolan, Bleak Walker." He told Todd. He cast his eyes at the scarlet-haired woman. He neared her and squared his body in front of her, his eyes locked on her. "May I know this lady''s name?" he asked.


    She examined Nolan from head to toe. She looked at his eyes and said. "Hannah, Sorceress of the Elemental Valley, the Last Disciple of Roman Kalisto. Perhaps you''ve heard of my esteemed master, Walker?"


    Nolan nodded thrice. "Master Kalisto, he should be on the barren lands right now."


    Her eyes rounded. "How would you know?" she neared him.


    "I know because there''s only one scarlet-haired mage with an elemental robe like him. I believe he should be in the Glass Cones Trail." Nolan mirrored Hannah.


    "Master is there?" She sweated. Her eyes dilated. "He was ambiguous and vague about it. To think he would be in the barren lands!"


    "Roman Kalisto, Grand Sorcerer of Elemental Valley, has been known for his eccentric hobbies. The Lady should realize that he would try to journey to the barren lands. The Glass Cone trail is the perfect place to unravel his spells." Nolan folded his arms.


    Hannah''s brows arched. She raised her chin. "You know of my master and the trails of the barren land. I assume that you''ve been there, Walker?"


    Nolan nodded. His eyes swirled as the two sigils appeared in his eyes. Todd gawked at the two sigils with his mouth hung open. Nolan smiled as he squeezed his eyes shut, the sigils of his eyes disappearing from his irises. The sigil eyes made Hannah''s eyes grew in delight.


    "How far did you reach, Walker?" asked Hannah.


    "Old Pale Pass, Satin Path and once jumped down the Stasis River. I''ve brothers and sisters with me, but they are no longer here, sadly." Nolan said, his eyes beamed with melancholy.


    "I see," Hannah nodded. "I take it that you introduced yourself to me because of my discipleship?"


    Nolan nodded. He snaps his fingers and a rune glowed with fire on the tip of his pointer finger. He winced as the flicker zapped his soul of energy. "I would like for the lady to send some of her energy to my core. You must have heard about the empowerment right?"


    Hannah studied the glowing rune. "To stimulate it and make it stronger. Your knowledge of the rune is quite adequate, I heard that Walkers used the runes to combat enemies that cannot be harmed by normal weapons. Why do you want to stimulate your core?"


    Nolan explained, "An accident shut my core, and due to this I was forced to retreat back to the City." He lied with a straight face. Of course, he couldn''t say that he went back in time and that other than his body, there was no way to strengthen his talents in rune carving.


    "I see," She nodded. She pointed a finger at Nolan''s stomach. A needle made of light struck his navel. Nolan''s body shook, he ground his teeth as the needle digs deep into his body. He felt electric shocks over his sinews as the needle of light stimulates his body.


    "Not flinching, not uttering a sound. A veteran Walker, so young as well," she nodded twice. Todd watched Nolan''s veins moved like worms around his body. The glow traveled through his body until the light slowly dissipated around his eyes, giving his eyes a bluish glow.


    "The Third Vision," said Todd. "Is this normal, Hannah?"


    She nodded. "It is, I can see that he has familiarity over the runes, and his experience has already made him enlighten over his own meager powers. It is no surprise that he would gain the Third Vision, the use of all of his senses, concentrated into the eyes."


    "Thank you," said Nolan, bowing his head. "I am grateful that you accepted my request, although we only met, my lady."


    She waves her hand. "It is a simple matter. You''ve given me the location of my master. I can scry for his located and send him my intentions. In fact, I am more in debt to you for this." She looked at him. "Do you have any desire other than this?"


    Nolan looked back. "Then I ask for friendship," he extended his hands.


    Hannah and Todd watched Nolan with widened eyes. Their blank face slowly formed a light smile as they shared a look. Todd laughs slightly, he took Nolan''s hands. "I thought Bleak Walkers don''t make friends?"


    Nolan shook Todd''s hands. "I am different." He pointed his hand at Hannah.


    Hannah beamed a smile and grabbed his hand. "I don''t usually associate myself with wanderers, but if this means that this would please you then I shall accept, Nolan."


    Nolan smiled. "It''s been a long time, old friends," He thought. "As usual you two are easy to befriend as long as you say it straight. Hah, to think that I would still remember you two pulling me out of the rubble. It has been too long."


    The entrance of the castle was bustling with faction leaders chatting with others. Celesta chatted with the other holds, her large frame making her no lesser than the leader she was talking to. Ciara, whose head was lowered listened in to the conversation, while her eyes would dart at the people going out of the reception hall of the throne hall.


    She spotted Walkers clad in a cloak, striding out of the castle. A figure, clad in a cape walked out of the entrance, his eyes pointing in their direction. The dim eyes of Nolan met with Ciara. She still remembered his eyes and the way he helped her out.


    He strode to Celesta. "Greetings, Leader of the Sword Maidens."


    Celesta casts a glance at Nolan. The leader that was talking to Celesta walked away to join his peers. Celesta sized Nolan from head to toe. She raised her hand and smacked it on Nolan''s shoulder. Nolan budged, but his face stayed impassive.


    "Celesta, Leader of the Hold of Sword Maidens," said Celesta.


    "Nolan, a Bleak Walker." His eyes swirled and the sigil in his eyes appeared.


    Celesta rounded her eyes. She nodded. "So you are the one that saved this subordinate of mine?"


    "Yes." He glances at Ciara. "I saw her saving someone. I thought that she needed help."


    Celesta looked at Ciara with motherly eyes. "She''s talented and has the potential to be the next leader of the sword maidens, but she''s not that yet."


    "I see." Nolan placed his eyes on Ciara. "Looks like you''ve been bruised? Who did this to you, Ciara?"


    "I," Ciara stuttered. "I''ve been rounding the thugs around the slums along with the girls, Sir Nolan."


    "Just Nolan," said Nolan. "And you mention the slums? Could it be that they are the ones that did this? Have you taken care of them?"


    She shook her head. "Unfortunately, they were able to escape. I will find them."


    "That''s the spirit!" Celesta patted Ciara''s back.


    "It is my duty," said Ciara.


    Nolan folded his arms, "May I ask how many of them are they?"


    Ciara beamed at him. "I wasn''t able to count."


    "I see," Nolan nodded thrice. "Make sure to be careful, Ciara."


    "Yes, Nolan." She said while tugging her sleeves.


    Celesta casts a glance at the two. "It seems like you are not bothered by her face, Nolan?"


    Nolan nodded. "I do not judge anyone by their looks. That''s asking to befriend a wolf disguised as a sheep. One must always look at the heart of the individual."


    Ciara rounded her eyes. She looked down as her cheeks burned. "What a kind person," thought Ciara.


    "Nice words!" Celesta patted Nolan''s back with a loud smack. "You are a good man, Nolan! I thought you Walkers would be gloomier!"


    "Not all Walkers brood perpetually," said Nolan.


    "I keep that in mind!" Celesta mouthed. "You gave that brat a scolding! I applaud you for that."


    Nolan smiled. "I was only telling the truth. I cannot stand those who are like that. Sir Zachariah should walk what he preaches."


    "I agree." Celesta nodded twice.


    Nolan glances at the ceilings. "It seems like it is time for me to move on. It was a pleasure speaking with you two." Nolan turned. He moved to the exit and melted into the searing sun. Ciara''s eyes stared at his figure as he vanishes from her sight.


    "His eyes...were so cold," thought Ciara.


    ...


    He moved along the teeming crowd. His cloak blended with the weary travelers, the horses, and the camels and the carts moving around. He moved slowly while hidden in plain sight. He wove through the streets while keeping out of sight.


    He spotted someone. His eyes glowed blue as he tailed the person until he reached a particular street that was just a block away from the slum district. Rough men in leather armor clad in padded clothes chatted with their fellow comrades.


    The men near the building didn''t spot Nolan who was calmly observing them with a tranquil fury. His eyes were burning with a cold seething gaze. He had this quiet calculated look as he examines the building, calmly calculating what he should do to them.


    "You bastards," he thought. "There''s no need for me to move and act. The Throes will catch you fools and the sword maidens will have your heads. I don''t remember Ciara speaking of such things happening to her. Therefore, the fact that her face got bruised was partly my fault. But, the one that hurt her was you sons of bitches."


    He grounded his teeth. Behind the hood, his face was distorted badly. If Vie could see the face that Nolan was making, she would surely feel her spine shiver. Nolan barely makes any expression, but his fierce and cold expression made him looked like a demon.


    The afternoon slowly arrived. The busy streets allowed Nolan to stay hidden among the crowd. The thugs around the building slowly disappeared, and by the time night came. Nolan covered his face with a piece of cloth. He checked his body, tightened the straps of his body and waited until he could hear the sound of cheering. The rough men brought wenches inside the building, their hands groping their butts.


    Nolan waited until midnight. He waited like a statue around the alleyway until the noise inside the building quieted. He crept sneakily near the building. He picked the locks and woke the wenches that were sleeping with the thugs. The murderous eyes of Nolan made the wenches move without making any noise. The men that they slept with were killed while the rest who were drunk got their throats slit.


    Nolan spread lamp oil around the foundations of the building. He crept down the cellar like a puma and poked holes on the barrels of wine that the thugs have. A room that was filled with alchemical materials was used by Nolan. He mixed cannon powder and sawdust. He wrapped them in a bundle and placed them near the foundations.


    He swooped around the room and searched for the leader. The leader who was sleeping got dragged by Nolan, interrogated until he learned who bruised Ciara. The leader was hung just outside the building, his neck wrapped in a rope that was slowly tearing. Nolan placed a lit lamp oil around the waist of the leader. He then poured oil into the building and moved out of the place. Later on, the building, shone brightly as it burned throughout the night.

 Chapter 13: Hunting the Shadow Trekkers 1

    Captain Celesta sat near her table, her eyes glued to the letter she received from a messenger. Ciara walked in and sat on the chair. Celesta kept her eyes on the letter, finally moving towards Ciara who was eyeing her and the letter.


    "Remember those bastards that bruised your face?" Celesta pointed the letter to Ciara.


    "What about them?" Ciara asked.


    "They''re dead." Celesta grinned slightly. "Most of the thugs over the city have been killed by something. Not a monster, but a prolific killer."


    Ciara beamed. "Any witness, Captain?"


    "None at all," she shook her head. "But we can assume that the killer did all of this. He somehow tracked all the thugs related to the one that hit you. They were killed the same and most of their hideouts were burned to the ground."


    "So that''s what the fires were?" she arched her brows. "Are we sure that there was no witness?"


    Celesta bobbed her head. "Like I said the one responsible for all this was not found. Whoever did this is one hell of a professional stalker. Not even a single trace of the bastard."


    "I see," said Ciara.


    "What?" Celesta tilted her head. "Disappointed that you cannot do the justice yourself? Forget it the doer did something incredible here. Most of the thugs were afraid that they would be targeted that they decided to go to jail. I don''t know what he wants but he put a lot of fear in one single night."


    Ciara folded her arms. "Why would this person do this?"


    "Who knows?" Celesta shrugged. "Maybe they pissed off someone they shouldn''t have angered." She snarled. "If anything, I think that you got lucky that a skilled stalker managed to smoke these thugs. Either they are shaking in fear or dead somewhere, you got lucky, Ciara."


    "I don''t know about that," said Ciara.


    "Anyway, they are dead." She placed her hands on the table. "With this, we can focus our hold in defending against this invasion of Shadow Trekkers. The marketplace needs guarding and we are told to guard the residential districts. Not to mention that sellswords and mercenaries are roaming around the city after the king announced the incoming horde."


    "An army of trekkers led by a Barren Land Warlord," Ciara''s eyes narrowed. "I heard that the monsters in the barren lands are unable to get hurt by normal weapons. Can we really kill them?"


    Celesta shook her head. "Who knows? The Bleak Walkers knows how to kill them, they''ll find a way and not to mention that the Crusaders of the Salt Passing and an army of Wizards are going to help us defeat the army because of the pact that was made. This is a time of troubles and losing your head over the incoming chaos does nothing but trouble you." She folded her burly arms. "Ciara, you have potential and talent. Focus your thoughts on your skills and do not let the incoming evil trouble you." She smiled lightly. "I don''t want you to die without seeing how far you can go."


    Ciara smiled. "Thank you."


    ...


    The abandoned village had travelers walking around. They had the look of Knights and Wizards. They sprawled around the village directing the builders to where they want the materials to go. They talked with an engineer who was instructing the carpenters to move.


    The round training ground was hastily built alongside the village. Tents were made around the training ground, as Knights, Wizards, and Soldiers sharpen their weapons and maintain their armors. Men from the Knights of Talon checked their weapons while Castro praises them. A Talon Knight fired a repeating crossbow with ease at a hay target.


    On the training ground, a man garbed in sleeved shirt and pants faced a green-haired woman who was taking a stance. Their faces were bland and aloof. But, the way they stand against each other showed that they were used to taking such stances.


    Nolan and Vie took their stances. Nolan formed his hands as if he was trying to stop her. Vie took a boxer''s stance and gripped her fist tightly. She wove swiftly and hit with a straight punch. Nolan flicked his left hand and hit Vie''s right wrist. She swiveled her other arm but was blocked by Nolan''s arms.


    The hit stunned Vie. Nolan took the chance. He took a step inside Vie''s guard, he grabs her right wrist with his left hand, pulled and use his other hand to claw her forearm. With a lever-like motion, he threw Vie to the ground. Vie was able to do a shoulder roll before she hit the ground. She rushed his guard but like water, Nolan made use of her force and momentum to cross her arms and lay her down.


    He locked her arms. Vie grunted as she taps her hand. "You throw so much!"


    "I am just using your own force to deal with you. You are tense, and I am like water that takes shape when you attack." He smiled, extending his hand towards Vie.


    The Knights and Soldiers that watched stroke their chins in thought. Nolan was able to gather their attention after a few moves. At first, they thought he would go easy on her but when Vie strikes they were able to notice how she didn''t hold back.


    Vie patted her pants. She rotated her arms and cracked her neck as she cocks her arms and took another boxing stance. Her eyes this time was fierce, like a pouting child who could not accept she was losing. Nolan smiled.


    Vie rolled her upper body as she rushes Nolan. She launched a fury of three-to-four strikes intending to wear out Nolan''s defense. Nolan placed his hands on top of his head. He slightly lowered his posture and defended all Vie''s attacks with finesse. He would use his forearms and elbows to block her strong attacks while keeping his head and stomach well defended.


    Vie tried to connect a horizontal elbow at Nolan''s liver. Nolan lowered his elbow, wrapped his arm around Vie''s and did a hammer fist on her armpit that made her flinch enough for Nolan to take both of her hands and levered her roundly, putting her back to the ground.


    "Still up for it?" said Nolan.


    Vie inhaled and raised both arms. "I gave in. I think I am going to rest."


    ...


    "Mind sparring with me?" A bulky man with broad shoulders stepped inside the ring. Nolan casts a glance at the man, his other hand helping Vie up. "You should go."


    "Okay." Vie nodded. She strode out of the ring and folded her arms.


    The man carried a wooden sword and threw it at Nolan. "Do you mind exchanging blows?"


    Nolan shook his head. "Not all." He caught the sword and jerked it. He curled his grip around the sword''s hilt and pointed at the man.


    "Gerome of House Forester, may I know your name?" said the man.


    "Nolan, Bleak Walker." Nolan nodded lightly. His eyes still focused on Gerome.


    "I see, a Bleak Walker." He nodded curtly. "I heard that you Walkers fight like men possessed."


    "We have to," Nolan explained. "The paths we walk are riddled with monsters in two forms. We have to be decisive and quick in our strikes."


    Gerome smiled, he encircled Nolan. "You''re young, friend. But your movements are practiced and hammered. The difference between you and the lady was a distance."


    "I''ve been walking around for too long since my early days here in the world." Nolan kept his gaze at Gerome who was casually chatting.


    "From young then?" replied Gerome. "So it would be foolish of me to hold back here?"


    "Yes," said Nolan with the smile on his face vanished.


    Gerome smirked. He took four quick steps and went for an overhead strike aiming for Nolan''s head. Nolan twisted his body and pivoted the pommel of his wooden sword to Gerome''s liver. Gerome winced and jolted back. Nolan, whose right knee was touching the ground took hold of Gerome''s wrist and made use of his shoulder to throw Gerome down the ground. Dust billowed around as Nolan raised his wooden sword and strike towards Gerome''s throat. Gerome sweated badly as he saw the pommel stopping before it landed to his throat. His eyes slowly moved towards Nolan. His face was cold as ice. But, it vanished as Gerome blinked.


    "Your swing was wide, friend." Noland offered his right hand. "Your strike would have rattled my arms if I took it. You use your back and weight to your swing. I would have been put in a spot."


    Gerome smiled helplessly. "You are quick and lethal, Nolan." He grabbed hold of Nolan''s hand and pulled himself up. "You put me down easily."


    Nolan shook his head. "You weren''t wearing your armor."


    "Doesn''t matter," said Gerome. "I haven''t been decked ever since a year ago. I guess it was my fault for being reckless. If I was wearing armor, how would you fare?"


    "I would have to put cut the straps of your armor and kick down your legs. Once you''re on the ground then I can think of ways to kill or maim you." Nolan said that with no expression on his face. Gerome shivered at the thought of fighting Nolan.


    "I guess this is how a Walker fights?" Gerome placed his hands on his waist and sighs. "This should be expected while you folks are fighting monsters in dangerous areas."


    "Most monsters are far stronger than any trained soldier. Once strike from them could cause concussion and bleeding. Not to mention that to fight them you have to be wary all the time. Use everything that you have to kill one. We are not monster slayers but we are used to dealing with them," said Nolan.


    "You fights monsters and yet you fight like them as well." Gerome tapped the back of his hand. "I am glad that we''ve allies such as you fighting along with us. The Talon Knights are many and we have the best equipment in the Inner Lands. But, we are far ready for fighting monsters. Adventurers mostly fight the lesser monsters in the Inner Lands, and rarely the Talon Knights fight such monsters."


    "Most of the Talon Knights carry silver grafted to their swords right?" said Nolan.


    "That is right, we carry silver-grafted swords to deal with monsters. They work against the lesser monsters, and I hope they work against the monsters of the barren lands." Gerome pointed his head at the direction of the desert.


    "They do," Nolan rubbed his wrist. "Silver is poisonous to them and as long as their magical defenses are down, they will bleed and die. Fortunately, we have the Wizards to neutralize their magical defenses. Without them, the battle would be hard to win."


    Gerome folded his arms. "You are confident that we can win this war?"


    "I do," said Nolan. "The Shadow Trekkers are strong and fast. They can be harmed by neutralizing their magical defense or through the use of elements. They cannot fight well under the sun so we have to make sure that we defend until morning. The Trekkers have a great advantage during the night. That makes them dangerous.


    "I see." Gerome nodded twice. "I heard that the Shadow Trekkers are hiding somewhere around the sewers of the city?"


    "Yes," Nolan stabbed the wooden sword on the ground. "It will be hard to hunt them inside tight spaces but if we don''t kill them they might breed spawns that will be detrimental to the city''s defenses. Eliminate them while it is early."


    "So you are seeking them?" said Gerome.


    "Along with the others," said Nolan. "I am confident that we can hunt them down." Nolan''s eyes narrowed with coldness. "Putting monsters like them have been a daily activity for me."


    Gerome smiled lightly. "I shall rest easy with your words, Nolan. Oasis Cit guards the Inner Lands. Without the city, we would be at the mercy of the barren lands monsters. As long as she stands the Inner Lands will be safe. Letting this City fall will bring disaster all over the lands. I don''t know how many of them are coming but we will not let them pass."


    Gerome tightened his jaws. He walked out of the ring and went to the tents. The dusty wind blew from the desert. Nolan stood in the center of the ring, his eyes pointed at the sky. The sounds of people moving and armors clanking and weapons being sharpened resounded throughout the area. Nolan stretched his legs out of the ring and sat down cross-legged. He eyed the sand hills and placed his sights on the horizon. The scrying of the Wizards made them learn when the Shadow Trekkers would arrive.

 Chapter 14: Hunting the Shadow Trekkers 2

    The room was dim, the smell of oil lingered in the air. Daggers, crossbow, a coil of ropes, pitons, grappling hooks, oil lamp, and a leather vest modified heavily. A sharpened sword engraved with six runes lay still on the table. A hand carefully caressed the sword, the tip of his pointer finger feeding the runes that were embedded on the blade.


    The lingering oil that seemed to be translucent stayed on the sword. The light reflected, his eyes squinted in return as he draws his eyes back to the table. Four small flasks of poison and four phantasmal oils that seem to emit a terrible feeling that makes the skin stand. The poison came from Vie''s hair, while the phantasmal blade oil came from concoction known by Walkers.


    "It should be enough to hunt two trekkers," he thought. "These monsters are werewolves with faces resembling ghouls, they are fertile and strong, their regeneration makes their offspring''s stronger than a trained human."


    He eyed the small crossbow and took the silver embedded bolt. "I can neutralize them by coating this bolt with the poison from Vie''s hair and phantasmal oil." He thought while stroking his chin. "The sewer''s large and narrow, the trekkers can adapt to the shadows. The lamp oil will be shining the way. The trekkers will be hesitating to approach us until they can find a way to maneuver."


    He recalled the way they fought in the barren lands. He had to dodge their attacks, keep the light from dying and attack them with a coated weapon. It was far easy because of the wizards. He knows how to make use of the runes to carve an element on his sword. But doing so means that he will have to fatigue his soul and lessen his ability. The body can handle the burdens but, the soul cannot easily do so.


    He grabs hold of a dagger. "I can coat the throwing daggers with poison." He thought while his hand fiddled the dagger, twisting it around his fingers. "It''s much better to use the crossbow that the Talon Knights made." He examined the repeater crossbow that the Talon Knights made. "It''s fast and reliable, but it will be hard to reload them inside the dark sewers. Better use the other weapons first before using them. A quick succession of bolts to the chest should do."


    He looked at the coil of ropes. "I can use the ropes to the bind them, a simple lasso around their waist, then place the piton on the ground to bind the monster should theoretically work. Their pulling strength would mean that I have to tie them using five pitons each. I have ten pitons and three coils of rope."


    "As for where I should put them all," his eyes slide through the table and landed on the heavily modified leather vest. "The leather armor had to be modified. The metal wires I used to stitch the pockets and bandoliers should allow me to store them. It is a makeshift bearing vest, but it''ll do the job," he thought, his eyes pointing at the saddlebag on the back of the bearing vest. "I can keep the coil of rope and the rest of my items inside. The holsters and slings should keep my weapons intact. The vials can stay in the pouches around my pocket. It shouldn''t be heavy, the loadout should be fine."


    Nolan nodded his head. The room he was in was dim and a few steps away from him are the stone stairs leading up to the quarters of the Bleak Walkers. Vie trotted down the stone stairs and craned her head to where Nolan was. She caught her fitting the bearing vest.


    "You are heavily armed...can you even move with that?" she asked. It was unusual for a Bleak Walker to be heavily armed.


    Nolan was covered in a web of pouches. His sword was around his waist along with the small crossbow, and the repeater crossbow. His front was covered in pouches filled with daggers and bottles of flasks. Vie could spot the items around his belt where the vials of flasks are located.


    "That doesn''t bother you?" asked Vie.


    "Nope," replied Nolan. "I am used to carrying many items around the journey. It''s better to be ready for every possibility that might happen." He slowly removed the bearing vest and put it back on the table. He folded his arms and tilted his head. "What''s happening?"


    "Just came here to see what you were up to." She shuffled around the room. "You are always either disappearing somewhere, coming back smelling like blood. A while ago you smelled of burnt wood, your dagger and tunic had spots of blood. You even throw that old cape of yours. I thought we Bleak Walkers rarely slay other people."


    Nolan''s face tightened. His eyes turned cold. "They were scum that needed to be punished. Letting them stay inside a jail does no good. If they cannot be executed then that only way is to permanently put them to sleep."


    "So you admit that you executed all of those thugs?" Her face stayed aloof. "I noticed that you always have this serene fury. I admit that even I could not see through you. What is your reason for all of this killing?"


    "They deserve it." He wheezed. "I did this city a favor by killing them, that''s the only reason."


    Vie studied him. "We always dwell within the grey area. But acting out justice and going on a rampage does this city no good either. You burn warehouses and hideouts, Nolan. You are lucky that they haven''t caught you."


    "I know how to hide well." He mouthed with confidence. "So why are you asking me all of this, Vie?"


    "Nolan," she said slowly. "You saved me from that well. I would have been buried in that place. I know that we are used to all of these troubles. But I accepted you as a good friend. You gave me your name and I gave mine. All I want is for you take care of yourself. I can tell that you are sometimes unhinged. Your ways are brutal and practical. You are inherently kind but I think that under your kindness there is a seething fury. Your single-mindedness is the one thing that I am afraid of most." She turned. "So please be careful."


    He watched Vie clamber up the stairs.


    ...


    Nolan simply left the outpost and wandered along the elevated streets. He found himself on a wooden bench overlooking the City. On this spot, he could see the hills of sands and the sandy houses below. The teeming crowd below moved naturally. The soft whistle of the wind came by. He smelled the scent of the palm trees that grow around the City. His hands cupped together, Nolan softly sighs as he looked at his palms.


    "When did I become so murderous?" he thought. "I still remember being transported into this world. Weak and confused. I begged in the streets and learned the language through the crowd. I trained my body and worked as a soldier. No God appeared before my dreams. No heavenly and divine prophecies came to me. It was just me lost in this world."


    He looked up at the sky. "I died twice already. I don''t remember much but my life before coming to this world was pretty normal. I endured hardships and studied hard to get a job. One day, it all got flipped out as I died and found myself here. I was sure that I died. Yet, here I am in this world. To die and relieve these days."


    "I never thought I''d end up this way." He grumbled while tugging his cloak. "I hated criminals and monsters because of this city. I hated them and I murdered to protect myself. If it weren''t for the dim days ahead I would have continued killing thugs and pariahs. If I didn''t join the army and saw Ciara''s brilliance. My misery would have been worst. Like a good dog, I followed her. I fought and fought until I was filled with scars. She was my light in those days." He felt the searing sun on his face. "I am back here against but I cannot even dare to come near her, afraid of messing things up."


    He recalled the pain of seeing his brothers and sisters of battle die. He remembered their dying faces as they haunt him forever. His eyes endlessly recalling their deaths. Nolan would never be able to see pleasant dreams as long as the sigils that have marked his eyes remains.


    He dreams of death and despair, a constant reminder of death made him afraid of taking the guiding light he had in this world. He was back here in time but yet he could not even take her hand and profess his love. He could only watch and get angry at anyone who would hurt her madly. Nolan had learned how to control his anger by always muttering that ''Everything is only as it is.''


    It keeps him still from ever trying to be rash about things. In death, Nolan learned how to be proactive. There are things that he cannot control and things that he can. Every action he does could change a lot of things. It could be good and bad. He thought to himself that if she continued on her lonely path. Wouldn''t she become the war maiden that survived the dim days?


    "I used her to heal the wound of lost."He mumbled at the air. "I thought that maybe she''d know the pain of being alone. I did love her, but in the end, I used her make up for the lost family. Who wouldn''t be sad if they suddenly find out they can no longer go back home?"


    That was one of the reasons he wanted to keep away from her. The guilt lingered and at the end she truly loved him. Every single time he was not doing anything he would remember her being swallowed by that attack. At the end that cemented the idea that she was better off without him. She was strong and determined. Nolan had watched her weary back with admiration.


    He knew that there will be ripples in the timeline. Things will undoubtedly change with his meddling. He doesn''t know if it is bad or not. Yet, he can only trudge on and continue the path he had chosen. Nolan thought that he could easily advance forward and hold his feelings. But in the end, one single bruise made him angry enough to eliminate the thugs roaming around along with their hideouts and warehouses. He only had the items he had because of his killing spree. He spent roaming around evading dangerous creatures with senses far dangerous than humans. How could they ever find him when stalking around the shadows has been a part of his life?


    "How pathetic of me," he cursed himself. "I should have controlled myself. Damn it, when it comes to her I am really a mess." He clenched his fist so hard that he felt his palm ache. A strong wind blew from the desert and it made him flinch badly. He squinted and covered his eyes with his arm. He stood up and turned. He was about to move when he spotted a figure walking towards the bench. She was covering herself with her own cloak, her brigantine was dirtied by the sand that blew.


    Nolan froze at the sight of the woman. He bitterly smiled as he looks at the woman whose was face half burnt. "Oh, yeah this was her favorite spot in this city." He thought as his eyes stared helplessly towards Ciara. She rubbed both of her eyes and moved forward. Finally, she was able to perceive the person who was staring at her.


    "You are," said Ciara.


    Nolan extended his hand unconsciously. "Nolan," he said. It took him a while but seeing that she had already taken his hand. Nolan could only smile bitterly inside his heart. He shouldn''t have come here and bear this heartache. He felt like he was suffering just by touching her hand.


    Ciara gazed at the man who didn''t even change his expression. Although she felt that his face was cold and distant. His melancholic eyes betrayed him. All she could see was the face of a man who was weary and tired. She recalled that Bleak Walkers do not stay too long in one single place. She thought that he was only here because of the incoming horde.


    "Are you leaving?" she asked.


    Nolan hesitated. He looked at the sky and shook his head. "I was about to. Want to talk? I have nothing better to do."


    "Oh," her face showed a hint of surprise. "I can do that." She walked to the bench and sat. Nolan gingerly followed her and together they looked at the city. His heart in turmoil for being unable to control himself.

 Chapter 15: Hunting the Shadow Trekkers 3

    The weather kept her calm. She stayed silent as if gleefully watching the two. Nolan was secretly breaking a sweat as he broods. Ciara has crossed her legs trying to remain indifferent. Her beating heart was making ripples on her face.


    She sighed. "I''ve asked this before." She looked at him in the eyes. "Did you really help me out of being a Good Samaritan?"


    He smiled thinly. "Yes."


    "You didn''t pity me?" she said.


    "No," He shook his head. "Why would I?"


    "Because I was pathetic in that?" she said with a frown on her lips. "I almost died if it wasn''t for you."


    "It was not because of pity I assure you." His eyes turned gentle as silk. "I did it because it was the decent thing to do. It was kind to do so. You were in trouble and one look at that scene was enough for me to understand what was going on."


    "What if it wasn''t?" Her eyebrows arched.


    "What do you mean?" He asked.


    "What if that woman was my accomplice?" she said.


    "Then it is only as it is," he calmly replied. "It would be quite the rare sight."


    She folded her arms and raised her chin. She shuffled her buttocks around the wooden bench. Her eyes darting around Nolan whose expression remain perpetually calm. The calm wind began to calm her down. She took a big breathe and settled in place.


    "I guess you really have good intentions, I am sorry," she said.


    "Why you should be sorry?" Nolan told her. "You think that because you learned how to protect yourself from false assumptions. I can see that you are strong and wary. The smell of sweat that lingers around and the way your hands slightly shakes makes me believe that you haven''t been slacking off, Ciara."


    She meekly lowered her head. "Thank you."


    "You are welcome," he laughed lightly. "There are things that you cannot easily give up on. We have our sad stories to tell, we also have our walls that''s needed to be protected. Being wary of people is something understandable. I lived my life wandering and through walking the earth I became vigilant. There''s nothing wrong with that so don''t fret about it."


    She folded her arms. Her cheeks pouted. "I don''t fret about it. I must confess that your rather lack of expression upon seeing my face is quite...odd. Even the Bleak Walkers around the Throes district would flinch or cringe at the sight of my burnt face. Why is that?"


    He looked at her. "I said it before and I will say it again. I do not judge anyone by the look on their face or the color of the skin. What is the point of that if one''s soul is rotten and diseased? Besides, you are still beautiful in the way I am looking at you right now. From my point of view, I am talking to a beautiful woman. Your eyes are especially pretty."


    She tugged her braid. "I...thank you." She lowered her head gingerly. Ciara has always been proud of her eyes that resembled her mother. She thought how odd that she wasn''t feeling angry or thinking that he was insulting her. She felt that Nolan''s words were true and hint no lie.


    Nolan glanced at her with kind eyes. His perpetually dim eyes vanished. What emerged were the eyes of someone looking at something precious. She caught a glimpse of these eyes. She felt that she was not speaking to the bleak walker Nolan. She was facing the Nolan whose guard has been lowered.


    "What is it?" he asked.


    "Can you not look at me like that?" she said, her head turned away.


    "Did I offend you?" he asked.


    She looked at him meekly. "No, it is just that I find it weird. You feel so different from your usual calm exterior."


    "Is that so?" he wheezed. "Then you must have successfully made me let my guard down."


    Her brows met. "I don''t understand how I could have done that."


    "You are pleasant to speak with," he said slowly. "I am calm when I am talking with you."


    "Calmer than you should be," she said. "I do not understand how ''pleasant'' I am to talk with when I doubted your kind intentions."


    "Ciara," he beamed at her. "It depends on the people. I am someone who really doesn''t linger in such things. I mean why would I try to trouble myself with such thoughts? If I choose not to be harmed by it then I can because it is my own head. It is within my control."


    "I see," she nodded twice. "That reasoning seems sound. Is that how bleak walkers are?"


    "Yes." He answered while looking at the dust cloud. "We were taught to seek discomfort and chaos to grown stronger and robust. It is a mental technique that keeps us going despite the bleak path."


    "Even though it makes you all looked like cold-hearted men without any emotions?" she said truthfully.


    He nodded. "There''s no need to be distressed by other''s opinion. Wasting your time thinking about things you cannot control is foolish. I believe that you know this well."


    She slightly frowned. "I understand that reasoning. Without it, I would have long hung myself."


    "But, I must say that you really saying all of these things without any fear," she pointed out.


    "There''s nothing to fear, it is merely reasoning for us and a way to continue. So no need to think about," he shrugged and bobs his head. He cracked his head and eyed Ciara.


    "I know that you are not bothered by my face. But you keep staring at me," she told him. "You will make me think that you fancy me."


    "Who knows?" Nolan smiled playfully. "I''ll let you think of why I am looking at you so often."


    She didn''t expect that reply. Ciara''s jolted back and started at Nolan with confusion and surprise. Her right cheek was rosy red. Her eyes dilated as she tries to say something. Nolan watched her without taking that smile out of his place.


    Ciara felt helpless being stared at so playfully. Gracefully, she hid her face on her palms while trying to avoid Nolan''s smile. What is he thinking? Is he insane? she thought wildly.


    Nolan retracted his smile. His head lowered and eyes pointed to the ground. She looked at him whose gaze was pulled back. She noticed that he started brooding. His jaws tightened his nerves and sinews hardening along with his mouth clenched.


    "Is there anything wrong?" said Ciara.


    "Nothing," replied Nolan. "I just remembered that I have something to do."


    She felt like there was a sudden change. "Is it about looking for the Shadow Trekkers inside the sewers?" She said while she caressed the back of her hand left hand.


    "Yes." He replied with a nod. His eyes turned back to its original coldness. Ciara slightly frowned as she found it rather disappointing that the look in his eyes was gone. "Did I become fond of it?" she thought while trying to hide her rosy cheeks.


    "Killing the Shadow Trekkers is easy." He began, "But, looking for them is the hardest part. They dwell in the shadows and fighting swiftly within in it. Their claws are sharper than weapons and armor is useless against them unless it is enchanted to take a blow."


    "How do you plan to kill such beasts?" Ciara asked.


    "Through using blade oils and enchanted poison," he raised a finger up. "Phantasmal Oils are created for the sake of neutralizing the defenses of the monster. The enchanted poison acts as what poison is. But the poison came from a companion of mine, so it much deadlier."


    "That green-haired girl?" she said. "Her hair is really poisoned?"


    "Yes." He folded his arms and looked at her. "It contains all the known poison there is. Even the Shadow Trekkers cannot resist it once it wrecks havoc inside their internal organs. They have resistance against the poison but I doubt that they will be able to last. The plan is to make use of a phantasmal coated weapon to insert the poison needed to kill the trekkers."


    "What''s the time of your hunt?" Ciara asked.


    "Tonight," he explained. "I was here to relax before going to battle. So it was nice to have someone to talk to."


    She smiled lightly. The searing sun shone her face. "It''s nothing much. For once I am thankful that other than the Captain, there are others who are willing to talk to me without cringing or wincing after seeing my taste."


    "Don''t worry about it." He patted her shoulders. Her eyes locked with his. "No matter what they say about your face, just remember that don''t be what they think of you. Do they hate your face? Then deal they have to deal with it! If they don''t like how burnt a part of your body is? Then why should they care? Ciara, you don''t have to be so bothered about these people."


    "I know that." She countered with a smile. "You''ve been preaching that ever since we sat down here!"


    "Oh pardon me," Nolan gracefully raised his arms. "I just find it distasteful not to remind you again. Besides, even if they hate you, cringe at you, wince at you, spit on your face, and tell you insults. I''ll be here if you want to talk. We are friends, right Ciara?"


    "Yes." She nodded twice. "I am fairly surprised to admit it. Sigh, it has been a long time since someone so reasonable has come. But, is it really okay for you to be friends with the burned woman?"


    "Of course, why would it matter?" he said. "If they think of you as cursed then they are being foolish. In my life as a bleak walker, I have never heard of a strange hex and curses. Superstition, utterly superstitious garbage it is."


    "That''s nice to hear," she tilted her head. "No one wants to even talk to me because of this burnt face. They always spit on me, insult me and outright tells me how cursed I am. I have already tempered myself but even so, I find it hard to stomach. Nolan, maybe you are lying to me. Maybe, you have other motives to be this friendly. But, I still thank you for being so lenient towards me.


    Nolan''s face froze. His countenance turned solid. His impassive expression made Ciara lean back. Nolan took hold of her hands and caressed it. She widened her eyes as she tried to react only to feel his forehead touching hers. Their eyes were locked together. They could feel each other''s warmth.


    "What are you doing?" she had to ask.


    "I confess that I have other motives." His voice sounded hurt.


    "You do?" Her heart pounded. "What is it?"


    "I want to be close to you. Ciara, do you believe me when I tell you that there are some people in this world who find such scars to his liking?" he told her.


    "Are you one of those people?" she said with a nervous tone of voice. "That likes burnt scars? Is that why you helped me? Not because of pity. Not because you are a Good Samaritan?"


    "Who knows?" He said. "I don''t know myself. All I know is that...I really think that you are beautiful in your own way." he thought. "I would love to embrace and marry you. But how can I do that when this world is heading towards dark days?"


    Ciara was silent. She stared at his eyes as if she couldn''t take her eyes off. "What is wrong with me?" she thought. "To act like this because someone calls my eyes pretty and tell me that I am beautiful in my own way? Damn it...I really thought that such days would happen!"


    "Hey..." mouthed Ciara.


    Nolan stopped his actions and stood up. He gazed at her with calm eyes. "I am sorry if I was too familiar by now. I was mesmerized for a moment that I cannot just help it."


    "Gosh," she said timidly. "Why are you so honest? Damn it, you really are after me because you like women with burnt scars?" she stood. "You are a weird person! I cannot understand why someone like you would develop such fondness for such things!"


    "I don''t think its bad." he calmly replied. "People are different in their own ways."


    "You are a weirdo!" she stomped her foot. Her hands placed on her chest. "But, if I am right in what you are implying then court me properly! I may look like this but I am still a lady!"


    She turned and ran in such a comically distress manner. Nolan stared at her figure before laughing helplessly for what he just did. He felt like when it comes to her, he is helpless. She was his weakness.

 Chapter 16: Hunting the Shadow Trekkers 4

    The skies of Oasis turned dark and gray. Fog covered the streets and the torches and lamps that were mounted on the walls acted as the lighthouse for weary citizens returning late. On a narrow stairway leading to a round metal grated gate are a group of men in different sets of attires.


    Their hands were on the pommels of their swords. Their gazes were vigilant as they looked at the group coming to their direction, who was clad in cloaks. The group had dead dim eyes as they stare at the group waiting for them. The gray-haired one took a step to the side. Underneath of his cloak a was heavily modified leather body armor. He was armed to the teeth. It made the group wonder how deadly the enemy was for this man to prepare so much.


    Nolan was young yet, he had the experience and the vibe of a veteran bleak walker. The group could not criticize the young man for being too prepared. The bearded man who was leading the young man took two steps forward. His flamberge''s poking over his right shoulder. Around the man''s belt were vials of oil that they recognized as the phantasmal blade oils. They were given three phantasmal oils. The people in the group have already decided to keep one for their own sake.


    The green-haired woman followed behind the gray-haired man named Nolan. Castro, the leader of the Bleak Walkers stood to one side. They waited for the arrival of other bleak walkers that have decided to help hunt the Shadow Trekkers. The group slowly started to grow into a party.


    "Too many," said a man.


    "Sewer is big," explained the other. "It would take days to search the whole city. In fact, we are rather few for a hunting party."


    "These bleak walkers should know what to do," said one of them.


    Castro folded his arms, "Are you two ready?"


    "Yeah," Nolan pulled his small crossbow and emphasized the sword hanging around his waist.


    "I am ready," said Vie, clenching her sword and shield ready.


    Castro nodded at them. He turned to the bleak walkers that came to help. He told them what to search and they nodded their heads, pulling their weapons out. Castro spun and pulled his flamberge, making a raspy sound as it slid out of the scabbard.


    There were some engravings on the sword. Castro jerked his head and pointed at the grate. The adventurers that were with them opened the round grated gate. A heavily armored man lit the oil lamp and tied it around his waist. He clenched his sword and buckler as he checks the perimeter.


    "Clear," said the man.


    The group slowly moved inside the narrow tunnel. Their foot made noises as they approached two branching paths. Nolan moved like a puma as he started searching the surrounding. He discovered a giant rat track and markings that were left behind by giant spiders.


    "Rats and Spiders," Nolan said in a mechanical tone. "They should be easy to handle."


    Castro nodded. He pointed at the left branching path. The adventurers nodded and searched that part while Castrol led Nolan and Vie to the right path. They crept amidst the piss and feces filled tunnel until they came across a giant rat that was promptly slain by Nolan through a shot in the head.


    Castro took the chance to deduce the area they should go. Nolan and Vie kept a tight look around the area until Castro strode towards a broken path that was not on the maps. Nolan gestured and told the two to keep watch as he tries to see what was behind the broken wall. A group of bleak walkers arrived with their crossbows at hand. They looked at the broken wall before advancing forward.


    Nolan searched the room behind the broken wall. Skulls, broken eggs, and leftover bones from whatever the monsters have pulled from above. He walked out of the room. Castro glanced at Nolan before pointing forward. Castro led the way and followed the other path that the bleak walkers that passed them didn''t take.


    The tunnel was getting wider they probed forward. A scratching sound was heard and Nolan crouched immediately, bleeding to the wall. Vie followed while Castro stood in the middle with his flamberge at hand. The area was dark but the third inner vision of the three allowed them to see.


    Castro pranced around the tunnel before issuing that there was no movement. They continued sneaking through the tunnels until they arrive in a round chamber that has a giant spider gutted in the viscera. The Bleak Walkers arrived in the scene along with the adventurers.


    They were about to continue on but there was a sound of metal clanking. The group readied their weapons only to be disappointed that it was just a group of five wearing ornate plated armor. Nolan slightly tilted his head and recognized the one leading them as Zachariah.


    Zachariah was acting haughty. He said, "I shall kill the Shadow Trekkers in the name of the royal family."


    Nolan and the others shared glances before exhaling altogether. They turned their attention to the single path and tried keeping sneaky. But, Zachariah''s men were betraying that attempt of sneaking. Nolan and Castro could only shake their heads as they crept closer along the walls. Vie followed and they blended within the shadows along with the other bleak walkers.


    The group crept around the towel for a good ten minutes before noticing something wrong. The torchbearers and the ones that were carrying light noticed that drops of water falling above the sewer ceilings. The water was fresh and there was this subtle flow of water resounding around the area.


    Nolan checked the water and found out that there was no pungent smell. He looked around him. The drops of water were creating an indoor rain that made it hard for them to focus their attention. The torchbearers and light bringers tried to keep their fire alive.


    But, the mix sound of a hyena''s growl and insects made the adventurers shiver. The armored man readied his sword. He squinted. "I thought that there were only two of them!" He shouted. The footsteps of the trekkers sounded out as they grab the arms of the armored man and ripped it off!


    "They bred," Nolan said calmly, taking out the phantasmal oil and coating his sword with it. Castro spun as he uses his momentum to hit the little ghoul-faced trekker right in the navel. The phantasmal oil and the poison did its job and with a slanted strike, killed the little trekker.


    Vie blocked the little trekker that tried to bite her neck off. She punched with her sword''s guard and casts a spell that coated a phantom armor around her. Her blade and shield were coated by the same effect. She engaged two trekkers and started her fight.


    Nolan calmly killed with finesse. He moved like a panther and stroke like a cobra. He focused on slashing the throat of his enemies. He thrusts his sword in a forward motion, each of his strike hitting the throat of the little trekkers.


    He killed four little shadow trekkers. Another ten of the little monsters appeared and rushed at them. The Adventurers were able to hold off. Zachariah''s company was able to attack and kill due to their armor. Nolan didn''t change his expression, not even a single grunt. He was so single-mindedly focused that he was acting by instinct.


    "Looks like these little ones are easy," he thought as he avoided a pounce. Nolan calmly tore the neck of the beast. He guarded with his sword and turned to the direction where the beast came from. A loud growl of hyena and bugs resounded as the party cowered.


    "Cowards, all of you!" Zachariah acted tough as he strode to the direction. Yet, before he can move forward a hand grabbed his armor and he was thrown spinning to a wall. He shouted in pain and vomited blood. His group rushed at them but a seven-foot figure swiped its claw and tore the group into corpses.


    Two ghoul-faced Shadow Trekkers appeared and growled at the party. Vie went to Zachariah and checked his wounds. He was wounded and two of his ribs were broken. Nolan told Vie to guard Zachariah while he and Castro turned their attention to the two beasts.


    The Bleak Walkers who were hiding the shadows shot their bolts. The Shadow Trekkers slid through their fire and attacked them. They stumbled and narrowly dodge the attacks. Nolan reached for his coil of ropes and threw a lasso at one of the beasts. Castro attacked the beast with his shoulder and threw the phantasmal oil at the Trekker, disabling its magical hide.


    The Shadow Trekker retaliated by shoving Castro away, he was able to dodge the attack but, his leather vest was torn by the Shadow Trekker. If he didn''t throw that oil he would have been slice apart like what happened to the company that Zachariah brought.


    Nolan evaded the shadow trekker while planting the pitons on the ground. The other adventurers distracted the Trekker while Nolan tied the beast on the pitons. They made a practice target of the beast and the beast was riddled with holes on its torso.


    The Shadow Trekker that was with the beast saw its mate die. The beast howled sorrowfully and it rolled on the sewer waters to wipe the phantasmal oil. Its eyes grew red as it strafes from left to right, gauging the distance and attacking the adventurers.


    Nolan tried to do lasso the beast but he failed. The beast could not be contained by the rope so Nolan had no choice but to throw his daggers and engage the enemy along with the others. They rushed at the enraged beast and were able to fight for a while. But, an adventurer got bitten from the neck and his spine was pulled out.


    Fear consumed the adventurers as they hesitated. The beast took the chance and swiped its claws on them. They got their armors broken and those who were unlucky got disemboweled right in the spot. Blood seeped through the dirty the water. The beast howled sorrowfully as it pounces on Nolan.


    Nolan side rolled. Castro spun his flamberge and made it lit up in flames with a flame rune. Castro felt like he got zapped in the soul but, he parried and deflected the beast. Nolan reached out for his repeater crossbow and emptied in on the beast. The beast got hit in the collarbone and right breast. But, the beast got even angrier. It picked Castro up, and he was thrown and his left arm was broken with a loud crack.


    The beast tried to attack Vie. Nolan carved a Rune on his sword and parried the beast. His bones rattled as it met the strength of the beast. He gritted his teeth, he dropped kicked the beast and made it stumble three steps away. The beast charged at Nolan. Nolan rolled away from the beast''s charge and emptied his repeater''s crossbow bolt on the side of the beast. The beast howled madly. Green veins slowly appeared on the beast''s body.


    Nolan retreated to Vie. "Looks like the poison worked," he huffed deeply. "Try and neutralize it."


    Vie nodded. She casts a spell and the ''poison'' that was embedded on the beast sprouted out of the Shadow Trekker. The beast got rooted, it tried to move but Vie pulled her sword back and stabbed it right in the beast''s stomach. Nolan rushed with his searing sword and chopped the beast''s head. The beast was still alive despite that, so Vie clenched her hands harder and the beast''s body was engulfed in thorns.


    "You did it," said Nolan. Vie nodded at Nolan before she rolled her eyes back and fainted backward. Nolan felt the searing heat on his sword turn into white steam. He kneeled on one knee and felt so exhausted as if he traveled for a day without any rest.


    He looked around. The corpses of the adventurers and the guardsmen that were with Zachariah lay dead. The Bleak Walkers were bleeding and was tending to their wounds. Nolan tried to stand up but he found himself so exhausted that he needed a minute just so he can stand up.


    He carried Vie to where Zachariah was. He was lowering his head, there was shame on his eyes, and streaks of tears wetted his cheeks. Nolan ignored him and started treating Castro who got his arm broken. He was no doctor but he was able to apply first aid to them.


    "We won at least," said Nolan.


    "Yeah," Castro nodded. He eyed the dead that was strewn across the round chamber. Nolan heaved a huge sigh as he looks at his bearing vest. Even though he was prepared, he wasn''t able to do much with his team to worry about. This victory was nothing to celebrate about. It was a petty victory.

 Chapter 17: Hunting the Shadow Trekkers 5

    The torchlight of the sword maiden of throes lit the narrow stone stairs leading to the round grated gate. On there was a group of heavily injured group of people. Ciara and the others trotted down the stairs while keeping the torchlight at hand. The injured ones groan as they flinch at the sight of light. The cloak-clad group nursed the injured ones.


    She spotted Nolan carrying an ornate armored man. He placed the man near the walls and checked his wounds. The man had lost all his aggressive behavior. There was little light in his eyes that Nolan had to clap his shoulders to keep him awake.


    "It''s just armor," said Nolan.


    Zachariah looked at him, "Armor? Do you think that I care for my Armor?"


    He eyed Zachariah. "I am guessing not. Losing your men is part of the job. If you didn''t shout so arrogantly and acted so foolishly and maybe they would still be alive."


    "You dare lecture?" bellowed Zachariah with shame on his eyes.


    "I do." Nolan manhandled the front plate of his armor and threw it on the ground. "If you don''t learn from this then you might as well lead more of your people to death."


    Zachariah''s lips parted slightly. He didn''t continue and lowered his head down. He mumbled and a sobbing sound came out of Zachariah. Nolan rose and leaned on the wall, panting. His eyes swiveled towards where Ciara was watching him unobserved.


    "Hello?" he called.


    "Oh," Ciara jolted back. She looked around and saw that everyone was busy.


    Nolan squared his shoulders and fronted Ciara. His tall figure towered Ciara. There was a still expression on his face that made him look so desolate.


    "You are not wounded?" she asked, her eyes scanning him from head to toe.


    "Battered and weary," Nolan cracked his neck. "But, your appearance gives soothe."


    She bumped her first on his chest. "Let me check."


    He curled his hand around her fist. "No need, I am used to such brawls."


    "He'' used to it?" she thought. She eyed him for a while before shaking her head. She followed Nolan who sat down on the stairs of the narrow stone stairs. The sword maiden of throes helped the bleak walkers nurse the injured. Ciara hesitated before sitting beside Nolan.


    "Not helping?" said Nolan.


    She snorted, "I don''t think they want my help. Other than you there are little people out there that want to speak with me."


    "I see." He wiped his brows. "It is great that we can have chat. But, I don''t think the sewer is a good place to idle."


    "True," she nodded. "The blood seeps on the air. Did killing the monsters take this much?" She eyed the corpses that were laid near the entrance of the gates. Her eyes grow misty as fear seeps out.


    "Ah yes," said Nolan. "That adventurer has hooked the heads of the ghoul-faced freaks." He pointed at the heads of the monsters strapped around the waist of an adventurer.


    Ciara nodded. "Killing them, how?"


    Nolan produced the empty vial of phantasmal oil from his bandolier. "Phantasmal oil," he picked up another empty round-bottom flask. It reflected the torchlight as he neared it near Ciara. "And 152 poisons bottled together to create a magical effect."


    Ciara eyed the bottles. "Without that, we don''t stand a chance," she looked at the wounded. "It took you all what you have to do this, yet here you all are."


    Nolan cracked his neck in vain. "It was a natural habitat of the bests. When we killed its partner the beast grew mad and this happened. It was a pyrrhic victory, I confess. But, it didn''t mean that we didn''t succeed in killing them."


    "Yet an army of these things are coming our way," said Ciara. Her eyes narrowed at the wounded again. "Do you think that we stand a chance?"


    "We wouldn''t if we let these monsters bred further." Nolan was telling her. "They are in their weakest when they cannot prowl, and their weakness is the outside sun, no matter how cloudy it is they will feel the searing sun scorching their skin. These monsters are no sons and daughters of the light above."


    She remained silent. Nolan took her left wrist. Not minding the queer feeling of her burnt skin.


    "Do you know that there is a core of energy around the navel?" he pointed out.


    "Yes," she nodded twice. "I heard that you can spark your weapons with these Runes?"


    Nolan nodded. Painfully, he snaps his finger and a fiery rune appeared on the tip of his finger. He tried to stay focused yet he was trembling. Ciara glanced at the flame before she noticed that he was trembling.


    "You are exhausting yourself!" she tried to stop him. He smiled faintly.


    "Try snapping your finger, feel the inner core around your navel," he explained.


    Ciara nodded seeing that he didn''t want to argue. She snaps her finger and a rune appeared on her fingers. It was natural and she didn''t feel any zap of her energy. Her soul was far stronger and her condition made it easy for her to conjure fire.


    "You have a great affinity," Nolan told her. "Are you not scared of the fire?" he asked.


    She came out clean. "I am. I really am. But, I''ve long accepted the fire, it made my life a living hell but what can I do when I need it the most during dark days?"


    "I see," Nolan nodded. "You really are strong-hearted, Ciara."


    "You can say that yourself," she eyed him. "All of these happen and yet you look calm."


    "I do fine," Nolan said. "I learned from you," he thought with longing. "You''re one of the reasons that I grew to become strong and robust." He recalled the days he was meek as a sheep. The days he had to strive hard to act strong and calm. One of the main reasons he admired Ciara was because of her strong-willed attitude. Such attitude was what Nolan needed during his days as a rank-and-file soldier facing the front-lines.


    "Is that so?" she replied with curiosity. She thought. "He always has this strange look of longing when he talks. I wonder what he is thinking all the time."


    Nolan rose from his seat. He eyed the scene with an impassive look. "It was great speaking, but we should take care of the wounded."


    Ciara stood and followed Nolan. They started transporting the wounded.


    ...


    A carriage was prepared for the group. Ciara directed the wounded by instructing the sword maidens. Nolan sat cross-legged and tried to regain his senses after creating two runes. Two runes are the limit of a normal bleak walker. He regained his energy and felt his senses return to normal.


    "Let''s go!" hollered Vie who offered a hand. He accepted her hand and boarded the carriage.


    His eyes darted towards Ciara who was talking to the Sword Maidens. She noticed her stare and mouthed. "I hope you get some good rest, Nolan."


    He nodded twice. "Good Night," he said. "May you have a good rest as well."


    To his surprise, Ciara produced a sweet familiar smile. "Bye!" she turned.


    Nolan felt like he was stun to the heart. Vie elbowed him.


    "What?" Nolan said.


    Vie smiled faintly. "You seem stunned by her, brother!"


    "Brother?" he shook his head lightly. "When did I volunteer to become that?"


    "Ah yes," she cupped her chin. "The moment you pulled me out of that well." Her face turned gloomy. "Could it be that you do not see me as one?" she placed the back of her hand on her forehead. "The horror!"


    Nolan frowned. He rubbed Vie''s head. "I never knew that you were such a joker, Vie."


    "I am not," she said gloomily. "You know how love stories between walkers are. They never have a good end. Either they are separated forever or they wander the earth completely unaware whose alive or dead."


    "Had your heartbreaks, Vie?" Nolan asked.


    She cupped her cheeks. "Yes," she said. "I don''t know of any walkers that don''t have one. Even I regret the things that I cannot go back to. We Walkers have to trek on no matter how bleak it is."


    The carriage made a right turn as it moves across the narrow street. Nolan adjusted his posture. "I know. They never really last. Despite that, I know what I am doing. At least I hope that I do."


    Vie folded her arms. "There are many beautiful women out there," she was telling him. "Yet you choose someone like her to flirt with?" she raised a smile. "You have a queer taste. Any reason?"


    Nolan smiled lightly. "I just do. She caught my eye and that was it. Do you have any reasons to just fall in love with someone?" Nolan said as the moon shined upon the sky.


    Vie loosened a laugh. "I like that," she said. "That is a reasoning I can get behind!"


    "We could leave life at any moment. That should let us determine our choices. It''s all part of life. No need to think about something that you have no control over." Nolan told her.


    "Ah yes," she said. "This bleak optimism of yours is part of your charm, brother."


    "And you are not as gloomy as I thought you would be," said Nolan with a light smile.


    Vie grinned. "Being holed up in this city gave me some bit of joy. I probably lost it after leaving. If we ever leave this City alive after the attack."


    "You two are loud," said Castro. "Can''t you see that I am trying to sleep here?"


    "Sorry," Nolan said. He looked at the front and saw someone dismount of the carriage. Vie peeked. "Looks like that guy who you insulted in the throne hall."


    Zachariah spewed curses as he staggers to an alley. Nolan watched and pondered what to do. "I should try to bring him."


    "Why?" asked Castro. "You don''t have any reason to do that."


    Nolan looked at Castro. "Maybe, he needs someone to drink with."


    Castro narrowed his eyes and nodded. "You are fine?"


    Nolan rose from his seat and vaulted out of the carriage. "I am," Nolan paused. "You should rest, Castro. Take care of him Vie. Don''t let him drink whiskey."


    "Okay," Vie thumbed Nolan. He sidled towards the alley where Zachariah entered. There were a few stray souls hanging around the alley, lingering near the torchlight. Nolan followed their grumbles and entered this lone tavern with a few customers drinking. Nolan found Zachariah drinking a bottle of whiskey.


    "Drinking your guilt away?" Nolan slid on the chair and leaned his back.


    "You?" Zachariah looked at Nolan. "Trying to lecture me? Spite me for what happened out there?" he sobbed. "Fuck you, I know what I did wrong. No need to gloat over my dead friends!" He hammered the table.


    Nolan didn''t change his expression. "No, I am not that depraved to do that. You are wounded, Zachariah. You should rest."


    Zachariah sneered. "Only my ornate armor got broken. I just got bruises and I don''t need any healing!" he clenched his jaws. "I don''t need to be told how I fucked it up! I may have pride as a Captain but I am not that heartless to ignore those I led to their death. I am not a man-child!"


    "I see," Nolan folded his arms.


    Zachariah bobs his head and eyed him. "You were right. I hate it but you were right. What''s the use of such fancy armor if those monsters can rip them apart? I prided myself when I got that armor from the King! We holed up too much inside the castle that we have forgotten that there monsters such as these!" he started sobbing heavily. "Those kids, they followed me because they have confidence in my title as the Imperial Royal Guard of the King. Look at me, I became the Leader of the Guards because of nepotism. I''ve forgotten that without my father I would have been nothing!" he looked at Nolan. "So if you are trying to gloat about their death or insult me about them then you don''t have to! Your words now sting my ears!"


    His eyes welled with tears and dropped on the table. The bartender looked at Zachariah and lowered his head in silence. The customers that were drinking kept their heads bowed as well. Nolan leaned his elbows on the table. "I was wrong, forgive me," said Nolan.


    Zachariah eyed him. "I don''t care."


    "I know," Nolan gestured the bartender for a bottle. "So you wouldn''t mind if I sit here and drink some? It has been quite a day and you need someone to look after you after you get pissed drunk. It would be a pain to see your sorry self get killed by a moron. Take this as my respect for those brave kids."


    Zachariah glances at him. "Do what you want."


    Nolan nodded. The bartender carried the bottle and the two drank until dawn.

 Chapter 18: The Readjusting Timeline

    The bridge was made of stone that has lasted for years. Ancient, sturdy, robust, that was what the explorer''s guild thought when they witnessed the bridge that seemed to goes on through a huge cavern covered in glowing stalagmites that stretches across the ceiling and walls. The stalagmites acted as the natural lighting of the place, giving the route a green-tinted look. A turret hastily built with stone and wood granted entryway to the route. Explores wore their Capote and cloaks as they study the speleology of the cave.


    A rounded campsite with a campfire in the middle, filled with people of different profession gathered. Their diverse tents showed their status and what they are. A group of men in glasses studied a map while a few sharpened their swords and oil their crossbows. One particular group studied the cavern with sparkling eyes. Their gear made it obvious that they were quite new to the trade. Their lack of awareness was melancholic to the weary travelers.


    Among the group is a young man. Sharp features, a scabbard with a rather rugged sword accompanied by a leather armor that seemed to be stitched personally by someone. He looked at the letter that was written to him by an acquaintance that he knew about. This acquaintance told him of the City in the Desert named Oasis. He was supposed to straight to the city and use the old route. But, a new alternative route that made his acquaintance surprised.


    "An old route discovered by a Bleak Walker!" said the letter. "This old man has been studying the topography of the land yet there was no sign of it! I am no walker but this is unprecedented! I''ve studied the map that was copied by the guild. It is an interesting detailed map that I cannot imagine how the walker could not have done it if he didn''t explore the place. Still, I am worried that this ''route'' is not particularly secure. The Bleak Walker gave an outline of the route to the City of Oasis. Yet, my colleagues have told me that the ancient route has secrets. It is a dungeon as ancient as the bridge!"


    The firelight shone as his face wrinkled. He relaxed his shoulders and looked at the letter.


    It followed, "It is of ancient origins and I fear that I have to ask you to look at the site. I know that you still have troubles over your talents as the Hero that Governs the Element of Fire. Hope chooses you to bear the fearsome fire, and I pray that you shall not linger in your fears, young man."


    He eyed the letter with misty eyes. His eyes traveled the ceiling, reflecting the countless stalagmites that light up the underground ancient route. An adventurer walked past him and gave him a nod. He rose from where he was sitting and kept the letter in his satchel. There was a route leading down a layer of the route. He bid his goodbye and waded through tents and started to scale down the layer.


    The narrow edged path had quite the fall. He looked down at the bottomless abyss before pressing on. Warily, he navigated through the branching paths until he found himself in this ancient ruin with an altar and edifices that seems so foreign to him. His hand pressed on one of the walls. He felt the rough texture of the wall as the dust gathered on his gloves. He looked above the ceiling and saw cone-like objects.


    There''s an archway and a reservoir that seemed obsolete. A statue stood alone uncleaned and unguarded. A stair-shaped furniture was placed near the statue, which he assumed to be where the candles and offerings are placed. He studied the area before wading through a corridor filled with cobwebs and dried leaves. A place filled with faunas of different color and shapes. He heard water flow around the area. He followed the scent of fresh water and found an aqueduct that stretches over a place unlit by the stalagmites.


    He leaped down the aqueduct and followed the trail until he reached the end where he had to jump to a patch of vine that grew on a wall. He scaled the roots until he was able to find a small hole where he was able to fit in and roll over. He landed down and produced sounds of leaves being crushed. He smoothed his leaves and tugged the fasteners of his leather armor before continuing on.


    The pathway he was walking grew dimmer as he continued on trekking. He called for the blessing that was given to him. Sparks of ember sparked around him like fireflies as it follows him to the path he was walking. He roamed the dark path until he ambled upon a cavern with purple stalagmites. He heard a sound of a creature growling that instinctively he took cover.


    The creature was peculiar. It was a humanoid with no eyes and it size was that of a child. It was bald and hairless and its skin resembled that of a lizard. He waited before treating lightly to the next area. The area was quiet and there were purple-colored vines with pinkie-finger sized thorns. To plod through the path he had to order the ''fireflies'' following him to make a way. The fireflies did a good job eradicating the thorny vines but it gave him this feeling of wariness. Fire is a great tool but it uses can sometimes lead to horrendous consequences. The path that was burned made his face tightened badly. But, he stomped through the path and was led to a round chamber that leads to the lower level.


    He prowled down and as he was about to step into an even path. He witnessed beasts with bull-like horns garbed in fur clothing. Each of these beasts has arms as thick as logs. He didn''t want to alert the beasts so he slogs past them with cold sweat drenching his back. The beasts were nowhere to be seen as he continues to wander inside the dungeon. As he hikes down a slanted path he was able to spot a strange temple with beasts surrounding it. They all kowtowed to this temple as if fearing something.


    The kowtowing beasts made him tremble. What was the purpose of these beasts worshipping an odd looking temple? He had to know what was happening so he crept near a cover with a good position and perked his ears. He heard three or four sounds that made his skin shudder. His blessing lit up and a figure of a feminine humanoid appeared in his peripheral vision.


    "Calm down," said the fire woman. "What you face is the Chaos of the Overlord. A Warden of the Barren Land is here. Without the other five carriers of elemental lights then you cannot possibly take him on. You are still sadly weak."


    He could only nod his head in agreement. He stayed still and blended in the cover while the fire woman that appeared in his vision regulated the heat of his body. The beats that kowtowed near the temple started chanting words that he could not understand. The fire woman didn''t respond as she watches the ritual proceed.


    Then, a surge of ominous aura enveloped the whole area. The heavy energy almost drowned him. The fire woman saved him before he could lose all his presence of mind. He peeked. A pale humanoid with two jet-black horns strides towards the temple accompanied by two seductive women with wings that of devils. Their presence made the beasts feel lost in an allure. The two''s seductive body made the male beasts manhood''s stand up. If it wasn''t for the fire woman protecting him he would have been lost in their charm.


    "Lord Awl," said the devilish woman. "This is an unexpected find."


    "Yes," The humanoid nodded with a grimace. "An evil being lurks inside this temple, older than the sages of the barren lands. The Overlord will be pleased that in our journey to take the city we would have met a being that would allow us to strike further in the inner lands." He guffawed.


    The other devilish woman laughs sultrily. "The fools of the fertile lands have given us a great gift! Although we lost the scouts we sent to the city. We''ve uncovered a secret that we wouldn''t have found! Isn''t foolish that they would allow us to have something as grand as this?"


    Lord Awl gestured with his hand. "They must have been eager to use such ancient route that they haven''t searched for such fellow ally?" He eyed the beasts of the temple and spread his hands. "All of these lost fools that once rule this desert shall be added to our army!"


    The devilish woman laughed gleefully as she leans her elbow on Lord Awl. "Awl, one of the many Wardens of the Barren Land...you will soon become the next lord now truly!"


    He smiled devilishly. "Yes, they will have no choice but to accept me if I conquer the oasis that prevents us from attacking the inner lands. An army of shadow trekkers, the ancient bull-devils and finally...the creature that sleeps under this Temple!" He stomped his foot hard. Cracks appeared around the Temple spreading like roots.


    "We must escape!" shouted the fire woman. "We cannot fight the enemy!"


    "My Lord!" shouted the devilish woman who suddenly turned into one. "I smell the holy elemental fire!" She produced a two pair of obsidian blades as she unleashes a shockwave around Lord Awl. He bit his lip and let his soul roar in return, defending himself from the attack. His body roared in flames as he stood up face the devils.


    Lord Awl glanced at him. "Ah yes, the Hero that controls the Elemental Fire. I should have known that they would have already awakened. I would like to play but I have a monster to control!" He palmed him and he was blown away. The devilish woman appeared before him and tried to stab him. He turned into fire and countered with a kick in the stomach.


    "Tania of Obsidian Flower," said the fire woman.


    "So the fire spirit whore accompanies the Hero of Elemental Fire." Her grin reached up her ears. "It matters not! I shall slay the Hero and bring forth his head to the Overlord!"


    The Fire Woman snorted. "That shall not happen, devil." The fire woman conjured a tongue of fire. Tania tumbled and evaded the attack with ease. He retreated fifteen steps back and drew his sword. The fire woman blocked him and shook her head. "You shall not fight her. She is too strong in this area. It is my duty to guide you but letting you die is out of the question!" She stomped the ground. A magic circle made purely of blue fire appeared under his foot.


    "Escaping?" the devilish woman sneered. "Looks like the Heroes are still weak." She backed away from the magic circle. She guarded Lord Awl with her obsidian swords. The Fire Woman clicked her fiery tongue as her burning reddish flames turned blue. His eyes that roared of fire merged with the fire woman and before long he turned into fireflies.


    Tania of the Obsidian Flower laughed heartily as the Hero of Elemental Fire and the Fire Woman escaped. Lord Awl who was tampering with the temple spared a single glance at the woman before turning his focus back to the temple. "Tell all our forces to be ready. As Summer arrives we shall bring forth our army and claim the City of Oasis for the Barren Lands!"


    "As you wish, Lord Awl," said Tania. "Should I guard you, my lord?"


    "Leave your other half." He ordered.


    "What about the Hero of Fire?" Tania folded her arms, lifting her perky breasts up.


    "Do you think a mere brat who could not even control the full potential of the Elemental Fire can stop us? I can see that the other Heroes are still not fully awakened either. Without the War Maiden and the Holy City''s interference then we can take the city of Oasis even if they bring their allies!" He scowled. His horns shone with eerie light.


    ...


    The Campfire slowly turned into a human. He inhaled loudly as his body turned back to normal. The roaring flames turned into white smoke as he sat cross-legged on the ground. He breathed heavily as he felt his body as heavy as a boulder. The fire woman manifested out of his body and spun to look at him who was exhausted.


    "They''ve found an Ancient One...I fear that this does not bode well for Oasis City." She looked at the ancient bridge. "They''ve uncovered a route not knowing of the evil that they awaken...We must hurry...my Hero."

 Chapter 19: The Troublesome Meeting

    The Tower of Oasis had the shape of a hammer with a crest of the sun on it. They say that the tower was supposed to be the foundation of a statue but, the construction work had to be stopped. The Old Ruler who wanted the statue turned it into a symbol of the hammer of light. ''Bring forth the Hammer of Light upon Thy Enemies'' was carved at the bottom of the tower. Although it is called a Tower the building is obsolete and just stands as a symbol of Oasis City.


    The Tower had nooks and cranny and there were gaps that made the tower look ill-maintained. Nolan scaled the tower and sat unseen on top. His cloak billowed slightly, his hawk-like eyes scanning the army of men marching with their prized plated armor and a great helm. Their sword was in their scabbards and their shields strapped around their arms.


    They carried a banner of the Salt Passing. In front of the marching army was the General of Crusaders. Gaius of Salt Passing, the right hand of Rufus of the Crusaders of Salt passing. He led his men with a rugged and scratch all over plated armor. It was maintained and there was runic carving around the armor to prevent it from falling apart. It was a gear that many would covet. Yet it cannot be easily taken for it was given by the King of Talons, the one that rules over the Inner Lands. The Salt Passing is managed by its Crusaders and they have autonomy over the land while keeping loyalty to the Talon King.


    Although they are farthest from the City of Oasis, they have come to the city to fulfill the pact that was made by Pontifex during the darkest times. The Knights of Talon, the Wizards of the Inner Lands, and the Crusaders of the Salt Passing came to fulfill the oath.


    General Gaius led his men to the district where the castle is. They waded through the streets and marched inside the district where they met up with one of the Commanders of the Throes District and the Sword Maidens of Throes. Nolan calmly observed them from afar with his telescope. He couldn''t hear them naturally. All he could make out was that they were getting ready to prepare for the incoming army of trekkers.


    Nolan continued observing until they all moved to the interior of the castle. The Crusaders stood their ground with disciple and waited in the streets. The Sword Maiden of Throes kept their column along with the Guardsmen of Throes as a sign of unity. They will be fighting for the defense of this city. If they cannot even stand and wait while the leaders talk then how will they fare on the battlefield?


    Among the Sword Maiden of Throes was a familiar figure. He naturally eyed her for a moment before shaking his head. Ciara was going to join the battle and even he could not intervene. Doing so would cause her nothing more than harm.


    "I guess I should go?" muttered Nolan. He reached out for the coil of rope inside his saddlebag and rappelled down the tower silently. After reaching halfway of the tower, he pulled the knot that ties the rope and slid down by using his climbing gauntlets to grab hold of the edges. He descended down the tower and created a cloud of dust.


    He made his way through the restless crowd. Ignoring the stall sellers that kept on shouting at him to come over and look at their goods. Travel-stained travelers and adventurers littered the street. The place had rugs, cloaks, spices, and salty fishes and goods they can browse.


    Nolan took a turn to the right and sauntered along the hovel-lined street. He slogs the lane and found himself in a rather open street where usually the new arrival would enter. Melting in the crowd he observed the road with an impassive countenance.


    "There you are," said Nolan. He saw a familiar figure invigorating with a fiery aura around him. Although he didn''t have the same aura that makes men cower in front of him. Nolan could still recognize the Hero that governs the Elemental Fire.


    Ryle of Little Red Village, a person who was chosen by the Fire Spirit to be the vessel of the Holy Elemental Fire. In Nolan''s memory, he was a person who led the charge against the Overlord of the Barren Lands. Among the six Heroes, he was the leader. He led them through the dark times and through the power given to him he was able to keep the fire alive around the cities of the inner lands.


    Hero Ryle was still weak at this point in time. Nolan recalled that he was one of the many participants when it came to fighting the trekkers. It was at this time that he was able to find the will to continue the path of being the Hero of Fire. He once mentioned it when the Light''s Army feared to go to the barren lands. How the despair around the time Oasis was attacked that made him strong.


    Hero Ryle was lost in thought as he walks along the street. Nolan shadowed behind him as he plods through the teeming crowd without paying attention to where he should be going. Nolan kept watchful eyes to Hero Ryle as he saunters through the labyrinth mazes of the City.


    The street they were in was rather few of people. The windows were ill-repaired, the gutters smelled of excrement, the walls were torn down, and there was debris around the area that it was hard not to notice it. Hero Ryle stood in the middle and turned his eyes to the barely visible sun.


    Embers seem to come out of Hero Ryle as he just stands there without moving. Nolan observed Hero Ryle with his eyes knitting together as time passes. Hero Ryle continued ambling around the street and prowled inside this round clearing where abandoned stalls are found.


    There were cloth lines around the place and the shabby houses made the place seem so desolate. Hero Ryle turned and looked at the direction where Nolan was hiding. His eyes sparked with fire as he gazes intensely with wariness and confusion.


    "Who are you? Why are you following me?" his words rang out around the open.


    ...


    There was no reply. Ryle''s heart thumped hard. The Fire Woman has told him of the presence only after the entered a new alley. The Fire Woman was surprised that someone was able to observe them even with her presence awareness that is beyond any humans.


    "No reaction?" said Ryle. He clenched his fist and eyed the area. There was no single soul other than the dust and worn clothes that seems to curve into a ball. Ryle continued observing the area yet none entered his peripheral vision.


    "My Hero...the person that we face is..." she said with worrying tone.


    "Cold...It''s like being stalked by a Ghost." He chanted words of power. The fireflies appeared around the area and started to scour for anything that moves. Ryle found a presence that was hiding in the shadows. He took control of the fireflies and dragged the person out in the open.


    He was clad in a cloak and under it was a leather vest modified with satchels and bandoliers. His face was covered by a scarf and his eyes were shadowed by the hood he was wearing. Ryle observed the person that has been tailing him.


    "What do you want?" said Ryle.


    The person didn''t speak. Ryle furrowed his brows and put his palm in front. "Why are you following me?"


    He didn''t answer. He only lowered his waist and kept his foot forward. Ryle frowned and emitted fire from his palms to try and intimidate the enemy. The person didn''t even flinch nor react to the power that he was seeing. The Fire Woman appeared before Ryle.


    "He''s unfazed by your power." The Fire Woman glanced at the person. "Wait...perhaps can you see me?"


    Ryle widened his eyes. He saw the person calmly nodding in the direction where the Fire Woman is. The Fire Woman nodded back at the person. "You possessed the Inner Vision...Are you perhaps an Heir to the Lonesome Revenant?"


    The person didn''t reply. He was calmly looking around the area. The Fire Woman frowned at this behavior. She was a respected spirit yet the person only gave her the common courtesy. She could not understand how a person could stay calm after seeing an eternal spirit of the elementals.


    "What is your purpose, Ghost?" said the fire woman.


    He kept his silence. Ryle shared a look with the fire woman. "What should we do? It looks like he is just waiting for us to act."


    "Catch him," said the fire woman. "I do not know but I want to confirm his intentions. This man has evaded my presence and there are so little humans that have done so. I am sure that you can sense the ghostly aura of this person. I do not know why but my heart aches to see this man so...calm...as if his soul has endured so many punishments."


    "What do you want me to do?" said Ryle in confusion.


    "Please try to take him unharmed. I want to see what his intentions are for trying to follow us." She instructed calmly. Ryle nodded.


    He conjured a rope of fire and tried to lasso it around the person. The person produced a shell-like object and threw it on the rope. It burned and fizzled and exploded into messy goo. The goo wrapped around Ryle. The person sprinted away from Ryle.


    "Don''t run!" shouted Ryle. He bursts the flames around his body and dashes as well. He followed the person and they scaled the roofs of the city. They were sprinting across the rooftops of the city, vaulting, and leaping the gaps between houses.


    The person was fast and well-practiced. Ryle had the abilities but the man was a step ahead of him. He threw his items that were able to stop Ryle from his tracks. Ryle was able to close the gap between them but the person suddenly vaulted down and sped through a narrow alley.


    Ryle felt frustrated that he unleashed a bit of his power. The firewoman shouted in distress but the person who they were chasing took out a modified crossbow that has two reels and a hook. He attached the hook on his belt and used the reel of the crossbow to pull himself up the rooftop with ease. The grappling hook allowed the man to dodge the attack and climb back to the roof.


    "He''s well prepared!" commented the fire woman. Ryle turned his body into flames and rushed to the rooftop. He charged the man and intended to capture him. The person spun and took a horse stance, he grabs Ryle''s collar and using his back he threw Ryle into the ground.


    "Ah!" Ryle grunted as he hit the ground with his back. He rolled over and turned and looked at the man who was scurrying away. He combusted again and charged. This time he went in for a tackle and apologized to the Fire Woman. But, the man lit up a Rune and engraved it on the bomb. He threw it at Ryle and when it exploded the water-like bomb wetted Ryle and he felt his entire body electrocuted by the bomb.


    Ryle crash landed and leaned his elbows to look at the man that was being swallowed up by the horizon. The Fire woman tried to keep awake but the lightning rune made him faint. It took Ryle to squeeze his eyes open. He looked at the sky and saw that it was afternoon.


    "I fainted for too long?" He sat cross-legged.


    "Yes," said the Fire woman, who was giving her a lap pillow. "The man was skilled. He was able to escape us and neutralize you...I am afraid that we''ve underestimated the man. I should have known not to do when it comes to the heirs of the Lonesome Revenant."


    "This Lonesome Revenant...what is it?" said Ryle.


    "They are people who walked the Bleak Path. I believe that the one we faced is a Bleak Walker. They are called that these days instead of beings Heirs of the Lonesome Revenant." She told him. "The Lonesome Revenant was a poor man who wanted to take revenge. He walked the earth not knowing he was dead and by the time he was done in taking revenge. He became a Wanderer that brought for a Mark that curses the Bleak Walkers to walk the land unaware of that their hearts have already grown cold."


    "I see," said Ryle. "Do you think that we can meet that guy again?"


    "I hope," said the Fire Woman. She looked at the afternoon light. "So he might explain to us why...he ghosted us."

 Chapter 20: No True Path

    They say that one needs to be proactive to grasp the reins of fate. To gather what is within your control and change the destiny of the path that you''ve taken. Think of it as a game that you''ve already finished. Where you already know how it would end and how things would go. Imagine, thinking what you should have done at that moment in your playthrough?


    What would you do to save a person that you wanted to live? How would you act differently if you could reload back time and do it all again? Would you save that person from certain death? Would you try and change the course knowing that no matter how you play it out it would end in either the world being saved or the evil reigning supreme over the world?


    No matter how many choices you''d make there will be no true path. Like a stone splitting the river water it would branch out but in the end, it would flow back to the proper straight path. It will diverge but ultimately it will return to the proper path as it should be. There might be new changes into the flow of water but in the end, it would go to the same path.


    So why change anything? Isn''t it futile? Grasp the reins of fate? Why would you do that when such thing will happen anyway? So why bother at all? You can make a bit of difference but in the end, it wouldn''t be up for you to decide. There are things that you control and these that you could not. Rather than setting a goal to change the world. Wouldn''t it be better for you to prioritize in changing things that you could actually change? Indeed, if the world could be easily changed then it would have been an easy game.


    What would you do in the name of love? What would you do after losing such love? What would you do if you return back to where things haven''t happened yet and change that? To have the advantage of knowing the future benefits you. But yet that knowledge is limited to what you''ve known in the future. Nolan''s knowledge about the future wasn''t whole. There were little things that he wouldn''t have known. And now that he proactively decided to change things to benefit his agendas. Nolan knew that there are things that would go out of control.


    Nolan was not an incredible genius who would suddenly come up with elaborate schemes. He was not an athletic guy or has hidden talents or the power of will with him. He was just a random guy who awakened in a desert lost in a world that he needed to grit his teeth to survive. He didn''t know the language of the land. He didn''t know how to fight. He didn''t know anything and only through taking a step bravely that a nameless file-and-rank soldier like him was able to survive through the end and fight for something he didn''t know.


    He wouldn''t have become a Bleak Walker if he didn''t lose Ciara. He wouldn''t have turned into someone who would be part of the army that would save the world from the evil and guide the Heroes to their destiny of saving the world. Nolan knew that in the end, he was not a chosen person. He was not sent here to be its savior.


    His life he was a cosmic accident that he didn''t want. He lost his family and home. He fought for the person he loved the most in the world and failed her because he was powerless. He has already hardened his body and learned skills through walking the lands along with his fellow nameless brothers and sisters. They fought and wandered the earth with no hope in them. They expected the world to screw them and yet they trek the bleak path because they could and they have nothing to lose. Through being battered they learned how to be strong. Through fire and fury, they learned how to be robust. Through experience, they became tough to kill. Through hardship and suffering that Nolan became what he is now. He was no one special at all. Yet through learning and enduring that he became something after returning back to this time.


    Maybe because of that he started to think that he must plod on the choices that he made. He knew what he was doing. He had to make proactive choices to benefit the future that he wanted. He was able to successfully open the ancient route that lessens the travel time. He was able to save Vie who should have died inside that well.


    He acted on what he could control. He has realized that there are things that he could not control the appearance of the shadow trekkers and the Hero of Elemental Fire trying to catch him. In honesty, he didn''t know what to say about the future that he has stirred for Oasis City. He wasn''t that delusional to think that his actions here would cause something. He only wanted a bit of advantage and that Oasis City could survive the tide. He wasn''t here in this city when the shadow trekkers arrived. He was sent to a place following an order only to see the smothering ruins of the City. At that time he lost the little things he built and he spent the following years as a rank-and-file soldier who served under Ciara who became the War Maiden assisting the Six Heroes of the Elementals.


    He fought and fought. He fell in love and did his best to survive in the name of the person he loved. And even when the person he loved in the most died he continued living for he knew that he could not allow himself to go down gently. He screamed and fought side by side with people who lost everything. He thought that his journey was over when he saw that light return from the skies. Yet, he was back here in time to witness it again. He was able to change things through the knowledge he knew. He was quite proud of what he did. He was somewhat happy with the sight that was in front of his eyes.


    At the start of Summer the Enemies arrived in front of the city, they faced the curtain walls of the city. The Army of Shadow Trekkers numbered thousands and their banners billowed along the shadowed desert. The Lord of the Army held the reins of his horse as he boldly proclaims for Oasis City to surrender and that they may be allowed to run like dogs.


    Nolan folded his arms. He gazed at the Warden of The Barren Land named Awl with frosty eyes. He was among the Bleak Walkers who have positioned themselves in the walls along with the Talon Knights who readied their crossbows. He was fully armed and the others were in full gear as well. The Bleak Walkers that was with him wore the same frosty expression.


    "They are many," said Vie.


    Nolan nodded, "Yes, but we will if things go right."


    "No optimism?" said a man. "But I guess I can tell that you guys are ready to kill like us." He palmed his plate armor. "It is an honor fighting with the Bleak Walkers. I guess when things are bad we really unite against the common enemy."


    The soldier returned to his position. He focused his eyes on the curtain walls that was filled with wizards readying spells. Nolan could hear the voices of the wizards and from where he was standing, he could see Todd gathering the Light of the Sun around his armor. Beside Todd was Martina, she was chanting along with the wizards who simultaneously summoned thousands of wizards from the inner lands in one fell swoop. The curtain walls that was rather empty were filled with dots of light coming from the staffs of the wizards that appeared.


    The Crusaders of Salt Passing took a position in front of the curtain walls. The guardsmen of Throes have joined them along with Sword Maidens who were armed to the death, following Celesta against the Shadow Trekkers led by Lord Awl of the Barren Lands. Nolan could see through the scope of his the confident expression of the Warlord.


    Among the Guardsmen of Throes was the Hero Ryle who was ready to fight. Although, he was rather curious about the ''ghost'' that was able to take him down. He couldn''t allow himself to sit this fight out. He was acknowledged by the King and was given the right to fight with Imperial Royal Guards and the Crusaders of the Salt Passing.


    Along with them was the hired adventurers and mercenaries that were brought by Diego. Diego has already evacuated the city along with the people who were afraid to die. The other people stayed inside the City bearing their tools as weapons. They could not be convinced to get out of the City. They stayed knowing that they will die if the wall falls.


    Lord Gideon was at the front of the battle. He eyed the Warlord and gestured the Wizards who ready to send in the command. He spoke, "We shall fight!" and he brought his hand down like a hammer of justice!


    "ATTACK" shouted someone. The wizards of that stayed in the walls conjured magic missiles and before long the whole front was covered in a rain of magic missiles that blanketed the army of Shadow Trekkers. The Shadow Trekkers roared as they sensed the spell coming from the rest. Hannah had made use of herself as a proxy and brought down an area of effect spell that neutralized the magical defenses of the shadow trekkers.


    The Crusaders of the Salt Passing formed a Shield Wall. They held their ground as the Shadow Trekkers started to charge at them. The Talon Knights readied their repeater crossbows and rained down bolts towards them. Each and every single of their bolts were coated with the poison that came from Vie''s hair. The Crusaders held the line as the Shadow Trekkers fight. The wizards of the Crusaders gave them magic armor and was able to hold the line.


    The Guardsmen of Throes and the Sword Maidens charged as well. Their swords were coated with Phantasmal Blade Oils and they fought tooth to tooth with the enemy. Hero Ryle also engaged the enemy and like his title he was able to gain control of the battlefield. He plowed through enemy lines with his immolated form and fought the beasts that he spotted down the temple.


    Nolan, who was watching saw the beast and felt that there was something wrong. He looked at the place where the Lord Awl was commanding and he was able to spot him doing the ritual along with Devilish Tania who fired her swords at those who tried charging at them. The forces facing the army was enough to put the battlefield into a stalemate. The rest of the defenders grow easy while some cheered at the people defending the front.


    Nolan had already moved out of the line and observed the ritual. Hero Ryle was able to spot the ritual as well but he was blocked by the Devilish Tania. The Warlord Warden named Awl brought his hands down. The whole city shook and before everyone knew it the dim-sun was blocked by something huge and enormous. Nolan looked up and felt his jaw shudder at the unfathomable being that appeared above the city.


    It was a floating orb of flesh with a giant mouth, a single central eye and many eyestalks that were churning with a dense magical energy that rippled the space. The battlefield quieted down as the creature floats above the sky. Nolan could only stare at the creature with his soul trembling in fear. He knew what the creature was and even though he has already known how to defeat it with what he learned. He could still not believe his eyes.


    "An Orb Of Chaos! An Ancient one too!" shouted Nolan as he started his feet and sprinted across the walls. He was heading to the ballista that was brought by the Talon Knights. He wanted to stop the creature before it could cast a spell. But it was too late already.


    The Orb of Chaos ascended up the sky. It created a tremor and before long there was a whirlwind of malevolent energy that turned the whole city into a smothering ruin in a blink of an eye!

 Chapter 21: The Second Route

    In a field of corpses, he clawed out. His blood and dirt stained face showing a desperate look. Around Nolan were the crumbling walls of the City. The houses burned as the resounding echoes of the citizens resounded throughout the city. He heard despairing shouts of help. He heard the cries of mothers and fathers. He heard the brave shouts of men willing to die for them.


    Men in robes grasped for breath as they poured their heart and soul into their spells. Crusaders forced their broken bodies as they defend themselves from the enemies that were charging inside the city. The Shadow Trekkers rushed inside the city with haste. Men clad in cloaks danced around the field. Their phantasmal swords burned brightly, their backs shielded by their comrades in arms.


    Nolan forced himself. He stood and summoned the last of his energy to carve flames within his blade. He charged at an enemy, his blade piercing the Shadow Trekker, he pulled his sword back and twisted his body, making use of the momentum for a swift cut. Monsters charged in the walls of Oasis. A giant eyeball with tentacles eyes floated.


    A group of robed men gathered the last of their strength to summon a dome of energy. A man in plated armor rushed at the beholder with his sword. He stabbed the enemy right in the eyes, his eyes tearing up as he struggles to kill the enemy. A vine pulled him out of the beholder''s eyeball. A green-haired woman fought three monsters.


    "Vie!" Without thinking, Nolan wove through the enemies and slew his way to her. Vie blocked an attack. Nolan held his flaming sword with both hands and slew the enemies that were trying to take her from behind.


    "Nolan!" shouted Vie. "You are alive!"


    "I plan to stay that way!" Nolan dodged an attack. He strikes his sword on the enemy''s throat. He pulled his sword back and deflected another claw. His sword chipped, his arms rattled as the blows started to tire him out. His soul was used up. His body was burdened with fatigued as clawing out of the corpse took too much of his energy.


    Around Nolan and Vie was a horde of monsters. The Crusaders of Salt passing defended and attacked with fanatical fury. The Talon Knights held their ground with their repeating crossbow. The robed men and women rained down magic missiles upon the enemy. The battlefield was wrought with chaos. The screams, the slicing of flesh, the burning made Nolan ground his teeth.


    "CHARGE!" a tall woman used her shoulder to fling a trekker away. A woman with a burned face stroke with her sword, her body stained with blood and wounds. She was breathing heavily but yet she stood her ground.


    "She''s still alive!" Nolan shouted internally. He gripped his sword tightly. He leaned his back on Vie. The two fought back to back as they parried, blocked, and counter with their chipped swords. Her sword was envenomed while his sword was burning brightly. The battle continued on yet the beholder reaped the lives of many.


    It floated above the city. Its giant body crackling as a giant magic circle appeared above its head. The gibberish chanting of the beholder made everyone stop. They looked at the beholder and before they could react, thousands of men dressed in plate armor slump down as if their strings were cut. Those who held their swords shouted in pain.


    Nolan and Vie got disarmed. Nolan took his sword and held it tightly despite the blood on his palms. A Shadow Trekker attacked, he was able to parry but yet he could only slide his sword at the enemy''s throat. He plunged it deep into the enemy and shouted as his hands pained him. Vie could barely hold her sword as well, her injuries slowed her down.


    Todd protected Hannah while she supported him with her spells. They moved towards Nolan their eyes looking at the tired Walkers. There was no time to speak words. He looked at Hannah with begging eyes. She looked at Vie whose hands were shaking badly. She was halfway to fainting. Todd could see this clearly, he eyed Hannah.


    "I beg you," Nolan said while tearing up. "Lead them out of here, as long as they survive there will be light!"


    "What are you going to do?" She tapped the end of her staff on the ground. "How are you going to defeat that Beholder and destroy the Warden of Awl?"


    "I will find a way," Nolan smiled wearily. He looked at the monster pounding the shield of light that Hannah created. He tore his cape and wrapped it around the sword and tied it on his right hand. He bit his lip as pain assaults him. "So lead those who are alive out of here!"


    "So that''s it?" asked Hannah. "We''ll give up this city to these fiends?"


    "Someone has to do this." Nolan turned. He looked over shoulder as the shield of light slowly shatters like a mirror. "A Walker walks the Bleak Path. You should know that, my lady."


    "Then go fool!" She tapped her staff and the shield of light emitted a beam of sharp light as it struck the enemies. Nolan sprinted out of the protection and bolted to the direction of the beholder and the Warden of Awl. Vie''s eyes followed Nolan. She was about to follow him when Todd blocked her way and shook his head. "We must."


    Vie tried to open her mouth. She looked at Nolan charging, his cape fluttering as he faces the danger. Hannah chanted a spell and led the way while Todd defended the two with his sword and shield that was enhanced by Hannah''s spells. They contacted the group and they told them to follow them out of the city. The Knights of Salt passing formed a shield wall and told them to go. Captain Celesta ordered her sword maidens to go, she didn''t allow anyone to refuse, forcing Ciara to lead her sisters of the city.


    The robed men and women with pale countenances looked at them. Their expression went fierce as they summons forth a burst of fire that spread towards the Shadow Trekkers. The Talon Knights fired at the enemies while the Crusader of Salt passing held them back. They shouted as they pushed the enemy back with their shields!


    ...


    Nolan continued weaving through the enemy. His sword burned brightly but yet his body was slowly giving up on him. He felt tired his limbs were slowly losing all strength it could muster. Nolan bit his lip as he pushed on while fending off the enemy. An enemy was about to pounce at his back, a man in plated armor stopped the enemy and brought his sword at the enemy''s throat.


    Nolan stared at the man who he questioned for his bravery. Zachariah was soaked with blood, his plated armor was scratched, and the shining armor that was he proud of was gone. The two didn''t speak to each other and just nodded as they turned towards the common enemy. The beholder was fighting the wizards and was being pushed back. But the Warden of Awl was protecting the monster.


    The two gripped the hilt of their swords tightly. They threaded through the fallen and launched an attack at the Warden of Awl. The Warden of Awl saw their charge. He turned his attention to them and drew his great sword that reeked of death. He easily parried Zachariah''s attack and blocked Nolan''s overhead swing. Nolan twisted his body, his right leg hitting the helmet of Lord Awl.


    "Fools!" the deathly voice pushed the two away. "You dare to fight this Wardenl!"


    Nolan rolled on his back. He started to his feet and thrust with his sword. Zachariah pulled his sword back and slash in a horizontal motion towards the Warden. The Warden put his sword in front, blocking Zachariah''s swing, while Nolan''s sword cut the side of the Warden of Awl. His black armor was rusty, and there was a gap in his defense. But the Warden of Awl was an experienced fighter, he punched Zachariah with the hilt of his sword, he launched a kick on Nolan''s stomach.


    The two got pushed back. Zachariah grounded his teeth. Nolan wiped the blood off his mouth as he spits on the face of the Warden. The Warden squeezed his eyes tight. Nolan and Zachariah aimed for the Warden''s neck but they were pushed by a shockwave. The beholder''s giant eyeball turned towards them, it emitted a purple light as it targets both of them.


    Yet the wizards took the chance to rain down lightning on the beholder. The beholder created an eerie sound as it was hurt. The rest of the wizards used the last of their spells to blind the enemy and silenced it. The Warden''s fury grew as he slammed his great sword and took Zachariah''s left arm. Zachariah shouted in pain, but instead of letting the enemy do what he wants with him. He tacked the Warden as he used his right arm to cling to the enemy. The Warden stabbed his gauntlet at defenseless part of his armor. Zachariah screamed as he held on tightly. Nolan attacked the Warden and buried the guard of his sword inside the Warden''s eyes. He pulled his sword back and stabbed it in the Warden''s throat.


    The Warden didn''t utter a sound. But despite the Warden''s death, the enemies didn''t stop their attacks. They continued their craze fight and attacked the defenders of the City. Nolan leaned his elbow and knees on the ground. He breathed in heavily as he forces himself up and drags Zachariah out of battle. The others that were alive grouped together while retreating.


    Nolan''s hand was shaking. Zachariah was breathing heavily while trying to grasp for breath. "H-hey..." He called out to Nolan. Nolan kneeled on one knee and placed his right ear near Zachariah''s mouth. "I am quite a brave person right?" He said.


    "Yes, you are." Nolan nodded his head.


    Zachariah smiled. His mouth bled. "Take this," he pushed the sword he was holding towards Nolan. "Your sword won''t do...my sword can handle it, it is tough and reliable, and I think you are going to need it more than I do..."


    The light in Zachariah''s eyes faded. Nolan took Zachariah''s sword and looked at the City of Oasis. They were able to defeat the leader but yet the City that they were supposed to protect was ruined. There were still many enemies around that Noland had to forcefully move his body to survive. He slowly lost himself in battle and his actions became mechanical as he relied heavily on adrenaline and willpower to escape the city along with the survivors.


    They were chased by the enemy. They fought them like cornered animals and slaughter their way to desert. A storm arrived, and this allowed the survivors to lie down. Nolan observed the storm, he continued on as he struggles his way out. He heard the sound of something burrowing. He looked behind him and saw the survivors get eaten by the sandworms of the desert.


    Nolan was limping but he trudged on with his body shaking. He lost control of his legs. He crawled with elbows as he then clings on to a rock. He laid his back on the sand as he stares at the dust storm that covered the whole sky. He did everything he could to give the city a chance. But, all he did was for naught and instead his actions led to the Beholder appearing and the Warlord Warden of Awl to invade the City personally because of the presence of the Wizards.


    They defended the city but the beholder summoned a rain of corpses and brought down the curtain walls of Oasis City. Nolan knew that there were still many that could possibly be alive inside the City of Oasis. But, how could he do anything when his condition was grave? He could barely move his limbs. There was little energy left inside him. Even if he wants to his body didn''t let him. Nolan felt like he lost feeling in his limbs. All he could do was stare at the dust-covered sky in lament.


    "At least she''s alive," he thought. But as he continues to trek on he was able to spot a familiar figure whose legs were bloodied. She was breathing roughly and the way her legs were bent made it clear that she was going to walk no more for the rest of her life.


    "Ciara?" he mouthed fearfully.


    Ciara who was suffering turned to look at Nolan''s battered figure. She had many things to say but all she could do was mutter for help. Nolan''s being shuddered as he spots her sorry figure. The feeling of helplessness turned into despair.

 Chapter 22: On His Back

    The fall of Oasis City turned into news that no one could ignore, the City was taken and the Shadow Trekkers managed to bring the city down, destroying the hundred-year-long reign of it. The Inner Lands were sullen about such dire news, the Knights of Talons survivors returned with a dim heart. The Crusaders of Salt Passing retreated back to the Salt Pass after their defeat. Hundreds of Wizards from various schools died, the survivors not mentioning anything other than that the beholder was killed, and the Warden of the Barren Land, Lord Awl has been killed.


    Tania, the Obsidian Flower escaped. The refugees of the city gathered in the ancient route where the beholder appeared. They created a new habitat among the ancient routes, making use of the foundation to erect houses and hovels to call as home.


    Diego became the second leader of the Ancient Route. The route''s discovery was because of him, allowing him monopolize the route that he discovered along with a Walker. Oasis City was destroyed by the attack, but the survivors stayed strong to gather their strength to reclaim the land of Oasis.


    Under Oasis was the name of the new land for the people of Oasis. Although it is not Oasis City, it became a symbol of hope for the survivors that they might take the city lands back. Diego and Traders, the Soldiers of Throes, the Adventurers have built a home in Under Oasis.


    The Bleak Walkers who fought in the battle dispersed, they left the Oasis City and wandered around the lands. Oasis City was only a rest point for the city, so they left and never look back as they always do. Vie, the green-haired walker wanted to look for someone, she was stopped by the Sunspawn Knight and the Wizard Hannah who took her to study her green-hair. It was a mythical thing for the two, and they wish to know how it could continuously produce poison.


    Castro led the bleak walkers of the Oasis to places unknown. Hero of the Elemental Fire, Ryle, was able to recover from his injuries. He was able to protect the defenders of Oasis from the attack of the Orb of Chaos ¨C the beholder by pouring his energy out.


    He was not able to fight it out with the Lord of Awl or defeat the Orb of Chaos. He, however, did what he could to support the killers of the monsters that came to attack. He could have defended himself and fight the two but his gamble paid off when Zachariah, the Leader of the Royal Guards and an unknown Bleak Walker whose name people didn''t know fought and killed the invaders.


    The leaders were dead yet it didn''t stop the Shadow Trekkers from continuing their havoc. Lord Gideon, the Right Hand of the King, was able to evacuate the King and his family and now resides in the Under Oasis. Diego handles the small matters, the king manages the affairs brought forth by the fall of Oasis.


    The affairs of the fall of oasis showed the Inner lands that the threat of the barren lands is present, the leaders were defeated but that didn''t mean that the rest of the enemy vanished. The towns, the cities, the landmarks, the various locations all over the land were troubled by this fall.


    Hundreds of Adventurers had to be allowed to deal with the enemy, the armies are stretched thin because of the enemies and lower monsters that once hide among the shadows of the land came to take advantage of the chaos brought forth.


    The Salt Passing had to defend against the heirs of the dark. The Talon Knights had to sell the schematics of their weapons to combat the lack of men after their defeat in the City of Oasis. Thousands of men were pulled from their family as conscripts.


    The outer city named Moirai was sorrounded by curtain walls. It is a city that was only second to Oasis in defending against the land. Unlike Oasis, Moirai is located in a plain of green pastures that stretches across the inner lands. The land is teeming with animals, the rivers are clean, and the soldiers are always hunting lower monsters.


    They cannot compare with the soldiers of Throes, who are always hunting monsters from the barren lands. The Moirai army hunts lower monsters and they are competent in keeping the lower monsters dead. The incident of the fall of Oasis made the Soldiers of Moirai thinned.


    Like any army in the inner lands, the Soldiers of Moirai are having a hard time in keeping the monsters. Villages, the small settlements, the farmlands are infested with monsters that are capable of fighting them. The monsters that came from the barren lands became natural leaders. There was also a rumor that there was a devil working to undermine the inner lands completely.


    The monsters started to get organized and their actions are pointed to directions that seem to be part of a greater scheme. The Huntsmen of the Inner Lands started to move in search of the enemy. The adventurers, the spies, and the men working in shadows started to move in search of this mysterious enemy.


    Hero Ryle recovered from his injuries because of the Woman of Fire. He was now on a trail in search for the rest of the Heroes, the power that he will need and ways to strengthen themselves. He had realized how weak he was, the battle of Oasis awoke Ryle from his state. There was no time to be weak anymore and the time of peace was done, the age of fighting the evils of the barren lands and strife that comes with it has come.


    Hero Ryle knew that he would find himself in situations like that. The others Heroes still lay dormant, and they sleep not knowing that the evil has awoken. Hero Ryle wonders who the Heroes are. He is searching for them, knowing that they must cooperate together.


    Hero Ryle walked silently along this tree-lined road. He stopped and looked at the sky as he feels a strange resonance. The Fire woman appeared before his eyes, from a ball of wisp she turned into the form that of a human completely. Her gaze pointed at the sky.


    "The War Maiden has come," said her.


    ...


    The War Maiden are picked by the hands of fate themselves. The Three Fates wove the war maiden and through this, they will bring forth trials that will rejuvenate the War Maiden even from death. The War Maiden has been chosen but the world can only wonder who this maiden is. The War Maiden that will lead the six heroes through the turmoils of wars.


    But where is this War Maiden? Is she hidden from the world?


    What would they think if they witness the War Maiden right now?


    Would they despair?


    She clearly felt the call of the Three Fates and the God of War call for her.


    She should be proud and raise her chest in glory. She should be raising her chin up knowing that she was chosen by them. Yet, she could not do that knowing that she was relying on a battered man who could have abandoned her and let her die. The man was trembling because of injuries, he''s surrounded by demons, the enemies growling as they gaze upon his sword, crackling, emitting sparks of lighting as it fends the foe.


    He was bleeding. His hands were shuddering at the number of enemies that he fought. His body was heavy not because of the wounds that he sustained, it was heavy because he was carrying her. She could no longer walk. She could not feel her legs. If it wasn''t for the Three Fates and the God of War gave her a blessing. She would have lost all the will to continue on. She couldn''t walk because her legs were bent badly by the enemies. She would have died if he didn''t find him.


    He narrowly dodged an attack. His bloodied sword carved through the enemies torso with ease. The enemy was about to hit his back. He spun and blocked the attack, receiving the damage, his bones rattled. If he didn''t block that she would have been hit by the enemy. She was strapped on a back carrier made from wood and leather.


    The enemy rounded him. He evaded the first three attacks. He got hit by the two and almost let his sword go. He breathed heavily as he whirled with his sword and cleave and strike and stab. He was lost in battle that he didn''t know that his leather vest was torn by their claws. She could feel his rough breathing and groans. Her lifeless eyes gazing at his bloodied face.


    Three enemies. Two were decapitated by his sword. The last one got disemboweled by a proper slanted strike from the shoulder to the hip. The enemies fell to the ground lifeless, their blood created pools and the smell of their organs scented the air. He exhaled loudly and kneeled on both knees. His eyes turned to the sky as he tries to gather all the air he could find.


    He was like a barrel of wine that was poked with holes. He didn''t move for five minutes as he gathered all the strength he could muster. He took the straps off that allowed him to carry her and stood up. She calmly looks at him who was taking his leather vest off. He drank from a round-bottomed flask and applied medicinal ointment and chewed on a willow bark.


    "Are you okay?" asked Nolan.


    Ciara slowly looked at him. "Thank you¡­" She nodded her head. "For protecting me."


    "I am alive," he said, "that''s all that matters really. These monsters are after you now because of that sigil in your back. You should know what being a War Maiden is right?"


    "Yes," she said. "But I doubt that I will be of any use. Do you really think that they''d want a cripple for a War Maiden? They''ll execute me knowing that I could not walk!"


    "I like to see them try." He said in a frosty tone. "The Gods picked you for this role. I shall take you to the House of Three Fates and asked them to cure your legs. They are skillful enough to do so."


    She slightly moved her body using her hands. She carried her feeling-less legs and stared at her. "If this continues on you have to fight these monsters. It has been months since we left the desert. If it wasn''t for the potions and ointments you''d be long dead."


    "I am used to it." He mouthed.


    Her heart pricked. Ever since she was saved by Nolan. He has been doing nothing but taking care of her. From carrying her on his back and protecting her from the monsters that attack her. She could still recall Nolan dragging her out of the desert, dodging the sandworms and the shadow trekkers. It took her until the end of summer to be all healed except for her legs.


    "You are hurt," observed Ciara. "You really don''t have to do this."


    Ciara could not understand why he was willing to put so much suffering into his life by carrying her to the House of Three Fates located outside the Inner Lands. The Outer Lands is an uncivilized place filled with monsters and men who have rejected the light of civilization. There are a few settlements in the Outer Lands but it is a wild lawless place. The Three Fates resides in one of the mountains and legends says that they can even bring the life out of those who are on the brink of death.


    They are still in the Inner lands somewhere around the plains of Moirai. From the Desert''s of Oasis they have been attacked and Nolan has sustained injuries for protecting her. She could not walk and she can only rely on the repeater crossbow she barely uses to protect herself. Nolan has been acting as her meat shield for too long now.


    "I do because I chose to." He told her. "I simply cannot allow the War Maiden to die now can''t I?"


    That alone made Ciara closed her lips. She stared heavily at Nolan who could barely walk straight. He grabbed the straps of the carrier she was riding and tightly wrapped around his injured body. She could hear him groaning but no words of complaints came out of his mouth. Ciara eyed the back of his head. Her heart-stirring painfully as thoughts brewed inside her head.


    The two continued crossing the green pastures of the plains of Moirai.

 Chapter 23: Unknown And Pride

    A person carried over a hooded woman through a path near the riverbanks. Near the river water were a group of soldiers stabbing spears over a scale monster with a salamander head. The soldiers were battered and weary and their heads were filled with bruises.


    A soldier whose chest was heaving up and down approached the two. He eyed the two through his helmet and looked at the man whose head was gray and the woman who was clinging to his neck. His eyes adjusted to the woman''s legs and he could tell that it was rather pale.


    "May I know where you two might be going?" said the soldier.


    The man with gray-hair raised his head. He lowered the cloth on his mouth and spoke. "Teresina Settlements should be around here, right?" He said in an impassionate voice. "We are traveling towards that place."


    "I see," said the soldier. "Teresina has a monster plague right now."


    "I know," replied him. He shifted his cloak and took a head of a monster.


    The soldier widened his eyes. He gazed at the monster''s head before taking it. "You killed a bark eater?" He eyed the woman he was carrying. "She cannot walk right?"


    "Yes," He snorted. "Why does it matter? We can cross the area, yes?"


    "That should be fine," He nodded, "Are you going to be alright, friend? You look battered."


    He shook his head curtly. "I am fine. Looks like the huntsmen are still not around?" He eyed the dead scale monster.


    "Yes. They are taking their time while the whole county gets into trouble. Whole plague of monsters from the barren lands and we are not strong enough to hunt them down. We''re stretched thin and our weapons aren''t suitable for killing them." He eyed his cloak. "By any chance are you a Walker?"


    He nodded twice. "Yes."


    "I see," He nodded, "better be careful down the area, friend. There are a lot of brigands around the area. There are even men that are like monsters going around killing and looting the area."


    He nodded. The soldier watched the two disappear from his sight. He scuttled down the river bank and patted a soldier who was tired than everyone. He has a black hair and he was rather average and the only thing that was particularly the way he held his spear and the way he talks.


    "Lanon!" the soldier said. "Why do you look so tired?"


    "It''s the beast," the man spoke in an unnatural tone. "We need to kill more like these?"


    "Yes," mouthed another soldier. "You are lucky that you got away from the Oasis, Brother Lanon. You can run fast and fight with your fist well but you are not good at killing. You won''t survive if you don''t kill!"


    Lanon looked at the soldier with a confused expression. The soldier waited for his reply, it took him for a while to remember that Lanon had a problem of speaking the Talon language of the Inner Lands. Lanon scratched back of his head and said. "I don''t understand."


    The soldier waved his hands. "It matters not. Hey, who was the two you were speaking to?" asked the soldier.


    "Oh, just a walker carrying a crippled woman by the looks of it," he said. "Hmm, that man was quite tough. I could feel myself shiver looking at him. He was carrying a bark eater''s head while that woman was clinging to his neck. I guess that''s what Walkers are!"


    Lanon placed his eyes on the soldier. "Walkers are impressive?"


    The soldier nodded. "Yeah, they trek barren lands and dangerous areas and map them. They can handle themselves well." He looked at Lanon deeply. "You two look the same, Lanon. He''s probably a countryman of yours. Lanon, you should become strong like that man!"


    "I don''t understand," he tilted his head.


    The soldier shrugged his shoulders. He plunged his boots on the scale monster''s head and looked at the soldiers who had their stomach disemboweled and grimaced. "We lost fifteen men just to bring down a group of them. The others weren''t so lucky and got eaten and dragged. Where the hell are the Talon Knights?"


    The group of soldiers lowered their heads. They pursed their lips as they pondered what their fate is going to be. Ever since the fall of Oasis, the garrison that was sent away have been fighting the plague monsters. They were soldiers of Throes but they were not that experienced. Some of them joined because they were not given a choice.


    Lanon was one of those who didn''t have the choice to pick. He had no memories to speak and he could not speak the language. He was a beggar who got conscripted as a soldier. He rather not becomes one but he has no choice. He was not fond of the job and was getting tired of it as days goes.


    The soldiers were all grim about their prospect in life. If they were still in Oasis they would have been happy just to get home and enjoy themselves in brothels. They cannot even enjoy the pleasure of the flesh with death seemingly lingering everywhere. They had to save their energies and those who have given up on caring are the ones brave enough to tire their bodies.


    The soldiers started to skin the scale monster. They chopped the body of the monster and distributed the parts of the monsters to trade. The body of the monster was worth a coin. If they want to survive then they have to protect themselves better and spend it on equipment rather than the girls on the brothels.


    The soldiers left the river banks. The place was filled with trees and foliage. The trees cast shadows over them. There were overgrown roots and thick bushes that they had to cross. The soldiers were wary as they slog forward inside the forest. Each of their movement was careful, their necks were wet with sweat, their breathing was so quiet, and their eyes were darting everywhere.


    The forest was silent, the wind blew softly, and the rustles of the leaves made them feel cold. The soldiers came across a clearing filled with tents. They took a good breathe as they entered and walked to the stumps placed on the camp. They still have two days until they can get out of the forest.


    ...


    Nolan crossed the forest slowly like a wary puma. The dead trees, the twigs on the ground, the thick foliages made Nolan alert. Outside the forest was a plain overlooking the Teresina settlements, was the home of villages that forms a union out of farmers and sheepherders.


    The road was mudded. Nolan''s foot would bury half in the mud. The mudded road continued until he reaches the even path that led to a walled village. The village had second-story buildings lined up in a neat row. They were made in lumber, the houses were barrel-vaulted, and the roads were uneven but dry.


    He sought an Inn near the east flank of the village. The innkeeper saw Nolan and assumed and was about to refuse him when he took out a pouch of talons and rented a room for a week. There was saying no to Nolan whose eyes turned to two sigils of woe. The Innkeeper measured the pros of having a Bleak Walker renting and allowed it.


    The wooden stairs squeaked as he climbed up the stairs. He walked into the room. The room had a single bed, a square table, a large tub with a bucket, and coat rack. Nolan unstrapped the carrier on his back and laid Ciara. She gently looked at the room and lowered her head down.


    Nolan moved slowly and carried her to the bed. Her eyes pointed down, her cheeks reddened with a blush. She moved her hair and moved her legs using her hands. Nolan stretched his body, his body making crackling sounds as he does some stretches.


    Nolan sat down. "Do you want to wash?" he asked.


    "Yes." Ciara nodded her head. "Can you please fetch some water and a towel?" She reddened slightly. "And if you can then please...carry me to the tub."


    Nolan nodded curtly. He went out of the room and trotted down the stairs. He went to the innkeeper and asked for towels. He paid two talons for the towel and went out of the inn to take water from the well. He pulled water from the well, and he carried them carefully back to the room.


    Ciara untied the laces of her tunic. She took the towel and wrapped it around her chest. She glances slightly at Nolan who would glance over at her. His face still as water yet his face seem tightened. He crossed his arms and stayed leaning on the wall.


    "Please," she said shyly.


    Nolan nodded twice. He took Ciara and carefully placed her on the tub. He handed her the towels. He took a step away from the room and told her. "Call me if you are done."


    Ciara eyed him. "Yes."


    Nolan walked out of the room. He folded his arms and stared blankly at the sconce mounted on the wall. The second floor of the Inn was quiet and empty. The floor below the Inn had noises of drunks and wooden plates clashing along with the utensils. The drunken banter, the shouts of frustrated men, the sultry calls of the waitresses, and the mutters of the despairing male and females of the bar kept the floor below noisy.


    Nolan could hear wet noises inside the room. He could imagine Ciara cleaning her body. If this was him when he was younger he would have been agitated at the prospect. To Nolan being excited about someone, bathing sounds juvenile to him now. He has the body of a young man in his prime but his mindset was that of a mellowed old man. There was no need to act so childishly about such things.


    "Nolan?" she called from the inside. "Are you there?"


    "I am," Nolan called back. "Is it okay for me to enter?"


    "Yes," she said.


    Nolan entered the room. He gazed his eyes at Ciara who was still wet with water. He trotted towards her and carried her out of the tub. He took the towel that was lying beside her and started to wipe her head and back. He carefully wiped the drops of water on her and then offered the towel to Ciara.


    Ciara gingerly accepted the towel and wiped the sensitive parts of her body. Her eyes would glance at Nolan yet she could not find any sort of shyness on him. His composed countenance made Ciara depressed. Maybe he doesn''t like her body? She thought.


    "You are composed," she worded.


    "Yes," he replied. "There''s no need to get so uppity about this."


    "Must be quite unpleasant? Seeing a burned woman''s body," she said mockingly.


    Nolan placed his eyes on her. "No. It is simply manners not to look at a woman''s body. Or would you prefer for me to look at you?" he eyed her intensely.


    Ciara jolted her head back. Her eyes darted everywhere before shaking her head in embarrassment. Nolan withdrew his eyes back and helped Ciara get dressed. Ciara''s face was as red as pigeon''s blood as she was helped. She was frustrated and depressed being helped like this.


    "I am sorry for being such a burden," she said.


    "No," he shook his head. "I don''t think of it as a burden. I do it because it is the kind thing to do. And that I adore you, Ciara."


    She bit her lip as her cheeks burned red. "Nolan, you are a great person. And because of this, I wonder why you are so tasteless when it comes to women."


    "I guess I am an eccentric," Nolan shrugged with a grin on his face.


    Ciara eyed that grin and bit her lower lip. Although she was frustrated, depressed, angry and humiliated being treated as a cripple and a burden. She could not possibly lash out or even shamelessly get angry at Nolan who was giving his best to make sure that she could get her legs fix and become the War Maiden.


    It would have been beneficial for her to become his lover. Yet, Ciara''s voice of reason would remind her of her burnt face. Her pride and her self-defeatism when it comes to her appearance made her pessimistic and that she could not possibly have the heart to take advantage of him.


    "I should get us something to eat," he said.


    "Okay," Ciara nodded. Nolan left the room again. Ciara stared at the door and guarded her heart. His warm back, his figure as he whirls his sword against the enemy was so awe-inspiring that Ciara felt like her heart was going to burst open. "He deserves better than me," she thought with a dejected mind.


    He returned with two bowls of soup and two pieces of cheese. He laid the items on the table and slowly dragged it near the bed where she can easily take the items. Nolan handed the bowl of soup. He took out a spoon and started eating.


    Ciara took a sip of her soup. "It must have been hard."


    "Hmm," Nolan eyed her. "I am used to it."


    "Are all Bleak Walkers like this? Firm and composed no matter what life throws at them?"


    "Yes," he nodded. "We''ve been taught how to remain calm when things are out of hand."


    "I see. It is an admirable virtue to have." She told him. "But even with this virtue do you feel tired, Nolan?"


    "I do." He stirred before sipping on his soup. "I just don''t think that there is a need for me to complain about parts of life. I admit however that the fall of Oasis saddened me. I did what I could. I fought a Warden of the Barren Lands and defeating it. I cannot be happy at that." He glanced over the sword on his waist.


    She tilted her head. Her arms folded.


    "Can the Three Fates really heal my legs?" asked Ciara.


    "Yes."


    "Are you sure?"


    Nolan nodded. "They''ve always been capable of doing so. In the Outer Lands, they are the only clan that could tell the unruly to settle down. They command respect and power I think that upon seeing that sigil on your back they would not hesitate to help you."


    "Is there a price?" she inquired. "It cannot be as simple as that?"


    Nolan placed his eyes on her. "I do not know. I only know that they are the weavers of fate. They will help those who have a role to play. You have a role to play upon this world, Ciara. It would benefit them to help you."


    "What about you?"


    "What about me?"


    Ciara placed her hand on her chin. "What role do you play, Nolan?"


    "Nothing," he answered curtly. "I am the guide which would take you to your destiny. You are destined for greatness and you have a role that will tire you, while I am simply a Bleak Walker."


    "You don''t know what."


    Nolan smiled. "I do," he thought. "I know what role I have to play. I know that even without me this world will be saved. What happens in Oasis made me realize that taking the reins of fate would do nothing but produce chaos. The sight of your bent and broken legs made me realize this. I cannot allow my meddling to turn you into a pathetic figure. You are the War Maiden that led the army of the Six Heroes and the Light''s Army. Your bravery and wisdom saved us all from tight situations. You are someone that I cannot simply compare to."


    "You are a Bleak Walker with two sigils in the eyes. I think you have a role to play. Indeed, you are guiding me to this destiny of mine, but without your help do you think that I would still have hope to fulfill this?" she smiled wearily at her legs.


    Nolan tapped his spoon on the edges of the bowl. "If I didn''t meddle," he thought, "You wouldn''t have lost your legs. You wouldn''t have to be taken to the Three Fates. I simply cannot allow myself to continue meddling over things that I have no complete control over what will happen. If I do not learn from my mistakes then I would be a fool."

 Chapter 24: The Pasts Mentor

    The muffled sound of raindrop woke Nolan up. He was leaned on the wall hugging his knees. He was looking at the bed where Ciara was sleeping soundly as if she never really bothered that Nolan was there. It was awkward first when it all started but she has grown to sleep near Nolan.


    "She''s asleep," he thought. He smoothed his pants and dusted his cloak. He walked to the door and went down below where he looked at the notice board. There were twenty posters calling for help in reward for Talons. Nolan turned to his pouches and recalled that he was out of money.


    He thought, "I''ve been using most of the money I got from Diego to take care of myself. The world''s infested with demons, monsters, and beings of the dark that needs special attention to kill. Keeping wealth is quite hard when I have to gulp down potions after a battled." He stuck his tongue out in disgust. A waitress sidled towards him, her arms folded.


    "Quite a lot of demons," said she. "Taking one?"


    "I am thinking about it." He looked at her. His body squared and his eyes locking with hers. He loomed the woman and his countenance made the woman tug her hair. "Can you tell me anything?"


    "Ah yes," she said. "There''s mire around the settlements called toddler''s mire. The place is infested with those aborted toddlers crawling around with worm-like mouths. Do you know them?"


    Nolan listened with his chin propped. He mirrored the waitress''s movement that she didn''t even know that she was slowly getting comfortable in talking to Nolan. "I do. You sound like you know your stuff."


    She shuffled her feet. "I''ve been living here ever since this settlement got built. So let me advise you that if you want real reward then go to the Toddler''s mire. If you want a safe, yet poor paying job then go for Da''s Mill."


    He nodded. "What goes in Da''s Mill?"


    "Interlopers hoping to steal from the mill," she said.


    "What they are stealing there, I mean."


    "Grain, usually, Da''s Mill''s near the river and these bucktooth creatures usually take the grain of the mill. Da, the owner, wants to kill them but he offers too little. Not to mention that no one really wants to take care of his problem when there are higher demons going around destroying settlements." She shook her head.


    "I see. Where''s this mill?" he asked.


    She eyed him funny. "You are taking his request?"


    "If it earns me money, I will. I''ll be looking to clear this toddler''s mire too. Does the Inn sell, salt, and flour?" he said.


    "Salt and flour?" she said with a raised brow. "Why would you want that?"


    Nolan paused before speaking. "I need the flour to blind the aborted toddler, and salt to hurt their skin. If you ever find yourself facing these monsters then throw them at them."


    "Is that really it?" she leaned back.


    He bobbed his head. "They might look like they enjoy the mud but those abominations are sensitive to the salt. Their bodies can be easily wounded by salt. If I would describe it then it is like putting salt on a snail."


    "Are you used to killing these creatures?" she eyed him.


    "I am used to killing them."


    "Oh," her mouth rounded. "That''s good to hear."


    ...


    In a damp flies-ridden place, Nolan walked with his sword drawn. His sword was coated in salt and the phantasmal oil made a strange light. He slogs through the mud and made wet sloppy sounds as he does. There were the aborted toddlers crawling on the mud, their eyes fleshy and swelling red. Their skin was festered with wounds and they look pathetic.


    "May whatever God your parents worship redeem your souls," said Nolan.


    He knew that these aborted toddlers were reanimated corpses of dead children. When he saw these monsters he was not able to kill them. But, he now knows that not killing these aborted toddlers and letting them carry on with their sinful lives was a much crueler fate.


    He whirled his blade while holding the hilt of his sword. The blade that was made of fine materials cut deep into the flesh of the toddlers. Their bodies cut in halves as they crawled their way towards Nolan. Nolan focused his eyes, it turned into the sigil of the dove of thorns and the snake of woes.


    The area around Nolan stirred. He didn''t know why but he felt as if he was freed from his shackles. The curse on his eyes made him relieve the battlefields of the past. He swoops along the mud field and danced with his sword. He was rather stiff carrying Ciara around and getting his mobility back made Nolan feel better.


    Nolan was slaughtering the reanimated toddlers to their deaths. A purple robed woman with a witch-hat slogs marches through the swamp with an eager anticipation. She was carrying a holy relic and as she was about to activate it. She spotted Nolan cleaving the aborted toddlers like butter.


    She dropped her holy relic, mouth opened wide. She brought forth her staff and tapped it on the ground. A crimson wave of energy passes through the mud and concentrated to where Nolan was. Nolan, who was slaughtering the toddlers, felt the attack.


    He tumbled and swirled and dodged the wave of red. The woman who fired it looked surprised. She clenched her fingers around her staff and tried to cast another. Nolan who was still relieving the memories of the past rushed towards the source of the attack.


    The purple robed woman twirled her staff and erected a barrier. Nolan spun, he made use of his body weight to hit the barrier. The barrier reflected the attack easily. The purple woman, with an expression of tranquility, pointed her hand towards Nolan.


    "ABRA!" she casts a spell.


    Nolan threw a flask of phantasmal oil at the spell. The spell got neutralized for three-seconds. Nolan made use of that time to swoop towards the barrier of the purple-robed woman and thrusts. The woman took four steps back to avoid the blade. It was then that Nolan''s eyes lost its shimmers and the sigil of the dove of thorns and the snake of woes disappeared from his pupils.


    ...


    The purple-clad woman raised her chin, her staff pointed at Nolan. "Heartless man, you kill these poor lost souls so easily!" she shouted.


    Nolan kept his sword at hand. His eyes slowly went dim as he recognizes the outfit of the woman. Purple robes, a witch hat, a staff, and a sympathy for the lost souls. He knew her, and it breaks his heart seeing the one and only mentor of the Bleak, the purple thunder, the witch of the Nether, and the Purple Rose of the River of Nix.


    "Audrey Cress," said Nolan.


    She raised her brows. "You know of me?" she folded her arms.


    "Disciple of the Nether, River of Nix''s Witch," Nolan lowered the Sword of Zachariah. "I am Nolan," the sigil''s appeared in his pupils. "A Bleak Walker, if I offended you then I am deeply sorry."


    She harrumphs, "You killed the aborted toddler," she grimaced. "I could''ve sent them away from this mire peacefully." She scanned the area. "Yet look at what you''ve done. They are mostly dead. I have heard that men of the Heir of the Old Revenants are stoic men. But to witness such slaughter, while you dance and whirl that sword of yours...is quite unpleasant."


    "I was looking for money, and you know how we, the bleak walkers, do our thing to survive," he told her.


    "Yes. And now that I am not trying to zap your soul, I can see that you''ve walked far. How far exactly?" she asked.


    "The Satin Path, Stasis River, and the Old Pale Pass," he mouthed. "I''ve walked in the barren lands."


    "And you came back alive," she nodded. "Hmm, if we have continued fighting right now, how would I fare?"


    "I would have found a way to slit your throat." He said blandly. "I am rather proficient in killing monsters."


    "And you qualify me as a monster?"


    "Yes. I do not dare to hesitate in fighting against Witch of the Nether," he fronted her. "You would have thundered me with a far stronger spell. Not to mention that the holy relic you have right there could blind my eyes temporarily if you want to."


    She folded her arms. Her staff placed between her elbows. Her dark purple hair that reaches up her waist was swaying. "You say that but I can feel that you have tricks up your sleeves that can deal with me. Hmm, your inner core is strong, the soul that you have is no ordinary, and it smells no lies and shows that you have indeed travel far." She eyed him, her nose an inch away from his. "Hmm, you would have been a perfect man if you weren''t so tasteless in killing such poor souls."


    Those words triggered the sigils in Nolan''s eyes. They light up in a dark eerie color, the vision of the old future flashed upon Nolan''s eyes. The death of his comrades, the battle near the Overlord''s territory, the back of Audrey Cress supporting her, and her myriad of spells that have saved many of his comrades.


    The world turned dark for Nolan. He felt like he was stuck in a dark world along with Audrey Cress. Below their feet was a ripple that spread on every direction. Nolan''s eyes glowed softly as the sigils in his pupils made him relive all the painful memories.


    The world of black then showed images of Nolan listening to Audrey, as she demonstrates the power of the runes. The images rippled, the images turned into a group of bleak walkers, and Nolan protecting Audrey from an army of Ghouls. The images continued to ripple as if the sigils were showing everything that he had experienced with her.


    Audrey could only see the sigil''s mesmerizing her. She could feel the pain that was being emitted from Nolan''s eyes. Suffering, despair, hopelessness, anguish, sorrows, and the desperation was felt by her. She took two steps back, the mud making a sloppy sound, she straightened her posture.


    "You poor man," she said. "I''ve heard that the Heir of the Old Revenant is cursed with the sigils of woes to remind them of what they have done and experienced. To continuously reflect until the end of their days, to constantly remind themselves how good it was to be still alive. It is a constant and perpetual negative visualization for them to appreciate their life. But for us, this is a curse."


    The images vanished, what was left was the mire. Nolan''s head jolted, he squared his body and lowered his head. "Forgive me you must have felt the effects of the sigils."


    "No worries," she said. "I''ve witnessed something interesting. I''ve seen walkers with two symbols in their eyes but, I haven''t experienced such painful emotion being emitted. Are you used to this curse?"


    "I do not see it as a curse," he said.


    "I see. She grabbed hold of her chin. "I must say that even if you are a tasteless man for doing such horrible deed. I can understand why you would do so. I can respect you for being able to endure such perpetual reminder. Yet, I cannot forgive your tasteless acts of slaughtering these lost souls."


    "We have different ways I know that, even so, that is the mercy I can give these children. To live a life in such a sinful manner, being forced to become an atrocious monster."


    "You can send them off with a holy relic," she added. "They are hard to get but they are the desirable way. My reasoning tells me that your methods are correct, but my values say that it is wrong. Do not blame for being aggressive, though I must admit that you were as well. Were you relieving a memory with your eyes?"


    "Yes." He sheathed the Sword of Zachariah. "I was experiencing the memories of my past. There are times that I go into a trance like this. Forgive me I would have killed you if I didn''t wake up."


    "You, killing me?" she said.


    "Yes." He coldly stated. "When I am lost in a trance I function with deadly efficiency. I have little control."


    "You are confident about your own skills," her brows arched. "Your eyes say the truth. I can guess that you have your ways to kill me. What is your name?"


    Nolan bit his lower lip. He hesitated. "Nolan Salvatore, a Bleak Walker."


    "I see." She nodded. "I am Audrey Cress. You can go now, Nolan Salvatore. You should leave this place for me." She reached for her pockets and retrieved a pouch of coins. "Leave and try not to do such tasteless things if we ever meet again."


    Nolan pocketed the pouch of coins. He spun. He looked over his shoulder before clenching his fist. He had already decided not to meddle with those who he knew from the past. It was aching his heart but he didn''t want to tamper on things that might change the timeline.

 Chapter 25: The Unchosen One’s Heart

    The rain poured down heavily on the wooden tiles of the house''s roofs. The mood turned that of a misty, gray, and damp. Male and female took shelter among shadows and canopies. And some are trudging the wet ground, their boots leaving a trail on the mud. There was a clamor inside the hubs and taverns, men and women argued and bantered. The smell of roasted meat grew strong despite the smell of the mud around the place. Nolan''s hair was slowly getting wet. He felt the cold temperature yet he was used to it. The cold didn''t bother him the slightest.


    Nolan gazed upon the sky there was a streak of light escaping from the clouds. He stopped for a moment, he wondered about the cruel world that would arrive in the future. The dim-lighted sky, the aura of depression, the bitter grimaces of men, and women as they go on with their lives with their teeth''s clenched.


    He eyed the people and realized that they are not wearing the gilded cross around their wrist. He had to remind himself that tradition started only when the lights grow dim. There were guards around the sides of the lane Nolan was walking. Nolan could recognize the guard, but the guard has forgotten him without his carrier. That guard was being helped by a young soldier who was wearing a helmet on. He held his spear in such a queer manner that Nolan could not help but think of his days back when he was just a guardsman of throes. The days where he fought foes greater than him and the brothers he lost.


    He had forgotten their names and faces. Even the sigils in his pupils didn''t remember them. He could only remember the people that have been seen by his eyes. So those people are now lost forever to him. They could be alive right now but they wouldn''t even remember him. To them, he was just now a bleak walker with two sigils in his eyes.


    Nolan let the rain wet his face. He stopped in the middle of the lane. He felt his eyes emitting as the world before him, turned black and white. There was no color in his world at this point. He could only think of the past, and the future.


    He wasn''t special. He was not chosen. He was ''Soldier A'' who somehow made it to the ends of the world. He was able to watch the world get saved. He saw the light open before his eyes and the world''s splendor returning. He could remember his second death fondly. He could recall that feeling of happiness that came into him as he thought that he has helped save the world and that it was finally over.


    To die in the name of the greater good and to fulfill the wish of those who have cried tears and sweated blood just to save the world from the evil that threatened it. He walked the bleak path and trudged over thousands of corpses just to reach the end goal.


    Nolan returned back to the Inn where the restless patrons started to bury their heads sulking. He could tell that there were many of them worked on farms. The people of the Teresina settlements sow rice berries that are grown into fields. These berries have the appearance of thumb-sized rice but, they taste like berries. The rice berries are cultivated and preferred in the Outer lands because they can be eaten easily. But in the Inner Lands, they eat wheat, oats, and bread exclusively.


    The waitress noticed Nolan. She tugged her braid and started to her feet. She faced Nolan and smiled brightly. She noticed that his eyes didn''t have the cold look anymore. She wondered what was happening to him but Nolan''s eyes stared at her.


    "Hello," said Nolan.


    "Do you want something to eat?" she asked. "The weather is cold and I don''t think it will stop at any moment. We have some of this black drink that keeps the belly warm. I think they call it coffee!"


    "I see. I think I will not drink for a moment," he patted her shoulder. "Thank you for asking, I rather rest for a while."


    "Oh," she smelled the blood on him. "Did you kill the monsters in the mire?"


    "They are taken care already. So it should be safe to trek the mire."


    "That''s great!" she said happily.


    "Yes, I''ll try to look at Da''s Mill. I hope that they will give me rewards as well."


    "Okay! You should rest then!" said the waitress.


    Nolan nodded his head and turned to the direction of the stairs and clambered up. The waitress spun and eyed a man who was looking at her. "Is there anything wrong?"


    "Who was that?" asked the man.


    "A slayer of monsters, he took care of the mire problem."


    "He did?"


    "Yup, it looks he''s planning to take care of Da''s Mill too. Shouldn''t that help with the harvest?"


    "Hmm, it will. The guardsman of throes has been killing the scale monsters so they should be tired. Every day they are getting lesser so this might be the best news we have today."


    "Is that true?" a man chimed in.


    "You heard him." The waitress thumbed the first man. "That walker should take care of the monsters in the mill. So how about you boys give us some rice berries first?"


    The latter man smirked. "If you tell the Innkeeper to always save us some seats them we''ll talk."


    "Yeah, if you reserve us some seats then we''ll try to bring you the rice berries first."


    "That''s great!" the waitress clapped her hands. "I''ll tell the owner to have some seat reserve for you two."


    "That should be great," said the first man. "Let us hope that slayer can take care of the monsters then."


    Suddenly, the door opened slowly. A group of guardsmen who looked they just got from hell sauntered inside the Inn and took a spare table. They took their helmets off and placed them on their laps. The long-haired man with a beard and a rather grim expression called for the waitress.


    "What a mess," said one of the guards. "To think that we have to return earlier than expected, I''ll say that we got lucky that we didn''t get entrapped by the scale monsters."


    The group of guardsman grimaced. They lowered their heads in silence. They didn''t have the heart to be happy at the moment.


    When he entered the room Ciara was still sleeping soundly. She was rather tired as well and the crest of the War Maiden on her back keeps her in a dream-like state where she had to imitate the various War Maidens of the past. It was one of the many attributes of the sigils and crests.


    He didn''t want to bother her so he sat cross-legged on a silent spot and breathe as if blowing a balloon for thirty-times. Then, he held his breath in until he gasped, and breathe normally before repeating it until he entered a state of trance.


    Nolan found himself in an imaginary room. It was a simple room, a bed, a table that has a personal computer on it, a shelf filled with books, a study table, and blankets scattered around. There was a dark gray-haired man who wore a hoodie and jeans, he was reading a book.


    "Robust but not unbreakable," said the young man who looked like Nolan. The other Nolan eyed him. "The Bleak Walkers are robust ¨C they are not steel-willed. They are just robust and hardened by their experiences. Their emotions are like a huge, tall dam. That dam is slowly filled with water and if the dam doesn''t leak out, there''s a chance that it might overflow and cause problems."


    The Phantom put the book down. "To become a bleak walker you have put love towards fate. You thrive in chaos and no matter how the world keeps hammering you down. You would get up more robust than ever. Like the Hydra, no matter how you cut its head off it will grow back and become stronger than before. To kill it you need to cut the heads at the same time. You''re not that impressive. It took you many years to reach your skill. To court a woman you spent years following her. You were so driven by her affection that you chose to become a true heir of the Old Revenant. You walk as if each day were your last. You never act without purpose and resolve ¨C or without the means to finish the job. Solely focus on what''s in front of you ¨C and along the way you became robust."


    Nolan didn''t reply to his own phantom. The Phantom saw this and smiled lightly. "But even I say it like that you were nothing special at all. The others grew as strong and might be even sturdier than you. You were just another walker that fought in the light''s army ¨C the difference was that you were in love with a war maiden. The ice queen honored by the light''s army and yet no matter how you got rejected and beaten up by her. You chased her until she accepted your stubbornness. She was your light and through her you become strong. Yet, when she died you became a true walker who fought and fought. You wanted to help to save the world and you did help in doing so."


    Nolan nodded lightly.


    The phantom said, "Yet, here you are back in the past. I am your imagination, and you are letting me speak your heart out. The troubles in Oasis City were something we could not control. The trichotomy of control has three laws ¨C the first law is the things that we have complete control over. The second law ¨C are the things we have no control over. The last law is the things we have some control but not all. What happens in Oasis is something that we could have never predicted. Or did you think that we are omniscient? That the world will bend down and lick our shoes and do what we want? The perfect plan never exists."


    Nolan opened his mouth. "But because of me..."


    "Because of what?" he said without emotion. "Her legs got crippled? Isn''t that why you are taking her to the Three Fates? To restore her legs and make her walk again." The phantom suddenly opened his eyes. "Ah, could it be that you have a wish? To keep her alongside you and be with her and spend this life with her?"


    "I..." he tried to reply but no words would come out.


    "You want her but you choose to resist. You''ve seen what your meddling did. The fall of Oasis City happened and this time a beholder appeared. You killed it along with the owner of the sword you are carrying now ¨C but it ended with her crippling. You are guilty and you cannot allow yourself to continue meddling fearing that this world won''t have a future if you do what you desire."


    "Yes," he blurted out. "I want to be with her damn it! I didn''t ask to relive this time again! I helped in saving the world! I was happy that I could see the light again at my dying moment! I died twice already! I''ve killed so many and the corpses that I have to step on to somehow reach that stage kills me inside! Every single day I have to be reminded of their death! I have to listen to their cries and my heart feels so heavy just by listening to it. It echoes in my head constantly and their woes don''t stop even when I am asleep!"


    "So you are frustrated?"


    "I am!" he shouted. "Living takes courage! I have become resilient in times of trouble. I can keep calm now but in the end, I am still a human being with a beating heart! It hurts seeing those who I''ve fought with and yet they don''t even know me! They don''t know the times we''ve spent together in shared suffering! And now that I am back here in this world I have to keep myself from meddling knowing that I might ruin the world''s chance to be saved! I tried meddling and the result is this! It hurts but I have to leave this world alone! I don''t want to ruin it and if it means that she''ll be back to her glory then I am willing to stay back and watch her from the distance!"


    "So you are afraid?" said the phantom.


    "I am. I am afraid of it all. I''ve become skilled enough but I do not have control over the fates of the world. I simply don''t have...to assist this world I have no choice other than this."


    "Ah, to walk the Bleak Path again even in this world?" said the Phantom.


    "Yes. No matter even if it hurts me. I am used to this kind of pain. Hah, to think that the day I would come where I could just be like this. I used to fear everything about this world. Always holding my spear wrong, always wrong, always a mess, having no clear goals other than survive for a day. Then, the world turned dark, I was forced to step out of comfort zone and deal with many things going around my head. I don''t even remember mom''s name. I don''t even remember the face of my father. I missed my home. I missed the peaceful modern world. I missed that old peaceful spot near the docks where I would watch the seas and feel at peace. I don''t even remember my childhood anymore. What country did I grow up in? I''ve been living in this world for too long that they''ve become a distant past. I have to ask myself if those were real. And when I am feeling so shit like this that I have to ask what meaning I have for all of this suffering? There was no angel or a divine path laid by God for me! I was just here and that''s that! I found a path to follow and here I am!"


    He smiled with profound sadness.


    "I miss ma''s pie. I really do. Hah, if I somehow know to cook that pie maybe it will cheer me up. I already welcomed discomfort. Hah, this is unbecoming of an old bastard like me to complain so much in his own dreams." He took a deep breath.


    "Are you done?" said the Phantom.


    "I am," he took the deepest of breath. His expression went deadpan as he regained his composure. The overflowing dam of emotions inside his heart finally spilled out. Nolan was used to ranting inside his head to keep himself sane.


    The Phantom turned into a smaller version of Nolan. The Phantom became a frightened child that seems to be shaking with fear. Nolan eyed the child him and said. "It''s okay. We can still do it."


    "But it will hurt!"


    "I know."


    "You''ll have to part with her!"


    "I might need to."


    "It is scary!"


    "If you think that way then it will be scary."


    "What''s the point?"


    "Because it is what it is."


    "Why?"


    "I just have to."


    "You can just walk away."


    "I can, but I have to."


    "To what end?"


    "For her, I can do it."


    "Can you really take it?"


    "I can. Keep a stiff upper lip, clenched your fist and crawl if we have to. We''ve been through so much already anyway."


    "But you were just crying and angry?"


    "I was. If I don''t cry the dam in my heart will break. I am just a human who keeps a detached view of the world. Whatever happens, happens, I cannot change the things I have no control over. I just need to keep going."


    "All of this for her?"


    "She was my guiding light. She was the sun that kept me alive. I fought for her. It is not up to me to keep her from the glory that she will have. She''s chosen as the War Maiden of this world along with the Six Heroes of the Elemental Light. Even if I cannot change the world or tamper the horrible events, at least I can help her in the shadows and trek the bleak path."


    "I see," said the Phantom.


    The Phantom transformed into an old man with grayish white hair. His arms were filled with scars. He was wrinkled but the fire on his eyes burned so brightly. His armor was torn to pieces. His sword chipped and there was an aura of tiredness around the old man. He was far different than the current Nolan.


    "Like always then?"


    "Yes. We had to. Thinking about it isn''t really helping us, right?"


    "Damn straight," wheezed the old man. He walked to where Nolan is and patted his shoulder. "We''ve died twice already, no need to be afraid."


    Nolan smiled and started to his feet. He went to the opposite direction where the Phantom was going. The world that he was in then slowly started to ripple. And, he found himself back in the room, squeezing his eyes open. He looked around and saw that Ciara was rubbing her eyes.


    There were tears on him. If Ciara could see his face she would react and be shocked. Nolan didn''t let her see this weak side of his, he subtly wiped the tears on his face and stood up with a calm, collected countenance. He approached her with the same look on his face.


    "Are you hungry?" he asked.


    Ciara beamed at him. "I am," she said with a low voice.


    "I see." He nodded twice. "I''ll get some rice berries for you. Do you want some beef or any kind of meat?"


    "Yes, I would like that," she cracked her head gently. "And thank you, for doing this."


    He beamed at her. "Do mind it. Sometimes we have to rely on someone. You can rely on me, and when you are back on your feet you would remember how you would tightly hold your arms around my neck. I can then brag that the War Maiden was rather affectionate with me!"


    Ciara turned her head away, her cheeks burning. "You really do like teasing me. Still, it is better than being pitied."


    "Do you want me to pity you?" asked Nolan.


    Ciara shook her head. "I would loathe you if you do that."


    "See?" he said. "You are already strong enough. Everyone needs a helping hand, so if you want to cry then cry, if you want to say help then say help me. I''ll help you get your legs back, so don''t try to think too much about it and just rely on me for now. You''ve been chosen and I know you''ll be great."


    "You believe in me too much," she said with a lowered head. "Thank you."


    Nolan nodded. He turned his back away and thought, "I guess I''ll enjoy my time with her until we part ways."


    He had to guide her back to her path. As ''Soldier A'' he had at least have the right to guide one of the Chosen Ones to the direction that they need to take.

 Chapter 26: Lanon, the Nobody

    There was a long table placed in the middle. Maps, daggers, documents, and a feather dipped inside an ink. There was a man in his forties. He was tall, bulky, huge arms, and he sported a beard that covered his jaws. He wore plated armor, gauntlets, greaves, and a belt of satchels.


    His eyes have a cold luster. His hands behind his back, he raised his chin up to looked at the darkish gray-haired man who was holding his spear in such a queer manner that it was starting to irritate him to the point that his beard was shuddering.


    "Lanon of Nobody, I heard that you participated in the trip to the forests?" said him.


    Lanon nodded, "Yes, Sir Rave."


    "I see," Sir Rave folded his arms, and nodded. "There was a group of you when I sent you off. Your team went back with only four remaining. Can you explain this to me, Lanon of Nobody?"


    "I am not the Captain," he lowered his head.


    "I know. The Captain of yours is dead. To save you he had to push your cowardly self out of the way. Lanon the Coward, can you remind me what you are before we took you in?"


    "I was nothing."


    "That''s right," he folded his hands behind his back. "You were a mumbling good for nothing that stole bread and pleads for alms in the back alleys of taverns and bars. The only thing that you were good at was running around like some monkey around the hovels of the Oasis city. We took you in, gave you a purpose, taught you how to speak the Talon''s language," he sighed through his nose. "What a disappointment you are."


    Lanon bit his lip hard. "I am sorry."


    "Sorry?" he scoffs. He slammed his palms on the table, glaring at Lanon. "Will that bring back those you have to turn your backs on? A guardsman of Throes, the survivors of the fall of Oasis, turns out to be a chickenshit coward who runs away and leaves his comrades behind. I should have you executed for cowardice. Do you know why I am not doing so?"


    Lanon kept his silence. His eyes pointed to the floor.


    Sir Rave said, "Because we lack the men. Instead of killing you we are going to make use of you. Isn''t it better to die fighting monsters than dying as a coward?"


    "I," he tried to spoke up.


    "What?"


    "It is nothing, Sir Rave," replied Lanon meekly.


    "Tell me," he said with a higher tone. "Speak up."


    "Please don''t mind it, Sir."


    "I said to speak."


    "I don''t really-"


    "SPEAK."


    "I, I don''t want to Sir."


    "TELL ME. SPEAK FROM YOUR DIAPHRAGM SOLDIER."


    "I cannot do anything about it, Sir!" he shouted.


    "You damned coward!" Sir Rave sneered with disdain. "You cannot even speak what''s on your mind. And you dare to say you cannot do anything about it? I''ll have you flogged for this embarrassing attitude! Get out of my sight before I change my mind and have you hanged!"


    Lanon left the tent with a grim expression. Outside the Commander''s tent were the tents of the guardsman of throes. They were sharpening their blades, cooking food, drinking their flasks of water, and dressing their wounds. There was a cold wind coming from the south, leaving a damp smell on the air.


    The guards who were near the tents eyed Lanon who was standing so gingerly. Their bland faces changed into that of a grimace as they spit in the ground and turned away in disgust. The others snorted at Lanon and their mood turned for the worse.


    "Lanon of Nobody, the Coward of Throes," mouthed a soldier. "I was looking forward to you to be hanged for your cowardice. Are you still alive? Hmm, commander wants fodder for the monsters?"


    "Probably," said another soldier. "That''s the only reason he''s alive for now. A coward has no place in the guards of throes, especially those who abandon their comrades."


    Lanon tried to walk away. The soldiers saw this as an insult. So one of them kicked Lanon''s back, he staggered and fell face first on the ground. The soldier stomped on his back. His face digging deeper into the muddy ground, he started tasting the mud, struggling for his breathing.


    "Commander Rave wants to execute you. We want to kill you for being such a piece of shit coward. So this is your last warning you fucking coward. Abandon another comrade and even if the Commander flogs us we''ll do our best to make you know what it is like to be abandoned and killed. Don''t forget that!" he twists his foot on Lanon''s back before leaving.


    Lanon stayed stationed on the ground. His face crumpled as he grits his teeth, suppressing his cry and hiding the tears on his face. He didn''t move and used his arms to cover his face whole. And slowly he stood up pretending to wipe the mud off his face.


    Consequently, he smoothed his clothes and started to his feet. The soldiers who knew what he did snorted and turned their heads away from Lanon. He ignored them and carried his spear in the same queer manner. His eyes drooping, his head lowered.


    The sky kept its moody color. The clouds slowly churned out tiny drops of rain. Lanon raised his head up and turned his head to the clouds with a bitter smile. "Are you crying for me? Or are you pissing me off by wetting my clothes?"


    He shook his head. He continued walking until he reached a lone tent separated to everyone. It was hidden under the shade of a tall tree with little leaves left on its branches. As he was about to enter his shoddily made tent, the rain did a heavy downpour. He stopped on his tracks and looked at the sky again. He weaved a heavy sigh through his nose, cracked his neck, and put his spear near the flaps of the tents. He crawled inside the tent and sat cross-legged and smirked helplessly, staring at the muddy dirt. The heavy rain was enough to drown out the sound. So he did what he wanted to ever since getting his head pushed in the head. His face contorted into distraught as tears poured on his cheeks.


    ...


    A farm stood around a field of rice berries. The heavy rain that poured earlier has already stopped. Streams of water flowed into the paddies. Farmers and the rest of the group of peasants started to examine their rice berries. And the rest were plucking the rice berries, putting them into baskets.


    Lanon stood near the farm doors with the tip of his spear planted on the ground. A row of peasants lined up and placed the rice berries inside the farm. Lanon kept his silence and started with the peasants doing their work. He was placed in farm watch duty after a few scolding from Sir Rave.


    The rest of the soldiers were sent to the forests again to investigate a den of monsters. He was placed here as a non-essential personnel. He was told that having someone that leaves their comrade behind was not needed in a dangerous mission where they have to trust each other''s back.


    Lanon wasn''t bothered by it. In fact, he was rather pleased that he didn''t have to get his ass kicked or insulted again. He wasn''t that good at interacting with the soldier of Throes. Among the group of soldiers who were able to escape the fall of Oasis City. He was the only with the title of ¨C Lanon, the Nobody, the Sole Coward of the Throes.


    He was dishonored among the Throes and many were in favor to have him hanged for cowardice. Lanon knew that he could never act like what he did in the forests of the Teresina settlements. After all, how could he ever expect that while searching for scale monsters the alpha of the monsters would come out to kill them?


    The Captain that was the only one who didn''t scorn him died because of him. Lanon knew that if he didn''t freeze up the Captain would have died. If he didn''t run past his comrades to save himself then the soldiers in the camp wouldn''t treat him as badly. He could still remember being picked up by the guardsmen of throes. Being taught how to speak the Talon language, how to fight with a spear and defend one''s self and how to scout the area and prepare for the worst.


    They were kind enough to teach them the basics. Yet, he was now scorned by them because he was not what they expected him to be. Their expectation went to naught and that they were utterly disappointed for his lack of bravery and courage.


    Thus, he was here on this farm to be left behind, watching the farmers pick their rice berries. All he had to do was keep watch of the farmers and do it until the commander returns and calls for him. To Lanon it was better than facing the monsters of the forests that are hiding in the shadows. Not to mention that he would be utterly useless if he comes along with them. He knew his limit and fighting monsters were something that he wasn''t good at.


    "Are you the guardsman assigned?" a voice made Lanon move. He looked at the source of the voice and saw that it was a young man with brown hair. She has a wide smile, she wears a dress with a girdle, and Lanon could tell that she was done picking her rice berries quotas by the look of her palms. There was also a smell of rice berries and muddy water lingering on her.


    "Yes," he replied curtly. "Is there anything you want, Miss?"


    "Nothing," she smiled. "I was just wondering why they only sent one guard to the farm. Is it really true that the guardsmen of throes are being thinned?"


    Lanon was rather surprised by her frankness. "Who knows?" he shook his head. "The Fall of Oasis City has scattered the Guardsmen of Throes. With no City to protect we are forced to hunt down those who have invaded."


    "I see." She nodded thrice. "So what is your name mister?"


    "Lanon," he opened his mouth awkwardly. "That''s my name."


    "I see," she scratched her head. "Your name sounds really hard to say."


    "I don''t speak the talon language well."


    "Why?" she leaned forward with a smile reaching up her ears. "Are you not from here?"


    Lanon stared at her with a stare looking a thousand yards away. "I don''t know. I rather not tell."


    She nodded, "I see. It must be your lucky day, Lanon."


    "Yes," he nodded and eyed her. "What''s your name?"


    "My name is Alcina!" she declared. "I am new to this settlement. I work in the farms now."


    "Why now?"


    "Da''s Mill has been overrun by monsters so I was placed here instead. I think we are lucky that we still have work, right?"


    "You''re right. So Da''s Mill, will that place be okay?" he asked.


    "Yes," she nodded. "I think that a Walker has come to slay the monsters in Da''s Mill. I hope that the Walker finishes off the monsters! I heard the Mire has been cleaned up by him too."


    "Sound like he''s strong," he said with praise.


    "Yes! He''s strong and he knows how to handle his sword well!"


    "Glad to know then."


    Alcina nodded twice and stood shoulder to shoulder with Lanon. He looked at her for a moment and wondered why she was standing close to him. He was about to speak when suddenly there was a loud road coming out of the wooded area of the farm.


    "RUN AWAY THERE IS A HOB GOING ON A RAMPAGE RUN AWAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY"


    The man''s head turned into a pulpy flesh of chunks that spread like a flower on the muddy ground. The farmers who were plucking the rice berries stood still for three seconds before running and screaming away, abandoning their crops.


    Lanon''s jaws started to shiver badly. He eyed the tall hob that stood about seven feet tall. Its arms were the size of logs and the club on its hand was larger than a standing tree. The hob had excrement like teeth as it guffawed while tearing up the farmers.


    "What are you doing, Lanon?" shouted Alcina. "You have to help them!"


    Lanon stared eyes wide at Alcina. He was about to speak when she shouted loudly at him again. "GO AND HELP THEM NOW"


    Then, his body started to the direction of the Hob. He didn''t know why but he rushed at the Hob with his spear at hand. This got the attention of the Hob who consequently grinned at Lanon, readying its giant club. Lanon eyed the monster, his thoughts:


    "What the hell am I doing?!"

 Chapter 27: Day of a Guardsman of Throes

    Rain dropped heavily on the farm. Lanon found himself dive rolling to dodge the heavy and fast attacks of the Hob. The creature was bulky and tall, yet it was able to move its club with ease, targeting Lanon''s head. Lanon had no time to launch a counter-attack. All he could do was make use of his agility to dodge the attacks.


    "Damn it!" he thought. "I can''t get near this guy! His swings are too heavy and it produces a shockwave enough to stagger me! One hit and I am dead!"


    "Humie stop moving!" the Hob bashed the rice berry paddies, destroying the rice berries. The sight of flying rice berries gave the farmers watching a scream.


    Lanon contained his fear. He clenched his spear and shouted. "Run! Go away! Get help from anyone!"


    The farmers jolted not because of Lanon but because of the Hob eyeing them with a grin. This made the villagers scatter away from the sight except for the girl that was talking with Lanon before all of this started. She was hiding but Lanon was able to spot her easily.


    "What the hell is she doing!" he shouted internally.


    "Humie kill then eat other humies!" the hob chortled.


    Lanon suppressed the fear in his heart. If he retreats now he would be hanged by his fellow soldiers. If he doesn''t retreat he would be killed by the Hob who he cannot even get close. The reach of the Hob was tree-length and each swing was enough to stagger him into freezing for three seconds.


    Lanon has no idea how to defeat this Hob. He only had his spear and his armor to protect him. He didn''t have any extra equipment and there was nothing around the area other than the rice paddies and the farmhouse that stores all the harvested rice berries.


    "I couldn''t run into the woods either. If that bastard strikes then I would have to deal with the wooden shards flying everywhere. It is also cramped in the woods, sure I can hide, but can I do it while this monster swings that shit around?" he thought.


    He looked at the mud around the paddies. "I might be able to blind this bastard with mud. It''ll be effective once and I''ll have a ten-second window. I''m fucked either way!"


    The hob kept swinging the club around the rice berry fields. Lanon carefully watched the hob''s attack and shuffled around the fields while keeping preserving his stamina. The hob wasn''t giving him time to scoop some mud and fling it on the hob''s face.


    The Hob was getting irritated by Lanon''s evasive actions. It started to get more violent and its swing was getting heavier and faster. Lanon kept his calm forcibly, he clenched his jaw, tightened his hold of the spear''s shaft and watched the steps of the Hob.


    Rain poured heavily on Lanon''s face. His vision of the Hob was getting blurrier and he was feeling the cold. His heartbeat was getting louder. His breathing was starting to get ragged, and he was starting to get sore. He has been evading the Hob for four minutes. The hob had extraordinary stamina while he was getting slower.


    He was already covered in mud, and the mud has already entered his boots. His eyes were dilated and his hearing was getting sharper as adrenaline rushes into his head. If he didn''t move into the rice berry field he would have long been put down by the Hob. He was using the rice berry field to slow down the hob and have enough space to dodge the attacks.


    "My legs are getting heavier. The Hob''s getting angrier and my eyesight is getting blurrier. I can''t wipe it or I''ll get hit. I should wipe it when I need to do a combat roll," he thought.


    "Humie will kill!" the Hob'' anger reached a new intensity. The Hob smashed the club on the rice berry field, creating a huge splatter that blocked Lanon''s view of the Hob. This unexpected move of the hob startled Lanon. He tried to retreat away from the attack but the tree-like club entered his viewpoint.


    He moved his spear. "Shit! I cannot block it! I cannot dodge it at this range!" he thought. "I should redirect it then!"


    He placed the tip of his spear and did a pole vault to dodge the attack. This allowed Lanon to avoid the attack but in return, the force of the strike dislocated his left arm. His spear got bent and broken and he landed with enough force on the rice berry field, his head dripping with blood.


    "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" he shouted. He clenched his teeth. He held his tears back as he scuttled back and dodges the strike of the Hob. He treaded the rice berry field and took a distance away from the hob. "My arm hurts like hell! I''ll die if that Hob does something like that again!"


    The Hob could talk and think therefore it possesses intelligence. Lanon wanted to believe that it was a dumb-witted but clearly that illusion was shattered. "I have to run!" he thought. "If I stay here I will die! I cannot win this fight!"


    He started to his feet and run while holding his left arm. The Hob saw this and started to guffaw madly as if sensing the fear inside Lanon. "Run Humie! I kill then tear your bone and eat flesh!"


    The Hob got madly excited. Its large legs stomped heavily on the rice field as he starts his chase. Lanon ran to the woods while his teeth clattered loudly. His face was crumpled as he could feel the tremor that was sounding out behind him.


    He knew that he did his job. He was weak and the only thing he could was run and drags the Hob away from the rice berry fields. He doesn''t know how to deal with Hob at the moment and thus he could only try and make use of the cramped woods to take cover while he tries to find a solution to this predicament of his. Despair was starting to swallow Lanon, yet he his legs didn''t freeze or thought of cowering in fear. He rather die than beg for his life!


    The foliage''s allowed Lanon to have a cover. He could tell that the Hob was getting angrier. It was smashing the trees around and shouting infuriating words towards Lanon. Lanon''s face was covered in water and sweet. He was biting a cloth while aligning his dislocated arm.


    He pulled his right arm forward and shouted in pain. Balls of tears appeared on the duct of his eyes, his lower mouth trembling badly as he squeezes his left fist. He calmed himself down by patting his chest. "I should be okay. Think, I have no advantage from the start. I have only the woods and I have no equipment in me. My spear got broken, and I have no dagger to speak off," he looked at the area. "Twigs, sharp rocks, vines, branches, and wide leaves, I can make a sling out of these materials."


    He noticed a beehive. "I can use that to throw it at the monsters." His eyes darted to the branches. "I should make a stake and try to stab the monster in the eyes. That way I could blind it. There''s a chance that it will blindly swing its club. I''ll use that chance to gather some rocks and use the sling to break its fucking skull."


    "Think, adapt and overcome this somehow!" he took a deep breath through his nose. He crept towards the materials and built himself a makeshift sling. He then used the sharp rocks to sharpen the ends of the branches. He listened in to the angry roar of the Hob and crawled towards the beehive and carefully wrapped it with the wide leaves. He used the vines to make a leaf bag and crawled through the thickly overgrown faunas and eyed the Hob carefully.


    The Hob was swinging the tree-like club around the trees. The trees shook and the leaves fell down on the ground. Lanon made use of the sounds to move from cover to cover. He positioned himself to where he could throw the beehive. But before that, he threw a rock and distracted the Hob who then smashed the area where he threw the rock. Lanon readied and waited for the Hob to turn around. When it did, he flung the beehive right in the face of the Hob and quickly retreated as the thumb-size bees started to sting the face of the Hob.


    The hob started to panic. The tree-size smashed through the trees. Lanon quickly picked up the rocks and started hitting the Hob in the head. The action did nothing but infuriate the Hob. The Hob charged to where Lanon was. Thus, he quickly climbed the trees and drew the two wooden stakes he hung on his belt and threw himself at the shoulders of the Hob. The Hob tried to fling him away. Lanon gritted his teeth, warm fluid in his pants, he climbed the top of the head of the Hob and stabbed both stakes right in the ear holes of the Hob.


    Lanon drew the sharp stone he picked up and clung to the head of the Hob. He carved the stone across the eyes of the Hob. Blood poured out and the Hob started to roar loudly as it finally drops the club that it was holding to blocked the blood dripping out of its eyes. It roared mightily and it echoed loud enough for people to hear it.


    Lanon wasn''t done. He pulled the stone back and smashed the top of the Hob. His hands hurt but he kept on hitting the Hob''s head until he dropped the sharp stone. He took the coil of vines and tied on the stakes he stabbed on the hob''s ears. He held the vines like reins and use it pull the stake towards the brain of the Hob. He was shaking badly as he arcs his back to drive the stake deeper. Blood flowed like faucet water out of the ear of the hob. The Hob, in its last desperate attempt to survive, grabbed hold of the vine reins and flung Lanon away to a nearby tree.


    Lanon''s back smashed heavily against the tree. He slid down the tree and landed on his four limbs, vomiting blood. He was shaking badly as his vision blurred badly. The Hob reached out its stubby hand towards Lanon. Its face was swollen and its eyes were bleeding profusely. Lanon crawled away from the Hob and gritted his teeth. The Hob wasn''t able to grab Lanon, and it could only fall face first in the ground with a loud thud. Lanon stared at the beast without a word for a second. He blanked out and lost all feeling on his body.


    He woke up with the rain continuously pouring above his head. He stood up from where he was standing and neared the fallen Hob. He looked at the beast angrily before he grabs a sharp stake and started stabbing the sinews of the Hob. It took him a while and before he knew it he was covered in Hob''s blood. He took the bloody head of the Hob and tied it around his belt with the vine. He was hurting all over. He was suffering from internal injuries and he knew that if he doesn''t have any medicine he will die.


    He trudged the forest and marched back to the farm where the peasants stared at the rice berry fields in despair. All of them looked at Lanon with sneers on their faces. He already knew that he won''t get thanked for doing his job. The Hob destroyed the fields after these peasants waited for months to have a good harvest. That''s why he took the Hob''s head with him in case they want to point their fingers at him and blame him for being incompetent. The farmers could see the head of the Hob tied around Lanon. They could not rush at him or blame but inside their heads they were cursing him for doing what he did. If he didn''t lure the Hob their fields won''t be destroyed. They expected a guardsman of Throes to do his job magnificently and guard them. Yet, they were disappointed by what happened. Lanon could not blame their sneers and jeers. He was not a monster slayer. He was just a nobody who did what he could to live.

 Chapter 28: Monsters for the Monsters

    Lanon walked inside the camp of the Guardsmen of Throes, carrying the Hob''s head. The Hob left a bloody trail and those who saw him were surprised that their coward was able to bring a monster''s head. Lanon ignored most of their queer stares. He walked into the tent where the doctor was and sat on the stool.


    The doctor eyed him, "You look like shit."


    "I am, doctor," said Lanon. "I have a Hob''s head. Can I ask for treatment for this?"


    The Doctor took the Hob''s head that was offered. "Ears are punctured, the eyes are slashed, and severe damage inside the head. How did you take down this lower monster?"


    "Two stakes in the ears, and a sharpened rock to the eyes. My spear broke so I have to make do with what I found in the forest." He rounded his arm. "Doc, I would love to talk about this but can treat me? I think I am going to faint."


    "Let me see," the doctor neared Lanon. "Hurt your back from a tree eh?" he nodded. "Looks like you''ve done well in surviving considering your record. I''ve told the commander that you should be good as a scout and looks like I was right. I don''t know why he''s sending you to the hot zones."


    "The monsters are still around," said Lanon. "Every single day a guardsman dies because of the Higher Monsters. The monsters we are hunting are middle-tier monsters. Most of the Higher Monsters that came from the barren lands have taken control of the lower monsters like this bastard." He knocked the Hob''s head.


    "I guess you actually listen," said the Doctor. "That''s right. Most of the monsters we are lower-tier monsters controlled by the Higher Monsters of the Barren Lands. The scale monsters that wiped the squad yesterday belong to the middle-tier monsters. These are monsters with harden defenses but they do not have the magical defenses of the Higher Tier monsters which we would need a master of the arcane to deal with. All these deaths are not something to laugh about." He eyed Lanon. "That''s why I asked you are not hanging upon a tree. We need manpower to deal with the threats."


    "I see," Lanon smiled wearily. "So does killing this Hob make me useful?"


    "Barely," said the Doctor. "Anyone could kill a Hob as long as they can cut the back of their knees and bring them down. The moment I entered this organization I killed five Hobs every day. I needed to study the insides of these monsters and use them to test the drugs that I concoct." He eyed Lanon. "You should count killing a hob as a blessing. I can convince Leader not to hang you up in the tree. Lanon, I hate bastards who leave their comrades behind. But, we need every man right now that Oasis City has fallen. Come, I''ll treat your wounds."


    Lanon nodded gingerly. He let the Doctor take care of his wounds. He drank concoctions that stank like a dead frog and forced himself to swallow the concoctions down his throat. After that, his legs carried him to his tent where he rested and took care of his own bruises that the Doctor didn''t treat. "Man up," said the Doctor to him.


    "I thought that I killed something ''strong''. A lower-tier monster, give me a break." He thought internally. "I did all that yet that monster is considered weak and even the doctor could kill? What a big joke, this world truly is a big joke." He grabbed his forehead.


    Helplessness, despair, bitterness, and sadness covered Lanon''s heart. The proud feeling of killing a monster without any assistance vanished so easily without a single trace. He gritted his teeth in anger. He struggled to kill that yet monster but getting told outright that the monster he killed amount to nothing?


    How could he feel great about that?


    He did what he could and in the end, it didn''t matter. The world that Lanon stands in was inherently cruel that people have grown jaded and strong. A monster like that was a threat to Lanon but it wasn''t for those who were used to them. He could not rack his brain or fathom how they could live in such a world that they think that a monster that could break trees with its club was nothing but a ''low-tier'' threat to them. He could understand why their mindset was like that. He could but yet in the end even among the people he was of the lowest tier.


    A weak nobody that was considered as useless on their own standards on what a strong man should be. Lanon could understand yet at the same he could not. He was no warrior. He was only good at running or climbing around. He was useless when it comes to a straight fight and he knew that unless he goes into a life-changing situation that he might change as a person. He might turn into a wonderful warrior, a soldier of fortune, a veteran with a lot of experiences or a monster in a human form.


    Yet at the moment he was a Guard A that amount to nothing. Here inside his tent, he was aching from his bruises caused by monster considered weak even to the guards. Lanon felt miserable to the point of crying, yet he could not complain or dare to voice out the thoughts inside his head. He can never cry. He can never beg or act as if he was afraid. He needed to act like a local.


    "I should be happy that I am alive at least, or should I be mad that I am still alive? Or is this a dream and a nightmare that I might never wake from? Even living is suffering, yet here I am foolishly trudging forward despite the hardship that I am facing. Am I a masochist? I have a way to thrust a blade to my throat or cut my wrist yet here I am thinking of it only. Am I coward or a brave man for continuing on despite all of this suffering?" he thought.


    Lanon didn''t know the answer to his own thoughts. That''s why he can only ponder about it as the winds gently caress the walls of his tents.


    ...


    Sir Rave trod the grounds along with his guardsmen. Their faces had the air of depression as they move their feet along the road. In their hunt against the middle-tier monsters, they lose another ten of their men who died bravely. Every single day they have to watch their comrade die because of these monsters.


    "Sir, it is Da''s Mill," one of his guardsmen said.


    Sir Rave slowly moved his eyes to the Da''s Mill. The mill was used to sort out the rice berries, the product of the local which have grown their roots over the years of settling down. The Teresina Settlements are still highly populated with lower and middle-tier monsters. The recent events of the fall of Oasis City made the settlements restless and gloomy. The Da''s Mill was one of the popular mill and the biggest mill in the place. Sir Rave could recall that rice berries are sorted out by the size of the berry beads. Each of these berries is sold by their size.


    "Look at this mill," said Sir Rave. "Once teeming with workers yet empty because of the monsters. What a sad scene!"


    "Sir," said a soldier with a low voice. "Look at that." He pointed at the field where the rice berries are usually placed. There was a man in a cloak with two sigils on his cloak. He carried a well-made blade that was rather dirtier but was still exceptionally sharpened.


    Sir Rave could tell that the person wanted the blade only for practical use. He didn''t care for how it looked but only how it would work against his enemies. The man in a hooded cloak moved slowly through the fields and slowly impaled the buck-tooth child-like monsters with brown skin with his sword. His movements were precise and calculated as he crept along the shadows and become it as he kills along the field.


    "He''s skilled," commented the soldier. "I wouldn''t want to fight alone in that field. It looks like there are warrior hobs eating the berries inside the mill, Sir."


    Sir Rave observed the four hobs that were eating the sacks of rice berries. Killing them would make enough noise yet the man with the cloak carried his steps lightly and killed as if he knew where to strike. The crossbow he carried easily shot inside the ears of the Hob Warriors, and they all fell down and when the other lowly creatures noticed the death of the hobs, the man with the hooded cloak has already taken the watchers and sniped the remaining guards with his crossbow.


    The rest of the pack scattered the moment they found out about the fallen. They quickly rushed at the man with the hooded cloak only to be put to the sword by the man. By the time the wind from the east stopped blowing the monsters around the mill were killed with precision. What was left among the fields were the dead monsters and their own pool of blood.


    The man with the hooded cloaked wiped his blade using the rags of the monsters he has slain. Sir Rave and his guardsmen watched with admiration and fear at the slayer that killed a den of monsters. Da''s Mill has been on their life yet they continued to place it last on their list until the situation went bad. Yet, the monster in human form before them was able to clear the place as if he has done it for so many times.


    Sir Rave could tell that the man was rather young. But, the sigils on his cloak told him that the man was a walker who possibly has walked so far that he was used to doing so. He couldn''t understand how much a monster someone could be at the young age.


    But how could he understand someone who has walked through hell every single day fighting beings beyond him? How could he understand the sufferings that the man with cloak experienced? Sir Rave could look at the warrior with admiration, yet he didn''t dare to move and only talk.


    "Tell the rest to go and secure Da''s Mill. We shan''t let any monster get near that place unless we want to waste this man''s time. Look at that warrior, men. He did his task with absolute mastery and one day I hope that those who survive the current trials would become someone like that." He looked at everyone''s eyes. "Men, we are facing a tribulation brought on by the Gods themselves. Even with the brave warriors, we were unable to defend Oasis City. We were not around at that time when Oasis needed us the most. It is because of this sin that we are now hunting these lowly monsters down. We have sinned and we shall repent by hunting down the monsters that dares to allies with the abominations of the barren lands."


    The Guardsmen of Throes straightened their bodies. Their dominant hand held the shaft and hilts of their weapons. They looked at Sir Rave with a grim determination on their faces. Most of them felt distraught at the fall of Oasis. They lost loved ones and now they have to live repenting over their inability to protect their beloved city at her time of need.


    In their mission, they lost five good men who died bravely. They had heavy hearts but seeing a show of bravery and skill made them motivated. If that man could do it then they should be able to do so too. They want to believe that they will be able to survive this tribulation and repent through slaying their enemies. They were the last of the Guardsmen of Throes and every single day many of them die. So at the moment, they could only be brave.


    Sir Rave had troubles within his heart. Yet, he was reminded of what a human could do. What the Bleak Walkers are, and how they could possibly walk through lands that many men would despair. He respected these wandering men, and now he felt like he needed this kind of display to motivate his men. This reminded him of what a human could do and even at the face of these monsters, they can become monsters for the monsters too.

 Chapter 29: The Parting Ways

    Nolan leaned on the counter of the bar with his elbows. He was staring at the pouch of talon coins he earned from clearing Da''s mill from the monsters that made a nest over the area. He couldn''t possibly kill them all alone so he had to use stealth and sneak attack tactics.


    It worked since he was alive and he was able to earn enough coins to get the supplies he needed. Sleeping bags, tents, provisions, materials, and clothing were the things he needed. The items are not for him, however. He prioritized Ciara over himself because she could not possibly travel through the Outer lands and head for the place where the Three Fates are.


    He was confident. He was really confident that he could travel to that place. But, he was worried that Ciara will have troubles. He was now staring at the leftover coins. He could use it to drink and wash some of his sorrows away but in the end, he only bought a cup of grape wine. He sought to be alone as he stares from the pouch of talon coins to the reflection of his in the cup of grape wine.


    Behind him were the farmers and workers listening to the bard who wore a hat with a feather in it. He was rather suave and his lute rang through the bar with a rather melancholic tone that melted with the sober tone of the bar. They already knew that Da''s Mill has been liberated. But, the destruction of the fields of rice berries gave the farmers and workers something to be sad about. Settlements are being raided and fathers are losing their sons over cruel monsters that treat them as food.


    The bard crafted a lonely tune that soothed the heart of patrons of the bar. The Innkeeper wiped his cups while his ears were perked. The waitress who would talk to Nolan listened to the bard, captivated by his lonely tune. Nolan tilted his head at the bard and listened for a while. He sipped on his cup of grape wine until he had enough. He took the pouch and climbed up the stairs.


    Opening the door, he found Ciara looking out the window. Outside, the raindrops dropped from the skies, creating pools of water along the roads. She was immersed in watching the rain that she didn''t notice Nolan sliding inside the room, sitting cross-legged.


    Only when she spotted him from the corner of her eye that she nodded at him. She wanted to open her mouth but she smelled blood over him. He was holding the pouch of talon coins and there was a trace of grape wine around his collar.


    She was glad. She was worried that he might not use the rest of the coins for his own use. He already bought her the things she needed. He only had a sleeping bag and he would stand guard just like what he would always do when they are traveling.


    "It is all set?" said Ciara. "Did you have a drink like I told you to?"


    "Yes," he nodded. "I did what you wanted, Ciara."


    "Not because I told you to?"


    "Yes. I did it because I wanted a drink."


    She smiled, "That''s good. Nolan, you always say that you are used to all of it. But, even you should take pleasure in drinking a sweet grape wine, right?"


    "I do," he replied with a slight smile.


    When he brought the items they needed inside the room. She told Nolan that he needed time to drink or relax. Nolan wanted some rest so he took the chance to settle around the bar of the Inn for quite a while. Nolan naturally didn''t want to spend the money yet she wasn''t taking no as an answer.


    He could understand her mindset. She was a prideful woman and even though she does not show it. He knew that she wants to appear as what she truly is. She was unbendable and even though she lost her legs. She grabbed on to the hope of restoring her legs, even clinging to his back. He knows that she thinks it was shameless. Yet, she still holds on so that she can repay him when she gets her legs back.


    He could recall something from the future past. She as a War Maiden called him near a ridge. It was then that she glared at him with murderous eyes. The eyes were so cold that it confused Nolan on what she was done. He could still remember it clearly.


    "Do you love me out of pity? Is that it?" she said.


    Nolan at that time was confused. He wanted to speak but he was hurled with insults and curses.


    "I don''t want your pity! I am a War Maiden and if you are doing all of this foolishness because of this then let it go! I won''t be merciful!" she shouted with her right hand on the hilt of her sword. She was so good at hiding it that Nolan didn''t notice. "Please leave me alone."


    Her tone was lonely and desolate. Nolan at that time didn''t understand. But, he kowtowed in front of her and swore his love was not a lie. She wasn''t convinced by his kowtowing so he carved a cross around his chest to prove that he was not lying.


    Yet, that didn''t convince her either. She left without saying a word and it only left Nolan into a mess. At that time a battle was taking a place. Nolan fought with all of his might and was struck down by a warrior. From his shoulder down to his waist he was slashed. He was down for the count and was unable to move. He was buried under the corpses of his comrades that it took them two days to recover him out of the battlefield.


    It was then that even at the edge of death that Nolan proclaimed his love. She accepted finally yet it took years for her to accept. It was not easy for Nolan and through the years they''ve been together. He has known how she would think and how she hated being treated with pity. So he could understand why she wanted him to drink instead of spending all of his money on her.


    The rain stopped falling the next day. Nolan carried Ciara on his back yet again and left the Inn silently. They went out of the settlement and headed straight to this forest of towering trees. The roots of the trees were overgrown. Nolan carried Ciara and carefully treaded over the roots.


    The sky cleared up. Streaks of lights passed through the leaves. Faunas of different colors were everywhere around the forest. Nolan was looking around the forest carefully while Ciara was digesting the sight before her. She hasn''t explored much of the world so this was her first time seeing such sights.


    Nolan marched through the forest. He scaled giant overgrown roots and breathes heavily when he reaches the tops. The forest was rather slippery due to the rain. Yet, it didn''t stop Nolan from continued his journey along the forest.


    The forest itself stretches miles. There could be giant monsters or dangerous enemies. He was not afraid of facing these monsters that, he was worried about the safety of Ciara. They would rest under a tree husk and light up fire carefully. He would rest two hours and watch over her. There are times where he was forced to do what Ciara wanted. He was told to rest and sleep. He was occasionally reminded by Ciara to stop and take a break.


    Nolan has become a single-minded one track mind person due to his experiences. He was restless. He was paranoid. His focus was outright obsessive. He wasn''t a smart person. He wasn''t much of a thinker so he had to focus on what is in front of him to do what he could.


    Ciara has noticed this so he had to reprimand him. That was all he could to Nolan who was carrying her. She didn''t want him to endanger his own self. He was her lifeline and the thought of him being hurt because of her would churn Ciara''s heart


    "He''s too nice," she thought. "I don''t really deserve such a man."


    While that thought ran wild inside Ciara''s head. Nolan, who didn''t mind Ciara''s concerns, thought, "Even in this timeline, she worries too much. I guess she''s still her no matter how down she is." He climbed a tree and pulled himself up the top.


    "I should be able to give her legs back. Hah, maybe she''ll be happier if she finds out what taking her to the Three fates would mean," he thought.


    Nolan knew of doctors who could possibly heal her legs. But, he instead has chosen to take her to the three fates where she would receive their blessing and be born anew. She would regain her lost beauty and her body would be reborn.


    In the past life, Ciara wasn''t blessed by the Three Fates. The Three Fates were killed off and she has to fight an entire war between light and darkness with an incomplete blessing. In the past life, she would tell Nolan of this regret. So he had to at least do this for her. "Once she gets her true powers and beauty...I guess she won''t need some walker. Having someone like me at her side would be no good. She deserves better than some fool who would let her die in front of him."


    His thoughts ran wild as he crossed a lumber-sized branch and cross another tree. He descended down a thick coil of vines and touched the feet with his ground. He wove through the giant trees and arrived in this round pond where he was able to refill his canteen. They rested around the pool for a while before continuing on.


    ...


    Ciara found herself sweating as she looks down. She was clinging to Nolan who was slowly climbing the walls of the mountain in the middle of the night with only the moon''s light to guide him. She was shaking to her core. She wasn''t able to enjoy the climb. All she could hear after all was the chippings of the mountain walls and Nolan''s rag breathing. She felt her skin prickled and her breathing turning into a cloud. Her eyelids were covered in cold sweat.


    Nolan has already climbed high enough for her to see the clouds below them. She didn''t know why they were climbing but as someone who could not complain all she could do was to keep her silence. Nolan rested on the piton while trying to adjust his breathing. It took him minutes till he could continue climbing the mountaintop.


    Nolan and Ciara reached the top of the mountain. It was not cold surprisingly and this surprised Ciara. Nolan placed her away from the edges of the mountain and started a fire. The place started to become warm. Ciara was about to play with the fire when she saw the myriad of stars, galaxies, planets, and the cosmos clear within her sight.


    Her vision was filled with stars that looked like they were droppings of milk. She could not understand but the sight of the magnificence of the skies soothed and calmed her down. She stood unmoving. Nolan watched her with a smile as he applied ointment for his hands.


    Ciara was stunned. She felt small and unneeded yet seeing the wonders changed something inside her. She stared at the stars lightly. Nolan offered her food which she accepted. She ate the food that was given to her. While Nolan sat by her side and watched the stars.


    "It''s beautiful isn''t it?" asked Nolan.


    "Yes,'' she said. "It is really beautiful. I am sorry that you''ve to carry me above this beautiful place."


    "It was my pleasure to do so." He nodded his head. He continued watching the stars while eating the food that he took out from his bag. It was odd. It made Ciara thought of many things. It also made Nolan recall how he liked the view of the stars and the galaxies. There was no pollution in this world and thus everything could be seen. It has been years since he has seen the stars. When the world darkened the view of the stars disappeared for they were covered by the darkness.


    He was able to see the stars again with Ciara. He was rather happy about sharing this moment but he knew that such good times never truly last. He would have to do what he needed to do after taking her to the Three Fates. It was time for the parting glass.

 Chapter 30: The Choice to Bleakness

    The fortress of the three fates was heavily guarded. It was a secret location only known by a few who have long forgotten the Three Fates and their roles in the affairs of the world. They are the weaves of fate that has always weaved through the fates with their watchful eye.


    Lately, the fortress and their long-time servants have grown weary. Their masters have predicted the end of the fortress and that the Three Fates will have to retreat from the world, let it fight the darkness that will come over and cover the whole world. They''ve received the fate of the world through the Creator of All. They were ready to sew the fate yet they were hoping that one would defy fate.


    They wouldn''t have this thought at all when they haven''t heard the fall of Oasis and the awakening of the Beholder that was sealed in ancient times. They were glad that the Beholder was killed before it could truly regain its potential of unleashing untold destruction. They could feel a meddler of fates among the world. Who was this fate meddler? They didn''t know.


    Lady Decima, Lady Aisa, and Lady Nona gathered around a dancing fire. Lady Decima wore a headdress, clothed in white. Lady Aisa wore a blue gown with a headdress. Lady Nona wore a fierce red robe along with a headdress. The three of them observed the fire that danced in front of them.


    None of them spoke in the round chamber that they were in. Only the dancing fire''s crackle could be heard and the three ladies of fate nodding their heads. Their eyes glowed with the color of the fire. They perceived through the fire and yet they could not see what they were looking for.


    Who was the meddler of fates?


    They wanted to know yet their time was ticking short. Their ''end'' was coming and the War Maiden that would receive the blessing of the Three Ladies of Fate was nowhere to be found. They felt the awakening of the War Maiden through the fire. Yet, no Kingdom or King brought the War Maiden with them. Many started to believe that the War Maiden was lost or captured. Or that the War Maiden knows what her identity was but refused to resign to her fate. She refuses to bear the burden of being the favored maiden of the God of War.


    In their time as watchers, the three ladies have seen these scenarios. They could not blame a woman for refusing to bear the burden of the world on her shoulders. Yet, what perplexed the Three Ladies of Fate was that there was a will coming from the War Maiden to bear the burden. The will was strong and overbearing that they wanted to know who this war maiden was. They''ve sent their servants to look for this War Maiden yet they were not successful. Even their scrying proved no use in knowing the locations of the War Maiden.


    It could only mean that there was someone or something covering the War Maiden''s tracks. It made the three fates confused and worried. That''s why they wanted to consult the fire. But the fire only told them to wait. The Three Ladies never felt this worried.


    Only when that the door gently opens and a woman with the horns of a dragon entered the round chamber that the Three Ladies of Fate moved. The Three Ladies of Fate looked at the woman with warm eyes. "What is it?" said Lady Decima.


    "She''s here," said the woman. "She''s...being carried by someone."


    "Someone?" said Lady Aisa. "Who is it?"


    "It would be best if you see him yourself," said the dragon-horned woman.


    The Three Ladies shared a look before they went out of the chamber with a lockstep. They moved gently and when they were out of the chamber they saw a man in a hooded cloak. His face was covered with a scarf but the Three Ladies could tell what he was from the sigils in his eyes.


    "A Bleak Walker...an Heir of the Old Revenant," said Lady Nona. "No wonder we could not perceive the War Maiden. The Bleak Walker of the Old Revenant would curse his heirs with the ability to be seen by any wards. So are you the reason why the War Maiden was nowhere to be found."


    He took a step forward, "I shall not bore you with my name. Beyond this chamber is the War Maiden. I carried her to fulfill her fate and be blessed by the War Maidens of the Old."


    "You know of the sharing of thoughts from the Past Incarnations of the War Maiden?" asked Lady Aisa.


    "Yes." He replied with a nod. "I''ve heard of the ritual and I came here to deliver her."


    Lady Decima examined him. "To carry the War Maiden through this fortress means that you''ve faced the dangers of reaching this place. Why?"


    Nolan eyed the Lady with no fear. "The Three Ladies should know why a man would carry a woman through mountains and forests filled with monsters. You should know why I would do all of this. The Ladies should know this well."


    "We do," answered Lady Decima. "And we praised you for doing this. For the sake of this love, you''d carry her through many obstacles. I can guess what you want from us."


    "No. You could not possibly guess," Nolan breathe a sigh. "I''ve carried Ciara here out of my will. She''s a woman worthy to be the War Maiden. She never lost her will and along the way she only thought of the burdens that she has given to me by carrying her. If I was selfish I would have allowed myself to be by her side. But, the Three of you ladies should know what a Bleak Walker is."


    "Indeed," Lady Aisa agreed. "An Heir of the Old Revenant being by the War Maiden''s side would prove troublesome. Yet, we are the Three Fates, if you wish we can always alter that."


    Nolan smiled lightly. "I''ve seen many through these eyes. Removing these sigils and allowing me to by her side would be an insult to those that have died." Nolan eyed the Three Fates with his eyes glowing with the two sigils brightly.


    The Three Ladies felt the emotions coming from the sigils. The screams of the damned and the sufferings of those who died and the feeling of the one who saw them die. The countless souls that Nolan''s eyes have seen through surge inside the Three Ladies like a curse that made their heart heavier. How could they embrace the sufferings that they are experiencing? How could he endure these endless recurring torments forever branded upon his eyes?


    "You poor man," said the three in unison.


    "I do not need the pity," said Nolan with a weary smile. "I am used to this and I believe that you can understand what I want."


    "You do not want to by her side," said Lady Decima. "Pray tell, why do you insist to walk this path?"


    Nolan nodded. He told the three ladies his thoughts.


    ...


    Ciara stayed seated with the servants of the three ladies. She was garbed in a ritual outfit. The servants took care o her hair and the way she was. She could tell that they only have admiration for her especially at the sight of the War Maiden''s sigil on her back. But that was all. She was only the ''War Maiden'' on everyone''s eyes.


    "I guess he''s the only that really looked at me like that," she thought. "Where''s Nolan I wonder?" she looked around.


    It was then that the doors swung gently. The Three Ladies of Fate appeared before Ciara. They emitted an aura that made Ciara feel like she was facing royalty. She lowered her head but Lady Decima lifted her head. She smiled at Ciara and gestured at Nolan to carry her.


    Nolan gently lifted Ciara up from her seat and carried her like a Princess. Lady Aisa and Lady Nona pointed with their hand and made Nolan follow them along a marbled pathway leading up to an open stage. The pillars had torches that dance to the tune of the wind.


    "Where are we going?" asked Ciara.


    "To your fate," smiled Nolan. "We''re here to fix your legs, right?"


    "Is that?" Ciara furrowed her brows. "Are you hiding something from me?"


    "I may have."


    "What is it?"


    "You will have to see it for yourself."


    Nolan ascended up the stairs with a huff.


    "Nolan...after this will I be fulfilling my role as the War Maiden?"


    "Yes."


    "Will I be a good one?"


    "You will. I know that you will." He thought. "I''ve seen you lead armies of the light and carried the will of the light through the barren lands."


    "You really think so?" she said. Her eyes were pointing at the top of the stage. "I will believe you. But, I have a wish that I hope that you will listen. I''ve burdened you by carrying me to this place. This is rather selfish but...can you stay by my side?"


    Nolan stopped. He didn''t expect that. "Why?"


    "Are you really asking this question?" she eyed him. "You''ve carried me through dangers and took care of me despite the look of my face. No sane woman would miss this chance of having such a dependable husband. My head tells me that you deserve better than me who would bear some of the burdens of this world. But my heart aches at the thought of not having you all to myself. Is that selfish of me?"


    "No," he chuckled.


    "What''s there to laugh about? I am being honest here yet you dare to chuckle?" she snorted through her nose. "You''ve seen what my body has to offer. I cannot be married to anyone other than you now."


    "That''s sounds logical."


    "It is!" she said.


    Nolan arrived in front of the stage. Ciara eyed the stage and turned to Nolan. "So after this ritual is done...would you want to discuss this?"


    "Yes," he said with a smile.


    Nolan carried Ciara and placed her in the middle of the open-stage. The Three Ladies went to their designated positions and raised their hands up. Fire materialized out of thin air and conjoined with a sharp light. The dragon-horned woman pointed her palm at Nolan.


    She said, "To bear the curse of the War Maiden would mean that her natural ability to attract monsters shall be transferred unto your eyes. Monsters would chase you and you would have no rest. Are you sure about this? The War Maiden is not so weak that she would need you to do this."


    "I am sure about this," Nolan nodded twice.


    "I see," the dragon-horned woman nodded. "I praised you for this. But...are you sure that you want to walk the bleak path?"


    "I am used to it," he mouthed. "Is it starting?"


    "Yes."


    The three fates started the ritual. The space around the area churned and trembled. Strings of energy moved like strings and weaved the soul of Ciara who was standing strong against this ritual. Nolan was getting the treatment but the strings stitched a sigil on his eyes.


    Blood poured from his eyes sockets. He convulsed but he never kneeled and stood strong against this fate. The dragon-horned woman watched placidly without any change of emotions.


    Ciara felt that her soul was getting sewed. The thoughts and the experiences of the past War Maidens bonded with her soul and body. She was being enriched and the pain was greater than she could have ever imagined. But she chose to endure this pain and told herself to be brave. She thought of Nolan who was watching her. She didn''t want to disappoint him who suffered just to carry her here.


    Suddenly, she found herself on a mirror sea. She looked down and followed a trail of dots. Her burnt skin slowly fell from her face like cracks from the ceiling. She felt her body stronger and she could tell that she has regained her beauty. She was happy for a moment before the pain erupted again.


    She found herself floating with her dirty blonde hair flowing wildly. She felt intense power surrounding her and she felt like the world was made of paper. Her senses grew wild and the moment she landed on top of the stage. She felt like the world was clearer and that she could do anything!


    "The War Maiden has awakened!"


    She heard shouts coming from everywhere. The servants of the three fates kneeled at her presence. The Three Ladies smiled gently as they welcomed the War Maiden.


    Ciara was shocked to her core. All these people were looking at her with admiration and joy. There was hope in their eyes and she could feel that they truly were glad of her presence. She wanted to speak but no words came out of her mouth. It was then that she remembered the person who carried her.


    "Huh?"


    She looked around yet Nolan was nowhere to be found. She examined the surroundings yet there was not a single trace of where Nolan was. Her senses were much better and the incarnations of the War Maiden gave her the skills to lead the world yet she could not find Nolan!


    "Where is he?" she turned to the dragon-horned woman.


    "He left," she answered.


    "Where did he go?"


    "We simply don''t know," said the dragon-horned woman. "He disappeared without a trace. I thought he was standing just near me but he was long gone. He was like a Ghost that vanished into thin air."


    "That''s not possible!" Ciara shouted as she rushes out of the stage and outside the fortress gates. She spread her senses yet she could not find a single trail left behind by Nolan. The Three Ladies of Fate followed Ciara and they looked at her with eyes filled with lament.


    "Lady Ciara, I believe that you have the right to know this," Lady Decima lowered her head.


    "Know what?" Ciara''s heart started beating furiously.


    "The person that has brought you here...he was the heir of the Old Revenant. He was simply the guide that was sent for you to be in this fortress. It was his duty to carry you here and now that his duty has been fulfilled. You could see that he has vanished. You should have tried feeling his presence."


    Ciara''s eyes dilated. "That cannot be. I spent my time on his back! I''ve heard and felt his beating heart and the warmth of his body! He cannot be a lie or a ghost!"


    The dragon-horned woman shook her head. "We do not know if he exists or simply a ghost. But the truth is that he has disappeared."


    Ciara stood still. She hung her head. "Was he a lie then?" she scoffed. "A shadow sent by someone or something to have me fulfill my fate? Is that why he saved me exactly right in time as if he knows that it will happen? Is that why he was around when I was at the edge of death? Was it all an act for me to bear this role?"


    "We don''t know," said Lady Decima. "Whether he''s real or not is even us Three Fates could never know."


    "Is that so?" she laughed wearily. "Hah...I thought that maybe if I have this power I would be able to repay him immediately and I would blind him with the beauty that I once lost. Yet, what is this? He''s gone and that he might a shadow? All of those times we spent talking and the hardship we shared was for nothing? No...I refused!" She gathered strength from her diaphragm and shouted!


    "If you can hear me know that I will find you! I will have you! So until then let me believe that you are not a lie!"


    Her tears poured.


    ...


    Nolan listened to that shout with his scope. The sigils on his eyes had a now a dangerous color of red on them. He would have been found out by Ciara if he didn''t have the curse transferred to him. It was simple really. If he didn''t have this curse then he would have been sensed by her. The curse allowed him to evade Ciara''s new war maiden senses.


    Why would he do this? It was not that hard to think about. He simply didn''t want to give her this curse. It would not affect Ciara''s growth and it was nothing but a small burden. He loved her dearly. He knew her dearly. He knew the troubles she had to face because of the sigil''s curse.


    He didn''t want to meddle. He didn''t want to alter her course because of his meddling anymore. So he thought of taking at least taking this curse from her. It was his own way of repaying all the good that she did for him. He has too many debts with her and he could only think of repaying her by taking a bit of burden that she has.


    She didn''t need the curse to be transferred. Nolan was confident that she could handle what will be thrown at her. He knew because when she didn''t have the full blessings she was able to contend. Now that she has the powers of the War Maiden and their experiences through the bonding of incarnations. How could she be weak?


    There was no need for it. Truly, there was no need for him to do something so foolish. Yet, Nolan did so without hesitation. It was a simple repaying of debt. He didn''t mind bearing her burden if it means that she could save the world along with the Six Elemental Heroes.


    It was a stupid choice for him to make.


    But...Nolan was quite satisfied. He was able to take the curse away and helped in awakening the War Maiden that will help in defeating the Overlord of the Demons of the Barren Lands. He could feel her power and it felt like how she was when he saw her standing on the battlefields.


    There was nothing to talk about here. A foolish man wanted to do some good for the woman he loved. He doesn''t know what will happen from now on. He only knows that there will be ripples of events that will change because of what he has done.


    She would bear the light with her. She will carry that light and will be looked upon by Kings, Princes and Great Men who would want her.


    She didn''t need help from Soldier A.


    She might even forget the Soldier A, who brought her to the path of glory.


    She will lead the sons and daughter of the light against the enemy.


    While Nolan will be what he is, a Bleak Walker that walks the bleak path.


    He didn''t have any regrets. He didn''t have any thoughts to turned back. Nolan took a step to the shadows and slowly melted away with his back stern. Around him were the eyes of the monsters that sensed the curse that was branded newly upon his eyes.

 Chapter 31: The Soldier Robbed of Memories

    He leaned on the table while keeping his head down. The soldiers and guardsman of throes raised their mugs and laughed heartily. Common men drank with the soldiers inside the Inn''s bar with smirks reaching up to their ears. Sir Rave, the usually aloof Captain howled a hearty laugh as well.


    "The War Maiden favored by the God of War."


    He thought internally. It was already fall when suddenly the whole world got shook by the news that the War Maiden has finally shown up. The War Maiden was a favored maiden blessed by the God of War. This War Maiden, in particular, received the blessings of all the incarnations and was considerably stronger than them. Her beauty was heavy-defying and that there was man that could not be charmed by her who eludes a gentle and domineering aura.


    So when the Three Ladies of Fates announced her awakening to the known world. Kings, Queens, Princes, Princesses, Dukes, Bishops and powerful men traveled to the fortress of the Three Fates in a parade that turned into a marching army that transformed into a clearing campaign that swept the lower monsters. It took the War Maiden''s arrival and grace for the Known Lands to act finally


    The Knights of Talons, the Crusaders of Salt Passing, the Hegemony Scholars, the Wizard''s Society, the Tian Islanders, the Sunspawn Knights, the Sword-Maiden of Throes, the Bleak Walkers, the Royal Huntsmen of Zayas, the Adventurers Fraternity, and the Holy Knights of the Pontifex marched and cleared a path.


    The Guardsmen of Throes were invited and now they were on Moirai City celebrating the news. The War Maiden will arrive on the City and will be escorted by the ''Light''s Army'' that gathered for her sake. The Guardsmen of Throes were already celebrating along with the city.


    Every citizen of the City was in a festive mood. Outside of the Inn''s bar, there were banners and the streets were decorated with flowers and all sort of assortments. The Merchants were making use of the festive mood to sell their goods to the common people.


    It was bustling and the crowd was restless to catch a glimpse of the War Maiden. Travelers and pilgrims waited along the sidewalks in hope that they''d be able to be gazed by the War Maiden that will be coming to the main road of the city.


    He didn''t know what to take about these events. He wasn''t hanged by Sir Rave because of the hob that he killed and the Doctor''s persuasion saved him truly. He was not that joyful but he kept a facade of it to blend in with a crowd. He doesn''t know things work here so he had to act like a local but his heart was never here.


    The beer and food juggled in the wooden tray that the waitress held. He noticed that the barkeep and the cook behind the stove were starting to grow fatigue in cooking the food for the patrons of the bar. He stayed silent while nibbling the roasted pig''s leg on his hand. He would occasionally adjust his elbow to prevent it from hitting a fellow patron who was drinking heartily.


    "Looks like the God''s have been good to us!"


    "That''s right! That''s right!"


    "Oasis City has fallen but with the War Maiden''s grace then all the Elemental Heroes shall gather again!"


    The War Maiden is the core of the Six Heroes. The Heroes shall gather and surround the War Maiden while she acts as a conduit for the Heroes, allowing them to enhance their powers to their highest potential. Yet, it does not mean that they''ll be as favored like the War Maiden who the God of War chose.


    They are only a vessel of power that was able to manipulate the elemental light that was bestowed upon them in their birth. It is only the matter of the time being right that such power will awaken. The War Maiden''s awakening was believed to be destined as well.


    There was only one Hero that was known to have awakened. The Hero Ryle who controlled the Elemental Light of Fire took part in the defense of Oasis City and protected the defenders enough for the Royal Guard of the King of Oasis and a nameless Walker to bring down the Beholder and the Warden of the Barren Land. No one knew what happen to Hero Ryle other than he trained away from people''s eyes after the battle in Oasis City.


    The other Heroes have still not awakened. They are silent and people believe that when the time comes that they will awaken to bear the burden of saving the world from the dim world that will soon to come. Although the mood was festive and glorious the people pretend to hide the fear that the darkness will come.


    Maybe it was their way of taking it. The Fall of Oasis left the known world furious and nervous. So how can they not drown the fear by using joy? They could leave life at any moment thus they decided to fill their lives with happiness instead of drowning in such worrisome thoughts. No man would want to be miserable while those that around them are cheerful and joyful.


    He should be like them. He was acting like them but he was drowned out by a sense of longing. He was homesick and the thought of home - made him miserable inside. He could not unleash these thoughts upon the people around him. They would mock, ridicule, and insult him. It was not ideal for him to be hated more than the Guardsmen of Throes have. He didn''t want to add any more reason for these men to hate him further. He was tolerated because of him finally killing a monster on his own and that the Doctor persuaded them to let him be. A pair of arms and legs still has a use for the Guardsmen of Throes.


    He now carried menial tasks along with the camp followers and was rather content of his position. He was not ambitious and he did not want to complain about how life was treating him. He has grown sick and tired of caring about things. He was tired of living yet he continues on. He could only trek on despite how hard it was even to live.


    It was then that a guardsman flung the door open, he hollered at the bar patrons and told them, "The War Maiden has finally come to! Quick! We should stay in line now!"


    Sir Rave raised his head. He pushed the table away and took his helmet, he gestured with his right hand, the drunken look on his face mellowed. The guardsmen who were drinking heartily change their expressions and straightened their faces. They sidled out of their tables and followed Sir Rave. He followed as well.


    The streets were now filled. Men and women cramped the sidewalk and perked their heads up to gaze at the gates. He wove through the chaotic crowd and lined up behind the row of people. He melted along with the crowd and eyed the gates where the sounds of hooves were loud. The marching army in different uniforms and banners followed. In the front was the ''War Maiden'' that everyone was looking for.


    Everyone''s eyes stilled. His eyes stilled as he gazes upon the beautiful War Maiden that everyone has been talking about. Golden Hair, an armor that releases an aura, a sword that shines as the sun''s light meets with it. Her skin was pale a snow, her eyes were like the blue skies. She wore a gentle yet fierce expression that made both sexes eye her with such intensity.


    She was like''s God''s favored children. He thought that the rumors were exaggerated but the way she carried herself made it no question that she was indeed a favored daughter of heaven blessed by the God of War. It was once loud and because of her single commanding appearance that it made common people silent and shut their mouths. How could they act so rudely in front of her? Even the Kings and Princes that followed her didn''t emit such a powerful aura. They were like a pauper compared to her. Not to mention that accompanying near her was a dragon-horned woman who evokes the aura of a dragon. She carried a sawtooth-like greatsword that was as tall as her and was as wide as her hips. They could not understand how she could possibly wield such a greatsword. Adding to that she wore an armor clearly made from the scales of a dragon. Her fierce eyes matched beautifully with her armor that the knights and warriors behind looked like beggars. Even the decorated armor of the royalties following the War Maiden was no match for the dragon-horned woman''s equipment.


    The parade slowly moved forward to the castle of Moirai City. The march was so long that he thought that it would take time for the parade to be finished. But, he could not possibly move with how the crowd was. They were like statues that became stone after seeing the War maiden.


    It was when the War Maiden and the dragon-horned woman finally neared where he was standing when he saw her eyes dart to the direction where he was standing. The crowd saw this and looked at the direction where the War Maiden was looking. They saw nothing and because of this, they gaze back at the War Maiden whose eyes were opened wide. The dragon-horned woman also looked at the direction but he could tell that her eyes were burned unto him.


    She was examining him from head to toe. The War Maiden acted the same that it made him nervous. The escorts of the War Maiden turned to where the direction was and glared at him who was frozen solid. There was confusion on the two woman''s eyes but ultimately they shook their heads.


    "I am probably mistaken...he resembles him but he is...not that fragile-built."


    "Certainly, the lady must have been mistaken."


    The two urged their horse forward. The eyes of the dragon-horned stayed at him for a while before it pointed forward to where the castle was. He was shocked to the core. His heart was beating furiously just by remembering the eyes of those two women whose beauty was beyond him. What did they want from him? Did they mistake him for someone else? He doesn''t know why but he could still feel the eyes of the two sometimes glancing back at him as if they were unsure on their own judgments.


    The attention that was given to him made him nervous. Through the crowd, he melted away and left the masses and head into this narrow street where he could see some people walking to the parade in a hurry. He sauntered slowly and his head was cloudy as he enters a new street.


    "Looks like you are having troubles?" said a voice.


    He turned to where the voice was and saw a familiar woman. "You are Alcina, right? That farm girl in the rice berry farm?"


    "I am!" she said heartily. "Who would have thought that you would remember me even though we haven''t met after that? Where are you going? Isn''t that parade of the army still ongoing?"


    "I don''t want to watch anymore," he answered.


    "Why?" she asked with her hands on her back.


    "Nothing really," he sucked in warm air. "I just want to continue my drink."


    "I see," she nodded. "Although you remember my name I really didn''t catch yours well. I mean after the hob attacked and you running in the forest I ran for my dear life! And I may say that you really don''t speak well."


    "Yes," he nodded. He was about to open his mouth and tell her his name when he remembered something. He thought of how he awoke in this world and felt like he was robbed of his memories. As if there was someone who stole his memories and took it for himself. He could only remember his dear name.


    "So what''s your name?"Alcina asked while leaned forward with a cheerful smile. She was a simple brown-haired girl with a braid in a villager''s dress. She was simply yet there was something about her that made him calm down. His heart soothed and the nervousness he felt awhile ago melted away.


    He smiled. "My name is Lano-," he coughed. "I mean my name is Nolan Salvatore ¨C although people call me Lanon now because of how I spoke it for the first time. You can call me that if you want."


    "I see," she smiled. "Then it is nice to meet you, Nolan or should I say Lanon?"


    Lanon could only smile at her teasing way of speech.

 Chapter 32: Alcina the Cheery

    Lanon was at a K-shaped street in a small village just outside the outskirts of the City of Moirai. His days were simple and the events that happened days ago amount to nothing grand. There was no change and he was just still a normal guardsman standing watch for the village.


    He would have liked if his days would go by like this but there was someone who has recently goaded her way into the guardsmen of throes. She was a farm girl who became a guardsman out of desperation. The destruction of the farm products made her take such job instead. The guardsmen of Throes usually don''t accept female guardsmen and just place them as camp followers who would be the last desperate defense. Yet, recent events allowed her to be a guardsman.


    They were now a duo who would watch over the villages. They wore the general equipment of the guardsman of throes. Leather body armor, leather gloves and boots, a long spear, and a buckler strapped on their left arm. They look so bland that they might as well be decorations. They were getting paid for standing so Lanon and Alcina have no complaints.


    However, Lanon was no expert in talking to someone like her who could make a discussion of anything. Lanon has been standing still with his spear at hand and yet he was not bored at all. She was talking and talking about so many things that he was learning more from her than the men of the guardsmen of Throes.


    He was like a baby who had to learn everything. He came to this world not knowing anything. He didn''t have his memories. He didn''t know how to speak the language. All he had in him was the ability to climb like a monkey and think more broad-mindedly.


    He was able to survive his first days because of the thought. He was called the coward because he preferred living than dying so foolishly. He wasn''t a one-tracked person who would jump at a monster to prove that he was a man. It was better to live as a coward than die early. This thought would remind him and because of this that he was barely hanging from being executed by someone or hanged by the guardsmen of Throes. He could leave the organization but there was no place for him to go. Not to mention that leaving means that those guardsmen would have the right to finally kill him for what he has done in leaving his comrades while he ran away to save his own life.


    That accident would forever brand a lasting gift in his heart. He was simply afraid to die. He ran because he wanted to live. He couldn''t possibly kill the monsters whose scales were harder than iron. His spear wasn''t enough to pierce those scales. He was ashamed of what he did and they would forever be on his mind. He has grown to live in this world yet his heart and mind would never belong here.


    "Are you okay?" she elbowed him. "Lanon, you were looking at the distance like you were missing something. Do you miss your home?"


    "I wish I know where my home was," said Lanon. "Alcina, you could still work on that settlement yet you chose to stay here in this city. There are many jobs you could take but to think that you would become a guardsman. Are you really sure about this?"


    Alcina crossed her arms and lifted her modest breast. "I didn''t want to be a farm girl any longer! Isn''t it a simple a reason?"


    "It is," he kicked the dirt. "But this is a dangerous profession. Alcina, you saw that Hob right? It was a lower monster and I had a hard time killing it. That was just a lower monster by their standards and we might encounter these monsters."


    "I know," she agreed. "But Lanon, do you know the feeling of having a heart heavy? Like, you just want to break out of that cycle and do something else? I''ve been doing rice berry picking that I could probably teach it to someone on what is the master''s way of picking it! Yet here I am foolishly joining the guardsmen of Throes! I will die by a monster surely or get stabbed by a bandit or horribly raped!"


    "Alcina, your way of thing sure is advanced," he shook his head.


    "What? I was just listing the possibility. Lanon, the worlds cruel and I am not that stupid to assume that everything will go right!" she said firmly.


    "Wow," he tilted his head. "You are sure carefree, Alcina. I am not trying to judge here but how about worrying about your future?"


    "Future?" she scoffed. "I cannot really do anything about that. What matters is right now! I could die today so I might as well be living in the present to be content of what I have now."


    "That''s one way of putting it," he tapped his spear on a rock. "But I do understand it."


    "Certainly, it is such an easy thing. I mean shouldn''t you worry about the present? You can do nothing about the future! So why worry and heavy your heart? I hate it when my heart becomes heavy. Hence why I am standing here guarding with you." Her smile could reach the heavens.


    "Wow," he mouthed. "You are something else but I have to ask why you stick with me instead of the others."


    "You seem nice. And you don''t look frightening like Sir Rave and the others. So I don''t have to worry about you taking me into bushes and doing something lewd!" she smirked.


    "Am I not that reliable?" Lanon frowned.


    "Yup, the guardsmen think of you as a coward who wouldn''t even join them on whoring. Don''t you worry Lanon, if you want to I can take you as my househusband!" she said casually. "You have a great body! And I don''t mind losing it with you!"


    He widened his eyes. "Oh...that''s quite odd to say...uh...are you okay?"


    She smiled, "Look at you! Blushing and stuttering like a sissy! I might actually drag you somewhere and push you down unto the bushes!"


    "What the fuck," Lanon said with a raspy voice. "Should you really be saying all of this?"


    She snorted through her nose, "Don''t think that men only think of doing it!"


    "Yeah, but, to say it to me like this," he scratched his head.


    "Oh please, look at me, I am twenty and I still haven''t done it. My friends have sons and daughter and here I am still untouched. My ma would always ask me if I was a foolish girl! My pa would have long told me, "Alcina, why can''t you find a good man?" and go on about how unlucky I was for being a plain farm girl," she crossed her arms.


    "Uh," he nodded. "I don''t think you are that plain so it is hard for me to accept that you''d be this aggressive. So you want to sire a kid? Yet you are here?"


    "I heard that there are many good men in the guardsmen of Throes!" she touched her left cheek. "But all of them are so grim and horny! If I talk like this with them I bet they will grab me by the wrist and do me over a covered area! But, they would call me a little girl or as a farm girl who looks really stupid!"


    "Alcina, are you just here because I am not that threatening?" he asked.


    "Yes."


    "That I am a coward who wouldn''t do anything?"


    "Yes."


    "So that''s why you are able to talk at me so casually about these things?"


    "Yes."


    He sucked in cold air and tapped his forehead, "You really do make me look so little. I am actually offended."


    She made a smug look, "Oh geez!" she tapped his back. "I was just teasing you! Don''t be so down!"


    "Stop with this kind of talk, okay?" he lamented. "I might actually be down all the time."


    "Hehe," she laughs teasingly.


    The sun was starting to go down. The two was blanketed by the afternoon sun as the wind carried brown leaves that fell from the trees. A cart pulled by an ox passed by them. The old man nodded at them before urging his ox forward. Three kids run around near them and played ball until their parents called them. Lanon eyed the moon and stared silently at it.


    "Lanon, have you heard of the recent rumors?" she said.


    "What is it?" he asked.


    "Recently, there''s a ghost roaming around the inner lands. They say that this Ghost lures monsters and slaughter them! No matter which place he seems to attract the monsters. No one knows his face. There''s no drawing of his face and he''s like a shadow!" she gestured with her hands.


    "He''s not dangerous?"


    "Who knows" she shrugged. "All we know is that this guy goes around the inner lands attracting monsters. Some believe that he''s looking for the barren lands invaders. He''s skilled enough to become undetected and dodge the monsters following his scent. If I have to put it in some way then he''s living monster bait!"


    "How could you live like that?" he asked. "Each day you''ve to watch your back against monsters and even men that are like monsters. I don''t think I can live that kind of life."


    "Me too," she agreed. "Even I am not that crazy. Still, he must be really used to it to keep on fighting. They call him the Ghost now and he has this scary glowing red eyes. So when you see someone like that you better run away fast!"


    "Alcina, you should do that as well." He watched a man lit a lamp. "It''s not like they would punish you for running away."


    "Hmm, I will if that ever happens."


    The sun went down. The moon and the stars came out. They didn''t have to stay in the village so they followed the route back to the city and sought a nice quiet tavern to drink. The two sat near the window and ordered some food to eat.


    Alcina pointed at Lanon, "So with the War Maiden making use of her time. Do you think that the other Heroes would show up?"


    "I don''t know," he leaned on the table. "I am not that knowledgeable when it comes to stuff like the Heroes of Elemental Lights or whatsoever."


    "Are you serious?" she sipped on her cup of wine. "Even the kids know what the Heroes are! They are birthed to serve the world and carry on the task of pushing back the barren lands. Lanon, the God''s above are rather fickle, there are light and darkness. Both sides want to win therefore they are bestowing powers upon the Heroes. These Gods cannot stand in this world since they would destroy it, therefore, they can only give blessings instead!"


    "I see," Lanon forked a vegetable. "It must be nice being bestowed power and being chosen to wield them. How can mere mortals like us compete against these monsters?"


    Alcina touched her chin. "We make do by having weapons. We can always learn magic but that take years to study. Most of the Wizards have either started when they are young or they''ve applied to learn them. I doubt that you can learn a language of chaos when you are even having a hard time speaking the talon language."


    "Certainly," he said. "But getting a simple fireball spell would do anyone good. Sadly, I don''t think I will have the talent to understand the runic language. I mean you''re right I can''t even properly speak my name. I am actually surprised that I was able to learn the language in such a short time by being desperate enough."


    She finished her cup of wine and leaned on the table, "Still, it must be hard losing your memories. You have your name but that''s it."


    "Yeah," he agreed. "I feel like I was robbed. I don''t even know if the memories that I have right now are memories that have been retained are real. Was I really there? Did I truly live like that? Questions like that are all over my head."


    She pointed her cup of wine at him, "It doesn''t really matter now, right? Since you don''t have that many memories then you should make one with this! It''s alright because you have me as a friend. It doesn''t matter if you are a coward. I''ll be good to you!"


    He smiled genuinely. "Thank you, Alcina, you are really are a good sister."


    "Of course I am! Let us drink more!"


    The two continued their stay on the tavern peacefully.

 Chapter 33: The Longing for Home

    He was at a small clearing. The air pricked his skin. The damp smell of blood that littered the stump and the lone axe that was stabbed on a man''s neck made the scene bloody red. All he could hear was the chirping of birds. The glaring sun casts a shadow over him.


    "What the hell is this?" he spat out.


    "Murder...in a bloody way," said Alcina who was holding her chin. "The monster used the axe maybe?"


    "No it couldn''t be that axe," he pointed. "It looks like the man was dragged around and beaten around," he lifted the sleeves of the man. "He was tied with a rope ¨C possibly wrapped it around the man''s wrist. "


    "Why killed like this?" said Alcina.


    He traced the line of stitches on the side of the man. "I don''t know. He was gutted by the looks of it and the sick fuck that did this was probably a doctor, surgeon, butcher or a Wizard. I''ll go with a butcher since the end of the axe has the smell of a cow''s dung."


    Alcina neared her nose on the handle of the axe and smelled the dung. "There''s really the smell of it here!" she exclaimed. "How did you catch a whiff with all of this smell?"


    "I just caught it. Anyways, what are they thinking sending us two in order to investigate this? I can tell that the bastard is strong enough to drag this man and was skilled enough to behead him in one strike without chipping the axe. Alcina, I guess they don''t want two useless along with them." He leaned on his knees while his face was crumpled. "There are already seven deaths like this and somehow they think it is a monster so they sent two guardsmen of Throes to deal with it. Or are they saying that it is monster because of how the scene looks like?"


    Alcina crossed her arms and lifted her modest breast. "Well, if I see a scene like this then I would run and assume that a monster did this bloody scene. I thought of it as well but the way you speak makes it look like a murder done by a butcher. I thought that you''d be afraid of this scene."


    Lanon stood up. He bit his lip. "All the killing sadly made me numb to these kinds of scenes. When we were roaming the outskirts we saw men with their lower bodies splattered and strew across a road. Scenes like this are nothing, yet it makes me disgusted inside."


    "I see," she nodded. "I am just a farm girl but I lived in the settlements you know? Not to mention that it isn''t really new to me. Every day in the settlements there are cases like this. The outer lands are still untamed and the nests of these monsters cannot be discovered easily because of the terrain ¨C or what my pa told me."


    He placed his spear on his armpit. "I guess that''s how life here is," he muttered. "We should tell them that it was a monster attack."


    She tilted her head to the left. "Why?"


    "Because saying that it might be a murderer would mean that we might get put on the task of searching for this criminal. We are not local guards so this murder shouldn''t be our problem in the first place. Besides, do you really want to find a psycho that could do this bloody scene," he mouthed.


    "True," she agreed. "You have a point about that. I rather not chase after a killer like this. Though, it would be fun to know this ''day-bone killer'' is."


    "He has a title now?" Lanon dragged the body. He took the shovel behind his back and started digging a grave. "So they don''t even know if the killer is a human or a monster but they gave it a title?"


    She tugged her braid, "That''s how folks are here. Either they play dice or make rumors out of shit. I remember hearing that there was a cat that stabbed a knife into a grandpa''s chest accidentally. There was also a guy who seeded a woman only for his heart to stop working. The woman had to bear with the dead guy who was heavier than him for hours and pulled his dick out of her."


    Lanon''s eyebrows met. "Such strange rumors...they are all made up right?"


    "Who knows?" she shrugged. "They say that rumors are from the exaggerated truth so there might be truth out of these rumors. Oh, you should hurry in burying the corpse. I should help huh?"


    She took the shovel that was handed to her and started helping Lanon in digging the grave. It took them an hour to dig a grave big enough for the corpse to fit in and laid his body to rest. The victim was a poor pilgrim so it was okay for them to bury him. They couldn''t possibly search the world for the person''s relatives.


    Lanon did the victim a favor by piling stones on the grave. He then pressed his palms together and prayed for the soul of the victim. It was odd for him but the words different from the Talon language came out of his mouth. The words felt it was something he learned and familiar with it.


    "What was that?" asked Alcina.


    "The Lord''s Prayer," he said. "It is probably the prayer I learn from my country."


    "I don''t remember a language like that or heard of it," she said.


    "Well...my country is probably a country you''ve never heard off. Well, it''s not like it matters now," he lamented with a lowered head.


    Lanon and Alcina started walking on the dirt road leading to the city of Moirai. He walked slowly shoulder to shoulder with Alcina. His head was pointed down and there was this aura of loneliness around Lanon. Alcina eyed him from time to time and didn''t talk.


    They continued sauntering along the road until they rested under a shade of a tree. There was green pasture all around them and in the distance, they could see tree-line leading to the deeper forests and mountains. Lanon tried drinking water when he realized it was all out. Alcina poked him and offered her water skin.


    "You''ve been lost for a while," Alcina said.


    "Ah, I was indeed," Lanon sipped on the water skin. "The ''thought'' of home made me miss a home I don''t even remember. Do you have that feeling sometimes? When you really want to know but deep in your heart, you cannot do it? There are so many obstacles that you might as well give up. It is like finding a lost city of gold but you don''t know if it is real or not."


    "So you are worried about home?" asked Alcina.


    "Yes, I am worried about home. I don''t know where home is. The home that is in shattered pieces inside my head felt like it exists yet at the same time it feels like it doesn''t. Do you know how it feels? Being robbed of memories and the only thing left for you are remnants of a peaceful country where the peace is so stagnant that is almost choking?"


    "Sounds like a nice place."


    "It is. I sometimes dream about the place and I would awake with a heavy heart. This ''home'' feels like a dream and I fear that the home that I cannot remember might not be my true home. What if because of my loss of memories that I started to think of this utopia? Did I create this ''home'' because of how I''ve forgotten the home that I know? Is this home where I belong to?" he smiled bitterly. "And even if this home is my true home. How could I find it with how am I? I am just a powerless man who''s working as a guardsman."


    Alcina kept her silence.


    "I know this home is unreachable. I cannot fathom how I would return to that home. Even if I spend a lifetime learning magic ¨C I know that there is a good chance that I might not be able to return to. That ''home'' where I would return to would change. It might not, but I know I will. I''ll grow old and they might not recognize me." His smiled grew bitterer. "And what if they have changed as well? What if that home no longer has the people that I cared for? It would amount to nothing at all. So now I wonder what the point of it all is."


    "Sounds like troublesome," she scratched her head. "As for me, I am rather plain. My ma and pa should be out there. I can find them easily and they might be picking crops. Or they could be dead and I''ve already lost them. But, ma and pa used to say that life is a lonely road. That''s why I always keep moving on since I really don''t want to turn back and be sad about it. I don''t know what to say about your problem. It must be lonely...isn''t it?"


    "It is," he nodded. "It is so heart-wrenchingly lonely that I felt like dying or screaming for this unfairness. I called for whatever God there is but they don''t holler back at all."


    Slowly, he was able to regain his memories. They are fragments but they are still memories that he was fond off. It was memories that somehow clung to his head while it was all robbed by someone or something. Through these memories that he understood what he was or what world he belonged.


    Indeed, there was this childish thought that he was summoned to save this world. But, the months that have passed since his arrival in this world made it clear to Lanon that he was a pure nobody. He was a poor bastard that was thrown into a world where he was not chosen.


    He didn''t have powers or God-given blessings like the War Maidens or the Elemental Heroes. He wasn''t that smart. He wasn''t a genius. He didn''t have the ability to create the items he knew that would do him well in this world. He was just a normal person once in a modern world. How the hell could he possibly know how to create gunpowder or create firearms?


    There was no way he could replicate the intricate designs of the weapons. He wasn''t a gunsmith or someone who knew how to make gunpowder. He has ideas but how could he do it? Pull it out of his ass? All he could do now was just buy the powder and even those powders cost a hefty price.


    There was no goddess or magical being that told him, "You shall save the world" or a lucky miracle that will change his life forever and put him on the path to greatness. If he was destined to be great then why did he start in this world as a beggar and even as times passes he was still a guardsman. There was no heroic sword that was meant for him. There were no powers waiting to be awakened inside him. Therefore how could he possibly love a world that was unkind to him?


    That''s why even though he still wakes up in the morning. Lanon knows that he was lost and he has no direction. He missed home and the thought of it puts him in a depressing mood. He doesn''t know why he still gets up and lives on his life. As if he was in a dark pit and that there was no climbing it. Man needs reasons and that reason was lost on him.


    "Hey," Alcina said. "Can you see the city from here?"


    "I can," he answered.


    "That''s your home now," she said.


    "Huh?"


    She stood up and placed both hands on her hips. "If you don''t know where this home is, then just make a home here! You may not have anyone you care for so why not start by caring for me?" she smiled teasingly. "I may not be much and I am not really pretty but it''s a start, right? It may not much of a home for now or you may not have those people you care for but isn''t it better than nothing?"


    He stared at her. She was truly not special at all. She didn''t have anything on her other than her sunlight-like smile and the freckles on her cheeks. Her braided hair and the way she wore her helmet made her look clumsy. Yet, she was dazzling to him.

 Chapter 34: A Bleak Lifestyle

    Fall came fast, his life was dull and uneventful yet the presence of Alcina made him think less of why he was here in this world. Instead of drowning at the thought of his meaninglessness he decided to create a home in Moirai. It was a home located near the markets. It was a second-story home that was quite empty of furniture other than the basics.


    A table, a chair, a simple matting that allowed one to sit on the floor. His room was located upstairs and it faced the market where he could see the stalls. Every afternoon he would watch goers shuffle around the market. It was a constant cycle that he started to be fond of doing.


    His profession as a guardsman of throes was the same. The Guardsmen has decided to settle down in Moirai to recruit more men, he has been left behind and was now a guardsman of throes tasked to patrol the city along with the few. His partner has been living under the same roof as Alcina who turned out to be someone he could understand and rely on.


    She stood around the window adjusting her leather armor. She has taken a liking living in the basement where she usually stays. It wasn''t much of a home but it was a start for Lanon who was readjusting his mindset for this world. He chose to give living this world a try. This two-story house was his comfort zone and the only place he could put his mind at ease.


    A heaven for him, he found himself relaxed when he''s in this home of his. It wasn''t easy having this home. It took weeks of hard labor and if it wasn''t for Alcina''s proposal he wouldn''t have gotten this house before winter. Lanon sat steadily adjusting his bracers, his fingers adjusting the straps.


    Alcina stayed quiet at the window. She would give Lanon a queer gaze that made him confused. What was she looking at him for? He felt like there was something that she wanted to say.


    "What is it?" he asked, his arm leaned on the chair. "You''ve been looking at me as if I can guess your thoughts."


    "Lanon, have you heard of the Lady of Pale Shine Pass?"


    He furrowed his brow. "What about it?"


    "There was once a Lady of the Pale Shine Pass. She was a lady of extraordinary beauty. Many had asked for her hand but none has succeeded even at the age of the ancients. It was said that she''s a skinwalker, a person with many faces and her might cannot be fathomed even by the six heroes or the War Maiden. A master of the arcane and the ability to move objects with her thoughts made her...lonely and invulnerable."


    "What about her?"


    "What do you think of her?" she said with a curious look on her face. "Do you ever wonder how someone could live through the ages and watch everything she knew and cared for dies? She''s always alone as if none can ever understand her pain. She doesn''t even dare to love with how she would eventually watch her love wither away. The thought of it pains her."


    "I don''t understand."


    She smiled, "Me too. It was a lonely tale that ma and pa used to tell me. This ''lady'' of Pale Shine Pass could not take her life and she''s always reborn again and again. She wouldn''t have any memories at first, just like you, and it would take her years to have her memories back. Worst, she wouldn''t know that she was the invulnerable lady of the Pale Shine Pass."


    "So is that it? She dies then reincarnates into another form?"


    "Yes," she said. "But she has this curse where those who have truly loved her would enter a cycle of pain and suffering."


    "I don''t really understand this," he scratched the top of his head. "She could never love someone. And every time she dies she would lose her memories and regain it? So what if she has truly loved someone then she has forgotten that person?"


    "Ma and Pa said that she never forgets. Her attainment of Magic was so high that she''s recognized as the Master of the Lady Pale moon conjecture. All the current magical theories are rightly proven and tested by this lady. Isn''t she wonderful?"


    "She is," he agreed. "But I must say that it''s quite weird of you to ask me if I know this legendary figure. Why did you ask me of this legend?"


    She shrugged, "Nothing really, it just came into my mind when looking at the window. It''s an old tale that I am fond off. My friend back in my old village used to listen to the old grandma. It was something about the tale that we were fond off. I want that lonely lady to be happy! Is what I and my friends would always say."


    "She does sound lonely," he mouthed. "But isn''t it her fault that she''s like that?"


    "Huh?" Alcina eyed him oddly.


    "I mean...she''s a powerful magician yet she could not trust or love anyone. If she truly wanted to be loved or have someone be at her side then she should raise or find a companion that would truly love her. She has all the time in this world yet she cannot do that?" he shook his head.


    Alcina crossed her arm and raised her modest breast. "So what she should have done then?"


    He touched his chin. "I say she should have hidden her beauty and travel around finding good men she can be with her. That would be the best thing to do. I mean she sounds like someone who loathes those who only loved her for her beauty and body. Therefore the only path for her is to find someone and know if they would be the man that was meant or her."


    Alcina smiled," Sounds like a good point. Though if she''s doing that then she must have been searching for a long time. She must be thoroughly disappointed by all these ''men'' that are after her. After all, the legend still persists even to this day. That Lady of the Pale Shine pass must be...really lonely that she might just be searching for a home...just like you, Lanon."


    He only nodded.


    ...


    ...


    In this forest where there were shadow casts everywhere. A monster in humanoid form runs while panting heavily at the ''ghost'' that haunts him. The trees were overgrown and they towered like towers. The vines above the branches allowed the ''ghost'' to chase the monster.


    He was a monster of dark red skin. His horns were clear on his forehead and yet as a monster he was being chased by this hunter that was beyond what he expected. The hunter that was hunting him exuded a frightening aura. He was ''charming'' to the monsters for the mark of blessed that plagued this ghost. Yet, instead of being the hunter, he was now the hunted of this ghost who seems a master of killing monsters like him.


    "A monster in human skin!" he spat out.


    The ghostly shadow hunted him above as if waiting for him to tire out. The ghost seems like he has a limitless stamina and no matter where he goes he was being followed. This constant presence of this ''ghost'' slowly made the monster mentally exhausted.


    No matter where he goes the ghost with the red eyes would gaze upon him like he was a wonderful food to be devoured. He didn''t where he was going. All he knew at the moment that even with his monstrous strength he cannot possibly take down this ghostly human.


    "How come such human knows to track as well!" he thought. "It should be a secret among us! No human has observed us this well yet this human knows our ways of escaping! It doesn''t fool him in the slightest! And those curse-ridden eyes! How could someone closer to the revenant exist like that here! They should be all dead!"


    The humanoid ran farther inside the forest. He leaps above overgrown roots and vaulted upon rocks and ledges. He was trying his best to lose the ghostly human''s eye but yet it was all for naught. It was as if the eyes of the ghostly human were forever locked upon him. There was no escape from this human. That thought was plaguing the monster.


    He was a proud humanoid monster who sensed the blessing of the blessed while hiking around the woods. He thought that he could hunt down the possessor of this lovely scent yet he was wrong. The human was intentionally luring monsters like him. He never believed the rumors from the monster''s herd and groups before. Yet, the fear that he was feeling made him finally believe that there was indeed a ghostly human that was hunting the higher monsters of the barren lands.


    Lady Tania the Obsidian Flower told them that their conquering of the Outer Lands would go smoothly. Yet, the appearance of a strong war maiden and finally, the ghost that was hunting him down made him truly fearful. He wanted to curse at the Lady for her lies.


    Suddenly, a swooshing sound was heard. The monster that was running felt like he got hit below his shoulder blade. He looked at the bolt and saw that it was a crossbow bolt. This crossbow bolt stung and seeing the dripping liquid on the tip of the bolt made the monster fear.


    "Stop this human!" said the monster.


    The ''ghostly'' human landed smoothly thirty-steps away from him. The human wore a hooded cloak, his eyes were glowing red and the mask around his mouth made it hard for the monster to see what his true face was. His eyes glowed red and the sigil of the snake of woes, and the dove of thorns rotated in his irises.


    "A bleak walker," the monster thought.


    But it was not time to wonder who this human was. So, the monster launched the thin horns around his arms and flung it at the human. The human seems like he knew that the monster would do that. He tilted his body to the right and slowly moved forward.


    The monster felt the tree touching his back. He was shaking. His eyes dilated and shuddered as his teeth clatter loudly. He was a demon that was sent to the land of the sons and daughters of light to wreck havoc. He has never been so cornered this far. Not to mention that the human before him was a masterful and an experienced monster.


    "A demon-kin led an army of monsters around," the ghostly human said. "These monsters raided and killed a village, the males slaughtered or gutted, turned into food. The females, turned into breeding sows to release their pent-up lust."


    "Stay back human!" the monster slammed his fist like a hammer. The human made a fine pirouette and masterfully threw four daggers at the joints of the demon. The demon growled in pain as he felt his limbs unable to move. "Who taught you our weakness human!? Who dared to betray us! Tell me!"


    The ghostly human stopped. "Betrayed?" his tone was cold and bland. "No one betrayed you all. Unfortunately, I''ve been living most of my life killing monsters and demons. I do not have the ability of the Heroes, but it doesn''t mean I cannot learn how to kill abominations. So knowing the weakness of you abominations is something that I know and I can exploit."


    "Arrogant!" the demon struggled in anger.


    The ghostly human swooped near the demon and cut at the demon''s throat. The sword twisted and returned back to the neck of the demon, the head of the demon, flying away from the demon''s body. Blood splattered the ground like a flower. The ghostly human took the head of the demon and used a meat hook to hang the demon''s head on his waist. He looked around everywhere with his craze eyes.


    Madness, disdain, blankness, and the lack of mercy were clearly written in his eyes. He was sane and his mind was clear. Ever since he parted ways with his guiding light he returned to what he was, a bleak hooded man that slaughters demons and monsters that are blocking his path.


    The monsters are now attracted to him. Yet, it only felt like he was back at the time when the world was dim and where he had to watch every step for his life. The life he was living now was no different from the life he became used to. That''s why even though he killed a demon that would give him praise for doing so. He only thought of the head as a way to sustain his bleak lifestyle of taking them down for gold coins.

 Chapter 35: Vero of Sorer

    He sat under this hollow tree taller than him. He was eating dried and salted meat. Each bite made a crunching sound. He tasted the flavor. No emotion bloomed upon his face. It was as if he made use of it to live. In this state, he was alive just for the sake of being alive.


    Around him were the thick vegetation and the curtains of vines. Wide spade-like leaves have water sliding down the spine of the leaf. The droplet of water melted into the ground, disappearing, along with the wet ground. The droplet continued as the sky teared up.


    There was a porcupine-like creature with a navy blue cover of fur. The snout of the creature was at wrist''s length. It was snorting the ground, sucking seed fibers from the roots of the trees. The seed fibers come from the roots of trees. They are excess seeds from the towering trees. The towering trees have no name. But, he has known that he could find food under the trees.


    A creature that had a crown of teeth appeared and almost took the creature underground. These underground creatures are mole-like abominations that prey on animals that eat the fibers around the trees. The creature was able to evade death through the wet ground.


    He watched the whole thing with droopy eyes. He nibbled on the salted meat. His eyes examining the leaves and bushes that swayed from left to right. He was attracting monsters and the monsters are usually middle-tier monsters. He could kill them as long as he doesn''t face them directly. Although he knows the weakness of the monsters that are attracted to him, he doesn''t dare to face them head-on. He had to make do with hit and run tactics and sneak attacks.


    If he was stupid strong he would advocate brute strength. But he didn''t have the strength of Heroes. He had to chase his prey down and make them fear. He had to make sure that they are unable to fight in their true potential. He was taught and throughout his years wandering he learned how to exploit these tactics to his advantages.


    The ''curse'' allowed him to attract the enemies. In the past timeline, he was used to monsters everywhere that it was not unusual for monsters to hunt him down. The curse indeed attracts the monsters but he was making use of the phantasmal oil to dispel his scent and that the curse could confuse the monsters. This, however, was not temporary and once a monster finds him he would have to apply the phantasmal oil. He''s been using the oil less hence he was now looking for any monsters.


    He has been traveling for weeks around. His delusions of tampering the world were now gone. His only intentions are how to make sure that everything won''t be too hard for Ciara. But as he expected Ciara was doing fine and better than the last timeline. She didn''t need help and she was getting more campaigns than the last timeline he was in.


    Her restored beauty allowed her to effectively charm her followers, and at the same time making them believe in her strength through actions. He didn''t have to do anything. In this timeline, she was the master of her fate and the captain of her soul.


    He didn''t have to do anything so he''s just wandering around killing monsters. He has been trekking dangerous lands and re-mapping them. Since leaving Ciara in the Fortress of the Three Fates he has been marking areas and sending them to the adventurers for funds. The adventurers have been making use of his maps to clear the areas.


    Tania of the Obsidian has been conquering the lands of the Outer Lands. There are about fifteen territories around the Outer Lands and eight of them have been conquered by Tania of the Obsidian. The death of the Warden of the Barren Lands allowed her to launch a campaign to usurp the Outer Lands.


    The Outer Lands are rich in minerals and resources. The grounds are fertile and the monsters are easily subdued by those who are superior to them. Not to mention that there are many locations around the Outer Lands that is ripe for mining. He knows where the locations are but he''s wondering what his actions should be. Should he inform the Talon King? Should he spread the information to the miner''s society and the merchants behind them?


    He knows that this would allow them to gather an army to fight the lands and take them. Indeed, there would be frontiers and new settlements but he''s worried that it might cause conflict. He''s thinking has been too simple. The fall of Oasis City was a lesson for him. He wasn''t thorough about the situation and it leads to Ciara nearly dying. How could he not learn after that?


    If he plans to take actions he needs to consider the little things and the smallest of details. He cannot just do things as carefree as he did back in Oasis City. He would be a true fool if he doesn''t take what happens and readjust his way of thinking because of it.


    That''s why he cannot easily tell the miner''s society about these goldmines and spots filled with metal and gems. Not to mention that the greediness of a person could reach horrifying degrees. He doesn''t dare to assume what the domino effect of these actions. So he has to take measures when he plans to act. That''s why he needs careful consideration when making use of these advantages. He was not omniscient or a genius who could clearly predict what will happen.


    Thus he can only gather data and make use of the data he collected and enact his plans. He doesn''t dare to enact his plans at the moment. Right now he was focused on mapping the territories that the adventurers need to clear the areas.


    Knowing what the environment and the enemies are beneficial to the adventurers. They''ve been taking down the territories of Tania the obsidian slowly. He has been wandering but right now he was hunting down the key monsters and the foundations of Tania the Obsidian''s influence. She has taken roots in the Outer Lands and he needs to take these roots out before they can grow and spread.


    ...


    A man walked through the vegetation and sat near him. He looked at the towering trees and heaved a long heavy sigh. His hands were covered in plate gauntlets. His head covered by a plate helmet that obscured his facial features. His bastard sword was stabbed on the ground.


    "Bleak Walking Ghost," said the man. "Your parade of monsters has been making the news. I find it hard to believe that you''d rather not profit from these. Wouldn''t it help you with this?"


    "Vero of Sorer, are the monsters taken clear off?" asked him.


    "Yes," he nodded. "Thanks to your helpful maps and data about the monsters we''ve been fortunate enough to wipe them out. Ghost, you could make a living writing a book about these monsters. Do you know how the adventurers would thank you for that? Oh please, I am not really planning to have you write the book. Don''t give me that face."


    "Make use of it if you will." He balled his fists. "I find no reason to be known."


    "Ah, what a shame," Vero said. "You''d be a valuable asset for the Inner Lands. Hmm, those poor bastards are still playing their game of politics."


    "Hah," he scoffed. "Vero of Sorer, you are a person who won his position through politics and nepotism. You dare to speak of ill of the politics that gave you prominence?"


    "And you are a faceless man who I cannot trust. If it wasn''t for your maps I would not trust you. Your maps worked and your scouting shows your expertise. You are a good stalker and that I can respect. So do not misunderstand, Ghost." he said with his eyes narrowed.


    "Certainly, trusting someone whose face or name you don''t know is hard. But, do you not benefit from the things I do for you? Aside from the funds and the ingredients, I am doing this without asking for higher funds. My goal aligns with yours, and that alone is good enough for me. Don''t tell me about your trust, adventurer, or would you prefer of me calling you a sir?"He said in a cold tone.


    The plated helmet of Vero moved slightly. His eyes pointed at him for a moment. His eyes showed no emotions. He didn''t show anything in his eyes, only the red glowing sigils beaming at Vero of Sorer. Vero didn''t talk for seconds. The sound of rain hitting the leaves and trees was the only thing to sound out.


    "If I didn''t know better I would have killed you, Ghost. But I''ve seen you fight monsters and your way of fighting is clear enough for me to understand that I must not challenge you so easily. I am not that foolish to face a bleak walker like you...not when you can kill monsters so easily. No genius can do what you can do. You must have started walking while barely able to hold a sword," he mouthed.


    "You can think whatever you want. Why are you here?" asked him.


    "I followed your trail. Ghost you didn''t have to really want to leave that trace unless you want me to follow you," he patted his plate helmet. His tone became serious. "As usual we are conquering the areas you''ve told us. You''re not offering supports so my men and I have to kill them ourselves. This Tania of Obsidian Blade is quite the hefty one. She knows how to control her troops and how to defend the lands she usurped. Not to mention she''s using the area''s advantage to prevail. Your maps helped us but it did not reveal the ambush points or where the monsters are. We''ve to deal with them ourselves that if it wasn''t for your maps and details about the monster''s we would''ve suffered casualties."


    "So you are doing fine?"He breathes out.


    He grunted, "We are doing fine. Most of our casualties are amateurs who thought they could take the monsters with their non-enchanted sword. The experienced ones are having a time scolding the new ones. We''re doing fine but this forest has been making it hard for us to move around. Not to mention this rain has been going about that we''ve to hide under these hollow trees. I have to admit we would have long got killed if we didn''t know about those seed-eating abominations. I guess covering the hollow trees with leaves really made us invisible while resting. Though the cold has been making us shiver."


    "Suck it up," he curtly said. "Would you rather burn the whole forest along with yourself? These trees are old and ancient, they easily burn and even this rain won''t stop it. And even if you do not die because of the fire you would die because of the monsters that have been attracted by the fire. Always remember that monsters easily assume that humans are around when they see the fire. Keep that in mind if you want to last in this area."


    "I got it," he said. "There''s no need tell me. But should we really attack the next area? Those monsters are really going to be weakened by the flowers we''ve spread?"


    "They are weakening agents, simple incense that melts with the air. So make sure to wait before attacking the area. Tell your men to cover their mouth and nose," he pointed out.


    Vero nodded, "I got it, Ghost," he said. "I''ll have them ready. Are you going to advance forward? Monsters gather around you. Are you even tired?"


    "I am used to it, Vero of Sorer. Or do you prefer that I leave the monsters around your flanks and tails?" he stood up.


    "I understand," said Vero. "Ghost, may you have luck and your threads light, don''t die too early, it would be a waste of a valuable asset."


    "It''s time for you to head back, Vero of Sorer. Let whatever God you worship bless you and your men, Vero."


    "The same can said," Vero stood up. He watched him disappear into the fog and melted from the scene. Vero of Sorer stood up. He patted his armor and turned to the direction where most of his men are hiding. They still have territories to conquer and monsters to slay. They shall gain glory from fighting the monsters and take the lands that the monsters dare to usurp. He doesn''t trust the Ghostly Walker, yet he could only rely on his knowledge and experience to survive.

 Chapter 36: Making Use of One Another

    Vero of Sorer gathered and encircled the enemy. Five hundred strong adventurers waited for the enemies. Nolan climbed a tree and watched the adventurers who were ready to fight. He was hidden among the branches and he has strapped leaves and tree branches on his cloak to cover his presence.


    He was holding a whistle given by Vero of Sorer. He uses this whistle to signal them if he spots enemies. Although they do not trust him, they know that they are going to need him to warn them. He was a Ghost, a man hunted by monsters.


    The adventurers started their attack by climbing down the ridge. They rappelled down the ridge while the marksmen snipe the watchman monsters. The amateurs were kept in check by the veterans and they were lead to their positions. In their mind, they probably didn''t think that the real mission would be like this. They expected a brave charge and a battle that would make them sweat blood and tears. The adventurers didn''t expect that they''d be systematically killing the monsters.


    It took a while before the monsters noticed something amiss. The marksmen rained fire on the rages and targeted the strong-looking ones while the adventurers deployed a shield wall to bar the monsters. They are not able to match the monsters but the pikes they prepared kept them at bay.


    The repeater crossbows became popular and the adventurers were armed with them. It allowed the adventurers to attack the monsters and deal damage. The monsters were not easy prey. They were able to think for their own and it became a battle of wits. Who would outwit who first? It became a battle between the two factions.


    He watched still. His eyes reflected the battle. He looked like a lifeless doll as he examines what was happening. He was saving energy in case he needed to move. Although he scouted the area and gave details about the monsters he was not a true master of planning out. It was Vero of Sorer who commanded the battle. He was only a watchman who would warn them.


    The battle continued. The monsters have started to take out the amateurs. The surviving ones were pulled back by their comrades while the veterans controlled the battle. Vero of Sorer led and took command. His commands were precise and concise. He was able to deal with the monsters attempt to flank them. The monsters tried to concentrate their forces but he dispersed them by making use of the marksmen.


    The monsters gathered in the area. Bodies of both factions were strewn across. The adventurers were human yet they have to keep up with the monsters that have higher stamina. To deal with this problem they have switched. The veterans would rest before switching it out.


    The marksmen couldn''t forever fire upon the monsters so they had to retreat in case they would be targeted. Vero of Sorer was stained with bile and entrails that his plate armor was now dyed with blood. Intestines of monsters were hanging on his shoulder. And he has already switched to his main weapon since his blade has become dull.


    His bastard sword cut through enemies while a column of adventurers followed his lead. Their goal was to clear the area and they were doing fine. They didn''t need his help and they had it under control. From five hundred strong men they slowly became three-hundred. By the time the last monster fell through the sword of an adventurer. They fell on their butts and took deep breathes.


    It was then that Vero of Sorer roared against the heavens. His men cheered as they celebrate their victory. Many of them died during this battle. Two-hundred men died to clear the area of monsters. It was not a small price to pay and those they know and talked with are now needed to be buried.


    Vero of Sorer stood among the men that died under his command. His eyes darted to where the Ghost that told them of this area. He was a person that could not easily trust. Even though they''ve won again he still could not trust the ghost that was helping them vaguely and subtly.


    It was hard for Vero of Sorer to put his life for him. He was no fool and he has long played politics to know that every single person there is in the world has their own motives and personal agendas. How could he trust this ghostly revenant that attracts monsters?


    Even so, he chooses to take what the Ghost told him and acted upon it. Many of their men would have died if it weren''t for his accurate understanding and the list of monsters and their weak points. He was the one that gave the idea while they acted upon it. It was up to Vero of Sorer and it was his choice to make to this operation.


    Taking the outer land territories was worth doing so. It would allow him to improve his standing and take claims over the areas as his own. The adventurers have vague ideas on what the outer land could give them. Not to mention that the Talon King would surely reward them in doing this service by giving them the land they wanted.


    Vero of Sorer had to convince himself that what he did today was worth it. Yet, seeing the silence of the adventurers that he commanded made him think otherwise. He was no fool. He was not a heartless man who would forget about the people that he fought with. To command them he had to win their hearts. They trusted him and now because of that trust they lay still with no beating hearts on them.


    He placed his bastard sword on the ground. He took his helmet off and his gray hair drifted along with the wind. The stains of blood on him made him look rough. He was a pretty man and his appearance was worth calling him a warrior who has gone through hell.


    The adventurers stood their ground and planted their sword on the ground. They raised their right fists and roared loudly as they could. In that roar were their sorrow, sadness, despair, and anger. It was a holler to the heavens above that they won the battle of this day.


    ...


    "What do you think of this scene, Ghost?" said Vero of Sorer.


    "I am used to it, unfortunately." He threaded the corpses and arrived in front of Vero of Sorer.


    "I see," said Vero of Sorer. "Look at this Ghost, all these young men dying just to take this area. Isn''t it unfortunate?"


    "Certainly, it is." He nodded at that remark. "But it was their choice to follow you, Vero of Sorer. It was not their fault but yours."


    "Quite the remark," he snorted. "These men indeed died for me. I promised them riches that they''d never use. Do you know what the worst part of all of this?" said Vero of Sorer. "I had to tell their loved ones. Right in their face, I''ll them of what happened to their loved."


    He shuffled his feet and touched the back of his neck. "I will not say that I am sorry. I will not tell them that they die in glory. It was their choice and unfortunately, I can only say that."


    "A cruel man!" he spat out. "Or is it because you are used to all of this slaughter?"


    "Yes."


    "They say that Bleak Walkers are heirs of the Old Revenant. The Old Revenant that dug his way out of the grave to hunt down the enemies that wronged him, an old tale of revenge turned into that of a sad man who walked the earth complete unaware that his heart was no longer beating. He passed the curses of the sigils after witnessing various animals suffer. More dead than alive ¨C his heirs are men and women who walked the dangerous parts of the world without fear." He breathed in a loud sigh. "I now believe this."


    "Is that so?" replied him.


    "Certainly, you have the eyes of a dead man. You walk alone and bleakly. The aura you emit is good enough to make people think that you are corpse walking. I do not know what sufferings you have taken in your life. I do not know your despair or your sad story. I do not even like you or appreciate your presence here saying that it was their choice. I admit it was their choice. Yet you cannot even be decent at it?" He folded his arms.


    "I see," he nodded. "I shall keep my silence."


    "Ghost, the way you speak hurts the fragile hearts of my men. They are not deaf and I can tell that they are waiting to fight you." He said curtly.


    "Is that so?" he eyed the adventurers. Their eyes were seething in anger. They did not like his way of speaking. As if he didn''t read the somber mood of those around him. He understood what Vero of Sorer meant when he said that he was a cruel man.


    Emotions can be fragile in the results of a hard-won conflict. So when he saw Vero of Sorer turn his back away from him. He saw a muscular man seething at him. The muscular man in leather armor tried to grab him but he punched the man in his wound, grabbed the back of his head and kneed him right in the jaw. He followed it with an elbow hook to the side of his neck and turned into a stab right in the shoulder blades of the man.


    The muscular man''s eyes rolled back. He drew his sword and neared it the man''s neck. The adventurers grabbed hold of their weapons and eyed him like a tiger growling towards its prey. He pulled the man''s hair and showed the adventurers the Sword of Zarachiah drawing a line of blood. "Move and attack he''ll die. I''ve learned to kill when I strike. I faced monsters that I consider nothing. Have you all faced monsters from the barren lands? Normal metal cannot hurt them. You''d need a silver embedded sword or a phantasmal oil to neutralize their magical defense. Not to mention that you have to exploit their weak spots. Their fur and scales are harder than steel. So I was taught how to kill them fast. You have the advantage and I can feel the tips of your bolts and arrows. But, do not assume that you will win. The obstacle is the way. If you want to add more men to die here then that is fine. I can make use of his large stature as a shield. If you are a cruel enough then I believe that you''ll be able to target him. Do not think that you can intimidate me with your numbers. Hah!" he scoffed. "I''ve faced monsters stronger than you folks. And not to mention that can you really fight in that state?"


    He gave them a dead man''s glare. His eyes glowered red in tranquil fury. "Will you fight or rest? Will you let him die in order to vent your fury?"


    Vero of Sorer watch indifferently. His fist balled tightly yet he didn''t act. The adventurers gritted their teeth and lowered their weapons. He dragged the man casually and eyed them with a blank expression. It was until that he was able to see a path of escape that he spoke, "Vero of Sorer, it is your choice to conquer the outer lands. Whether you move or not, I will have Tania the Obsidian right in the palm of my hands."


    He pushed the muscular man away and he felled face flat on the ground. He sheathed his sword and launched his grappling hook and attached the harness to his belt. Then, he made use of the double-reel and pulled himself up before swinging away.


    The adventurers woke up the man who was laid down. Vero of Sorer sheathed his bastard sword and shook his plated helmet. A person in full armor stood shoulder to shoulder with Vero of Sorer, "His words have no lie in them. I believe that he could do damage to us and take down our men."


    "Hmm," Vero of Sorer nodded. "He''s a learned man. That aura and his experience cannot be faked. Yet, I do not like that man. He''s making use of us for his own goals. The same can be said when we used him. It is an equal exchange of making use of one another."


    The armored person scoffed, "Yet you work with him?"


    "Yes," he replied with a nod. "I have to use everything that I have."

 Chapter 37: Pale Shine 1

    Lanon blocked the sun with his arm. He watched the great-helmed knights of the Salt Passing passed over. They ride their great horses and trotted towards a direction. The street was filled with curious folks. They watch the riders and were fond of their appearances.


    The parade continued until Lanon noticed that it was noon. He walked along the streets of Moirai while occasionally glancing at the stalls. It took him a while to reach an area where he pulled his helmet off and laid it down. He pulled a cloth bag from his waist and laid it on his lap. He took out the sandwiches he made. It had a meat, lettuce, and some vegetable he began to get fond of. He ate the bread. Crumbs fell down from his mouth.


    The sun shaded his face. He squinted. He brushed his nose and watched the building that was in front of him. He heard the rustle of the tree leaves. Behind him was a tree that was quite ancient. He was fond of this place. After his work, he would sit on this spot every noon.


    There was an ambiance sounding out. Lanon doesn''t know if it was a passing bard but it made him feel calm. The city was calmer than the outside world. He could hear news like the campaign of the War Maiden Ciara or the Grey Leader of the Adventurers leading his men to conquer the captured Outer Lands.


    To Lanon it felt like he was hearing heroic tales. He never expected that he''d hear tales of Heroes. His memories or at least the fragments have recompiled in his head but he never knew that they would be real. It made him feel little and like a speck of dust.


    But he didn''t care. Lanon found some sort of coping in this world. He had a friend that understood him. Who would help and talk with him? He didn''t have any friends. The minds of the people in this world were different from him. He could not simply understand how they think or what their values are.


    Lanon continued sitting until it was way past noon. He moved into an old market where he stood next to the door of a tavern, waiting and watching the people pass by. The old market was filled with fishes and meats. He could smell the scent of the fishes and the meat that was dried under the sun.


    Merchants hollered and tugged customers to their stalls. The rug sellers were the loudest that Lanon was glad that he has his helmet to muffle the sound of their voices. After his time in the old market, he moved to the river docks that ran zigzag across the city of Moirai. He watched the fishermen reel in the little fishes. A fisherman cursed his luck and almost breaks his back complaining. He stayed near the docks and felt the cold air. And after that, he moved out of the place and went near the adventurer''s society establishment and listened in to the adventurers.


    They talk about the Campaign of the Warden and the awakening of the Six Heroes and the Hero Ryle, who was gathering the Heroes of the Elemental Light. They were also fond of talking about the War Maiden whose beauty made the adventurers dream of meeting her.


    Lanon could not understand that thought. How could they possibly reach such a flower in the mountain? He couldn''t understand. Lanon stood and leaned on the walls of the building. The adventurers who would walk out would nod at him. The haughty ones would mess with Lanon. He didn''t have the guts to mess with them so he just did his job.


    ...


    Lanon walked to the gate of the city. It was guarded by different factions. Since the fall of Oasis, the Cities of the Inner Land have started to think about the defenses of the city. Lanon moved to his usual spot and watched the time go by. By evening he was walking down the lamp-lit alley. He entered a tavern and planted his face on the table.


    He ordered a beer and fried meat. He waited for the meal and ate it with haste. He went out of the tavern and ambled around the small cramp streets where he saw men from the factions watching the streets. He thought it would be another silent day.


    "AHHHHHHHHHHH!" a voice resounded.


    His heart tightened. His hand balled as he sticks to the wall and watched where the sound came from. The men from the factions ran towards the location only for them to fly from the scene and crash-landed on the stalls. Lanon curled into a ball. He melted into the shadows without making a noise.


    A small stature appeared covered in gauzes. It was as if the person was constantly bleeding. The person examined the surrounding and saw men from the factions appear. Lanon continued hiding and covered his mouth as he watches the men from the factions fight the monster-like person.


    Lanon was bewildered by this sudden change of tone. His peaceful day was now ruined as the bleeding person skewered the sword-wielding knight. A woman in wizard''s robes launched transparent spears of light to the bleeding person. The bleeding person shrugged it off and launched a spike that made a hole in the wizard''s stomach.


    Lanon shivered. He closed his eyes and waited for the battle to be over. Men from the factions kept on attacking the bleeding person until finally, a knight wearing the sigil of the Sun brought it down along with a woman. There was someone with a green poison-like hair standing near the bleeding person. She has driven her poisonous sword into the heart of the bleeding person.


    "Another blood ghoul," said the green-haired woman. "They''ve been coming around everywhere."


    The Knight of Sunspawn lifted his right foot and crushed the blood ghoul''s head. "It is because of Tania the Obsidian. Her presence alone is dangerous enough to the outer lands."


    The woman that was near the Knight of Sunspawn gently nodded her head. "That devilish woman could summon legions of her demon-kin brothers and sisters into the lands. The City of Oasis was not only a defensive wall but a formation that prevented them from being summoned inside the inner and outer lands."


    The woman with the gentle look turned to where Lanon was, "How long are you going hide at that place guardsman?"


    Lanon slowly raised his body up. He placed his hands up. "I saw nothing," said Lanon fearfully. "I do not know anything."


    "Calm and peace Guardsman," said the Knight of Sunspawn. "We are not here to kill you. We''ve done enough killing for today."


    "That''s right," the woman with green hair said. Her perpetually gloomy face darted at Lanon. "Hmm, you look familiar, but you don''t have his stature, your stance is open, and you don''t have that bleak aura on you. Maybe I am wrong...but you''re really familiar."


    "Huh?" said Lanon. "I''ve never seen you before, miss."


    "What?" the Knight of Sunspawn said. "It couldn''t be that Walker. This man looks weak and he''s too terrified about all of this slaughter. Do you agree, madam?"


    "Yes, certainly," she said. "He has the resemblance of that Walker, but I doubt a few months would bring that man''s appearance this low. He lacks the eyes of that walker and that cold stare that pierces the soul."


    Lanon was confused. His head was spinning on who on earth was the person that they were discussing. Not to mention that they were too casual about the death that surrounded them. He was afraid and starting to get baffled at these people.


    "True," said the green-haired woman. "Hmm, I doubt that he''d be really him."


    The Knight of Sunspawn turned to Lanon, "Pardon us, guardsman. You look like the man we used to know. I hope that we did not trouble you from our rather rude remarks."


    "No, Sir," said Lanon meekly. "I wouldn''t dare!"


    "Good," said the gentle-looking woman. "We''ll have to trouble you in taking care of this mess, Guardsman. Tell the adventurers and guardians of this city about this bloodbath. Tell them to bury all these good men."


    "Yes, Ma''am," said Lanon hurriedly.


    She turned her back. The Knight of Sunspawn followed behind that woman. The green-haired one watched Lanon or a while before following the two out of the alley. They were peculiar to Lanon. Those three gave him an odd feeling. He didn''t know what it was but it gave him fear. The three was able to dispatch a monster of that caliber. They were a monster in their own right. Experienced, hardened by the bloodbath that they''ve participated in their lives.


    Lanon didn''t dare to think more. He left the scene and contacted the guardians of the city. He told the factions about the deaths of their fellows and he left and returned to his home with his head swirling with questions on what happened at that street.


    He saw on a chair with forehead planted on the table. His mind recalled the scene of slaughter. He could see them as he closes his eyes. This was a reminder that under the cover of peacefulness. The night has many troubles. Even inside the walls of the city monsters can appear.


    "Troubled," said a voice.


    Lanon turned towards it, "Yes, I am troubled."


    "I see," said Alcina. She walked onto the table with her sword. "I''ve been guarding the sword maiden of Throes. They''re quite the spectacle to watch. Even a kind lady called Captain Celesta offered training to me."


    "Offered you?" said Lanon. "Did you accept?"


    Alcina nodded, "I did. As you know I do not know to protect myself. I am guardsman but I have no idea how to properly wield my sword. Captain Celesta told me that she''ll allow my participation."


    "That''s great!" said Lanon. "I think you''ll do well."


    Alcina smiled, "Thank you, I''ve been thinking about what to do. I was a farm girl and I am strong enough to carry a sword. I don''t think Captain Celesta would''ve allowed me to join the training if she didn''t see that I can use this sword easily."


    Lanon leaned on the table, "So what you will do? Join them?"


    "Who knows?" said Alcina. "I''ve been thinking about it. The Sword Maidens have always been a dream of little girls like me who wanted to compete with men. Still, it would be a waste to leave when I got a home."


    "I see," said Lanon. "Well, if you really want to then you can always come home. This house belongs to you too."


    "I know," Alcina said. "But I have this gut feeling that someone would be lonely without me."


    "Nonsense," Lanon retorted. "I''m not that weak to miss you!"


    "You hate me?" she showed a sad look.


    "No!" Lanon waved his hands. "Do not misunderstand."


    "Haha," she smiled lightly. "You really are a good friend of mine."


    "Well, you feel like a big sister to me."


    Alcina gave him a helpless look. "So you always see me as a big sister?"


    "Yes?" he answered.


    "What a shame," she shook her head. "Hmm, maybe I am not being assertive enough?"


    "Huh?"


    "It is nothing, Lanon. Still, I would like to think about joining the Sword Maidens. I shall head to bed now," she eyed with a gentle and longing expression. "Just...come inside my room if you want something, okay?"


    "Okay," he nodded.


    Alcina shook her head. She went to her room and left Lanon whose eyes drifted outside the window. They were friends, and he knows that. He didn''t have a control over her life. If she wants to become a sword maiden then he would have no right to tell her no. Her world didn''t revolve around Lanon and because of this thought, it made Lanon rather lonely.


    "This is a bad day," he said. He recalled the scene that he saw. He thought of what he''d be doing again if Alcina truly left. He put the thought behind and went to bed. Yet, he was unable to sleep a wink until he heard the cackle of the rooster in the morning.


    As he went out of bed and walked to the room. He saw a letter and read it. His eyes turned gloomy. His heart ached as he sits down and laid the letter on the table. "I see...she joined the Sword Maidens huh..."


    Oddly, he was not surprised. He sat still on the chair and turned towards the window where the snow was starting to fall.

 Chapter 38: Pale Shine 2

    The forest was now covered in white. The trees that towered were now naked and the terrain changed. A young man in leather armor sprawled across with the snow around him dyed in blood. He was breathing heavily. His face was pale and there were tears on his eyes.


    A hooded man covered in snow neared the young man. He kneeled on one knee. He tapped the forehead of the young man. His expression could not be seen. The young man saw the figure of the man in a silhouette. He opened his mouth slightly.


    "H-help," he spat out. Blood leaked from the side of his mouth.


    "You got lost, brother?" said the Ghost.


    "I...got sneaked attacked," he pointed at the creature a few steps away from him. "I somehow made it out alive...I doubt I''ll last."


    Ghost reached out for his pockets. He took a bottle and spilled the content on the young man''s mouth. The young man swallowed the liquid. His face grew red and his pale complexion turned rosy. He touched his wound. He could feel pain but it was like it was not there anymore.


    "It''s not magic, brother," said the Ghostly man. "It just numbs the pain and raises your temperature. You will still die if you do not get warmed up."


    "Can you help me?"


    "Certainly, I can."


    "Really, I''ll pay you whatever I can."


    "Pay me? Oh, that''s good. Still, if you didn''t say that I would still help you."


    He carried the young man across his shoulder. The young man didn''t groan or grunt as the man in Hooded Cloak started walking.


    "Are you really going to help me if I didn''t say that I would pay?"


    "Why would I not?"


    "Because that''s how things are."


    "Not because it is decent and kind to do so?" he asked.


    "No one works for free."


    "I know. But it doesn''t mean that you can stop being good. I am not saying that I am a good person. You should know me, right?"


    "I do. You''re that Ghost that threatened everyone while alone. You''ve guts, brother. Though I confess that I had no choice but to swallow my pride and ask for your help here."


    "Not an odd choice," said The Ghost. "Everyone wants to live. I do not blame you for abandoning that pride."


    "I am ashamed. To think that I would be helped by you of all people," the young man narrowed his eyes. "Most of the adventurers thought of you as a cold man. Would someone like that help someone who''s dying?"


    "Depends," said Ghost. "There are monsters in this world that would help them. To the contrary monsters cannot be wholly satisfied as evil. They have their own goals and values that it would be hard to completely tell what they want. For example, in the barren lands, there is a community of fairies that stays neutral. They are ''servants'' of a figure that have long lost her interest in this world."


    "Who is this figure?"


    "Pale Shine was her name."


    ...


    Vero of Sorer was wrapped in a fur cloak. His bastard sword was held open as he leans it on his right shoulder. The armored person watched with Vero of Sorer. Their eyes were pointed at the column of sword maidens wrapped in cold gear. Their faces showed sharp bravery as the sigil of the War Maiden invigorates them with strength.


    The armored person sucked in cold air, "Looks like the Sword Maidens are stronger than ever. Isn''t it envious that we adventurers don''t get the same blessings?"


    "Nicola," said Vero of Sorer. "Do you really assume that we are weak?"


    "Not at all," said Nicola. "I am a False Knight myself but I still feel envious when I see such girls brimming with power. Look, even that simple braided farm girl is filled with power. And look at Captain Celesta, that Amazonian woman looks dangerous than ever!"


    Captain Celesta of the Sword Maidens led her maidens through the snow. Her face was covered in scars and her hulking figure coupled with the greatsword on her back made her inhumane. The adventurers who were on the side watched with a strange expression on their faces.


    "What happened to that Ghost?" Nicola said.


    "Who knows?" Vero of Sorer said. "He disappears and melts away like a shadow. Unless he wants to there''s no way that man would want to come into our camp again. Not to mention that the fools who wanted to teach them a lesson are scarred for life."


    "They could not even find him. Should we cross out the missing person?"


    Vero of Sorer wanted to speak. Yet, he saw a ghostly man carrying a person across his shoulder. He sidled towards Vero and Nicola who straightened their posture. They did not feel his presence at all. They felt spook and they were trying their best to remain indifferent.


    "I found this person. He''s still alive for now," he placed the young man on the ground.


    Vero of Sorer took a step forward. His eyes pointed at the young man. "Are you perhaps one of those that went out of the group?"


    The young man scratched his right cheek, "Yes, Sir. I believe that I am that person. I got attacked by a monster and Sir Ghost here gave me medicine and hauled me to safety."


    Nicola patted his right wrist, "And it looks like you owe him now. Can you stand?"


    "Barely," replied the young man.


    "Looks like we owe you one, Ghost," said Vero of Sorer.


    "It''s fine. I don''t need to be owed," The Ghostly man turned and looked at the column of Sword Maidens who were resting around a gigantic tree. His eyes examined each and one of them. "It looks like Captain Celesta''s still alive and well. She''s a tough one alright."


    He eyed the others, "I guess she''s after the Devilish Woman as well," he thought. "No, I should find Tania the Obsidian before they do. She''s an important material that I can use. She''s a devil and because of her devilish blood alone that I need to capture her."


    He nodded and squinted. He dragged his feet across the snow when he suddenly stopped. His eyes landed on where a braided farm girl was. He felt like time stopped for him. Every muscle and sinew in his body stiffened.


    ...


    "I do it because it is decent and a nice thing to do!"


    "For a guard, you are really rather weak?"


    "You look grown up! I remember when you always cry about!"


    "I really hope to see the sun again."


    It was a memory of old. He couldn''t remember her name. It was a long memory that he had forgotten until now. Before meeting Ciara he admired a certain optimist that had dreams. She would smile at the sight of danger. She would not shut light from her life.


    She was a painful memory that he had to seal away. So seeing her face and her blind optimism despite the danger around her made Ghost, no, Nolan froze over. He remembered her face. Her name, however, was something he has truly forgotten.


    His eyes glowed red. The sigils of the dove of thorns and the snake of woes appeared on his eyes. The painful memories flashed again but it did not reveal her name. He was fearless when it comes to anything. Yet, he could not move his legs knowing that he needed to walk towards her and ask for her name.


    Then what? What would he do after learning her name again? He didn''t want to be hurt and he had enough o tampering fate. He didn''t know what he did to change her fate. Why she was in this area instead of spending her life in Moirai City where she worked as a lady guard and an instructor and hope for the young ones.


    "Did I mess up again?" he thought. "What did I do to change the timeline? Could it be that my actions have reached so far that simple roles have been changed? What about those that I know? What about those people that gave me hope? Have they changed their minds? What did I do damn it!"


    He raged internally. He was afraid to learn her name, but, he stretched his legs away from Nicola and Vero of Sorer. The two looked dumbfounded as they saw him easily blend in with the adventurers. Vero of Sorer sheathed his sword and placed his right hand on his hip.


    "What was that about?"Nicola said.


    "Who knows?" Vero of Sorer shook his head. "Ghost''s an eccentric who we never could understand. Hmm, it doesn''t matter anyway. Young man, you should go and get yourself patched up. You''re lucky that he doesn''t retaliate unless provoked."


    The young man nodded curtly, "I understand Sir Vero!"


    "Just go," said Nicola. "Do not try and break off from the main group again. Winter''s harsh in the inner lands and the monsters aren''t that worried about the damn cold."


    "I understand!" the young man stood and went to the direction of the adventurers.


    Vero of Sorer folded his arms. He looked at the reinforcements that came to help them. It was winter yet hearing their success has finally convinced the factions of the Inner Lands to act and deal the final blow. Like a spearhead, they pierced the defenses that surrounded the territory that Tania the Obsidian took. Vero of Sorer understood that he will be getting all the credit even though they''ve come to help.


    ...


    Alcina rubbed her palms. Her body was covered in a slight glow. It was the glow of the War Maiden that was given to her. She was given the right to become a Sword Maiden and a servant of the War Maiden. Through the War Maiden, she can withstand the cold. It was a blessing that allowed the Sword Maidens to finally stand on their feet proudly.


    "I wonder if he''s missing me?" she thought. "I can''t believe that he''d really be that oblivious. I mean I can understand that I am rather plain. But to think he''d see me as his big sister. To think that I would join the sword maidens because of this reason alone."


    She calmly hugged her sword. She wasn''t that great in using it. She was here because of the blessing and that Captain Celesta wanted everyone to learn the hard way. It was a three-week-long journey and here she was about to enter the battle facing monsters summoned by a devilish woman.


    "Excuse me," said a voice. She slowly craned her neck to where that voice came from. She spotted a hooded man covered with a cloak. She could not see anything other than his glowing red eyes. He was standing silently and it took a while for the other sword maidens to notice her.


    "What is it?" Alcina curtly said.


    "Can I know your name?" the person kneeled on one knee.


    "Why do you want to know my name?" she had to ask.


    He continued starting at her. She was rather stunned on why did the man want her name. She scratched her wrist and looked around. The Sword Maidens were slowly noticing the man that was standing in front of her. She thought that she might as well answer him.


    "I am Alcina," she said.


    "Alcina," muttered the man. "I see...so that''s your name."


    He stood up and started to turn around. Alcina widened her eyes as she watches the man go. She stood up herself and told him, "Hey! What''s your name?"


    He stopped walking, "I am Nolan. It was nice knowing your name, Miss Alcina. I hope that the War God blesses you in this battle. I''ll help you when I can. Also, can you tell Captain Celesta that it was nice seeing her alive?" he looked up. "And if you ever meet the War Maiden. Tell her that I said hi too, will you?"


    "Nolan?" she mouthed his name. She remembered the face of the person who was rather queer to heart. Yet, she could not compare him to the person who was walking away from her, melting into the background like a ghost. Alcina thought of that figure as lonely. He was nowhere to be found.


    Alcina thought how similar their name was. Although she called him Lanon, his real name was Nolan. She found it odd but she could not associate the man who introduced himself as Nolan to Lanon who didn''t give such a dangerous and lonely aura. "Did he only want to know my name? Why?" she thought about it. She wanted to ask but Nolan has already disappeared to who knows where.

 Chapter 39: Pale Shine 3

    Tania of the Obsidian has connected herself to a tube that supplied a circle rune. She has been keeping the gate alive for the demons to enter the outer lands. This method wouldn''t have worked if Oasis City was still standing. Oasis City wasn''t just a defensive line or a curtain wall that kept the inner lands safe.


    It also acts as a symbol that disrupts the space around the inner lands. Even though the gate travel spells can now be used through certain magical gates and techniques, the space around the Inner Lands was still protected by the symbols of the Light.


    The Outer Lands didn''t have any symbols of Light. The Fortress of Three Fates was considered one but their location was hidden and was naturally strong against teleportation and gate travel spells. These spells are considered the highest and only special techniques and devices allowed the use of these spells. Therefore it can only be used in the Outer Lands.


    Tania of the Obsidian was pale. Her complexion was getting closer to that of a corpse. If it wasn''t for her special bloodline she knew that she wouldn''t have survived this transmutation spell that required her blood. She was a special blooded devilish woman. She was part of a long-lasting bloodline that served the Overlord of the Demons.


    "With this...will we finally be able to experience the fertile lands that we have desired for too long?" she thought. Her reddish lips shivered at the thought of finally being able to take the lands. "Ancestors have always longed these lands. How great would it be if we are able to cultivate crops here? We wouldn''t turn into these monsters that those blessed ones love!"


    She could remember her hidden village cry and wail as the energy of the barren lands enter their blood. She was blessed since the energy of the barren lands only turned her into a devilish woman who had the bloodline of her ancestors. Did she wish for this power? Did she wish to become a devilish woman? Tania of the Obsidian was given no choice.


    A rational being would always seek comfort and betterment. They''ve tried negotiating with the inner lands but they fear them. They cannot accept their forms and appearances. They could not accept the towering-size monsters of the Pale Pass. People feared things they could not understand. Not wanting them they waged war and built walls to keep them out.


    And so forth it became a hatred that has lasted till ages. How can they be blamed when they want to correct the grievances of the past? To right the wrong that was put upon them? They only call their Lord Evil for they want to. They call him names and think of him as ''evil'' when in her mind the inner land people were the wronged one.


    In Tania''s mind, they are the good ones. In the mind of people of the Inner Lands, they are the evil ones. They could not blame God for their suffering. If God abandoned them they would have long lost their powers and ability to live in the barren lands.


    It was not God''s fault. They understood that clearly. But without acting upon their own they would stay miserable in their homelands. No fool would stay in a land that would make them suffer. Tania wanted to better her life. She followed the orders of the Overlord and served the Warden of the Barren Lands who became instrumental in taking down Oasis City.


    "Mistress," said a voice. "The Inner Landers have come to the fortress. Shall we attack or defend?"


    Tania slowly looked at the demon-kin, "Keep them at bay. I shall summon a giant of the Pale Pass. It will stop these fools and we shall regain the lands we lost."


    "Understood, madam," said the demon-kin. "We shall thy reach the Green Pastures we desire."


    "And wilt shall be though," replied Tania of Obsidian.


    The demon-kin left the chamber. Tania of the Obsidian channeled her blood into the circle of blood. Her pale slowly getting pale as the sounds of battle rang outside. She gritted her teeth. Her bloodshot eyes reddened as she tries to keep herself in control. Her body shuddered and convulsed as the tube sucks her blood out.


    She was slowly losing control of her mind. Her mind was swirling and there was a storm brewing so hard that she was unable to focus on what was in front of her. Her eyes dilated and her beautiful golden eyes slowly became red. Her hair turned mystical white and her brown skin was long gone. She was pale and weak. Her ears were ringing and her reddish lips trembled as streaks of blood flowed between her teeth.


    The horn on top of her head shattered into mirror-like fragments. There was only a broken horn on her head. She stopped moving like a corpse. Her mouth hung down and saliva flowed down her neck to her breast. There was an earthquake outside the fortress. The despairing shouts as the earth shuddering steps of a pale pass giant


    Her eyelids twitched. Her limbs moved stiffly as she tries to suck in air from her non-functioning mouth. She was pale yet her beauty could rival a princess. Her ''devilish'' like nature was gone. What was left was a weakened devil-kin that made use of her weakened legs to walk over the window. She could see the pale pass giant wreck havoc and annihilate the adventurers and various factions that decided to attack the fortress.


    A weak smile formed upon her lips. Yet, this smile slowly vanished as the pale pass giant got hit by barrels that suddenly exploded. She grabbed the bars of the window and eyed the direction of where the barrel came from. There were giant slingshots that were placed upon the ridges. They slung these barrels and it hit the pale pass giant right in the head. The pale pass giant''s rock skin turned into fragments. The skin of the giant got exposed and before long a barrel hit the giant again.


    The giant kneeled on its knees. It roared against its enemies and tried to stand up. The pale pass giant got hit by three or four barrels. Its head exploded and its brain matters rained down upon the attackers of the natural fortress.


    Tania of the Obsidian kneeled. Her mouth wide opened as she stared at the pale pass giant whose head was gone. She wondered how they could bring cannon powder barrels to the outer lands. Whose ideas was it? She thought.


    "Have you heard of the legend of the Pale Shine Lady?" asked a voice. "She''s a lady who walks the earth in disguise. She wouldn''t know of her past. For she has long abandoned it until it arrives naturally for her. In her death, she might not even know what the legendary lady of Pale shine was her."


    Tania of Obsidian rose up from her feet. She saw a hooded man striding towards her location. She could smell the blood of her kin on the man''s hands. She could feel the aura of death and that her opponent was not reckless. How could anyone sneak into the inner chambers unless they are skilled?


    "In all the versions that many scholars and lovers told in their journals. They fondly remember her appearance as the woman who has white mystical hair and golden eyes. Her skin white was white as snow and men of this world would fawn over her," the voice continued talking. He stopped in front of her.


    "Tania of the Obsidian was the Pale Shine Lady''s incantation. To possess magical blood that could even summon the pale pass giant and draw power from the stasis river itself. You are a dangerous woman, Tania of the Obsidian."


    She widened her eyes, "I remember you. You were that Walker who killed the Warden and the giant eye! You are still alive!?"


    Two obsidian blades came out of her wrist. She struck at the hooded man but the man hit the back of her wrists and landed a straight hook on her liver. Tania of the Obsidian kneeled on her knees. She tried to stand up only for another punch to hit her forehead. She tried breathing in the air yet she could not do so. The man before her exploited her weak spots as if he knew it already.


    "How could you possibly?"


    "Knew?" he said blandly. "It is called experience, my lady devil."


    "What do you mean?"


    "Three miles away from the stasis river lay the hometown of the Obsidian. It is a small hamlet composed of houses made from crystallizes bricks. These bricks can easily adapt to the weather and can regulate the temperature of anyone who nears it. Quite the magical material and it would be popular in the inner lands if it wasn''t for the fact that your people stand in the way of taking them," he explained.


    "How could you know of my village, human!" she raises her body forcibly. "Speak human!"


    She rushes at him like a madwoman. He swung his left leg and hit her right at the side of her face. She stumbled and rolled twice before falling flat on her face. She glared at the person who was walking at her. She was not an amateur but the man in front of her was well-practiced in dealing with people like her.


    "Tania of the Obsidian, from the Clan of Demon-Obsidian kin has served the Overlord of Demons. Your blood can sustain a gate spell and summoned a pale pass giant near the stasis river. That river alone is an obstacle enough yet you were able to magnificently summon the devil-kin and one of the giants," he drew his sword and stabbed it on Tania''s navel.


    She screamed in pain. She glared hatefully at him, "Wicked human!"


    "I know that this is not a decent thing to do," he said blandly. "Your blood contains magical powers. Your entire being is enough to continuously feed the runes inscribed in this sword. Wind and water, combine it and you can imitate a jet stream cutter that could cut through anything. It takes a lot of power but sealing you in this blade and making you a symbolism will be enough to bind you to this blade."


    "No!" shouted Tania of the Obsidian. "Just kill me! To be used as an eternal fuel for that blade!"


    "I, Nolan Salvatore declare thee; Do what though wilt. A man has the right to follow his own law, therefore, I shall bind thee to the Sword of Zachariah; as her power and strength; her blood and fresh. Let this Sword of Zachariah be the new binding vessel of Tania of the Obsidian!" he screamed at the top of his lungs.


    Tania of the Obsidian felt an invisible force sucking her inside the Sword of Zachariah. Her soul and body were getting compressed and before long she found herself in a transparent room that only showed the chamber where she should be standing. She felt someone touching her and this someone was the hooded man who sealed her into the sword.


    She tried to move. She gathered her power only to feel that the sword was absorbing the power that was she was releasing. She was now a living conduit of the sword. She was now the spirit and body of the sword that was compressed forcibly inside.


    "Let it be known," said Nolan. "Henceforth this blade shall be called the Pale Obsidian Sword of Zachariah. Through blood and flesh; through sacrifice and courage; this blade shall cut through its enemies."


    Nolan sheathed the blade and kneeled as if all energy that he was long gone. He looked at the sword that he held tightly on his hands and calls forth the Spirit of the Sword that now dwells inside the Pale Obsidian Sword of Zachariah. She appeared before Nolan like a vengeful white spirit.


    "I curse you!" shouted the woman. Her body materialized and the sword was gone. "To turned me into a living weapon!"


    Nolan kept his stoic fa?ade, "Because it was necessary. I shall not say that what I did today was decent and kind. I don''t know what is right or wrong for you. But I needed your blood to enhance this weapon. This allows this sword to continuously fuel the runes that we''ve engraved in the sword. It will help me in slaying your kind."


    "Monster!" she sobbed hatefully with her golden eyes glaring at him. "I pray for a thousand deaths upon you!"


    Nolan forcibly manipulated the runes and sheathed the sword. He walked out of the chamber and melted into the shadows.

 Chapter 40: Pale Shine 4

    Alcina took her breath. Covered in wounds and blood, her fatigued ridden body stood with the War Maiden''s glow giving her that breathes of wind that allowed her to firmly stand on her both feet. Intoxicated with adrenaline she felt her entire body covered in a feeling she hasn''t felt in her life.


    She was afraid. She didn''t want to die. Yet, as she puts her enemy down the trembling of her hands stopped. She found herself following the footsteps of her sisters-in-arms. She stood with them and fought with me and marched along the corpses.


    The pale pass giant''s appearance gave her heart despair. But when the giant fell down dead, Alcina felt her heart filled with vigor. The screams of the men and women around turned her into someone she wasn''t. She didn''t know why she was running and finishing off enemies. She didn''t know why there was fierce expression happening on her face.


    Captain Celesta led the charge in the natural fortress. The adventurers followed along with the faction that appeared to help. Yet inside the natural fortress they could only see a scene of slaughter. Demon-kin''s were cut in a precise and concise manner. There was a demon that stabbed through a wall. There was a demon whose head was smashed in the edge of the wall. There were traces of explosion and traps. There was liquid splattered on the head of the demons. A demon was stabbed with three bolts in the head. Another one was killed by something that was sharp enough to split a demon in half.


    The scene was bizarre and the demons were still holding their weapons at hand. The walls were made by one single weapon. The attackers continued heading inside the fortress only to find no trace of the enemy. Every hall and room was covered in demon''s blood. The fortress was emptied and the place where demons should be resting was covered in rubble. Demons that survived growled and screamed at the attackers. They cursed a single entity that they could only call as a Revenant. They spoke of him as a vengeful ghost and even at the edges of death they could only grumble and curse at this Ghost that turned their natural fortress into a bloody one.


    Alcina wondered who this ghost was. She could tell that however, the maker of this one-sided massacre was well-versed in killing the demons. Captain Celesta stroked her chin as she examined the scene. She sidled towards Vero of Sorer and Nicola with her eyes squinted.


    Vero of Sorer kept his bastard leaned on his shoulder. Nicola carried a shield and a mace while keeping a careful eye on the corners. They couldn''t stand still at the scene before them. Vero of Sorer kept his cool and looked at the tall woman that was approaching him.


    He stepped to left and balled his fists. The smell of blood and water entered his nostrils. Nicola nodded at Celesta and lowered the mace and shield Nicola was holding.


    "Who could have done this?" said Celesta


    "I have an idea," replied Vero of Sorer


    "Give it to me."


    "There was Ghost that wanted Tania of the Obsidian alive."


    "Why? Can''t that person know how valuable that sinner is to the court? He''s a fool if he thinks that he can just take that devilish woman away and not think of the consequences of doing so."


    "I know who take that devil away. No one other than that two-sigil walker wants Tania of the Obsidian."


    "Two-sigil walker?" gasped Celesta. "A bleak walker with two sigils you say? Is he armed to the teeth? Does he have any tools that are peculiar?"


    "What do you mean?" Vero of Sorer turned towards Celesta.


    She folded her arms, "At the attack of the Warden of the Barren Lands. There were three figures that allowed us to survive. If it wasn''t for Hero Ryle using all of his energy to deflect the attack of the floating eye we would have all died. If it wasn''t for the Royal Guard''s Captain, Zachariah, defeating the floating eye we would have suffered more. There was another person who helped. The Bleak Walker whose name a few people know."


    "Do you know his name?" asked Vero of Sorer.


    "Nolan," mouthed Celesta. "That''s what they call him. Is he around this battlefield?"


    "Who knows?" Vero of Sorer shrugged his shoulders. "That man acts and moves like a Ghost. My men are not sure how to react to him and we cannot predict what that Ghost is thinking. But I can think of two things here. Either that man has taken Tania of the Obsidian and dragged her away. Or he has eliminated the devilish woman."


    "Why would you say that?" Celesta asked.


    He pointed around the room, "The room is the clue itself. I can tell that there was a short fight. The blood spilled on the ground has the smell of demon''s blood. I can feel that blood pulsing. What confuses me is how did he drag that woman away from here? If he killed her then she should have a trail. But we can see here that only that spot of blood is there. Where did the body go? Did he find a way to drag her out? We cannot see a trail of blood and I doubt that devilish woman would let herself be captured without a fight. Therefore I can only think that this Ghost captured her."


    Celesta frowned, "But how could he do so?"


    "That is what I am surprised about," said Vero of Sorer. "I''ve seen him fight. But to neutralize a devilish woman like her and leaving the room intact. Is this how Two-sigil walkers are? Are they this terrifying?"


    "Experience," said Celesta. "That man clearly has walked farther than us. He knows how to handle the demons and exploit their weak spots. I saw him as a great fighter in that war but if your words are true. Then I can understand why she would dream of his return."


    She?" muttered Vero of Sorer. He shook his head, "Anyways, we can still proclaim that we have captured the fortress and its leader taken by an ally."


    "An ally, huh," Celesta laughed wearily. "But a Walker never stays too long in one place."


    ...


    He stood observing the natural fortress in silence. The cheers of the victorious echoed. The beheaded heads of the enemies being put into sticks for people to see. The pale pass giant was mutilated into many pieces and the scavengers and scholars were starting to gather a sample from the pale pass giant. The skin and rock plates of the giant was going to be useful to some of the adventurers.


    "Look at your people," said Tania who was inside the Pale Obsidian Sword of Zachariah. "They call us monsters yet even we don''t cannibalize our own kin. Do you see us wearing the skins of giants and demons? How would you feel if we wear the skins of humans? You would call us abominations! Hah! Look at these ''good'' people of the sons and daughters of light!"


    Nolan kept his silence. Tania who was watching inside the sword sneered. She crossed her legs and looked at the humans who were continuing their activities. Her face was crumpled. Her fists were balled hard. Her teeth were gritted hard. She could not bear to look at the scene and closed her eyes.


    "I''ve enough of this disgusting scene," said Tania. "Do you feel the same joy as these humans? Why not grab a plate of the pale pass giant? Wouldn''t the skin of the giant do you good?"


    "I am good enough," he kneeled on one knee. His left hand leaned on the tree. "Tough skin but I am fond of this garments of mine."


    Nolan eyed his hoodie of his. He has been patching it up and adding improvements to it. He could abandon it but the sentimental value of the hoodie was too much. It was the last reminder of a home he could never return. How could he discard the last possession that he had from his past world so easily?


    "How foolish, human," said Tania.


    "You wouldn''t understand," he said. His eyes stared a thousand yards away.


    "I won''t. I am not a human. But I will not dare to underestimate a human like you. You captured me easily and without any problem. How did you do it, human?"


    Nolan sat on the giant tree branch and swayed his legs. His eyes darted at the restless crowd that was dancing over their victory. His face stolid as he speaks, "Experience, I know how to deal with devils and demons. It has been my life."


    "Your life?" said Tania. "You sound like an old man mulling over the past. I can tell that you are barely old, human. Or have you been walking this path for too long?"


    "Certainly, the road has been long. I don''t know how many roads I''ve traveled and how many enemies and obstacles that I''ve faced to reach this far." He placed the sword on his lap. Nolan''s face reflected on the sword that was now glimmering. The sealing of Tania inside the sword made it magical.


    "Is that so?"Tania snorted loudly. "You wouldn''t earn those eyes if you were lying to me. So what is your goal? What did you mean by sealing me in this sword? How could you possibly know a method to seal a devil inside a sword?" said Tania.


    His eyes pointed at Tania the Sword. "Do you really expect me to say the method? All you need to know is that I''ve made use of the elements to complete a ritual. Do what though wilt; means that I''ve made my own law to follow. And that law allows me to seal you inside the sword."


    "I expected this reply," said Tania the Sword. "But let me ask again, human. What do you intend to do in sealing me? What is your goal for all of this?"


    Nolan smiled, "You really expect someone to say what he or she plans? I would call you a fool for asking a question. But, let me say that I''ve no goal. I am just a wanderer that needed a good sword to kill my enemies."


    Tania''s expression contorted. "Is that it? You expect me to believe that you sealed me inside this sword just so that you can kill your enemies better? So that you can kill my kin easily! Is that it you cruel human!?"


    "Yes," he said blandly. "What did you expect? I am Bleak Walker. I''ve no home to protect and I am forever lost. I know how to seal and create a sharp sword that could slice my enemies. Did you think that I have a grand plan? That I have a goal that I needed to complete? You praise me too much, Tania the Obsidian! Who now owns you is nothing more than a goalless walker that tries to do what he could in a world that doesn''t need him! I am sorry to disappoint you. But I''ve tried changing the world and yet it did nothing but show me misery. So if you are expecting this miserable self of mine to do grand things other than this then I will say now that you will be extremely disappointed."


    Tania stayed still. She closes and opens her mouth twice as if she couldn''t comprehend what he said for a moment. "What a big joke. Is that it then? I''ll accompany you forevermore? In sickness in health until death do us part?"


    "Yes," he said. "I will not apologize but you will accompany me until my death. You have the option to materialize yourself but you cannot leave my side. I promise that your soul will not enter your heaven. I believe that would be worse than death is it?"


    Tania materialized in front of Nolan in anger. "Human, you are cruel. I''ve never thought that I would end up as a sword spirit to a monster like you. I''ve faced enemies yet they''ve never treated me this harshly nor wish my soul damnation. I loathed you. I hate you from the bottom of my heart. I wish that misfortunes would strike you so that I may be free,"


    "I see," Nolan smiled. He stood up and squared his body in front of her. His eyes locked with Tania. "I understand the sentiment and your hatred. You have that right. I will not apologize for making use of your blood. But I will thank you for giving me a sharp weapon."


    He smiled. Tania widened her eyes in fear.

 Chapter 41: Interlude of those who lived on

    A man faced a field of gravestones. He was old and wrinkled. His fluttering cloak sounded about as it flaps violently. The old man carried himself a step forward.


    "Brother and Sisters of the Sons and Daughters of Light. Brother, they call us Heroes but yet it is an empty title that does not benefit us nor gives us the feeling of brotherhood and sisterhood that we''ve felt fighting the barren land people. We''ve fought through the worst and the worst. Each and every single one of us was willing to die for something.


    Yet, here I am Brother, alive and in my years before the dawn. We survived through the worst and saw the world open up. The dim despair that shrouded us vanished and what was left was the splitting of the sky. The six heroes stood tall and helped us in our time of need. The once young and na?ve ones were now wise men and women that saved the world. It is a grand tale, Brother.


    Many of us walked the bleak path. We never have a home until we are grabbed by the hand and forced to stay. I admit that I''ve stopped wandering. My senses are dull and my knees are unable to continue the journey. I could see the dead every day within these eyes of mine. It hurts, brother. To see those that I fought buried under a stone.


    None remembers us other than we fought as soldiers. We aren''t called Heroes. We were just one of the many soldiers of the Light''s Army. The Banners of the Light still flaps about. Yet, I fear that with no common enemy the United Kingdom''s will fall to their greed for power.


    No enemies to fight other than the monster. No defined goal for them to keep their wits about and think that they do not have the time for such meaningful strife. I fear that these men would want to go to war. I cannot blame them for this, Brother. Even now I missed the battlefield and the wandering. I yearn for the feeling of sharpness as death could come to me. The sense of urgency and the feeling of having a defined goal made me feel alive.


    I missed our brotherhood. I missed those who fight with men unconcerned with their life. We didn''t give a damn about our lives and were willing to die for them. At the edge of death, we were truly alive. I cannot blame those fools for wanting to start a war again. I hate this feeling but it is addicting.


    In this peace, we find ourselves uneasy. The soldiers of the Light''s Army have been used to the War that this eerie feeling of peace was unknown to them. They wish to fight but those that love them grab them by the wrist, Brother. They do not know how to live this world that we have fought for with our lives. Not everyone feels this way. Many of those who were forced to fight now rest peacefully.


    They could not let go of their weapons. Habit does not die easily, brother. I too find myself unable to let go of the weapon that has saved my life. Brother, I have many things to say. She''s doing well, Brother. She''s as old and wrinkled. I''ve thought of myself as a man who could not be contained by one woman. I was wrong. Throughout the years she was the woman that could understand me. Who would leave such a fine woman who could still wallop me to the ground if I dare anything against her wishes?


    Many of those that lived are now trying to rebuild Oasis City. I don''t know what happened but the City''s no longer a desert. It is now surrounded with green pastures. I do not know what happen, Brother. I cannot leave the home that she and I settled in. I wish to visit Oasis City and recall the memories of our brothers.


    It''s rather queer, isn''t it? That we were once soldiers that lived as one. Yet, the changes turned us into bleak walking fools who wandered and kill. We didn''t have any talents or skill. We didn''t have any genius on us that made us unique like the Six Heroes. We were normal men and women that were trained hard enough to experience the worst that heaven could throw upon us. We fought demons and lived long enough to be called Slayers of Demons and Monsters.


    Many feared our steps. They feared the sigils that show how far we''ve walked. We became monsters out of necessity. We fought like monsters so that we can contend against those stronger than us. Our hearts, however, stayed true even in the end.


    In the roads, we walk we were brothers. In the battlefield we fought we were brothers. Brothers that were willing to die for those that fought with them shoulder to shoulder. None thanked us for fighting. We didn''t care for glory. We just thought of helping to save the world. The Six Heroes were only a few. They needed our hands and backs to carry them to where the root of this dimming world was.


    They will live on in the annals of History while we would fade along in space and time. We will not be remembered. Those that fought with us will be forever lost in time. They won''t remember our faces and names. But I assure you that they will remember the soldier''s of light that roared against the dimmed light. Our screams will echo for eternity. It may not be much compared to the Six Heroes who are now living legends. Still, I am not that that bothered by it. We''ve long stopped caring when we became wanderers.


    It''s nice that the world has become peaceful. I fear that it will not last. That''s why I can only wish that they would listen to their saviors. The Six Heroes have been great persuaders and I believe that they can talk them out of their foolishness. As long as they live the fools that are in power cannot possibly start their wars. Not when they have the full trust of those who lived on.


    But Brother, why did you have to die? We sent you off in hope that you''d survive and say that we have reached that far! We should be dead! Why are you the one that has left us instead? We believed that you''d survive but yet we found you dead with a smile on his face in the middle of a wasteland.


    You broke our hearts, Brother! How could you leave this world so easily while we live? No, I understand why you would leave a world without her. You chase after her for thirty years. I still remember you climbing up the podium asking to court her. And you were falling flat on your face every time. You didn''t give up for thirty years and devoted your heart to her. No matter how much you got rejected you pick yourself up as if that was your life.


    Thirty years to melt a woman''s heart. Many of us would give up but you didn''t. I cannot understand you at all, Brother. We could not. That''s why seeing you take her hand and her accepting you made us happy as well. For years you stayed with her in the battle against the darkness. And seeing you fall to your knees as she disappears from your life broke the hearts of men and women. You left us and returned as a dead man walking. Her death made you robust. You wouldn''t even answer that magician out of loyalty for her.


    You were like a boat without sail when you lost her. Brother, you never lost that decency and kindness you have. It was natural for you. So why in the heavens did you have to go! The Sword Maidens still have a glow in them! They finally have that milky glow after years! It only means that she still lives damn it!


    So why do you have to give up on your life, Brother! It was supposed to be a happily ever after for us brothers and sisters yet why did lay your back and ended your journey! I don''t know where she is but now she walks this earth not knowing that you are alive. She speaks to us and we can only lie to her that you''re still walking aimlessly around this world until you could not do so.


    We lied so her heart won''t break. We lied because we could not allow her to fall into despair. Her smile broke our hearts into pieces. Her hope was a painful ray of light. She climbed out of the abyss just for you. Aren''t you lucky to have a wonderful partner? It''s your fault for loving her too much. Now she has to return that love equally as well.


    As wanderers, we are not supposed to worry about the parts of life. We cannot be saddened unless we choose to. Brother, I chose to be sad. I have to come here and asked you to forgive us. We lied to her. We made her seek a hope that she would never reach.


    I don''t know, Brother. I am here bawling at this gravestone of yours with nothing but regrets. I am like a damn that has finally broken. I''ll carry this sin of lying to her into my grace. I didn''t do her any favor. I made her thought of a hope that no longer exists.


    Can I still lie to her when her smile reaches the heavens? Even my wife could not take this guilt. She wouldn''t even dare to face you on this hill. Brother, we have a philosophy of expecting the worse. We don''t hold to hope. We expect things to go wrong. We look at reality with a brave face. We prepare ourselves and make sure that we do not disappoint ourselves into breaking our hearts. With stolid faces, we meet our problems head-on with a stiff upper lip.


    Throughout this slaughter, we became men dressed like monsters. Still, when we lose our purposes and are unable to do what we are good at we became wanderers. It is a cycle of being lost and that leaves us wondering where we should go in this life.


    I confess that I''ve finally reached a happy ending. I reached the end of this misery with her still by my side. We''ve saved the world so they shouldn''t complain that we want to rest now. Brother, I do not know how to face you knowing we did her wrong by giving her a false hope.


    This will be my last visit, Brother. I thought that I''d be able to visit the graves of our brothers and sisters but I was wrong. I was once young but no longer. I cannot trek the lands as it was again. That''s why on this visit I hope that you forgive me for what we''ve done.


    Brother, the world has rested for a while. You helped in saving this world. You died saving this world. Our Brothers and Sisters now rest in peace. We will reach the same end as you, Brother. We are not foolish enough to think that we are infinite. That we can live long with our skin wrinkled and our bones becoming brittle. We are slowly wilting away and I may even join you sooner than I think.


    It''s just...I wish that you and she would have days where the world wasn''t in trouble. If there is another life then I wish that you and her meet again. I wish that you''d be able to take care of her and be with her. Brother, you already helped in saving this world. There''s no need to help in saving the world twice. Be selfish. Do what you want. The world doesn''t owe you anything anymore. You''ve done your best and it is time for you to worry about your own soul.


    It won''t be too long until she joins you, Brother. Soon all of us would meet again. This has been quite the life. I do not wish for anyone to relive this cruel story. It''s already late, Brother. I''ll go and now and please rest in peace."


    The old man walked away from the field of gravestones. A woman with a dirty blonde hair whose beauty was eternal glanced upon where the old man was talking. She read the engravings. Tears poured out of her eyes as she kneels and draws her sword. "I''m coming, dear."


    With a lonesome smile, she thrusted her sword into her heart. She embraced the gravestone and closed her eyes with the same lonesome smile plastered on her face.

 Chapter 42: Down the Dungeon 1

    Lanon scurried over cover. He looked past cover and saw the lower monsters gawking at one another. He readied his spear and tightly holds on to it while eyeing the other guardsmen of Throes that were ready to attack. His chest heaved up and down as he hears the sound of the whistle.


    He sprinted towards the gecko''s that were standing near a bush of berries. The rest of the guardsmen threw their spears as they distracted the geckos. Lanon placed the shaft of the spear on his right armpit. He pushed the spear forward and targeted the throat of the Gecko.


    "GAWKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK"


    The Gecko clawed the tip of Lanon''s spear. It swung its tail towards Lanon. Lanon dived under and cupped the pebbles unto his palms. He swung his right hand and threw the pebbles at the gaping mouth of the gecko. The gecko spat violently and clawed at him again.


    He crawled away and narrowly dodged the claw. He picked up his spear and thrusted it at the stomach of the Gecko. The gecko moaned in pain as it then spat saliva on Lanon''s face. Lanon planted his foot down and pushed the spear forward. He gritted his teeth. He made an iron grip and put his weight into it.


    "Hold that fucker still!" a man pounced at the Gecko and cleaved his sword at the back of the Gecko''s head. The Gecko squealed and fell back.


    Lanon pulled his spear back and planted it on the Gecko''s neck. The man penetrated the stomach of the Gecko and cut its front savagely and stabbed his sword at the Gecko''s heart. Lanon took his spear and looked around him. The guardsmen were finishing off the Gecko''s.


    "That''s it," said the man. He sized up Lanon and said. "Oh, you''re that coward guy. Hmm, did something good happened to you, Brother?"


    "What?" Lanon asked.


    He stood up, "You''re that guy who slew a hob right? I thought you were a coward but you seem to have changed. Did something good happen? Is it a woman?"


    "I don''t know," said Lanon. "I am Lanon, what about you?"


    "Elias of Tariff, that''s my name. So I heard that you''ve been doing well?"


    "I am, I guess," Lanon sat cross-legged. "Shouldn''t you be looking at me in disdain or something?"


    He snorted, "You want that?"


    "Not really," Lanon shook his head. "It''s good that someone actually talks to me."


    "It was your fault," said Elias. "You abandoned your comrades and acted like a coward. Sir Rave would have beheaded or hanged you if it wasn''t for the Doctor''s intervention and you slaying a hob. I can see that you''ve changed, Brother. Still, I will say this to you. Never act like a coward again. This world isn''t kind to cowards and fear would only take you down to your grave. I do not blame you for fearing. Yet, I am not fond of you abandoning your comrades. There''s nothing as hateful as someone who abandons his brothers in arms."


    Lanon nodded. He lifted himself and stared at Elias, "I understand. I''ll try not to be a coward then. And I really cannot do that anymore can I?"


    Lanon eyed the blue sky. Winter has passed and spring has arrived. The news of the victory over the Outer Lands swept the entire Inner Lands. The Sword Maidens, the Adventurers, and the various factions succeeded in retaking the Outer Lands, driving Tania the Obsidian away.


    "I see," said Elias. "It looks like we''re clear here. We should move to the nests that popped up around the outskirts of Moirai City."


    Lanon nodded his head. He followed Elias''s lead as he walks around the forest holding on to his spear. The forest was wide and tight. The vegetation has grown again. The naked trees have leaves and fruits. Lanon and Elias skulked around the forest along with the other guardsmen of Throes.


    The forest was cramped with obstacles. Leaves and branches blocked their path as they made their way towards the nests. The guardsmen of Throes did what they to minimize casualties but even the best of plans could go wrong. Lanon was battered and worn by the time he killed another Gecko. It took him time to defeat one Gecko while Elias was able to slay five.


    To Lanon the Gecko''s were dangerous. Even he could not face a normal dog barking at him without fear. Lanon has faced a hob and creatures that would have killed him if he wasn''t madly carefully. He was already glad that in this mission he was able to kill a Gecko on his own. It saved him from embarrassment.


    Lanon leaned near his kill. Elias trotter towards him and said, "Can you lend me your back?"


    "Sure," said Lanon.


    Elias sat and leaned on Lanon''s back. "You lean on me as well, Brother. Hah, you did well today, Brother. I thought you''d be useless like earlier. Good job."


    "Stop joking," Lanon patted the top of his helmet. "You killed five Geckos'' with a sword. You did better than me, Elias."


    "Hah!" hollered Elias. "I am naturally stronger than you, Brother. You fear too much. I saw you in good positions yet you never took the opportunity to strike. That fear held you back in taking that Gecko''s life. You could have ended it right there but you didn''t."


    "Is that so?" Lanon lowered his head. "I am not that good at fighting. I never was a warrior."


    "A man''s thought is what makes him!" Elias said curtly. "People don''t believe in you. They will scold you and tell that you are not good enough! If you can''t even dare to believe in what you can do then you might as well clean your neck for the enemies!"


    Elias stood up in front of Lanon with his eyes firm. "Don''t be afraid, Brother. Fear is a sickness that you must not let engulfed you. It will kill you if you let it weaken you."


    "Is that really it?" said Lanon. "Just believe in yourself? What a typical advice isn''t it?"


    Elias smirked and nodded, "It is typical because it works. Come, we should join the others, Brother."


    Elias offered his hand. Lanon took his hand and followed Elias along with the other guardsmen of Throes.


    Sir Rave stood with his hands behind his back. Together with him were the leaders of the Guardsmen of Throes. They eyed the guardsmen that were sidling into a row with their backs straightened. Sir Rave observed the men. His gaze landed on Lanon but he ignored him.


    Lanon stood in line with the others. Elias stood next to him with his sword at hand. Sir Rave took a step forward. His eyes pointed to the right and to the left. The trees swayed behind Sir Rave. The sun glared at the armor that he wore that was worn with use.


    "For months we''ve gathered our forces. The guardsmen of throes have seen worst than this. In the years of old, the guardsmen of throes fell upon the barren lands and yet no matter how many beatings it takes. This organization remains solid and firm. No matter what, we always come back from the ground not caring about the dust that gathered upon our faces."


    He stomped his right foot. "Men, we were not present when our City fell from the devils. You are sons of the Guardsmen of Throes. Many of you came here as weak men. Many of you are still weak. Many of you still fear what may come to us. We are not perfect. We are not born as Heroes. We were not born blessed. We trained ourselves ups to match the foes that we faced."


    He raised his hands and waved it around. "The factions of the Inner Lands have recently conquered the Outer Lands that were captured by the devil that helped in the fall of Oasis City. The Sword Maidens, the Adventurers, the Talon Knights, the Huntsmen''s and even the Scholars took part in this event. We, the guardsmen of Throes didn''t do anything. They thought of as cowards but how can I allow all of you to take part in a battle that will kill you all? We don''t have blessings of the War Maidens! We don''t have the experience needed to take part in these battles! How can I allow us to be shamed even further than we already are?"


    The crowd roared in agreement. Sir Rave placed his hands up as if and clenched it hard enough for everyone to see. "Men, I cannot allow us to be called as cowards. We are men damn it! We are the guardsmen''s that faced enemies since ancient times relying only on our limbs and grit! Many of us faced dangers that would make men kneel in fear! Why do we fear and why do we stay here instead of conquering a dungeon that will bring forth monsters!?"


    "Dungeon!?" shouted Elias. "Could it be that something like that popped up?"


    "Yes," said Sir Rave. "Three days away from this city lays a dungeon that a kind adventurer told us about. With them gone to the Outer Lands we can only gather to that place and capture it for ourselves! How can we allow ourselves to sit still when a dungeon that could breed monsters are days away from us? So I ask you, men! Are you ready to follow me into battle?"


    "We will!" shouted the guardsmen''s with fierce eyes.


    Elias shouted with them while Lanon held on to his spear with his jaw slightly shuddering. He wasn''t that versed in the Talon language but he could understand the danger of what a dungeon is. If Sir Rave was not lying then it only means that he will have no choice but to leave this city and follow them to the dungeon. His eyes dilated. His hand shook but he did it well enough for none of the men to notice his fear.


    He felt silence all around him. All he could think of was how he was going to survive this trouble. Should he run away? Should he run from this expedition and leave the city as fast as he could? Such thoughts ran wild inside his head.


    Sir Rave looked at Lanon whose face showed an expression of fear. The look of desperation and despair was enough for Sir Rave to lift his finger and point it at him, "You will join us, Lanon of Nobody. As a member of the Guardsmen of Throes, you are obliged to be part of this. This will help in learning what it means to be brave!"


    As he spoke the eyes of the guardsmen landed upon him. Lanon felt pressured at the fierce look upon their eyes. It was clear that they know of him as a coward. He knew that the moment he tries to escape these men would not hesitate to laugh at him and beat him up. They would not think twice of punishing a coward who wouldn''t even dare to join their comrades.


    There was no way he could escape with many eyes upon him. There was no choice for him other than raising his voice and nod his head in agreement. Sir Rave grinned at his reply. He stomped his right foot and shouted. "I''ll give you all a day to prepare yourselves. In the dawn, we shall move. Those who knew how to drive carts shall stay. Go now!"


    With a stomp the guardsmen of Throes dispersed. Sir Rave eyed the listless Lanon before striding with the leaders inside the building that the guardsmen of Throes occupied.


    "Are you okay, Brother?" asked Elias. "Shall we go for a pint?"


    Lanon craned his neck at Elias, "I think I am going to need a drink. I...am going to need weapons for this trip. Ah, a crossbow will do."


    "Is that so?" Elias patted his shoulder. He reached for his bag and took out a pouch. "Here, buy yourself one of those repeating crossbows, Brother. I think it will suit you better than a spear. I take it that you can buy ammunition for yourself?"


    "I can," he took the pouch. "I thank you, Elias."


    "No need." He grabbed hold of his sword. "You''re no brave man and I can understand that. But you are a brother of arms of mine, and I cannot let you die so easily. We should buy that crossbow and have a drink in a tavern."


    Lanon nodded listlessly. He followed Elias to the nearest weapon shop and bought a crossbow repeater and ammunition for the crossbow and went to a tavern for a round of drinks.

 Chapter 43: Down the Dungeon 2

    The entrance to the dungeon was large enough to fit a house. The entrance had vine filled with thorns covering the passageway. The vines were covered in poison that it was excreting a green pungent liquid. There was a huge four-leaf flower beside the entrance that was emitting a strange odor.


    The air was damp and wet. The cold wind from the forest entered the entrance. The entrance would have been missed if it wasn''t for the vegetation covering the entrance. Not to mention that it was hard to distinguish it from the two or three countless entrances that coveted the side of this small mountain.


    A group of men wore uniform outfits and started to bring down the curtain of vines from a distance. The curtain of thorns could not be cut within melee range. Doing so would cause the pungent green liquid to evaporate and turn into a dangerous poisonous gas that could kill faster than a snake''s poison.


    To remove the curtain of vines, the men threw grappling hooks to pull the vines down. They made use of this method to quickly pull down the curtains and clear the entrance. Of course, even with the vines down the men had to drag the vines into a hole where they would be able to burn the vines without the fear of taking the whole forest down. There was a faction of rangers that was ready to loathe anyone who would dare to burn the forests down. It was a tradition of these rangers to make a living by a carving their houses inside hollowed trees.


    There was a community of rangers ten minutes away from the entrance of the dungeon. To anger them was equivalent to painting a bull''s eye on their backs. Even as they work they could feel the watchful eyes of the rangers who have melted with the vegetation.


    The men who wore uniform outfits readied themselves by establishing a base camp. The entrance of the dungeon was then covered in tents and barriers that allowed the men to defend the base camp when there are monsters who have decided to go out.


    It was expected of an adventurer to face danger with courage. These men were not here to broaden their experience o take whatever treasure is inside the dungeon. They were here to eliminate the dungeon and take out the breeding nest that should be somewhere inside the nest.


    To completely annihilate a dungeon the challengers must ensure that each floor is cleared. They shall then continue to dive deeper inside the dungeon until they could reach the last floor. The challengers shall eliminate the nest. Destroy the passages that lead deeper and check for any alternative entrances. Each floor of the dungeon shall be purged with no quarter and once the floors are cleared. The entrance of the dungeon shall be demolished to prevent the dungeon from existing. The ''heart'' of the dungeon is usually referred as the nest. It also acts as the breeding point of the monsters.


    Clearing the dungeon is easier said than done. The dungeon follows a hierarchy of weak to strong. The first floors are where the weaker monsters usually reside. As challenger dives deeper they would encounter stronger monsters and the head of these monsters. The Alpha of the Nest resides in the nest and to destroy the nest they must face the might of the Alpha who is a threat itself.


    Foolish challengers usually tire themselves out in the first or third floors of the dungeon. Experienced challengers challenge the dungeon by establishing resting areas. Once a resting area is established it would easier for the challengers to proceed. It also allows them a breathing point and a safety neat. Naturally, the resting camps are cleared when the challengers are able to destroy the nest and purge the floors.


    It should also be noted that the dungeons are the homes of the monsters. The environment of the dungeons caters to the monsters need. Therefore challengers are advised to dress in clothing that would allow them to resist the odor and scent that the monsters excrete from their bodies.


    Any humanoid races have blood that doesn''t boil. Monster blood boil and they release a corrupting scent that slowly corrupts the senses of non-monsters. Some monsters have natural gifts that allow them to spit fire from their mouth or have abilities that can instantly kill humans. Higher monsters also have natural magical defenses that need to be neutralized for them to be hurt.


    Of course, even with this magical defense, they are vulnerable to natural disasters like rockslides and avalanches. Tacticians usually exploit them by burying them or hurling rocks at their bodies. The monsters have nature-defying abilities but they could not fully defy nature itself.


    Absolute power can pierce through even the strongest magical defense. Of course, that ''defense'' can also be reinforced and some monsters are able to endure these tactics by their sheer endurance and strength. To neutralize the magical defenses of these monsters they rely on blade ointments and oils. There are also runes, sigils, and spells that could temporarily cripple their defenses.


    A wizard is a valuable asset to any challengers of a dungeon. They are able to see through the magical lines and predict what the changes would be. There are various monsters that live inside the dungeons and wizards are usually people that could easily distinguish the types of monsters. Alternatively, the challengers can invite a Bleak Walker who is sensitive to danger due to their wanderings and that they possess the sigils that are sensitive to danger.


    There are many types of dungeons. However, it is hard for anyone to distinguish dungeons unless they have seen all the dungeons in the world. Dungeons are sometimes called living habitats. They change according to the movements and activities of the monsters that dwell inside them. There might be individuals who have managed to know all the dungeons. But it clear that there''s only a few who are able to identify the dungeons just by the entrance. The men in uniformed outfits had no idea about the dungeon they are facing. All they know is that they need to purge the dungeon and prove that the Guardsmen of Throes are not cowards.


    Lanon followed his fellow guardsmen with a scarf soaked with medicine. He could smell various herbs and the charcoal placed in the scarf. He was covered in thick clothing. He was carrying a rucksack on his back and he was holding a spear in his right hand. There was a repeater crossbow slung across his shoulder, ready to take out and use.


    He followed Elias through this snake tunnel that leads him to the first floor of the dungeon. The ceiling was covered in green crystals that allowed dim lighting to shine upon the area. Lanon squinted. He rubbed his eyes with his right arm and crossed this gap.


    Elias led the way. He scouted the surroundings and examined the area. There were no sightings other than the monsters that were killed by the guardsmen who went first. Elias has not been able to fight anything. He was calm and patient in waiting for prey to kill.


    Lanon sidled behind Elias. He held his spear tightly and craned his head around the area. He spotted the dead monsters that look like the geckos they killed awhile ago in a mission. Beyond the dead monsters was a passageway where no light can be found. Elias halted Lanon''s steps, "We should stop and wait for the spearhead to finish. They are veterans when it comes to exploring these dungeons."


    "They are used to purging dungeons?" asked Lanon with a tilted head.


    "Yes," Elias grabbed the hilt of his sword. "I''ve heard that the veterans leading us have conquered four dungeons. Of course, they did it when the whole organization was still at its peak. Not like today where we are struggling to travel to the dungeon."


    "The way was...hard." Lanon thought of the rangers. "Are those rangers usually that way? They seem like they would murder us if we touch a tree."


    "Bah," Elias scoffed. "Those tree hugging hypocrites sell lumbers. The only reason they are not allowing anyone to cut trees around this forest is that they can have the area for themselves. Not to mention that the prices of lumber coming from the outer lands are expensive. Did you saw it right? The trees here are ancient and robust."


    "Yeah," Lanon nodded. "Is that it then? They are selling the lumbers?"


    "Yup," said Elias. "They are selling lumbers to make a profit. You saw how armed they were, right? They have equipment that would make any adventurer drool over them. So why would they not do what they do?" He crossed a tunnel while Lanon followed.


    Lanon halted his step, "So by using the reason that they should not cut the trees. They are able to capitalize and own the profits of selling the lumbers of the outer land?"


    "Pretty much," Elias raised his shoulder. "They have a tight grip and the only reason that they are allowing us the glory of conquering this dungeon is to make use of us. Why should they do it when we are willing to do it? They''ll probably clear this dungeon but they are allowing us to try first. What damage we could do here would turn to their advantage. If we clear this dungeon they will be the ones that will profit from it. If we don''t clear this dungeon they can make use of our progress to send in their rangers and purge the floors and capitalize on making their names prominent."


    "So, even in this damn forest, there are people who are willing to do anything to make a profit?" Lanon squatted near Elias.


    "That''s life," Elias eyed a crystal. "Society revolves around power and profit. It is a damned cycle that we cannot escape. We are willing to clear this dungeon to prove that the Guardsmen haven''t lost their touch. But nonetheless, we are doing this because we need to have those merchants willing to hire us in their caravans. Before the fall of Oasis, we make a hefty profit of making use of our names. The Guardsmen of Throes scare potential robbers and bandits. But now the decline of our organization made the bandits and robbers think that we are not the same."


    "And that''s why we are here to clear our name?" Lanon said. "Can we even clear this dungeon?"


    "I don''t know," said Elias. "I do not fear this dungeon. What I fear is how many of our brothers are going to die in this place. This is not our home. This is the place where monsters live. They have the advantage of this place is their home. That''s why...fuck, Lanon, dodge now!"


    Elias landed a kick on Lanon. Lanon stumbled back and rolled. He saw Elias draw his sword and block a sharp claw of a monster with a fan-like head. Lanon couldn''t think for two seconds. Before he knew it he was thrusting his spear at the monster.


    The monsters easily dodged Lanon. It landed a kick on Lanon. Lanon spat saliva from his mouth and curled into a ball in pain. Elias pirouetted and landed a slash on the monster''s shoulder. He drew a wound from his shoulder down to his waist.


    "Lanon!" he shouted. "Stand up!"


    Before Lanon could respond to Elias, he saw a mouth trying to devour Elias. Elias felt the presence of the monster and dragged Lanon with his other hand. Elias leaped up from the ground and narrowly dodged the attack of the monster. The ground below the two collapsed. The rucksack that Lanon was holding on to was dropped. Elias clicked his tongue and stabs the body of the giant dungeon worm. His blade punctured and using the body of the worm he slid down, creating a trail of blood along the way.


    Lanon tried to keep his consciousness awake. His heart pounded madly and the abyss that was below him brought fear into his mind. He could hold on to courage. His heart and mind collapsed as he his consciousness slipped away. Elias glanced at Lanon. He gritted his teeth. He pushed himself away from the worm and pulled his sword along with it. He didn''t have a choice. He took a leap of faith down the abyss. Hoping that whoever God was watching them and that Lady Fortuna was watching their backs.


    And so he fell alongside Lanon along with the giant dungeon worm.

 Chapter 44: Down the Dungeon 3

    Lanon was laying flat on the ground, bruised and battered with his outfit torn and tattered. His left thigh was stabbed by a sharp wood. He didn''t feel the pain because of the numb sensation in his thighs. Elias fared better than Lanon who was trying to get the rubble off Lanon.


    Lanon opened his eyes. He pulled himself up only to feel his left thigh aching badly. He screamed loudly as he could. His eyes dilated. His chest heaved up and down as he tries to calm the pain. He was breathing furiously. Tears welled up in his eyes.


    "Be a brave man!" said Elias. He pulled the rubble off Lanon and dragged him into this corner. Elias took out a cloth from his bag and tightly wrapped it around Lanon''s thigh. He reached out for a bottle of alcohol and handed it to Lanon. "Here, should help in taking care of the pain. I don''t know where we are right now but we are in a big trouble."


    Elias told him what he didn''t want to hear. Elias didn''t want to lie. He didn''t want to give false hope knowing that they might not make it alive. "But don''t worry brother, I will be watching your back and in turn watch mine as well. The others should have noticed the attack and our fall. They should know what happen any moment."


    Lanon gave a crumpled expression. He squeezed the words out of his mouth, "How many floors is this?"


    Elias shook his head, "I don''t know. We fell higher than expected and we are lucky enough to be alive." He glanced at the corpses of the men that died. "I hate it but to survive we need to take their belongings. Can you stand, Brother?"


    "I can," said Lanon. He stood up and walked towards one of the corpses limping. He took their bags and took everything that looked important. His face was warped in pain but he endured it. There was dark everywhere. Fear covers his heart truly but he decided to be brave.


    In front of his was the calm Elias. He didn''t want to show his pain in front of him. He thought that it would be better if he doesn''t worry his lifeline too much. Lanon believed that Elias was a person that could never compromise what believes in. Yet, he also knew that at the edge of death, people could abandon it all and change their beliefs out of fear.


    He didn''t want Elias to reach his breaking point. For Elias reaching his breaking point means that he will surely suffer. Elias was the only person who could fight the enemies. He could provide range support but he knew that it won''t be enough. His ammunition is limited. The stamina of his lifeline was limited as well.


    Lanon wasn''t the brightest person alone there is. But even he could understand that in this situation he has to rely on Elias to survive this whole predicament. He needed him to survive this nightmare that he was thrown in.


    ¡­


    In this dark tunnels, Elias stood firmly. His back was robust. The aura that emanated from him made him heroic. Lanon was limping behind Elias. He was struggling to move with his left thigh heavily injured. He was gritting his teeth in pain as he crosses an area entirely covered with tall grasses.


    The grasses rustled as they move. Elias tried to keep silence but was unable to do so with Lanon following around. Elias thought, "He''s injured. I have to make sure that we go through this."


    Elias never abandons his comrades. In the face of utmost danger, he would never compromise on this. "Lanon''s no good in fighting. All I can do now is to protect this brother of mine." He halted his steps and said, "Lanon, can you handle range support?"


    Lanon weakly looked at Elias, "I can, Elias."


    "Good," said Elias. "Assist me when we encounter monsters. I''ll try to retrieve the bolts that you''ll shot. We need to save them up."


    "Okay," Elias nodded. The two continued walking past the grassy tunnel and scurried down this natural stairway. In their left was the bottom. They could not see any light from where they were standing. Elias and Lanon got used to seeing in the dark but down below they could not rely solely on their visions.


    Elias borrowed Lanon''s crossbow and shot three bolts at a glowing crystal. He stood the glowing crystals and attacked one to his body and sword. He gave Lanon the last crystal and told him, "I''ll lead the way. It''s useless to sneak around in this place. Not to mention that we cannot help but make a noise." He looked at Lanon''s injured thigh.


    Lanon lowered his head, "I am sorry, Elias."


    "It''s okay," said Elias. He gestured with his head and continued marching down this natural staircase that turned into a spiral as they go down. The two could not find any way up so their only way was to go down and search for an alternative area.


    Along the way, Lanon felt chills. He smelled the excrement of the monsters. Their eerie roars as they simultaneous speak in their own monstrous language. Elias led the way. He would sometimes gesture at Lanon to cover the light from the crystal.


    While walking down they encountered monsters that roamed in packs. Elias is a brave man but he wasn''t that stupid enough to roar and charge at monsters in packs. The two prone and watched the monsters head inside a tunnel that led to a chamber presumably filled with monsters.


    Elias took the lead and took a right in this narrow passageway leading to a small chamber room. Lanon was heaving his chest up and down. His head was covered in sweat. His left leg was trembling badly that he was swaying, trying to stand up.


    Elias took a look at his condition and gave a small sigh, "We should stop, Brother. It''s not wise to continue with your condition. Not to mention we don''t really know what monsters we are going to encounter." Elias sat cross-legged and stabbed his sword on the ground.


    Lanon fell on his butt. He held on to his thigh and took thirty breaths to calm his nerves.


    ...


    They took a rest. They dug a bucket-sized hole and created a campfire. The campfire lampshade the faces of the two were resting in front of the Campfire. Elias was calm and firm. Lanon was miserable as he tries to lessen the pain on left thigh.


    "Are you okay?" said Elias.


    "No," he responded.


    "Certainly, you aren''t. All I can tell you that we will get out of here."


    "How do we do that?" Lanon''s face twisted. "I am a letdown. I know that I am holding you back. If I was alone here I would have despaired."


    "You just need to be brave."


    "That''s easier said than done, I cannot find a reason to be brave. You know that I am no brave man, Elias. I am just a pauper who joined the guards to live. Do you know that I hate this profession? I hate joining this profession but I know that you all will call me a coward if I abandon this job. I was a goddamn beggar and I admit that this profession saved my life."


    "So you fear?"


    "Yes."


    "I see." He nodded his head. "I cannot blame you for that. I will tell you to be brave but I do not expect you to be one. Brother, why did you abandon your comrades? Is this because of that fear?"


    Lanon nodded. "I didn''t have a choice. How do you expect me to deal a blow to those creatures that pounded them? My spear was worthless. I could not even bait the monsters to leave them alone and you expect me to somehow kill them? I was too late and the smart choice was to escape!"


    "Is that what happened?"


    "Yes," he said with his head lowered. "That''s what happened. I see no reason to lie. I am not that of a terrible person to abandon them."


    Elias looked at Lanon. "Death happens. You could always tell Sir Rave about this. Why did you choose to hide this fact?"


    "I don''t know. I cannot allow myself to be put on the same pedestal as them."


    Elias could not spear. He could not understand the reasoning of Lanon. Why would anyone allow everyone to call them a coward? Why would he allow it to continue when he can tell the truth? It was so confusing that he could not help but shake his head.


    "You won''t understand. I am good enough to be like them. I am not them. They are good men while I am trash that could never succeed in anything. Even now I am a dead weight that you should leave behind. Isn''t that for a best? In fact, why are you doing this?"


    "Because we''re Brothers in Arms," Elias responded. "I''ve no reason to abandon my brothers. I don''t care how much of a dead weight you are or what you think. I''ll carry you out of this nightmare."


    "Why?"


    "I choose to. It is my selfish desire. If you don''t trust yourself then trust me instead."


    Lanon looked at Elias. "You are a good man, Elias. But I think this thinking of yours is screwed up. It would be better if you continue on your own. I am a dead weight and you can find ways to save us faster by going alone."


    Lanon thought that he should rely solely on Elias. He was afraid of what would happen if his lifeline would go away. But thinking about it, it was better for him to go. If he was alone he could move faster. He would stay in this area and wait for Elias to return.


    "I cannot accept that. Even if your words are rational I don''t think I can escape here," Elias shook his head. "I don''t think this is a normal dungeon, Brother. That dungeon worm was far too big and the height we fell from is no joke. Normal dungeons don''t take this too long to traverse. Not to mention that we could not spot any way out. I fear that we are trapped inside a labyrinth."


    "A labyrinth?" he asked.


    "It''s a dungeon...but far worst. I fear that it will take us days to reach the stop. Not to mention that we will encounter monsters in this den of theirs. Think of this place as a village for the monsters. This is far worse than we imagined."


    "So I am wrong?"


    "Yes. If I move alone it would mean my certain death. I may not be able to return back to the surface and I might get lost. I cannot risk that, Brother. You will be coming with me."


    "I see."


    Lanon claim silence. He zipped his mouth shut. Elias let him keep his silence. He rested his body and relaxed. He doesn''t know what kind of despair was awaiting them. He doesn''t even know if he could contend against this trial.


    Lanon was anxious. He was terrified and he could not think of any positive outcome. He thought of death. And at that thought of death, a certain person appeared on his mind. It was the image of Alcina who was out there challenging danger. Now that he was on the edge of death, with his head getting close to the guillotine he could only think of her appearance that he would call an angel. She was no top beauty but he was like a flower for him.


    Maybe he was thinking all of this out of fear. Yet, in this grim darkness, he needed to hold on to the lifelines. Elias was ready to help him. He wanted to trust him but he cannot even trust himself. He cannot fully accept his own self and what he could do. He had no confidence in succeeding. He had no hope if he was alone. He would have despaired but yet sadly he would continue to live out of fear.


    After all, upon arriving in a foreign world he only suffered. Only when he got into Moirai City that things eased up for him. Yet, here he was back to this pit of despair and he was not swimming well. He wanted to believe in what he could do. But he could not do so knowing that so far he only knew of failures and disappointments.

 Chapter 45: Down the Dungeon 4

    He didn''t know how long he has been walking along with Elias. All he knew was that he was trapped in a labyrinth. Lanon felt like he was walking down an abyss. He stopped. He looked around and saw that there was only darkness. In his dazed state, he has lost sight of Elias.


    Lanon looked around. He checked every corner of the area where he was. It was an area with tall grasses, giant rocks, and green purplish mushrooms that are being eaten by a dungeon creature with a long snout. The creature was as big as a cat and yet its fangs were as long as a cat''s legs.


    Lanon crouched. He aimed at the creature and fired. The bolt flew and within seconds it hit the back of the neck of the creature. The creature got startled. It ran amok as it struggled and left a trail of blood. A smell made Lanon cringe badly. It was like a mixture of excrement and perfume. It produced a horrifying scent that made his stomach churn.


    "Huh?"


    The wall in front of Lanon crumbled like a mirror. He sidled towards the mirror with a limp. The wall looked old, ancient and was without a doubt close to crumbling completely. Lanon touched the wall with his palm. He planted a foot inside the interior of the wall. His head bobbed as he simply entered the wall.


    Behind the wall was another empty tunnel way. There was no sign of Elias who went missing after fighting a dungeon monster. Lanon could remember Elias fighting that monster badly yet he was gone before he could see Elias deliver a critical blow to the head.


    "Where''s he?" Lanon muttered. He was suddenly alone. His mind was wandering as he lets his feet keep him going. There was no direction and there was a precise point where he should go. Before long he found himself with a feeling of emptiness.


    He was hungry. His stomach was aching badly that he could not help but eye the mushrooms. He took a mushroom and took a bite. The mushroom tasted like cold dirt. Lanon''s face crumpled badly but he continued chewing the mushroom while fighting the urge to vomit.


    A sound came behind him. The creature that he shot in the back pounced on him. Lanon lifted his crossbow and parried the creature, taking an aim he shot the creature right in the eye. The creature struggled but this time it fell limp and unmoving. He moved near the creature and started to skin it with his dagger. He didn''t know the creature would taste but he knew that he would be staying in this labyrinth for a long time.


    Where was his hope? Where was his lifeline? It all happened so fast that it left him unable to react. No, it would be far better to tell that he didn''t want to think about the future that was waiting for him. Lanon was trying to focus on what''s in front of him. He didn''t want to think because doing so would make him despair.


    ...


    Lanon started eating the creature raw. The creature''s blood dripped from his mouth down to his neck. The taste of the creature was disgusting. He wanted to vomit his stomach out but he couldn''t, knowing that he needed the energy to continue.


    His way of eating the creature was clumsy. The creature was not properly prepared. His stomach churned harder. He felt his skin itch badly. His skin turned blue. His lower jaw trembled as he arched his back and convulsed. He vomited the meat he ate. Lanon started crying while trying to suppress the pain in his stomach. His eyes rolled and he was swimming on his own vomit. Lanon fainted.


    He woke up covered in his own vomit. The vomit stuck on his clothes, he adjusted himself and leaned on the wall. His stomach was completely empty. There was no food around him other than the mushrooms that tasted like dirt. Lanon couldn''t possibly stay in the place. Lanon stood up and limped to the next room.


    It was a maze of passages of rooms. The ceilings were covered in tiny thorns. The walls had sticky greases that looked like they were a combination of pee and honey. Lanon continued walking down this room until he reaches another room with the same stick grease.


    There was a small gust of wind coming from the opposite side of the room. Lanon followed that wind and headed into this narrow path where he had to move slowly through a layer of mud. He was limping. He was fatigued all over. Yet he didn''t stop moving until he reached solid ground.


    Lanon crawled using his elbows. He laid his back on the mud and stared at the countless crystals growing on the ceiling. The crystals were colored green and they give the same light as well. He was getting used to the green light around him. His eyes have adjusted. His body was stiff all over.


    Around him was a clearing without any vegetation other than the same monsters. He heard a sound. He crawled to cover and saw a creature holding a corpse of the guardsman. Lanon witnessed the guardsman getting torn and eaten like a fried chicken. The creature drank the blood of the guardsman and nibbled on its bone. He had to watch that guardsman get treated like a delicacy. His breeches were wet. His bottom soiled with shit as he tries his best to keep himself hidden.


    It took minutes until the creature left while keeping the leg bone of the guardsman. Lanon crawled near the guardsman and took whatever belongings he had. Most of it was ruined and torn. All he could retrieve was a shortsword and a coil of rope.


    "I am sorry," he said. He crawled away from the corpse and hid to cover. Lanon couldn''t care about his pants. All he was thinking was how to survive. Still, he was afraid that he might attract monsters with his smell so he took his pants off and cleaned it using the leftover cloth that the guardsman had. Lanon rubbed his hand on the ground. He curtly stood up and trek down the path where the monster went to. There wasn''t any other way than that path.


    The way has been clear. There were monsters but he would be able to hide. He was ragged and dirty. There was a strange smell of pungent and misery in him. His eyes had no light. He was carrying on with a limp that his appearance made it clear that he was a miserable person.


    Misery reeked of him. A simple sound made Lanon dive into cover and cower, hoping that the monster would go away. He has been repeating this process ever since adjusting to this labyrinth. He was alive. He was breathing neatly but he feels nothing more than a dead man walking. He could only act cowardly in times of despair. Men would have despaired badly and hung themselves.


    But you are looking at a coward here. Lanon was a coward who could not take his own life. He lived through this hell while keeping a blind hope that maybe he will get out of this place. The person who he thought was his lifeline was gone. He found no hope here. Nothing but misery was present.


    Long corridors and tunnels filled with strange and peculiar items. He walked these kinds of places while keeping a low profile? How does he eat? He eats by chewing on the roots that grew out of the grown. He gets his water by cutting through long vines that have water on them.


    His body was riddled with pus. His skin was in a terrible condition. All you could hear was his frantic breathing and strange moans. Lanon has lost his sense of time. He rests when he''s tired. He continues walking with a feeling of emptiness that weighs like a stone when he can. There was no particular meaning to this journey of his. What did he come for? He has forgotten as he crawls and lowers his head down like a pathetic being.


    Along the way, he saw corpses of men with swords on their hands. They were clearly ''brave'' men who died fighting the monsters. Some had swords stuck on their throats. While the others were torn into two or eaten alive with their guts decorated into a stone pillar.


    Particularly he saw a corpse with its stomach open. The small creatures of the dungeons were tugging the intestine of this corpse like someone eating pasta. Lanon has grown tired of seeing such scenes. All this despair made him used to it. Every second of his being he was getting used to this feeling. While marching he was slowly building up a resistance. With blank jaded eyes, he would stare at them as if it was a normal thing.


    He has abandoned all reasons. He has abandoned all of his pride and integrity. It was funny that he used to care about the little things. Yet in this place of wrath and tears, he was uncaring about it all. No one was here to judge. No one was going to mock him for being like this here in this dungeon. To think that he cared about such trivial things like how he should live.


    This dungeon made him miserable. This place also made him feel alive. His senses were sharpened. He was drowned in an adrenaline pleasure that it was hard to not like it. He didn''t want to stay in this God forsaken place. Yet he could not help but enjoy this feeling.


    In this place, he has a goal. In this place, he has this sense of dire purpose. When he was living in the surface, he was nothing but a fool living his time waiting for something to change. He was someone who didn''t have a goal. He was a person who lived the simple life.


    This place made him feel alive. It was sad that even in this world he has to be stuck in such a despairing place to be alive. He could not blame himself for feeling this way. He had no hope in this place. This putrid place was nothing but a hole that made him feel many emotions.


    He was out of that tunnel. He was in another similar looking tunnel with nothing but mushrooms. He treaded through the mushrooms and arrived in front of this narrow passage. He slid inside the passage and went out of it. There was a giant open area. He could see hordes of monsters that his first initial reaction was to dive to prone and wait. He watches from a distance. There was a group of guardsmen that were fighting. They were surrounded. They were outnumbered. There was no hope for them.


    He watched them die. He watched them get torn and killed. Their intestines treated like some sort of chewing gum. It was a scene that he would scream at. Yet, he couldn''t care less about them since he was still alive. He wanted to live. He didn''t want to die. Helping them meant dying. He didn''t want that. It was cruel of him but he had no choice.


    He crawled to another passage. He stumbled upon a heavily vegetated area. He was able to crawl through this area while keeping silence. He was not much of a fighter but sneaking and climbing was one of his queer talents. He managed to get past obstacles one another. There were many guardsmen that he saw but he did not join them. Those guardsmen would die. They were ''brave'' and they would not back down from a challenge. He could not live with brave foolish men who would die fighting. His idea of surviving was not the same as these men. They would not agree with what he has been doing to live.


    It was also better if they all think that he died. He would be free from being a guardsman of throes. But it also means that he has to abandon that house in Moirai that made him feel at peace. He did all he could to have that place. But because of this campaign, he had to abandon them all and live in another place.


    Lanon thought how terrible his luck was. If only the adventurers didn''t conquer the outer lands. If only Sir Rave wasn''t jealous of their success then he would have been living peacefully in Moirai. Whoever led them into being successful in their endeavors? Lanon would surely curse at that person.

 Chapter 46: Down the Dungeon 5

    Thirty-thousand lights came upon Elias''s view. Through courage, he was able to defeat strong enemies. He was walking, leaving a trail of blood. His sword bloodied, yet sharpened as if it could not be dulled by anything. His heroic figure stood firmly as he gazes upon the horde that was coming to him.


    Posing with a stance, Elias readied himself for a fight. He met the enemies with no fear. The only thing he had in mind was to kill the enemy within two strikes. He was successful in doing so, not because he owned a sharp sword. It was because of the power that awoke in him.


    Sharp wind coated his sword. The wind roared like a chainsaw, it was sharp enough to tear through the enemies that stand before him. It all happened when he was at the edge of death. He felt a sharp sound of wind cutting before he finds himself facing the Maiden chosen by the War God.


    Like the rumors, she was truly beautiful. She stood like a fairy of the lake in this world of white. In the center where she stood was a ripple that made a wave towards him. Her hair was waist-length, skin that seemed translucent like snow. Her eyes showed vigor and looking at her would make a man or woman''s heart tremble at the sight.


    "I see," she worded. "It looks like it has given this place for us. An Inner World where the Heroes could share a mental link. If only I could establish this with any person I want. I bet he wouldn''t escape me and leave me alone again...maybe tie him up and have him take responsibility?"


    He didn''t know what she was talking about. He took a step forward and spread his hands, "Who is this "It'' that you speak off? Where am I?"


    "I am talking to the War God," she said curtly. "He or She doesn''t have any form or names. In many cultures, the War God is depicted as both male and female. I call the War God ''It'' since it would be appropriate. And for where we are you heard me. We are in the Inner World of Light. Here we can discuss without the constraints of time and space. However, the person needs to accept the invitation before the person''s consciousness gets transported into this world. I seem to hold a significant power over this mental world."


    "Why am I here?" asked Elias.


    She looked at him, "You should know already Elias. Wind Spirit, you still hide when my gazes can see through you?"


    "Pardon me, Lady Maiden," a voice responded from inside Elias.


    A sharp wind manifested and turned into that of a woman. This wind spirit was entirely made of wind and the ''hair'' of this wind woman surrounded her like a coil. She landed her heel and bowed gently at the War Maiden who stood before her.


    "It seems like the Maiden of this time is remarkable. You possess remarkable power, War Maiden. We are in luck." She sized up the War Maiden Ciara.


    "I was helped," she responded. "It''s none of your business, Spirit."


    "Yes it isn''t," she smiled. "So it looks like you have a lot to explain, Maiden."


    Ciara taps the ground and created ripples. "You should know why you are here. Everyone should know the legends. I do not believe that you do not know the legends of the Elemental Light."She placed her hands on her hips. "You have been chosen as the hero of the Elemental Wind."


    Elias stood with his jaw hanging, "Is that why I got this sudden power?"


    "Yep," she said. "You got the power out of the Wind Elemental Spirit, the spirit lady that talked to me." She smiled. Her face resembled that of a Goddess. "Praise the heavens, Elias. You are now a chosen Hero. You shall save this world from destruction and pain."


    "Is that so?" Elias said. "Why choose me?"


    "Who knows?" Ciara shrugged. "I became a War Maiden without warning. I didn''t even know I have the mark until I got taken into the fortress of the three fates. I now have the power to support the heroes and take down enemies with methods I never knew possible."


    Elias stared at his hands. "I don''t know what to say."


    Ciara looked at him. "Getting power that could be used to save the world is indeed rather heavy. The world now bears its weight over you. You will have to act upon the enemies of the Light and go on a journey that will decide the future of this world. I am afraid that you cannot change your fate."


    "What if I refuse?" said Elias.


    Ciara smiled. "Who knows? You can defy this fate but it will come knocking over and over again. You have the power and you wish to use this for the greater good. I believe that the Elemental Light didn''t choose you if you aren''t willing to be selfless for the sake of the world. Am I wrong?"


    Elias clenched his fists. "I don''t know why I have this power. But if I can use this to bring those men out of the dungeon that I am in then I shall embrace it."


    "I see." Ciara nodded. "As the War Maiden, I bless you. Through me may the God of War watch your back and favor you in battle."


    "Thank you, War Maiden." Elias nodded deeply. He looked at Ciara who was disappearing. "Milady, why do you accept this role?"


    Ciara stopped walked. "Hmm, the world wasn''t kind to me. It mocked me and ridiculed for having an unbearable face. Now that I have gained beauty they could not stop fawning over me. Why should I save this world? Why should I help save it?" she shook her head. "But I came to understand that this road is long and that if I don''t act this power will go to waste. I''ve seen what happen in the fall of Oasis. I''ve seen men and women struggle in protecting what they believe. I cannot allow myself to be carried by someone again. I really don''t want to burden him again by carrying me. He saved my soul. I would have despaired if he didn''t do suffer for me."


    "He?" asked Elias.


    Ciara smiled at that.


    She said, "Everyone has their reason for fighting. I am not an exception. I guess I am just following that single-minded desire like him."


    "You must really admire this person, Lady Maiden," said the wind spirit.


    "I do, Spirit. I really do. In fact, I want to catch him and lock him up so he can''t leave me alone again," she said that with an eerily bright smile.


    Elias took a step back. The wind spirit eyed Elias. "It looks like the lady has her unique traits as well."


    "Oh please," Ciara shrugged. "Women can chase after the man of their dreams too. I have someone that I want to be with too. Who wants to be alone in this world?"


    "How lovely," commented the Wind Spirit. "To be surrounded by many handsome men of the Inner Lands. I wonder who the lucky guy that won the heart of the War Maiden?"


    Ciara tilted her head. "I shall keep that secret to myself." She looked at Elias. "You better keep your heads up. I can feel that this dungeon that you are in is no normal one. I don''t know what caused the appearance of this dungeon but you will be tested here, Hero Elias. And may God''s fortune be with you, Elias."


    ...


    Elias opens his eyes, circulating the wind''s energy upon his veins, he pointed the tip of his sword forward. A sharp sound whistled as the enemies in front of Elias were cut open into many pieces. The remaining enemy stood still, it growl and tried to pounce at Elias. He merely swung his sword. The enemy was cut from bottom to head. The head of the monster split into two along its body.


    The lights above him blink. Four-legged monsters crawled on the ceiling as they slowly surrounded the humongous chamber that Elias was in. He raised his sword and placed it forward, his foot took a firm hold, his hand glowed light blue as the wind spirit''s body manifested around him.


    "Shall we start bearer of the elemental wind?" asked the spirit of the wind.


    "Yes. How shall I proceed with this?"


    The elemental spirit of the wind snickered. "Kill them. Give them the blessing of the wind. Bless this putrid dungeon with the power of an awakened Hero."


    Elias nodded. He dashes forward, his foot stomping on the materialized wind. He met a creature and pulled his sword back and swung it from the creature''s shoulder down to its waist. Elias made use of the creature as a foothold. He stomped to jump and drove his sword into a creature''s neck. He twisted his sword, placed his foot on the breast of the creature and threw the creature to the other four-legged beast that tried to catch him off the air. Landing back to the ground, Elias gathered power from the wind spirit and collected them into the body of his sword. The sword was surrounded by a tornado, he swung it hard and the enemies were torn to shreds easily.


    "We gain power from the wind. This world is surrounded by air and through this, I gather it to circulate it around your body. In your navel now lies a container that will allow you to do this kind of feats. But I warn you that even with the power of the wind, you are not invincible," said the wind spirit.


    Elias leaped up and twisted mid-air. He slew two four-legged creatures and continued his slaughter. He was getting used to the power but he could not stop and wonder why he was able to do this. He didn''t dream of being a Hero. Yet he was now slaying countless creatures that would have tired and surrounded him.


    "The benefit of having the wind by your side is that you can breathe endlessly. I gather the wind around you and circulate it within your lungs. Have you noticed? You aren''t getting tired." The wind spirit pointed out.


    "I can tell. I am feeling fatigue, however." Elias poured power from his palm and turned a creature into a shredded paper. He landed on a corpse of a monster. He looked up. Creatures still poured from the ceiling and pounced at Elias.


    "Bearer, the enemy keeps on coming. Do you wish to manifest power and destroy that entrance?" said the wind spirit.


    "No, I don''t think that it will do us good."


    "Good point, bearer of the wind." The wind spirit turned into a transparent armor. Elias held the hilt of his sword tightly, his eyes resembling that of a hawk. He turned into a warrior of the wind, freely slaughtering the enemies one after another. He was unstoppable and free like the wind. His attack was sharp and the chamber that Elias was scarred by his sharp attacks.


    His fight continued on until the chamber gathered enough corpses to fill two ridges. Elias kneeled on one knee, fatigue coating the entirety of his body. He rose up and took in the air naturally. The wind spirit manifested in her human form and gazes its eyes upon the enemies.


    "There''s too many of them. I see, so this not a naturally made by dungeon. This depth is enough to tell that however, the one that did this was able to drag a barren land dungeon to the outer lands," said the wind spirit.


    "What?" Elias widened his mouth. "Are you telling me that they were able to transport this dungeon into this place?"


    "Yes. I believe that however did have enough power of blood to transport this dungeon. Hero, I believe that we should escape this dungeon and call for the favor of the Hero and the Lady Maiden. Beneath this dungeon lies an enemy that we cannot possibly defeat." The wind spirit told Elias.


    "And leave my Brothers behind?" asked Elias.


    "For the greater good, you must call for help. And I fear that you who have not completely adjusted using this power will break. You were injured when you awoke to this power. I cannot risk losing a bearer and leave you to die. The fate of the world lies upon the six heroes combining your power to drive the enemy out of this world. The light shines upon many but it cannot wholly cover the world as it is. We must choose." said the wind spirit.


    "I see," Elias nodded. Without thinking much he said, "I must save my brothers. I cannot let them die."

 Chapter 47: Dead End’s Wish

    No, it should be not mistaken. He could only crawl through these tunnels not out of bravery, but because he was afraid of death''s scythe that would surely fell upon his neck. Lanon was no master adventurer and an experience wanderer or dungeon diver.


    He was an unchosen one. A person destined to survive on his own. To survive this far Lanon had abandoned all his pride and dignity, the empathy and the guilt, he threw them all away for the sake of living on. A rational being clings to life. He was no exception. Despite his appearance and state of mind Lanon only has one goal.


    Stay alive. That was all he wanted. To crawl without pride in hopes that he could get out of this despairing pit. Lanon was in a terrible state. He smells like shit. He looks like shit. He was bruised all over. His left eye was half-blind. His left hand had purple spots. His left thigh has a purple mark. His right hand was pus-ridden and there were bumps of phlegm growing on his body.


    He was badly limping. He was starved thin. To survive enemies he used the bodies of the dead. Without any proper clothing or protection, he contacted a condition where he would feel his entire body burning. He learned how to suppress the urge to scream or shout. All he had to do was bite the scarf that he had. Just endure it until the monsters leave.


    Lanon was hiding under a four-legged beast. A tall one-eyed giant with a fat belly, carrying a club roved around the area where he was. It took an hour before the beast left. Because of that he was covered in maggots and had to pat them away from his body.


    He stood up gingerly. He thought, "What time is it, mother?"


    He had been lost. Lanon was in a state where he had to grasp straws. He could not remember the name of his mother anymore. Yet, he calls for his mother as if natural. He was a babbling mess as he continues on and took cover under this rock formation.


    He scratched the bumps on his arms, the bumps grew red and he felt a skin tearing burning pain that made him grit his teeth so badly. He was itching badly. He knew that he shouldn''t scratch the bumps and swelling area of his arms. But the pain was so intolerable that he had to keep bit harder on his scarf.


    He didn''t know what day or time is it. All Lanon could do was follow the way. At best he would take his time crawling upon a passage to reach safety. Upon arriving in this passageway Lanon planted his ear on the ground. He listened to the noises and followed the trail. He saw beasts that would have been able to rip him apart. He hid carefully and listened.


    Through experiencing these things that he has learned to avoid death. There were too many dangers in this dungeon. It was not that hard to think about what will happen to him if he makes a mistake. How could he fight the monsters that even the guardsmen of Throes could not defeat? They were experienced men that have fought many monsters. Yet they could not stand a chance against these monsters.


    Fighting the enemy is nothing but a troublesome chore. Who cares if he could see men from the faction die and get torn? He was too afraid to die. His thoughts told him to shut up and wait for the danger to past. Lanon didn''t have the strength or he could pull feats.


    The most human thing he could do was crawl and begs for God''s mercy. Fear was an instinct and because of this that he was able to survive for so long. He was battered, bruised, dazed, confused and depressed. He could only continue on because the thought of death made him.


    Was he special for surviving this long? Not really. There are many cases where men struggled to survive. In accidents, survivors persist on because of their fear over death. To put it simply Lanon was no chosen one. He was a survivor caught in an accident that threw him in this damned world.


    He was merely experiencing the hardships of this world. He was not special in this suffering of his. Those who fell like him were trekking forward in hopes that they''d see light again. There was a light of hope in their hearts. It may not be much but it keeps the darkness.


    As long as they believe that God will give them a chance. As long as they truly believe that they can do it then they might just survive. Luck chooses randomly. Lanon was simply out of luck. He was in this state out of his own choices.


    He became a sickly man struggling to survive. He was miserable but not hopeless. Losing hope means that he''ll give up on life. There are many cases where normal men like him showed a great will to survive. He was not special in this case. Every man has their own will when they are placed on the edges of death.


    Lanon was alive in this place. He truly felt alive in this despairing place. He was miserable but because of this misery that he was able to feel his beating heart. There was something about being one step away from death that made him feel free. In here he was not bound by the laws of social constraints. He didn''t need to act like a decent person. There was no one that would judge him and call him a coward. In this place, he couldn''t care about the trivialities that plague him. Still, this place was not suitable for any sane person. He thought of these things to comfort himself. Unfortunately, adrenaline is addictive. But he could hold on to it as comfort in this place.


    The place where he was looked the same. There was a smell of dry blood and wet stone. There were countless vines growing in the upper and left ceiling. There was a sound of animals growling and monsters babbling in their own language. Lanon stayed stationary upon a mossy rock. He looks above the ceiling and thought:


    "Mother, I cannot remember your name. I might be going crazy thinking of addressing this to you. Mother, I am trapped in this infernal world. I am in pain. I want to go back home already. I am not fit for this place. I do not belong in this world of fighting. What was I back in that world? Never mind, I couldn''t even remember anymore."


    "Why did I lose my memories? All I know is that I came here in this world as if I got robbed. I was a like a little bird taught to start anew. How do I do that? I honestly tried, Mother. I became a guardsman and somehow got a house in Moirai. I could have escaped this stupid duty. I could have run away. Why was I afraid? Ah, I think I know, Mother. I am afraid that she''d no longer find me. In fact, would she even return now that she''s part of the sword maidens?"


    "I''m a fool. I realize it now how I wanted her for myself. Shit, what kind of woman would live under the same roof as a man? I guess I was unconfident to think that someone would like me. I do not even like myself. Damn it, I guess when they say good times never last, they really are right."


    "Mother, I want to give up. I cannot lift my left. My body feels like its burning. My left eye could not see any longer. I don''t think there''s any medicine out there that could treat this phlegm bumps. My sense of smell''s fucked up. I am even surprised myself that I still live despite the odds."


    "Mother, please don''t blame me for this. I want to live. I truly want to. But it hurts so bad that I just want to close my eyes for good. I want to see her, Mother. I want to see her and at least tell her that I was fond of her. I just don''t care if I misunderstood her. I just want to say it."


    "It really hurts, Mother. Mother...please let it stop. No, I don''t want to die, mother. Ah, it''s getting cold. I think I am losing feeling on my limbs. Why am I even struggling so hard? I want to crawl out of this place. I want to die under the sky not here in this godforsaken place. I want to see the stars again. How many days I''ve been stuck here?"


    "I just want to know who I was. I don''t remember damn it! God, why did you put me into this world! I didn''t do anything wrong! I wasn''t such a sinner to put me in this hell damn it! I only wanted to live simply and not be in a world where monsters exist! I do not belong here so why would you throw me into this world! God, please save me! Show yourselves and please save me! I beg you to save me please!"


    "Haha, I guess that''s it? That''s it I guess you wouldn''t even care. I think I understand. Ah, I wonder what it''s like to bask in the sun again. Is there even an afterlife? Man, I wish I had powers or something. That would be cool I would have moved so defiantly and eliminated the monsters. Too bad I am just some nobody who''s talking to a mother he couldn''t even remember."


    "Hmm, I dreamt of being a Hero once. I guess in the end a nobody like me could amount do that. I wonder if things didn''t go this way and would I become a person who is able to become competitive. I wonder if there is a version of me somewhere in this mysterious universe that I''d be able to do good. I wonder if there''s a version of me that has such capability of fighting against these monsters. Maybe it is possible since even I am here in this world. I really hope that the place that I can vaguely remember exist and I did live in that place once. Hah, I guess it is already an achievement that I was able to travel through time and space and get to explore another world. But I don''t wish anyone to experience these hardships like me."


    "So...if there''s someone like me that exists out there somewhere. Please do your best. I don''t want you to end up like me. Miserable, unable to fight, and is forced to surrender right here. Be strong and have an unbreakable iron will. Please do not end up miserable like me. I want you to be a brave man who could fight and tell the person he loves and care for her! I don''t want you backing down from a fight. Do what you will! So..."


    He took a long painful breath.


    "Please don''t let this world bear you down to the ground. Don''t let it despair you and turn you into a helpless coward like me. That''s why...I -"


    The light on his eyes flickered away like a light bulb going out. His chest stopped heaving up and down. The hand he placed on his chest slid down.


    There was silence.


    There was absolute silence.


    There was no battle to the death here.


    There was no determination or a will to survive.


    There was only a man who was not able to take it any longer. There was only a lonely person who could not endure and decided to give up truly. He didn''t die with honor or with a bang. In this dungeon, he laid on the ground with his body festered and rotting with a disease. He was battered man who abandoned his pride and dignity. He tried to survive and failed. His will told him to keep on going but his body could not do it any longer. That was the unfortunate reality of someone like him who didn''t have any experience in fighting against this world.


    This was a dead end route for Lanon. In this dungeon that many have died, he would be one of the many that fell. He didn''t go out with a bang. He merely rambled on inside his head and with a whimper, stopped breathing to close his eyes for good. It was the end of his journey.

 Chapter 48: Cress 1

    A person sat under the root of a tree.


    It was raining.


    He was covered in grime. His head was lowered and it looked like he was sleeping. Upon closer look, his eyes were half open. Behind him was a figure of a devilish woman who looked like a translucent ghost.


    "Are you awake, Walker?" asked the ghost.


    It was worth speaking that the man was a ghost to other eyes. His eyes flickered with a dim light. It was the eyes of a stoic.


    "I am, Devil," said the man. "May I tell you about a queer dream?"


    "Who cares?" said her.


    "I do," he said curtly. "It was a strange dream of a person wishing me success. Don''t you find it odd, Tania? That someone would actually wish me luck."


    "It''s just a dream, Nolan," responded Tania with disdain. "No sane person would try to be with you. You''re a murderer of my kind. Behind us lie the corpses of the monsters that you have purposely lured. Instead of leaving you stayed hoping that you''d attract more. And now you are covered in this black grime. You look like a demon yourself, Ghost."


    "Calling me Ghost?" he said. "An odd thing to say, Devil of Obsidian Flower or should I call you the Lady of Pale Shine? Have your memories recovered?"


    "It did," wheezed Tania. "The memories of my past incarnation and her sufferings are now inside my head. The Pale Shine lady might be my past self. But I am not her. I am Tania of Obsidian. Do not forget that."


    "I won''t," said Nolan. "How could I forget having a beautiful Ghost beside me? Not to mention..."


    He looked at the sword that he was holding with his right hand. It was stabbed in front of him. There were grime-colored tendrils attached to Nolan''s hand. These tendrils have started to cover Nolan. It was like a new skin that has started to form on top of his skin.


    "The Pale Obsidian Sword of Zachariah is starting to bond with you," said Tania. "I wonder how long could you endure this corruption of blood yet here you are still standing. Tell me, Walker. Are the runes that you inscribed in your body allowed you to make use of my blood?"


    "Yes," he answered.


    A drop of water fell down upon his forehead. Tania floated in front of him.


    "I see. You are circulating my blood and powering them. I''ve never bothered asking but hearing it from you surprises me. This method of yours is like a drug. It will destroy you, Walker. You are human after all. You do not have the ability to defy your origins?"


    "Amor Fati," said Nolan.


    "What?"


    "It means lover of fate. I accept what happens to me. I''ve lived long enough to know what will happen if I use you to give me this artificial power. I do not think that I will reach that far...but if I am right then I can at least see the appearance of the light again."


    "What are you saying, Walker," asked Tania. "You speak of cryptic words...you refer to the future as if you know it."


    "You wouldn''t understand it, Tania. I am afraid that you will have to stay with me until my death. You should really give up on being so hostile."


    "You sealed me against my will."


    "You can still do what you want."


    "You stab me in the navel and now use my blood to slaughter my kin."


    "You were a slaughterer too, Hypocrite."


    The two bickered while the rain and wind rattled the surroundings. The trees swayed and the leaves fell down due to this strong gust of wind. Ten steps away from them were the corpses of the monsters that were killed by them. The pools of blood intertwined and turned into a river that drifted away into the bushes.


    The shredded monsters stayed still. There were many of them that were cut to pieces or have been trapped. They were all finished off by a weapon sharp enough to tear through their natural hardened fur. This was the result of Nolan using the knowledge of the future. A certain technique was crafted through desperation. He was no wizard. It was merely him replicating the labors of the men and women of the light''s army. It was not his creation. This technique was a like a chainsaw. It needed fuel but it was effective to use. Nolan wasn''t that rich to continue feeding his sword enough power. Thus he has captured Tania of Obsidian and made use of her blood as fuel.


    She was the perfect vessel. It was cruel to make use of her but Nolan didn''t think much of it. He has resolved himself in making use of everything he has to his advantage. That''s why even though he could sense the disdain in Tania''s voice. He merely thought that he could not control her opinion, therefore, there was no need to think about it. What need is there to worry about things that he could not control?


    "You are worse than me!" shouted Tania.


    "Yeah, yeah," Nolan said. He looked at the weather. "It looks like this weather won''t be stopping soon. Can you watch out for any enemies, Tania? I might spare them if they don''t get close."


    "Go to hell, Walker! Sleep forever and be done with it!"


    "I shall leave it to you then."


    It has been a recurring banter of them. She may hate watching out for the person that sealed her but she has no choice. He controlled her being and because of this, she can only watch idly inside the sword that she was placed in.


    She watches Nolan close his eyes. She frowned. She was used to seeing him wait in the shadows. He only sleeps a little yet he could gather enough strength to fight on. It was like a habit of him that he has practiced for years. Tania has been observing her foe. To her, he was a human that was used to living off the land. His skills were no joke and he had the air of an experienced veteran.


    She considers herself a skilled warrior. Yet in her short battle with him, she was schooled and sealed. "I''ve become a property of someone like him..."


    ...


    It was a world of white dripping with black liquid.


    There was only one chair in this world. In it was a child grabbing hold of his knees.


    Nolan walked towards the child until he was in front. The child looked up at him. He sized Lanon up with a watchful gaze. There was a bitter expression on his face.


    "What''s wrong?" Nolan asked.


    "Nothing," said the child him.


    "Your face doesn''t say ''nothing''," he looked at the child. "Tell me what troubles you."


    "Have you ever thought of what it likes to die helpless and unable to do anything other than bowing your head and wait for fate''s mercy?"


    "Yes. Many times that I''ve grown jaded to it. What need is there to worry about a past that I can''t change. To keep yourself anxious about a future that you could barely control? I''ve lived long enough to know that living in the present is better. The cruel reality of trying to change it has been shown to me when Oasis City fell."


    "Accept fate as it is." The child nodded. "Wouldn''t you be tired of it? Have you ever thought that maybe you go against fate?"


    Nolan nodded, "Sadly, I cannot do that. I cannot believe in defying fate."


    "Then if she is fated to die. Would you try to change fate then?"


    "Obviously," he said without hesitation. "I would do everything for her."


    "I see," the child nodded. The world continued flowing black liquid from above. Nolan stood still. He was waiting for the person to continue on.


    "Why do you imagine this world?"


    "I don''t know. I have no idea why I could have this odd world where I could speak to the childish version of myself."


    The child shook his head, "I don''t know why I exist here...Have you felt that cold electric feeling shocking the back of your neck?"


    "I did," Nolan answered.


    "What was that about?"


    "I have no idea. But...there was a feeling of helplessness that I was eerily familiar with?"


    "Is that so?"


    "Yes. I remembered my days of fighting and becoming better. I was no talented person. I was a grunt who has to learn to be better through the years. I was careful in my endeavors and did what I could to survive. How I was able to reach this far is a mystery to me."


    "Then what was that?"


    "Like I said I don''t know. Maybe it was just a false instinct alert that happens in a while. My slaughter through throughout the world has made me like this."


    "Is that really it?" he said curtly. "Have you ever thought that there was something weird happening to your body?"


    "Nope," he responded with a shrug of shoulders. "When I arrive into this world I was a survivor. I was an unlucky bastard that was able to reach this far by being paranoid. I doubt that there''s something more than that."


    "What if there really is?"


    "Hah, then that would be lucky. I''ve employed the last thing that I could use from the future that I know. The jet-cutter technique took us years to develop. Now I am employing it out of how useful it is."


    "But you needed to be cruel."


    "I have to. I wanted to be efficient therefore I had to do that to Tania. I will not say that I am guilty. I did it out of my will. I have no intention of giving her a leeway. She would only leave me her seal when I want to or through my death. I''ve no need for guilt."


    "You sound mean."


    "I am. I can be grumpy too. I might have a young body but I am still old inside. It doesn''t change me. If I could I would have ranted about everything. I wouldn''t do that simply because I feel like it is childish."


    "You act like them sometimes."


    "There are times you have a mask to wear. I am merely going with the flow instead of resisting it. Man is never a lonely island. I cannot live alone without anyone to interact. It has been taught to me badly how important it is to have connections."


    "Then they why are you always alone?"


    That question made him freeze. He looked around unable to answer for a moment. "I don''t know. Maybe because I know that I chase after nothing. I hunt down enemies just for the sake of it. I live the life of slaughter, lost in whatever I want to do. I just kill the enemies and follow a path of blood."


    "Is that all to it?"


    "Sadly," said Nolan. "There''s no greater meaning to this life that I live. I am just an old soul trapped inside a body of a young man. I thought of changing what would happen but that was a foolish notion of a foolish man. Why do you ask this question?"


    "I felt sadness," responded the child.


    "Huh?"


    "I felt like a soul cried out for our soul."


    "What do you mean?"


    "I don''t know myself. I just feel like there was someone who cheered us up. That it wanted us to do well in whatever we wanted to do."


    "Is that really it?"


    "Yes, I am just an imagination of yours that act as a coping mechanism. You felt that bit of bitter-sweet cheer. You know that it was meant for us, Nolan."


    "I don''t understand," Nolan confessed.


    "Why would we understand? We aren''t wizards."


    "True," he agreed.


    The world shook. Like glass, it shattered into pieces. Nolan found himself fading away from this world. His vision flickered madly before he found himself back in the real world. He was welcomed with the rain heavily pouring down. The forest he was in was starting to create mists. The trees were getting fogged. He could smell the mixture of blood and drizzly water on the air. The scent was coming from the place where he killed the monsters. The roaring sound of the rain muffled his hearing. The cold weather seeping into the pores of his body


    "Let''s go, Tania," said Nolan.


    "Whatever," shouted Tania as she manifested.


    Nolan ignored Tania. He rose like a specter and started to march in the direction that interested him. He was just wandering around trying to deal with the problems that might arise in his wandering.

 Chapter 49: Cress 2

    She floated within this glow of energy. Her hair dripping wet as the aura around her barely kept the rain. She was staring down with her cold eyes. Her eyes reflected Nolan who was covered in black grime and blood. His left hand was facing the opposite direction.


    Her fluttered as the wind pushes behind Nolan''s back. His cloak waved along with the wind and his pale obsidian sword glowed slightly at the sight of the energy surrounding her. He was surrounded by the corpses of the monsters that hunt him. He was covered in their own bile and intestines.


    A faint figure floated behind him. She could not see her blurry figure but she started to understand why a man could kill his hunters while sustaining only a broken left arm. She saw him fight. She saw how he moved as if it was natural. How most of his moves were embedded into his muscles and bones. He was a monster in his own right who possesses a very sharp show. She saw him as a monster.


    Nolan stood unbothered by his left broken arms. His head hurts like hell. His body felt it want to give up. He just fought monsters that needed all his strength to fight. It should not be mistaken. He could never bring down those who have higher power than him, he knew that fighting creatures as strong he''d faced before she arrived would turn out like this. He was used to it.


    She continuously floated within the use of her power. She was unfazed by the monsters that were lying dead. She was a master of the nether forces. She could obliterate companies and slay monsters within an activation of a spell. Yet she was impressed by the image of the man staring her below.


    She muttered. Her voice was eerie and so fast that it was like a screech.


    He never had the time to react. He never was willing to act. Nolan knew what that spell was. The spell gave a feeling of comfortableness to his battered body. The milky feeling circulated around his body until it all dispersed into dots of light that came out from the pores of his skin.


    "What can I do for you, Audrey Cress?" said Nolan. He then thought, "It was nice seeing you again, Master."


    "I remember you," she looked at him. "You were that shameless man that purges those poor souls. I thought that I''d never see the likes of you, but you are proving me wrong. I''ve many questions inside my head. Why do these monsters hunt you down, and why are you covered in demonic blood. That black grime that covers your skin is toxic and once it stops flowing out from your body you will suffer a huge backlash. I''ve read books about this kind of stupidity...what are you thinking about making a symbiotic relationship with a demon as strong as the ones that live inside your sword?"


    He widened his eyes, "You can tell that she exists here?" he tapped the flat part of the sword.


    "I know things. The smell of demon blood is strong on you. I''ll call you a fool but I listen to reason. Why are you doing this to yourself? Why are you treating yourself as a killing machine?"


    "I don''t know what you are saying, Audrey Cress," he straightened his back like an arrow. "Why are you asking me?"


    "Don''t reply with a question," said Audrey. "I am no fool. I can sense the engravings on your body. You are making use of this demon that you have sealed to act as a fuel. Rune tattoos that would allow you to fight these monsters without using the phantasmal oil, you are making a monster of yourself. The holy church would hunt you for heresy and call you a child of darkness, Walker."


    "Am I that monstrous looking to you?" Nolan smiled lightly.


    She was taken aback. There was a trace of acceptance in that smile that she could not help but wonder. She wondered why the man standing before her had this resolute expression plastered on his face.


    "Yes," she replied. "But I can sense that you are not, Walker. You are an odd person. Ever since I saw you I thought of you as an odd person."


    "I see. May I ask what are you doing here, Lady Cress?"


    "Lady Cress?" she snorted. "Just call me by name, Walker."


    He kept her name. "Why are you here, Lady Cress?"


    She looked at him. "I am here looking for something. I''ve thought it would be a dull rainy day yet here I am talking to you. I should be the one asking you."


    "I am a Wanderer who never settles down. You should know that it is natural for Bleak Walkers like me to do that."


    "Is that so?" she looked at him. "Can you suppress that odd spell of yours?"


    "I can," he stopped the flowing of Tania''s blood into his veins. He kneeled on his knees, eyes rolling as the black grime dripped to the ground. His tolerance to pain was quite strong, yet, having blood suck from his veins even made him squeal.


    Audrey Cress furrowed her brows, "Is it that painful?"


    "Yes," he said. "I am not fond of being in pain but it gives me enough power to deal with foes that hunt me down."


    "Is that so?" she said blandly. "I am not fond of this rain. Let us take shelter in that hollowed tree. Or are you too busy for that, Walker?"


    He smiled, "I am not. Having a Witch of Nether conversing with me would be quite...great."


    "Is that so?" she snorted. Her hands formed into that of a claw. She clawed the entrance of that hollowed tree and cleared it for two people.


    Nolan eyed the tree. He rose to his feet and sauntered inside the hollow tree, following Audrey Cress who was wet down from the rain. She sat gently and waves her right hand and fire came upon and floated like a wisp. It burned with enough heat to dry her clothes.


    He widened his eyes and sat down. He peered at her and thought, "She''s amazing as always. Even in this time she already has a grasp of her learned powers."


    Rain continued on pouring. It dripped down the body of the gigantic trees. Wind swayed the branches of the trees. The sound of rain meeting the ground rang their ears. The two sat with their elbows near their legs. They watch the continuous flow of water from the heavens with bland expressions.


    "What were you here for?"


    "Purging the monsters and save those that can be saved."


    "I see. I would have purged them all."


    "Our ideas are different. Nothing new there."


    He looked outside and watches the scene, "I see no reason to save monsters. Or is that the mentality of the strong? Why give salvation to the monsters?"


    She looked at him, "Do you know that these monsters are the ones keeping the peace?"


    "I do," he replied. "I also know that there''s an existence of the old ones that refuse to take part unless provoked."


    "Then you should know why," she shrugged her shoulders. "No matter how you hate them the monsters are one of the reasons that the inner lands can stay united against a common enemy. If these monsters didn''t exist then this world would still be covered in wars. Knowing that, do you still truly want to kill all these monsters?"


    "Maybe," he replied coldly. "The only goods monsters in my books are those that are dead. I can accept the rational ones but yet my hatred for these monsters will never cease."


    She snorted, "I thought Walkers don''t hate? I thought you all are indifferent to the troubles of this world."


    "I am indifferent. I can endure it since I am used to it but it doesn''t mean my heart says that my heart will stay still when I see the monsters. I''ve lived my life killing them and you expect me to suddenly stop and get tired of it?"


    "Is that? Will you stay as a butcher of monsters? I pity you, Walker."


    "I don''t think you should." He balled his fists. "This is the path that I''ve chosen out of my own will. There is never any need for me to get worked up or troubled my soul about things that I cannot control any longer."


    "So your will to kill these monsters have reached that far?"


    "You saw me. I know that you can tell that I attract the monsters."


    Her brows met, "Why is that you have that curse in you? That curse belongs to the War Maiden of this current Era. Why is it bonded in you? Why would you allow it so?" she paused for a moment. "To lure the monsters out of their hiding and slaughter them?"


    He merely smiled at that. He held the sword of Zachariah and pointed its tip forward. "That''s right. I did it to slaughter them. Isn''t that great?"


    "I''ll never understand you," said Audrey Cress."


    "I don''t think you will. Even though you are prized as a beautiful prodigy unmatched in both wisdom and intelligence, I don''t think you will understand what keeps my heart beating and my limbs moving."


    Nolan gave her a single look before he continued staring at the rain. His expression cold and casual as it may be. There was a trace of loneliness in his heart as he speaks with the woman who taught him to fight beasts using the runes and the creator of the tools that he uses.


    "You try to hide it. But I am proud of my observation abilities. The moment you saw me float your eyes dilated. Your right hand shivered and the way you tried to open your mouth made it like you were trying to speak to an old friend. I am not that of a vain person who thinks highly of his or her beauty but I''ve been proposed by Princes and Nobles. Men would eye me lewdly yet you see me in this queer reverence resembling that of a disciple seeing his master. May I ask you why?"


    "I don''t know what you are saying," he replied softly while touching the back of his neck.


    She turned her eyes to his direction. "I should tell you that I know it when people lie. I hate when people lie to me."


    "I know that too," Nolan eyed her. He squared his body and he gave a feeling of a man who was ready to pounce.


    Audrey Cress''s eyes turned sharp. The flow of energy that she had produced before acting up. It was like the elements turned into electricity and that they were being bent to her will. The hollow tree that they were sheltering from the rain started shaking.


    Nolan knew too well how strong she was. No matter how skilled or experienced he was, he could not react to the speed of lightning and could only predict it. He knew that the person that was readying to ask him harshly was someone who would not stop until she gets what she wants. He could only hope that her strike would do him no harm. That he would have enough phantasmal oil to neutralize the magic that she handles so well that later on would turn her into a demon in the eyes of the demons.


    She was a far too observant person that her reasoning was borderline unreasonable. Yet, he knew that the eccentric savant before him was no pushover. That''s why before she could even chant her spell. He threw a bag of spices in her face.


    She started coughing heavily. The bag of spices turned her tongue red and she was unable to move with the spice entering her eyes.


    Nolan sprinted away from the hollowed tree and made Tania''s blood flow inside of him. The black grime painfully made their way out of the pores of his body and covered him in black grime. He reached for his phantasmal oil and covered his blade with it while still moving like a skulking puma through the cover of thick foliages.


    He was already far from the scene when he heard the burst of power cracking in the air. The hollowed tree that sheltered him and she slowly fell down upon him. Above the sky was Audrey Cress whose eyes were bloodshot red. She chanted a complex chant as the hollowed tree that fell towards Nolan suddenly turned into thick roots that flew towards him with a surprising speed!

 Chapter 50: Choice of the Empty Man

    It all started with a simple man begging a master of the arcane to teach him magic. A man without anything much to lived on, his knees dirtied; pleading that the master of the nether will help them in the war. He was just there in the right time and the right place. He was a veteran walker that was sent to ask a person of interest to join the war against the demons of the barren lands.


    Maybe, he had a relationship with the War Maiden, but no one could remember him. He was just a shadow of her and it meant that she was not able to know about him at all. So he kowtowed in front of her until she agreed to teach them a stronger version of the runes. She taught them the ways of making use of one''s body to overcome the strongest foes.


    She fought with them as if she was the war maiden of the Six Elemental Heroes. She used her innate mastery to give them the edge they need to circulate their powers and acted as their conduit. She was the replacement of the War Maiden and it was odd that he had to follow her as the War Maiden''s replacement.


    He thought of the lessons he learned from her. The tactics he used were developed by the Light''s army and was further developed by the Witch of the Nether through her mastery of knowledge. She was wise beyond her years and her knowledge resembled that of a modern person. Maybe it was this thought that he was able to communicate and understand the Witch of the Nether.


    There was a load of difference and in the end, he could only follow like a tired dog. He was a husk of an old man who fought to finish the job. It was not much light but it beats the darkness that he wanted to end.


    It could be said that she was one of the many lights that lit the way.


    That''s why as he could see her raining down attacks upon him. He could only deflect and evade. Not once he thought of doing anything other than stall her. He threw that spice to disorient her but he knew that would not stop the Witch of the Nether in her tracks.


    He underestimated her. Truly, he thought that he could stand a chance against the full might of the Witch of the Nether, the one who could even conduit the powers of the Elemental Heroes in her body. It was foolish to think that just because he got stronger through making use of Tania''s blood; that he''d be enough to match her abilities that were beyond anything that he could possibly imagine doing.


    He knew her spells well, yet, he could only make use of the phantasmal oil to neutralize them or evade using the trees as cover. The trees served him well but it was truly not enough to deter the might of the person before Nolan.


    The trees were cut down by strong sharp winds. The grass turned into a sea as the waves of energy destroyed anything that it touched. Nolan did a jungle sprint as he strafes from cover to cover. Behind him were the magic missiles tracking him down with this whistling sound.


    Nolan evaded two of the spells and brought down the other missiles. He ran across the trees while trying to lose track of Audrey Cress.


    Audrey Cress had already placed a tracking spell upon Nolan. This spell allowed her to follow Nolan throughout the forest without being misled. At first, she only wanted to make him talk his secrets out of curiosity. But yet as she saw him evade her attacks, she resolved into this attitude of defeating him down. It was her pride poorly convincing that she needed to win.


    There are three weaknesses of the arcane users. First is their soul. Second are their body and lastly their mind. The soul is where they gather the energy; the mind is the where they bend the energy and the body acts as the conduit that releases the energy towards the target.


    Nolan has been delaying her. He was using her frustration to loosen her control over her magic. It was working and because of this she was faltering on her attacks and her physical body was getting strained in every turn. Nolan knew of another secret, but he could not possibly alter fate again.


    That secret would allow her to seek what she desires from this world. It was her holy grail and he could not possibly hand it to her no matter how cruel it may be. That Holy Grail is one of her reasons to get stronger and acquire magic. Telling her early would mean that her fixation towards achieving power would falter and dwindle.


    He could not allow himself to exploit that weakness, therefore, he continued bolting through the forest while avoiding the attacks that Audrey was trying to hit him with. Her attacks were no joke and one single hit would mean that he''d be incapacitated in an instant. Although he has the power to endure grievous wounds and the most painful of tortures, he was not confident in being hit by Audrey Cress. He has become sturdy using the rune engraving he carved on his body and Tania''s blood. Yet one single hit from Audrey could tear his ''tough'' body and he would be captured by her.


    That''s why he could only continue to make use of the forest to evade and neutralize. He narrowly avoids every shot and whenever he saw signs of her using lightning he would immediately dive down and roll back to use the tree as a cover, splinters exploding in every direction, plants get torn by boots, the crackling of lightning resounded throughout the woods as Nolan avoided an area of effect by throwing a dagger and redirect the attack towards the dagger instead, the dagger acting as the conductor.


    Nolan could her angry chanting behind his back. He narrowed his eyes and thought that he should immediately find a way to escape Audrey. He was completely locked by her sights. Any form of escaping tactics would not work unless he uses something that dispels the tracking spell.


    He stood still in this grass. He looked up and placed his sword in front of him. "What should I do?"He thought. "I will be defeated by if I don''t do something."


    "Master, you really are something," he praised internally. "You''ve always been out of reach. Your power was enough to help this world truly. You already save this world once, Master. If you weren''t too late then you wouldn''t have seen them alive."


    A choice has to be made by him.


    He knew the feeling of fighting for what he desired. He desired to follow the Light''s Army was because he had nothing going on without the person who made him feel alive. Maybe, if he forgot all about Ciara, he would have fallen in love with the lonesome Witch of Nether.


    Then as if the world slowed down. The thumping of his heart hastens as he felt everything go white and black. He has chosen to save Vie knowing that she might affect the world. He has chosen to save Ciara from her despair, made her thought that she was not alone and changed her into a powerful woman.


    The Sins of Oasis was still present in his heart. He knew that it will linger on his heart for a while. The things he did try to change the past made him thought of the people that suffered for it. He continued staring at the Witch of Nether, Audrey Cress, who was rather confused on what he was doing.


    She simply didn''t know what this man would do. She faced enemies that she was able to easily triumph upon yet this man was able to easily tell her attacks and patterns. It was like he was already used to fighting her. She truly wanted to neutralize him and ask him nicely who he truly was. It was unreasonable but she has done more unreasonable things than what she was doing right now.


    "What are you up to?"


    Nolan raised his head lightly, "What would you do in the name of those who you care for, Master?"


    "Huh?" she furrowed her brows. "What do you mean by that?"


    "Can you still the save world knowing that the world might not even be able to save itself?"


    She shook her head in confusion, "I do not understand. Are you trying to make me lower my guard or take this time to rest? If so, then you are foolish if that would ever work."


    "No," he shook his head. "Why are we fighting in the first place? Do you really want to know what I know?"


    "At first," her hair fluttered madly. "Now I just want to beat you down. I''ve never been challenged like this for a while. I admit that you are beyond years and I can tell how experienced you are at fighting arcane users like me. That''s enough for me to continue fighting you."


    "She walks down the valley. Two hands that held her vanish as they separate," he said mildly.


    She heard that. Her heart stopped for a second. She glared angrily at him, "Why do you know that phrase? Do you know something!? Speak!" her body erupted with the energy that could annihilate the area around him. She has become serious as a result of his provocations.


    "Down the valley that I know you will find what you seek, Audrey Cress."


    "Then speak!" she appeared in front of him with her eyes coldly open. "Tell me where are they!"


    "A pack of silence and a promise," he said. "I do not fear death. But I fear that you would stop seeking the knowledge you crave to reach ''them''. I want you to promise that by the time I give you this information you will still fanatically crave for power to protect them."


    "I do! So tell me where they are!" she clapped her hands and a promise was made with the world as the witness.


    "The Valley of Destrier, near the crooked tree, three steps away from it you will find what you seek for!"


    "There!?" she said loudly. "That makes sense! How could I ever be so blind to not deduce that?"


    "The path is twisted and blocked. The two that you seek have done so deliberately in hopes that you will seek the power that you crave for. You can use that power of yours to break them."


    "Break them..." she muttered grimly. "They always thought that there is a chance that the monsters can still be saved and that they must show mercy too. There are the greatest people that I know of. I cannot sense any lie from you, therefore I can truly believe that you do know where they are!"


    She floated with her power rumbling madly, "You have given me something, Walker! I do not know who you are. I do not know what your plans are but they are much important to me than you. I will thank you for this information but I will not forget the shame that you have given me. You''ve wounded my pride and I cannot allow that."


    He nodded, "I understand. I do hope that you find your happiness and the power to protect them, Audrey Cress, Witch of Nether."


    She flew without minding Nolan. He stood there with his limbs trembling in pain. He kneeled down and held back the pain that he was suffering from. The thought of giving her that knowledge would surely cause the world to change. He didn''t know why he had this knowledge but if it means that he could give those who he knew their happiness then what right does he have to keep them?


    Maybe God placed him here to tell the lonesome Witch the thing that she wanted the most. Nolan stayed still and gazed at the sky whose rain could not stop falling. His vision blurred and shook. His legs trembled along with body as he presses his back on the ground and wondered what he was even doing anymore. The thought of happiness scares Nolan. The thought of spending time without danger and knowing that the dimming of the world would come scares him. How could he relax when he knew of a world of suffering will come for the people of this world?

 Chapter 51: Rotary Inn

    A long plain road with grasses on the side stretches towards this city. A caravan of men in horse carried villagers and travelers to the distant city. One of them was Nolan who was sitting in the carriages back with his torn cloak fluttering about.


    The other villagers ignored Nolan. They were not that different and most of them were poor looking with their clothes dirtied. They wore eye bags and there was dirt on their faces. A kid was playing with a wooden toy and another one was watching Nolan carve a figure out of wood.


    "Good carving skills," said the man.


    "Thanks," said Nolan. "I learn from pa."


    "You could earn money from this," said the old man who wore a straw hat and bucktooth teeth. "Are you staying long in Dristan City?"


    "Who knows?" he responded with a shrug. "Like everyone I just want to take a glimpse of the war maiden."


    "Ah," the old man looked up. "The War Maiden sure gives us hope, eh?"


    "Yes."


    "Beautiful and the strongest War Maiden to date, we are lucky to witness this age. I wonder if we''ll able to know the lucky guy that''ll marry the War Maiden," said the old man.


    "I see. Well, I heard that Princes and Nobles are after her now. I guess she''d be better off with another mighty guy."


    "Hah!" said another traveler. "The War Maiden barely looks at the Men that escort her. All she thinks is how to deal a heavy blow to the demons and ignoring parties. I heard that she could cleaved an entire hill if she wants."


    A Knight wearing armor rode on his horse and passed by them. He was holding a flag that was familiar to Nolan who was busy carving and listening to the travelers.


    "Is that so?" he said unimpressed.


    "It''s true," said the man excitedly. "Many folks saw her fight demons and call upon the blessings of the War God. Along with those Sword Maidens they conquered one of the dangerous lands of the Outer Lands. It is said that under her banner she can do anything. Now get this, the Heroes are not with her yet! She''s like the perfect woman and those who would be able to be with her would feel heavenly."


    "Why so?" Nolan said blandly.


    "Because she''s the War Maiden and her ''holiness'' is enough to make anyone safe. I find no man who wouldn''t stutter at the sight of the War Maiden. Blonde hair, heavenly blue eyes, and a gait that would leave those staring at the people," said the man.


    Nolan took it all in. He looked at the carving he was making and handed it to the kid that was excited about it. The carriage continued shaking until it reached the gates of Dristan City. A rather tall curtain wall surrounded with heavily armed guards. Weapons were readied and the crossbowmen were ready to point it and shoot it on someone who would be foolish enough to attack the city.


    Coachman said, "We''re here folks. You all paid already so get out of my carriage so we can rest up and drink our bellies full of ale."


    "Aye that," said Nolan. He vaulted out of the carriage and spotted some Walkers entering the city. Another group took his attention. A man wearing the symbol of the Sunspawn and a woman whose robes showed that she was a magician. Another Walker had green hair.


    "Hey," he patted the woman with green hair.


    The green-haired woman turned towards the man''s voice. Her eyes widened with shock. "Brother Nolan, you are alive?" said Vie.


    "I am," he nodded. He eyed Todd and Hannah. "It was nice seeing you two."


    "You are alive," Hannah said dryly.


    "This is good news," said Todd.


    "Where were you?" asked Vie.


    "Just around the countryside, lamenting about the fall of Oasis City, what you are up to, you three?" asked Nolan.


    Vie excitedly nodded, "I am glad that you are alive, Brother Nolan. We were finding ways to develop weapons and the spells... We were just leaving. Are you staying in this city?"


    "Yes for a while. Going to the Inner Lands?" said Nolan.


    "Indeed," said Vie. "It was really nice seeing you Brother but we have something to care."


    "Go and do your own thing, Vie." He squared his body. "I ain''t your keeper."


    "True," she smiled. Vie beamed at him. "I am just glad that you are alive. I thought you were dead."


    "I am," he looked at the two. "So you were going with her?"


    "Yes," answered Hannah. "We were. It was nice seeing you again, Nolan."


    Todd chimed in, "We''ll do our mission and return here. You need to tell me how you survived the troubles of Oasis City. Though I must say do you need help?"


    Hannah eyed him, "You look battered. Must have been a rough road you''ve been trekking."


    "It was," said Nolan. "But do not worry. I''ll find some job and clean some tavern floor to earn money."


    "I see," said Todd. "I guess you are odd as ever, friend. Anyone would gladly help a Bleak Walker with such skills as you but you choose to work with your own hands. I admire that."


    Hannah sneered, "We could lend you money but seeing that you are adamant in wanting to work for it. Don''t let me stop you."


    Nolan smiled at that.


    Vie eyed Nolan, "Anyway, I hope that you do fine. It''s a tough road and I wish you well. Do you really not want to lend me your money?"


    "No," he answered. "I may not look like it but I worked as a tavern boy once. I cleaned dishes and sorted wooden plates for a living. So do not worry about me."


    The three shared a look before nodding, "Well, we should move on. Wait for us, Brother Nolan. Maybe we''ll do this missions fast and return to share a drink." Vie gave Nolan a rather warm hug.


    "You do well, Vie," he patted her back and bid them farewell. The three left his field of view and soon they were out of his vision. He turned to the gates and pace inside the city with a slow gait. He melted with the crowd and vanished in thin air and disappeared within plain sight.


    He walked past the stalls that had merchants trying to tug his cloak. All he needed for them to try was a good glare with his eyes. Down a street and past this tight corner he entered a rather small inn that no one seems to go. It was well-maintained and the sign of the small inn said ''Rotary Inn''.


    The entrance was rather dusty. The door made a sound as a burly man leaned on the counter with drolly eyes. He examined Nolan. His eyes landed on the sigil that was in his tattered cloak, "A Bleak Walker...do you need some shelter and possibly work?"


    "No one comes here other than that."


    "Bah, I am just honoring the wishes of my Papa. Do you know me already?"


    "Yes," Nolan lightly smiled. "Alto of Rotary Inn"


    "That''s me alright," he nodded with a smile reaching up his hears. "This practice is unprofitable to me but having a Bleak Walker do their job keeps this room a sort of museum for odd people to come. I will never get how they would come here to just sleep on the beds of Bleak Walkers."


    "That''s odd as always, Alto."


    "Your name?" asked Alto.


    "Nolan," he said. "Just call me that."


    "Certainly, Nolan, so what are you here for?" asked Alto.


    He moved to the counter, "Just needed a rest."


    "You''re here for the War Maiden like everyone is here for!" said Alto with this cheeky smile. "Ah, a beautiful woman that is as holy as the Holy Princess. She''s quite the looker and way she glows with the elements is quite the sight to see."


    "Is that so?" said Nolan.


    "Yes. I doubt anyone would stop here for anything other than that. This city''s a peaceful one and there''s little to none trouble that can be found here. Well, if you do not count the thugs but they usually stay in the shadows, skulking like rats waiting for cheese." He played with a mug. There was a rich aroma on it.


    "Well, I came here to rest," he lifted his cloak. "I need some new clothes and gear. I hope that you could help me in this, Alto."


    "I can," he nodded. "But as they say nothing is ever free. See, I have this business of delivering ale to loyal patrons using my own brew. I usually have them delivered by my self but since you are here you might as well do it. You help me clean the Inn and some minor chores and I''ll give you pay enough to cloth and gear you."


    "Sounds nice," Nolan said. "Though is that all you want?"


    "Can you take care of the thugs who didn''t pay me?" he said with a serious look.


    "I can."


    "Good, then I''ll add that to the list. Anyways, you are in need of funds. I will let you earn them as per tradition and by God, my Pa in heaven would kick my ass if I don''t." He tapped his mug on the counter.


    ...


    He was given a room with a soft bed and a warm blanket. Alto was nice enough to give him some clothes to wear. He took off his modified leather armor and kept his hoodie inside the cloth bag that he had and hid it under the bed. The white shirt and brown pants fit him well. He tied his long hair that was mixed of black and grey. The sword of Zachariah still hung on his belt.


    Nolan didn''t have anything to do. So he went and delivered the ales that Alto wanted to send to his lazy patrons. The sky had this afternoon look on it. He strode along the streets as if the crowd didn''t even notice him passing by. He delivered the ale and after that, he went to the place where the thugs were.


    The thugs hang around this narrow and dim alley. They didn''t even notice him sneaking upon them. Without them noticing they were knocked down and were hanged upside down. Nolan wrapped a cloth around his face and started scaring them with nonsense that was enough to make them cower.


    After scaring the thugs he paced around the area near where the War Maiden was staying. It was a heavily guarded palace and entry was impossible unless they know their way around detection spells. Nolan stood watching around the part of the castle where she should be.


    "Isn''t it great?" he said with a lonesome smile. "Everyone''s looking up to you now. I once said to you that one day these people will look up to you in awe without that disgusted look on their faces. Now they see a Goddess in you, Ciara."


    "It is cheating that I say this but I did what I promised. I hate that these people are looking at you like that. Makes me wish that you''d stay the same to what I was used to seeing. Nothing makes me happier than knowing that you are safe and that no one would dare to question you now. A beauty that can destroy nations and strength that could fight against armies, I feel inferior but it is what it is."


    "Choices are hard. I want to talk to you but here I am acting like a retard. I could just drag myself inside but doing so would mean that I will have to stop you from doing your role. I''ll be staying away because I need to do so. Or could I be selfish and ask you to forsake this world. I saw it saved once. No need to spend a lifetime fighting for it again. All of your struggles are still fresh in my mind. But you don''t know of it and the thought of me dragging you out of this role after I put you into it is stupid. I gave you the world to bear upon your shoulders. I am quite cruel but you have to do it. You are chosen after all."


    He looked up above the stars that revealed themselves, "It ain''t easy but know that you''ll have someone watching your back all the time. Though I don''t think you really need my help. I''ll be here for a while so if we meet then that''s that."

 Chapter 52: Grave Misunderstanding

    Elias of Tariff was carried by a carriage to the city of Rotary and he brought a friend''s coffin. It was a coffin that carried a person who he never knew much. He only found him lying dead on the ground. He couldn''t abandon a brother''s corpse so he took it with him; he never found anyone other than him.


    Moirai City was the first stop for Elias. But there was no one who knew of his friend. It was crazy of him but he planned to find the person who only knew of him. She was a sword maiden and he thinks that she has the right to know what happen to her friend.


    The city came to his view. He vaulted out of the carriage and strapped the coffin to his back. The coachman gazed at the coffin with his eyes half-open. "What is that?"


    "A friend''s corpse," he said. "I plan to let his friend see him."


    "Odd," said the coachman. "I never smelled any stink."


    He smiled, "I have my ways of dealing with it."


    There was a pessimistic look on the coachman''s face. Elias of Tariff ignored that. He paced towards the gate with the coffin sticking out. The guards eyed him. There was this look of questioning upon their faces. Elias bound and revealed the manifestation of the wind spirit.


    "The wind spirit?" said the guard. "Are you the?"


    "Yes," the wind spirit looked at Elias and to the guard. "He''s the Elemental Hero of the Wind, Elias of Tariff. Do you wish to bar him entry from this city?"


    "No, Spirit," said the guard. His eyes pointed down, sweat pouring from his forehead.


    "I see. Then let us pass. We will need the presence of the Sword Maidens and the War Maiden herself. He shall be connected to the War God and that should be another Hero."


    "How many Heroes have awakened?" asked Elias.


    "Two only, Sir," said the guard politely.


    The other guard chimed in, "The Fire Hero Ryle is everywhere, Sir. You''re the second Hero to awaken, Sir."


    "I see," said Elias dispassionately.


    Elias moved forward. The guard made way and let him pass the gate. The city of Rotary was crowded. Various eyes landed upon Elias who had the wind spirit floating along with him. This attracted the attention of the guards and the wandering knights. He did this to attract authority and that the War Maiden would know of his arrival.


    "Where''s she?" he thought. Elias wanted to find the Sword-Maiden that was said to be close with the friend he was carrying. She was named Alcina and it was said that she has become a part of the Sword Maiden''s. It was cruel of him to do so but there was a need to tell her. Elias thought of his lonesome friend. The way he found him made him feel like he needs to carry him. The dead no longer knows but still; it was his selfish wanting.


    ...


    It was a simple fort, well-maintained. Files of Sword Maidens wearing leather armor stood with their backs straight as arrows. A dim milky aura surrounded the maidens who looked like they can break a man or two. They heard of an awakened Hero coming over to ask some of them.


    Alcina stood in front of the row. She felt the beating hearts of the women around her. The thought of a Hero coming over excited them. An excited aura and there was this gleeful smile on their faces. Alcina calmly stood while the wind caressed her hair gently. Did the wind have something to tell?


    There was the sound of footsteps. A figure carrying a coffin sauntered towards their direction. The man had the wind spirit as his guide. The sword maidens eyed the figure that had this lonely gait on him. He stood calmly while being showered by the eyes of the sword maidens.


    "Who knows Lanon?" said Elias.


    Heart thumping wildly¡ªAlcina stood listlessly as that name came out of the Hero''s mouth. Her head told her that it was a lie but in the end, she could only move a step forward with a frozen expression on her. Why did the Hero call her? Why does he carry a coffin on his back?


    Elias bitterly gave a smile. He gestured for Alcina to look at the coffin. He opens the lid of the coffin and gestured with his hand. Alcina neared the coffin and her heart almost stopped. Tears poured down her cheeks, and her heart ached that she thought she must have been stabbed by something.


    "I am sorry," said Elias. "I couldn''t find anyone other than you who knew him. I wish that you''d forgive me for this. But I have to let you know."


    "It''s okay," Alcina dazedly stood. She looked at the lifeless Lanon who was pitiable to look at. Her expression lost all color and there was this bitter sadness emanating from her. The Sword Maidens lowered their heads at the sight of their sister sobbing.


    "Where are you taking?" asked Alcina.


    "I wish to have him blessed by the War Maiden."


    "Why?"


    "I don''t know," said Elias truthfully. "I could bury him but I didn''t do anything for him. I had all this power and yet I couldn''t save a single one of the Guardsmen of Throes that fell down upon that dungeon. He''s the only one that was left intact and I believe that having a friend blessed by the Lady herself would prove wonderful."


    "I see no reason for doing so. He''s dead," said Alcina. "Can you return him to me?"


    "I will," said Elias. "Not now."


    "I see," she nodded faintly. "I''ll be going back to file now."


    She left and went to the line she was standing with her expression blank. The sun shined brightly upon them yet her darkened expression showed bitterness and sadness. This should be an event where these maidens would smile at the visit of a Hero. Yet, they only witness a scene that made them wonder who the person was. They wish to know but doing so would only wound the heart of the maiden who was one of them. Alcina needed time to reflect on her loss. Waiting for her to calm down was their only choice.


    ...


    It was a hall with simple decorations. It was minimalistic and there was a lack of luxury you wonder if she truly was a woman with simple needs. This sort of behavior persuaded men around her that she was no common woman. How many heartbreaks and lusty fools that she has seen through?


    She has blond hair that reaches her waist. Her face was beautiful enough to make anyone fall in love with her. She has an aura of domination and magnificence that any normal man would cower at the sight of her. Her thin eyebrows met as she leans with patience on the chair she was provided. The columns showed no flag to wave. The light coming from the stained glass located above her head was the only thing that kept the room alight.


    Ciara knew that a Hero has awakened. She guided him through his fight in the dungeon; allowed him to become what he was. Even though she guided him the man himself never said anything other than getting out of that dungeon. Somewhere along the line, Elias of Tariff''s broke. She already heard of what happened at the attempt of the Guardsman of Throes failure. The dungeon was slain by Elias who was an experienced warrior and brought it down.


    It was said that he fought monsters from the barren lands inside the dungeon. That a monster that could be in leagues with the monsters who attack Oasis City has been fought by Elias of Tariff, the Elemental Hero of the Wind. She was excited to meet this Hero in person despite her powers as the War Maiden favored by the War God.


    "She''s here, milady," said a woman in robes.


    "Tell him to get inside."


    "Certainly, I will."


    A lonesome figure appeared in the doorways¡ªcovered in shadows the coffin stood out. His pace was slow and gently. Ciara stood firmly near her chair and waited for the man carrying the coffin to arrive. He eyed Ciara who was awe-amazing to look at. His eyes flickered once but that was it.


    "I am, Elias of Tariff," he looked at Ciara. "It is an honor to finally see you, War Maiden Ciara."


    "You''ve done well," said Ciara. "To capture a dungeon that has monsters from the barren lands. I may be chosen by the War God but I find it fascinating that you are able to do this alone," she eyed the coffin. "Why do you carry a coffin?"


    Elias of Tariff straightened his pose, "My family has a tradition of carrying the bodies of those who I failed. This coffin stores a friend of mine that died in that dungeon. He had nothing much but he never stopped fighting the despairing dungeon. Milady, I know that you are able to bless this friend of mine."


    She frowned, "I am no priest."


    "I know," he said with a bitter look on his face. He knew that it was rather odd to as the War Maiden to do a priest''s job. "But having him blessed by a War Maiden connected to the War God would absolve him."


    "If that is what you wish," she just nodded.


    "Thank you," he placed the coffin down and slid the lid. He revealed a rather pitiable corpse that has surprisingly been kept intact. Elias glanced at the War Maiden and saw the horror in her face. She possibly wouldn''t be scared so it weirded him.


    "Who is this?" asked Ciara. "Tell me his name."


    "Lanon," said Elias.


    A look of relief happened upon Ciara. "Is that so?"


    He didn''t know why she was looking relieved, but he continued. "That is the name that I have called him. I believe that his real name was Nolan Salvatore¡ªLady Maiden."


    Then it was like time stopped. A feeling of coldness happened alongside Elias. He didn''t know why but the intense energy made his world chaotic. The simply decorated room shook and he was flung to the wall. He held his head up and saw the War Maiden gazing upon the corpse. The elegance and the appearance of the War Maiden that he has seen broke into pieces.


    The elegance that she naturally gave broke. The confident expression that was always plastered on her face disappeared and was replaced by the look of a helpless woman who just saw the love of her life''s body. There was this helpless expression and seeing the War Maiden broke into tears alarmed Elias.


    "Do you know him?"


    Ciara muttered without any thought. Her expression of shock and unable to believe showed well. "He''s dead...that cannot be...he was strong...there was no monster that could take him down...he was able to carry me through many ordeals...no, this can''t be true."


    "Are you okay, Lady Maiden?" said the wind spirit. The wind spirit suddenly frowned. "Elias, I don''t think the War Maiden is stable."


    Ciara continued her muttering. Elias took this chance and took the coffin. Her eyes glaring coldly before it turned that of a lifeless one. She took a deep breath, "What do you plan to do with the body?"


    "I''ll have him buried. I think his lover would like to spend time...do you know him, Lady?"


    "Lover?" she said with a deranged tone. "I...did. Back when he was in Oasis City," she bit her lower lip. "He was a good...friend and seeing him so pathetically lifeless aches my heart."


    There was disbelief in her voice. "I don''t know...I...have enough of this."


    She turned her eyes away from the corpse. It was as if she wanted to hide the truth and turned her back away from it. Elias took that as a sign to leave the palace. He carried the coffin and went back to Alcina who was gloomy. The two hiked a hill where a huge tree could be found. It was a rather well-hidden sight, therefore, no was there to witness them burying the corpse of Lanon.


    It was a simple funeral for him. Alcina cried her eyes out and Elias offered his chest for her to cry on. There was only silence and this silence was enough for Elias to think that maybe Lanon would like this place. Elias was sensitive to the wind and he could that they were giving their blessings to the poor soul that he carried as penance.

 Chapter 53: Fate’s Flocking Heart

    Nolan sauntered out of a house. The eye blazing like meteors falling down for judgment. There was a trace of blood on his sword. His face dirtied as he walks down this narrow alley along with a person whose limbs were cut down.


    The alleyway was that of passage resembling winding tunnels. The tiled roofs overshadowed Nolan and the man who was sobbing, unable to feel pain despite his limbs. He could not shout as he only thought of the fear overwhelming him. Nolan placed him on top of a barrel. His icy eyes staring straight to him.


    "Devil!" mouthed the man.


    "Not as terrible as you folks," said Nolan. "I only came here to hunt down the fools trying to disrupt rotary inn''s business yet I find fools like you slaving people. Fifty people inside a basement and you are lucky I didn''t throw you down the cage.


    "You cut my limbs!" shouted the man. "You devil!"


    "Will you stop gawking?" He pushed the man''s wound. "I cauterized your wound and you are alive because of it. All that blood loss would mean that you would have long died. I say that you are lucky to be alive."


    "You might as well have killed me!" sobbed the man, his eyes trembling in horror. "You took my limbs! No man would be able to live without his limbs!"


    "I know. That''s why I cut them off. You''ll be dead the moment some rat chews on your skin and tears off the remaining decency you have. Or I could give you mercy by taking your head off"


    "What more do you want from me?" said the man tearfully. "You killed everyone. You freed the fifty slaves and took care of everyone and butchered them like pigs! What more can I say? You damned hateful Ghost!"


    Nolan snorted, "I was just checking if you know things. Looks like you do not know anything. Very well, I shall leave you alone here."


    "Wait!" called the man. "Kill me! End my life!"


    Nolan tilted his head. He gazed at the man with coldness, "Why should I give you the mercy of death?"


    "Karma!" shouted the man. "Do it you butcher!"


    Nolan pulled his fist back, he punched the throat of the man, crushing it completely. The man''s tongue swayed, his eyes rolled back lifelessly like a ball. He eyed the man with a cold countenance. This type of killings does not bother him any longer. It was natural to him, he felt odd that it was like that, but that was how things are.


    "You are no sane man," said Tania, "You slaughter your kin with no exception and mercy. I thought that you''d be lenient to your kind but to think you''d slaughter them easily. Have you no heart on you, Walker?"


    "A preacher once told me that everyone is inherently good. They come to this world of suffering and began to adapt to the evil of it. Killing them was, according to that preacher - an act of mercy."


    "Twisted."


    "It might be." He continued down the alley. "But that is how things are. I''ve seen enough of this world to know that you must not allow the wound to fester. Prevention is better than cure."


    "Is that so?" she snorted. "What about your soul? Do you not feel that one day the God''s will judge you for this slaughter?"


    He moved out of the alleyway field with stalls and merchants. The hubbub of the place was enough to drown out the many voices. The sky still scorched above despite the cool wind. He tightly held on to his sword.


    "I cannot believe that I am hearing that from a devil," said him with mockery. "Do not act too innocent or you might make me puke."


    "At least I do not slaughter my own kin without any thought. I am willing to sacrifice them if it comes to the greater good but I will not kill them without thought. You sound like you stand above the moral high ground but the difference is that we are not that different. No human would be as cruel as you."


    "And those men that sold slaves," asked Nolan, "do you think of them as merciful men that did not need to be slain like pigs? Tell me, am I not right in doing justice? I put them down like the monsters they are. That''s what it matters."


    "You never once looked at yourself, knowing that you might have become a monster?" said Tania. "When you use my blood you shed your human skin. Even I know that the Holy City will hunt you down if you appear like a devil before them. That is heresy itself."


    He snickered, "The Holy City where the Pontifex lives do not bother the likes of Bleak Walkers. They think of us as hermits with no place in this world. They do not tolerate evil but knowing they''d use me to slay more of your kind."


    "Despicable," she snorted. "At least we don''t pretend we are good."


    "True," he agreed. "But whose evil depends on the eye of others. You are evil to us and the same perception can be said to your kin. You think of us as an evil race that dares to trample upon your land. You wish to seek the fertile lands but in doing so would means that you need to crush us. You tried sending an envoy once and that was that. You stopped after trying once and you gave up."


    "You know nothing so do not speak as if you know anything."


    "It is evil itself that you stopped trying. But I do admit that we fear the unknown. Why share the world when we can rid of your people whose blessed with superhuman abilities? The Overlord of Demons will not show us mercy and he thinks of us as sub-races that need to be slaughtered for the good of your own people."


    "We cannot agree."


    "I know," he nodded. "It would be odd if we agreed at all. I am using you as a weapon, but it does not mean we would understand each other."


    "No," she said. "Us not being able to understand each other is something that I can agree on."


    ¡­


    Rotary Inn had barely any customers yet the shelves were empty. There were signs of plates hurriedly left behind. The counter was filled with empty cups that Alto was trying to clean dully. His movements were slow and his eyes half-closed.


    The cups made this squeaky sound that it was hard not to heart it. Nolan slid into the counter and leaned his elbows. He eyed the shelf and lowered his head down.


    Alto looked at him, "You smell of blood. Did the job already?"


    "I did. They are taken care off."


    "Fast as usual. You''ve been here for quite a while and you''ve been handling the problems of the Rotary Inn with finesse. I guess having a Bleak Walker who could slaughter both men and monsters living in your Inn is a plus."


    "These men are slavers and thugs. Why do the governing bodies don''t do their job? The Captain-General isn''t doing his duties or am I missing something?"


    He looked up, "The Captain-General is busy trying to gain the favor of the War Maiden. Heard the news lately?"


    "What?" he asked. "I never heard of anything from the War Maiden from the people."


    "They guard it tightly but something changed about the War Maiden. She was the sun once yet now she''s a cold rose surrounded with thorns. Men that wanted her affection could not even dare to step near her. She''s cold as ice yet there''s a beauty on it as well."


    "What happen?"


    "Some says that she has heard dire news from the Hero of the Elemental Wind. She grew cold by the next day and she has done nothing but kill the forces of the barren lands or any monsters that she could find. She must be really willing to slaughter all of the monsters."


    "I don''t think she''s that restless. I guess you''d need to ask the Hero Elias on what the hell happened? Though I doubt you could get near the War Maiden. You look like you are worried about the lady herself. My friend, I do not doubt your abilities but trying to infiltrate the palace where she lives would prove difficult. I believe you should stop whatever is going inside your head."


    "You are right." He lowered his head down to stare at the counter. "It would be foolish of me to try it."


    He gave mischievous smile towards him. "You need a drink. You''ve been drinking too much and I think you should relax and bygone your worries. Being filled with stress would make you go old faster than you should be. Young men like you should enjoy life for what it should be. I always see you anxious and tired from all of this - like a man that must always have a sense of purpose in his life."


    "Do you think of me as a cruel man?"


    He raised a brow, "What gave you that idea, Walker?"


    "I can see that you fear me. Your eyes tell me that you should not cross me. Am I bothering you truly with my stay here?"


    He gave a sigh that seems so long.


    "I admit that you scare me," said Alto. "You''ve been cleaning up the streets like a man obsessed. Your ways of killing are profound and experienced. I saw you kill the thugs in the crooked street with ease. The way you handled your blade was bizarre. You are like a fanatical revenant that has awoken from the grave to slaughter all those who wronged him."


    "Well, that''s what being an Old Heir of the Revenant is."


    "Or so I heard," said Alto. "But you have two sigils on your eyes, Walker. You have the gait of a man who walked through hell. You are a living example of a dead man walking. You function only when you kill. It makes me hart to associate you as a human. Pardon me for my tongue."


    "You are right. I have forgotten to act well. This body has been practiced to do nothing but endure hardships and live for slaughter. I understand what you are coming from."


    "How long have you been walking this path?" he asked.


    "Too long that it makes me want to give up."


    "Is that so?" said Alto with a gloomy expression on him. "It must have been a long road for you, Walker. But have you ever thought of finding a bit of happiness for yourself? Forgive me, but you are more of a killing machine than human at this point." He shook his head. "So how about taking a bit of time and rest? There''s a good view above the city and it might make you feel what its like to enjoy the cool wind."


    "I don''t know," he said with a doubtful expression. "I don''t like abandoning the tasks that you gave me - not to mention that there is still scum walking this city. I cannot let them grow like weeds."


    He palmed his face, "Nolan, just try and endure the cool wind, okay? I''ll be okay since you pretty much cleared the city of scum - at least half of them are afraid of coming out with a Ghost killing their people."


    "Where is this place?" asked Nolan.


    "It should be near the castle and there''s a great spot in that place. I bet that you''d love it there. Cool wind and no noise other than the yammer of the wind nagging your ears."


    Nolan crossed his arms, "I''ll try to visit this place if I could."


    "No, you should go and try to visit this place today. Here''s a bottle of ale." He threw the bottle lightly at Nolan. "That should keep your bell warm if you feel like its too cold in that place."


    He handled the bottle and gazed at it. "I don''t know why you are doing this but I shall thank you, Alto. And I think I need to sort my heart and mind out."


    "You should," said him. "You are not a machine that needs to work endlessly until you are unable to move. You are a human being that needs to sit down and rest. You need the view of the city to truly understand what may you have been searching for in this world."


    "Thank you," he slid out of the chair. He left towards the door.


    ...


    "Fear is a disease that keeps you still. It stops you from your track, derails the choice that you originally thought. You''d think that someone who died twice would know no fear. You''d know the feeling of dying and losing all consciousness that you had in you. You''d think you are fearless.


    "Truth to be told you''d know how precious life is after one''s death. The feeling of knowing that the life you live is another chance for you to continue on; you''d think that you''d be fearless and reckless ¨C but that is not true. The fact that you''ve died twice means you know how valuable life is. You''d know how painful it would be to experience the life you''ve lived. Imagine doing it again; knowing that you have choices to make again.


    "My mistake was to assume that I could be an omniscient and achieve perfection. The fall of Oasis was the mistake that made me thought irrationally that I need to step into the shadows. The sight of Ciara''s pathetic figure shook my heart harder than it should be ¨C the woman that I adore in my life, beaten, her legs broken, sobbing as she was unable to feel her legs tore the braveness that I thought would never leave me.


    "In my life, I saw her as the sun that lights the way. She never looked so defeated and beaten that I feared that I might hurt her. I can blame myself for interfering with her fate. Indeed, I made her the strongest war maiden this world has ever seen ¨C yet I fear to be with her.


    "Not once that I think of that scene. The undefeatable War Maiden who never fell on her knees, not once did she showed weakness in battle; always standing up with the weight of the known world hanging on her back. She was intoxicating that seeing her battered state made me fear.


    "I do not fear death. This may be contradictory to what I said but I know death. I know what death''s embrace is. I fear not for my life but for those who I cared for. I woke up back in time and a few weeks later I made Oasis City fell and saw the person that I cherished the most beaten down on the ground ¨C the person who only fell because of protecting me became like that.


    "I saw her die in front of me, smiling, knowing that I would continue to live on. I would forever remember her death and that alone was painful that being wounded is nothing. Wounds heal but the pain she left was forever engraved on my soul. How can I live knowing this?


    "It may sound irrational; I know that I''ve changed the world and the events that will happen ¨C yet knowing nothing about the future scares me. I know that she would be able to triumph over any obstacles know. I could chase over my own happiness yet I could not.


    "I imagine if I didn''t found her on that desert. She would have been eaten or laid down her life for nothing. It was lucky enough for me to found her while she was alive. If I didn''t come in the right time then surely she would have died not knowing the role that she will play in this world.


    "I almost let her die. That alone was enough for me to stay away. I''ve saved her just in time but that isn''t enough for me. I am a foolish man who could not stand still unless things are taken care of well. I tell myself that this is nothing but stupidity.


    "But I''ve seen her die! I saw the mightiest person that I ever have known in my whole life beaten and broken! The person who would fight to the end even in a sorry state turned out like that because of me! How could I allow myself to do that again, knowing that I might mess up again?


    "I fear for what I could do despite knowing that I already changed the past. I am a Bleak Walker that has learned to face things bravely with a stoic fa?ade. But being fearless and uncaring about things I do not have control does not mean that I would be stupid enough to mess up again.


    "As irrational as it may be I find myself staying away ¨C doing things like trapping a demoness inside a sword and using the devil''s power to fight better than I should be able to. I am killing myself by using this technique that was created by the combination of the Light Army''s knowledge. I was old and at the end of our lives, we thought of using up our old and worn bodies to fight for everyone''s light. I grew old thinking of things that might go wrong. Not once after her death that I would think of anything other than things will go wrong. I did it to keep myself calm and peace-minded as I could be. Most bleak walkers are like that.


    "When you grow old numb such as me it kinda feels odd that I''ve to experience such as fear again. Losing her again scares me to the point that I could not allow myself to be near her. Maybe I am thinking about this too much. Any fool would chase after the things that they love and worry about the future once it comes.


    "I''ve heard that the Hero of the Elemental Wind appeared in the city, carrying a wooden coffin on him. I only learned of this after waking up in the morning ¨C when the sky was scorching my forehead. I would have looked at that hero but yet I found no motivation to do so. I am confident in my ability to live through constant stress and barely sleep ¨C yet here I am sitting in this place where I could see the city clearly. I''ve delivered the ales that were needed to be delivered. I''ve beaten up the unruly bastards and told them to get away from the Inn unless they want me delivering them to their early grave.


    "The palace is visible here, I could sneak up and see her closer but yet here I am afraid of how things might go."


    And so he stayed still trying to relax his body against this cool wind.


    ....


    "I''ve never dreamed of glory and honor. The thought of gaining it never crossed my mind the moment my face got burned and I was left as a grotesque woman that has no chance to love again in this picky world. Not once did I try to gain it but I could be lying to myself.


    "I joined the Sword Maidens at the thought of having a place in this world. In this world, you have to find the place that you belong and I thought that maybe a faction that allows women to live as a warrior would do me fine. Indeed, the place was great for me and I fit in nicely ¨C though not everyone was as welcoming. Women like me are said to be cursed ¨C and that I find funny now.


    "I worked hard in teaching myself to become a better warrior. I hardened my heart and told myself that others should not feel what I''ve felt. Quite righteous of me, but I knew the feeling of discrimination and that alone was enough for me to stand in front of someone who was in need of help. No matter how they insult me harshly I would never let them feel the satisfaction they would gain from it. I''ve faced fools and beaten idiots who thought of themselves as better. I''ve become numb to the insults they spew at my face for the burned face that I have.


    "I thought that I''d be strong enough to endure it. I was strong enough and somewhere along the line, however, I became lonely at the thought that I''d never feel the warmth of companionship. That''s why I had to prove myself and become someone better.


    "One day, I was saved by a peculiar man who didn''t have a disgusted look on his face. He just saved me out of the goodness of his heart. There was this warm feeling that he showed towards me that it made me wonder who he was. The sigils on his eyes showed that he was a walker of the bleak; he''s one of the heirs of the Old Revenant. I heard that they were gloomy men but he was rather odd.


    "This man was someone who told me that he adored me. I thought he was jesting but the look on his eyes showed otherwise. I may have a burned face but I still felt embarrassed. I thought it was an elaborate joke but I later learned it was not. He truly was serious for a reason I cannot fathom. Maybe it was just that some men have weird fetishes.


    "It was odd. Truly, it was odd to me. My heart must have melted some way or another at such rather brave confession. He seems like the type of person who would not give up on someone, at least that''s what I thought of him. Indeed, he was someone who I thought I''d looked up to. I saw him fight bravely against enemies and his ability as a warrior shook my heart.


    "At the fall of Oasis, where I nearly lost my life, I broke both of my legs. I laid still helpless nearing death. I thought that would be the end but he appeared before me ¨C battered but unbroken by the things he fought. He dragged me out of that hell and for weeks he took care of me. I was a woman who lost her will. I thought I''d be useless but yet he carried me. I wondered why and I lashed out at sometimes due to despair. Yet, I received the blessings of the War God and he told me that I have a role in this world.


    "Through monsters that were attracted to the scent of the Light; he killed. He cared for me without any hesitation. He took all the defense of my heart and broke it them apart. He was like a loving husband who would never leave his wife behind ¨C an ugly one too. How could you blame me for falling madly? I felt selfish and the thought of him staying with me maddened my mind.


    "I thought that I''d share the happiness of being the War Maiden of this world ¨C yet he left me. This beauty and all this adoration along with this power was something I desired. I do my role yet I wish to talk to him. Yet, fate seems like a cruel jester. I saw his face a while ago. He lies dead in a coffin carried by a Hero. The person who I thought was a great warrior died like that.


    "I could not believe it. My heart told me yet as I climb upon this hell I started to tell myself that I have to continue on. If he truly was dead then I can only accept it. I think he''d want me to continue on the path that he took me to. That''s when even though it breaks my heart...I have to...eh?"


    She stopped. In a bench facing the city, she spotted someone familiar drinking ale with a lonesome face. Behind him was the scenery of the city and his gray and black hair floated upon the air. He didn''t notice but when he did he froze. Their eyes met and she started to get confused. Her aching heart grew into bewilderment that ended into being cooled down. She continued with a confused gait. The man who awkwardly stopped his movement could only look at the woman who sat down beside him ¨C her arms folded.


    "Eh..."


    "I thought you were dead."


    "I never was?"


    "Why are you here?"


    "To rest after a day''s work?"


    "I see," she nodded. "Do you have time explain yourself? You can start from the time that you just left after that ceremony irrationally. Oh, you should not have any thoughts of escaping."


    "This...is quite what I did not imagine."


    "What did you imagine?" she said. "I thought that I''d meet you again somewhere again. I just have my heart broke yet the person I was about to mourn is sitting here drinking ale. You were drinking ale and not once did you think of visiting the person that you said you would court and invite her?"


    "I see. But I think you will crush my hand."


    "Don''t worry," she smiled coldly. "I am just making sure that I am not talking to a ghost."


    Nolan shivered.

 Chapter 54: Two’s Solace

    He explained himself like a dutiful husband. He didn''t know why but the look on her face made him talk. He could no lie when she held his hand like that. It was getting cold but he never stopped explaining until the icy coldness in her face disappeared along with the meek sun that was behind her, replaced by the full moon.


    "I see. But I have to ask you this," she said. "Why do you fear to be with me?"


    He could not tell her the truth, "I cannot tell you that."


    "Is that so?" she said blandly. "Is there a reason for it?"


    "Yes." He nodded. "There''s a good reason for it."


    "I won''t force you."


    She stared at the distant horizon where the sky looked like it was droppings of milk. It filled her vision that unconsciously the hand that was holding on to Nolan crawled to his hand.


    "You know," she said, "I thought you were dead."


    "Why?"


    "There was someone that looked like you. He bore the same expression and the same of everything. He even had your name. Was that your twin or am I really talking to a Ghost?"


    He briefly stared at his own hand. "I do not know. Where''s that body now?"


    "Who knows?" she shook her head. "When I thought you were dead I think my heart went cold."


    "I am sorry."


    "No need." She smiled gently. "I can tell that your heart beats. The flow of your blood...seems strange, however."


    "You can tell that?"


    "I am the Strongest War Maiden to live thanks to you carrying me to the Fortress of the Three Fates." Her eyes grew misty in recollection. "I never thought that I''d be the legendary maiden favored by the War God. They say that fate can be unpredictable and I find myself believing that."


    "I see," he exclaimed. "I am sorry that I have to leave you."


    "Along with the curse," she said, her eyes piercing through his soul. "I have imagined that there was something wrong when monsters were not able to sense me. You stole the curse from me and took it for yourself. Nolan, don''t forget that the previous incarnations have given me all their knowledge and what you did was something they have witnessed. Do you really find me that weak?"


    "No, not all," he looked at. "What would you for the person that you care for the most?"


    "Is that how it is?" a smile came upon her again. "I''d call you a fool but I think I''ll try not to. You know that I am not much of a people person and even though I am ''beautiful'' or whatever they call me now. I think you really were the one who did not feel stunned upon seeing me. You really make me feel down."


    "Is that so?"


    "Yes it is," she said. "They call me a beauty that could cause the downfall of kingdoms yet here you are not even bothering to check me out like the fools in the court would. But I guess you really wouldn''t care for that do you? When I could not walk you treated me like a baby. You fed me. You bathe me and carried me through many dangers. Really, you should take responsibility for that."


    "Well...many would want to do that?"


    "Take a hint."


    Her smirked reached up to her ears.


    "I do. Well, I want to if fate permits it."


    "Fate?" she sneered. "Fate be damn I''d still want you."


    "That''s aggressive."


    "You seem to forget that I am a human being with wanting too. Or did you think that women are not humans?"


    "No."


    "And to be fair it was your fault for being heroic and so dependable. It''s your fault for approaching a lonely burned face woman who you''d court out of nowhere because of a reason that woman didn''t even know. Do you know what I thought when you said those words? I thought you were a stupid person, but now I think I am grateful that you have bad eyes."


    He utterly confused on what she was trying to say. She saw the look on him and said, "You know I just had a broken heart before I saw you shamelessly drinking all by yourself. Isn''t talking nice?"


    "It sure is." He had to agree. "I am surprised that you are this nonchalant despite what I did."


    "What you did?" she raised a brow. "You mean lifting a huge burden off me and making a storm of emotions within my heart?"


    "I have no words to spare."


    "Listen, to me, Nolan," she said. "Maybe all this confidence came from them. I know that I am blessed with this power and I feel that this world is like a paper mache to me. I could use the power given by the War God to crush enemies and command them. I feel like I am not myself when I take on the role that was given to me. Yet here I am just holding on to you, afraid that you might go away again. Will you go away again?"


    She stared at him pleadingly. Nolan moved his head back and thought of an answer. His head lost to what he could reply to a woman powerful enough to unable him to escape.


    "I might," he said after thinking. "I am just a lowly bleak walker that wanders aimlessly until I am unable to do so."


    She frowned heavily. "Why do you call yourself a ''lowly'' bleak walker when to me you are a Hero? Or have you forgotten what you did for me? You may not think of it much but I do think of it. So hearing you say that you are nothing but a lowly bleak walker makes me think that you are being harsh to yourself. Or is that how you are? Damn it, you look and appeared to me as a Hero and yet seeing you act like this makes me feel so disgusted!"


    She stood up. She pointed her finger at Nolan who was widening his eyes in surprise at her words. Behind her were the vast cosmos and the way her energy was acting up made him freeze, unable to move anything other than his eyes.


    "I did not fall in love with a man who had no backbone! You are a resolute man who never showed fear or talk about the burden that you endured. That''s why I ask you stop being as pathetic as to worry about fate! You are someone who would carry a woman without caring for the dangers! You are a fanatical person that I trust most in this world!"


    She pointed her finger at his forehead while the golden glow of energy coated her, a golden stream of energy evaporated out of her as if she was the sun. That alone was enough to blind anyone yet he stared not minding the pain he was feeling. He felt his heart tugged harder than it should be. His heart loudly beat as he stares at the woman who he admired the most in his past. That woman was now telling him what he should be.


    A smile bloomed upon his face. He kneeled on one knee and held her hand. She gazed at him as if she could not understand what he was trying to do. She just let him hold her hand without any resistance.


    "I truly admire you, Ciara. I really do. I may not be much but would you permit me to become your shadow?"


    "What do you mean?"


    "I work in the shadows, Ciara. You are the brightest sun. The Heroes revolved around you because you are their core. They will rely on you not knowing that you''ll have no one to rely on. That''s why I asked of you to permit me to watch over you. I''ll be your swift sword. I''ll be your shield and I''ll be your dutiful giver of death if I could be."


    "Why not walk with me in the light?" she asked.


    "No, I''ve lived long enough in the dark," he said, black grim came out of his pores and the runic tattoos he engraved upon his body glowed bright red. He looked like a demon.


    "What''s happening?"


    "I am powerless that I have to do this. This power is all I can muster. I could never reach the heights of power. But even so, I think that even Heroes need a watchful guardian watching their backs. So allow me to be selfish and watch you through the shadows."


    She stared silently like a Queen gazing at her knight.


    "So despite all of this you still choose to leave my side instead of fighting alongside me?"


    "Yes."


    He knew that he would be a dead weight. He already experienced fighting alongside her and he knew that he could become her weakness. He didn''t want to be a burden and walk a path that would allow him to fight for her. He had many thoughts on what he was doing yet his heavy heart told him to compromise and become her guardian.


    "I see. No matter what I do you''ll always disappear before me. I can hold you in my hands and never let you go but you still choose this? You could work with me."


    He shook his head again. "I know that you''d be willing to save the world. That''s why you are chosen."


    "I see." Her face crumpled. "You are a cruel man. You give this heart of mine a storm. If that''s what you want then I shall accept it. You are right. Even though I love you I cannot just abandon this role just because of my affection. To help this world I need to be strong. I would do everything for this world for that is my purpose."


    "Yes. That is your role to play."


    She looked at him bitterly. He stared at her eyes and said, "I''ll be around the shadows for you as I can."


    "That''s comforting," she said.


    "Still," he said. "Would you allow me to invite you to a dance?"


    "Huh?"


    He smiled, "The star''s so bright and the moon acts as our spotlight. Ciara, would you allow me to spend this time with you?"


    "Of course," it was a smile that seems so bright. "I would love to spend this time with you."


    He smirked. He pulled her hand and brought her into his embrace. Under the skies, he invited her into a dance within this night. He did not think of the past and the present. He only thought of making this night last.


    She shared the same sentiment. She would fight armies of demons and suffer hardships. This night she was not the War Maiden that would save the Inner Lands from the demons. She was just Ciara who was dancing with Nolan under the lights of the stars. Just two souls finding solace in each other as they lost themselves in this lonesome dance of theirs.


    One had to bear the world along with Six Heroes.


    The other had to live in the shadows and watch over them.


    Both have roles to play.


    One was chosen and the other forced it upon himself to do so.


    It should not be mistaken.


    They will suffer.


    They will know hardships.


    But as they make this night last they are nothing but a pair who indulged their hearts out for once. There was no used thinking about the future they could do not know. There was no use to worry about the trivial troubles. Just for once under the heavens, they danced around as foolishly as they could. The War Maiden could not be found here. The Bleak Walker was not here as well. What you would find is just two of them indulging in this brief time where they could forget about the troubles they face.


    And so they danced under the skies with smiles upon their faces.


    Without a care, they danced and laugh heartily as they could do so.

 Chapter 55: Interlude: The Barren-Lander

    It was a city of metal. Tubes and metal contraptions were everywhere in this city. There was no sky only the cavern ceiling. Towering crystals were everywhere inside this massive area. There were men and women with different skins and appearance.


    They are called Demons. They are creatures who unfortunately received the blessings of the dark. The Moon favored them and they were given superhuman physic and abilities that most humans would only dream of having.


    These people were busy walking towards their location. They had this gloomy gait that it was hard for any one of them to smile upon each other. They do not have that much happiness with how they are.


    They are people that were born in the dark. Their history has been grim and depressive and only through these metal instruments that they are able to continue living. The barren land did not give them anything to offer other than the flock of rabid animals and monsters infesting the barren land. These animals are carnivorous and in a land where crops rarely grow, it was not hard to imagine that they would end up like that.


    Humans call them as demons based on their own perceptions. But in truth, they are just Barren-Landers who had their own culture and set of mind. They are not beast like the humans believe them to be and they are as rational as they could be. The whole Barren Land was a nation of demons that spans an entire continent.


    The demons have two types of habitats. Massive complex cavern cities and Villages were those aspiring to be warriors are trained in the horrible conditions of the Barren Lands. Above the barren land, there''s a miasma that does nothing good for non-humans. The demons are able to live because their bodies have long adapted and they possess endurance that are far better than the humans.


    The city likes this one is where the common barren-lander lives. These are demons that could not handle the miasma that surrounds the whole of the barren lands. They are people who could only crawl their chest when the symptoms of the miasma inflame their bodies. They could only scream and despair when this recurring pain inflames their body.


    They are usually placed upon a square area filled with mats and tents. In this place, they are placed and watched over by the healer barren-lander and are taken care off until they are able to continue on. This sort of pain happens to them every single week without exception. These normal beings could only endure this pain and dream of a day that such pain would not occur any longer.


    They know that such a dream is far and that the humans who could not accept them would surely trouble them until the day they are gone from this world. In their eyes, there was a certain figure that keeps them safe and that figure is the Overlord of the Demons or the Leader of the Barren Landers - the Kind and Magnificent Estrus and the one man that keeps the Inner Land Humans at bay.


    Although he leads the demons and their figure. He''s only the guardian and the Overseer of the Barren-Lander is Elise Nostrum of the Fairy Kin. She handles the situation of the barren-lander while the Overlord Estrus keeps the humans at bay.


    Estrus and Elise are the prime leaders of the Barren-Landers. Most of the demons idolize the true figures that keep them safe from the humans that they fear as evil. In the eyes of these demons, the humans are the devils. It may be different for the humans but in truth, they are just a race that seeks peace for their own benefit.


    It is hardwired for any reasonable being to seek better conditions for themselves. The demons, no, the barren-landers have always tried to communicate with the humans for peace. But the humans only fear them and their powers. The humans were insecure beings that could not handle their own inferiority and they are paranoid to the point that they doubt the Barren-Landers of the Barren Land.


    This leads to years of conflict that seems to have no end. The inner-landers of the fertile lands would invade the barren-land in hopes they will be able to know the topography of the land and produce a map that would fare them better. They could not comprehend that the Barren-Land is a nation of states. Each and single one of these explores are actively trying to cross the borders of the barren land, therefore, they killed without mercy. The Barren-Landers were simply doing what the humans are doing to their own kind.


    In fact, the demons do this to the races of the fertile lands. They simply protect their homeland and make it safe and these invaders are treating them as monsters with no rationale. How could they take it simply and allow the humans to trampled upon them like a mindless beast?


    The Barren Land is a nation of demons and they shall not live in fear of the fertile ones that dare to threaten their barren homeland. How could they stand still? How could they endure the sufferings of a land that is not kind to them? Still, they dare to continue on living and protecting the land because no matter how dangerous it was. The Barren Land is still a nation that belongs to them. No matter how hard the Barren Land is to them they still think that Home is Home no matter what it may be.


    The Barren Land is sick and she''s always put down by the natural occurrence that happens to this land, yet she keeps bouncing up and still. Their ancestors have lived enduring in hopes that one day they are able to enjoy the joy of a fresh wind and a fertile land to plow without fear of the miasma that threatens their body and gives them suffering and pain. They''ve understood that the humans will not accept their difference. Thus why should they understand people who are inferior in strength to them? Power is power and if they have enough of it then they can have the fertile lands for themselves.


    In a street where light from the crystal above seems to seep. Adey the Porter saunters with his hands inside his pocket. A building where it was made of iron stood and he entered inside. Two guards noticed Adey and let him through without any trouble.


    It was a room of metal. Every part of the room was metal. Each and single one of the furniture is made of pale wood. A woman with reddish skin nodded gently at Adey the Porter who sidled towards another smaller room. Adey the Porter raised his head up a little and gaze at the pale skin man whose irises were glowing red.


    "Adey, how goes the miasma above?" said the man.


    "Dedra, the miasma has no stop but I''ve fixed the ventilation system. The air has been kept safe by the old one''s machines that have been working us well for years."


    "Aye," said Dedra. "It has done us good and it has not failed in protecting us. Telos City has always been the luckiest of the cavern cities of our land."


    "I see. So how''re the people around the city?" Adey said.


    "Same. Suffering and always screaming at the end of the week. We are rather lucky that we do not have their ailments."


    "I wish it would stop," said Adey with his eyes troubled. "When will this suffering for us barren-lander ever stop?"


    Dedra sneered, "Tell that to the inner-landers who treats us like evil. If they would only accept our offerings of peace then maybe we will own a plot of land. But that would be unrealistic despite how large the inner lands is. Think of it as a great migration that would move a million of our brethren to their land. Do you think that the humans will be okay with that?"


    "No," he answered. "It would not be seen as other than an invasion. Most of us are intimidating and we are not easily accepted by them."


    Dedra looked at him, "You have a pale white skin and a hair colored like a moon. If you ignore the long ears then you would be human-like or you could be mistaken as an elf."


    "True. The inner-landers ignore me most of the time. Still, I wonder if they could ever agree to have trade instead."


    "We already tried that, Adey," said Dedra. "We brought the goods from the Inner-Lands and most of it became useless the moment they arrive at our cities and villages. Their goods stay in their own lands which are quite unfortunate for us."


    Adey folded his arms, "It''s a shame that all we can do is go at war with the sons and daughter of the light. Having peace for the world would be good."


    "Pipe dream," said Dedra. "You should not dream that such thing will ever happen. We have tried for years and there''s no difference. Light and Darkness cannot co-exist therefore we can only go to war."


    Adey nodded. "The old one''s machines are still a mystery to us. Those long barreled machines are peculiar and we do not know their purpose other than that they might have used it to fire long projectiles. There''s also that one machine that has wheels on them. How do they run and function?"


    "These machines are beyond us, Adey," said Dedra. "All we know is that a man that is centuries beyond us created these machines and brought asunder to the barren lands. That the barren lands were once a place of fertility and that a bright flash of light destroyed most of it."


    "He who became death; the destroyer of our land," said Adey. "I wonder if he didn''t mess up our land."


    "Then we wouldn''t be experiencing this daily suffering. It matters not anyway, the deed has been done and there is no escape from this land other than death or invading the inner-land."


    Adey pulled a chair and sat down. "What a waste of kin. Still, do you really think that the Overlord of Demons could destroy the Inner-Lands if we are at our end?"


    "Who knows?" said Dedra with a cold look on his face. "That ''thing'' allows us to burn their lands but we cannot use it. It is said that Overlord is the only being who knows what to do with that thing."


    "I see," Adey nodded. "Their''s a major development along the cavern cities and they said that those weapons can be used. We have discovered a way to recreate the weapons but magic is still far superior and some of us are immune to the projectiles launched by these weapons."


    Dedra glanced at the parcel. "A weapon that could kill with a careful shot in the head. It is powerful and we could use it. Sadly, we cannot mass-produce them and let those fools carry them outside the world. It would end badly."


    "Aye, we cannot let them have a glimpse of this technology. The Overlord himself warns that we must not carry them outside of the cities and that the villagers outside the cities are to use their old weapons without question."


    "Not even a crossbow?"


    "Human weapons are not loved by them. Besides, some of us can create a fire on our hands naturally and regenerate easily. Why would need such weapons?"


    "Certainly, but I believe that it could be used by those that do not have any power. Range weaponry is highly favored after all."


    "I would love to but the Overlord does not permit it, Adey."


    Adey took the parcel. He placed it on a metal-like tube that he carried behind his waist. He took the tube and placed it inside his bag. Dedra closed his fists and opened it. His eyes wandered for a while before landing back to Adey.


    "Adey, do you think that Tania of Obsidian died?"


    "Who knows?" Adey held his arms up. "I have no clue on what her fate is. She was close to conquering the Outer Lands but it seems like there was a being that was able to masterfully subdue her."


    "I see."


    Adey stood up. He turned towards the door.


    "I''ll see you, Dedra. I have a job to do in Hail Village."


    "Good luck, Adey. Return alive and well."


    Adey gestured and went out of the door. Dedra''s eyes went back to his table.

 Chapter 56: The Lost Machina 1

    It was a path shadowed by a mountain roof. He had to carefully cross the area while keeping a good out for the small monsters that crawl on the walls. It was a place called Sin-he''s Ridge and it has a problem of monsters crawling out of the ridge to attack a barren-lander who was minding their business.


    There was a crossing made of a rotten metal that somehow conjoined with the surrounding. It was unknown to him how the materials joined. It looked like the two materials melted into one single object. As Adey, the Porter walked the bridge he heard the sound of creaking and the voices of the warriors of the Hail Village.


    In an open field far from where he was standing was a group of young men and women with palish skin and long ears. An instructor ordered the men and women of Hail Village to continue their practice as he stood with his hands behind his back.


    The wind was getting cold. The bridge made of rotten metal was not to Adey''s liking. So he moved out of the village and carefully pace around the corners of the village until the instructor who was teaching the young men and women noticed him.


    The instructor moved his legs towards Adey and seized him. There was a look of blandness in his eyes before it suddenly transformed into that of a cheery one. "Adey!" said the man. "You''re been not around for a while. What kept you from visiting eh?"


    "Nothing much, Mikhail." Adey shook his hand. "Dedra has been making me go around fixing those Old One Machines that have been keeping the other''s alive."


    "Ah," Mikhail nodded. "You''re really good at fixing those machines. They are a wonder to be able to purify the miasma that erodes the other''s body. These mutations are the ones that keeping them in pain."


    "Yes. Looks like we are lucky that the mutations have changed us into beings that could endure the miasma. If only they are lucky as us."


    Mikhail turned towards his students. He folded his arms and said, "Even if they are not it is our duty to keep them safe from the external enemies. So what brought you here to Hail Village?"


    Adey looked around. He gestured with his chin and told Mikhail to follow him. They marched towards this empty place. Adey took three paces back and drew a peculiar weapon that could be held by a hand.


    "Is that?" asked Mikhail with brows furrowed.


    "A piece of weapon from the old ones," said Adey. "It has a long metal tube and the peas inside can be propelled by an explosive force."


    Adey pointed the piece at a direction. He pulled the trigger and a deafening sound roared in this empty place.


    Mikhail stood, looked, at the place where the propelled material hit. His expression hardened as he gazes at Adey, "I could not even see it with my own eyes. If it was bigger I would have been killed in one hit."


    "It is a dangerous weapon," said Adey. "I found it accidentally in one of the compartments of the vents of the old one''s machine - along with ammo that could allow me to use this weapon.


    "What?" Mikhail''s face tightened. "Why would keep it all?"


    "Because I doubt that Overlord and Overseer would care for it too much. Magic is still favored and we have our own abilities. I only have this bag of holding that allows me to keep as many items as I could. Having this weapon is honestly a good thing for me. But don''t you see, Mikhail? Think of the possibility of producing these kinds of weapon. Think of a weapon that is a big as this! It would mean that we are able to crush the Inner-Landers!"


    Mikhail ''s face crumpled, "It''s a wonderful dream and I can see the potential of it. But what can you do to produce these weapons?"


    "I am planning to contact that Old Dwarf in Crystallite River. His hut should still be near the edge of the river."


    "Do you really think that he''d help?" said Mikhail. "That dwarf would not look at anything that isn''t a machine."


    "That''s why I have this with me." Adey patted the weapon. "It''ll make that Old Dwarf at least look at this weapon and inspect it. The ideas should flow within him and he''ll get right through forging as many items as he could."


    "This is dangerous," said Mikhail. "What if our enemies are able to take a glimpse of this weapon?"


    "This far?" Adey holstered the weapon. "I doubt that anyone could reach this far inside the barren land. They don''t have any maps or any idea. Not to mention they''d have to face the population of the barren-land alone."


    "I don''t like it still," said Mikhail.


    "You don''t have to like it, Mikhail. I only want to borrow that mount of yours so it''ll allow me to cross the area untroubled by the monsters."


    Mikhail folded his arms still. His eyes stayed at Mikhail for a while before it moved to the place where his students are training.


    "If they have these kinds of weapons maybe they won''t die so early. You know what it is like out there, Adey. You are a wanderer yourself that bleakly walks the barren land. You''ve been inside the Inner Lands and you know your way around that place."


    "I only know because of my brother''s sacrifice. If I was to choose I would not pick the option of prowling inside the Inner Lands again. That damned Holy Woman hunts us down and now they tell that the War Maiden has awakened along with the Six Heroes."


    Mikhail rubbed his forehead. "It looks like we are getting closer to a war. Not to mention that the volcano would soon erupt and I doubt we could see the skies for years."


    "Yeah," Adey nodded. "Let us hope that it wouldn''t and we are able to gaze upon mother moon. We are born in the darkness but it does not mean we favor it fanatically. We are fond of mother moon and I doubt anyone would say otherwise."


    "That''s right," Mikhail agreed. "Let me take you to my mount."


    ¡­


    He mounted the beast lent by Mikhail. Through this valley where two-legged creatures that have looks of crocodiles, Adey trotted down with careful paranoia. The sun was bearing down upon him. There were many eyes of the creature''s gazes upon Adey with a bit of craziness on them. Adey was able to go past this area and arrived in a crystal colored river that was more like a coiled lake. An old hut with a strange roofing stood out near the lake.


    Adey moved the mount near the house. He dismounted and knocked on the door of this old hut. Knock, knock, there was no answer. It was only when a creature howled near the lake that the door swung open, revealing a short but muscular being with a mustache. The man sized him from head to toe. He grabbed hold of his mustache and said, "Adey, The Porter. How come a wanderer like you is here? Are you still planning to scam me of another machine? Teach you how to fix the ventilation so that you can have a place in the caverns like a gremlin?"


    "Not at all," said Adey. "I am just trying to show you a wonderful item."


    Adey took out the piece and showed it to the old dwarf. The old dwarf took the piece by the barrel examined it with his good eye.


    "This piece is a weapon of the old ones!" he said exhilarated. "Can I wield this thing?"


    "Go ahead." Adey took a step to the side and let the old dwarf the weapon. He pointed the piece forward and pulled the trigger with his trigger finger. The piece produced an explosive sound and a beast that was crawling got killed. The old dwarf smirked heartily.


    "A nice weapon!" said him. "It shoots a small projectile but its power is enough to turn a head into smithereens! The caliber of this piece is quite magnificent! Produce a million of these and arm them to tough men and you have an unstoppable army that could crush the whole of the Inner-Landers. So tell me, Adey, The Porter, the silver-haired explorer, and wanderer. What do you want this weapon for and why did you bring it to me?"


    "I want you to know how it works," said Adey. "This thing will soon run out of ammo and I don''t want that. It would fare me better if I know how to fix and repair it."


    He looked at Adey with suspicion, "Is that all truly? Adey, I have lived long enough to know how men like you think. You know that once I examine this you will have someone to rely on. I admit that I rely on you when I need some materials but this itself could turn the Overlord towards me. They have shadows and it would be best if they leave me alone. Why do you think I live near a crystallite river?"


    "To observe the toads?" he responded dully.


    The Old Dwarf palmed his forehead. "Bah, I want to learn it anyway. But do not expect me to reproduce it. I can probably produce the ammunition you need but other than that I will not produce any weapons other than for myself and for those who you can choose to have."


    "Got it," said Adey.


    "Get inside, Adey," said him. "I don''t want you catching the attention of the goddamned toads."


    Adey walked in and followed the Old Dwarf inside his humble hut. It was a hut that has a bed and a forge. But Adey knew that beneath the old hut lies a complex room that could reach up to five floors down. Who knows what the Old Dwarf makes down there but Adey knew that asking about it would do him no good. So he just sat in one of the stools.


    "This here is an engineering marvel. These old ones are truly people who have reached the stage of modernism. Have you ever heard of the tale of how the lands became like this?"


    Adey nodded, "Once upon a time there was a country of power and they have created a weapon strong enough to destroy the planet itself. A man once said that he has become death and the lives he could take with this weapon would mean the death of all. The world died when they release the weapons and a new age of ice happened. The burned world healed and yet the scars are here to stay. Then, the Light and Darkness argued to save the world from damnation. They could not let us all die and handed us gifts that would allow us to live. We are given equal power but through the intervention of the War God we are pitted and thus we are in these lands because of the results. They won and are able to reap the fertile lands for themselves, while we suffer the barren lands ¨C developing odd mutations that turned some of us into monsters."


    "You know it well," The Old Dwarf smiled. "Once upon a time they say that my people were able to reach the stars and started an odyssey to seek for other planets. Adey, do you think that an old man like me could grasp the stars?"


    Adey felt stumped. There was sadness on the Old Dwarf''s eyes that it was hard to speak of anything. Encourage him? Dissuade him from his dream?


    "I know," said the Old Dwarf. "I, Faust, have always admired the stars. But I know it myself that reaching it would happen in my lifetime. Magic and Technology could do wonders and if I could only send myself out of this planet and die out there in the universe then I would die a happy man."


    "Is that your wish?" said Adey. "Is that why you are trying that machine that could launch you up to the stars?"


    "You know of it?" asked the Old Dwarf.


    "I know and hear a lot, Faust." He placed his piece on the table near him. "You dream''s one of the craziest that it is hard to miss it."


    Faust didn''t say anything. He took the piece and started disassembling the weapon with finesse. It was hard to dissuade a fanatical dream of an old man who might die sooner.

 Chapter 57: The Lost Machina 2

    He left the place after Faust was done examining the piece. He had a job to do and thus left towards a location that was recently found by him. Adey was an explorer and a courier, it was part of his duties to tell Dedra about the things he would find in his travels.


    The ruin was like a black coffin made of concrete. He didn''t know how this place was able to stand still despite the years that have passed. There was rust, strange buttons, engraved words, and symbols that he could at least figure out. He followed the symbols and signs until he found a pull-lever, he pulled the lever and twisted it.


    Then a door popped out four feet away from Adey. He took hold of the piece and took it out, approached, and examined the corners of the door. Inside, he saw a narrow and small hallway with a ladder leading down at the end. He followed the hallway and climbed down to witness another layer of passages with strange wires that seems interconnected.


    He followed the wires until he found himself in a chamber with a box of levers. He operated the levers with his knowledge of the old ones. Tinkering with the machine allowed him to open three passages that lead to other rooms.


    The first passage led to a chamber filled with beds and rusted equipment that has long crumbled. The second passage was an empty room filled with a disgusting smell of oil and rotting meat. The third passage led to a strange chamber made of metals that have not rusted despite the years.


    "What is this place?" he thought. He examined the chamber. There were wirings on the right along with panels, levers on the uppermost left of the chamber, a ladder that leads up a box of buttons.


    He clambered up, took a stand near the box, pushed the buttons. Some of the buttons could not escape time. He was not able to press the buttons but found one single button that rocked the whole chamber.


    Loud sounds of metal clanging happened around the room. It resembled the churning of an animal''s stomach. Adey took three paces back from the buttons. He then heard air rushing out of a chamber that popped out with a screeching sound. The locks of this chamber made incredible sounds. The lights turned on and suddenly a glass coffin moved out of the chamber and yet again air rushed again. He started to his feet and eyed the glass coffin. There was a voice that spoke unknown words and he could only stare at the glass coffin slowly opens up with this hissing sound. Adey''s heart''s remained still but for the next moments, he thought that his heart pounded so hard and loud. It was then that the glass coffin slowly opened with a loud metallic clang.


    Adey took a step back and saw foggy reds eyes looking at his direction. The red eyes seem like it didn''t understand what was happening. Adey was able to perceive the person before him. She was a red-eyed beauty with a black flowing hair that reaches up to her buttocks. She wore a dress that was old and peculiar to him. What made this person stand out was the slightly visible fangs that she had. Her skin was like snow and one look at her was enough for Adey to know that she was a beautiful woman.


    There was this peculiar sad aura on her. She looked like she was lost for a moment until she saw Adey who was standing still with a gun in his hand. Her reaction was to stand to her feet, her legs creating a small crack as she leaps up the ceiling with a single move. Her red eyes glowed and her busty figure showed ferocity as she started speaking an unknown language.


    "Who are you?" asked Adey. The woman stopped for a moment to ponder Adey''s body language. She felt like his words resonated. Her foggy red eyes glowed coldly as she leaps away from the ceiling and tried to pounce at Adey.


    Adey, calm as water, dodged three paces back and pointed the tip of his piece at the woman, his eyes cold. He let the woman attack her, she was fast and agile, Adey knew that she could not be human with her superhuman abilities.


    The woman kept her furious flurry of attacks. Adey blandly analyzed his opponents and studied her way of fighting. He was a man of the barren lands. It was in his blood to keep calm and look for any weakness that he could use. So he just let the enemy do what she wanted until he was able to reach the next passage.


    He eyed the woman. He led her slowly out of the ruin until her pounce at him ended in her landing outside the ruin. Her eyes widened as she saw the barren wasteland that looked like a place of monsters to her.


    She spoke words that Adey could not understand. He stood still with his hands on his back, observing the woman whose beauty was quite shocking. He could only stare at her tamely without any hint of what she was and who she was.


    The woman stared at the world until she kneels with a distraught expression. Tears came out of her eyes and Adey could only take a pocketbook filled with the native tongue that is understood by the population. He had it in him out of practice when he visits a village where he''s invited to teach little children who might survive this wasteland with no fertile grounds.


    She hesitantly accepted it. Her eyes stared at the words as if she was analyzing the words written on it. Adey walked towards a wall and leaned his back on it. He folded his arms, the piece still on his right hand.


    Adey was rational enough to know that however, this woman was. She''s part of the ruin and he could not allow her knowledge to go to waste by killing her. He believed that everyone has something to offer and he was not fond of killing those who are inhuman to the humans. She wasn''t able to harm him anyway.


    ...


    The two sat upon the crimson-colored sky. Where the natural gasses of the barren lands meet with the chaotic energies of the land itself.


    "What are you?"


    "Elvish."


    "Elvish?"


    "You don''t know that? Understandable, you''re smart enough to learn the language by examining the structure of the book - though I think that your pronunciation could be a bit better."


    He said that while keeping his eyes locked with hers. She coughed and covered his mouth with his right hand. She adjusted her obsidian hair and beamed at him.


    "I understand now. What is this place?"


    "The Barren Land," he said. "You are in this continent where no edible plants live above the surface."


    "Is the world like this?"


    ''No," he shook his head. "There are other lands such as this one. It is just that this place has been burned upon a long time ago and started healing."


    Adey stopped talking as if that was all he could give her. The woman with blood eyes stared at the pale, long-eared Adey and said.


    "I see. It looks like this world has been ravaged by something familiar ¡ª this smell in the air is¡ª what do you call this smell?"


    "Miasma."


    "Is that so?" she shook her head. "I do not know why you all named it like that. Is it really okay for you to smell this?"


    "My ancestors have long adapted to it."


    "Certainly, I can see why."


    "I can see that you have wariness in your eyes."


    "You tried to attack me. I am wary of those who attack me."


    She coughed lightly. She brushed her hair and placed it on the side.


    "I will not attack you. I have no habit of killing the inhuman."


    "Thank you, it is pretty nice to be treated as a person. So what do you plan to do to me now?"


    "I can tell you about this world. I can see that you have no idea of what to do. I''ll have someone to mark you as a citizen of this barren-land or you could leave this place and go to the human side."


    "The human side?" she said with a high tone. "Why would I go to the people that have hunted me down and possibly turn this world this land into what it is and used me as a tool because I do not age and I live longer than them?"


    "You are immortal?" asked Adey in a bland tone.


    "I can die," she said. "But I have my own ways."


    "I see." He nodded while turning to the sky. "So I would like to tell you again. Do you want to live in our cavern cities? You can look the part of a human and I doubt they would mind it. In the cavern cities, I would recommend looking like an inhuman person."


    "Is that it?" Her eyes glow monstrous and her fangs were now emphasized.


    "That''ll do. But are you really sure that you''d like this place?"


    She smiled, "No matter how burned it is. I can tell that this place is still home. It doesn''t matter much how it changes. Home is still home you know?"


    Adey softened his expression for a bit, "I am impressed by your ability to learn a language. What is your name?"


    She looked at him with her eyes smiling, "I am Machina, and you are?"


    "Adey''s my name," he said.


    "Adey?" she laughs slightly. "I thought you''ll have an elvish name!"


    "I don''t get it."


    She stood up, "So what do you plan to do, Adey?"


    He placed his hands on his hips. He looked at the colorful sky sparkling as it rumbles and creates sounds. The barren land sounded like it was coming to an end. But it was a natural occurrence that it does not bother Adey anymore.


    She noticed the happening above the sky. She followed a trail of the wisp. Adey was alarmed that she went off on her own and followed her trail. He started to his feet and chased after the curious Machina. He whistled for the mount he borrowed and went to where Machina was heading. It took him a minute before he spotted Machina at the edge of a cliff, looking at the wide world that was in front of.


    He walked near her. He eyed where she was staring and saw the view that captured her eyes. The wide sky was dotted with bright colors. The galaxies and the constellations seem to clash over, the energies that were around mixed and sparked together in this chaotic beauty. Flowers made of light bloomed and streams of red energy flowed endlessly upon them.


    He was rooted to where he was standing. It was like he was reminded that there was beauty in this barren land. He was able to think that maybe this home that many of his peers seems to spite at had something worth in it.


    But it was not just the view that made Adey stop. The lonely figure of a black-haired woman with watery eyes. She was looking up the heavens and she had this aura of sadness that it was hard to near her. It was the look of someone who knew that she was alone in this world.


    Everyone she knew had long passed away. Every friend and enemies have long died and there was nothing he could do. It was this tranquil sadness along with the view of the sky and barren land that made Adey feel a bit of sympathy upon Machina. He could not imagine sleeping for many years and awakening to find out that the world you once lived has turned into what he was seeing.


    Machina stared endlessly at the colorful sky. Her heart tightening madly as the memories of what happen flashes upon her eyes. She has outlived all of them. She was fairly calm but the thought that years have passed made her incredibly lonely. She could not describe the reason that pains her heart.


    Machina, the Old One felt alone and helpless below the skies of the barren lands. She, a citizen of an old past stood but yet there was a desolate loneliness that she could not explain.


    Alone in a world that has changed for too long. This was her life now and there was nothing that Machina could do.

 Chapter 58: The Lost Machina 3

    He observed Machina as they went back to the cavern cities. She was amazed by the glories of the cave, not caring about the looks of those who would think that she was human, only to realize their mistake at the sight of her dangerous red eyes. She was a carefree woman who hides her loneliness upon that mask of happiness.


    Adey worked with races. He has observed all of those who try to hide their emotions under their mask. It was part of his duties as a Porter to observed those who he knew and know what they needed. It was part of the reason why he was adept in telling what those around him feel. Without that knowledge, he would have died and was not fit to be a man worthy of being a Porter.


    She said, "Why do they call you Porter?" They were on a bench near the central part of the city. The cavern skies created a stream of energy that bloomed like a last drop of fireworks.


    "I wander and explore. I carry goods and sometimes people," said Adey.


    "Is that really it?"


    "Yes."


    "You are fairly good at fighting. I am proud of my superhuman abilities but you dodge my attacks easily."


    "When you live in a land like this you''d learn how to fight easily."


    She looks above the ceiling. Her eyes wondering something.


    "Is the world as advanced as this place? You have steam engines and ventilations here that handles the air. Electricity is around to power the streets and I think I saw trains being built in one of the areas we wandered around. I would have thought that I was back at the time of Queen Victoria."


    "You know its name. How old are you truly?"


    "Asking a woman''s age is quite rude you know?" she smiled. "Though I have long lived enough to witness the stars. But who would have thought that one day I''d be in a world like this? I cannot believe it...the land being caught in such an event."


    "What do you mean?" asked Adey.


    "Nothing," she said with a shake of her head. "The past is long gone. There is no need to think about it. But finding a place in this world might be easier than before."


    He eyed her, "You really plan to stay in this city?"


    "Stay? No, I''ll guess I will try to bother you. The world''s so vast that it might be best to follow a Porter like you. Or do you have a place where I can a build a load of weapons?"


    She stood up firmly in front of Adey. Her blood red eyes locked into Adey. There was this menacing aura around her that divided Adey''s impression of her. The Machina who looked like a carefree woman turned into a being that was enough for Adey to question what she truly was.


    "Do you want me to turn this place into a civilization strong enough to split an atom?"


    "The power to reach the skies? Machines that could turn this world into yours?"


    "Just tell me your desires and I will give you the knowledge in thanks for saving me."


    "Can you do that?" asked Adey with cold eyes.


    "I can. I am part of the people that you call ''Old Ones'' and I have the knowledge to turn this land into a superpower nation. I heard that you have enemies living a fertile land. Imagine their fear as machines impenetrable by swords could easily tear through their walls. Machines that could rule the skies and they could only kneel and a plea for mercy."


    Adey''s expression stood still. The thought of overcoming the enemy churned Adey''s stomach. Deep inside him was this wanting to end the war against the humans forcefully. He wanted a world of peace but he knew that there was no way he could achieve. Now that there was someone telling him all of this. He was quite pessimistic. He wanted to joke yes but, in the end, he shut the idea away from his head.


    "No. Do you think I can do that?"


    "Not with that attitude," she smiled.


    "I am content with my life. I may want to defend this land by replicating this piece but I have no desire of replacing the Overlord in his duty of protecting it. I have faith in my protector and masters. There''s no need to fear about the humans as long as he reigns supreme in this land. He''s long-lived and no human could ever defeat him in single combat."


    She smiled and laughed heartily. "Good times...they never last. I may not be human but I know of their tenacity and will. The determination that they could muster at the height of despair is nonetheless beautiful...no matter how cruel-hearted they are towards the unknown."


    She was speaking with admiration towards them. It was like she was admiring them with a hateful yet seething tone that it was hard to imagine how could she have this tone towards them. Was she human before she became a monster with blood-red eyes? How long has she lived that she was able to masterfully speak about humans with seething admiration?


    Adey didn''t know. He could only stare at this black-haired woman named Machina. He had seen many things in his life as a Porter but not once have seen such a woman who eluded such sense of misery and loneliness. Adey continued staring at her until the aura she gave out vanished. The smiling blood-red eyed woman suddenly sat and with a voice so sweet, said.


    "Okay. But remember my words when this land goes to waste. I owe you from freeing me from my glass coffin. I might just live long enough to enjoy this. Though I must say that having someone other than a human to care off is quite the nice change of pace. An elvish explorer that wanders a land and he has a gun in his waist. These are interesting times, and a city filled with non-humans where they face men at the brink of discovering gunpowder. I wonder, what will happen to this land? Or will this world end up as every civilization at its peak?"


    She left words that made no sense to Adey.


    ...


    Although Adey was willing to accompany her. She wanted to find her own place to stay. Adey took him to Dedra who was alarmed by the appearance of her. She was fluent enough to speak for herself and she only thought that she was great at being a good Porter. She had no presence before in this city but Adey was able to back her up.


    She got her own room in the building where Adey lives. The red-skinned assistant of Dedra welcomed Machina into her home that was just four feet away from Adey''s door. She danced at the thought of being able to annoy Adey with her questions. He had to ask himself if this ancient woman was truly right in the head. Adey sat back on his room cross-legged with his back straight. His room was empty and there was only a mat and a floor table inside. He sat on the mat and gazed upon the window that overlooked a huge complex where the soldiers of the city were doing their briefing.


    Adey took out the gun that he holstered on his waist. He unloaded it and started cleaning the insides of the gun. He handled it carefully and used the cloth he had to thoroughly discard the dirt. He has an idea how the thing works. But the overall mechanics of how it truly function was lost to his head. All he could do was follow Faust''s instruction until the whole gun was clean.


    After that, he fell backward and closed his eyes. He awoke later when the bright green light coming from the cavern ceiling bothered his eyes. He woke up and pat his coat to straighten it out. He stood up and he saw blood-red eyes staring at him. She stood in front of the door with the same expression that confuses Adey every time she looks at.


    She was wearing a long coat and her pants were black. She now had a dagger slung to her waist. Adey rubbed the back of his head. He leaned his back on the wall and looked at her dead in the eye, "Breaking in?"


    "Nope," she said. "I was looking out for my Guardian."


    "Guardian?" he drew his brows together. "I don''t remember being your guardian, Miss Machina."


    "You didn''t but you should know that you technically birthed me in this new world by waking me up in that glass coffin. You should be happy that you have a beautiful person to take care off."


    "Oh please," he scoffed. "I don''t know anyone who would want to baby an ancient woman."


    She displeasingly smiled, "Come on, I stopped aging when I was twenty so do not worry. I am a forever young."


    "Narcissism is quite hard isn''t it?"


    "Who knows?"


    There was no need to argue with her further. He went out of the room and contacted Dedra for a job. The job given to him was another ventilation that needed to be fixed. Machina didn''t have anything else to so she tailed Adey up the narrow passages that lead to the giant fans that keep the air clean inside the cavern. The area was manned by non-humans. They all know who Adey was but unaware of the red-eyed Machina. She tailed him until he reached the area where the ventilation needed to be fixed.


    "You are doing it wrong," said Machina. She pointed at the part he was tampering. "Try not twisting that. Also, I got to say our machines really have improved to be still working even to this day. For thousands of years they still lovingly work and save those who need it. Hmm, though they are technically made for space travel and not underground cities like this. But seeing the outside world I guess it now fits."


    "The world you knew...tell me about it."


    "Space and a desire to move out of a bubble called the world. It was a good age but somehow greedy men wanted to ruin it all. For-profit on who wanted to have it all. So, they fought and used those who have power to their needs and ended the world."


    "Sounds awful," said Adey without any care.


    "It does," she nodded. "Think of the progress that they could have made. But...I am quite surprised that you are taking this well. Aren''t you going to be afraid of an ancient woman that came from a world you have no idea about?"


    "You saw the world out there," said Adey. "It is bland and hope seems always lost. We live underground like rats. Around the eastward side of this city orphans from war, bands cry at their sleep after losing their kids. They grow up bitter and fight the humans until they die, leaving the kids they have sired. Some have their mother, but most don''t have anyone to rely on and they grow up like their parents. I''ve seen many wonders outside and saw the salt passing already. I think nothing surprises me anymore..."


    "I see," said Machina. "Were you one of those kids? Why aren''t you vengeful?"


    "I don''t know." Adey took a step back from the fan. "My heart told me that it is right for me to take revenge. My mind, however, told me to step out of that cycle."


    "So that''s why you don''t want to have my knowledge?" Machina smiled at him. "You could have it all."


    "This kingdom of dirt?" he snorted. "No thanks. I have enough of doing this. I don''t know what''ll make me use your knowledge. But I got to ask this, Machina. Why are you so sure that you''ll have enough knowledge to conquer the world? What''s the point of machines when Heroes that could turn them into scrap metal exists?"


    Her smile turned cold. "I have many names. They call me many titles and for years they have wanted to gain my knowledge. Some wanted my hand for marriage, some wanted to drink my blood and kept their youth. I have been burned once in a stake only to regenerate after the burning. They call me a witch. They call me a saint. They call me the illustrious lady. But..." She eyed Adey with blood-red eyes, "most of them fear me as a destroyer of worlds, the Lady of death that brought forth wars. I could be this world''s end you know?"

 Chapter 59: The Burned Woman

    "What?" Adey said.


    "That''s right," she nodded. "I''m a Lady of Death. They call me a destroyer of worlds since I have seen the worlds burn. All I had was my brain and this accursed immortality and I''ve destroyed the world. Are you scared now?"


    "No. Why should I?"


    "Huh, I thought you''d be scared of me."


    Adey stood with legs on a stance, hands on his pocket, eyes staring at Machina. His brows drew closer, chilly gaze permeated to Machina, she ignored it, eyes interlocking with Adey who was trying to figure her out.


    "Done staring?"


    "I am. I do not fear you, Machina. In fact, I am starting to pity you."


    His eyes grew soft, folded arms, he leaned on the wall. Adey gazed at her with blood-red eyes in awe, hand trembling as she tries to understand what did he mean.


    "Why?"


    "You speak like a bringer of death. But the tone of your voice sounds like you are just a miserable old woman who saw the death of worlds. To see all these worlds burned would give you an idea that you are Lady Death, but in truth, you are just a lonely woman that has been through a lot."


    "You speak as if you are wiser than me."


    "I may not. But it doesn''t mean that I cannot see through this lie of yours. You are no lady of death. You are merely a woman who has fooled herself into becoming one."


    "Adey, I think you are right in that regard. But do you really think you have the right to test me?"


    "I don''t. Everyone has their own sob story. Whatever your past it doesn''t define your future. So tell me Machina, are you the Lady of Death of the past or are you Machina the Red-Eyed Woman?"


    She raised a brow, her hand touched her left cheek. Her hair floated as the fan rotates. She kept her staring at Adey who told her that.


    "You are right in that regard, Adey. I may not be the Lady of Death that I was in the past but are you sure about that statement? I helped great men burn the lands just for a silly reason like a kind old woman getting killed by the people of that certain nation. I burned the world for a kind old woman who I met a day ago once, Adey."


    "I don''t care," said Adey. "That was the choice of the past."


    "But it was me who still did it."


    "Do you think anyone can still recall you? You awaken in this world yet again. You are a blank slate. So tell me, are you willing to be that Lady of Death or just Machina the Red-Eyed Porter?"


    She smiled up at her ears, holding her stomach, laughing loudly as she could hearing Adey. He continues staring at her with a serious look on his face. Still laughing, Machina inhaled fresh air and place her gaze back at Adey.


    "You have a strange way of thinking. That''s not how it works and you cannot simply erase the past that I know."


    "Your past is not relevant at this moment."


    "It is. Adey."


    "To whom?"


    "To me."


    "Everyone has the right to start again. If I''ve seen you destroy worlds then I would believe this nonsense of yours. You can tell me that all of this mumble of yours is merely and I would laugh at it as a delusional nonsense of a woman who just awoke from her sleep."


    "So you are telling me that it was all inside my head? That all those I killed are nothing but an imagination? The screams and pleas for mercy was nothing but an imagination done by this delusional me?"


    "That''s right," said Adey.


    "What a joke," she scoffed. "You''re treating my past like a sick joke."


    "If you choose to think of it a sick joke. You could fool me into believing that you are doing nothing but giving a delusional talk of past that never happened in the first place. Therefore why should I think of it as real?"


    She looked at him, "Are you a heartless man?"


    "I don''t think so. I am just saying that there was no need to tell that to me. You could have left it alone in the dark yet you choose to reveal it to me that you are a destroyer of worlds. You are a foolish woman to have done this."


    "How unreasonable."


    "And you think too much about a past that has long past. I understand that you owe me a favor and that you could bring the enemies down to their knees if you want to. But I will not do it because I know that it is not the decent thing to do."


    "You speak of decency," she raised her head. "But you have this thought of forgetting the past that I have done. Do you even believe in justice, Adey? Are you Evil or Good?"


    "I am indifferent."


    "That was not the answer I was looking for, Adey."


    She stood up and was a breath away from Adey. He kept his stony face as the scrutinizing gaze of Machina stayed with him.


    "My point is that I do not give a damn about your past or the knowledge that you have in your head. You speak as if that was important when you already know that you hate it. You can be mad as you can but in the end, you have to let go of these things, Machina."


    "You may be right. But I do promise that if this land gets in trouble. Forgive me, Adey. I will turn towards the enemy and give them the hell that they deserve. I will not mention the world that I burn. I will make use of my knowledge to my benefit instead of others. So what better way to keep me from becoming a destroyer worlds other than letting you take care of me?"


    Adey grabbed hold of his chin, he thought for a while before lifting it back to his side. Head tilted slightly, Adey sized up Machina with a friendly gaze before releasing his breath, clearing the moment and telling that he would agree to her request as her guardian.


    ....


    It should not be mistaken. This world has been through a lot. Cycles happen and the world as it was now wasn''t that different to what she knew. She has always been a part of this world by the time the first steam engine has been invented.


    Somewhere along the line, she knew that she would forever be alone. She worked in the shadows gathering all the knowledge she could because she was bored. There was nothing to do with the eternal life that she was given. All she had to do was watch the life of those around him. She saw them grow old and frail. She saw many things that would break one''s heart.


    She saw the bright flash of light that changed the world. She saw their progress as they finally left the world for the first time. She remembered hearing ''Space Oddity'' when it was being broadcasted. She thought that maybe she could be the first person to leave this world with her immortality.


    She was wrong. She produced heirs by using her powers yet all her sons and daughters grew ambitious and they defied her wishes. All of them went their own way and was not heard again. Some died as tyrants while the others vanished like a speck of dust in the air.


    She wept for them. Those who were their enemies used her for their own benefit. They were able to give her partial freedom. But was that all freedom? She remembered staying in a room where no light other than a screen came in. It was a long memory that was she was fond off. She had many hobbies and along the way, she becomes an uncaring woman who watched the world with passive eyes. Indeed, she was a heartless woman who watched the world burn. She watches the failures of those she allied with. She was sick of them.


    When the world grew greedy she became the ''demon'' that everyone hated. Through her many men and women died for the reason that she could give them everlasting life. She was given the role of the demon queen in order for the world to have a common enemy they can fight. She thought of those who died believing under her. Those familiar faces that died in the name of getting her affection.


    But once in a while, she would remember a peculiar face. It was a face she had long forgotten. The face of a person who dragged her out of despair. The person wore a plate armor dyed with charcoal. He was a just a nobody knight that felt like it was wrong to take her life. She could remember that knight fondly defending her with his mortal life.


    That was it. She could not forget the past that Adey wanted her to forget. She could allow herself to forget about the world that she burned. Yet she''ll never allow herself to forget her dear knight that did everything for her being.


    "Why?" she asked that knight


    "It is the decent thing to do. Your eyes were so lonely that I could not help but do it."


    "I don''t believe you. You only want me."


    That knight smiled, "I may have been fooled by your beauty. They say that you are a witch that could charm anyone with your rosy-eyes."


    "Rosy eyes?" she remembered laughing. "They would call my eyes ''blood-red''. It is the first time that I heard that."


    "It that so? Anyway, maybe your eyes enchanted me. Maybe that is why I am risking my life for you."


    She thought that it was all lie. He would abandon her the moment he gets what he wanted. She even allowed a fire arrow to burned her face. It was painful but she knew that it would work for her. She could regenerate her face but she didn''t do so. She wanted to expose that knight''s lie.


    But that knight never wavered. He continued protecting her for months. Not even her burned face could stop the knight from wanting to help her. No matter how hard or undesirable her face was he never bothered to stop his kindness.


    Even the greatest walls could be torn down if attacked repeatedly. Somewhere along the line, she became fond of that knight. Even though the world was against her that knight was her protector. He was a nobody who did everything to save someone who didn''t want to be saved. She offered immortality yet that Knight didn''t want it. Maybe if she told him honestly that she only wanted a company in her life maybe she wouldn''t have ended up becoming a destroyer of worlds?


    She was too careless. She knew that no matter how determined that knight was he would end up falling against the enemies. She still remembered it bitterly. Upon a mountain wall, they were cornered and nowhere to go. That knight guarded the only passage and fought men who wanted her dead. Their blows struck his armor, arrows pierced his back.


    He was bleeding all over but his body didn''t stop fighting. It was like his burning his soul in order to protect the ''witch'' that everyone wanted to put into a stake. He fought and fought. But nonetheless, he was mortal. He was struck down and he could only wait for death.


    She could not allow her dear knight to perish. She fought them all and killed all of them with savagery. She won with ease and with haste she wanted to turn his knight into someone like her.


    As she was about to give her gift. The Knight grabbed hold of her. With watery eyes, he smiled and said, "You really are wonderful¡ªah, I was foolish to think that you needed my help. You can take care of your own. I guess I was just being a burden to you? You watch all this time to see if I wasn''t a liar. I understand."


    He touched her cheek. "It matters not. I may have been fooled but I do not regret it. Were you pleased? Even this man from Salvatore can do good! Please do not cry milady, I think if it is already too late for me. One day...you will find your happiness. You may not remember me, but I am forever yours, o burned woman of Dubrovnik."

 Chapter 60: The Knight of Salvatore

    There was a knight who stood before a fallen enemy. Sword glowing, he was covered with an aura of bleakness, this knight who suddenly appeared out of nowhere surprised the admirers of the War Maiden who was adored by all. He was a nameless knight who goes by the name of ''Knight Salvatore''; some call him Knight of Salvatore.


    He was someone who took the position that everyone coveted. He wore a bright armor at first but those who were against him mocked him. He was told unworthy and because of this, he had to dye his armor black as obsidian. The nobles wanted to replace him as a knight. After all, they''ve wanted to take that title to get closer to the War Maiden. Why was he chosen? Even the Prince''s that coveted to be the Knight of the War Maiden was rejected!


    They could not accept this result thus they challenged this knight. He was skilled. And throughout the times he was challenged none was ever able to defeat him. It was not that he was great in handling the sword. He was also the owner of a particular sword that could cut through weapons with ease. He was like a monster dressed as a knight. The person who was standing before him was now cut down, breathing, horrified, and his pants soaked wet.


    Knight Salvatore kept his sword pointed towards his enemy, the enemy terrified to attack again. The audience heard that he was a man of skill, yet they never expected that a Knight was no match for this man who wore an armor black as the night in response to his insulters.


    "He''s certainly strong." A man in decorated armor spoke in admiration. "You have an eye for your Knights, Lady Ciara."


    Ciara turned towards the man with her eyes, "Yes. I didn''t choose him simply. Is there anyone that still wants to question him? My Knight...has have been through a lot of trouble. I do not interfere out of the fact that I could tear through them like paper¡ªand that I know my Knight can handle them well."


    "We know that," said the man. "Certainly, though you know that this displeases the alliance."


    "And you will all follow me because of this mark," Ciara said without any care. "You can play your game of politics along with the others. Count me out."


    "I am afraid that it is impossible," said the man. "Your power is enough for us to fear. The Heroes are your allies and no one would refuse to be part of your army. Even the Holy City would not think twice of entering an alliance. You are aware of all this yet you choose to act this way, Lady War Maiden."


    She casts a gaze upon this man, "Power is power. And I am no fool either. I didn''t choose him just because. I choose him because he had no alliance. He didn''t have any faction."


    The man kept his silence. He looked at the Black Knight who stood victoriously on the arena. It was clear that this man was not easy to deal with. Eyes moving slowly, he turned to the War Maiden and sighed slowly. "I can have them stop. But you will have to put this man in danger, Lady Maiden."


    "He can take it."


    ...


    He walked towards the center of the room, his sword tightly held, and his gait slightly oppressing. Ciara sat on a throne with a smile on her face.


    "You''ve done well, Nolan."


    "I would have been embarrassed about losing to them"


    She walked up to him, hands going for the strap that was keeping the helmet of Nolan from flying. The helmet was taken by Ciara, revealing Nolan''s stoic face.


    "Hot isn''t it?"


    "I got used to it."


    She patted the helmet and placed it on her lap.


    "Are they going to throw more shit on me?"


    "They will. Those people won''t stop bothering you."


    "I see."


    He nodded, eyes pointing down, hands clenched badly. Ciara examined him from head to toe. Her eyes had this energetic glare.


    "I could ask them to politely stop. But abuse of power might make the citizens scared off me."


    "Politics...I really hate it being involved with it."


    She nodded in agreement.


    "I understand that frustration. But I think they won''t do anything for fear that they might lose me. As selfish as they can be, they are still reasonable men that knows how important it is to take hold of a weapon like me. Trying to anger a weapon that has its own will could be terrifying."


    "A weapon, you call yourself like that?"


    "Why should I not?" she smiled bitterly. "Isn''t that why they give me all of this stuff? I would have thought that they are decent and kind people, but the wisdom of the past war maidens tells me they are just doing this out of benefit."


    He nodded, "That just how it is."


    "I know. Everyone is motivated by self-interest. I know that better than anyone else."


    He kept his silence. She looked at him, standing still, quiet as a ghost.


    "Should I kill them all?"


    "Don''t," said Ciara. "It would be wise to keep them alive. You should know this better, Nolan."


    "I know that, Ciara. But they pissed me off enough that I want to slit their throats."


    "Sounds terrible to hear," she smiled thinly. "But they''ll have someone to blame. They''ll frame you and order you around. These royal bastards are quite prideful aren''t they?"


    He nodded.


    "Anyway," Ciara continued. "I know that I am keeping you around for my own benefit. I just hate it that they keep insisting that I have someone to accompany me when I can take care of myself. I am sorry that I have to make you my own knight, Nolan."


    "It is my pleasure."


    She smiled thinly, threw the helmet towards Nolan.


    "I really hope that they won''t go overboard with their ordering around."


    Starting to her feet, she placed her arms around Nolan''s neck.


    "Can you not stay?"


    "I am your knight, Ciara. I have to take care of these problems for you now that they agreed to let me become your Knight. I just have to endure it until I have enough credit in my hands to prove them all wrong."


    He took care of the problems that were needed to be solved through his presence. No one knew of Nolan other than that he was the Knight of Salvatore that was chosen by the War Maiden herself. There were many who wanted to covet the position from him but he has successfully fended them off.


    It was not his choice to take this role. All he knew that he learned that they were annoying Ciara and was forcing her to have someone by her side, acting like a knight. So he had to step in and show them who her true knight was. He has become a Knight for her. He didn''t even have the thought that one day he would become one.


    "Odd," he thought. He was walking the streets. "I thought that I''d be wandering the dark. Why am I here now?"


    He continued trotting down until he reached a lavish house. Two knights stood in front of him, dressed colorfully, holding two halberds, eyes piercing Nolan who wore a black armor reinforced with Tania''s blood.


    "Are you the Knight of Salvatore?" asked the knight?"


    "Yes," said Nolan. "Tell him that I am here."


    The Knight that was standing guarded wanted to say something. But the red glow that was emitting from Nolan''s helmet made them shiver. It was that same glow that reminded them that the person in front of them was the Knight who triumph over the Knights of the Light'' s Army.


    Their reaction made Nolan sigh in relief. He did not want to show off his skills unless necessary. He made his through the building, entered a room, found a person who was looking for him. His name was Commander Jules, a rugged man who was part of the army. Normally, he would not bow his head towards anyone. But, the person who was before him was someone who he respected. He bowed his head.


    "The Knight of Salvatore would bow his head?" asked Commander Jules.


    "Not for everybody," said Nolan. "It is a pleasure to meet the Hundred-Man Slayer himself."


    "You know me?" laughed Commander Jules. "I thought that I would have to test your skills. But it seems like we will get along just fine."


    Commander Jules would have tested Nolan if he showed the same attitude.


    "Sit down," Commander Jules said. "I can tell why the War Maiden herself chooses you, but let me ask you, Knight of Salvatore, what are you really are?"


    "I am a Wanderer, an errant you might say."


    "I see," Commander Jules nodded. "You have two sigils in your eyes, is this true?"


    "Yes," said Nolan. "You should know what that means, Commander Jules."


    "I know," Commander Jules leaned on his right hand. "As the Knight of the War Maiden, I hope that you can assist her. She has the heroes but she still needs someone to be by her side. I was not against her when she chooses you out of the many Knights of the Light''s Army. Please do not fail her."


    ...


    There was nothing much to talk about that meeting. Nolan returned to the castle unhindered and went to look for Ciara. She was cross-legged, hands open, eyes close, and her aura brimming wildly with a glow that made the servants around the area fall back.


    "You are here?" she said.


    "Yes," Nolan nodded. "Are you synchronizing with the War Maidens?"


    "I am," she smiled. "They are quite proud and boastful. They have shown me many techniques and knowledge. Every day I feel like I was being enriched by them. How is the trip to him?"


    "I am glad that I did," Nolan said. "Commander Jules is a man worthy of respect. I feel sorry that he had to be dragged into the realm of politics."


    She nodded, "I met him. He was a fine Commander and was indeed the only person who was worth listening to. Even the other royal factions could not help but listen to him. What did you two talk about?"


    "Monster slaying," Nolan took out a scroll. "And matters that needed to be discussed by us. It seems like there are people that are willing to profit from us and are using the contrabands for extra profit."


    "Oh?" asked Ciara. "What should we do?"


    "If you permit," he looked at Ciara. "I can eliminate them."


    "Do you want to work as a Ghost?" asked Ciara. "You know that we could leave them alone."


    "I know. But it would best if we remove all the disease. Or do you want me to control the supply?"


    Ciara folded her arms, eyes pointed down. "Isn''t it odd that the War Maiden, daughter of Light, favored by the War Maiden doing these things?"


    "That''s how it is," said Nolan. "I think the War Maidens will agree with this."


    "They do," she nodded. "We need the funds to support an army. So do it. Control the supplies and let the flow of money enter directly into the funding of the Light''s Army. If the three-fates are right we would need to prepare for the dimming that will happen."


    He nodded. He was about to leave when Ciara called out for him. "Are you going to be fine?"


    "I will be," said Nolan, continuing walking away from Ciara.


    He would love to stay but sadly he has a role to play for her. He was back to where he was in the past world. Beside her, supporting her with everything he can. It was funny actually. That somewhere along the line he ended up going back to this role.


    He didn''t have complaints though. He had spent a wonderful time with her. He knew that they have their own parts to play and simply spending it all the time together would do them no good. They were bound by this sense of duty and cruelly, they have to follow this unless they want to fate to work against them.


    But it was okay for Nolan. He let go of the worries that he had on that place where they danced. He could no control fate, therefore, he can only try his best to steer it on the path that would allow him and her to be happy. Going against fate was hard, but letting fate drift you was easier, thus steering it would fare him better.

 Chapter 61: Intermission

    Adey, have you heard of the story of the Old Revenant?


    No, I don''t, why ask?


    Let me tell you, there was once a fool who fell in love with the goddess of light.


    He was foolish. A being foolish enough to make you wonder why would he do that?


    You said he fell in love with the goddess of light.


    He did. Isn''t it odd that a creature of dark would fall in love with the goddess of light?


    The revenant said, "Ah, mighty goddess, you give light to these eyes...warmth."


    Why would that Old Revenant feel warm?


    Because the Old Revenant wanted the embrace of the light, he was someone who lost all hope and in return granted freedom.


    You see this Old being has fulfilled his purpose in killing those who he wanted to take revenge.


    He was done but he was still alive.


    He walked aimlessly not knowing that he is already dead.


    It was only when the goddess of light showered her love upon the world once that this old Revenant found ways of relieving himself of this torturous existence of his. He thought of finding people of the light and seeks comfort in many ways as they could.


    What happen?


    Interested now? Very well, the Old Being searched for the people of the light. As you know the Old Revenant is an undead and imagine that undead seeking out of the people of light.


    They would defend against him.


    Yes. He sought for them but none turn towards him.


    It was only when that I met this pitiful existence that I was able to tell him where he should go.


    Huh? You know the Old Revenant.


    That old fool was not aggressive. He looked like any man but you could tell the difference between a man and a revenant. They would have the pale eyes of death and pale skin. Their grayish and silver hair is also one of the things that distinguished them from everyone.


    Does this mean that I am a Revenant?


    No, you are an elf. Besides, you have that spark of life that none of these revenants have. They have dead eyes that only shine when they met those who are important or when they are near the field they are good. Hmm, I think you call them Bleak Walkers now.


    Bleak Walkers, they are men with sigils in their eyes.


    You met them.


    I have. They are people who wander aimlessly. They have a presence in the Barren Lands and are men who found hope in losing everything¡ªit gave them purpose without having anything.


    They are no revenants though. They are nothing but heirs of the revenants. They cannot achieve the immortality that the Old Revenant has accomplished. At best they would receive a sigil in their eyes. Only when they are able to gather two sigils in their eyes that they are half-revenants that allows them to walk like one.


    What is the connection?


    To find that sweet release that Revenant allowed his heirs to inherit him


    Inherit him?


    Well...that is a secret that I like to keep. I''ll tell you about it slightly.


    Oh, revenant, rest now and pray that your heir shall find the way.


    Oh, revenant of old, warrior of the past, a shedder of sinners.


    May you rest, oh old Avenger.


    Oh, pray that one day you will meet the light''s embrace.


    Your accursed heirs will inherit your pain, old warrior.


    As your temporary releaser, the lord of the night shall grant this mercy.


    Lord of the Night...to think you are one.


    What? I thought the fangs and the red eyes revealed it already?


    They have long ceased to exist.


    I know that. I wouldn''t be a miserable bat if they aren''t.


    So you were human once.


    What?


    Nothing, I am just amazed that I will meet a true ancient monster.


    That''s right. You guys are just called monsters because of this miasma. This Mandela''s effect sure is absurd. I guess that warp storm did all of this?


    I don''t understand.


    Of course, you won''t, Adey.


    Anyway, that is the only thing that I could you about that Old Revenant.


    Is that so?


    Yes. What is with that look?


    I feel like there is a lot of things you didn''t include.


    Would you reveal to me the secrets of your life then?


    No. I wouldn''t. I get your point, Machina.


    See? Anyway, are you really heading out of the Barren Land?


    Yes. Dedra wanted to confirm the existence of the War Maiden. There was a group of three that is heading towards the ventilation that is connected to the underground cities. That ventilation still works but it has no city to purify since that city has been buried under rubble.


    Oh, so you think that they will do something?


    Humans are always eager to find an advantage. They are quite interesting and cruel at sometimes. Their sense of urgency and desperation is always remarkable to me.


    I guess you''d understand that well.


    I do, Adey.


    Are you really going?


    What? I may be like this but I am still a powerful creature. Now that I''ve rested well I can control my ancient powers and circulate it once again. You are lucky that you face me at my weakest. I wasn''t the Destroyer of Worlds for nothing you know?


    So I was at your mercy?


    No, you were lucky. Besides, that gun could have ended me before I could set up the defenses needed to protect myself from your attack.


    I guess the Lord of the Night, would have this.


    Yes. Still, I think that the master of your people s far superior to me. Even though I only stayed in the city he has detected my presence. Luckily, that master is a generous being that allowed me to stay here. Though I think he doesn''t want me interfering with your affairs.


    Then why are coming with me?


    I do not follow anyone so easily, Adey. He may be strong but I do not bow down to anyone who foolishly thinks that I will do what he says because of his power. I''ll respect him as the master of your people. I will greet him respectfully but never bow.


    I see. But please do not burden the Overlord. Let us go already.


    Let us go.

 Chapter 62: The Third Sleep

    He was able to arrive in a place with a gloomy aura. Face covered with a shadow, eyes reflecting a line of houses in disarray, the roof of the houses busted. The doors, broken, scratched by weapons, blood spots in the bottom. A man with a tunic lies near a barrel with his eyes rolled back, his tongue sticking out.


    As he nears the door, his left placed on it, he was able to see the disaster in front of him. The drop of water from above spooked him. No, it wasn''t raining. He felt a drop of water grazes his helmet. Up the ceiling was a young kid, barely eight, castrated, eyes puckered out, tongue pulled down.


    "How cruel," Tania said. "Is it done by your kind or us? I am not fond of these kinds of methods."


    "A monster from the barrel lands saying all of this." He whispered, eyes staring at the dead kid.


    The villagers were cut up by something intangible. The floors were covered in blood. The stench of gore and tragedy reeked the air. He was called here to satisfy the nobles who wanted him out doing their jobs. If it wasn''t for Ciara then he would find no reason to come into this place. But the scene alone was enough to convince Nolan that there was something wrong going on.


    Magic circles and altars hastily made into the shape of dragons. Bones were carved out of the villagers and they were placed in a diagram that made Nolan feel cold on his spine. The tactile symbols that were everywhere in the village were spooking him. There was something about them that deep inside his heart was fearing. No, it was like he was rejecting the thought of him.


    "What happened here? A ritual?"


    "Must be."


    "You know something," said Tania. "I can tell that you are hiding something from me. It is rare for you to be shaken up this violence when you can freely walk in a field of corpses without caring. Or are you a person who could not stand the sight of these villagers?"


    "I have no proof. But I think that however did this has been given permission. When we enter this village there were no single guardsmen. Even if there was they would have no run far if they have been slain by someone this strong."


    "What do you mean? A good swordsman or a demon could easily kill a single village. You are thinking too much about this."


    He said, "I am not. They''ll have been killed by a blade to the heart and was followed by a cut to the neck. This kind of killing followed by chopping their body parts and making it look like a scene of massacre while hiding the symbols of a ritual is not something natural. None of these people were able to fight back." He pointed at the table. "They also died without knowing that they were stabbed in the heart. They died knowing that they were attacked."


    She snorted, "And your point?"


    "That there''s someone trying to make use of this village as a sacrificial altar. The symbols are devilish in nature but there is something wrong with them. They are not natural and they are something eerie." He then added. "Have you heard of the four dragons of this world? The insatiable beings that guard this world and prevent the races from being too strong despite their apparent weakened state?"


    "I have heard of them. I heard that they do not meddle with the affairs of the races. I don''t think they are relevant in this situation."


    He nodded, "They aren''t. But you should know that they should have long died. No matter how long-lived they are they cannot simply escape death itself. No to mention that they have been riddled with injuries that prevent them from keeping their life. They were once immortal but that vanished somewhere along the line. You should know that they have done something to keep their lives."


    "Blood Sacrifice...the way of keeping the flesh youthful."


    He nodded, "That''s right. The dragons have once ruled the land and brought down hell upon these lands. Their appearance was something the races could not ignore. One flight and continuous breath and the dragons could burn down a nation and leave this world free of the races. The overlord can fight the dragons to a standstill but the damage would be something that the overlord would have no way of preventing."


    "So, are they connected with this massacre? Why the village?"


    "Yes," he answered. "This village has been chosen as a blood sacrifice for the demons. I know these symbols and they are the language that allows whoever did this to send the blood offering to the dragons. I thought it was just a bandit raid but to think that the villager''s death and the inability for the Knight''s to investigate were weird. Those damn nobles have sent me to my death!"


    His face scowled badly. He readied his pockets and looked around with haste. His hands grew sweaty and his body tensed up so hard that Tania could not understand him.


    He blew cold air, "I knew they were scum but to think they would put all the blame on them! Those bastards are really crafty! Damn it! This is why I don''t like dealing with those pricks! They are scum and they are trash! They do not deserve to live!"


    "What are you saying?"


    "What I am saying is that we encountered something that we should not have encountered. This is something that even I could not handle! No! Not even the six heroes and Ciara would be able to handle this mess!"


    "That is impossible," she replied with disbelief. "They are no pushovers and even that woman could face the overlord without fear. Why do you fear? This is unlike you, human."


    "You do not understand. You do not understand who are we facing. I said that the dragons need nourishment and I just know who they will send to get their blood offering! I know the being that has not been defeated ever since he took the sword! The being that was worthy of being called the Sword of Four Dragons! The wielder of the intangible blade! He is¡ª"


    Then it happened, he was lost in oblivion. It was silent and eerie. A sword completely cut off his left arm and it landed with a soft thud. The blade that did it was so fast that he did not anticipate it despite all of his senses screaming at him. It told him to dodge that nefarious attack but he could not do so. It was simply too fast for him.


    "Someone actually wound you!?" shouted Tania inside his head.


    Nolan kept his calm. His eyes grew cold as he stares at the figure standing in the shadows. The figure was covered in a red aura that reeked of death and despair. The sword he had on hand was like a saw. His eyes were like a fox. His armor resembling that of a dragon''s scale. He looked human if one would disregard his dragon-like features.


    "Kaiser, The Half-Dragon!" barked Nolan.


    "You are afraid?" said Tania. Her tone was that of a disbelief. In her time with Nolan, she knew of him as a man without fear. A person who disregard fear and thought nothing of death. Yet she could feel his heart trembling in fear. The mental will that he had was shaken hard enough for her to wonder, that who was this being that made him tremble?


    "A human knows my name?" said the half-dragon. He snorted, "Hmm, I thought that they have already forgotten us? You are one of those heirs of the old revenant, aren''t you? You are not dead after I strike. I see that you did not let that old Revenant down."


    He vanished into the wind. Nolan felt the release of death approached him. His body moved according to what it was trained on. Yet it could not simply match the person who was able to achieve the perfection in combat. It was the end to Nolan but suddenly an obsidian arm came out of his left. It grew into a shield strong enough to knock Nolan to the wall instead of killing him.


    "Huh?" muttered Nolan.


    "Come and stand!" shouted Tania. "I don''t mind you dying but I shall kill you myself."


    "So, you can do this?" asked Nolan. He stood up and gazed slightly at his ''arm''.


    "Yes! Your will broke and I was able to slip past some of my influence! You should not have closed your will so hastily! I would have killed you swiftly!"


    Nolan clenched his left arm. He stared at Kaiser who was cold as steel.


    "Hmm, you have a demon of obsidian blood. You know how to seal and make use of them?" His eyes turned mightily colder. He pointed his dreadful blade at Nolan. "If you know this then you are dangerous. I thought that this will be a simple offering of blood, but to think I would meet a dangerous heir of the old revenant. I should kill you."


    It was not time to think at all. Nolan acted by instinct and threw a smoke bomb and a flash bomb out of his pockets. He dived out of the window and started distancing himself from the house.


    "An awful trick you have there. It is not enough, however."


    A quick step was all it took to reach Nolan. Nolan dived and rolled out of the way. The houses that were around got marked with sword scars. The walls started to make a sound as they crumble. The intangible sword that he had was far too dangerous. Nolan knew it well knowing that many of the Light''s army fell. He knew that the six heroes and the War Maiden would have failed in saving the world if the half-devil and half-dragon did not agree to stop his attacks. The sword of the ancient dragons living in this world was not an enemy that they could win. So, they compromised by making him kneel and forcing him and the dragons to concede unless they want the full wrath of the humans who would do anything to kill the dragons. It was laughable to Kaiser but he knew how tenacious humans are and that they always find a way.


    So how could Nolan, a veteran who did not have the powers of the Six Heroes possibly win against this infallible being? How could he raise his sword and dare to fight back at this monster who had to be talked down into being neutral because he was too strong? He knew that he has the skills to kill demons. He knew that he could face anything that he knew how to kill. But he also knew that he could not possibly beat the strongest beings that live in this land.


    What was the use of experience and skills against absolute power?


    Thus, he could only prolong the enviable end.


    Making use of all he had Nolan tried to run away. He made use of all his experiences to deter his death. He threw his armor and used everything that he could to reach somewhere that would allow him to prolong his life. But he knew that it was not possible to live after that being declared his death. There was no way for him to live that long against this being.


    "Ah...what a dream." He muttered. He eyed the endless sky as he stood in front of a cliff. He knew that there was no way to die and knowing Kaiser he would surely not fail in killing him. That was it. There was no way to escape from the infallible being known as Kaiser.


    "You have done well to survive this long for a human. Though I must say that you are quite skilled at anticipating my attacks. You are dangerous since you know too well of me. This is the end for you."


    "What are you doing!" shouted Tania. "Do something!"


    "I am sorry, Tania," said Nolan. "I have not expected to meet the strongest swordsman to ever exist. It seems like you''ll be free from me. It was nice and I am sorry."


    Then, the sword of the being known as Kaiser took out Nolan''s heart. Nolan gasped at his own heart being destroyed. He did not feel pain. He only felt his knees go weak and the thought that he should have expected for things to not go so smoothly. It was foolish of him to believe that this world would be so nice after things went well.


    "Farewell, Heir of the Old Revenant," said Kaiser. He drew his sword once again and took Nolan''s head.

 Chapter 63: The Third Wake

    It ended with a strike. His life took only one blow from that half-dragon. It was a reminder of his inferiority. A grim reminder of what his limits are. It was not questionable for him to die just like that. It was the end of his life.


    A vortex swirled, a shadow of a woman crawled out of the soul of another. She had brown skin, her lovely hair has grown whiter, and there was an odd color on her eyes. She swam through this vortex as if it was a giant ocean. The vortex was filled with nothing, other than the soul that was floating in the middle.


    The soul in front of her was unchanged. The soul opened its eyes. It suddenly screamed madly as it tries to crawl out of the vortex.


    This soul had raging violet eyes, energy seeps out endlessly as it tries to crawl out of this vortex. The woman, who was swimming in this vortex examined the soul, she was able to find the truth about this man. Her soul has merged with him and she was his blade.


    She learned many things. She hated the soul of this man to death. But whatever did he do, it bound her to him. She would be forever with him until death. Not even the afterlife can separate the two, it was indeed a forever and ever for them.


    The soul twitched. It looked at her who was swimming through the vortex. The soul called out to her, hands pointed, eyes forming a line of tears. The woman''s soul frowned, arms folded, the soul eyed the soul trying to get out of this place.


    "You are a fool," said the woman. "You seal me and bring you with me. Have you ever thought of the curse that you live by?"


    She shook her head, "I do not like you. Severing my soul is impossible. I hate you, but I need to live with you in order to live. That''s why..."


    She swam like a mermaid towards the soul. Her lips pressed on the soul, arms circled around the neck of the soul. She grabbed hold of the soul''s hand, swam up and dragged him to a lighter area. The soul shook as it grabbed hold of her, the soul''s lips pressed upon her.


    The two embraced, she pressed her arms around the soul, not making any expression as she does. She didn''t know why but her instincts told her to do so. The soul clung to her embrace. She locked her shadowy legs on the soul, her lips still tightly pressed with the soul.


    "I am not good at this," she thought, pressing her lips, making movements with her tongue. "You are lucky to have me at this moment, fool. I never expected this, to die alongside you, meeting a legendary being. I guess I underestimated life, looks like you are going to become a demon, fool. This is your fate...and you cannot be with that woman unless she abandons her duty for you."


    She then embraced the soul from behind, rested her chin on the soul''s right shoulder, before whispering, "Wake up, Walker...you...who am I kidding? How long do I have to wait? I have been going at this for years already."


    The soul shook. She rested her chin back on his right shoulder. The light from above the vortex shone brightly, Squinting, then closing her eyes. She whispered something incomprehensible to the soul. He was no demon and he could not hear that whisper until she tells it herself.


    ...


    It was an empty field of grass. A man opened his eyes, squeezing it open he looks at the sky. He drags himself up, leaned his hands behind his back and looked at the wall of a city a quarter mile away from his position. There was a frown in his face, his brows drew closed.


    "I died."


    "Yes," said a voice.


    "You are still here?"


    "Yes."


    A form materialized in front of him. This form sat by his left, "Do you know what place is this?"


    "I think I do. I have a bad feeling, however."


    He looked at the marching band of adventures that are currently heading in the direction of the city where Ciara was. "I think we went back in time after I sealed you."


    She looked around, "We rested here."


    "Yes. I think we did. But...why am I back here again?"


    "I do not know," said Tania. "You died and the first thing that I know was that we are in this place."


    Nolan reached for his belt, "Looks like I have the sword. I knew it was bound to me."


    "So what should you do now?" said Tania. "You are back here...I do not know why but are you planning to retrace your steps? Meet that woman again and become her black knight, then meeting that half-dragon?"


    "You are rather calm," said Nolan. "What happen?"


    "Nothing much," Tania shook her head. "I am just too shocked about this. That band is heading to the weasel fault valley, and I know that I saw them march like this. Why do you have the ability to revive back in time?"


    "I do not know," said Nolan. "I never thought about this."


    "Clearly you didn''t."


    She shook her head once again, eyes gazing at the walls of the city. Nolan eyed the materialized form of Tania. His eyes grew misty; his stare growing intense by the moment. The stare was caught by Tania and she sneered, turned her head away and snorted.


    "Stop looking at me, tool."


    "I think you are hiding something."


    "I should be the one asking that, fool. If you can explain why we are back in time then that would be best. And tell me if this is your ability; the inability to die. I do not like this, I do not like the way this is happening, it kills me inside knowing that if you die we will go back in time. This curse of yours walker is horrible, and to spend it with someone I hate is torture itself. I may not be a good person but I do not deserve eternal damnation and the worst part is that I have to spend it with you."


    Nolan didn''t reply at that, he eyed the sky, grabbed hold of his sheath and marched towards the city, leaving a rustling sound of grass.


    He walked inside the city. The carpenter shop hollered at the people. A huge man showed the hunt he did for today. Two kids walked with wooden swords. A stall selling freshly roasted chicken. A caravan slowly rolled towards the gate, ignoring a guard.


    Stopping at a stall, reaching for his pockets, he bought food. It was a simple roast that they sell on the day. It smelled good enough so he took a bit. He chewed, licked and gnarled on it until the food was gone. Leaning on a wall, his head covered by a hood showed no emotions.


    "What will you do, Walker?" asked Tania. "Are you really going to retrace your steps?"


    "I don''t know," said Nolan. "I have clearly died. But I feel empty. You are calm. I thought you''d be distraught, seeing that you are stuck with me possibly forever."


    "Are you willing to let me go?" asked Tania.


    "No."


    "Then you are a possessive man. I cannot believe that you''d cheat on her. Forever and after, till death do us part...if you think about it you have already married me."


    He bit down with a smack, "I don''t want a demon for a partner."


    She materialized in front of him, "And yet you have sealed me within your soul. If I didn''t hate you then I would have fallen in love long enough to endure countless years of being trapped inside a void if I could...to wait for you."


    He cocked his head, "You have a way of telling me to free you. You really are too calm despite knowing all of this."


    She smiled curtly, "Why fight it? You possessive man has taken hostage of me. You bound me within your soul, unable to leave you after death. So how about we talk this out, Walker? How about you agree to my terms?"


    "A devilish contract?" he snorted. "Do you think that I''ll fall for that?"


    "No tricks and no dirty promises."


    He looked at her, "I do not your kind of people. I have lived my life killing and slaying your people and do you really think that I would agree to this? You must think that I lost my mind by dying. Hah, I would have to disappoint you, Tania."


    The smile on her face didn''t disappear, "If I am going to be stuck with you then I might as well cooperate. I don''t know how you bound us together, but nonetheless, I am willing to cooperate with you. You drove me into this despair, I could hate you forever but knowing that I am bound to you even death makes this grudge stupid. I hate you for doing this but I can only forgive you because you force me into doing so."


    "I do not need your cooperation," Nolan curtly said.


    She shook her head, "But I do. You are confident in your ability to resist my will. But I''ve learned how to crept into you and allow my powers to run amok within your body. It is corruption and you know that with this power you can and might be able to face enemies that are stronger than you. You have taken advantage of my blood to protect yourself better but it is not enough. Even that sword of yours was unable to be drawn towards a being that is mighty and absolute. I am giving you a chance here, a chance to be better than what you are. You are a practical person and you should know that having me as your weapon is a good choice. You just won''t admit it. Because of pride, you forego this chance of being better."


    "You are tempting me with that?" said Nolan disdainfully. "I do not know what came to mind as you say this. Did dying change you enough to lend me your power? Or do you fear that without power I would have to die endlessly and you do not want that? Tell me, what did you saw after death?"


    Her eyes became misty, mouth curled into a frown, "Sadness. Utter sadness that I cannot fathom." She floated around him, hands behind her back, face pointing up the sky."


    "I cannot trust you."


    "I know. You hate my kind. I hate you. But you leave me no choice but cooperate with you. You turned me into a part of your soul, your blood runs within me and mine into yours. Do you think that I am fond of this? I may be a devil but I had people that I wanted to protect! I didn''t kill because I want to! I killed because it was necessary for me to do my part in saving my homeland. You know where my home is and you know how terrible the conditions are in that place!


    "Any rational being would search for a way to better their lives. It is hardwired into our brain. What would you do better the lives of children that are suffering, knowing that you have a way to give them a better life and knowing that doing so you need to conquer this place? You, humans, don''t want peace! And we have gone tired from trying to win peace! Are we so different, Nolan?"


    "Yes," said Nolan. "Your reasons are wonderful. I think you are righteous for doing so. I think that helping my race overcome the presence of the demons is wonderful as well. I respect your sentiment truly. I will not say otherwise and I will not scorn you for that." He clenched his fist. "But I cannot trust you, Tania. I''ve lived my life knowing nothing but slaughter. I understand that you want to cooperate with me for what I have done. I do not know what you saw after death that made you think this way...but I cannot trust you. After all," he smiled, "I am the monster who made you a part of me, a tool that I can use to fight the monsters that I have been fighting."


    "I see," she nodded. She then looked at him while slowly disappearing. "Nolan, have you heard of the Old Revenant who fell in love with the goddess of light?"


    "I''ve heard of the Old Revenant, the father of all Bleak Walkers...what of it?"


    "Nothing," she smiled, disappearing. "I just think that I can relate to that Revenant."

 Chapter 64: Corruption

    Nolan sat on an empty crate. He looked above the sky in a daze. He heard that the War Maiden has turned cold and yet here he was neglecting that problem. He has been sitting here neglecting his own body. It was like he was unable to get tired. His body has been through a lot of suffering, he knew it too well. But, it never came to his mind that he could be so untiring.


    "You are becoming what you hated," an unusually sweet voice sounded out. It was sweet enough for Nolan to cringed at.


    "What are even doing now?" he asked. "You are cringing me with your sweet tone of voice. Where''s your usual seething one?"


    "Do you prefer that one?" she said with a seething voice. "You are odd. You''d refuse being a Knight this around? Quite heartless of you to leave her alone knowing that she thinks that you are dead. Or do you have something in mind?"


    "Leave her alone," he spoke in pain. "I should leave her alone. With Kaiser around, I don''t think the inner lands needs someone who is in life to take care of them. They''ll need a calculating and frosty war maiden."


    "Isn''t that too optimistic of you?"


    He lightly bit his lip, "She''s already cold now that she has the incarnations of the War Maidens merging with her. And I know that she''ll do fine. She...is the person that I admire most in this world. You know this well...you are not stupid, Tania Of the Obsidian."


    "Yes," she smiled. "Someone that is able to go back in time at the time of their death. I do not know how many times have you died. How many heartaches you have suffered throughout this journey."


    Her words like thunder. It was like there was a mist flowing out of the ground. Behind her was the image of his own self walking through a wasteland along with a worn and battered group, a look of tiredness came upon their faces, yet there will never be faltered. A storm brewed and flapped their cloaks about. Nolan stared fondly behind Tania with utter loneliness. Then the scenery changed into that of a bloody battlefield. The group that he was walking with laid dead on the ground, he stood intoxicated by his own victory.


    "But isn''t it wonderful how you are able to stand?"


    "Hmph, you are quite cheeky."


    He held his eyes with a palm. He snorted, looked at the sky and back to Tania''s figure, "You do not know anything."


    She smiled brightly. Her eyes felt like she was able to see through him.


    "Have you heard of the Tale of the Old Revenant?"


    "Huh?"


    "The one that fell in love with the Goddess of Light?"


    "I know it¡­but."


    Her eyes stayed still. Nolan did not show fear of Tania. Unless she was the overlord or that monster known as Kaiser. He will never falter or doubt his ability because he knew it already. Yet the phantom before him was strange. Ever since he experienced his third sleep, Nolan has noticed something strange going on with Tania.


    "Did you knot that there was a lie about that story? Do you know that the Old Revenant could never find the goddess of light? He''ll be struck by the light and he will die without being able to take a glimpse of the goddess. The tale has been written and re-written and along the way, there was a change that happened. Was it really the truth? Or did someone change the script?"


    "What are you even talking about? How is this relevant? What are you even saying right now?"


    Her eyes grew dim. The frosty coldness was gone like the wind.


    "Who knows?" she giggled. There was a void in her eyes as she cackles. Then, her eyes turned normal, the darkness that was within and around her vanished altogether.


    "You¡­something happened, didn''t it?" he said. "And I can no longer feel that you are resisting¡­no¡­what are you doing?"


    "That bit of crack in your willpower. That was enough for me to seep into the crevices of your mind and blood. A single blood of mine contains powers and that alone was enough to infect your blood with mine."


    "You bitch."


    "A little bit payback. But do not worry, Walker. Your soul is still part of me now. If I kill you then I will die as well. Possession won''t work considering that you are a man with little fear in death. I am just trying to better my position here."


    "I don''t get it," he snorted. "Were you confusing with that nonsense to do this?"


    She shook her head, "How could that? It took a long time but waking back in this time allowed me to grasp this opportunity. I thank you for this leniency. It seems like a troubled heart after experiencing death is a good way to pierce through the heart of a man. You should be thankful, Nolan. With my power, you are now able to be stronger. You felt it right? The inability of you does not get tired is a sign that you have been corrupted by my blood. You might be able to use some of my blood and shift them into a weapon or a shield. Oh, do not give me that face, Bleak Walker."


    "You turned me into a demon?" he drew cold air. "How dare you!"


    She snorted, "Power is power. You were helpless again the demon and don''t be silly. You were already using my blood to fuel that sword of yours. And you cover yourself with a thick grim that allows you shield that disperses magic and resist force and impact. Getting more devilish power from me, who you bound to your soul means nothing now." She smiled at him. "Well, ¡­you could always free me and let me go. It will be painful but I know that it is nothing to you, Nolan Salvatore."


    Nolan clenched his fist so hard that his arm shook, "I almost forgot that I am dealing with a devil. I guess you aren''t as stupid as you look."


    "Of course," she raised her head. "Even I can cook up a few opportunities to better my situation!"


    The weather became worst. Nolan bristly walked through a deserted alley, holding on to his coat. He covered his left arm, trying to hide the bloodiness of it. He tried checking the power that he got from Tania. It was efficient but painful to use. He has to let the obsidian blood go run wild to conjure the shifting power he was granted.


    Nolan cut through the right of the alley. He marched, moving his legs softly like a puma. His feet didn''t make any sound, the rain also drowned out every noise that happened. Under the hood, Nolan snorted his nose and lifted his face, enough for the rainwater to drop on his face.


    "The rain shouldn''t arrive this early," thought Nolan. He continued down this deserted alley, crossed an intersection and arrived on a tavern with a worn down sign. Taking a step, he sidled towards a stool and sat carefully, leaning his elbow on the counter. Raising a finger, the shopkeeper stretched an arm, poured a glass of alcohol and nodded at him.


    The shopkeeper knew how to distinguish eyes. If a patron wanted to talk, they would eye him expectantly. If they don''t, they would look just look and give a nod. The shopkeeper didn''t bother Nolan. He let him drink his glass and tended to the customers.


    Nolan drank two glasses before reclining on the side of the tavern. He ordered a few meals and ate them without enthusiasm. The hubbub of the tavern was whisper-like. The patrons of this particular tavern come in and go. Most of them wore armor, most were ill-maintained.


    They did not bother anyone. Most were drinking their sorrows away. He would nod at the fellow wanderers who are busily hunting monsters that entered the inner lands. Once in a while, a fellow Bleak Walker would enter, give a sigil greeting and left without any word.


    Nolan stayed for the night. He would come out of the tavern every dawn, hunt down a bounty for any lower monster and go back to the tavern. It was an utterly deprived routine and he would make use of his time to drink. It didn''t mean that he became depressed or anything. It was just that he was making use of this to past away time. He didn''t have anything to do, and the way work around him was being done was astounding.


    The Cold-Calculating War Maiden, that title was now heard all around the inner lands. In a matter of days the precise and concise surgery-like attention that the War Maiden did surprise everyone. The foolish assumption of the nobles that wanted to court her was crushed. Her efficiency in doing her job as the blessed of the War God made everyone who thought of her as a wonderful prize was gone.


    Nolan was aware how competent Ciara was, he saw it for himself back in time, and even without her powers as the War Maiden, she was unrelenting and there was no one who was worthy to lead the Light''s army than her. If anything Nolan''s confidence has been crushed. It was another answer to his question. Would she really need someone like him?


    He thought of that time where they danced up at the hill. It was a future that happened but now he neglected that future and now she was far better on her role as a War Maiden. Her heart became cold. He could tell that with how she was acting. It was as if she was running away from a pain that even a War Maiden could not endure.


    Nolan knew what that pain was. Despite that, he was going to ignore it, sternly as he could. It was a nice dream for Nolan, becoming her knight and becoming her sword, even for a while, it proved to be a good dream. But he saw how that would lead him into confronting the strongest, the weakest facing the strongest was impossible. Absolute power triumphed over experience. He proved that by dying by the hands of Kaiser, the Strongest Half-Dragon swordsman, guardian of the dragons.


    So he turned to this stupid choice. Nolan thought that he should care about his own happiness. But seemingly the world will not be nice. A choice led him to death. It was enough for him to know that a Bleak Walker''s path was indeed...bleak.


    Tania, who usually would bother Nolan, was unusually quiet. She was sleeping in her own world, inside the sword. Her soul is actually connected to Nolan, but nonetheless, she lives inside the sword, becoming the sword''s vessel, allowing Nolan to cut through anything.


    Together, they were strong, strong enough to face the half-devil, half-dragon Kaiser even for a moment. She''s usually disdainful, but her attitude took a drastic change, as if death changed her way of thinking, the usual Tania was gone, replaced by someone that Nolan could not see through any longer.


    Dealing with a devil was something that he''d never do. The Light''s army has forbidden that thought when the world dimmed. Nolan and the Bleak Walkers killed every devil they could see with a fanatical zeal. Nolan killed without taking it to heart. So it was a surprise for him to seek power from a devil, knowing that using her as a tool was the same as committing a sin against the Holy City.


    But it was too late, not to mention that the Holy City would never bother with a Bleak Walkers. Bleak Walkers has always been considered as eccentrics, an odd group of people that has always been known to carry oddness and weirdness.


    There was nothing weird for a Bleak Walker to suddenly come in contact with a devil, turning into one. Being corrupted by a devil or dying because of one was not a rare thing for a Bleak Walker. He had no need to hide the left arm that was corrupted by Tania. But he wasn''t a fool to reveal it. It can act as a triumph card, and although he hated it, he can rely on it.


    "I should look for Vie and the others," he thought. He remembered Vie, Hannah, and the Sunspawn Knight Todd. If he was correct, then he would like to help them.


    Thus, Nolan Salvatore once again ran away from happiness.


    What a fool...thought the phantom.

 Chapter 65: Advise Against Choice

    Vie, Hannah, and Todd were surrounded. It was honest to God mistake. The rotating fan vent was far from what they expected, no, it was more like they didn''t intend to their instinct. It was bold of them to do, but it takes something to think that there will be no resistance.


    It was quite a match. The three worked together and slaughtered the guards. Sweating, tired, exhausted, breathing through their nose, hands trying to keep steady. The three thought wrong about the situation and ended up here. No matter how strong they were, or how much they were able to fight at the fall of Oasis City. The situation was far complicated, the enemies of the Inner Lands were protecting the fan vent; the wind purifier that keeps the air inside the underground city, uncontaminated.


    So it was a mistake for the three. But however, at this time they didn''t expect the arrival of a lone figure clad in a cloak, his left hand covered in obsidian, his eyes glowing bloody red, his sword was splicing the air, the pressure of the jet cutter coated blade of his placed fear on the eyes of the enemy.


    He moved. His body moved with a lowered posture. With his combat posture, he slashed at the enemies with the incredible flow, each hit connected with another, his movements were like water, he dodged through instinct and countered with extreme finesse. It was a natural movement of a man who was used to fighting in a battlefield packed like sardines. It was only a moment but that was enough for the three to break the stalemate, crushed the surrounding enemies and broke through the enemy''s defenses.


    It was foolish to give Hannah the chance. Todd was not powerless. He crushed through the enemy and purged with the power of the sun at his behest. The enemy stood no chance against the four''s whirlwind of death, the narrow ruined hall was now covered in a pool of blood.


    "How disgusting."


    She clicked her tongue through the gap of her teeth. Her eyes narrowed at the scene of death littered the decrepit hallways of this ancient ruin. Todd sheathed his bladed and closed his master. The panting Vie struggled, lifted his head and gazed at the person who broke the stalemate.


    "Brother?"


    "Yo, Vie."


    He hollered at her casually, his blank face, his steely gaze was enough for Vie to confirmed that it was indeed, Nolan. The Nolan that saved him from the well when she thought the hope was lost. The person who tried to save the Oasis City from falling.


    "It has been a while."


    She grunted, nearing Nolan and bumping fist at this brother figure of hers. A warm smile crept upon Vie''s face, and this made the blank-faced Nolan smile thinly as well. Hannah, who was circulating the mana on her body took a step near Vie as well.


    "You are alive, that is not surprising."


    "Lady Hannah."


    He bowed with respect. His hood fell, revealing a slightly silver hair. It almost like it started to whiten after something. Hannah returned the respect, her head lowered as she greeted the Bleak Walker who she saw wonderfully fight in the Oasis City and now.


    "I expected you to be lost. But I must admit that your spectacular rescue was quite something."


    "I did not do it all myself.''


    "Yes."


    She smiled sincerely. Todd nodded, crossed his arms, agreeing to his master and mistress. Vie palmed her cheeks, she looked at the three, smiled and placed her hands on her hips. There was a cheeky grin happening on her face. It was almost shining.


    "Well, that''s enough for compliments. I expected the three of you to meet resistance but to see you all surrounded by the Sires."


    "So you know them? These beasts?"


    "I do."


    Nolan nodded briskly. Hannah touched her chin. Vie perked up her ears while Todd kept his arms crossed. Nolan threw a swift cut and decapitated a Sire''s head. He took the head, unmasked it, and revealed a pale-faced man with elvish features.


    "A sire, guardians of the Underground Cities, home of the humans. They are the people who are living under the barren land and that fan is what keeps them alive. Are you all planning to murder an entire race?"


    "You are saying that this would lead?"


    "To an end...but I do not recommend this solution."


    Nolan growled at Todd. His face was monstrous as it is. It didn''t have any sign of kindness and all was left was a calculating and murderous Nolan. It was a moment of lapse and without caring about Ciara''s being and her safety. Nolan''s steeled-battle-hardened self would truly emerge. It should not be mistaken. He was a person who would soften up at the thought of his love. But out of that love, when he was moving in a path of what he was hardened at.


    Nolan would become the person that he became after Ciara died in front of him. The time he spent with Ciara was sweet and beautiful. But that time was mostly lost when he continued down the path of a Bleak Walker. It was a path that steeled his heart. He could count the days that he spent with Ciara but was drilled inside his head was the path of a Bleak Walker.


    So how could the three who has not seen the hell that was seen by Nolan could stand still without fear? Todd moved in front of Hannah while Vie took a step back, body trembling at the sight of Nolan who turned back into the bitter Bleak Walker that he was.


    Nolan himself knew that after moving away from Ciara''s light that he started to act up again. It was akin to having a disorder. It was a ''self'' that he created in order to continue down the path that he has already walked. No matter how normal he thought of himself. It didn''t mean that he didn''t become twisted at some point in the future.


    Nolan Salvatore -- the young man who was once taken to this world forcibly. The person that was played with by fate, clawed his way to the top, met a woman who he fell in love and admired and then died at the face of the sun''s light intoxicated at seeing the world''s happy end.


    And this Nolan Salvatore was giving the three who would murder cities his advise.


    "Speak?"


    Hannah pointed her staff at the steeled Nolan. Her expression grave, her hands trembling despite her calm face, it was a reaction to the malevolent person before her who reeked of death.


    "I am telling you that path is not right. Imagine that you are a ruler of underground cities. You watch over your people in hopes of protecting them. You live in a land of wasteland where you are constantly sickened by a disease. You hear the agony of the children and your people ¨C unable to stop it because of your role. Now, kill those people, let him know that his subjects are dead and the people he is protecting are gone. Now what that would ruler do after knowing who did to his people?"


    "He will rage."


    Hannah answered. She was trying to ignore the blank-faced Nolan who was leaking violence and despair. Her face crumpled, her hands still trembling as it is. Todd didn''t move. In fact, he thought that taking a step would kill him. The blade that Nolan had was far too deadly for him. Even a Sunspawn Knight feared the blade that was held by this Bleak Walker.


    "That''s right he will rage. A cornered rational being with emotions would rage. He would be angry at the folks that killed his subjects. He would feel cornered. He would want to gain justice. Talking to us would mean nothing. He will not talk with humans and he will push down his wrath upon this land in exchange for what the humans did. Did you know? Those who lost everything are much dangerous. A cornered animal fights harder. You should know this. Cornering and giving the enemy no heart means that you''d truly insulted the devil."


    Hannah frowned hard. Todd nodded his head, his spread arms stern as it could be. Hannah lifted her face, pointing it at the Nolan who was acting like a wall, as if even the three would fight him, they would not move this wall. Hannah could find no reason to fight this wall.


    "I know. But to reduce their number would mean victory for us. I do not understand this. Why would you impede on such grand opportunity?"


    "Because I know what comes. Look into my eyes, Hannah. I don''t have these sigils for anything. I saw what monstrosities that the Overlord has. I crossed the pale plains; I trudged through the hellish marsh and swam the river of Styx once. You know nothing on what they could do. They have the power to turn this world into the end. And you are here trying to provoke the world this early¡ªand the worst part of it is that you are going to use Vie''s poisoned hair to do your dirty job."


    Nolan could tell what they were planning. If she wasn''t here then they would have used another way to destroy the underground cities. He has seen it all and it was a disaster that turned the demons into something worse than they already are.


    "But they wouldn''t know who did it."


    Nolan looked around the room.


    "Too late for that isn''t it?"


    Hannah gave a scowling look.


    "We can still burn them. Can''t you see? This poison of hers would allow us to release toxins that would kill them. They won''t know what will hit them and we can lie about what happened."


    "You fool."


    Nolan shook his and move his wrist.


    "Are you really going with that? Do you think of the Overlord as a brainless fool? How long do you think that bastard has live through this world?"


    "And you know?"


    "Because I know it and you don''t know."


    Nolan''s answer was far too vague for Hannah to understand. She wanted to suspect him but that alone was able to shut her up. She could not deny Nolan''s truth and that alone was enough for her to step back. Nolan squared his body and stared at her.


    "I admit that your words are correct. That killing them this way would indeed give us an advantage. But I do not like fighting monsters that turned themselves into monsters. Lady Hannah, your intentions are wonderful but I do not like it. I simply do not like the way it would be heading ¨C thus I am here to stop you."


    "Why do you care so much about them?"


    Nolan snorted loudly, showing his disdain.


    "I lived my life killing them. Do you think that I have a love for them? No, you mistake my advised as a kind one. I am merely weighing the pros and con. And giving the enemy the goal and motivation to kill and murder us all is something that I am not fond of. I came here at first to help but remembering something I decided against helping you achieve a horrible a choice."


    "You are an arrogant man."


    Hannah hissed at him. She was angry but her reason told her better. Her expression gradually calmed down and she looked at Nolan with a cold gaze. Todd lowered his arms, his right hand ready to draw his Sunspawn sword. He was her knight and it was natural of him to protect her.


    Vie didn''t expect to hear all of those words from Nolan. To her, most of his words made sense. She was not a hateful person, she never really wished for a massacre. Her heart however faltered, she looked at Hannah and Todd who wanted to use her hair to poison a city of monsters.


    "Arrogant? No, I am just an experienced man who has gone through hell. None of you kids can understand it."


    Todd wanted to sneer at that remark. But he snickered at it. It was absurd for Todd to call them kids when they have the same youthfulness.


    "I may look like this. But I am not as a young you think I am."


    That alone took Todd back.


    "You don''t look like a long-lived race."


    "You don''t know anything, Todd. Give it up."


    Todd sneered. He crossed his arms and took a step away from Nolan. Hannah, who was glad seeing Nolan, did the same, leaving Vie and Nolan alone. Nolan found no reason to hold his sword, he sheathed it and gave a meaningless sigh. This kind of meeting was not good.

 Chapter 66: The Bleak Walker that he was

    Sitting away from Nolan, the disturbed Hannah snorted, her forehead wrinkled. Todd stood not far from her. The fan of the giant vent moved slowly, giving a creaky sound. Hannah could not hide her displeasure.


    "Why is he like that?"


    "I can smell monstrous, something seething. That man has the look of a monster."


    He wasn''t that far off. Nolan didn''t notice but due to Tania seeping inside his soul. He has slowly developed devilish features. His blood red eyes reeked killing intent. His features have become sharper and yet despite his size he was reeking a foul intimidation that disturbed Todd, who has faced devils and slain them with his sword.


    "He''s becoming what he hated."


    That was the only remark that Todd could give. Hannah listened to him but seeing Nolan who standing behind Vie, tying her grass-like hair into a ponytail. She wondered if the monstrous man that gave her heart a fright a moments ago was him. She agreed with what Todd said but yet looking at him now disturbed her.


    "Is this really that frightening man just now?"


    She thought. If Nolan could hear her right now. He would wearily smile. He was busy taking care of the girl known as Vie. Although Vie was a woman who has always taken care of herself. And barely let anyone treat her so easily like she was being treated right now. She was a hardened woman who sought the bleak path alone.


    But she was now being treated like a sister. Nolan just grabbed hold of her hair. She obeyed and let him do what he wanted. She owed him her life and their days in Oasis was a bit of a treasure for her. The moment she was saved down that well. The sight of seeing Nolan act was quite the sight for her. Unconsciously, she started thinking that he was her big brother. A person that she could rely on. And that was coming from a Bleak Walker like her.


    "Where did you?" she asked.


    Nolan smiled thinly, "Around, doing what I usually do."


    "Killing things?"


    "That''s fair."


    She tapped the back of her hand. She looked at Hannah and Todd who was staring at the other side from where they sat. She thought that their eyes were wary, the calm look on their faces was long gone. She didn''t blame them for that. To her, Nolan was someone she rather not become enemies with. She really has no reason to fight the person who saved her in the first place.


    "They really look like they are scared of you.


    "


    "Are they? I was just telling them the consequences. What they are doing is stupid. That was all to it."


    "It would still kill the enemies."


    "And in exchange, they would become monsters."


    "Like what you are becoming, brother?"


    She looked at him from her shoulder. Her eyes peeking at the deepest of his heart. Nolan raised a single brow. He moved his hands, finished tying Vie''s hair into a ponytail. He then sat beside Vie. His eyes staring at Vie who did not stop eyeing him. He didn''t know how to reply to that. But he knew that she must have sensed it.


    "The arm?"


    "Yes, that left of yours is corrupted. That sword of yours is quite sharp. But the magic alone is something that even a magician like Hannah could conjure. I saw you fight already. I know that you have sets of runes like us. But that sharp blade coating your sword is something I have not heard or seen yet."


    "I bound a devil in my soul."


    "You did?"


    She looked at him with a neutral eye. Nolan found that odd.


    "Yes. I only wanted to use the devil''s blood to conjure the jet-cutting blade. I made a mistake and the soul of the devil seeped into my soul. Causing this to happen."


    He pointed at his hair. Vie nodded at the sight of his white hair and blood-red eyes.


    "I see. But isn''t it dangerous? If those Crusading Holy Knights find out about this. They will hunt you down. Those men and women are zealous fanatics that would destroy any devil they can find. Even if you are human, just being tainted by the devil means you are a devil too. They will hunt you down."


    "I know how to handle them," he smiled confidently.


    She nodded, "Is that so? Well, brother, you must have been affected by the fall of Oasis. To think you would seek power like this."


    "Yes," he didn''t refute. "I am looking for power but I know that this is the only thing that I could. Hah, despite having this sharp blade, I''ve been defeated."


    He thought of Kaiser, the half-dragon who easily ended his life within a few strikes. Vie saw Nolan''s crunching face. She could tell that however defeated Nolan. He or she was a monster of a caliber that she could not possibly compete.


    "That''s surprising."


    "What? I may have experience in fighting but it doesn''t mean I am good at it."


    Nolan lamented. It took him years to become good at fighting. He sweated blood and tears to prove herself to Ciara. Nolan has to trek dangerous places in order to prove himself again to his Bleak Walker brothers and sisters. He was average in terms of fighting and only because of experience and skill that he could hold a candle to this world.


    "You are good with the sword though?"


    "You will surpass me."


    He meant that well. Vie''s future was cut off the moment she died in that well. But Nolan knew that Vie has the talent to become better and her poisonous hair was something that would put fear on the hearts of many.


    "But..."


    Nolan creased his brows. He saw hesitation in her eyes.


    "Forgive me, but I don''t think I can easily reach that stage. I mean, I do not have Brother''s single-mindedly driven obsession. Brother Nolan, you don''t see it yourself. But have you ever wondered why you have reached that stage? What made you reach that stage in the first place? Why need it?"


    "Of course, I know..."


    Nolan knew that he did it for Ciara. But in the end, there was a thought that popped into his head.


    The day he spent with Ciara was short but sweet. But the life he spent was mostly a bloody one. He could remember walking down a field of corpses, intoxicated with a victory. His face maddened at the sight of his comrades lying down in blood and corpses. The sun that could not be seen. The light from the mages gave them their light.


    He remembered fighting surrounded. He felt so tired that he did not even think of the reason why he was suffering for this. But what Vie said shook his little head. Indeed, he felt so powerless and lost that he dared to seek power from the race that he hated the most. Nolan could not understand this feeling.


    The thought of Ciara dying in front of him was his greatest excuse. He truly loved her. He did. But in the end, that time was long forgotten as he marches on a world without her. He made excuses and what not. But at the end of his life, he only thought of her. But in the end did he really still remember the times with her?


    Did Nolan Salvatore keep all memories of her? Nolan let Vie''s hair go. He lowered his head and thought. Indeed, it was not surprising that along the way he turned himself into an uncaring monster. His excuse was that he let Ciara die. That was the catalyst that allowed him to strive forward, steeling his heart and mind.


    But in the end, he truly becomes a Bleak Walker in a sense. Like a fool keeping use of Ciara''s memory as a fire that burns his heart. But Nolan now understood that there was a problem within him. He was doubting his love. He was doubting the love that kept him alive and well. If he truly loved her then why was he here in the first place? Why was he somewhere that was not her side?


    He became her Knight and was slain by Kaiser. She was doing well in this timeless and she was doing her job perfectly without him. He understood that even in the past or now he was useless to her. She was strong and competent enough. He knew that he was inferior to her in every way. She did not need someone like him.


    Inferiority. All he felt was inferiority. Nolan knew that staying with Ciara would feel his hearts doubt. He was anxious and he would be filled with worry that he cannot do anything to protect her. Nolan felt like scum for thinking this. But in the end, he uncovered the truth within his heart. That he has spent so long walking the bleak path that he didn''t know how to face her anymore.


    His body that was hammered for battle can no longer think of being with her. It was no partly his fault as well the Bleak Walkers are always destined to travel the bleak path. Alone, tugging his cloak, looking for a good place to die. They always wander and that was their fate. Nolan could not escape that curse and even though he knew that he could stay with her. He knew that in the end, he could not let go of the life that he suffered for too long.


    "You realize it?"


    "Shut up."


    "You never wanted her. You just used her memory as a tool. What are you even doing? What are you fighting for? In fact, if you want nothing but battle then why are you stopping them from killing them all? Isn''t the pleasure of battle more fulfilling?"


    Intoxicated, addicted, Nolan bit his lip hard. He knew that in the end, he was just a Bleak Walker. A filthy bleak walker that wanted nothing but to wander around. He was alive when he walked the earth. He has forgotten that in the end, he accepted Ciara''s death. He accepted that the woman she loved was no longer around.


    He spent those times killing and wandering. A man that walked the earth along with a few companions. In the end, it turned into a huge army that led a fight against the enemy. He used his brain and wits. He used all of his soul to reach that end. Now, he was back in a world where he could be with her. All of the resolve that he did for her memory. All the lessons he carved into his soul was slowly crumbling apart.


    That''s why even though he loved. He didn''t want to be with her for a reason as petty as this. Fate was not involved in this choice. He merely couldn''t understand or know how to function near her. He lost her back then. He accepted that loss and crafted a steel-hearted, calm-hearted man out of his own self. Now, all of that was going to naught. All that resolve was crumbling and he simply did not have the courage to face the woman he engraved in her heart and moved on.


    "How pathetic..."


    He berated himself. He knew that deep in heart he was afraid. He was already used to be alone and fighting. But now that she was alive again. He could not think of his life as that alone. Nolan, at the end of his life. Simply wanted to take a rest. He simply wanted to perish and embrace death. He has lived long enough. He has seen all the world has to offer. And now he fears that he would not find peace even in death. He feared that even if death he would return again, alive, breathing, squinting at the harsh sun.


    He didn''t know why he returns back in time when he''s killed. He didn''t know he has such an ability that did not allow him to embrace the peace of death. It bothered him gently and this single thought put Nolan into a bleak mood. Vie noticed the changed that was happening to Nolan. His eyes were chaotic but then something happens. The bleak aura around him grew harsher. His glowing red eyes showed the sigil. The mark of a bleak walker''s hardship and their curse.


    "What need is there to weep over things I cannot control?"


    There was coldness in his tone. Vie gazed at Nolan who was back to what he was when she met him in Oasis. Cold and calculating.

 Chapter 67: Spiced Snow

    She dreamt of a scene that made her feel like it happened. Awakening with tears rolling down her cheeks, the War Maiden was defenseless. In this room she was true to herself, Tucked in bed, her blanket covering her lower body. She stared at the ceiling with reddish eyes. The room that was around her was spacious yet she was alone.


    "Another day?" she thought. "I should command them again. I wonder how it will go."


    She looked at the world. It was grey and cold. As if there was a constant coldness around. She was blessed with power. She has everything now yet her heart was so heavy and cold. She found it hard to stand up. Not because she was tired or anything. She just felt like it was so tiresome to move her body. Her cold and dulled face thought of the dream.


    She remembered dancing on a hill. Above her was the blanket of stars that resembled droppings of milk. In front of her was the person who was a constant heartache to her life. Dancing and giggling while their hands interlocked. That dream alone was the reason she would tire herself out. Hoping that she would dream of the time she was with that man.


    "Why?" she thought. "I didn''t ask for all of this in the first place."


    In fact, at the time she was at rock bottom. That man carried her through various places. Not caring about the weight or the enemies he has to face. His warm back was the only thing she could rely on at that time. No matter how broke she was when she lost her legs. That man took her hand and made her believe in Hope.


    It was only because of that hope she did not give up on herself. She believed that she can believe in him about her fate as a War Maiden. Funnily, she was ready to give herself to him. He saw what she had to offer. She remembered the sweet caring hands she received during that time. No matter how uncaring she was. She could still fondly remember those times.


    Now she was alone. It was like she back at the time before she met her in that alley. His appearance was sudden and short. Like an enigma that made her infinitely curious. Her cold heart was struck and her defenses were quickly shaken. It was like he knew what to hit her in a short time. Her heart could only curse at this man.


    But now Ciara, the War Maiden was now all alone again. Treated like a Queen and a figure of importance. A woman with a beauty that makes the Princes and Nobles beg for her hand. Many wanted to be her Knight yet she never accepted them. She could clearly see their lusty gaze. She could see the desires of them.


    She has to take care of the Six Heroes. She was their conduit and with their awakening, she could clear their power flowing on her. She does not have the time for their self-interests. Her heart was still and cold. The thought of seeing that stern man deprived of life, carried within a coffin. She could not believe it. She could not believe that the man that would die so pathetically.


    But she knew that the person in the coffin was the same man who made her heart. Now she was lost again. Her world back to what it was. Dull, cold, and uncaring without any warmth. Without him, she was now Ciara the War Maiden, the Strongest and Fairest War Maiden that the world has to witness. A War Maiden that could join hands with the Heroes and defeat their eternal enemy.


    Her cold demeanors made the pesky nobles leave her alone, proclaiming that she was tasked by the War God to save the world. She didn''t have any time for such things but in truth, she only wanted to hide her heart from the heartache was killing her inside.


    Ciara moved from her bed and wore her usual garments. A plated armor crafted from the greatest materials and a sword that could endure her strongest strikes and thrusts. She has ornaments and boxes of jewels that she could decorate her hair. But now she just let her hair loose without care. Her ears twitched at the noise of the maid''s footsteps. She was not fond of the maids. She was a person that was used to taking care of herself.


    Ciara moved near the window. The city''s roofs reflected in her eyes. She could tell that there was a throng of people going around. Her senses were at their peaks and her vision could discern the activity. Her eagle-like eyes scouted the whole of the city. The castle was positioned in an elevated area and because of it, it could scope the city whole. Her eyes moved around scanning everything that she could take in. She was hoping that there would be a sign of him.


    "How delusional of me," she grumbled. She grabbed hold of her sword. Her face crumpled. Anyone who could see her right now would widen their eyes at the sight of her usual expression gone.


    There was nothing but a lonely woman here. She was mourning and the worst part was that she hoped that the man she''s thinking about would give her a miracle. It has been quite a while yet there was nothing like that. The snow was starting to fall heavy. And before long her world would go grow even colder than before.


    "My world shouldn''t revolve around him," she thought. "I have to save this world along with the Heroes. That is my duty. That''s why he carried me to that place and gave me all of this power. He would be angry if I waste it all, right?"


    She gave a painful smile. Her brought her palms on cheeks and rubbed it. The window reflected her face covered in tears. She felt like a fool doing this ever since seeing that coffin. She never thought that one day she would feel so rock bottom despite having it all. Riches, power, fame and even the beauty she thought she would never have again.


    "But what''s the point of this?" she grumbled.


    She walked along the carpet-ridden hallways. Passing through the decorated walls, columns riddled with gold and silver. Upon entering a fall, a group of maids bowed her, their expressions solemn at the sight of the War Maiden.


    "Good Morning, Lady Ciara."


    The harmonious voices of the maids didn''t bother her. She marched on with her left hand on the hilt of her sword. She then entered cone hallway leading up to a majestic throne that was specifically made her. It was a wooden throne laced with comfortable stuff. The velvet throne was crafted from the hands of the greatest craftsmen of the Inner Lands.


    The door opened wide. Ciara calmly seated on her throne. Her left hand placed on the left. Her right hand supported her cheek. She gazed at the line of nobles that entered through the door. They are wearing articles of clothing that could buy the troops at her disposal enough food to last for a week. She was rather displeased already.


    The scowling look was quickly noticed by the Nobles. Their minds halted before they gingerly fell in a column. Inside their heads was regret. They showed their unpleasing side to the woman in front of them. Ciara, the strongest and fairest War Maiden, was clearly displeased at their appearance. But they can do nothing about it.


    A noble with a felt halt stepped in front of Ciara. He kneeled and gazed upon her. He was clearly shaken looking at the War Maiden. Her cold yet beautiful face made her so striking. She was like a flower planted on top of a snowy mountain, where she could shine and be gazed at. He heard that there was a sudden change of attitude that happened after a Hero appeared. There were rumors surrounding it but it was quickly silenced.


    "I have come to greet the War Maiden!"


    The noble said. Ciara nodded and let the Noble go. Another Noble followed and so on she listened to their prattling. She didn''t say anything. She kept a stony face until the farce was over. Then what followed was the commanders of the Light''s Army that gathered under her banner. They reported the movements of their enemies and the plan to take Oasis back and repair the barrier separating the Barren and the Inner Lands.


    She nodded at the reports. She tapped the arm of her throne. The Commanders stared at the War Maiden as she then instructed them. She made use of the experiences of the previous War Maidens to lead them. Each of her commands was precise and the Commanders could not find fault. After that, they bid their farewell and left Ciara alone in her Velvet Throne.


    A cold wind entered from an opened window. Ciara glanced out the window. The clouds were forming and the clouds cried snow. She rose from her velvet throne and neared the window. Her dull eyes reflecting the snowflakes that slowly swayed down from the sky. She looked around her. An aura coated her and before long she pulled the window completely open and leap out of the window.


    She glided down into the roofs of the city houses. She gazed at the sky as a snowflake then fell on her palms. She glanced at the hill where she once dreamt. She moved towards there, occasionally stopping by to look at the hubbub of people walking around. Along the way she found a stall selling spiced wine. She bought some, tucked it into her bag and carried on her way. The cape of hers disguised her and before long she found herself on the foot of the hill. Slowly climbing the cape and hood of hers was dyed in the snow. She found the bench where she dreamt of dancing. With the spiced wine in her hand, she sat on the bench.


    The snow fell on top of her head. With a sip, she tasted the wine while staring at the city. She didn''t know why but by the time she was done drinking five bottles, the scene of that dream carried on. Like a scene from a time she could not remember. She was blessed by the War Maiden and she knew that she was immune to all kinds of spells and charms. But the dream-like feeling of her dancing so happily made her question that. If this was the way the War God was treating her kindly then she was glad.


    It might be a dream or a delusion created by her pained heart. But she chooses to believe that it was some sort of treat. She raised the bottle of spiced wine with a bitter smile on her face. She bit the side of her lip and laughed as if mad. She lowered her head. Tiny droppings of tears wetted the ground she was staring at.


    She then gazed at the happy woman dancing in front of her. She did not know why she was seeing this. She doesn''t even know if this was supposed to be a treat or a painful reminder. But clearly what she was right now was just alone. In this lonely hill, a War Maiden sat drinking spiced wine, watching a memory she has no recollection off.


    Her crumpled face and tear wetted face. Her loose hair flapped about as the snow dyed her hair white. She leaned on the bench grumbling at the sight of this painful mirage. Then like a flash of a film she saw painful scenes that she could not recollect at all. As if showing what could have been. She didn''t know she could see the mirages of pasts and future. The powers of the Three Fates rumbled and she knew instantly that this was the power that allowed her to catch a glimpse of the fate.


    It made her confuse. How could she have so many fates?


    And why was all the fate she could catch a glimpse ends with her crying or him walking bleakly until he kneels down and bows his head in surrender?


    Then as if the mirage was finally done. The scene of the dancing woman faded away along with a gust of wind. As the mirages stop the War Maiden was left alone in cold silence. And so with a drink, the War Maiden took all her worries and drowned in on a bottle.

 Chapter 68: Rainy Broken Masks

    He was sitting under a giant tree. Snow fell along with rain in this queer rainforest. It was a different world and biomes like this are a dime dozen.


    Nolan didn''t come here just for sightseeing. A few steps away from him were the hanged men that he caught trying to rob a merchant caravan. He was hunting down those who knew the vents that purify the underground cities of the demon-kind and monsters. He was no saint and he''d rather kill them all out of anger. But he was not that stupid to give them a vendetta.


    The hanged men swayed along with the wind. Snow and rain gave a strange coldness that wrapped the whole forest into a thin mist.


    He was hugging his knees. The cloak of his received all the brunt that the world can offer. The snow and rain fell down like a stream of water. There was puddle being made under him but since he was wet already. He just stopped caring.


    Nolan was holding his right rib. His dull face coupled with blood and dirt made him barbaric. He was injured all over and the leftover weapons of those who he hanged stayed. There was a trail of someone dragging a person violently left over the scene, but it was slowly being washed by the obscene snow and rain.


    His eyes flickered, his fist clenched so hard that veins popped in his wrist. He gave a long and tired breathe as he looked at the swaying men that he hung out of fury and disappointment. He felt hollow inside and his heart was stiller and stiller as moments passed.


    He moaned painfully. He held to his rib and pulled a flask containing a dull green liquid. He drank the content of the liquid and put the container back for reuse. His dead eyes stared at the snowy rain. It was like he was staring a thousand yards away. The giant branches and bushy leaves were not noticed by him at all. As if he could see through it all.


    Rain dripped down like clockwork along with the snow. Tiny snowflakes would land on top of his hood, only to drift away when the rains smash upon his head. Crickets started making loud noises along with the monsters that were hidden somewhere.


    He took another flask. This time he spread it around him to give a scent that is intolerable to the monsters. After spreading the concoction he pocketed the bottle and started at the hanged men again. There was a ringing voice inside his head, screaming, despairing as if it wanted to get out.


    His eyes were widening and dilating. He was stiffed all over but he did not move an inch. As if he became a statue sitting under an ancient tree along with a few hanged men. They are men killed by Nolan''s self-righteous justice. His own self-righteous justice was going awry. He felt delusional and he was feeling dead inside.


    "Not going to move?"


    Tania materialized in front of Nolan. She took a step on the puddle rain and turned like a ballerina. She was looking like a fairy of a lake. She would be if it wasn''t for the thin mist and the horrible view of a dead men hanging, swaying from the wind.


    "Go back."


    "No."


    "I said go back before I zap your soul and make it hurt."


    She giggled like a malevolent devil.


    "Threatening me when I am now connected to your soul?"


    Nolan gritted his teeth hard. His corpse looking eyes started dead at Tania.


    "What do you want from me?"


    "Nothing, I just feel like you are sad. You might have tortured me. Made me your personal power slave for your own selfish benefits, and now eternally trapped within the confines of your soul. It may sound odd that I, who is supposed to be resentful for you is asking my hateful torturer this."


    "I don''t understand."


    "You won''t be able to."


    He lowered the corner of his mouth. His fierce eyes showed righteous anger as he stared at the Tania who materialized into her human form. Tania smirked like a mischievous child who was trying to tease a friend who just hurt his knee.


    "I do not need you to ask that."


    Nolan wasn''t falling for her tricks.


    "You did well. You hunt down those foolish men and gave them justice. If they were taken to any civilized place they would have been mobbed and killed. The Outer Lands are quite cruel, and their brand of justice is astonishing. You should be proud of that but here you are, mopping like a depressed man. I do not understand why someone like you is doing this."


    She floated and crossed her arms. Her appearance was longer the same. She was pale white. Her hair has turned as silver as it could. Her eyes were as red as pigeon''s blood. She still wears her old outfit but it doesn''t quite match with her colors now.


    "Then try not understanding anything at all. Did I ask for your help? I don''t need it. I am fine sitting under here."


    A wind blew and carried it over the corpses of the hanged me. Tania''s face was still. She was looking at Nolan without any hint of expression.


    "Do you really think that you can make me talk by looking at me like that?"


    "No, I do not."


    "Then go back inside my soul."


    Nolan smacked his lips. He stared at the ground while pulling his hood forward.


    "I thought you''d let that girl come with you. Instead, you told her to carry those people back to safety. She''ll be waiting for you like a patient little sister. Those two were quite angry at you too. Waking up with the person who made you suffer is quite something. It''s funny how easy it is to ruin their good expressions on you. If that was your goal then I admire you."


    She paused and looked down at Nolan with her cold red eyes.


    "But really to think that one day I would see you like this. What is that expression of yours Nolan Salvatore?"


    Nolan''s face was twisted up. His crumpled expression seethed and before he knew it he was growling at Tania.


    "I have lived my life with a mindset that everything is ephemeral. What I do and say and think is because of that thought. To live each day as if it was my last ¨C without pretending to be other than what I am. That thought that this life of mine was the only life that I would have and that I will get no chance."


    He broadly smiled up at his ears. His eyes were laughing and cackling.


    "But what is this madness? Every single time that I die would go back. Knowing that then how do you expect me to live like this? I should be happy that I have an endless life? That I can do things differently by knowing beforehand and by dying? Then that does mean that I am the greatest savior? A future seer could fix anything that will go wrong."


    He stood up despite his wounds.


    "But what is this Tania!? Why do I feel so empty? Why does my heart feel so miserable? Why do I feel like gouging my heart?"


    He lowered his head and shoulders.


    "Memento Mori, remember you will die. I lived knowing that I would end up like everyone. I do what I do and face whatever there is because of this relief that one day I will die. Living is suffering. I wake up every day knowing that I have to face my troubles. I have this bullshit mindset that as long as I don''t expect anything everything will be fine. Hope is opium and I don''t want to rely on it to live. But what the heck is this Tania?"


    The stern face of Nolan broke. The usual mask of his fell and shattered along with his words.


    "There are times that I wanted to die. And now you are telling me that the mindset that I built throughout my life is getting shat on just like that? Humans are needy and greedy because they know that they don''t have enough time to see the world as it is. We have many precious things in the world and knowing that our time for them is not eternal and that our time is limited."


    His mocking laugh seems like he would tear his cheeks up.


    "I grew thinking that. I looked at the world with neutral eyes knowing that I have to take it all in. That even at this large world at least I would think that I have done my best. That despite my smallness I am able to take in what the world has to offer and have fond memories."


    The Bleak Walker was gone. The mask shattered like glass and turned into ashes. Nolan, the human who was lost in a parallel world was standing in front of the person he trapped inside his soul.


    "Do you know my fondest memory of late, Tania?"


    He said without any care for secrets.


    "When I died seeing the sun again. The feeling of reaching the end and knowing that all those hard work and suffering didn''t amount to nothing."


    Then his face contorted in despair.


    "Now it''s all a joke to me. It feels like fate came to me personally and told me that she''ll be pissing me off. Now I am in this infernal echoing of constant suffering. I will be repeating this and that when I die. I would have to live so many years and by the end, I would wake up back in time over and over again. A small part of me believes that there would an end to this. I hope for a sweet release that would allow me to rest."


    He balled his fist hard.


    "I would have to start again and built relationships again. I would have to lie in front of their faces that I do not know them. I have to build their trust over and over again."


    He stared at the sky with his eyes peering at a distant sky.


    "I lived my life as the best as I could because of those who I lost. I believed that there was light somewhere and reaching that was cathartic for me. I have Ciara and I can return to her. Even if we get back together I will have to think about the day I would die. I would have to see her die over and over again. At my death, I would return back and I would have to repeat this endless cycle."


    He lowered his head.


    "I don''t think I can last an eternity. I am just a human who got lost in this world. I''ve built my beliefs during and now I cannot apply them. The beliefs that made me what I am now had become like gutter trash. It is meaningless and now I don''t know anything."


    All the false masks broke. Nolan who was complaining to Tania ranted despairingly.


    "I don''t know to live eternally. I don''t know what to feel about having to repeat the actions. I believed that I would meet death and die confident knowing that I''ll have my rest. I should be happy about these many chances. I would be able to see them and befriend them again. To some, it is a blessing but to me, it is nothing but a damning curse."


    Nolan Salvatore yearned for death too many times before he became a Bleak Walker. Only because he became a Bleak Walker that he was able to suppress the thoughts inside his head and formed a stoic mindset. But now all of those he learned are now useless.


    Nolan Salvatore''s beliefs were shattered at this area. Tania of the Obsidian stared at Nolan without any change of expression.


    She knew that the person in front of her has his beliefs and ideas shattered. The stern mask of his was gone and now there was only the face of a despairing figure who realized the endlessness of his suffering, it was no blessing and was more of a curse for him.


    "What am I suppose to believe now?"


    "I don''t," replied Tania. "I am sorry. It seems like I have nothing to say."


    Nolan deafly nodded. He went back to where he was sitting and stared at the skies. There was no life in his eyes and that he was indeed firmly broken.


    The brave mask that he cultivated for years fell in silence.

 Chapter 69: Rusted Steel, bent, and Melted

    His body torn by wounds. His sword coated and dulled by entrails. The rain above him was endless. The bog that covered the landscape made him slow. Packs of wolves with their furs resembling rotten wood came and attacked him.


    The bog made him sloppy. A wolf bit on to his shoulder, another tore his left thigh. He swung his sword and beheaded one. His left thigh bone was clear to see, and yet he continued fighting. He was used to such desperate fighting.


    "Ah," he mumbled as if he could not form coherent words. He struck down the wolves and then fell on his knees. Black sticky mass of flesh forcibly stitched his wounds, vomiting blood, and trembling. The sigil of the Dove and the Snake of woes glowed for a second.


    "Ah," he mumbled.


    "Walker," said a woman. "Please rest."


    He didn''t reply to that woman''s voice. He continued forward, dragging his sword in this bog. He looked at the tall trees covered in moss, passed by vines that are thick as his arms. His eyes continued looking forward, a raindrop on him, trailing down his face.


    His eyes hollowed out, and yet it was stern. Dirt covered, mud-covered, and clothes wet with water and blood. The ghost behind him eyed him worriedly, was it pity? Or a secret mocking for the foolish?


    Swamp of the Outer Lands, the lands of the wicked. Why would he come into a place like this? What kind fool would let himself succumb to such suffering?


    "I''m from different age...ah, I should work hard in name of the order. All that matters is the job. I mustn''t fail. Or they might curse me in their graves! Alive or dead, what can I say to those? I have a gift and yet I am alive! Why am I not dead! Why does God allow me to live, knowing that I cannot even succeed and run away?"


    He fell face-first towards the mud. He stood up gingerly, his arms shaking madly as it is.


    Iron and Steel rusts. The hardest walls could be torn. His heart had been taken down a notch ever since he started this aimless crusade. For what is the purpose of a heart of steel when it is rusted?


    What was more painful? To die knowing that you run away? To die only to be revived, and be said that your life''s philosophy is all for naught?


    "Come, and hither me!" he shouted. "Scream for I shall slaughter!"


    The Walker of Bleak madly fought. His blood spilled on the ground as he takes on hordes of enemies that dwell on the bog. The marshland turned into a field of blood, and in the farthest part of the swamp was the Bleak Walker, Nolan Salvatore torn to shreds, his limbs practically skinned.


    A black mass of flesh stitched him up. His muscles and ligaments were being forcibly restored by an obsidian colored flesh that came out of his own sword. His mouth hung open and his eyes bloodshot in pain.


    "Just a bit more, Walker."


    "Are you my mother, no, are you Brother Sirius or Sister Ariel whose skills in medicine is grand? If you are, can you forgive me? I wouldn''t mind dying if it pleases you, Brother Sirius, please forgive me, Ariel...I didn''t want to let you die...ah, Ciara, am I really worthy of someone? I haven''t protected anything and when I did, I failed, I utterly, miserable, and horrendously failed. Ah, Brother Calisto, can you spare me? Ah, please, please, teach this idiotic one, I am not worthy at all."


    "Hush, Walker, you are wounded, badly, and dying, you are deranged, and your head is injured, ah, your soul, this soul of yours...It is really hard to hate you."


    The operation continued slowly, and he was in pain. The rain didn''t help in easing up his wounds, the swamp promises infection and searing pain. His body was still coated in blood, the apparition of the obsidian woman had to wash the constant splash of swamp water on his wounds that would occasionally make him scream in pain. The rain continued, the screams turned louder, and his wails occasionally overcoming the sounds of rain.


    It took the apparition time to drag him out of the marshland and into the fray of the cold hard winter forest. Along the way, she had to drive away small dire animals wanting to feed on his unmoving body.


    She placed him under a hollowed tree. The tree was full of ants that spits acid strong enough to melt the gauntlet that he wore on the left arm. His face almost got melted, but she had avoided that death.


    "Steel can be bent with a hammer and when heated enough, it could be shaped and melted...you...how are you able to function this long with all the hammer blows and all the deaths?"


    "O my Rusted Steel of a Knight, the man I hate the most in this world, and the man I wanted to be, yet your heart is already set with a woman who you''ve been devoted for so long. Such woman, she doesn''t deserve such a million years of love, and you, who have been doing this...You are sinful, always capturing me, and in the end, I would always end up loving you and forgetting you over and over again. To lost your memories and end up falling with the same human for years...what a fool I am. I always end up being your eternal friend and never once you looked at me the way you look at her. But it''s fine, and I do mind taking care of you...I''d break if you let me go. I cannot imagine a timeline where you are not like this. Though, I say that this is quite a new one. I wonder what turned this scenario into this. The Outer Lands, you''ve never ventured here and now...you are being pushed this far. Quagmires and deep sands have always been your weakness. You are a good fighter but you fight relying on that agility of yours and that cunning you call experience. I really cannot help you ¨C or the void may pull me again."


    She said while giving him her lap. The Outer Lands was unknown to her, and even she could not help but worry about the things that will occur.

 Chapter 70: Endless Path of Two

    She grieved alone under the stars. On top of this lonely hill, she sat on the bench, grieving, thinking, about the man who had told her kind words.


    In this particular timeline, she didn''t have the meeting that would have saved her soul. Usually, no, in this timeline she didn''t meet the salvation she wanted. Ah, the look on her eyes as she sees the corpse of the man that saved him truly.


    An abandoned woman cursed by everyone. Saved and carried through places of danger, unwilling to give up, and a back so warm you''d feel like he could take on the whole world for you.


    Yet to find that man dead and pale and no longer breathing. She had the power to bring forth the light of humanity. She had the beauty that she could never imagine for her life. She wanted to be truly accepted and yet when she became like this. She was a lonely woman playing tough and then this poor fool who had two sigils in his eyes decided to save her soul.


    On that day she was saved. Now, she felt like all that saving was more of a torture to her. If being saved by him meant that in the end, he would die. If this was destiny saving her then she would not want it.


    But it is done. He was buried six-feet underground, and she was staring at the stars; cup of wine and tears flowing down her eyes while staring at above.


    A dark fleeting shadow came upon his heart. It turned into a cold fury that was aimed at the world ¨C it became so cold that it became so black and white; the stars lost its shimmer.


    The gloominess of her eyes became clear. Only the taste of wine lingered in her mouth as she cried. It continued spilling until he could no longer think of anything else.


    But she stopped despair for a single moment, no, she thought of an alternative ending to this misery. She thought, maybe, she would meet him accidentally, and then she would tell him straightly, without being subtle, without any lies. She would just tell him straight about the bottled up feelings inside her decrepit heart.


    How would she know that such thoughts happened in another time? She would have danced so happily on top of this hill, smiling freely, and her head upon the clouds.


    But in this timeline, she cried alone, and she was miserable, and yet she could not help but imagine dancing with him, like a mirage out of an old dream, she started her lonesome dance without care if anyone would see her and call her mad for it. Let me have this, she thought. Let me mourn for my first and last of love, and so I may save the world...as he would have done. Carry the world on my back, and to where everything would be saved.


    Dance, and twirl, and sway, she did so without care, cheeks wet with tears, and heart cooling into ice.


    The war maiden that dazzled the world for strength and beauty. She could have everything but yet that certain wanting was gone. Never would she know about the person that kills in the Outer Land.


    Their meeting will always end up in two ways. She would die, and he would continue on. He would die, and she would continue on. A War Maiden could not be with a person that follows bleakness. A Bleak Walker must forge on without love, only a frail hope that dares to ask for a better ending.


    How could they know that everything meeting of them would end up in a tragedy beyond their understanding? It was simply a ploy of fate, and even they cannot escape it.


    If they would know how many times they have done this, they would surely fall to despair. If she would know how many she has danced all alone, would she have cried stronger? If she would be given the knowledge of how many times she and he danced together under the myriads of stars above, would she have given up in despair?


    No, she wouldn''t. Both are stubborn and their will to fight against fate itself could not be changed. It was their fate to challenge this godforsaken world, whether they reach their happy ending or fall to the dark where they would become the servants of those they fight so despairingly.


    And so the lonely War Maiden danced and cried as she liked. In this timeline, she was stronger than ever, and although this has been repeating for so many times, it could be said that the Walker who has done this, has outdone himself in this timeline. But would that Walker know that he had changed a variable in this never-ending loop? As a new path unlocked for him, and this time, there was no need for a repeat from the start.


    So dance lonely war maiden! You shall be worse. You shall be the strongest and coldest of them all! Despair has given you power, and you will become humanity''s strongest blade to fend off the darkness that swarms like a plague of insects ready to devour.


    It was a mistake in the first place to have together. Fate is only rewriting the script, and it is not known if fate will put it on their favor, can they escape this endless loop of trying only to fail? Or will there be a miracle that would even leave fate hanging their jaws in surprise? Who knows?


    For now, let her dance under this bright sky of stars and galaxies. Let none see her agony, her despair, and her aching heart towards this world that takes away things from her.


    After this, the world will only know of a War Maiden that purges the darkness. The Walker that is struggling on the bogs of the Outer lands would never know of the things he has unconsciously done.


    And so her lonely dance came to end and the rest of her wine poured on the ground, she walked down the hill, and her face fiercer than she had ever shown to the world.

 Chapter 71: Time is fickle

    Madness came to him and he had no control over his mind. The woman of obsidian watched him roamed the land to be killed.


    Monsters and humans, they all thought of killing the existence that roams the land killing for no purpose other than to wait the time.


    Time is fickle and fragile.


    The Watchers of Time, the Guardians, and their Wraiths could not hold their patience. They have watched eternity for years and the presence of a man, who intervenes with the natural process, has turned the eyes of those whose name is not told lightly. They have seen through his actions. They judged him as a criminal that has turned the rules of the world into chaos.


    Death had been an annoyance to this poor man. His existence beyond saving.


    His mind turned muddled as he repeats much death in a wasteland of swamps and hungry monsters. His flesh and sinews restored, sewed, and put back together so he can function to kill.


    This world had turned him a marionette of death. A vile wraith that plagues those who are greedy and unjust.


    His consciousness has been long asleep. He had walked the outer lands long enough to forget about time. He lost his awareness of time due to his many deaths.


    Death does not come easily for this bleak walker. The powers that had been fused with him did not give him assurance. The powers of the obsidian woman had forced his flesh to move.


    It was known if she wanted revenge or that she wanted for him to continue. The man that had carried the strongest woman alive in this continent on his back had lost his mind.


    Not because he lacked the will to continue the fight. But because his body gave up on him. His soul screams for leniency. His soul struggles but the body could not handle the fight.


    He walks. He roams the land with a rusted sword. The outer lands have turned bright. The demons that had forced humanity into the brink of extinction have been culled. Their cities subjugated and those who held on to their lives are forced into hiding.


    He was a monster that roamed the wasteland of swamps. They have seen him and did what sane men would do when it comes to facing such monstrosity that leaves a river of blood.


    They haunted him like a pack of wolves. Their executioners preyed upon the wraith until they captured him. They nailed him for two years in the walls of the newly built fortress. After he escaped they found him again and pierces his sword down his throat. He was left to dry and rot but he survived.


    But he was wraith that could learn. His mind was gone but his instincts did not rust. His abilities grew and every death led him knowing were to avoid those who would want his death. His body resembled that of an old withered tree. His eyes grow bright red with his sigils continuously showing all the worlds where he had failed and died. Those that he had lost continued to scream inside his head. They do not hush their screams when he sleeps. So he stopped sleeping and walks until his legs would give up on him.


    Every power has a price. The price that he pays for his continuous hold to live was madness and the endless shouts of those who he lost inside his head would continue to haunt him until he regains control of his mind and body. His soul pleas for mercy but he could only watch in the third person as times passes and the world he had died for to be saved so easily.


    His body and powers torturing him did not break the heart of Nolan Salvatore.


    What broke his heart was the fact that he was not needed. He knew it well that he was merely a conduit meant to serve his purpose. That purpose was to help the person that could do it. He clearly felt fate''s favor lost when he started walking the swampy wastelands of the outer lands.


    He was lucky. Lucky that he had the ability to recall upon death. But every death costs a part of his mind and body. His soul would remain intact and would not be damaged. The obsidian woman had sustained a part of her soul to keep his soul alive.


    She was the light that warms his souls.


    He had to watch his own rotting body fight the greedy and unjust.


    He had to suffer the pain and the screams.


    He had to watch the obsidian woman suffer. She had no reason to do this for him. He had sealed her soul to his sword. There should be no reason why she would choose to suffer alongside the cruel him. He had asked questions. She replied with a cruel warm smile that leaves him stunned.


    The sun that shines the world did not fall to the dark in the timeline that occurs. The light war that had caused the bleak walker to lose his friends did not happen. Those who he cherished lived and they walk the land with their hearts filled. Truly, this was the ideal world that he had been longing for. There was no suffering for those that had known war in the world that he knew.


    In the center of the world lies the War Maiden that had severed the head of the enemy of the world. In that palace, she sits basking in the glory of the sun and the powers that had made her a living legend for those that had witnessed her powers. Even the three seers of fate could not see the endless possibilities that she gained.


    But despite all the power she had. She was more of a glowing iceberg rather than a person. Her smile had vanished when a certain man did not appear before her at that moment in time. But when that meeting did not happen, the world was saved. The duties of those who walk the bleak path had been resolved.


    But it should be repeated that time is fickle.


    The being that governs time had lost their patience.


    There was no need for the Bleak Walker to exist.


    And so they chased after him and rid of his body down the lavas.


    His body and the sword that had sealed the obsidian woman melted.


    And the Bleak Walker was never seen again.

 Chapter 72: The Third Route – Lost Time Prologue

    The weather has a smell of rain. The wide roads were congested road, and pedestrians cramped on the sidewalk. Large carriages carried goods, containing meat, the smell would have polluted, if not for the lashing rain. The towering buildings made of bricks and concretes block the sun. The clouds halted the sunlight from entering this city where the age of Knights and Heroes have gone past.


    Alician City, capital of the Great Empire of Salvaticia


    On the dark street, there was a man who has a strange garb that did not fit with others. His hair was like pale milk, and his eyes red like rubies. He wore a ragged and torn cape. He was pale and he looked like he had just awakened from a long sleep.


    "Where am I?" asked the man. "I remember fighting in the City. But I don''t remember much of it. The past, and the light war. No, is this another world beyond me?"


    His eyes shook. His fingers trembled at the thought of another. How much time had he spent in that world? All of the hardship was now moot. There was no point in fighting so hard if he was going to be sent into another world. His heart felt like it was stabbed. He grabbed hold of his hair and turned to the sky. His eyes pleading the Gods for this kind of fate.


    "What need is there to weep?" he asked. "If time had passed, then it is no longer within my control. I cannot shout at the Gods. I bet they won''t listen to a pitiful soul like me."


    He stood up. His scanned the environment. His ear perked up and his senses were dialed up. He could feel the aura of the people around him. Through the walls, he could see their silhouettes and hear their voices. They spoke words that he was familiar with, but the way they speak had more grace, resembling the way British people speak.


    "This isn''t that world, damn it, then it was truly goodbye, Ciara?" he said with despairing tone. "But oddly I had spent time away from you that it does not bother me. But why was I sent to this world? God, tell me, what do you want from me?"


    "Help me!"


    He heard a shout that came from another alley. His body stiffened for a second before it bolted up the walls. He didn''t even realize that his body had the ability to easily scale the walls. His strength had become beyond human and he had not noticed his state. All he knew was that there was an enemy that he needed to stop. His torn up cape fluttered wildly as he scans the surroundings, behind him was the clock tower with the clouds as the backdrop. Nolan Salvatore squatted on top of the tiled roof. His eyes were like that of an eagle as it pierced through the alleyways.


    "Found you!"


    He didn''t know why he could control his body. Instinctively, he pointed his hand forward. His pale arm became obsidian-colored and the sinews transformed into that of a sinister arm that of a beast. The man who was holding up and the old man couldn''t even shout as his head was grabbed hold on to and was thrown above the walls where the old man didn''t see it. This absurd strength had left him wondering what has happened.


    "Not know," he said. He planted the brains of that criminal on the tiled roof. He didn''t feel any guilt knowing that the one he killed was scum. It didn''t matter to him if he wanted food for his family or was he doing it for survival. The only thing he did wrong was that he got caught. It wasn''t that he had justice in mind. It was simply the natural instinct of a bleak walker that had to walk the earth, not leaving anyone if possible.


    "But what should a bleak walker do in this situation?"


    The world had forgotten about the Bleak Walker that walked the earth in hopes of salvation. The pitiful children of the wraith had finally rested their swords. Nolan Salvatore wouldn''t know that. He had lost his memories. He had lost his reason and those that he ever cared.


    The punishment of time had done him in. It was simply the price of power that he and the woman who he bonded. Of course, he wouldn''t know that, for Nolan, he had been transported into a world different from the world where he fought to the dead and died in the sands where he saw the light shine upon the world.


    He had done his task. He had done whatever he can to save that world where she once existed. He had lived for the sake of seeing the light shine against the darkness. It didn''t matter to him that he was transported into this world that had entered a new era.


    The difference was that he didn''t go back to the past. If he did then he would have tried to fix history. But this time he was not in the past but in the future. He doesn''t know that this was the future. This was the future that he wouldn''t even dare to imagine.


    "So what should I do now?" he asked again. The meaning of life was lost on this Bleak Walker. He had died but he does not remember it.


    He had loved but he forgot about it.


    To him, this world was a place he didn''t belong.


    The smell of blood reached him. He turned his eyes towards the corpse of the criminal that he had just murdered. There was no need to sugarcoat this heinous murder that he did. He was a murderer and because of this murder that he had decided to do what he had always done.


    Defeat evil even if his heart breaks into two. The Bleak Walker exists so that they could walk the bleak path without straying.


    The train sounded loud and smoke bellowed on its chimney. The carriages made noises as they travel along the wide streets of this city. Nolan, no, Lanon, the man who had survived the light''s war had become this city''s predator.

 Chapter 73: The Vigilante of Alician City

    The gutters had running water. Citizens carried their umbrellas as their shoes splash the puddles. A horse neighs loudly as its master cracks the whip. Above the streets there was a figure in a trench coat sprinting along the tiled roofs, his body moving with a blur as he leaps down, pummeling the man who tried pointing his pistol at the shadowy man.


    "You!" shouted the man.


    The shadow that tackled him from above didn''t bother. A black flesh came out of the shadow''s wrist and penetrated the man without mercy. The thin spear made of flesh slowly retracted while blood was dripping on it. The water from the roofs poured, leaving all the blood to go down the sewers. The shadowy man then pointed his palm towards the roof. The obsidian flesh grappling on, pulling the man away from the ground and into the darkness. His trench coat fluttered wildly as he sprints across the roofs and climbs on the tower. His face that had the appearance of a skull vanished and his ruby eyes were revealed.


    "This power is indeed convenient," he said while holding on to the edge of a tower. It has been a week since he had established his presence over the city. In a single week, he had used the terror tactics of the Bleak Walkers on the criminal populace of this city.


    He couldn''t roam around with such torn up outfit so he had to use the clothes of the man that he killed. He then looted his money and used it to aid his life in this city. He learned that this was the Alician City and that the year was the eighteenth century of this world. The world had entered an Industrial revolution. It was a strange world where a certain maiden blessed by the goddess saved the world. That living person had become the center of the continent and has been worshiped as the prophet of the Gods. That same woman lives in her own sanctuary, isolated and neutral to the troubles of the world unless the laws that she had supported are broken. She was absolute and those who defy her words are treated like filth.


    Lanon thought nothing of her and argues that she''s just legend. If her words are law then he wouldn''t be hunting down criminals who had strayed from the good path. He has been hunting down and he only had a little time to rest when it comes to killing the criminals that have been haunting the streets. To others his killings are that of a robbery, and that his actions are due to greed. But those who have wits have long figured out that he had been killing systematically the factions by starting from bottom to the top. He had been targeting the lower level criminals to make sure that the message was being sent to them. There was no reason for him to do this, and he only does this as an excuse for a purpose.


    He climbed the tower and went inside the hollow of the tower. The room had a cushion and a worn down table. The floor was worn and the walls were dusty. There are webs around the room and on the corner were gears that had been dislodged by the tower''s gear. The trapdoor was blocked by furniture that somehow was stored inside the tower.


    He twisted on the cushion, he took his coat off and inspected the bullets that lodged on his body. It was stopped by sinews of obsidian-like flesh that weaved the moment his body takes damage. But he also realized that it was not invincible. The moment his body takes enough damage he felt his body stiffened. He was unable to move and was forced to retreat from the sidelines where he could recover his powers.


    "For whatever reason, my strength had become superhuman. I can''t leap off tall buildings but I sure can jump from this height and grabbed hold of something. Not to mention the ability to use the same mass of flesh to form a blade, shield, grappling hook, and even a mask that could cover my face. I had to be careful though, this power has made me powerful but I can tell that using it too much will prove my downfall. Not to mention that it is the reason why my body is as strong as it now."


    The sinews of obsidian-like flesh acted as another layer of muscle that would be hardened, support, and wrapped around his bones and flesh. This allowed him to take damage. But using the sinews of obsidian flesh, he would also remove those sinews to form it into the shape he wants. To solve this problem he had to wrap the obsidian sinews outside his body. It handled better but doing this requires mental stamina and focus. Not to mention that this era didn''t have the luxury of the old world. He had to face gunfire and had to rely on skulduggery to succeed in killing heavily guarded hideouts.


    Calm criminals were his enemies and this world wasn''t like the one that he fought for. The men were reliant on guns and those who have physical ability doesn''t have the tenacity of the people that he knew. The police force was a joke and even the proclaimed maiden of the Gods was treated like a joke by the underground factions that he had faced. The honorable factions were pompous fools that did nothing but argue about politics and their status in life. The noble obliges that he admired nobles were gone and all they had was degeneracy and hubris that made him utterly disgusted.


    He thought that this world would have a different set of morals but he was wrong. The child labor here was worst for there was an influx of children that had lost their parents in the war happening south of the empire. Not to mention that the Empire had been fighting many fronts. He has been sent into the heart of an empire that had lost her soul.


    The place was packed with folks that came from their work. Their coats were wet and the floods had puddles on it. It was cramped and some of the patrons were standing while drinking their beer. The shelves behind the bartender were filled with differently colored bottles. The barmaids carried a round tray of snacks to the customers. The smell of tobacco mixed with alcohol was in the air. The bartender was wiping the mug as he caught sight of Lanon who was casually walking through the bar without people noticing. He was tangent and not once did they turned their eyes to him. The mouth of the bartender curled. His eyebrows creased as he places both hands on the counter.


    "You are done with your work?" said the bartender.


    Lanon nodded, "Yes. I would like a roasted duck leg and an apple cider please."


    "Coming right up," he gestured at the barmaid. "Seems like your work has gone well. Follow me, I don''t want to work on the details here."


    Lanon entered the door behind the kitchen. There''s a pot boiling and he could tell that some of the food here was reused again. He had seen worse kitchens than this. The bartender pulled a stool and lit the cigar he was holding. He didn''t bother with the safety regulations of the kitchen.


    "One week and your name haunt the underground factions! The Skulled Man, the monstrous man, and the Haunter. You have many names now."


    "Not that I care about them."


    Lanon turned his attention to the bartender. His name was Laos and he was the first man here that he helped. He found him cornered with men who wanted his head. They wanted his daughter and he refused out of principles and that he didn''t want to patronize with drug-dealing bastards. When he was about to have his head smashed by the club that they were wielding. Lanon appeared from above and tore them apart like paper. Although bloody, Laos could not disregard the rescue. He owes him his life and his principles demanded him to return the favor.


    "You should, friend. Many children cry in hopes that the man with the skull face would come in and save them from the depravity of the owners that treat them like dirt."


    "I know. But I cannot save everyone. I have no dreams of becoming an omnipotent savior. Save it for messiahs and prophets."


    "You say that but we all know here that the only reason you are not living here is that you fear for our safety. I offered you this home, and yet you refuse it."


    One of the reasons was that Lanon had already murdered the gang that tried to take this bar. They have planned to transform this bar into their drug dens and the tunnels near the bar made it easier for them to control the supply line of drugs.


    "I can''t do that. The place is swarming with patrons and thugs. It is no easy matter to hide from them when I am covered in the blood of their friends."


    "Had you ever noticed the way you speak? So grim!"


    "That''s how I talk. I can''t change that."


    "Where did you come from?"


    "I am a wanderer."


    "In this time?" he snorted, "Where most of the world is known?"


    "My home is gone. The darkness took it all. I am all alone."


    "Nonsense. You have us here. Even the barmaids want you! They have complained about your denseness!"


    He smiled wearily. "I know that your girls are flirting, but I have no desire. I was a married man and in death, I won''t betray the person that I had loved most in this world."


    The bartender folded his arms and grinned.


    "I can see why they want you bad. Girls really do like men that are strong, but have a weaker side they just want to fix up."


    Lanon couldn''t help but smile wearily. His heart ached as he remembers the smile of the woman he had loved so hard to the point of walking a world devoid of light. He cannot see that smile again and slowly he had started to forget about her.


    "I would love to lounge off your beds but the place I am staying is enough. It has a great view and I can tell where the bastards might appear in that place."


    "Your vision is splendid. You are a living hawk."


    The aura vision that he had came from the sigils that were carved on his eyes. It was a mystery to Lanon why the dove of thorns and the snake of woes had turned into the Undying Hawk that allowed him to scour the land with his vision.


    "So have you heard of the Sons of Helios?"


    The bartender nodded lightly. His forehead crumpled and his eyes turned sharp.


    "Old gang that was once proud and had a band. They changed when the blessed lady of the Gods appeared. Their pride turned to ashes the moment most of the enemies had been slaughtered. They were honest men I heard. But I bet that''s a lie to make us folks think they are decent. They rule like lords and swat the kids like their machines that needed smacking. They rule the Dalis District, half of the street has thugs roaming around with their weapons brazenly on their pits and waist. They don''t even bother acting like they do not own the place. If you want to rid of scum then I advise you to enter that place and neutralize the bastards."


    Lanon tapped the kitchen counter for three times before standing up. He trod towards the back door and looked back at Laos, whose face showed worry for Lanon.


    "Friend, if you ever tire of fighting. You can always rest in this tavern of mine. But that look on your face says that won''t happen until you find a reason to. I wish you good hunting, friend. May our blessed maiden grant you victory as always."


    The back door was closed and all that was left in the kitchen was the brief sound of rain and the boiling of Laos''s pot.

 Chapter 74: Sons of Helios Part 1

    At dusk, the room was filled with clamor. The members of the Sons of Helios quarreled over the current events. The Captain of these members had his hands full. He didn''t expect that there would be someone brazen enough to attack the Sons of Helios at their peak!


    "Captain!" said the thug. "We are being raided!"


    "I know that you fool! How many?"


    "We don''t know, Captain!"


    The storm made it harder for them to see. The rain lashed out against the windows and the tiles of the roofs made sounds as if they were going to break sooner or later. The Captain felt his heartbeat grow louder as the second passes. How can anyone be so brazen to attack them?


    "Captain!" another thug rushed in. "The guys in the back are-"


    The thug''s head suddenly was popped by something of black hardened flesh. The Captain''s mouth hung open before he took action and covered.


    Bang!


    The walls shook and the lighting inside the room was gone. The papers on the table were blown to the windows. The thugs inside screamed as the total darkness had allowed them to unable to see. This blindness cause chaos and before the thunder rolled, two of the thugs were dead, and the Captain had wounds all over his body.


    He was able to evade the initial attack by jumping out of the window. He landed face-first on the knee-length puddle. His teeth were broken and his left cheek bleeding from the hasty jump. The lighting inside that room has returned yet the thugs inside were dead.


    "No!" he shouted. The thugs that heard the commotion rush towards the scene. The Captain''s eyes shook at this. He didn''t want his men to die! He had to stop them from coming. "No! The enemy is right here!" he bellowed loudly as he could.


    But it was too late already. The shadowy figure that attacked them synchronized with the sound of thunder and rain. The Captain saw it clear how one of his men had his head cleaved open. Those that tried to use their pistols got their hands slashed at.


    It was then that he saw the man''s skull mask made of stony dark flesh. The bloody eyes of the predator that has targeted them made his pants warm. His vision blurred and his hearing echoed as he felt his body turned towards the exit of the square.


    "Help us!"


    "Gods! What are you!"


    Limbs that are as dark as the night. Red eyes that seem to glow like fire rubies. A face that resembled a black skull that was recently skinned by a sharp blade. The body that had strange tentacle-like sinews that could pierce through flesh easily.


    Monster.


    It was a monster that had no place in this new world. He had been told by his nannies and elders of the world before the appearance of the blessed maiden of the Gods. He remembered his nanny telling him in his room of the tales of monsters and those who fight them.


    "Monster!"


    He thought of one of the tales that his nanny told him. It was the tale of a monster called Wraith. Creatures that haunts those who had done deplorable deeds and would meet their death the moment they stare at the Wraith''s eyes. Recalling the story made the Captain''s legs lose strength. He sat on the puddled water with his nose cringing at the smell coming from his bosom.


    "Spare me!" he pleaded the monster.


    The monster executed one of the thugs as if he was squashing a watermelon with his bare hands. He turned his eyes towards the Captain and pointed his palm. His palm churned and needle-like flesh that resembled obsidian flung rapidly towards him.


    The Captain ducked out of fear. He avoided death and he didn''t think for a second before running towards the exit. But the monster didn''t give him any succor that he would escape. He knew it too well that running away from such monster that had tormented the stronghold of the Sons of Helios wouldn''t leave anyone alive.


    What was his goal? The Captain thought as dashes with reckless abandon. Nonetheless, it was a fruitless effort as he was easily lifted by the ankle, he was pulled up, flesh tearing, as he screams in pain. The skulled-face monster trod towards the Captain with a chilly gaze. Behind him was the thugs strewn with their limbs separated from their body, their entrails decorating the floor. The Captain didn''t notice it before yet now he was able to discern the guards that should have been watching from a bird''s eye view.


    The monster had simply methodically decimated them. Starting from the guards watching from above and down to the bottom where most of the thugs were. The thunder and rain made for excellent cover yet he realized that it didn''t matter in the first place.


    Whoever this monster was it was proficient in hunting down folks one by one. Their numbers didn''t matter when it comes to someone who had planned to kill them separately. The Captain felt his breathing tighten as he looked at the monster readying its claw against his stomach.


    "Please no-ah, God, please help me! Ah, spare me!"


    The Captain''s stomach was cleaved open by five sharp claws. The Captain couldn''t even further as the monster tore open his throat, and pulled his tongue. The monster then smashed the Captain''s head on the walls. The stronghold of the sons of Helios was wiped out and the scene of carnage polluted the district.


    When the other members of the stronghold arrived. They witnessed half of the thugs have their skin turned into a rope that was then used to tie around their neck. The officer of the Sons of Helios arrived two hours after dawn. He saw the carnage and vomited in front of the entrance. The amount of entrails that strewn across the stone floor had left the Officer unable to sleep. What he saw was simply the madness that had happened here.

 Chapter 75: Sons of Helios Part 2

    A tower bathed by the rain and Lanon was perched on the beam that faces the city of Alician. The city skyline covered with fog. The streets empty and carriages parked on the sidewalks. Bullet holes and gashes could be found on his body. His coat was ragged and holes were on it. He was like a hawk dutifully watching the city. In his eyes reflecting the city that was now his home.


    Lanon¡¯s face was full of melancholy. A thin smile was on his face as he stares at nothing. Maybe it was this loneliness that made him see through the veil. He was drunk of the power that he was given. Not even two weeks and he had been using it for his own self-righteous justice. Not much to do in a new world where he had no purpose.


    Simply, it was empty and all he could do was wait for the Sons of Helios. So he turned to the other beam that was empty. He imagined a silhouette. A spectator that would listen to his woes. It was a lanky young man who seems to be starved. This spectator reminded him of the days where he was simply some tool who work to live instead of fighting a light¡¯s war.


    ¡°They are weak. I had expected better.¡±


    ¡°The people of this world seems to be soft. If this was the other world then they¡¯d be long dead.¡±


    ¡°Should not be fair to compare them. This looks like a world that didn¡¯t have its ass handed to it. It evolved into this kind of world that reached its own industrial revolution. If that world reached a better age in time, then maybe I wouldn¡¯t have to watch so many people die. Artillery against those mountainous monsters would have saved lives.¡±


    ¡°No need to think about the past you cannot change. Tell me, why do we even bother killing these people? Look, we are in a world different from what we had experienced. Does killing these hateful people better than peace? Are you not tired of constant struggle?¡±


    His phantom started getting agitated. Lanon didn¡¯t know what to say to his own phantom. He too has started doubting whether there was a purpose for all of these killing. He frowned. He had to stare at his own palm to think about the recent events.


    ¡°This world isn¡¯t my responsibility, I know that. I am being too self-important about my own relevance. But turning my eyes away from evil is evil. I have been here in this city and what do I see? Callous gangs, degenerate owners working kids to death. For fuck¡¯s sake, they lash a kid out because of one honest mistake! This shit could be worse than my own world¡¯s industrial revolution? Do I have the heart to watch when I have this power? Of course, I can¡¯t watch! My heart says no despite the reasons my brain tells me about the way I should proceed.¡±


    ¡°You plan on saving the whole country?¡±


    ¡°I only act on things that are within my control. The Trichotomy of control demands it.¡±


    ¡°Oh really?¡± the phantom said with a doubting expression. ¡°Is that really all?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± he frowned.


    ¡°You are trying to forget about her.¡±


    ¡°I am,¡± he said without flinching. ¡°


    ¡°My heart bleeds. I should have moved on from this pain. Yet, I just feel like after I had lost my purpose. I started to realize how I wanted to be with her. But I am not going to mope about that any longer. I am tired. It¡¯s all so tiresome to think about things I have no control over.¡±


    ¡°Tell me then,¡± he pointed with his trigger finger. ¡°That blood on your coat, and the haggard look on your face. Are you doing this purely out of such contrive reason? Or is it because your heart tells you to do so?¡±


    Shadows have been cast on his face for a brief second.


    ¡°My heart tells me to do so. But let me ask you this.¡±


    ¡°Pray tell.¡±


    ¡°What do you expect from a man who had spent his life fighting? Do you know what I do best? Killing monsters and people that have gone mad. I spent the majority of my last life killing and surviving. Do you think that I could even function normally? I would have spent time in Laos¡¯s bar. Yet I cannot do that. Everywhere I could see shadows, and I cannot hold back.¡±


    ¡°Or are you telling that because you like the thrill?¡±


    He smiled wearily, ¡°I admit that the feeling of your senses at their peak made me feel truly alive. My hearing is sharp, I smell like a hound, and watch everything with a critical eye. This world is too peaceful. These bastards that I am killing aren¡¯t even worth thinking. I fought monsters that could annihilate an entire battalion of soldiers armed with the best equipment. I saw those damn wizards acting like rogues trying to kill monsters that could dwell underground and spit needle-like rocks. Time is slowed down and the daily high of adrenaline made me think that I belong to that kind of world? Yes, I am using this as an excuse to put despair out of my mind. I could drink myself to death yet here I am killing thugs. I want to do something and instead of being passive and letting it happen in front of me. Why not try to make it better, knowing, that I have the power to do so?¡±


    He stood up with his arms spread.


    ¡°To not act when you can is evil! Even if the path I walk is bleak, I shall not falter. They may look humans but to me, they are just men dressed like humans. They are monsters and monsters do not need to exist in this kind of world.¡±


    And so he took a plunge at the lone carriage that was driving down the road. The phantom behind him blurred out and what was heard was the sound of flesh tearing.


    Two men were slogging through the rain. They had wounds on their body and they were breathing raggedly. Their eyes were dilated and they were breathing heavily. The rain left a trail of blood that made them unable to stop breathing hard. They could smell the blood. They could hear the lone footsteps that plagued them.


    ¡°He¡¯s coming,¡± said the thug.


    ¡°I know,¡± the other one nodded, he was calm, even though he knows what was coming. ¡°Fucking monster, how could someone like that kill our brothers so easily, not even the guns that we had imported are of no use.¡±


    ¡°We need to run,¡± the thug said with shaking eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t fucking think, we need to run away, the bastard will be coming!¡±


    ¡°You have a gun? I¡¯m out, and mine¡¯s destroyed.¡±


    ¡°Of course not,¡± he said. ¡°Why do think we¡¯re running?¡±


    They crossed an alley and hoped that they¡¯d find safety. The alley was narrow and gutters had flooded it. They were slogging through knee-length water as they try to run away from the monster that had appeared. The thug was being drained of his own blood as he pushes himself, while the other one simply was tired. They didn¡¯t expect that the enemy would come from above. They haven¡¯t thought that someone would jump from a tower, crash down their carriage, slaughter half of the crew, and proceed to take down the rest of the crew.


    They have heard of the rumors of a single person going to war with their gang, the sons of Helios. They thought that it was a joke made by paupers, but when they saw two of their districts fall, their caravans broke, and the throat of their supply lines being crushed. It was unheard of that a single man was waging a war that had made them look like a joke to the rest of the boroughs. Not even the guards that escorted the carriages were not enough to stop the monster. How can they defeat a monster that had abilities that of those that they only hear in the old world?


    Only those who are in the old societies can learn the ways of the old. They had known it and only saw little of what they call magic in this newer world. And even if they did have that kind of magic, can they truly defeat a being that their pistols couldn¡¯t defeat?


    The thug had been sure that he shot the monster right at the heart. But all the monster did was shrug it like it was nothing and pounced on someone. He saw the monster claw the heart out of his comrade. Those who had no weapons tried attacking with melee but were destroyed without a fight. The enemy had the strange ability to manipulate black flesh that could form a defensive shield that allowed him protection and a weapon. These black flesh that he could manipulate would form an armor or an extra frame that allowed this monster to rush at them with inhuman speed.


    The only reason that they were still alive was that the monster had been occupied by the others. But that time was fast gone as they could hear the loud footsteps of the enemy. The rain muffled the sound but their senses have been sharpened to the point that even the sneaky monster could be heard.


    He heard the swish and the person he was holding on to, died. He held him straight for five seconds before scurrying forward, near the garbage cans have turned into barrels of water. Junk floated down this alley and downpour came harder as he was unable to see his surroundings.


    He saw the shadow running around the rooftop. His legs gave up on him as he turned his eyes towards the roof. He begged, ¡°Please, spare me!¡±


    ¡°Did you spare anyone in this life?¡± the voice said.


    ¡°I did nothing wrong! I mugged but I do not lash out on folks!¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t save you.¡±


    ¡°Please, I beg of you!¡±


    ¡°Tell me what your worth is.¡±


    ¡°Just leave me alone! I did nothing wrong! Please, just leave me be, I will leave the gang!¡±


    ¡°I heard of your gang¡¯s motto. That once you are in, you are never out of the Sons of Helios. I hate rats. Are you a rat?¡±


    ¡°Please, I am just some bastard who thought it was a good gig! Fuck, I barely know the guy! I am just the damn courier damn it!¡±


    There was a brief silence before the shadow landed in front of him. It gave him a fright seeing the blood red eyes of the shadow that has been haunting him. His ash-like hair and the black flesh that covered him like armor made the hair on his body stood up. He looked at the monster straight in the eyes as the monster clenched his bloodied arm still dyed with the entrails of his brothers.


    It was clear that they had no way of winning against someone who had the skills and the abilities of a monster. Even standing in front of this monster had him unable to gather the same courage that made him a plea for surrender.


    ¡°I will find out who you are. Do not run away and stay in your home. There¡¯s only one way this will end for you. Either you atone for your sins or you will help me purge this city from the thugs that inhabit it. This is your only path.¡±


    He nodded without moving his body. The shadow turned towards the building and scaled it so effortlessly. He watched mouth gaping as he finally lost hold of his will. His eyes rolled back and he slammed his back on the wet paved floor. He couldn¡¯t even care about the hard rain that fell on his face.


    ¡°I am still alive!¡± he thought. ¡°That monster allowed me to live! I should be safe for now from that psycho!¡±


    He was glad that he was alive. The monster clearly wouldn¡¯t have killed him if he didn¡¯t have any use.

 Chapter 76: Sons of Helios Part 3

    It was a decorated room filled with weapons. There was a luxurious couch that acted both as a throne and a bed. There was a veiled woman sitting in a lotus position while meditating. Around her were four multicolored balls of energy. Fire, water, earth, and the wind. Her silver-gold hair held the light so unimaginable to those who lived on such a new world. Her eyes changed periodically into different colors as the glow around her flickers.


    ¡°Hail, Blessed Maiden!¡± a person wearing silky decorated clothes heart-saluted her.


    ¡°Speak,¡± she said. Her cold tone turned the room colder for a brief second.


    The person swallowed his saliva, his hands shaking as he musters the courage to look at the person who is the center of the Empire. Those who favor her are told to have power and those who don¡¯t are treated but trash. How can they stand in front of the person blessed by God?


    Beauty that could make a nation fall.


    The strength that could take on armies.


    The wisdom that she gathered from her eternal life.


    ¡°I¡¯ve come here to fight for the hand of my beloved. I am Cero of House Cheery, and I fell in love with one of your family members. I wish to take her hand in marriage and to love her forever.¡±


    ¡°So you come here wishing for my permission?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I see. Then you should know that I cherish my family. Tell me. Why does the current matriarch of my family not think of you well enough? What gave you the courage to be here?¡±


    ¡°Because I do love her, milady.¡±


    All the fear that he had was gone for a brief second. The veiled woman stared at his eyes, her lips forming a smile as she nods her head. ¡°Your words resonate finely. Tell me. Will you love her even if her face gets burned?¡±


    ¡°My love is not so shallow like that.¡±


    ¡°Will you carry her on your back even if you are a surrounded by the hideous creatures of darkness?¡±


    ¡°My great grandfather would call me a coward and I am no coward! I have come here and even if I have to die trying to make you agree! I would do it!¡±


    And suddenly there was a coldness that made him shudder. If that coldness a while ago was indifference then this was cold fury. Cero could not imagine what made the Veiled Maiden act like this.


    ¡°Do not speak like that if you truly love her. A man should take responsibility when you make a woman fall for you. Do not leave her alone and make her suffer a heartbreak of never saying goodbye and disappearing without a trace. If you do that then I shall not let you have my family.¡±


    The veiled woman turned towards space with such a lonesome mood around her.


    ¡°No woman should fall in love so badly and be left alone with such heart. I will let you have one of my great-granddaughters. But let it be said that if I hear that they have their hearts broken. Then know that I will hunt you down no matter what even if it means getting out of this chamber. Do you understand that?¡±


    Cero could not help but smile at that remark.


    ¡°I will not do so. I will personally deliver my head to you if that ever happens.¡±


    ¡°Good. I shall be watching.¡±


    And so the man named Cero left the chamber of the Veiled Maiden. Ten seconds passed and a woman clad in shadows jumped beside the Veiled Maiden with silence.


    ¡°Investigate that man¡¯s family. I want to know everything about someone who wants to join my Alician Family. Seek their objectives and see if they have ulterior motives. The Alician Family has stayed neutral and unless the dark rises or a demon arrives in this city, then we shall not be used by anyone.¡±


    ¡°Yes, milady.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, tell me, what is the news outside these chambers?¡±


    The woman clad in black was silent for a while.


    ¡°There has been news of slaughter...some are saying that there is a monster hunting down the gang members of the Sons of Helios.¡±


    ¡°Tell me more, Nia¡±


    The shadow woman nodded.


    ¡°A week ago an unknown person has started methodically killing the territories of the Sons of Helios. Ever since then they have lost three districts and many of their members have died.¡±


    ¡°Do you know who¡¯s doing it? I assume that you already know?¡±


    ¡°No, grandmother,¡± she said. ¡°The murderer is as quiet as a ghost. I¡¯ve tried to follow his tracks but their enemy this time knows how to hide well. I have tried following the enemy but he was like a shadow as well.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± the veiled woman¡¯s brows sharpened. ¡°Have you seen this ¡®monster¡¯ fight?¡±


    ¡°I have seen a glimpse of it, milady. The enemy fights savagely and he makes use of stealth well. Although, he leaves a throng of bodies,  he is doing well.¡±


    ¡°Someone is actually so brazen to start a slaughter in this city? Hmm, is this a newcomer?¡±


    ¡°I believe so. But it was as if this monster appeared out of nowhere. I had tried to find traces of where this man came from. I had no luck. Almost like a phantom.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s breaking the status quo that we have maintained for years. Indeed, I understand that they are doing things that I cannot stomach. But we control them, and we prevent the worst from taking over. The sons of Helios have been branded as a necessary evil in this new world of ours so that the Sunspawn Knights can care for this world. Nia, tell the Sunspawn Knights to move, along with the Crusaders of Salt Passing, and tell them to bring a wizard from the Wizard¡¯s Society and protect that wizard. I will be counting your maidens of throes as well.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this too much for one monster?¡±


    ¡°Nia,¡± she said calmly. ¡°Never underestimate an enemy. The enemy must be neutralized to maintain control. The Empire has been stretched thin. The Tian Islanders and the Holy Order of the Pontifex demand the killing of any monsters as well.¡±


    ¡°Your wish shall be granted, milady.¡±


    ¡°Good. Now leave me.¡±


    Nia disappeared from sight. The Veiled woman squeezed her eyes and focused her power on the elemental orbs. Without her guidance then the powers that lifts this city would be slowed down. She must not slack on this self-imposed duty of hers. For that has been her eternal duty for over four hundred ninety-nine years.

 Chapter 77: Sons of Helios Part 4

    Gar heard the train that was fifteen blocks away. Never thought he¡¯d be back to the house that he ran away from. It didn¡¯t matter how much disdain they looked at him. Gar wanted to live. He didn¡¯t want to die because of his pride. So he returned to the House of Cheery, the Ancestral House of his family, an old family that has existed ever since the foundation of the Empire. The current matriarch of the Alician Family was acquainted with the Cheery house.


    The house name started with their great grandmother finding a wife. The Ancestor of the house of cheery was quite the person who held strange knowledge that helped in developing the current state of Empire. Of course, the knowledge he had was built on the foundations of many scholars who helped created the vision that Gar¡¯s great ancestor had visualized.


    ¡°Fool!¡± the older servant said. ¡°Why return? Was your pride as shallow as you resolve?¡±


    Gar couldn¡¯t care about the older servant. He had angered everyone in the house but he was still allowed to stay. The Cheery Family had a weird fixation on not leaving anyone behind. Because of this principle that he was allowed to get inside the house.


    ¡°You are back, Gar?¡± said a voice.


    Gar turned towards the voice. A blond haired young woman wearing a military coat, the banner of throes, one of the oldest organizations of the Empire. She had bright blue eyes and apple lips.


    ¡°Lady Melissa,¡± Gar bowed. ¡°It is a pleasure to see you.¡±


    ¡°The same,¡± Melissa nodded. ¡°I heard you were looking for a new path in life. You came so quickly.¡±


    ¡°I had to make due, milady,¡± he balled his fist. ¡°I thought of being a courier to the Sons of Helios, but they were wiped out easily.¡±


    Her face became stern, ¡°I see. I did hear you were part of the Sunspawn Knight¡¯s affiliate group. So three districts in a span of a week. Did you personally see the monster?¡±


    Gar thought that the monster didn¡¯t really say anything about telling others about him. He had to keep silence about the matters of the monster coming to him.


    ¡°I saw him personally, milady,¡± he said with a shaking voice. ¡°The monster had already scouted us before we could even prepare ourselves. The caravan I was in has been guarded with the best equipment they could be armed with. Nevertheless, the monster plunged on one of the carriages, made use of the recoil-operated Gatling to annihilate the guards. He then followed us into the district ¡ª we thought that we¡¯d be safe but we were not safe milady. He took out all the watchers on the roofs and killed the gunners sneakily. When things were quiet he attacked and he sought fear and chaos while he attacks. Each of his attacks was brutal and visceral. It was clear that he was laying down fear on us. It worked.¡±


    Gar tried to calm himself. He couldn¡¯t easily do so while recounting the events. Melissa was watching him with a serious expression, her eyes as sharp as blades.


    ¡°I saw those tough men die easily. Bullets didn¡¯t work. Even if it did he would only start bouncing around, making use of others as meat shields. His abilities made him even more dangerous, milady. He could shoot out black flesh that could pierce even through padded clothes. I am only alive because he let me go when I pleaded.¡±


    She folded her arms and reclined back, ¡°Then this monster is not done with you. Clearly, he had intentions of catching up to you? What did he say?¡±


    ¡°He said he wanted to know my background. I think the monster is reasonable, milady. Ah, please, I beg of you, milady. Do not try attacking the man all alone. I believe that you are strong and you have been trained by the blessed maiden herself, and your family does not lack in magical talents. I had not seen you fight but I doubt that such an experienced monster could be dealt with by you.¡±


    Melissa¡¯s brows met. Her fists tightened as she points her eyes coldly at Gar. Gar didn¡¯t turn his eyes away. He dared to look her right in the eye.


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°I know you do, milady. I can tell that you are strong. You and brother are strong but you should not face this monster alone and without a battalion of huntsmen that could prevent the monster from using his powers and agility. We need hard-hitting combatants that could break through his armor and defeat him. Sister Melissa, if you and brother could be married in any given month or day. I would hate to lose both of you because of your recklessness. The monster can be reasoned ¡ª but I don¡¯t think he has any patience to rid of things he finds wrong. Evil or lesser or necessary. He wouldn¡¯t care. Those eyes had no intention of letting the Sons of Helios go.¡±


    Melissa palmed her knees. She looked up for a brief second at the chandelier of the house. Her eyes were lost for a second.


    ¡°We had been given the word that we¡¯d be chasing that monster.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Gar said. ¡°No, that would be suicide!¡±


    ¡°Hearing it from you who had personal experience with such a monster? I think now so too. Your brother will accompany me, but I don¡¯t think that we should go on with the plan. I had to reevaluate our approach.¡±


    ¡°Please do!¡± Gar pleaded.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen you this scared, Gar. You and your brother have nerves of steel. But if this monster can leave a dent on your hardened wills. Then we shan¡¯t be cocky or dare to underestimate the opponent. Great Grandmother had said as well, and knowing Great Grandmother, she would be right.¡±


    Melissa rose from her seat with a smack of her boots. She adjusted her uniform and grabbed hold of her rifle and slung it on her back. ¡°I will go back to inform the rest of what you have said. Your brother will be notified by this as well.¡±


    She started out of the door and disappeared from sight. Gar clambered up the stairs and opened his old room. In the room, he saw a lone figure wearing a mask.


    Gars legs stiffed. His eyes shrunk down as he stared at the skulled-masked man.

 Chapter 78: Sons of Helios Part 5

    Gar stiffly walked to the chair and sat. He tried his best to not show his shaking hands, but it was clear that he was feeling the pressure of the monster in front of him.


    ¡°Have you been here long, Sir?¡±


    ¡°Sir?¡± the skulled-mask monster guffawed. ¡°Not going to call me, monster?¡±


    ¡°Did you hear?¡± he asked.


    ¡°The Alician family rules this city, huh, or is it the whole of this Empire? I thought it was odd that a noble is working as a courier for a gang of thugs¡ªwho knew that those gangs of thugs are controlled by an order of knights. How the mighty and honorable have fallen. Even this world cannot escape the fall of chivalry.¡±


    The skulled-mask monster had his face turned into something worse. The complicated expression of the monster left him wondering what did he discovered while searching. Gar couldn¡¯t understand why the stolid face of that monster turned odd.


    Gar didn¡¯t need to think about anything else. He might not have that of a good relationship with family, but family was family, and he would never wish them harm. He thought of himself as a man and as a man, he would put his foot down and stare at the monster that might slaughter his family. There was no need for cowardice at this moment.


    ¡°Please spare my family,¡± he pleaded with sincerity. ¡°They are good people, and they do not deserve slaughter for my sins.¡±


    The skulled-mask man stared at him with unblinking eyes. ¡°You think that I would slaughter everyone who doesn¡¯t deserve it? You mistake me. I had searched for your crimes and found none. Your family have done good deeds and are against the labor of children. Ah, do you think that I kill before asking? I do not kill people for the sake of blind justice. I gather the facts and then figure out who needs to be punished. But you are guilty of association. I won¡¯t murder you, but you must atone for the sins of helping such degenerates. I figured out that they were doing this to have control over the districts. It made sense now why a great empire would let these thugs roam around freely. They were backed up by noble houses and knight orders. Tell me, would you help me or should I cripple you as punishment instead?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s too little of a choice!¡±


    ¡°So you prefer being beaten down like a dog?¡±


    Gar shuddered. He dug his nails on his palms.


    ¡°As long as it doesn¡¯t betray my family or those who are allied with my family.¡±


    ¡°You are pushing your luck too much,¡± the skulled-mask man said. ¡°The Alician family is a house that has control over most districts. Tell me, why would I let them go, knowing, that they had their symbols on the thugs that I kill? A bastard from the Sons of Helios told me that they are the one that should because of the suffering. They might be doing this for the greater good ¡ª but I will tell you now that I cannot easily let them go.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll fail,¡± Gar said with confidence. ¡°As long as the blessed maiden moves then you¡¯d be dead.¡±


    ¡°I heard of this blessed maiden,¡± the skulled-mask man said. ¡°I will find a way to deal with her ¡ª but I am confident that I can find a way to defeat her.


    Gar continued to look at him as if he was a dead man. Hearing that there was someone so brazen enough to think he could take on the slayer of the Overlord of Demons was a big joke to Gar¡¯s ears.


    Gar thought how reasonable and unreasonable this monster was. But he felt his heart calm down after knowing that his family wouldn¡¯t suffer because of his actions.


    Gar was about to accept the conditions of the monster in front of him. The door was kicked open. ¡°Get down!¡± shouted a voice.


    Gar dived down immediately after hearing that voice. The monster glanced calmly at the person who kicked the door down and readied an extremely terrible weapon.


    ¡°I call the Pale Sword of Zachariah. Through blood and flesh; through sacrifice and courage; let this blade shall cut through its enemies."


    The skulled-mask man¡¯s body was suddenly covered by obsidian-like flesh. He took a step forward with his right foot, conjured a gauntlet of flesh, and jabbed on the sword¡¯s hilt. The sword¡¯s tip was pointed up, and in turn, the skulled-mask man thrust his other arm and palmed the sword wielder right on the stomach.


    ¡°Ah!¡± the sword wielder had his back thrown on the wall. He threw up a mouthful of blood as he slides down helplessly.


    ¡°Sleep for a while,¡± the skulled-mask man said as he pivots his leg to knock out the sword wielder.


    ¡°You will stop right there!¡±


    A rifle shot the back of the skulled-mask man. He staggered for a bit but was fast enough to react against the attack.


    ¡°A familiar strike, yet a bit improved?¡± he said while grabbing the wrist of the attacker, and levered her arm on his shoulder, throwing her out of the way and following it with a quick stomp on the diaphragm. Her eyes rolled back as she stops moving.


    ¡°You bastard!¡± shouted the sword wielder.


    The sword wielder tried to swing the sword at the man¡¯s neck. But the skulled-mask man parried the sword wielder¡¯s wrist with a left backhand and followed it with choke slam that immediately whitened the eyes of the sword wielder.


    Gar couldn¡¯t even react. He only saw that his brother, Cero, and his fiancee, Lady Nia Alician was done in with a flourish of moves.


    The skulled-mask man¡¯s arm was cracked. But he could tell that it was an easy battle. He had seen that sword move and the way they fought once. He had always believed that his brother and Lady Nia was a good fighter. But the monster had beaten them.


    ¡°How did you?¡±


    ¡°Experience, painful experience has made me strong. Even I won¡¯t lose to you, greenhorns. But it looks they gathered enough attention. I see. Do you like watching me that much, shadow?¡±


    This time the skulled-mask drew out a pistol from his holster. The shadow hiding in the shadows fell down as blood poured from her side. She seems to be out cold.


    ¡°Wait for me in the tower,¡± the skulled-mask man said. His silhouette disappearing from Gar¡¯s sight.

 Chapter 79: Sons of Helios Part 6

    The skulled mask that he conjured broke. His shattered arms shuddered as he breathes in air. His eyes were calm but his body was broken by that exchange. He won but it took him overdoing his own body. It was the first time he felt like he was so tired in this world.


    But that didn¡¯t concern Lanon, no, that didn¡¯t concern him at all. What he learned was that indeed there were people behind the thugs that have been giving the people suffering. He had followed a trail and what did he learn? All the boroughs that he had been attacking are primarily controlled by the city itself in order to prevent nefarious thugs from taking in.


    The city was a habitat of drug dealers and notorious slavers. It took years for the ¡°Blessed Maiden¡± to purge the cultists and the cannibals out of this land. But even her efforts do not stop the influx of crime. He had learned that this maiden had been fighting for peace. She was a goddess of war that many worships. She didn¡¯t want to be treated like one, and never she tried to claim the land as hers. She had one duty and she did that duty. But even a blessed maiden like her could not stop the demand of those who lack decency. So to solve the problem she had decided to create the necessary evil.


    Lanon understood what the blessed maiden was trying to accomplish. The fact that she had carried the weight of an entire empire on her back for so many years made it acceptable for her to do what she must do. Rain poured down on him as he saunters to the back of the alley. Blood poured out of his mouth, and his eyes bloodshot as he lost control of his legs.


    ¡°Damn it,¡± he muttered. ¡°I guess no matter what world I am barely in the mid-tier. I guess I should be lucky enough that I was able to neutralize them. I am getting too old.¡±


    He looked at his calloused hands. It was youthful and it didn¡¯t have the wrinkles that have gashes and scars. He wasn¡¯t fond of such young hands. It was odd for him to have complete fingers with barely any scars on it. Ever since he had found himself in this new world with a young body. He didn¡¯t know how to act. His soul was old and worn out, but his body was young and vigorous.


    It felt like his soul was forcibly locked in a cage. He wasn¡¯t complaining about the young body. He was simply disoriented and unfamiliar with such a strong body. It was a blessing that he had to get to know more. Not to mention that this body had the obsidian flesh that allowed him to contend with those who could wield such powers.


    ¡°If only I had this power back when I was still fighting alongside her?¡± he thought back. ¡°If I had the power then I would have died alongside them. I would have died fighting. I saw the end of the world and the end of the fight. And here I am still walking the bleak path. Really, why do you fight so hard for things that do not need you, Nolan Salvatore? Calling yourself Lanon, and all that for such weird reasons.¡±


    He talked while the black sinews of flesh sewed his wounds. The regeneration process was akin to having his arms cut open by a scalpel and hastily sewed together. His shattered arms were put together like pieces of a puzzle by the strings of black flesh.


    He was convulsing, he couldn¡¯t even get rid of the blood clogging his mouth. If it wasn¡¯t for the rainwater rinsing his mouth, then surely he would have drowned on his own blood. This was simply the price of having this ability.


    It took minutes for him to regain complete control of his body. Bullet wounds and sword wounds were superficial but people that could conjure powers that can counter his abilities needed serious treatments. If he didn¡¯t have the pistol, he would have surely been ambushed by the shadow that was lurking.


    ¡°I need to reevaluate this new world. I need to survive, understand, and identify the root of the problem. I can understand the reasons for this city and why it needed such scums. But can I truly cast my eyes away from such problems? Even though I pissed off the family that had a lot of connections and has a powerful figure backing it. I manage to bluff but they¡¯d realize my true strength. They manage to figure out where I was and predicted where I was going to move. I knew they¡¯d be looking for their family. Still, I came looking for him. I have this ability but it is too costly and I think it is time to make use of boot-camp training. Do I even remember the basics? It has been too damn long. Ah, I wonder if Sarge got married? Ah, I wonder what¡¯s happening in my original world? No, need to think about a long past that I would not be able to cherish. Focus on the current problem, Nolan, don¡¯t be distracted and do what you must do. Focus on one at a time¡±


    His thoughts wandered as he throws his coat in the trash. He then found himself among the pedestrians of the city, blending in and vanishing within plain sight. He was still too weak to clamber up the buildings. He had to make do by making use of the crowd. Not to mention that there are no people that could recognize him. For walking around the city had made him look like a typical citizen.


    He walked for fifteen minutes until he reached a building he had already scouted. He spotted the unopened crates and smiled at the guard, who felt his back turn cold. The guard tried to shout but he was stopped by a sharp gauntlet that gutted his throat!

 Chapter 80: The Cold-Hearted Blade of the Maiden

    Gar had no choice but to care for his brother and soon-to-be sister-in-law. They suffered quite a bit after having their arms broken by the man. They were okay and their injuries were not going to be as serious as the shadow that had been shot down by the monster.


    Gar had done his best but she was hit right in the liver. Not even the first-aid training he had done was aiding the risk. He couldn¡¯t even bring the shadow away from the house. He had to make do with the help of the older servant.


    ¡°Shadows of the Blessed Maiden,¡± he thought. ¡°They are supposed to be inhumane in their own rights, but he just dead-eyed shot one like it was nothing. If he¡¯s so deadly with his fists, I shudder to think if he had used that pistol to kill.¡±


    ¡°Sir Gar,¡± the older servant said calmly. ¡°It seems the sword of Zachariah is not responding. It should be able to summon the healing. It has been silenced.¡±


    ¡°Caron,¡± Gar said. ¡°Have you called for help?¡±


    ¡°I have called for assistance. But I shudder, Sir Gar.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°The Shadows of the Maiden are her beloved daughters as well. If she¡¯s writhing here in the ground then it won¡¯t be long until her grace would arrive here.¡±


    Gar was confused for a second. He then heard the sound of air breaking. He felt the oppressing energy pressing down the house of Cheery. The portraits of his great ancestors shuddered as a figure descended from the sky. The sky that has been pouring down the city of Alician was dried up at the sight of this figure. Within a blink of an eye, a gust of wind came and shattered every glass in the house of Cheery.


    The figure of the blessed maiden appeared before Gar. Her aura bursting with power as the four elements that have accompanied her after the death of elemental heroes orbited for a second before melting on her skin. She stood in front of the shadow without her veil.


    Gar and Caron were awed by the appearance of the blessed maiden. She was a woman of her prime and despite her age, she was still as young and her figure was something that women would die for to have. But it was not just the appearance that awed them. It was the seething fury that was with her. Fury that was burning with fire yet it was also cold enough to make them feel cold.


    ¡°Lady Ciara!¡± Caron knelled on one knee and bowed his head. He signaled Gar and Gar followed.


    ¡°What happened here?¡± she said coldly.


    The room froze for a second before it was melted back by her breath.


    ¡°I¡ª¡± Caron was about to speak when he was silenced by the gaze of the blessed maiden.


    ¡°I can smell the remains of a heinous power. I see. Could it be that you encountered the new monster lurking my city?¡±


    Gar took a step forward, ¡°It was my fault, milady. I didn¡¯t think that he would have come after me.¡±


    ¡°Are you part of House Cheery?¡±


    ¡°Yes, milady.¡±


    ¡°I see. So tell me, what happened here?¡±


    Gar recounted the events of when the monster slaughtered the districts until to the part where they tried ambushing him. Gar could see that Lady Ciara was calm for the most part until he recounted how the monster brought down her granddaughters so easily. He stammered on his speech and he trembled. His heart pounded so badly he could barely breathe as rage comes swelling from Lady Ciara.


    ¡°It seems that this time it is a humanoid enemy that uses the ability of rare shadow trekker. But I can smell such heinous power around this room. And you, I see that there traces of that monster¡¯s power on you.¡±


    She pointed her palm and Gar was wrapped in a milky glow. Gar could feel his body lighten up. She took her hands back and grasp something in the air.


    ¡°I have rid of you of the traces of that monster. He will not be able to track.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, milady,¡± he said.


    ¡°It is no problem. It is my duty to keep you all safe. As the Protector of this city, it seems that I cannot let this monster go, after all, what kind of a person would I be if I just let those who hurt my family go? That¡¯s why I will show you my sincerity, and in the name of those who have lived and died, and for the will that has been carried the day I became the War Maiden that fends off the darkness. I, Ciara, the Chosen of the Bleak, Heralded by the Three Ladies of Fate, the carrier of the War Maiden¡¯s will, and bearer of the Four Elementals, I shall purge the monster with my utmost sincerity.¡±


    The air she grasped transformed into a cold multicolored blade. It then turned into a concentrated blade of light that buzzed and simmered the air. Gar and Caron could not help but take a few steps back away from such malevolent blade.


    She sauntered away from the house and pointed the blade to the sky.


    ¡°Hear me, my blade of Salvatore, strike with impunity, and punish the wicked who harms those who I adore!¡±


    The blade turned into a singular bolt of lightning that cleaved the clouds and revealed the scorning sun. The whole city of Alician trembled as the blade made of the elementals strike one of the districts. The blade homed into its target and by the time the rain returned. There was silence.


    The whole city turned their eyes into the district where the bolt of elemental lightning was cast down upon. Everyone knew of the cold blade that only strikes the enemy. Once that blade strikes then the one targeted by it could only pray for salvation.


    Gar could still hear the loud boom. He saw Ciara, the War Maiden, stand with her eyes cloudy. The cold blade on her hand vanishes as she turned her sights back to the House of Cheery.


    ¡°It is done,¡± she announced with confidence. ¡°The monster should be no more.¡±

 Chapter 81: As usual

    When the bolt made of elemental s strike him. Lanon, no, Nolan Salvatore could only stop on his tracks. The bombs that he rigged were set up and by the time that bolt came. The surrounding district was blown apart and although he covered himself in obsidian flesh. He still couldn¡¯t prevent the fire from burning his skin, the water and wind had skinned him, the earth pinned multiples holes in his body.


    He couldn¡¯t see or hear, but he could at least smell. His arms were working. He could smell piss and shit all around him. He was sure that the burnt smell was him. His heart was beating, he could feel like it was because he was still alive.


    He crawled through whatever place he was crawling. He could smell blood and gutter. There was a rotting scent five meters away from him. He could feel the water flowing east of where he was crawling. He continued down that path until he found himself unable to move forward.


    His sense of pain was numbed for a while but when it came back, he arched his back in pain, he shouted, agonized, and growled like a beaten dog. He prone near the sewer tunnel with his body constantly shaking in pain. He felt something biting his flesh, this creature chewed, nibbled, and feasted on his torso. It was only when regained sight that he was able to grab hold of the strange rat-like creature that he felt a bit of relief. His legs were chewed and one of his legs were missing. His left-hand fingers were eaten by the rat-like creatures. He didn¡¯t want to encounter the creatures so he climbed up the sewer tunnel and proceeded forward, skipping, making use of the tunnel walls to guide his way.


    When he got his other leg back. He tried to use the obsidian flesh but it only fell off from his body like cracked egg shells. He thought that the blast had disabled the obsidian flesh. He could feel his body being sewn back by the obsidian flesh, however, it was like it could barely perform its full potential after exerting too much energy.


    The sewer tunnels shook. Nolan looked around before realizing that he was on the drainage system of the city. The thundering roar of the water made his senses sharp. Yet, he was slap by the water and was thrown down a hole and had his left thigh pierced. He didn¡¯t cry out in pain. He just lifted his left thigh and limped away from the grate, avoiding the barrage of water coming from above. He stared at the water for a minute before continuing down the pathway.


    A corpse was hanging from a loose beam in the chamber. He stared at the corpse, turned towards the coil of rope placed on a rotten crate. He thought of something and proceeded to do it. It¡¯s not like he had anything to lose on trying, doesn¡¯t he?


    So he tied the rope around his neck and let go of the loose beam.


    He closed his eyes as the impact broke his neck.


    The rope tightened and for a while, there was a bit of silence with two people hanging inside a chamber.


    And then suddenly there was a loud thumping coming from his chest.


    It was loud enough to scare the rats away.


    Then the black sinews slithered out of his chest. It crawled around the neck and his broken neck was sewn back by the obsidian flesh.


    He opened his eyes, and his expression crumbled.


    ¡°I see, so that¡¯s how it is, huh? You really haven¡¯t got enough out of me huh? Is that it? Not even the mercy of death? Are you kidding me?¡±


    He trashed around and repeatedly punched the floor.


    ¡°Honestly, when will you give me a fucking break?¡±


    He shouted with an ugly frown on his face. He simply couldn¡¯t control the frustration that has been plaguing him since he arrived in this world.


    Nolan hasn¡¯t experienced the other timeline and like always the thought of not dying had him worried. All of his beliefs were centered around the idea that he could die. He had built up all of his strength and courage in one idea in order for his heart not to be dented.


    It was cruel in a way that his actions led him to this place. He thought of doing something only to be pressed down by an unimaginable strength. Nolan Salvatore had not felt happiness nor he tries to seek for it. If there was one thing that he does not admit. It¡¯s the fact that he simply wanted to rest his body.


    He had traveled so long. He had fought so long despite his old self. He held on to such bleak hope in order to have a dignified death. He died and the thought of it made him happy. He was truly happy to see the sun shining back after so much darkness.


    He tried seeking for a purpose this time. He really did. But the thought of facing someone who could conjure a bolt of lighting from a strange distance made him despair.


    He knew that he was being reckless. He didn¡¯t blame anyone but himself for where he was right now. But even so, he could not help but break the mask that kept him cool. He had already guessed that he wasn¡¯t going to die easily after that elemental bolt. He had enough for one lifetime. And if this was the way it is then he would have to accept it.


    It was simply the things that he could not control.


    In the trichotomy of control, it was simply what it was and will be.


    He would cry for today. He would have to take time to straighten his mind and get back up like he always does. He wasn¡¯t unbreakable and even his obsidian heart needed time to heal. For now, he will rest and think back of the actions he made.


    Redo.


    Rethink.


    Retry.


    No matter how bleak it was.


    All he had to do was act as usual.

 Chapter 82: Gar’s Worries

    Gar thought of the incident that happened three days ago. He had seen the might of the War Maiden that defeated the Overlord of the Demons in combat. They have said that she might have gone beyond ordinary and seeing it for himself made it clear that she indeed made it past the realm of humans.


    He thought of the lonesome back of the War Maiden. Indeed, she had so much power and she didn¡¯t lack any daughters. But it seems like there was a big hole that could not fill her heart. What was it? He asked but he couldn¡¯t possibly fathom the mind of a woman who had lived for over five hundred years.


    Gar was walking around the district that the elemental bolt hit. The landscape was cratered and the buildings that once stood in place were burnt and destroyed. The elemental bolt was precise enough to hit the target. But it seems like the monster was in the middle of rigging explosions when it hit.


    He was standing near a wooden building. The door was old. The windows were ill-repaired and the walls had tiny holes on it. There were webbings around the crevices of its wall. A guy was standing dazedly near the wooden beams. Gar walked towards the guy and waved his hand.


    ¡°Did you see what happened?¡±


    ¡°Aye,¡± said the man. He didn¡¯t bother to look at Gar. ¡°The whole place was bustling with activity. First, it was the monster who came running amok with that terrible hand. The gatlings were fortified around but the bastard shot the gunners in the head. Those who tried met the same fate as well. He easily slaughtered us, you know?¡±


    His limps trembled. Gar narrowed his brows.


    ¡°I was hiding under the floorboard when the by the good of her grace¡¯s majestic bolt came down upon the monster.¡±


    ¡°We saw no corpse. Not even a trace of the monster!¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s why I¡¯m afraid. You don¡¯t understand it, brother. That monster could shrug off our bullets with ease. I swear that one of us shot him right in the head but he only stared back at us with his blood eyes. I saw it clear. I saw it clear! His eyes were that of a hawk! He could see through the walls! If not then he wouldn¡¯t have hit some of us! I was lucky that I was under two layers! I was able to avoid his gaze but I was sure that he heard my breathing. I was lucky!¡±


    The man clearly had lost his wits. He was biting his nails as he remembers the horrifying display. Gar had to leave and went down a street. He took two right turns and stopped by a statue for a rest. He then continued straight on a building-lined street. He avoided the hubbub of carriages, turned to the left, and entered a square where there cart-merchants selling streets foods. He smelled the roasted mutton. He has been walking around so he thought that he needed the break. He bought one and settled down near the waiting area. He bites off the mutton and chewed on it.


    A man walks towards the waiting area with his hands inside his coat. He had strange red eyes and his hair was like ashes. Gar thought that for a young adult looking man, he was rather familiar.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t see you in the tower, friend.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    He turned and saw the skull mask he dreaded. His lower jaw trembled, he let go of his mutton, his eyes dilated, and he was unable to speak up, knowing, that he was here.


    ¡°You should have really come, friend. Did you really think that would stop me? Ah, is that why you are here, eating mutton, freely enjoying his time while a kid sobs in a corner, hoping, wishing that dear hero would save them?¡±


    ¡°I,¡± he tried to say something.


    ¡°No need to explain, I get it. Still, you are going to help me.¡±


    ¡°What do you want?¡±


    ¡°I want a map of the Alician Estate. I want to ask the protector of this city, and what she¡¯s doing.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t win against the lady!¡±


    ¡°Does that matter to you? It¡¯s my own funeral, and please, I rather not hurt you. Even though I should get rid of you, knowing that you had me with that bolt. It hurt you know? Being skinned alive by the four elements. If I was a normal person, I would have died miserably, and the threat to your city would have been gone. Sadly, I am not.¡±


    Gar¡¯s breathing quickened, his palms sweated, and he was biting his lip. He was holding on the bench badly.


    ¡°Will you leave me alone? You won¡¯t hurt my family again?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t blame me for defending myself. I¡¯ll swear that there shall be no harm done to your family as long as you do what I ask. Give me the map, deliver it to the old tower, and then stay out of my way. Go now, and remember, I will be watching, and if another bolt hits me, I will kill you.¡±


    Gar nodded stiffly. He started forward, his forearms shaking badly as he walks to the main street. He could feel the stare. He was afraid, and rightly so, after all, that person was resilient enough to take on an elemental bolt with seemingly no damage done. If he dared to do something then surely this time, the patient of that monster would be gone, and Gar would have to face his wrath.


    Rain hammered down the city of Alician. The citizens were running for shelter. Gar walks while splashing the puddle. He didn¡¯t take shelter, he simply thought of how he should proceed. He didn¡¯t have the best reputation and asking his brother would be outright suspicious. Gar didn¡¯t want to do it but it seems his only choice was to offer his service to the guardsman of the estate in hopes that he would be allowed to enter the lady¡¯s chamber.

 Chapter 83: The Witch of Nether

    It was the chamber of Ciara, she was meditating when she heard the sound of electricity meeting each other. Before her eyes were the sudden appearance of a purple robe clad with tiny runes that seem to interchange. She looked up and saw a familiar face.


    ¡°Audrey Cress?¡± she said calmly.


    ¡°Who would it be other than me?¡± she smiled while putting her staff behind. ¡°I thought there was something up when I felt your spell from a distance. As always, it seems that it is a bolt that could make the earth shatter. Replicating it has always been a challenge.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°I see?¡± she shook her head. ¡°We¡¯ve been years, perpetual buddies, and here you are being so cold to me. Seriously, what did the lucky guy to make so loveless for the past years?¡±


    ¡°I never really did talk to you about him.¡±


    ¡°You did. I do remember that you call your mighty blade based on his last name. Funny, I do remember a guy named Nolan Salvatore, he was quite a mysterious man, though he was killing those aborted monsters.¡±


    ¡°You know him?¡±


    Audrey widened her eyes, ¡°I hit the mark? Eh, seriously?¡±


    ¡°That is him.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± she nodded blankly. ¡°I see. Then I am guessing that the woman¡¯s scent he had on him was you? I see, I spotted him from a mile and thought it was odd that he carrying someone on his back while fighting monsters and making use of his body as a shield. So that was you? No wonder you¡¯d fall in love so hard.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± she said proudly.


    ¡°The man who gave you to the fates and brought you power. But I must admit that it was cruel of him to leave you after such a few days? Giving you the weight of the world and to leave.¡±


    ¡°He had his choice. I believe that he did it because he knew that he wouldn¡¯t last.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, five hundred years of protectorate duties,¡± Audrey eyed her perpetual friend. ¡°Come here, love, you always seem so lonely, and even that spell of yours gives you such a sour face.¡±


    Audrey Cress neared her, and wrap her arms around her friend. ¡°Really, why can¡¯t you be happy?¡±


    ¡°I have my daughters, and it is not like you have the right to talk when you are as stubborn as I am against finding new love. Shut up.¡±


    ¡°Boo, you are so stuck up with your duties. Then let us set this as an example. What if you have never met him when you weren¡¯t the war maiden? What if you met him as a simple rank-and-file soldier instead of an experienced bleak walker?¡±


    ¡°That is hard,¡± she said. ¡°When I became a War Maiden, all thoughts that I had became that of duty. I didn¡¯t think much of anything other than that I had to do it. If we¡¯ve met differently, then I believe that he would have to wait for years before I can even fathom his love, and even more, years if I still had my burnt up face.¡±


    ¡°And I just make do with what I have now,¡± she added. ¡°I have a family and my granddaughters are by my side.¡±


    ¡°Well they are indeed lovely and I heard your granddaughter is getting married as well? Can I come?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want you pouting on me. Sigh, when did you become so lax?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s what happens when you spend too much time perfecting your spells. While you, my dearest friend, don¡¯t have to worry about aging while I had to make do with runes and the poison I got from Vie!¡±


    ¡°How is she anyway?¡±


    ¡°Still stuck on her bog, it seems that she has no plans to get out unless something happens. Seriously, why are my friends'' such single-minded workaholics? It doesn¡¯t make sense at all!


    ¡°Well, we have duties.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, duties, and the likes of it. Sure, I understand, but, would it kill you to be with your daughters? Aside from the imperialist tendencies of the Empire, the demons haven¡¯t been active ever since the day you fought that demoness.¡±


    ¡°I was able to wound her. She shouldn¡¯t be active until then,¡± the relaxed face that she had vanished for a while. ¡°That demoness is one of the many reasons that I cannot stay still. She has powerful allies and those under her are one of the reasons that this world has become what it is today.¡±


    ¡°Our current technology was stolen from them. They have been silent for a while but I refuse to believe that she has reasons to interfere unless it benefits her. Her legion has been keeping us from fighting and if by any means she does try to take another land. We will have to fight.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s strong but I don¡¯t think she can match you in terms of pure raw strength. I don¡¯t where did she learn or experience to be that skillful in battle. If you didn¡¯t have the incarnations of the maidens inside of you. I don¡¯t think that we¡¯d be matched against her. Though I doubt that you could lose so easily despite that. You had five hundred years and now you are even catching up to me in terms of spells and incantations. I feel like that¡¯s not fair at all.¡±


    ¡°Oh please,¡± she scoffed. ¡°I don¡¯t think I can match the Witch of Nether in terms of magic. Still, are things okay on your side?¡±


    ¡°Aside from the grumbles in the pale pass, it is mostly alright. But what do you expect? The Overlord of the Demons has eyes everywhere and knowing that old demoness? She probably has eyes here as well.¡±


    ¡°I should beef up security. The target that I hit with the elemental bolt had the same power as her. That obsidian flesh could not belong to anyone other than her own soldiers.¡±


    Audrey Cress frowned, her arms folded, ¡°Do you really believe that Tania of the Obsidian Blood Crown would be so brazen to her one of her minions here?¡±


    ¡°Who knows?¡± Ciara said. ¡°She was someone who I can never predict.¡±

 Chapter 84: Eternal Hawk’s Sigil Part 1

    The building was near a river. There was a strange decoration near the door. A counter was near the door, and the windows had blinds that was unusual since Alician City didn¡¯t have that much of sunlight even when there is rain pouring. An old man was reading a thick book. He wore glasses and his hair was as white as snow. Two tables away from the old man was a person with an ash-like hair. His eyes were red and his coat was rather worn and ragged.


    Nolan Salvatore has been studying the history of the world. He had suspicions but he concluded that he was in an alternate timeline. In fact, he would be both blind and deaf if he didn¡¯t still realize that it was the same world. Everyone speaks the same language spoken in Oasis City, and their accent was smoother compared to his.


    ¡°What a cruel joke?¡± he said bitterly.


    He thought that maybe he had traveled into a new world since they had steam machines. It was an era comparable to 1901 in terms of development. He didn¡¯t know what future he was in now. But it was clear that it was a future he wouldn¡¯t know. It was a future where the darkness was defeated.


    ¡°Then does this mean that blessed maiden is actually a war maiden? I see...so she must be something else to live this long. I remember Ciara struggling against the darkness, but this war maiden seems to be too powerful compared to the last world I was in. If only Ciara had that power...then she wouldn¡¯t have to die because of me.¡±


    He held guilt and even today he had still not forgiven himself for letting her die. In the end, no matter how much he tries to forgive himself, he cannot do it. Every time he closes his eyes he would be able to see the death of Ciara. It would be then followed by the screams and death throes of his friends.


    He had to tap on the book once, dusk flies as he stares blankly at the world. On his right was a notebook filled with corrections of his phrasing and that he was saying his name wrong. He was saying Lanon instead of Nolan, and the only thing that could be faulted was the changes in the way people read and speak the language. If he had to learn another language again then he would have probably lamented and drink two liters worth of alcohol.


    The light bulb flickered. The old man who was reading his book turned towards the bulb before turning his eyes back the book adjusting his glasses. Nolan continued practicing with the book while reading the history of the New Empire. As he reads the book he found no traces of the name of the blessed maiden.


    ¡°Her name is barely in any of these books?¡± he said.


    Her name was only given to those who she trusted. They would only refer to her as a Blessed Maiden or her grace, for it has become a tradition to speak not of the name of the maiden. And even if they were curious enough then they have to belong to a house that had a lot of prestige.


    ¡°How odd?¡± he thought. ¡°She must have a lot of influence if she was able to make a whole empire keep silent about her.¡±


    She must really want to stay-low as possible or that she rather had a few know her name? It didn¡¯t matter since he might get to know the current war maiden of this era and asked why she was doing all of this. Absolute power and worship would allow her to keep the criminals and thugs in check. But he also realized that ridding the criminals would only mean that those who did not know of her power would come and seeking to be parasites for this city.


    ¡°Controlled criminals but at the same time harboring children labor. It just doesn¡¯t make sense for them to act as a cruel organization when they have the power to control and regulate the black market of the city. I heard that a lot of the merchants coming from Sleeker have said that the gangs there have become complicated. Their ringleaders were using the machines as an excuse to commit a crime. I heard that this was the only city that flourishes.¡±


    He held a strange look on his eyes. He had lived most of his life fighting against an impossible war. He followed the heroes to the battle as a part of the light¡¯s war. He could still remember lining up with his fellow walkers and crashing toe to toe with demons that were ten feet taller than them. They had to make do with inscribing runes in their bones and making potions that would increase their strength. It was part of the reason that bleak walker was considered to be dangerous and easy to throw away. He remembered that a Bleak Walker would throw his life away without blinking. Not because they were brave or selfless, but it was because they had nothing to lose compared to the others.


    Nolan recalled a man who said something from the past.


    ¡°Look! A Bleak Walker! A poor man branded with the curse on his eyes! Forever haunted by the ghosts of the past in exchange for the power of the runes! Do not pity the bleak walker! Let them throw their lives for that they would be happy to!¡±


    It was not like he was wrong in that regard. Bleak Walkers were twisted from the core and are dead men walking without any purpose. Nolan didn¡¯t really care much and if anything he sympathized with that man¡¯s words. Death was indeed the purpose of a walker that lost everything. To find some meaning before fulfilling that purpose.


    ¡°But I have no time for that now,¡± he closed the book silently. He stood up with a grim determination plastered on his face. He had to learn more about this world. He was only planning to rid the city of criminals. But this time he had more reasons to stay alive.

 Chapter 85: Eternal Hawk’s Sigil Part 2

    A man was punched on the nose. His nose bled as he tried leaning on the wall. The person who was punching the man did another punch before punching him unconscious. Nolan picked up the journal of the man and sat down on the floor. He opened the journal and read on. His eyes red eyes shining within the darkness. The eternal hawk continuously. The white on his eyes had become gray and there was this darkness within it.


    ¡°Had to get rid of the documents as the boss said. The knights are doing this because they think that the Porters are trying to get inside the Alician. Heard they are looking a sword or some sort. Some kind of artifact that belonged to an old warrior in the past. The Porters want to take the sword and give it back to them.¡±


    Nolan flipped another page. The thoughts of the man he just knocked out were written like a report.


    ¡°Heralds were working with the Porters. Had to carry to the message for Boss, again. Can¡¯t believe that someone is targeting the Sons of Helios. Thought it was all rumors until three districts were lost and half of our caravan supply was gone. We were protected but it seems some has a daring to go after us. Probably had a backing or the Porters are doing some scheming again.¡±


    ¡°Porters?¡± Nolan thought. ¡°Hmm, must be an organization from an unknown faction.¡±


    He continued reading.


    ¡°Wife¡¯s gone to labor. Had to make it back home in three days or I¡¯ll miss my child¡¯s birth. I wonder what I should name him if he¡¯s a man, and what if it¡¯s a girl. Never knew that I wanted this. Had to quit this job. Boss says that he¡¯ll be giving me credits to take an office position instead of a courier. Good thing I studied on office matters.¡±


    Nolan¡¯s heart tightened. He turned to the man who had been knocked unconscious. He admits that he killed without thinking about the person¡¯s history. What they were doing was what was important to Nolan. If he didn¡¯t read this journal then he wouldn¡¯t have this much of sympathy to the man he just knocked out.


    ¡°I wonder if there was time for rest and she didn¡¯t have to fight. I wonder, would our child be born? Would that child be a boy or a girl? I guess I¡¯ll never know, huh.¡±


    He flipped the journal again.


    ¡°Okay, this is my last job. I had to settle this and deliver the parcel to the guys. The rumble had me concerned since it was dangerous enough for her grace to act. This job has many disgusting sides but if it means that this city would stay prosperous and I wouldn¡¯t have to deal with the fear of the war overseas. Our troops are stretched thin and if they come inside the city. Can I really think of what we are doing as sinful compared to the lives that would be spared? The children working on those factories are only the button pressers and experienced workers do the hard labor. They are tiring them out, and only because the other cities had been out of commission. Our troops lacked weapons and we are having a hard time controlling the stream of armaments from the black market. The young ones are out there fighting and we have a lack of good burly lads that could carry the hard work. I know that it is wrong for us to treat them like this. But if a bit of cruelty can lift up the population¡¯s safety then it would be good. Her lady is strong in combat, and she can take on cannons and invade countries if she could. But she¡¯s just one woman who protects her home. If it wasn¡¯t for the blasted war and if we didn¡¯t lack food and coal then we¡¯d be safe.¡±


    ¡°War, there¡¯s that word again. No matter what world or timeline it seems any civilized world cannot stop killing each other. Shit, this really puts things into perspective. As usual, I am narrow-sighted, but I can¡¯t still ignore the children being put to work. I know that it is reasonable. I know that it is the only thing logical to do.¡±


    He closed the journal and left it on the man.


    ¡°Wake up,¡± he said to the man with a slap to the cheek.


    ¡°Huh?¡± the man shook his eyes open. ¡°You!?¡±


    ¡°Be calm and you won¡¯t have to be hurt further. I¡¯ll let you go if you tell me where the parcel you delivered is. Would you like to leave your wife and child alone?¡±


    The man¡¯s eyes seethed with fury. But he swallowed that fury along with his pride.


    ¡°I delivered it on Las Forte Street. The parcel should be in that hideout. Look for a package with a red band around it, it¡¯s the one marked with a rose.¡±


    ¡°I see. Here, take this.¡±


    ¡°Why are you giving me this?¡±


    ¡°Just take it.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t. Looks like you read my journal. Are you sympathizing with me now? I thought I¡¯d never wake up. Some of us might be truly twisted but it doesn¡¯t mean you have the right to kill us. I bet you are going to retort with a ¡®think of the children!¡¯ kind of bullshit. I know what we are doing. We are making a huge sin by doing this but let me tell you this, monster. We are not seeking forgiveness. We are doing what is necessary to survive this world.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Do you really see?¡±


    Nolan stared at the man¡¯s eyes before standing up.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like it matters to me whether I am right or wrong. Have a good life, and try to retire as soon as possible. I rather not accidentally kill you or your friends.¡±


    Nolan left the alley without making a sound. He turned his eyes to the sky and let the rain fall down upon his obsidian skull mask. He placed both hands inside his pockets and looked at the tower he has been living. The eternal hawk¡¯s eyes conjured the illusion that pained his heart.

 Chapter 86: Interlude – A memory of an old past

    This was a memory of an old past.


    It was at the height of the light¡¯s war. It was in the ridge located near the pale pass. Numerous tents were facing a landscape covered in mist. There were lightning crackling inside the clouds. The banners of the Knights of Talons, the Crusaders of Salt Passing, the Hegemony Scholars, the Wizard''s Society, the Tian Islanders, the Sunspawn Knights, and the Sword-Maiden of Throes, the Royal Huntsmen of Zayas, the Adventurers Fraternity, and the Holy Knights of the Pontifex fluttered in pride. The Heroes that were the center core of the light¡¯s army stood in front of the army with their gazing upon the scenery where the enemy was.


    Inside a tent, there was a woman clad in armor. She had a partly burnt face and in front of her was a rugged man with graying hair. He has worn out look in his eyes. He wore a beard and his hair was unkempt. He has many scars and there was a gash across his ear. He held a worn-out sword and one could see the scribed prayers in his sword. The woman had many scars as well but despite her burnt face, she had a gentle look that made her look motherly like.


    ¡°You called for me, C?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I think you should know.¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    She was caressing her stomach. The man was happy for a brief moment before it became that of despair. His eyes shook and tears swelled down his cheeks.


    ¡°I will never forgive myself for this,¡± she said with gloom on her voice. ¡°I cannot proceed to give birth if we were to continue to fight.¡±


    ¡°But!¡±


    ¡°We have no other choice, and even if I do try hard. It is really acceptable for me to bear this burden?¡±


    ¡°There must be another way! You have done a lot to serve this army! Maybe they¡¯ll advance, C! They must understand that you are taking care of a child inside of you!¡±


    ¡°You know that won¡¯t be acceptable.¡±


    She turned her eyes towards the tents outside.


    ¡°Everyone is fighting for the sake of all. How many lives have been lost? They too lost things and have prepared to throw it away. They came here in order to fight the darkness that covers the land. They have sacrificed and if we can¡¯t throw something away then would it be fair for them? Also, do you really think that we can raise such a child? Even if we do can you really say that we will be able to sustain our child with the world in this state? We are miles away from humanity¡¯s land. I cannot possibly go into labor now we are here in the pale pass. We are going to face the old monster of the pale mountain and any weakness will be our downfall. Beyond this ridge lies an army greater than we have seen. Can you look them in the eyes?¡±


    She held a bitter smile. She was trying to be calm but he could see through that veil. The tears that were running among her burnt cheeks were enough to go mad.


    ¡°Ciara, please run away with me. The four elemental heroes can do it! I believe that they can defeat the old monster of the pale mountain. Please, don¡¯t do this, I-¡°


    Before he could continue speaking he was punched right in the nose. He stumbled back with his eyes blurry from the punch. The gap between a soldier and a war maiden was heavens apart. He couldn¡¯t even recover as blows kept coming from her. When she stopped he was able to get a good look at her face. The mask that she has been keeping on was broken.


    ¡°How could you say that? I didn¡¯t accept a coward like you. The one that I loved wasn¡¯t someone who would spout. How long have you chased after me with a stern face? How many times did you bleed for me? You of all people should know sacrifice! You had lost much that you should have just accepted and said yes! I want you to support me...but...seeing you like this...why do you hurt me so badly?¡±


    ¡°I-¡°


    ¡°I am so happy to have met you in this accursed life of mine. You have given me love and I did nothing but doubt it. Accepting you was the best choice of my life. My heart feels pains so badly. You aren¡¯t the only one. Do you know how many times I have dreamt of this? To have a wonderful partner and to announce the coming of our child...I dreamt of it so many times and now I have to abandon that dream! I have to abandon it now for the sake of those who have sacrificed their lives to this damn war. I am telling you to be strong, love. I am telling to cease your heart for a second and think about the people we owe to reach this place. I want you to think of the future instead of your own happiness. I wanted that from you, but seeing you like this makes me falter. So please...be calm, and grab that single-minded grim determination with your focus, will, and commitment. Just...stay by my side until the potion arrives, okay?¡±


    She held on to him tightly. She covered her eyes on his chest and did nothing but wept until a call was heard outside the tent. When the alchemist arrived inside the tent, he was asked how the potion works and was told to leave. Nolan then administered the potion himself and after that, brought his child to a ridge that has a flower patch on it. Bright yellow butterflies were flying on in droves in the certain ridge. It had a good view and he thought that it was the best place to bury his child. He dug a grave and created a makeshift cross to mark the grave.


    The next day, Nolan Salvatore crafted another cross, and placed it next to the grave he dug yesterday. In that day, there was a loud wail that echoed across the ridge before the pale mountain.

 Chapter 87: The Farce of the Unchosen Part 1

    He had been doing nothing but chasing after hideouts that had control over the factories where the children are forced to work without any rest. He disabled the factories and spent his days wrecking the weapon factories that produced weapons for the army. Every time he destroys a weapons factory the guards around the city increased.


    ¡°There are about forty districts left now. Just a bit more.¡±


    He didn¡¯t like seeing children suffer. Back in time he had to make sacrifices and broke his own heart to create a greater outcome than desire. He was sick of such outcomes and for once he wanted to follow his heart. The kids that were forced into labor were happy when they were freed. That was enough for Nolan Salvatore.


    ...


    The problem with freeing orphaned children was that they would become beggars. Every factory that was lost released hungry children that would come begging on the streets. They once lived on bunk beds and even though they worked hard enough to die. At least they weren¡¯t hungry and they were contributing to the war effort.


    The streets of Alician had been riddled with cold children begging for alms. Those who could not take it anymore went to the other factories in hopes that they could eat. The work time was harsh and tiring but at least they were able to eat three meals and have a warm bed that keeps them from the cold rain.


    The children had to run around the Alician city in droves hoping that they¡¯d found a factory that was willing to take them. However, every factory that accepted child labor was being destroyed. So the children were being driven by the despair that came from having no food or shelter. These orphans came from cities, villages, and towns that had been destroyed. This city was kind enough to take them in but in exchange, they had to work for the sake of the Empire.


    ¡®Do it for the Empire.¡¯


    ¡®Do it to avenge your parents and friends¡¯


    Words like that were told to coerce the children into work. Some are fanatical while some wanted freedom. Half of the children have decided to work under terrible conditions. Those who were freed had delusions of returning to their old homes. It didn¡¯t matter how and why. They all went to the checkpoint and swarmed the guards watching the place. Some were able to escape since the guards didn¡¯t have the heart to shoot the children running away from the city.


    But hope is a cruel mistress.


    If they had known that their homes were ashes.


    Would they have continued on?


    But children that were told to push buttons and put together weapons as if they were building blocks are still one-minded. They were pitiful for they were not able to discern the lies of adults. All they have to do was do what they are told and not ask any questions.


    Children are rather rebellious and selfish. However, there are some who would have the wits to think for themselves. These witty kids were glad they were free but realized that the other kids will have to suffer.


    Consequences are made from the actions taken by those who caused it. Good intentions are good but it ceases to be good when those intentions become the reason for why they were suffering. One can argue that his actions were morally right, nonetheless, it was still a choice that left the children starving.


    ...


    Gar had been the one dealing with the aftermath. He knew that the problems coming from the districts were bad because of the recent slaughters done to the Sons of Helios.


    He had thought that the situation was simple. But hundreds of children that were working in those factories had nowhere to go. He was called to take care of the children on the streets. He aided the children and turned his attention to their matters. The districts destroyed by that monster have become unlivable just by the fact that they were all scenes of a massacre.


    ¡°What should I do?¡± he thought. Ever since he had met this monster things had been busy for him. He had a better role but still, he didn¡¯t like playing cleanup to an irresponsible guy that did nothing but cause trouble. The intention of the monster was correct, however, it was a shallow intention that left Gar cursing in his thoughts.


    ¡°If you want to save them then don¡¯t be half-assed about it! Look at them so poor, and yet you don¡¯t realize that you had left them alone after being useful.¡±


    He held the chart and almost crushed the pen. A man who had been helping him came to tell him about the carriages. The children were taken from the streets and were placed in the military camps where they¡¯d be kept safe for a while. This amount of commotion has already gathered the attention of the Blessed Maiden. She has sent her shadows to care about the children. There was another bolt that tried to hit the enemy but this time it didn¡¯t strike.


    ¡°He fucked up again,¡± Gar said. ¡°I thought he¡¯d learn from his mistakes. However, it seems like he wasn¡¯t really planning on following his head. Either he¡¯s confident about his survival or that he was simply too stubborn to give up. The hunt for the monster would begin anew and it was clear that the Blessed Maiden wants to solve the problem. The war out there is big enough and it would be best if the problems here get solve first!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯d be hunted, there¡¯s no need to fight him,¡± his brother, Cero, was confident while saying that. Gar didn¡¯t know why but he felt like this time, things aren¡¯t going to be easy. It was never easy, nevertheless, Gar held little care about the problems. At this point, he understood that the Protectorate would soon be hunting down the monster who made a mess of the children. Gar thought it was fair and reasonable for them to chase after the monster who had been giving the peaceful city trouble. Even if that peace was unreasonable.

 Chapter 88: The Farce of the Unchosen Part 2

    Gar went to the tower where the monster should be. His eyes were troubled as he walks down the paved street. The rain was still pestering the city, he didn¡¯t have that much of an opinion about rain other than it should go away. He took two right turns, and went down a flight of stairs, he passed by a bakery and continued down an alleyway until he found himself staring at the tower.


    ¡°You got followed,¡± a voice said. ¡°I won¡¯t blame you since you have no ways to detect them¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you kill them?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t. Do you think I¡¯d kill the protectors of this city? This city might be immoral but it needs its own guardians. So have you got the map for me?¡±


    Gar nodded. His eyes then stared brazenly at the monster.


    ¡°But I need to ask this first. Do you know what you are doing?¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°Then you should know that your acts are throwing the kids into the streets. Did you think of what you will do after you freed the children?¡±


    Gar could tell that there was apathy in the eyes of the monster.


    ¡°I just free them.¡±


    ¡°Just free them? I see. You really didn¡¯t think of the consequences of your actions then? You were merely playing savior since it feels good? Is that it?¡±


    ¡°Feels good?¡± he snorted. ¡°I don¡¯t do that. I am just doing what is right.¡±


    ¡°Even if that right leads the children to their death? You do know that they are orphans right? That they were from villages and towns destroyed by the war?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I also know that they have been coerced into work.


    Gar clenches his fist. He spoke.


    ¡°They are given three meals a day, a warm bed, and home.¡±


    ¡°Sweatshops made for children, you mean.¡±


    The monster¡¯s eyes sharpen. Gar didn¡¯t flinch.


    ¡°But is infinitely better than being in the cold streets!¡±


    ¡°Oh really?¡± the monster sneered. ¡°Factories where one mistake turns into a kid being kick around. Funny, that was the first thing that I saw when I came into this city.¡±


    Gar reasoned.


    ¡°Just because there¡¯s one bad man that did that, doesn¡¯t mean that every factory workers does that.¡±


    ¡°Oh really? I like how you reason for these bastards that make the kids work while they sip on their drinks grumbling. I really do.¡±


    Gar balled his fits.


    ¡°But can¡¯t you see that they are safe inside the factories? If they back to their homes then they are dead! No, the monsters lurking in the shadows would get them first!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Gar added, ¡°I admit that the conditions they are in can be horrendous but if they could only endure this suffering for a while, and manage to get through this, they will surely rise up! They are getting their wages, and that shouldn¡¯t be a problem. It gives them purpose and hope!¡±


    ¡°Purpose?¡± the monster looked up for a second. ¡°You are telling me that they would be given purpose as long as they walk hard like mindless drones that do their work well? Do you know why I free these kids in the first place?¡±


    ¡°You want to feel good about yourself.¡±


    ¡°Wrong. I do it because it is the right thing to do. It doesn¡¯t matter if the aftermath is not what I desire. There is no such thing as complete control that is possible with our external self. We can only influence things but not completely control them. Do you think I am doing this to feel good? I am doing this because this is the right thing to do.¡±


    ¡°You are lying,¡± Gar said with venomous tone. ¡°You do it because you are a self-righteous bastard that thinks that this is his purpose? Fuck off, I can tell you saw them and thought this might be your purpose and this is what you should do! Don¡¯t fucking lie.¡±


    ¡°And what if I do?¡± he said stolidly. ¡°It doesn¡¯t change the fact that I do this for the sake of those kids. A warm meal, a bed, and a home? Did they choose it out of their own free will? No! They didn¡¯t. I free them out of their bondage so that they can choose to do what they want. Either they can try to go home or go back to the factories. I free them to give them the choice. Fine, if you think that they should stay there because there are warm food and a warm bed. But you haven¡¯t asked the kids that were coerced into work what they want. I have been destroying factories and killing fuckers who does their shit to the children. I investigated, I gathered the facts, I figured out who¡¯s the bad ones, and I fucking punish them. Good? Evil? It doesn¡¯t fucking matter. Do what thou wilt is the whole law. And if they aren¡¯t given the chances then they wouldn¡¯t different to dolls.¡±


    He said sternly. Gar replied.


    ¡°So let them die? Let them get killed by wandering monsters and starve in the streets. Doesn¡¯t matter if they die because it was their choice? Is that what you are trying to say to me? You¡¯re insane.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Either they die free or overworked themselves to death. I gave them that choice. I will not stop until they are all free from those who coerced them into work. So give me that map so I can tell that blessed maiden a piece of mind.¡±


    Gar looked at the monster.


    ¡°So it doesn¡¯t matter if those kids die?¡±


    ¡°I am not that heartless. If their fate is to die then that is beyond our control. If a country needs their kids to suffer for it to defend itself, then this country should stop going to wars that would make its kids suffer. I know that I am doing. It is unreasonable and I have no real plans. That¡¯s why I let the children decide for themselves.¡±


    ¡°You are truly and utterly insane,¡± he said. He took out a crystal from his jacket. ¡°What is your name?¡±


    The monster stared.


    ¡°I am Nolan Salvatore, a Bleak Walker.¡±


    ¡°A Bleak Walker?¡± Gar mumbled. ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t matter now. For the sake of those kids, and for the war effort. I, Gar Cheery, was ordered to sentence you to die.¡±


    He broke the crystal. Light flashes twice but before he can get away cleanly. Gar felt something warm on his belly. He turned to the monster named Nolan Salvatore and saw that he had drawn his gun fast enough to hit him. Then the light weaves and he fell face forward on the carpet.


    ¡°Get some help damn it!¡±


    Voices shouted as Gar felt his body being drained of life.

 Chapter 89: The Farce of the Unchosen Part 3

    Before Gar had went to the tower. He was told by his brother Cero to meet an individual that was known as a longtime friend of House Cheery and House Alician. He got into a caf¨¦ and sat near the window where he then felt the space froze for a second. There, a woman on purple robes walked, hips swaying, and scent that overwhelmed Gar for a second.


    ¡°So you are from House Cheery?¡± the woman said. ¡°I am Audrey Cress, the Witch of Nether.¡±


    ¡°The Witch of Nether!?¡± Gar said.


    Gar held his head tightly. He never thought that he¡¯d meet living legends in a new days. If he didn¡¯t meet the monster while working as a courier, he cannot imagine a day where he would meet with legends that once helped save the world. He couldn¡¯t understand, he thought.


    ¡°Now, now,¡± she said with her lips raised. ¡°I know that you are all bothered and hot, but shall we move on to business?¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡± Gar said. His expression went from excited to calm. ¡°What do you need from me?¡±


    ¡°Tell me about the man that earn the ire of my friend,¡± Audrey said. ¡°This man seems like he¡¯s still in a rampage. This is something that we cannot ignore. A person that could take on that elemental bolt is something we need to worry about.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Have you heard of the Porters?¡±


    ¡°Porters?¡± his brows knitted.


    ¡°They are a few who have the blood of the demons. You must have heard of the war between light and darkness so let us skip that. So let me tell you about the battle between the War Maiden and the Obsidian Heiress. To skit it short they had a disagreement and since my dear friend is a demon hater, she battled it out with the heiress and obliterated them. The porters are demon folks that run around doing business for the city that is located underground. I can¡¯t tell you what the specifics are. But I suspect that this monster with the ability to manipulate obsidian flesh could be a Porter. If he is then he should be removed. Not to mention that his actions would make sense. Sigh, most of the folks that could help this city has been robbed clean by these Porters.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Gar said. ¡°He said that he was doing it to free the children from labor. I understand what his morals are coming from. But I also understand the cruelty of what we are doing. Is what we are doing alright?¡±


    Audrey Cress pointed her eyes to the windows, ¡°If I it¡¯s morally right? No, it is definitely not right for us to put children into work. Is it wrong? It is wrong to the point of stupidity. I can¡¯t believe that she would do this in this age, but I am guessing that she is after the robbery and the Empire''s resources running out...Do you know? Her reasoning is that everyone should work no matter what. But you have to understand that my friend, and I are from an era of suffering. We worked in order to survive and we hated folks who does not nothing but lazed around. IF you want to eat then you need to work. It¡¯s easy to understand and you should know that this city was built equally. Everyone worked hard and that belief still transpires today. Honestly, the work that the children does are nothing compared to the past. They only push buttons and combine the arms. Back in our time we use to send kids to battle as little warriors to disable tunnels. It was a cruel world and I admit that our beliefs aren¡¯t going to change easily.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± he nodded, his fingers tapping on the table.


    ¡°Stupid isn¡¯t it?¡± she said a smile. ¡°But that¡¯s how my dear friend thinks, she had a harder time before. Everyone used her as their sword, shield, and forced her into the spotlight. She had to take care of a world filled with monsters and win battles while thinking of the consequences. Now this city of hers, is forced to support an army that has been losing every front, and is the only prosperous city left.  If my dear friend was crueler then Alician would still be a festive place where children are able to live without working their young bodies to sleep. She¡¯s an old guardian dog that cannot be easily changed. And that''s why she had to all of this mundane stuff. Really, she should just join the battle and destroy the enemy...but I guess she''s sick of battle and rarely does it anymore. So I am here to lessen her burden.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°That look on your eyes says that you understand. But you struggle with good and the evil of it. For now, I don¡¯t want you to think about whether is good or not. Just think that we need it the moment. Sigh, if only we have good young men that are able to work this time. Most of the ladies are creating the vests that could help the soldiers. And young soldiers are out there fighting for their country and importantly for their lives. We are seriously lacking in manpower that we have to result to this.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all you need to do,¡± Audrey said. ¡°Now tell me about the enemy.¡±


    ***


    ¡°I see. You mention red eyes. Hmm, we could be facing hybrid. That¡¯s it, I¡¯m taking care of the enemy.¡±


    ¡°You will act on your own, milady?¡± Gar said.


    ¡°I will. I shan¡¯t underestimate the enemy, but I will do my utmost best to destroy it. Still, it would take a lot of time for me comb the city. So I will give you this crystal and when you are in front of him. I shall take care of him. I¡¯ll be waiting since that crystal would replace your position with mine. Be careful, if the man really is a Porter, then he would not easily let it go.¡±


    ...


    ¡°Your wounds are healing,¡± the voice said. ¡°Thank the heavens!¡±


    Gar opened his eyes. ¡°Brother?¡±


    ¡°Hush, you should rest for now. I don¡¯t know where you have been but you have done well, my brother. Our ancestors will surely forgive what you have done before. With Master Audrey Cress taking care of that bastard personally, the city of Alician should be able to rest easy.¡±


    ¡°Will that really be the case?¡± Gar thought. ¡°All of this questions and thoughts about morals and whatnots. I¡¯m sick of it. Damn it, I know wasn¡¯t good about the matters of this city and it seems my choice was indeed right. I hope Master Audrey could destroy that poor, insane, and stupid man. He needs a good beating for what he¡¯s doing...but who am I to judge when I stopped thinking about whether it was good or not? What a farce...¡±

 Chapter 90: Letting Go Part 1

    The bright light was followed by a condensed beam of light that instantly sliced half of the tower. He ran across the roof and dodged the incoming light. His body was covered by a frame of obsidian flesh. The enemy that used the flash has not stopped from firing. It continuously fired until he could do nothing but hide.


    ¡°How cowardly,¡± the enemy said. ¡°Hiding on a house filled with civilians?¡±


    ¡°Could say the same to someone who fires a rapid fire of energy beams at me. Guess you bastards don¡¯t really want your labor camps destroyed huh, must be nice being psychopathic bastards, that force children into working long hours.¡±


    ¡°The bastard that saves them while not doing anything afterward is speaking this? Can¡¯t you see the hypocrisy and stupidity of your words?¡±


    ¡°You should try letting people have their own choices. Try not being a controlling bastard for a second.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°Call me retarded, daft, idiot, stupid, or whatever do you fucking like. A city and an Empire that relies on their kids to survive needs to stop breathing. It¡¯s just wrong for you all to coerce kids into your automaton slaves. Of all the shit you could do instead, build an orphanage, coerce the rich into funding it, but hey let¡¯s put the kids to work because it is much easy and much less expensive!¡±


    ¡°If only things are that easy, besides, you Porters have been stealing from nobles lately. So how things are now could be considered as part of your group¡¯s fault.¡±


    He was still in cover. He knit his brows together.


    ¡°Porters? I have no idea what you are talking about.¡±


    ¡°Oh please!¡± she pointed her staff, six concentrated beams of laser burst towards Nolan. ¡°Red eyes, ashen hair, pale skin, and finally, obsidian flesh. If you are not a Porter then what are you?¡±


    The output of her beams became ferocious. Instead of hitting straight, the beams followed Nolan throughout the rooftops. He vaulted, run vertically, and dive inside windows, avoiding the beams that were laser precise. The beams are fast, they homed, and they can change size if possible, he thought.


    He leaps out of the window and back into the roofs again. She was hovering above the roofs, her robe fluttering, not letting the rain wet her. Her eyes were cold as ice. She looked at her enemy with fish-like eyes.


    ¡°You seems to have mistaken me!¡± Nolan said. ¡°Trying to frame me? Oh, I see, must be easy to blame it on a group instead of facing the fact that you are abusing children and refuse to give mercy!¡±


    ¡°Enough with the lie, that obsidian flesh is all I need to confirm it. How¡¯s the mistress of obsidian? She¡¯s still angst about being beaten by our war maiden? Didn¡¯t think that she¡¯d go on such boring roundabout way this time. I preferred destroying you all in a fight!¡±


    ¡°Shit!¡± Nolan tried to dodge but the rain has made the roofs slippery. He slid down, and almost fell from the house. He could see the beam coming so he ejected from the wall, and grabbed on to another ledge, he pulled himself up, rolled away from the blast, but a stray tile hit the frame of his obsidian flesh.


    She¡¯s overwhelming, her attacks are nefarious, and they changes are scary, he thought. He wasn¡¯t lacking breathe and yet he was sure that the chase would soon take hold of him. So he pulled out his gun and pointed it at the enemy, he pulled the trigger, the bullet launched from the barrel of his pistol, but the bullet was simply deflected.


    ¡°The invention of firearms have been outstanding, they are fast and cannot be easily perceived, not to mention that anyone could use it. It doesn''t work on me though.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s not taking me seriously,¡± he thought. ¡°Looks like I was really lucky that I only met thugs, but these guys are beyond my level!¡±


    ¡°Why so silent?¡± she said, pointing the tip of her staff.


    BOOM! The flash was fast enough for him not to notice. He felt blood pouring out of his chest, his obsidian flesh, however, started sewing his wounds.


    ¡°What more proof do I need?¡± she said. ¡°You even have that detestable regeneration that only a few of the Porters have. Really, why do you lie when I can see through you? Why not talk to me? I am not unreasonable and if possible I don¡¯t want to obliterate you.¡±


    ¡°I am not a Porter. If you don¡¯t believe that then so be it!¡± he said. He started to sprint away from the purple-robed mage. He leaped down a chimney and felt his bum burning for a second. He saw three people eating food, on his left was a kid, and on his right were the parents. The first reaction of the parents was to leap to their kid, shielding their kids from the ¡®monster¡¯ that appeared on the chimney.


    Nolan removed his coat and turned his eyes towards the window when he met the gaze of the kid. The kid¡¯s eyes reflected Nolan, the hideous skull mask, the blood on his torso, and finally the look that he was making on his face. He stared for a brief second before vaulting out of the window, dodging the homing that was coming after him.


    He fell from that floor, rolled to break his fall, and started sprinting, his feet creating splashes. The enemy was floating, she had a bird¡¯s eye view, she was merely waiting for him to tire out, he thought. It has been a while since Nolan found himself in a situation where he was forced to fight an enemy that was out of his caliber. But that didn¡¯t mean that he had to give in, raise his hands in surrender and ask for forgiveness.


    Nolan clenched his fists, sharpen his senses and think of what he should do to survive this encounter. He had been careful ever since that elemental bolt hit him and created a phantasmal oil that could disable magic for a short time. If he could just stop the enemy¡¯s power, and throw the phantasmal oil at her. Nolan thinks that he could come out of this place alive. However, how does he defeat a person that has mastered flight and can deflect bullets with ease?


    He had to think.

 Chapter 91: Letting Go Part 2

    It was time to think about what the enemy was, he thought. The enemy can fly, fire a series of beams, have a fast attack, can deflect bullets, and is keeping her distance. She has shown three spells, the beam that could shot straight, change the size, and then that high-speed one.


    Meanwhile, he can dodge, evade, and has one phantasmal oil. His pistol, a six-shooter, has five bullets let, he¡¯s also out of breath, has various cuts, and has a hole on his chest that was being sewed by his obsidian flesh. The environment was slippery, there were various houses, and the buildings were the only things that he could use to dodge the attacks. He chooses the tower area because of the dense, packed together buildings, and that there were passages that could evade surveillance. Not enough.


    ¡°You really think that you can hide from me?¡± she said with an echo on her voice. ¡°How many times I have been fighting? What¡¯s your age, Porter? Did you fight for five hundred years? Have you encountered every enemy that this world has to offer?¡±


    He felt vibrations around him.


    ¡°Found you, again.¡±


    Nolan gritted his teeth, his legs almost tripping as he runs away from his position. His cheeks were cut, his obsidian flesh armor was being peeled, he had to take cover, but each beam was changing.


    ¡°I have to change my tactics, shit, how can I neutralize her spells when I only have a phantasmal oil? Should I use the half?¡± he thought.


    Three to four beams penetrated the alley and homed towards him. As he runs past a vertical beam, the floor flashes a bright light, and he was flung up, then two balls of compressed energy hammered him on the ground. He widened his eyes, smashed his fist, and rolled sideways to avoid.


    ¡°You should be smarter than this.¡±


    Another bright flash happened, his back was arched by the explosion, he could hear something cracking, the smell of flesh burning, and the drumming of his eardrums. The obsidian flesh was able to protect him, but it was peeled, his skull mask was still intact, his body was burnt.


    ¡°Grit your teeth!¡± he shouted inside his head. ¡°Never surrender. Never give in. Do not seek forgiveness. Do not seek mercy from your enemy. Don¡¯t surrender to the dying light, scream, shout, flail, cry, but never back down, seize the day, Do what thou wilt shall be your whole law!¡±


    He bit his left forearm and tore the skin out of his arm, chewed it, and chanted, ¡°Do what thou wilt shall be the whole law: o my flesh, I beg of you, scribe these runes on me,¡± he wrote on his skinned arm words of power. ¡°Flesh came from the earth, let my flesh turn to earth, and I demand the green, let thy bring the solution, I offer thee they flesh!¡±


    He spat the torn flesh from his skin. He poured his blood on the flesh, the flesh, turned into that of a strange plant. He immediately grabbed hold of the plant, ate, and swallowed it whole. The acid-like taste buzzed his mind, his vision turned black and white, his hearing sharpened, and the pain from his wounds disappeared.


    The sigils in his eyes glowed redder. The eternal hawk sigil screeched as the walls become more transparent, and he could see through the walls. He stood up from his feet, jump on the walls and climbed, avoiding the beams that had no sound, the rain fell, and the blood from his skin was painted on the walls.


    He gathered the obsidian flesh from his body aside from his face and conjured a spear. He targeted the enemy, aimed, and chucked the spear at the enemy, his bones cracked, his shoulder had an awful look.


    The spear he chucked was able to hit the barrier of the witch.


    ¡°Is this all you can do? For a Porter, you really are only good at running away.¡±


    A magical circle with the size of a round table appeared behind her back. As if she was mocking him, the spears made of light looked it what he threw. Nolan breathed all the hair he could and slid off the roof where he then pivoted himself inside to one of the houses.


    The rain of spears made of magic then happened. These spears didn¡¯t tear through the walls or hit the civilians cowering inside the houses. They homed at Nolan likes buzzing flies. He sprinted through the block of buildings, vaulting, crashing on walls, jumping over tables, and breaking down doors, using them as cover.


    ¡°She has the abilities of a fucking witch,¡± he thought. ¡°Not a single month passed, and I¡¯ve pissed off a witch! Shit, this little being that could only cry once now fights a fucking witch!¡±


    He planted his foot on a wall and took a leap of faith to the other side of the block. The purple-robed witch has blocked the sun, and when she spotted Nolan, there was sneer on her face.


    ¡°Did you really think that this is all I have, Porter?¡±


    Nolan found himself grasped by an invisible force, he was stuck in the middle of the road, floating, and was reached out to the other side of the buildings.


    ¡°I guess that heiress really just sends a few tough mobs to distract us.¡±


    She does a gun-like gesture with her hand and released a shockwave that blew Nolan away from, crashing him down on the trash cans, his face dipped into the puddle, he was unable to breathe, and despite his body numbed, his limbs were not responding from the shock, he was swallowing puddle water, and his eyes dilated. His heart was pounding, and he felt like there were snakes biting on his heart, forcibly pumping it, forcing it to function. His dreams drummed, his eyes shook, and he thought to himself, that this was usually what happens to him. It has been a long time and he hated that he started to remember.


    The eternal hawk sigils on his eyes glowed redder than ever.

 Chapter 92: Nolan the Nobody Part 1

    ¡°Sir Gil, I really can¡¯t do this,¡± he said.


    ¡°You can do it,¡± Sir Gil said. ¡°Geez, what kind of man are you? You look pansy, your arms are thin, and you have a gut despite being this young, what are you even doing?¡±


    ¡°I had been staying home...¡±


    ¡°You were in a dessert, how were you in a dessert for so long? If those caravans didn¡¯t found you, then you¡¯d be long dead, ah, you are so inadequate that I cannot help but pity and be sick at you!¡±


    ¡°I am sorry.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that. Be better than this!¡± he pointed at men practicing on a courtyard. ¡°Become a warrior, seize the chance! Do you really think you can stay like this?¡±


    ¡°It has been a year and I am barely making progress.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because you are lazy! They call you stupid, a retard, and a mentally challenged. You cannot speak our language, you can¡¯t understand us, and your behavior is out of this world. I can¡¯t believe that a weak person like you could live past eight!¡±


    ¡°I am sorry.¡±


    ¡°Those three words again!¡± he said. ¡°Keep saying that and I¡¯ll break your face!¡±


    ¡°But I have done nothing...to improve myself this year. I only bother you. I am sorry.¡±


    ¡°Sigh, what I should do to you lad? You can¡¯t work on the tavern, because the folks kicked you out already, you don¡¯t have any skills, you have nothing to offer this world. I offered you a way out with poison and you told me you want to live. Now, you cower, you cry, you don¡¯t fight back, and you do what? Cry, and cry, and cry! You are like a kid! You can¡¯t stop crying! Why are you so sad all the time? Do you really think that being like that helps?¡±


    He lowered his head. He walked to the dummy and looked at his hands. It was covered in bandages. His left hand¡¯s middle finger was missing, and his right pointer finger was severed. He bit his lip, took the wooden sword, and started hitting the dummy. Then night came, he retired to his quarters, and wore his tunic, and the leather strap that held his dagger. He walked out of quarters and ran to the group holding on to torches.


    ¡°Hey, Nolan of Nobody, why are you so fucking late you fucking idiot? Shit, I know your weak body can¡¯t handle it, but don¡¯t hold us back. We are earning our wages, and you are earning it as well. Can you be proper?¡±


    He lowered his head. That man sneered and led the group to the vast desert. He followed panting, his eyes forced open, as his body them trembles at the cold, he pulled his coat, stopped, and turned towards the lake of stars that was located above him. The man in front of him stopped, he turned towards him, and sighs.


    ¡°Good view, I know, but we really need to move or do you prefer the giant scorpions?¡±


    He nodded. They strolled through the dunes. They took stopped on a hill of sand and used the binoculars to scour the sands. He stood behind the group, his torch pointed at the notes, he repeated the vowels and constants repeatedly, like an ominous chant. The same man turned to him.


    ¡°Keep it down will you?¡± he said with a frown on his face. ¡°We don¡¯t want to attract the sand reapers, read it silently, chant silently, and be silent.¡±


    He nodded. He shut his mouth and started reading again. After a while, the group started to move through several dunes, finally arriving on an oasis. They approached the dunes, gathered water, camped, and rested their bodies. He stood silently on a corner, watching the area, with his spear ready.


    ¡°Just call out when you see something okay? That should be easy for a weak guy like you right?¡± a man said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother him, he¡¯ll be fine, he at least doesn¡¯t want us dead...right?¡±


    ¡°Of course not,¡± he said.


    ¡°See?¡± the man nodded at the other soldier. ¡°Weak as my young lad, but at least he can watch the road.¡±


    ¡°You have confidence for this boy?¡±


    ¡°Hey, he¡¯s trying. A foreigner that can¡¯t speak our language is now earnestly trying. Why not praise him?¡±


    The man thought for a second. ¡°I do that when he becomes a good guardsman of the throes. You¡¯ll do that right?¡±


    ¡°I will, Sir!¡±


    ¡°Whoa, he¡¯s calling you a Sir.¡±


    ¡°Hah, it has a nice ring to it, but we are guardsman of throes, we do not call ourselves like that, might piss off the others who are proud of being normal.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s your opinion, dumbass.¡±


    ¡°What did you say?¡±


    ¡°You heard me,¡± the man said.


    ¡°Well, you can go to hell, goddamn piss pot.¡±


    The night came and it passed as swiftly as it came. They traveled back to the city while dragging their feet. He rested for five hours, and went to the practice grounds, swinging the sword, thrusting the spear, bashing the shield and pulling the string of a bow.


    ¡°You¡¯re being earnest today,¡± Sir Gil said. ¡°Did something good happen out there lad?¡±


    ¡°Sir Gil, I want to be a good guardsman of throes!¡± he said.


    Sir Gil looked at him with his eyes opened wide, then, it slowly transformed into a grin.


    ¡°What is this, Nolan the nobody is growing a backbone, I might actually cry!¡±


    ¡°I am being serious here, Sir Gil,¡± he said. ¡°I want to be better. I want to become a guardsman of throes that doesn¡¯t dishonor it!¡±


    ¡°I know, I know, but first,¡± he slaps the sword on his hands. ¡°How in the heavens are you holding that sword? Your posture is all wrong, and you swing like a girl! Do you know what a back is? Why are you not using your back when using these weapons? You should try strengthening training first before doing these things! See, oh God why can¡¯t you even hold that damn spear right? Come on, I am going to make you a good guardsman!¡±

 Chapter 93: Nolan the Nobody Part 2

    ¡°Gil, your trainee is looking good,¡± a man said.


    ¡°Aye, never thought that he¡¯d actually try. He isn¡¯t that clever, he still fumbles around his words, but he¡¯s an okay lad.¡±


    ¡°Where did you think he came from?¡± the man asked.


    ¡°Who knows? It doesn¡¯t matter really, he¡¯s loyal, and that¡¯s really it.¡±


    ¡°You have a narrow belief on your trainee...I thought you¡¯d be boasting.¡±


    ¡°I got to be fair, Mac,¡± Sir Gil said. ¡°I don¡¯t want to make the lad think he¡¯s already good. He has a healthy body but has one hell of a stubbornness that needs hammering. He has one hell of moral codes. Lad thinks that everyone can be saved. Who the hell thinks that other than those preachers and dreamers?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, must have one hell of a delusion. Also, you heard?¡±


    ¡°I did,¡± Sir Gil said. ¡°The Maiden of Throes are going to joining us. Heard that the prophets are feeling the darkness. Do you think that damn Overlord started it?¡±


    ¡°Who knows?¡± Sir Gil shook his head. ¡°They usually don¡¯t bother to attack us. Not once in the last light war which was five hundred years ago that they did unless they have a reason. But I heard that they¡¯re running out of food. Their lands are wastelands now, and I don¡¯t think that will be good for us.¡±


    ¡°The hungry always try to seek food and start wars for it. Hey, your recruit is fumbling around.¡±


    ¡°Oh shit, I have to go now, see you later.¡±


    Sir Gil walked to the person spinning his sword like a madman. His fist smacked on his head.


    ¡°Sir Gil¡¯s?¡± Nolan said.


    ¡°What the fuck are you doing, Nolan?¡±


    ¡°Just trying some moves, Sir.¡±


    ¡°Swinging your sword around like an idiot, and you endangering those who are around you is playing around? Stop that nonsense, do the drills, I¡¯ll be watching over you, and try not to fuck around with that, son, you''re lacking in discipline, and that isn¡¯t good. I like where you are going, you have stopped feeling sorry for yourself, that¡¯s good, but you need to contain yourself. A guardsman of throes is discipline, and why the fuck are you smirking?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think Ton and Fez are that disciplined, Sir.¡±


    ¡°Fucking hell, do you think they act like that when they are on duty?¡±


    He thought for a second, ¡°No, Sir, I don¡¯t think they do.¡±


    ¡°The guardsman of throes are the hardest sons of bitches you¡¯d find in Oasis. We have been standing guard here for the best part of the years and none have come to complain about that. Do you know why, guardsman?¡±


    ¡°We are good at our jobs.¡±


    ¡°Exactly, and you are a guardsman of this city, and you should act like one. Our peers are better than us in terms of arms, and manpower, but we excel because we can handle the tide better than the rest. Honestly, you are the weakest of us, and since you are so deprived of muscles that it is impressive that you were able to manage to look like a dashing lad. Hmm, you look quite dashing now, since you are unique on your own way. Where did you really come from, lad?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Not telling, but oh well, I understand that we have our secrets, and we don¡¯t easily tell. But that¡¯s the best part of this city of Oasis, you can tell whoever you like, hide whatever your secrets are, and even then they¡¯d bring their arms to protect it. You are a citizen of the throes now, and you should be someone who could protect this city. We separate the monsters, and the inner landers can sleep easy because we guard the damn borders.¡±


    ¡°Forgive me, I am still green,¡± Nolan said.


    ¡°Bah, I told you that I don¡¯t need your forgiveness. A guardsman never seeks forgiveness, never plead for mercy, and they may cry, bite, chew, and despair, but they never give in no matter what happens. And we never run away from our comrades in arms.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    ¡°Now practice!¡± Sir Gil said.


    He practiced without rest. He joined the patrols and roamed the sands of oasis city dutifully. He would come on the training yard to train every day. After that, he¡¯d clamber up the hill where you¡¯d see half of Oasis, he would watch the city, observe the sands outside the barbicans, and gaze at the sky.


    For the following days, he¡¯d do that over and over again. He would focus on his training and stop his actions that might be considered as shameful for the guardsman of throes.


    ¡°Yo, still working hard?¡± Fez said.


    ¡°Fez?¡± Nolan lowered his spear. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°Nothing much, oh, looks like you are finally gaining muscles, man. You¡¯re a bit taller now. Whoa, maybe those gals would look at you now, damn son, you have good muscles forming even though all you do is practice with weapons, and climb like a monkey for a reason.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m trying to build up my stamina, and make myself a bit more flexible than before.¡±


    ¡°Flexible? What for?¡± Fez asked.


    ¡°I noticed that the monsters around the sands are rather...slow. Not to mention that their weaknesses need to be reached out. And I rather be faster on my feet as well as strong enough to swing a sword or pull a bow.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good and all, but are you coming?¡±


    ¡°What for?¡± he asked.


    ¡°The maiden of throes are going to have a match. I heard the Cursed Woman is coming down to fight the next one that has the possibility of becoming a War Maiden. Want to see?¡±


    ¡°Eh, sure?¡±


    He followed Fez through throngs and hubbub of the city. They found themselves in the district where the event was happening. The crowd was cheering and so far everyone was cheering against the woman who was out of breath. She held her sword with determination on her eyes.


    ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± he asked.


    ¡°That ugly woman?¡± Fez said. ¡°That¡¯s the Burnt Woman herself, came from some family who had riches once. They got robbed and she had half of her body burnt. Ugly isn¡¯t she?¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±

 Chapter 94: Nolan the Nobody Part 3

    ¡°The man of the hour,¡± Fez said. ¡°Seriously, with your height and your non-trash look now, of all the people that you¡¯d fall fancy for, it would the Burnt Woman herself.¡±


    He rubbed his swollen cheeks.


    ¡°I just did. What¡¯s wrong with that?¡±


    ¡°Nolan, I thought you were normal, but are you really that into women who have problems with their bodies and have the tendency to kick your ass so hard?¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t have strange fetishes. I just love the look on her eyes,¡± Nolan said.


    ¡°Yup, you have strange fetishes, oh man, poor Alcina going to have her heart broken,¡± Fez said.


    ¡°Bullshit,¡± Nolan said. ¡°You¡¯d think that such a cheery girl would fall in love with me? I acted so pathetically and got her almost killed while working on the tavern.¡±


    ¡°Whatever you say, my sick friend,¡± he patted Nolan¡¯s back. ¡°Still, you got to be kidding when you suddenly asked the most bullied, spat at, disgusted, untrusting woman, of the City of Oasis to accept that you are courting her. You were asking for a beating, not to mention that you had that look on your eyes. She doesn¡¯t think you are that sincere and that you¡¯re probably some sick fuck.¡±


    He understood that. He nodded his head and continued rubbing his cheek. Fez turned towards his bed and placed his sword on his thighs.


    ¡°Though I got to say that you sure are lively. But, Ciara of a former noble house is a strong woman, and if she didn¡¯t have that burnt skin, many people would try to woo her. She¡¯s good enough to beat that maiden who was supposed to be the next incarnation of the war maiden. If Sir Gil is right...then. Never mind me, so what are you to do now, you romantic piece of shit?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try,¡± he clicked his tongue. ¡°Call it weird, but I like determined woman who never backs down. Not to mention her eyes are just the best.¡±


    ¡°Well, you at least sound nice when you say that,¡± Fez said, his face became stern like a stone. ¡°Do not forget your duties, my friend. We are the guardsman of Throes, and we are protectors, killers of monsters, and we hold the line so that people out there can rest easy.¡±


    ¡°You know, we really do sound so hardened.¡±


    ¡°Because we are, and we are vagrants that are lost in this world. We came here to find purpose and those are lost occasionally finds themselves wanting to protect this damn city with all of their life. You felt that too, right?¡±


    ¡°I did,¡± he said. ¡°This city has great people and bastards like you who are rough but aren¡¯t complete bastards. Two years ago, I would have complained about the situation, and how I felt like I was being wronged, but that was all my fault. I did nothing. I cried for nothing and acted as the world owed me. I was thrown in this place and what did was shameless.¡±


    ¡°Oh fuck,¡± Fez said. ¡°I think I¡¯m going to cry and vomit at the same time.¡±


    ¡°Shut up, man. I am being serious here.¡±


    ¡°Fez, shut up, okay?¡± Ton entered the quarters said. ¡°This guy was a mute, and now he¡¯s talking like he¡¯d beat your ass. Let the man talk, okay?¡± he bumped his fist at Nolan. ¡°Nolan, you look good, my man. Heard you want to bang the cursed woman? For that, I respect you with all my heart. A man shall not be picky when it comes to choosing their woman.¡±


    ¡°Why am I friends with these weirdoes?¡± Fez said with a huff.


    ¡°That¡¯s because you are as weird as we are. What a weird bastard, hanging out with the fools of Oasis City.¡±


    ¡°Fuck off, Ton,¡± he said. ¡°So, how did the trek to the outer lands go?¡±


    ¡°Terrible,¡± Ton said. ¡°The settlers were killed. The Fraternity of Adventurers got wiped out. Half of them are missing. No one wants to enter the outer lands now.¡±


    Nolan held his breath. Fez turned towards Ton with his arms folded.


    ¡°Do you think we¡¯ll get conscripted to fight there?¡± Fez asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Ton said, ¡°The Oasis is packed with dangers, and with how things are, and that prophet said about the darker days. I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll be sending us to the ends of the world. So, I shall keep my words, my friend, Nolan, you should not hold that raging heart of yours. If you have fallen in love with that woman, then go for it. If you win that woman¡¯s heart, then I shall personally beat you up, and make sure that dick of yours can¡¯t be used.¡±


    ¡°What the fuck?¡±


    ¡°Give it up, Nolan,¡± Fez said. ¡°We have a tradition here, and those who don¡¯t uphold the traditions get their dicks crushed. A guardsman of throes never fails in getting the woman she loves, and those who fail are forced to be celibates.¡±


    ¡°I should have run away from this city,¡± Nolan said while trembling.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, man. If your words are true along with your heart, then it wouldn¡¯t matter. You¡¯ll get her love. Might take long to defrost that ice queen.¡±


    ¡°But I will be here for you, my friend,¡± Fez said. His words didn¡¯t have the mocking this time.


    Ton nodded. ¡°I will be here, as your brothers-in-arms, who could you rely on other than us? Who would accept the weakest other than us?¡±


    Nolan looked at them with widened eyes.


    ¡°Who the fuck replaced my friends with such a bunch of creeps?¡± Nolan pointed. ¡°Give them back! I don¡¯t want you guys!¡±


    Fez and Ton turned to look at each other. Their confusion turning into a burst of loud laughter that resounded around the area. Nolan gathered air and laughed along with the two.


    ¡°Fucking hell, let¡¯s go have a drink, Ton.¡±


    ¡°You two are going to pay for it.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know,¡± Nolan said. ¡°You two only befriended me because I worked in that tavern once, you cheap fucks were so easily friended because of two mugs of beer? You guys are idiots.¡±


    ¡°But you are friends with these idiots,¡± Fez said with a wide grin.

 Chapter 95: Nolan the Nobody Part 4

    The sky was covered in thick fog. He could hear the screams everywhere. Blood dulled his senses.


    ¡°Duck!¡± Fez shouted. He pulled Nolan down. ¡°Fucking idiot, don¡¯t stand there!¡±


    The two ran across the battlefield, using the piles of bodies as shields. It took three days to turn to the sands of oasis into a battlefield. Monsters were strewn across the fields of sand. The guardsmen of throes were maintaining a shield formation along with the maidens of throes.


    ¡°Goddamn it!¡± Fez shouted. ¡°Where the fuck are they? We already sent a rider to call for help? The Wizards are going to be dried up by them! Fuck, what are you looking like that, Nolan? Shit, you weak bastard, this isn¡¯t the time to be a coward!¡±


    ¡°We have to go back for Sir Mac,¡± Nolan said without a tone.


    ¡°Fuck that!¡± Fez shouted. ¡°Do you want to dishonor him? Nolan, you are my friend, and I hate to stab you now! Fuck off with that shit, you are a guardsman of throes! Let us move!¡±


    The two fought their way through a horde of enemies. Fez blocked their way while Nolan attacked from the top. He made use of his practiced acrobat abilities to get a better advantage.


    ¡°Fez! Nolan! Come and join the ranks, now!¡± Sir Gil demanded.


    Fez and Nolan joined the ranks and held on the shields.


    ¡°Push you bastards!¡± Sir Gil shouted. ¡°Don¡¯t fucking be scared by these monsters, don¡¯t disappoint King Gideon! You fools aren¡¯t going to plead for mercy. These monsters aren¡¯t going to show you any mercy! Survive and fight for another day! Do not live forever you bastards!¡±


    ¡°I said push!¡± Fez bit his lip. Nolan planted his foot down, eyes bulging as he pushes forward.


    ¡°Incoming magic arrows!¡±


    ¡°Duck!¡±


    ¡°Sir! The maiden of throes is advancing!¡±


    ¡°Let them!¡±


    The chaos confused Nolan. He stayed banded with the shield wall. He stood shoulder to shoulder with his soldiers while watching the rest attack the enemy with their swords and magic.


    ¡°Nolan, you doing okay?¡± Fez said.


    ¡°I am, barely.¡±


    ¡°Have you seen Ton?¡±


    ¡°That guy? He should be around. No fucking way that maniac would die so easily.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Push you bastards!¡± Sir Girl shouted, decapitating a monster with his sword. ¡°We have to wait for the goddamn sun you fools! Hold on and survive until the light shines! Do not falter! Do not give in! Never even think of stepping away from the shield wall and letting the bastards inside our city! So I tell you fuckers now! Push goddamn it!¡±


    The shield wall pushed back the horde. The guardsman of throes killed wonderfully along with the sword maiden of the throes. They were adept at using magic that the seemingly hopeless fight was nothing. All they had to do was wait for the sun to come and they will win. The monsters hated the sun. It was their natural enemy and none of them would dare to walk brazenly under the sun.


    But the sun never came.


    ¡°Stand still!¡± Sir Gil said. ¡°Fight back! Do not be pushed back, you cowards!¡±


    ¡°Nolan!¡± Fez shouted, dragging Nolan away from the shield wall. ¡°Shit! Your armor¡¯s a wreck, you have to remove it now!¡±


    Nolan blankly nodded. ¡°I can still fight!¡±


    ¡°Make him fucking rest, Fez!¡± shouted a voice.


    ¡°He¡¯s hurt, and we can¡¯t have someone die on the shield wall now!¡±


    The battle continued while Nolan watched unable to do anything. He saw Ton run to the shield wall, he was missing an eye, but he stood with them, their backs as strong as the barbicans that kept the walls of the Oasis City strong.


    ¡°I can fight!¡± Nolan said, his shoulders were pushed down.


    ¡°Sit still, soldier. We can¡¯t let you back out there for now.¡±


    Nolan gritted his teeth. He took the time to stand instead. He defended the healers while the rest blocked the path of the enemies. He was no great fighter or a chosen one. All he had was the training and the beating that the people around him gave to him. Courage? He only inherited their courage and formed it into his own. He abandoned that feeling of being special already. All he wanted was to fight for the bastards that took care of him.


    ¡°The horde¡¯s increasing!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll be moving, let us walk the path of bleakness, my brothers and sisters, for this is the only way for us,¡± a voice said.


    ¡°Bleak Walkers?¡± Sir Gil said. His eyes focused on the cloaked men and women who marched with their blades. Their sigil-marked eyes glowed solemnly within the dark. They fought like devils and died like cornered dogs. Their bleak march paved a way of blood for the guardsman of throes and the maidens of throes.


    Only one Bleak Walker was left and his name was Castro, and by the time he died, the shield wall was crushed by a giant, the guardsman of throes were pushed back, and was forced to fight surrounded by the enemies. It was only when the eastern part of the shield wall broke that six bright figures appeared out of nowhere. Nolan saw it clear how they were led by the Burnt Woman he felled in love with. She was even more dazzling as she leads the party of six to the enemies.


    Six Elemental Heroes followed the War Maiden. He didn¡¯t know and why they were blessed with powers at that single moment. Were they blessed by God? Were the desperate cries of the wounded reached the God of Hope? Or was it the despair that kindled the fire that was waiting to be lit?


    It didn¡¯t matter to those who fought that day. When the sun didn¡¯t rise from the east, as usual, a new sun rose from the depths of the battlefield, and the hated one became the hope for all. She stood with the Six Elemental Heroes while Nolan the nobody, healed his wounds, tied his bandages, and went with his friends to bury the dead and pay respects to the dead who died for them.

 Chapter 96: Nolan the Nobody Part 5

    It was a cave clearing with bodies strewn across on the floor.


    ¡°Nolan,¡± Fez said. ¡°I thought I will die as a hero. I thought that maybe I will be banging Sheen and have three babies with her.¡±


    ¡°Shit, don¡¯t talk like that, man.¡±


    ¡°Why did we fall in love with people like them?¡± Fez asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. But at least she accepted you. I was eighteen when I courted Ciara. Look at me, I am going to become thirty, and she still won¡¯t accept me. She talks to me, but never really does out of politeness. I am graying, but at least I am not balding like you.¡±


    ¡°Harsh, but true, fair...say, should you go for another woman?¡± Fez said.


    ¡°Nope, I don¡¯t want to. I want her.¡±


    ¡°Traditions are fine and all, but it¡¯s not like the world would care.¡±


    ¡°I accepted the challenge, and I never back down Fez. You fuckers made me stubborn and loyal, and I hate you all for it.¡±


    ¡°Hah, that¡¯s our weakest, always so loyal, and I¡¯d probably be angry. We wasted so much time helping you, but damn you are such a loser when it comes wooing woman, how the fuck do you spend so much time?¡±


    ¡°Says the guy who had his ass kicked by Sheen, and was dominated like a bitch.¡±


    ¡°But she¡¯s my woman, and you have none. Eat that, weakest.¡±


    ¡°Fuck, I am parsed as fuck, do you have anything?¡±


    ¡°Nope,¡± Nolan said. ¡°I have run out of it, and I rather not have you drinking.¡±


    ¡°Shit, I wish Ton was here to kick your ass,¡± Fez said.


    ¡°Sir Gil, Ton, and the others...are they fighting out there?¡±


    ¡°Who knows? Sir Gil has reached his prime. Ton...you know what happened to him. No way would he survive a fall with a huge hole in his chest. Crazy bastard, died like a hero, and he really outdid us.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, he was such a bastard, and he had to do it.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s not shit on the bastard,¡± Fez laughed. ¡°He¡¯ll be rolling that his best friends are insulting him. Maybe, he¡¯s a ghost now? Watching on the sidelines like the sneaky shit he is.¡±


    ¡°You there, Ton?¡± Nolan said.


    ¡°Obviously the ghost won¡¯t come, idiot.¡±


    ¡°And if it¡¯s Ton, he¡¯d be snickering, waiting, for us to compliment him.¡±


    ¡°Shit, can you not move you¡¯re back so much?¡± Fez asked.


    ¡°Sorry, still can¡¯t move, man.¡±


    ¡°Fine, shit, why do I have to be stuck with you all the time?¡±


    ¡°Who knows? You should really punch the past you who took that beer mug from me. You were honestly so disgusting when you said that you wanted to be friends just because of a beer. Shit, can I punch you for that embarrassing scene?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie, man. You were asking for my friendship, shit, I remember your teary-looking eyes when I said that. Fuck, admit it, you love me, and Ton a lot.¡±


    ¡°Shit, of course, I do, man,¡± Nolan said. ¡°You are family, and I don¡¯t regret being with you guys.¡±


    ¡°Same, I thought you were annoying, but hell, you are a good friend, man. I love you.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t kiss me, man. You aren¡¯t going to say you suddenly want to kiss me, right?¡±


    ¡°No, but if possible...I would have loved to.¡±


    ¡°Shit, you are creepy, my man,¡± Nolan said.


    ¡°Hah, Nolan, serious question,¡± Fez said. ¡°What do you think would happen if Sheen answered me faster, and none of this happened?¡±


    ¡°First, you¡¯d be a good father,¡± Nolan said.


    ¡°Whoa, I thought you¡¯d be jesting,¡± Fez said.


    ¡°No,¡± Nolan shook his head. ¡°Even I can¡¯t lie when you ask so seriously. Heck, I pity Sheen that he¡¯d have to love such loveable bastard like you, since knowing you, you¡¯re going to sire a lot of fucking kids, and then you¡¯d buy a good house, invite me and Ton to drink with you, then Sheen would kick our assess for being annoying pieces of shit. I could see a happy house and a lot of kids chasing after their uncles. I bet Ton would spoil your kids and I would be hiding under foliage¡¯s, scared, because of your damn kids. Your kids would inherit your cheapness, I am sure of that and it would be a miracle if they aren¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Hah, if my kids are like that, then you better prepare, shit, that¡¯s a good world, a really good world, I like that lot, sounds nice, and peaceful, just family, laughing around, having no care about the damn world. We fight for family, we do things because we want good things for our family. Nolan, you are family, Sir Gil, and Ton was my family, and everyone who fight with us. Everyone can a guardsman of throes, but they will never compare to the hardest sons of bitches, which is us. Sir Mac, Sir Gil, Ton, and obviously the best of them all, me. We complete the guardsman of throes and I say never in a thousand years they would surpass us.¡±


    ¡°For once, I agree with you. Every single one of you is the best. Even though I was some retard. You accepted me. You taught me. And you give me a circle of bastards that were good to me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you think that, Nolan,¡± Fez said.


    ¡°Fez?¡±


    ¡°Uh, yeah, if there is another life, and if there is another time...brother, would you be friends with me?¡± Fez asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s stupid that you even have to ask that, Fez.¡±


    ¡°I see. Please don¡¯t forget about me, you¡¯ll regret not remembering someone as handsome as I am.¡±


    ¡°How can I forget someone like you? Your balding head would be impossible to forget. Not to mention that the disgusting face you make when you see Sheen? Nope, never going to forget you, my friend.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s nice...you really are a weakling, Nolan. I want to hate you for that, I really do. But even all these years, I still can¡¯t...really, did you put drugs on that...beer?¡±


    ¡°Fez?¡± Nolan turned to look at Fez. He could feel the pool of blood that wetted his bottom. He looked at the cavern ceilings, his eyes staring blankly.


    ¡°Sleep well, brother,¡± Nolan said.


    ¡°...¡±


    Nolan left the cave clearing alone.

 Chapter 97: Nolan the Nobody Part 6

    It was a battlefield. The soldiers were dragging their worn bodies. Nolan pulled his shield and threw it aside. It had holes on it so it was no use anymore.


    ¡°Nolan?¡± Ciara said.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Nolan eyed Ciara. ¡°Lady Ciara, I¡¯ve never seen you, it has been five years.¡±


    ¡°You look awful,¡± Ciara said.


    ¡°I am,¡± Nolan nodded. ¡°So you were here all the time?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I never thought I¡¯d see you again. I thought...you guys were wiped out.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we were destroyed. No need to sugarcoat it, Lady Ciara.¡±


    ¡°I see. You have grown well, Nolan.¡±


    ¡°Hah, finally going to give in, my Lady?¡±


    Her expression changed. She didn¡¯t expect that answer.


    ¡°I thought you have given up.¡±


    ¡°Who said so?¡± he said. ¡°I never did. Heck, part of the reason I am still standing because I want to see you. Looks like even in this dark world, there¡¯d be some hope.¡±


    ¡°You do know that I have my duties.¡±


    ¡°I know. Doesn¡¯t stop me from trying, sorry, I was turned stubborn by my family. Sorry.¡±


    ¡°I rejected you all these years, and you still keep clinging on my thighs. You know that I cannot be with anyone, and that won¡¯t change.¡±


    ¡°You want to bet on that?¡± he said. ¡°You already beat the shit of me for so many times, and even then you really did say that you hated it. Oh, and if you say it right now, then I wouldn¡¯t believe you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s not to understand? Here, let me tell you, Nolan Salvatore saw Ciara, and Nolan fell in love badly. To Nolan, it didn¡¯t matter if she was burnt or not, and yes, Nolan has a thing for beautiful eyes, and a determined personality that would just spat at those who hate her. I like that.¡±


    ¡°Most would have given up, you know?¡±


    ¡°Not me,¡± he shook his head. ¡°I never give up, and I never give in. I may fall today, but I will be standing up, and fighting again as long as I am not dead.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you get tired?¡±


    ¡°What about you? Do you get tired with the weight of the world on your back?¡±


    ¡°No, how could I?¡±


    ¡°See? How can I be tired when you are not? It would be shameful of me. Old Gil would kick my ass, Fez, and Ton would have murdered me.¡±


    Her cheeks were redder than roses. She held on tightly to her hands.


    ¡°You are odd. Are you sure you fell for me not because of my burnt up body? Is it really the eyes?¡±


    ¡°I have no fetish for that.¡±


    ¡°Liar, no sane man would want me.¡±


    ¡°Oh please, don¡¯t lie.¡±


    ¡°They wanted my power, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°And I am genuine about my intentions.¡±


    ¡°You should really give up on me, Nolan. You are a good man, and you shouldn¡¯t be so obsessed. With your appearance, I think women would want you.¡±


    ¡°Would you sleep with me?¡±


    ¡°I, what are you asking me?¡±


    ¡°Tsk, and besides, I am a loyal man. I just can¡¯t give up on you, despite you stomping on the flowers I sent you, the love letters, the serenades, and the constant beating and telling me I am a creep, I just can¡¯t give up. You have been rejecting me since then, and not once did we speak so much until today, honestly, my heart¡¯s pounding, and I thank God I survive to experience the feeling of my crush chatting with me for a long time.¡±


    ¡°I just don¡¯t understand this,¡± she said. ¡°How many times do I have to reject you, Nolan Salvatore?¡±


    ¡°Who knows?¡± Nolan said. ¡°I am asking why I would go this far, but to fall in love with the War Maiden that leads the heroes...that¡¯s something I cherished greatly, knowing, that I had good eyes when it comes to women.¡±


    ¡°I think you are blind,¡± she said.


    ¡°Maybe?¡± he couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°I am really sorry, but I really can¡¯t stop trying, my lady.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to repeat that line,¡± Ciara said. ¡°I get it, you won¡¯t give up, and you are a strange person that fell in love with a burnt woman.¡±


    ¡°Yup, that should be it.¡±


    She stared at him with cloudy eyes.


    ¡°So where are you going now?¡± Ciara said.


    ¡°Probably following your army, since we only have so few of us left.¡±


    ¡°I see. So, what do they call you now?¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Nolan said.


    ¡°I mean, you should be a veteran now, surely you have earned some nicknames?¡±


    Nolan smiled, scratching the back of his head. ¡°You really think too highly of me, milady. I may have survived this long, but it doesn¡¯t mean that I have great titles like that. I only fight, like the guys with the same age as me, and like them, I am just a nobody, a soldier fighting for the war to save the light. I don¡¯t have grand titles like that. If soldiers are given titles every time they last for years in the war, then there¡¯d be so many heroes around.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to offend,¡± Ciara said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Nolan said. ¡°I don¡¯t mind what they call me, or what their thoughts about me. I¡¯m fine with the title that every soldier have in this current world.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Is that true?¡±


    He looked at her. His eyes widened at the thought of her not knowing a common knowledge of the soldiers.


    ¡°Is that really odd? Everyone knows calls us like that, even the town folks know it.¡±


    ¡°I usually spend time with the officers...so I never knew despite the years. So what do they call those without titles but stand out?¡±


    ¡°Simply really, since most of us are soldiers who are ready to fight to the death, we are called just nobody. For example, they call me Nolan the Nobody, and this nobody doesn¡¯t give up so easily. He would survive and fight for another day. Nolan the nobody is nothing special at all. The only good thing he has is that he had survived for too long.¡±


    ¡°Nolan the nobody...what an odd title.¡±


    Ciara smiled and left for her tent, that smile of hers never leaving her face.

 Chapter 98: Nolan the Nobody Part 7

    ¡°Hey!¡± shouted a soldier. ¡°Stop! That¡¯s not the way, Go back, soldier?¡±


    Another soldier came and stopped the soldier with a pull on his shoulder. The soldier watched the man walked away from the ridge leading the pale mountain.


    ¡°Stop, don¡¯t you see who it is?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that Old Nolan?¡± he said. ¡°Where¡¯s he going...oh?¡±


    ¡°Shit, man, I heard he buried his unborn child and then the next day he buried Lady Ciara. Did we even recover her body?¡±


    ¡°No, she was burnt away by the pale mountain monster,¡± the soldier said. ¡°Still, are we going to not to stop him?¡±


    ¡°You want to stop him?¡± he said. ¡°Man¡¯s broken, eyes dead like a bleak walker. I think he¡¯s the only one of the original guardsman of throes that is still alive. Imagine that, still alive with everyone else dead, now his reason for living just vanished, what a poor man, but who didn¡¯t lose something?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, still, I don¡¯t want to bury my child, and then my wife in succession. I don¡¯t think I can take that as well. Still, should we really let him go? Old Nolan¡¯s got a good arm, and he¡¯d be a good asset for us.¡±


    ¡°No, we just have to leave it to fate.¡±


    ***


    ¡°Hey, see that?¡± the soldier said.


    ¡°See what?¡±


    ¡°There, among the bleak walkers.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that Old Nolan...and damn he really got older than the last time we saw him, ten years was it?¡±


    ¡°Yeah...I thought he died somewhere but that old man sees like he¡¯s still clinging to the world. Thought he¡¯d be long dead.¡±


    ¡°Ay, he got a cold look on his eyes,¡± the soldier said.


    ¡°They say that the bleak walkers walked while seeing the illusion of those that they have lived with. Every single day, those eyes would remind them of why they still walk the bleak path.¡±


    ¡°Why would you succumb yourself to that suffering?¡±


    ¡°Maybe because it would allow them to see those that they¡¯ve lost? Old Nolan probably wants to remember them badly, and he might have become a bleak walker so that he can fight better. See those runes?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, they are inscribed to make themselves stronger, and they say that the current head can conjure illusions since he has the sigil on both eyes. So when you talk to them, don¡¯t try to look them in the eyes, they can control it, but sometimes they just let go of that control.¡±


    ¡°You really have a lot of knowledge about them bleak walkers.¡±


    ¡°Not really, I just was thrown into a deployment with them once. Bastards fight with a death wish, and they have a lot of ways to kill you with that single-minded edge they have on them. Seal you with runes, or make you magic-less if they hit you with their phantasmal. Do you know that old man in front of them? That one with the lion mane?¡± he said.


    ¡°I see him, what about him?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the White Lion, the oldest Bleak Walker you¡¯ll meet in this era. He¡¯s alive because of those runes, and I heard that he has the eternal hawk now on his eyes.¡±


    ¡°The eternal hawk of memory, vision, and rebirth. The being that focuses on one¡¯s goal and continues forward despite it all. They say that the Eternal Hawk represents themselves as messengers of the spirit world, so having them definitely means that he has possessed it has learned powerful lessons and has expanded their knowledge and wisdom,¡± the soldier added.


    ¡°I see. Glad that we have like that on our side. Still, they are so few them compared to the last.¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t really care about strategy,¡± the soldier said. ¡°They act as scouts for us, but, they never really try to live on that badly. Problem with them is that they do not cherish their life, and death is mercy for a bleak walker, but I think that most of them are stubborn to their fault. They want to die but they wait for it. They would heal their wounds, get back up, and try fighting despite the way forward would lead them to the bleak path.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand them,¡± the soldier said.


    ¡°There was an Old Bleak Walker who said that they have a tradition that they would never let go,¡± he stared at the bleak walkers marching to the dark like moths to flames. ¡°Never go gentle, my friend, the darkness crawls and creeps, but never go gentle, rage, flail, bite, do not flinch when darkness stares, and if it is your time, and when the Lady of Death reaches for an embrace, take it, cherish it, and rest your weary head on her chest. But until then, do not go gentle to that tunnel of light, not until you have done thy best.¡±


    ¡°I like that,¡± the soldier said. ¡°Gives me hope.¡±


    ¡°Hah,¡± the soldier chuckled. ¡°If that old bleak walker heard that from you, he¡¯d be rolling on his grave, he said that it was never about hope, it¡¯s about your own hands clawing to where your goal is. No matter what, all of us return to Death¡¯s embrace, and I think there¡¯s beauty on it.¡±


    ¡°Man, you are getting weird when talking about them.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I find them interesting, not to mention Old Nolan is with them now. Honestly, he calls himself Nolan the nobody when he doesn¡¯t even realize that he had a reputation for being called the Nolan the stubborn. I mean, who would make the Burnt Woman fall in love? Who was the weakest that would outlast the strongest of the guardsman of throes? Look at him, the light on his eyes are broken, but he stills moves forward. That¡¯s Old Nolan for you, always goddamn stubborn to his core.¡±


    The soldiers watched the bleak walkers walk deeper to enemy territories. The bleak walkers abandoned their banners, forsaking it, and instead of fighting so that the light¡¯s army could push and deal with the Overlord of the Demons. The two soldiers fought as well, their final vision was the back of the bleak walkers facing the horde, unbroken, unbent.

 Chapter 99: Nolan, the Bleak Walker

    He softly opened his eyes. He stared at the purple-robed woman who was looking at him. She was casting a spell, he rolled sideways, and took a step back.


    ¡°Oh, so you are still not out?¡± she said. ¡°I admit that you are tough, if you weren¡¯t Porter, you wouldn¡¯t be a tasteless man.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry,¡± Nolan said.


    ¡°My, this is not the time for forgiveness, Porter. That time has long passed. If you have that awhile ago, I would have negotiated peacefully. Did you lose your wits? Oh, don¡¯t tell me you turn coward after being beaten by a few spells?¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not it,¡± he said, conjuring an obsidian flesh sword and pouring the phantasmal oil on it. ¡°I forgot my core, it looks like I was too preoccupied with what I should do, that I forget what I am. Who I am, and what I am.¡±


    ¡°That sounds nice, but time to sleep.¡±


    She blasted him with a shock spell. Nolan¡¯s sword transformed into the shape of a shield. Insulating him from the spell completely.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± she said.


    ¡°Phantasmal oil still works nice, and a bit of rune on it, it still works. Seriously, why did I forget this late? Sigh, you rely on one power, then forget about the things you engraved on your bones. You never really let go of them.¡±


    ¡°Phantasmal oil...¡±


    ¡°It looks like I was being disrespectful, forgive me.¡±


    ¡°What are you even talking about? Do you think that a little oil would change the outcome? You seem to have forgotten who is on the losing end here?¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Nolan said. ¡°I can¡¯t match you in terms of spells...I never was good at anything other than surviving.¡±


    ¡°Stop being sentimental, you tasteless man!¡±


    The compressed beam exploded in six directions, each of them homing, he covered his body with the obsidian flesh, deftly rolling away from the blast.


    ¡°Do you think that will be enough? That will dry up before long, Porter!¡±


    ¡°Nope,¡± Nolan said, sliding past a beam, he gathered all the obsidian flesh from his hand while he slides on the slippery ground. ¡°Do what though wilt is the law. A man has the right to follow his own law, therefore, I shall bind thee to the light to this Sword of Obsidian; as my power and strength; my blood and fresh. Let this Sword of Obsidian be the new binding light that blinds!" he screamed at the top of his lungs.


    Light explodes from his hands. The flash made Audrey Cress flinch, she blocked the light, but before she can cast a spell, a fist pummeled her right side, it was then followed by a push, and a grab to the back of the head, which was then continued with a knee to the face.


    ¡°Gah!¡± Her head rang as she tries to keep her balance. She saw Nolan moving inside her guard, his fist targeting her, a continued blow to her liver, and before he could land an elbow to her diaphragm. She countered.


    Nolan was pushed away, his back hitting the wet floor. He leaps up to his feet, meeting the fist of Audrey, her eyes bloodshot, veins popping on her forehead.


    ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate me, boy!¡± She shouted. ¡°Do you really think I can¡¯t fight you barehanded? Test me! Test me!¡±


    Nolan felt that punch. The punch was hard enough to crack the skull mask he was wearing. He didn¡¯t intend to lose, he needs to get out of this place. This place was consuming him, it was making him act, he thought. If he doesn¡¯t keep this woman from being agitated, she would blast him away with long-distance spells.


    She landed a straight jab on his forehead. Nolan pushed in, blocked with his left forearm, and then slapped her right ear. She cringed, he followed it with a jab below her armpit, and a kick on her knee. She spat blood, wiped it out, and pulled Nolan with telekinesis, Nolan didn¡¯t resist, allowed himself to be pulled, and when he was near her, he banged his forehead on her, she flinched backward, he pulled on her collar and elbowed her on the neck.


    Ears ringing, vision shaking, Audrey Cress panicked, she created a shield around her body, and Nolan urged forward, his fist tried to pummel her, but this time, he felt like he punched a concrete wall instead of flesh.


    She regained her wits, she looked at his fist, and smiled, ¡°You ran out of time, fool.¡±


    He was blasted away. She pounced on him a like a hungry tiger, mounting him, following it with a barrage of fist that ¨Cpeeled away the obsidian flesh off Nolan.


    ¡°You like hurting woman that badly, you tasteless man! Now you simply lost!¡±


    ¡°Not yet,¡± he had a grin on his skull-like face. ¡°I still haven¡¯t lost, you know?¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about¡ªah? Ah, no, what is this? A sigil? You are a bleak walker!?¡±


    His eyes lit up in a dark eerie color, the vision of the old future flashed upon Nolan''s eyes. The death of his comrades, the battle near the Overlord''s territory, and the days he had experienced.


    The world turned dark for the two. He felt like he was stuck in a dark world along with Audrey Cress. Below their feet was a ripple that spread on every direction. Nolan''s eyes glowed softly as the sigils in his pupils made the two relive all of his painful memories


    Audrey could only see the sigil''s mesmerizing her. She could feel the pain that was being emitted from Nolan''s eyes. The suffering, despair, hopelessness, anguish, sorrows, and the desperation was felt by her. It was like listening to the screams of a million death throes, she took a step back, the eternal hawk sigil¡¯s tugged on her memories, making her relieve the five hundred years of her existence, the pain, the heartbreak, and her suffering on the light¡¯s war.


    ¡°Make it stop!¡± She pleads him. Her hand conjuring a bullet of air that tore Nolan¡¯s skull mask.


    She saw it clearly then. Red eyes with the symbol of the eternal hawk glowing on him. Her memories were tugged as she recognized the tasteless man who he once met in Da¡¯s Mill.


    ¡°You!¡±


    ¡°Sleep, for now, Witch of Nether.¡±


    Nolan clenched his fist, his palm bleeding as he pulls his fist back, and with his weight on it, landed a right hook right at her cheek, punching her lights out.


    ¡°And yeah,¡± he said. ¡°I am not a Porter, I¡¯m just a Bleak Walker...¡±

 Chapter 100: Sic Vita Est

    He dragged himself out of the place, his eyes barely being able to recognize. Everything was still black and white, his ears were ringing, and moving his body made him uncomfortable. He felt like his bones were broken, and if it wasn¡¯t for the obsidian flesh holding on to his ribs, he wouldn¡¯t be able to properly walk.


    ¡°Hah, to meet the Witch of Nether, and to punch her lights out. I am an ungrateful student, but I don¡¯t think she knows, though she does recognize that I am a bleak walker. That should clear the idea that I am a Porter...this Porter group seems like they are making something big.¡±


    But who cares?


    Nolan couldn¡¯t care about that at the moment. What he was doing, and what kind of fool he was for doing these things. He had no intention of continuing his crusade against the gangs when someone like Audrey Cress was in favor of such things. He has many reasons to do so.


    ¡°I really don¡¯t want to fight her again,¡± he thought to himself. ¡°She¡¯s going to make sure to get me within range, and if her allies see what happens to her. The current war maiden might actually come and kill me. I need to get out of this city.¡±


    He looked at his bloody clothes, and turned to the market was, silently crossing, entering a shop. He grabs himself a shirt, and a pair of pants, before limping away to the exit of the city.


    ...


    Ciara felt the tremors around her city. Audrey was a veteran of combat, there was no way she would lose to anyone, she thought. But she felt Audrey¡¯s presence weakened, her soul was trembling, and she felt her presence go silent. Ciara did not want to believe that she would lose to anyone. But she had to know if she was alright.


    ¡°I am going out,¡± she declared.


    ¡°Should we come?¡± her shadows appeared.


    ¡°No, this is an enemy that could survive my bolt, and make my dearest friend falter, do you think that you can handle an enemy that she cannot?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The shadows kept their silence.


    ¡°I shall be off.¡±


    ¡°Please be safe, dearest grandmother.¡±


    Ciara stopped in the middle of the doorway.


    ¡°Who do you think I am?¡±


    She grinned at her lovelies. They were her family. She would do anything for them and eliminate those who might hurt them. She was willing to be a demon for them.


    ...


    She flew with the elemental wind carrying her. She scanned the city for Audrey and found traces of battle all around the district near the tower. Her eyes grow serious as the heat covering her evaporated the rain. She followed the trace of destruction until she reached the area where the purple-robed witch was lying with half of her body drowning on the rainwater. Her face was swelling, and her eye was blackened, her hair was a mess, and she was breathing roughly.


    ¡°Audrey!¡± she drove down like a meteor, lifting the back of Audrey¡¯s head. ¡°Who did this? Are you okay, Audrey!? Answer me!¡±


    The milky glow of light came out of Ciara. Audrey, slowly opened her eyes, her eyes gazing at Ciara¡¯s face, who was usually solid and had always kept a stoic expression.


    ¡°You are loud, Ciara,¡± she said. ¡°I am resting here, can you not be so loud?¡±


    ¡°Who did this to you?¡±


    ¡°Can you relax?¡± she said. ¡°You¡¯re making it hot and cold, and it is not good for my health.¡±


    ¡°This is no laughing matter. Who did this to you?¡±


    She stared at Ciara with her eyes half-closed. She then frowned, her brows meeting.


    ¡°Really, it was just some tasteless and helpless man. Really, well, I cannot blame him, it has been too long.¡±


    ¡°An old enemy!?¡± Her rage became apparent. ¡°Is it Adey? It must be him! Only that bastard can do this to you! I knew I should have destroyed them, and the Porters. I will make them pay for this!¡±


    Audrey glanced at her friend, before turning her eyes to the sky.


    ¡°Not really,¡± Audrey said.


    ¡°Then who is it? I¡¯ll murder him!¡±


    ¡°Beat him? Maybe, but kill him? Nah, I don¡¯t think you can kill that man, darling.¡±


    ¡°No matter how strong he is, I¡¯ll kill him.¡±


    Audrey stared at her with a listless look on her face.


    ¡°Sure, try to find him, he¡¯ll probably try to escape now that you saw me beaten. Anyone smart enough would escape after angering the War Maiden.¡±


    ¡°Can you take care of yourself now?¡±


    ¡°Well, your glow has healed most of my wounds, ah, if you find him, give him a good beating on the face, no one should mess with a lady¡¯s face without mercy, geez, what an asshole.¡±


    Ciara was lost. She was clearly beaten but she held no anger. It was like she lost to friendly sparring. But Ciara could not forgive those who hurt those she cherishes. So if she was not angry about her loss, then she was going to be one that will hold on to her anger.


    So she scanned the city and followed the trail of the person who took care of her. Her anger was unable to calm down until she finally saw the figure of the bastard who left her friend beaten under the rain. She looked at the back of the man, and without care, she landed behind the man who was walking away limping.


    ¡°Stop right there, you bastard,¡± she said with fury. ¡°Did you really think that you can get away from my city without paying a price? After hurting her? Do you really think that you can get away without giving your life? Leave your life here, scum.¡±


    She conjured her own blade of the four elementals, pointing it to the man.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± the man said.


    His voice was lackadaisical and he seems to have trouble breathing, his ribs must be broken, she thought. But it was not that thing she cared about. It was his voice.


    ¡°I really don¡¯t want to die after choosing to take a rest,¡± he turned, conjuring a blade of obsidian, his red eyes that had sigils on it glowed, the eternal hawk screeching. His pale skin was dirtied, and there was a gloomy smile on his face.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I, Nolan Salvatore, a follower of the bleak path, won¡¯t stop here,¡± he declared with determination. His eyes stern as ever. ¡°I will not be taken down, no, not yet.¡±


    Ciara stared with her head tilted, her mind blank, and the blade on her hand trembling.


    No words would leave her mouth.

 Chapter 101: Compressed Hearts Part 1

    She heralded the legions that would fight for the world. They all looked up to her, but he wasn¡¯t part of them. They marched with her, the six elemental heroes, by her side. She vowed to protect them.


    She marched on the territory of the Overlord. Her sword ready to deal with the enemy that seems to have been the cause of the darkness. She marched, and killed, and killed, and by her side was the six elemental heroes, yet he wasn¡¯t by her side.


    ¡°Where is he?¡± she asked the stars.


    She marched and fought. The legions of demons, the hordes, their champions, they always wanted to stop her. They all looked with eyes of worry, and said, ¡°Please rest milady!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t,¡± she said. ¡°I need to take care of this problem.¡±


    She fought the overlords of demons with her heroes.


    ***


    She had nothing to do. She just drifted from place to place, those who try to curry her favor, but alas, she always found herself on back to Oasis, searching, looking around for nothing.


    She found herself walking into an alley, recalling the man whose face didn¡¯t utter a tinge of disgust at the sight of her face. She smiled, and walked to the bench where he admitted bold words, her smile faded, thinking, maybe, she will find him again, she won¡¯t just be left alone after being given the weight of the world, right?


    ***


    Years passed, those who she knew grew old except for a few. She never found him.


    She saw the heroes marry, her heart would always ache, thinking, ¡°I want that too,¡± she dreams like a little girl while watching.


    She saw them grow old, their children becoming great figures, and their smiles never fading, never burning out, and she could not help but be jealous.


    She stayed in a strange countryside, full of ceramics, the people wear strange robes, she thought, it must be great to have them. She would stroll the beaches, with her paper parasol, the kids would ask her tales. She would stay in a cottage, watching the fire.


    ***


    One hundred years of existence, she hasn¡¯t even thought of exploring, thinking, all she wanted was peace. But alas, the world can¡¯t keep quiet, they called her on an ivory palace, the Emperor, a familiar face, son of a hero, told her of an enemy. So she brought her sword with her, fended off cannons, destroyed navies, and watched the heroes defeat the enemy nation, though knowing that it was a ploy, it didn¡¯t matter.


    She saw a group of orphans fending off a wolf, she approached them, her smile radiant, offered her hand, and asked them to come with her. She brought ten orphans to the countryside, she learned how to cook, dressed them, gave them life, and they grow old and wrinkled, she stayed the same.


    Ten graves, and before long, she owned an entire graveyard, once a year, she would come with her granddaughters, and carry bouquets of flowers put in carriages, her granddaughters would help, she would smile, keep it, let them have her smile, for family what she wanted, though they keep leaving her alone.


    ***


    Please no more, she thought once. How many times I have to see them go away, she thought. Vie, Audrey, where are you? Please come and visit, she thought.


    Hail Blessed Maiden, they all wanted power, why does it matter, she thought. Why was I given the weight of the world, did he purposely did it, was he a mirage created to fool a young woman into the role of someone who shines when the sun isn¡¯t around, and when the darkness covers. Built to never falter, but why do they see only the powerful weapon?


    Cold heart freezes, the heart remains alone, fifteen generation passes, she doesn¡¯t remember where most of her granddaughters came from, their origins unknown, the thought of the man who saved her, slowly, losing, disintegrating from her memory, why are they all granddaughters, no, the grandsons die, like heroes, soldier-borne, inspired, loved by a lonesome war-maiden, surrounded by family, yet her heart has a big hole, unable to be filled, constantly missing a single puzzle, and so she stood, surrounded by those she rescued, not her blood, but she loved not less.


    ***


    How many times it has been, she thought. Always standing alone, covered in blood, sword dulled, body scratched, eyes cold, and young men foolish enough to face a war maiden, their mouths gaping, and their cries saying, ¡°Mother, I want to go home.¡± As she cuts them down without mercy, no, not without mercy, but out of her own belief for her good. She stood, hungry, tired, thirsty, out of breath, behind her, those who she murdered, and there was only silence, they look at her, with fear, and awe.


    ¡°Cut them down,¡± her allies said.


    ¡°You showed your prowess, milady,¡± they said.


    ¡°Monster,¡± a boy said.


    She understood, did not lie, and did not run from those words, those words were true, no, she turned into a monster, no, she wanted to be savior, but, she was a hero, a savior, and praised for her saving, and not once did she falter. No matter what, no matter how painful it was, walking the earth, losing those she calls family, seeing them die, seeing them grown, and letting them die.


    Power cannot deny those whose time had passed, she was blessed, seemingly perpetual, never decaying, but in truth, placed as a guardian, knowing that was now her duty. Endless, how many times, how many died, and how many injuries, and how many more will come and go as time passes, as she watches perpetually, not faltering, not knowing why the man gave her the role, and not knowing even why she was chosen in the first place.


    ¡°Why was I chosen?¡± She asked the fates before their deaths. ¡°We don¡¯t know,¡± they answered. ¡°You were simply brought, and you were compatible, and thus they gave you power.¡±


    She pondered, and once cried, but yet as she walks the same roads, for a hundred times, there would be a time, whenever she was bloody, has a sad look on her face, there¡¯s a child, looking down, extending a flower that blooms lovingly, melting her doubts, and lessening the pain of existing.


    Now the man who vanished from her life, appears, tired, injured, and resisting, his eyes determined to live, to get away again...to get away again?


    She stood in silence. The man was wary, she was not. She knew her strength and her power.


    How can she compress five hundred years into a few words?

 Chapter 102: Compressed Hearts Part 2

    ¡°Hey,¡± she said.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Hi,¡± she said. ¡°Why can¡¯t you reply back?¡±


    She tightens her hold on her sword. He focused his eyes on her, his eyes dilating as he felt overwhelmed. The wind presses down from the east, their hairs fluttered about, and clothes as well.


    ¡°Leave me alone,¡± he said.


    ¡°Why?¡± She said. ¡°So you can run away?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± he said. ¡°I will run away. I have no business here.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± her voice was shaking. ¡°Is that really so?¡±


    ¡°What are you?¡±


    His expression was cool and steady, yet his heart pounded. No, it was more like he didn¡¯t want to believe. The War Maiden that has shown up, looked like Ciara. He couldn¡¯t believe it simply, how she looks like, and the power she exerts just by standing in front of her.


    ¡°There¡¯s no way,¡± he thought. ¡°This might be a far off world, but can she really be alive after so many years? How is that even possible? She aged back on the past world...and if she¡¯s really her, then she¡¯s too...how do I put the words together?¡±


    ¡°Who do you think, I am?¡± she asked. Her expression crumbled, yet it did not make her look unpleasant, her face became a crumbled rose.


    ¡°I...,¡± he looked down, his sword now pointed at the ground. ¡°Are...you perhaps...Ciara?¡±


    ¡°Oh really?¡± she scoffs. ¡°Why do you think that?¡±


    ¡°I...you looked like her, but that can¡¯t be it.¡±


    ¡°Why? Because I am far beautiful than her? Is that it?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    He couldn¡¯t understand, his heart beating loudly, almost deafening.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t I lovely? Far beautiful than her? Look at me, do you know many princes and Emperors begged for my hand? Almost groveling, telling me to marry them? I know that cursed woman, ugly, unfathomable, and none loved her. She was pitiful, and everyone who looked at her would vomit, how can ANYONE love that kind of woman? So please, don¡¯t you dare to ¡®say¡¯ that I am that woman,¡± she said, lips quivering.


    Nolan¡¯s head blank, his eyes squinting, stance widening, throbbing veins in the neck, and jaw clenched hard. He was a kettle.


    ¡°You...¡±


    ¡°Angry?¡± she said with a bite. ¡°Isn¡¯t what I am saying the truth? If you KNOW that woman, then you would know, but that woman is dead, she¡¯s not around, and thank the heavens that she isn¡¯t. Gosh, five hundred years, and you make me feel disgusted.¡±


    ¡°F-five hundred years?¡± His mouth twisted. ¡°No, wonder.¡±


    ¡°?¡±


    ¡°I see, then, this might,¡± he said, eyes staring into the distance, not minding. ¡°But, take that back.¡±


    ¡°My words? Why should I take back my words?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t speak ill of the dead,¡± he said, the sternness his voice, evoking despair. ¡°I, then, I had, no, never mind me, will you please leave me alone?¡±


    ¡°Why should I do that after you run amok my city?¡± she said.


    ¡°I thought I was right,¡± he said. ¡°I thought wrong.¡±


    ¡°You thought you were right?¡± she laughed dryly. ¡°If any crime could be forgiven just because you ¡®thought wrong¡¯ then laws shouldn¡¯t exist. Give yourself up, you cannot run away, no, you cannot, I will not allow you.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    He put away the sword of obsidian, his head lowered.


    ¡°Fine, it¡¯s not like I can run away, nor I want to anymore.¡±


    She sauntered to him, her blade turning into dots of light, she grabbed hold of his hand, pulled on his wrist, and stared at his eyes.


    ¡°You really don¡¯t remember?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I forgot to introduce myself, my name is Ciara Alician, and this city belongs to me, as you will be as well.¡±


    He looks up at her, his eyes squinted. ¡°Don¡¯t jest, don¡¯t you dare.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry,¡± she said mockingly. ¡°I am not the one here who forgot someone¡¯s name after five hundred years, not to mention, forgetting that he¡¯s the one that gave her the burden of the world.¡±


    He stared at her in utter disbelief. Nolan tries to gather words, but his heart seems compressed, unable to extract the tinges of emotions coming out.


    ¡°Oh don¡¯t bother, it¡¯s not like I haven¡¯t seen a person who lost his memories, look at the side of the face, surely, you would remember a bit?¡±


    ¡°I...asked you if you were her.¡±


    ¡°I am still angry,¡± she tightened her hold on his wrists. ¡°Do you know how frustrating it is? Now, I see you, and you can¡¯t remember me, what did I do to deserve this? I have carried the burden of the world, this empire, and yet a bit of happiness isn¡¯t allowed? No, I expected a better, no, a sweeter meeting, not you beaten, my heart angered, and pissed off. I have my duties, no, I should have the right to get away.¡±


    ¡°What are you?¡±


    ¡°Shut up,¡± she said grumbling. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter now, these eyes of yours, no, I cannot be mistaken even if am this old, I cannot mistake you for anyone, and I hate it. Why, do I have to fall so hard to a guy that wasn¡¯t even present in half of my life? This is absurd, no, I feel idiotic loving someone who then doesn¡¯t even remember me!¡±


    She continued talking as if she has been treated unfairly. Nolan allowed himself to be pulled, looking at her back, trying to concede that it was truly her and if her words could be true. Why was he unable to remember what he has done? He could only remember his death in that desert and his awakening in this world.


    ¡°I thought you were taking me to the city?¡±


    ¡°Back to the palace of worrywart granddaughters, and politicians that would want to lick the end of my boot? No thank you, so, since you had sinned, how about escorting me, I am going to run away, and I am bringing you with me. It¡¯s not like you were planning to get back.¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be worried about a war?¡±


    ¡°The empire deserves to be beaten once,¡± she said. ¡°Their confidence will lead to their defeat, they might actually consider new strategies now that you¡¯ve ruined things for this place, and that I would be gone, no superweapon they can use as a triumph card. That way those kids won¡¯t have to be worked to death.¡±


    ¡°What about telling them all that first?¡± he asked, he¡¯s just going with the flow, like a paper boat down a stream.


    ¡°So you would vanish on me again? For what? Five hundred years again? Nope, not going to happen, doesn¡¯t even matter if you don¡¯t remember, only had to make up for a lost time, and I can do it.¡±


    Nolan¡¯s head just stopped working, he couldn¡¯t even form any thoughts as he watches her pull him away from the city, ribs hurting, wrist aching with such iron grip. His heart compressed, tightened, unable to breathe for air. He couldn''t understand at all. It was too easy.

 Chapter 103: Compressed Hearts Part 3

    They took a train bound to nowhere. She led the way in silence after the city of Alician was out of sight. She still held his wrist, never letting go. They sat near the window, facing together, her hands never letting go, she was afraid to let go, thinking, that he would go away.


    ¡°I am not going away,¡± he said. ¡°Can we talk this through?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± she nodded. ¡°What do you want to talk about?¡±


    ¡°Can you let go of my hand first?¡±


    ¡°Okay...I will. I can catch you if you do try.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, so, why are you taking me somewhere?¡±


    ¡°I want to leave Alician.¡±


    ¡°Why? I don¡¯t think that you would leave so easily.¡±


    Her lips curved up. She joined her fingers.


    ¡°Partly, because I want to know more about you, and see the state of the Empire. I...I honestly don¡¯t know, Nolan. It has been five hundred years, my heart¡¯s so tight, and I want to know if this is truly love or was it just you strike at the right moments of my life. You may not remember, but when you carried me through those dangerous lands, you took care of me, you bathe me, you fed me, not giving a single complaint. You took the curse, and burden yourself with the stigma that would have attracted the monsters to me, by taking it from me and making use of it. Do you know? I won and saved the world because I didn¡¯t have it. Do you know much monsters would have swarmed if I had the stigma? I mean...those red eyes should be the proof of it.¡±


    She always had those red eyes, monsters were always after her, he thought. Could it be that the stigma was passed? Then there¡¯s no reason to deny it.


    ¡°I see. The sigils do not have their own glow, and I think I only have these eyes because of that stigma.¡±


    ¡°And...You should know the sigil on your eyes means,¡± she said. ¡°The Eternal hawk of rebirth and memory...you have reached the point where you can manifest the memories of your sufferings to others. That¡¯s how you were able to best Audrey, am I right? That reminds me when you helped me in Oasis, you didn¡¯t look at me with disgust, and I know that you had seen worse, those sigils on your eyes...were attractive.¡±


    Her cheeks reddened, she smiled as if recalling something dear. Nolan couldn¡¯t understand, if that really happened then did she got attracted to him during that time? How? It was impossible, he thought. He had spent so many years chasing after her, that not looking at her with disgust at her time of need was all he needed?


    ¡°You jest...there¡¯s no way you¡¯d just start liking someone just because of I looked at you like that. Isn¡¯t that...too shallow?¡±


    ¡°Well, it was like you shot my heart two times, first, when you save me, and that look of yours was rather bewitching. And...Well, you were honestly someone who had the body that matched my preference. Besides, no girl would hate being called pretty and told she was beautiful in her own way despite her scars.¡±


    She gave a gentle smile.


    Nolan frowned, ¡°Does that really warrant five hundred years of waiting for a person you don¡¯t even know if you loved or not? I think you have mistaken gratitude for love. You misattributed my help as love.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± she turned to the windows, the scenery passing fast. ¡°I met you. You teased me. Things happened that made me unable to sort out of my feelings properly. I spent a lot of time on your back, and honestly, I think you fooled me into wanting to be with you. Honestly, when I had my legs broken, my hopes, my dreams, I thought they were gone. So when I saw you appear before me, injured, but willing to carry me all the way to the three fates. I was happy yet. Though, I never really did ask you why you took me to the three ladies of fate.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t give me that look, I know that you can¡¯t remember. It doesn¡¯t even matter, now you are here, and I will try to make you remember. Though, I might know what happened to you.¡±


    ¡°What then?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I read that the Eternal Hawk¡¯s Sigil can only be gained after a tribunal. Nobody knows what this tribunal is, but they all had one step that needed to have. The eternal hawk of memory and rebirth, it could be that you went mad.¡±


    ¡°Mad?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that would explain why you don¡¯t remember. What did you encounter that made you lose yourself for five hundred years? I saw you fight monsters while I was on your back, and saw you never falter. But to lose your memories and gain the sigils of the eternal hawk.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t recall anything,¡± he held his hand on his head. ¡°I truly am sorry.¡±


    ¡°Why are you sorry for the things you have no control over?¡± she said.


    ¡°How could I even...I just don¡¯t know,¡± he said.


    ¡°I see,¡± she nodded. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter much really, I just want you to accompany me.¡±


    ¡°Where exactly?¡±


    ¡°Hmm, I want to visit a few places. People have heard of my name, but only a few know my face. Audrey can act, hmm, she would be better at playing protector than me. Why not act as my escort?¡±


    ¡°Do you even need one?¡±


    ¡°True, still, act like it. It has been five years, I need a break from all of this madness. Don¡¯t you think you need one as well? It might make you sort out your thoughts, and honestly, it might give you an overall look of what the current world is.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fair,¡± he said. ¡°I accept then, I¡¯ll be coming with you.¡±


    ¡°Great,¡± she said with her cheeks lifted. ¡°I don¡¯t have to worry about you, running away. Looks like there was no need for a good collar.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t get it all,¡± he said with a sigh. He turned his eyes to the scenery outside the window, his gaze pointed at the big ball of fire that lit up at the east.


    karsev

 Chapter 104: Intermission – Under Surface World

    Adey struggled down a cliff, carrying a six-shooter and his pack, he stumbled down a cavern, the cavern has cob-webs, there were crystals around the entrance, and there was a pungent smell of eggs and rotting carcasses. He took out a spherical crystal and lobbed it inside the cavern, the crystal exploding into three lights, the cavern was coated in blue-green light.


    ¡°Adey?¡± the void said. Adey pushed the button on his left ear. ¡°Machina? What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Something is being fed down that cavern, better make sure to find it...ah, this will be interesting.¡±


    Adey shrugged, he started down the cavern, encountering multi-layered webs, his path blocked by overgrown crystals, blue spotted plants, and strange skeleton limbs. He continued down the path until he found himself on a three-way entrance, the left entrance was blocked by the crystals, the middle one caved in, and the right one covered in gooey mucus.


    ¡°Nothing much here,¡± Adey said.


    ¡°I can sense your hesitation, oh no, you are going inside, Adey.¡±


    ¡°Why should I?¡±


    ¡°Because I gave you my blood, you promised to listen to me if I needed it, and I need this area explored.¡±


    ¡°I hate you.¡±


    ¡°And I hate you too, now go inside and see what keeps ticking my counter.¡±


    Adey pulled out the flamethrower on his back and burned the mucus. He cringed, his face crumbled as he stumbles forward, avoiding the leftover mucus. It was a giant cave that housed a spiral pit. Where he was standing, Adey saw the legions of monsters, gnawing on the crystals, their numbers resembling that of grouped up ants.


    ¡°Monsters,¡± Adey said. ¡°Never seen them this many ever since the last got killed by the War Maiden.¡±


    ¡°Her zeal was lovely, too bad she¡¯s a celibate.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Adey?¡±


    The monsters had weird exoskeletons, they had eyes on their legs, and there was a pink seed-like membrane growing on their back, it was glowing, releasing pink gasses that seems to alternately make the blue spots on their bodies glow. Adey felt his body heating up, his eyes sharpening, his heart beating loudly as the presence kept increasing.


    ¡°A monster burrow,¡± Adey squinted. ¡°Five hundred years and they are back again. We need the gas, Machina.¡±


    ¡°You want to gas the place?¡± she responded. ¡°So you are telling me to slaughter the poor monsters? You are a demon!¡±


    ¡°Half-half now,¡± Adey said. ¡°I am starting to believe that making me a vampire was a mistake. Since I realized that I have to listen to you.¡±


    ¡°Harsh, but fair. Still, the demon-lady tyrant would nag on us if we let the monsters inside this burrow go. We had a pact with the War Maiden, and we can¡¯t give up on our city. It may be dark, sometimes too bright, and too dusty, but still, it is our home, and I¡¯ve grown to love it.¡±


    ¡°Says the girl that was complaining about the state of her apartment,¡± Adey scoffs. ¡°I say time changes even suckers like you.¡±


    ¡°Tsk,¡± she responded. ¡°Just because you don¡¯t need blood, doesn¡¯t mean that you can get rid of the ¡®sucker¡¯ part that is now branded on you.¡±


    ¡°I am gassing them,¡± Adey reached for the backpack on his lower back, he took out softball-size ball. He turned it around, inserted a key crystal in it, and threw it mid-air. The ball glowed red, Adey took out a mask, connecting it to a lantern-shaped object that has a green crystal on it. He sucks in a breath of air from the lantern.


    The ball he threw expanded, the crystal that Adey inserted, continuously expanding until it zigzag in four directions, piercing the cavern walls. Adey dived for cover, he saw the area covered by a red mist, the monsters that were lurking the floor, slowly died out, their bodies limping, slumping on the floor, lifeless. It was an hour worth of screaming monsters. Adey stayed still, not moving, and listening to the boorish jokes of Machina.


    ¡°Looks like they are all out of gas, heh,¡± she said.


    ¡°I want to inhale that gas now, please stop,¡± Adey said, coming out of the cover. ¡°Everything¡¯s dead, want to come here and sniff the remaining gas?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s uncalled for,¡± she responded.


    ¡°Looks like there¡¯s something alive down there,¡± Adey looked down the pit. ¡°Looks like a transparent egg.¡±


    ¡°Check it,¡± she responded. ¡°Need to clear this burrow and make it a designated habitat area.¡±


    ¡°Going in,¡± Adey took a leap of faith down, at the last second, he swung his body forward, landing softly on the ground. He approached the egg that had a jelly-like shell, his six-shooter ready to blast anything inside it. The cobweb was covering what¡¯s inside, but he could see something inside. He pulled the webs off, his right arm popping veins.


    ¡°A human?¡± Adey said.


    ¡°What?¡± Machina responded.


    ¡°There¡¯s a human inside, probably got trapped, graying hair, jet-black eyes, thin as a branch, ribs showing, eyes hollowed out, and definitely still alive, no, barely alive for a reason. Looks like he got turned into convenient nutrition.¡±


    ¡°Break the shell.¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± Adey took a shot at the shell, the jelly shell cracking. The human inside it slid down along with the blue goo.


    ¡°Gah,¡± the human swallowed air. He spoke something that Adey did not understand.


    ¡°What the, didn¡¯t expect to hear that,¡± she said.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Adey said.


    ¡°A familiar language, hmm, didn¡¯t think that after all these years, I would still hear it.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Adey¡¯s gaze travels down to the human. ¡°Should I put the human out of his misery?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Machina said. ¡°Bring the human back, let¡¯s see what he can tell me.¡±


    ¡°W...here...am I?¡±


    Adey turned to the human. He could recognize his words.


    ¡°Who are you, human?¡±


    ¡°I am...ALVA...¡±


    Adey couldn¡¯t understand half of his name.


    ¡°So Alva,¡± Adey said. ¡°It is your lucky day, looks like you aren¡¯t going to be monster juice. I¡¯ll dry you, I¡¯d rather kill you than carry you while you¡¯re still covered in goo.¡±


    Adey flicked a tiny crystal, drying Alva. He then pulled Alva below the armpits and placed his back on a rock. Alva¡¯s eyes were dim, and yet his jet-black eyes stared straight into Adey.


    ¡°T-thank you,¡± he said, fainting.


    Adey stared at this human whose skin had tightened around his skeleton. He couldn¡¯t understand why a human would be down here, far below a burrow that has never been discovered until now.

 Chapter 105: A Rest to Worries

    In truth, Nolan sought to be alone. He needed to collect his thoughts. He went to a tavern in the Rafflesia Street; where screw top bottled beers were available and refreshed himself with a macaroni dish. He spent the rest of the morning drowning on his thoughts. He looked like a common drunkard, wheezing, back hunched, slumped on the table, holding his beer on hand.


    Done with his mumbling, he walked to the nearest beach, white sands, lined-up benches, and a vast open sea dyed with the afternoon glow. He raised the bottle of beer up, his eyes pointed at the cloudless sky.


    "Dear mother, " he thought. I¡¯ve become a strange man who doesn¡¯t know the time. Remember when you told me that you would support me? I still do, and it is because of your memory that I continued, but along the way, I forgot that memory¡ªI have no memory in regards to whatever has happened in the past years. Hell, I doubt that there are memories inside it too. Mother, do you know? I¡¯ve spent many years chasing after this girl, she¡¯s lovely, but she had a heart of ice, cold it was, so cold it took me thirty years to be with her, and in a few years I lost her. Along with my child, who died stillborn, I buried her the next day. I spent time wandering the wastelands of a past world, afraid, heartbroken, and despaired. It was because of a hopeless group that I became someone that followed the bleak path."


    "I¡¯ve explored lands with darkness covering, it was like closing your eyes, there was no speck of any light unless you call forth the unnatural laws that gathered, I journeyed with a lamp, and followed the banner of the bleak, I fought, and I died watching the sun come back, shining light upon my face. I thought that was it; that was the end of my suffering. Alas, I was wrong, I found myself in a strange environment again, it is an era of steam, it resembled that of an old world, and I was standing, alone, confused, and no purpose. I thought it was world different from the world I died, but, no, it wasn¡¯t. It was the world where the darkness was defeated, the Overlord of the Demons, beaten. It was a world of hope, or so until I heard there was war. I thought of searching for purpose, hoping, that my life, that I would have something to believe.


    "When I thought I was going to die, I was strangely happy. My ideals, my beliefs, and those that I have cemented in my heart vanished, crumbled, and torn apart by the realization that I was still alive, in a world different from what I knew.


    "He took a sip of his beer, his eyes longing.


    "I tried proceeding with my beliefs, no matter how irrational and powerless I was. I thought that was my purpose, but it was not. I was simply playing hero, and I never was a hero. I was a fool, a fool who had loved a woman. She...she was my shining light in the darkness when I lost her, that light vanished, my mind turned to whatever place that leads me to bleakness. I was wrong, and I failed, I was too weak, too ignorant of my own abilities.


    "Then, she came, she was a clap of thunder that I didn¡¯t expect, a lightning bolt that came to shock me. I didn¡¯t know her first. Only when she spoke my name that I understood who she was. In this timeline, she had gained power. She loved me and spoke of words that I hardly could believe.


    "She became who she was because of me. I couldn¡¯t believe it, it was incredulous, absurd, that the woman that I spent thirty years chasing after me would be so stricken. She spoke of memories that I could not recall. She says that I lost my memories, that because I went mad for many years that I have the Eternal Hawk that symbolizes rebirth and memory. If that what truly happens, then it can only be true, but I have no memories of the past she recalls, all I know, was that I died marching on the desert, and I died satisfied.


    "She¡¯s a fairy, a beautiful woman, different from the scarred and burnt Ciara I knew. She¡¯s stern, and she had a presence on her that made her astonishing. I admit, she could truly marry a prince charming, a beautiful emperor, and it would be a match made under the heavens.


    "I am not used to such overwhelming love. The Ciara I know held duty truly to her heart, and she¡¯s the same as well. But...no matter how I try to trick myself, I cannot believe her love. What did I do to have her so fallen? She explained once, but I could never understand why and how. I don¡¯t get it, and I wished that I truly just lost my memories.


    "What if I didn¡¯t? What if the Nolan she fell in love with was not me? No, I could say the same to her. Is she even the Ciara I know? This was a world different that I know, and if anything, I had spent years compressing the pain that I got from losing her, and now to be given such love, I cannot understand. I understood that she was gone and now I found myself seeing a version her, a version that was alive, and she had the power to last, and not to be taken away again from me.


    "If only my Ciara was as powerful as her.


    "If only she had lived long enough to witness the sun after fighting so much.


    "If I was stronger.


    "If she only had let me died during that time. But, I cannot think that, for it would shame to her sacrifice


    "If the current me, was in that place, then I would have strived to carry the burden of the world with her.


    "But I am not as na?ve to think that. I cannot turn back time, and if I could, please let me go back to that time, let me save her, and in turn, save my soul.


    "Yet...here I am in this happy world. She exists, but she was not the Ciara I loved, and in truth, all the power she had, and her beauty had me unable to understand even further. I already felt that I was not enough for her in that world, and here she didn¡¯t need me, she had granddaughters, and she had saved the world.


    "My Ciara didn¡¯t, and she¡¯s dead.


    "I am lost, Mother. I have lived long enough not call for your name, no, what was your name, Mother? What was your name, brother? Who was my father? Where was the home I was born? I don¡¯t remember. Are my memories of that world even true? If so, then do I want to go home? Ah, I want to eat that pie they sell, where was it? I just don¡¯t know anymore? Mother, she makes those sweet cakes sprinkled with coconut shavings, what was that dish?


    "Ah, I truly am lost. I don¡¯t know if this was the first return. I fear that I have died more than this. That I have failed more than I could count and I kept on being sent again and again to fail. Please, let it be true that I have only lost my memories, and this was the only time I got sent back here. I don¡¯t want to know that I failed more than this.


    "I cannot fathom the thought of it. I had been sent from my original world to this, and now I fear that I have been repeating. I find comfort, knowing, that I might only just lost my memories. Please let it be so, my God.


    "Mother, I am in the town of Memoria, a great town, far from the war happening, and far from the troubles. The waters here are unable to be described. I shouldn¡¯t be talking, but at times when I am true, I like to think that you are listening, somehow. You were my ally, and I regret not fulfilling my promise of taking care of you. I wish that you forgive this wayward son of yours, and please give me strength. Ah, I use to remember that quote, it was Sunday, and I was asking you some words of comfort, yet you grin at me, opened up your bible. What was it? ¡®Blessed be the Lord my strength which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight - my goodness, and my fortress - my high tower, and my deliverer; my shield, and he in whom I trust.¡¯ Those words had saved me, maybe you just wanted to tell me something cool, and yet you gave me the strength to fight for her with those words.


    "I really am sorry, Mother. I have forgotten your name, something a son should not forget. Ah, sorry that I am drinking on public, drinking down my misery. Really, I have a lot to say sorry for, but I am tired, my body is tired, and my soul is worn.


    "The sun feels warm, and stars will come up next. The feeling of the sun¡¯s warmth, many of my friends died to save that world. I hoped that they have lived fuller lives than the world that I knew. That they had seen better days. Fez, I hope that you ended up with Sheen, and Ton, I hoped that you found what you were looking for. Sir Gil, I wished that you did buy that farm and Alcina...I wish you lived happily as well.


    "I have Ciara, she¡¯s probably somewhere, but...I feel truly alone. Oh, brother, you would have smacked me in the head if you see moping here, and father, you would tell me to man up, and take your problems head-on, stare at it, deal with it, break it up, and tackle each layer to solve the problems.


    "I had no goal to speak off at this moment. I have nothing grand to offer this world or do I plan to do so at the moment. I am tired, and I felt foolish for what I did in Alician city, and I wish not to speak of it. It makes me blush how self-righteous I felt doing those things, still, I don¡¯t regret freeing those kids, giving them a choice.


    "There¡¯s a war somewhere around the world. Ciara must be tired, she¡¯s here in this town as well, and she must be running away. She made me as an excuse to get away from the troubles of the world, the politics, the bickering, and the choices she had to make. She has the world to burden, for that is her fate as a War Maiden. I am not that pretentious to think that my worries are as valuable as hers.


    "Until I can figure out where I stand in this current world, let me have this rest, let me think, let me collect all my thoughts and worries.


    "For now, let me have this, and mother, forgive me, I am going to laze, and father, I want to run away, for now, I want to run away and only return when I can stand up, and brother...let me have this. Steel is meant to be sharpened, and right now I am a dulled blade that had been swung with no purpose. So let me sharpen myself, and so that I wouldn¡¯t rust. That I wouldn¡¯t point it recklessly."


    And so Nolan let go of his worries, his beliefs, and all that troubles him for, until he could think, he would bury them here in the sands, and think of the lost time. The bleak path was long, dreary, and filled with worries. But even so, a bleak walker would rest by the fire, and rest his weary legs, so he may continue with his journey, ready, and willing to trudge on the bleakness that would surround him.


    karsev

 Chapter 106: Barren City

    He slumped down, he vomited, spewing on the floor, he grabbed on to the side of the bed, his eyes trailing to the left, where the door was.


    He opened the door slowly, peeking his head outside, his gaze traveled down the stone stairs. He smelled dust, and down the flight of stairs, he heard the trains making sounds on the railways. His head was looking from left to right. He clambered down and leaned on the stone railing.


    It was a concrete city, lights were everywhere, and there was a railway that has a train speeding up, below was the building blocks, numbering hundred, congested together like puzzle blocks. Multi-colored lights and part of the city was covered in neon lights, above the gigantic cavern that houses a city was obsidian plates shaped in hexagons, covering the entirety of the city ceilings.


    ¡°Welcome to Barren City,¡± the voice said. ¡°The City of concrete and obsidian, the home of those who have the blood of monsters, the center of the barren lands, the Capital of Monsters.¡±


    He turned. A woman with jet-black hair yet ruby-like eyes walked near, her walk resembling a cat¡¯s tiptoe, behind her was a pale-haired man with the same eyes as her, red, has a slit on it, and yet there was something even more inhuman.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be walking around like that,¡± the white-haired man said.


    ¡°He¡¯s still in shock, Adey,¡± the woman said. ¡°Let him process what he¡¯s currently seeing.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± The man folded his arms.


    ¡°Where am I?¡± Alva said. ¡°I, oh, I see, I was rescued from that place?¡±


    He covered his hands to no avail, he spewed vomit and held on to his head.


    ¡°I am out? Is this a dream?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± the woman said. ¡°You are free from that monster burrow now. Hmm, though I do agree with Adey here, you need to rest.¡±


    Alva stared at his hands. His hands were thin, his right hand¡¯s trigger finger was cut in half, the finger near his pinky was missing the fingertip, and his left hand¡¯s middle finger has a bone that poked out. His ribs were showing, his skins were stuck on his bones, and his limbs were thin enough to be held in one hand, he had little hair, and his cheeks were sunken.


    ¡°Never thought that you¡¯d survive to be a battery for a dungeon,¡± Alva said. ¡°How many days were you inside that thing?¡±


    He looked at the space blankly.


    ¡°182,500 days, I counted, no, it was the only thing I could other than scream.¡±


    Adey and Machina cringed visibly. Adey¡¯s mouth curved down, his brows tightened. Machina¡¯s face turned stern, her arms wrapped around her own.


    ¡°That¡¯s a long time,¡± Machina. ¡°Do you remember anything before that?¡±


    ¡°I was working as a tavern I think, and when I was on my way back home, I got caught by this strange ghostly monster. It was smoking with black shadows all over it.¡±


    ¡°A wraith?¡±


    ¡°I think so,¡± he lowered his head. ¡°After that, I found myself in that eggshell, and I was unable to move.¡±


    ¡°My goodness,¡± Machina has a horrible expression on her face.


    ¡°Looks like you got unlucky,¡± Adey said without a tone in his voice. ¡°But that¡¯s not should you be looking at right now.¡±


    ¡°Adey,¡± Machina put her finger in front. ¡°Can¡¯t you sympathize with the human?¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± Adey said. ¡°That¡¯s why I am saying this. We save his life but it doesn¡¯t mean that we¡¯d be babysitting him. He¡¯s safe and now he has to think about what he should do now. Do you really think that this city is kind enough?¡±


    Machina¡¯s mouth was twisted. She turned her eyes on the wide-eyed man who was staring at him. Machina twisted a lock of her hair, her eyes staring at the obsidian ceiling.


    ¡°Indeed, it may be harsh, but Adey is right, you owe the Atone now, it only means that you have to work for your due. We simply cannot let you freeload and get all of this treatment without payment.¡±


    ¡°We may sound harsh but this is what the world is. Especially, you are now an inhabitant of this city, or are we making choices for you?¡±


    Alva shook his head, he glances at the city, and back to the two. He looked at his half-cut trigger finger, he stared at it, behind him, was a train speeding past.


    ¡°I have nowhere to go, and I do not remember anything other than the days in that shell. This...is better than screaming inside that shell, acting as a battery for a burrow. I¡¯ll pay my dues, but do you really think I can do that now?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Adey said. ¡°Your way too thin, and the wind could you at this point. But, you will have your work around here. We always need a stooge to do office work.¡±


    ¡°Wow,¡± Machina said. ¡°Did we just scam a famished human into doing our work?¡±


    ¡°Scam?¡± Adey said. ¡°He should be thankful that we are letting him on this mercy. Do you really think that the humans above would accept something as thin and famished like him? Be real, Machina.¡±


    ¡°Point taken,¡± Machina shrugs. ¡°So, Alva right?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Alva nodded.


    ¡°Would you mind coming here for a second?¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± He walked near Machina


    ¡°You know, lies can only take you so far. The way you speak, ah, could it be that you are hiding it?¡±


    Alva stared at her.


    ¡°I really don¡¯t remember, Miss,¡± Alva said.


    ¡°Miss?¡± Machina sized him up. ¡°I guess I can leave you alone for now, though, I got to warn you, Alva. You smell like a time wraith, and if they are chasing after you...I wonder what are you hiding?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Stop interrogating him, we have work to do.¡±


    ¡°Aw, Adey, why are you such a spoilsport?¡±


    ¡°Dementia is getting you, Machina,¡± Adey said.


    ¡°Nonsense, I am forever a young adult. You can¡¯t just say that! That is rude!¡±


    Alva watched them leave as if it was nobody¡¯s business. He put his hand on the stone railing, his gaze travel down the lights that shines this city.

 Chapter 107: Fragment Of An Old Past

    ¡°Adey,¡± Machina said, her hands on the stone railing. ¡°Do you really think that we should let someone like that in this city? You encountered those time wraiths, and you know how much of a trouble they are until that day. Sigh, we really do owe that War Maiden now.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t judge people by what they are or what they have been through. Do you think that I would?¡±


    ¡°No, you won¡¯t, Adey,¡± her lips curved. ¡°You unearthed an ancient vampire, a destroyer of worlds, and yet you never look at me other than a person¡ªa being you could talk to. Five hundred years, and I think that it wasn¡¯t a mistake making you my partner in crime.¡±


    ¡°You are okay,¡± Adey said. His eyes stared straight at the cavern ceilings, bland and cloudy as ever.


    ¡°Still, it was odd that you were okay with his sufferings. Five hundred years of being trapped as a battery, we really took that easy.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen you being trapped on a metal pod, do you really think that would be weird?¡±


    ¡°But you know that we aren¡¯t the same, Adey.¡± She folded her arms and stared at the cityscape. ¡°I was on a pod that allowed me to sleep well. It was a beautiful dream while for that guy, it was a nightmare.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°He was just vomiting at the thought of his days as a battery. Does that look fine to you, Adey?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Machina leaned her elbows on the stone railing. ¡°I can tell a troubled soul by a mile. Those eyes are not that of a grateful human ¨C it was more like he was unsatisfied that he wasn¡¯t dead.¡±


    ¡°Is that really it?¡±


    ¡°I have seen things in this life. I know what a suicidal person is, but, he¡¯s one of those people that would rather wait for death, a person that does not have the courage to kill himself, a fool waiting for death. Maybe, we should give him that relief?¡±


    Adey stared at her eyes.


    ¡°What?¡± She tapped the stone railing before folding her arms. The bright light from a passing train lit her face for three seconds. ¡°It would be far easier to do it, you know?¡±


    Adey palmed his forehead, his right hand then striking like a snake to Machina¡¯s forehead. Machina¡¯s face crumbled, her head was cocked backward, her eyes turning into that a demon.


    ¡°Idiot, don¡¯t decide for the life of anyone unless they are an enemy, you should know this well, you hag.¡±


    ¡°Hag?¡± she hisses like a snake. ¡°Do I look like an old lady? Do you see any wrinkles on this beautiful face? Do you, Adey?¡±


    ¡°Nice magic, let me learn it.¡±


    ¡°That''s it Adey, dae ye want to fight me that bad? Seems, ye forgot who yer master is, ye goddamn git, square up, shag, I''m going to teach ye what it''s fancy to chevy chase this lady!¡±


    ¡°You might hurt your back, Machina.¡±


    ¡°That''s blinking it, ye goddamn git, ol''? I''m not ol'', and if I m then I wouldn''t be as beautiful as I m today, so ye better take that back ye git, why dae ye hae to be fancy that? Oh, don''t give me that shufty ye stone chevy chase boobarse, dae ye really want to square up? Come on, I ain''t backing down, come on! I''ll brawl ye mucca, I''ll feck yer chevy chase up, and then ye¡¯ll lick my shoes, begging me to stop!¡±


    ¡°Can you talk normally?¡± Adey went past her, his hands inside his pockets, his eyes pointed to the two-wheeled vehicle parked near the stone steps.


    ¡°Afraid? I know yeh are, yeh bloody boobarse, that''s what yeh are, afraid! I know yeh don''t hae the guts to chevy chase this master of thine, and hence all bark and no bite, what a cowardly git! Come on, I''ll boink yeh up smashing, make yeh remember who the real master here, yeh stoic git!¡±


    ¡°I really do wonder what you real country was?¡± Adey said, his hands searching around his pocket.


    ¡°That''s...Ah feck, I really hate thou, thou bloody git. Die in a fire. No, I want thou to die--I give up. It doesn¡¯t matter, you don¡¯t fight me, you don¡¯t fight back even when I punched a hole through you once, and you accept it with the same expression as usual. Can we go to the tavern? I want a good drink, it has been hard, from that dungeon, to dealing with the burrows from eight to five, and then dealing with new technology for this damn city, ah, the ventilation, I should take care of that. Oh, if I had beaten you, oh my goodness.¡±


    ¡°Do you mind getting on already?¡± he twisted the keys on the keyhole and revved up the engine. ¡°I still have a work to do, papers to sort, and an annoying night lord to drop on her apartment.¡±


    ¡°You realize that we are roommates?¡±


    ¡°Semantics,¡± he sped up along the asphalt highway.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Machina said, leaning her back against the wind.


    ¡°What? You might have superhuman abilities, but hitting the asphalt at this speed would still ruin that pretty face of yours, that you are so proud off.¡±


    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll hold on to your waist then.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good, but try not to break my ribs. Will you? I got your regeneration powers now, but I rather not have Dedra scolding me, that succubus.¡±


    ¡°You know that she¡¯s not a succubus, right?¡±


    ¡°A metaphor,¡± Adey said. ¡°Also, can you not push your face on my back? You¡¯re bothering my balance, and we¡¯re speeding up.¡±


    ¡°Whatever,¡± she said. ¡°Also, do you really think that Tania could do it? Can she really close the rift? We¡¯d been safe since the War Maiden annihilated the time wraiths. But to hold down the fort in order to banish them from this era. Man, what a tiresome duty.¡±


    ¡°Still,¡± Adey¡¯s tone changed. ¡°You know what you can do, right? I saw it for myself, and if things come to it. Would you still not act?¡±


    ¡°The time for saving has ended. I am merely a fragment of an old past.¡±

 Chapter 108: Scattered ink

    Alva held on a crutch, his legs were trembling, and his arms were shaking as he totters the paved path. He was sweating from head to toe, his eyes darting everywhere. He still was getting used to the cavern ceilings coated in obsidian. Still, he needed to go back and turned his head to the building.


    This elevated building was given to him. No, it was more like he was given this place to work on a pile of documents. His body was lacking any strength, he barely could lift anything past fifty kilos, and making him work made him think that it was really a scam.


    ¡°Way better than screaming for fucking years,¡± he thought, forcing his body to function as he goes back to the house after a few tries.


    ¡°What to do? Those monsters really just decide to throw all these paperwork on me, geez, do they really think that I am in a fine condition, still, I wouldn¡¯t be able to stay in this city if I don¡¯t ¡± Alva muttered as he looked at the table.


    On the table was documents piled up together, reports, bills, letters of intent, and more reports about the city. It made him think if it was really alright for him to be responsible for this.


    ¡°But most of them are for the Porters, huh?¡± he looked at the papers. ¡°There are sure a lot of them, and they are very active all over the continent. For a small city, they all have these tunnels connected to each different points. Looks like the closest is in the Town of Memoria, huh? ¡±


    One word caught his eyes. Alva placed the paper down, he curled his fingers, a vein popping on each hand.


    ¡°War, huh,¡± he said. ¡°Guess that¡¯s something that never changes.¡±


    He took the paper down and placed it aside. The lighting of the room was moderate, there was a trash scan near his right leg, and a box full of pens.


    ¡°They have a typewriter, electric train, and neon lights all over this place. What era is this?¡± Alva thought.


    He took a pen and scribbled on a paper. He put the paper on the left side of the table and started using the typewriter. His typing was stiff, his fingers would shake for a bit before it could fully press the keys of the typewriter. He was sweating, his jaws tightened as he continues his work.


    His wrist was aching badly, his rubbing it, while his eyes cringing at the amount of work that he had to do. He had no choice, and he had to do it. Still, he slumped on his chair, pushed against the table, and placed a pen between his teeth. His eyes wandered everywhere, and finally stopping on the windows.


    ¡°A city that never sleeps, huh,¡± Alva said to himself. ¡°Weird, just weird, to think that something like this would happen, in this lifetime of a timeline.¡±


    His face became that of a Cheshire cat. The side of his lips, slightly tearing, blood pouring, and his eyes dilating, bloodshot as it is.


    He wipes his face with his hands, yet, liquid came out of the docks of her eyes, sliding down his hollowed cheeks, for a second, he look at the mirror reflected his appearance, for second, he saw two red eyes staring back, and then, a mocking face, no, he saw a dark tunnel covered in purple hues, he saw a person, walking this tunnel, there were walls around this tunnel, transparent walls that had ghostly figures smoking black shadows were banging their grotesque hands at the walls.


    ¡°Do I look like still worth the trouble, you bastards?¡± he was a wolf that was barking back. ¡°I¡¯ve been your battery for too long. This time, I¡¯d rather die, no, it would be better if you just kill me. I have enough being a battered dog.¡±


    Then, he saw a black wolf looking back at him, the wolf, whose red eyes were shining against the darkness, made Alva bite the side of his cheeks.


    ¡°Go away, wolf, I had enough. Don¡¯t you understand? What you are looking at there is something we can¡¯t possibly resist. Do you really think you can take that on? ¡±


    The wolf stared at Alva, he stared back. With a sneer, the wolf continued down the tunnel without looking back. The wolf¡¯s body, slowly being dyed with the color of blood.


    Alva turned his eyes away, the Cheshire¡¯s smile went away, and the illusions that conjured vanished. The noise from the ceiling fan, the dry smell of ink, and the fresh smell of blood was all that was left. The train from nearby passes by, illuminating the room, leaving Alva to push his palms against the table. He stood up, taking the crutch, and walking to the kitchen. The kitchen was neat, on the counter was the utensils neatly lined up on a rack along with a few glasses. He took a cup, went to the sink, and twisted the faucet, filled the cup, and tottered back to the table where he was working.


    He took a pen, tap it on his left thumb, and started writing. He squinted his eyes, moved his right hand steadily before stopping. He put the pen back and started typing. His fingers moved simultaneously, each keystroke was precise, and there was not a miss or mistype keystroke.


    ¡°Not like a keyboard, but still feels better than just quill pens and printing presses,¡± he said. ¡°Yes, this should be life, just working on the office, no troubles, no time wraiths, and no heartbreaks.¡±


    Alva grinned, his lower lip trembling, as he types continuously. He didn¡¯t stop typing for an hour, but he had to redo the paper he typed on, he looked at the paper. There were words on the paper that only two people in this world could read, and yet they would not be able to make anything out of it even if they recognize the letters.


    How could they read the scattered ink on a wet paper?

 Chapter 109: Second Sun

    Alva went out of his apartment with his crutch. He went down the stairs, his left hand holding on to the stone railing. Adey was leaning on his motorcycle, his deadpan face blanker than the stone he was standing on.


    ¡°Still thin, but you have grown a gut,¡± Adey said. ¡°It has been what?¡±


    ¡°A month?¡± Alva said. ¡°I¡¯ve been doing nothing but write reports, so it would be expected that I¡¯d grow fat.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Adey said.


    ¡°Is there anything wrong?¡± Alva said.


    ¡°Nothing, why do I have to care about the way you live your life? You do your own work, but after four years, you¡¯re going to be done from this place,¡± Adey said.


    ¡°Why?¡± Alva said.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Adey mounted his motorcycle. ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? We are supporting you for four years, and after that, you will be thrown into the wild unless you have something to offer this city.¡±


    ¡°Make¡¯s sense,¡± Alva said. ¡°Still, four years huh, is that how much I owe this place?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, you were given an allowance, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but I only have fifty bits left on me, I used most of them for snacks.¡±


    ¡°Wait that should be for your supplies. You shouldn¡¯t be spending that on snacks, no wonder your gut is blowing up.¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Alva said. ¡°I just can¡¯t help but stress eat.¡±


    ¡°You really are wasting your life away,¡± Adey said. ¡°But considering how you got turned into a battery for five hundred years, I find it disturbing how you can still function despite it all.¡±


    ¡°Do you scream when it rains?¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°Do you shout at the rain when it suddenly comes pouring?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t really rain here, but I get your point. No, I don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Those years, I just thought of being a battery as something I expected to be. No need to question it. I gave up shouting after a year, and to escape the pain, I had to kill myself for six times.¡±


    ¡°You were revived?¡± Adey asked.


    ¡°Yes, that egg pumped my heart, restored my tongue, and yet it keeps draining and bringing me back alive, although I say that I have been inside that egg for five hundred years, I¡¯ve been mostly dead or unconscious. I was only counting the years where I was conscious.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Adey said. ¡°Isn¡¯t that better than being awake for five hundred years?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it was,¡± Alva mounted the motorcycle as well. ¡°But would it be possible if we don¡¯t talk about this? I¡¯ve controlled my vomiting, but if I continue to ponder about those days, I think I would go into a fetal position and dry my eyes crying.¡±


    ¡°Pardon,¡± Adey said. ¡°Though it should be an unavoidable topic for the next hours.¡±


    ¡°Why so?¡± Alva asked.


    ¡°The boss wants to see the new inhabitant of this city. She¡¯s usually busy mind you, but she¡¯d have to see you.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°No need to be nervous,¡± Adey said without a tone in his voice. ¡°The Boss isn¡¯t like the guy who called himself the Overlord of the Demons, she¡¯s rational and reasonable enough to convince her people to stop fighting.¡±


    ¡°I heard that she made a pact with the current war maiden.¡±


    ¡°Do you know what a War Maiden is?¡± Adey asked.


    ¡°I do. I just do.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t pry,¡± Adey said. ¡°So what pact did she make?¡±


    ¡°The human world belongs to the surface, and beneath is our home. The barren wasteland, however, will always belong to the demons and sentient monsters. If anyone who breaks the pact will have to answer the boss herself.¡±


    ¡°Sounds...reasonable.¡±


    ¡°Reasonable?¡± Adey said. ¡°The boss fought the War Maiden to a standstill, she has obsidian blood but she¡¯s the current pale shine lady, the war maiden of our people.¡±


    ¡°It sounds like it¡¯s quite a story.¡±


    ¡°Is it?¡± Adey said. ¡°All the demons knew was that she killed the old overlord to satisfy her desires of the ruling. We made a pact with the humans, but it doesn¡¯t mean we forgot the overlord who wanted to keep us alive. The old fools of this city hate the fact that she¡¯s strong enough to face off against the current War Maiden.¡±


    ¡°This War Maiden,¡± Alva said. ¡°She should be a human, yet I heard nothing but praise for her strength, and how she helped in fending off the darkness that should not affect your people.¡±


    ¡°You really do know things, huh,¡± Adey said. ¡°I don¡¯t want to meddle, but you should keep your mouth shut when you¡¯re talking to Machina.¡±


    ¡°I got it,¡± Adey nodded.


    The two passed by a stone bridge, the motorcycle¡¯s engine roaring along the asphalt road leading to the home of the overlord of the demons.


    ¡°Back to the topic, the reason why we have no hate for the War Maiden, is that she broke the back of darkness for all these years. The boss is keeping the darkness from strengthening itself, but it doesn¡¯t mean that the War Maiden would care about the darkness, she¡¯s strong enough to be the second Sun of this world.¡±


    ¡°She really does sound powerful.¡±


    ¡°Because she is,¡± Adey revved his motorcycle. ¡°When she became a War Maiden she got all the abilities of the incarnations of the War Maidens. When years passed, she became stronger, she had started to receive the memories of her other selves.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Alva glared at Adey¡¯s back.


    ¡°Something happened that allowed her to receive the blessing of her other selves that belongs to other worlds. The boss says that her slaughter of the time wraiths allowed her to inherit memories of the IF. Their sorrows, their heartbreaks, and their powers as well. The boss got her powers as well from these time wraiths, and even so I doubt that a fight between The Obsidian Heiress, and the Incarnated War Maiden would be good. They know it well how they could destroy a country if they are not careful enough.¡±


    ¡°She inherited the powers of the war maidens from other worlds by killing the time wraiths?¡±


    ¡°Yes, she¡¯s strong because she has the memories of her other lives.¡±


    ¡°How absurd,¡± Alva said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how it happened, but I doubt that they¡¯ll reveal what truly happened when they encountered the time wraiths. There are things that we should not try to pry about, got that?¡±


    Alva frowned. He looked at the building that they are heading. His heart pounding loudly as Adey drives forward.

 Chapter 110: Cried the Wolf

    It was an office large enough to contain multiple crystal panes. The panes were attached to the wall, and the panes showed moving images of the city.


    ¡°Great isn¡¯t it?¡± the woman watching the panes said. ¡°Cover the city with enough crystal wards and obsidian then you get a 360 surveillance around the Barren Cities.¡±


    ¡°Lady Tania,¡± Adey said. ¡°We brought the guy, and why is Machina lounging here?¡±


    ¡°Hey, Adey,¡± Machina said. ¡°I was trying to convince her to increase my dues. Isn¡¯t it odd that I am still not rich despite all that I did for this city?¡±


    ¡°Technically,¡± Tania wiggled her finger. ¡°The craftsmen did all the work, and you are getting your patents, and the likes, just what we agreed.¡±


    ¡°Then why I am still working?¡± Machina asked.


    ¡°Oh my,¡± Tania looked at her and back to Adey. ¡°Is her dementia getting worse?¡±


    ¡°Who knows? She¡¯s older than the rest of us,¡± Adey said.


    ¡°You two,¡± Machina crosses her arms, chest raised. ¡°Can¡¯t you see that I am here?¡±


    ¡°Oh, we know,¡± Adey said. ¡°The last time, you lounged on my home, spent one hundred years treating me like a maid.¡±


    ¡°But you are my MAID, Adey.¡±


    ¡°I quit that, Lady Tania, is there any way to get rid of vampirism?¡±


    ¡°I have ways,¡± Tania said


    Machina widened her eyes, she crawled to where Adey was, puppy eyes that would have struck other¡¯s heart. But alas, Adey¡¯s heart was stone as well.


    ¡°You...can you just stop?¡±


    ¡°I will,¡± Machina said. She reclined on the couch, watching from the side, her head lowered.


    ¡°That being said,¡± Tania said. ¡°I am Tania, the Obsidian Heiress, and current Overlord of the Demons, the Pale Shine Lady, and the Lady Protector of the Barren Cities, but they all call me Boss. And you¡­you smell of a time wraith.¡±


    Alva stood stiffly. He stared at the Pale Shine lady who owes the city he was standing on.


    ¡°I am Alva,¡± he said, his right hand¡¯s middle finger digging into his palms. ¡°It is my honor to see the head of the cities.¡±


    Tania smiled. She pushes her palms against her desk and folded her arms. Her ashen hair spread on her chair. She has a smile plastered on her face.


    ¡°Seriously, I will never understand the naming sense of humans. Still, I get what you are doing, though you do look pathetic, human.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t pry, and I won¡¯t meddle. This place is sealed by my own powers, and the only reason you are not being dragged out of by those fiends are because of me. Time wraiths are the antibodies of the time, they are the cells that restore the body that is called time. A man that escaped the confines of his lifetime, we are immortals here, beings that have escaped the usual lifespan, but this only natural for us, as for you, you have escaped it, but they are chasing after you. It means you are still a disease that is needed to be remedied. I fought time wraiths, took their powers, and become what I am today. I know one single truth from fighting them, however.¡±


    Tania¡¯s face became that of a growling lion. Adey, Machina, stared, their faces stoic as they watch their boss lady turned vicious.


    ¡°You can keep killing them and they just keep coming at you. No, they are beasts that can¡¯t be killed. The only way to rid of them is to become a cell that they won¡¯t have to fix. Or you get the favor of the Gods and the incarnations of your other selves and become a vessel of power. But what are you, Alva?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just a guy who wanted to work on a tavern, and I was tortured for it. I won¡¯t do anything, and I¡¯ll work my due.¡±


    He planted his forehead on the ground. His hands prompted forward, knees rooted on the floor.


    ¡°Please let me stay here for four years, and if I show promise, please let me work here. I beseeched you to have mercy on this one. I have nowhere to go.¡±


    ¡°And so the black wolf turns into a sheep, as they say. Very well, you will have your stay in this city. It doesn¡¯t matter, what do you from now on. Isn¡¯t that what you want, Alva?¡±


    Tania swiveled her chair and watched the panes again.


    ¡°Leave me, all of you, I have cities to watch, and madness to close.¡±


    ¡°Come on now,¡± Adey said. ¡°Machina, you¡¯ll be taking the train, Alva¡¯s coming with me.¡±


    ¡°Why would you want that lanky guy instead of someone like me?¡±


    ¡°Because he¡¯s behaved, and you are not. See ya.¡±


    ¡°Adey!¡±


    Adey went out of the room along with Alva. Alva placed his hands inside his pockets. Adey glances at him for a second.


    ¡°I can¡¯t read you, Alva. You¡¯re good at lying when it comes it, and so far you¡¯ve done nothing to make you a threat. Still, there are times where you try hard to get something. Tell me, Alva, why do you still live?¡±


    ¡°I wish I know, Adey. I wish I know why I keep clinging on this life. Look at me, I am just nobody, a malnourished, and soon to be the fat bastard that does nothing but whine, and begs for mercy. A man should have ambitions, they should have a drive, and yet here I am, just nothing, barely living. Adey, I rather be dead, but yet I can¡¯t stop clinging to this damn life!¡±


    ¡°I see. I don¡¯t understand humans well,¡± Adey said. ¡°Still, if you want to kill yourself, do it when there is no one to see it, and away from this city. Is that understood?¡±


    ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll cling to my life, and when I have the courage. I¡¯ll do what you say.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really get a self-destructive human like you. Hmm, I think you are harder to understand than Machina. I should stop associating with you.¡±


    ¡°That would be best.¡±


    ¡°I see. I¡¯ll drop you off near your house.¡±


    ¡°That would be okay. Thank you, Adey.¡±


    Alva was taken near his house. Adey left without a word and disappeared from Alva¡¯s sight. Alva totters back to his home, he opened the door and used the walls as an aid to reach the bathroom sink¡¯s mirror.


    The black wolf grins inside the mirror. The crier, the shouter, and the howler did as well.

 Chapter 111: Phantoms and Mirages

    He had somehow was able to scurry around the Town of Memoria without trouble. It was a town with a salty wind hanging around it, the roads were paved with stone, the houses made of bricks, and roofs that are tiled. The sun would shine brightly, and in the night it would be a cloudless sky of stars.


    Nolan had abandoned all of his worries. All he had now was the strap of iron on his belt. The six-shooter that he used to kill the Sons of Helios.


    He was laying around the coastline. His eyes wandering the blue horizon, the transparent water, the corals, and the white sands. It made Nolan want not to move. No, it was more like he didn¡¯t want to move with the woman using his back like a recliner. She wore her ashen hair neatly in a ponytail, her hair was rather long itself so he had to help her tie it. She was focused on the papers on her table, her right hand moving nonstop ever since they arrived on this beach.


    ¡°You really are hardworking.¡±


    ¡°I do own a city. I have many lives to take care off. I am rather displeased with what you did, but considering how you acted back then, I guess it was natural for you to move against the Sons of Helios. They are controlled by the Sunspawn Knights, you know?¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°You were quite effective. Still, what I am surprised about is how you survive that bolt of elementals. You didn¡¯t talk about that.¡±


    ¡°I got decimated. I only survive because of this obsidian flesh stuck on me.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    She was silent.


    ¡°Forgive me,¡± she said. ¡°I didn¡¯t know it was you.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter really now.¡±


    ¡°It matters to me. What if I killed you by accident? I would have probably turned mad.¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s absurd. Please don¡¯t joke about that. Don¡¯t you have your granddaughters?¡±


    ¡°I was just talking nonsense. Still, there might be a case if that would have happened.¡±


    ¡°Shit,¡± Nolan thought.


    ¡°You know, I still understand your reasons. It¡¯s odd, really, hmm, it¡¯s like a dream come true that you are doing this.¡±


    ¡°So hard to believe that you don¡¯t want to believe?¡± she said. ¡°I understand from your viewpoint, but, let me make this clear. Still, you have no memories of our time together, and even if you don¡¯t remember and even if you suspect me as a schemer. Truth be told, I do really love you enough to think that I should just skip these USELESS formalities and make you forcibly take responsibility. I mean, it¡¯s not like you would hate it. You are a man, after all.¡±


    ¡°You scare me sometimes,¡± Nolan said. ¡°Still, I have my reasons.¡±


    ¡°But I am not as unreasonable to force myself unto you. But I do confess that years of longing has finally broken the dam that has been keeping me in check, and not surprisingly, I am obsessed. Hey, I will ask this to you, Nolan.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± he said.


    ¡°Do you...know of the hill near the Pale Pass?¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Nolan said. ¡°I do...what of it?¡±


    ¡°Do you know the Old Monster of the Pale Pass?¡±


    ¡°That giant?¡± Nolan said, his eyes had a glint of coldness. ¡°What of that piece of shit?¡±


    ¡°I already killed that monster for a long time. Do you know why I felt so much pleasure when I killed that monster?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°The pleasure of killing that monster made me feel like I have done something to avenge...someone. I don¡¯t know why, but I have been seeing mirages ever since I¡¯ve become the War Maiden of this world.¡±


    ¡°Mirages?¡±


    ¡°Dreams from the incarnations of all the war maidens that existed. There is a lot of them, and sometimes I would see faces that resemble mine.¡±


    ¡°They resemble yours?¡±


    ¡°Yes, and it is odd, but I guess they were my ancestors or that there were...never mind.¡±


    ¡°So you are concerned with these mirages? Do they really affect you that much?¡±


    ¡°I am,¡± Ciara said. ¡°The War Maidens gives me their powers, abilities, and their memories as well. Their heartbreaks, their regrets, and all of the things they had experienced would flash before my eyes. For five hundred years, I¡¯ve done things to take them into my control, and although lately, they have been silent. Their echoing loneliness and their pain resides within me, tell me, Nolan, what do you do after witnessing so many broken hearts, what do you after witnessing so many regrets? What do you do when you know that you can avoid them?¡±


    ¡°I would try to fix my secrets and avoid such a bad end. Isn¡¯t that anyone would do?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, you would avoid them. And after so long...you appeared before me, I thought I would end up the the...same end.¡±


    She was silent. Nolan zipped his mouth as well. He stared at the beach for a while before looking at his wrinkled left arm coated in obsidian flesh.


    Meanwhile, Ciara turned her eyes towards the phantoms in front of her. They had burnt scars around their faces, and they were looking at her, with determined eyes. They were phantoms, yet Ciara nods at them, and they nodded back. They pumped their fists, as they head towards a tunnel of light. She had never seen the phantoms lately, yet they appear before her with a quiet cheer.


    ¡°Ciara?¡± he said.


    ¡°Should I help you with that? It might be faster even though you know what you are doing well.¡±


    Ciara stared at the fool who was too cautious of her. She was a fool as well for waiting for too long. She was a fool if those who knew her would see the current her. But she could not help herself now that the dam was already broken.


    She had seen many dreams and mirages.


    She had seen their despairs.


    She had experienced them all as if they were real.


    She had done their lonely dances.


    But in the end, all those war maidens said one thing at the end.


    ¡°I will always find you.¡±

 Chapter 112: Family Part 1

    It was a home that didn¡¯t stand out from the rest of the houses on Rafflesia Street. It was a two-story house that has a tiled roof and had wooden walls painted in white and blue. Nolan poured the scrambled eggs on a plate, he took a piece of bread, sliced it, and shook the sizzling pan.


    He took two ceramic plates on the plate rack, he put the food on the plates and carried it upstairs. He knocked on a white door, and he heard no answer. He created a tray made of obsidian flesh and held the plate with that flesh. He entered the room and saw Ciara leaning on the table, buried under towers of documents and papers.


    ¡°Ciara?¡± he said.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°You need to eat.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± she said. ¡°I am never hungry.¡±


    ¡°Food can act as pleasure for the tongue, here you go,¡± Nolan placed the plates on the table.


    Ciara stiffly moved his left arm, pointed the fork on one of the dishes, and poked it. She brought it in her mouth, and her eyes glistened for a second.


    ¡°You really do cook strange food.¡±


    ¡°Is it bad?¡± He asked.


    ¡°No,¡± she shook her head. ¡°In fact, it¡¯s better than I always expect.¡±


    She turned and leaned her back on the table, she put the plates in front of her and started gobbling it. Nolan pulled the stool near the shelves and sat in front of Ciara. He watched her eat the food without any care. Her face had stains on it, and her hair was ruffled. He took a handkerchief from his pocket, leaned towards her, and wiped the stain on the side of her upper lips.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± she said.


    Nolan moved closer, he took the hairbrush from her table, he pulled the stray locks of hair that was standing up and straightened them. She chewed on her food, her eyes glancing at the dish and the paper on the table. Her left hand poking the meat, and placing it in her mouth. Nolan braided her waist-length hair.


    ¡°Hmm, the Cascade Nation is winning their battles well,¡± Ciara said.


    ¡°Cascade nation?¡±


    ¡°Nation that lies between the waters. They are a group of islands that have a history of building bridges. Their nation is surrounded by long natural bridges, and they use these bridges to roam around their nation. They also have an armada that has conquered the southeast eastern straight.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, I don¡¯t remember this nation.¡±


    ¡°How would you? We only knew that they exist when my granddaughters landed on one of their 10,101 islands. It was a pleasant meeting, and it only got worse when we started getting along.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°The Empire is what they call this continent now. But once, it was divided into three parts, the inner lands, where most of the civilized parts were, and the outer lands where the wildlands are, and finally the barren lands of miasma. When I defeated most of the monsters and destroyed the burrows, the fools of the Inner lands started to tame the lands and started to call the inner and outer lands as a whole Empire.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    She poked the scrambled egg and brought it on her mouth. Nolan grabbed hold of his chin, his eyes narrowing as he examines the unbraided parts of Ciara¡¯s hair.


    ¡°They relied on me for two hundred years, from dealing with Kaiser, the four dragons, and finally, letting the Kings who started calling themselves as Emperors annoy me with such tasks that are coated to protect their rule. But, their goals suited mine, and it was for the good of the family.¡±


    Nolan folded her hair into a braided bun. Nolan felt like it missing something so he took the ribbon from one of the dressers and paired it with Ciara¡¯s braided bun.


    ¡°I liked it. Though, I would have preferred if you had done it after I took a bath.¡±


    ¡°I can do it again.¡±


    She looked at Nolan with raised lips.


    ¡°You are good at tidying my hair. Why are you used to this?¡±


    ¡°I had a cousin who I would braid her hair and a certain someone who was happy to have her hair into a braided bun. So I got a lot of practice, and good at it.¡±


    ¡°Is it the same with cooking?¡±


    ¡°Yes, though I don¡¯t consider it that good.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    She finished her meal and placed the fork on the plate. She leaned her left arm on the table and put a paper on the stack. Nolan pulled his stool next to her.


    ¡°Should I help? I know that you have it covered, still, it would be still faster.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine if you could, can you help me sort the documents that I finished? Mia, a great-granddaughter of mine would come to fetch the documents.¡±


    ¡°I see. You really have a lot of granddaughters.¡±


    ¡°Grandsons as well, though they are not as a clingy as my great-granddaughters, though they usually hold positions all over the Empire.¡±


    Nolan nodded silently. He took the stack of paper, looked at the marks on the upper left corner of the documents, and started sorting them.


    ¡°You must have a really big family now.¡±


    ¡°I do. They are sweet and their worries can be quite something. They might not be my own blood, but they are as precious to me,¡± she smiled.


    Nolan¡¯s eyes became cloudy, he turned his head away from Ciara, as he saw himself on a lonely hill, kneeling, staring at two cross grave marks with half-body sobs. The illusion lasted for a second before changing into an illusion of a familiar world that he had once lived. His mother, brother, father, and his relatives smiling happily as they chat sing and talked about the New Year that would come. He tried focusing his gaze, hoping, that the illusion would be clearer, alas, the illusion became a faded photograph, leaving only blurry faces and yellow color to his eyes. His heart squeezed into a knot.

 Chapter 113: Family Part 2

    She saw the train continue to the east. She pulled her bangs and took the luggage that she brought with her to a waiting shed. The sun was up high, the salty wind coming from the sea made her rub her cheek. She looked at the heat emitting out of the paved road, there was a heat haze.


    ¡°Grandmother,¡± she muttered.


    She recalled rushing to Alician after hearing the situation from Nia. When she got into the palace, she was greeted by the sight of the Witch of Nether sitting on the throne, reading a thick tome with one hand, and a cup of tea on the other. Her eyes droopily turned towards Mia, from a serene to a joyous expression.


    ¡°Mia!¡± She called out to her. ¡°You are here?¡±


    ¡°I am!¡± She said. ¡°Where is Grandmother? I heard that there was someone causing trouble?¡±


    Audrey hovered to Mia, her arms clinging around her neck. There was a sly smile on her face.


    ¡°Oh indeed there was, and this lady has been beaten.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± She trembled. ¡°H-how could you lose, Auntie Audrey?¡±


    ¡°Well, the opponent was quite sturdy, and someone who had tricks on his sleeves. I got beaten you know? My face was bruised, and Ciara had to help me.¡±


    ¡°How could that be possible? The Witch of Nether? Being defeated so easily?¡±


    ¡°It happened.¡±


    ¡°So where is Grandmother?¡±


    ¡°She should be out of town, and probably with that person.¡±


    ¡°To think that that Grandmother is still chasing that guy, how strong could he be?¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Audrey palmed her chin. ¡°That person was able to survive the sword of Salvatore¡¯s strike.¡±


    Mia¡¯s lower jaw trembled madly. Her irises dilated and shook. Her mouth was half-open as she stutters incomprehensibly. Both of her hands were trembling as well.


    ¡°The bolt that contained four elements, the bolt that killed the Overlords of Demons, the bolt that warned the Cascadian¡¯s from attacking the City of Alician, the bolt that made Tania, the Heiress of Obsidian, the Pale Shine lady accept a parley? What kind of monster grandmother is facing right now?¡± She thought.


    Mia Alician had been a proud member of the Alician Family. Although she didn¡¯t carry the bloodline of the War Maiden herself, she was a descendant of the daughters of the War Maiden, who she adopted. Still, their family has a good standing with the Empire, and any sector of the Empire had a member of an Alician Family sitting on it. Even though the Empire has an Emperor, they know that they can only function in the current world because of the Alician Family having a long line of individuals acting as the bones of the Empire.


    The current opinion of the masses still hasn¡¯t changed ever since the day the darkness was defeated. Ciara Alician had unconditional support, and if she proclaims herself Empress, there would be no fight. How could they not support the woman blessed by the War Maidens and the God of War?


    Still, the Alician family has stayed neutral, and unless it was about the monsters, then there was no way to mobilize the Alician family into action. The current Emperor had gained the support of some of the family, telling them to take care of the monsters while using them as a deterrent against the Cascadian¡¯s who are fighting the war. But it should not be mistaken that the Alician family was a glass cannon without Ciara. They¡¯ve been trained under the three women that have stood guard for years. How can they be so weak with such great teachers?


    Their presence alone was enough of a deterrent and if they joined the war. The chances of the Empire winning the war would be astronomically high. The Alician family never fear their enemy and everyone who knew them would think long before doing something against the family


    A man that does not fear the War Maiden herself, and was able to survive the light of Salvatore. How could Mia Alician not feel her heart beating loudly?


    ¡°I-I need to find grandmother!¡± she said.


    ¡°She should be fine,¡± Audrey said. ¡°Still, she¡¯s probably nervous.¡±


    ¡°Nervous,¡± she said with bated breath. ¡°How could that be?¡±


    Audrey had a smile that day. Mia Alician couldn¡¯t hold her worries down. Her grandmother was nowhere to be found. She knew how easy it was for her grandmother to avoid surveillance. So she can only hope to use sightings and such to locate her grandmother. However, four days ago, she was called by her grandmother to bring the documents that she needs to the Town of Memoria. Mia was elated, if her grandmother was working then she must have defeated her enemy. Still, she could not help but clench her hold on her luggage. She was far too curious about what happened to the enemy.


    She took a carriage and went to Crocus Street. She dismounted the carriage and followed the address where her grandmother¡¯s home was to be found. Her steps were mild, and as she nears the two-story house of her grandmother. She stopped for a second, and look at herself. Adjusting her suit, and making sure that her saw-off and six-shooter was not that noticeable. She patted her chest and tottered to the house.


    As she nears the house, she saw the ashen-hair of her grandmother. A smile bloomed on her face, her steps quickening. However, when she was ten feet away, she had noticed the young man sitting near the patio table alongside her grandmother. Blood-like eyes, deep gashes, and scars around his body, and the appearance of a man not past his thirties. Her eyes, however, was focused on his ashen hair as well.


    ¡°What the hell is happening?¡± She said.


    Her stone-faced grandmother, who usually only smile kindly at her family, was now currently staring at a man with sparkling eyes, she has deep blushes on her cheeks, and her ears were red. The grandmother that was oozing beauty, charisma, and of maturity, was now acting like a girl who saw her crush.


    Mia Alician felt her mind halted. Her mouth half-open as she looks at her giggling grandmother.

 Chapter 114: Family Part 3

    Mia was stuck looking at them for two minutes. It was only when her grandmother spotted her, that she moved her body. Yet, what Ciara did made Mia flinch. She was like a shy girl who had been discovered by a relative while she was on her precious date. The way she fidgeted made Mia baffled than ever.


    ¡°G-grandmother,¡± she said. ¡°I-t has been awhile.¡±


    Ciara coughs, ¡°Mia, it seems you have come.¡±


    ¡°May I ask who this gentleman is?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s complicated,¡± she folded her arms. ¡°I guess...I am planning to make him my husband?¡±


    Mia¡¯s lower jaw dropped harder than a bomb launched on a cannon. She stared at her grandmother, unable to form a word while bouncing her eyes from her grandmother to the man sitting beside her.


    ¡°That¡¯s...¡±


    Mia¡¯s eyes shook once again. The man had a cloudy expression as he hears her grandmother¡¯s comment. Her grandmother was a woman in her prime, she was oozing with sexual maturity that her appearance was hailed as what a woman should pursue. So not once did he imagine that a man would be grumbling while hearing that.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Oh, this gentleman is Nolan Salvatore,¡± Ciara said, drinking the glass of juice on the patio table.


    ¡°Hello,¡± Nolan said.


    Mia Alician¡¯s brain halted. The gears were clogged and she just stared blankly at the man whose name was Nolan Salvatore. She wasn¡¯t as dumb to realize what that meant, for she knew that there was only one man that her grandmother has mentioned in her bedtimes stories.


    ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°Who knew?¡± Ciara said. ¡°But I can confirm that it is him, though he lost his memories, sadly.¡±


    Her grandmother had regained her calm. She wore a serene look, contrasting her earlier expression. Mia also calmed, she pulled a chair and poured herself a glass of juice. She kneaded her forehead, and joined her fingers together, looking at the two.


    ¡°I see. You are the same person that made a commotion in Alician?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I will not apologize, however. I did what I thought was right.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Mia nodded. ¡°Then you have survived Grandmother¡¯s attack?¡±


    ¡°Barely,¡± Nolan answered.


    ¡°I see,¡± Mia said. ¡°Grandmother, the documents are going to be taken next week.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Ciara said. ¡°Why so?¡±


    ¡°The Cascadian has bombed the Ports of Salt Passing, and we discovered burrows were near the Shale Islands, and thus we have sent the rest of our forces to conquer the burrows. However, the Cascadian mistook our forces and attacked us.¡±


    ¡°Was anyone hurt?¡±


    ¡°No, Cousin Aaron was able to steer our forces, we suffered injuries but most of the forces have been dealt with. Ah, should we give them a warning, Grandmother?¡±


    ¡°Make do with giving them one of the blood contracts. Let them know our stance, remind them again.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± Mia said. ¡°However...grandmother, how long are you planning to stay here?¡±


    ¡°As long as I want to. I will do my paperwork. Still, I did not raise a family that would rely on their grandmother. Solve your problems, learn if you make mistakes.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± Mia said. ¡°But would it be fine if I stay here for a while, Grandmother?¡±


    ¡°Of course, how could I refuse my Granddaughters?¡±


    Nolan sipped on his juice and basked under the light of the sun. Mia pointed her gaze at Nolan.


    ¡°Are you a Perpetual as well?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I am saying, are you immortal, Mister Nolan?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°I think you are, your ashen hair says it all. Immortals usually have ash-like hair.¡±


    ¡°Maybe if I¡¯m just old and my hair did not see the sun that much?¡±


    ¡°I am not talking about just your white hair,¡± Mia said. ¡°The difference between an immortal¡¯s hair and an old person is different, though there are exceptions to this rule, like Auntie Audrey and Vie.¡±


    ¡°I see. I still have my doubts.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s understandable. Still, seeing grandmother act like a girl...is bad for my heart. Mister Nolan, I haven¡¯t seen grandmother act like this, honestly, I felt blessed.¡±


    ¡°You are a silly girl,¡± Ciara said. ¡°Who wouldn¡¯t be happy after seeing the person you love after five hundred years of waiting¡±


    ¡°Understandable, though it is strange to see someone who could resist your charms, Grandmother.¡±


    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be too long I hope, really, I wish that he¡¯d act like the rest of my admirers.¡±


    ¡°Your admirers huh.¡±


    ¡°Grandmother has a lot of admirers, from Kings to Princes and all brave men of the ages. Though none of them had won over Grandmother¡¯s heart, not that they are not admirable, but it¡¯s just that heart was won ages ago.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t believe me,¡± Ciara said. ¡°Quite sad that I am pouring out my heart yet he doesn¡¯t believe me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a personal reason.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t like Grandmother¡¯s appearance?¡± Mia asked.


    ¡°I never care about appearance, what worth is appearance if your partner¡¯s personality is that of steaming hot garbage? Life is a journey, and I rather have a pleasant companion with a good personality first, appearance can be an added bonus.¡±


    ¡°That you do,¡± Ciara smiled. She touched the left part of her face, and a milky glowing light coated the part of her face.


    ¡°Ah,¡± Mia let out a gasp. ¡°Is this your appearance before?¡±


    Mia had heard her grandmother talked about her appearance. It was scarring done with the intent to ruin her. It was grotesque, and it looked like her skin was peeled first before it was burned. Mia could not help but flinch at the sight of her Grandmother¡¯s face turning into like that.


    However, she saw Nolan Salvatore acting as if it was normal. He did not flinch. He stared at her with moist eyes. He was squeezing his eyes hard. He covered his eyes. Ciara was all smile.


    ¡°Yes, and he once said that he liked me even though I had this kind of face. Of course, I wasn¡¯t an easy girl, I didn¡¯t start liking him because he was nice to me. I mean...can you really explain how you started falling?¡±


    Mia shook her head.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so, Grandmother.¡±


    Nolan turned, pointed his eyes away, avoiding their gazes.

 Chapter 115: Reversed Roles

    ¡°Nolan,¡± Ciara said. ¡°I think you misunderstood something. I may be the War Maiden, but I am still a woman, a person, and I have melted my heart in hopes that you would accept it.¡±


    ¡°I know that,¡± Nolan said. ¡°I just have a reason why.¡±


    ¡°What reason?¡± Ciara said. ¡°Tell me, so we can talk about it.¡±


    ¡°I wish I can,¡± Nolan said. ¡°I wish I could but not now.¡±


    ¡°You are really incredulous towards my love. Still, I witnessed the way you act towards me. It¡¯s still as sweet as I remember. You don¡¯t have any memories, yet you still act so gently with me. Cooking me food, brushing my hair and braiding it, and even doing the chores around the house for the days we¡¯ve been here. I know that you are hesitant, and maybe I am just the one who is asking for love here. Can you blame me, Nolan? You left an impression and seeing the man who was the catalyst that turned my life around, how can I not try? Reason? What reason do I have other than I loved you? Desperate? I am, I really am desperate enough that thoughts are taking a turn for the worse. I have lived my life as best as I could, holding on to the bit of goodness that I have inside of me. But you are making me want to commit a crime.¡±


    Ciara locked her fingers. She stared at Nolan straightly. Mia was staying silent, her cheeks, however, had a shade of red as she listens to her grandmother.


    ¡°I want to tell you,¡± Nolan thought. ¡°But all the instincts I have on me are screaming not to. I know that you are you, I know that well. It makes me damn happy that you love a bastard like me this much. Still, I find it hard to believe that someone would fall easily to me.¡±


    But at the same time you aren¡¯t her, he thought. Nolan understood it well that the woman in front of her was Ciara. But at the same time, she was not the Ciara that he had spent years chasing after. The Ciara that he was willing to die for, and follow to hell was gone. He died in front of her. The person in front of him was undoubtedly Ciara as well. However, they were not the same in many aspects.


    He couldn¡¯t dare to be rude to her. If what she was saying was the truth, then somewhere along the line in this timeline, he must have used her to fill the hole that his Ciara left on him. Nolan wasn¡¯t that good to think that how unfair it was. If only his Ciara have all of these powers. If she only had become a true War Maiden just in time, then maybe, she would become what the Ciara he was seeing right now. He wanted to lash out like a child but he could hold it in. He knew it well enough that he had already spent years mourning her.


    Now, he was suddenly fast-forwarded into a time where this timeline¡¯s Ciara was a proper war maiden. In a timeline where a Nolan Salvatore was able to deliver her to the Three Fates. If that Nolan Salvatore was him then he wished that he never forgot. It was like a big joke of fate, and now he only remembers the time that he had spent on that timeline and then finding himself in a world that didn¡¯t need anyone like him.


    It was a good ending where he didn¡¯t belong. He felt miserable at the thought of this dream-like situation before him. The iron that he molded around his heart was torn open. The dam that had been sealed up and patched up was flowing. He didn¡¯t feel good with all these bundles of emotions inside of him. He felt utterly depressed. He had to let go of Ciara and keep her memories sealed. Now, he was in a timeline where she was strong and didn¡¯t need anyone. She has a family that loved her truly. While he has nothing.


    She was telling him words that would have made him happy truly once. If he was in a place where he could start again, and if he was able to redo his mistakes, then he would have found himself doing better. Nolan wanted to stay in this place because he wanted to throw his worries away.


    He had many questions. However, he knew it well how his opinions for his current life was something he could not control. In his life, he has always followed the Trichotomy of control. There are things that he had control, things that he could not control at all, and things he could control but not completely.


    What he had done in that timeline was for the sake of his family. He fought for Ciara in hopes that they could build a family if they survive. He fought with the bleak walkers because they were his family and he was willing to die for them. He could list vague reasons yet in the end, all that he did was for the sake of the family.


    ¡°I want to run away from this conversation, and away from you,¡± Nolan said. ¡°But it looks that would not be possible.¡±


    ¡°You know that I would still chase after you, right?¡± Ciara said without looking away. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what anyone says. Nolan Salvatore, I¡¯m in love with you.¡±


    Nolan let out a helpless smile at her. To think that in this timeline he would have to face someone who wouldn¡¯t give up on him. Nolan knew it too well because he was a fool that chased a woman for thirty years despite the woman being hesitant for his love. It was strange that their roles were reversed and she was chasing after him.


    ¡°I guess this must what she has felt at the times I was bugging her all the time. She¡¯s acting like a fool like I was in that time. God damn it, how can I refuse knowing how it might end up?¡± He thought.


    ¡°Fine, let¡¯s try it out,¡± Nolan said.


    ¡°Oh- wait what?¡± Ciara said, slamming her palms on the table, vaulting towards Nolan with a smile that could reach her ears.

 Chapter 116: The Third Route – Lost Time Epilogue

    Mia had witnessed the strangeness of life the moment she arrived in the town of Memoria. The kind grandmother that had eluded them with maturity, and an overwhelming sense of duty, was happily giggling. Mia felt her heart being untwisted at the result of such a scene.


    She was walking behind them who had recovered from that sudden high of happiness. Mia honestly thought that they¡¯d be going around stupidly flirting out in the open, but she realized that they were people who had surpassed the lifespan of normal humans. They had a blank expression as they strolled to the beach. Mia kicked the sand, she heard the little chatter of the birds on the beams of the houses.


    The cool wind greeted her and she ambled towards the shoreline, burying her hand on the sands. She kneeled and stared as if she was trying to see through a veil of nothingness. She heard the plates being set up. She moved to the table and sat near her grandmother.


    ¡°Grandma, give me that.¡±


    ¡°Here you go,¡± she handed a piece of grilled fish.


    ¡°Are we setting up a barbecue?¡±


    ¡°Ciara?¡± Nolan asked.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t bring the grill here, so no.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I thought we were going to have some.¡±


    ¡°You shoulda told us before we come here.¡±


    ¡°I can return you know?¡±


    ¡°Nolan, don¡¯t go back anymore.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I need to take this call, Grandma.¡±


    Ciara nodded while eating her food. Nolan did the same, chewing through the roasted chicken-like leg.


    ¡°Oh, not really,¡± Mia answered. ¡°I¡¯m not going to, hello?¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± Ciara asked.


    ¡°It broke,¡± Mia said. ¡°The packset is reliable, but they are easily broken.¡±


    ¡°Let me see that,¡± Nolan said.


    Mia handed the packset to Nolan. Nolan turned the packset around, examining the item.


    ¡°Do you have any tools to loosen the screws?¡±


    ¡°I have a toolkit.¡±


    ¡°Screws, bolts, and the casing, and finally the compartment where the battery is. Hmm, a crystal huh, looks like it came from that Crystallite River, no mistaking it.¡±


    He said without any tone of voice. His eyes half-closed as he stared at the crystal.


    ¡°Mister Nolan?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, the compartment is sturdy, though the wirings are interfering with the crystal. I do admit that it needs more tuning up, look here, recipe for disaster, and really why there is no insulation? Hey, Ciara.¡±


    ¡°Oh, what is it?¡± Ciara said, her eyes refocused on Nolan.


    ¡°Is rune marking lost in this world?¡±


    ¡°No. Still, you seem to know something about these items.¡±


    ¡°I know what I know.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Ciara nodded before touching her chin.


    Nolan started tinkering with the wires. The craftsmanship of the packset was good enough, but he had to untangle the wires and make sure that there was no interference with the receiver. He pushed the button on the side and heard the static noise. He handed it back to Mia.


    ¡°That was efficient,¡± Mia said. ¡°Though, where did I see this kind of rune crafting?¡±


    Nolan handed the toolkit as well. He went to the table and ate his food. Mia took the packset that she had received and set it to the same frequency of the caller.


    ¡°Got it working,¡± she thought.


    Mia explained herself and was given leisure.


    ¡°How¡¯s the attack?¡±


    ¡°Going good, though they might think that we are attacking for the Empire. Say, will grandmother able to help us in this situation?¡± The caller said.


    Mia eyed her grandmother who was talking to Nolan.


    ¡°You know that Grandmother barely interferes with our situation. Also, she¡¯ll scold us if we rely on her too much. The Alician family is not a glass cannon, and will continue to rely on its own hard work than rely on our good grandmother.¡±


    Mia eyed her grandmother who used to keep a stern face. She was laughing normally, her face has more expression than normal, and she was even dazzling than the usual. Mia felt like she would only show such side to Nolan. She felt her heart tighten for a second, but it was enough for her to see her grandmother happy.


    ¡°At this point, I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll see grandmother walking around. It would be impossible, and so I can only hope that you all have good luck.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re with Grandmother, right? Give her my regards.¡±


    Mia switched the packset off and turned towards the two. He sauntered back to the table and stared at her grandmother.


    ¡°I am jealous.¡±


    ¡°Why for?¡± Ciara asked.


    ¡°Someone made grandmother happy.¡±


    ¡°Mia Alician,¡± Ciara said. ¡°Do you really think that I am not happy seeing my great granddaughters?¡±


    ¡°But you look happier with Mister Nolan.¡±


    ¡°That is true. Still, just leave me alone, will you? It has been so long that let me cherish this, but, it doesn¡¯t mean I am not that happy when I see you all working so hard.¡±


    Ciara smiled while puffing her chest out. Mia had seen that smile a lot and yet it still doesn¡¯t fail to bewitch her. She recalled the first time she saw that smile. It was a time where there was a colony of monsters burrow that appeared while she was having a trip with her mother and grandmother. She saw it clearly how her grandmother walked into that army of monsters. Audrey and Vie were usually with, but they had to hold the fort down.


    She slaughtered all alone in that hill. Blood covered her that she was dyed in red. She saw the lonely back of her grandmother standing on that hill, all alone among the corpses. Mia didn¡¯t have that power. They looked at her grandmother as if she was a paragon of God. She was, still, Mia didn¡¯t think about that.


    When her grandmother returned, she gestured her grandmother to kneel, and then she took out a handkerchief and wiped her grandmother¡¯s bloody face.


    ¡°Are you okay, Grandma?¡±


    She remembered her grandmother staring at her with widened eyes. But her eyes squinted and she gave a grin that reached her ears.


    ¡°Thank you, child.¡±


    Mia wanted to protect her lonesome grandmother. That¡¯s why she worked hard enough that she won¡¯t have to fight. Still, she was jealous, for her Grandmother has found happiness.


    She was no longer alone and was planning to make up for the lost time.


    Mia liked that.


    karsev

 Chapter 117: Cascadian Blues – Prologue

    Somewhere, a place of mountains that covers a field clearing. There¡¯s a podium installed near the middle, and around the podium were tents set up. One banner fluttered wildly on a flagpole. Men and women carrying estranged pistols and melee weapons stood sharply in line without moving.


    Mia Alician stood alongside these people while wearing her navy blue uniform padded with protection written by the Witch of Nether herself. On the edges of the mountains were shadows barely visible by the naked eye unless one already knows the position they were standing by.


    ¡°Grandma called,¡± a voice said. ¡°You know something, Mia.¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± Mia said. ¡°But it¡¯s better if Grandma arrives to show you all. I rather not tell.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    He wore a blank look on his face. He had scars around his cheek, and his physique was stern like a wall. He stood alongside Mia while watching the only entrance on this horseshoe valley. His eyes staring at the distance, eagerly waiting for the Matriarch of the Alician Family to arrive.


    ¡°Are you planning to head back?¡±


    ¡°Who knows?¡± Mia said. ¡°The Cascadian¡¯s are eager, and all we do is care for this world. They attacked us, and we retaliate. What need is there to think about that than anything?¡±


    ¡°Would they use that as an excuse to attack our forces?¡±


    ¡°Let them try,¡± Mia said. ¡°We¡¯ll never bow their heads to the enemy.¡±


    ¡°I agree, though I rather have my men fight in peace. We are killer of monsters, and only the Alician Family has remained vanguard against the monsters. The Knights of Talons, the Crusaders of Salt Passing, the Hegemony Scholars, the Wizard''s Society, the Tian Islanders, the Sunspawn Knights, the Huntsmen of Zayas, the Adventurers Fraternity, and the Holy Knights of the Pontifex are busy helping the Empire in its Imperialistic Dreams. Your Maiden of Throes are stretched thin, and none of them would bother to attack a monster burrow unless we lend them our hand.¡±


    ¡°The Tian Islanders...I will never understand why they joined the Empire.¡±


    ¡°Who knows?¡± He said. ¡°They have been focused on their navies and I heard they now dreamed of taking it to the skies. What¡¯s the best way to get funding? Obviously, they would need the help of the Empire. I understand that Grandmother doesn¡¯t want us to interfere with the affairs of the mundane, but if it this keeps up then we¡¯ll have states forcing us to abdicate and help in claiming the Islands of the Cascade.¡±


    The man¡¯s face grew cold as he narrows his eyebrows.


    ¡°I heard of rumors that the Draconian Four is starting to take arms. Grandmother has already defeated their Champion, but I fear what would happen to this world if they decide to move. I fear that Grandmother might stand alone against the enemies. She has already spent rivers of blood on this continent. We cannot let her spill more.¡±


    Mia folded her arms and leaned her back. She recalled the lonely figure of her grandmother in that field of blood. The thought tightened her heart for a second.


    ¡°I too wish she wouldn¡¯t spill blood. However,¡± she paused, ¡°I don¡¯t think she will be as lonely anymore.¡±


    ¡°Is that why we have been gathered here?¡± He asked.


    ¡°More or less, but Grandmother does not waste time, and she knows our time is golden.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll be willing to take our time if she wants to.¡±


    ¡°This is related to the Cascadian, and the state of this country.¡±


    ¡°I see. When will Grandmother arrive?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯ll be here, and was it Elder Cousin who sent her that automobile?¡±


    ¡°I believe so. You know how much he cherishes Grandmother. Ah, speaking of the devil.¡±


    A man in his fifties sauntered alongside a woman on her forties. Their chins were raised, and their chest puffed proudly. Alongside them were men and women in their twenties, strapped in military gear.


    ¡°Mia!¡± The man spotted Mia. ¡°So you¡¯ve come first?¡±


    ¡°Elder Leander,¡± Mia said. ¡°I see that you brought Camilla and the others? I thought your children were going to suppress the monsters of Low Pale Plains.¡±


    ¡°They were!¡± Leander said. ¡°But the Call of Grandmother Matriarch takes precedent first.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Mia,¡± Camilla said. She was a woman that stood sharply as her husband. ¡°I am pleased to see you, so what is the occasion?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll see,¡± Mia pointed with her chin.


    They saw an automobile with square headlights entering the valley. Leander narrowed his eyes while looking at the automobile that he sent for his grandmother.


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember it looking like that.¡±


    ¡°It was modified,¡± Mia said.


    The automobile traveled slowly. The group of people stood in life as they watched the automobile parked near the podium. A man, whose eyes were red, and hair that resembled ashes came out first. He wore a frock jacket, and he had the countenance of a man barely before his thirties.


    ¡°Who is that?¡± Leander said. ¡°I thought your Maidens were going to be piloting that vehicle.¡±


    Mia stayed silent. She watched the man open the back of the automobile, revealing the Matriarch of the Alician family, wearing no gown, only a trench coat paired with black pants. She took hold of the hand of the man, and she marched to the podium where a high back chair was placed. She slumped herself on the floor, scanning the people that gathered, while the man who escorted her stood on her right with his hands behind his back, and hands positioned in a palm in palm gesture.


    Leander frowned. Mia lifted her lips slightly while staring at that frown. Ciara scanned the gathered people and nodded at them. She stood up and summoned her elemental blade out of thin air.


    ¡°I have gathered you all here to decided our stance in this war. Our family has been provoked, and thus it is time for us to decide the actions that we are going to take. Shall we wage war? Or shall we cool our minds and speak words? The whole of the family shall decide!¡±


    Leander took a step forward. His head bowed slightly to Ciara.


    ¡°Grandmother,¡± Leander said. ¡°It is a pleasure to see you once again, I trust that your health is fine as ever?¡±


    ¡°Leander,¡± Ciara said. She looked at the people behind him. ¡°And Camilla as well, I trust that the family is doing well?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Grandmother,¡± Camilla said. ¡°We¡¯ve come here all to heed your call.¡±


    ¡°That is good,¡± Ciara said. ¡°Mia, are the twelve branches here?¡±


    ¡°They are, Grandmother,¡± Mia stepped forward and bowed. ¡°All are present, shall we move on to the discussion?¡±


    ¡°That would do,¡± Ciara disperses her elemental blade. She turned towards the man who escorted her. ¡°Come, we shall move to the inner room of the valley.¡±


    Leander¡¯s brows furrowed. He wasn¡¯t the only one whose brows were raised.


    ¡°Pardon, Grandmother,¡± Leander said. ¡°But I believe that the inner room will not let this gentleman passed. The guardians are still active and taking this gentleman inside this valley might cause the guardians to react. Shall we have him wait here?¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t be a problem,¡± Ciara said. ¡°The runes are mine alone and I don¡¯t think the guardians will disobey my will. If they are acting strangely, then I shall destroy them, Vie will kindly provide me with materials, and I¡¯ll create them anew.¡±


    ¡°I see, though I am confused why you would let a man barely known to the family inside the inner valley. I trust that this gentleman is worthy of the trust of the Alician family?¡±


    ¡°Worthy?¡± Ciara beamed a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll trust this man with my life, and my soul. There¡¯s no need to concerned, Leander.¡±


    ¡°I-I see.¡±


    The branches of the Alician Family stared at their grandmother who momentarily gave a brief smile. They¡¯ve known their Matriarch, yet her smile was a rarity that they cherish. Their attention gathered to the man who remained stolid despite all the gazes that have been gathering around him.


    ¡°Oh, you should introduce yourself,¡± Ciara said. ¡°They can be a worrywart, and I think it would be better if we clear it up before they keep asking you questions.¡±


    ¡°So may I know your name?¡± Leander asked.


    ¡°Nolan Salvatore, a Bleak Walker.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Camilla said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Leander nodded. ¡°May you repeat that?¡±


    ¡°I am Nolan Salvatore, a Bleak Walker.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Leander turned towards Ciara. ¡°Is it true?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Ciara said with a loud voice. ¡°This is Nolan Salvatore, a Bleak Walker, one of the last Walkers of this world, he¡¯s the same as Vie, however, he¡¯s also the person who delivered me to the Three Fates, allowing my rise to power, and the one who opened the possibility of defeating the darkness. He is my noble confidant and the partner that I would trust and lean on if I am weary.¡±


    Mia hid her mouth behind her right hand. She couldn¡¯t help but chuckle at the look on the faces of her family. After all, who would have thought that they¡¯d meet the person who they heard in their childhood so much?


    karsev

 Chapter 118: Walker’s Syndrome Part 1

    He stood beside Ciara without moving, and he was a statue that remained as the twelve branches of the Alician Family gather around the round table located inside the Inner Valley. They sat on high-back chairs that matched their Grandmother¡¯s. They wore shoulder capes, and most of their eyes were focused on the bleak walker that stood next to their grandmother.


    ¡°Nolan Salvatore,¡± Leander said. ¡°You know this, Mia.¡±


    ¡°I spent a month with them,¡± Mia said.


    ¡°A month? I see, no wonder you are not surprised.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d be less surprised if you see them.¡±


    ¡°Nolan Salvatore must be a lucky man. He¡¯s got the admiration and affection of our Great Grandmother?¡±


    Mia looked at Leander. Her right hand on her cheek.


    ¡°You seem to misunderstand, Leander. It is Grandmother that forced him to be with her.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense!¡± His nostrils puffed. ¡°How could anyone not fall for our Grandmother?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a simple truth,¡± Mia said somberly. ¡°Nolan Salvatore has lost his memories of the times he has spent with, Grandmother.¡±


    ¡°Do we even know if he is the real one? Though I like to see Grandmother happy, as anyone here, but if she¡¯s getting fooled.¡±


    ¡°Grandmother?¡± She looked at him straightly. ¡°Do you really think she¡¯s the type that would be easily fooled?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, however, I did see the Sigil of the Eternal Hawk of Nolan Salvatore, and it only confirmed that he is truly a bleak walker.¡±


    Mia lowered her head. She bit her lower lip.


    ¡°I advise you not to stare at his eyes for too long, Leander. He can control Sigil of the Eternal Hawk, but stare too long and you¡¯d hear the screams of the fallen and your soul will surely shiver. He has defeated the Witch of Nether, and I¡¯ve never won against him in close combat.¡±


    ¡°Close combat as well, but the world has turned to artillery and rifles.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s good at them. No, the way he handled a rifle and a six-shooter was not that of an amateur, his stance, and he even taught me how to pie corridors and how to check my six all the time.¡±


    ¡°And he lost his memories?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no doubt about that. Grandmother can sense lies and she knows too well how lies are, but she knows that he isn¡¯t lying about that. He never lost his skills. Still, he was incredulous about Grandmother¡¯s love, and I can¡¯t honestly blame him. If someone as beautiful as Grandmother approaches you, proclaiming her love for you, would you easily believe as well?¡±


    ¡°I would question what the woman wants. I understand, still, it looks like they got along.¡±


    ¡°They did, it was when I visited them that he found courage. No, to be honest, I think he wasn¡¯t sure if he was the real Ciara. The Ciara that Nolan Salvatore remembered was before Grandmother had rid of her scars. I saw how longing his eyes were the moment Grandmother reverted her scars for a moment. I was ashamed to have cringed at the sight of Grandmother¡¯s burnt face. You¡¯d know that it was important for Grandmother to be accepted as who she is. Though, I think that she has more reasons than she tells. The same could be said to Nolan Salvatore.¡±


    Leander folded his arms. He stared at Nolan who was standing with his hands behind his back. He was watching the meeting without speaking and only doing assisting whatever Ciara wanted.


    ¡°He looks tamed.¡±


    ¡°Is that how you see it? He chooses this role, you know? He started acting like Grandmother¡¯s butler, and Grandmother, who usually does things herself, is letting herself be spoiled by him.¡±


    ¡°Have they been busy?¡±


    ¡°Who knows?¡± Mia said. ¡°They aren¡¯t teenagers and they usually spend time just talking. Grandmother has been talking about what happened to her and what the world has become. Though, there are times where Grandmother looks like she just wants to lock up Nolan Salvatore and keep him there.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s...¡±


    ¡°I know. The time I spent with them had been strange...However, it might be the behavior of a Perpetual to act like that.¡±


    ¡°Do you think the true heir of our Grandmother would come soon?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I want to know. They are taking it slow but I fear what Grandmother may do.¡±


    ¡°You really make our grandmother...seems strange.¡±


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s just me, but I think that their conversation would get sidetrack all the time. I hope that Grandmother doesn¡¯t go too far.¡±


    Leander¡¯s mouth was half-open. He stared at Mia for a second before looking at the table where the twelve branches were talking. Everyone has stopped looking at the man beside their grandmother and listened to her words well. Leander tried to focus, but he saw her grandmother gesturing Nolan Salvatore in secret. Nolan Salvatore took a step to her side, and she snatched his hand stealthily, her lips slightly curving.


    ¡°See?¡± Mia said.


    ¡°Ah, this is strange, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine with it.¡±


    ¡°I see. So, why did Grandmother let everyone know that he exists?¡±


    ¡°The Cascadian¡¯s are to be blamed. Grandmother regrets talking about the Cascade Nation.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Bleak Walkers are naturally attracted to environments that allowed them to feel alive. If what I¡¯ve heard are true, then I expect Nolan Salvatore to seek out the battle happening.¡±


    ¡°Would Grandmother agree?¡±


    ¡°She does not. But...she¡¯s planning to keep Nolan Salvatore near her all the time.¡±


    ¡°By showing him that we can take care of the problem?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I am fine with it. Don¡¯t you as well?¡±


    ¡°Being used by Grandmother is an honor. Of course, we¡¯d be willing to do what she desires. If she wants war, then the Alician Lions will move in and take care of the root of the problem.¡±


    ¡°I hope it doesn¡¯t come to that. Our Grandmother is planning to visit Aunt Vie, and see if she can alleviate the walker¡¯s syndrome of the bleak walker.¡±


    Mia nodded listlessly. She looked at the hand grasping Nolan Salvatore. The Bleak Walkers does not rest, they fight until the fire of their souls are extinguished. For they have chosen the bleak path, Mia thought.

 Chapter 119: Walker’s Syndrome Part 2

    The individuals of the twelve branches of the Alician Family left the inner room. They bowed their heads in greeting to their Matriarch and left the room. Mia and Leander stayed for a while before leaving without talking to Nolan. Nolan looked at the door being closed.


    ¡°Quite a family,¡± he said.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°I thought you were going to attack the Cascade Nation?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but do I have to do it myself, Nolan?¡± She looked at him. ¡°Are you eager to fight for purpose?¡±


    Nolan didn¡¯t reply. He stared at the phantoms that were bathed in red. Their faces were unfamiliar, they were tramping around the inner room, their eyes dilated, their bodies cut up, sliced, and a few of them had no heads. Their voices were like teeth being dragged on concrete, and flesh being peeled.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°I am.¡±


    ¡°Can you hear them, Nolan?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s new?¡± Nolan said. ¡°I¡¯ve been seeing these visions. Reminders of the past so that I won¡¯t forget what I am. I am a bleak walker that could only walk the bleak path.¡±


    The voices grew louder. This time the voice was like nails scratching on uneven metal. Nolan kept a straight face as he dully stares at Ciara.


    ¡°Help me.¡±


    ¡°Save me.¡±


    ¡°Mother, I want to go home?¡±


    ¡°I need to walk,¡± a voice said.


    Nolan ignored the voices, his eyes peering Ciara¡¯s.


    ¡°I know that,¡± Ciara said. ¡°I know of the curse that plagues you Bleak Walkers. I know what you are experiencing right now, and don¡¯t bother hiding it.¡±


    ¡°Vie, huh,¡± Nolan said. ¡°You said she had escaped the throes of the Walkers?¡±


    ¡°She has in a way have dulled the effects. That¡¯s why you are coming with me to her. She¡¯ll be glad to see you again.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember anyone called Vie.¡±


    ¡°How could you know her?¡± She said. ¡°She¡¯s a Sage that has left the mundane world. She¡¯s my friend and like Audrey, she had reached the state of perpetual.¡±


    ¡°Three Immortal Women,¡± Nolan said. ¡°Does the Three Ladies of Fates Exist?¡±


    ¡°You are looking at one of them.¡±


    ¡°A War Maiden acting as one of the three fates, and you have been in this role for years?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the fates have strengthened my powers and it has been three hundred years since the last heroes emerged. The four lights that I possessed have been kept by me.¡±


    ¡°Four only huh, where is the Light and Darkness elementals?¡±


    ¡°Hidden, for they shall not be called unless needed.¡±


    She relaxed on the chair while leaning her cheek on the back of her right hand. Her eyes looking sideways, away from Nolan. Nolan folded his arms, squared his shoulders and raised his chin, straightening his back.


    ¡°Are there any more Immortals beside you?¡±


    ¡°There are.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°The Half-Dragon still exists. The long-lived ones and the Porters are roaming around the world. The Overlord of the Demons as well.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You heard me, Nolan. The Overlord of Demons still exist. It would be preferable if we massacre them, but they are taking care of the matters under the continent. Humans are too stubborn, and they have no reasons to down under it benefits them. Not even my presence would convince them to explore the areas under this continent.¡±


    ¡°So you are letting them roam around.¡±


    ¡°I am. But my family has been keeping tabs and the moment they violate the pact. I would destroy them along with Audrey and Vie. So far, they have been cooperative.¡±


    ¡°I see. If you think that they can be trusted then I won¡¯t pry.¡±


    ¡°Trusted? That would be impossible. I cooperate with them for now. I fought them for years, and I don¡¯t think that would go away so easily.¡±


    Nolan saw the world turned bloody red. The Phantoms started banging their heads at the walls of the inner room. Nolan lifted his eyes away from the phantoms and stared at Ciara. Her image was changing from her burnt appearance to her current appearance. It was as if there was a filter.


    ¡°Your eyes acting up again?¡±


    ¡°It is. Though I am used to it.¡±


    ¡°The longer you don¡¯t take the bleak path. The stronger the curse isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°I got used to it a long time ago. It doesn¡¯t bother me at all.¡±


    The phantoms whose hands were rotting clung alongside men who were holding on to him, begging to be saved. They whispered, screamed, and cursed him.


    ¡°I can see that you don¡¯t. Vie has told me how the reminders are harsher as time passes. Did the travel here not alleviate the throes at all?¡±


    ¡°A bit, but like I have been saying, it doesn¡¯t really matter to me.¡±


    ¡°Nolan,¡± she sat straight up and tapped the arms of her chair. ¡°Come here for a second.¡±


    Nolan took a step in front of Ciara. Ciara pulled on his jacket and wrapped her arms around Nolan, placing his head above her chest, and slightly covering his ears with her hands.


    ¡°Ciara?¡±


    ¡°Keep still,¡± Ciara lifted her hands a bit. ¡°Are they still loud?¡±


    ¡°They are. Nonetheless, they really don¡¯t bother me, Ciara.¡±


    ¡°I know that you are numb to it.¡±


    ¡°So can you let your arms go?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Ciara said. ¡°I just want to do this for no reason.¡±


    Nolan sealed his lips and focused his hearing on her heartbeat. It was thumping rapidly. He took a peek a saw Ciara¡¯s cheeks shaded with a little red.


    ¡°I really don¡¯t get this,¡± Nolan said.


    ¡°Still saying that?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± he said. He closed his eyes and isolated anything other than Ciara¡¯s heartbeat. Covering his ears did not lessen the voices and the feeling of the phantoms clinging on his limbs. He simply had to make do by focusing his senses on the beating of her heart. There was simply no helping the curse of all the bleak walkers that walked the bleak path. Nolan has already expected the louder and visceral. Although it was not needed, he thought that hearing her heartbeat was better than dealing with it alone.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t so bad,¡± he clenches his wrinkled left arm.

 Chapter 120: Walker’s Syndrome Part 3

    The outside of the horseshoe valley was filled with hubbub. The leaders of the Alician family gathered their forces outside of the valley, only the Alician Lions, and the Maiden of Throes remaining alongside the Roaders. Noland and Ciara came out of the entrance, they walked to the vehicle where a man, with a fox=like smile, came and greeted them.


    ¡°Grandmother,¡± the man said. ¡°It has been a pleasure. Also, it is nice seeing the man who had helped Grandmother to reach her peak.¡±


    ¡°You are?¡± Nolan asked.


    ¡°Dario Alician,¡± he said. ¡°At your service.¡±


    ¡°Dario, are you still working with the Islanders?¡± Ciara asked, her hands placed in front.


    ¡°I am, Grandmother,¡± Dario said. ¡°The Spheroid Aircraft is doing well, however, the machinery that could fly on two wings have been delayed. We need more testing.¡±


    Nolan¡¯s eyes widened. He rubbed his wrinkled left arm with his hand.


    ¡°You are testing air vehicles?¡±


    ¡°We are,¡± Dario said. ¡°Although, I must admit that even though the Spheroid Aircraft has been a success, to fly with a machine while minding the fuel, and how to extend airtime. So far, we¡¯ve been able to fly with the machine for fifteen minutes before running out of fuel.¡±


    Nolan grabbed hold of his chin.


    ¡°I see, an aircraft has a tendency to use too much fuel. Do you use the same fuel as the automobile?¡± Nolan pointed at the automobile.


    ¡°Yes, and may I say that your modifications are strangely unique. What did you do?¡±


    ¡°I just made sure that the engines don¡¯t overheat. I¡¯ve no complained about the engine, and the horsepower, and its ability to tackle the terrain as well, however, the engines easily overheats, and the heat shielding is too thin. There¡¯s also the smell of fuel, and the usage of it can be too excessive. Also, make the steering wheel round, and not square, it¡¯s easier that way. The transmission system can some work, and may I suggest vulcanizing the tires?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Dario said, his hand lifting his chin.


    ¡°The rubber is too thin, and when it makes contact, I can practically hear the rim and the outer lip creaking every time it meets with a hard object.¡±


    Dario stared at Nolan for a second, his head lowered, he glared at the floor. Nolan tilted his head to the right, his arms folded, and eyes on Dario. Ciara watched the two while still keeping a serene expression.


    ¡°Hmm, no wonder I don¡¯t see that much need to repair. I keep what you have said in mind. Are you perhaps a mechanic, Sir Nolan?¡±


    ¡°I might have been one. Though I can¡¯t remember since I recently lost my memories.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I heard from Mia. That is a shame, and yet it seems that skill doesn¡¯t easily vanish. Are you interested in aircraft, Sir Nolan?¡±


    ¡°I can fix up cars and make some modifications, but I have no know-how on how aircraft work.¡±


    Ciara stared at Nolan with her eyes half-open. Her brows narrowed as she looked at Nolan talking to Dario. Dario nodded his head and took a single step back with his left foot. He pointed his mouth down and took a breath out.


    ¡°That¡¯s a shame, but if you know how the cogs work then there should be no problem with,¡± Dario said, his eyes pointed to Ciara. ¡°Ah, if we ever manage to complete the Spheroid Aircraft, please visit us on the island, and grace us with your presence, Grandmother.¡±


    ¡°I will,¡± Ciara said, nodding at Dario. ¡°I would like to witness the birth of this aircraft. Ah, may I ask if you are going to fit it with bombs?¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Dario looked down for a second. ¡°We are still testing how far up the aircraft can go. I will notify my crew, and have them build a payload system that we could use to drop explosives. Airborne artillery will be our new weapon!¡±


    ¡°We could this to incinerate the monster burrows, but it looks like we have to deal with the Cascade Nation first,¡± Ciara said.


    ¡°Well, I have work to do, and I rather not waste your time, Grandmother. I¡¯ll be leaving for now,¡± Dario said, he went to the half-trucks with its engine rumbling. The Alician Family that gathered in this horseshoe valley mounted their automobiles, and wended their way out of the valley, leaving a trail of dust.


    Nolan saw Mia walking towards them, her eyes half-smiling as she does.


    ¡°Grandmother, I have attached the Maiden of throes to Leander¡¯s forces.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Ciara said, she looked around. ¡°I have not seen your twin, Nia?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s busy helping Auntie Audrey on the ancestral city. Besides, she will be marrying someone from the House Cheery.¡±


    ¡°Is the City doing well?¡± Ciara asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s doing fine, Auntie can manage with Nia by her side.¡±


    Ciara nodded her head. Nolan turned around, and sauntered towards the automobile, opening the door, and entering inside. He started the engine of the automobile, went out, opened the hood, and did a minute check before closing it. He went back to the automobile, leaned his back on the seat behind the wheel, and tightened his grip on the steering wheel. He rubbed his aging left arm for a second and looked out of the window.


    ¡°We should go, the journey¡¯s still long. I rather not spend three days out there on the road. A train would be better suited if we want to travel faster.¡±


    ¡°No can do,¡± Ciara said. ¡°I prefer to take it slow, and besides, it might help in chasing the illusions away. Let¡¯s go, Mia.¡±


    ¡°Coming,¡± Mia said, ambling along with Ciara, they entered the backseat of the automobile. Nolan nodded his head at them and started the automobile to the entrance of the valley. He drove the automobile way past the forest and entered the main roads. Seeing the flat road, Nolan let his wrinkled left arm, rest on his lap. He looked at the road ahead and thought of how the swamp, where the person named Vie lived. Nolan thought how he would like to see the last bleak walker other than him.

 Chapter 121: The Fool that Rush in

    Above the dark skies were the wraiths that had been screaming. She followed a man whose left arm was missing, and by any rights, he should be dead with all the missing parts around his body. His left eye was missing, his right eye partially blind, some of his fingers were missing, his left hand¡¯s middle finger had the tip missing, and his right hand¡¯s trigger and the ring finger were missing as well.


    ¡°You should rest.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°All for this for that woman?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    The man clambered up a burnt hill. An arrow shot past his shoulder, the bone broken, and his grip on his sword fell. She heaves a sigh, and forcibly attached the sword back to his hand, healing up his broken shoulder with her own power. The man had dim eyes, and there he was barely breathing.


    ¡°Your nose is broken,¡± she said.


    ¡°I got used to it.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± she said. ¡°I don¡¯t understand this. How many times will you do this for someone who barely loves you?¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter now does it?¡± he said with a weary smile. ¡°I am a fool that rushes in.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s something wrong with you, human.¡±


    ¡°You poor fool.¡±


    She watched the man dash towards the woman who had no love for him. He fought evils that someone that like him should not fight. He was a soldier that should not be fighting in the same stage as those who carve the world for themselves. Yet, he sprinted past the battles and used her who was trapped on a sealed sword.


    He was bleeding from head to toe, his eyes were dim, and yet his eyes grew brighter than the sun. She couldn¡¯t help but watch him fight for whatever he was fighting for and reach the woman who fought with four elemental heroes. They stood with her, and she knew that the person trying to reach that woman had no use here. Still, that person carried on, slashing his enemies, holding to that tiny flame of hope.


    Still, this wasn¡¯t a battlefield for him. A single strike from a soldier brought him down to his knees. In the battlefield, he was merely another pawn that was left to die. He saw the vision of the heroes and their war maiden fight another battle. She saw him be killed by that single strike, his lifeless body reaching out to the place where that woman went.


    ¡°Really, why do you do this?¡± she asked his lifeless body. She floated on top of his body while her soul was bound to the sword that kept her in. She didn¡¯t know why but the thought of looking at this body displeased her. The foolish man who rushes in, spending his human years to a woman who barely loves her and found him annoying. How many times that did woman take him down? How many times has he rejected him without caring for his heart?


    She didn¡¯t understand. So she watched the body of the human that imprisoned her inside a sword for power. She watched as the enemies of those who he fights for scurrying away from the battlefield. They let his body rot alongside the soldiers who died on this battlefield, and she saw how the woman that he fought for just nodded at the state of his corpse.


    ¡°Fool,¡± she said. ¡°I told you that you should have reach for a better woman. Still...damn it.¡±


    It pissed her off how she just left him. It didn¡¯t matter to her how she shed a bit of tears. She couldn¡¯t ignore how the man who worked so hard in reaching that woman decides to forget her. She vowed that the moment the seal goes away. She would take that woman¡¯s life. She vowed that.


    However, the world changed and she found herself in a place where she didn¡¯t know. The man was alive, and he was struggling, crawling, and hoping that he could reach that woman again. She thought it was weird yet seeing that man rise up and fight his way out of perilous situation made her want to support him. Make him reach an ending that he would have no qualms. She saw through his fight and gave it her best to make sure he was alive.


    But at the end of the foot, the man had died again. She found herself waiting for the world to change back to where he was alive. She kept it bottled and still, she supported the enemy that trapped her on a sword for power. Not once did he faltered, and no matter what timeline he saw her chasing for her.


    She convinced herself that what lust can do in such dire moments. Still, as he died, and she lives through timelines of watching fail miserably one battle at a time, she started to think that she wants that kind of love as well. She wanted him to look at her, but in the end, his eyes would seek the War Maiden that saved him from despair.


    She saw the disgusting rank-and-file soldier who had lost his will to live. She saw the soldier who wanted death but too much of a coward for it get saved by that woman. She saw how he improved himself just to be noticed by that woman. No matter what timeline, she saw that man try his best in order to reach the flower that was on top of a mountain.


    ¡°You little human, you¡¯re reaching for the sun with wax wings and yet you don¡¯t realize that. I hate, I love you, and please look at me, and please stop looking at that woman, would you? She is your bane and your curse and if you continue this path then I assure that you would not rest.¡±


    Tania recalled those words while opening her eyes, looking at the empty hall, sitting alone on her throne, she recalled the smile that foolish human who could not help but fall in love with the same woman all over again.


    ¡°Well, I am a fool who rushes in, and I can¡¯t help, falling in love with her.¡±


    He says that with a smile. Tania of the Obsidian hated that.

 Chapter 122: Bleak Walker’s Rest

    He drove the automobile around the forest that had tall trees. The road was paved, and the tall tree-lined casted shadows. In front of him was a gigantic tree that grown large to be called a tower. Nolan continued pressing the automobile forward. The two behind driver seat was staring at the trees.


    ¡°Still doesn¡¯t change,¡± Ciara said. ¡°Still as quiet as ever, and the plant wards are still active.¡±


    ¡°So this is the territory of Vie?¡± Nolan asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Ciara said. ¡°She took claim of this territory four hundred years ago, and it could be said her personal land. You sense it right? The plants should tell you all.¡±


    Sunflowers that had strange mouths, roses that were half the size of a stake. The azure sky could be barely seen, however, the strange lines that were lighting the plants didn¡¯t escape Nolan¡¯s vision. He held his grip on the wheel, his eyes scanning the creatures that guarded the land. The automobile silently drove out of the tall trees and was on an open area field where the grass swayed slovenly to the right, and beyond the grassland was the towering tree.


    ¡°She¡¯s in there,¡± Ciara said.


    ¡°That¡¯s a big tree.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, she really doesn¡¯t stay that much on the viewing platform of her tree, and she should always be on the base of the tree. She¡¯s...well, she¡¯s a bleak walker as well so there are times where she¡¯s not well. Not to mention, that her brand of immortality is rather...strange.¡±


    ¡°I see. Are you coming with me?¡± Nolan asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Ciara said, she folded her arms. ¡°I¡¯ll stay here for now, and let her be surprised. Nolan, I know that you don¡¯t remember her, and by any means, there should be no reason to hide it. She¡¯s isolated all the time so she barely any hear the news, and if she caught a whiff of any trouble, then she¡¯ll be attracted to that danger. So be lenient, and explained to her.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Nolan went out of the automobile, he closed the door. ¡°I don¡¯t know what I can do. I might have indeed saved her once, and if I did then I rather say it straight to her face. Though, it confuses me why you planned to stay here for a while.


    ¡°Just go,¡± Ciara said. Nolan started wending his way towards the tree, his figure distancing from the automobile. Ciara watched him with cloudy eyes, and Mia saw it.


    ¡°Why?¡± Mia asked.


    ¡°I just felt like the last two bleak walkers should have a little talk. This isn¡¯t a place for us to intrude. Let us wait before following, and surely, Vie needed this.¡±


    Mia nodded in silence.


    Nolan, who was plodding his way to the towering tree, his coat fluttered for a bit, he held on to his coat, continued forward until he reached the entrance of the tree. The grass being caressed by the wind sounded out. He looked up. The door had writings that were written in the language of the talons. It read:


    ¡°The Dove in thorns, and when bled, only leaves blood-soaked thorns, and in those thorns are those that are left.¡±


    Nolan squinted his eyes, the eternal hawk sigil in his eyes glowing. His hand was placed on the door, and he closed his eyes and said aloud.


    ¡°Thorne Dove, the Snake of Throes crawl the sand, in the dark, it patiently waits."


    The words rearranged into runic linings that immediately surrounded the door. Nolan took a step on the middle of the door, his eyes pointed at the woman sitting on a circular plot of land of flowers, she was caressing her flowers, her hand held a book, and her hair resembled thorns.


    ¡°Hail, Sister of the Bleak Path¡± Nolan said aloud.


    The woman on the circle stopped her hand movements, her head lifted up, and eyes staring at Nolan. She stared at him for two minutes, and she nodded slightly. She rose from where she was sitting, grabbed the coiled staff she was holding, and trotted slowly until she was in front of Nolan.


    ¡°You are alive,¡± she said.


    ¡°I am, however, I have no memories of you,¡± Nolan said. ¡°I came here because of Ciara wanted to know how to alleviate the Walker Syndrome and Curse.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± she said. ¡°No wonder I saw no reaction from you.¡±


    Nolan nodded, grasping his aging left arm. Vie took a glance of his arm and sauntered to the table. Nolan followed suit and sat in the chair, his elbows leaned on the round table. Vie adjusted her arms on the table as well, she was leaning forward, elbows acting like a bipod. Her eyes rapidly changed into a crown of thorns.


    Nolan replied with his eyes showing the Eternal Hawk on it. Vie widened her eyes, narrowed her brows, and leaned back, arms folded as she stares at Nolan.


    ¡°The Crown of Thorns.¡±


    ¡°The Eternal Hawk.¡±


    Nolan saw a momentary illusion that allowed him to feel what she has felt on every battle. Nolan pushed the table with his palms and turned his attention back to reality.


    ¡°It looks like it¡¯s just the two of us left...tell me, did our brothers and sisters had a good ending?¡±


    Vie stood up, she walked outside of the door, and Nolan followed. She ambled to the field of grasses and pointed her finger at the forest that was covering the forest nearby. She then turned around and faced him, her arms spread.


    ¡°I am Vie, Bearer of the Crown of Thorns, and you are at the place where all the Bleak Walkers end their journeys, I welcome you to the Bleak Walker¡¯s rest. The resting point of those who once walked the Bleak Path. Each tree represents every brother or sister that has rested their weary body.


    Her eyes fluttered softly along with the wind. Nolan stiffened at the trees and thought hard. This was a place of silence yet Nolan could not help but look at it fondly, for he knew that all the bleak walkers rested here. This was the graveyard of all the bleak walkers.

 Chapter 123:

    They walked to the forest that Vie pointed, her waist-length hair would naturally flutter, her boots avoiding the overgrown grasses. Her green hair naturally melted with the forest background, her pale skin had made her look like a fairy.


    ¡°It saddens me that you don¡¯t remember me,¡± Vie said. ¡°Still, this is pleasant in a way that a Brother of mine is still alive, even in this world that no longer needs a bleak walker.¡±


    Vie stopped walking. ¡°Brother, have you met with, Sister Ciara?¡±


    ¡°I have,¡± Nolan said. ¡°I don¡¯t know why a woman like her would fall for me.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± she curved her lips. ¡°She wants you, and that is understandable. I saw her warpath and how she turned this world into what is. Her family, have you seen it?¡±


    ¡°The Alician Family is incredible, they can muster a force that could rival nations.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that is why they are incredible in their own rights.¡±


    They continued moving, passing through countless trees, and wading through a lake of flowers. Nolan felt like he was at peace, and the calmness was overbearing. It made him want to drop on his back, and outstretch his arms.


    ¡°Ciara, she¡¯s strong, kind, and her love for her family can be overbearing. She¡¯s protective, and a good friend. Honestly, she¡¯s more of a demi-goddess that has descended from above.¡±


    ¡°Is that how people see her?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Vie nodded. ¡°There are people who have statues of her, and if it wasn¡¯t for her wish, she would become a figure worshipped by a few nations, and even the Church of Light has concluded how she has gained the blessings of the Gods. It is strange that such a figure would exist, a figure that could even face the four dragons of the world and stood without a hint of fear. She has defeated all kinds of evil and fought monsters that would destroy nations. Still, I choose to follow her when she truly needs it, as for that is the bleak path.¡±


    ¡°I see. She¡¯s really something, and the way you phrase it makes me more hesitant.¡±


    They arrived on the garden with flowers that looked crystals, they were glowing, and the light coming out from them melted along with the sunlight. Nolan stood in the middle along with Vie, his eyes pointing at the plagues, and swords planted on the ground that were coiled with roots.


    ¡°This is a graveyard,¡±


    ¡°The Garden of Walkers,¡± she said. ¡°When darkness fell, and when our Brothers had lived long enough, they would choose to come to this place and live their days, as they see no reason to continue. Some, who have given up on their bleak paths would choose to be buried in this garden, for the sunlight was great, and that it was all that mattered to them.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± Nolan said.


    ¡°Simply, don¡¯t you get tired of walking?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I do.¡±


    ¡°What do you want to do if your legs are weary?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take a rest.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the same concept, however, we are the Heirs of the Old Revenant and we are prone to be attracted to conflict, and we have single-minded minds that lead us to fight until we can¡¯t. Once a bleak walker reached a higher state, their eyes would become that of the old revenant eyes, the eyes of that old wraith that seeks for perpetual living. I have gotten my crown of thorns, and you possessed the Eternal Hawk.¡±


    She looked at Nolan with a contorted face.


    ¡°Brother, I have been buried in books and had read all that could relate to us, and how we came to be, and how it all started. You, someone, should not possess the Eternal Hawk¡¯s eyes unless they have lived for centuries without external help. The records say that only a few had managed to gain immortality by suspending their body¡¯s time, and yet you...it has only been five hundred years, and yet you have these eyes.¡±


    Her eyes became big. Tears came out of her eyes.


    ¡°You poor, poor man, you fool, how could you continue living like this?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± Nolan said, his eyes half-open in pain.


    ¡°Brother Nolan, I could see the curse of the war maiden on you, the curse that should have meditated her power, and halted the progress of her powers. You took her curse, and made it your own, do you know what that curse is?¡±


    ¡°It attracts the monsters to you?¡±


    ¡°No, not only that, Brother, that curse allows a war maiden to be incarnated into another war maiden, a cycle that would deliver her soul, her heart, and emotions upon another war maiden, you...made it your own and it became a curse. Ciara, she had no limits because she didn¡¯t have the curse, and that curse now lies within you.¡±


    ¡°Please explain it to me,¡± Nolan stared straight into her eyes.


    ¡°Brother Nolan, you have done what the Old Revenant have done, you have fallen to a path that even I wouldn¡¯t dare to journey. I see, no wonder divinations couldn¡¯t found you, no, you didn¡¯t lose your memories, you, are you even the Nolan that saved me from that well? Your eyes had the Eternal Hawk, but your ashen hair does not match the graying hair that you possessed. No, are you even human or are you a wraith?¡±


    Vie pulled Nolan¡¯s left arm. She lifted his sleeve and caressed his wrinkling left arm.


    ¡°Brother...you, I see. An obsidian flesh as well...that woman.¡±


    ¡°I know that you want to say,¡± Nolan said.


    ¡°No, I understand now. Brother Nolan, if you continue following Ciara Alician, you would undoubtedly be cursed to suffer. The curse of the war maiden will keep you alive, and yet at the same time, you would be unable to reach her. No, it would only be right that being with the War Maiden would pain your soul, no, I do not disapprove of your relationship, but if you continue this path then you would be only a soul damned to an eternality of pain. It¡¯s not a matter of fate, but simply because the roles you picked are incompatible.¡±


    ¡°You make it sound like two people can¡¯t be together simply of what they are.¡±


    ¡°Sadly, the Old Revenant cannot be with the Pale Shine Lady, and the Burnt Woman cannot be together with her Wraith Knight, for that is akin to a moth flying into the flames. You are like a moth, no matter how much it burns, you would follow the flames until your wings burn, and you will be extinguished by the same flames that you follow.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s absurd,¡± Nolan said. ¡°I am just nobody.¡±


    ¡°That may be so,¡± View clenched her hands. ¡°But that is simply the curse of these eyes and that of the War Maiden. That¡¯s why, Brother Nolan, if you want to, I can let you vanish, dispel the spell she attached on you, and let you fly like a hawk. I know that this will pain a dear friend of mine, but even so, can you truly say that you love the Ciara of now? If my guess is right, then the Ciara you loved, isn¡¯t her.¡±


    ¡°That is,¡± Nolan said. ¡°It would be unfair to her, after all the words that I spoke to her, I would leave her alone?¡±


    ¡°I am sorry,¡± Vie said. ¡°You may choose to be with her, that is your choice, however, aren¡¯t they loud, Brother?¡±


    Nolan looked around him. The phantoms were loud and the way they kept killing themselves in front of him had been taking a toll on him. The screaming never stops and no matter what he had been seeing them on their dreams.


    ¡°They are.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to sleep?¡±


    ¡°But that would against everything that I believe. I only wait for death. Not grant death to myself.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it the same?¡± she said. ¡°You...do you even find joy in life?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡±


    ¡°Then why are you still alive?¡±


    ¡°I could ask that to you as well. What do you live for, Vie?¡±


    ¡°The same as you, I wish to wait for death. Isn¡¯t that the bleak path that we follow? But you, you have gone astray from the path, and not only that, you are wading through a sea of fire, and your soul is crack all over,¡± her eyes swirled as if it was being covered by thorns. ¡°Brother, if you continue walking the path where she is, you won¡¯t last long, and you will wither before you even burn.¡±


    Nolan folded his arms. He looked at the azure sky with a thousand-yard stare.


    ¡°Why does this world hate me so much?¡±


    ¡°It does not,¡± Vie said. ¡°You simply had taken role that leads you to a path incompatible to hers, Brother, Bleak Walkers are meant to follow the Bleak Path, and we have lost a part of our soul to gain the eyes of the Old Revenant, the eyes that let us recall those that we have lost. It is against our nature at all.¡±


    ¡°I know that.¡±


    ¡°Yet why?¡± Vie asked.


    ¡°For that is my own Bleak Path...Vie...you are a bleak walker as well. You should know me, right? Tell me, what I did when ¡®I¡¯ saved you.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    She told him about what Nolan did. Nolan listened without moving his eyes away. His eyes were that of a dead fish as Vie finishes on telling him what he had done.


    ¡°That sure sounds like I tried. Isn¡¯t it strange for someone like me to do that?¡±


    ¡°I think you found courage along the way. Still, I think you are hiding something, my eyes are saying that to the point that my heart aches.¡±


    ¡°Then there is no hiding it,¡± Nolan let goes. ¡°I am from a timeline that differs from this world, in that world, Ciara Alician fell in the battlefield, and I became a Bleak Walker that assisted the light army. I fought and saw the end of the world. I was a rank-and-file soldier that fought with his fellow bleak walkers. I was despondent, and I lived by the belief that I shall not go gentle in that good light. That¡¯s why I fought even it hurt me, even if my soul was torn to shreds, and even though I lost my heart in doing so, I fought so I can proudly say that I did my best, and my Ciara would be proud.¡±


    Nolan kneeled. His rounded eyes were warped in despair as he narrates the past that he knew.


    ¡°You know, I was only a servant in a tavern. I liked it, I had a simple life, I was able to eat and sleep even though I had problems with the language barrier. It was then that the world darkened, I was sent to Oasis, forced to train despite my uselessness, and even though I want nothing but peace, I was brought out to fight, lost my friends, and lost Ciara. You are right, I¡¯m probably not the Nolan Salvatore that saved you, and at the same time, maybe I am as well. However, that Nolan seems to have fallen in love with the Ciara of this timeline, and meanwhile, I am scum. Do you know? I am using the Ciara of this timeline to cover the holes in my heart, and yet I can only function because someone needed me! I don¡¯t even want to live yet here I am acting like a damn fool! How can I be alive knowing that this goes against my sole reason why I kept myself alive? I wanted to meet death in peace, yet here I am, alive, and have nothing at all!¡±


    He looked at Vie with a deranged smile.


    ¡°Vie...if your words are true, that I am cursed, then please, save me, please, I begged of you, Vie, please save me from this life, I don¡¯t want to continue, I am tired and weary, and I have enough for one life.¡±


    ¡°You are making this hard for me.¡±


    ¡°Then you shouldn¡¯t have told me.¡±


    ¡°And let you live a life that is a lie? I cannot do that, for no matter who you are, you are still Nolan Salvatore, and you still saved me even if you don¡¯t remember doing it.¡±


    ¡°Still, I really want to rest.¡±


    ¡°I see, no wonder ignorance is such a bliss.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t get it,¡± Vie said. ¡°Why are you so easy to break?¡±


    ¡°I am not stupid,¡± Nolan said. ¡°It makes sense that I might be just jumping from one timeline to another. I am being incarnated to the same world where Ciara still exist. And not only that, I have these eyes with me.¡±


    ¡°What I am lying to you?¡±


    ¡°Why would that benefit you at all? Why would you ruin a bleak walker¡¯s life so easily? No, because you are a bleak walker that I can trust your words, and you have the crown of thorns, the thorns that bind, and those who have it have crossed a path that cannot be wended.¡±


    ¡°I see. I thought that you¡¯d find the answer to yourself...to think that you want me to save you. I...am not that cruel. I cannot do that, and I don¡¯t want to lose Ciara as a friend as well.¡±


    ¡°Then why tell me this?¡± Nolan lashed out. ¡°You coward! The waste of time!¡±


    Nolan pulled the dagger strapped on her waist.


    ¡°Are you sure? Even if you don¡¯t do this, you can still live long enough to be happy, even if it is a lie, and even if she¡¯s not the Ciara that you loved truly. Can you make her happy, and give her the family that she wanted? Your withering, Brother Nolan, and yet I think you can make a girl who waited for someone like you be happy. She¡¯s lonely, and I save you now, then the heart would truly go cold, and I¡¯ve known her long enough. Nolan, I know that you are quite disturbed, and you are truly unable to control the emotions. But can I ask you to be with Ciara?¡±


    Nolan smiled at her in despair. ¡°You are a cruel woman, you speak truth to me, makes me want to end this life of mine, and now you are asking me to stay alive for a woman who only loves someone. I have been with the Ciara of this current time, and she¡¯s beautiful, kind and her love is suffocating. Every time I am with her, I feel like I am drowning, and I don¡¯t know what to do. She wants something from me, and that is something I cannot give. She wants a family, and yet she shows me her family, a family that loves her, and a family that would not abandon her. It¡¯s not fair, how can she still complain when my Ciara didn¡¯t have those? Do you know how happy my Ciara was when she found out she was pregnant? Yet she wanted duty over love, and I had to bury our child in a hill. The next day, because of losing our child has weakened her, she was unable to fight probably, she had to save this useless me, and I had to bury her next to my child. Isn¡¯t that just cruel? My Ciara had no one, and she wanted to have a family, and yet she had to abandon it for the world! This Ciara has everything, she has a family that worships her! So why do I matter into this equation? Tell me, Vie, why does it matter if I am alive and dead when she has a family that could comfort her?¡±


    Nolan raised his aged left arm.


    ¡°Look at this! I am withering, and before long I will cease to exist. I¡¯ve been able to hide it, but it seems that my stupidity in Alician City has led me into withering, this obsidian flesh, I thought it was a power, and I thought it would help me. But it is another curse that withers my vitality in order to forcibly heal my wounds. Honestly, if I didn¡¯t almost die when she hit me with that bolt of elemental, then I wouldn¡¯t have started thinking this way. It would have been best if we didn¡¯t meet.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s why you immediately want to go away,¡± Vie said. ¡°I understand that. To see the person you love after a long time, only to wither because of you as well...I...forgive me.¡±


    ¡°You have nothing to be sorry for.¡±


    ¡°Brother, you know what happens when a bleak walker grants the release of a fellow walker.¡±


    ¡°They would return to earth, and be at peace. But I¡¯m guessing that wouldn¡¯t possible with me?¡±


    ¡°I have to cut your eyes first.¡±


    ¡°I see. Then I¡¯ll do it myself!¡±


    Nolan ran the dagger across his eyes. His vision immediately went black and he felt intense pain. He then reached for his eyeballs and dug on to his eye sockets.


    Vie watched in horror, she looked at Nolan, who pulled his eyes and offered it to her. She moves her arms and crushed the eyes of the eternal hawk.


    ¡°Please do it, and I am sorry.¡±


    Vie didn¡¯t think. She grabbed hold of the dagger and pushed it inside Nolan¡¯s heart. The obsidian flesh that was under his skin went mad, and before it could do anything, Vie caught the obsidian skin with her left hand and spoke words of power that halted the obsidian skin.


    ¡°You are tenacious,¡± Vie said, her hand holding the dagger.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Vie?¡±


    Vie turned and saw Ciara standing not far from her.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Vie had no words to speak. Nolan, who should have been dead with his heart stabbed, stood up and looked at the sunlight. He opened his eyelids for a second and kneeled without strength. Before long, wisps of light covered him, and slowly, his figure became a group of fireflies that formed the image of the eternal hawk.


    ¡°Ciara,¡± Vie said.


    ¡°It won¡¯t work,¡± Ciara said. ¡°What are you doing won¡¯t work.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Really, I thought I got it right this time. What did I do wrong this time? Why do you keep leaving me behind?¡±


    ¡°Ciara?¡±


    ¡°Vie, do you know what happens to a war maiden who abandoned her duties, and took her own life in front of her loved one¡¯s grave?¡±


    ¡°I...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I just have to endure and wait for it again. I am sure that...I can handle it. Still, I spent a month with him this time, isn¡¯t that great? Still, not even a kiss or intercourse...what a shame.¡±


    ¡°Ciara?¡± Vie¡¯s voice was trembling. ¡°You...why?¡±


    ¡°Does it matter? Still, I just only need to wait...I will always find him, anyway. No matter how many repeated incarnation pasts...¡±


    Her eyes turned blood red and the eternal hawk sigil of rebirth and memory appeared in her eyes. It was trapped in a crown of thorns.


    Chapter 123: The War Maiden of the Bleak Walkers


    karsev

 Chapter 124: Ciara Alician 1

    Ciara recalled the days she became a war maiden. The days where she gathered ALL the incarnation of the War Maidens that ever existed. She saw ALL possible War Maidens and saw ALL possible versions of the War Maidens granting her their powers and abilities. However, there were incarnations that synched up with her.


    She recalled the memory of an incarnation of her within a timeline. It was a war maiden Ciara that had reached the end of the darkness after such turbulent wars that were fought on the fogs of the darkness. She saw a Ciara that carried a lamp in the darkness, her eyes straight on finding the exit of an isolated space in order to find someone.


    Ciara witnessed her as a ghost that floated above this Ciara. She had a burnt face, her eyes had the dove of thorns, and the snake of woes. She was a Bleak Walker that was able to make use of the darkness to strengthen her heart. She didn¡¯t know why, but this Ciara was lost in a space where time seems to be chaotic. It was a world with a kaleidoscope sky, she walked on the dunes, and sea of sands while facing monsters that were wrapped on black smoke.


    Ciara, who had synched up with this version of her could not understand. She followed the woman throughout her journey, she watched her kill, and survive off the animals that had turned into a mutated beast. Along the way, she met travelers who were trapped with her, and along the way, these travelers gave up, for they had no hope to find. They all went for their deaths, knowing, that doing would succumb their souls into damnation.


    ¡°I will find you.¡± The Ciara of this timeline said. Ciara, who was floating like a phantom thought of what she was looking for. She was synched up with this woman, yet her thoughts were blocked off by mental force. So Ciara watched this version of her like a guardian angel, she watched her break through the isolated space. She saw this Ciara, looked up at the sky, tears flowing down her eyes, as she witnessed the sun. She outstretched her arms and laid down as if she wanted to recall the feeling of being bathed under it.


    ¡°I¡¯ll find,¡± she said. ¡°I can start a family with him, ah, can I still bear a child for him? Ah, if it¡¯s you then you would surely smile, and embraced me within your arms, as you always have, isn¡¯t that right, my love?¡±


    She looked at her wrinkled hands. Her face wrapped in fear for the first time, which Ciara was surprised that she was able to feel fear. She did not know fear when facing the phantoms, yet she feared the moment she thought of her wrinkled skin. Still, this Ciara stood and marched through a wasteland, along with the ruins of the Kingdoms that once stood.


    Ciara watched this version of her walked the lands in hopes of seeing someone. She questioned who the man she was looking for was, and what made this version of Ciara trek through dangerous lands? The answer to her question came. This version of Ciara reached a graveyard, and in that graveyard, where that tombstone lies, was the man she had been looking for. She took her life, and her blood seeped on the same ground she took it.


    Ciara learned the identity of the man she wanted to be. When she did she was happy, and at the same time, she wondered how could a man endure so many years of rejection, beating, and insults, just to be with the woman who was too afraid of accepting a man who truly loved her?


    Ciara didn¡¯t understand and truly, she only learned that this Ciara had regrets, and her memories came flocking to her. The memories of this world¡¯s Ciara, and her sufferings, and the love that she held back for a man who was weak, yet too stubborn to give up on a woman, became a part of the Ciara who was receiving the incarnation¡¯s soul.


    She saw their memories, and the times where they just sat side by side without minding the chaos, dreaming of a family, a warm hearth, and a home they could call theirs. It was a dream farther than the stars, yet they tried to reach it, and in the end, it ended with time catching up to them, and she simply didn¡¯t have the strength to bear the weight of the world.


    The opium she called hope had led to such end. Ciara, watched this version of her bled out, and then she saw those that knew of this grave and were shocked to find the war maiden of the heroes, lying dead on the same place where her husband was buried. She watched them bury the woman¡¯s body next to this grave, and slowly, the vision that had allowed her to watch all of these dispersed, and she heard the thoughts of the woman, and her strength, and all she could offer, to Ciara. She saw this version of Ciara, walking to a different path, forever searching, as if she wanted to be with him. So she clung her soul to Ciara, and their souls merged into one. Her love was overwhelming, yet, she did not resist, for she knew that she had also fallen for the same man.


    It was simply just fate that they would meet with this stubborn man. No matter what timeline it was, they would meet this weak stubborn man who had nothing but his love to offer.


    The War Maiden Incarnation strengthened her power. She inherited what that version of her knew, and the curse that should have been given as well was thrown away by the curse of the Old Revenant that clung on that woman¡¯s soul. The snake of woes, and the dove of thorns. The same eyes that she saw from the man who had delivered her to the three fates, the same eyes that captivated her.


    ***


    The memories of ALL the war maidens still flowed into her. This time, it was a war maiden that recalled the memories of the other war maidens. She fought while holding on the same man who she remembered. She thought this man to be her greatest knight. She thought him how to be strong and be brave. The man became a leader, however, he was not that good. He simply didn¡¯t have the talent to lead the way to the darkness.


    The man fought side by side with her. He fought without minding his health. He didn¡¯t bother about his health as long as he could serve the woman that gave her everything. She trusted him well and yet that same trust broke that man. He was led to the deepest parts of the darkness and was devoured by the fogs of war. His head on a spike, and his body torn, eaten by vultures.


    Ciara felt nothing but rage from this War Maiden, and this War Maiden had killed without minding, her ending was walking to the gallows, where those who she saved ended up hanging her. The war maiden before her was hung while smiling as if she could finally see the man again.


    The flow of energy was like a stream of visible notes tapping on his heart. She was thrown into a chamber with a wide table. On the table has two steaming teacups, and a kettle was placed on the middle of the cups. She sat on the left, the other woman sat on the right.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°And who are you?¡±


    Ciara thought she would have a revelation at this moment. However, the woman in front of her seems to look idly at her. Her face was burnt, her hair was short, and she had a giant scar around her neck.


    ¡°You sure are beautiful,¡± the woman said. ¡°You¡¯re me aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie now,¡± she said. ¡°I know what I am, and that look on your face says it all. Really, why do we end up this path?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    The woman that looked like Ciara snaps her finger. ¡°I¡¯d tell you to focus on duty and let love by the second. But, I am tired, and within all these years...I tried that.¡±


    ¡°So what do you want from me?¡±


    ¡°Live for family,¡± the woman said. ¡°Once you realized that in the end family is all you have, then there is nothing worth living for. We fight for nations, and we fight because we have a duty for the people. But why do we fight for all of this in the first place? Was it all because we love our country this much? The country, the people that mocked us for this face? The one that killed, burned, maimed, and tore our family apart?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s for the good,¡± she added. ¡°I told myself it was for the good of mankind. Still, do you know my time ended? We survived, and he survived as well, and by the end of it all, they wanted a scapegoat they could use to appease the evil, and so they took him away from me.¡±


    ¡°Him?¡±


    ¡°You know him.¡±


    ¡°Did you stop that madness?¡±


    ¡°The Holy Light wanted proof that I destroyed the enemy. He...was annoying at that time, and they thought I wanted him gone, stop pestering the cursed woman who saved the world, and they drag him, stripped him of his honor, and put him in a trial in front of a mob that wanted him dead. They cursed him, spat at him, said that he was the devil, and I watched in the booth, with a coat on my shoulder.¡±


    ¡°How could you?¡±


    ¡°It was one of the ways to make people believe. He had cases of being beaten up by me and they gathered witnesses of his nefarious deeds and his harassment of me. He plotted against mankind and he was branded as evil. It was minor politics, and we didn¡¯t even have to bother with such charade. That sort of lies.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Speechless? It was stupidity really, a woman who made a choice out of impulse and had his loyal soldier treated horribly because she was annoyed by his constant chasing love. Did you know what his last words were?¡±


    ¡°I love you,¡± she said blandly. ¡°He was always brighter than anyone, and he was not much of a fighter. However, he was smart enough to deduce that he was stabbed in the back, and was treated like a political scapegoat for no other reason than to make a show for the world.¡±


    ¡°You let this happen? Did you feel anything,¡± Ciara¡¯s eyes became that of a demon.


    ¡°I did. I watched him get burned on a stake.¡±


    ¡°Disgusted, aren¡¯t you?¡± She said. ¡°No need to hide it, I know what I did.¡±


    Ciara stood up from the table. ¡°Tell me, what did you think when he burned on that stake?¡±


    ¡°I loved him,¡± she said. ¡°Ah, I wish I could rewind time and just slaughter them, but how could I when it was my duty?¡±


    ¡°The world owed you!¡± Ciara grabbed hold of her collar.


    ¡°That they did. That¡¯s why I¡¯m here to be a stupid a reminder of what you shouldn¡¯t do.¡± She stood up as well. Her eyes locked with Ciara. ¡°I will not ask for your forgiveness. I will never forgive myself as well. That¡¯s why I want you to do things differently, and since you¡¯re the one that had it lucky.¡±


    Ciara slapped her hands. She walked to the door that opened out of this void.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let the Pale Shine Lady see you. Kill any time wraiths you find and take their essence. You will be our strongest, and none shall stop you without the curse on you now.¡±


    Ciara stopped for a second. The woman that looked like Ciara sat back on the chair.


    ¡°You will be going after him, and he will be going after you. I hope that one day, you will walk the same path, come to an understanding, and for the love of God!¡±


    She suddenly stood and turned towards Ciara with tears flowing down her cheeks.


    ¡°Stop chasing and rejecting each other damn it!¡±

 Chapter 125: Ciara Alician 2

    She sat on the floor, laid her arms down on the ground. Vie¡¯s eyes pointed at Ciara, she clenched her fists and sat on the ground as well. The wind caressed their hair, the sunlight illuminated them as they kept their silence. Ciara clenches the flowers near her hands and sat cross-legged.


    ¡°You knew didn¡¯t you?¡± Vie asked. ¡°That there would be a possibility?¡±


    ¡°Not at all, if I knew that we would part and take his life here. I would have stopped him.¡±


    ¡°You lie, Ciara. Those eyes, I knew what you came for, and you still brought him here? Why?¡±


    ¡°His eyes were new. He doesn¡¯t remember anything. I suspected something, do you know what that is?¡±


    Vie shook her head. Ciara bit her lip.


    ¡°I was with him for months. I never had such bliss. I thought this was it. However, he had skills that someone like him should not possess. When he fixed Mia¡¯s packset, I started being suspicious, and when he modified the automobile and talked as if he knew how aircraft are made. I started to think that maybe he was experiencing the same as well. Maybe, he was chasing after me, and we were finally at the end of this goose chase.¡±


    ¡°You know, I had been incredibly favored and even though he was nice to me. It was all courteousness brought by the fact that I was still a Ciara, but not that Ciara that he truly loved. Incredulous, and utterly repugnant of mating with the woman who might be or might not be the love of his life. Can you believe it? Such monstrous sense of loyalty to a woman, that even his other selves can¡¯t help but fall in love with me. How can you not love someone after seeing many incarnations of him suffering for the sake of the woman who barely loved him because of a sense of duty that was greater than the love she felt? I¡¯ve gathered incarnations that have heartbreaks from the same man. How can a man be so stubborn when he has at least the looks to make a girl swoon for him? He¡¯s tall, his back is huge, and the way he looks with that chiseled face of his...how can he not get a better girl than someone who keeps rejecting him? Vie, please let me understand, why can¡¯t he go away.¡±


    Vie looked at the ground. The grasses swayed as the wind blows behind her.


    ¡°But I don¡¯t want him to go away?¡± Ciara said to herself. ¡°What if he finds a girl and I am left alone? Ah, that can¡¯t be, that can¡¯t possibly be, he only loves me, and anyone who tries to sway him away, is clearly just going make use of him and make use of him as a toy, another pawn to sacrifice? I can¡¯t allow anyone to do that! If he¡¯s too obsessed, then all I need to do is force him under me, and if that woman¡¯s face is all he cares for, then I¡¯ll steal that woman¡¯s face and make it mine!¡±


    ¡°But I can¡¯t do that to him!¡± Ciara said to herself. ¡°That would break his heart! I should be happy that he is happy! That¡¯s how love is!¡±


    ¡°You fool!¡± Ciara shouted. ¡°Then how can we be happy? What if that woman isn¡¯t strong enough? No, we cannot allow a fragile woman to be with him, then the only thing we need to do is become that woman. That¡¯s the only solution to this conundrum!¡±


    Ciara stared blankly at the sky while holding her hands near her chest. Her eyes were distant and she fell her hands on both sides as she stood without movement


    ¡°Ciara?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry...I¡¯ve been suppressing these thoughts for a while now. It¡¯s hard to contain the thoughts and personality of a thousand voices speaking at once. My voice has been tempered, and yet it was quiet when we were together. I waited for years, and they were silent until he arrives. My heart colds when he¡¯s not around, and when he¡¯s around the voices of the incarnations gets a hold of me. Vie, I really want to murder you for this, but you are a good friend, the best that I can have. You care for him, and doesn¡¯t try to cuckold me like Audrey, or that Obsidian Woman who thinks she can have him because she was his blade!¡±


    Vie was stiff. She was like a statue wrapped in chains.


    ¡°If my guess is right then his souls should be transmigrated into another. Memory loss is either damage to the brain or he lost a part of himself. When I got all the incarnations within me, I was sure that the Nolan Salvatore that saved me from despair was different.¡±


    ¡°So you are saying that,¡± Vie said.


    ¡°This might be the kindle what I was looking for. Someone that might be able to stop this madness and this act of his was quite lovely. Though I fear that it wouldn¡¯t be enough. Vie, that Pale Shine Lady and the Burnt Woman, those vile women still exist and I fear that they might after us. They are shrewd, and not once I¡¯ve felt their presence around. Vie, I think this might be the last bout, and if I, who have become the strongest of all the incarnations of the War Maidens, then I fear that if I still can¡¯t reach him this time, then all is lost. Everything is coming together in pieces.¡±


    ¡°Vie, I like you, still,¡± Ciara chops at Vie¡¯s direction. ¡°I am still angry at you for breaking my tracking spell. You¡¯ll have it grown back anyway.¡±


    Vie¡¯s left arm slid down her side. She kneeled, held the wound on her left arm and took a deep breath, a milky green light slowly wrapped around the wound, the blood puddled on the grass. The sun illuminated the blood, and Ciara, who did the deed slowly walked to Vie and wrapped her arms around her.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Ciara said.


    Vie bit her lip and placed her other arm around Ciara as well, her lower jaw shaking. ¡°It¡¯s okay, my friend.¡±

 Chapter 126: The Four Liars

    ¡°Adey, let me tell you a story again,¡± Machina said. She leaned her arms on the table.


    ¡°Why?¡± Adey said.


    ¡°I just want to. Let me tell you a story about the Pale Shine Lady again.¡±


    ¡°Her again?¡± Adey touched his chin. ¡°I thought the lady ruling us is the Pale Shine Lady.¡±


    ¡°Adey, I think you are deaf, the Obsidian Heiress is using the name of the Pale Shine, to deceive the lady of Pale Shine, and make way for her to come by. Now, don¡¯t be confused, Adey. The Lady of the Pale Shine Pass and the Pale Shine Lady is entirely different, and our Boss, Tania of the Obsidian Flower isn¡¯t the True Pale Shine.¡±


    ¡°You are tricking me, Machina. Don¡¯t give that face when you do. It¡¯s useless.¡±


    ¡°Am I lying or am I not? You know, it¡¯s strange that the Boss Tania can topple down the time wraiths. I fought them you know? Strong, and utterly impossible to defeat unless you can match their plane of existence. Tania is abnormal, that is saying for sure but I know people who are dangerous than her.¡±


    ¡°That War Maiden?¡±


    Machina smiled. ¡°She¡¯s strong indeed. However, you know I heard she can kill any time wraiths with ease. Understandable, since she¡¯s what you call a Prime War Maiden, blessed by a War God, and blessed by the Incarnations that turns her into a being of power. However, can a brute swing truly contain any power strong enough to slash through the veils of time and space?¡±


    Machina shook the cup with her hand. ¡°Someone¡¯s a liar, and two liars and three liars?¡±


    ¡°I hate liars, and there are three liars in this world that I know off. Really, I thought I¡¯d take years to create a near-modern city, but Tania did it in the scope of five hundred years, and this War Maiden sure is tyrannical.¡±


    Adey grimaced like a demon who was wounded.


    ¡°Ciara Alician, the Perpetual War Maiden, The One Blessed by the Gods, Tamer of Wraiths, the Beacon of Pale Pass, Slayer of Overlords, Tamer of the Wastelands, and Conqueror of the Thirteen Seas, and the Cold Empress that kneeled nations.¡±


    ¡°She has other names you know?¡±


    ¡°The Slaughterer of Solace, the Blade that wetted Four Mountains with blood, the Crazed Empress of Steel, Slayer of Demons, Tyrant of Lucite, The White-Haired Craven, the Matriarch of the Family of Slayers, and the One that Bathed the Emperor of Tule with his own blood, and bleeder of The Ker Village. She has many names and in the five hundred years of her existence, she has kept the world under her thumb. Kings? Emperors? No matter what they do she¡¯d be the grand ruler and her neutrality is lie that no one dares to speak. Really, they call us the evil ones?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s subjective, in a sense that she was chosen to be like this. Besides, that woman never acted beyond what she can handle. She drew a thin red line she¡¯d never cross unless you gave her three reasons. The Duality Pact was about that, and so far we¡¯ve been having a good life that had made our life lovely. I shared what I know and they allowed us to live without being slaughtered by a woman who can slaughter an entire army of demons. The underground cities were lucky that they¡¯ve been kept. Still, if that woman comes here and sees all of this. Do you think she¡¯ll murder us?¡±


    ¡°Who knows?¡± Adey said. ¡°She¡¯s not unreasonable unless we take it too far. She¡¯s powerful, but not stupid enough to let go of an invisible city, and despite her power, our Boss can hold the ground.¡±


    ¡°I pity the Cascade Nation, they have to provoke a family taught in the doctrine of the old. These fools think they can just fight against a family who owns factories and businesses for years?¡±


    ¡°How long do you think they¡¯ll hold?¡± Adey asked.


    ¡°A month at best, and two days if the War Maiden enters the fray. Still, isn¡¯t it exciting, Adey? I once thought that the first bout would end but I cannot wait for it.¡±


    ¡°That half-dragon is moving?¡±


    ¡°Along with the four ancients. The War Maiden taught them a lesson but do you really think those old fools would not try to have a bit of vengeance? Adey, they¡¯ve lived on this planet before all of these things ever existed, and one of them sired a human that could be their messenger. Kaiser, the Half-Dragon bastard, and the guy who was a pain in the ass.¡±


    ¡°I have to ask this, you look so pained by his existence. I could never understand why. You speak leisurely of everyone except for this half-dragon. ¡±


    ¡°Well, he¡¯s an old friend and a bastard who never paid his debt.¡±


    Machina¡¯s gaze became distant and Adey didn¡¯t utter any word while Machina was acting up. Her demeanor was like a block of ice and it was impossible to communicate with her at times where she would act like this. In this world, Adey knew three liars that were a pain to his existence.


    These three liars are horrendously involved in lies and secrets.


    The first liar was a fool who could not stop rejecting.


    The second liar was sincerely maddened.


    The third liar was out of time.


    Adey didn¡¯t want to do anything with these fools who were a pain to him. Adey was a porter, and all he wanted was peace. However, even in his years of existence, it seems like trouble won¡¯t just go away.


    In an island far away from this underground city, there was a half-dragon itching to fight an Empire. While in a continent where an Empire lies, there¡¯s a War Maiden and her fanatical family gearing up to fight a set of islands that have declared war against a nation backed by four dragons, a half-blood, and a finally a monster that has lived since the dawn of time.


    ¡°That damn woman is going to start a war again!¡± Adey gritted his teeth.

 Chapter 127:

    He dreamt of a cemented city that stretches for miles. He dreamt of a small room with a table, television, personal computer, and a bathroom. He dreamt of a bed near the window, where he could watch the cars from a two-story building.


    He dreamt of a lofty job, staring at documents, and having enough money to travel a known world. He dreamt of a scene where he would meet a girl who was great to talk to. He dreamt of a having co-pilot in life that could understand him.


    Those dreams, however, became smoke when he found himself partly buried under the sand, reaching out to a slowly dimming sun. The dreams, the aspirations, and all that wanted were thrown away into nothing. He thought of what his family would do knowing that he just vanished. Would they cry for their son? Would they even remember the son who tried his best no matter how life seems to pull him down? Of course, it was a normal life that left no regret for the man.


    However, to be thrown into a world that he did not belong to was troublesome. He could recall the days where he tirelessly works to learn the language. The days where he lived a peaceful life of just working in a tavern with a good boss and a cheery co-worker. Those days were thrown away as well when the light faded, and he was thrown into the fray.


    He despaired at the thought of fighting. Yet, he saw a woman who showed determination against the desperate fight against the dark. Maybe, it was because of her eyes that he fell in love. Maybe, because he wanted to cheer for the woman who did her best to fight against the odds.


    No matter how bleak things are, she would not lose the fire on her eyes. That single-minded yet grim will to succeed had him fall in love with a madwoman with a death wish. So he strived himself in order to survive and watch her battles. She was his idol and along the way, he thought greedily that one day he¡¯d be with her. He tried, not because he was brave, simply, because he had nothing to lose by doing so. He was beaten, insulted, and treated like a freak who had a fetish for burnt women.


    He was treated like a soldier but when they have rest. He was all alone in his tent, sharpening, oiling, and making sure that his equipment doesn¡¯t break on him. The circle of friends that he had was long gone by the time he realized it. They come and go and he found himself walking alongside men who he doesn¡¯t recognize.


    He dreamt of standing on the same stage as her. He dreamt of being free from the bonds of normalcy and held hopes for power. However, all he had was love for her, and that love managed to reach her stubborn heart after so many years. Still, in just a few years, he loses her, and he was traveling under a banner of the bleak, with his heart torn to pieces. His heart was steeled as he joins the push against the darkness.


    He was able to reach the end of the world and helped saved the world. He was truly happy when he saw the light of the world. He was glad that the things he fought for were worth something in the end.


    So imagine his despair at the thought of finding himself in a loop. At first, he found himself fighting again, again, and again. He got stronger, and he got good. However, he could still not reach her despite all of his efforts. He once believed that limits were to be surpassed. But he was merely a greater pawn that was lost from the wheels of time.


    He had been betrayed. He had been killed by the woman he loved in these loops. He was stubbornly hoping that there would be a loop where he would be able to make her run away from her duties. But what did he get instead? Just pain, heartbreak, and his beliefs disillusioned as time passes. Even a greater pawn can be someone when he repeats the same scenario. He coped by making time for himself and doing lonely soliloquies. He stopped counting how many times has it been and worked as a puppet of a puppeteer. He was a blade pummeled by a crude hammer. He was to be bent in order to realize his foolishness that a sword made from normal materials cannot become a legendary blade that splits the heavens or save the world.


    He was made from crude iron, he was melted, and improved, but in the end, his base was that of crude iron. No matter how he told himself that he had become better, he could never escape what he truly was. Still, he fought no matter how many times he awakes in the same world, buried under two-feet of sand. He tried his best and when he did find a way to make the woman he loved reach a new peak of existence. His brittle heart finally broke into many parts. He wandered around and thought of choosing a different part, still hoping that maybe he can reach her.


    But when the time wraiths finally found him, and when he realized how heavy his limbs were, and how rusted his heart has become, he let go and let himself be fragmented, hoping, that the fragments would return to kindle hope inside of him. That these fragments would forge his heart for the better.


    ¡°Suicide?¡± He said blankly while staring at the mirror of his bathroom. He saw his reflection cry two streaks of blood and a faint light glimmered for a second. The cry of the hawk was heard for a moment before it died out. The water from the faucet continued pouring down the basin.


    ¡°I see. I give up then,¡± he said truly. The steel inside his heart shattered. ¡°No more, I have enough fighting, and it looks like there was just no way. Let me live this human life normally. You already used me as a battery for years. Leave me alone already.¡±


    He wiped the blood on his cheeks. He pulled his tie and went out of his apartment. He looked at the cavern ceiling, slapped both of his cheeks, and went down a flight of stairs and went to work.


    Chapter 127: [ _ _ _ _ _ _ A l v a _ _ _ _]

 Chapter 128: Far Normalcy

    His office was on the second floor of the building. It sits near the water dam. He shared an office with a co-worker who was employed a month before he started working. He pulled on his tie and sat on the swivel chair. He placed his coat on the back of the chair. He leaned on the desk, sorting out the files that were placed on his file cabinet.


    ¡°Alva?¡± His co-worker entered the room. She wore a pleated skirt, she has braided black hair that reached up to her shoulder and a pair of glasses. Her eyes were of orange hue, and her skin was pale. She was lithe and voluptuous. Her white dress shirt tightened as she sits, her shoulder squeezing her above average to shape.


    ¡°Catherine,¡± Alva said. ¡°Still wearing that tight shirt?¡±


    ¡°I like it this way, besides, you really like asking about it.¡±


    ¡°You are early as usual,¡± she taps her fingers on the table. ¡°One day, I will be as early as you. Still, I guess I don¡¯t mind you sporting that dress shirt that way, wrapped you cuffs up your shoulders. Are you one of those regenerative type who gets their muscle quickly after being fed?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Also, can we turn off the radio?¡± Alva said. ¡°I hate politics.¡±


    ¡°Not me. I just love listening to the news. Not that I will ever partake on it. Hence, I work inside an office rather than being a Porter.¡±


    ¡°You do realize that we are still affiliated to the porters?¡±


    ¡°Inside and outside is different, ah, there¡¯s a nice pub near the Oval street, want to come? You look like a proper man instead of the skeleton wonder you were a month ago! Look, you even have the biceps and the height desirable by any demonic women here! Aren¡¯t you okay now?¡±


    ¡°Catherine,¡± he said with a tiny smile. ¡°Do you remember the person who made fun of me for most of the month? That was you, wasn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°It was friendly banter, and honestly you looked like utter shit, mate. Besides, I didn¡¯t see you giving a single shit when I called you that. You fish-eyed freak just stared at me, started working, and I think it was only a week ago that you started recovering your social abilities. Mr. Silent Workaholic.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, ah, I may be bold, but pray to tell, why are you still unmarried in this day and age? You are an aged demon, you aren¡¯t getting younger, and who knows when that beauty of yours would go away.¡±


    ¡°Do you want to have a brawl?¡± She said.


    ¡°Gee, calm your tits, woman, I ain¡¯t holding back, and we are still working.¡±


    ¡°Wow, I actually prefer the silent brooding man you were, to think you would turn into a cunt, what a shame.¡±


    ¡°Sure, also, turn the radio off?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± she said blandly. ¡°I want to hear what¡¯s happening to Cascade now. Ah, do you know anything about the world? It might confuse you, you know?¡±


    ¡°I know a bit, I don¡¯t care though.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± She asked. ¡°That woman will start a war against the Cascade Nation and it¡¯s going to be a showdown that would only happen once in a human¡¯s lifespan.¡±


    ¡°Everyone must think,¡± Alva thought. ¡°I don¡¯t want to, not because I don¡¯t find it interesting, it would mean that I have to think about the woman who¡¯s fighting a damn nation. I don¡¯t have to worry about her. Just let go, Alva, and just let go, let her go already, you already tried your best and who can say that you didn¡¯t try? There are things you can¡¯t control, and things that you can, and these things are one of those that you cannot control.¡±


    ¡°Your stomach aching? Ah, you must really hate politics huh. Man, you really look like you were brooding. Shit, don¡¯t go dead-eyed on me, makes me uneasy that you can do that.¡±


    ¡°Were you a soldier once, Catherine?¡±


    ¡°I was. I fought. I won. I lost. I gave up. You should know the feeling, and no matter how many times you lie. Can¡¯t fool these eyes, you fucking lying cunt. Fine, I¡¯ll turn the radio off, not talk about politics unless I want to. How about that?¡±


    ¡°That would be good,¡± Alva said.


    ¡°Tsk, just because I want to be nice for once.¡±


    ¡°Sure, ah, can you pass me the document, yeah, that one in your right.¡±


    ¡°Ah, Porter¡¯s expenses going uphill again? Oh, want to go to the pub later?¡±


    ¡°Sure, ah, I¡¯ll be buying the drinks, ah, we didn¡¯t invite Ron a while ago? I think he wanted to drink with us, he must be lonely down there, playing the documents, and writing ink everywhere. Seriously, he¡¯s one of those types that does not tire easily.¡±


    ¡°Leave the man alone, he¡¯s a workaholic, and you should know that he¡¯s been here managing the affairs of this company, and really, do you really think that a small office company like this could be part of the porters if it weren¡¯t for Ron?¡±


    The two continued such idle talk until the clock that was on the wall reached six. Catherine stopped first, she took out a piece, placed it on her lips. She rubbed her fingers and tried snapping it, only for the piece to be thrown. Alva wore his coat and kept the files inside the cabinet. Catherine followed him out, the two went out of the office, they stretched their arms, took a look at the cavern ceiling surrounded by the fogs, and idled for a while before sauntering towards where the bike was.


    ¡°Cool, you got the same bike as Adey?¡±


    ¡°It is the same bike, I think he bought a newer one.¡±


    He mounted the bike and revved it up. Catherine took a seat as well, pulling a piece and placing it on her mouth.


    ¡°Try to keep it steady, mate.¡±


    ¡°Or you know, don¡¯t smoke while I drive, and are you genuinely retarded?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s rude, speaking like that to a girl, well, whatever, ah, can you fucking not turn like that?¡±

 Chapter 129: Duty Above Else

    The smoke formed a natural mist around the room. The clink of mugs and glasses could be heard. In the seat behind the bar, near the window, two were sitting, inhaling smoke, and drinking on large mugs. He was eating a slice of roasted boar meat with his other hand while drinking the mug as well. His eyes stared blankly at space.


    ¡°You stare too much, mate.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know, well, well, this is a good pub, I got to give it to you.¡±


    ¡°Who knew that a small amount of time can turn someone like this? Really, are you really Alva?¡±


    ¡°I ask that myself,¡± he sipped on his ale. ¡°I¡¯d spent years inside that battery that I couldn¡¯t even remember. I became fragmented and somehow I am starting to lose myself. Catherine, how many names do you have?¡±


    ¡°About two or three now,¡± she said, dragging the mug on the table. ¡°Been walking this earth, lost friends, lost a loved one, and never looked back. So I assume that you have many names as well?¡±


    ¡°I have. They say that the name your parents gave you, is the most precious thing they gave. I still have my true name, though at the moment? How can I say my name when I don¡¯t remember my mother¡¯s hair? Hey, do you remember your mother?¡±


    ¡°A bit,¡± Alva leaned his cheek on his right hand. ¡°Mum was chubby, she had a soothing smile, her eyebrows were thin, I think. I remember her mostly because of thick hair that she usually ties into a ponytail. She was emotional, would cry, and was always concerned for her son.¡±


    ¡°And you don¡¯t remember her?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t remember her face. Like pieces were missing in the puzzle, can¡¯t remember much other than that. What about you, man?¡±


    ¡°Ma had the sweet scent of bread around her. Back, she was helping out in this bakery along with Pa. I don¡¯t remember Ma¡¯s features, only her hand and the way she just lovingly caresses my head.¡± She breathes in mildly. ¡°Oh man, thinking about Ma stirs me, you know?¡±


    ¡°Well, your parents are precious after all. I...did you ever thought of seeing them again?¡±


    ¡°They are not alive,¡± she said straightly. ¡°I saw them go down, you know? Had to leave and somehow able to settle down here. Quite a long time, and now I like to think of them as a precious box of memories.¡±


    ¡°I see. I missed Mum, she was the pat on the back that I needed. If it weren¡¯t for her teaching me things that I wouldn¡¯t be here.¡±


    She dragged a mug towards him, the ale inside stirring, staining the table.


    ¡°No matter how good you look now,¡± she raised her chin. ¡°You still look like a brokenhearted girl. You know, I see you brooding, trying hard not to think about someone? We are old here, and I know you lived long enough to care about normalcy. We do the opposite of excitement, and we make ourselves act like this. Do you know that long-lived ones usually lost their composure or become dead inside that death seems better than letting them act like that.¡±


    ¡°Not really, I am not that brokenhearted.¡±


    ¡°Ah, you are, I mean, if you aren¡¯t then you wouldn¡¯t be drinking inside a pub with a demonic woman.¡±


    ¡°So what that makes you?¡±


    ¡°A drunk?¡±


    ¡°Sure, so, why do you think that I am brokenhearted?¡±


    ¡°Women can sense these things, Mr. Skeleton.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? So what gave it away?¡±


    ¡°The fact that you don¡¯t even bother having a fling with anyone or someone. Half of the men that I know are trying to get inside the pants of anyone. Ah, do you swing the other way?¡±


    ¡°Not really, though is it really obvious?¡±


    ¡°It is! You seem like the type to do things in order to escape reality. So, want to talk about that aching heart of yours, mate?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Oh come on,¡± she put both hands on the table. ¡°Not like I would give a shit about it later.¡±


    ¡°Cruel, but fair.¡± He said, taking another sip of his ale. ¡°I¡¯ve been chasing after this woman for years, and in the end, after all the trouble that I went for her, all the suffering, pain, and all of that I decided to let go.¡±


    ¡°Is she alive? I believe you¡¯ve been sleeping for five hundred years. Ah, did you find out she¡¯s with others? Forgot about you? Ah, I can understand the feeling.¡±


    ¡°No, she loves me more than ever.¡±


    ¡°Do you want a punch? You are heartbroken because of that?¡±


    ¡°Yup, I¡¯m a bastard that spent years chasing after the same woman, and yet the moment I saw how she loved me so hard, I felt incredulous, like how you wanted it for so long and when you finally attained it. It didn¡¯t give me any euphoric feeling. I felt bland and ambivalent.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re bragging. So, you are saying that you got heartbroken because of this? Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Shallow as it may be, and how stupid do you think it is. Seeing her have a huge family, be happy about it, and still think she wants me despite what she had made, made me incredulous. She¡¯s a great woman, but really, she can never truly leave the one thing she loves more than anything.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Duty, she hails duty more than anything, she preferred duty over me so many times, and seeing her act dutiful, despite not seeing me for years broke me. I¡¯ve enough of it, and I understand that no matter what I do. She won¡¯t run away with me.¡±


    Duty above else.


    The stay in that town was supposed to be memorable. Still, she worked on documents and treated him naturally as someone she will have by her side. When push comes to shove she would abandon him over duty. He had seen enough to state of it as a fact. She had done so in many timelines and even in this timeline, she still did it unknowingly.


    ¡°She never saw me as important as her duties. I¡¯ve been lying to myself that maybe one day, she¡¯d see me as her first priority. I know now that is just a dream. I¡¯ve enough of trying.¡±


    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s run away!¡±


    That¡¯s what all he wanted to hear.


    He had seen enough repeats to know that she won¡¯t ever say that.

 Chapter 130: The Disillusioned One

    ¡°So let me get this straight,¡± she finished her drink, her cheeks reddened, and her eyes cloudy. ¡°So you spent many years chasing after a woman, got betrayed, and managed to hook up with her, but then realized that she loves duty more than anything? Wow, you are an idiot, my friend.¡±


    ¡°I am.¡±


    ¡°Though I say,¡± she wipes her mouth. ¡°Even if you did think that she loves duty more than you, shouldn¡¯t it more natural if you are with her, and not here in this underground city? Sure, she might love duty, but isn¡¯t being together with your lover better than not being together at all.¡±


    ¡°I understand that sentiment. I did exactly that. Still, you¡¯ll break when you hear your beloved say that she wants to kill your stillborn child so she can do her duty.¡±


    ¡°Ouch,¡± she hung her mouth. ¡°That¡¯s...painful. You accepted that?¡±


    ¡°I told her to run away with me. Do you know what she did? She squared me right in the jaw, cried about it, and said that her duty mattered over our child. I understand that if she didn¡¯t let go. She would have not fared better. Still, her saying that she¡¯s doing it because others made a sacrifice broke some parts inside of me that I can¡¯t stand. All the insults, betrayal, and all the pain that I suffered with her. She saw our child as an obstacle to her duty. I still loved her, and yet a part of me wants to let go. That part won and now I¡¯m here instead of with her.¡±


    ¡°I will not understand, but I do feel what you are going. I don¡¯t understand that much since my lover understood me well. We didn¡¯t have to worry about duty and all of that since we saw each other in the eye and we talked it out. Once, I thought he¡¯d die in some unknown part of the world, and yet he died because he died suddenly. I expected some tragic death or a surprise but he just died like that. I missed him, but that¡¯s that. But your case, did you look her in the eye? Did you try to gauge her into truly choosing you over something?¡±


    ¡°I did. I truly did. Still, she¡¯s a stubborn and determined woman, I felled for her because of that look in her eyes.¡±


    ¡°And here you are.¡±


    ¡°And here I am.¡±


    ¡°You love her but you are here. So let me ask you, Alva. Are you willing to let go of your precious someone? Just because you have loved too much and now that love bears you enough weight to get away?¡±


    ¡°I do. I just want to let go of her.¡±


    ¡°I see. Then another question, if you see her again, and she says that she wants to run away with you and let go of it all? Are you willing to run away with her?¡±


    Alva didn¡¯t answer. He stared blankly at his half-empty mug.


    ¡°That¡¯s a hard question,¡± Alva said. ¡°I don¡¯t I can answer that unless I get that option.¡±


    ¡°I guess so. Still, I am surprised that you tell me all of this. Why?¡±


    ¡°I just want to and that I can excuse it as being drunk.¡±


    ¡°Even if it turns me off?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really care? I am just a drunk man.¡±


    ¡°That you are,¡± she said. ¡°You really are a pain in the ass when you are talkative. Can you go back to your brooding self? I want that guy back.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t blame me, man. Man, I wish you were that sultry co-worker but now you are this nagging friend.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I like myself, what can I say?¡±


    Alva smiled and laid his left cheek on the table. He thought about the repeats that he had done. They were painful but equally precious as well. He thought that he could not answer for he was lost as well in his own mind.


    ¡°Where is my mind?¡±


    ¡°In the gutters?¡±


    ¡°I wish,¡± Alva said. ¡°This pub is great, not that I bothered knowing the name of this pub.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Pixies,¡± she said. ¡°The owner is a Pixie, though she¡¯s in her office. The bartender is Danton, and I know him from the past. You could say that we¡¯d be patrons of this pub for a long time. Well, that is if the war doesn¡¯t fuck us over.¡±


    ¡°I thought this place won¡¯t meddle?¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t meddle. But things are complicated, and even if we do disagree with the current war. We will be involved, and there are many folks here that hate the War Maiden.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Alva said. ¡°Are you one of them?¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t care less. There are factions that hate her. I mean she¡¯s the Slayer of Demons, and she has a record of genocide everywhere. She¡¯s worship as a demi-goddess in the human world but here? She¡¯s the boogeyman that we demon-kin fear. It would be far weirder if she¡¯s well-liked.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Alva bit his lip unknowingly.


    ¡°So you are meeting up with the Boss Lady, huh. She really prefers to call you rather than Old Ron now. Got in her good graces?¡±


    ¡°You can say that,¡± Alva held his forehead. ¡°Want to drink some?¡±


    ¡°I ain¡¯t paying anymore.¡±


    ¡°Share the bill then?¡±


    ¡°I will.¡±


    ¡°Alva,¡± she said. ¡°I have one more question before we continue this uncaring night. What kind of monster are you anyway? I know that you are a half, but what type of monster are you really? You smell different and yet you are like mixture.¡±


    ¡°Well...I don¡¯t know if I can still call myself human. Hmm, maybe I should classify myself as a ¡®Monster without a name¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Picking a name that sounds cool doesn¡¯t make you cool, friend.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, okay? I don¡¯t even know if I could live long enough to call myself a monster.¡±


    ¡°Is that one of your reasons as well?¡±


    ¡°I was used as a battery for a long time. So yes, I want to live for myself instead of chasing after someone. Really, I am tired, and if I don¡¯t want to spend the bits of my time in peace.¡±


    ¡°And you want to spend these bits of time getting drunk with your co-worker?¡±


    ¡°Hey, it is a change of pace.¡±


    Catherine smirked and took a sip of her beer.¡±


    ¡°Good move on your part, mate.¡±

 Chapter 131: Revenge Comes Strange

    The next day, he went to the Leader of the Underground Cities. He wended his way through hallways and appeared before the Heiress of the Obsidian Flower.


    ¡°You are looking well,¡± Tania said. ¡°I see that you¡¯re recovered, even for a bit.¡±


    ¡°Milady,¡± Alva said. ¡±May I ask why I was called here?¡±


    ¡°Cut the lies, Salvatore,¡± she said. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be called yours if I didn¡¯t know you well. You smell like a time wraith, so I have to assume that you already know what I¡¯m talking about.¡±


    ¡°I do. What I am surprised about is why you would let me live. I expected you to throw me away or have me sealed inside a blade. Like what I did to you.¡±


    ¡°I want to. That would mean you¡¯d be mine instead of me is yours. Not that you¡¯d want that do you? You wouldn¡¯t be hiding inside my city if it wasn¡¯t for the fact that you have grown tired of chasing after that calloused woman.¡±


    ¡°I just want to left alone.¡±


    ¡°That may be so. Still, do you really think that she won¡¯t find you inside my city? Hah, as if that woman wouldn¡¯t want you by side, and make you hope for a good family. Oh, don¡¯t give me that look, Mr. Man without a Name. I spent as many days as your weapon, and I know you better than she knows you. Really, what were you expecting, chasing after such a woman? That¡¯s right, you want to emulate a family you will never have, and yet you were thrown into things that do not suit you.¡±


    ¡°Your point is?¡± Alva asked.


    ¡°You can¡¯t escape her. You will never will. Alas, she will find a way to make you whole. She¡¯s so blessed to the point of unfairness. Even the war that they think would put any war to shame would be nothing with her. She¡¯s the strongest war maiden that this world to offer and there would be no equal to her. I believe that this is your fault and at the time isn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°So, can you really throw it all?¡± Tania said. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a choice, not just any choice, but a choice that will be up to you.¡±


    Alva stood with his arms folded. His eyes locked with her.


    ¡°You can run away from all of this and I will make sure that you cannot be traced by her. You can live the rest of your days in peace.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie anymore, I know that you have reached the end. That left hand of yours.¡±


    Alva eyed his wrinkled left arm. He grabbed it.


    ¡°Your withering, Nolan Salvatore. Your time is short and you are no longer perpetual. Really, you lost the stigma of the bleak walkers, the curse has been dissolved, and now you are just a dying human. So let me have this revenge, Nolan Salvatore. For the crime of imprisoning me, and making use of me like a blade, chasing after a woman who never saw you as equal as her duties. I hereby sentence you to be exiled in the Island of Basing. You shall live the rest of your human life in that town as punishment. You shall not be found there.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Alva nodded. His eyes dim, and his fist clenched. ¡°I shall not resist or defend myself.¡±


    ¡°You have no objections then.¡± She threw a folded containing documents. ¡°That shall be your papers. This is an excuse, however, I have many reasons to throw you away to that island. I cannot abandon my people now. I¡¯ve done the best of my abilities to keep them safe and this timeline suites me well. I wish to die in this timeline and not repeat it. Nolan Salvatore, you are a curse to me, and your existence has brought me pain, suffering, and love. Why fate you brought to me must be because of this. I know that you are suffering, and finally, you can have the death you seek. That¡¯s why I must throw you away before I fall for my capturer once again. I hope that you understand.¡±


    ¡°I do. In fact, this pleases me. It is only logical to do this. Still, I shall not resent you for this, I won¡¯t lash out for I know your reasons, I do admit that I feel the anguish that the moment I have settled in. I have to move away and start all over again.¡±


    His eyes were drooping, and there was a weary smile.


    ¡°It is only for the good for the people that rely on me. If this was years earlier I would have come with you. Still, five hundred years¡¯ worth of pondering can be long, and now I want to have nothing to do with you. You pained me and I am simply paying you back.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Alva said. ¡°Hah, man, why didn¡¯t I fall in love with you first? At least you say it straight rather than being subtle about it.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t speak like that.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know. Really, why does God hate me that much? I wonder if I was a sinner once. Nah, that can¡¯t be possible, I am just some self-destructive idiot after all. Well, I guess I¡¯d live the last of my life then.¡±


    ¡°I hate you. Don¡¯t think that I¡¯d give you a pity now.¡±


    ¡°Nah, that¡¯s fine, that¡¯s right, we were enemies, but now we are no longer anything. It was displeasure, Tania of the Obsidian Flower. I hope that you find your own happiness. And if it is anything worth at all, I apologize for making you my blade. You were my guiding light when it was dark and your nagging was a source of joy when I was injured. So goodbye, my old friend.¡±


    ¡°You are unpleasant. Leave my city, and bring only the clothes in your back. All of your items shall be confiscated as compensation. You will be transported immediately to the island. Live well, Nolan Salvatore.¡±


    ¡°You as well, my former blade.¡±


    Tania zipped her lips and turned away. Alva, no, Nolan Salvatore walked out of the building with his left hand bleeding and lip dyed in the color of red. His eyes bloodshot, and cheeks wet along with a smile as if he was laughing at everything.

 Chapter 132: Old Dogs Wander Off to Die

    He stood near a newspaper stand. He carried nothing but the bag he brought with him. His other items and even his motorcycle were taken from him. His left hand was slightly red. His eyes were a bit of bloodshot. However, he was seeing the world with a view from the above.


    Death.


    He knew when his left hand started aging that his time was near. He hid it from Ciara and covered it with obsidian flesh. He was going to be thrown away into an island for exiles. He didn¡¯t hate but he was a bit distressed by losing everything he earned for the past month.


    The denizens of the city were passing by. The train was speedily following the rails. The rails shook as he walked underneath the struts of the elevated train track. He carried a roll of newspaper and a pen. He wended his way to an artificial park. He saw a chair and sat down. He unrolled the newspaper and checked the personal columns. The papers described the affairs of the Cascade Nation and the Alician Family. He ignored most of that and stared at the personal columns again. He read one part:


    ¡°I¡¯m tired of my life pushing papers. It doesn¡¯t suit me at all so I intend to quit. I want to get away from this place. So if you want to get away and need someone to come with you. I don¡¯t mind. If you like drinking and wants to work it then we can have a boorish contract. The offer stands only today. I change my mind easily.¡±


    Alva looked at the clock that was displayed in the middle of the artificial park. It was only nine and the person was waiting until four. Alva though that he could jest this person. Not that he had anything to lose other than a few of the pocket money that he won¡¯t need in the Island of Basing.


    He stood up from his seat and made his way through the winding streets. He took the strange small trains and rode one until he was in the place where the stranger wanted to meet. It was a place where there was no soul to be found. It was dim and the only light source was the street lamp near a bench. He sat and leaned on the bench while staring blankly at the ceiling. He raised his left hand and looked at his left arm.


    ¡°Aging, huh,¡± he thought. ¡°It has been a while since I¡¯d see my skin like this. Really, it took me many years to reach this point in time. I don¡¯t even remember most of the timelines and are just a passing memory. I¡¯d probably go crazy if I remember it all. Well, at least I don¡¯t have to be depressed. Who wants to live forever anyway? Besides, am I even my own self? It¡¯s all drifting, and all I could do is asked; where is my mind?¡±


    ¡°I expected this,¡± Alva said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± a voice said. Alva turned around and saw the familiar curve of her face.


    ¡°Catherine.¡±


    ¡°Alva,¡± she palmed her forehead. ¡°You are my mystery man? Seriously, and I was happy about it.¡±


    ¡°Well, sorry to disappoint you.¡±


    She plodded to the bench and sat down.


    ¡°So, where are you escaping?¡±


    ¡°The Island of Basing, I got exiled.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t look sad.¡±


    ¡°I ain¡¯t. Do you get mad when it rains as well?¡±


    ¡°No. I get what you mean.¡±


    She whipped out a piece and lit.


    ¡°I thought you wanted that office life?¡±


    ¡°I spent a month already. I hate papers now.¡±


    ¡°No wonder you were excited about drinking rather than working.¡±


    ¡°So you want to escape?¡±


    ¡°I want to. Too bad my mystery man was my co-worker.¡±


    ¡°Sorry for being me.¡±


    ¡°I mean you¡¯re probably going to die. I live long you know? That arm of yours looks aged, and do I really want someone that looks good.¡±


    ¡°I age like fine wine though?¡±


    ¡°How would you know that?¡±


    ¡°I just know. I mean look at this arm, it might a bit wrinkled, but it sure as hell don¡¯t look like a withered branch.¡±


    ¡°Wow, you really are selling yourself hard.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know.¡±


    ¡°Probably going to use me as a replacement for that lover of yours. That¡¯s kind of an asshole move you know?¡±


    ¡°I know, I know. Honestly, I just want someone to be with me until the day I die. Someone to talk, and all of that. Besides, you were planning to run away in the first place as well. You wouldn¡¯t be putting that up if you weren¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be honest with you, Alva. I¡¯m just a demon looking for a place to settle down before my flame runs out. I don¡¯t expect anyone to actually reply to that stupid ad. And it has to be you of all people.¡±


    ¡°I know. This is dialing from 1 to 10. But we make foolish choices all the time, you know? I¡¯m old and tired and I want to rest. Well, not that anyone would want someone like me. I spend most of my years chasing after an unhealthy relationship. She didn¡¯t see me as equal. I hate it really. I just want to run away and run away and run away. I am so sick of fighting and chasing.¡±


    He slumped into the bench. He leaned forward, placed his head in his hands and sobbed. Massive body-shaking sobs racked his body, each coming in a wave, and, with every sob, he let out a low whimper. Catherine looked at her and wrapped her arms around him.


    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll take care of a crybaby like you. Good heavens, why do I have to spend the last of my flames with you? Oh well, I hope you can continue to drink with me until the end. Let us make this a contract. I will be with you until death do us part. So...what do you say?¡±


    ¡°I will as well.¡±


    There was no affection here yet. It was just two old dogs accompanying each other until they meet the maiden called Death. This was simply a pact of death. Two old dogs met each other and wandered off together. It was as simple as that.


    Epilogue of Nolan Salvatore...?

 Chapter 133: Gael Jag

    It all took a u-turn that became hell for the region that was his home. He saw the great vehicles that could glide through the air enter the airspace of the island. It was a spheroid-shaped aircraft that covered the sky. He was holding on to his rifle when he saw. He didn¡¯t understand but the banner became clear. Two hundred airships came to show its might against the Cascadian Nation. He lived in a minor island surrounded by wall-like mountains, and although they were separated to the other islands by a mile long natural bridge.


    He saw the airships dropped off the heirs of the War Maiden. He had heard of the people that call themselves Alician and their Matriarch that was known to be the demigod that once saved the continent. Loved by many, she was a Goddess of Victory for the Empire and he knew that the Alician entering the War meant they were in a dire state.


    ¡°I can¡¯t panic,¡± he thought. ¡°I need to make sure to run back!¡±


    So he went into a sprint as he heard the gunfire thundering. He smelled the gunfire and with his rifle in hand, he wended his way to the outpost he was guarding. He readied his bolt-action rifle, lowered his posture to make himself as a small target as possible. He skulked around the gunfire and cocked his rifle and fired.


    The exchange of muzzle flashes had made him confused. He aimed, did what he practiced on the drills, and open fire at the enemy. The Alician forces were well-trained. They had a strange aura around them as they fight vigorously without being cocky or too careful. They were suppressing them from the front while the rest were making their way to their flanks.


    He worried that they would be overwhelmed. He didn¡¯t falter knowing that this was the enemy. They had provoked the private army of monster slayers into fighting a war they never cared about. Not to mention that they have allied with the Half-Dragon named Kaiser. Messenger, and Ambassador of the Four Ancient Dragons that existed before the dawn of time.


    He knew that the Island Nation had made a mistake when they provoked the Empire of Old. It wasn¡¯t long when they came to the island of Cascade in peace. However, when the Emperor of the Empire wanted more than he could swallow. They were involved and not wanting to lose their identity as a nation and as a people. They turned their sights to the Empire, looked them right in the eye, and said no their dreams of making them part of a stretched thin Empire.


    He continued fighting. He aimed and fire until he saw the ¡®Magicians¡¯ of the Alician fire a smokescreen that allowed the entry of the Alician Forces into the outpost. It was a large outpost and even though it was no fort. They didn¡¯t dare to go easy on an outpost. The doctrine of the Alician forces resembled that of the Bleak Walkers. When they go into battle they intend to expect everything to happen.


    ¡°Wise Men shall not have his peace of mind disturbed, expect everything,¡± he recalled.


    Their effectiveness of battle and their air superiority had proven to be the demise of the outpost. They announced for the outpost to surrender, but the Cascadian Soldiers didn¡¯t want to show weakness. They retreated, and he followed his comrades as the Alician Forces slaughtered the retreating men. They had given them three chances to surrender and with them spitting on the faces of the Alician Forces. They were not spared any mercy.


    He sprinted across the jungles. Bullets ricocheted all over the place and he heard the death throes of his comrades as he pushes forward deeper into the jungle. He heard the galloping of a horse and when he leaps down a steep hill. He saw a young soldier¡¯s head turned into pulp. His horse ran towards the direction where he was standing. He mounted a horse, and rode past the familiar trail, evading enemy pursuit, and managing to reach out of the mountain walls.


    He saw the sea and galloped his way towards the beach. He planned to reach a boat and escape to the other islands. He arrived near the wharves when suddenly a missile spell hit the wharf; lighting it in a fire. The soldiers stationed panicked and as they rush to their boats to escape. They heard the Alician Forces forcing them to surrender.


    He wanted to surrender to spare the civilians inside. But the pride of the Cascadians was not quelled, they didn¡¯t bother to reply, and their silence was received as a refusal for surrender. The Alician Forces swept the boats with their long range spells. The magic of old has been slowly been written off from the world. The Alicians, who were supported by Magic held the overwhelming advantage to the point of unfairness.


    The boat got shot and he saw the people inside the boat drown or get shot. He tried to swim but alas the waves had knocked him down. When he awoke from his slumber, he saw a steamship anchored, and when he was spotted a couple pulled him aboard, and decided to look after him.


    The man who took care of him had a graying black hair, his eyes were jet-black, and he had a pale complexion. The one he was with was bewitching, her black hair was braided, and although she wore a coat, her lithe figure could not be hidden. The two took him into the infirmary. The man whose left arm was wrinkled helped in treating his wounds.


    He did not remember much after that. He only knew that he awoke and found himself on the rails of the ship, he was looking at the islands not far from where the steamship anchored.


    ¡°Thank you, Sir,¡± he said.


    ¡°No need, war ain¡¯t pretty, as always,¡± the man said.


    ¡°Are you from the Empire, Sir?¡±


    ¡°What if I say yes?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, Sir. But you saved me, and it seems this ship is heading to Basing?¡±


    ¡°You know it?¡±


    ¡°The Island of Exiles.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯ve no clue what the Island is. But, it¡¯s where I¡¯m heading to.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s far from my island. Neutral waters isolated from every nation there is. It¡¯s a quaint island, Sir. Are you retiring?¡±


    ¡°I am. I want to rest and my partner wanted time away from all of these,¡± he pointed at the island drowned in terror. ¡°I¡¯ve enough of fighting in this lifetime.¡±


    ¡°Good for you, Sir. I wish that you have a good retirement.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going back aren¡¯t you, soldier?¡±


    ¡°I am, Sir. I¡¯ve to go back and protect my own nation.¡±


    ¡°I understand that. This is no mockery but the chance of your nation standing up to Alician is nil. But if you want to struggle, and fight until the bitter end, then I won¡¯t stop you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, sir,¡± he said. ¡°You look like a soldier yourself, Sir.¡±


    ¡°Well, I was, not anymore, I don¡¯t want to fight for a while.¡±


    ¡°Sir, do you think I could make a difference?¡±


    ¡°Who knows?¡± He shook his head. ¡°You¡¯re fighting against a professional army lead by a War Maiden who has a record of defeating the impossible. Her army is also the ones that keep the monsters at bay, and their doctrines make them discipline, and if anything, you are fighting against a family that had its family murdered.¡±


    ¡°They aren¡¯t the only one who lost things.¡±


    ¡°Maybe,¡± he leaned on the boat¡¯s railing. ¡°But they were monster hunters that are now fighting as an angry family that lost a part of their family. They won¡¯t stop until they bring your nation to heel and either you die or surrender. I won¡¯t say pity or that I am sorry about your nation. Everything is only as it is. Still, you can fight until the end. But, you¡¯re still young lad, and to waste your life for this nonsense. But it is your life to waste.¡±


    ¡°I know that.¡±


    ¡°Good. Still, I should give you something. Give me your left arm.¡±


    He extended his right hand towards the strange. The stranger¡¯s trigger finger grew red.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you the runic tattoo.¡±


    ¡°What for?¡±


    ¡°Well, it is a credo of mine. Everything is only as it is and only a fool would be angry about the things he should have expected. I don¡¯t live it that much now, but it helped me in my dire times and the runic tattoo should have a calming effect.¡±


    ¡°A calming effect?¡±


    ¡°It forces you to view the world from above. See how things really are and how little we are in this damn world.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Do you truly?¡± he smirked. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re fighting for or for what purpose you had to die for your country. But if that is your wish then so be it. But if there is a time then stop, think, and asked your own damn self if that is what you stubbornly want. I¡¯m a stubborn man who held a belief in something so firm that in the end, it broke me. I¡¯m here because of that stubbornness. So don¡¯t lose your way, lad, and good luck.¡±


    He nodded his head and went to the boat that he took.


    ¡°What¡¯s your name, lad?¡±


    ¡°I am Gael, Gael Jag¡±


    ¡°I see. Good luck, Gael Jag, may your War be swift and remember death, for you might meet him if you don¡¯t stick to the shadows.¡±


    And so Gael Jag left the steamship to face the unwinnable enemy. The figure of the stranger with a wrinkled left arm slowly vanishing from his sight. He looked at his arm tattooed with runic symbols. He thought of the words of a stranger who seems to have seen a lot.


    The Desolation of Gael Jag - Arc Prologue...

 Chapter 134: The Family that Breaks Monsters

    Gael Jag wanted to visit his friends. However, he realized that the town he had lived for long was subdued by the Alician Forces. He felt anger inside him, boiling, and hot enough to melt his heart. However, the runic tattoo engraved to him calmed him down. He took the high ground and looked at his town from above. The citizens were unharmed, but he noticed cages that imprisoned his allies. The small walls were undamaged and only the fields of fruits were broken up into twigs, branches, and leaves that scattered the dirt road leading to the town.


    "Calm down," he said to himself. "Everything is only as it is, if I lash out now, and get angry, would that help me? Is this situation within my control? No, it isn''t, and I shouldn''t be angry."


    The runic tattoo''s soothing effect had calmed him down. The words that were left on his arm had managed his emotions. He took another look and saw that there was no need to angry for. The Alician Forces were not so unreasonable to take down enemy forces that have already surrendered. As long as they do not rest then the Alician Forces weren''t going to hurt him.


    "I hope they don''t," he said to himself. "I don''t want them to be slaughtered."


    He thought back to the memories of his comrades being shot down by the Alician. He barely got out of alive and he was only here because he was able to escape and reached a steamship that anchored.


    "I need to move,¡± he thought. There were movements around the orchards and he thought about the words of the strange man in that steamship. The Alician forces should not be underestimated, he thought.


    ***


    He had relocated to a part of the forest where he could stay undetected. He created a shelter by digging underground and creating a chamber where he does his scheming. The chamber he made was made of dug earth. The ceiling was supported by logs and branches weaved to hold the earth up. He also made a stove that has a chimney that redirects the smoke to a location where it won¡¯t create a zigzag line of smoke.


    He had made a bed from twines and the cloth that he recovered while scouring around the area. There was a hearth near the bed and he had made a table from the fallen logs scattered around the area. He had also created a brazier made from clay that he gathered around the area. The ventilation from the small tunnel he made allowed him to light the brazier without worrying about being detected by the Alician Forces patrolling the vicinity. Sometimes he used earthenware bowls with a wick draped in the oil sticking up on one side to light the hideout he made for himself.


    For food and water, the forest was all he needed. He could get water from the nearby waterfall that flows down naturally to the town. He could get food from the berries and the games around the forest. Ever since then he had been fed enough to carefully watch the movements of the Alician Forces.


    The Alician Forces were thorough and there were times where he was almost caught just because of the droppings of blood that he left around the trail he was hiking. They were also making use of their patrols to survey the area constantly, planting defenses, and traps that can be activated through a single snap of a magician¡¯s fingers. They also deployed half-trucks around the perimeter that has crank-operated Gatling gun attached to it. The Alician Forces also deployed artillery around the center of the town and their test firing created a loud noise that drove all the birds on the trees around that time. Their scouts were also measuring the landscape and there around five gun emplacements around the outskirts of the town. Not to mention that the flying machines of the Alician Forces kept a huge shadow around the town.


    Gael Jag saw how his little town turned into a fortress within a few weeks. He had thought that he would be able to do something to them that would allow him to neutralize some of them. But every force had been moving in a group of five and when they march their movements were conditioned to keep their head low and their body ready to roll away the moment they detect any attack.


    Gael Jag felt a tinge of despair as he watches the Alician Forces that have come to invade his nation. He thought of the words of the strange man with a wrinkled left arm in that ship. He thought it was foolish for them to fight the Alician. And seeing all of this made him believe his words.


    ¡°How do I fight a thorough enemy that has equipment, training, and firepower that could even break monsters?¡± he asked while dazedly looking down from a hill inside a thick foliage.


    If he had been foolish then his life would have been nothing but a whimper. He thought that he could do something but yet looking at the situation he felt his mind turned heavy as a stone, and the thoughts of being able to win were crushed by the reality that had seen for the past few weeks.


    The Alician Forces were ready and they didn¡¯t go to war in a whim. They were armed and ready to fight the Ancients of the past that could match the War Maiden. Gael Jag couldn¡¯t help but curse the person who thought awakening the sleeping monsters were a good idea. The Empire Forces were around as well and the Alician forces acting as an additional reinforces was nothing but a death sentence to those who still dare defy them.


    They had shown great mercy. They had shown overwhelming firepower and strength. They had shown that the Slayers of Monsters that has adapted the Bleak Walker¡¯s Doctrine was not the kind of foes that you would anger. Gael Jag felt all the dreams and delusions he had was broken.


    ¡°Is this within my control?¡± He asked.

 Chapter 135: The Undefeated War Maiden

    She didn¡¯t need guardians as she approaches a mountain covered in barbican walls and watchtowers. None of their cannons, guards, and arrows could pierce through the veil of a War Maiden that had gathered all the aspects of her incarnation throughout all histories, whether past, present or future.


    Her light held no warmth and as if there was a giant boulder of ice that was slowly rolling, delivering the coldness of the north to the mountain covered in walls. She stood not far while ignoring the rains of arrows and explosions. In an age where Swords and Axes have long become irrelevant in favor of Guns and Artillery. Ciara Alician, the War Maiden favored her blade of light.


    She held two blades of lights that she held truly dear


    The blade of Salvatore ¨C her guiding light that has been used to slay monsters and the likes.


    Her other blade named after her self. The blade of Alician ¨C the blade that cuts down the enemies without leaving evil behind. It cuts right through the physical and if needed, it will slice through the immaterial as well.


    And so she stood where those that protect the mountain could see her.


    Their eyes glowed slightly as they saw the War Maiden fabled by the legends to around her. What stood in front of them was the legendary slayer of the darkness, and a demi-goddess treated by many nations.


    Her ashen hair fluttered along with the win, her golden-red eyes had hues, and her pale skin made her glow. Her ashen hair had a milky light as she stands under the sun. She was clad in armor, each part of her armor had runic writings, and these parts were sucking the energy around the air. Her standing under the sun has her produced a heat haze that made her look like a mirage of an old dream.


    Every pair of eyes were focused on the War Maiden that has come to take revenge for her fallen family. She was a fair maiden with a beauty that could make Empires fall and nations crumble within days. Yet, her aura was that of a volcano in a mountain of ice.


    The soldiers above the mountain could tear their eyes away from this maiden.


    Was it fear?


    Or was it awe?


    Their hearts couldn¡¯t stop palpitating as they witness her presence on a battlefield. She did not need anything other than her self. They¡¯ve known the legends and now they are seeing it in front of them. She shone brightly more than any than the flashes of light that they have seen over the horizon.


    ¡°I do not seek death. However, those who do not surrender will be cut down. You all have your pride and love for your country. I know this pride and love as well. However, fighting against me would be meaningless drivel. Think of your loved ones before you fight. Are you truly satisfied giving your life for measly pride? I don¡¯t see those who surrender as cowards. They want to live to fight for something. I do not dare to say that your pride and love for your nation as useless. I admire it. Nonetheless, I come here seeking your surrender. You¡¯ve rained arrows and cannons upon me. I have every right to slaughter you all until none of you are left.¡±


    Her words echoed around the mountains. Every soldier in the vicinity heard her. They started to think to themselves if they really should surrender. Their soul was shaken by the kind yet brutal words of the war maiden. However, a shout was heard in front of the gates, a booming shout that of a lion.


    ¡°We shall not surrender!¡±


    The man whose hair whitened and eyes that of an untamed predator stood on the barbican walls. He stared at the war maiden with his chin up, eyes looking down at the war maiden.


    ¡°I admire that you came us to speak such words! But we will not surrender! We know what we were up the moment we came here. And there is the only thing we would say when faced with death! Bring it! We shall defend this castle and our weapons! We shall not lay our arms down! Call it pride! Call it stupidity! We were ordered to defend this castle and we shall do it until our last breath!¡±


    The words of the man-made those who hunched straighten their backs. Some soldiers wiped the tears on their eyes, they tightened their jaws and clenched their rifles with an iron grip. Some soldiers started breathing rapidly, and some of them were closing their eyes.


    Ciara Alician closed her eyes and smiled. She opened her eyes, smiled, and stared back at the man who spoke those words.


    ¡°I don¡¯t dislike courage. I admit it. However, do not blame me for back in my days. We don¡¯t leave anyone alive. I asked all of you to surrender. I asked that you consider those who you would leave behind. I shall give you a chance of mercy, those who want to live shall head to the western barbican of your walls. I¡¯ve given you all enough time. Words are now useless and when words are withdrawn...there can only be violence!¡±


    Her face warped into madness. The volcano that was wrapped under a mountain of ice erupted.


    She brandished her sword. Every element wrapped itself around her sword and the light and the darkness mixed in her sword as well. With a flicker of her sword, the mountain fortress was sliced into two. The man who stood in front of the wall didn¡¯t even notice the line of blood that split him in half. He stared blankly as the two mountains behind the fortress crumbled into two as well.


    Slowly, the mountain became an open book. The surrounding area was covered in a flash of light first, and then darkness came as the world slowly lights up.


    With a single flicker of her sword.


    The Undefeated War Maiden broke the back of the Cascadian Nation.

 Chapter 136: The Wolf Howls

    Gael Jag heard the fall of the mountains from the words that the enemies spoke. He heard how their War Maiden sliced three mountains and destroyed the mountain fortresses that houses the ammunition and supplies for all of the outposts on this island. Gael Jag couldn¡¯t help but check it for himself. He traveled down the river branches of the island and arrived near where a plateau that can act as a vantage point was located. He clambered up the cliffs and scaled up the ceiling-like a lizard. He climbed up, took a look at the north of his position, and saw the mountains that were like a flat open book.


    ¡°Impossible,¡± he said. ¡°How can we fight someone who can do this?¡±


    The mountain was cleaved cleanly. The once boisterous fortress mountain has become a fortress where the wind could enter freely. The banner that once flew proudly on top of the barbican walls were burned. The once heavily guarded walls were emptied and in front of the fortress was a mass graveyard that was like a field of small trees.


    Gael Jag¡¯s mind trembled. He unwittingly descended and found himself walking to where the graveyard was. It was dusty and the smell of gravel wafted in the air. He stood listlessly as he watches the graveyard. His only companion was the stray gust of wind, and the gliding leaves that flew to the place he was standing.


    ¡°How do we fight a monster that even our bullets could not reach? A monster that has stood over this world for years? Protect it, defending it, and fending off the darkness? Are we the wrong one here? Hey, Gods, are we the one here that deserves to be punished for what we did to her children? Is that it? Is the life of a few not enough of a compensation?¡±


    No words of the divine answered. The man who wanted to help his country was not heard. This was simply the compensation of angering the War Maiden that has stayed too long in this world. However, she was favored and her reign continues as long as she continues to guardian over the bleak parts of humanity. She was the Judicator and her role stays perpetual even if new War Maidens come.


    Gael Jag would never know. He was simply a variable that was loosened from the cogs. He may ask the wordless wind and none shall answer him for he had nothing. The Gods only favors the bold and Gael Jag has shown that was nobody. He only watched and observed and all of his resolves have stayed unmoving.


    Gael Jag could not be blamed for faltering. He had seen what the Alician¡¯s can do and their War Maiden was a monster that should not stand in the level of humans. She was a dragon on human skin and only a few in this world could dare face the War Maiden who defeated darkness thought to be impossible to defeat.


    Gael Jag felt like there was nothing left here. He was about to walk away when he heard the flapping of fabric. He turned to where the sound was and found the other half of the banner of his country. He took it and with hands bleeding. He vowed to the wind that wouldn¡¯t answer him.


    ¡°I swear. I swear it! I swear to repay this favor! I swear by the name of Gael Jag! If I am a sheep right now then hear me! I will be the wolf that hunts and drives the predator out of my country!¡±


    The Cascade Nation had a black flag. In that flag was a wolf staring at the moon. Legends say that once upon a time the founders of his nation saw a lone wolf howling at the moon. At that time they saw a Pale Lady who was shining. She was slowly floating up, and the wolf, who was staring at that Pale Lady that Shone, followed. It didn¡¯t matter if it was land or sea. The wolf followed the Pale Lady, and those who saw the wolf followed as well.


    Following the wolf, they discovered the many islands of the Cascadian Nation. However, when they discovered the last of the islands, the lone wolf disappeared from everyone¡¯s sight.


    ¡°I will follow this bleak path until the end!¡±


    He vowed.


    Suddenly, the area around him seems to dim. Gael Jag bolted away from his anger and felt the soothing effect of the tattoo on his left arm. No, that tattoo held him, and in front of him, there was a shadowy figure that rose from the ground. Covered in black smoke, has a skull-like face, and yet has eyes that seem to contain many sigils.


    ¡°And so another one howls!¡± The figure said coldly. ¡°The War Maiden of the Bleak, the Poisoned Thorn, there are only few who walks the bleak path. And after many years another one howls! Another one that is consumed to a path so bleak that it would lead to his heart, breaking!¡±


    The figure eyed the runic tattoo. The figure¡¯s eyes shone with a red streak of light.


    ¡°And he has once again has given the path to a pup. No, are you a sheep? Ah, you won¡¯t be a sheep for too long, ah, you shall be the one that roams the pasture that you call an island. You shall be the one that hunts the sheep that follows their shepherd of a maiden. That¡¯s why I grant the eyes of a wolf. For you shall be the wolf that hunts the sheep.¡±


    The runic tattoo grossly transformed into that of a wolf¡¯s fur. Gael Jag could feel burning pain in his eyes, he kneeled on both knees, grabbed hold of his head and shouted, and as his eyes were marked with the sigil of the Shadowed Wolf. The figure was slowly erased, his bone-like jaw cackling as he stares at Gael Jag.


    Now hunt, my Shadowed Wolf.


    Hunt down the Sheep, and follow your bleak path.

 Chapter 137: The Marionette’s Worn Strings

    Ciara sat silently in her chair. Mia stood by her side, her eyes closed, her hands on front, her head lowered as she speaks:


    ¡°We¡¯ve confirmed that there are burrows here on the island of Vintia. Cimaco was hit hard by the feral and their cities are now burning due to the raids done by the High Draconian war band.


    ¡°They¡¯ve captured beetle-like mounts and is planning to attack the county of Thetle. Guan Guo, Alvania, Abrania, and Burdia has fallen into the hands of the enemy. They are gathering their forces on the natural bridge that connects Thetle and Cimaco.


    ¡°The Thetle forces have been subdued, grandmother. Tusk-hand, Vin-Ian, and Los-Came have fallen already. The Governor of Szentia has been trying to negotiate with the Hatvorszag state to accept our conditions.¡±


    ¡°What about Nucia and the other four states?¡± she asked.


    ¡°They are still stubborn and I doubt they would be moved by any reason, grandmother. You broke the backs of the Cascade supply line and only a few a can match us in fair combat. Lamp, Ritonu, Ohmasa, and Nishikai has been stubborn but each node they call forts and outposts has been slowly being taken by us with minimal effort and casualties. If only they would surrender.¡±


    ¡°The Island Nation of Cascade has always been a nation of warriors of pride. They¡¯ve never heard of fear and their love for their country is at the level of fanaticism. We break their backs. We break their legs and their arms. They won¡¯t surrender so easily just with that. To thoroughly break them, we must become the monster that they would come at their doorsteps.


    We weren¡¯t solely for the deaths of our family. We are here because of the monster burrows has been appearing and the signs that this may lead to another time where the sun is eaten by the darkness. As the War Maiden, I must put my duty over my desire. I can wield an extreme amount of power because I entertain the Gods before me. If I defy them I would still retain the power that I have, but I would not be able to wield both the light and darkness. Ah, you do know why the six elemental heroes have stopped appearing right?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Mia said. ¡°The heavens saw it fit that instead of leaving it at the hands of juveniles, they gave you the power instead.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, so they lent me the powers of the six elemental heroes. However, I can only manifest the four elements if I¡¯m acting following my desires. If I want to use the power of the six elemental and manifest the powers. Then I have to follow the wills of destiny and subdue my enemies for the good of this world.


    Do you know that is a frightening thing, Mia? That the divine judges that I judge as a right. I am the judicator that they¡¯ve granted and those who deny my words are evil itself. I am using the pretext of destroying the burrows to avenge our family. I¡¯ve no desire to being used as a tool for the current Emperor. Speaking of that foolish Emperor, has he been dealt with?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve sent Sister Nia to deal with the Emperor,¡± Mia said. ¡°All the outspoken lobbyists has been dealt with. After our conquest of this island nation, the imperialist dreams of that Emperor shall be ended. If anyone dares to act then they shall be dealt with without any nuisance.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Ciara nodded in approval. ¡°Remember, power is a fragile glass cannon, and arrogance is its greatest weakness. I¡¯ve not raised this family to be arrogant and those who dare to underestimate the enemy are disciplined. Tell me, when you grow up, were you not given happiness as a child?¡±


    ¡°I could not ask for any better family, Grandmother. You raised us with the doctrine of seeing things first before judging and knowing that everything is only as it is. You disciplined us harshly but your love was not less or we had any dissatisfaction knowing that what you did are for the best of us. You¡¯ve guided the family for five hundred years and not once did we found your teachings and lessons as upsetting.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad that you understand,¡± Ciara said. ¡°Now leave me, I want to be left alone for a while.¡±


    ¡°I will,¡± she turned, and then stopped, looking back at Ciara. ¡°Grandmother, the other forces have been deployed, and we don¡¯t know what will happen to the Lands of the Exiles if we continue with the bombardment. The flying machines are ready and is it really alright to release those monsters?¡±


    ¡°They are cosmic monsters, and if we continue to let them breed, then I doubt we could save the islands near that burrow. I trust that our forces are stationed, and if we could not stop those monsters, then I only hope that we defeat the suborn lizards that are too ignorant of the ways of the new world.¡±


    ¡°Grandmother, are you going to be alright?¡± Mia said with eyes wrapped in worry. ¡°The enemy numbers even more than the things you¡¯ve encountered. If you decide to act then wouldn¡¯t it be better if you take us along with you?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± She said with eyes looking far away. ¡°I¡¯ve been fighting for this world and has fought things that many would not understand. An enemy is something I only need to kill, and another burrow is just another place that I need to destroy. Worry not, I shall not lose nor forget about my duties. Besides, it is the job of a War Maiden to trek the darkness and protect it. That is the reason for my existence¡­¡±


    ¡°For duty is all I have,¡± she said under her breath.


    Mia left the room, leaving only Ciara. Her eyes were empty and she was a marionette with worn strings. She did not blink. She stared emptily while looking at the vast seas. Her lifeless eyes reflecting the glint in the water.

 Chapter 138: The Tower of Flesh

    It was a tower made of flesh fibers. The spiral tower came from the bottom of the ocean and has reached the clouds. Flesh fibers that were intertwined into coupled ropes were dragging corpses from a nearby landmass. These long ropes were taking all living flesh inside the spheroid shape mouth located at the base of the tower where they were deposited.


    The tiled roofs were destroyed and the road which was paved with concrete was torn apart.


    On the street were slimy, grotesque, and plastic-like creatures, they have teeth on their bodies, their limbs were also covered in scales. The sides of the streets had intestines, livers, and human organs splattered on the walls. In the houses were pools of blood, and there were machetes, muskets, and rifles torn to shreds, the butt of the rifle was near a man whose face was stripped, torn by something.


    On the roofs were broken nails. There were remnants of stripped flesh on the gutters of the street. There was a sound of gunfire in every corner of this particular town. There were screams and death throes that would echo around the chaotic town. The whip-like sound that the tower does as it unleashes its myriads of tangible limbs could be heard over and over again.


    The sunlight bounced off the ground. The heat haze made it seem like the roads were being heated. There was clanging of metal and on the far eastern part of this town; was a large fire that encompassed a whole district. Soldiers, who were surrounded by oblong-head creatures with plastic-like scales, were stabbed and eviscerated as time passes. They were killed off one by one. A soldier fought well, pouncing on the walls, avoiding the whip-like limbs that were chasing him. He got hit right in the cheek, the whip-limb digging through his chest cavity, his heart stabbed, and popped out of his chest. The soldier went limp, he was smashed on the concrete, and his body became a brush that was used to paint the color of blood on the floor. Smokes rose from everywhere, shouts of men and women continued amongst the hubbub of gunfire and explosion. Wet squishy sound, the smell of blood, and burnt flesh permeated the air, wafting into the noses of the people who are running around.


    A woman tried to run out of the town, her skin was caught by worm-like creatures covered in fin-shaped bones, the woman, who was trying to run away, had her skin torn, her left boob bitten, and the rest of her torso chewed, as she was dragged to the hole where the creature appeared. The outskirts of the town became a breeding ground of worms that would chew on human skin with ease. Those who could barely be called human were still stripped of their fur and hide, their flesh melted in acid before being completely devoured by these worms.


    Waist-size creatures with beak-like heads ran amok the tight corners of the town. They carried bone knives as they hunt, catch, and scalp their enemies. Shadowy figures shaped like humanoids ran across the roof, a man, who looks like he was on his forties were fighting these shadows, blocking their attacks, parrying, and countering as he could. He sprinted along the roofs, avoiding the whip-like limbs, narrowly dodging them by using the windows, the doors, and any obstacles that might hinder the tangible limbs. He carried a rifle with a drum magazine, attached to the butt was a makeshift club he has been using to defend himself on close range. The man was wounded, his breathing ragged, his eyes however burned with the rage of fire.


    He swathed a shadowy figure. His right arm, being gashed at a result. His hands were tinted red, his wounds deep, and his back covered in scratches and fragments from the creatures that he fought.


    He decorated a shadowy figure with holes. He wended his way along the alleys, skulked through enemies, fought until his rifle ran dry out of ammunition. He chucked the rifle away, went to a shop, pulled a machete, and cauterized his wounds with the coals he found lying near the grills. He was covered in burns, his eyes, however, did not shook, and he did not squeal or utter any painful cries.


    He continued plodding, stealthily passing through enemies, and taking down anything that he could. From below and above, to corners and from covers. The man did not utter any word other than:


    ¡°Do not lie down; do not sleep; hold on to your body. Do not think; do not put your mind on anything or anyone.¡±


    He continued until he reaches a barbican made of flesh. A figure made of bones and sinews of flesh stood, his bony hand holding on to the neck of the remains. She was missing her limbs, her breasts, and what was left was her spine, neck, and head. Her eyes were scooped out, her tongue missing, and ears removed. The woman¡¯s head was still wet with tears. The creature holding on to it shook the head as if it was a bell.


    The man did not react. He only moved forward and faced the enemy.


    ¡°Foolish.¡±


    The man¡¯s leg was hit by the whip. It was bent in an unnatural direction. The whip-like limbs returned, this time, the arms of the man on his forties were twisted like a rope. He was flat on his chest. He crawled using his torso, not muttering any cry of pain, just staring at the creature who was able to put him down.


    ¡°What can a limbless man do but flail? Ah, you really can¡¯t bring old warriors down so easily.¡±


    Another spear-like limb pinned the man right on the floor. He vomited a mouthful of blood, he took a rest for a second, before tearing his body out of being pinned, not minding his tearing flesh. The creature guffawed, arched its back and pointed at the clown who was crawling at him.


    ¡°Come on now, clown, can¡¯t you do better than that? I expected great things, and yet...you disappoint me truly.¡±


    The tree limbs that came from the barbican made of flesh lifted the man. His helpless body thrown inside the creature that the bony being stood on. The being threw the head of that woman inside. His candlelight eyes flickering coldly.

 Chapter 139: Old Wraith Curses

    So you are back at the precipice?


    I am.


    What are your plans next?


    I give up. What can I do in this situation?


    Fight again. No matter what you do, the world isn¡¯t going to cater to you. You are an unimportant person that was drag into the affairs of a cruel world. Are you special because you were trained by good men? Or that you were thrown a bone?


    Not at all. I am just an old man who wanted a rest. Really, why do they keep getting in my way? We were happy enough to just rest until death takes us. Look at me, trapped in a tower of flesh for whatever reason the enemy wants me. Say, did I do anything wrong?


    No, you didn¡¯t. It is simply how things are. Did you even try to fight back against the waves?


    I went with the flow.


    That¡¯s the problem! You went with the flow! You are a ship being whipped by the waves! Have you tried fighting against the impossible?


    I did. Still, I¡¯m an old man. Do you think that I can do things that I could do?


    What are you saying? You are in your prime. You are the nameless soldier of fortune that was lucky enough to survive many tours in hell.


    Tell me, what are you afraid for?


    That¡¯s the problem. This heart of mine¡¯s barely moving. I think that what I am going through is nothing more than rain. I don¡¯t get angry about rain or think badly about the things happening around me. Somewhere along the line, my sense of acceptance has been skewed. I isolate the horribleness of what I experienced by talking to my damn self.


    Then why aren¡¯t you fighting back?


    For what reason other than that there is just no need to? Why do I have to fight against things that I have no control over? Look at the scale of things the enemy and how absurd things have become. I enjoyed my life fishing and this was supposed to be the end of my journey. But I am not given a tinge of rest. Old dogs should find a good place to die. Not like this. And you know what will happen to me.


    I know. It won¡¯t be pretty but with the things, you have experienced. Can you even say that they will move your heart? Or will you laugh it off just like I did? When you have nowhere to go; madness seems like a great place to be isn¡¯t it?


    For you? Maybe. Are you here to mock me, o Spectator? I¡¯ve already thrown away my allegiance. I do not need anything other than accepting what my fate would be from now on. Look at me, I am about to die after fighting so hard. Isn¡¯t this the warrior¡¯s end that I desired? So if you have anything then just let me go.


    No, I am here to save you.


    Save me? From what? The world? The bony bastard? Go away, I do not need your pity.


    Pity? You misunderstand, I merely want to pass the rest of my essence into an idiot who fought us. I mean, it is partly your fault for making me do this to you. Think of this as punishment for the fool who thought he could do better.


    So another punishment? Why not just end me then?


    Do you think that sweet release is possible?


    ...


    Don¡¯t be silent, clown. You know it too well where you should point your blades at. You know where the root of your problem is, and even if you wither away, you know what will happen to you. Do you think that you are doing something differently? You are repeating the same tiresome mistake, old man. You will need this, and I believe that only you can pull it. After all, in such repeats, you didn¡¯t even once point it at the root. When did you know the source of the problem? Ah, you were so eager to pretend that you instead ended up allowing yourself to forget things that you shouldn¡¯t have forgotten. Tell me, why do you lie so much, old man? Or do you like this masochism brought by your self-destructive urges? When did you break? When did you lose your mind in hopes that you won¡¯t have to point your sword at the root of the cause? You know it, and you fought us knowing it. Still, to throw your allegiance away, did you expect that the last of us wouldn¡¯t take this chance? I don¡¯t know what force drives you to repeat, yet, it only means that you can be our sole being, this isn¡¯t a reward, and this is the punishment that we have given you.


    You are cruel...all of you are.


    What¡¯s with the face, old man? You asked for this the moment you broke all the laws that govern. You and that person has been a pain and it would only be right for the two of you to be the key. Isn¡¯t it just funny how the only way to freedom was in front of you but you are too afraid to twist the key? I don¡¯t know why but it seems like we have a good chance this time. You¡¯ve flipped invisible switches has led you to this verse in time. I grant you the last of our essence. I grant you the freedom and the choice which would only lead to the right punishment for a stubborn flame that has permeated through time.


    You shall be the sword that has failed to end that person¡¯s life.


    You shall correct the world as it should be.


    By the end of this journey, you can bring your blade into your own heart.


    Whether you like it or not. The time for passiveness is long gone. You shall be put to the test and whether you twist the key open to reach the door of freedom.


    It is up to you, o my hated enemy.


    Will you twist the key or remain in this wheel of time?


    Chapter 139: Old Wraith Curses

 Chapter 140: Nobody to Nightmare

    The old man¡¯s right hand pierced through the fleshly walls of the tower. His right hand flickered, turning transparent, his skin shifting into a translucent form, as he claws his way out of the flesh.


    ¡°Looks like you are still full of surprise,¡± the Bone-face figure said.


    The man was on his forties yet his muscles were stern, stiff, and didn¡¯t look like a withering tree. His face was rugged, his beard dyed with the waste of the tower¡¯s flesh.


    ¡°What does an Ancient one have against this nobody?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Nobody?¡± He held his non-existent stomach. ¡°Is the man who reached the peak of my Walkers still saying that? You, who have fought the devils and walked farther than anyone could? You would still say that you are a nobody? Just a nobody that fought his way through all of it?¡±


    ¡°I am nobody,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ve never felt that I was a special or thought I was better than anyone. Still, why does a bony bastard like you still exist? Why are you still alive when you can¡¯t reach your lady?¡±


    He stood with his arms wide open. ¡°Tell me, at least I fucking tried fighting for what I want! What about you, huh? You are a bastard who can¡¯t even find his woman in this damn world! Do you even love your woman? Or this just pretense of what you want to do in this damnable world? You want to us like puppets to your string!? Is that what you want from us you ancient bastard!¡±


    ¡°It seems you got your bark back. So, are you going bit me now?¡± He said. ¡°Or are you just going to nag me about things that you cannot do as well? Look at you, acting so brave after getting some miracle again. So are you angry about what I did now?¡±


    ¡°Everything is only as it is. I cannot turn back the time or could say that I¡¯m sorry for how things went. But I can destroy the one responsible for the misery that happened here.¡±


    ¡°You? Destroy me? It seems you forgot your master here.¡±


    ¡°I serve no one but myself. You of all the people in this world should know that well. I don¡¯t know about you or what you truly want in this world. But I ask you this. Is this life you sustain the only life you have? Because this would be easy if it is, Ancient.¡±


    ¡°I think you went crazy.¡±


    Rope-like limbs burst out of the tower made of flesh. They became spears that instantly flew to the place where he was standing. He didn¡¯t move, his eyes barely moving as the limbs passed through his translucent body. The Ancient one pulled the limbs back with his bony finger.


    ¡°I see. It looks like someone gave in-¡±


    He couldn¡¯t finish his words when a fist broke the bones on his right cheek. He couldn¡¯t even move his own body as he was grabbed by the neck and hit right on the forehead.


    ¡°I always go for the kill when I fight. When you have enemies that are despairing. You¡¯d learn how to kill faster. I never enjoyed doing and I never will. Even though I want to kill you; I do not feel any hatred against you. What are your intentions?¡±


    ¡°Intentions?¡± The Ancient said. ¡°Do I need a reason to feed my existence?¡±


    ¡°You are no one, aren¡¯t you? Even the old revenant won¡¯t stoop so low to this kind of behavior. Ah, a fake?¡±


    ¡°Says the guy who had many names?¡±


    ¡°You got me on that, still,¡± he smiled wickedly. ¡°If you aren¡¯t the Revenant that kept me alive then this won¡¯t be ending well for you, friend. I¡¯ve enough of this and the time for passiveness is over. There is only war and you will be the first one that will die!¡±


    ¡°The Ancient One moved his bony hand. He arrived in front of the Ancient being, his fist landing straight on his jaw. The Ancient Being swipe his claws, he blocked and elbowed the Ancient right in the chest. The Ancient Being tried to keep his footing, however, a haymaker followed him.


    ¡°You-¡±


    The Ancient Being could not even speak as he pounced the Ancient Being. He pinned the Ancient Being on the ground, the being could only block as he was being attacked without stopping.


    ¡°What happen to you!¡±


    His body became translucent, his skin became ghostly and his fist would hit without fail. Every time he attacks his fist would phase through the physical body of the Ancient Being. He held the Ancient being with his right hand. His ghostly right arm holding the Ancient Being by the neck.


    ¡°They created a monster out of me. I never wanted to be one but I have no choice now. If I want to be free from this everlasting comedy. Then I have no choice but to act as I see fit. This is what you wanted from me from all the start!? You granted me hope only to drop me down the pits of despair! You gave me love but use it lure me into your bidding! Being used again and again by all of you sickens me! You, I don¡¯t know what you are fighting for or why you are here for. It doesn¡¯t matter now. Congratulations, you witnessed the birth of a hateful man that wants the sweet release of death. You are the witness to the man who truly has nothing to lose.¡±


    His smile was that of a devil. It was a helpless smile that showed no joy nor sadness. The other half of his face was that of a ghostly skull and the right side of his face remained that of flesh. The flesh side of this man started crying while his ghostly part broke the neck of the Ancient Being. His soul being fed to him. The thoughts and memories of the soul crushed and what it left was the essence that made his soul burn as if poured with gasoline.


    There were still enemies around the landscape. He could hear the flying machines flying up and saw their banner. His body became fully translucent, and slowly he became a ghost, the human flesh part of him covered in ghostly matter. His eyes looking far away while staring at the Banners of the Alician.

 Chapter 141:

    The smell of blood contaminated the air. The walls were dyed with red. The banners of the Alician were torn, and none of the souls that once fortified this outpost were breathing. A young man was holding a dagger stabbed into the liver of a person. The young man¡¯s eyes were cold. His eyes showed no hint of light. Behind him, where the blood that was brushed on the path he walked.


    The soldier of the Alician Family didn¡¯t falter. He stared at the young man¡¯s eyes without flinching. Fear? The soldier didn¡¯t have any of it as his heart stops beating. None of the soldiers that he fought have died screaming in pain. Almost as if there was nothing in this world that would make them fear.


    ¡°Ah,¡± he heard a hoarse voice. Gael Jag turned his attention to where the voice was. A ghostly figure waded his way through the course. The translucent color of his body flickering as he approaches Gael Jag.


    Gael Jag readied his blade. Still, even though he had lost his fear of slaughter as he has been killing. The ghostly man before him was an unknown he could not comprehend.


    ¡°Ah, a Bleak Walker that possessed the variable of the wolf?¡± The ghostly man said. ¡°I remember you, ah, not like that it matters isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°Just an Old Wraith and you are a new pup? Look at you, killing, slaughtering, and making sure that none of them are left. Ah, effective, but not that effective when it comes to these Alicians who have applied the doctrine of those who walk bleakly. You, this won¡¯t do. Killing them is going to alert them, and if you want to cut the throat of the Alician. You got to find the head and slash its throat.¡±


    Gael Jag shook. His eyes dilated. ¡°That¡¯s impossible, I¡¯m no Kaiser.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, it is impossible for a bleak walker to even dent a War Maiden who has reached the peak. You know, if your people don¡¯t attack, and grovel their heads, then this War would be over and the only thing left would be the fight. Though, prepare for an island to be wiped out. Those two monsters fighting would do this nation well.¡±


    ¡°So what? Are you here to stop them?¡±


    ¡°You could say that, Walker,¡± Old Wraith said. ¡°But this Old Wraith is merely trying to stop a certain war maiden. She¡¯s the sickness, and the disease that pains me dearly.¡±


    ¡°You despise the war maiden?¡±


    ¡°Despise? Far from it, no, there¡¯s no way that I could do that, no, it would be more like I simply wanted to end the story of two that have stayed too long. But you, you are trying to save a home that has been plagued by foreigners and invaders, I can tell that your desire is rich, and your delusions grandeur. Still, it is admirable for someone like you to kill so many, not knowing anything, still fighting for. You seem like a good lad and seeing you fall to this state. Is quite something...¡±


    ¡°What do you want from me?¡±


    ¡°A proposal, I will be your shadow, a guardian wraith to watch over your back. You see, I am rather spent, and if I could assist you until the day you face the monsters that plagued your land. I will gladly assist you in your coming days. You don¡¯t need my help, you have become a predator in a few days, but, if you truly want to save the land, then why not team up with this Old Wraith?¡±


    ¡°You are going to use me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I do not need to hide. And...It¡¯s not like you have a choice in this matter. You do realize that you walked into a trap?¡±


    Gael Jag didn¡¯t want to look back. He knew that he was tricked into coming here. These men showed no fear and they fought as if it didn¡¯t matter; they had a mission to accomplish. Gael Jag could feel his heart thumping loudly. The noise that he could hear was enough to put a stop to the unrelenting courage that he had. Fear that was lost crept in when the realization strikes. His senses were telling him that a group was coming to his location.


    ¡°Will you consume my soul?¡± He asked.


    The Old Wraith smiled. ¡°I don¡¯t do that. I can suck only the life force of others to use my power. I am only using you like a rope that I can use to pull myself out of a well.¡±


    ¡°To ask for cooperation while saying all these things. Do you think I will?¡± He asked.


    ¡°You will. After all, you¡¯re going to die if you don¡¯t, Walker.¡±


    Gael Jag frowned. He looked at the tree line and saw figures slowly approaching. He returned his gaze to the Old Wraith. His fist clenched, his face stiff.


    ¡°I will cooperate, but what will you do?¡±


    ¡°Help you kill them, is that what you want?¡±


    ¡°I, no, if your words are true, then I need to avoid them.¡±


    ¡°What for?¡± He said. ¡°You already killed many of them, why stop now?¡±


    ¡°And get killed?¡±


    ¡°Like I said,¡± Old Wraith¡¯s voice went cold. ¡°There¡¯s no need to fear!¡±


    The Old Wraith entered Gael Jag, his eyes burning red, his left part of his body transparent with smoking black. He didn¡¯t know how or when but by the time he got his consciousness back. He standing in the middle of a forest clearing with the Alician Forces swimming in their pool of blood. Their trucks were wiped out and the only thing left was a few who had their mind broken. They were screaming, their eyes unfocused as they destroy their throat just by shouting alone. It was as if they were stuck in a perpetual nightmare.


    The bodies were torn by something inhuman. Gael Jag hesitated, thinking, whether he made the right choice of accepting a Wraith inside his body.

 Chapter 142:

    The soldier knew that their victory was sure. The forces of the enemy were weak, they had little gear, and their war machines were not even at the same level as theirs. The Alician Family has ruled the air, and they had been rolling flat every enemy they can be found. He thought that the only thing to left forward to was the fight between the Half-Dragon, and the Undefeated War Maiden.


    The Soldier thought that they were good at were hardening their hearts at the face of overwhelming power. He didn¡¯t hate the enemy for it, though he¡¯d wished that they would surrender. It was a fairly quiet night, the wind was blowing from the east, and the soldiers of the Alician were on standby, ready to fight any moment¡¯s notice.


    So, how could he have predicted that the enemy would soon appear like a ghost hiding in the flames? The enemy was smoky black and translucent, his eyes hollow, and he seems to be flickering as he appears, disappears, and kills while he passes. The Alician engaged the enemy, they fired their bullets, spells, and even their anti-supernatural talismans. They were ready at anything that the world throws them. They were trained from birth on how to handle the strongest of the enemies. However, despite all of this, the enemy moved like Wolf cornered, his movements made no noise, his strikes were silent, and he was able to take down every single person in the camp one at a time.


    They weren¡¯t able to call reinforcements immediately, and when they did, the enemy had wiped out the outpost that they were holding. The enemy also made use of their gear, forcing them to fall back, and yet never being able to regroup. The way the enemy killed resembled that of a monster, his hands were agile, and his use of a short sword was effectively brutal.


    The Alicians know no fear, and yet the way the witness their friends eviscerated gruesomely had turned their hearts meek, their body shivers at the thought of fighting such enemy.


    The Soldier had been able to stay alive. The airships of the Alician Family were laying fire behind him, and he was suppressing the enemy who was using cover, and not once did this enemy was put into a dire situation. The enemy was using their guns skillfully, their deployed artillery was used to bring down their airships, their machine guns tearing every soldier a part.


    The bullets would pass through, and the way the enemy dashes towards them, bullets ricocheting, had allowed fear to creep inside the hearts of the men who were fighting without fear. No, the eyes of the Ghostly Wolf, which was empty, had the power to bring forth the greatest fear of them all, and even the Alicians could only shiver at the despair of a Wraith who had been through hell and back.


    He didn¡¯t want to run but he was ordered to do so. So he made his way through the landscape, making use of his training to skillfully navigate through the shrubs, bushes, and thick grasses. The enemy was chasing after him, he was looking from far, his eyes always on the Soldier¡¯s back. The Soldier didn¡¯t falter, his fist clenched, he continued traversing the landscape until he found himself on rows of hills. He eyed the horizon, the orange tint of the sun illuminating him.


    ¡°Dead end,¡± a hoarse voice said. ¡°Do not run, Soldier. Tell me, will you betray your Matriarch?¡±


    ¡°You had to make me say it?¡± The Soldier said. ¡°Of course I will not!¡±


    The Ghostly Wolf appeared before the soldier, his left hand lifting the soldier easily with his left. The soldier¡¯s legs flailed, his hands held the left arm of the Ghostly Wolf.


    ¡°What are you?¡± The Soldier asked.


    ¡°We have many names, and I like to call us Garm. Isn¡¯t that right wolf?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve no words to speak,¡± a different voice came out of the Ghostly Wolf.


    The Soldier was confused, at the same time he saw another face flicker beyond that smoky black translucent skull. The Soldier saw two faces, the face of a young man, and that of a gritty man in his forties.


    ¡°Then that¡¯s that, tell me, Soldier. I know that you have a lot of pride for your War Maiden, and you know that she has been undefeated ever since. So, tell me, where can I find your Matriarch, I don¡¯t¡¯ want the lies that you have spread, the truth, tell me, where is your Master?¡±


    ¡°Do you honestly think I¡¯ll tell you?¡±


    ¡°Ah, you have no faith in the War Maiden? Is that what you are saying?¡±


    The eyes of the soldier swirled as nightmares enter his heart. The hollow eyes gave him a feeling of dread unimaginable to him before. It was the feeling of having your heart broken for a thousand times.


    ¡°Tell me, do you think that Nameless can do anything to the War Maiden who fought the Time Wraiths?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Then have no fear, for I¡¯ve come here to die.¡±


    ¡°The Lady is at Tusk-hand, she will be attacking the rest of the Cascade, and you won¡¯t be able to reach with the rest of the Alicians by her side. She¡¯s planning to take on the last of this nation, and sooner or later, we will capture this island nation and destroy our enemies. You have no chance of even denting her, monster.¡±


    ¡°That will do, now, please rest, Soldier. You have fought hard, you lose, and now you can die.¡±


    The left arm of Garm phased inside the Soldier¡¯s neck, his fingers on the spine, he pulled his left arm backward. The neck of the Soldier broke, and his eyes rolled white. He limped down, his body unmoving, his drool along with his blood pouring out. The face of Garm flickered, his eyes showed no emotions, and yet the other faces they had expressed many.


    ¡°Are we going to attack the enemy now?¡±


    ¡°Are you dumb? No, we¡¯ll observe from the sidelines, I will scout, while you take your time to know the lay of the land.¡±

 Chapter 143:

    Did you ever think about doing something for him? A voice asked.


    ¡°I did, I want to repay him, for so much pain that I caused.¡±


    Fool me not, you evil woman. You know what you did. Did your heart break when you threw him down the depths of despair? Do you remember the days he pleaded, only to be rejected, and thrown away like a rag? No, don¡¯t give me that look, woman. Did you ever feel anything?


    ¡°I did, and that is no lie. I did feel his sincerity, but all those time I was merely a War Maiden made for battle. Hey, what do you when you are stuck in a choice between the person that had loved you the most and the world? The world didn¡¯t have any tinge of affection for me, I hated it, and I despised the world as it was.¡±


    You despise the world yet you saved it?


    ¡°It was my duty, to begin with, and I wanted to prove that well. All my incarnations did the same, their circumstances were different, and how things went is fundamentally something that we cannot replicate. Time is like an unchanging river in the middle of a storm. The stream would differentiate and many factors cause the stream to change, the river could be polluted, and clean as crystal. A boulder could block the stream, a rock can alter the course with ease. Some courses may be the same, and there may be things that the streams didn¡¯t have. Would you blame me for all the changes in the stream?¡±


    Do not fool me. You and the others are the same, and though the situation isn¡¯t entirely usual. It is not likely that you would end up being made the same from them. You are weaved in the same cloth, a dress is still a dress no matter how you color it in to your liking. Tell me then, what made you favor the Bleak Walker that saved you that time?


    ¡°Ah, that day? Well, it was quite the day, and it is one of my precious memories.¡±


    Lies again? Do you like lying? How come a person, who was ostracized, burnt, treated like garbage, would fall so fast for a man who just saved you? Liar, you should know better not to trust easily.


    ¡°I know, but I already felt the resonance, the scream of my soul told my heart that day, that I should not let go of that man. My mind was telling me to be careful, but alas it was impossible to resist such pure bliss. It was like meeting your lost relative, or lover.¡±


    You lie again, Liar.


    ¡°What lie?¡±


    You know that he would pass through that place. Did you think that you could fool me about these coincidences that could be true? He finds you in the desert with broken legs? Do you think that a desert is small? That he would somehow find you lying on the sands? You, you knew that he would end up taking care of you! How long did you know? How long did you realize that!


    ¡°I was someone who could remember her memories? No, that is simply not true. I did remember some of my memories, and my memories of my suicide. Do you know how awful it was? To remember memories of a past you that made a kind man wait so long to for acceptance? Do you think that I could allow myself to shamefully say words of love after what I¡¯ve done for him? But what he did, conquered my heart, and when I realized that all of the time, we always found each other. No matter what timeline it was, I felt like it is my right to have him.¡±


    You lie to yourself. How can you say that you have right when you did something so evil to him?


    ¡°That¡¯s why I am the one chasing after him, and if I can own the branches of the world tree, and with the six elements. We can gather enough power to leave this dying tree of a world!¡±


    An excuse! How can you crave so much life after having so many!


    ¡°Crave? Is this what you call a craving? You don¡¯t understand that I¡¯ve been fighting for a dying world. Do you know how this world is simply just another tree of the world tree? That every timeline is a branch of a tree and every leaf is the world itself? When I sought for answers, I saw the true tree that stood without any dent! Do you know what the true face of the darkness is? The true darkness is that shadow of that world tree! It covers the trees and we are stuck in a quagmire of corruption! Those Ancients knew this and they guarded them for years! Do you think that I can stand this infinity while those fools are guarding the branches? They exist in the same space and time and have been guarding the entrance to the true tree! I cannot let them act so arrogantly while they can freely leave this world to die!¡±


    So you choose to be the devil because of this desire?


    ¡°Desire? No, this is simply a proper reason. No matter how much I save this timeline, this world, there is no fighting the looming shadow of the world tree. Do you know how despairing it was for me to realize that no matter how much I fight the darkness, there is no end to the struggle? That I would have to make do with a struggle of an eternity? Why do you think I keep the role of the War Maiden? Because I know they would suffer and that¡¯s why I asked the Gods to make me the vessel! They cackled, guffawed, and thought that I was mad for it! So leave me, shadow! Leave me because you know nothing!¡±


    You fool!


    ¡°Call me a fool if you want, I don¡¯t need my doubts to become my demons. Leave me, demon, you will have no hold of me, and you ancients, don¡¯t think that a simple hex would put me down!¡±


    Ciara Alician stared at the skies.


    ¡°Even if it means destroying the world, I will have what I want!¡±


    Chapter 143: Desires of a War Maiden who Saved the World

 Chapter 144:

    The place was certainly guarded by Alician Troops, garbed in a wanderers outfit, Gael Jag wended his way inside the town; the kids bustling, their eyes trained on the airship that it was easy to walk passed them without alerting the troops. He made his way through the various throngs of alleys and mazes, kicking a pebble, listening to a musician, a peddler shouted, not minding the housewives that were grinding the wheat their husbands gave them. He noticed the clothesline, there was a paper flying past him, he caught a glance and saw that it was a pamphlet for surrender.


    He entered a pub, the counter of the pub was uneven, the shelves were stocked, and the owner was tapping his radios. He noticed Gael Jag standing in the doorway, waving his hand, he pointed at the stool next to the bar counter. He wiped the uneven counter, his toothy smile showed in front of Gael Jag.


    ¡°Do the wolves still eat hens?¡± Gale Jag asked.


    ¡°Only the Dogs do,¡± the owner said. ¡°Looks like you are one of us, comrade.¡±


    ¡°I am.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, I heard that most of our men were killed. What have you been doing?¡±


    Gael Jag shoved a piece of paper to the Owner. The Owner took the paper, his eyes reading each line that was typed in the paper. His brows crunched, his forehead crumpled at the thought of the lines inside the paper.


    ¡°Half of our forces are gone, the supply lines are crippled, and they are planning to take our land as a battlefield? Have they had no heart? How could they possibly destroy our islands?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I want to know. Things are bad, and my efforts have been useless and have only angered the enemy. Do our comrades still hanging about?¡±


    ¡°They are, for the Love of Holy they are still clinging to the hope that we might able to do something. This, isn¡¯t this saying that we can do nothing about our situation?¡±


    Gael Jag joined his fingers. ¡°I know someone that might be able to do something about this situation of ours.¡±


    ¡°Who might that?¡± He said. His eyes showed no trust.


    ¡°He isn¡¯t here right now, but he does promise that if he could get near the enemy, then he will be able to deal with something that might just change the tides to our favor.¡±


    ¡°And how he would do that?¡±


    ¡°He has means to transport his body to my position, and strike that could dent the War Maiden herself.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe you,¡± he said. ¡°If someone like that exists, then why does he need our help? If he¡¯s confident that he could kill the enemy, then why does he not sneak himself?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not able to sneak near the War Maiden without being detected. He just needs to get near the place where the War Maiden is, and find her. If we stop her then it would mean that there is a possibility that we might be able to win against the odds.¡±


    There was a look of disbelief in the eyes of the Owner. He knew what the War Maiden is capable of doing, he had seen the might of her army and saw how easily his island nation got captured within a few weeks. He was a struggler that wanted to believe that he could do something for his nation. But the truth was that it didn¡¯t matter how powerful their will was.


    ¡°Do you really think we can hold to this hope, friend? You know, all the words that they spoke thought of our people as the criminals. That we, who should have left them alone, should have focused against the Empire instead of attacking the Legion of Monster Slayers! Do you know what happened to your King? They drag him out of the fields, with his head bowed, he was forced to apologize to the dead. Our King had been wronged, we know that it was the fault of those factions that forced him. Now his brother is going to be our King and he plans to wag his tail to the Empire that attacked us? Just because the War Maiden did so?¡±


    ¡°We already lost our King,¡± Gael Jag said. ¡°Then, are you not going to agree after all? What need is there to fight when the King that we fought for has been kicked out of the Throne?¡±


    ¡°The King still resides in the area where the War Maiden and her forces are kept. His head will be presented and he will undergo a marching trial, with all of the people of the Empire, throwing stones at him. What kind of farce is this? For our Humble King, who had to manage to make things livelier and prosperous in our islands to be killed unjustly because of some mistake that he could not possibly prevent?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what to say,¡± Gael Jag said. ¡°I¡¯ve been out of the grid for a while now.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, comrade. You may hide the stains of blood under your shirt or the way your blade stinks of flesh. I will not call you ignorant for not knowing the matters of your nation. Still, you must have been fighting for too long out there.¡±


    ¡°I was trying to salvage any hope that I could find. But every outpost was already taken. Our forts, villages, and towns now belonged to the Alician Army. They broke the back of our nation faster than the Empire of Old. We fought the Empire and managed to live our lives without worrying. But now, the Alicians simply broke that delusion.¡±


    The Owner¡¯s head was lowered. His eyes grew cloudy. ¡°I like to believe that we still can do something. We are warriors, and as warriors, we are fated to die a warrior¡¯s death. So tell me, comrade, do you think that information will give us a chance to see hope again? How likely that it would work?¡±


    He stared straightly into the eyes of this warrior. ¡°I do not know. All I was told was that he could get in, take some short, and he might able to take this dangerous fate around.¡±


    ¡°Do you believe him?¡±


    ¡°Do I have a choice?¡±


    Gael Jag smiled wearily, his fist clenched.

 Chapter 145:

    He slumped down on a stool, his gaze travels on the ceiling. In the wall, there was a ghostly man who called himself Garm, phasing inside the room, floating, while his legs crossed. He looked at the man who was still, his face flickering from human to flesh. Gael Jag still couldn¡¯t wrap his mind around the problems that have come. Or that a Wraith was hanging around the room he was given temporarily.


    ¡°So, have you found a way?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a caravan heading to the place where the main forces of the War Maiden are camped. I heard that they are planning to face the Half-Dragon in that place, they have set up traps, and pointed their guns at anything that might come out of the woodworks. Also, they are expecting the draconian army, and the War Maiden has set up her barriers, formations, and she¡¯s fully armed to the teeth. Swords, gun, and all of that are strapped to her. She¡¯s battle-ready and the caravan will only stop before we reach the camp, which is a bridge away from their location.


    Garm squared his shoulders, his right hand supporting his chin.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine, as long as I attached myself to one of their cargo, I could sneak in and phased through the guards. Though I think you have something that you want to do as well, isn¡¯t that right.¡±


    ¡°Is it that obvious, Wraith?¡±


    ¡°It is, Gael Jag, you are too obvious. You had the look of a man who¡¯s about to enter a mission that mattered.¡±


    ¡°The last of us are planning to take back what little is left of our pride. We are basing this attack on the idea that you can reach the War Maiden and a put a stop to this farce.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, but I got to tell you this. It would be better if they defeat the Draconian Army first, it would prove a nice distraction, and even their army wouldn¡¯t be able to react when a group of rebels came in to destroy whatever is left of the enemy forces. I take it that you will try to capture the artillery guns, and make use of the mounted machineguns?¡±


    ¡°We plan to,¡± Gael Jag said. ¡°But the success of this mission is close to zero. I¡¯m probably going to die alongside the people that I will come with. I plan to give me life to this goal that you want. So tell me, why do you want to harm the War Maiden?¡±


    The Old Wraith eyed the ceiling for a second, his eyes then went back to Gael Jag. ¡°I want to die. I was human and to escape this infinity, I want to die. ¡°


    His eyes took shape and followed was his flesh manifesting. He had the look of a man in his forties, his eyes were red, his hair graying, and he had scars around his body. No, the scars were like he was skinned, burned, and scratched all over. He was missing some of his fingers; Gael Jag could see spear wounds on his body. Along with other wounds that a human shouldn¡¯t have. What stood out was the wound around his neck, and the giant round scar that was near his heart.


    ¡°You just want to die?¡±


    ¡°My fate is tied to her, and as long as she¡¯s alive then I will continue to exist. If I continue to exist then it will be troublesome. I am just an old man that wants to rest and be done with this life already. I¡¯ve seen enough and I just wish that I could forever rest. But somehow I doubt that will be easy, and that is why I need your help to get close to the monsters that will duel soon.¡±


    ¡°Are you planning to take down Kaiser as well?¡± Gael Jag asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, my target is the War Maiden and stops her from whatever schemes she has concocted. She¡¯s strong, wise, and has the experience to back herself up. I will tell you this, if I could, then I would try to ask something from her. I wanted to know why she¡¯s doing this.¡±


    ¡°Do you think that the War Maiden would answer you so easily?¡± Gael Jag said.


    ¡°Yes, if any fool would do so, I think they would get killed immediately. But if the War Maiden sees me, I think she would hesitate for a second or two before killing me.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t so sure.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I am hoping for. I want to ask because if she does what I think she would do. Then there would be no reason to hold back, and it would be a good time to let go of the sentiments.¡±


    There was an air of despair around the Old Wraith. Gael Jag thought hard, yet he could not imagine what the thoughts of the Wraith were. Gael Jag wanted to live, but he was also ready to die if his country needed it. The Wraith had reasons yet he would only inform Gael Jag the tip of the iceberg. Gael Jag thought that was it was unfair that this Wraith was hiding his reasons for trying to meet the War Maiden.


    ¡°I shall leave you your rest, Gael Jag,¡± the wraith said. ¡°The night will be long, and your journey might soon come to an end. Contemplate. Meditate, and remember your death, and the days you have lived.¡±


    ...


    He phased through the wall and clambered up the tile roofs. The Old Wraith had many names, and used many for convenience and to hide his identity. Names were something that he considered to be the soul of the person, and right now he rather used the identity of a Wraith, of Garm, a wolf that was said to be once equal to Fenrir, the Great wolf that devoured a God. If he told himself that he was Nolan Salvatore, the foolish man that chased after a woman above his status. He would surely hesitate.


    ¡°In order to save my soul, I have no choice but to kill you.¡±


    And so, Garm spoke to the moon, his eyes turning ghostly once again.


    Chapter 145: The Monster With Many Names

 Chapter 146:

    The sun was up, and there were four carriages filled with food and supplies. Around the carriages were men wearing buttoned cloaks, they looked like they were men not that far from reaching their fifties. Some women brought their child, they embraced, and they had tears in their eyes. The owner of the pub was standing alongside these people, his eyes hardened, fist clenched as he stares at his kid.


    ¡°Are we ready?¡± Gael Jag said.


    ¡°Are we?¡± The Owner said. ¡°I¡¯ve not asked for your name, and I don¡¯t think I will, comrade. And who is this, comrade?¡±


    He pointed his chin at the Wraith who called himself Garm. He wasn¡¯t translucent, and he had flesh.


    ¡°I will be coming along with you, I trust that he had spoken about what I intend to do.¡±


    The Owner of the Pub scrutinized Garm, his eyes showed no warmth.


    ¡°I do not trust you. None of us here do, but if you truly are going to turn this battle around, then I have no choice but to put my trust in you. All of us here are ready to die for things that we do not understand.¡±


    Garm was a head taller than the Owner of the Pub. Garm stayed expression, his shoulders squared, his eyes firmly locked on the Owner. Behind them was the canvas of the carriage, and around them were the eyes of the warriors heading for their death. Their ears perked up and ready to listen.


    ¡°I have not come here seeking anything from you all. I¡¯ve come here for my own personal and selfish reasons. I am using all of you as a tool that I can use to reach that War Maiden and put an end to this farce of life. I will not promise anything. I might even fail badly and your lives spent in vain. So tell me first, are you willing to hand over the life so precious to you for a cause you don¡¯t even understand? Or are you masking this pride of a warrior to excuse yourself from this family of your?¡±


    ¡°You!¡±


    The Owner of the Pub tried to grab the collar of Garm. His hands simply passed through Garm, and he felt a palm push him back.


    ¡°Am I not wrong? Please, don¡¯t tell me you love your family or speak as if the life of this country is much worthier than the lives of your family. What are you fighting for in the first place? Isn¡¯t it because the family that you love are living here in this country? Why do you work? Why do you sacrifice your life for? Tell me, can you imagine living your wives, and children for the things you do not understand? Tell me, do you not want to spend your life together with the family that you love? Or are you using this to get away from them?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that, you bastard! And how dare you mock our will!¡±


    ¡°If it is not that then tell me what it is! Let me understand why you are rushing off to die when you have a family that loves you! Or are their tears not enough to soothe your soul? You want to leave your wives as widows and let her grow your children without their fathers? Tell me! I was a man who didn¡¯t have the family that he wanted! I was a man who didn¡¯t have a chance to experience having a happy family for myself! So tell me, why do you all rush to your death? Is the glory of having such glorious death so appealing to you? I don¡¯t understand this mindset, what better joy there is than having a family to soothe your heart? Die for the glory of the nation? What¡¯s the point if you are leaving them alone?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand? Perhaps, but I¡¯ve been alive longer than you fools. I¡¯ve lost everything there is to lose and here I am facing the terror of that War Maiden. I still think that family should be first. If you step down right now and live your lives without letting your pride swallow you up. You can still live with your family!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t give us that!¡±


    A stone was thrown at Garm. The stone passed through his head, his eyes pointed at the thrower.


    ¡°Our husbands did this for the sake of us! Do you think that the Empire will not make it hard for us? Do you think that we wouldn¡¯t cling to the chance of having this nation be ours and not them! Yes, family is important, but because it is important that we cannot allow anyone to own the nation that we have lived for years just to be thrown into the hands of invaders!¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Garm said. ¡°There will no convincing such fools like you, fine, if you all wish to die then follow me. If you wish to leave your family alone and can accept that you could never see them again, then fine, bid your farewells, and remember death.¡±


    Garm turned around after pouring his thoughts out to the men. They understood well that they were going to leave them alone, they understood that a part of them wanted to give their life for the sake of their nation. The words spoken by Garm were like daggers, but they resisted, not out of stupidity, but out of pride, and that they may falter.


    Garm hopped to one of the carriages, he folded his arms and looked at the distant sky. His gaze then traveled to the people who have come to give their life for the things they didn¡¯t understand. They could have lived happily ever after, they could have spent their life watching their children grow. He felt like it was a waste for them to do.


    ¡°You bunch of fools, don¡¯t you understand how precious they are?¡±


    Garm, no, Nolan Salvatore could not help but let fury rise inside his heart.


    The man who wanted nothing but a family and a peaceful life hated these people who could throw their family away easily.


    He envied them and hated them for the things he didn''t have.


    karsev

 Chapter 147:

    He was a man with a long sword hanging around his waist. His hair was tied, his eyes had a slit, and he carried himself while looking down at the army of the War Maiden that has come to face the Ancient Elders that guarded this realm. Kaiser, the Half-Dragon, stared at the enemy that has defeated him.


    She was a woman who had been blessed by the powers of the divine. She grew to become a wonderful lady, a powerful lady that defeated the darkness, overcoming the dangers of the Time Wraith. She was a human monster blessed with the talent and skills of a monster. Kaiser, the Undefeated Dragon Swordsman, was defeated soundly at their bout. He was careless because she was just another War Maiden. He didn¡¯t expect that she would meet his blade without falter, not a single fear for the man who has reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship.


    ¡°Are you ready, milord?¡± a servant said.


    ¡°I am, though this time it will be different. I will not lose to the same woman again.¡±


    The servant¡¯s face suddenly twisted. She smiled wickedly.


    ¡°Is that so? This woman,¡± she said while cackling. ¡°She has reached the pinnacle and she knows her powers more than anyone. To wield weapons and master the magic, she has become a woman worthy of defeat!¡± However! Do not dare to slack on thy duty of protecting the entrance to thy Holy Tree! That is your duty!¡±


    ¡°I know that,¡± Kaiser said. ¡°But I cannot be placid at the thought of fighting such warrior! I thought that we would never fight this bout! To think that she would be challenging for entry in the higher realms!¡±


    The servant cocked her head to the right. ¡°She¡¯s a woman who had gathered all the elemental lights, she has the blessings of the Gods, and she is a demigoddess living in the lower realm. She should have ascended but she has no reason to do that until now! If she wants entry, then it is possible, however, she is asking to bring her family to the new realms! Only those who are worthy can be included in the realms where the true humans live! How can we let such strugglers enter?¡±


    ¡°Hah!¡± He said. ¡°The War Maiden gets what she wants! Even before the humans of the Ancient, none of them has been able to match such worthiness other than her! If she defeats me then so be it! If she dares to face Draedan then let it be known that she has walked over this corpse of mine!¡±


    His hold was that of a dragon, the aura that he possessed was stronger than a beast or monster that this world could produce. Kaiser was the sole guardian of the Dragons that have lived for a million years ever since the birth of men. They were here when the asteroids fell, they were here when humanity rose, and they were here to witness the fall of humanity when it left for the stars. They saw the world turned black from their weapons and saw how it was revived by the Gods.


    For Ages Kaiser has watched heroes and legends drove back their enemies. He had seen the world of warriors, the world of knowledge, and the world of strife and blood, and by the time the demons and humans have wars, he was there to listen in to the cries of those who were brave and the fall of cowards who think they were mightier than the Gods.


    However, never would he thought that after so many years the end of this world has come. He thought of how it would end. Would it be because of the world dying? Would it be a giant rock from the sky turning everything into dust? Or was it going to be the looming darkness that worlds under the world tree succumb to?


    Each tree below the world tree had a mechanism that allowed it to ensure that those that lived inside those trees are saved. Still, not every seedling of the world tree can survive the shadows of the world tree. A tree grows by getting its share of sunlight and water. And if a tree does not receive both then it will slowly wither and die.


    The War Maiden of the Era was a person who saved the world than she could. When the light goes out she was the sun that shines. She was the guiding light that covers the world for protection. Now, that same guiding light was targeting the Guardians who secure the passage to the upper realms. She was aiming for her and her family to reach the realms with their power.


    ¡°That War Maiden knew this seedling of the world tree can no longer sustain life any further. Like the other humans, they could become the birds that fly the universal sky and reach the other trees. However, that cannot be with how the world is and the only way for them to reach it now is through the passage guarded by Lord Draedan. Do you think she can take us on?¡±


    ¡°Think? She defeated every elemental dragon and now what remains is that old fool who had given his life to me. He wanted me to become the last carrier of protection, and that Lord Draedan may never be forced to fight. But that old fool thinks that he could stop that War Maiden. She¡¯s a force that cannot be measured by us!¡±


    ¡°Even with the life force of an Ancient, you still can¡¯t be sure that you would defeat her?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± he smiled savagely. ¡°She has become stronger, and stronger, and even stronger than the days that we fought! She has truly awakened the might that ever surpassed us dragons!¡±


    ¡°To evaluate a human this way,¡± the servant said. ¡°It is truly odd.¡±


    ¡°Shut up, toy,¡± Kaiser swung his claws. ¡°You are merely a toy, I do not need your thoughts. Perish before me, leave my sight, and never become back.¡±


    ¡°Sir?¡±


    The servant vanished. She could not say any words as she was erased.


    Kaiser stood, his eyes looking down at the woman who had to bring the might of her family to the doorsteps where the dragons slept.

 Chapter 148:

    Gael Jag waited alongside the others.


    His hands were sweating, he saw the Wraith, and he looked like he was unworried. His eyes were placid, and he was looking far away.


    The Owner who was talking to the Soldier guarding the bridge had stopped the carriage from its track. Gael Jag could feel the barrel of the gun pointed at them, the hair of his skin rose.


    ¡°Are these the supplies?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we are here to deliver it, here are the papers.¡±


    ¡°I see that we¡¯ll conduct our inspection, and after that, you will all leave this carriage and return far away from this place.¡±


    ¡°Tsk, this is our land, you have no right to say.¡±


    ¡°Maybe I don¡¯t, but if you want to die so badly then go ahead. Just don¡¯t interfere with the battle, and you might live.¡±


    His words were arrogant, but even Gael Jag could understand that. Even inside this carriage, he could see the draconian army filling the sky with their wyverns, every single one of them was carrying weapons forged from the fires of the volcano that could be seen from where the carriage was standing.


    ¡°The mouth of the world,¡± Gael Jag said.


    The mouth of the world was located near the ancient tree that even the lavas of that volcano could not burn. It was said that the people of the Cascade once offered their bounties to the Draconian people, hoping, that they would safely allow them to stay in this nation of islands. It was at their mercy that the islands closest to the equator could survive, and it was their mercy that allowed them to live peacefully.


    ¡°The dragons were the ancients, and that War Maiden wants something from them?¡± Gael Jag thought. Indeed, the Lord of All Dragons, and the Ancient One that has once ruled this world was none other than Draedan, the Dragon that would walk on oceans, leaner of mountains, and the one that sits on the mountains with ease. How can the War Maiden possibly defeat that after defeating Kaiser?¡±


    ¡°I said move, Cascadian, this is no place for you to linger!¡±


    ¡°We are here to do our jobs damn it! You broke the backs of our nation! First, you kill our people, second, you take our nation, and now you don¡¯t even want us to do our living? Screw you all-¡°


    He stopped talking when gunfire sounded out.


    ¡°Soldier, I told you that this is a battlefield, and really, is this all you can do? First, you forgot to surrender, second, you intend to trick us with this lousy scheme. Do you think that you can easily trick us? Do we look like mindless drones to all of you?¡±


    Gunfire rang out from every direction. The ones hiding in the carriages took the cover, they mounted their rifles on the side, and fired back. Gael Jag ran out, he pounced at the man who shot the Owner, drew his blade, and slit the throat of the man. He pulled his knife back and leaped back to cover. His eyes turn back to where the carriage was. The Wraith that was just sitting around was gone.


    ¡°He decided to move huh?¡± He thought.


    ¡°Come! Rush in now!¡±


    An explosion rang out, and under the cover of the smoke. Gael Jag sprinted and slid through one of the tents. He then took cover, he pulled his six-shooter, took a long breathe, and decided to dash outside of the tent. It was then that he saw the flares that dotted the sky. Like day fireflies, they became straight lines made of light, piercing the landscape.


    He heard the fire of the artillery cannons, the scream of the soldiers of the Alician as they face the draconian people. He heard the arias that seem to be a song composed of a million choruses, the skies became a painting for lines and shapes; every single one of them encompassing the area. He saw the wielders of the Alician Family, their swords at hand, their power bursting forth as they face the unkind enemy.


    Humans fighting against dragons, a tale that he heard as a child. In front of him was the battle¡­of what exactly?


    He forgot to breathe.


    No, he couldn¡¯t breathe with the gunshot wound in his chest.


    The light dazzled him that he didn¡¯t realize that they entered the war zone that was beyond them.


    What were they thinking of entering the realm where only those who knew could exist?


    Gael Jag despaired.


    Gael Jag¡¯s heartbeat whimpered, it slowed down as the colors of the world seems to vanish.


    He landed flat on his back. He looked at the sky, whimpering, shaking, eyes tearing up as the sounds were slowly drowning out. He was having a hard time breathing, and his eyes slowly losing its light.


    ¡°Looks like you can¡¯t reach this place, huh,¡± a voice said.


    Gael Jag peeked. He saw the usually stolid-faced Wraith looking at him with his eyes frowning.


    ¡°It¡¯s always like this, when faced with those who are strong, we Bleak Walkers never go far. We are always pawns, tools that are used until our deaths, we are always at the mercy of those who are stronger than us. Still, we walked this Bleak path because it was the only path for us. It¡¯ always like this, the young dies, and they despair, knowing that their goals are unreached.¡±


    The Wraith kneeled before Gael Jag, his hands holding Gael Jag.


    ¡°Do not worry, Brother, soon, you can rest well, and let me handle this. I advised you once, but it seems that didn¡¯t stop you.¡±


    Gael Jag weakly held on, his eyes bloodshot, struggling to breathe, he said lastly:


    ¡°Please don¡¯t leave me¡­alone.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you out, Brother.¡±


    Gael Jag held on tightly to the cold hands of the Wraith. The Sigil that was on his eyes didn¡¯t last long, and soon, it crawled to the eyes of the Wraith. He slept, his eyes tightly closed.


    ¡°You are rested now,¡± the Wraith said, picking up his body. His figure blinking just outside the place of chaos. He placed Gael Jag on the ground, joined his hands on his stomach and bowed his head as if he was apologizing. He looked up to where the clash was, there was a skin merging on to his body.


    The Wraith disappeared, and Gael Jag as well.

 Chapter 149:

    When the battle started, chaos erupted.


    The two armies that gathered here broke into a complete battle. They fired their guns, they cast away their magic, and let out furious roars as they face each other.


    What was it? What were they fighting for in the first place?


    Their goal was to reach that place where the road to freedom was.


    If they can then they would be able to escape this withering world.


    However, the path was blocked by an army that has guarded the passage for centuries. The half-dragon stood in front of them, and he was met by the swing of a sword from the War Maiden that saved the world.


    ¡°Ciara!¡±


    ¡°Kaiser!¡±


    The two met swords, creating a vibration that shook the land.


    Their greeting was the sword in their hands, and there was no need to speak.


    The language they spoke was the clanging of their swords.


    They met without holding back, their swords clashing, not minding the destruction they are causing.


    The artillery cannons were drowned out by their clash. The gunfire was like small fireworks compared to their swords. Their eyes were trained on each other, tracing the movement, blocking attacks, and countering them.


    The War Maiden fought with ferocity, and each of her slashes scarred the land.


    The Half-Dragon did the same.


    ¡°I see,¡± she smiled savagely. ¡°You took the life of Draedan, how kind of you to do that for me!¡±


    ¡°I need to match you, War Maiden. It would be unkind of me to not fight you at my best! It would be an insult to the woman who would destroy this world for the sake of her family!¡±


    The Half-Dragon cleaved with his sword.


    The War Maiden blocked, and countered with a slash from her sword.


    Kaiser dodged, took a tight hold of his sword and ran it across the ground, emitting a spark that should have split Ciara in half.


    Ciara however, parried the attack and followed it with a thrust that pushed the Half-Dragon back.


    ¡°You are rusty, Kaiser, ah, are you tired? Want me to give you a rest?¡±


    Kaiser grinned, his eyes burning.


    This was only the opening of his battle.


    The Half-Dragon had dreamt of this day after being beaten by the woman.


    He has poured his heart and even killed his Elder to gain power.


    He wanted to defeat this woman who surpassed all trials.


    He wanted to defeat this woman and show the world that he was the only one that could be called the strongest.


    He had dreamt of surpassing the woman who was called the savior of this world.


    But---


    ¡°--I¡¯ll show you why they call me the greatest swordsman¡­¡±


    --this wasn¡¯t his battle alone.


    A sword popped out of his chest. Kaiser turned to where the sword came from and saw a Wraith.


    ¡°A time wraith...you bastards are betraying us!?¡±


    ¡°Time wraith? No, I¡¯m just a lowly Bleak Walker who became one.¡±


    This wasn¡¯t just the battle between who would reach the passage.


    Kaiser thought it was only him and the War Maiden.


    But it wasn¡¯t.


    This wasn¡¯t the day that was meant for the Half-dragon


    It belonged to the War Maiden and a Wraith who had waited for a chance to take this one in a million strike.


    Kaiser wasn¡¯t able to speak.


    He could only watch as the Wraith swung the sword against his neck.


    A lowly iron sword shouldn¡¯t be able to dent the skin of a half-dragon.


    However, the iron sword phased through his hard skin, the iron sword materializing, slicing his windpipe. That wasn¡¯t enough to kill the half-dragon, and so he levered his strength, targeting the Archimedean point of the half-dragon, making use of gravity and his body weight to tear through the hard neck of the half-dragon, his head, finally rolling on the ground.


    ¡°Oh my,¡± Ciara said. ¡°What did the half-dragon do to offend such sneaky time wraith?¡±


    The Wraith looked at the War Maiden who was brimming with power.


    ¡°It saddens me that you can¡¯t even recognize me. Ah, you are always like that, blinded by duty, and always looking for excuses to go on your path. You knew didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Nolan, ah, to think that you revive this early. I see, there were other parts of you roaming around, no wonder I couldn¡¯t locate you. This is fine, this is good, now I don¡¯t have to find you.¡±


    ¡°Tell me, Ciara, just tell me. Did you ever thought of running away with me?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I said, did you ever thought of running away? Abandoning it all for the sake of being together?¡±


    ¡°You are confusing me.¡±


    ¡°Tell me, Ciara, did you ever thought of running away with this lowly me?¡±


    ¡°I cannot do that at the moment. I must secure the existence of the family that have been following me, it is my duty-¡°


    ¡°That¡¯s all I need to hear,¡± he cut her off. ¡°Duty, I see, it is always duty with you, isn¡¯t it? Duty that, and that, and then do this for the sake of your duty, and your role, and all of that. You killed our stillborn because duty demands you for it, you hung me in the gallows because it was a duty for you, and you betrayed me, left me to die, and did it all for the sake of duty. How many times did I tell you to run away with me in the many timelines we''ve spent? Abandon your duties, and run away with me. That¡¯s all I ever wanted from you. But I guess was delusional. That love you have isn¡¯t truly love. You were just thinking that it was your duty to take care of someone who chased after you for so long. I see, I never really reached you didn¡¯t I? In the end, you only saw me as one of your duties that needs to be upheld.¡±


    ¡°That is-¡°


    ¡°Enough about that, that¡¯s all I needed to hear from you.¡±


    The corpse of the half-dragon started melting, slowly, it merged with the Wraith who was standing before the War Maiden.


    ¡°Here I go, my War Maiden. Let us fulfill our death do us part!¡±

 Chapter 150: Book 1 – Epilogue.

    Nolan Salvatore took the strengths of the child made by the dragons. He felt incredible power surging through his body, allowing him to perform feats that weren¡¯t possible for him. He was using the power of the wraith, to pass through the attacks that were being made by Ciara.


    ¡°You became a time wraith.¡±


    ¡°I had no choice. If I want to end my fate then I only have one choice, and that is to surpass you, and defeat you.¡±


    ¡°We can still talk this through.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± he shook his head. ¡°There are no more words I am willing to lend.¡±


    He blinked in front of Ciara. Ciara parried with the flat of her blade, and strike with her pommel. Nolan blocked, and pushed her with his sword¡¯s guard. He was using the sword of the half-dragon.


    ¡°You should take me on,¡± he said. ¡°I am going to kill you.¡±


    ¡°Can you?¡±


    Nolan stroke his sword. The edge of the sword cutting Ciara¡¯s cheek.


    ¡°I planned on it.¡±


    Nolan thrusts his sword where her vitals were. She dodges and didn¡¯t hesitate to bring out her might. However, Nolan blocked her, took out a bottle from his pocket, and smashed it on her torso.


    ¡°Anti-magic potion, rooting poison, wraith¡¯s bane and devils subdue; you old me how those things can make you weak once in the many timelines. Fighting you isn¡¯t fair, and that¡¯s why I¡¯m stooping this low to kill you.¡±


    ¡°I see, you really want to kill me, huh.¡±


    ¡°Do you understand? If so, then let us not speak!¡±


    Nolan attacked his swing wasting no movements. Ciara countered, but she couldn¡¯t pull her strength with the fluid that seeped on her body. She sliced the air and commanded her elements to levitate her away from Nolan.


    ¡°It pleases me to spar with you, but I shall leave now. The passage will be mine, and we can have our talk once you calm down.¡±


    She was going to leave.


    But she underestimated the desire of a man who wanted to kill.


    ¡°You always look down on me!¡±


    Malice coated the words of Nolan, his sword wounded Ciara¡¯s back, creating a wound on her back that trailed from her right shoulder to her left side of her hip. Nolan then gave her a roundhouse kick, dropping her to the shoreline of the island where the passage leading to the other realm was.


    Nolan dropped down on her, stabbing his sword through her body. Ciara¡¯s eyes widened, the thought of Nolan truly killing her had finally settled in. She couldn¡¯t allow him to continue, she blasted him away, pulling out the elemental fire, and however, the fire that should have been summoned wasn¡¯t there.


    ¡°The blade of Kaiser possessed the power to seal abilities, I know that you think of me as a joke, but you shouldn¡¯t have turned your back on me while I have this. I understand that you think of me like an ant, but do not underestimate me!¡±


    He swung his sword and aimed for her heart. Ciara sheathed the sword hanging on her waist, blocking, and parrying, countering as she could. Nolan, who had strengthened his body to fight her, was keeping up, his movement was not wasted, and his attacks were fierce. His soul was flickering, and the fire that burnt inside him was stronger than the fear that the War Maiden gave.


    He was using the hesitation on her heart to kill her. He needed to land the killing blow while she was hesitating. But, Ciara was no fool, and noticing that he was going for it, she lunged back, changed her stance, and cleaved downwards. Nolan narrowly dodged, he stepped on her sword and struck her using the pommel of his blade. He turned his sword around and stabbed through her armor. Ciara leaped back, throwing her armor away, she redirected the blink attack and landed a kick on Nolan¡¯s chest.


    Nolan was flung back, his body rolling twice before he regained his balance. Ciara pounces, her sword cutting up the obsidian skin that covered Nolan like scales, she easily cut through and tried land a haymaker on Nolan. Nolan ducked and plunged her sword at her. However, she took a step sideward, and palmed the draconic blade of Kaiser, bending the blade.


    Nolan moved his body, pivoting it towards Ciara, he made use of his borrowed strength, and with all the power that his wraith body could afford, he landed a blow on her face, smashing her face, causing her to be flung back violently, her body breaking through the giant tree that was on the island. Nolan blinked, his body appearing to where Ciara was. He was about to strike when she suddenly elbowed him on his ribs. He could tell something broke, he weaved through her blows and exchanged punches as well. Nonetheless, even though he had done some damage to her, the different was heaven and earth. A few attacks from her had caused Nolan to suffer greatly.


    His body felt like it was being torn apart. He knew that if he didn¡¯t seal her abilities, she would have destroyed him easily. It would end up in him losing, and that was something he refused to do.


    Even if it meant breaking apart his body, and tearing his soul apart.


    Nolan Salvatore roared, his body exerting all the power that he could.


    To beat this woman and reach the sweet release of death.


    To end this loop he was willing to do anything.


    So he moved, not minding the pain that was breaking him up inside.


    He ignored the pain, he threw all of his fears away as he continues this unsightly brawl.


    Ciara didn¡¯t give in, her senses focused, her hands moving to defeat this man who was after her life.


    She had many reasons.


    She wanted to save her family.


    She would win here and take this man as hers.


    That was all to it.


    In the timelines that past, he had never opposed her. But now, he was fighting her, for the sake of being released.


    Their bodies are broken, at the ends of the world, the greatest lovers quarrel was on its last stages.


    ¡°You!¡±


    Nolan gave a straight punch right on her face.


    Ciara cringed, twisting her upper body, she countered with a left jab.


    Nolan didn¡¯t back down, he took a step forward, grabs her collar, and smashed his forehead against hers.


    Ciara took a blind swing.


    Nolan blocked with his left arm and palmed her below the jaw. She gritted her teeth, took a step in, grab his wrist, turns him using his arm as a lever, tried to throw, but Nolan bent his legs, twisted his upper body, and wrapped his legs around her arm, intending to break it.


    She threw him with the last of her strength, his body smashed hard on the floor. She attempted to slam her right foot down on torso.


    He rolled from the side, and leap back, dashing again, tackling her.


    His words were exhausted. She didn¡¯t have anything to say.


    Their fists hit hard, Ciara, however, was hitting harder than Nolan. She had the strength of a War god, while Nolan was compensating with the tricks he learned from his previous world and making use of the last of his soul as bonfire for this last battle.


    He pulled his right arm back and struck Ciara right on her nose. He pulled back again and did another jab at her face. His face was stern, his eyes determined to end the woman that he loved most in this world.


    This was the same woman he had chased for thirty years and loved for many timelines


    This was the woman he loved more than anyone.


    Yet, he didn¡¯t hold back. No, it could be anger, it could be frustration, and it could be fury that all of his efforts were just nothing but a delusion. He didn¡¯t think of holding back at all, nor did he have a reason to do so. He felt his heart breaking into pieces, like a piece of vase slowly breaking apart into tiny fragments.


    ¡°Fall already!¡±


    ¡°Never!¡±


    Ciara caught his collar and slammed her forehead against his. She used her legs, and kicked his chest, flinging him away. She rolled forward and slammed her right elbow on his stomach.


    Nolan didn¡¯t breathe out, he caught her arm, pulled on her hair, and slammed his knuckles on her face. She didn¡¯t falter, and slapped his right cheek, and hammered the back of her hand on his face.


    Nolan¡¯s eyes had a glint, his knee then smashing on Ciara¡¯s gut.


    He pushed her backward and mounted her. He raised his arm, and stuck it on her face, one, two, three blows came and she was snorting blood.


    Ciara glared, she gave Nolan a right hook that shook his spirits for a second. That second alone was enough for Ciara to counterattack Nolan, landing four blows on his right rib, and a liver blow that ruptured a part of his organ.


    Nolan clenched everything that he could clench, he spat on her eyes and landed a cheap blow on her throat. She couldn¡¯t take in the air for a second, and so he landed five blows on her ribs, hoping to puncture her lungs. However, she slapped down his arms and landed multiple blows on his face and upper body.


    Nolan did a blind swing, and she countered it with a left hook.


    Nolan¡¯s eyes dilated, his eyes went blurry for a second, before he crouched down, and rolled for the dagger that he threw when they arrived in this place.


    Ciara had the blessings of a War God.


    He was the fool facing a Goliath.


    In a few exchanges of desperation, she has been slowly recovering. It was like all the unfairness that she has suffered was getting healed, while Nolan was struggling to properly see and regulate his breathing. He could only smell the blood pouring out of his forehead and inside his nose. His eyes were shaking, and his heart was slowly beating.


    He can¡¯t lose right now. He was not willing to lose. Even if he burns his soul to cinders, and even if he left it in tatters, Nolan Salvatore wasn¡¯t willing to repeat the timeline of this world. He wasn¡¯t willing to repeat this endless play that had been playing with her.


    He wanted to end this prologue and move on. She was not willing.


    Nolan advanced, his dagger targeting her vitals. She easily slapped the dagger away and slapped Nolan right in the cheek.


    ¡°It¡¯s over, let us talk. I¡¯ve recovered. You can never beat me.¡±


    ¡°I know, but you know me, I never give up. I never retreat even if it puts my soul into oblivion. You should of all people knows what I would do to reach my goals.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± she said. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m putting a stop to this. Here I go, my Bleak Walker, let me put an end to this quarrel!¡±


    She drew her blade of light. The same blade of light that she used earlier. It was refined, purposely made to kill a time wraith.


    Nolan¡¯s breathe hasten. However, he clenched his right hand, pouring the last fire that was dwindling inside his soul to manifest an obsidian sword. He was going to stake all of his life into this deathblow.


    The two ran at the same time.


    They pulled their arms back and thrusts forward.


    Blood spurted, and the blade made of obsidian fell on the ground.


    ¡°You lost, my love,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, to save my family, I have no choice but to kill you, again.¡±


    Nolan glared.


    However, his eyes didn¡¯t look at Ciara.


    ¡°You tried, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    The face of the woman who wanted to accompany him on that island spoke. Their time was short, yet it was sweet. He was sure that she only wanted to soothe a troubled soul, and even if it was a little. It allowed him to find a resolve to continue through this farce.


    ¡°I did,¡± he said to that woman. She turned to where the light was.


    The fire that kept him alive grew dim.


    He had no more words to speak.


    Not to the War Maiden who was still on the top of the mountain.


    ***


    Ciara stood alone inside the passage leading to the next realm. She could hear the static on the radio on her pocket.


    ¡°I will go ahead, have everyone move out, and secure this passage. Everyone must be prepared, this is a new realm.¡±


    She turned the radio off and turned to the lifeless body that worked to fight her. He wasn¡¯t breathing and his candlelight soul was wrapped by two souls. She could tell that they were glaring at her as if they want to protect the candlelight soul of Nolan.


    ¡°Why did it ended like this?¡± She said. ¡°I was doing this for all of us, for you, and my family. Why do you have to be so stubborn?¡±


    She took his body, carrying him within her arms.


    ¡°Even if we enter a new loop, you will lose all of your memories, and you will crumble. I cannot let that happen to you. So, forgive me, I have to do this to you.¡±


    She caught the soul of Nolan and turned towards the passage leading to the realms. She could feel the abundant realm and the realms for the dead. She took his soul and blew air, letting the candlelight soul enter the passage leading to the next realm. The male soul who was with Nolan was turned into fuel, while the other soul managed to pass through without a problem.


    Ciara Alician could see Nolan¡¯s candlelight soul swim in the river of souls. Before she could lose sight of the soul, she whispered with resolve:


    ¡°I¡¯ll find you again, Nolan, like I always do.¡±


    She smiled, turning her back away from the passage, watching over her family¡¯s airships that were nearing the island.


    karsev

 Chapter 151: Book 2 – Prologue.

    It started with his heart beating loudly. He could tell that his senses dulled, still, he relied on his senses, his eyes squinting until he passed through a wall of flesh.


    ¡°It is a fine boy!¡±


    He didn¡¯t recognize those words first. He thought how gigantic the people in front of him was. No, he was smaller than them, he could see that his hand was little, there was sticky fluid around it.


    He was raised gently by one of the people he saw. A hand landed on his butt, he looked at the one who did it, his little eyes glaring at the man who spanked him. He was trying to focus his eyes, he was unsuccessful with how blurry it all was.


    ¡°A warrior as well!!¡±


    Warrior? He thought about the word that he could understand. He turned to the other person that was breathing heavily, she had long flaxen hair, her face was sculpted, she bit her pink lips, the dam of her eyes flooding as she stares at him.


    ¡°Look at this son of yours, madam! He barely cries! He is a warrior like the father!¡±


    The woman with flaxen hair was struggling to breathe, she took him in her arms, her tears wetting his cheeks. He didn¡¯t understand why his heart was beating, he felt incredible comfort as he was enveloped by the arms of this woman. His eyelids grew heavier, he closed his eyes and slept.


    ***


    He felt like he was swimming in an endless crystal clear lake. Above him was the sun that seems to be so far despite how many times he tried to swim up. He was swimming and swimming yet there was no sound other than the water being moved. He steadily floated and swam to where the sun was.


    ***


    ¡°He looks sleepy.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t he?¡±


    ¡°Is he dreaming?¡±


    ¡°Who knows?¡±


    He saw a man in his twenties, his eyes were sharp, he wore a beard, and his hair was that of silver gold. He had green eyes, and he wore a strange armor that he has not seen in his life. It was silver, yet it was inscribed with many runes.


    ¡°He¡¯s dazzled?¡±


    ¡°Take the armor will you?¡±


    ¡°I think he likes it!¡±


    ¡°Your blinding your son!¡±


    Son? He thought how these two were speaking so lovingly towards him. The man was noble, and the others look like she was noblewoman with how she was dressed. The man had the countenance of the knight, his eyes had a glint, his posture straight and sharpened like a blade. His silver-gold hair shone when the sun hit it.


    ¡°See? You are? He¡¯s glaring at you!¡±


    ¡°Nonsense,¡± the knight said. ¡°He must be curious about the armor. Isn¡¯t that right, little guy?¡±


    He wiggled his armored right index finger at him. He extended his little hand and grabbed hold of the Knight¡¯s right hand. The Knight¡¯s eyes widened, his lips curved into a smile.


    ¡°See? I know that he likes it, Selina!¡±


    ¡°Lionel, stop shaking his hand!¡±


    He lets go of the finger of the man named Lionel. He turned his attention to the woman whose name is Selina, His eyes cloudy, he closed his eyelids once again.


    ***


    ¡°The Tower of Nimrod, it is wonderful as ever isn¡¯t it?¡±


    He looks at the window and saw a tower that reaches the clouds above. He couldn¡¯t see an end to the tower, he travels his gaze on it but the tower still had no end.


    ¡°Is the labyrinth well-guarded?¡±


    ¡°It should be. Though it can¡¯t be helped that there are random strays that could escape. We can never tame the endless labyrinth, and the day where we could reach the lower floors are that of a dream of many Questing Knights.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Do not worry, Selina. I shall not quest until I see how my boy is grown. I promise you that.¡±


    The two looked at each other with such affection. He frowned, his right hand smacking Lionel. Lionel turned to him and smiled, his gauntlet covered hand caressing his head


    ¡°He¡¯s looking at the tower you know? One day, you¡¯ll study in the City of Babel, my child. You will become a fine man as well, Einar. For now, be a good child and grow strong, okay?¡±


    Her love was a fire that burnt him all the time. It was the kind of fire that Einar wasn¡¯t fond off. He didn¡¯t hate the thought of her love; however, he cannot easily accept the name. The memories that were lingering inside his head started to pour. He couldn¡¯t understand why at first. So he turned to where his mother¡¯s chest and started sleeping once again. The warm and soft sensation calmed his head. He tightly closed his eyes and had a dream of swimming in the lake again.


    ***


    ¡°Let us play Einar!¡± an angelic voice said. She had a braided hair that rested on her left shoulder, her cheeks were plump, and she has sky blue eyes and a rose-colored hair. ¡°You always play alone and sitting on this rock!¡±


    A young man at the age of fifteen sat on a rock, he was tall for his age, he has green eyes, his features were sharp, and he has silver blond hair that was a mix of his parents. He was holding on to a strange tag. Written on it were the name, Caterina and Gael. The girl who was pulling on his sleeve rested her chin on Einar¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°I want to be alone, Thea.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Thea of House Zia shook her head. ¡°I can¡¯t let you do that! You always do this! Lady Selina said that I need to accompany you!¡±


    Einar shook his head and turned to where the manor was. ¡°Is your father home?¡±


    ¡°Papa Bors?¡± She said, tilting her head. ¡°I think he¡¯s still journeying with Sir Lionel!¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± He nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll be going back to the manor. Can you wait for me?¡±


    Thea pouted. She sprinted back to the manor. Einar turned his attention to the tower that reached the skies.


    ¡°I am no longer in that world¡­what happened?¡±


    ***


    What happens if your body experiences strange things? What happens if your soul is forcibly placed inside a body, and then forced inside a young body, and then to an old body, and go through a toddlers body? What happens to the mind of the soul that was recycled over and over again?


    Nolan, no, it was Einar of House Elior, asked the things to the robed priest who was carrying a tome too big to hold in one hand. He was perplexed by the question of the young man.


    ¡°That is a troubling statement,¡± the priest said. ¡°The God of Life Val and Goddess of Death Casak made the world with the thought of a soul remaining inside only one body. If the soul comes out of the body after he perishes, the soul will be thrown into the cycle of rebirth, where Anakan would receive the soul. Inemra would then judge the soul, and Aridim would rename this soul and throw him to where he would redo his life without memories.¡±


    ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°It means that it is impossible for one¡¯s soul to experience such as that. It would go against the laws of how Val and Casak made our worlds.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, priest,¡± Einar said. ¡°Ah, are the sermons going to be troublesome again this year?¡±


    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be,¡± the priest said. ¡°Though, I think that you are the only that asks such questions. Good day, Child, may you be blessed by Thendr.¡±


    The priest wended his way through the crowd of teenagers carrying their books. All of them were armed with their own sets of weapons, customary to the children who were studying in the academy where the nobles are given education until the coming of age which was twenty in this world.


    ¡°Still, what a strange world where they could wear such uniforms?¡±


    He was wearing a gray school uniform with a red tie, and he sported a dagger on his waist. It was odd that he was barely armed, but this was a world where magic and martial has intertwined. Not to mention that Einar has kept the abilities that he had before he became to this world.


    He took the life essence of Gael Jag, Catherine, and Kaiser, the half-dragon. He lost most of the strength that Kaiser had, but Gael Jag and Catherine had allowed his soul to keep the ability of a time wraith. He could shift his appearance to a wraith, and use the abilities of a time wraith.


    ¡°Still, it may not be that great when you have wizards here,¡± he thought. ¡°This world is hopeful that it is no surprise that they can take on monsters that are considered hard to kill in that world. Magic is superior here, and unlike the previous world where we could only rely on runes and lackluster spells. This world is abundant with spells that could even defeat Kaiser in one strike. ¡°


    This was a hopeful world compared to the world where the darkness lurks. No matter how much Einar searches, there was no one like the Bleak Walkers who took on the bleak path to save a world that was unkind to them. That¡¯s why Einar, no, Nolan Salvatore was glad that there was no one like them in this world.


    ¡°Einar?¡± Thea, who was following him said. ¡°Why do you always look like that?¡±


    ¡°I always look like this.¡±


    ¡°Stone-faced, and is trap in his own bubble of a world?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t really retort that.¡±


    Einar felt like he was always lost. When he got motor controls of his body, he was unable to adjust to the sudden change, he convulsed and had spasms that lasted for a year. He would violently break his own arm, and somehow mistake his own strength, causing incredible damage that thankfully, magic could heal.


    He always disoriented and only at the age of ten that he was able to handle the body. The feeling was the same as a man who was trapped inside a child¡¯s body, his limbs held tightly by chains. Einar was a head taller than anyone, and yet he was a lonesome man whose only friend was the daughter of the House of Zia.


    Einar was walking the corridor when he saw a group of students blocking the hallway. Thea was curious, however, she stopped by Einar¡¯s side and looked at the students.


    ¡°It¡¯s her again.¡±


    ¡°Her?¡±


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s an enrollee here who was able to succeed in entering this academy. You know how things are usually, and it isn¡¯t easy to enter our school.¡±


    ¡°Is she bullied?¡±


    ¡°Bullied?¡± She smirked. ¡°It¡¯s the opposite actually, she¡¯s the one bullying¡ªand the school acknowledges that she has the right to defend herself.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s odd.¡±


    ¡°It is. Oh, look at that, she¡¯s wounded again.¡±


    Einar let his gaze travel to where the person Thea was referring to. She had shoulder-length hair with the color of a white lily. She has wounds on her cheek, she wore a black uniform, a black skirt, and a rather loose white ribbon. Her belly was wrapped in bandages, and she carried a rucksack filled with magic stones. She was holding a worn sword that seems to have been chipped. She smelled of blood and her black eyes were like ice.


    She had an unapproachable aura and she didn¡¯t even register the crowd that was both jeering and awed at her. Einar calmly watched the woman go, his eyes not even having a little change.


    ¡°What¡¯s her name?¡±


    ¡°Alice Dame, the student who took the Dame title at the age of fourteen. She¡¯s an incredible student and a personage that would soon get the attention of all the Questing Guilds. She¡¯s something, and I doubt that she¡¯d ever mingled with us despite her status as a commoner turned Prodigal Genius.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Einar said.


    Thea shook her shoulders. ¡°So are we going to the labyrinth today?¡±


    ¡°We should,¡± Einar declared. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to practice your magic?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it would really help if you are with me. My school of magic uses symbolism and spoken spells in spell casting. It¡¯s hard to focus when you are swarmed by monsters.¡±


    ¡°Then let us go and practice.¡±


    Einar said as he took a step out of the academy. His eyes staring firmly at the Tower of Nimrod.

 Chapter 152: Seeker Of A Lonesome Death

    The Tower of Nimrod symbolizes the unification of all races that have happened a long time ago. It was a tower of pride that was created to celebrate the coming of races together in the four cities that surrounds the Tower of Nimrod. The street leading to the Tower of Nimrod was flocked with a group of Questing Knights, Mercenaries, and Adventurers.


    The Tower of Nimrod was built on the Labyrinth of Pandora that sealed all the evils in the world. It was said that at the end of Labyrinth you would find Pandora waiting patiently along with hope. Of course, the Labyrinth has multiple floors containing different realms. The farthest floor that the explorers have reached was the seventieth floor. Other than that, no one was able to go past beyond that floor.


    Einar and Thea boarded a taxi pulled by a magical beast. The driver pulled over the side and turned towards the two. ¡°We are here.¡±


    ¡°Here,¡± Einar threw three silver coins. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    The two dismounted the taxi and went to the entrance of Labyrinth. The Labyrinth was guarded by twelve strongholds that contain powerful barriers and disorienting spells. Einar could see the magic dust that gathered around the gates of the Labyrinth. Expeditions were happening and warriors clad in armor marched to the entrance of the Labyrinth. Einar and Thea waited for entry while the expedition teams were passing through.


    ¡°Son of Lionel, and Daughter of Bors!¡± A voice said. ¡°Come and greet your Uncle!¡±


    Einar threw his gaze to the man who carried a great battle-ax. He was a tall dwarf whose beard reached his stomach. Thea¡¯s eyes grew bright as she rushes to the dwarf.


    ¡°Uncle Callisto!¡± Thea leaped to the arms of the dwarf. ¡°Are you going to explore the Labyrinth?¡±


    ¡°Not much, sweet lass, and you, Einar, come and greet your mighty uncle.¡±


    ¡°Greetings,¡± Einar bowed his head. ¡°You look strong, Uncle. Have you gotten that Ring of Strengthening?¡±


    ¡°I did, lad!¡± He threw a bashful smile. ¡°Got it after selling some carcasses of monsters. So, are you two going to explore the Labyrinth dungeons?¡±


    ¡°Just going to help Thea here, she wants to be a better spellcaster.¡±


    ¡°And you lad?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m good.¡±


    Callisto frowned. His eyes focused on Einar.


    ¡°You know, if it weren¡¯t for your behavior, you¡¯d be getting requests from Questing Guilds. You are good at fighting, lad. Better than anyone that I¡¯d seen.¡±


    Einar shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m not interested in fighting unless I had to. I do not plan to live this life fighting.¡±


    Thea turned her head away. ¡°Don¡¯t bother, Uncle Callisto. Einar doesn¡¯t care about that at all. He said that he wants to die alone in a place with a nice view. He said it himself!.¡±


    ¡°Oh don¡¯t look at me like that, Uncle. I just want to live my own life.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t make sense lad, you shouldn¡¯t be thinking of such a sad thing.¡±


    Einar crossed his arms and looked away from Callisto. Thea shook her head wordlessly. Callisto gave a long sigh, rubbing the handle of his great battle-ax.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go, for now, see you around lad, lass.¡±


    He left them on the street. Thea looked at Callisto from afar.


    ¡°I know its wrong,¡± Einar said. ¡°I just want to traverse the land and die alone. That¡¯s all I want from this world.¡±


    Thea didn¡¯t reply. She turned her attention to the gates. ¡°We should go now.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Einar said.


    ***


    The corridor leading to the first floor. Empty, dull, gray, and has the look of a wasteland in order to allow expeditions to move in smoothly without worrying about obstacles. Used mostly by practitioners who want to practice their spells and martial abilities.


    ¡°Let¡¯s start, Thea.¡±


    ¡°Hey, do you really mean that?¡±


    Einar tilted his head. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°That you want to die alone. I thought it was a joke. But it looks like you really aren¡¯t joking. Do you hate us, Einar?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Then why do you want to die alone?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a dream of mine, I just want to have a quiet death. It doesn¡¯t mean that I hate you. In fact, I feel pretty blessed that I have all of you. Father, Mother, and even Uncle Callisto; you all showed me love that I can never repay. I know that it may sound weird, this dream of mine; but that is simply my dream.¡±


    ¡°It''s just too sad.¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± Einar nodded. ¡°I understand that my dream of dying alone is sad. I know that it is a horrible thought that someone at this age shouldn¡¯t have. But I wish for it, I wish for it oddly. Though in honesty, I don¡¯t want to bother anyone. I¡¯m an idiot aren¡¯t I?¡±


    Einar smiled. Thea looked away, dropped her shoulders, and turned to him. ¡°Yes, you are an idiot. A hopeless idiot.¡±


    Einar would bury his secrets to his grave. That he was Nolan Salvatore, the person who chased after a War Maiden, suffering multiple timelines of suffering for hopeless love.


    That he was a fool who wasted multiple lifetimes on chasing a woman who never thought of him other than another part of her duty. He hated the pity love that he received. He hated fighting for an aimless purpose. But it didn¡¯t mean that he wouldn¡¯t die for his second family. He would gladly kill for them. He would gladly offer his life for them.


    But.


    He had a personal wish this time.


    He wanted to die alone where nobody could see him.


    He was sick of fighting.


    He was sick of the struggle of fighting so hard for nothing.


    His last battle with the woman he loved the most was the one thing that broke the dam.


    A huge part of his heart broke at the realization that he was nothing more than a duty for the woman who he offered his soul to. The memories of being betrayed, killed, and rejected have disillusioned him in regards to the way he lived his life before. He didn¡¯t hate her, but he wanted nothing to do about her any longer. If this was his new life then Nolan Salvatore wanted Ciara Alician out of the life of Einar Elior.


    He had many names, but this was one of the names he wanted to keep.

 Chapter 153: Volt, the Hopeless

    The area was empty as they practice. A group of people came out of the eastern part of the area, a young man with black hair, carrying a sword turned his attention to the two who were practicing. He saw their uniforms and plodded towards the two.


    ¡°Hey,¡± the young man said. ¡°Practicing again?¡±


    ¡°Volt, nice to see you, again.¡±


    ¡°Einar,¡± he said. ¡°Practicing hard I see.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s for her good.¡±


    ¡°Quit looking away!¡±


    The spell on Thea created the sound of electricity and wind mixing. It flew in a zigzag to Einar. Einar threw his dagger in the air and leaped back. The dagger caught the electricity like a rod and fell. Einar rolled to the dagger, pounced with the strength of his legs, and tackled Thea right in the stomach.


    ¡°Gah!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t¡¯ hold back, as always.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m teaching her how to cope. Do you expect your enemy to be kind?¡± Einar dodged the spells. ¡°Want to practice Volt?¡±


    ¡°And get my ass royally handed again? Really? You are asking me to beaten by you, again?¡±


    ¡°Volt, your swordplay is lacking, and I¡¯m doing this for the sake of you.¡±


    ¡°You could have fooled me easily, but no, that ain¡¯t happening, Einar. The last time you tried to train me, I had to stay in bed for the past week and had to make sure to properly suck on herbs that cause about five gold coins each. Five gold each. Do you understand why I don¡¯t want to spar with you?¡±


    ¡°To be fair, you were an asshole that day,¡± Einar dodged a spell. ¡°You came walking to me like a goddamn gangster, thought you could extort us; got your ass kicked instead.¡±


    ¡°Screw you for that, and that is why I don¡¯t want to spar with you.¡±


    ¡°Can you please not talk while I¡¯m trying to roast you!?¡±


    Einar dodged her spell with a flutter of movements. He was using his dagger to deflect the electricity. It was a simple method of using a highly conductive material to redirect an attack. Each of the spell blows that she gave could not touch Einar who was swiftly moving.


    ¡°You don¡¯t even make too much noise,¡± Volt said. ¡°How do you do that?¡±


    ¡°Roll your heel to the ball of your feet. Also, try to tip-toe, lower the center of your gravity, and strike with your body weight in it. For example, like this!¡±


    Using his shoulders and hip, gripping his dagger with both hands, he went under Thea¡¯s line of sight and landed a hammer blow at her stomach. Thea spat out saliva, her eyes shaking as she kneels into a fetal position. Volt held on to his stomach.


    ¡°Yeah, this is just proving that I am right. You could have killed her.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I was using my fists rather than the edge of my blade. You okay, Thea?¡±


    ¡°Gah, you, damn it, that hurt as always.¡±


    ¡°Oh, always, huh,¡± Volt muttered. ¡°She always gets treated like this? You are noble right? Not being gentle to women around you?¡±


    ¡°T believe in gender equality ¨C and you should not discriminate when someone is trying to kill you. Do you show mercy and offer your body to someone just because she¡¯s a woman? Oh, she¡¯s a woman, let her stab you to death? That¡¯s what you want?¡±


    ¡°You have a point, but still, isn¡¯t this just too extreme? She¡¯s your cousin right?¡±


    ¡°Thea asked for this.¡±


    Thea stood up, still holding her stomach. ¡°Don¡¯t be a bitch, Volt. Cousin, you should train Volt, now, really, the guy who wanted to date me is acting like a bitch. What a turn off. Cousin, please make him a man!¡±


    ¡°Volt?¡± Einar cracked his fingers. ¡°Ready?¡±


    ¡°Please have mercy on me, Brother,¡± he said while kneeling. ¡°I just got back from killing a monster! Have mercy, and I have classes today.¡±


    ¡°Right, you were a night class student,¡± Einar slightly lowered his fists. ¡°Which would make this perfect since you can use the class to rest. Ah, Thea, you wouldn¡¯t mind helping him carry his rucksack right?¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡± She gave Volt a wide smile. ¡°Please work hard okay? Maybe, I¡¯ll like you better!¡±


    Volt¡¯s cheeks reddened. ¡°Damn it, why did I do that in the first place?¡±


    ¡°Falling in love makes you blind, and stupid; fall in love while keeping your reason. Though I believe that is hard to do so.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Thea said. ¡°This is the first time I heard of this!¡±


    ¡°Enough about that,¡± Einar said. ¡°Here I go, Volt, let¡¯s see how you can handle this?¡±


    ¡°You are going to your fist only, right? Not cut me up into tiny pieces of meat?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll parry with my dagger, try not to kiss my fists okay?¡±


    ¡°Oh Lord Anailel, forge this body and protect thee from evil.¡±


    ¡°You are a believer of the God of the Forge?¡±


    Volt readied his sword, expecting the attack from Einar. Einar pounced at him like a wolf meeting its prey, his center gravity low, making himself a small target as possible. Volt was on the balls of his feet, he¡¯s sunk into his knees, and his back straight.


    ¡°Guard of the Lady, nice,¡± Einar said. ¡°Natural, but too open for my liking!¡±


    Einar passed the dagger on his left hand, he twisted his right hand back and landed a straight palm. Volt bit his lip, he raised his sword and swung the flat of his blade to Einar¡¯s head. Einar used the back of his left hand to hit Einar¡¯s wrist, grabbed hold of his hand, and with a lever-like motion, threw Volt into the ground, flat on his back.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Volt said. ¡°Damn it, how do you come up with these kinds of things?¡±


    ¡°You are a Magic Swordsman, and yet you keep getting thrown around. You''re tough, but your balance is terrible. Your posture is okay, but your footwork is garbage, you know that?¡±


    ¡°Hmm, I think beating you up right now isn¡¯t going to work.¡±


    ¡°Right now, you were planning to make a mess out of me!¡±


    Einar offered his hand. ¡°Let¡¯s just go, okay?¡±

 Chapter 154: Vow of Death

    ¡°I sentence you to die!¡±


    He kneeled and stared at the executioner¡¯s ax.


    ¡°I...love-¡°


    His head rolled on the ground.


    ***


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, to save the world, I¡¯ve no choice but to do this. Do you understand? This is the only way.¡±


    The girl released tears from her eyes. However, her eyes were cold as ice.


    ¡°Take him away, take this evil doer and let him be judged by God!¡±


    A court that was filled with nobles and Kings, and High Priests. The prisoner was wrapped in chains.


    ¡°At the crimes of treason, and the suspicion of being tainted by demon blood. The Bleak Walker that stands before us, shall be hanged by his wrists and stoned to death. Let the judgment of the people commence, I trust that this is the only judgment suitable for a traitor who abandoned his people.¡±


    The prisoner watched the people hurl stones at him. The woman that he served the most looking at him, hiding her eyes, gripping her sword tightly as she stands and watches for the demon to come out of the sword and be slaughtered.


    ***


    ¡°I despise you!¡±


    The man was clad in obsidian.


    ¡°Demonic skin, how could you fall for the evils of temptation, my love? I thought you were truly devoted to me¡­yet you throw all my trust away for this? For this power?¡±


    ¡°I did it for you.¡±


    ¡°Silence!¡± The girl cried as she held her sword tightly. ¡°I have found you guilty of the crimes of mingling with demon blood. I, the current War Maiden, shall release you for this taint. Any last words, demon?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    She cuts the demon¡¯s head.


    ***


    A girl laid on the ground without any clothes. The man looked rabid, tinged in madness, his eyes blood red.


    ¡°You¡¯re far too gone, I, go away!¡± She shouted. ¡°Kill him now!¡±


    Six elemental lights pierced the heart of the man. The girl that laid on the ground took the sword that leaned on the wall. She pulled the sword back and swung it against the man¡¯s neck.


    ***


    The man was skinned from head to toe, his member cut, and his eyelids forcibly sewed to where his eyebrows where. He had no limbs, his chest was opened and a crystal-like heart was placed to where a human heat should be.


    ¡°To be abandoned, humans, they are even nastier than us, and yet even we do not abandon our comrades to be left into this state of nothingness. Your eyes dried open, your skin feasted by maggot, you are a human that shouldn¡¯t even be alive. Alas, the humans need to destroy the totem of the undying, and here you are, using the last of your soul to be helpful.¡±


    The man¡¯s eyes were staring at this demon.


    ¡°What made you sacrifice yourself? Ah, the eyes of a man who was rejected, broken and turned to such a state. Hmm, pathetic, but still, to be this brave, you have a bit of my respect. Well then, shall we end your nightmare?¡±


    The demon thrusts his hand to the crystal heart.


    ***


    Einar flailed, he arched his back and started having spasms. He crawled to where a crystal was and injected energy into it. The crystal emitted a yellow glow that soon wrapped around Einar. Einar¡¯s eyes, that were dilated, soon became normal. The yellow glow slowly died down, and the crystal went back to its colorless hue.


    ¡°Ah,¡± Einar said. ¡°These dreams again.¡±


    They have returned home to rest. Thea and Volt went out somewhere while Einar went back to his room to sleep. The room he was in was only composed of a bed and a table where books were stacked. There was a closet where his clothes are placed. Aside from that, there¡¯s a stool near the window where the glint of light shone.


    When he was reborn in this world, Einar recovered his memories. However, the memories were long and painful, and even though he was able to block off the countless years that he had spent being alive. He was stuck in a constant state of not being able to sleep without suffering the deaths that have happened to him.


    He was handling it while trapped inside a child¡¯s body. The uneasiness of being trapped inside a body that could barely handle the mental pressure of the deaths that has happened to him has taken a toll to his well-being. As he grew old, Einar has stopped his constant sudden screaming and breakdowns that were triggered by external events.


    ¡°It¡¯s working at least,¡± Einar said, looking at the crystal. ¡°I doubt it¡¯ll go away even if this body reaches adulthood. It will lessen, but still, this is a relief to the nightmare itself.¡±


    His eyes pointed at the dagger placed on top of the table. He picked it up and pointed it at his throat.


    ¡°Remind yourself that you could leave life right now; let that determine your wants,¡± he stopped talking for a second. ¡°Again, remind yourself that there are those who brought you into this world; you are their happiness and you must repay their happiness in kind. So remind yourself, cherish them, for they are your family. Do not give them grief. Until the day you have nothing left. You shall not take this life. I shall not take thy own life. That is my vow of death.¡±


    Silver light entered through the window. The eyes of Einar barely had any light in it. However, the bits of goodness that he has scrapped allowed him to keep this life not himself but for those he called family in this world. To live without purpose was hell itself. However, he was working despite the lights of purpose broken inside him.


    In days like this, Einar would sit cross-legged on top of his bed. There are times where he would read the tomes given to him by the school. However, to stay still in accordance to the silence of the silver light. It was the best experience that he could have in this world. This was a world that was far colorful than the last world he was in. It was not bleak, and there was little grayness to be found in a world full of hope.


    He was a fish out of water.

 Chapter 155: Alice Dame

    The moon was out. Einar phased through the room and went to the top of the roof of the dormitory. He let his gaze travel down the tiled roofs of the city. Not far from the dormitory was the tower bathing under the silver glow of the moonlight. The neighborhood was illuminated by the magic stones they stored inside lamps that emit a yellow.


    In the streets were the throngs of people walking around, enjoying the night. Pubs, taverns, brothels, and theaters were around the city. The Tower of Nimrod surrounds the city of Babel, Erech, Akkad, and Calneh. The Academy he was attending is in the city of Babel. It was an academy where the students are trained to be individuals that could survive the harsh world. They are either trained to become well-meaning citizens or adventurers that pursue the life of glory that is waiting for them under the Labyrinth.


    Einar was eyeing the streets, staying still while the blackish translucent glow that surrounded him faded. His body would take the form of a ghostly wraith, and letting other people see it is something he rather avoid.


    The wind was blowing from the east. Einar continued looking at the view, his hands inside his pockets, and his hair being blown by the gentle wind. Behind him were the hiding moons of the world. The blue pearl, and the golden orb, they named the moons due to their appearance and the way they disappear from sight during the day


    Einar raised his brows. He turned his attention to the open field not far from where he standing. It was a clearing where most of the students practiced. At this time there should be no one practicing. But he saw a single woman wearing the uniform of the school. Her white lily hair glowed in accordance with the bright light coming from the moon. She was swinging her worn-out sword and doing footwork practice. She was wounded, her hands were covered in gauzes, and one could see the perspiration coming from her forehead.


    Einar was looking at the woman with a blank expression. Behind him was the night sky, he was holding on to his chin while glaring at the woman. The slit of his eyes dilated, and the whites of his eyes turned red.


    ¡°She¡¯s practicing well,¡± he thought. ¡°I guess her strength was never about the talent. No, she has talent but her dedication to her training is quite well.¡±


    Her swing was swift and powerful. The leaves flew vertically and the trees around her shook. Her hair was wet with her own sweat and the way it glistens as she swings her sword around awed Einar.


    ¡°I guess I really like hardworking people,¡± he said inwardly. ¡°Hence the reason why I fell for her so badly in the first place.¡±


    Einar looked up, his right elbow was on his knees, and he was looking at the countless dots that were painted above. It was a calm night, and yet his hearing could not ignore the reckless swings of the woman dutifully doing her best.


    ¡°Ah, she¡¯s that girl who was wounded a while ago,¡± he recalled the crowd before. ¡°So even fighting against the monsters isn¡¯t enough for her. Well, I wonder what she¡¯s trying to reach. Not that it¡¯s my problem.¡±


    Einar stood up straight. He stretched his shoulders, cracked his wrist, fingers, and gathered the translucent skin that slowly turned him into a wraith. He stared at the other side of the roof where the dormitory of the girls was. In a blink of an eye, he was standing on top of the roof tiles. His boots didn¡¯t make any noise, not even a clack of the roof tiles. Einar turned his attention at the woman who was practicing. The veil of shadows slowly took over as he was washed with shadowy smoke that turned the translucent form into that of simply a walking shadow. The woman was swinging her sword, when she turned, looked at the roof where Einar was standing.


    She stopped her movement, she held her sword tightly, eyes looking around while her legs ready to take into action. Einar blinked away from the roof tiles and to one of the branches near the forest clearing, timing it alongside the fallen leaves that came from the trees.


    ¡°Was it just a rustle?¡± She asked.


    Einar squatted on a tree branch while eyeing the woman. The woman lowered her sword, she sheathed it and placed it on a tree stump. She then took out a string journal and took out a pencil encased with wood. She sat on the tree stump, writing, and right-hand writing lines. Einar couldn¡¯t see well from where he was standing.


    Einar was about to take a leap when he saw the woman stand up. She started to the center of the clearing, raised her hands as if glorifying the moon. She bowed her head and suddenly twirled. She rose her arms, and let her body mingle with the silver moonlight.


    ¡°The dance of Ninon, the Goddess of the Hearth and Dance,¡± Einar said inwardly. ¡°Ah, the festival of Ninon is coming soon, she must be dancing along those who would perform the ritual of the hearth.¡±


    ¡°To bring forth peace that is as warm as the hearth, and continue on the dance of life.¡±


    Einar stood silently, his eyes watching the dance of the woman named Alice Dame. She continued her lonely dance, avoiding the leaves as if she was a wind that repelled them. Einar stood listlessly for a second, the light seems to shine on his eyes before it became cloudy, the red tint of his eyes consuming what little light that was left. He took the shape of the wraith, and blink up to the sky where he could not see the dance of Alice Dame. He embraced the light and bathed it in before letting himself fall down from the skies, like a tiny silver light that flashed up on the sky. He went to the direction of the Tower of Nimrod.

 Chapter 156: The Five Nobles

    Walking the market street had Einar bumping a lot of shoulders. The market was filled with peddlers and merchants lurking customers to their stalls. Einar noticed the lamps hung on the l-beams of their stalls. They were shaped like a gourd. He turned his eyes to the streets, the various races were doing their browsing. He could smell the roasted meat that was being sold along with the stalls.


    This place was the Crafter¡¯s district where the bazaar is located. The market was supposedly wasn¡¯t like this when there were only a few people around, he thought. But the change of circumstances has turned the city into a bazaar that barely sleeps. In the morning the adventurers, mercenaries, and students are busy adventuring.


    Einar came upon a large fountain. It was one of the many fountains that were built around the bazaar. Einar was about to move to a different direction when he saw a swaggering scholar whose chin was lifted to the point that he looks like he was looking up. Einar didn¡¯t want to talk to anyone and wanted to avoid him.


    ¡°Comrade!¡± The Scholar said. ¡°I see that you are here for our daily meets!¡±


    ¡°Rufus of House Farley,¡± Einar bowed his head. ¡°What brings you here?¡±


    ¡°I am showering my comrades with attention! You, of House Elior, has been missing our meetings. And, please, seriously, my comrade, I want you to contain the royal that has been tearing our ears apart by her conspiracies!¡±


    He raised his cape and did exaggerated gestures. ¡°So follow me, and free us from the tyrant.¡±


    Einar followed Rufus to the alleyways. He entered through a series of complex turns and finally found himself standing in an entrance. Rufus pushed a block and they were lowered down to a passage. Rufus grabbed the lamp hanging next to the elevator and wended his way through the tunnel. Einar calmly strides, his eyes half-open.


    ¡°Are they all inside?¡±


    ¡°The Festival of Ninon is around, comrade. They are taking measures to make this festival a success, but alas, you should know that our lady royal cannot sleep so soundly with her enemies hiding in the shadows.¡±


    Rufus had a complicated expression as he pushes the door open. It was a chamber decorated like a clubhouse. In the middle of this chamber was a round table where the one with the highest standing was sitting in a throne-like chair. She was regal, and her reddish hair was braided skillfully. Beside her was a woman who carried a long sword, she wore armor, and yet the one in the throne was more armored than her. The person who was smiling watched Einar and Rufus carry on. He wore a coat, and he carried a short sword around his waist and he sported a gauntlet on his left hand. Next to him was a woman in cloth, she carried a staff adorned with a gem. She was calm compared to the one whose eyes were that of suspicion.


    ¡°So the Son of Elior returns to our fray,¡± the woman in the throne said. ¡°Done fraternizing with your schemers?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to see you again, Princess Claudia,¡± Einar bowed. ¡°It has been a while.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± She snorted. ¡°Looks like you have been fraternizing to others. Or does coming to this place displeases you, Einar of House Elior?¡±


    ¡°I am doing important work,¡± Einar said.


    ¡°Is that so?¡± She said with her hands locked together. ¡°I understand that you are supportive of the child from the House of Zia. However, your absence is making it hard to believe that you aren¡¯t one of my enemies. Did you save me to get closer? Your gallant defense a mere ploy? Tell me, Einar of House Elior, are you my enemy?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re healthy as well,¡± Einar turned to another. ¡°Miss Vera. I trust that you are handling her highness¡¯s physical worries?¡±


    ¡°I am her sword and shield, there is no problem.¡±


    Claudia kept staring at Einar. He ignored the eccentric princess and turned his attention to the rest of the people sitting. ¡°Leonardo, Lady Ruth, it seems like you have been assisting her majesty well?¡±


    ¡°Indeed we are, though as you can see she¡¯s like this,¡± Leonardo said.


    ¡°Our lady has worries, and it is understandable, but I doubt that our hidden blade would turn against its wrist. So my lady, please excuse him for he has done nothing.¡±


    ¡°Tsk, you are protective of him, Ruth,¡± Claudia said. ¡°It seems you are part of his schemes-¡°


    Einar squared his shoulders and placed his hands on the table. He looked Claudia right in the eye with his eyebrows narrowed, and mouth frowned. Everyone turned serious, their eyes focused on Einar.


    ¡°I believe that I have done nothing wrong. I understand that your highness has overcome many dangers, but this little trust on us who you trialed is making us believe that there is no need for us here. I¡¯ve been absent but I am still a part of this club that you said it yourself, a place where only those who you truly trust. Am I wrong?¡±


    ¡°Forgive me,¡± Claudia¡¯s eyes calmed. The flare on her eyes was gone. ¡°There are problems with the church and the likes; I can¡¯t believe that they are trying to take the military officials out of consideration! The priests know how to preach but can they point their swords at the true enemy! ¡°


    Einar slide to his chair. He knows it too well that the Princess would start her hour-long rants again. Rufus, who dragged Einar smiled thinly, while the others listened to the Princess. This was the chamber where those who hold power meet. Einar held no power, he wasn¡¯t interested in the prospect of power as well, but having friends in high places was something that he would benefit. It didn¡¯t matter if he was being used as their hidden blade. But if it meant that he could be hidden from sight and at the same time have the protection of those higher than him. He was fine being their blade hidden in the darkness.

 Chapter 157: Conundrum For Fools

    ¡°Hmm, looks like everyone is stressed,¡± Einar said.


    He was sitting without paying attention to the five. Einar had no concern about their agendas or that they could interest him other than who he needed to kill. That was the relationship between the noble fix and Einar Elior.


    ¡°Princess Claudia Nimrod, first daughter of the Queen, and the person who¡¯ll be likely to be crowned Queen Regnant of Nimrod if her support with the military continues. She¡¯s a person who in our first meeting tried to take my neck out of suspicion that I was after her life. Not knowing who she was, I brought her down, and knocked her out.¡±


    He turned to the seat of Vera.


    ¡°Vera Snow, sworn sister of the Princess, the highly able bodyguard that is proficient in fighting against assassins and enemies. She¡¯s built like a one-man army and has a troupe that is sworn under the banner of the Princess. She¡¯s a great swordsman and if I didn¡¯t have my abilities as a time wraith; I doubt that I could have done her in easily. She¡¯s a Snow, a woman from the clan of warriors that worships the Goddess of Winter.¡±


    Einar recalled their meeting.


    ¡°I thought I was being attacked by lunatics. I should have known better that no one could possibly own an armor like Claudia is wearing. Hmm, I thought Vera was the Princess since she had little armor, but it seems that Claudia¡¯s is in the fight for the throne. And there is a lot of people that want the throne of the Ruler of the Tower of Nimrod, the wealthiest unified city in the world.¡±


    Einar looked at the woman in cloth.


    ¡°Ruth of House Steele, a cleric who was part of the entourage when they were attacked. I remember her killing people with that staff hers, and even though she¡¯s a cleric. She has spells that almost killed me twice. She¡¯s someone that has the smile of an angel and the prowess of a devil. Not that it matters when we are comrades.¡±


    The two men that were listening to the Princess focused on her words.


    ¡°Leonardo Carney, a compassionate master artisan, who by any right shouldn¡¯t be as a good as Vera when it comes to fighting. When they mistook me for an enemy he was the one who was the one controlling the situation. He protected Ruth, and did his best, but since I thought they were killing me. I bodied him two times and knocked him out first. And finally¡­¡±


    Einar eyed the one who brought him here to this place. The one who was able to reason out to Claudia and how they could come to an understanding. He was also the reason why he was their hidden blade. If Rufus wasn¡¯t around when they were attacked. Einar knew it well that he would have beheaded the future queen.


    ¡°Rufus Farley, the scholar who throws lavish parties, and the most sociable of all of us here. When we fought, he was the one who I thought he was the most dangerous with how calm he was. I targeted him, punch his lights out yet he was able to recover after a minute. He somehow convinced them to stand down. No, he was convincing me to sheath my blade. I had them at my mercy and yet here I am.¡±


    Einar thought how things proceeded. He could still remember the look on their faces as he sheathed his dagger.


    Rufus was the one who gave the biggest sigh. ¡°I thank you, and sincerely, I am glad that you stood down.¡±


    ¡°Not like I have any choice in that matter,¡± Einar thought back. ¡°The moment I heard the title ¡®future queen¡¯ the path of mine was sealed. It was time to compromise.¡±


    Einar recalled the day Rufus brought him in this club.


    ¡°Rufus!¡± Claudia shouted, sword drawn. ¡°You! You betrayed me! To think that you brought the man who would have killed me here! Traitor!¡±


    Claudia¡¯s words were filled with distress. It took Rufus an hour to convince Claudia to stand down with the help of Vera. Einar wasn¡¯t bothered by their looks and at their first meeting, he demanded.


    ¡°Apologies,¡± Einar said.


    Einar received apologies and went to occupy the plainest seat in the round table of six. Claudia wasn¡¯t fond of Einar, no, everyone other than Rufus avoided Einar. It was only when Einar got to know everyone that they calmed down. Not to mention that Einar has pointed his blade for them. He had made people disappear for the sake of having these people in debt to him.


    It was a mutual exchange of being used. Of course, Einar was not seated here just like a hidden blade for the noble five. He was a neutral voice that did not meddle with the sides that these nobles wanted to support. Of course, he was also the apparent heir of House Elior, Son of Lionel, and Knight of Wind, Selina. The House of Zia and the House of Elior has been allied for years and has a warband of experienced adventurers and knights waiting for their banners to ride the wind. It was Rufus who suggested having the company of the Heir of Elior to this noble five.


    ¡°Einar?¡± Rufus said. ¡°You look dazed, and Lady Claudia is getting scared.¡±


    ¡°Rufus!¡± Claudia protested. ¡°Don¡¯t speak slander!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Rufus, that¡¯s rude of you!¡±


    It was a voice unfamiliar to everyone here. The noble five acted but Einar was faster than them. The silhouette who was dashing to the table was grab by the wrist and was slammed down on the table. Einar locked the person¡¯s joints and pulled out his dagger, placing the flat of the blade on the person¡¯s neck.


    ¡°Enough!¡± Claudia said. ¡°Stand down, Einar!¡± She looked at the person who was pinned down. ¡°And you! I told you to come here without making any commotion! Wendy! Where is your sister?¡±


    Another figure rushed in. Blade pointed to Einar, she went for Einar¡¯s neck. Einar however, grabbed hold of Wendy, and use her as a shield. The woman stopped mid-air, flipping backward to avoid stabbing her sister. Einar went in, swept her feet, and threw her on the table using his shoulder. He took the woman¡¯s hands and locked it alongside her sister¡¯s hand.


    ¡°You are going to break my arm!¡±


    ¡°Okay, calm down, Einar,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Don¡¯t break the arms of the Grand Duke¡¯s daughters!¡±


    Einar pointed his eyes at Claudia. ¡°Who are they?¡±


    Claudia palmed her forehead. ¡°They are my cousins, and they are the daughters of the Grand Duke of House Vidsa, let them go.¡±

 Chapter 158: Rufus Recalls

    Rufus sweated so badly he felt like he was going to drown his back in sweat.


    ¡°Fucking hell,¡± he thought. ¡°Damn it, Einar. I know that they were stupid to do that here but don¡¯t break their goddamn arms! It¡¯ll be a pain to explain this to the Grand Duke! If the Grand Dukes finds out that his daughters had their arms broken, he will fly into a rage! I don¡¯t care if they pick a fight with anyone! But please don¡¯t pick a fight in front of this goddamn man!¡±


    Rufus had met Einar back when they were chased by assassins sent by factions that wanted Einar dead. They had met Einar when he was strolling, the bystander who was going to be their meat to ward off the wolves turned out to be a sheep pretending to be a wolf itself. No, he was a dire wolf that tore the assassins who were after him with his dagger.


    Rufus still remembers the day when Einar clad an entire alleyway with the blood of his enemies. It was a simple matter of engaging the enemies and making use of his abilities to dispatch the enemy. He saw Einar conjure obsidian knives from his hand and use strange runic spells to deflect the arrows coming from the assailants. He also wrote runic spells that became a lasso that dragged his enemies where he can stab them. He caught an arrow mid-air, and use it to kill the assassins.


    Rufus could recall the stoic look of Einar as he calmly plows through his enemy. If Claudia didn¡¯t attack Einar out panic, they would have gotten away. If Rufus didn¡¯t wake up just in time before Einar can slash the throat of the future Queen. They would have an accident that would shatter the inner workings of the Tower of Nimrod.


    Everyone was walking a thin line of ice. Rufus had thought to bait a sheep to the wolves only to find out that he had angered the great wolf instead. He could have threatened him that the army of soldiers, adventurers, mercenaries, and knights would come at him. That killing the future Queen of Nimrod would be a stupid move.


    ¡°You!¡± Rufus wanted to speak those words. But how could he when the man in question had no light in his eyes. He held dearly to a tranquil fury of madness that seems to be unmovable. It reminded him of the Dead Wardens of the North, the poor souls who had to unravel the dungeons of the ancients, men who had nothing to lose. He understood very well that cornered looking people like Einar would not be easily bullied.


    Rufus had tried once, and it was his greatest failure. There are men out there in the world who cannot be bullied, threatened, manipulated, and bribed. They are the type of people that do not fear death. Facing death, they would gladly raise their arms to fight, not willing to go quietly in the night. They can be reasoned but doing so would take a lot of time. Rufus thought hard and tried and eventually ended up calming Einar down.


    The current situation had Rufus sweating madly. Einar still hadn¡¯t let go of the daughters of the Grand Duke.


    ¡°Grand Duke, so who invited his daughters?¡± Einar asked.


    ¡°Me,¡± Claudia said. ¡°I was the one who did it. Einar, let them be, they mean no harm.¡±


    Einar looked at the two. ¡°Don¡¯t do that again here, it can lead to misunderstanding and sometimes death.¡±


    ¡°Come now, you two, get up and let me see your arms,¡± Ruth said, dragging one of the sisters to the side. ¡°Please don¡¯t make our hearts jump like that!¡±


    ¡°I thought this was the clubhouse belonging to Claudia!¡± Wendy pointed out. ¡°And why were we attacked when we were only playing a prank!¡±


    ¡°Motherfucker,¡± Rufus cursed inwardly. ¡°I know that you are close but don¡¯t fucking do that here! Claudia¡¯s worries are because of you two retards keep doing this shit to her! She¡¯s a Princess that is walking on a tight rope and under her are blades, and you two are the monkeys swinging towards her! Look at her! She¡¯s sweating bullets again!¡±


    ¡°Claudia, have this man apologize to us,¡± Annie said, giggling.


    Rufus could feel fury rise inside his chest. ¡°Please let this man go, he is merely doing his duty. Please refrain from making him do anything that might hurt you two.¡±


    Annie was about to speak but saw the look Rufus had. She moved near him and stared him in the eyes.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Annie, I know that we are friends, and I know that this is your way to keep Claudia always alert and at the same worry too much, and because you know how treacherous the people around her are; but for the love of all that is good don¡¯t do that while Einar Elior is here!¡±


    ¡°Son of Lionel, and child of Selina?¡± She said blankly. ¡°Ah, those two, I see, no wonder, the son is as fierce as the parents. I understand that but still, it hurts you know? I didn¡¯t think that I¡¯d get thrown down and have my arm almost broken here.¡±


    ¡°I will apologize later, and treat you girls a meal or two. So please understand that and explain it to Wendy as well, let it go, and I doubt you¡¯d scare that man or have him apologized.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s up with that?¡± Annie said. ¡°It¡¯s not like you to be like this, Rufus. Ah, that man has the same look as that bastard. Is that it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s why. You know how bad I am with people like them¡±


    ¡°I see now,¡± she nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll tell Wendy, and forgive us. Everyone is used to our silly affections, but it seems we were wrong to do that here. We aren¡¯t unreasonable enough, and that man should be reasonable as well, I hope?¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course, he is, even I won¡¯t put mad dogs near the Princess,¡± Rufus said, looking at Einar who was standing with his backs behind his back. As usual, his expression was solid.


    karsev

 Chapter 159: Using Each Other

    Anyhow, he had managed to make things calm. Einar thought that nobles were strange, however, he was a noble as well now, though his remains a commoner inside the heart. He thought how he must have forgotten how to act like a functioning human being as well. Looking back, Einar thought how he was in that other world.


    ¡°I live in that world so blindly, not knowing what to do, chasing after her, and giving my life to what?¡± Einar asked himself. ¡°Hmm, I could have run away, and I did, but it ended with her death. I am a fool. That¡¯s why I am a fool.¡±


    Einar lowered his head. ¡°I don¡¯t even know if I care or I don¡¯t. It feels like scraping something inside a can only to find only bits of pieces. I can sleep well, I can breathe, I can talk to others, and I still have my emotions. I am numbed to killing, but that¡¯s just what happens when you get used to it. I feel afraid that I don¡¯t feel anything. I was vomiting, shaking, and riddled with guilt once. But when time passed, I felt nothing, just happy and euphoric that I didn¡¯t die. I don¡¯t find joy in it either; it makes me feel alive but that¡¯s only because my heart is beating wildly and adrenaline is pumping in my chest. What is this anyway? This feeling of being so tired, yet not even sleep can fix it? How do I fix this?¡±


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Rufus said with that thin smile. ¡°You look maddened, my comrade.¡±


    ¡°I am,¡± Einar said. ¡°I am just thinking about things.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± He chuckled. ¡°Forgive the sisters, they have no tack, and they can be mischievous as well. Claudia considers them as her sisters, and having her sisters hurt can be infuriating.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Einar crossed his arms. ¡°I won¡¯t do it again unless they threaten Claudia. You should know me by now, Rufus. I don¡¯t easily let my guard down and I can be as paranoid as her. ¡°


    ¡°That¡¯s right, you are indeed paranoid as well. Hence, I am sincerely apologizing for their behavior. Still, was it necessary to almost break their arms?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t break their arms, and besides I thought they were related to one of you here.¡±


    ¡°Then why did you do that?¡±


    ¡°To make sure that I was right. This clubhouse is located fourteen feet away from the ground. It can be accessed by a hidden elevator and there are two wards that warn anyone about unrecognized people coming here. Not that hard to figure out that they are friendly. Still, it¡¯s better to be careful so I locked their arms together instead of breaking them. I could have killed them you know?¡±


    ¡°You could have, but you didn¡¯t. Ah, who am I kidding? Comrade, why are you like this?¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°The way you act, it¡¯s like looking at a drugged-up man. You, I don¡¯t get you sometimes.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Einar thought. ¡°Not like I can tell you why I act like this.¡±


    ¡°True,¡± Rufus said. ¡°It¡¯s hard to work with you, and yet I consider you a comrade because we use each other well. I tell you where our enemies are and you kill them. I thought of you as a reasonable dog, and yet I consider you comrade.¡±


    ¡°You pay me,¡± Einar said. ¡°You hide me from people that want to recruit me because of my parents. And being associated with a Future Queen, and people who might be at the top of the ladder might help me live my life leisurely. You only send me to kill annoyance, and I never accept hard jobs from you. I kill for you like a lesser thug. I only ask for the benefits of keeping my back safe. Betraying me, you can do that. But know that I do the same. You can scheme a lot, and fighting you, the social butterfly of the city isn¡¯t easy. You have a lot of allies and every day you get more. You throw lavish parties, and now you are even dealing with mercenaries.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you know that?¡±


    ¡°Not to mention that you have Leonardo here, a master artisan, feared by commoners and has been in contacts with the Wizards. He¡¯s talented, and his skills are perfect for the wizards who dabbles in spells. Miss Vera, Miss Ruth, and the two sisters. They all support Claudia despite her being labeled as an open heretic to the eyes of the many churches. Miss Ruth asks the wrong questions, Miss Vera does many accusations, and the sisters are shielding them just by being the daughters of the Grand Duke. You have a lot of good allies that the only reason you are keeping me alive is because of my parents and Sir Bors.¡±


    ¡°No, not really,¡± Rufus said. ¡°I know when to fight my battles. Your father, Sir Lionel is a man of power, and your mother is the same. Sir Bors, and the warband that you have consisted of men that are dangerous in their rights. And you are their dire wolf, and I rather have you as an ally rather than an enemy.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Einar said.


    Rufus¡¯s smile stayed thin. He went back to where he was standing and chatted with the others. Einar stood to the side, his hands behind his back, and thought back to his family. It was true that Rufus could do things that could harm his current family.


    ¡°If he does then I should kill him first, then destroy their trade, cut off the heads of the hydra, and make sure to break their mind. Beat a man down, he gets up; kill his family he will come for revenge; take everything that he has, he¡¯ll take it back. Don¡¯t let him think, don¡¯t let him decide, and then when he¡¯s at his weakest, don¡¯t ridicule, and just do the job. Never act without purpose and resolve or without the means to finish the job.¡±


    ¡°What am I even thinking?¡± Einar thought. ¡°Still, it doesn¡¯t hurt to think about what I should when it comes to doing that.¡±


    Einar stood silently in the corner. His eyes looking a thousand yards away.

 Chapter 160: The Two-faced Soul

    Einar walked out of the alley and into the streets. The moon was shining brightly like a candle on its last throes. Soon, the day will come, and yet he has never slept since then. Einar thought how his body has become so inhuman. Einar wanted to be human. That was what he was in his day as a human.


    He took a stop and watched a peddler pull his goods out of the way. Einar greeted the peddlers with a nod and continued walking down. The alleys and streets were quiet compared to the hustle and bustle hours ago. The shoulder-to-shoulder traffic was gone. Einar felt like he was free to do whatever he wants.


    ¡°I wonder if I can do that stupid shit like dancing while nobody is around,¡± Einar, no, Nolan said bitterly. ¡°Ah, really, how do I even, tsk, I don¡¯t really understand where is my mind now? Am I young? Am I old?¡±


    He smiled bitterly. In truth, he was having a hard time keeping his personality intact. He grew up to become an old man, turned young, grew old, turned young and suddenly he became a baby and then grew up to act like a teenager. It was strange to him, this cycle of life that he found himself in.


    ¡°I should be lucky,¡± he thought. ¡°I am a man who has lived for so many times. I witnessed saving a world and fought someone powerful equally. I should be proud and I should have confidence. But mother, why don¡¯t I feel happy? I have powers that would make me a superhero back in my original world. But yet I find no joy in this?¡±


    Nolan turned into a wraith and leaped above the building-lined street. His ghostly figure cutting through the clouds.


    ¡°Look at me!¡± Nolan said. ¡°I am a ghost! Look at me!¡±


    He then let gravity pull him down, his eyes looking at the moons of the world.


    ¡°Where is my mind?¡±


    Nolan let his head fall first, and his legs pointed at the moons.


    ¡°Flying¡¯s no longer a dream, and though it isn¡¯t like the heroes do.¡±


    Everyone dreamt of being a hero once.


    He dreamt of it once.


    ¡°Ah, I dreamed of going to skydiving once. I thought it would be beautiful and ah, I don¡¯t want to skydive in that world or this, I want to see earth again, I want to the moon, and I want to see mother again. Ah, I wonder if my friends are living their lives well, and how many years have I, ah, I cannot remember them.¡±


    He smacked his head three times with his right hand, trying to budge the memories inside.


    ¡°What do you sound like again, mother? I, how did you look? What was your favorite food? What was the town that I lived? When did I get born? Ah, what year was it? I don¡¯t remember much, and I, did I really live in that place? Or is that a dream?¡±


    He continued falling down like a feather.


    ¡°Please, Lord, don¡¯t let it be a dream. My time in that world is short, and yet it can never be replaced. God, I just wanted to go home, I just wanted to live my life. Those days where I only have to worry about stupid things like what game do I need to buy and how I should meet the expectations of my mother. What I should do if I reach my olden days, and how I should accept how things are. It was painful thinking about it and even here it is painful to admit that I just wanted to be with her. Ah, Ciara, she was beautiful and was like a drug that kept me motivated. She was always so addicting, and I fooled myself that she needed me. She didn¡¯t need me, I needed her for the same of my mind.¡±


    Nolan laughed dryly with tears coming out of his eyes.


    ¡°A man shouldn¡¯t cry, but why do I care? It¡¯s not like it would matter right? A fucking old man, doing this childish shit even his body has years to go before rotting. Juvenile, absolutely disgraceful Nolan Salvatore! Why are you crying? Why are you arguing yourself?¡±


    Nolan stretched his limbs around.


    He felt free. The wind rushing past him and the moons shining at him. He was falling from the sky slowly, and the way everything looks so beautiful made him take in the view he could see from above. But he didn¡¯t like the worlds much. It was truly beautiful and picturesque.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t Earth. I¡¯m never going back and they might be all dreams. I don¡¯t know if they are dreams or not, or that I was merely conjuring a peaceful world that I felt so precious to me. All those dreams, aspirations, and silliness that I thought of. The way I cared about everything, overloading my mind with things that didn¡¯t matter. It was stressful, shitty, and absolutely so tiring...but that was my world. That was my precious world that I didn¡¯t live to the fullest. I like it because it was mine. I can never go back to it damn it! I should stop doing this! I should really stop caring but my heart just won¡¯t let go! I can¡¯t let go! I just don¡¯t want to forget about my silly home and my silly dreams damn it! Hahahahahahahah, what a mess! What a mess! Grow the fuck you fucking manchild! Grow the fuck up! Forget, let go, and do not think about the world you can never reach! You can¡¯t even sway away the woman you chased for timelines! Why the fuck do you think that you could reach that world out of this infinity, huh? No matter what you do you are nothing! You are nothing a mere nothing that only thing you have is the brawns that you kept for doing nothing! Damn it! Damn it! Don¡¯t be fucking cocky you bastard piece of shit! Useless! Useless! Just because you have a bit of power you think you can arrogantly? Have a fucking sense!¡±


    Nolan landed with a smile that could have reached his ears. His gaze was unfocused for a good minute until it focused again.


    ¡°Ah, but what can I do when it is something out of control?¡±


    Nolan took a long breath that seems to be filling his eyes with light.


    ¡°Everything is only as it is, just a few more years until the afterlife. Magic exists, and if there is hope, then please, let me at least recall them.¡±


    Einar, not him, Nolan Salvatore said while pleading the Gods. Einar Elior still has a duty for his family here, and those words belonged to Nolan Salvatore, he thought. He had no lies to speak.


    The soul that was birthed by Lionel and Selina will do his duty.


    Nolan Salvatore¡¯s soul will wait patiently, hoping, pleading, begging, and wishing for a reprieve when his duty ends.


    "I will protect Einar Elior...and I shall use my soul to make him burn brighter. "


    And thus Nolan Salvatore disappeared into the shadows of the soul of his incarnation, and then Einar Elior walked under the sun as it rises up from the sky. There was no place for Nolan Salvatore to mingle when Einar walks.

 Chapter 161: The Dames

    She moved to the clearing with her sword drawn.


    It hurts.


    She swung her sword vertically, rotating the sphere of mana inside her.


    It hurts.


    She swung it vertically this time. She thrusts. The leaves danced as she swings her sword. Her white hair swayed to the left, she produced sweat from her forehead, as she swings and swings that sword.


    It hurts.


    She forced the energy out of her body, it was the same energy that ravaged her body. She thought how violent this energy was, like razor winds that seem to cut through her pores. Using the energy inside her body was the same as trying to force blood out of tiny holes of her skin. Another part of her skin broke into a bloody mess, like a bag of blood poked by countless needles, her eyes grew bloodshot, and the vessels of her body tightened, and at last the energy that squirmed inside her abdomen burst, leaving her to crumble into a fetal position.


    ***


    Alice Dame woke up with the blood on her dried. She wiped her forehead, she stood up and turned her attention to the sky. It was early morning, and soon her classes will have to start.


    She clenched her fists and circulated the energy around her body. Most of her veins were clogged and so she had to forcibly push the energy out of her body. She took her sword, sheathed it, and wended her way out of the forest clearing. She walked the streets and went inside a shop. It was a shop with a man standing guard. He had the same hair as Alice Dame.


    ¡°Sister,¡¯ the man said. ¡°You are injured again!¡±


    The man vaulted on his counter and hurried towards Alice. His eyes scanning the body of his sister.


    ¡°Damn it, I told you to not do this!¡±


    ¡°I am alright, Will,¡± she said. ¡°My body is okay. It is the result of my training.¡±


    ¡°You are draining the blood of your body too much, Sister.¡±


    ¡°I am okay. You do not need to worry.¡±


    ¡°I will worry.¡±


    ¡°Okay.


    She walked passed her brother and went up to her room. She could use the dormitory provided by the academy but she preferred her room. She slumped on a chair, and removed her top, letting her breasts hang, she grabbed the nearby gauzes and wrapped it below her breast. Her hands are shaking, and as she tended to her wound, she was wobbling.


    Soon, she removed her skirt and underwear. She took the bandages and wrapped it around her thigh. After tending to her wounds, she grabs the uniform that she would use for today and wore it. She examined her face on the mirror. Putting gauzes, and making sure that her face was at least presentable. She walked out of her room and went down.


    ¡°Sister, I support you, I do, but this way of training your body, forcing it to acquire mana is dangerous. I know that you are trying to follow the path of magic, and I will not stop you. But as your brother, I worry that you will be hurt.¡±


    ¡°Brother, I am fine. This is the path that I choose. It may be bleak, but it is still the path that I choose.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why you are doing this. But I support you for whatever goal you are trying to reach.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, Brother,¡± Alice said. ¡°I will just fine.¡±


    ¡°No, I cannot allow that. We are the only ones left here, and how can I sit still when my Sister is working so hard as well? If you are injured, ill, and unable to move. Come to your room, and I will provide all the healing salve and bandages. Damn, I should be condoning you but you won¡¯t give up on it.¡±


    ¡°Brother Will,¡± she looked at him. ¡°Please be careful inside the dungeons, I heard that at times like these the dungeon is chaotic.¡±


    ¡°The Dance of Ninon huh, you are going to dance, right?¡±


    ¡°I will. I have to praise Ninon for her blessings. You don¡¯t have to come, Brother. You are busy with the dungeons after all.¡±


    ¡°I am,¡± Will said. ¡°Lately, the materials we can gather around the first floors are lower than usual. I can¡¯t maintain the shop, and I have been selling golem cores and I am barely keeping us in red. However, it doesn¡¯t matter as long as you keep safe.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Brother.¡±


    ¡°No need to thank me. We are family, and we need to help each as long as we could. I hope you take care of yourself, Sister.¡±


    ¡°I always do,¡± Alice said.


    Will smiled thinly and gestured for Alice to leave. Alive went out of her brother¡¯s shop and turned her attention to the academy. She waded through the crowd, passed through the maze-like streets of the City of Babel and arrived at the academy where she was studying to further her knowledge.


    Upon entering the campus gates, she was bathed by the eyes of the students who found her appearance unsightly. Covered in bandages, gauzes, the people around her are nobles who came from houses with influences. She was only a student here because of the accolades she received.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± she thought. She ambled through the crowd of students and stopped. She let her gaze travel to the young man whose gaze was sharp and back straightened like a blade. He was a head taller than everyone and he had eyes that naturally attracted her sight. His silver blond hair matched his eyes.


    She turned her eyes away from the young man, she sorted out her hair, and walked in front of the young man, eyes pointed to the ground. When he was out of her sight, she continued making her way in this hall until she found her class. She went inside, went to her usual seat, and waited for the lecturer. She turned to the window and she was bathed by the light of the sun. The trees were swaying, and the wind caressed the pane.

 Chapter 162: The Dance of Ninon Part 1

    Einar woke up early to attend his classes. Although he would rather not spend his life taking classes, the valuable knowledge that can be learned from the educators were worth the money. Also, it was his duty as a son to gain accolades for his family. To gain accolades he had to graduate the academy with passing remarks. It was the condition that his parents gave him. Einar couldn¡¯t complain about such opportunity and thus he was attending the academy.


    ¡°And so we can attest that the Tower of Nimrod has multiples floors. Each floor is an anomaly itself.¡±


    Einar folded his arms. He looked at the professor.


    ¡°Each floor is a separated space itself. Many Wise men had asked where the labyrinth originated. We know that the labyrinth is part of Pandora¡¯s Box. Now, they say that Pandora¡¯s Box contains hope inside of it. Many theorized that the moment the box is close. All of the world¡¯s evil is going to be sealed.¡±


    The professor spoke while he wrote on the board, ¡°So my dear students if any of you reaches the end of the Labyrinth. Do not close the box of Pandora.¡±


    The students raised their heads at those words.


    ¡°They say that magic itself is the evil of tampering with the natural world. Now think, my students, what happens if our magic dominated world suddenly lost all of its power? We depend on the crystals that we found throughout the world.  It was said before that when the world was at the threat of the flood that would wipe out the world. The Wise men conjured domes of magical shields that prevented the drowning of all races.¡±


    ¡°Now, they say that there were many reasons why the flood came to be,¡± the professor stopped writing. ¡°However, we have prevented this by our sheer defiance. We rely on Gods, however, we do not go quietly. The Tower of Nimrod, the tower of the Father of Unity, the man who once stood up against the heavenly oppression has created this tower to protect the races. Under the protection of the tower, we are blessed with the unity of one language.¡±


    The professor places his hand on the table. ¡°But as history showed us from time to time, complete unity is impossible, no, an improbable dream.  To unite this world is an impossibility, and only because we are citizens protected by the Tower that we are able to live freely without any prejudices. Outside the protection of this tower lies lands plagued with the threat of monsters. Only the Atlantic City located south of the Tower of Nimrod can freely sustain life despite the threat of sea monsters. In the north lies the Empire of Arrack, and its ten vassal states. They are in a constant war towards the Republic of Brijosia and its thirteen states.  So if anyone has plans to visit the countries up to the north and west, I advise you to stay clear.¡±


    The professor snorted, ¡°I would like to discuss more about the history and surrounding lands. But we are short of time and I must assign your partners for the Dance of Ninon. As you know, the Dance of Ninon is a ritual ordained by the Tower of Nimrod, and by the King himself. Believer or not, you are mandated by this Academy to accompany a maiden. The tower will be at its chaotic state and each maiden must be guarded by their respective guardian.¡±


    Einar raised his brows.


    ¡°Einar Elior,¡± the professor said.


    ¡°Sir,¡± Einar stood and nodded at the Professor.


    ¡°You shall be accompanying Alice Dame in the ritual. Is that understood, Ms. Dame?¡±


    Alice Dame stood, ¡°It is, Sir.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± Einar added.


    ¡°Very well, the rest of the class shall be assigned as well¡­.¡±


    ¡­


    The class was over and Einar stood in front of Alice¡¯s desk.


    ¡°Looks like we have to work together,¡± he said.


    Alice continued staring at her desk.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± He placed his hands on the table. ¡°We have to work together so it would best if we cooperate.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± she said, her ears red and eyes dilated. ¡°What will our plans be?¡±


    Einar held his jaw, ¡°The professor said that you will have to wear the customary dress. Hmm, is it alright for you to be so injured?¡±


    She stared him in the eyes, ¡°I can manage. I shouldn¡¯t be needing anything else. What about you? Do you need armor? Weapons?¡±


    ¡°I can manage,¡± Einar said. ¡°Though, it would be a hard fight if I just rely on my dagger. You are spellsword as well, right?¡±


    ¡°I am. But I only know to strengthen my body and put magic on my blade.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± he folded his arms, ¡°I need only to protect you in this endeavor.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Alice Dame nodded. ¡°It would be a pleasure to be guarded by one of the skilled students of this academy.¡±


    ¡°Skilled?¡± Einar leaned on the window. ¡°Can¡¯t be true, if I was then I¡¯d be a happy man. Also, saw you working hard all the time, and are you really fit to dance?¡±


    Alice clasped her hands together, ¡°I should be alright. I have my own training regime so I tend to look like this.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Einar tapped his elbow. ¡°I will not pry. Very well, since I am going to act as your guardian for a week. How about I treat you? It doesn¡¯t hurt to get to know each other.¡±


    She beamed at him, ¡°You aren¡¯t that curious about my injuries, huh.¡±


    ¡°No reason to pry about your secrets. So, you want to or not?¡±


    Alice Dame stared at Einar. ¡°Well, it would be best if I get to know the person that would be protecting me. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Einar turned towards the door.


    Alice Dame inhaled and closed her eyes for a second. She then stood from her seat and followed Einar, her eyes focused on the back of the young man. Her ears grew red again, and she could not help but look away. The two walked the halls of the academy and left for the bazaar.

 Chapter 163: The Dance of Ninon Part 2

    Einar took Alice to the caf¨¦ where one could see the fountain. It was a caf¨¦ that is usually visited by the nobles. Its walls were made of lumber, it has two floors, the first floor usually for the commoners, and the second one for the nobles. Below them the stone-paved street. Einar took Alice to where he usually sits near the Veranda.


    ¡°Never thought that I¡¯d be sitting here,¡± Alice said. ¡°Hmm, I guess it pays to have a generous guardian.¡±


    Einar sipped on his juice, ¡°My cousin took me here, liked the place, has a nice view and food is fine. Looks like no rain today.¡±


    ¡°No rain until the Dance of Ninon is over. The Tower emits heat at the end so all the rain clouds are melted away.¡±


    ¡°Looks like the merchants are going to be busy with the festival. Heard that there would be visitors from the south as well. Wonder if they are going to bring in those strange bald lions.¡±


    ¡°Probably going to have the striped tigers. Also three-horned cows from the looks of it. They say that their milk tastes like vanilla.¡±


    Alice eyed the street, ¡°Looks like the guards are going to be busy. Oh, are those the Knights of Ton?¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Einar looked. ¡°Looks like it, the anvil, and the hammer. Oh, they really prefer that bladed war picks huh?¡±


    ¡°Heavily plated and they are a band of spellswords.¡±


    Einar leaned his elbows on the table. ¡°Are you going to wear a special outfit for this event?¡±


    ¡°They really have a good cake here. Is this the sponge cake that I hear all the time from the noble girls?¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± Einar folded arms. ¡°You can continue eating them.


    Alice scooped a spoonful of cake, ¡°Hmm, this is nice. Ah, I am going to wear the headdress of Ninon along with the outfit.¡±


    ¡°You are not what I was expecting,¡± Einar said. ¡°I thought you¡¯d be harder to talk to.¡±


    Alice said, ¡°That¡¯s kinda rude. Just because I work hard on trying to be better doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t know how to talk to people.¡±


    ¡°People usually steers clear from bloodied people. I mean there are still traces of blood around you and if it wasn¡¯t for me we wouldn¡¯t have entered this place.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t really matter to me.¡±


    ¡°Personal hygiene doesn¡¯t matter to you? Oh, I really don¡¯t want to pry but can you not practice whatever that makes you bloody?¡±


    ¡°Breaking my habit would be problematic. I agree with it. I rather not worry my guardian.¡±


    ¡°The dance is a simple ritual but it would be problematic if you are not on your best then I might be troubled. Monsters going to try and stop the ritual dance. The Hearth Fire Dance will make them go crazy.¡±


    ¡°The ritual¡¯s going to be troublesome.¡±


    ¡°Of course it would be.¡±


    ¡°Cake is good, hmm, you¡¯d need a good sword.¡±


    ¡°That I will. I can borrow some sword back home. A shield would be perfect since it is a guardian role. Ah, can you pass me that?¡±


    ¡°Here,¡± she handed the kettle to Einar.


    ¡°I needed this,¡± he poured tea and drank. ¡°Juice after tea, I wonder if this is going to ruin my stomach.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t see how a warrior¡¯s stomach can be easily ruined,¡± she stared at Einar, her cheeks reddening, before turning away, exhaling air from her nose. ¡°Sigh, who would have thought?¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Einar stared at her. ¡°Thought what?¡±


    She shook her head, and touched her jaw, ¡°Nothing, really. So is that all?¡±


    ¡°You are going to train?¡± He asked.


    ¡°I will help manage my Brother¡¯s store for a while.¡±


    ¡°You have a store?¡±


    ¡°We sell trinkets and items that came from the dungeons. My brother is a Purveyor, he usually climbs down to gather the materials himself.¡±


    ¡°The dungeons inside the labyrinths are separated spaces, right? How does he manage.¡±


    ¡°He joins expeditions and acts as their luggage holder. My brother holds the materials from the, appraise them, and then he gets a cut from them.¡±


    ¡°Sounds troublesome. Dungeon materials are expensive and hard to refine. Each material needs cleaning, inspecting, and making sure that they aren¡¯t carrying any miasma from the dungeon. Brother handles them by contract, he¡¯s allowed to sell the materials in exchange for money. Artifacts that are unearthed usually belongs to the expedition team.¡±


    ¡°Looks like things would be busy,¡± Einar. ¡°Going to manned the store then. Are things busy at your shop?¡±


    ¡°There are days, but with the Dance of Ninon, people tend to steer clear from shops like ours. Quality being lowered while the tower is undergoing such a state. Such nonsense, the materials are non-living so there is no need for such concern. Oh, can I have that?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Einar handed the rest of his biscuits. ¡°How they fit the cheese inside, is a mystery.¡±


    ¡°I think they are using those small tubes to fit these cheeses? I don¡¯t know, oh, that¡¯s nice.¡±


    Einar pushed his palms on the table, ¡°We both should be going. See you around, Alice.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Alice stood as well.


    The two walked down to the first floor and parted on the door. Einar carried himself to where a lavish scholar was speaking poems to the noble ladies. Alice, walked, holding the handle of her sword sternly, eyes focused on the road. She stopped for a moment, turned her eyes to Einar who was speaking to the scholar on the fountain, before plodding away, returning to the store that her family built. It was the store that her brother inherited, and the sign outside the store was placed above the door where it could be seen clearly to those who might visit.


    Inside, Alice went and dressed, then went back to the counter, checked the materials that were placed on the shelves. After making sure that all was in order, she went to the counter, sat on the stool, and watched the door. She saw a figure entering, she readied herself, and did her best smile, hoping that it wouldn¡¯t be too awkward.


    ¡°Welcome to Pale Shine, what can I get you?

 Chapter 164: Coping Pity

    The two sat on the fountain. Rufus, who was spouting poems to the noble girls was parched. He was drinking his canteen, his eyes closed as he savors the water inside the canteen.


    ¡°Ah, comrade, your canteen¡¯s water is nice. Sorry, it¡¯s all gone,¡± he handed the canteen.


    Einar took it, ¡°So what are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°Entertaining the ladies.¡±


    ¡°Other than that, scholar. Your face looks like it got shit on.¡±


    Rufus touched his face, ¡°Did the pigeons have me?¡±


    ¡°Not literally,¡± Einar sighed. ¡°So what are your plans at the Festival? Playing around, doing something shady or invite Claudia?¡±


    ¡°And why would you mention our Princess?¡±


    ¡°Because everyone can tell, moron. Rufus, the Scholar, the upcoming brilliant adviser, working for the Paranoid Princess, her first ally, and the person who¡¯s second only to Vera. Any non-halfwit could tell that you desire the Princess. I mean, you go through all the trouble, right?¡±


    Rufus looked with widened eyes, ¡°Is that really obvious?¡±


    ¡°Obvious to everyone except the one target of affection. I would understand if you are doing it for the sake of gaining more power.¡±


    ¡°I am doing that as well. Still, I do admit that I have a wanting to be with her,¡± Rufus said. ¡°I first met her when we were eight, and even at that age, she was already paranoid. It took me a while to befriend her truly, and only because Vera was around to calm her down. I¡¯ve been trying to gather allies but alas she doesn¡¯t easily trust. This tower is a magnificent beacon of protection but for Claudia, it is the symbol of misery.¡±


    Rufus turned his eyes to the tower, ¡°The Tower of Nimrod has been a symbol of neutrality, unity, and that of hope for the rest of the world. Back then they thought of this tower as a shelter for humankind and all of the races. Do you know how much of a weight that duty holds for Claudia? Her brothers and sisters, scheming, hoping that they could take the glorious throne.¡±


    Einar listened with folded arms.


    Rufus continued, ¡°She¡¯s been trying to gather allies but none would dare to support an open heretic like her. She has trust and love for the military and yet none of them supports her.¡±


    ¡°Is that why you are gathering mercenaries?¡± Einar asked.


    Rufus smiled thinly, ¡°Yes, mercenaries can be bought with money. They are not loyal, but I have my ways of making them stick to their contract. Claudia doesn¡¯t paint the picture of a ruler that the people would like. She has many flaws and these flaws are propagated by her enemies.¡±


    A carriage passed by Rufus and Einar.


    ¡°How am I supposed to work with that?¡± Rufus said. ¡°She tries her best and never compromises, yet that is causing her downfall. She will not win this race for the throne if she continues this no compromise of her. You know, I actually want her to lose the race. That way she¡¯d be free of all these paranoia plaguing her mind.¡±


    Rufus smiled, his eyes cloudy, ¡°But seeing her work so hard makes me want to strive. I can¡¯t help but feel pitiful about the way I am. Einar, you are calm, and I admire you for that. Tell me, why are you like this?¡±


    ¡°You know,¡± Einar placed both hands on top of his knees. ¡°I am a bundle of self-pity you know?¡±


    ¡°That can¡¯t be,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°No, that¡¯s what I am,¡± Einar said. ¡°I may look like this but I am a self-pitying fool.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe it.¡±


    ¡°You should. That¡¯s what I am inside.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t show.¡±


    ¡°I try not to. But humans are tougher than you look, no matter how battered, injured or downhearted we are, we still face the next day while clinging to our hopes and dreams. Look at you, supporting Claudia despite wanting her to lose the race. You do this because you want her to reach that throne. You feel bad, but in the end, you do what you can, no matter how bleak it is. It¡¯s okay to pity yourself, not like that it matters since you¡¯d still be moving forward. That¡¯s how things are for everyone. They keep telling themselves that they are horrible, they are not good enough and such that. Doesn¡¯t matter, since they¡¯d still be moving.¡±


    Einar as Nolan Salvatore was a bundle of self¡ªpity and self-destruction? How can he not be when he failed multiple time and never truly understood the person he was chasing? He hated himself, loathed himself, and felt like he was not good enough. He put himself down and pitied his damn self, but despite all of that self-pity and depressing thoughts; he kept moving forward.


    ¡°You have come this far, why turn back?¡± Einar said the words close to his heart. ¡°So don¡¯t be ashamed of having self-pity, it isn¡¯t your fault that you aren¡¯t a perfect human being.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Rufus said while looking at the street with a hazy gaze. ¡°I can¡¯t agree wholeheartedly but I¡¯ll think about it. I should go now.¡±


    Rufus left without looking back, his eyes looking far away. Einar stayed on the fountain, he watched Rufus disappear from his view and looked up. His eyes gazing a thousand yards away.


    He has lived multiple timelines with regret and self-pity. He could not help but feel miserable and pity himself. But just because he pities himself, it doesn¡¯t mean that he doesn¡¯t move. Thousands of times of failure had dampened his belief in himself. He might pity himself perpetually but he never thought of turning back. There was no need to weep over the parts of his life that were done. He likes to think that but in the end, the battered soul of his was looking for comfort.


    He wanted to stop using self-pity as a coping mechanism. But how could he do so when there was only him that would understand the pain? No one would understand him and he was not looking for pity, simply because he was doing it on his own.


    ¡°But, that should change, I should,¡± Einar thought. ¡°There¡¯s no need for Nolan Salvatore here, just Einar.¡±

 Chapter 165: The Old Soul Rests

    Einar walked inside a void of white that seems to resemble a stadium. In front of Einar was an old man who was in his mid-fifties or could be older. He was a grizzled old man with signs of battle; the tell-tale for his life. This soul was the bits of pieces that remained of Nolan Salvatore, his soul was old, and if it weren¡¯t for the support of two souls and Einar. Nolan Salvatore¡¯s soul would be no longer be around. Einar and Nolan share the same soul and the same mind. However, the ego of the old man and the newly born soul would sometimes clash, though not in a hostile away. Like a spectator watching over Einar, hoping that he wouldn¡¯t make the same mistake as Nolan.


    ¡°Well I have nothing to teach you,¡± Nolan said. ¡°We share the same mind and body, so you only need to grow healthy. That¡¯s good, you should grow strong and healthy, and always keep in mind that you could leave life right now. Let that determine what you do and say and think.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± Einar Elior said. ¡°Though talking my inner self is still odd.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t help it now,¡± Nolan said, brandishing an old iron sword. ¡°We are of different egos and through my help, you are born with confidence with your strength and abilities. When you are born strong you become strong in character as well. Look at me, I¡¯m a broken fool who could not sway a woman away, always pitying about the things I could not have. But you are different in a way that your ego is part of mine. I am only the bits of pieces and sooner or later I might just disappear from your ego as well.¡±


    Einar brandished his sword, ¡°So will you vanish then?¡±


    ¡°Vanish?¡± Nolan chuckled. ¡°A part of you is a Salvatore, and well, let me share you what I know. A part of my name, by law, and the blade that I striven forever since I chased after my former love.¡±


    Nolan took a stance, ¡°Do what though wilt shall be the whole law; hear me my blade; hear my longing and the grasped of my hand, this blade of a thousand journeys, the blade of fool who walked the bleak. Blaze, burn, and let this exalted blade shine through this overwhelming darkness!¡±


    Nolan disappeared, appearing before Einar. Einar crossed his blade across the body, blocking the blow, but flung like a ragdoll as he Nolan finishes his strike. Einar clenches his sword, his figure appearing before Nolan, cleaving downwards, his blade turning ghostly. Nolan calmly parried his blade, pulled Einar forward and hit him right in the face.


    Einar kneeled, rolled backward, and took a stance, his sword facing forward.


    Nolan smiled, ¡°You blocked my Exalted Blade, that¡¯s expected. Try this then!¡±


    Nolan flashed before Einar, his sword coming down at him. Einar blocked with his sword and tried to counter. Nolan parried, hit Einar¡¯s leg, and did a haymaker, putting him down. His sword was then pointed at Einar¡¯s throat.


    ¡°Again!¡± Einar became wraith and appeared above.


    Nolan flicked his blade and strikes his sword against Einar. Einar lost his balance and before he could regain it. Nolan palmed his chest. His body was blown back, rolling twice before being able to regain balance.


    ¡°Try not to use that ability,¡± Nolan said. ¡°It makes you reliant and if it is gone then you are helpless!¡±


    Nolan went for a vertical slash. Einar blocked the attack, raised his left leg and hit Nolan right in the rib. Nolan clenched his jaw, took Einar¡¯s leg and threw him down on the floor. Einar however, supported his body with one hand, deflected Nolan¡¯s sword, and plunged his sword right in between Nolan¡¯s ribs.


    ¡°Well you can fight better,¡± Nolan said, pulling the sword out of his chest by simply waking backward. ¡°Well that¡¯s it, I should not worry whether you can survive out there or not. It is up to you now, I mean I¡¯m just a ghost who cling to a soul. I don¡¯t even know if we truly are separate egos or not. But why does it matter?¡±


    Nolan sits cross-legged in front of Einar.


    ¡°You have my memories, so isn¡¯t it odd that my journey has been rather too long? I won¡¯t share the rest of my sufferings for your own good. Still, who knew a college boy who wanted to travel the world would somehow end having this kind of talk inside a soul that harbored two egos?¡±


    He laid his back on the floor and stared at the white void.


    ¡°I could feel my soul tiring so madly. I think I lost all of my strength after this.¡±


    ¡°I barely manage,¡± Einar said. ¡°Still, sooner or later I would reach the Exalted Blade with this body. You have timelines worth of experience in fighting, and you bestowed it all to me. I thank you.¡±


    Nolan stretches his limbs and stood up before Einar. Nolan Salvatore vastly differed from Einar in appearance. Nolan was old, and his body was covered in scars and giant gashes. He has a perpetual tired look on his face and it could be said that his face was too scarred. No part of his body wasn¡¯t damaged by battle. This was the true appearance of his soul.


    ¡°Einar Elior,¡± Nolan¡¯s body started turning into particles of light. ¡°My skills, my memories, and the things that I striven for are yours now.¡±


    Nolan¡¯s soul flickered as he disappears.


    ¡°But do not hesitate to call upon my soul for I shall rest in the chamber of your soul. I pray that the day where you would voluntarily call for my soul shall not happen.¡±


    Nolan Salvatore turned into a wisp of light and buried itself inside Einar¡¯s soul.


    Einar¡¯s body strengthened as he was given power. The soul that did not suit the vessel finally was able to perfectly fit in. Einar felt his regrets and despair yet he felt like the troubled soul that was Nolan Salvatore has taken his rest inside him.


    ¡°Sleep well, old man. I¡¯ll try not to wake you up.¡±


    And Einar walks out of the white void, the voice that was lingering, finally in slumber.


    For now, there was only Einar who walks this path.

 Chapter 166: The One That Dwells

    The chamber where the meeting between the highest noble of houses sat. Claudia, the daughter of the King Nimrod, sat alongside these men. Her brothers and sisters sitting with their respective backers. She sat with the only one who was with her. Rufus of House Farley.


    ¡°The festival will commence and the dance of Ninon shall continue,¡± a man said. ¡°There are many reports from the expeditions that say that the monsters have been stampeding. Guardian behemoths, Wyverns, Snake Lords, and Deeper Liches were seen raising armies while fighting the upper beasts. They have been climbing faster than recorded.¡±


    A man said, ¡°You could be wrong. Seasons like these are when the monsters come knocking. The Tower of Nimrod has been protecting the city and it will not fail to do so. However, we will do what we always do and sent forces to quell the anger of these monsters while we perform the ritual of Ninon. Her ladyship will surely bless the tower.¡±


    ¡°But can we stop them?¡± Another person said. ¡°I heard that the expeditions retreated far from the where the scene was. We¡¯ve barely been able to penetrate the one hundred floors and yet there¡¯s something that is making these monsters runaway into the surface. It was as if they were trying to grasp for air. There is something suffocating them inside the labyrinth. We¡¯ve confirmed, that there is also the matter of Ancient Dragons coming out, racing their way to the floors above.¡±


    ¡°Dragons,¡± a woman holds her head in her hands. ¡°I assume that the wyverns coming are going to be a part of the stampede. Sirs, do we have enough manpower to combat these enemies.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± a dwarf bluntly said. ¡°We don¡¯t have enough, your highness. We are too stretched out and not even with the help of Sir Lionel and Sirs Bors that we could contain the stampede. The Black Dogs, however, are willing to help out if needed.¡±


    ¡°Those mercenaries?¡± A noble said, he turns his eyes towards Rufus. ¡°So you brought those dogs to the demesne?¡±


    Rufus smiles, ¡°And what of it?¡±


    ¡°You think that those dogs of war are welcome here?¡± He spat. ¡°They are war dogs that have been roaming the land and seeking fortune! Yet their desires are of bloodshed and fury!¡±


    The man interlocks his fingers, ¡°And you are letting them inside this city?¡±


    ¡°They are men of fortune,¡± Rufus calmly said. ¡°The Black Dogs, I don¡¯t deny, have been wandering the land for good. But they are good dogs, men who were former warriors of kingdoms, turned mercenary. If you have doubts about their loyalty? They can prove it to their feats. They are men who sprinted into the fray of the battle and they know no fear. Your hatred for mercenaries doesn¡¯t mean that you cannot rely on these dogs of war.¡±


    Rufus sternly said without flinching. The woman who was at the center of this meeting calmly claps her hands.


    ¡°Enough,¡± she said. ¡°I do not need this at the moment. Do this after this session is over. What I need are capable men who will guard this demesne. We will not let our people down. Hire the Dogs, Sir Rufus, and ONLY those who are loyal ones. We don¡¯t need dogs who can¡¯t be told what to do.¡±


    She turns to Claudia, ¡°And I expect that my children will manage as well. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± Claudia said, the other children of the woman answered.


    ¡°Queen Galatea,¡± a noble said. ¡°It seems that the east has heard of our situation. Should I repeat our stance?¡±


    ¡°Do so,¡± Queen Galatea waves her hand. ¡°The Tower of Nimrod and her cities shall not take any stance towards anything other than itself. We shall rule as a beacon of unity, and power. That is the creed of our tower and we shall never falter upon it. Tell the far eastern folks to not ask such boorish request again.¡±


    ¡°Understood, my Queen,¡± the noble bowed.


    Queen Galatea trains her gaze at them, ¡°The Dance of Ninon shall commence without fail. The hearth fire that quells the monsters must be done. Nonetheless, we shall not be arrogant in the regards of our defense. I have no doubts that the dance will succeed. My thoughts are one whatever that is coming to surface in the bottom of the tower. It has been fifty years since we pushed down the tower. Whatever is making its way up here is a threat. We shall worry about this threat once the tower is calm. Until then, focus on making sure that the dances would proceed well. Goddess Ninon requires the dance for her blessings to be laid; she¡¯s a merciful goddess that warms the heart. However, she must be called for her to do her blessings.¡±


    ¡°We understood, our Queen.¡±


    The rest of the nobles left the chambers. Only Rufus and Claudia remains.


    ¡°What do you think it is, Rufus?¡± Claudia asked.


    ¡°Something that must not get out,¡± Rufus held his jaw. ¡°I heard that her majesty was coming out to talk. To think that we will have to face the might of dragons and their army of wyverns. An army of undead as well comes to the land to resurface.¡±


    ¡°Do you think that it is a dark lord? Or is it an Overlord of Demons?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Rufus shook his head. ¡°Whatever the monster that is scaring all of these powerful beings, it cannot be anything other than trouble. I will call all our allies, Claudia. Do you mind?¡±


    ¡°Hmm,¡± Claudia stayed her gaze on the table. ¡°No matter how much I climb, she¡¯s always so far, isn¡¯t she. Rufus, we shall help purge the monsters that might come out. Tell Annie and Wendy to come, and borrow Einar the moment he¡¯s done guarding his dancer. We¡¯ll need all the blade that we can if we are to hold the monsters.¡±


    Rufus thought that it would be another lackluster festival of Ninon. Rufus couldn¡¯t have thought that the days that would follow would shake the foundations of the Tower of Nimrod.

 Chapter 167: Fall 1 of the Year 1100

    Einar stood among the people with Alice. She was wearing a cloak to hide the dance ritual outfit that was given to her by the academy. They were gathered on the inner oval of the academy. Einar was armed in an armored plate and he carried a sword.


    Alice trained her gaze on him, ¡°That is high-quality equipment. As expected of the heir of the Elior House.¡±


    ¡°They want me to bring Mithril with them,¡± Einar said. ¡°But true silver is only going to hamper me.¡±


    ¡°In what way?¡±


    Einar didn¡¯t reply. He continued looking at the crowd that gathered. Some folks were wearing the same equipment as him. The guardians of each dancer were wearing the same thing. The rest who have magical capabilities were carrying their conduits.


    ¡°The tenth floor is the place where we will be heading,¡± she folded her arms underneath her cloak. ¡°I¡¯ll be depending on you to watch my front and back. Please don¡¯t let me die.¡±


    Einar bumps his fist against hers. ¡°Sure, don¡¯t worry I¡¯ll be watching you dance as well.¡±


    She looks away, ¡°Just don¡¯t stare so much. I¡¯d trip and that would be bad. Ah, you don¡¯t have any potions on you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need it,¡± Einar said. ¡°I can handle the enemies. Not that I am overconfident. It¡¯s just that my constitution doesn¡¯t need any potions. I just need food to regenerate.¡±


    ¡°Every day I know you, you are becoming a monster.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Einar adjusted his bracer.


    The sunbeam was shining down upon them. The headmaster of the academy stood on a podium. He was giving speeches while rousing up the students. While the headmaster was doing so, Thea, who was with Volt, came up to Einar. She was wearing a cloak as well, hands behind her back. Volt was following.


    ¡°Hello,¡± she said to Alice. ¡°To see you without blood is a strange thing.¡±


    ¡°Milady,¡± Alice bowed her head.


    ¡°Stop that. I don¡¯t like such formalities.¡±


    Volt said, ¡°I know that this is too late but you two do not have the attitude fitting that of a noble. I expected to curtsy and be treated like a dog.¡±


    Thea giggled, ¡°Were you expecting some unrequited romance? Volt, my family and cousin¡¯s family has been working with warriors for the longest time. We only have little noble blood running on our veins and we have the blood of warriors! So how can we act so arrogant in front of other ¡°


    Volt shook his head, ¡°I see. Well, that would explain why I was able to easily greet you.¡±


    ¡°Easy?¡± Thea places her hand in front of her mouth. ¡°Do you mean Einar beating the life out of you is easy?¡±


    Volt recalled the day where he strode in front of Thea. He recalled the way he pushed Einar away. Only for him to see the sky immediately, and Einar¡¯s foot on his chest. What followed was Einar¡¯s fist simultaneously flying on his face until he saw red. It took two months for Volt to gain courage again. This time, the arrogance of his was gone, seeped inside the dirt.


    ¡°I am truly sorry for that.¡±


    Thea said, ¡°You do know that even after you said your apologies. Brother Einar tailed you since he thought that you might be planning.¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡± He said. ¡°So no wonder I sensed so much fear during that time! How in the hell did you follow me without being detected!¡±


    Einar turned his head away from Volt who was holding his head. The headmaster made a bow towards the crowd and held his staff up in the air. Then a fizzling noise came out as that magic bolt turned into a grand spell that launched a blossom above the sky. The crowd turned stunned from cheering at the sight of the festival blossoms.


    ¡°Go forth!¡±


    The Headmaster declared. Einar stood while the crowd was making their way to the Tower of Nimrod. The four of them waited until the crowd was smaller to start walking. Alice walked behind the three. Einar turned his eyes at her and stopped. ¡°Come, don¡¯t be shy.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not shy,¡± Alice said. ¡°I just don¡¯t know to react to them.¡±


    ¡°Being an introvert sure is hard, I can relate,¡± Einar said. ¡°Well, you are familiar with me by now.  Not going to try and make you immediately like them. No, I would be mad if you easily become friends with them when I treated you a lot.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s kind of petty of you to say.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care,¡± Einar raised his shoulders. ¡°It might be short but I will be your guardian until the day this festival ends. I will be your sword and shield. Is that fine with you?¡±


    Alice turned her head away, her ears red, ¡°Yeah. I am fine with that. Please protect me, my Guardian.¡±


    ¡°Sure, you can count on me,¡± he held her hand and shook it.


    He turned to the direction of the tower. The tower¡¯s covered in blossoms of fire that seems to wrap like thorns. The nimbus clouds that once wrapped the tower was gone. What remained was the tower of nimrod emitting a light that covered the city whole. He could feel the warmth of the tower even from this distance. It resembled a dying hearth where none kindled its fire. The purpose of the dance was to rekindle the warmth of the fire. Once the warm of the fire hearth was back. The monsters who are cold inside would feel the fire linger again. That will soothe their soul and they will calm down. It was a ritual to prevent a stampede.


    Of course, he only knew that the ritual was needed to be done. He knew that was the only thing he needed to do. However, how could Einar thought that there was a lurking danger beyond this dance?


    Fall 1 of the Year 1100.


    The week-long festival of the Goddess Ninon begun.


    The festival that is held in the honor of the Goddess of Dance and Hearth


    It was the day where monsters dance in her hearth fire.

 Chapter 168: The Blood Crier

    In this valley lies a river of blood formed from the corpses of the dragons and lich¡¯s. A man in full armor plating stood among the carcasses with blood dyeing his armor red. It had been weeks since he journeyed to the bottom floor of the labyrinth. He had learned the crevices and paths that would allow him to reach the bottom floors with ease.


    The high ceiling of this valley made it so that cirrus clouds gathered. Each floor of the labyrinth was a separate biome itself, therefore he was sure that these clouds were natural. The slaughter that was present around this floor was not natural.


    ¡°What is that?¡±


    And he saw the mountainous dragon that laid dead at the base of a mountain structure. Mouth gaped open and eyes pluck from its head. The wings of the dragon span two mountains yet there was a sword scar around the dragon¡¯s stomach, revealing the intestines of the dragon. The head was attached to a rock peak and the blood of dragon flowed like a river upon this valley.


    Wayne, who dived this labyrinth to see what lies saw a figure that spooked him. Upon that dragon¡¯s head lies a figure covered in that of energy beyond he could comprehend. It was like watching a myriad of forces clinging to this figure. This figure was unholy and it can only be a monster that wielded a sword that seems to have been forged from the stars. He saw the stars on the blade that his figure was holding.


    He could have called it many names.


    However, what stood out for him was the tears of blood pouring out of the sockets of this being. It stood on the dragon¡¯s head while waiting for foes to slaughter. It would face the dominion of the monsters without batting an eye. Despite the bloody years this being held no fear against the enemies that came out of the portals. Dragons that stood over mountains, Lich¡¯s that ruled the dead, and behemoths who would face this being without any fear.


    Wayne held on to his saw-like two-handed sword. He has been avoiding the enemies and has killed a few. However, he couldn¡¯t move at the presence of these monsters that are feared above the surface. These monsters that dwelled inside this labyrinth instead of the land could destroy all of humanity. Yet, they all stood before a being wrapped in a cloak made from a myriad of energy.


    The Blood Crier stood with its hands holding on its sword. It faced the behemoths and mountainous foes without any fear. The blood that it was spilling from its eyes seems like a shed of mercy for these beings that faced a being beyond anyone¡¯s understanding. Wayne couldn¡¯t understand what happened the moment the battle started.


    All he saw was a swing that cleaved half of the being¡¯s enemy. They all fell and the dragon that led the charge was pinned down by the enemy. The sword of the being turned into chains made of energy that held the scales of the dragon. It couldn¡¯t move as it helplessly stared while the Blood Crier skinned the dragon of its scale and beheaded it with a chop of its sword.


    It was then the labyrinth opened up portals to ¡°contain¡± the evil that appeared inside. Wayne had his heart pumping as the earth beneath his feet shook. It was then that Cherubic beings clad in an eerie light covered the biome of this floor. Their swords of darkness pointed at the invader had slaughtered the beings of this labyrinth.


    Like bees, they surrounded the defiant being. Their speed beyond what Wayne could perceive. The battle became a sudden loud bang that resulted in the fall of these eerie angels. Their screams resembled that of a banshee and every single one of them was being slaughtered by the sword of the Blood Crier. The Blood Crier made the biome rain with the gore of the angels. It slaughtered no matter what enemy came out of the portal.


    The Blood Crier was all alone in the mountain of corpses it was raising. Wayne stood with his sword tightly held. All of the delusions of glory that he held were shattered at the sight of this battle. How could a mere swordsman fight the impossible? How could they slay a monster that could break the dragons and the angels with its sword?


    The portal was throwing monsters at the Blood Crier. However, it was not unfair for the Blood Crier. It was only fair for them to send out so many against this unbreakable monster. This monster who would face the might of this labyrinth. This monster who crawled from the deepest floors of the abyss to reach the 100th floor of the Labyrinth. Nothing can stop it from reaching the surface and only the labyrinth was hindering it from leaving. The 100th floor was the entry passage that guards the uncharted paths. If this monster was able to crawl through that path then there was nothing stopping it to reach the surface. The labyrinth was throwing all of its monsters to this defiant being. Its wish to destroy the being that had slaughtered its inhabitants.


    Wayne¡¯s instincts were telling him to run away. And so he did without looking back at the slaughter that was behind him. He sprinted to the snake-like path, avoiding the stampede that crowded the entrance to the 99th floor of the labyrinth. He could see the legions of monsters screaming as the Blood Crier drains the life of the mighty beings that rule this labyrinth.


    The strange orb that acted as the sun for this biome shone. In the corner of the biome was the Blood Crier building a mountain of corpses. The being still standing despite the enemy coming waves after waves.


    Wayne had to warn the surface about this being who faced the legions of monsters alone.


    He had to make sure to tell what was coming.


    It wouldn¡¯t too long before this monster sees the light.


    If it does then there was only a few who could stop this monster.


    The Tower of Nimrod needs to be sealed before this monster gets out.

 Chapter 169: The Role of A Guardian

    Einar was in a biome that resembled a chamber. The tenth floor of the labyrinth where the dance would be held. It was a serene place with little to none noise. The sun¡¯s light pierced inside through a hole and it landed on a podium made from iron. Near the podium was Alice, preparing the wards that would help in keeping her safe. It was designed to alert the holder of the necklace connected to the ward.


    Einar ambled to Alice. He folded his arms and placed his gaze on the wards. ¡°I¡¯ll do the rest, please don¡¯t tire yourself out.¡±


    She turned to him, ¡°I may be dancing, but I am not a weak lady.¡±


    ¡°I know that,¡± Einar took the ward from her. ¡°I rather not take chances when it comes to the safety of the dancing. I will do the hard labor while you do the role of being the dancer. Is that clear?¡±


    ¡°I see your point,¡± she shrugged her shoulder and started taking off the cloak that hides the risky outfit. ¡°This is a lewd outfit, and I thought Goddess Ninon would be far more conservative.¡±


    ¡°The outfit was made to show the belly where the womb is. The part around your cleavage is where the ¡®hearth fire¡¯ is located. I heard that back in the days they made it so that the layers of cloth around the chest area were thinner. You saw the statues right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, and I thank thee the Goddess for that,¡± she looked at Einar. ¡°You are not staring too much.¡±


    ¡°Do you prefer if I do?¡± Einar squared his shoulders.


    ¡°No, it does annoy me that you don¡¯t look speechless. Guess that shows how much I look.¡±


    Einar shook his head, ¡°Oh, you do look beautiful in that outfit. Do not misunderstand.¡±


    Alice¡¯s lips curved, ¡°You don¡¯t look like it.¡±


    ¡°My face looks like this, I was born with it.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe you.¡±


    ¡°So you want me to stare at you with lusty eyes?¡± Einar asked.


    ¡°You are a hard person to talk to. Compliment me or something.¡±


    ¡°I like your buttocks,¡± he stared at her. ¡°And the way your thighs have a gap.¡±


    Her eyes rounded, ¡°Is that your compliment?¡±


    ¡°I admit that the way you look is stunning.¡± He lifted his lips.


    Alice palmed her forehead, ¡°I have no words to say.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Alice,¡± he said. ¡°You are still fifteen, and you shouldn¡¯t worry about looking beautiful. Or are you older than me?¡±


    Alice sauntered up to the stadium, stretched her limbs, and readied herself. Einar took the wards and placed them around the podium. After doing so, he went to position and black magical lines covered the entirety of his limbs. There was a faint glow around his body, and his eyes grew blood red, the sclera of his eyes turned yellowish red.


    The glow came from the runes he scribed on his bones. The runes inside him nurtured his body and allowed it to be robust and stronger than the rest. He has also wrapped a part of his bones with a thin layer obsidian that would react upon impact. Einar¡¯s body was blessed but the soul that clings to him had turned his body into a monstrosity. The faint glow around his body was the effect of the runes flickering as the magical energy passes through it.


    Alice started her dance, she stretched her arms, and legs, twirling, making use of her foot. There was a chime that sounded out of nowhere. There were orange dots of lights that started coming out. Einar turned his eyes and saw how these lights started flying up and down. Einar heard the sound of conga drums and the tapping of bamboo rods.


    Goddess Ninon is the goddess of the hearth and dance, blindingly beautiful, with ashen skin, long, white hair, and eyes the color of forest moss. She is tall and slim-shouldered and seldom frowns. She usually wears scant clothing, dyed dark bronze, and dark red. She is also associated with snow, desert, and the plains. She is often worshipped by dancers. Her shrines are the hearths and there are many myths involving her appearing before weary souls, dancing solely, allowing the weary wanderer to rest.


    In the legends of old, she was the mysterious dancer that calmed the heart of Nimrod. She was the blinding beauty that soothed the monsters inside the tower. It was because of her dance that the monsters stopped their stampede. To honor her dance, Nimrod founded podiums dedicated to Ninon, allowing her to manifest her power through the maidens that would dance on her stead.


    She was among the forty Gods that are worshiped in this world. She is the dancer of Val, the God of Life, and the Sister of Danna, the Goddess of Sex and Peace. It was said that she was among the purest of the Gods and yet she dances for those who are truly weary and has obtained the right to see her dance. The dance that Alice was doing was based on her dance, yet it is said that no matter how talented, there can be no one other than Goddess Ninon could perform her true dance.


    However, even though the dance is performed to soothed the heart of monsters. It is not activated until the dance is complete. Only Goddess Ninon could soothe the hearts of the monsters while she dances, and those who imitate the dance shall have to finish it before Ninon would bless the dancer with her powers. So until then, there is a need for a guardian to protect the Dancer while the monsters attacks.


    The monster roars as the dance comes. Einar readied his sword and shield and watched as the monsters who felt the dance came out of their hole. He had seen the dance and it was his first time being a guardian for the dancer. Nonetheless, the soul that he has was used to protecting others. Not to mention that he was far stronger than the soul who clings to him.


    ¡°Let¡¯s do this,¡± Einar said, his sword ready to slice through the enemy.

 Chapter 170: Einar, Chosen of the Unchosen One

    Once upon a time, there was a fool who followed a war maiden. A powerless fool who had nothing other than his will and grit. This fool took many roads and yet, in the end, he could not reach such certain maiden despite all the will that he had. One day, the fool found himself in a loop that sends him back to the time where he was thrown into this world. He repeated many timelines, forgetting his memories, sparing it from breaking. He doesn¡¯t know how long he has been repeating the endless loops.


    This soul was just a Nobody who had once lived in a peaceful world. A fool that wanted to reach the war maiden that sat on top of a mountain. But how can a Nobody reach so far? He had strived to reach the war maiden but he couldn¡¯t. Simply, he was just a fool who had been trapped in a cycle. Nonetheless, even the lesser of men can become something with repetition and endless desire. If it wasn¡¯t for that desire then he wouldn¡¯t have reached a state where he could engrave runes inside his body and cast them. He wouldn¡¯t be able to do things that he could if it wasn¡¯t for the endless repetition of practice that he had to do. Indeed, he was just a Nobody that had the hobby of climbing over things. In the end, he became someone who could reach something. Someone that stood before the woman who he loved the most, his beginning, his reason, his purpose, and at the same time, his end.


    He saw how this man fought a war maiden that stood tall. It was a futile effort of a man who dared to defy those who are blessed. Einar saw the memories of a single man who stood before the unbreakable war maiden. The man who consumed the dragons flesh and became a ghost just to dance on the same stage as hers. It was a hopeless dance that he knew that he could never win. It was the last stand of the man who only wanted to have the woman who wouldn¡¯t even turn her eyes away from her duty to face her. Even if it means burning his soul into cinders, the man wanted to stare at the face of the unreachable and uneatable while knowing no fear.


    He lost and was thrown into the gateway that led this soul clinging to Einar. They were born inside the body but the soul of the man decided to give it to Einar. For, he had already seen and fought enough. Thus, he gave Einar everything that he knew. All that he had become his, and since the day Einar¡¯s soul became conscious, the soul taught him everything he knew, suppressing his memories, allowing the soul of Einar to reside in harmony with the old soul that had fought too long.


    ¡°Be strong,¡± the soul said, ¡°so that you could fight and claim your wants! ¡°


    And so Einar dances without holding back. The sword in his hand being clad in a surge of water that seems to cut through everything. The runes in his body calmly responding and harmonizing each attack.


    The podium was surrounded by the monsters.


    Einar became the gale as he swiftly rips and tears through the horde with his Sword of Alva. The jet-cutter sword that was handed to him by the soul that rested within him. The soul slumbers yet Einar could tell that the soul was happy.


    ¡°Hah, that¡¯s my boy!¡± The soul said.


    The soul never had children.


    For he had dedicated his life to the woman who would then sacrifice the life of his unborn child for her duty.


    That¡¯s why the soul could never let this one be weak.


    He would never Einar suffer the way he did.


    It was his vow and promise that he would keep.


    That by giving everything all that he had Einar would be strong.


    He had made Einar strong so that he could protect himself. So that he could survive no matter what happens, and no matter what path Einar would take. There would be no one that would harm him.


    The man who has nothing other than his experiences wanted to give everything to the soul that allowed him to live and find hope. He wanted to give everything to this soul who took him in and gave him the feeling of having a child. Even though he might not be needed now that he had given everything to Einar. It didn¡¯t matter. He was happy with Einar being his living legacy.


    That¡¯s why despite Einar being surrounded by monsters. The soul that sleeps inside Einar still didn¡¯t wake. Sleeping with a smile, he wasn¡¯t afraid of what his living legacy would do in situations like these. For he had taught him to expect such scenarios.


    No monster could approach the podium. Alice dances without worrying about the monsters that surrounded her. Einar cuts through the horde with his blade and easily tore through their fur and scales. A circle was formed around Einar, and the wards that were placed around the podium was untouched. The dance was not done. The monsters continued pouring in every direction.


    Einar stood domineeringly in front of his enemies.


    Alice dances gracefully, the blessings of the Goddess shining, her guardian protecting her from every possible, harm. No matter what, whether melee or range, none could reach her. For she had the protection of the man blessed by the unblessed.


    It should not be mistaken.


    Einar was born without any blessings from the Gods and Goddesses.


    The efforts of his mother and father weren¡¯t given to him


    How he could be this strong was due to the soul who wasn¡¯t blessed.


    The soul who suffered the unfairness of the world has blessed him.


    This was the blessing of power from the unblessed man.


    Flesh and bones as strong as a half-dragon.


    The knowledge of combat and arcane.


    The experience of a man who marched through hells.


    Einar Elior was the man blessed by the Unchosen One.

 Chapter 171: A Natural Monster

    And so the dance ended with a graceful bow from Alice. She looked around and saw the pile of corpses that surrounded the podium. The blessings of Ninon falling gently like feathers falling from the sky. However, Alice noticed that there was something eerie about the labyrinth. Usually, when the blessings of Ninon are done, the labyrinth would have a calming wave of heat that resembled the warmth of a hearth.


    ¡°You done?¡± Einar asked, flicking the blood from his sword, sheathing it.


    Alice looked at the corpses, ¡°You, really are one hell of a guardian. The shield was useless.¡¯


    ¡°Yeah, it is,¡± Einar slung the shield on his back. ¡°It¡¯s rather cumbersome and I rather dodge than be hit.¡±


    ¡°Still,¡± he put his hands on his hips. ¡°Some of these guys took three blows to kill. My Blade of Alva usually could tear through them easily.¡±


    ¡°Alva?¡± She looked at the sheathed sword. ¡°Is that an enchanted sword?¡±


    ¡°No, the spell that I cast on this sword. Alva, which means the Exalted Blade.¡±


    ¡°Where did you learn it?¡±


    Einar smiled, ¡°From an old man who did his best to craft a sword that could tear through the impossible.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like to meet this old man then.¡±


    ¡°Nah, he¡¯s sleeping and I doubt anything could wake him up.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± she turned her head away. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, also, want to dress up?¡±


    ¡°I should,¡± she turned to the luggage Einar carried. ¡°It¡¯s a pain so I will just change, please don¡¯t look or you¡¯ll have to marry me.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± Einar turned his attention to the direction.


    The area was utterly silent and he heard none of the voices that should be singing. The lullaby of Ninon was nowhere to be found. However, he felt vibrations beneath his feet. Einar could tell his skin prickling as the vibration grows closer. He estimated that it came from below and sooner or later it will come for them.


    ¡°Alice,¡± Einar said. ¡°You should hurry up, and ready yourself.¡¯


    Alice froze for a second, she continued and armed herself. ¡°I am ready, how many are there?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a stampede,¡± Einar unsheathed his sword. ¡°And a big one as well¡­what the hell is happening?¡±


    Einar trained is gaze on the forest. The forest shook and before long a man who was dragging a two-handed saw-like sword appeared. Behind him was a horde of monsters with grotesque appearances, their eyes filled with terror as they chase, no, as they run away from something. The beasts were alarmed as if it was their only choice.


    ¡°R-run!¡± The man said, blood coming out of his mouth. ¡°These are deep layer monsters! Retreat now! The dancers are all dead! Their guardians! We must call the Paladin-¡°


    The words were cut as Einar bolted to the horde. The blade in his hand turned vicious and before the man could turn. There was a sound of flesh being torn and bones breaking.  The rain of gore came as it happens upon the horde. Then, an explosion happened, stopping the horde from continuing forward.


    ***


    Alice heard of the Einar ever since she started attending the academy made of nobles. It was said that three noble children were deemed to be the strongest and yet when the heir of the Elior House attended. Those three nobles were beaten as if they were nothing. His swordplay was lethal, and the way he wielded his runes were far different from the others.


    He was a young man with abilities that surpassed his peers. If it wasn¡¯t for those three nobles pointing their blades. The strength of the young man wouldn¡¯t be revealed. Alice had dreams of becoming a spellsword, a woman who would rise from the ranks and become someone that could support her brother.


    She was talentless, and the only way she could compete was through the use of a technique that would forcibly expand the veins that allowed the flow of magic inside her body. Doing so resulted in her blood clotting, and bones sometimes shattering. She endured and practiced and she hated the heir of the House of Elior.


    She was a commoner and she thought that all nobles would act the same. Yet one day, she saw the enduring patience of Einar, the talented who would rigorously train, not uttering any complaints or moaning in pain. She saw how he trained and felt embarrassed that she was acting like a brat. So she thought of letting go of that hate, turning her anger on what she cannot do.


    Yet, the scene before her was nothing other than a reminder. A reminder of how much of a monster Einar Elior was. Einar was facing a horde of monsters that she has no confidence in facing. These monsters who would tear through an unprepared part. Nonetheless, Einar Elior faced them, calmly, as if the scene before him was just another day.


    ¡°What are you?¡± Alice asked.


    She had been conversing with Einar Elior. She thought of him as a guy who had no hate against commoners. He was a man who she could to talk to easily and he was without arrogance. He didn¡¯t have that noble attitude that she hated from those who were birthed in a noble house. He was someone who would treat others fairly.


    However, the young man that would treat people casually turned into a monster at this moment. A monster that could stop a stampede of monsters and tear through the monsters as if they are just another target. In front of her was the scene of slaughter, and the monsters who should be feared were being killed by something more monstrous than them.


    ¡°You really are a monster, aren¡¯t you?¡± Alice held her sword tightly, biting her lips. ¡°I guess you are really out of my league, you goddamn monster.¡±


    Alice stood still to watch, her heart clenched, and eyes trained on the monster who had come to unleash his blade upon his fellow monsters. The man who was running away stood frozen, unable to process the slaughter in front of them. How would they know that there was someone who taught Einar how to kill monsters efficiently?

 Chapter 172: Impetus

    Einar stood with a stoic face. He flicks his sword and turned his attention to the two who were staring at him. He was surrounded by corpses, every single one of them torn to shreds, there was no change in Einar¡¯s expression. The man, who was wounded, looked down and started laughing, before sighing.


    ¡°I guess I still have my luck,¡± the man said. ¡°Thank you, warrior.¡±


    ¡°Warrior?¡± Einar sheathed his blade. ¡°You are?¡±


    ¡°Wayne, Adventurer, ah, shit.¡±


    ¡°You look dying,¡± Einar cracked his neck. ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t bring any potions with me. I can¡¯t help you.¡±


    Alice ambled close, ¡°I have one, here take this.¡±


    The man took the potion from Alice. Alice, who gave the potion, glance briefly at Einar, before turning away. Einar tilted his head, folded his arms, and stared at the man who was healing his wounds. A milky light coated him, slowly melting into his body, the wounds that were around his hands vanished, and yet he was holding on to his chest.¡¯


    ¡°I am Wayne, Adventurer. You, are you a student?¡±


    ¡°The armor?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and that you are with the lady. The dance didn¡¯t do shit. Look at me, I am bloody beaten.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± Einar sat cross-legged.


    ¡°Something¡¯s down there, down the 100th floor, a monster, something that could take down ancients, angels, and even the undead.¡±


    ¡°No wonder you could run away from those monsters. I was sure that half of your bones were broken. I guess you want to contact the Paladins then?¡±


    ¡°Right, I think I feel a lot better.¡±


    ¡°Then we should hurry,¡± Einar stood and turned to Alice. ¡°We should return, are you ready to go, Alice?¡±


    Alice nodded, not saying anything. Einar watched her for a second before offering Wayne a hand. He pulled Wayne up, and they started marching to the direction of the stairs leading to the 9th floor of the labyrinth.


    ***


    As they travel up to the surface, Einar looked at Alice who was silent. He neared her, rubbed the back of his head, and turned to the ceiling.


    ¡°You sure got silent, anything bothering you?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    ¡°So something is bothering you. You saw me kill them right? They should be monsters that someone like me can¡¯t handle. I admit though that I can handle them, no, they weren¡¯t even anything something good. The old man I know told me that such monsters are susceptible to death simply by targeting their vitals.¡±


    ¡°And you were able to target their vitals while being surrounded?¡±


    ¡°I did. I could only do so because I stunned them with that rune. Once they were stopped in their tracks, I made use of the confusion to kill them. If I relied purely on my sword and if I didn¡¯t have the sword of Alva helping me; I¡¯d be a dead man who would have been killed.¡±


    Einar stared at Alice¡¯ eyes.


    ¡°You look at me as if I am a monster.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± she didn¡¯t deny. ¡°I think of you a monster that should be avoided. I used to think that I could reach something. That if I put my effort into it then I might just be good enough. But looking at you made me think that it was impossible. Einar, I think that after this we shouldn¡¯t talk to each other.¡±


    Einar squared his shoulders. He looked up for a second.


    ¡°You hate me now? Or do you fear me? I know that look so well. Saw it many times and you are not even trying to hide it.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t know what to think about you. I thank you for what you did in protecting me while I dance. I appreciate what you did as you fight those horrible monsters without knowing any tinge of fear. I admire you, Einar, I really do. But yet you look so monstrous to me right now. I don¡¯t know what to feel about someone who could easily rip me apart talking to me like this.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Einar snorted. ¡°I don¡¯t blame you for thinking that. It¡¯s easy to fear something that could tear you apart. Still, I reached my strength through single-minded focus, commitment and sheer effort of will. The old man who taught me had me practiced until the day I could be good as him. I could kill them simply because the old man knows too well how to kill monsters beyond him. Honestly, the old man who taught me all I know wouldn¡¯t recommend what I did. I can only do this because I know I can. I understand why you¡¯d want to stay away from me. ¡±


    She didn¡¯t reply. She lowered her head and continued walking without talking. Einar didn¡¯t explain himself further. He didn¡¯t bother thinking about what Alice thought of him. No, he just couldn¡¯t understand the point of thinking about things that he could not control.


    The three reached the entrance of the labyrinth and saw the crowd of people gathered. Many eyes were pointed at Einar who was clad in blood. Wayne disappeared from the crowd, and Alice left without saying any words as well. Einar stared at his hands, it was bloodied, and he still could feel instincts sharpening his senses.


    ¡°I guess I really got influenced by the old man, huh,¡± he thought. ¡°I trained this body with him and molded it to that of a warrior as I grow up.  That was a great slaughter, and the feeling of the heart pumping so madly¡­feels really good.¡±


    Einar exhaled deeply and inhaled slowly. He slaps both of his cheeks and scanned the people around him. He couldn¡¯t see Thea or anyone that he knew so he walked out of the crowd, ambled outside the tower. Many carriages were gathering around and many soldiers were gathering outside of the Tower.


    The dance was over, and yet no calmness surrounded the world.


    ¡°This must be related to what happened inside,¡± he grabs hold of his chin.  ¡°Whatever is that lurks inside, it¡¯s something that even I might not be able to handle.¡±

 Chapter 173: Camilla

    Einar took a step on the stone path that led to the house of Elior. The courtyard of the House Elior has warriors practicing their blades, and the servants were taking care of the house. A servant saw Einar walking inside the house, she plods to Einar, lifted her skirt, bowed her and, did a curtsy. Einar nodded at the servant.


    ¡°Camilla,¡± he said. ¡°I will be returning father¡¯s belongings.¡±


    ¡°As you wish,¡± she bowed her head. ¡°Please follow me inside.¡±


    The mansion has wooden walls and the floor was the same. There was a staircase in the middle that leads to the second floor of the mansion. There was a hallway on the right that leads to the kitchen, and the other hallway leads to the quarters where the servants rest. Every single servant of House Elior were men and women who had followed the House Elior in battle.


    Einar followed Camilla up the second floor of the mansion and went inside a large room. Camilla took a small cloth from her pockets, walked in front of Einar, and wiped the blood that dried on his cheek.


    ¡°Young Lord, were you hurt?¡±


    ¡°No.¡¯


    ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you wipe your face?¡±


    ¡°I had no time. I just want this equipment removed. I don¡¯t want father to be bothered with all of this gore in his items.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure that Sir Lionel would only be proud of the battle. Sir, I-¡°


    ¡°Cut that out, Camilla,¡± Einar said, removing the gauntlet on his hand. ¡°Father says that as well, the House of Elior is the house of warriors, and we share bonds that surpasses even familial blood.¡±


    Camilla exhales, ¡°Will you please allow us to act like loyal servants? Young Lord, we were hired to do that you know?¡±


    ¡°I know, I just don¡¯t like being treated this way.¡±


    Camilla took the breastplate and untied the straps. She placed it on the floor and put both of her hands on her hips.


    ¡°Young Lord, they say that maids are highly charming and are the targets of lust. Now, you deprive me of this dream. I am disappointed in you, Young Lord. Why have you turned into such a gentle warrior instead of a lusty young master that preys on his maids?¡±


    Einar looks back at her with a stoic gaze, ¡°How many times husbands did you have again?¡±


    ¡°Three husbands?¡±


    ¡°Please respect them, and do not fall into depravity.¡±


    ¡°It is okay, Young Lord, you are a great warrior and a man worthy to be preyed upon. I simply wish that the heir remains that of a young man willing to lay with women instead of men.¡±


    Einar massages his temple, ¡°Why do you think that?¡±


    ¡°Master, you have never been seen interested in women. All we see you do is practice your abilities and stay seated alone in meditation. We worry that you may not be able to continue this proud line of blood!¡±


    Einar said, ¡°It is fine, father and mother is still young, they will surely make another heir. I told you about my dream, right?¡±


    Camilla pursed her lips. She stood in the corner without words the moment Einar spoke that phrase. It was the phrase that their young master says the moment he wants no words to be spoken further. They already had this argument many times and none would argue. For the will of their young master was even stronger than steel. Not even Sir Lionel or Sir Bors could be forceful.


    ¡°It¡¯s a sad existence,¡± Camilla thought. ¡°How can we be happy when the young lord has such a dream of dying alone?¡±


    He was ten when Einar declared his dream to the people of House Elior. Such a dream was welcomed with worry and shock. The young heir¡¯s wish and ambition was to simply live his life and die alone without no one to see. It was the first time that the mother of the young lord, came up to him, and slapped his cheek. She recalled.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be foolish,¡± Lady Selina said.


    ¡°I am being true,¡± Einar said, not moving his head despite being slapped. ¡°That is my dearest wish, mother. That the day I feel my life ending, I shall leave for a place where none can see me.¡±


    ¡°Stop this nonsense,¡± Sir Lionel had fury in his eyes. He tried to admonish his child but he was stopped. No, he was simply brought down to his knees by a sweep to the leg. ¡°I thank you, and I know that this may come as sad. But¡­this is simply my wish.¡±


    Sir Lionel stood in front of his child, ¡°Then do not seek for death so easily. Or I will seriously discipline you, my child.¡±


    Selina looked at Einar with worrying eyes. Lionel took her hand and shook his head.


    ¡°Let the child do what he wants. However, he must strive to live no matter what. Promise me this, my child.¡±


    ¡°I will not die easy.¡±


    Camilla thought that the young lord¡¯s words were true. How can they refute him when at such a young age their young lord was already a man that could be mistaken for a young adult? Camilla never saw their young lord distress or worry about toys. He was not a normal child like the others. He was a strange child with strange wishes.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be going now, Camilla, please try not jesting like that to others. They might just attack you.¡±


    Camilla exhaled, ¡°Do you really think that this lady would be so easily pushed down?¡±


    ¡°Of course not,¡± Einar grinned. ¡°My mother¡¯s Valkyrie isn¡¯t so weak. No, if they could push you down then might be worthy of you.¡±


    Camilla pursed her lips and said, ¡°I shall take care of the equipment, Young Lord. Please leave it to me.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Einar moved to the door. ¡°See you around, Auntie.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t call me that, I am still young!¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure, I believe in you.¡±


    ¡°What a helpless child,¡± Camilla said, watching her Young Lord scamper out of the room. She couldn¡¯t help but feel helpless in front of the heir. She was a warrior yet there was something about their Young Lord that made her rather meek when it comes to talking to him.

 Chapter 174: The Price of Power

    It could be said that the moment the Dance of Ninon didn¡¯t subdue the remaining enemy, the people of the City of Nimrod took measures immediately. Within the area of the tower were magic circles that surrounded the tower. Each of these multi-color circles produces chains that started wrapping the tower.


    Two men who rode on their mounts watched the chains wrapped the tower.


    ¡°Wayne, are you sure about the threat?¡±


    ¡°I am, I haven¡¯t seen such monstrosity from before. No, we should wrap the doors of our tower with chains. If that thing gets out then even if manage to take care of that beast. Then this tower will certainly fall and our cities will burn.¡±


    ¡°You speak so lightly of us.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Wayne shook his head. ¡°I do not dare to underestimate the prowess of the cities of warriors. But what that thing that sleeps under our cities is nothing but a monster. I propose that we gather the Guardians of Gaia to fight the monster. We cannot allow that invader to enter this world. To do so is the same as offering this world to that monster.¡±


    ¡°Is that so¡­?¡±


    ***


    Down the valley where the corpses fell was a figure standing in front of a transparent barrier. Behind this figure were a pile of monster corpses that flooded the landscape with gore and blood.


    The being that stood there had no injuries. The being didn¡¯t have anything on her that might be called a wound. After all, how can the being not win when every kill feeds the being¡¯s ancient soul?


    How can the being who had wandered into this world lose to creatures such as these?¡±


    ¡°Where are you? Anyone, anyone? I can¡¯t see you, ah, where are you, my children? I removed all the monsters from the place, my children, my grandchildren, it''s okay, Grandma removed all of the scary monsters, please come out, grandma is lonely, where are you? Please don¡¯t worry, grandma is strong, she¡¯s strong and we will make it out of this place, okay? Don¡¯t worry, grandma will, AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, where are you all? Where are you?¡±


    The being lashes out with its sword tearing the corpses around. She strikes the transparent barrier but none of her strikes budge it. The being cleaves the barrier but yet the shell was instantly replaced by another. The Tower of Nimrod gathers its power by absorbing the energy of the world and turning it into a shield that would allow the tower to endure the winds and storms.


    ¡°Why are you in my way?¡± the being said, tilting its head. ¡°My family, my grandchildren, they might be waiting beyond this place. No, I can¡¯t let those bad people kill them, no, those monsters will die now!¡±


    The being gathers power around its strange sword. The strange energy that clads the body of this being slowly transferred into the sword, revealing a woman with long white hair, ruby eyes, and figure that could match a goddess. This woman pulls her sword back and shatters layers upon layers of the transparent barrier, however, the layers were instantly restored.


    ¡°Why!?¡± The woman shouted. ¡°My grandchildren need me! I¡­AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!¡±


    The woman wailed with despair written all over her face. She lashes out against the barrier but there was no technique or grace in her strikes. Her attacks were clumsy, and she was using the energy around her so violently, that sparks were exploding around her like gunpowder lit randomly that became exploding stars.


    The corpses behind her were fried and smoke rises from their evaporated remains. The full strikes of the woman had caused all of the corpses behind her to become incinerated by the sheer power of her clumsy strikes. The sword that this woman has tempered was nowhere to be found. It was a sword that a woman of her caliber should not have.


    ¡°Take this! Take me to my children! Take me to them! Why are you in my way? Why are you blocking my way when those wraiths could be after them? Break so I might save my family!¡±


    She strikes with despair filling her voice. Her sword connects with the barrier but yet her strikes only reduced the barrier temporarily. The Tower responds by assisting the labyrinth against this woman. The tower and the labyrinth were two sides of a coin. One cannot exist without the other and through the monsters that the tower can protect the city of nimrod and its sister cities.


    Like a beehive opening up, portals came out of and spat out monsters that flocked instantly towards the woman. The woman swings her sword and they all perished within a single strike. As she finishes off the monsters that came at her without end. The glow that surrounded her slowly dwindled. The barrier that stood before her remained stalwart and impenetrable.


    The woman was on the fiftieth floor of the labyrinth that lies below the Tower of Nimrod.


    ¡°Why? Are you blocking my away¡­I must save them, no, I must keep the monsters away.¡±


    ¡°Grandmother, please run away! We can¡¯t hold on them! Please, at least you must survive!¡±


    Memories rampaged inside her head. The scene of carnage of those who called this woman ¡®grandmother distraught her. She crumpled, held her head and shouted.


    ¡°No! I am strong! Don¡¯t show me such a scene! This is all lie! No! No! It can¡¯t be! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Ah, please this must be a lie, no, no, I can¡¯t lose them, no, I am strong, there¡¯s no way that I lose them¡­¡­¡­¡±


    She hugged her knees and took a fetal position, her eyes staring blankly, and muttering empty words.


    ¡°No, no, no, this must be surely a dream, no, I just need to find him again, I¡¯m sure that he¡¯ll know what¡­where are you, husband? How many worlds do I have to look for you? I need you¡­my family¡­they might need my help and I cannot do it alone¡­please¡­ah, no, this can¡¯t be happening, no, no, no, I am strong, this can¡¯t be happening, no, I should be strong, right?¡±


    Once upon a time, a woman dared to cross worlds and shepherd her family out of danger, hoping that they would be safe from a cruel cycle, and be freed from a cruel loop, not knowing what may come to her and her family, while secretly hoping.


    Now that same woman mutters alone, refusing, dismissing her own memories as delusion, for she believed that she was strong.

 Chapter 175: The Savior’s Complex

    The gate was opened to the forces of this woman¡¯s family. The gate that would save them from the horrors and finally be free from the looming darkness. The woman brought her family with her through ships powered by magical crystals, built to be impervious to whatever it was that would be waiting for them.


    Imagine hundreds upon hundreds of flying ships that were made for fifty years. Flying machines that could soar through the skies and across the void. The Witch of Nether followed the woman who called herself Ciara into this widened gateway that would lead them to a better world. That was the hope they were trying to achieve. That they would be free from the cycle of fighting a darkness that doesn¡¯t end.


    Ciara Alician has fought the darkness and found a way to escape this hopeless world. However, to save the world she slew her lover and tossed his soul into the gateway, hoping that they would meet again. Her hopeless lover who had repeated timelines to be with her. The hopeless man who sought to have a family with a cursed woman who was burdened to save the world. For as long as she holds the duty of the War Maiden. She was willing to do anything, no matter what the cost, for her family, and those she knew. She broke her heart for the sake of saving many instead of one.


    She couldn¡¯t blame him for despising her. She couldn¡¯t blame her incarnations for prioritizing the saving of the world instead of him. She has her duties and she had hoped that he would understand. She knows the sins that she did for the man who had devoted his lives for the sake of hers. She had repeatedly hurt that man and have done nothing but spit at his face. She could recall the look of horror of that man¡¯s face as she removes the burden of childbirth. She killed her child for the sake of fighting, and by the next day, she perished. That memory stood with her and not once would she forgive herself for doing so. It came as a shock that the man who endured timelines of pain and heartbreak would turn his blade against her.


    Eyes seething with fury and a body polluted in order to achieve higher power. The man who was a proud human would become a vengeful ghost to end the miserable path that he had taken. How can she blame the man who endured for millenniums of despairing love? I am a heartless woman, she thought.


    She was simply chosen by the world to act as its savior. In fact, that man was supposed to be someone who shouldn¡¯t exist in this world in the first place, he was an anomaly. Indeed, he was a man lost in time, a despairing man who chooses to follow a despairing path. She had witnessed the man¡¯s efforts through countless timelines. He was a miserable man who would mutter complains, speak despairingly, yet he would never turn his back against all odds. Despite her incarnations betraying him, torturing him, and taking him for a fool. That man followed without turning his eyes away. No matter how painful it was he would keep moving.


    I am madly in love with you, she confessed to the stars. But until I see through this duty then I must not rest. I am must save all of us from this path. This tree has withered and all of the branches have fallen. The shadows loom and to save the world I have no choice but to kill you.


    She knew that she was making excuses. She knew that she was adopting orphans to atone for the sins of killing her unborn child. That was her greatest mistake and yet she cannot turn back time. She cannot go back to the time where it all started. She only ¡®inherits¡¯ the memories of her past incarnations. What they do and what their actions are uncontrollable, but it was still her soul who did it.


    I didn¡¯t do it.


    I didn¡¯t have a choice.


    She spat excuses yet she knows what she did. She had done things she was not proud off, to save the world. She had done her duty multiple times, and so when she managed to reach the pinnacle existence of being the strongest War Maiden to ever exist. She took the chance and wanted to reach a new world along with those who she raised.


    She remembers it clearly.


    She remembers killing the man she loved over and over again.


    The kind man who had saved her.


    She was his executioner and she could never forgive herself for doing it over and over again.


    ¡°I won¡¯t be the reason for your end!¡± She vowed. And yet that vow was broken the moment duty calls.


    She thought of letting go but the thought of that man¡¯s gaze looking after another woman rattles her. Fury would rise upon her heart and she thought of imprisoning him, cutting his legs, so that he may never run away from her. That he won¡¯t look at anyone other than her. She thought of herself as cruel as she has thoughts.


    ¡°It¡¯s your fault for making me fall for you, for a million times.¡±


    She reasoned out her desires.


    But even though she has such nefarious desires, she would place duty over him.


    ¡°He was trying to stop me!¡± She reasoned out. ¡°I had no choice but to do it!¡±


    She thought that like always he would join her.


    That he would understand what she was doing.


    Yet they fought and he again died in front of her.


    She recalled the timelines where her weaknesses caused him to die.


    She recalled the timelines where she did save the world.


    But when she looks back she was all alone in a world that caused her pain.


    She needed the power to rescue those who have suffered and deliver them into a new world.


    She vowed that this was her journey¡¯s end and that one day she would find him among the worlds.


    That one day he would come looking for her.


    Whether as friend or foe. She would be waiting and at the same time, looking.


    ...


    So she crossed the worlds alongside those who wanted to follow her. A fleet of men and women and children that wanted to be free from a cycle of darkness. They entered the enlarged pathway and entered a realm where it seems like they were traveling on a tunnel of stars. She had crossed the void with her family and the world that they lived was swallowed!


    They did it, she thought. She smiled happily as they travel through countless worlds. Each and every world come with different surprises and strange things that they could never have thought possible. Sky islands that floated upon a sea of clouds. A world where it was an endless sea where the giant fishes existed and worlds where people fly on their swords. They witnessed many unknowns and possibilities and yet none of those worlds had the one man she was searching for.


    As they travel across many seedlings of the world tree through this tunnel of a void. She had realized that those who followed her when the voyage started no longer existed. They called her grandmother and yet they were not those she had carried. The family that she voyaged with grew and some of them choose their own selfishness. Some followed her faithfully, and her dearest friend, the Witch of Nether, stood by her side, watching, and gazing the endless worlds that were like picture frames placed on the walls.


    ¡°We¡¯ve reached far, my dearest friend.¡±


    ¡°We did, and you are still by my side despite all. Why not look for happiness?¡±


    ¡°And leave you all alone?¡± She giggled. ¡°I can never leave you, Ciara. How can I can myself as your sworn sister when I let you travel all of these worlds all alone?¡±


    The two traveled on and on until their ships grew decrepit and the whites of the hair. Ciara, her name was Ciara, traveled on and on yet with so many worlds that would have been called infinite she could not find him. She could not find the person that she wanted to find now that she was free from her duty.


    She saw her grandchildren grow old and die before her. She has become so numb to such death. She likes to think that way but she was still human. No matter how steely her heart was. One day it would become rusted, worn, and battered by time. She was unchanging, eternal, and strong. She believed herself to be strong and throughout worlds she was uncontested and her powers only grew stronger. As long as she lives then there would be no one that could harm the voyage of her family. Until the day they would found the true original tree, they would not stop this voyage. Until she could find him then there was no way that she would stop. She hammers herself and forges her heart to be harder than it could. As long as she was not alone then she would continue this voyage to infinity.


    Yet despite her heart of steel, the resolve of others crumbled. The Witch of Nether, her greatest friend, and her sister broke first. The endless worlds had broken the Witch of Nether and Ciara found only her body hanging off a crossbeam. She thought to herself numbed to death. That she would continue moving forward.


    ¡°Why are you smiling?¡± She said to the Witch of Nether. ¡°Were you tired, my sister? Were you tired of this journey? If so, then you should have told me. Why¡­why? What did I do?¡±


    Her journey continued and those who followed her slowly crumbled as well. Her family was large and she had many grandchildren. Yet they were not the Witch of Nether and they were not eternal as her. To ease her pain she sought and created dolls that would follow her. She made them eternal so they can continue to travel the worlds with her. Her dolls were human-like and they were living beings that she created through the help of a scholar that lived in a world where they have mastered the creation of human.


    They traveled the worlds with her faithfully. But maybe she had done something wrong. One day, she saw that her dolls became human. She begged, she wanted them to stay, but their artificial hearts could not endure the journey as well. One day, she saw them off with those that loved them and instead of happy tidings she lashed out in fury and envy:


    ¡°I see! I guess even all of you are abandoning me too! Are you really going to throw me away?! Is it really that painful to stay by my side?! I see, so not even my dolls cannot stand staying by me! Leave me! Get away from me you fools!¡±


    And so the War Maiden continued her journey until there was no one around her. She abandoned her ships and machines and carried on the boat, flipping volumes of pictures, of those she once called family in many worlds. She flipped the pictures, yet none of these pictures had him by her side. Only those who followed her and left her.


    She had thought that her family will be with her the day she would reach the true world. However, even though she picked up strays, it was never the same, and even though she ferried immortals and called them family. They would soon leave her be. Some accompanied her to many worlds yet their hearts were never as steely as hers.


    They were not as strong as her and not once that they dared to journey with her.


    Endlessly searching, picking up those who were abandoned, and making them accompany her until the day they would leave their nest. Everyone would leave her, some would abandon her and many would die for her. She wondered whether this was what the man felt after many trials. She could never forget and that she would never forget.


    But yet as she crosses worlds she started to realize that maybe this was her sin. Maybe this was the fate of a woman who grew too greedy in hopes to escape a cycle of suffering.


    ...


    She wanted to be free. She just wanted to ferry those who would like to live to safety. Why was she all alone in a realm where it was all black and where no sun would set? She couldn¡¯t understand and before long she found herself fighting off beasts that wanted her dead. She didn¡¯t even know why and how but she knows that they wronged her.


    She fought them and throughout worlds, she was able to defend herself. But one day, when those who called themselves as guardians that watch over the worlds, the Valkyries that guards the world tree, came to her. They told her of her trespass and the worlds that she interfered. She was a monster, a devil, and a nuisance to those worlds.


    ¡°I am not wrong!¡± She argued.


    But she was still thought of a fool and many foes would hamper her way. They would attack her, wound her, and throw everything that they had. It was an endless battle that worn her heart and soul. She won and cried tears of blood each victory. But she was facing the laws that govern the world, and as they were endless, she could only fight. She could only battle these foes who wanted to clip her wings.


    She was strong. She was sure that with her powers she could be strong. That never she would lose to those who claimed to be guardians. By what right did they have to clip her wings? By what right did they have to tell that she was not allowed to search the worlds? She never faltered, she never dared to step back, and fight no matter how many she has to slay among the void!


    ¡°Come to me!¡± She raged against those who oppressed her. ¡°I will not falter! I will never break! Do you think that you fools could break me?¡±


    She continued her slaughter until one day those who she sees as a foe could be reduced. She heard the applause of those who watched her. They thought of her as a fool and yet they would cheer for this fool.


    But the realms had to be guarded. They all had to be governed or chaos will breakthrough and destroy it all. Ciara Alician was a woman of power, and as time passes she only grew stronger. That¡¯s why they created a blade and deprived her of the power that made her strong in the first place. Yet she was a woman of steel and not once did she gave up despite being weakened, cursed, and tortured by those who wanted to rid the disease that plagued the seedlings of the world trees.


    So they thought of breaking her, and to do so they gathered all of those she called family. Their souls that should be happily living, bondage by those who called themselves as righteous. She could never dispose of her and thus she let the chains wrapped around her. However, for the sins of what she did, she was cast into a place where she would watch those whose fate she altered be cleansed. Their souls stripped of whatever visage of memory of the woman known as Ciara Alician.


    In her eternal cage she saw those she ferried screamed and die, calling:


    ¡°Grandmother! Please save me!¡±


    ¡°Grandma! Please save me!¡±


    Like children calling for their mother. She watched her family cleansed of their sins and emptied. Fury and rage, and thirst for vengeance drove her, and despite that desire, she never achieved it, as she watched her most important friend be casted into the same process. Her soul screaming, the Witch of Nether, who had found happiness, thrown into oblivion, purged for the crime of assisting the one that plagued the worlds.


    They all laughed as she screams and breaks down in tears, begging, wishing for them to stop. She saw those who she called family torn, and before long, the steely heart of the War Maiden broke, and when they thought that she was finally cleansed. The War Maiden broke the neck of her captor, strangled it, and consumed her captor¡¯s flesh, granting her power that would allow her to slay them.


    ¡°Grandma¡¯s going to save you all¡­ah, grandma will kill all the monsters, so okay, please wait for me¡­¡±


    She slaughtered without end.


    With tears of blood, she slaughtered those who wronged her.


    She threw worlds into chaos just to kill the guardians.


    From savior, she became a devil.


    A devil that plagued the worlds until all those beings that wronged her were dead.


    The Gods laughed, applauded, and thought of her as someone that should be discarded.


    Stripped off her powers and once again she was cornered. But this time she made plans, and although maddened, she escaped their wrath, fought more, and exhausted her powers, and crawled to the gateway where the true tree exists, the world that she was planning to reach in the first place.


    ¡°Where are you?¡± She called to no one. Her broken heart and soul was driving her to reach the end. ¡°Where are you? Where are all of you, my grandchildren?¡±


    She hopelessly calls, yet none would answer her in this madness that clouded her vision. Millenniums she traveled, and yet it would have been far easier if she reincarnated. She had that choice but refused to do so.


    ¡°What if he doesn¡¯t recognize me?¡± She reasoned. The Gods laughed at such madness.


    It was madness.


    Indeed, it was madness, and now she smashes her sword, insanely calling to the dead, and trying to break the barrier that contained her.


    The woman who traversed the worlds and did not want to be reincarnated went through hells has finally reached her path.


    She was without family and now she still thinks that she had to reach the surface.


    Madness fogs her mind but she was a woman with a heart of steel.


    No, she simply sees whatever path that was blocking her and intend to destroy it.


    Isn''t that what heroes do? Destroy all the path that blocks her!


    Persist even if it causes madness!


    She was the War Maiden who raised her sword for the sake of duty and family , and she would continue to do so.


    For that she was good at and that this was her role.


    Heroes never quit and she never does until death takes her.


    For that is the determination of a savior.


    That is the determination of a lonely woman who saved the world.

 Chapter 176: Old Tarsus

    Einar started his legs along the bazaar without much thoughts in his head. His eyes glancing at the magic circles that surrounded. The tower was wrapped in ethereal looking chains. He knew that whatever was making havoc inside the tower was strong enough to make the protectors of the tower seal it.


    The bazaar was unconcerned. There was no sight of panic or even worry on their face. Einar thought that it just one of the perks living near the tower of Nimrod. They all have nerves of steel, and it was impossible to tell their worries. Einar blocked the sun with his left arm and passed a stall selling jewelry. He heard the sound of hammering steel and went to it. He watched dwarf blacksmith pound the hammer and heat it.


    ¡°Is that a great sword?¡± Einar asked.


    ¡°Oh, Einar lad,¡± the dwarf said. ¡°Done with dance?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Trying to have some fresh air. Still using charcoals instead of coals?¡±


    ¡°You bet I am. The coals these days are too pricey. Had to skip on my favorite pastime hobby. Old Dan, the bastard next to me even stopped using coals as well.¡±


    ¡°Old Tarsus, skipping his drinking, what a tragedy.¡±


    ¡°Bah,¡± Old Tarsus spat on the sword. ¡°You can see that I¡¯m using charcoals because of it. Look at me, my swinging arms are weak and I barely can make anything strong. Oh, you buying something?¡±


    ¡°Not really. Just walking around after battle.¡±


    ¡°You fucking stink, lad.¡±


    ¡°I admit I do. Had to kill a lot for my dancer.¡±


    Old Tarsus measured the sword, ¡°Was she cute?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I think I pissed her off. But what do I know? A woman is the most dangerous creature in the world.¡±


    ¡°My wife was asking me to buy her old wooden doll for her collection. Do you know that bastard in zinc street, that guy who usually smokes a pipe; that elven retard who sells charms? Heard he got his ass kicked by a human. So he went to a healer to had his face healed, but you know, he met a customer who felt like she was scammed so this warrior girl kicked the retard as well.¡±


    ¡°Ah, no wonder I haven¡¯t heard someone¡¯s squeaky voice when I passed that stall with that guy selling bronze wares.¡±


    Einar leaned on the wall, ¡°Old Tarsus, can you make me small knives?¡±


    ¡°Would cost you gold,¡± Old Tarsus pulled a bucket close. ¡°Why would you need it when you have a good dagger?¡±


    ¡°A good dagger means I can¡¯t just throw it away. I want disposable throwing knives that I can chuck around.¡±


    ¡°You doing that thing?¡±


    ¡°I am a follower of Lady Claudia. We trust you for your skills, Old Tarsus. Also, I¡¯m pretty sure that your old bones can tell what¡¯s going to happen around.¡±


    It was no joke since he was a dwarf that lived in this city for over a hundred years. He had seen things come and go and was one of the few who settled here permanently. Old Tarsus had fathered warriors and have many active grandsons. He was a master of his craft.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make you handmade knives myself. Bout to finish this sword so might as well create your knives. Should I send the bill to your house or you¡¯ll pay? Or are you going to shoulder it to the Lady?¡±


    ¡°And have her think that I am buying knives to attack. Old Tarsus, are you ignorant of the lady? I¡¯d punch you if you say ¡®yes¡¯.¡±


    ¡°I am, I am, she thought I was trying to kill her. Can¡¯t you believe that the lass just started waving her decorated sword? If I didn¡¯t drink that day then I would have my poor head cleaved. Claudia, that Lady has it hard, and now that the Dance is over. Ain¡¯t that Lady going to be tested by the nobles?¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s why I¡¯m gathering materials. People tend to think that the four cities are nice when its full of greedy nobles as well. I mean, who wouldn¡¯t want to rule above everyone?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s people¡¯s nature alright,¡± the dwarf snorted. ¡°Always looking for the clouds and looking down. Oh, will you be using those steel wires?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t plan on hanging someone.¡±


    ¡°But you plan to skewer them with a lot of daggers.¡±


    Einar reached for his pockets, ¡°Here you go, please make them for me, and can you add belts and pockets to hold them?¡±


    ¡°You really are treating my shop as your equipment store. Why not buy a breastplate lad? Can¡¯t be too careful now can you?¡±


    ¡°Breastplate clang too much and it would hinder me.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be overconfident now, lad. I want to see you grow up and bring me your kids.¡±


    ¡°You know what my dream is.¡±


    ¡°I know, and it is a stupid dream. A man should father many children. You are an odd young man, and one day you¡¯ll understand. Oh, but looking at that face of yours, I really do think that maybe you won¡¯t. Talking to you is the strangest thing, you don¡¯t feel young, you don¡¯t feel old, and there are blurred lines around. I mean, who the fuck chats with an old dwarf so casually?¡±


    Einar finally turned his attention to the crowded street and the eyes of the bystanders who were watching a young man chatting it up with an old dwarf. Dwarfs like Old Tarsus was not rare in cities like this, but they are known for their tempers. They were business-minded and they are even worse when you disturb them while they were working. So it was a strange sight to see a young man acting like that to a dwarf.


    ¡°Dwarf lover,¡± the dwarf said. ¡°They¡¯d think that but you are here for wares. Good heavens, if they only know how much of a bloodthirsty fool this young man is.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I think I stayed too long here.¡±


    ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°Annoy Claudia?¡±


    The Dwarf stopped pounding the sword and pointed at him, ¡°I think you got dropped once by your parents, lad.¡±


    ¡°I wish,¡± Einar grinned. ¡°See you later, Tarsus.¡±

 Chapter 177: Unrequited Fools

    The office of Claudia was located in the middle of the tower. Inside the office, was Claudia racking her brain on what she would do. She was feeling exhausted, and her mind was cloudy. Her office was filled with documents, papers, and reference books that sat on the tabletop. Not far from her desk, was Rufus sleeping with a book covering his face.


    ¡°Hello, Princess,¡± a voice said.


    Claudia¡¯s eyes widened, she pulled her sword out, channeled magic into it, and slashed at where the voice was. The person, who said that, drew his dagger and smashed the flat part of Claudia¡¯s blade. Her sword was deflected and bounced on the floor. Claudia stood back, and saw a young man standing near the window, behind him were the clouds, his face had a slight grin.


    ¡°Einar Elior!¡± She hissed like a cat. ¡°I told you to inform me first when you visit! Do you plan to die by my hand?¡±


    ¡°Not that I am a cocky bastard, but you know me better than that, Princess.¡±


    Claudia exhaled loudly, ¡°So? What are you trying to stir?¡±


    Einar sat on the couch across Rufus, ¡°Nothing much, I¡¯m done with the dance, and have nowhere to go.¡±


    ¡°So you come seeking for me,¡± Claudia went back to her seat, and leaned her elbows on the table. ¡°I don¡¯t have people for you to kill or strung at the moment.¡±


    ¡°Do I look like a killer?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Einar smiled, ¡°That¡¯s right, I do your dirty work while Rufus does paperwork and connecting through people, seducing ladies, and etcetera.¡±


    Her frown became deeper, ¡°I¡¯ll skin him if he uses my name to attract women to bed. I will not accept any shameless man to my party!¡±


    Einar shrugged, and looked up, ¡°Princess, is the tower going to be a problem?¡±


    ¡°It will not be. For a thousand years none has broken the tower. Do you think that it will break so easily?¡± She started going through the paperwork. ¡°The tower has been sealed and our arch wizards are now guarding the tower. Do not worry about something breaking out of the tower.¡±


    ¡°Overconfidence can be disastrous.¡±


    She glared at him, ¡°It is not overconfidence. It is a simple fact that we have maintained the symbol of unity while the monsters are below us.¡±


    Einar picked up a document, ¡°Looks like your work is getting bothersome. Being a Princess, trying to stop an inquisition against you, and many more. Really, Princess, why do you bother proclaiming that you are a heretic so loudly? I never really understood your reason for that.¡±


    ¡°I believe in self-determination. I don¡¯t tell people what Gods they want to believe. They are real and they are helping my people. I am not too boorish to mock them. However, I believe that one should rely on your own self-determination. The Gods watch over us but we must do our own labor. If we rely on the Gods too much and they abandon us. What would we do? We can only cry! We can only despair that we relied on them! They call me heretic me because I don¡¯t believe in relying too much upon them!¡±


    ¡°Yet you use us.¡±


    ¡°Because I can. Can you hold many items with only two hands? I can¡¯t! That¡¯s why I am relying on you all because I know that thinking I can do it all by myself is foolish! I am not blind to reality or would I ever turn my eyes away from it! I need people that I can trust and can lessen the burden. That¡¯s why I am trusting you.¡±


    ¡°Trust is a funny word.¡±


    ¡°You keep surprising me! How would I know what is up with you! What do I do if you were paid to kill me!?¡±


    Einar put down the document, joined his fingers, and trained his gaze on her, ¡°I do not enjoy killing, no, I hate harming my friends. We are friends, right?¡±


    ¡°We started differently and it was violent. I admit that having a former enemy like you as my friend sounds strange. But I assigned you these tasks because I trust you. Rufus trusts you, and that is enough.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t help you from being paranoid against us.¡±


    ¡°I know my flaws. But give me a break, you don¡¯t how vicious court politics is. It would be odd if I didn¡¯t turn out like this.¡±


    ¡°No need to explain that to me,¡± Einar leaned on the couch and pointed at Rufus. ¡°Looks like he has it tough. Princess, you really are working him hard.¡±


    Claudia looked at Rufus, her eyes softening, ¡°I have to. I promised that whenever he would feel lazy. He¡¯d be scolded by me alone. Really, what an idiot?¡±


    Einar widened his eyes at the way Claudia looked at Rufus. Claudia had a perpetual look of annoyance and the bag on her eyes were noticeable. However, the look that she had was beyond what Einar from her. It was shocking that he couldn¡¯t help but gawk. Claudia noticed Einar¡¯s half-widened stare and look away, trying to dispel the look on her face.


    Einar grinned, and stood up with a jump, ¡°So it wasn¡¯t unrequited! Looks like-¡±


    Claudia glared at him like a tiger. Her eyes burning with shame and embarrassment. ¡°Keep it quiet! I will have your head if you continue!¡±


    Einar couldn¡¯t stop grinning while alternately looking at the both of them. Then, his face suddenly mellowed, there was a soft smile on Einar¡¯s face. It was a sudden change that calmed Claudia¡¯s heart.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°If you can, please grab him by the reins. And never let go no matter what, cherish your duty, but never cast him aside. Rufus is a loyal man, far loyal and far too secretive. He will by your side always and that¡¯s why,¡± Einar lowered his head, ¡°please don¡¯t hold back and grab that string of happiness.¡±


    Einar didn¡¯t know why he said those things. He couldn¡¯t explain why but seeing their case he couldn¡¯t but get involved.


    Claudia lowered her head, and said, ¡°I will keep that in mind.¡±


    Einar had nothing left to say. He took a leap of faith outside the window. While falling he thought how he just couldn''t stand seeing fools making excuses. For he know what the soul inside of him had to go through because of such foolishness.

 Chapter 178: Goodwill Blues 1

    After taking a leap of faith, Einar controlled his fall by turning into a wraith, canceling the fall damage that would ensue. He didn¡¯t want to reveal his wraith form so he phased underground, traveled below and appeared on an alley near the tower. He sauntered out of the street, hands inside his pockets, and carried on.


    The craftsman district was a place where specialized merchants work. The buildings are thinly separated from each other, and each house had two floors. It was silent and only a few ladies, kids, and a white dog were around the street when Einar passing through. He kicked a pebble and was warned by a militia. He admired that the street was clean. A cleaner was regularly cleaning the sewages and carrying the waste using carts.


    Along the way he spotted a creek by his left, it circles the tower, and people used it to travel around the city. Einar saw white pebbles, fishes, and strange multi-colored grasses. He continued walking near where the creek was and finally arrived in front of a store that has a sign that says ¡®Pale Shine.¡¯


    ¡°Welcome, oh, Einar,¡± the voice said.


    Einar entered the store and noticed the shelves and various materials stocked up. On the far left of the room was Alice, manning the counter, her left hand leaning on it. Her hair was tied, she was dressed in a white cotton shirt, and wore brown pants. She was looking at Einar without moving.


    ¡°You really do hate me,¡± Einar said, holding on to his chin. ¡°Did I do something wrong?¡±


    ¡°No you didn¡¯t,¡± she shook her head. ¡°I am not that unreasonable to hate you for protecting me. I, just realized how shallow I was for being mad at you. I was wonder how to face you after walking away without saying a word,¡± she sighed, ¡°you are putting me in an awkward situation, coming here without letting me know.¡±


    Einar looked at the shelves, ¡°This is a pretty okay store. Do your brother harvest these items himself?¡±


    ¡°He does.¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s he?¡±


    ¡°Not around this time. The tower is locked and entry is prohibited. This is bad for business and so Brother had to travel to the nearest mountain to get items. So I have to manage our shop for a while.¡±


    ¡°Sounds tiring.¡±


    ¡°It is, but this is our way to get money. I don¡¯t have to worry about paying fees with my merits up to par. Too bad they don¡¯t give us allowance that I can use to further my studies and improve my practices. So, are you going to buy anything? There might be something that you want.¡±


    Einar browsed the shelves and pulled a casing made of hollowed wood, ¡°What¡¯s this?


    ¡°Smokescreen, we have firebombs as well.¡±


    ¡°You sell those?¡±


    Alice played with her hair, ¡°They are useful outside or when you are being chased by animals. Doubt you¡¯d need something like that, considering how strong you are already.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take it.¡±


    ¡°What need you of it?¡±


    ¡°I can use it.¡±


    ¡°Then I won¡¯t pry,¡± she held her palm towards Einar. ¡°Ten gold coins.¡±


    Einar reached for his pocket, ¡°Here you go.¡±


    Ten coins were placed on her hand, ¡°You heirs are loaded.¡±


    ¡°Ma and Pa didn¡¯t give me an allowance. I worked for the Princess. I get most of my funding from her.¡±


    ¡°Which one?¡±


    ¡°Claudia.¡±


    Alice narrowed her eyes, ¡°Is it really okay for you to say that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a secret.¡±


    ¡°Even so¡­¡± She folded her arms and looked at one of the items on the shelves. ¡°I don¡¯t think you should be saying that. Claudia huh, you decided to work for the Heretical Princess?¡±


    ¡°Yes, she¡¯s a good Princess.¡±


    ¡°Not from what I hear. She¡¯s been under inquisitive eyes for what she has been saying. I agree with her but to insult the Gods. That¡¯s heretical.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s not insulting them,¡± Einar gestured with his finger. ¡°She¡¯s just saying that the Gods give the mercy, while we do the labor. We can¡¯t expect the Gods to do all the work for us now, can¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°True, still, I don¡¯t agree with some of her views. Weirdly, the Princess is being so honest. If she wants to be heir-apparent. Wouldn¡¯t it be better if she just stays quiet?¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t her style,¡± Einar said, leaning on the counter. ¡°Anyway, are you to hold up here?¡±


    ¡°Hmm, I have to do business.¡±


    Einar looked at the store, then back to Alice.


    Alice frowned, ¡°You get what I mean.¡±


    Einar smiled thinly. He suddenly grabbed on to Alice¡¯s wrist. ¡°Come on, I still need to thank you for dancing that well.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± She said. ¡°All I did was the dance. There¡¯s no need to thank me.¡±


    ¡°I do. Come on, don¡¯t fear this monster!¡±


    Alice¡¯s forehead was all wrinkled, ¡°Please let go of my hand.¡±


    ¡°Come on, just let me thank you for a bit,¡± Einar squared his shoulders and stared at her eyes sternly.


    Alice rubbed her forehead with her other hand, ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll go okay? Gee, why are you so forceful.¡±


    Einar lets go of her hand and grinned at her. Alice sighed, she went to Einar¡¯s side, sized him up and placed her right fist on Einar¡¯s torso.


    ¡°You are a strange man.¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure, let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Let me lock up the doors, please. Wait outside.¡±


    ¡°Kay.¡±


    Einar went out of the store and waited near the door, leaning on the wall. An auntie who was carrying food for the bazaar passed by, selling jerky. Einar bought one and chewed it on it while waiting for Alice. She came out of the door wearing her sword belt and looked at Einar who was chewing on jerky.


    ¡°You really are so carefree. Hmm, I thought you¡¯d be carrying that sword around. You look gallant and dashing wielding that.¡±


    ¡°Aw, I preferred being a monster.¡±


    ¡°Holding a grudge? Come on now, I apologize.¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure, I don¡¯t think of it anyway.¡±


    ¡°Really, sigh, come on.¡±


    Einar started his legs to the direction leading outside the gates. Alice followed, walking shoulder-to-shoulder with Einar. Chatting as they walked alongside the road near the creek.

 Chapter 179: Goodwill Blues 2

    Outside the city, there are fields of flowers that radiate with a red glow. To Einar¡¯s surprised, they were glowing with even more radiance than before. He walked through the field of red flowers, carving an arrow path. Behind him was Alice, walking silently with her hands crossed.


    ¡°You know, taking a girl into a field of flowers is quite a tacky thing to do.¡±


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry, I am not that interested in you.¡±


    ¡°Wow,¡± Alice rolled her eyes. ¡°Thanks for the vote of confidence.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand me, you are beautiful and your hair is silky, I like it.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Alice said. ¡°That¡¯s a first for me, you know, my family has strange blood where women have white hair. When you see white hair, you¡¯d think that the person is old, or an elf.¡±


    ¡°Really? I don¡¯t get it. Sure, different hair color and that, but damn your face is beautiful,¡± he stared at her and shook his head. ¡°Though I think that the reason no one approached you is because of your appearance. You are always covered in blood and bandages so it''s hard to approach a pretty girl like that. Also, I got to ask you this, you are so used to your own appearance, but when you saw me being covered by blood, you thought of me as a monster. Odd, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Einar¡¯s face full of grin made Alice sulk, ¡°Come on, you were slaughtering monsters like it was nothing. I am covered by own blood while you were piling up corpses while I was dancing. How can I not think of you as a monster? Your weapon didn¡¯t even meet any resistance to their fur and scales!¡±


    ¡°I have my methods,¡± Einar stopped to survey the place. He found a clearing among the field of flowers. He sauntered near the clearing and saw a pond.


    ¡°Let¡¯s start to fish. I have a string and a hook with me.¡±


    Alice painfully looked at the pond. ¡°Are you serious? Also, how did you found a strange place like this?¡±


    ¡°Everyone knows this place, there are many holes like this since under this field is a series of tunnels filled with water. Do you wonder why they glow? It¡¯s because the water that the flowers are taking in have algae that when disturbed, would produce a strange chemical reaction that makes them glow.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t know that,¡± Alice squatted near the pond. ¡°There are many fishes here, hmm, so I assume you have bait?¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± Einar fished out the jerky he bought. ¡°Come on, I¡¯ll get some stick and then let us sit down. Nice place isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°You know, this is a strange place to fish. Hmm, I thought you¡¯d be telling me sweet nothings,¡± Alice said.


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Einar looked around for a stick and started setting up. He sat near Alice and started drawing runic lines around the area of the stick. The lines emit a slight glow as he rubs his finger around the stick. Alice, who watched him, couldn¡¯t help but stare at the strange way of using runes.


    ¡°What are you performing?¡±


    ¡°Pull. It¡¯s a rune of attraction.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been meaning to ask this. Your runes are way different. Who taught you this?¡±


    ¡°The same old man who taught me everything that I know.¡±


    ¡°This strange old man makes me curious. What¡¯s he like?¡±


    ¡°Stubborn, strong, romantic, and a fool.¡±


    ¡°You''re calling your master a fool?¡±


    ¡°He calls himself like that,¡± Einar closed his eyes, thinking of the soul that slumbers inside him, and opened it. ¡°He¡¯s a man who went against all odds and wasted his life being heartbroken.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Alice nodded. ¡°I kinda understand why you aren¡¯t acting like the usual nobles. Most young men would go to that entertainment district to play with women. You are so indifferent with women that it surprises me.¡±


    ¡°Wow, you make me sound so innocent. I should pat myself on the back for not being a horny teenager. Master would be so proud that I am not being a waste like he was.¡±


    ¡°Alice shrugged her shoulders, ¡°Now, if you are only a bit gentler and not so pushy. That would be a good thing.¡±


    ¡°If I wasn¡¯t pushy you would be stuck in your store. Come on now, Alice. It¡¯s okay to work so hard but you got to take a break once in a while. Oh, I am going to start fishing.¡±


    Alice sighed and turned her attention to the pond. It reflected her and the young man who was trying to fish in this small pond. Indeed, she was so focused on becoming stronger for a future that she has no control over. ¡°I just don¡¯t want to lose anyone again,¡± Alice thought. She resolved herself.


    "Future?" She scoffed. "I cannot really do anything about that. What matters is right now! I could die today so I might as well be living in the present to be content of what I have now!"


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s gotten into you suddenly, but that¡¯s good. You don¡¯t want your heart to be so heavy that it drags you down, right? So instead of worrying about things that you can¡¯t control, then worry about now instead, one day at a time, until you can reach your goal. I am not that against working hard but you got to take a break.¡±


    ¡°Heh, how come you dragging me here turned out like this?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, probably because I just want someone to accompany me fish?¡±


    ¡°You lost me, so, are you the only one going to fish yourself?¡±


    Einar pointed at the stick and string, ¡°Use it, you should know how to make a cast right?¡±


    ¡°Write a rune on it, then we¡¯ll talk. Oh, you should forget about catching any fish while I¡¯m around. I live near a creek, and it is one of the things that I am good at. So please forget about catching anything.¡±


    Alice had a smile that could reach the heavens on her face. Einar was stunned for a moment before smiling to himself, ¡°Looks like you cheered up a bit.¡±


    Alice shook her head, and stared at him, ¡°I just want to be cheery at the moment.¡±


    Einar grinned and bumped his fist against Alice¡¯s fist. The two fished quietly.

 Chapter 180: Layla Elior

    After getting five fishes, and losing to Alice by ten. Einar walked back to the manor of his house after receiving news from a falcon. The falcon landed on a tree branch and let it untie the scroll on the falcon¡¯s legs. The family wanted him to return to the manor, simply, because his parents were back after their five-year quest.


    ***


    In the second floor of the Elior Manor, inside the room where the head¡¯s office usually works was a man and a woman sitting together alongside a little girl whose silver blond hair was braided, and laid across her left shoulder. She was a tiny lady, carrying a doll around her arms, she had puffy cheeks, tiny limbs, but, noticeably, her legs were thinner than her already thin arms. She has hazy purple eyes and her lips were pink. She wore a silk dress with a ribbon adorning her chest.


    The man, who seems to be perpetually smiling, looked at the woman, ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°I am nervous,¡± the woman¡¯s forehead was wrinkled... ¡°It has been five years and for us to come back with another child.¡±


    ¡°Our Son isn¡¯t so petty, and he¡¯s an eccentric. Let us see what his reaction.¡±


    ¡°Pa, Ma, will, I meet Brother?¡± The tiny girl said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± the woman smiled gently. ¡°Your Brother will be happy to see you.¡±


    ¡°Will he really?¡± She looked at her legs. ¡°He won¡¯t bully me?¡±


    ¡°I will disciple him if he does!¡± The smiling man said sternly.


    ¡°Einar is odd, but I don¡¯t think he has the heart to be mean to her. Lionel, please thoroughly explain it to him.¡±


    ¡°I will, Selina,¡± Lionel held the hand of his wife and daughter. ¡°I¡¯m sure he will understand Layla and why we weren¡¯t able to explain things to him.¡±


    The little lady named Layla watched her parents. She held to her little doll, shaking slightly, eager to see the Big Brother that her parents have been praising ever since she barely could speak. However, she looked worried, looking at her tiny legs that have made people call her mean things.


    ¡°Layla,¡± Lionel said. ¡°Your brother will surely cherish you, if he might appear angry, then don¡¯t blame yourself okay? It is our fault that we haven¡¯t informed your brother about you. The Holy City was the only place that could nurture you when you were still inside your mother¡¯s womb. We had no way of contacting everyone about the situation other than we would be gone for five-years. So lift your chin up, and make sure to greet your Big Brother okay¡±


    Nodding at her father¡¯s words, Layla nodded, ¡°I will do my best to make Brother like me! Layla will do her best!¡±


    Lionel and Selina nodded their heads. The door opened, and Camilla entered, she walked to the three and said, ¡°The Young Lord has arrived, he should be coming.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Lionel said. ¡°Did he tell you where he was?¡±


    ¡°Fishing.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Selina nodded. ¡°Let him clean up and have him enter!¡±


    ***


    Einar had to remove the clothes he wore because of the fishy smell. He took the fishes that he had and handed it to the cook of the family. The cook was happy to make a meal out of the fishes that he got from the Young Lord.


    ¡°Young Lord.¡±


    ¡°Camilla, so my parents are back, huh.¡±


    ¡°Indeed they are.¡±


    ¡°How are they?¡±


    ¡°Good. But I think that the Young Lord should see them.¡±


    ¡°Okay then,¡± Einar left Camilla in the hallways and entered the room. Upon entering, he saw his father and mother, however, his eyes caught the figure of a little visibly shaking, her head lowered.


    ¡°Father, Mother,¡± Einar said. ¡°It has been a long time Father you look well, and Mother, you sure is still beautiful.¡±


    Selina sized up her son, ¡°You¡¯ve become a fine young man. Have you bee doing well?¡±


    ¡°So-so, things are complicated as always. So, is she my little sister?¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Lionel said.


    ¡°Come on, five years without saying a word and now I see a tiny lady with the same hair as mine and should be around five or so. Doesn¡¯t take a sleuth to figure out that mother and father have been busy. You two are still you, and considering that your son has a strange dream, it doesn¡¯t take a genius to figure it out.¡±


    ¡°Sigh,¡± Lionel exhaled and looked at Selina. ¡°See? Nothing to worry about.¡±


    Selina smiled, ¡°I know. I¡¯m glad that you aren¡¯t angry.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I am angry,¡± Einar said with a serious. ¡°You don¡¯t show up for five years, handed me all the task, and I have to swing around by our men, and then I have to make sure that our relations are not so bad with the other nobles. Parties, they make me attend parties and have a chat with their daughters. Father, Mother, I am angry, you two should have at least sent us a message. We weren¡¯t even able to reach you when we had people contact you both.¡±


    ¡°This,¡± Lionel folded his arms. He was about to speak when a tiny voice spoke out, her voice shaking, and she seems to be unable to bring her voice out.


    ¡°P-please, don¡¯t be mad, Pa, Ma, didn¡¯t mean to hide it,¡± she said with a shaky voice. ¡°Ma and Pa wanted Layla to be healthy so she had to stay in Holy City, please don¡¯t be angry¡­¡±


    Einar shook his head, ¡°No, I need to be angry with them. Father, Mother, I know that I might not be that much of a filial child. But we are family, and to think that you would hide that I have a little sister! Seriously, at least tell us so I could have at least be ready.¡±


    The little girl was shaking. She was looking at Einar with her little lips shaking. Einar noticed.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± he kneeled. ¡°I don¡¯t mean to scare you, so, what¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°My name is Layla, brother,¡± she said, holding to her doll tightly.


    ¡°Nice to meet you, Little Sister,¡± Einar smiled, placing his hand in front of Layla.


    Layla¡¯s little hand grabbed on to Einar¡¯s finger and she shook it.


    ¡°Hello, Brother!" Layla said, gathering her courage.

 Chapter 181: The Little Lady Part 1

    Einar Elior heart was warming up. No, it could be said that the soul inside of him was looking warmly at the scene before him. The soul was looking at the scene that he could never have. The soul thought of a memory of the past, but the soul shook his head, it was no use now. There was no place for an old soul in a family like this. The moment he gave ego to the soul that rightfully belonged to this body. He was willing to protect the soul that he merged with all he got.


    He had no family other than the soul he was protecting. The soul¡¯s greatest joy right now was watching this family. The soul didn¡¯t have envy, regret, or any longing. He was a spectator that was clinging on to a soul to protect it. He had no right on this family and can only be a silent protector. For that was the duty of the soul who had given his merged soul to a soul to blessed it with power. A power that would allow him to survive through the troubles of life.


    ***


    ¡°Oh,¡± Einar thought. He felt a thorny pain in his heart. He looked at her little sister, patted her, and turned to the direction of the door, ¡°I¡¯ll be back for a moment.¡±


    Einar left to the hallway and squeezed his eyes, held his chest, and exhaled. ¡°Calm down, old man.¡±


    ¡°Forgive me,¡± a voice sounded inside his head. ¡°Such a scene, it does give this old heart a kick.¡±


    ¡°Will you be okay?¡± Einar asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, please, don¡¯t worry about this old soul.¡±


    The voice faded from his head. Camilla, who was around the hallway, looked at her Young Lord with eyebrows creased, at the sight of him holding his chest, ¡°Young Lord, are you okay?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, Camilla,¡± Einar said. ¡°Just a bit surprised that mother and father hide my cute sister for a long time.¡±


    Camilla looked down, ¡°She¡¯s¡­a frail child.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Einar glanced at Camilla. ¡°But she¡¯s still my little sister, and that won¡¯t change what she can¡¯t do.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just unthinkable that they would give birth to someone with such flaws. I pity the little mistress.¡±


    Einar crossed his arms. There was a stigma in this world that treated those who are crippled with pity. Healing items and miracles were numerous in this world. With enough money or spell, one could regrow their limbs or be pulled back before death. The Holy City is famous for their ability of healing, however, his little sister was taken there and yet she still couldn¡¯t use her legs. It only means that she was naturally born as a disabled person. She would have a hard time living in this world and by the time she grows up. She wouldn¡¯t be able to easily pursue her goals without someone helping her. Her future was bleak and Einar couldn¡¯t help but agree that his litter sister was indeed pitiable.


    ¡°She¡¯s still family,¡± Einar said resolutely. ¡°She¡¯s an Elior and I¡¯ll help her as best as I could.¡±


    ¡°Young Lord,¡± Camilla said. ¡°You really are kind.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it natural? She¡¯s my sister.¡±


    ¡°Think about this, Young Lord. Your parents left you when you were young, and left you alone for five years. You handled all the problems along with Sir Bors and managed the Manor and the fief without a problem. Any child would have lashed out, and would become a bully who groped their servant¡¯s butt and use them to vent their frustration for their parents leaving him!¡±


    ¡°What are you saying, Camilla?¡±


    ¡°What should have happened!¡±


    ¡°Goodness, please get a husband.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯d want something like a husband when I have my Young Lord?¡±


    Einar couldn¡¯t but smile at her act. Camilla had a way of lightening the mood, and that she was always loyal despite her concerns.


    ¡°I¡¯ll trust that you¡¯ll be helping my sister from now on?¡±


    ¡°Of course, how can I refuse you, Master?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the title for father.¡±


    ¡°Your father is too loyal!¡±


    ¡°Sigh,¡± Einar walked up to Camilla, and pinched her cheek. ¡°That should be a good thing.¡±


    ¡°Young Lord, it really bothers me that you are so tall. I missed the day that I could forever carry you within my arms.¡±


    Einar patted Camilla¡¯s head, ¡°Oh, I enjoy not being hugged by you. Anyway, please attend to the needs of my sister. I¡¯ll be going back now.¡±


    ¡°Are you really okay, Young Lord?¡± Camilla asked, rubbing her head.


    ¡°I am. You worry too much.¡±


    Camilla stayed silent. She went to where she stood, while Einar entered the room again. His parents were looking at him oddly, clearly curious about what transpired.


    ¡°Is everything okay?¡±


    ¡°It is. So you two must be tired, right?¡±


    ¡°Not really.¡±


    ¡°No, let me talk to my little sis.¡±


    Layla looked, Lionel and Selina. She was still wary of her brother.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Layla,¡± Selina said. ¡°Your brother is a kind person, he was angry since we didn¡¯t tell him about you. Go with him, okay?¡±


    ¡°Einar,¡± Lionel said. ¡°Your sister cannot walk, and that¡¯s why I want you to carry her carefully.¡±


    Einar held his chin, ¡°Why not get her a wheeled chair?¡±


    ¡°You want a wheeled chair?¡¯ Lionel asked. ¡°Do you know something like that?¡±


    ¡°I can,¡± Einar said. ¡°I¡¯ll have Old Tarsus create it for me. I¡¯ll draw the designs.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Lionel nodded.


    Einar walked to where his little sister was and lifted her by the armpit, and carried her on his left arm, ¡°You are tiny, little sis. Come on, let¡¯s go to the garden, there¡¯s a pond there with fishes. Want to see the fishes?¡±


    ¡°I,¡± Layla watched her brother carefully. ¡°Yes! Can I bring dolly with me?¡±


    ¡°Of course you can,¡± Einar said, he turned to his parents. ¡°I¡¯ll be taking Layla with me, try not to make another little sis or little bro before we come back, okay?¡±


    He said teasingly, leaving the room with Layla in tow. Lionel stared helplessly at the door before exhaling loudly, he sucked in air and turned to his wife. ¡°He really is an odd child.¡±


    The excuses that they wanted to say were useless with such a strange son.

 Chapter 182: The Little Lady Part 2

    Einar carried Layla with his arm first but when she wanted to look at the trees around the garden. He gave Layla a piggyback ride on his shoulder and skipped like a galloping horse. The little girl who was wary of her brother, slowly had her heart melted as she clings tightly to her brother¡¯s hand. Einar circled the garden, leaping up and down, entertaining his little sister.


    ¡°Brother is strong!¡± Layla said.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, I am strong. When you are in pain or need some help, don¡¯t forget that your brother will always be here to help you. I know that we only met today, but we are family. No need to be afraid of me.¡±


    ¡°Brother won¡¯t bully me?¡±


    ¡°I will tease you!¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± Layla said. ¡°You will tease Layla? Make fun of her?¡±


    ¡°I will poke your cheeks!¡±


    ¡°Brother is a meanie!¡± Layla panicked, grabbing on to Einar¡¯s hair. ¡°I will not be teased!¡±


    ¡°You misunderstand, little sis!¡± He said. ¡°It is only natural for me to tease you! I want to pinch your cheeks!¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Layla shook her puffy head. ¡°Layla don¡¯t like to be teased!¡±


    Einar smiled and carried Layla to the little river that the manor of the Elior family has. Along the way, they met the warriors and servants of the family, they were curious about the little girl riding on the Young Lord¡¯s shoulder. They knew that Lord Lionel and Lady Selina returned and seeing the little lady riding on the shoulders of the Young Lord, and the way their hair matches. It was easy for them to figure out that the little girl was the new little lady of the House Elior. Some grew excited and while some looked at her little legs. None of them commented on this fact with the Young Lord, promising, that he will take care of anyone who dares to bully the little girl.


    The warriors knew well the temper of their Young Lord. He was always amiable and a friend to them no matter what. But even so, knowing that he sees the little girl as a precious sibling. And the way his voice sounded as he carries the little lady around the manor. They knew that their Young Lord was warning them about mistreating the little lady. She might not be able to walk with her legs, but the Brother would protect the Sister with all of his might. They might be warriors that favored those who are fit and healthy. They might be unfavorable to the little lady. But they must remember that she has a big brother that would protect her. They also know that there was no better warrior in this Manor other than their Young Lord who could defeat younger warriors and hunt down monsters when young. The memory of their Young Lord coming back with an Ogre¡¯s head was still fresh in their minds. A ten-year-old child bringing down an Ogre was all that they need to know that their Young Lord was a natural-born warrior. And he has grown stronger than ever. Who''d want to mess with him?


    ***


    Einar took Layla to the little river and have her sit down on the rock. She was happily looking at the little river, her eyes trained on the fishes that were swimming in the bed.


    ¡°So many fish!¡±


    ¡°Colorful aren¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡±


    ¡°I got these down that big tower. They are located down the seventh floor.¡±


    ¡°So many? Did brother take fishes? Layla heard that many monsters are around!¡±


    ¡°Oh, they are nothing compared to your Brother. No monster would harm Layla while I am around.¡±


    ¡°Then Brother is stronger than Father?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Einar grinned. ¡°He might think otherwise but yes, I am stronger than our father.¡±


    Layla claps her little hands, ¡°That¡¯s awesome! Brother is strong!¡±


    ¡°I am strong,¡± Einar held his chin. ¡°Layla, are you always being carried by father?¡±


    ¡°Mother carries me,¡± she answered, eyes still looking at the fishes. ¡°Father would protect us from the baddies.¡±


    ¡°Was the journey rough?¡±


    Layla looked down, ¡°We encountered baddies in the road. They say that they want to capture the Big Brothers and Sisters that we were with. Father was able to fend them off while Mother protected us with her magic. Brother, why do they have to do that? The Brother who was with us didn¡¯t move, and even though I did nothing. They started calling Layla cursed because of Layla¡¯s legs.¡±


    There was a trouble on the little lady¡¯s stare. She was tightly clenching her fist and she seems like she wants to pound her little legs. Einar placed his left hand on his little sister¡¯s head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, they won¡¯t hurt you here. I promise that Brother will take care of the baddies. You won¡¯t see them again, okay?¡±


    ¡°Brother will take care of the baddies?¡± Layla grabbed on to her brother. ¡°Brother might get hurt!¡±


    ¡°I told you, I am strong, okay? Brother will take care of the baddies and send them to God, so God can punish them for being bad. After that,


    I will bring you a chair that will allow you to move around. Is that okay with you?¡±


    ¡°A chair that would Layla to move around?¡± She tilted her head. ¡°Is that true? Can a chair have wheels, Brother?¡±


    ¡°Of course they can, it¡¯s possible. Brother will obtain one for you after he comes back, okay? I have school and work to do so when I come back to the manor. You will have a chair with wheels and those baddies will be gone as well. Is that okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Layla wrapped her tiny arms around her brother.


    Einar smiled, he patted the back of his sister and turned his attention to the sky. The light on his eyes slowly dimmed, and what was left was coldness that was colder than ice. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Layla. Brother will make sure that no one would be able to hurt you, and the people that protected you will have their justice.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± She snuggled on Einar. ¡°I hope that Brother will always be nice to Layla!¡±


    ¡°Of course I will,¡± Einar said. ¡°We are family, and I will never let anything harm my family or let them get away with it.¡±


    Einar felt a tranquil fury building up inside him. No, the soul inside him had no tolerance for evil.  Einar, no, the soul inside him could understand why that woman wanted to save her family from a dying world.

 Chapter 183: The Deadman’s Ego 1

    The outskirts of the Tower of Nimrod consisted of mountains and hills surrounded by overgrown forests. The roads weren¡¯t paved and the paths were uneven. Made of dirt, the paths were cleared to make way for carriages, the carriages had to plow through the overgrown forest or else they would have to go around the mountains, encountering much dangerous game. Not to mention that the common bandits are hiding inside the forest through the use of caves and interconnected caverns or manmade tunnels.


    The world is inherently beautiful but it was still cruel as it was. In a remote part of the forests lies a camp filled with burly men wearing fur armor. Some of them wore leather but mostly they were rough-looking individuals that were carrying wild game they hunted. The area was filled with tents made of animal hides. Around the cave, there were women in scarce clothing, tied like dogs, their eyes lacking any light. They were looking with fright at the men that surrounded them. Some covered their breasts, trying to shield themselves from the cold winds of the mountain.


    The Camp wasn¡¯t acting like usual in any way. It has been two days since they have tried to ambush a carriage that was traveling anonymously through the forest. Who would have thought they would meet the Smiling Swordsman and his fairy? Not only that, they threatened the pair while their precious daughter was around, they then cursed their daughter.


    Sir Leonel Elior was famed for his smile. Because the moment his smile disappears then it wouldn¡¯t be kidding that his enemies would tremble in fear. The fairy beside Leonel was a warmonger who drew blood in the West and their relationship started when they faced each other in the battlefield. The bandits who drew the wrath of the infamous Warmongers of the past, obviously, didn¡¯t return.


    It could be said that the bandit tribes were facing a problem that should have been avoided if they choose their targets well. Now, dark clouds loomed around their heads, waiting to pour water and thunder over them. It was simply misfortune that they had to pick a fight with a warband that left them alone. They have the forces but their enemy was simply a band of veterans that have been subjugating monsters outside the outskirts of the Tower of Nimrod and has been killing brigands that dares to attack the towns and villages. Their location was far from where Sir Bors and his war party was, and so they have avoided annihilation and have been able to thrive by pestering the local peasant population of the mountain area. The tribes have been able to leech off the succor of the land and was building its strength in hopes of becoming a war band. The North and West was in turmoil and if they could amass enough wealth and fighting force. They would be able to march to the war lands and become a part of the War.


    ¡°Damn it!¡± A giant of a man who stood seven-foot-tall roared as he smashes his club at the survivor of the incident. ¡°Of all people you have to offend!¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t know, Boss! We didn¡¯t know that it was the carriage of the Elior¡¯s! We didn¡¯t know that it was the Smiling Swordsman! ¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not an excuse! You all fuck us over!¡± The Giant Man roared, his club pounding the back of the survivor. The survivor¡¯s back arched unnaturally, and his spine stuck out. ¡°You couldn¡¯t recognize the face of the Smiling Swordsman? That bastard who slaughter our brothers back in the East? The worst of all you fools had to anger the bastard!


    ¡°Half-wits! All of you are half-wits!¡± He smashed the club on the ground. The other leaders of the tribe bit their finger, gritted, and had wary eyes as they thought about the matter with the House of Elior taking revenge.


    The Giant Man looked at them, ¡°What do you all think?¡±


    ¡°We cannot appease them,¡± a man said. ¡°We¡¯ve threatened the family itself. We all know what happened to those who had tried in the past! All of the labor done in because of your fools!¡±


    The Giant Man glared, ¡°You dare?¡±


    ¡°I dare!¡± The man stood up, glaring, his hand on his sword.  ¡°I joined you because of the possibility that we might make it to the war! To think that we would trip up because you didn¡¯t manage your fools better!¡±


    ¡°Stand down, Brother,¡± The Giant man said. ¡°Do not go further.¡±


    ¡°You all won¡¯t have to worry.¡±


    A nasal voice echoed with a seething tone as the leaders of the bandit clan argued. All they saw was a figure rising from the ground, face covered with an obsidian skull mask, and red glaring eyes that made them unable to stand or mutter. One glance from the being had caused them to be stunned. They could hear the scream of those who they killed shouting at their ears.


    ¡°I will be all sending all of you to hell.¡±


    ¡°W-wait!¡±


    ¡°There is no need to wait.¡±


    The man drew runes and green rope-like lines lassoed around their necks. With a pull, the leaders of the bandit were hanged and their necks were broken. The only exception was the Giant-Man whose height saved him from being hanged. He took a dagger and cut the magical line, springing out of the tent. Then, he saw the appearance of the Camp that was once filled with bustle was filled with men having their bellies stuck on an obsidian pike. Some were stabbed from the buttocks, the obsidian spikes that came out of the ground were piercing through their mouths. It was a scene from hell itself and the Giant-Man could only gawk at this scene. They didn¡¯t hear any moan or pain.


    The Giant Man¡¯s head rolled before he could even think of looking at the being that attacked them. The being held no words other than words of parting. His obsidian mask shaped like a skull coldly stared at the Giant Man¡¯s head. He passed by the body of the Giant-Man and turned his eyes to the place where the cowering slaves were.

 Chapter 184: The Deadman’s Ego 2

    The women in the cages saw the slaughter with their own eyes. These people have tormented them and made use of them. Their slaughter was a joy to them, but they were afraid, afraid of the unknown that slaughtered these men. They cowered, shook, as the being with Obsidian Skull Mask turned his eyes to them.


    ¡°Were you all taken here?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sir,¡± a girl mustered up the courage.


    ¡°Are your villages still around?¡±


    The girl shook her head, ¡°They burned them. Ah, they also took the girls from the other villages. Some of them were sent to Central East to be slaves.¡±


    The red eyes of the Deadman were trained on them, ¡°Do you wish to live? Despite it all?¡±


    The voice of the Deadman was colder than ice, he continued, ¡°I can end your life here if any of you can¡¯t continue.¡±


    The eyes of the slaves lit up the moment death was mention. They shivered and their teeth cackled as they looked at the Deadman who said those words coldly. The Deadman continued to stare them, ¡°All of you should ask why you are all still holding on to your lives. What made you come this far?¡±


    He flicked his hand, turning it into a blade made of obsidian flesh, ¡°Are you willing to die here? Or are young to continue forward? Tell me, ladies, are you just going to lay there?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± The girl shouted, bawling her eyes out. ¡°I refuse to die!¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± he slashed the doors of the cage open. ¡°Thank Lady Claudia of the Tower of Nimrod, she will be hiring all of you. From now on, you will be part of her maidens or you could work under her businesses. She will receive you and you will be treated with care.¡±


    The Deadman transformed his hand back to normal. He walked to the other cages and did the same. The slaves composed of men and women. They looked at the Deadman with both awe and fear. The Deadman gathered them in front of the cave and looked at them. His eyes trained on the men and women who were trying to suppress both of their happiness and fear. He gathered them for information and asked them about whatever they found. The Deadman had followed a trail and only came across this bandit camp after squeezing them out of the bandits that he found.


    The slaves had information about the other camps. They all told the Deadman about what they knew. The Deadman waited for the people of Claudia to arrive. The Deadman noticed a band of riders riding their mountain horses up the bandit camp. Once they saw the Deadman along with the corpses, they all approached with a tinge of fear plastered on their eyes. To slaughter the bandit camp alone had rid them of their airs. Along the way, they saw the corpses that were strewn across the road. Like the scene before them, they were all killed by a spike to the belly.


    ¡°The Black Dogs?¡± The Deadman asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Take care of them¡± The Deadman stood. ¡°Take them back safely and make sure they make it back to the domain. Don¡¯t get any ideas of taking any single one of them. And gather all the loot back to Rufus and wait for my call again. I will be taking care of the Bandits that plagued this infested mountain.¡±


    The Deadman left after that. The back of the Black Dog Mercenary was cold with sweat. The eyes of the Deadman had him in shivers. It was like looking at the eyes of a monster who would devour him.


    ***


    ¡°You really are a monster, Old Man,¡± Einar said to the Deadman.


    The old soul who was in control this time, said, ¡°I am used to hunting Bandits. They are scum and considering that they are plaguing the mountains. It¡¯s about time we rid of them.¡±


    ¡°Is this okay?¡± Einar said. ¡°I can take care of this.¡±


    ¡°I know you can,¡± The Deadman said. ¡°But leave this kind of missions to me. I know how to handle these types of scum. You¡¯ve done this before but for now, let me vent this fury that dwells inside of me.¡±


    Einar said, ¡°I understand, still, to think you¡¯d be able to slaughter them like this. I can manifest the wraith form but never the ability to manipulate the obsidian flesh.¡±


    ¡°I wish I could give it to you as well,¡± the Deadman said. ¡°I¡¯ve tried to but my soul cannot do it, no, the one that owned this power doesn¡¯t want to leave my soul. It won¡¯t recognize you at all. I apologize.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to apologize,¡± Einar said. ¡°Also, you really don¡¯t want me to call you by name now?¡±


    The Deadman smiled through his skull mask, ¡°A Deadman needs no name. Einar, I want you to the last person to know my name. Once my soul crumbles, then I will be a part of your ego. For now, let me help you as best as I can. Watch me slaughter these fools who dared to hurt your family.¡±


    Einar said with a saddened tone, ¡°I consider you family, Old Man. And I know that the only reason I can be this strong is because of you. The only reason my soul is strong is because of you. You have given everything to me. Don¡¯t be like that. We are family.¡±


    ¡°I know that,¡± The Deadman said with a lonesome tone. ¡°But even so, I¡¯ve lived long enough and what I want to do now is to give you a good life. That¡¯s what I am here for. I wasn¡¯t blessed and because of that, I want to bless you with my strength. Take this as my other wish. Let me act selfishly for the sake of you, Einar.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Old Man.¡±


    Einar thought of the soul inside him. He respected his wishes but he couldn¡¯t accept the end of the Old Man. He thought of it as sad and yet he cannot do anything about it. He was powerless to convince the Old Man who had given his everything to him. He could only accept the Deadman¡¯s wish.

 Chapter 185: The Deadman’s Ego 3

    The bandit camps around the mountains were decimated by the Deadman. Einar, who was watching the fight with a view from above, could only watch as the Deadman hides around the shadows, killing bandits, and picking them off one by one.


    ¡°Killing stealthily,¡± Einar said. ¡°We can take care of them without a problem.¡±


    ¡°We can,¡± the Deadman said. ¡°But it would be better if we take them out just like that time. One enemy at a time, until they are dead. Isolate them, and then kill them. Make them pay."


    The Deadman went out of the bushes, grabbed hold of the bandit¡¯s Achilles heel, dragged him back and killed the bandit with a dagger to the carotid artery. The Deadman¡¯s patience was enduring, he waited for the enemy to stray from their camp and neutralized them. They weren¡¯t stupid, so when they started to act after noticing their comrades haven¡¯t returned. They started going in groups, only to be taken down by the Deadman in groups as well. The bandit camps numbered about a thousand strong men. It was no wonder that they were planning to join the war between the West and the North. The Deadman didn¡¯t rush in and just ambushed them while they were patrolling. He halved the numbers of the bandits by the week he was slaughtering them.


    To put the fear of the Lord in them, he started stringing up trees with their stomachs gutted. He would hang them in spots where they find it relaxing. Or when they open up their barrels, they would find their friends chopped up parts inside. The Deadman showed no mercy to these heathens who would force a young woman to fornicate with a pig.


    They showed no mercy to the slaves so he gave them no mercy as well. He would butcher their pigs, behead their pigs, carved the inside of the pigs, and masked those who he killed with pig heads. He remembered the faces of the bastards who watched that disgusting show. Einar had no reason not to enact justice, he had heard the degeneracy of these bastards, but he didn¡¯t know that there¡¯d be sick bastards who would do such a thing. It was cruel, but they needed to put fear inside the hearts of these men would do such a thing.


    They continued attacking, slowly, but surely, they hunted down the bandits. Sometimes, the Deadman would hunt down a group of ten by pit trap, making them fall into a pit of spikes made of obsidian. From time to time, they would found themselves hanged by a magical rope that crunched their necks. The Deadman placed their bodies into the water source of the enemy. With their waters polluted, they turned their attention to the nearest stream. However, the Deadman waited for them and butchered them, and at night he carried the bodies and placed them in front of the entrance of the bandit camps. The Deadman has encircled the bandit camps and by the third week since he started harassing the enemy. Their number dwindled to less than five hundred


    ***


    The nightmares of the bandit became true. Those who were brave were killed and their bodies were strewn around the bandit camp. Outside their camps were bandits lined up, their stomach opened, and their heads covered in pig heads. Their leaders, the men who were in charge of these bandits were displayed with their buttocks pierced by obsidian spikes. The bodies were rotting, and the camp was suffering from hunger and dehydration. All the food they had were polluted with the blood of their brothers, and their waters had rotting human heads floating. The slaves who did the work were taken, and they couldn¡¯t find a single trace of them. Even those who tried to use them as shields were killed without anyone knowing who did it.


    The Deadman had made use of the tactics that he learned from the past. He could have slaughtered them now that their numbers were low. But bandits would rose again and the only way to make sure that they wouldn¡¯t come back was to create a nightmare for these bandits.


    So the Deadman waited until there were only five bandits who were grabbing their heads, shaking, laughing dryly with madness as they were surrounded by the corpses of their friends. They weren¡¯t allowed to die. They were all fed by berries and waters. They were being toyed at and the only thing they could do was cry and plead to however monster was playing them.


    It was then that the Deadman appeared before them with his body covered in a thin layer of obsidian flesh. He emits a glowing aura and approached the surviving bandits with the sigil of the Deadman burning in his eyes. The bandits could hear the screams of those who they killed as they look at the eyes of the Deadman. They could hear those who departed screeching, cursing them for surviving. They were rooted on the spot, and they could breathe raggedly as the Deadman continued his nightmarish gaze on them.


    ¡°I want you all,¡± the Deadman said, ¡°to remember these weeks for the rest of your lives. I want you all to tell your fellow scum about what happened here. Tell them, that if they ever come back into my mountain, then the Deadman will find them. I will find you all and make you suffer hell once again. Now leave this place before I changed my mind and have you butchered like the rest of these scums!¡±


    The bandits could only see a monster before them. They could only shake uncontrollably as the Deadman disappears out of their sight. Their legs couldn¡¯t stop shaking, and their pants became muddy as they stare at the sky blankly. The surviving bandits stood up and suddenly sprinted out of the Camps. Their screams resounded the mountain as they passed through the forest where the bandits where bandits were hanged, gutted and impaled. They could only shout in terror as they realized that the forest became a place where their companions were displayed. They were cruel, but the sight before them was a picture from hell itself.

 Chapter 186: The Deadman’s Ego 4

    The death of the bandits camps spread further than the Deadman could anticipate. News of fear and monsters travel far from where they come from. The news of these camps shook nearby camps and the bandits that survived became insane. They preached the Deadman who had spared their lives. They preached of goodness and they whipped their backs in forgiveness. The Deadman followed the bandits to make sure before parting.


    Along the way, the Deadman felt his soul tremble. He knew that staying too long would be a problem for Einar. He let go of control of the body and let Einar take over. Before they could, the two met in a room that connected their souls. It was the white void that the two dwells. The Deadman appeared in front of Einar.


    ¡°Old Man,¡± Einar said. ¡°Good job, I learned a lot from you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t thank me,¡± the Deadman said. ¡°All I did was rid this world of scum.¡±


    ¡°You are used to this,¡± Einar said. ¡°Old Man, you blocked off some of your memories but there are parts where you¡¯d shown me the way you fight. I¡¯ve practiced these skills and even though you regained muscle memory. I didn¡¯t. So there are times that I had to watch you to perform the same tactics or the way you fight.¡±


    ¡°The way I fight?¡± The Deadman patted his head. ¡°The way I fight is composed of trying the best way to kill someone. Back in my days, we had to kill monsters who were stronger than we could ever hope for. They had scales that are tougher than steel. Their senses were far better and we had to prepare various potions and blade oils to take them down. We only got better because of the Master of the Nether teaching us the way to engrave the runes inside our bodies. I¡¯ve done it by using the obsidian flesh as knives to carve out the runes that would help circulate the energy that nourishes your bones.¡±


    ¡°You said bones right? What about the organs?¡±


    ¡°I did as well. I burned the runes while you were young. Remember those days where you couldn¡¯t get up? I had to make sure that you wouldn¡¯t move the carvings. Ah, I did have to worry about how the circulation of runes would affect your health. You see, I had to double the layer of the runes to nourish your soul as well. The runes are taxing and to cure that I have to improve the way your body handles the recoil of the runes. Think of it as exerting your whole body by making use of the runes. For your ability in close-combat, the way you fight shouldn¡¯t be lesser to me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s only because you were holding back on me,¡± Einar said. ¡°You fight without trying to kill me and that alone makes it clear that you cannot fully exert your strength against me. Still, now that we spent weeks scaring these bastards. I know that you could have handled them with so little effort. There was no need to spend days doing that.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± the Deadman said. ¡°But this isn¡¯t my body so I had to make sure that you are not hurt. You are strong and you can take punishment but I will not allow it to be harmed while I am in control. I had to rely on stealth and fear tactics to do the job. It took us time and forgive me for taking so much time. You could have used this time to bond with your little sister.¡±


    Einar felt a tug around his body. He knew that he finally got control of the body. The Deadman flickered the moment the control over the body was released.


    ¡°Really, when will you take care of that. You will have to wait before you can take control of this body.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll be fine. I believe that you handle anything that will come your way. As long as we don¡¯t meet a Magus Dragon or a War Maiden then you¡¯d be fine. You should go back now, Einar. Your family is waiting for you.¡±


    ¡°What about you?¡±


    ¡°What about me? I am here sleeping inside you, don¡¯t worry about this Deadman. I have made use of your body for too long and I rather not wrestle control over it.¡±


    Einar woke up and found himself walking on the path leading to Old Tarsus shop. Old Tarsus was working on his wares, and when he saw Einar, walking towards with his cloak on, he waved at him, ¡°Einar, oh, you smell of blood, lad. Ah, doing some hunting? Haven¡¯t seen you around lately. Rufus has been busy with his Black Dogs and now there are troubles in the court. The throwing knives you want are done, the bandolier, as well as that wheeled chair you wanted to make. I thought it was odd but seeing the little lady. I understand why you¡¯d want that. It¡¯s ready around the back and for heaven¡¯s sake clean yourself up, lad, I can¡¯t have you walking around like that. There¡¯s a barrel of water, get dressed and just leave it to me. I¡¯ll send the bill to your parents.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I don¡¯t need it.¡±


    ¡°Just go, lad,¡± Old Tarsus said. ¡°You really fucking smell musky. I¡¯ll have them ready here and I¡¯ll get you a new cloak. Goodness, did you swim on rotting corpses of pigs? Go! And don¡¯t bother coming out unless you clean yourself up! Darling! Give the lad some of those perfumes to freshen him up! I don¡¯t want the Smiling Swordsman to come here complaining!¡±


    Einar couldn¡¯t help but laugh at the forcefulness of the Old Dwarf. When he was young he spent time here and has stayed here to temper his arms and also get extra money. Most of his time was spent in this forge and it was his second home. Old Tarsus¡¯s wife, Merla, held him and started chatting about anything before he was told to go and bath. Einar took a bath, took the clothes that were placed a drawer and took the wheelchair with him.

 Chapter 187: The Deadman’s Ego 5

    The people of House Elior had welcomed their little lady easily. She was a little lady that easily took their hearts. The warriors were stern and some of them were warmongers. But, among the thorns of this house was a little flower that brightens their mood, and she was an innocent, hopeful, and brave. Her legs may be thin and small but she had the courage of an Elior.


    Einar returned to the household after being gone for almost four weeks. He carried the wheelchair and turned around, he started looking for the little lady. He found her near the little river accompanied by Camilla.


    ¡°Brother!¡± Layla said. ¡°You¡¯re back!¡±


    ¡°Young Lord!¡± Camilla stood and looked at him. ¡°You just went up and disappeared! What happened to you?¡±


    ¡°Doing work,¡± Einar said, he turned his eyes to Layla. ¡°Sis, I got the wheeled chair I wanted you to have.¡±


    He propped the wheelchair near Layla, raised her up, and settled her down on it. He grabbed on to the handle, and tested it, strolling Layla around the ground. The little lady was all smiles, her cheeks flushed as her wheelchair gets pushed by Einar. Camilla, who was following them, said, ¡°I have seen invalid¡¯s chair all around the west, but to think there¡¯s something that much better than this. They were made of wood and wicker, not like this. Ah, this handiwork, Old Tarsus?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I asked him to make this,¡± Einar patted Layla¡¯s head. ¡°This should make things easier for Layla, and she can move. I will be assisting her through thick and thin. That is my solemn duty now.¡±


    ¡°I see. Where¡¯s father and mother?¡±


    ¡°They are discussing things with the local lords. Young Lord, the situation inside the tower is dire. Although the protective barriers are holding on, and the tower itself is fighting this monstrous being. It wouldn¡¯t take too long for the monster to reach the inner floors.¡±


    ¡°So are they going to intercept the monsters?¡±


    ¡°They plan to stop the monster in one of the floors. The five heavenly children are going to take part in the battle. Lady Rubina won¡¯t be participating in the raid. However, there¡¯s going to be help coming outside of the city, and we aren¡¯t too proud not to accept help from the nearby nations.¡±


    ¡°That dangerous. Then Father and Mother are going to battle. What about Sir Bors?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯ll be joining the fight. Young Lord, I know that you are working for Lady Claudia, and since she¡¯s among the children of the tower, it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if she joins the fight as well. What I¡¯m worried about is how the politics of the siblings will affect the operation. Young Lord, I won¡¯t ask about the bandolier filled with throwing knives. I just ask you to be careful all the time.¡±


    ¡°I will be careful,¡± Einar pushed the wheelchair. ¡°But I also need to be bold about this. The feud between the siblings, and then the monster trying to break out. There¡¯s no end to them, huh.¡±


    Camilla said, ¡°That¡¯s why I asked you to tread lightly, Young Lord. They are children who are eager for support and that is you must only belong to the shadows, that''s why I am asking you this, please be careful.¡±


    ***


    Layla became fond of her wheelchair. She used it to stroll the area of the mansion. She greeted everyone and graced them with smiles that they couldn¡¯t help but feel their heart warmed up to. Camilla handled Layla¡¯s care, and let the Young Lord return to his room. Einar surveyed his room, there was no furniture other than the shelves, carpet, and the bed. The table in the middle of the room had books, and while around the corner were weapons mounted on the wall. There was also a rack and a closet.


    ¡°Looks like the siblings are going to be trouble,¡± Einar thought. ¡°They probably want to be distinguished before the raid starts. If they could get the attention of the visitors and form a profitable connection, then they would get the advantage.


    Einar crossed his arms, ¡°Lady Claudia and Rufus should have prepared for these scenarios. They¡¯d probably want me to join them. Should I skip this trouble? No, I cannot do that.¡±


    He recalled the loyalty that he had, ¡°I will not abandon the promise to help Claudia and the others. They¡¯ve treated me as a friend, and I want to keep promise despite how bleak things may become.¡±


    There was sunlight entering through the window. Einar trained his gaze on the shadows that formed on the floor. He thought, ¡°That monster occupies the tower, and the other monsters, who are trying to escape, are probably going to follow the being that has made its way to the top, as well. We are going to need the army and if anything, we might have to fight to the death. The being that has appeared in the tower is undoubtedly strong and is deadly enough to scare the monsters away.  ¡±


    He thought, ¡°I¡¯ve been through this but if this being can drive the monsters to despair. Then I will have to rely on myself and make sure that Claudia and the others can be safe. But if the heaven favored children will help then there should be a problem, they are well-versed in fighting and in this world, there are none that could easily compete with them other than Lady Rubina. The wizards should be participating and would try to throw the monster away with a warp trap. I should be careful."


    The Tower o Nimrod has always been a proud city that did not ask for help ever since the day it was built. The four cities have been able to keep the City safe. However, the current situation was too dire that the thought of pride was not counted among. The last time the tower was sealed, an Ancient Magus Dragon appeared and almost burned the city and the surrounding area. Thankfully, they were able to avoid the crisis. Nonetheless, the monster this time was a being that came from the bottom of the floor. It was a monster that has made the prideful tower of nimrod and her cities gather the help of the outsiders.

 Chapter 188: Court of Jesters 1

    Einar left the household of Elior to climb the tower. He passed through the congested streets of the city, thinking to himself, how terrible things would be if the monster that was making a scene inside the tower could get out. Einar had learned information about the monstrous being from the tower. The information came from Sir Wayne, the guy who he had saved during the dance. He recalled:


    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re the guy who saved me,¡± Wayne said. ¡°I couldn¡¯t thank you for that day with how urgent things are. What¡¯s your name? I¡¯m Wayne, a lone wolf.¡±


    ¡°Einar Elior,¡± he said, shaking Wayne¡¯s hand. ¡°Sir Wayne, can you explain to me what you saw?¡±


    Wayne¡¯s eyes dilated. He clicked his tongue, grabbed hold of his drink, and chugged it. They were in an open tavern east of the city. It was a tavern that has the view of the river and the entertainment district. Many men were hunching and drinking as they lock their eyes at the entertainment district.


    Wayne said, ¡°It was an ethereal being that appeared out of nowhere. Lad, I came down that place in hopes of gaining glory. However, I saw it, lad. I saw the one vegetated areas of the bottoms floors turned into a scene of hell itself. Carcasses of dragons, liches, and rulers of the night floated dead upon the seas and rivers of blood. In the center of them was the ethereal being. That monster was clad in a cloak of the sky, that being¡¯s sword was like the starry skies and the way it fought was beyond anything that I see. I felt magic but the sword of that being was able to cut through monsters like ease! I thought that I was going to die just by the enormous shock of seeing it. Ancient Dragons and even the Magus Dragon Lords were no match for that being.¡±


    ¡°That strong, huh,¡± Einar folded his arms. ¡°You escaped?¡±


    ¡°Barely, I was in my last wind and if you haven¡¯t slaughtered the stampede of monsters coming after me. I would have died. I managed because I know this labyrinth well. Damn fools! To think they would fight while this tower is in danger!¡±


    ¡°The tower won¡¯t last long. Is that what you think?¡±


    He glared, ¡°Yes! The tower has been a symbol of unity and power but it isn¡¯t indestructible! It gathers power from the area and that power has been sustaining the barriers keeping that monster inside the tower. It has been pulling monsters out to kill it. However, it cannot be killed! You could hear it, right? The power of that monster is shaking the very ground. The vibrations of that monster¡¯s sword are enough to shake it!¡±


    Einar focused his senses and detected the vibrations, ¡°I can hear the vibrations. This monster is on the fiftieth floor, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It has been killing everything in its way. Lad, do you think that this city would survive within a few days? Look at the jesters inside the court, they are still blabbering about who should lead the battle. Bah! They are going to die the moment they face that monster! If the Heretical Princess didn¡¯t convince the Matriarch to gather help from the other countries then we¡¯d be truly dead!¡±


    ¡°Do we have time?¡±


    ¡°Time?¡± He chugged his drink. ¡°I don¡¯t think we have that thing called time. That monster could break out at any moment. The worst thing that could happen is that the monster would regain its sanity. Aye, that monster wasn¡¯t thinking clearly and there was no trace of wielding that sword properly. But even so, the pure instincts of the monster was able to slaughter the beings. Lad, I am no coward, and it comes to it I would fight that monster with all I got. But I rather not throw my life away for things I do not understand. I have my dreams! I don¡¯t want to throw it away just for a bunch of fools who don¡¯t listen to us!¡±


    Einar could tell that Wayne has been sulking in this place for a while now. The owner of the open tavern was keeping an eye on Wayne, and since wasn¡¯t kicked out for being too drunk. It was clear that Wayne knew the owner of the bar. Einar thought that things really are strange, and if the court continues to be troublesome then this city would fall.


    ¡°So what are your plans now, Sir Wayne?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll join the fight. The moment the circles of magic around the tower breaks. I will join the fight and at least try to stop that monster.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have the confidence.¡±


    ¡°Because you haven¡¯t seen the monster. I¡¯ve fought with groups of people that could face the likes of Magus Dragons and Undead Lords. I can fight them and I am confident in my ability to face them. But this monster is different, lad. It is a monster that acts more of a force of nature rather than a being that does things. This being is suffocating and in its craze, the being tries to seek the surface. Each floor of the labyrinth is an isolated place. So imagine that monster surfacing in this congested city. Many would die, and this city would fall, and even if we stop the monster, the tower of nimrod would cease to exist. That¡¯s why we need to stop the monster before it surfaces. The labyrinth can heal itself but this city cannot be built back. Once this city falls then there would be no rebuilding it.¡±


    Einar stopped his thoughts. He looked at the tower that has been keeping the North, South, West, and East from coming to the central lands. Einar thought that it won¡¯t be long until the West and North¡¯s quarrel would involve the central lands. The act of calling for help has given them the excuse to ask for a favor. Even though Princess Claudia called the help of everyone, she knew that it was the same as luring wolves into their houses.


    The Tower of Nimrod has faced many problems in the past. However, it was now facing a problem that could destroy the tower city.

 Chapter 189: Court of Jesters 2

    Claudia¡¯s office was silent with Rufus and Claudia staring at each other. On the floor were papers, documents, and requests from various organizations to renege on the promise that was made to the other countries. Rufus was folding his arms, eyebrows creased as he stares at Claudia.


    ¡°Our situation is fragile. Many of our backers have pulled out from supporting us. Princess, your choice was right, I agree with it, but it became a dangerous move that has made all of our work nulled.¡±


    ¡° ''Your¡¯ work.¡± She glared. ¡°Do you intend to abandon the Tower? Do you intend to let all of the people around burn? I do what I do for the sake of my people. Court politics can go to hell if it means that I¡¯d save my people.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand! We can¡¯t get a lead on our opponents if you keep us always at the bottom!¡±


    ¡°Then you expect me to do nothing? My mother agreed to it, and she thought of it as a wise move. I don¡¯t care about the opinion of my brothers and sisters or some fool that thinks of me as someone not worthy of the throne! You can hear the tower¡¯s agony and you expect me to sit down and do nothing?¡±


    ¡°We could have done it in a better way!¡±


    ¡°Tell me then! What way! Schemes and plots? We don¡¯t have time. Sir Wayne said so himself, that the tower wouldn¡¯t hold on for much longer and the Ethereal Being that he calls the Blood Crier would try to break through the floors and break down the doors of our Tower! There are thousands of people around the tower, and a monster that could slaughter hordes of Magus Dragons, Ancient Ones, and Undead Lords is an enemy we must not fight without the help of the Favored Children! We must gather their help and try to suppress this enemy that tries to bring us harm! We must fight despite the hopelessness and we cannot do it alone!¡±


    Rufus stood, ¡°I do not disagree with your solution! I disagree with how things are! We have no one that would treat you as someone that would belong to the throne of Nimrod!¡±


    ¡°What throne? I never wanted the throne for other than it could help my people! Rufus! You should know why I strive to become the ruler of the cities! I strive to become a ruler in order to protect this city! Pride of the Strong? If Pride would be the reason that my people get killed then I would gladly throw it away! I do not need pride! I need my people alive and happily living in this world!¡±


    She smashes her table with both fists, ¡°None of you can understand the will of my father! He built this tower in hopes that the races would unite under one language and never bring war! Instead of spreading that belief we are holding ourselves up and cowering like cowards! My father pacified tribes in hopes that their wars would perish! He gave it all to built a tower that would symbolize the acceptance of all under his tower! That they wouldn¡¯t feel shame living among the other races! Now!? They treat it like as a symbol of arrogance! A symbol of power that they could flaunt! I never wanted this kind of symbol! My father did not want this symbol as well! Now that our tower is in danger they refuse out of this stupid pride of the strong!? I cannot believe that they have forgotten what my dear father stood for! They have forgotten why he¡¯s letting himself be the conduit for the tower!¡±


    ¡°I just wish that we could have done it better,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Saved or not, we will have no place among the people of the tower. Princess, you do realize that we¡¯ve effectively dragged our people to the hands of the people that would want to use our citizens for their wars. Things aren¡¯t as simple and even if we don¡¯t succeed, these people would want to repay the favor that they have done for us. The central lands are big and fertile, and we are blessed with many mountains filled with ores of metal, gold, and silver. Princess, even if we win, they will find a way to force us to support their wars. If we lost, they would offer help, increased our debts, and we will have to obey some of their demands. Do you understand this?¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± Claudia said. ¡°I know what I did. But Rufus, do you really think that I would let my people die? I am not that foolish to think that they would not ask for any favors. My brothers and sisters laughed at me, they know that I have made a mistake, and now the people that we called ¡®allies¡¯ are disavowing us. Thinking that we have put our people into two sides that will end badly for us.¡±


    ¡°I know. I know that,¡± Claudia smiled bitterly. ¡°All I want from them is to help my people. I don¡¯t want the cities to be destroyed. At best, they¡¯d think of me as a foolish princess who sold them out to foreigners. What can I do? A monster this strong would destroy our fine city. To save our city, I have no choice but to allow them here. Even if it means they call me names, I will rather be insulted than letting our home be destroyed."


    Claudia gave a bitter look. Her eyes were wet, and she was looking down at the floor, not daring to face Rufus. Rufus could only shook his head, and tapped her shoulders, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will help you, we just need to survive this problem. Isn¡¯t that what we always do, Princess? We trip ourselves up, and then we get back up, and start doing things again.¡±


    Claudia looked up and smiled thinly, ¡°You are right. The Heretical Princess will never get allies! They always say that, but here we are, back to zero again.¡±


    She pressed her head on his chest, ¡°Forgive me, I really am troubling you.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense,¡± he wrapped his arms around her. ¡°It is my duty. Please rely on me.¡±

 Chapter 190: Ciara the Cursed Woman Part 1

    The Blood Crier, no, Ciara Alician swung her sword without any technique. She was crying blood, her swing dangerous, and without any precision. She swings it barbarically as if she was swinging a club, however, each strike rattled the tower, as it then sent monsters one after another.


    ¡°Ah,¡± she mumbled. ¡°More blockage? Are they after me? Ah, need to kill them!¡±


    Her bitter smile reached up to her cheeks. Her eyes were crazed as she taunts the enemy, swinging her sword, disabling the portals. Her sword was sharp, and none of the enemies could reach her. The Dragons who casted a spells were slain, and those who called themselves Lords of Dead were easily slain.


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right,¡± she said under her breath. ¡°I haven¡¯t been draining my enemies¡­does this world allow me to do it?¡±


    She grabbed a dragon¡¯s head and started draining the remaining life out of the dragon. Her eyes bolted open, a huge force of energy assaulted her, the wounds around her body, healing, closing up along with the scars that she had sustained while fighting in the betweens of the world.


    ¡°Lifeforce? So this is a world where the enemies are vigorous.¡±


    An enemy targeted her back. She coated her body with the astral cloak, deflecting it. She turned to the enemy and violently swings her sword, still without any technique.


    ¡°Oh, what am I fighting? Ah, still the same?¡±


    She turns her attention to the barrier and cleaved her sword that was wrapped in an astral cloak. The barrier shattered like glasses, however, another barrier padded in. The recoil of the barrier melted her eyes, twisted her eyes arms, and cracked her ribs. The barrier was dangerous, and it could return her attacks tenfold. The shock would have been enough to kill anyone.


    ¡°This much better than that full counter barrier of those semi-divines,¡± she mindlessly thought. ¡°My hands are numb, ah, what¡¯s the point of fighting? Ah, yes, what was I doing? Think, think, ah, I said that I¡¯d find him here? Ah, I just want to see him again? No, ah, that¡¯s right, my duty has ended. What am I doing?¡±


    Her duty has ended and she has nothing. Not her family, not her lover, and nothing. She was aimlessly striking the barrier, for reasons she doesn¡¯t even know.


    ¡°What am I fighting for? Ah, I want to save them, and then when I got out, there were more to save, and then there were more worlds to do so. Why is it wrong to help them when they were asking to be saved? Back then, I could only hope for a savior, a guiding light that would pull us out of misery. I fought, I died and tried so many times. I just want to save them. I just want to make sure that others won¡¯t feel the sense of helplessness that I felt back then. Why is it wrong to save when I can save? Why do they block my way!?¡±


    She rages. She regenerated her body, then white smoke comes out of her body as her wounds were healed. She cleaved the barrier again, breaking her bones, twisting her limbs, and melting her eyelids. She has been healing herself over and over again. She didn¡¯t think of the pain or the need to rest. For she knew that if she stops, then the barrier will refresh its energy, which would make her efforts wasted.


    ¡°When did I arrive here?¡± She thought, a bit clearer than before. ¡°Was it five weeks ago? Ah, no, that was more than that, I was stuck fighting those Cosmic Ones, and they were negating my attacks, so I had clad my sword with the astral cloak.¡±


    A portal appeared above her and two hands that were the size of an elephant tried to squash her. She dodged, gathered power on her sword, and slashed those hands. She then turned her attention back to the barrier, smashing her sword once again to the barrier. The barrier recoiled her attack, nonetheless, the barrier flickered for a moment.


    ¡°Looks like its working, though the process has been tiring. I¡¯ve been hitting this barrier for forty-five million times, and yet it still stands. However made this is gathering power somewhere, I don¡¯t see any sources of power and the veins of magic are all around the tower. Though why do I even bother? My duty is done, the world that I was tasked to protect is gone, swallowed, and eaten by the shadows of the world tree. Oh yes, there might be people above that might need my help, they might need to kill a dark lord, save them from a tyrant or simply a hero that will save them from unspeakable evil. Ah, but what¡¯s the point though? What¡¯s the point of helping them?¡±


    Her body let out white smoke again. She looked at the barrier, swung her sword, and the veins around her body exploded like faucets. She regained her senses, gritted her teeth, and thrusts her sword in the barrier, performing a spell blast that shook the innards of the barrier.


    ¡°Just a bit more, I¡¯ll break this barrier, and get out, then what do I do? Ah, yes, play the hero, again, and again, and again, again, and again, and again, that¡¯s my duty, right? Isn¡¯t that why I was chosen?¡±


    She stopped moving. She lowered her head, and inhaled through her nose, body-shaking sobs came to her, and tears flowed down her cheeks, passing through her jaws, and down her beck. She wiped her tears with her left hand and clenched her sword with her right hand.


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right, why do I bother? No, I cannot break, I promised that I won¡¯t. Ciara Alician does not break, Ciara Alician must do her duty, for what she is good for. That is my reason, and that is my purpose.¡±


    Suddenly, her stance became practiced, and the way she held her sword changed. The aura around her gathered into one spot, and as if she was being poured cold water, Ciara Alician finally saw clearly. Her mind of steel became clear, and yet she could only think of a certain person who held her dear once, as she strikes properly.


    The barrier then became shards of glasses that vanished when it hit the floor.

 Chapter 191: Ciara the Cursed Woman Part 2

    Ciara recalled an ancient memory as she enters the forty-ninth floor of the labyrinth. She recalled the day where her household was dragged to a podium. Her parents were branded with by hot steel on their foreheads, and they faced people, thrown rocks at, and begging for their daughter to be spared.


    ¡°Through the crimes of betraying the faith of our people, and helping our destroyers. The Alician Family is hereby cursed, and their child shall be burden with the dishonor of thy parents.¡±


    She recalled her parents being given death by hanging, their heads, then chopped, displayed upon the townspeople, to be a reminder of those who take in the people that they call monsters. She recalled being taken to a place where she was branded. The left side of her body, burned, as a reminder to the family who had taken the people they call monsters. She couldn¡¯t understand, she could demand to know for she was simply in pain, unable to speak because of her burned parts. She recalled being taken to a room alongside those who were branded.


    The person who was in front of them that day said, ¡°You are now Maiden of Throes, you shall become the blade that slays, and you shall not falter.¡±


    She recalled being trained and being preached the same tiresome words. Once she was of proper age, she was sent to Oasis, where she was told that she was going to be the War Maiden. The thought of being the conduit of the Six Elemental Heroes made her wonder. It made her wonder she was going to use her powers for good or for evil?


    She didn¡¯t think of revenge. No, she turned her attention to those who wanted to be saved. It was her duty so she promised, that she will not allow others to experience the same path. Simply, it was a promise of a girl who saw the evil of the world, and instead of cursing it, she wanted to save it. Ciara Alician didn¡¯t want to stoop to the same level as those who wronged her.


    She wanted to help the world that was cruel to her. The world that cursed her by brand, and forever changed her. Such thoughts guided her, and her heart and mind became steel. All that was inside her head was the mission and her duty towards. Who knew that even a woman like her would attract the attention of a young man? Although she didn¡¯t curse the world, she distrusted those who were kind to her. The young man asking for her love, and yet she cannot give it to him How could a woman who had devoted herself to become steel ever fall in love with a young man who was blinded by love?


    All she could recall was the love of her parents. The young man wanted something from her, and she was not willing to give it. How can she focus when she has to protect the young man didn¡¯t have any talents with the sword?


    ¡°Oh,¡± she stopped her recall. She looked at the verdant valley that had no noise other than the wind rustling the trees. Above, she could see the ceiling, the cirrus-like clouds formed above the mountains. The path leading to the upper floors were covered by fog.


    ¡°I should clear this,¡± she said, brandishing her sword, and wiping the fog out of her path. The fog parted into two, and she saw the path leading to the next floor. She started to that direction, passed through the heavily vegetated trees, and crossed the area while the monsters avoided her. The landscape she walked on was empty, and she saw no traces of the portal that kept suppressing her.


    She ambled before the entrance of the forty-eightieth floor. She head inside covered her face and saw that the next area was covered by water. To avoid the water, she bent her knees forward, gathered strength from her legs, and took a giant leap that allowed her to cross the area filled with water in one leap.


    ¡°Looks like this place is a bit simple,¡± she thought, entering the next floor, which is the forty-seventh floor of the labyrinth. She placed her right hand first and took a step inside the pathway leading to the next floor. Upon arriving at the next floor, she felt her instincts steady and her eyes trained on a massive flower filed of wheat-like stalks. She trudged through the field and admired the golden hue of the field.


    When she had mended her way to the entrance with ease, she saw a spot where she could rest. She looked around for sticks, and branches and stone, preparing a fire. She stayed near the fire, land warmed her hands, recovering the injuries that she sustained. While staring at the fire, she noticed that the labyrinth had stopped sending monsters after her. She also realized that it has been long since she ate a good meal.


    ¡°Ah, this is tiring,¡± she said. ¡°It looks like I have to make do with what I found from the previous floors. Though it looks like I¡¯d be facing an army above. Humans? Probably, though I feel like I did something that made this place static.


    She stayed near the fire, eyes beaming at the dancing flames. Her eyes went blank, and she grabbed hold of her hair, pulling it, then screaming mildly at the thought of how the memories that pained her heart was aching. She inhaled, exhaled and thought a choice, she decided to extinguish the fire and ate food. She packed the things she needed and wended her way to the next floor where the area resembled the desert and its oasis.


    ¡°Alternate spaces that isolate each floor,¡± Ciara thought. ¡°No wonder the barrier was able to defend from my attack and even produced a recoil that would have killed anyone.¡±


    Ciara thought as she advanced to the desert, her eyes steady as she marches through the sands of this isolated landscape, She could hear rumbling, and the vibrations that were produced by the gigantic monsters below, and with her power, she was able to finish any enemy that came blocking her way.

 Chapter 192: Ciara the Cursed Woman Part 3

    Ciara took another breath, she fiddled with fingers, trying to manage the pain of her broken up fingers. As she climbed up, another barrier appeared, this time, the barrier managed to deflect the strike she used to destroy the barrier in the fiftieth floor. She exhaled cold air, glared at the barrier.


    ¡°Looks like I have to destroy it again,¡± she said to herself, glancing at her surroundings. ¡°The barrier¡¯s as thicker than ever, the recoil broke my fingers, and my insides are churning in pain, hmm, that would have destroyed my lung.¡±


    She pulled her sword back, and with all of her weight and power, she cleaved. The barrier was split in two for three seconds, only to be repaired, and it became whole again. Ciara¡¯s fingers were bleeding, still, her expression didn¡¯t change. She continued swinging, not minding the pain of having her fingers broken, and her insides suffering the recoil.


    She said, ¡°The recoil is internal, and my head is getting foggier. No, the recoil, also is messing my senses, hmm, ah, yes, it is trying to cloud my mind? Pathetic.¡±


    Her eyes widened, and she suddenly released an explosion from her body, releasing pressure, just like a cooling system that was mitigating the pressure building up inside her body. Ciara took the stance of the Lady, and this time she clad her sword with the astral cloak and under it was her sword of Salvatore.


    ¡°Break!¡± She cleaved horizontally and brought her sword down. The area behind the barrier erupted into a place of fire and destruction, rocks flew everywhere, and the trees that were standing burnt to crisp.


    ¡°Damn,¡± Ciara said, blood leaked out of her mouth, and her arms were facing the wrong direction. She staggered backward and lied flat on her back. The barrier collapsed like a tower of glasses.


    She squeezed her eyes, and looked around, ¡°I guess its too delusional for me to wish that. I¡¯ve been searching for him for so many years. And the last time that we met I killed him. I never have wanted anything other than him. After all, he was my eternal companion, and having him not by my side bothers me. It¡¯s selfish and unreasonable to have him with how things become. I betrayed him and abandoned him for the sake of the world. What am I supposed to do? What if he doesn¡¯t remember me? What if his memories are gone after being put into a new world? Does he even exist in this world? Do I have to look for him? I¡¯m tired, I am so tired, I¡¯ve been fighting for so long I don¡¯t remember a time where I just sat down and enjoyed a drink. He always said to run away with him, and I would love that. I wanted it. But it was either him or a world of many. I made a vow to save the world and its people. I cannot let go of my vows and duty just because of my own selfish reasons.¡±


    She gritted her teeth, and forcibly reverted her limbs back to normal position. Usually, in the stories that she was fond off when a lady was in dire need, a hero would come in the right time, She looked up and saw that no soul was standing before her. Of course, there would be none, she has driven the hero that would have come for her.


    How could she allow the hero who fought for her so much stay that way? She has broken his heart far too many times in those timelines that she thought of letting go of him. However, the thought of seeing him with others made her heart irritated, seething, as she could not handle the thought of parting with him. Yet, she doesn¡¯t know how to face him for the sin that she had done.


    ¡°Who would love a woman who would dare to kill their child? I thought that maybe if I survived that fight, then maybe, I could have repaid him, and if I didn¡¯t get out of that isolated too late, then maybe, he wouldn¡¯t have died.¡±


    ¡°By what right should keep a good man like him? He has always been my side despite his powerless. Yet I would throw him away for the sake of the world.¡±


    She doesn¡¯t regret saving the world for doing soul would deny the happiness of those who she saved. She was prepared to throw herself to the fray simply because it was the right thing to do. No matter what, she must do what she vowed to do. The moment she became a maiden of throes, and when she got the title of the War Maiden. It was her duty to help those who in need and when the heroes finally took their rest. She took the weight of the heroes as well.


    Ciara could save others but she never thought that the one person who had been with her needed saving. She thought that he would always be by her side no matter what. But that illusion was broken when he allowed himself to turn into a monster, into a being that he lived his life fighting against. The man she loved finally turned his blade against her. There was a rage in his eyes and yet she didn¡¯t hate him for it. She deserved it and there was a part of her that wanted that man to hate her. Even though many timelines passed, there was a part of her that wanted to know if the man who followed her would one day be mad at her. He did, and she ended his life, and threw his soul into the middle of the worlds, hoping that his aged soul would recover.


    ¡°I need to move,¡± she said mindlessly. ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s on the surface but it should be better than this place.¡±


    She was lost in another world that she did not know about. But this wasn¡¯t her first rodeo and Ciara Alician moves forward. She was good at it and even if this world was troublesome. Even it was tiresome, she can only step forward.

 Chapter 193: Ciara the Cursed Woman Part 4

    Ciara parried an attack that came from a claw of a dragon. She pushed back, solidified her footing, and did a bat swing that decapitated the head of the dragon. The dragon rolled, spurting blood, creating a pool that gathered around her feet. Her eyes were dilated, and she raggedly breathes.


    ¡°Just a bit more,¡± she landed on her butt. She looked at her shaking hands, and forcibly suppressed the shaking, squeezing her eyes, and letting her body regenerate. ¡°I haven¡¯t slept for a while, maybe I should take a break?¡±


    She braced her back on the ground. She looked up and saw the damage she has done. The area was a tropical one that contained palm trees, and land dragons that were able to bend the lights of the surrounding. She thought it was harder to kill a being that she could not see. Not to mention they cam in hordes, she was holding on barely by using her powers.


    Her outfit was worn and tattered. She could smell the dried blood and even though she desperately wanted to clean the filth off her. The situation did not allow Ciara to do so. Enemies were lurking in the shadows, and each step could prove her harm. She was used to this and yet the fatigued on her body was weighing on her body.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t bathed, maybe I should stop for a while? No, I¡¯ve already broken through another floor. The airflow is getting fresher, and the enemies aren¡¯t as fiercer. Aside from the dragons, and the portal that has been spawning monsters against her, her enemies were dwindling and the defenses of the tower was weakening as well.


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s still the gravity that has been magnified against me, if I didn¡¯t fight in worlds where the gravity was stronger, then I¡¯d be unable to move. It¡¯s a bother though. I should clean myself. I''m hungry.¡±


    She stood up and walked to the land dragon. She brought out her sword and started carving through the dragon¡¯s flesh. She took a palm leaf and placed the dragon meat on the leaf. There were dried sticks and lumber around so she carried them, and started a fire. Feeling slime all over her body, she removed her top and undid the wrappings around her breast. She snapped her fingers, and poured water over her top, and washed the grim that was sticking on her face. She rubbed her breast and removed the dried blood that seeped inside her wrappings. She felt like she was dirtier underneath, so she undid her belt, and poured water crotch area, washed her thighs, and pulled a three-foot-long needle that burrowed on her thigh. While still barely dressed, she stabbed the dragon meat with the foot-long branch and placed it near the fire she made. She then sat cross-legged, straightened her back and gathered heat from her surroundings, drying her body in the process. A soft red glow surrounded her body, and this glow slowly stitched the few wounds that covered her body. Her eyes glowed red, and the sigil of the war maiden appeared on her eyes.


    After healing herself up, she took her clothes, and washed them, removing the dirt, and the blood, making it less filthy than it looked. She took her wrappings and fastened it around her breast, the wrappings fastening her breast. She took her top, slid her arms through the hole and made sure that it was properly fitted.


    Though the clothes looked like normal fabric. It was woven from the toughest fibers and has been serving Ciara ever since. Although the defense enhancements were starting to fade because of how old it was. She could at least keep the clothes until she reaches the surface.


    ¡°I hope that this isn¡¯t a world that has reached its end. At least I know that I won¡¯t have to waste my magic on trying to breathe properly. It was wise learning the breathing techniques of those men who called themselves as Taoists. Damn, my head¡¯s aching again.¡±


    Her vision became red and the colors were making her nauseous. She breathes fully ten times and held her breath until she could discern the colors properly.


    The dragon meat was roasted brown, she fastened her belt, took the dragon meant started chowing on it. The artificial sunlight inside this floor was flickering, and there was a quaint silence around her. She could smell the roasted dragon meat, and feel the wind caressing her skin. She chewed on the dragon meat, break it open, and ate the marrow. After that, she tied her hair into a ponytail and started writing runes around her sword, reigniting the sharpening enhancement that has dulled.


    ¡°The mending is still working, but the core of the sword isn¡¯t as strong as before. I hope I don¡¯t meet any wraith-type of enemies. I doubt that my sword could handle another blow from a wraith-type. The time wraiths aren¡¯t after me now, but I rather not meet those bastards again.¡±


    Ciara sat for a long time in the spot until she saw the magic circles formed again. There was a sonar-like wave that washed all over the area. When it discovered Ciara, the sonar-like wave suddenly produced portals, sending another legion of monsters after. With a sigh, Ciara stood up and covered herself with the astral cloak. She leaped off the ground and send a c-beam made from her sword to cut down the portals.


    She was not going to waste time on this floor so she broke the sound barrier, and arrived in front of the entrance leading to the thirtieth floor of the labyrinth. It was a cheap move but she was going to bring down the ceiling on this floor as well. If she doesn¡¯t stop the floors from spawning more enemies then she would have to deal with being surrounded. She could fight them off but she was sick of this dungeon and the way she had to fight through hordes and legions of enemies. Her eyelids were heavy and only through sheer force of will that she was staying alive.


    The ceiling crumbled and a large part of the ceiling fell on the monster horde.

 Chapter 194: Ciara the Cursed Woman Part 5

    Ciara dragged herself through the crowded biome. She kicked and swing her sword in contempt. Her astral cloaking was taking damage and the only thing she could do was endure. She was getting closer to the surface and yet the labyrinth was getting harder. The enemy she faced were less stronger but they were spawning like droplets of water. The artificial lights of the labyrinth were gone. The fields that have been filled with life energy was drained.


    Ciara was trapped in a quagmire of monsters. The enemy labyrinth was getting desperate and it abandoned quality over quantity. Ciara was walking towards the next floor when the area changed shape and monsters that craved for her flesh were warped around her. She was able to slay the first waves but they keep pouring in.


    At that moment, she was trapped under five-foot of monster¡¯s trying to kill her. She was able to hold due to her astral cloak mutilating everything that would come next to her. The room was dark and there was little light. Ciara¡¯s vision was superb and thus was able to see through the enemy and turn any monster into mincemeat.


    Of course, Ciara was struggling to make a move with her swings being hampered by monster flesh. Her sword cuts through the flesh of the monsters but yet their bones and flesh were making it hard for her to properly swing. Not to mention that it was akin to swimming on the jaws of the monster.


    A monster tried to attack Ciara¡¯s head but she swung her head back and destroyed the skull of a monster. It was extreme close-quarter combat that didn¡¯t allow her for any extraneous movement. The gravity field that was pushing her down was enough to keep her from breaking the sound barrier. The tower was learning and every ability that allowed her mass slaughter was being countered by the tower.


    All Ciara could hear was the screams of the monsters and their eyes were looking at her madly. To avoid being weighted down by the monsters, Ciara had to gather explosive energy around her skin and make it explode. This method worked but it also resulted to recoil harming her astral cloak. The portal was like a faucet of monsters and that act alone was enough for Ciara to develop hatred to the tower.


    She didn¡¯t know why this tower was after her. She didn¡¯t know why a tower that this dangerous was allowed. She has already concluded that this was a man-made structure. She also found traces of humans by the tents and the letters they left. Their letters and language were not the same, however. She couldn¡¯t understand the letters and she would need to take time to decipher. She has no time however, with the monsters trying to destroy.


    ¡°Sword of Salvatore!¡± She hammered her sword down and yet it only managed to blast the creatures away. The creatures immediately sprinted and started to surround her again. A creature was trying to stab her by the side, but she caught the sharp horn and used her armpit to break the horn.


    The creatures were grotesque beings that had plastic-like skin and fish scales. Their bodies were covered in teeth and they have a giant purple located in the center of their heads. Killing the bastards were easy but their number and their fanatical charge were making it hard for Ciara to concentrate. Not to mention that their way of attacking was done by clinging to her limbs. It was maddening! She couldn¡¯t help but feel her vision go red. She chucks her sword down and switched to hand-to-hand combat.


    ¡°I will tear all of you to pieces!¡±


    She dives and tears the eyes of a few monsters. Her elbow became a spear and her legs like cannons that blasted enough space to maneuver around the desolated area. She wasn¡¯t fond of a long spell but she casts a chain lightning spell and enhanced her movement by making use of the recoil of her kicks to lift off.


    The red aura that was seeping on her body did not hold her back. The gravity field that weighs her down was bypassed through the use of the recoil. Each of her punches was sending the creatures back. She had a bit of mercy for the tower but with how it was being desperate to kill her. Ciara didn¡¯t hold back and used one of the techniques she learned from an ascetic monk. It was a palm strike that gathered the energy around her surroundings and focusing it one palm strike.


    ¡°Heavenly Firmament Lotus Palm!¡±


    A lotus-shaped magic circle bloomed on her palm. The area exploded into a black and white as the palm strike turned the area into a sea of gore and blood. She was not done yet. She raised her right leg and brought it down to the ground.


    ¡°Mountain Ox Cleaves the Earth!¡±


    This time the whole ground that she stood was split into two. The tower floor that was beneath her broke and the monsters that surrounded her fell down the ravine she created. She inhaled cold air, and green magic circles secured her footing. She flicked her sword, poured astral cloak, and the blade of Salvatore on the blade.


    ¡°Empyrean Sword Lifts the Heavens and Shatters the Earth!¡±


    An immaterial sword with the size of a mountain formed behind her. This sword thrusts down the ravine and she saw the floors beneath her rumbled and the stairs she used to climb crumbled. Before she could lose her footing, she pointed her sword up and carved the ceiling. The tower protected the ceiling, numerous magic circles appeared and vomited out legions of monsters again.


    Ciara gave a crazed smile. She placed the flat of her sword on her shoulder and said, ¡°Thunder Phoenix Rises within the Azure Sky!¡±


    A wing of both fire and thunder grew on her back. She stomped on the air and swung her down at the ceiling! The ceiling resisted, however, it didn¡¯t escape Ciara¡¯s blow. Seeing the floor carved open, she stepped on the air and used her sky steps to ascend to the next floor.

 Chapter 195: Ciara the Cursed Woman Part 6

    Ciara kneeled down, eyes widened, as she stares at the ground. She struggled to lift her sword up. The tower has increased the field of gravity. She couldn¡¯t move with the gravity field suppressing her. The tower has given up on summoning monsters yet it brought back a searing temperature that set the twentieth floor on fire.


    She couldn¡¯t move with the temperature and the only thing she could do was circulate the energy around her body. She was an engine running out of fuel. The fight has been tiresome and the burden that was placed on her body has made it impossible for her to act.


    Sitting on the floor was equal to sitting on an oiled frying pan. Her skin has reddened and she could only close her eyes to prevent it from being dried. The soft glow around her body was protecting her from being burned alive. However, the back-breaking pressure being released by the tower made her almost want to vomit her insides out. The temperature, the weight of the suppression, has made Ciara desperate in wanting to surface.


    ¡°What am I doing wrong? Why is this tower standing in my way!¡± She raged.


    How could Ciara know that she has finally entered the true world? How could she know that she has reached the Mesial, the true tree?


    She didn¡¯t know simply because she was focused on survival more than knowing where she was. Not to mention that she had lost her sense of mind fighting against the creatures of the void. How could she know that all the creatures that existed within those worlds were being sent against her? The world tree saw her as an invasive being and it was now trying to kill. The tower of Nimrod was made by man, and it could not possibly send down monsters. How can the tower that symbolizes unity and protection for the races that lived in this world, have no mercy for a woman who wanted to get out of the tower?


    It was simple, Ciara Alician has become a stray. She was a stray War Maiden that violated the boundaries between the worlds and has interfered between the destined history of the worlds. Her appearance has allowed her to save the worlds that were destined to die. Although some of their worlds were dying, it was because of her meddling that the destiny of the worlds has become an uncontrollable nature.


    All she did was helped yet it turned the worlds she invaded into a world of hope, and the scrips of the Gods were thrown aside. Ciara Alician had no other thoughts than save those who were in front of her. And along the way, she would save so many through the use of her powers that it became havoc. Those who were destined were unable to rise, and their roles became Ciara. She was a malignant tumor of the Gods and she was a puppet of theirs that became sentient and became someone they could no control.


    The only reason that this tower was sending legions of monsters to Ciara, was to make sure that she could be stopped. The tower itself was a conduit and by law that the Gods followed, they could not allow someone like Ciara to reach the surface. The moment she reaches the surface, it would mean that she would be free from the laws that she broke. The tower was neutral ground and even though Gods were cheering for her death, she has gathered the blessings of the others, cheering the woman who has traversed worlds in order a duty that should have been over the moment she escaped the world.


    They had witnessed the glories and struggle of this woman. She was a woman who they blessed simply because of the feats she has accomplished. To those who blessed her, they were pleased, amused that the children they blessed could reach the Mesial Continent by her own power, not relying on the Gods, and the blessings. They had already taken the blessings that they gave her, yet she still supplemented her inadequacies by learning techniques and implementing what she learned, turning into something that belongs to her.


    The Gods have abandoned her but Ciara Alician marches forward with her sword in hand. That¡¯s why despite the sneers and the crackling of her bones, Ciara Alician thought and devised a way to escape this calamity.


    Gathering energy, she converted her energy into a cloak that allowed her to imitate the phase ability of a wraith. She broke the sound barrier, gathered all of her power into one single strike, and blasted the area where the magic was being cast. The sword was a combination of her astral cloak, and the blade of Salvatore, enchanted with the phased blade. It broke through the defense of the magic circle and finally, the magic was negated, breaking into a million shards that twisted space. Ciara stared wide-eyed at the negated magic, and breath out a sigh of relief. She couldn¡¯t move, and that strike had a recoil that rattled the marrows of her bone. She fell from the ceiling and landed on the ground, forming a crater around her.


    Her sword was chipped, and it had smalls cracks on it. Her limbs were visibly shaking, and some of her veins were spurting blood. She was breathing heavily through her nose, and when tries to breath through her mouth, blood comes out. Her fingers were broken, and the right side of her ribs was shattered. White smoke was rising out of her body, and although she should be in pain, and should be crying, there was a smile on Ciara¡¯s face. She stared at the ceiling, knowing, that she was getting nearer to her goal. She was a fool who strive hard against the odds, and although she has been through many problems, she was happy that she could not feel the stare from the tower. The tower has finally lost its last defense, and her instincts were telling her that the threat was gone. Ciara Alician exhaled loudly, and closed her eyes for a second, knowing that she was a bit closer to her goal.

 Chapter 196: Intermission – Those Who Protect the Tower

    The Tower Cities experienced tremors that shook the foundations of the city. It was a strange sight when the once-bustling city became a city filled with shouts and screams. People are naturally afraid of the power of nature, for it cannot be stopped, and it could be barely contained. Einar sneered and looked at the camps that were panicking.


    Then he saw the Band of Talus, a band that specializes in devastating archers and the use of heavy crossbows. They often rely on exotic animal mounts. They are famous for the antics of some of their commanders and their hunts. Each cohort contains 10 platoons of 160 soldiers. They have a very strict chain of command, with ranks their based on election by subordinates. At the moment, they are having trouble with their camps being shaken by the earthquake.


    Along the barbican wall was another army, this time, it was an elven army known for their crafty Magus and the use of staves. They are, to a lesser extent, known for using reformed brigands as a part of their troops. The Rosen Thorn is famous for violating treaties and for their pride in battle. Each of their legions contains 20 lines of 190 soldiers. They were having the same problem as the Band of Talus.


    Near the gates was a band of Professional Army, known for their fervor in the battle for their powerful infantry and the use of light crossbows. They also employ enchanted weapons. They are famous for their ruthlessness and for the antics of some of their commanders who are olden veterans that have lived to tell of their exploits. Their regiment contains 10 troops of 120 soldiers. They have a loose chain of command, with ranks based on family connections. They were holding their ground fairly, and their enchanted gear was helping them as the ground shakes.


    Among these bands were the Band of the Elior Bors, and this band was composed of veterans that had tasted battle and had fought monsters and humans ever since their birth. They were a professional band, and not a single one of them was shaken by the tremors of the earth. Alongside this band, was the famed Black Dogs, the mercenaries that had fought everywhere in the world. Leading them was their Leader, Karl Von Harden, a man who sported a great sword that might as well be called a column of steel. Near the Commander of the Black Dogs was Rufus Farley, Claudia Nimrod, Vera Snow, Ruth Steele, and Leonardo Carney. Each one of them commanded a band of their combatants that were well-armed and ready to take on whatever evil was coming out of the tower.


    Among them was Einar, and he had been unable to hide his sneer. His eyes was that of wolf and there was a trace of irritation as the band faces the tower, who was still standing tall despite the hard tremors. The tremor has been endlessly going on that many of them were unable to stand up properly.


    What drew Einar¡¯s attention was the tower that has lost its vigor. In front of Einar, the Tower of Nimrod grew silent, there was an odd silent the moment the magic circles that once stood proudly broke like mirrors in front of everyone. Before they could react, the ground shook, and the surrounding area became silent as a dead lake.


    ¡°The tower is broken,¡± Rufus said, mouth half-open as he stares at the tower. ¡°What kind of monster could do such a thing?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Einar tightened the belt around his waist, and made sure that his helmet was properly strapped. ¡°Whatever that thing is, it looks like we are going to fight it. Are the Favored Children around?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Rufus shook his head. ¡°They are still coming, and they are on their Wyverns.¡±


    ¡°Would they even come?¡±


    ¡°They will, they are the favored children and they are people who were given the rights of power ever since their birth. What? Do they have a fear of fighting this monster that we are about to face??¡±


    ¡°I hope that they don¡¯t, d it is a shame that Lady Rubina could not come. We have an army of spell masters yet I still feel like this isn¡¯t enough. Einar, the tower itself was able to defend from floods that towered mountains, and flaming rocks that came from the sky. Yet what do I see now? The famous tower has been broken and there is nothing but silence. We were supposed to head inside and face this monster inside the labyrinth! But yet because of the scene before we us, we could only stand ground waiting, for an enemy that we might not be able to face.¡±


    Fear was written all over Rufus¡¯s face. Even the Heretical Princess, who doesn¡¯t lack courage, could not utter a word at the sight of her family¡¯s tower being silenced. The natural prism that surrounded the tower was gone, and the light that bent around the tower was gone as well, and the only thing left was the shadow of the tower casting upon the citizens of the city.


    ¡°Einar,¡± Claudia said. ¡°Did they evacuate everyone around the perimeter?¡±


    ¡°They are still trying, and we can only hope that the enemy would come walking on the front door. If it breaks the tower then evacuating the surrounding area would have been no use. The Mages are trying to form a barrier the four cities, but we know that if that monster comes outs, then what¡¯s the use of the barriers?¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Claudia nodded. ¡°Have everyone point their blade against anyone that might come out of the tower. Whoever comes out of the tower, fire without mercy, and slaughter the being. We must not allow such bloodthirsty being because if we do, then it would mean our end.¡±


    Claudia¡¯s voice was filled with worry. Einar understood her feeling, he was also sensing the pressure from the tremors. He had tagged here in hopes that he could help them with all that he¡¯s got. But he knows that whatever monster was coming out of the tower¡¯s door. He needs to strive hard to kill it. He couldn¡¯t rely on the Deadman who had gone to slumber.

 Chapter 197: The Masked Dance Part 1

    Ciara¡¯s breathing stabilized as she ambled towards the upper floor. She was all alone dragging her sword, still alert, looking for anyone that might come after her. She saw the stairway leading to the floor, she on was the eleventh floor of the labyrinth, and the next one would be the tenth. So she trekked up the stairway and passed through a forest, the leaves underneath her were crunching.


    There was a podium made of black iron. She approached the podium, rested her sword, and clenched her hand. Her astral cloak was not working properly, and she couldn¡¯t control it properly unless she dresses herself with the astral cloak. Ciara turned her attention to the podium, there were writings on the podium she couldn¡¯t read.


    ¡°There are people around, that¡¯s good. I thought I¡¯d be another world without humans. Ah, it was really hard to help those Aquatic Humans back then, they all spoke through the clicks of their tongue. Still,¡± she looked around, ¡°looks like this tower has lost its energy.¡±


    The forests that she passed through had orange leaves. The land itself had an orange and yellow hue around it. The fresh air that she has been inhaling changed and Ciara could feel the lukewarm wind on her skin. Brushing her hair, and clenching her hands. Ciara thought back to the forest that she once visited with the Light¡¯s Army. It was the same color as the forest and it brought memories of a timeline.


    ***


    She recalled her army walking to a forest to rest. The Elemental Heroes of that time camped near an open clearing, while the rest of the soldiers were huddling near the trees, setting up their camps. Among them, someone caught her attention, it was Nolan who had grown old fighting, and he was a strange man that aged like wine. He was a loyal soldier who had been with the army since the darkness fell on the lands. Though he was unskilled one, the battles have turned him into a warrior they could rely on.


    Ciara recalled that it was when she was starting to accept. After all, thirty years of courtship, and surviving all terrible battles were clear enough that he was truly serious. She has been hesitant, and afraid at that time. She couldn¡¯t understand why a decent man would fall in love with a woman whose half of her face was burnt.


    He was taking a rest in the tree, and he was holding on tightly to his two-handed sword. He was looking at the leaves, there was a look of melancholy in his eyes. She recalled peeking a glance at him, although she was strong, she was rather awkward when it comes to the man who had been her admirer ever since they were young adults. She had hurt him and said words that shouldn¡¯t be said. She felt like an asshole who punched a smiling man. It was clear to her that he adored her. Her glance was rather intense that he noticed her.


    ¡°Milady,¡± he said, standing up in a hurry. ¡°May I ask what do you want?¡±


    ¡°Hmm? So you¡¯ve finally grown bored of talking to me?¡± She said bitterly.


    ¡°Oh, I am happy that you would. I just worry about your health.¡±


    Above them, the orange leaves started falling. Seeing this, he drew a rune prism that made the runes flew in a different direction. He was one of the many who were able to conjure the runes and their signs.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be joining them?¡±


    He looked at the others. ¡°I should, but there are days I just want to be alone.


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    He nodded, and looked at Ciara, ¡°Milady, do you hate me?¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°Do you hate me?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°But you must be annoyed that I am chasing after you. I might be a blight who you can¡¯t get rid. Must be vexing, isn¡¯t it? Really, I¡¯m aiming too high aren¡¯t I?¡±


    He said with a bitter smile.


    ¡°That¡¯s not it,¡± she shook her head. ¡°You are a fine man, and you¡¯ve been with me since then. If I did hate you, then why haven¡¯t I thrown you out of my life? I already told you my reasons.¡±


    ¡°You did,¡± he nodded. ¡°Still, I can¡¯t help but want to help you, Milady. I really do love you. You must be sick of me saying that. But that¡¯s the truth. That¡¯s the truth.¡±


    ¡°Nolan,¡¯ she said sternly. ¡°Come here.¡±


    ¡°Milady?¡±


    ¡°Come here, you fool.¡±


    She wrapped her arms around her and pressed his face on her chest, ¡°I-I do appreciate you for loving me so, and I know that this is selfish of me and that this may be cruel to you.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°If we do save the world then would you willing be to spend the rest of your life with me?¡±


    ¡°Of course, in fact, I would be happy to do,¡± he said, tears swelling. ¡°I, you are a cruel mistress, milady.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I cannot prioritize you for the world. For that is my duty. Until that day, then please bear it.¡±


    ¡°Why now?¡±


    ¡°I was walking around the courts and you know what? Noble ladies have heard of a soldier who has courted the War Maiden for thirty years. Although he wasn¡¯t a knight, he was still someone whose loyalty and battle-scarred appearance captured the hearts of many maidens. I was jealous. I don¡¯t want you to give you away.¡±


    His smile was that of relief. Ciara could recall that smile and think happily. However, that smile was replaced with a face filled with rage. The blade that protected her faithfully was pointed at her. Ciara lowered her head, smiling bitterly, knowing that their paths have strayed. She did not dare to regret the things that she has done. No, she does not regret doing her duty. However, the thought of having her companion for so many years leave just wasn¡¯t the same. As she wasn¡¯t an attachment to him, and he was not an attachment to her, it was clear that one day their paths would stray.

 Chapter 198: The Masked Dance Part 2

    The heavy-hearted comes walking to the surface. Oh, she thought that she could finally breathe the air that was outside, but in surprise, she saw the sun, and those that blocked it! Alas to her surprise she heard languages that weren¡¯t familiar to her. There was fear in their voices as they rained down their spells upon her!


    The air was sliced and cut! She took action immediately and dressed herself in the Astral Cloak! More magic came after her, and she stomped her legs! Lifting herself up, and cleaving the magic that came after her!


    More magic rained on her, she grew an astral wing, lifted herself up and stared at the spells, gathering power, she was about to kill as her instincts told her, but she saw the people that surrounded the tower. Ciara held her power back and landed in front of the army that gathered in front of her.


    ¡°I-¡°


    She raised her hands in peace, however, four heavy blows made from mana came after her. She could feel the heaviness of those blows, she gritted her teeth, and did something in reflex! When someone throws something at, she returns it tenfold! For that is the instinct of war maiden that has fought many battles.


    The four that appeared were blasted away by her strike. One of them lost both arms, the blond-haired woman lost a part of her leg, and there was a huge gash around her thigh. The two who carried their swords had their fingers broken, and the one standing was bleeding all over, he was forcing all of his limbs to stand up.


    Another barrage of spells came after her. She looked at her enemy, her vision reddens, and yet days of walking on that tower has made her like a beast. Unable to sleep, keep on fighting, forcibly pushing her body to the limits. The lack of sleep and the constant battles had made snap. She wasn''t allowed to surrender and that¡¯s why she¡¯s fighting.


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    She bolted awake from her madness. As she tries to raise her hands in surrender again, another blast came at her. This time, she saw a wild figure smiling, attacking, not letting her rest, and a woman whose winds were tearing apart the surroundings. Unlike the worlds she has seen, these people have accumulated both mana and have strengthened bodies. She raised her sword and used the flat of her blade to neutralize them. Like strings without puppet, they all fell without moving, and the last one who was trying to gather power strikes at her again. Ciara calmly grabbed the flat of that man¡¯s blade and broke it. Upon twisting the blade, she delivered a kick that should have punctured the man¡¯s stomach. The man fell, unmoving, she then heard the war screams of those who were surrounding her. There was an army that was after, and yet she only felt home in this kind of field. There was no use killing them, so she lashed out her fists and started beating them.


    It was her non-lethal approach, but to the eyes of her enemy, she was a monster who had beaten her enemies with a single punch. Her strike pierced through armor and shattered their shields. Their magical shields were paper and it only took one strike for her. Those who had courage stood up to her, and yet handled them all like little children. Those who possessed magic, lasted about ten seconds before they were beaten. Many legions gathered, and yet they couldn¡¯t stand up against Ciara who was used to fighting armies all by herself.


    Not to mention that the army she was facing wasn¡¯t willing to die here. They call came here to put earn the favor the tower. However, seeing all the legions groaning, gasping for air, begging for their lives to be saved, shattered the illusion of grandeur that they have coming here. None of them ran when there were tremors, yet when they saw the enemy who was clad in a skin that looked like the cosmos.


    The legions started to scatter, yet, because of this, they became easy prey to Ciara. She was seeing red, and all she could think at that moment was to neutralize the enemy before her. She had tried surrendering, and there was a language barrier that prevented communication. Not to mention, that she could feel the last remnants of the tower directing at her. A barrier and a powerful magical energy were targeting her, beams of light came after her. She avoided the beams of light, parried some of them, and blocked them. However, a defensive tower was nothing new to her, and this alone made her act immediately without holding back.


    Gathering energy, cladding her sword with astral and the elementals, she swung her sword against the tower. Shattering the magic barrier, the tower of nimrod that stood for thousands of year was cleaved by a single blow from Ciara. It had abandoned all defenses in hopes that it could catch her off-guard, was broken by a single strike. Those that stood in the battlefield widened their eyes, fear creeping in the realization that the enemy before them was something they could not possibly match. Ciara saw it, the despair and the fear in their eyes. She raised her sword and gathered energy, splitting apart the armies, and cleaving the outskirts of the cities of nimrod. It was a scene that they couldn¡¯t understand. However, she saw an army desperately trying to attack her, they were on horseback yet she easily took them down with her first.


    The one leading them had an air of royalty, and yet she didn¡¯t dare to hold back on striking against this woman. Pulling her fists back, she thrusts it towards the woman only for her wrist to be grabbed, and she found her back smashed upon the ground. A boot was in front of her. Before it could land on her face, she blasted wind pressure out of her own body and strikes her sword to the enemy who threw her down.


    Then, a loud clang sounded, and she saw the face of a young man covered in a ghostly aura.

 Chapter 199: The Masked Dance Part 3

    ¡°Strong!¡± Einar gasped. He had activated the wraith form yet he couldn¡¯t contain all the power. Einar¡¯s body hardened upon impact, he stared at the beast whose face brought everyone despair. How it could not bring despair when it was the same as looking at the dark skies when it is empty? He had stared through it and it rattled his body. If it wasn''t for the memories of the Deadman, he would have been unable to do anything.


    The being swings, Einar raised his sword, and parried it, following with a riposte. The monster slapped his sword and clawed him with her free hand. Noticing that he couldn¡¯t attack directly, Einar crouched down, and pounded at the being, his body moving faster than ever. He cleaved at the being, she parried it and returned a strike. Einar was barely able to parry her, his arms were shaking.


    ¡°This monster¡¯s not even giving it all!¡± Einar realized. He swung his sword below the left armpit of the enemy. The enemy moved forward and palmed him. Einar let his back hit the floor, and rolled back, trying to tackle the being. The being dodged right, lifted its sword and went for Einar¡¯s head. Einar pulled his head back, and phase underground, appearing fourteen steps away from the being. The monster, however, didn¡¯t let up, it swung the sword overhead and brought it down to him.


    Einar kicked the ground, transformed into a wraith, and threw all of his knives. The knives flew to the being, but they were like leaves to the being. The being took a step, and the being was already in front of Einar. The being raised its sword and tried to cleave Einar in half. The being rushed in, and threw attacks. Einar started running, intending to drag the monster away from the outskirts of the city. The monster followed, but Einar felt a strange chill. He looked back and saw that the aura of the monster changed. There was no hint of mercy and the monster merely tried to bring him down. Unlike the way it fought a while ago, the monster changed. Its stare was the same stare given to those who you loathed with all of your heart.


    The ground beneath the monster turned into a crater. Einar widened his eyes, his body hardened, the obsidian flesh wrapped his insides, yet, he was thrown away, the weight of the monster¡¯s attacks changed. He could feel the bones, muscles, and sinews of his arms being torn. He was blasted in the forest, his body slamming against many trees. His vision shook, and his body was all numbed. He felt like his jaw was broken, and one of his ribs poked one of his lungs. His body had splinters all over, and a sharpened branched stabbed his right shoulder.


    The enemy was coming. Einar gritted his teeth and used the wraith form to fly away from danger. He was in the sky and yet he found no safety with the maddened being coming at him.


    ***


    ¡°A time wraith!¡± Ciara shouted, her vision was all red. ¡°Another hateful time wraith! I thought I¡¯d had rid of all them! I cannot hold back! I must kill this bastard before it tries anything that might affect this land! I must kill the time wraith and escaped this place! This changes everything! If time wraiths are alive in this world then there would be no rest for anyone! Do you bastards think that you can torture others like how you tortured us? Now you are using the guise of young men as we? Die now!¡±


    A blade coated elementals and strengthened with magic. She swung it down without mercy. The time wraith assuming human form dodged it. However, it was a trap he made. She pounds at the enemy, swiped her sword, and almost took the neck of the enemy. The enemy was not dead, and her attack was once again parried by the young man. The being thrusts his sword, and as she was about to return the sword back to his owner¡¯s stomach. The being parried, and elbowed her on the neck.


    She felt the impact of the strike and thought that she truly needs to take this wraith down. Ciara Alician hated the time wraiths, the being who had descended against her. In her life, there was no being that Ciara Alician hated most other than the time wraiths who arrogantly called themselves as superior. They were the beings that managed time and beings that she could never forgive. They were the beings that have made her life miserable and was one of the many causes while she has almost given up on the dream. That¡¯s why Ciara didn¡¯t hold back, she gathered all of her power and swung at the enemy without mercy.  It was a swing that could extinguish the souls of the wraiths and this time as she faces a time wraith. Ciara Alician finds no reason to hold back against an enemy like him. There was nothing in this world that was holding her back in killing the wraiths.


    ¡°Soul Slaughter¡¯s Blow!¡±


    The world became white and black. The enemy who tried to block the attack stood without moving. He was holding his sword up high, yet the sword of Ciara was able to cut through whether it was his flesh or soul. It was a move that brought down many wraiths. Simply put, it was the sword strike that calamity to her enemy.


    The young man¡¯s eyes rolled white and there was no sign of life on him. He didn¡¯t move. He didn¡¯t respond. He was simply gawking at the sky as if unable to believe that he loses easily to Ciara.


    Ciara Alician not only defeated the enemy in front of her with that one strike, but she also made sure that the soul of the wraith was gone. Ciara expected more from the wraith, yet seeing the wraith unmoving and without any fight on it. Thus, Ciara Alician stabbed her sword on the wraith¡¯s chest, and twisted it, forcing the remnants of the wraith, no, the soul of the young man who fought Ciara Alician to be completely extinguished.


    Ciara had no mercy for any wraiths.

 Chapter 200: The Hateful Meeting

    The Deadman had a nice dream, it was a dream of endless happiness. He thought of them as a dream, for he knew that he couldn¡¯t have such nice things. However, even those who walked the bleak could found an oasis in their travels. All he felt was pain and heartache. It could be said that being attached to the child of the Elior¡¯s was a blessing to the Deadman.


    He was happy to be on the sideline. He was happy to give all of what he knew to nurture the child of the Elior. Around them were things that warms the heart. The fifteen years that he spent living inside the child was undoubtedly the happiest times of his life. The memories of the Eliors and those who were around him had made the Deadman feel like he was finally going to have his peace.


    When he lost his home and was thrown into a world that was in the process of being shadowed. He was desperate. Desperate enough that he¡¯d fought with all his heart and dedicated it to the person that didn¡¯t want him in the first place.


    He was a poor fool who was trying to make a place he can call home. He was a lost child who wished that he would find something in the world that he was foreign to. Instead, he was thrown into battle and was forced to wander in hopes to defeat an Evil he couldn¡¯t understand.


    He braved through timelines in hopes of doing the same thing over and over again. It was nothing short but the insanity that had taken him. All he could do was moved forward. He had been trained to move forward and turning back was no longer an option. The moment he got the sigil of the bleak walker. He was unable to turn back. That¡¯s why these fifteen years were worth it for him. The Deadman thought that find peace in attending to Einar Elior. He had only one wish and that was to protect him. To cherish the child of Elior until his soul crumbles into pieces.


    But dreams are supposed to be wakened from. He had fought for weeks in hopes of dealing with the bandits. His soul was unstable and he was giving parts of his soul to nurture Einar. That¡¯s why as he slumbers in the chamber of Einar¡¯s body. He felt the sudden tug that prevents the Deadman from possessing the body of Einar. This alone shook him awake, and as he tries to get away from the vessel. The vessel grabbed hold of the Deadman. He tried to escape but the laws governing the soul had forced him to fit inside the vessel. His soul was like the water that filled the empty vessel that was left behind. The Deadman tried to look for the soul that would help him get away. To his dismay, there was nothing but remnants of a destroyed soul. Scatters dusks that were left behind. There was no trace of this soul and it wouldn¡¯t even enter the cycle of reincarnation.


    ¡°Ah!¡± He opened his eyes in agony. He saw the sky and as he sat down. He saw the chaos that was surrounding him. He tried to recall Einar¡¯s voice or soul. No one would reply to him. The Deadman realized that the soul, the child, no, the son he cherished was gone.


    ¡°Who did it?¡± He said with tears flowing down on his cheeks.¡±Who murdered my boy!?¡±


    He released a blood-curling stream. He glared at his surroundings and saw the being clad in an astral cloak.


    ¡°Was it you!?¡±


    His flesh suddenly molted into another. With his soul in full control, the body that belonged to Einar became molded into the image of the Deadman when he was a young adult. The process the same as having his skin and bones ripped out and molded like clay.


    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you! I¡¯ll kill you where you stand!¡±


    He clenched both of his hard enough for it to bleed.


    ¡°Kaiser, I call upon your soul, grant me the body of a dragon!¡±


    His eyes became hazy as his body was hardened by the soul that he devoured.


    ¡°I call upon the obsidian blood that gathers upon my soul! Stir my blood and bring forth the devil of the Obsidian Flower!¡±


    Obsidian dragon scales manifested on top of his skin. His face covered with an obsidian skull. His eyes resembled that of a wolf. The sclera of his eyes turning blood red.


    ¡°You old Revenant! Grant me the wraiths that you devoured! Hear me! For do what thou will is my law!¡±


    A shadowy aura rose from his body like steam. Then, like a predator that found its prey. The Deadman, in rage, and fury that burned madly, leaped at the being who was clad in an astral cloak. The being didn¡¯t know and before it could react. The being was grabbed by the head. Not letting the being act, the Deadman lifted the being up in the air and smashed the being¡¯s head on the ground, forming a crater. The Deadman circled behind the being, and wrapped his arms around the being, intending to break it. However, the being smashed the Deadman¡¯s back. It tried to grab the Deadman¡¯s arm only for the Deadman to wrap his legs around the arm of the being, twisting it. The Deadman then transformed his right arm into a blade and cleaved at the being¡¯s head. The being parried his blade with its backhand. The being tried to rush him. The Deadman conjured black spikes on his chest.


    The being slapped the sharp ends of the spikes and pulled him closer. Before the being could grab him. The Deadman slapped those hands away, he grabbed the side of the being¡¯s head, pulled his body back, and smashed his forehead on the being¡¯s head with enough force to break a dragon¡¯s skull. The being didn¡¯t reel back and instead clashed its head against the Deadman. Their blood-red eyes meeting as the masks they hide themselves broke. None of them was willing to back off at the sight of those eyes.


    "How dare you murder my son! I''ll kill you! I''ll kill you even it means damning my soul!"

 Chapter 201: Two Tired Hearts

    A voice so familiar shook her heart. However, she took a step back and eyed the being who was in front of her. Dark scales, and a shadowy form, and a black skull.


    ¡°A Revenant?¡± She said. ¡°How come there¡¯s a Revenant inside this space?¡±


    She added, ¡°And not to mention a sigil of the bleak?¡±


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    The Deadman didn¡¯t listen to her words. His right hand turned into a blade while his left arm became a shield. She saw that he meant to kill. Having no choice she returned the favor with a sharp strike targeting the chest area pf the Deadman. The Deadman blocked with his left arm¡¯s shield and thrusts with his blade which turned into a spear.


    The Bleak Walking Maiden leaped back. However, the right arm of the Deadman stretched towards her. She raised her sword and brought it down. The shockwave it cause came to him. The Deadman slapped the shockwave away and landed on the ground. His left arm fidgeted back to normal despite the blow.


    ¡°You, to think that I¡¯d see you again, and we are at each other¡¯s throat. Can we stop? I know you can recognize me. You can don¡¯t you? The only reason why a Revenant is here can only mean that you are here.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been with you for years and if I cannot recognize you in one glance. Then I¡¯m a blind man. But, Ciara, right now, I have nothing but hate towards you. You are my cursed. No matter what I do you always keep appearing before. How many of my beloved children are you going to take before you leave me alone? Why do you have to appear here when I finally found an oasis? Tell me, Ciara, why can¡¯t you die right now? Let me kill you! Let me slaughter you!¡±


    ¡°Nolan,¡± her voice trailed.


    The Deadman, no, Nolan Salvatore strikes, ¡°Don¡¯t say my name! What is with you!? Why do you have to appear now? Why do you have to barge inside my oasis!? And don¡¯t fucking say that it is your duty or that it is your role! This isn¡¯t your world any longer! This isn¡¯t the world that we fought for too long! So tell me, Ciara! Why are you here!? Why are you here in this fucking world now!¡±


    ¡°I was looking for you,¡± she said bitterly. ¡°I was searching for you.¡±


    ¡°Bullshit!¡± He raged. ¡°You? When did you care about me? Huh? Did you care when I had my head cut down? Did you cry when you had me betrayed over those timelines? Did you even give me an ounce of anything during all that time? No, did you even hesitate to kill our child? Now you kill another one! How dare you! You never saw me as anything other than something you own! You cared about your duty more than I did! No matter what timeline it is you has never put me on top of the pedestal! I finally found something worth protecting after walking such a bleak path! Now you ruin it! You have ruined the happiness that I tried to protect! You murdered my son!¡±


    He charged in and threw a punch. Ciara blocked with her forearm and pushed him away with her palm. She clicked her tongue and took a distance.


    ¡°Let me kill you!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s stop.¡±


    ¡°Stop?¡± He laughed maniacally. ¡°You murdered my son!¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know!¡± She shouted. ¡°How would I know? They all attacked me and you expect me to just lie down and die? I simply didn¡¯t know!¡±


    ¡°Ignorance isn¡¯t an excuse!¡± Nolan carved runes on his right arm. His skull-like face distorted in madness. ¡°You killed my son and that¡¯s all that matters to me now! I¡¯ll kill you! I¡¯ll kill you and I swear it!¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it! I would never have done it! How do you expect me to stay calm after seeing another wraith!? I didn¡¯t do anything wrong! I just defended myself!¡±


    ¡°Tell me then!¡± He pointed at the men groaning on the ground. ¡°Why are they still alive while my son is dead? Tell me, Ciara, you are the strongest woman that I know. You could have defeated them without killing them. So tell me, why is my son dead and why are they alive? I was inside him! Why haven¡¯t you killed me as well! He was only fifteen damn it! And you took him away from me and this world!¡±


    He lashed out his bladed arm at her. She calmly blocks the attack and countered in reflex. Her sword breaking the skull mask of Nolan. Underneath the mask, she saw Nolan¡¯s face wet with tears. He had a younger look and yet his face was crumpled in despair. He had anger in his tone but beneath the skull mask. All she could see was the face of a man who lost his child again. It was the same face of the man who had no choice but to kill his stillborn child for the sake of a world that didn¡¯t even bless him.


    Ciara knew that he was a man who hides his weakness. He keeps to himself yet he moves forward. There were only a few times that he saw Nolan cry. She could still remember the way his face crumbled. It was her biggest mistake and regret and once against she had done it.


    ¡°I, I¡¯m sorry. That¡¯s all I could say. Killing me won¡¯t bring him back. But it pleases you then kill me then. I¡¯m done fighting and besides, I found you again. That¡¯s all that matters to me. I told you that I did. I wish we met differently. I¡¯m done with fighting. I¡¯ve seen enough of this life. Now that I murdered your son. You have right. That¡¯s right, just kill me now.¡±


    Ciara Alician threw her sword on the ground. A bitter smile hung on her face as she looks at the dirt. She never despairs and never gives in. Her reason for fighting so long was to at least see him again. She had done what she had said.


    ¡°I told you I¡¯d find you again. Now, I offer you my head.¡±


    Nolan didn¡¯t hesitate. With anger, he lashed his bladed arm against her neck.


    His bladed arm made her stagger. She kneeled on both legs and offered her neck. She wore a bitter smile but she still accepted it. No, the light on her rose-like eyes grew dark, and she was biting her lip.


    Nolan said no words and swung his arm again. His bladed arm barely scratching her neck.


    ¡°I trained my body so it might take a while,¡± she said flatly.


    Nolan didn¡¯t bother. He took her sword and noticed how rusted it was. It was antique and it hasn¡¯t been repaired to the point that it was falling apart. He smashes it against her neck with enough force to break a tree. She felt the force pounded her neck. Still, she only staggered again and fell on the ground.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ve achieved a level of the body that surpasses even the mightiest dragon. It should go through as long as you try. No one shall disturb us here.¡±


    Nolan gritted his teeth. He lashed out her sword against her neck violently. Pulling his sword back, gathering power on it, he swung the sword against her neck. When she was down on the ground he continued doing so. He looked like a woodcutter using a sword to break a log made of steel. She didn¡¯t¡¯ react. Her eyes only go hollow as she quietly let Nolan bear her sword against her. Dirt smeared her pale face. Yet, no matter how many times she fell, she would kneel back and quietly accept Nolan¡¯s attack.


    ¡°Fight me damn it!¡± Nolan couldn¡¯t hold it in. ¡°Fight me!¡±


    ¡°I am done with fighting.¡±


    Her sword was lashed out against her skin. Nolan was hitting the same spot yet her neck wasn¡¯t being damaged. There were scratches but it was the same as scratches on a stone. Ciara didn¡¯t look at anything. She was staring blankly like a puppet without no purpose.


    How many worlds has she traveled ever since that day?


    How many years has she spent on saving worlds and using her body as a sword and shield?


    How many comrades has she lost during that time?


    Her heart of steel was yearning for something. She has reached the place where she wanted to be. The little girl that was inside of her wanted to see Nolan. That was her honest and selfish wish. But, she messed up. They met but she murdered his son. How can she be forgiven? She has taken another precious thing to him. She had dreamed of a fateful meeting. But now it cannot simply be.


    The man trying to cut her neck has rage on his eyes. He was looking at her desperately wanting to kill her. She was strong and she felt cursed. She had no excuse. She had no regrets. Ciara Alician lived her life through the sword. The hellish landscapes and words of endless snow didn¡¯t break her spirit. Not once did she surrender against the fate against her.


    ¡°I messed,¡± she thought.


    Nolan¡¯s swing clanged against her steel-like skin. She could only feel a bit of strength pushing against her skin. Her pale skin was dirtied. Blood and dirt mixed. Without her astral cloak, she had the appearance of a woman wearing torn and ragged robes, worn out through the journeys.


    ¡°I found him,¡± she convinced herself. ¡°That¡¯s all that matters now. At least he¡¯s the one who would do it.¡±


    Nolan desperately tried to cut her neck. He used the runes he knew and sharped Ciara¡¯s sword. Yet he only met the same resistance as ever. His lips were bleeding and despite that, he didn¡¯t care. He didn¡¯t give a damn as he bulks up his right arm intending to behead her. Obsidian muscles gathered strength and smash his sword against her neck again.


    She fell. Pushing her palms against the ground. She presented her neck without any complaint. She looked like she was recalling something.


    ¡°Say something damn it!¡± He said.


    ¡°I¡¯m tired, Nolan. There¡¯s nothing for me to do here. I already reached you, right? I know what I did even though I made excuses.¡±


    ¡°Fight me.¡±


    ¡°No. I won¡¯t point my blade against you. I¡¯ve wronged you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make me fucking laugh. If you are trying to make me feel bad then don¡¯t bother!¡±


    ¡°I do not intend to do that. I see no point. In fact, you¡¯re doing me a favor.¡±


    Nolan smacked Ciara¡¯s sword in front of her. ¡°Then do it1 Kill yourself in front of me.¡±


    ¡°I refuse. Nolan, you should know that a maiden of throes doesn¡¯t point her sword. Doing so would be an insult to my sisters.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make excuses!¡± He took her on and forced it on her hand.


    Ciara lets go of the sword and didn¡¯t speak. She offered her neck again.


    Nolan glared. He picked up her sword and slashed it against her beck. He targeted the same spot. Used all of his powers to behead her. He was desperately swinging the sword against her neck. His rage didn¡¯t subside and his heart was set on beheading her.


    But she was strong. She was hopelessly strong that he couldn¡¯t chip her neck. He looked at the darkening sky. Those who joined the battle to defeat the being were scurrying away. Nolan was panting. Ciara was silent. No matter how many times he swung her sword against her. No matter what power he clad his sword. In the time that he had not met her. Ciara Alician only grew stronger.


    His hands were shaking and bleeding swinging against her neck. Ciara showed remorse and only bowed her head. She said no words and did nothing. She has surrendered her neck to Nolan. The War Maiden traveled on to reach this point. It was a despairing distance yet she managed. She was the War Maiden who saved worlds. But right now, she was just waiting for her execution.


    Her executioner was shaking. He was wearing a desperate face. Behind her was the sun falling asleep. Her executioner could barely hold his sword as it rested on her neck.


    ¡°Why can¡¯t I reach you damn it!¡±


    ¡°Why are you so overwhelmingly strong! Hey, Ciara! Tell me why can¡¯t I harm you even though I am trying so hard!? Tell me why damn it!¡±


    He swung his sword again. The sword smashed against her neck. The rusted sword of Ciara broke and shattered into pieces.


    He threw the handle of the sword and swings his arms around, ¡°Damn it! I can¡¯t even fucking kill you! And you won¡¯t even take justice! Do you enjoy this, huh? Do you enjoy watching a helpless man swing a sword against your neck? You¡¯re laughing inside, aren¡¯t you? Your laughing how much of a pathetic warrior I am! Damn you!¡±


    He changed his right arm into a blade. The obsidian arm was stopped the moment it met Ciara¡¯s forehead.


    ¡°I can¡¯t even do anything! The obsidian blood! The runes! The phasing blade of the wraith! I can¡¯t fucking do anything against you, you monster!¡±


    He pulled out the dagger on his waist, unwrapped Ciara¡¯s fingers and forced the handle of the sword on her palm. ¡°Do it! I dare you!¡±


    ¡°I will not.¡±


    ¡°Do it damn it! I can¡¯t kill you! I can¡¯t harm you! Just die here!¡±


    ¡°I refuse. I will not allow my sisters of throes beliefs to be trampled.¡±


    ¡°Then let me trample on it! Then fight me! Kill me if you must!¡±


    He forced the blade against her throat. Ciara stared at the dagger and grabbed the flat of the blade. She clenched the dagger and bent it.


    Nolan laughed hollowly. ¡°You fucking monster¡±


    He clawed his right arm on her neck. Ciara staggered on the dirt floor and supported herself with her elbows. Again, she presented her neck.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? You want to be killed by me but you won¡¯t take your life! Don¡¯t joke with me!¡±


    Nolan felt helpless. ¡°Sisters? They¡¯re already dead! They don¡¯t exist anymore! Your beliefs? I spit on your beliefs!¡±


    She glared at him.


    ¡°Are you angry!?¡± He spat on her face. ¡°Then kill me! Don¡¯t fucking pretend that you care! You never cared about anything other than your fucking duty! Don¡¯t screw with me!¡±


    Ciara kept her lips sealed. She turned her glare away.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look away!¡±


    He grabbed her chin. She glared at him for a second before her eyes turned flat.


    Nolan clenched his hand yet he only felt a soft sensation. Her skin was hard as steel but it was soft at the same time. Nolan lets go of her chin and exhaled cold air. He wrote runes on his obsidian blade and turned it into a jet-cutter. He placed the sword yet nothing happened. He only heard the sound of steel grinding against another. His obsidian arm not even denting the neck of Ciara.


    Nolan felt like his soul was being worn. The woman who murdered his son was in front of him, offering her neck. She was an unreasonable woman who wanted to die but won¡¯t ever turn her sword against her.


    ¡°I swore an oath that I will never turn my blade against myself ever again.¡±


    ¡°Tell me,¡± Nolan¡¯s voice was wary.


    ¡°Do you remember the first timeline we met? I didn¡¯t die back then. When I saved yours from the monster of pale pass mountain. I didn¡¯t die. I was thrown into a void where I spent fighting wraiths. I was able to get out but you were long dead. So, I turned my blade against my body. It was a disgrace but I do not regret it. I would never do it again. Never.¡±


    Nolan conjured a sword made of obsidian and swung it against her neck with all the force he could muster. The obsidian blade then broke two seconds after it met Ciara¡¯s neck.


    The stars appeared and the chaos that surrounded the tower was gone. The myriad of stars appeared above the two. Nolan¡¯s obsidian dragon scales molted. The rage on his face was gone. He stared blankly at the ground without thought or any word.


    ¡°He was my purpose. I wanted to treasure that child like mine. Now, I stole his body and molded my own image on it. How can I face his father and mother? He was happy seeing his little sister. I was happy as well. But, he¡¯s gone. Killing you won¡¯t undo it. He won¡¯t see the light of the day again and reincarnation is impossible. None of it as left. Do you know what you¡¯ve done? You stole the future of a child. I stole his future as well. You murdered him and I stole his body in order to kill you for doing so.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t bring him back. Even if I take my life now it''s meaningless. I can¡¯t do it. I can¡¯t harm his body. I can¡¯t even bring justice to my son. I¡¯m a failure of a father and a warrior. This always happens to me, I shouldn¡¯t be surprised. I¡¯ve lived long enough to witness this for so many times. And yet it doesn¡¯t hurt less.¡±


    The dam on his eyes fell. The feelings of helplessness flooded in. Body shaking sobs came wave after wave, he hunched over, lifted his lips, letting his tears fall on the ground. He let out hollow laughs with no life in his voice. Ciara stared at Nolan. She stared at him without saying any word. What could she say? She could only lower her head.


    All she could hear was the wretched sobs of Nolan. He was laughing and crying while staring blankly at space Nolan couldn¡¯t find any strength left on his body. His tireless swings made no effort against her. No matter what power he mustered he could not harm the woman who had only become stronger as time passed on. She was beyond anything that Nolan could harm. His strength wasn¡¯t enough and she has left him behind again.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t do anything. I can¡¯t save anything again. I can¡¯t protect those who I cherish again. I don¡¯t even have the right to take my life. Damn it, what did I do to deserve this. Ciara, tell me, what did we do to deserve this?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know either.¡±

 Chapter 202: No Place

    The two stayed unmoving as if their souls were sucked out. It was when the moon cast a shadow upon the trees that Nolan finally started to function. He stood with little to no noise. He walked to the War Maiden who had little to none purpose left.


    Hate. He felt nothing but hate. He recalled the things she had done. He recalled the days she would push her convictions no matter what. For the good of all, she would push him back. Was she evil for doing so? No, how much willpower did it take to make her decided all that? What can this veteran of many wars of the world do when her life was in danger? She would fight because she¡¯s good at it.


    He found many reasons to convince himself that she needed punishment. For what? He saw it clearly how she tried to surrender in hopes that they would leave her in peace. Einar¡¯s memories were painful in a way that armies ganged up on a lonely war maiden who clawed her way out of the tower. She fought many dangers and even had the tower stopped. Nolan remembered the words of Wayne. How the Blood Crier fought beings that would put despair in the hearts of people. Fighting endlessly without rest.


    Nolan took a knee and held her right arm. She looked at him blankly. He caressed her arm and said, ¡°How many years have you been fighting, Ciara?¡±


    ¡°Ten thousand years if we are not counting the time where we were stuck in a loop.¡±


    ¡°Do you remember how many years we were stuck in that loop?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. It was hard to tell.¡±


    ¡°How many times did you betray me.¡±


    ¡°I betrayed you a hundred times.¡±


    ¡°Did it bother you?¡±


    ¡°It did. Why would it not bother me when it was you?¡±


    ¡°What am I to you?¡±


    ¡°My soulmate. I will have none except you.¡±


    ¡°Funny. Considering how things were. You would say all of that but you¡¯d leave me for anything else.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because I had a duty to do. And I did it because of the loop. I had to reach my goal no matter what. I will not regret them. Doing so would shame my family.¡±


    ¡°Your family. What happened to them?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re dead. They took them away from me. If I could I would burn their domains and offer their lives to my family. But I am tired. The War God who once blessed me wanted me to reach this place. It was the War God¡¯s gift.¡±


    ¡°Ciara, tell me, truly, without lies. Did you ever thought of running away with me?¡±


    ¡°Many times I did. But to run away from the world and leave it burning. I cannot do so.¡±


    He pressed his finger on her right arm. She looked down and turned her eyes away from Nolan. Ciara had lost her scars and the burnt marks that he remembered her having. Her body was harder than steel and she had the appearance of a maiden despite her overwhelming strength.


    ¡°You could kill me with a swipe of your hand. No matter what I do I really can¡¯t escape you. No matter what world or timeline. I am bound to meet you.¡±


    ¡°This is our last time.¡±


    He looked at her.


    She answered, ¡°All the seedlings of the world tree doesn¡¯t exist anymore. The world tree is endless and even I can¡¯t save it unless I take the final step.¡±


    ¡°The final step?¡±


    She locked her eyes at him, ¡°Godhood. I¡¯m a step away from that place.¡±


    ¡°Why haven¡¯t you taken that step?¡±


    She locked her jaws, ¡°Nolan, I can barely bear the weight of the worlds. Do you expect me to bear all of them at the same time? I barely was able to reach this world. You expect me to fight those who are divine? I am a human and will always be. I will not step into the divine state. I refuse to become the Burned Woman.¡±


    ¡°Burned Woman?¡±


    ¡°If I am to become one then I would have that title. Nolan, I want to die by your hand and I would gladly offer my life for you. I¡¯ve fought too much and killed too many. How many more blood would I have to spill? I kill because I am good at it. I save because I want to. Along the way, I keep hurting people. How many more will I have to do so? Why am I not being punished? What is even my purpose? Tell me, what is the purpose of a War Maiden lost in another world?¡±


    Steel can be bent and broken. It also rusts. A sword for the people to those who could not defend themselves. Ciara Alician fought with all of her might for things she wants to cherish. She fought without regrets and never looked back. Because she knew that it would bend her heart of steel. Her mind of steel would rust and she would have to look back at the path she walked. She was a woman who did what she could to save those who needed. She didn¡¯t want to let others experience pain. She wanted to save the world despite how it treated her.


    Ciara had looked at the path she left walked. It was filled with blood and the bodies of those who she slew. Among them the corpses were Nolan. She had been so focused on saving others that she forgot to save herself. Another body was on the ground before her. It was the face of the young man whose soul will never be able to return. It was the young man who Nolan had nurtured.


    Ciara had always kept herself moving forward. Never looking back on whatever she had done. So when she stopped to look back at the path she walked. She felt the weight of her journey. It was heavy and it overwhelmed her. She wanted to move but she realized that the path forward was a ravine leading to an abyss. She had trod her bleak path and she had reached her path.


    Nolan looked at the woman before him. The Ciara he knew was a stern woman who never despaired. There was one time she did fell but she came back strong. In front of him was simply a woman who had lost her purpose. Nolan couldn¡¯t pit him. His heart¡¯s rage has settled but the death of a son didn¡¯t leave him.


    ¡°What will you do now?¡±


    ¡°I am perpetual. I have stopped aging and I can live eternally. I am free of disease. I can sustain my health with meditation. I¡¯m barely human. I¡¯m a monster.¡±


    She lowered her head. The moon had cast a shadow on her. Her shattered sword was in front of her, yet she didn¡¯t pick it up or thought of moving her hand on it.


    ¡°Ciara, our relationship is poison. How many times have we hurt each other? Right now, I want to drive my sword in your throat. I¡¯ve calm down yet that urge is still inside me. I want to hurt you so bad but I can¡¯t. You¡¯re invincible and even an army couldn¡¯t stop you. Even the favored children were unable to put a dent on you. Your arrival has caused the tower of nimrod to lost power. You broke the tower that symbolized hope and unity. Now the countries will come for this land.¡±


    She lowered her head further.


    ¡°I don¡¯t blame you for escaping that tower. I don¡¯t blame you at all. I don¡¯t give a single care about what happens to the tower. The only thing that I care about is that you took the life of someone precious to me. You took him away from his family and from me. I loathe you. I really do. If I could I would end you. But you are too strong.¡±


    He said tonelessly. Ciara held a bitter smile while listening to him.


    ¡°I fought you in that world. I wanted to end my suffering but killing you. But you threw me into that gate and I met the Elior¡¯s. I was happy. I owe you for that. I really do. But you are also the one who took it away from me. What am I supposed to do? Lash out on you? Leave you alone? I know what you are, Ciara. You, you are like this at the moment. But you are a hero by nature. No matter what you do you will rise up to the occasion. You may despair now but you always stand the moment you see someone in trouble. Your greatest duty and your greatest wish. You are a warrior by heart and I know you won¡¯t allow yourself to become an attachment. You will allow others to attach themselves but you¡¯d never do such a thing.¡±


    Nolan wore a stern look, he added. ¡°I won¡¯t deny you of your heroics. I won¡¯t deny that you made a mistake again. I¡¯m calm at the moment. That¡¯s why I can say these words. But Ciara, I don¡¯t know what to think about you. I feel indifferent. I hate this feeling of being a husk. I tried running away from you. I failed. When I found happiness after a very long time. You appeared and I couldn¡¯t protect anything again. The path you walk always end up involving me. I end up miserable and while you get what you want.¡±


    Ciara Alician prioritizes duty over anything. The moment she became a maiden of throes she held on that duty. Nolan doesn¡¯t believe that she will continue like this. He believed that the moment something lights a spark inside her. Ciara Alician will take action.


    Nolan stared at her and took her hand, ¡°Ciara, lay down your arms. You¡¯ve taken everything something I desire. That¡¯s why I won¡¯t allow you to act a hero here. No, I won¡¯t allow you to redeem yourself by fixing what happens next. I want you to watch the consequences of your actions. Until the day I find a way to execute you. I will not let you go.¡±


    He pulled her up and tightly held her wrist. ¡°Let¡¯s go, we have no place here.¡±


    Ciara held her mouth open, she said, ¡°Is it alright? To just leave without saying anything to them?¡±


    ¡°You want me to tell them, ¡®Hey, your son got murdered and I¡¯m using his body now¡¯ and you¡¯d think they¡¯d accept me?¡±


    ¡°I,¡± Ciara said.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. We¡¯ll head east and get away from this place. I don¡¯t want you acting like a hero again.¡±


    He pulled her hand towards the forest in the opposite direction of the Tower of Nimrod.


    ¡°Ciara.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand.¡±


    ¡°I know. You are my warden and my executioner. As I said, I¡¯ done fighting, but you are right. I will try and save them. I will not disagree with you on this.¡±


    Nolan pulled her up a small mountain that overlooked the tower of nimrod. Climbing on a slope, he looked back at the city where he spent fifteen years of happiness. It was a fragile peace that didn¡¯t last long and again he couldn¡¯t protect anything he found precious. Nolan could see that the lights weren¡¯t back. The shimmer of the tower was gone and the bright lights that covered the city of hope were extinguished. Soon, this place will be turned into a center of chaos. Without the protection of the tower, with its army defeated, the Tower Cities of Nimrod will fall into chaos.


    Nolan had no right to defend it. He had no right to help it when the cause of the chaos would be the woman whose wrist he was holding.


    He looked up at the night sky. He saw the pale dots of milk and clenched his teeth, ¡°A Bleak Walker never stays in one place, they always take on a bleak path. I guess even without the curse, I am still fated to be like this.¡±


    In the end, he could only tread on the path again. Nolan thought he found peace only to have it destroyed and trampled. He no longer had a place here, and he¡¯d rather drag Ciara away before she tries anything. They do not belong here and thus they can only take the road before them.


    karsev

 Chapter 203: Interlude of the War Maiden Who Fought through Time and Space

    Mother? Why are you here? Ah, this is a dream, isn¡¯t it?


    You remember your mother? As always, you are a filial daughter. Ciara, how are you?


    I don¡¯t know mother. I don¡¯t know. Still, a dream huh, I never had dreams until then.


    That¡¯s right, Ciara. You are not alone now. You are by his side again. You always had nightmares when you are alone. Even in your dreams, you fight. But now you dream my child.


    I think it''s nice.


    Ciara, are you really okay?


    I am livid. In a way, I¡¯ve reunited with the only person that I always been with.


    Ah, love is wonderful.


    Love? No, I don¡¯t think that it is as simple as love. Ciara Alician and Nolan Salvatore is a pair. Mother, you¡¯ve been with me and you know how it usually ends.


    Yes, but this time you are at his mercy, my daughter.


    I am. But I am ready to die if I must. I¡¯ve been hurting this man for years, and not once did he utter a cry. That¡¯s why it surprised me that he fought me at that time. That he hated me enough to kill me if he could.


    You love him for that even more. You silly girl. Still, when I told you that a good man must wait. Not this long! You¡¯ve turned him into someone who none could understand. No, that was your goal.


    Mother, you said to me once. ¡°A good man must wait for her lady.¡± And he did wait for me. Along the line, I was the one who threw him away. I threw him away!


    Oh, don¡¯t smile about that, child!


    Don¡¯t worry I am just being silly. I¡¯ve been living because I was told that I was needed. When a child cries, the War Maiden offers her hand and when the world cries the War Maiden will soothe it. I¡¯ve been saving a lot of people and worlds, mother. I¡¯ve been doing it alone for decades after I lost the family that I wanted to save from our original home. Nolan, he has a knack for surviving and here he is in this world!


    Ciara, don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve never noticed?


    What notice?


    You are fooling yourself, child. You know, don¡¯t you? Every timeline and every world you said that you met him and he did things. But that¡¯s a lie. There was a one time where he, didn¡¯t exist. In an instance of a timeline, there is a time where Nolan Salvatore doesn¡¯t exist. You know that, right? You know that and you want to forget about it. No, no, simply, you don¡¯t want to realize that there might be another truth about the lover you thought was no one special. You didn¡¯t save him because he was strong. Nolan Salvatore, you know what he is and you are afraid to ask him about it. Am I right?


    Stop, you are a phantom.


    Wasn¡¯t it weird that he knew how to fix machines that shouldn¡¯t able to be fixed? That despite how he labels himself in names he was different. He didn¡¯t have the soul of a warrior. He was a foreigner who was trying to survive. His looks weren¡¯t that of a usual human. He was a survivalist more than a warrior. He was a survivor who had to manage to walked so far despite having no power. You know this, did you?


    A phantom shouldn¡¯t talk so much.


    I am a dream inside of you. Hit me all you want but this dream won¡¯t end until then. Do you understand that?


    I do. I greatly understand the gravity of the situation. Great, I thought this was a dream but it turned out to be a nightmare. What a joke.


    You never really asked that. Why are you so scared, Ciara? How can you be scared?


    Because no one but me can ever know. You are a phantom, and it has been a while since I¡¯ve become like this. You wouldn¡¯t know. You are a ghost inside my dream. Since you are a ghost I can you tell you a bit? What scares the War Maiden the most in this world?


    Nothing. I am not afraid. But I fear something.


    When did you realize that he might not belong here?


    There was a time where he fixed the transmitter that connects voices. He also fixed the automobile that he shouldn¡¯t know. He was trapped for five hundred years as a living battery while his fragment was fixing things that he shouldn¡¯t be able to.


    You found that he was called a mute and someone who didn¡¯t know the language. What was he called before? He named himself Lanon because of our language. His intonation is different and it took him years to get good at it. You suspected something but didn¡¯t want to pursue it. You thought of him as an eccentric man. Ah, you were afraid to ask the man who you told to wait. Ooooooooohhhhh, the war maiden of space and time, is afraid of a question, and the man, who she cherished the most in the worlds? Wonderful, this is fascinating.


    Is that so? Is this my ego?


    Who knows? How long were holding on to your sanity? How long was it that you manage to keep yourself sane?


    Barely, I barely made it the moment they took everything away from me. Can¡¯t you believe how those people that I know were killed simply because I was with them? It was a time where the only way to escape them was through the madness. Mother, when you are facing illogical beings that are not capable of human thought. Self-contained madness is the only way to go. When you have no madness in you, then those irrational beings won¡¯t stop hounding you. I lost them because I killed them and I took their hearts with them. Gods have foundations on why they became Gods. Through a legend or a myth, or they are natural-borne to serve the purpose and humanity isn¡¯t developed inside of them. So you fight their madness with madness.


    And Ciara Alician¡¯s cure to madness is fighting inside a labyrinth that holds powerful monsters?


    That¡¯s the gist of it.


    I see. It must be maddening. To fight beings like that.


    Not really.


    Is that so?


    Yes. You see, Mother. I¡¯ve fought things that people wouldn¡¯t understand. I¡¯ve seen things that you, and no one would possibly believe. I saw civilizations burn, and creations, turn to dust. I once stood on an asteroid and watched two planets close to a dwarf star freeze. I saw the end of the world and had a peak of the records of those beings that existed in the timeline.


    Did you look into the Akashic records? The bible of all that is human, whether past, future and the current. Did you look at it?


    Everyone who I knew existed in this Akashic Record of this bubble. Mother, the world tree inside a bubble, a planet that houses galaxies and stars and systems billions of billions of years old. Like how outside a planet is a space. Just outside the bubble that contains the world tree is another space the contains an infinite number of another plane of reality. In those worlds, magic might not exist. There are different individuals and different people. There might be carbon-based lifeforms or silicon-based lifeforms. So, tell me, mother, do you know why I am afraid of asking the question? Do you know why I went with madness? Imagine, the people you know that were taken from you still existed in the book that contains all record of the humans inside the world tree bubble, and the person who you were looking for wasn¡¯t there despite the Gods of the plane telling you that they erased all of you. They existed in a record and he wasn¡¯t in that record. Do you know how that feels? To know that the person you are in loved with. The person that you asked to wait might not have existed at all? Despite the family that I gathered being supposedly erased from existence still written in that book?


    I don¡¯t understand.


    Exactly! You wouldn¡¯t understand! You are a phantom! You do not exist within my external world. Because we are in my internal world that we are talking like this. So, does that answer why I¡¯m afraid to ask the question? Why I am afraid that the moment I asked the question he will disappear?


    Then why didn¡¯t you asked him in our homeworld?


    Asked him what? I wasn¡¯t sure and I have already said to you that he might be just an illusion inside my head.


    Then what about the time you made love? Or when you have made a child?


    That¡¯s the worst thing. The fact that the only proof that he exists is that one single moment. In that timeline where I stupidly sacrificed my child for a battle that I would lose? I may be a brave person. But I am not that brave to ask a question that denies his existence. I know that I have done him wrong but to outright ask that question? I am not that cruel. I cannot do it.


    Still, to give up? Are you really going to give up? Just like that?


    There are an Empress and an Emperor whose castle was located on top of a firmament. They had warriors that could break the speed of light. They could slash time and space with their sword techniques. They can fly on their swords and have pagodas that contain space. They have rings that could store millions of item. They can live for years without eating or sleeping. They just sit cross-legged and strengthened their bodies. So when I arrived in their world, they thought of me as a master that has peaked. I was perpetual. They were as well. But, their soul can still be destroyed. Their path or their way is their philosophy.


    I defeated their strongest. He asked for my hand but I refused. I said I was taken. He wanted to challenge my lover so I killed him to prevent that. The Emperor and Empress was so amused they let me inside their jade palace. They had fourteen children and many of them were beautiful. Well, their Princes were fanatics about the throne, but that Emperor and Empress were strong so that they will wait forever to take the throne.


    Do you envy them?


    I do. I really do. They were strong together and happy together. Can¡¯t you believe it? They were nobodies who fought their way to the top. Through fruitful encounters, they defied the heavens and became ruler of that firmament. Among the many that the Gods wanted to erase. They were the only ones who fought back and sealed their world where no one could enter it. The Empress before our parting kissed me on the forehead, and said, ¡°I wish you luck, and hope that you will find your other half.¡±


    Your other half?


    That¡¯s right. Do you have a problem with that?


    Not all. Though I think you¡¯ve blown your chances. Oh, don¡¯t look so depressed!


    I am indeed. I will not lie. It¡¯s funny that the roles are reversed now. Do you know why I beat him up once? I hated how obsessed he was with me. How he followed me like a good dog. He never gave up and a stubborn and forceful man is hard to reject.


    And he hates you now.


    He does. I wouldn¡¯t forgive him if he had killed my children twice.


    You¡¯d allow yourself to die because of this. For forgiveness?


    Yes. I would be a happy woman if my end would be at his hand. It¡¯s the right thing to do. So get out of my internal world, Mother, no, you Phantom. I want to dream for a while. It has been a while.


    You poor girl. Always all alone aren¡¯t you? I wonder, will you succeed in this task? You¡¯ve been through many worlds and even sailed the stars and the void itself. But can you accomplish this task? Well, can you?


    I don¡¯t know. For once in my life, I am uncertain whether I can succeed.

 Chapter 204: A Village Far In the East 1

    Nolan Salvatore pulled a white horse, riding the horse was a woman with white hair and red eyes. Nolan had greying hair with ruby eyes. They walked along this dirt path and on their side was a bamboo forest. He wore a cloak, and underneath his cloak was a dagger. Ciara was wearing her robes, fixed up, and it didn¡¯t look like the one she was wearing coming in this world.


    Nolan squints at the wind coming from the east. There was a rice paddy field and along the horizon, he could see two mountains that peaked the clouds. There was a village near the paddy fields with children running around, bull-like creatures were pulling a contraption that tilled the muddy water. The landscape was grassy, tall red flowers, and clear blue water streams that coiled around the thin forest. Nolan rubbed his feet on the dirt and pulled the reins of the horse.


    ¡°You should take the horse,¡± Ciara said.


    Nolan stepped on the bumped, caressed the side of the horse¡¯s head and led it down the zigzagging road. Ciara was watching Nolan¡¯s back, her eyes staring, lips partly open. Nolan stopped in front of a wooden bridge. He pulled the reins and tied it on the bridge. He held his hand at Ciara, she took his hand and made a thud with her boots, her torso leaning against Nolan. She looked up and saw apathetic eyes with no light on it.


    Nolan pushed her shoulders away and rubbed his gloves. He started to the saddlebag, fingered the insides of it, and walked to a stump overlooking the paddy fields. He slumped on the stump, snapped his fingers. A candle-like flame rose on the tip of his index finger, his two eyes were looking at the flame. The flame went out, he stood, ambled to the nearest bushes, and fished out dried sticks and branches. He pulled a wool cloth on his back, wrapped the sticks and branches, and placed it near the stump. He sat on the stump, orange sparks came out of his palms, lighting the fire.


    Ciara walked near the fire and stared at it. Her eyes sternly stared at him, ¡°We haven¡¯t talk ever since we left the Nimrod Tower. You¡¯ve taken to the East, and we traveled for five weeks without speaking a word. You never raised your voice. All you do is fiddle inside your saddlebag, light the fire, and then offer me food. I don¡¯t get it.¡±


    Nolan stared at Ciara, his eyes then looked at the flames. He reached out for his pocket, took two dried beef, and started heating it up. His eyes staring at flames, looking at how it dances. Behind him the clouds moved, casting shadows on the village, the brown leaves flew everywhere. The men wearing wicker hats looked up and observed the leaves. Behind Ciara, the bamboo forest sounded, bending, as it almost reached the ground.


    Ciara¡¯s face crumbled, she started to Nolan¡¯s side and placed her head on his shoulder. Nolan¡¯s apathetic face stared at him, he chewed on the dried beef and handed one to Ciara. She took the beef, bit on it, and ate it while her head was resting on his shoulder. Nolan bit the last of his food and stood up. He sauntered to the saddle, reached inside and took two apples. He sidled back Ciara and handed her one of the apples. He took the apple with him near the paddies and stared at the village with thatched roofs.


    Another wind blew Nolan tug on his cloak and went to Ciara¡¯s side. He grabbed her cloak¡¯s collar and raised the hood of her cloak. Ciara pulled on the beak of her hood and gazed at the apple on her hand. She rubbed her belly and rubbed her knees.


    Nolan stretcher his legs towards where he tied the horse. He untied the reins, pulled the horse close to the fire. He produced water on his left palm and offered his hand to Ciara. Ciara took his hand, and let herself be carried on the saddle of the horse. She held on to the horse and stared at the village nearby. Nolan pulled the horse, wending his way through the carved dirt part, passing through the grass pastures.


    A man wearing oriental robes, who sported a wicket hat, hailed at him. Nolan nodded at the man and continued his way until he saw two guards standing guard in front of a wooden gate. They had spears in their hands, and they walked to Nolan. Nolan towered them, he looked them in the eye and turned towards Ciara.


    The guards looked at the hooded Ciara, their eyes staring at the unnatural eyes, and the burnt mark on the left part of her face. The guards scanned her from top to bottom, before gesturing with their chin, tapping the butt of their spear. The two entered, many eyes gathered on them. Nolan pulled the reins of the horse and went to search for a shop that sold herbs.


    Children were playing with wicker dolls. Wives were carrying baskets, staring at Ciara, smiles blossoming on their faces. Ciara waved at them, weird out that that they don¡¯t even bother about her face. Then she recalled the many faces that she had seen since coming. A month ago, before he stopped talking, he had explained and introduced the world with happy, yet bitter about his tone.


    Nolan soothed the horse, he tugged the reins and tied on a beam supporting the house. There was an old woman, whose hair was gray, wrinkled, and one eye blind. She looked at the two, her eye looking at Nolan, before spotting Ciara. She tapped her pipe and walked near the horse. Nolan ambled near the horse and helped Ciara get down.


    Nolan stood without a word beside Ciara. The old woman raised a brow and looked at Ciara instead. She gestured her closer, her wrinkled hand caressing her cheeks.


    ¡°You are beautiful,¡± the old woman said.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    The old woman straightened her skirt, before kneeling, and leaning her ear on Ciara¡¯s growing belly. She closed her eyes, and listened in, before standing up, and dusting her skirt off the dust.


    ¡°Get inside, it must have been quite a travel.¡±

 Chapter 205: A Village Far In the East 2

    Nolan crashed on the bench far from the table where the old woman was. She was watching Nolan, with one-eye, and she was inspecting Ciara¡¯s pulse.


    ¡°Your husband¡¯s a mute?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s silent,¡± Ciara said. ¡°He has been like that for a month.¡±


    She concocted a potion, ¡°Drink this, dear. It¡¯ll make you feel better.¡±


    ¡°I feel fine, but I will,¡± she drank, she puckered her lips. ¡°Sour and bitter, and is that honey?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is,¡± the old woman smiled, wipes her forehead with her forearm. ¡°You came from the North? Ruby eyes, and ashen hair. Rarer as it can, considering that there is war up north. Explains a lot, why you¡¯d risk travel in that position.¡±


    The old woman adjusted her sleeves, ¡°I am Latia, Herbalist and Village Healer. And you are?¡±


    ¡°Ciara,¡± she said, ¡°my name is Ciara Salvatore.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± she nodded, ¡°Ciara Salvatore, what brings you to this village along with your husband?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s Nolan Salvatore, he had been like that, but that is not my concern. Can you tell me about where we are? I¡¯d like to know where we are going, he¡¯s dragging me along.¡±


    ¡°Aye, forceful one isn¡¯t he, for a silent one.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Ciara rubbed her belly. ¡°Where are we anyway?¡±


    ¡°Oriental Region, Sagan Village. A long way from home,¡±


    Ciara looked down, a bitter smile on her face, ¡°Yes, far from home, that we are.¡±


    Latia held her pipe and tapped it, ¡°So what brought you here? Winter¡¯s coming, and you choose to travel this far? Quite dangerous, with all the monsters and bandits.¡±


    ¡°My husband took care of them,¡± Ciara looked at statue-like Nolan. ¡°He¡¯s dependable despite what he states right now. Didn¡¯t see this one coming, though.¡±


    Latia smiled wickedly, ¡°You are a wicked woman, I like it. Better than the daydreaming girls, wishing for things they should have done. Are you planning to stay here?¡±


    Ciara turned her head towards Nolan. He was listless, his eyes looking at space, he doesn¡¯t blink and he simply stares at something that doesn¡¯t exist.


    ¡°Is he bewitched? Did you bewitch him?¡±


    ¡°I did not. He had been in a trance after a night in an inn. Never spoke a word, never said anything. All he does is pull me around everywhere.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a house near the stream, the villagers here are curious, but never stupid. Travelers come and go, but they don¡¯t stay here too long, they¡¯d rather go to the Golden City, and lived there instead,¡± she brushed her hand on the uneven table. ¡°You can here as long as you like, until the winter¡¯s winds are gone, or a few days. Aye, I can see two weary souls before me, and the only thing I can do is offer you the safety of this village.¡±


    ¡°Why so nice?¡± Ciara asked brows pointed to Latia. ¡°We¡¯ve been here for not an hour and you are offering us a home to stay.¡±


    Latia looked at Ciara¡¯s belly with a warm gaze, ¡°I¡¯m a healer, child, I heal things and do you think I can leave you three alone?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Ciara thinly smiled. ¡°You don¡¯t look like the type who would do that.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, so, I will talk to the village head, he will understand, no, he would understand because it''s me. Not the first time isn¡¯t it?¡±


    A shadow was cast on Ciara¡¯s face. ¡°Yes, not the first time indeed.¡±


    ***


    Ciara stood from her seat and wrapped her cloak around her body. Nolan walked to her, eyes glaring, no, scrutinizing her, but every time he looked at her belly, that glare, that scrutinizing glare would smoothen. Nolan offered his hand, and she took it. He led her out of Latia¡¯s house and made her stay near him. He untied the horse, wrapped the reins around his wrist, and pulled the horse and Ciara to where the village head was.


    The village head lived on a longhouse located on the center of the village. The roofs were straw, the wooden walls were a mix of bamboo and stone wood nailed together. Inside the longhouse was a long table and Latia, she was speaking to the village head, whose skin was rather pale, and he fashioned a fez hat with a feather on it.


    ¡°Ah, the two, and quite the woman, burnt mark, and the belly, hmm,¡± the village head rubbed his chin. ¡°I get it, if I don¡¯t let you stay then I¡¯d be a cruel man. Is that what you want to her, Latia?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all. And, would you mind if they have some wood? Ciara, dear, can your man chop woods?¡±


    ¡°He can chop anyone easily, he can do that.¡±


    ¡°A warrior eh, that is reassuring to hear. All the boys have gone to war, and most of them weren¡¯t satisfied to stay in our village. Always headed to the shining city basked by the sun. Welcome to Sagan,¡± the village head nodded at them. ¡°I hope that you find your stay in our humble village a satisfying one.¡±


    Latia led Nolan and Ciara to the house near the stream. On the back of the house was a river, white dirt, boulders, and strange colored fishes were climbing the stream leading up to the mountain. On the left of the house was a patch of flowers, with a view of the bamboo forest and the rice paddies being shone by the sun¡¯s light.


    Latia unlocked the door of the house. It was furnished, barely any dust, and there was a small kitchen that could be seen on the front of the house. There was a fireplace in the middle, alongside a box of sand where they could place a campfire. Latia went out of the house and walked back to her house. Nolan tied the horse near the house, before taking the saddlebags with him inside the house. He glanced at the two beds, and then went back outside to sit on the patch of flowers, staring blankly at the dancing bamboo forest.


    She inhaled cold air, preventing a sob from escaping her, like a voice that won¡¯t come out. She steeled herself, fist clenched, she walked to the rocking chair and swayed, humming, caressing her belly.

 Chapter 206: Under Her Spell

    He raised the hatchet and chopped a bamboo in two halves.


    He took the bamboo and carried it on the front of the house. Ciara appeared on the doorway, holding her belly, she braced herself against the doorway. Nolan held her, supporting her as she walks to the rocking chair in front of the house. It was pointing the bamboo forest, not far from the chair was the river.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± she slowly slumps down on the chair. ¡°My body is rather fragile, I¡¯m trying my best here holding down my power to human levels.¡±


    Nolan looked away, he was about to pat her back, but then went against it. He ambled to the bamboo pile, took the hatchet, and started cutting up the bamboos. The two was silent, among the only sound, the bamboo being chopped. Ciara rubbed her right hand on the handle of the chair, her eyes staring at the quaint village. After the river, there is irrigation that connects the river to the rice paddies.


    ¡°If this is your way of making me feel uneasy, then you are succeeding,¡± Ciara said. ¡°What can I do? I lost control and you didn¡¯t exactly resist. You must think that I¡¯ve planned this. Did you really think that I was a celibate? Or did you forget that I am a woman?¡±


    Nolan kept his silence. He steadily chopped the yellow bamboo and set them aside for the fireplace.


    Ciara, who heard no reply, only shook her head, rubbing her belly.


    Nolan, who was done placing yellow bamboo, took a stand near Ciara. He looked at her belly and clenched his jaw. He rubbed his head and glared at Ciara for a second.


    ¡°You are unfair.¡±


    ¡°I am? Oh, I¡¯m sorry, I thought you want to kill me, not impregnate me.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to.¡±


    ¡°Oh really?¡± She said. ¡°The choking, the pulling of hair, the spanking? You didn¡¯t mean that?¡±


    ¡°You were the one who started it!¡±


    ¡°Then resist harder! ¡°


    ¡°You did this on purpose!¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t! And I won¡¯t refuse you!¡±


    She glared at Nolan, fist clenched, and jaws tightened. ¡°I only did it because I want to. I know that we have a problem, and I know that you are only doing all of this because of this belly. You would take responsibility, and I know you will.¡±


    ¡°You!¡±


    ¡°Then what do you think should I do?¡± She sneered. ¡°I walked through the roads of the shadow of death. There I was, all alone with the man I love, and he didn¡¯t resist. Do you think I could resist? That I would lose the chance?¡±


    Her chest was heaving up and down. Nolan crossed his arms, shaking his head, looking up, ¡°I can¡¯t believe you. Is this how you solve things? If yes, then, congratulations, you succeed!¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t the one who didn¡¯t want to pull out, and I wasn¡¯t the person who wanted to continue till morning! You hate me, but you want to make love with me! Make up your mind!¡±


    He pointed at her, ¡°I refuse! No, you make up your mind. You wanted to die so much and now you are happily caressing your belly!¡±


    ¡°I changed my mind!¡±


    ¡°That easily?¡± He snorted. ¡°Good for you!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have no right to die until I give birth to this child. Nolan, I know that you hate me for what I did, we¡¯ve been betraying each other, tried killing each other, and have been through many years of oddness. Do you think I find joy in killing? I didn¡¯t mean to kill that boy, I didn¡¯t mean it. Please, don¡¯t let me kill this one too, I beg of you. I don¡¯t want to be a murderer of children. I don¡¯t want to.¡±


    Her body shook, and her chin was shaking. She was clenching her fist, she was staring with a sour look, and she couldn¡¯t look Nolan in the eye. Nolan exhaled cold air, he punched the air, and said, ¡°Damn it!¡±


    He turned and grab the side of his head, ¡°It¡¯s always this way! You always find a way to worm your way out of the things that you have done! How many times I have forgiven you for the things that you have done! How many times did I make a fool of myself just for you! But I can¡¯t find a reason to refuse you and I hate it!¡±


    Ciara didn¡¯t reply. Nolan clicked his tongue and sat cross-legged near Ciara. ¡°Such toxicity, what a joke, why am I always stuck with you? If this was only before all of this happened, I would have been a happy man.¡±


    ¡°Would you?¡± Ciara asked. ¡°If we didn¡¯t fight, if you didn¡¯t want to die that day, and if I didn¡¯t murder your son. Would things be different?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I could have forgiven you for killing me that day, throwing my soul to the gateway. It allowed me to meet the Elior¡¯s, and I was happy. I really was. But now, I¡¯m stuck with you again, and I don¡¯t know what to feel.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t speak for a month.¡±


    ¡°I was thinking.¡±


    ¡°For a month?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Leave me alone, I hate you.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Ciara said bitterly. ¡°You¡¯re only here for the child, I know that I¡¯ve done things that are not right. But if you just let me make up.¡±


    ¡°Ciara,¡± he stopped her and looked at her sternly. ¡°You¡¯re a thousand years too late.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t abandon us, I don¡¯t know what I¡¯ll do. I don¡¯t have anyone. You are the only one in the multiples worlds that knows who I am. I¡¯d rather be killed by you than lost you again. I rather die than have you abandon me after so long. Please don¡¯t leave us alone.¡±


    She emphasized on the child and her. Ciara was doing her best to keep Nolan¡¯s leash. Nolan knows what she was doing and he could leave for the road. Yet he allowed Ciara to put a leash on him, and he was at fault. He made a mistake and he did it because of grief. Fury would rise inside of him, but the sight of her belly made Nolan weak.

 Chapter 207: Fears of Heart

    The sun rose above the bamboo forest, leaving Nolan in the shadows. He looked back at the rocking chair, the woman, who was wearing a poncho around her shoulder, was sleeping, with a thin veil of energy surrounding her. His face was stern, while hers was that of calmness. Nolan thought how different she was back then.


    ¡°Leaving yourself in the open, wearing a thin veil of protection. Not even the strongest spell of a wizard could shatter this,¡± he said to himself. ¡°You are a too strong, Ciara.¡±


    Nolan passed his hand through the thin veil of light. He adjusted the bangs of her hair and made sure that it wouldn¡¯t bother her. His hands stiffened, and his eyes became bloodshot for a moment. Nolan took a step back and sat on the ground gritting his teeth. Nolan was divided in his opinion, there was a seething confusion that has formed inside his mind.


    The guilt of what he had done to Einar, and the guilt of being able to live like this. Nolan stole the body of Einar after Ciara murdered him. How could he live a life knowing that? He had done this boy wrong. The boy who was like a son to him. That boy¡¯s future was gone so that he could live. And Nolan felt a sort of calmness despite it all.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he said to himself. ¡°I know that I should avenge you, Einar. I know that what she did wasn¡¯t right. It wasn¡¯t right at all. But, you are dead, and that sooner or later I may have a child with her now. Einar, do you know how many times I¡¯ve dreamt of this? This dream of being with her, I spent many years thinking that one day we would have a chance like this. Einar, I was a fool who walked through many dangers for a single woman. Not because of her beauty, not because she was kind to me, no, it took me thirty years and many more than that for her to be nice to me. I fell for her because of hard she strived in the face of danger. How she never faltered on her beliefs, and always striving forward. I saw her get thrown away like a ragdoll, and yet no matter how battered she was, she would stand again, pointing her sword against those who faced her. She¡¯s a woman who was turned into a savior, and she was chosen because she had that heart of steel to forge on forward. Do you know much I¡¯ve admired that back of hers? No matter how painful it was, I would force my body so that I may burden the weight of her duties with her. I was just a rank-and-file soldier who could do nothing but join the ranks and hold the line. Somewhere along the line, I got better at fighting and became a veteran who manned the shield wall with my comrades. Just so that she and the heroes could defeat her enemies.¡±


    ¡°Einar,¡± he said with a bitter voice. ¡°I should avenge you, but, do you know how many lives I owe her? She¡¯s a woman who would sacrifice our stillborn child, and yet she would save me despite her duties as well. Indeed, she had wronged me in many timelines, and yet she would save my life as well. She saved me a thousand times more than she executed me and had me killed. It was either the world or me, and she couldn¡¯t allow one life against the life of many. I saw how many times how her teary eyes turned cold. I saw how she got used to it. The thought of it unsettled me but what can I do? I was only a fool who had no power other than walking the bleak path. What I have is the culmination of blood, sweat, and tears. I worked hard for it, but no matter how man timelines, and how many paths I walked. I would never reach the mountain she has climbed. She was called a demigod back in her homeworld, and I know she suffered to reach that height.¡±


    ¡°Forgive me for being so weak, and you could even hate me. After all, no person in this world hates Nolan Salvatore than me,¡± he said, ¡°I am coward who couldn¡¯t decide firmly. What a joke, hate? Love? What the hell am I? I am just some bastard who go thrown away into this kind of fucked-up shit! I am lost! I don¡¯t know if I am young or old! I don¡¯t know how to act or what should I do! All of these memories and yet I cannot forget it all!


    ¡°How can I forget a thousand years of memories of love and pain? How can I just come into a conclusion after working so hard for it? All the pain and suffering, and I am expected to just decide that? God, I hate how I always keep feeling pity for myself, and I hate how no matter what I can¡¯t seem to find some fucking peace! What did I do to deserve this? All I wanted from the start was to find a home I can belong to. I have nothing here, and now I want the only person that had been with me the longest to go away? How can I stand that? We¡¯ve been together for long.¡±


    His eyes became lifeless, and he started to look at the swaying bamboo leaves. He felt incredibly empty at the thought of her disappearing. It was the same as living without a heart. Why did he want to die in the first place?


    ¡°Nolan?¡± A timid voice jolted him awake. ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°I am not, just feeling sorry for myself again,¡± Nolan smiled timidly. ¡°Can¡¯t help doing it, it must be the long life affecting me. I mean, when you expected yourself to die, only to become a human that consumed the soul of a half-dragon, time wraith, and an obsidian demon, then have a life that seems to be perpetual unless your soul gets destroyed, you¡¯d started to think about these kinds of things.¡±


    ¡°You really did consume Kaiser¡¯s soul, and a time wraith¡­you¡¯ve become a Revenant.¡±


    ¡°Am I?¡± Nolan said. ¡°I feel like my soul has been weakened. I probably won¡¯t last long.¡±


    ¡°No, your soul is firm and sturdy. Not to mention, your flesh and body are made of your own soul. It only looks weak because you manifested your physical form. Nolan, why did you give that boy this power. If you didn¡¯t have this then¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too late for that,¡± Nolan said. ¡°I gave him all I had because I know what it¡¯s like not to be blessed. Have you seen this world? It¡¯s a world different from what we know. The magic here is absurd and the only way to survive is that he could have a bit of power. Einar¡¯s talented, unlike me, I have the things that I experienced. I wanted to make him live long enough and protect him from that.¡±


    Ciara lowered her gaze down, ¡°I have no more words to speak other than what I have said for many times already.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know,¡± he nodded, ¡°I¡¯ve lived long enough to know what hatred does to you. It¡¯s useless, it¡¯s beyond my control, I couldn¡¯t kill you, I couldn¡¯t even think of doing that knowing your condition. I¡¯m done lashing out against you, and doing so is meaningless. You can only repeat what you can do until you can¡¯t do it any longer. Ciara, in honestly, I don¡¯t know what to think about you. Do I hate you? Do I love you? I can¡¯t do it and I¡¯m done doing this. But I know that it wouldn¡¯t be the same without you. I¡¯ve been with you for so many years that it¡¯s hard to imagine what my life would be without you. If I don¡¯t see Ciara Alician once in a lifetime, then I¡¯d go mad.¡±


    Ciara smiled bitterly, ¡°I can say the same. You know, I was prepared to offer my life to you. I¡¯ve done you wrong and if you would choose to end my life yourself then I would have been happy. Nolan, you know that the reason why I wanted to leave that world. I want to save the family that I built up. The shadow of the world tree was unstable, and I wish that I could have told you that. I just don¡¯t want you to involve you again. When you pointed your blade at me, and I know that it would take a long before we could see. I wish we would meet normally, without any hostility, and without us fighting. But, it seems that we can¡¯t have that and I have sinned you again. I won¡¯t ask for forgiveness for I know that I did you wrong. Still, you were always the one who would tell me about how one should move forward. Nolan, this is cheating, and I know that it was my desperate act to make you understand. Still, I am willing to do everything now¡­¡±


    Without another word, she threw a spell at Nolan.


    Nolan lost the sight of the bamboo forest. He found himself on the side of a strange landscape. It was a vista of a dried rock, and above Nolan was a dwarf star, and a figure of men and women wearing robes. Their weapons were magically intense that the space around them was twisting.


    Looking at the side, he saw Ciara standing up to these monsters. Behind Ciara was a couple who stood with their weapons stabbed on the ground, their hands shaking as they faced the monsters.


    ¡°Empress, Emperor, you should escape now, there is no need to look out for me.¡±


    ¡°How can we do that?¡± The Emperor brandished his weapon out. ¡°To leave a friend behind is no better than being a dog!¡±


    The Empress smiled, ¡°That¡¯s right, Sister Ciara, and do you think that we could abandon our dearest friend?¡±


    ¡°Emperor, Empress, you don¡¯t have to abandon the fate of home for this invader!¡± An elder with long white hair stood glaring at Ciara. ¡°That woman is cursed by the realm of gods, and before long the entities of the higher realm will come for us!¡±


    ¡°No,¡± the Emperor and Empress said. There was no need for words.


    Nolan stood dumbfounded at the chaos that happened. Ciara, the Emperor, and the Empress fought until the imposing figures fell. Nolan could only standstill at the vision of the scene. The dwarf star was cut in half, and among the bodies, Ciara stood. The Emperor and Empress were nowhere to be seen after she sent them away using her own powers.


    However, despite all that, there was no despair on the maiden¡¯s face. She took her sword and scurried on to the gateway out of this world. Leaving many corpses behind, the War Maiden, took a step out, and before her was a legion of beings that seems to have skin that resembled space. Ciara took her sword, and fought them again.


    When the illusion ended Nolan could only look at the bamboo forest that was still swaying in the background. Ciara stared at the river, quietly contemplating the illusion that he had seen. After that, it was only a vision of fighting and fighting, and nothing else. The robe that she wore was turned into rags, and creatures that distorted space itself fought Ciara, and they didn¡¯t win.


    ¡°I really had no chance of beating you.¡±


    It was a clear message to what Ciara could do. Nolan knew that she wouldn¡¯t show the visions if she wasn¡¯t warning him. That¡¯s why he could only look at Ciara with a casual glance.


    ¡°You really are hopelessly strong¡­¡±


    ¡°I am. That¡¯s why I am asking you to kindly give up.¡±


    ¡°You were fighting for a long time and yet you were able to drag yourself out of that tower. Does that mean you are rested and can fight again?¡±


    ¡°I can, but I will leave the choice to you now. You saw it, and you know what a journey it was to find you. I am tired as well, and I would love nothing more than to give birth to this child, nothing more, nothing else.¡±


    ¡°Is that the truth, Ciara?¡± Nolan asked. ¡°Knowing you, once you¡¯re done going labor. You¡¯ll find yourself somehow get involved in a situation that requires you taking up the sword again. That vision of yours showed me how helpless I am when faced with someone like you. You, you weren¡¯t even willing to raise a hand, and even then, I was only able to damage you because you were weakened. And even your weakened state is enough to ravage the tower, and defeat the army and the favored children.¡±


    ¡°Favored children?¡± Ciara asked.


    Nolan narrowed his eyes, and grabbed hold of her hand, ¡°Ciara, the favored children, you didn¡¯t break them. Lady Rubina, the one who has the power among this world, would never break, no, the favored children would recover soon, but they would never forget your astral dress. Ciara, I won¡¯t allow you, and if you truly wanted to rest, then calm your heart, take a breath, and forget about it.¡±


    Nolan stood in front of her rocking chair and stared her right in the eye. ¡°Promise me, that you won¡¯t act as a savior. Just this once in a lifetime, and do not do anything that might harm the child on your belly. You, you are a stubborn woman, Ciara. You don¡¯t give up, you don¡¯t falter, and not once you hesitated in taking a stand against the injustice you see. You would do anything to help everyone, and when you couldn¡¯t save everyone, you save the people that you could, and that leads you into a path of acting as the world¡¯s biggest fool. Why can¡¯t you just rest? Are the worlds you walked so weak that no hero would rise upon such occasion? How many times have you seen fools who would rise up against despair?¡±


    ¡°Too many.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, if you wanted me to understand, then don¡¯t try anything. Ciara, I¡¯ve died for you, and I¡¯ve lived for you, and I¡¯ve dedicated lives for you, because I don¡¯t wish to see you fighting for too long. You aren¡¯t weak, no, you are strong that you feel so obligated to help. You help others but you barely help yourself, why not be selfish for once?¡±


    Ciara shook her head, ¡°No, you should know this better than everyone, Nolan, I am a selfish woman who wanted to grasp everything. You know that I did in my homeworld, and you know that I am not that wholly good. I betrayed you, and made you as an excuse to why I wanted to do those things. I raised orphans to develop weapons and create an army that would be loyal to me, in hopes that one day we would take the gate away from those dragons, and also leave the world. I had seen things no one would believe, and I¡¯ve lost things that no one would understand, that¡¯s why I share my vision with you, because I know you would. You¡¯ve lost your memories, and fought, but no matter what timeline, you would end with this fool of a woman. Why? Because I wanted you to be with me.¡±


    Nolan¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡°Did you really forget?¡± She smiled as if remembering. ¡°If I wasn¡¯t the War Maiden at that time, and if I didn¡¯t have my duties. I would have said yes, I would have run away with you, but I cannot do that. That¡¯s why, I told myself that if you loved me, then you would wait, and you actually did. Do, do, you know many women I have to drive away? How they wouldn¡¯t stop talking about the tall stoic warrior whose devotion was enough to attract younger women? Did you even know that?¡±


    ¡°How would I know?¡± Nolan shook his shoulders. ¡°I was busy surviving that I know some of the people feel.¡±


    ¡°Women, they always like it when men listen to them, and you just steered their conversations, and they liked you for that! Even though they should know that you were devoted to me! How could they?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s,¡± Nolan felt like words were stuck on the tip of his tongue. ¡°You really did that?¡±


    ¡°Yes, and you were getting close to Alcina, that woman, who was sweet as candy, and if I didn¡¯t stop you two, I bet you would have married her! I just don¡¯t want to see you with other, and even Tania, I warned her, and she was probably one of the toughest fights. Even here, she¡¯s bound to you, and it makes me jealous.¡±


    ¡°Bound to me? But that shouldn¡¯t be.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Ciara stared blandly as if Nolan didn¡¯t exist. ¡°You really are still hiding, huh¡­¡±


    ¡°Ciara?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, so, do you understand now?¡±


    ¡°No, that isn¡¯t as selfish as you think it is.¡±


    ¡°Maybe,¡± she looked away, ¡°but I always wanted you, and that¡¯s that. All that I did was partly because of you, and I won¡¯t lie to you now. I killed you because I know that the loop would start again. You wanted to kill me because you knew that doing so would let you escape. That¡¯s why instead of killing you, I threw you in that gate to be led here.¡±


    Nolan closed his eyes in thought for a second, ¡°Very well, I¡¯ll believe you in that, but, promise me now, no more off-topics, promise, no heroics, and no impulse to save others. Promise me, Ciara. Please, just don¡¯t go on saving the world again. I beg you, please don¡¯t.¡±


    Ciara gave him a look, turned at the quaint village, and said, ¡°Very well, I will accept that. I will. But know this, I won¡¯t hold back when I hear a child¡¯s cry. You should know better that-¡°


    Nolan pressed his lips on hers. He locked his eyes with her, ¡°I know, that¡¯s why I will be taking care of you, hero, and I will make sure that you would not be doing anything that might endanger the child you are holding on your stomach.


    Ciara nodded, with her cheeks flushed red, and said, ¡°Very well, I leave everything you, then, so please, take care of me until the day I die. I¡¯m counting on you on that, Nolan.¡±


    ***


    This was a story of two old souls who had been fighting for ages. Facing dangers, they¡¯ve grown, they became young, and grown old so many times that they didn¡¯t know how they should act.


    How can two who had been going through being young and old over and over again know what they truly are? They had been going at this for years that every love and hate, every betrayal and pain and execution has been normal for them. Indeed, Nolan couldn¡¯t forgive her, however, he understood what she had seen, and he had no choice but forgive her. But he promised himself that he would not do, but he couldn¡¯t do it.


    The man who waited for years and years couldn¡¯t resist the temptation of being with the woman who he had been seeking for. All the pain and suffering, he convinced himself that there was something worth it in the end. He was human and still thinks that he is. He was a flawed human that became young and old that he simply didn¡¯t know what to do anymore. He would lie, cheat, complain, and kick a fuss. He would despair, scream, and became murderous, for he knew.


    He was a lonely traveler walking the bleak path. For what reason did he walked this bleak path in the first place? He walked because he wanted to help, he walked because he wanted to win a war that he thought impossible! Yet, in those walks, he dreamed only of a warm home and a place where he could be at peace.


    Nolan Salvatore truly wanted to end Ciara Alician¡¯s life. That was a desire that stems from the murder of a boy he thought of as a son. He had been able to calm down, rationalize, and thought. The worst part of the life that he had lived, was that he was used to the death of others. He has used to the sight of death that a few weeks of mourning allowed him to conclude. He hated himself that he was used to such tragedy. He weighted how many times he had been saved, and how many times he had been killed. Just as Nolan Salvatore would offer his life to Ciara, she would do the same if the heart couldn¡¯t take it. She held duty more than anything else, but the times she faltered was when she shielded Nolan from harm.


    Nolan couldn¡¯t do it, Nolan couldn¡¯t allow himself to take the life of a woman he had been with for years. It was the same as living without a heart, and he would find himself empty at the thought of losing her. He couldn¡¯t imagine being lost in a world that he doesn¡¯t know. He feared at the thought of being all alone, fighting in worlds that wanted him dead for simply trying to save it.


    Nolan saw how lonesome the road that Ciara walked. From the powerless maiden who had to sacrifice the life of her child to continue fighting against the impossible odds, to the woman who had reached the peak of strength, in hopes that she could save the world.


    She simply wanted to help those who she saw and along the way she helped so many that it became an act of saving the world itself. To change the world that it would actually mean anything, she had to do it slow, and careful, it was utterly exhausting for Nolan to comprehend. She was a woman without rest, and despite that, the woman who was treated unkindly, who then turned her heart into steel, became a beacon of hope simply because it was the kind thing to do.


    But along the way, the woman wanted a family, so she made one, for she couldn¡¯t do so with her lover. She adopted orphans and turned them into her family and weapons, and in hopes that she wouldn¡¯t be all alone. She lost friends, and even those who were powerful took what she wanted. She fought through time and space, and yet deep inside that steeled heart of her, she simply wanted to spend a life with the fool who chased after her.


    She outlived so many stars yet the hope of wanting to see the fool again made her keep going. She found him, and yet she sinned him. She wanted to die by his hand, and yet she realized that she was so strong that he couldn¡¯t scratch the side of her neck. And even if he could, Nolan Salvatore couldn¡¯t point his blade at her.


    The woman who walked through many worlds had laid her weapons down. The woman who had been fighting for too long, simply just wanted to rest, stay still until she could give birth to her little happiness. Why?


    Simply, because she looks up at the sky, she could see an enormous crack that spreads around space. Every tree was part of a greater tree, and she knows that her Nolan might not last.


    ¡°If this is an illusion,¡± she said quietly, ¡°please don¡¯t wake me up. Please, I don¡¯t want to believe that the man who I had been with for years is mainly a product of my illusion. Please, don¡¯t let it be so. I don¡¯t want to think that I¡¯ve been all alone ever since from the start.¡±


    Ever since she saw Nolan fixed up that car back in their homeworld, she had been anxious. Then, she saw all the records of the humans that existed in her universe, and she saw that he didn¡¯t exist in this world. He was an anomaly that was not recorded. That¡¯s why, even though she sat with the sun basking her face, she was worried, afraid, that all of this happiness was a lie. That from the very beginning she had fooled herself thinking that Nolan Salvatore existed. She didn¡¯t want to believe that she was truly all alone, and have nothing from the start.


    Still, how could she know that he came from a parallel world? How could she know that he didn¡¯t belong to this universe and that he was only a stray that was thrown into walking the bleak path.

 Chapter 208: Winter’s Storm 1

    The chimneys of the village were spurting smoke. The children were running around, following the peddlers who were passing by. The wheels of their cart, bouncing against the stone path of the village. The sun was up and was peeking through the thatch roof. The peddler stood in the middle, entertaining the throngs of children coming to see his wares. Among the children were the folks from the villages, their goods ready for trade.


    Among them, was a young man who was taller than everyone, he carried a deer on his back, and he was waiting for the others to finish their trade. The peddler was accepting trades and refusing trades. His cart was pulled by two horses and he was guarded by four guards who carried themselves differently than the rest.


    The four guards were eyeing the tall young man more than anyone. Their instincts as warriors were telling them that the young man was different. He was a sharp blade that stood out among everyone. His posture and gait were good enough for the four warriors to know that he was a well-trained warrior. So when the young man approached the peddler, their hands unconsciously went to their weapons. Their glance was subtle, but the young man only took one look, and they knew that he sensed their stare.


    The young man turned his attention to the peddler, he handed the deer. The peddler took the deer from him and placed it on the table laid out, examining the animal. The animal was skinned as if the fur of the deer was taken from it alive. There were no cuts or gashes, and the meat was fresh.


    ¡°Was this hunted down recently?¡± The Peddler asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The peddler nodded, he took the deer, fetched the rucksack inside the cart and handed it to the young man. The young man untied the rucksack, confirmed the insides, and left without saying a word, his boots crunching the brown leaves. The four warriors observed the young man, watching him follow a curve dirt path to a house nearby. The warriors loosen their hands and heaved a sigh of relief. Facing that young man was the same as confronting a ferocious ghost panther.


    The warriors of this world were more sensitive to danger. The Eastern Warriors were particularly sensitive due to their different style. They focused more on cultivating their bodies due to their physiques. It allowed them to compete against the barbaric north or the central warriors. So when it comes to people like that young man, they couldn¡¯t help but strengthen their nerves.


    A gentle wind brushed against the cart. The warriors loosened up and turned their sight to the village. They had been traveling through this village and back into the golden city. They had been taking this job for the last two years and since the pay was good. They had no complaints. However, there are days where they would meet nasty beings. Hence, they can only steel their nerves and harden their senses.


    ***


    The tavern was filled with voices and many were meeting mugs. The aroma of meat and wine crowded the space above everyone¡¯s head. The smell of the pot wafted, invading the air. The whiff from the newly braised deer meat made the peddler lick his lips. He turned his attention to his guards, and gestured for them to eat.


    ¡°Yulia,¡± the peddler said. ¡°Eat, we still have a long journey. We must make it before winter.¡±


    The black-haired woman with a ponytail nodded, ¡°Donovan,¡± she said with a raised mug. ¡°Is it true? Do we really have to join the marching army?¡±


    Kudrin, the man who was largest of the four, said, ¡°Only to escort Donovan throughout the war. We¡¯ve been commissioned by the Golden City, and you know that the Gold Plum Association assigned us. If Donovan leaves, then we¡¯d be out of a job.¡±


    ¡°But its war,¡± the woman whose hair was braided said. ¡°Did they really think that they would miss this chance?¡± She adjusted her braid. ¡°Not only that the tower of nimrod has been broken by that Astral Being, but she had also successfully broken the favored children. It would take them for a while to recover, and this is the best chance for the Gold Plum, and for the King to benefit. We sent our people on their land and they weren¡¯t able to defeat that Astral Being. This is simply the proper response.¡±


    ¡°The proper response?¡± a man who hair rested on his shoulder said, ¡°Do you really think so? All I can see is that they are being greedy, Lora. They might think that the home of the monster slayers is easy to break, but they aren¡¯t weak. The monster they were facing was simply too strong. So far, that monster seems like a passerby, and it hasn¡¯t been seen ever since then. However, I believe that even though the monster broke the will of the people of nimrod when it attacked. Their hearts of steel won¡¯t be easily be melted.¡±


    ¡°You have a high opinion on them, Gaspar,¡± Donovan wiped his mouth. ¡°Nonetheless, the city states of nimrod will still face misfortune. The war on the west and north ravages the land, and now the vultures who ¡®helped¡¯ the city comes flocking.¡±


    ¡°And we are part of the vultures, I am not a pillager or a bandit. That¡¯s why I¡¯m a mercenary instead of a filthy bandit,¡± Kudrin said, fidgeting his gloved fingers.


    ¡°I assure you, that we will only deliver the goods. The Plum gold will enter the association, establish a hold in that city, and we will establish a route for our traders. Once we are done, we will go back to our routes, and handed this trade.¡±


    ¡°I hope you are right, Donovan,¡± Gaspar said. ¡°I worked for you because I don¡¯t want to involve myself in such matters. Fighting a war is meaningless, and you should know that better than everyone here.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Donovan nodded. ¡°That¡¯s why I opted for delivery instead of delivering war supplies. To think that all of them now wants a piece of the land. I want nothing to do with the slaughter that will come.


    ***


    Ciara sat near the hearth, holding on to her belly, caressing it. Nolan walked inside, carrying a rucksack, he walked in the kitchen and started cooking a bowl of soul. After cooking, he carried the bowl of soup on a tray, carrying it to Ciara. Her belly was large, and yet she seems unchanged. Her face remained the same, and she had no extra fat on her face. Her body was adequate enough to sustain her children with all the care. Around Ciara, there was a thin veil of light that wards off any danger that might come to her.


    Her presence alone has been keeping wolves and predatory animals from ever stepping foot near the village. Even though her belly was huge, she wasn¡¯t the same as before, where she had to sacrifice her children, she was determined to keep anyone who would harm her away. Nolan was the most concern, he knew what Ciara is capable and thought of someone messing with a pregnant woman whose powers are the reason he gave up killing her, being angry, made Nolan shiver at the thought of that happening.


    Nolan fetched the wooden spoon and scooped some of the soup, he delivered the spoon on her mouth and wiped her face. He had no reason to do this, and she can eat it herself, but she was having a mood. Nolan didn¡¯t want her to break the village in half, and he knew that despite her appearance, she was still capable of defending herself. The strands of her hair could become a copy of herself and they could defend against an army so she won¡¯t have to.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Nolan asked, arranging the poncho wrapped around her shoulders. ¡°I got to trade some food from the peddler, and it seems like there won¡¯t be anything coming to this village.¡±


    Ciara flashed a glance at the smoked and salted meat hanging on hooks. ¡°I think you hunted enough to last us for winter. You scavenged some wild vegetables, bamboo shoots and you¡¯ve traded the unwanted meat for beef and mutton. I do hope that you got more vegetables and cheese. Can you get me some cheese? I want to eat some cheese.¡±


    Nolan fished out a chunk of cheese from the rucksack, still carrying the bowl of soup. ¡°Here, open your mouth. Please don¡¯t chew it, don¡¯t choke will you?¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t kill me,¡± Ciara smugly said.


    ¡°Sure, sure,¡± Nolan said. ¡°How¡¯s it going anyway? Is your belly okay? No back pain? No itching? Anything that you hate eating?¡±


    ¡°Get those bamboo shoots away from me,¡± she said with a grim look on her face. ¡°How can you possibly eat those noddle shape plants?¡±


    ¡°They are tasty when salted, and stewed.¡±


    ¡°You find them tasty, but I don¡¯t. Do you have any more of that red fruit? Give me more of that.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t. They don¡¯t have any in the market. The villagers already emptied the stalls.¡±


    ¡°Have you tried looking for some in the tavern?¡±


    ¡°I can, still, you sure you want to eat those? Aren¡¯t they a bit sour?¡±


    ¡°Not at all, I am craving for them, please, get some for me will you?¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± Nolan pounded his fist on his thighs. ¡°Can you eat your bowl of soup?¡±


    ¡°No, get me those berries will you?¡±


    Nolan snatched his cloak and plod out of the house. He started to the curve path leading to the village, the leaves underneath his boots crunching. The bamboo leaves have turned brown, and some of the oak trees had no leaves on their branches. He kicked a pebble out of the way and watched it drown on the river current.


    The village road was empty and the chimneys above were releasing smoke. He marched through the stone path and entered the tavern. Seeing the owner, he walked to him and said, ¡°Do you have any of those round fruits?¡±


    ¡°I have some, need a pouch of them,¡± Nolan placed his palms on the table.


    The tavern owner scanned him. ¡°Oh, for the wife eh? She craving these?¡±


    ¡°Who knows? Also, do you have cheese on you?¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± the owner said. ¡°Thanks for the game you hunted, by the way, perfect condition, and we¡¯ve enough in stock for winter. Now, we can only hope that no starving bandit or brigands come knocking on the village. Say, lad, you¡¯re from the north, right? Soldier?¡±


    ¡°Was a soldier,¡± Nolan leaned on the counter. ¡°Left that left behind now, don¡¯t want to do anything other than care for the missus now. We¡¯re finally having children now.¡±


    The owner nodded and took a glimpse of him. ¡°You look good hiding it, but you ain¡¯t hiding it that easy, friend. You had that same look as that wanderer a while ago, worried and annoyed with his missus. First time?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Nolan shook her head. ¡°Pardon, but I rather not talk about it.¡±


    The owner shrugged. ¡°Of course, who am I to prod? Also, you should hurry up with these berries, lad. I added a few pieces of cheese on it. Always happy to help out folks living with us.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it,¡± he waved his hands. ¡°Hoped we can count you when winter comes, friend. Bears, wolves, and even magical beasts are always out. The village¡¯s been strangely safe when you two came in, and we haven¡¯t wolves for a while. Some folks may start calling you two as lucky charms.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll help when I can.¡±


    Nolan left the tavern with a stride. He hurried back home and entered the house. Ciara had finished her bowl and was trying her best with a ball of yarn. She was clamping her mouth as she tries to make something out of the yarn ball. ¡°Ciara,¡± Nolan called, placing the pouch of berries on her lap. ¡°Is that enough?¡±


    ¡°Sure is!¡± She took the berries and started eating, her face was like a chipmunk as she eats. She was eating the cheese and berries, while Nolan looked out of the window. Above, snow was finally falling on the village, snowflake by snowflake, the sight of winter made Nolan leaned on the window. He could see the chimney of the village from this house.

 Chapter 209: Winter’s Storm 2

    Winter falls on a village not known any name. When snowflakes fall from the heaves they paint the land with white. The running rivers become frozen, and the paddies that were tilted became froze when Lady Winter blows her winds. Among the six-foot deep snow was a figure clad in black, waiting for prey, hunting anything that might come to the village. Skull made from obsidian and clad in a thinly plated obsidian that looked translucent. Those who carried ill intentions were hunted down, and within the snow, they were buried with their hearts plunged with a shard of obsidian.


    The unknown village was surrounded by hills that no one could know where this village was unless they somehow manage to find it. Still, when the winter came, and when war broke out on the central continent. The village became a passage to the wanderers who sought warm for their journey. The hunter who was hunting down any dangers around the village had made the paths safer. News of a winter guardian spread and travelers used the spot to journey through.


    Among the throngs of weary travelers who spread the Brotherhood of good. A cult formed after the massacre of the bandits in the mountains of nimrod. The Brotherhood spread the word of good, preaching to not fall for banditry and stealing. These reformed bandits were fanatically spreading the word, guarding the village whose winter guardian was guarding.


    The hunter clad in translucent black obsidian had shown his figure on the Brotherhood, fervently allowing the Brotherhood to spread the word on their fellow believer. Among them believed in what they saw, and those who would punish evil if they dare to take the path of evil again. So preachers of the Brotherhood of Good were roaming around the Easter Lands fervently, destroying hideouts, slaying evil, and protecting those who might be targeted by evil.


    But the hunter stayed among the mountains, hunting down mythical threads that would come closer. Folks would witness a man clad in black rock-like flesh walking around, dragging corpses of monsters that tried invading the village. The slaughter of these monsters left the outskirts of the village free of any nasty beings that would prey on the villagers.


    The Golden City, located north of the village, has investigated the influx of travelers, and the news of a ghost hiding among the snow. They couldn¡¯t find any trace, and none of their magical instruments were able to help. So they choose to abandon the thought of pursuing the hunter, allowing it to prey on the monsters.


    A few weeks of monsters dying one after another, the village was free from any predators. Barely any threat and the village became peaceful, that the troubles of the past became something they never thought again. Among them was a hunter, and no wolves dare to take a step in the vicinity of the village, the villagers started to think that there was a merciful spirit guarding them.


    Nolan Salvatore undid his form and looked at the woman hugging the hearth. Her belly was bulging, and it was bigger than ever. Nolan was concerned, in a way that she said her itself that she felt like the baby was coming soon. He had thought that it was too early but it was clear that her constitution was different. Her body alone had accelerated the growth of the child inside her belly, she was full of vitality that the child on her belly was ready to be birthed despite the few months they¡¯ve been traveling and finally settling on this village. It was early, and it made Nolan shaky to the point he was hunting down any threat to calm his heart.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± she said with a smile on her face. ¡°I¡¯m sure that the baby would be fully developed even if I give birth early.¡±


    ¡°Is that right?¡± He retorted, not hiding his concern. ¡°You can wait until spring, can¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± she shook her head, ¡°that would be impossible with a constitution like mine. Nolan, cultivating the child within me would be far dangerous. You know what I am, and my powers might crush the young soul of our children if give birth to them in spring. That¡¯s why I must give birth to them to prevent them from imploding. I cannot allow my children to fall to any harm.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Nolan nodded. ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°You know, I thought I was barren. I¡¯ve been fighting and having my stomach punched, hit, impaled and gutted that maybe I¡¯d become barren along the way. That it would be my punishment. Still, this is a surprise, and to give birth to them is something I am looking forward to.¡±


    Ciara wasn¡¯t moving away from her rocking chair. She didn¡¯t need a walk or to stretch her legs when she¡¯s an example of fitness. Not to mention, she was cultivating children that might implode if she doesn¡¯t focus on regulating her stomach¡¯s cultivation. If she doesn¡¯t use most of her focus on helping them. It would mean that they might just pop like a balloon if they have too much of their mother¡¯s vitality.


    ¡°Also,¡± she looked outside, ¡°I hope you can find a place where I might give birth to. This place isn¡¯t fine, and I rather not destroy the village if something happens. I¡¯m afraid that I¡¯ve become too strong to have a normal delivery. We must leave this house when the time is near, so please find a way.¡±


    ¡°Is it really that bad?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sadly, It has to be like this,¡± Ciara lowered her head. ¡°My adventures have made me strong enough to deal with dragons as if they are sheep. I want to give birth normally, but I can¡¯t have that. I cannot help but nourish them with all of the care I have. I don¡¯t want to lose them and I don¡¯t want to hurt anyone. That¡¯s why Nolan, I implore you to help me through this time. Even if you hate me, please, let me give birth to the two of them.¡±


    ¡°Of course I will,¡± Nolan said, on one knee. ¡°I will make sure of it. Also¡­two?¡±


    ¡°Yes, two.¡±

 Chapter 210: The Warmth In the Middle of Winter

    It was a cave located deep in the mountains. The whole horizon was covered with a veil of white mist. The snow raged on and harsh winds blew from every direction. The trees were clad in white, and only a figure walking on the deep snow was walking. Outfitted with a cloak, and pulling a sleigh. The man pulled the sleigh with a woman on it to the cave. Nolan Salvatore pulled his mask and hood down. He flicked his finger to the cave, creating a ball of fire that floated, lighting the place. Inside the cave, there was a place filled with thick wool and hay.


    The cave was warm and there was a blue crystal on the side of the wall. Nolan pulled the sleigh close to the mouth of the cave. He took Ciara¡¯s hand, and carefully led her inside the cave, watching her every step, with her body leaning on him. She was flaring up, her body heat was melting the snow around the cave. Nolan¡¯s skin was feeling the heat radiating from her skin. She was bright red, and she was panting, holding in the pain of the children that was begging to be let out to the world.


    Nolan took her to the woof and carefully laid. He walked up to her and said, ¡°Inhale, and exhale, please calm down.¡± He took the luggage from the sleigh and took out the materials he got from the herbalist of the village. He took the wooden basin and casts a spell that produced water on his palms. He wrote a runic word and produced a piece of diamond-shaped ice, placing it in the water basin. He fetched a clean white cloth from his bag, dipped it in the basin, and used it to rub on Ciara¡¯s forehead. Her face was crumpled, and she was panting heavily, her chest heaving up and down. Her left hand was convulsing, and she was grunting, clamping her teeth tightly, and locking her jaw while preventing a scream from escaping her mouth. Her membranous sac was still intact and she was trying her hardest to suppress the pain produced by her own body. She was tightly holding on to a chunk of iron, yet it was squished so hard that it became thin as paper.


    Her right hand was pounding the cave, and Nolan could only take her hand and caressed it hoping that it would calm her down. Ciara, was in tears, a streak of tears run through both of her cheeks, and she was gritting her teeth. She was strong, therefore the membrane was putting up a fight. Ciara¡¯s body of steel had become a problem, and because of that, she was suffering from internal pain. Her body was going out of control, and if she doesn¡¯t give birth soon, she might just destroy the mountains and the land surrounding it. Light was coming out of her palms, elements that intertwined broke a part of the cave instantly, forcing Nolan to shield the cave, hoping that it wouldn¡¯t cave in on them.


    Not having a choice, Nolan forced his body to summoned obsidian pillars that would support the ceiling of the cave. His eyes turned bloody red, and his veins were spurting blood as he forces Ciara down, who was having a fit, she was screaming, throwing her arms around, breaking the floor, and making shockwaves as she swings her arms around.


    Nolan was entering his wraith form just to dodge Ciara¡¯s fits. Ciara was screaming, and she had bitten her lip, she was sobbing, veins popping on her head as she desperately waits for her waters to break. She has felt it breaking, however, it took her time to do so. ¡°Nolan! It hurts! It hurts!¡± She couldn¡¯t help but scream woefully.


    ¡°Just endure it!¡± Nolan said, trying his best to soothe Ciara¡¯s pain. It bothered her, that the war maiden who wouldn¡¯t even budge when hit by a bolt or an arrow would have this kind of reaction. That¡¯s why despite his body taking a beating, he endured, hoping that the waters of her membrane would break. It was then that Ciara suddenly shouted, arching her back. Nolan hurriedly scurried in front of her. She was experiencing contractions, and her uterine muscle was contracting, and water leaked out of her vagina. Nolan could see the baby¡¯s head, no, he could see two heads popping out. Nolan panicked for a second before he started laying out fresh cloth around her privates.


    Nolan massaged her birthing area. ¡°Take your time, Ciara, just take your time. Push if you can, okay?¡±


    Ciara didn¡¯t answer, she just gritted her teeth and pushed. Nolan didn¡¯t know what to do first, but he calmed himself down, and opted to go for the first baby, putting his hand under the baby¡¯s head, gently guiding it downward, gradually guiding the shoulders out, one at a time. Seeing the baby coming out, he took the cloth he prepared and gently rubbed the baby down, to stimulate the baby as it starts breathing. He wiped fluids off the baby¡¯s nose and mouth and covered the baby on a cloth. He took the baby, and said, tears running down his eyes, ¡°Okay, child, be good, you still have your sibling okay?¡±


    Nolan hurried and did the same process to the baby. He guided the baby until he wrapped both in a clean cloth. He was about to cry and cheer, but stayed calm, thinking that the placenta should come out of Ciara. Ciara was barely awake, she was looking at her children, although tears were on her face, she was smiling brightly.


    Nolan wanted to celebrate, wrapped his arms around the babies, but he couldn¡¯t. He had to wait for her placenta to naturally slip out. He barely could contain his excitement, so when her placenta did appear out of her privates, slipping out. When it did, Nolan checked if the twin¡¯s umbilical cord had stopped pulsing, then, he clamped the cord, and cut the section of the cord, with a piece of cloth underneath it. When it was done, Nolan felt like a weight was off his shoulders, and he stared at the two toddlers crying loudly.


    ***


    Nolan felt like water was rising from the bottom, escaping out of his eyes. There was a knot in his heart that was untied the moment the twins was delivered. A boy and a girl, and they were healthy children, loudly crying, expelling a tinge of their mother¡¯s power. Nolan felt like he was just poured with cold water, and looking at the two, he couldn¡¯t but smile naturally, as if the two were the most precious thing to him. He held himself back and made sure that the babies were warm and safe.


    He turned his attention to Ciara, who was knocked out after the second child came out. She was raggedly breathing, and she looked so defenseless. Nolan turned his attention on her neck, a tinge of murderous intent surged out. He then squinted his eyes close, and punched his face for what he thought. He took a piece of cloth and placed it on Ciara¡¯s forehead. ¡°Please rest,¡± he said gently.


    ***


    Ciara found herself on a void that reflected a blue sky. There was a woman who had the same appearance as her, sobbing, and laughing. The woman turned her attention to Ciara and wrapped her arms around Ciara. ¡°Thank you, t-thank you!¡±


    Ciara couldn¡¯t understand. She only wrapped her arms around the woman and rubbed her back. She took a step back, and saw the face of a woman whose face was covered in tears and snot. Ciara patted the woman¡¯s head, and took a step back. The woman wiped her face, placed her hands behind her, and smiled at Ciara, her figure turning into many lights. Ciara felt a thorn in her heart plucked out, and she suddenly saw a cave ceiling lit up. She looked around and saw that she was lying down on a bed made of wool and hay. She was dazed for a second, until she heard the cry of two children. They were screaming, and a weary voice calmed them, ¡°There, there, calm down, you two, dad is here, don¡¯t cry.¡±


    The two kept crying, and when Nolan glanced to where Ciara was, and saw that she was awake, he said, ¡°Please help me, you should have regenerated right?¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Ciara tried to stand, but she felt both of her legs weak, and she could only crawl to where Nolan was. With hands shaking, she took he babies away, and caressed them with her arms, the warmth of her body radiating to them, the children stopped crying the moment they were in the bosom of their mother. ¡°My children, my flesh and blood?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Nolan said tiredly. ¡°They are yours, Ciara. Our children, aren¡¯t they healthy?¡±


    The dam of Ciara¡¯s eyes broke, eyes widened, ¡°They are, indeed,¡± body shaking sobs came out after her, wave after wave. The brave face that she always had crumbled, and all the loneliness, pain, and the weight of the travels gushed out of her this moment. She couldn¡¯t stop shaking, and she could only stare at her children with tears spilling out of her eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Nolan rubbed the back of her head. ¡°Don¡¯t cry, okay? I¡¯m here, and if you keep doing that, they might think that their mommy is weak, when in fact she¡¯s the strongest there is.¡±


    ¡°Leave me alone,¡± she swung her head away, avoiding Nolan¡¯s gaze. Nolan raised a smirk, and then turned his attention to the children. ¡°I, I know that it is complicated between us, but, thank you, Ciara, I thank you for this.¡±


    ¡°I wanted this,¡± Ciara said. ¡°I just don¡¯t want to be lonely, and I took the chance.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know,¡± Nolan shrugged. ¡°You can keep saying that.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the truth, and I,¡± Ciara gave up, and hid her face between the babies. Her shoulder was shaking, and yet Nolan had to say those things. Nolan felt guilty, and placed his shoulder on Ciara, before standing up. His shirt was covered in blood, and the scratches and wound he sustained while helping Ciara was still regenerating.


    ¡°I¡¯ll clean up and set up protection around the cave. Ciara, do you know any concealment barriers?¡±


    ¡°I know, I will cast it once my body feels right.¡±


    Nolan dusted his shirt. ¡°I¡¯ll prepare a bath so you can clean yourself. If you can¡¯t stand then I¡¯ll help you.¡±


    ¡°No, no,¡± she shook her head. ¡°I will be fine, please worry about these lovelies.¡±


    ¡°So what should we call them?¡± Nolan stared at his twins. ¡°I thought of a name for the boy¡­the girl however, can you name her?¡±


    ¡°What did you name our boy?¡±


    ¡°Rory, it is a name from my home country, the name of one of our High Kings.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Ciara nodded. ¡°I would like to call her, Eira. Look at her, pale as a snow compared to Rory.¡±


    ¡°She seems to like her name,¡± Nolan nodded. ¡°Rory and Eira, our children, hah, I can¡¯t believe this. It took a lot of time, but it seems that we¡¯ve finally done it, and it has been quite a journey. Time and space, and we¡¯ve even pointed our blades at each other. My heart¡¯s in chaos, but I am throwing it away, for now, it¡¯s shameful, and I know that it is quite maddening that I am this happy. Hah, I can¡¯t believe this.¡±


    Ciara didn¡¯t say a word, she hugged her children as if obsessed, not willing to let them go, a thin shield of light protecting the four of them. ¡°Nolan, you know me, and what I would do for my family.¡±


    ¡°Of course I do,¡± Nolan smiled thinly. ¡°The woman who escaped from her world to save her adopted family would surely do everything to her protect her child. And to think that I just give you two reason to live now. What a fool I am.¡±


    ¡°Two?¡± She snorted. ¡°Three reasons now, hate me all you want, love me all you want, but you are taking responsibility, mister.¡±


    Indeed, the two¡¯s relationship is madness, and maybe they¡¯ve become insane along the way, however, at this moment, they were just fools who were glad by the birth of their twins. The maddened and lonely couple were no longer alone. They weren''t just two of them now.

 Chapter 211: The Bleak Walker

    Price of Rebirth


    ¡°HAAAAAAAAAAAAA,¡± he took in air as if he was drowning. He was naked, and all alone in a forest.


    His body was chiseled, and despite that, he felt like he lost a huge part of his soul. On the horizon was the tower of nimrod lit up with magical flames, and around the vicinity of the tower was tents, siege engines, and armies marching forth.


    ¡°What happened?¡± He thought back. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    He was naked, and the cold winds of winter were making him shiver. He plodded through the knee-length snow and saw a man who was braced on the tree, there was no light on his eyes and he had no pulse. It was inappropriate, but he had no choice with how things are. He just awoke, and if he doesn¡¯t get anything then this would die from the cold.


    ¡°Forgive me,¡± he said. ¡°Rest in peace, may your clothes save my life.¡± He took the clothes of the dead man and wore it. He adjusted the frozen clothes around him, and tried drawing runes from his hands. The runes sparked like flint, and magical signs flickered. ¡°My runic signs are strange, it must be because of the revival? Master could revive out of the fragments, and he never suspected that it was his ability.


    He stared at the falling snow. ¡°It must have been months ever since that day. To be struck down so helplessly, damn, that was a nightmare. Still, should I find revenge against an opponent like that? No, I shouldn¡¯t, that would be stupid, what revenge? Does it help me?¡± He muttered while plowing through the landscape of snow.


    The terrain was strewn with bodies and loose arrows. Corpses, horses, and magical beasts were around the battlefield, many of them were looted, decapitated, and impaled, the merciful snow covering their shame. It took him minutes to reach the camps where the battered men and women were. He looked and saw that the walls of the towers of nimrod still stood. The barrier that filters out of friends and foes guarded the tower.


    ¡°They must have thought that the tower was easy to bully, the city of warriors, magus, wizards, and wise men cannot be easily beaten. It would take more than this to break the tower, who said that the tower was the only protection of the City of Nimrod?¡±


    He stretched his legs to the front of the gate with the stares of the soldiers following him. ¡°If you want to die, go ahead, you¡¯re not the first one, lad.¡± The soldier who was chewing on his cigar said, he wore a fur coat around his shoulders, it was thick, and gashed with sword wounds. He didn¡¯t bathe an eye as a soldier who should be part of the allied army moved towards the barrier of the city of nimrod.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine.¡± He said while taking a step inside the barrier. The barrier didn¡¯t react or behaved violently. The man who was smoking cigar widened his eyes, before shrugging his shoulders. ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s how it was. Tsk, I¡¯m tired, I don¡¯t care.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± He blinked. The guards inside the barrier acted immediately, their spears pointed, before they opened their eyes wide. ¡°Oh, I thought you were dead, lad.¡± The bald man with huge gash around his neck said. ¡°Must have been quite the injury, huh.¡±


    He smiled. ¡°It was. May I continue?¡±


    The guard gestured with his hand. ¡°Go ahead, the towers aren¡¯t as lively as it was before.¡±


    He took a stride inside the guardhouse and entered the main streets. There was no soul to be found around and only the snow covered the ground and the roofs of the houses. There were a few strays but they retreated to the alleys. He clenched his right hand tightly and ambled forward. His eyes trained on the paving stones. His boots kicked snow and snowflakes fell on top of his nose.


    It was then that there was a sudden light that cut through the fabrics of space. A woman, whose red eyes and ashen blonde hair, along with an illusionary burnt scar around her face appeared, she was wearing eastern robes, and she stared at him. Her eyes were riddled with guilt and shock, and words seem to be unable to escape her lips.


    ¡°Ah,¡± he said, ¡°my murderer, to think you would come back only a few minutes. Hah, I understand now why the Old Man was wary of you, you really are too strong.¡±


    ¡°I was sure that your soul was destroyed, child.¡±


    ¡°I think so too, but it seems that the Old Man forgot that he was an undying time wraith. I saw how many times his soul was fragmented, and your strike was indeed something, Mrs.¡±


    ¡°Do you despise me, child?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still alive,¡± he craned his neck at the tower. ¡°That¡¯s all that matters, the old man taught me what need is there to weep over things that had already happen, and he loves you like crazy, you know?¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± she lowered her head.¡±


    ¡°Hey,¡± he said, ¡°what happened to the old man?¡±


    ¡°We are living together.¡±


    He smiled bitterly. ¡°He didn¡¯t try to avenge me? I know it, he really is still madly in love despite denying it.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± she shook her head. ¡°He did try, but no blade or power would hurt me. You should know this better than anyone, child.¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± he snorted air. ¡°If I didn¡¯t have the power of the old man, I would have died. Still, it looks like my soul is fragile, and the powers he bestowed are gone, I might crumble.¡±


    She raised a palm. ¡°No, I won¡¯t let that happen.¡± A bright light shone around him. ¡°I refuse to have more tragedies and your death¡­has caused me happiness.¡±


    ¡°Well, you do have that smile hanging on your face, Auntie.¡±


    ¡°We have two children now.¡±


    ¡°That fast?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m different.¡±


    ¡°Figures,¡± he said. ¡°Could you tell him I¡¯m fine?¡± He manifested power on his right hand. ¡°That should cut off our connection, and we shouldn¡¯t be connected.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡±


    He looked at her. ¡°Say, can you end this war?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± she shook her head. ¡°I refused to be a part of this, not anymore. I¡¯ve lived my life fighting for others, I think that my husband is right. There is no need for me in this world.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± he kicked the snow. ¡°Very well, I understand. I saw the memories of the old man. I saw how he struggled and how you two acted. It¡¯s a good thing that you decided this, still, I wish to see the old man¡¯s children. He must have raged when he saw me dead. Please tell me.¡±


    ¡°He did. He was angry and was willing to kill.¡± She smiled bitterly. ¡°Still, somehow, we ended up having two children. Aren¡¯t we despicable?¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°Not all, I just see two broken people trying to figure things out. Madam, you and the Old Man has lived long enough. The eternity that you two have walked is unfathomable to me. The times you hurt each other bleeds my heart. I am happy for you two.¡±


    ¡°You really are a sweet boy,¡± she said. ¡°I am glad that my husband raised such a fine young man. I, wish I could help you more than healing your soul. Child, I fragmented your soul, and the powers he bestowed upon you are lost now. The time wraith¡¯s ability saved your soul, and the only thing that remains on you are the body of the half-dragon that he once consumed. Child, you saw how many times my husband had died. His soul has been fragmented, and he had been split into beings or even three at once. His soul is resilient and you adopted some parts of it, hence, this survival of yours was a strange surprise. However, that was your last saving grace and the one blessing that you had.¡±


    ¡°Will you really not end this war?¡± He asked again. ¡°Once you act then there would be no need for war.¡±


    ¡°I could do that,¡± she said blankly. ¡°However, child, let me ask you, once I destroy the enemies before the tower. What would have happened?¡±


    ¡°Everything would be fine?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± she placed her hands behind her back. ¡°Things would become different, and many would looked at the one that saved them with reverence. I saw such scenes many times and you know what happens? They rely on you, and you are tasked to carry the weight of their struggle. You would try to make things right but before long, you will find yourself walking on a field of corpses, sword coated in blood, and eyes numbed. Every world, every timeline, it doesn¡¯t end, the struggle, the fighting, the bickering¡­I fought because I wanted peace. However, I can¡¯t do that right now, I don¡¯t want to involve myself while my children are still young, do you understand me?¡±


    ¡°You can just conceal yourself.¡±


    ¡°No, I already showed my presence while dressed in an astral cloak, they will find a way through divination and that I cannot allow that to happen. It would have been fine if I was alone. But now anymore, I cannot allow myself to act so selflessly, I need to be selfish for the sake of my family. I hope you understand, child.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± he raised a hand. ¡°Still, it would be great to have someone like you by our side.¡±


    ¡°I am on your side,¡± she said, ¡°I have done you wrong, and I intend to help your family. Child, you scare me with how you are too nonchalant with this, here you are, speaking to the murderer of your soul and you act as if nothing.¡±


    ¡°I am still alive,¡± he placed a hand on his chest, ¡°my heart is beating loudly, my soul, although fragmented, still works. I should be happy that from a speck my soul survived. I am grateful enough that the thoughts of revenge aren¡¯t my problem at the moment. Besides, can I win against you, Auntie?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± she said sternly. ¡°Martial and magical cannot harm me here, and although I sense another layer of the firmament in this world. I don¡¯t think they can match me, not like they will do anything about me. I like to see them try and harm me or my family.¡±


    He felt the coldness of winter when she spoke. His soul trembled and the barriers around the city rippled. The whole city shook when she released her intent against the heavens. He couldn¡¯t believe how his Master was able to make a woman this strong fall in love with him so madly. Revenge? He would be foolish enough to raise his blade against the person that killed him once.


    ¡°If you want to, I can evacuate your family with a teleport spell.¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°No, my family loved this city more than anything. Besides, this is my home and to see it fall to others does not sit right with me.¡±


    ¡°Very well,¡± she said. ¡°You will be walking the bleak path, child. North, east, south, and west surrounds this city of nimrod. You will face hardship, and you will tire out. I pray that your soul wouldn¡¯t crumble, this is the last of your life, and if you experience damage to your soul again. It will not do you good. Unlike my husband who has refined his soul as a bleak walker. Yours is fragile, child.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± he said with a bow. ¡°I don¡¯t know what to say, Auntie. All I can say is that the Master should stay away and live his life with the woman he chased after for. And Auntie, please don¡¯t run away anymore okay? Same as the Old man, you two are always running away, avoiding each other, and I hope that your children will be that link that holds you both.¡±


    She had a guilty face. ¡°Your kindness, it stings me.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t just get mad at you, Auntie. I¡¯m alive, and I know that there was something wrong with you when you fought me. That¡¯s why you shouldn¡¯t worry too much about things that you can¡¯t change.¡±


    She started to go transparent and the space behind her was slit open. ¡°See you around, Child of Elior.¡±


    ¡°Yes, see you around, Auntie.¡±


    The figure of the War Maiden disappeared like dust drifting on the wind. The Bleak Walker, trained his sight on the tower, his fist clenched.

 Chapter 212: Intermission – The Voices Inside Her Head

    Nolan saw the space tear in front of him. Ciara, walked out of the tear, her face appearing out of the space tear. Nolan folded his arms, fist clenched, eyeing Ciara. ¡°He¡¯s alive isn¡¯t he?¡±


    ¡°He tore the spiritual link,¡± Ciara said. ¡°He¡¯s alive, looks like a speck of his soul survived, regenerated, and molded his soul and flesh back. It took months for him to do so, however. He had cracks all over his soul and his soul felt like yours when I saw you back then after five hundred years of disappearance. Hmm, it is a good thing it didn¡¯t take five hundred years for him to regenerate.


    Nolan blinked. ¡°Is that so¡­It¡¯s good that he¡¯s alive¡­that¡¯s good.¡± There was a knot that was untied in his heart. ¡°Were his memories fine?¡±


    She walked towards the crib where the twins were sleeping. ¡°You exposed him to your memories, didn¡¯t you? It seems that the memories you showed him were loss and his fifteen years of existence were kept. I managed to heal his soul but there are cracks around it. Unless he consumes a soul similar to Kaiser, then his soul would be fragile. I rid the abilities of the wraith away from him. Materializing into the form of a ghost and being hurt would cause his soul to be damaged. His flesh resembled yours, he can still cast runic spells but that¡¯s it.¡±


    ¡°My blessings are gone, huh,¡± Nolan placed both of his hands on the crib. ¡°I taught him all I could and there should be no worry about his abilities itself. Still, I can¡¯t help but worry about the boy with his current condition.¡±


    ¡°Forgive me,¡± she said. ¡°I wish I could do more for the boy, but doing beyond what I did would truly obliterate his soul.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s enough at least for now,¡± he said with a low hushed tone. ¡°You sensed his soul immediately, huh.¡±


    ¡°I did. Every living being that I kill is absorbed by my soul. Hah, you know, the screams inside my head are usually horrible, but among them, his voice was the only one who were kind, so kind that it stung more than the curses hurled by the screams inside my head. I, I should have known that someone who was raised by you shouldn¡¯t be so easily killed. If I have been more observant then I would have seen that his soul was alive. His soul wouldn¡¯t be in an awful state.¡±


    ¡°What need is there to weep over parts of it now?¡± Nolan said to her. ¡°I accepted you despite thinking that he was dead. This changed things, and I am happy my boy is alive, however, there are things that we have no control over, and these are one of them.¡±


    She blinked at him. ¡°You really did teach him, didn¡¯t you? That boy, he was kind that it hurts. I understand why you took a liking to that boy, and why you would be so angered about his death. I am glad that he¡¯s alive but¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s stuck in a war,¡± she said. ¡°I would understand if you want to go back to him.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± he shook his head. ¡°He can handle himself as long as he doesn¡¯t meet any threat beyond his abilities. Besides, you marked him right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, seven lotus blessings, he should be able to survive seven dangers. It should allow him a second wind at the moment of danger. It is nothing compared to a time wraith¡¯s phasing ability, but it should be enough to survive. He should know instinctively the seven fortunes he has now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Nolan breathe out.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried?¡±


    ¡°Worried about what?¡±


    ¡°That boy is in the middle of a war.¡±


    ¡°I am, but he isn¡¯t so weak to be culled by anyone. The only misfortune that he had met with was meeting a War Maiden that fought through time and space.¡±


    Ciara smiled bitterly. ¡°True, he was unfortunate to meet someone like me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the part where you should comfort me.¡±


    ¡°You? Comfort? Impossible, the woman who doesn¡¯t want to be pitied wants comfort now?¡±


    ¡°I know you¡¯d say that,¡± she smiled. ¡°You really are holding it against me, what I have done.¡±


    ¡°I am holding it against you.¡±


    She walked towards him and pressed her fist on his chest. ¡°Don¡¯t overdo it, okay?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± he grabbed hold of her arm. ¡°Still, does the noise in your head loud, Ciara?¡±


    ¡°It is, but do not worry about me, I am used to their curses and insults. They aren¡¯t as annoying as they used to be when you are around, and the gentle snore of Rory and Eira makes their voices quieter.¡±


    Nolan grabbed both her cheeks. ¡°Tell me when they are loud.¡±


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m that weak? No, they might tell me what I am, a monster, a destroyer of worlds, but I never doubted who I am from the start. I might fall, I might despair, but I know who I am and I am not seeking any of their pity or understand. I know when to ask forgiveness, and I know when to reason or when I overstepped my bounds. The noises in my head might tell me and curse me, but they are not me. The things I did I own them. Whether people like me or not, or whether these souls condemn me for what I did. It doesn¡¯t matter.¡±


    ¡°Well, aren¡¯t you resolute?¡± He took his hands off her cheeks.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that why you are with me?¡±


    ¡°True,¡± he put his hand on her shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about my boy, Einar. Well, at least you don¡¯t have to worry about him.¡±


    ¡°You¡­are taking this well calmly.¡±


    ¡°I had a lot of time to think. Besides, I am just happy that he¡¯s alive. That¡¯s good, I didn¡¯t lose a son, and he can still live a life. It bothers me that he¡¯s in the middle of a war, but sometimes they have to be forged in fire. Don¡¯t you think so, Ciara?¡±


    Ciara nodded without thought, she looked at her children and showed them with her gaze. The voices inside her head quieted and their curses grew silent.

 Chapter 213: There She Lurks The Background

    Snow fell on every wooden tile of the houses. He walked covered in snow, knocking on the door. His knuckles wiping the snow that tainted the wooden door. There are footsteps behind the door.


    ¡°Coming,¡± a weary voice said, the door opened, and the dwarf¡¯s heavy eye bags, and beard that curved around his stomach. His eyes widened and mouth half-open. ¡°Lad, you are alive?¡±


    ¡°I am, Old Tarsus,¡± he said.


    ¡°We thought you were dead!¡±


    ¡°Does everyone think that too?¡± Einar walked inside, passing Old Tarsus whose eyes still rounded.


    ¡°Almost! A soldier saw you face that Astral Monster! Tell me, lad. Did you defeat that monster?¡±


    ¡°Monster? No, no, did anyone die?¡±


    ¡°Beaten, but they never died. I think the monster was playing with everyone!¡±


    ¡°No, why is mercy sadism now? She was confused, try fighting the monsters below the abyss of the tower, you¡¯d be confused and deranged as well. Well, she did obliterate my soul, and I got turned into a speck of dust.¡±


    ¡°You what!?¡±


    ¡°Things that happened already. Done, and done, so, moving on.¡±


    ¡°Moving on?¡±


    ¡°Yes, moving on, we need to stay to the present, and when I say present, the now, the current, do you understand Old Tarsus?¡±


    ¡°You are acting strange!¡±


    ¡°I am!¡± Einar craned his neck to the side. ¡°It bothers me that I have no voices in my head and being alone inside one body is scary. How in the heavens do normal people do it? It¡¯s odd and strange at the same time. So, I might need a jacket and a brigantine, with body armor, do you still have that enchanted one? I like to take that now.¡±


    ¡°You never wanted that!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t! But I lost some of my abilities. Can cast runic spells but that¡¯s all to it. I think I can emulate the same abilities but I don¡¯t want my newly healed soul destroyed, so I rather not do it. What¡¯s the situation?¡±


    ¡°Explain some things to me lad!¡± Tarsus demanded. ¡°You¡¯ve been gone for months and we thought you were dead! Now, you are acting like loony! It¡¯s winter and you were gone at the ends of summer! We mourned for you! We cried for you!¡±


    Einar blinked. ¡°I was sure that I left nobody, didn¡¯t I? Why? Why pronounced me dead when I could be just missing?¡± He squared his shoulders and sharpened his back. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°That monster broke the backs of the favored children. They think that the heir of Elior won¡¯t survive.¡±


    Einar clapped once. ¡°I see, they don¡¯t want to lose face so they thought of me as dead. Wait, does that mean I am famous?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the son of the smiling swordsman and the madame for heaven¡¯s sake! Do you know how many letters are waiting for you? Waiting for the hand of the son of Elior?¡±


    ¡°I was popular! Then aren¡¯t there any girls that wanted me? It¡¯s odd isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°You are a strange young man. And you know how the noble girls are obstinate about the customs. Wait for three years and you¡¯ll have girls flocking. But you are a dead man!¡±


    ¡°Deadman, so does that mean I can scare others?¡± He asked.


    Tarsus stomped his leg and folded his arms. ¡°Lad, you have no right to make a lonesome little girl cry. Imagine, being a lonely little girl who was treated badly, insulted, cursed for things she had no power over. Found a big brother she could rely on, gave her a chair that moves in hopes she could move around. That big brother dies then and she¡¯s alone again. The wail of that little girl breaks my heart. Not even the war could silence me the way she did. So no!¡± He raised a finger. Einar Elior, I want you to return home and play no heartless tricks. I want you to dress up, go back home, and tell your family that you survived against the Astral Cloak Monster.¡±


    ¡°Enough with the monster,¡± Einar said sternly. ¡°I¡¯ll go home. But never call her a monster for I have defeated the monster. She will not come to this world that I assure you. Never as long as her children are not bothered.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Einar kept his silence for a second. ¡°When I wanted to die alone I meant it. Tell me, Old Tarsus, what do you do when you want to die alone but you can¡¯t because you have someone stuck inside you?¡±


    ¡°Just go home lad,¡± he said tiredly. ¡°I¡¯ll get you dressed.¡±


    Einar smiled at that. He thought. ¡°You try to rid that other person. So when you find a chance to you do it knowing that it might lead to your death. What do you do? Do you follow with it expecting change? I did and I won that gamble. I have memories of the Old Man and I know what he has been through. He¡¯s influenced my soul and indeed my soul regenerated at the cost of my powers. The result of the gamble is my freedom. The freedom to die alone. Sorry, Old Man, had to take the gamble, don¡¯t like sad endings, never does, and really, how can the person who saw the memories of his Old Man not realize who your beloved woman? No matter what dress she wears you¡¯d realize it faster than I do. Quick thinking on my part, isn¡¯t it Old Man? I learned it better than being seen dying breaks peoples heart. And I don¡¯t want to see my old man become a monster. After all, you¡¯d hate that, don¡¯t you, Matriarch Cheery, House of Cheery, the woman from the Empire of Salviticia, the Matriarch who wanted to marry Cero Cheery to the House of Alician. I always thought that it was odd that the Old Man didn¡¯t react to that name. The last name of the girl who he mingled with. The girl who waited for her crush, hoping, that she could tell him. He never returned and she was lost.¡±


    Einar went out of the shop and said. ¡°Old Man, why do you have only crazy women? And why is The Cheery''s Matriarch, the girl who should never be here, here, in this world? Where are you, Traveler of Time and Space? Oh, is it too early?¡±

 Chapter 214: The Young Lord’s Servant

    The walk back to his home was a tiresome one. He was smiling while strolling to the snowy landscape leading to the House of Elior. He saw a huge frame mansion with two floors and a stable on the right. He thought that maybe he should really act and surprise the family. Then, he remembered the words of Old Tarsus.


    There was no one around with snow falling heavily. None of the people who usually were around were training. Not even the line of horses that were usually parked on the stable held by a straw rope. There was only the silence of the winds and his boots clumping the snow. He plodded through and saw a woman who was staring at the ribbon. She wore no dress but a leather armor with mail. She was looking at the ribbon on her palm. She had not noticed the figure walking on the snow. Einar didn¡¯t leak out any sound other than his boots. His movement was similar to a panther sneaking up close. The maiden who held the ribbon on her hand stared blankly. She must have thought that Einar was another warrior, as she was saying.


    ¡°Leave me,¡± she said with a bitter tone. ¡°I do not wish to speak with anyone. Master Lionel and the Lady wanted me to join their war. But I do not serve them willingly and only did because the Young Lord wanted me to. So, try not to bother me-¡°


    When she looked up she saw a stolid-faced young man with snow covering him. She opened her mouth widely first but she clamped her mouth tightly, tied the ribbon around her hair and stood up. ¡°Young Lord, you are alive, as expected, this Camilla has not lost her faith.¡±


    ¡°Says the one who was staring at her ribbon so sadly.¡± He said with his hand on her head. ¡°How old are you? Sulking around as if you were a woman who hasn¡¯t seen death yet.¡±


    ¡°Do not ask a woman¡¯s age, Young Lord. Besides, any woman would be sad when they lose their important person.¡± She said that while snow painted the left side of her face. ¡°I am angry that you didn¡¯t notice us. I am angry at the thought of my Young Lord dying to a monster.¡±


    ¡°Monster,¡± he said wearily. ¡°Please do no call a lonely woman like that, it¡¯s rude, and she¡¯s not a monster. Just a lost person who wanted to see her loved one. Hey, I just paired two idiots who spent ages running away from another. It really is true, once you have a child, it is impossible to break the link.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been matchmaking,¡± she stood glaring. ¡°Young Lord, a soldier saw you die fighting a woman who broke the backs of the favored children. They say you died valiantly but I don¡¯t believe. I wanted to believe that you wouldn¡¯t fall so easily. Young Lord, you always go around punishing people silently. You¡¯d be gone for weeks and returned but I know you would return because you would leave a word. This time, you didn¡¯t leave a word, you worried me to the point that I am here now, wearing my armor, ready to go to war in hopes that I could protect the house that you are not in. Tell me, Young Lord, do I have the right to be angry?¡±


    ¡°You do,¡± Einar said, his arms folded. He wiped the snow on her cheek. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I worried you, my Camilla. Aside from the Old Man, you are my closest and I would never dare to make you sad. Did I frighten you?¡±


    She buried her forehead on Einar¡¯s chest. ¡°Yes, you did. Master, your dream is stupid and heartbreaking. I dread to think what you would do if no one buries you. We made an agreement, my Einar. That you will die alone but I will be the one to bury you. I hate your dream but I respect you. So don¡¯t die without letting me know where you went to, okay?¡±


    ¡°Goodness,¡± he patted her back. ¡°Why are you such a worrywart, my Camilla? Really, this is the reason why I want you to marry someone. A strong assertive man who would tell a woman like you to stay still and just be a good girl.¡±


    ¡°No, I refuse.¡± She shook her head while still burying her face on Einar¡¯s chest. ¡°You defeated me when I was weak and lost. You picked up a woman like me, taught me to be a good servant, and now you want me to marry someone? Young Lord, please do not take my oath and vows as if they are just throwaways. Do you want me to bite you?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± he pushed her away. ¡°Please do not bite me, Camilla. Really, I was only an away for a bit and did a gamble. I assure you, that other than my powers, everything is fine.¡±


    ¡°That being that you fought. Would she come back?¡±


    ¡°Why would she when she¡¯s living the good life with her husband now?¡± He said smiling. ¡°Auntie destroyed me and if anything none could destroy her happiness other than another jealous woman. But they fought over and over again so there¡¯s no need to think about it.¡±


    ¡°You sound as if you are talking about two women squabbling over a man. Please don¡¯t tell me that the monster everyone fears is nothing but a woman who lost his man?¡±


    ¡°Why do you have to make it so difficult when the answer is easy?¡± He inhaled through his nose. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Auntie will not be coming back or will bother anyone as long as her children are safe.¡±


    She held her head. ¡°Your words are hard to believe, Young Lord.¡±


    ¡°You just have to believe me on that. Oh, and tell anyone that I destroyed her at the cost of losing my powers.¡±


    ¡°Did you really?¡±


    ¡°Of course not, heavens, not a single being can beat that woman. Oh man, I want to know how the Old Man keeps her still. I rather not know how he would deal with a woman who can split continents and tear open space!¡±

 Chapter 215: An Elior’s Courage

    Einar blinked, patting away the snow on his coat. ¡°Where¡¯s father and mother?¡±


    ¡°Away,¡± she replied. ¡°They¡¯ve been busying themselves with war. I¡¯ll send a message to them.¡±


    Einar placed his hand on the wall. ¡°What about my little sis?¡±


    ¡°Hasn¡¯t come out yet. She cried really hard on your funeral. Can¡¯t blame the little girl, she got a brother, and then died without a word from him. She¡¯ll come out and be happy if you see her now.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡± He started up the stairs and went up the second floor. ¡°Only a few people are left it seems.¡±


    Camilla said. ¡°All of them went to war. You know how this House is, built from the backs of mercenary and warriors. All of us go to war and your parents are no exception.¡±


    ¡°But you stayed.¡±


    ¡°Because I believed in you.¡±


    Einar stopped walking and stared at her. ¡°Thank you, for taking care of her.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s Young Lord¡¯s little sister. I wouldn¡¯t leave a little girl who thinks she¡¯s cursed. Not until I know that a servant would care for her.¡±


    Einar continued walking until he reached a room. He twisted the handle of the door and saw a little girl hugging her doll with a blank look on her face. Eyes unfocused as if she couldn¡¯t even bother to look at the world around. Einar took a silent stride to the little girl, wiping her face.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°Eh, what? Saw a ghost, little sis?¡±


    ¡°Brother?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am your brother, and why are so sad?¡±


    ¡°But!¡±


    ¡°But what? Oh, do you not have faith in your own brother? How come?¡±


    ¡°You were dead!¡± She twisted on the bed. ¡°You are not?¡±


    ¡°I am not. Happy? Sad? Or am I ghost to you now? Camilla said you were not leaving your room!¡±


    ¡°But,¡± she sobbed, back hunched, and snot forming on her nose. ¡°Brother died, and, then, everyone said you were dead!¡±


    ¡°I am not certain,¡± Einar said. ¡°Do your brother look like someone so easily weak?¡±


    ¡°Brother is strong!¡±


    ¡°Then come here, you,¡± he hugged the little girl. ¡°Sorry to worry you, little sis. Had to be away to match a man and a woman.¡±


    She wiped her tears off. ¡°Matched a man and a woman? What did you do, Brother?¡±


    ¡°Making sure that a lonely man would meet a lonely woman again. That¡¯s all there is to it.¡± He smiled gently. ¡°They had been through a lot and it matters to me that they are together now. One day, they might and visit, show their children to us.¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± Her eyes sparkled. ¡°Tell me! Tell me! She wiped her tears and snot off.


    ¡°Well, once upon a time there¡¯s a man who loves a woman. He loved the woman and was a soldier so loyal that he was willing to wait for many years. He followed the woman to many troubles and fought with her until the day they could see the light again. The woman was a dutiful woman and she could never repay the man¡¯s love. It was a drug that she won¡¯t take until she saves the world. And she did save the world but it was too late already. She had died and the man walked the ends of the earth to see the sun again. In the end, she could be with him and yet time was kind to them. Cruel and kindly that it took them many years to stop running away. The man was a stubborn fool who didn¡¯t give up and the woman was a single-minded woman who couldn¡¯t abandon a world for the sake of a man.¡±


    ¡°Are they immortal?¡±


    ¡°They might be. But I think they will live long enough and has lived long enough to know that they will be lonely without each other. It was foolish you know?¡±


    ¡°Brother brought them together that¡¯s why Brother was away?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I brought them together and made sure they won¡¯t leave each other again. So Brother is sorry since he has to deal with two fools who can¡¯t stop running away. Does little sis understand now?¡±


    ¡°I do!¡± Her tears were gone. Only reddened cheeks with the color of a rose. ¡°Does that mean Brother will stay now?¡±


    ¡°Not for too long,¡± Einar said. ¡°Little sis should believe in me, and that you should stay strong no matter what. Brother might go away, and Brother might not come back again alive. Little sis is smart, you get what I mean.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± she lowered her head. ¡°I just want to see brother again.¡±


    ¡°And here I am!¡± He pressed her little nose. ¡°Be brave, be courageous and never be trapped in a room okay? I will be very mad if you keep doing this, does little sis understand?¡±


    ¡°I do!¡± She raised both hands. ¡°I will be strong since Brother asked me to!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡± Einar chuckled. ¡°The blood of Elior flows through your veins! Never be afraid and always have courage when there is a need for courage. Never forget to move on and march forward despite it all. That¡¯s why, I don¡¯t want to see you sulking and being so gloomy, okay, little sis?¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± She reached her arms around Einar. Her tiny arms were making it difficult for her so Einar wrapped his arms around Layla. He felt the warmth of his little sis and couldn¡¯t help but smile. He saw Camilla standing with a smug grin on her face and said. ¡°Isn¡¯t she a brave child?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s an Elior,¡± Camilla gave a slight nod. ¡°I expected this. It would be odd if she stays sad even though her brother is around now. That¡¯s why I expected this.¡±


    ¡°No need to fool yourself with that grin of yours,¡± Einar told her. ¡°You really are bad at showing that you are happy, my Camilla. For now, how about you prepare something for me and Layla here? Old Tarsus scolded me and never gave me food. I am starving. Come on, Layla, let¡¯s eat okay?¡±


    He lifted her by the armpits and placed her on his shoulders. Camilla smiled at the siblings and led the way to the kitchen. The two were starving and Camilla was happy to serve both of them.

 Chapter 216: Those Who Claim Power 1

    He spent time with Layla until there was no light outside the window. He went inside his room and took his belongings with him. He had items that he didn¡¯t¡¯ use simply because he did not need for them. Now, he needed the bag of holding and the items that his parents spoiled him.


    ¡°Old Man taught me not to rely on power too much. A Good warrior can kill easily, but a clever one makes people take their own lives.¡± He strapped the bag of holding behind his waist. He just needed to think of the item and he would be able to touch it. He thought that it would be tiresome getting materials from others instead of just creating the obsidian flesh.


    ¡°The Obsidian Flesh, the Time Wraith¡¯s Form is gone from me, they were my main defenses but now they are gone. No wonder the Old Man didn¡¯t want to rely on them. Still, it would be harder to navigate without those abilities. I can use a runic spell to swing around like a grappling hook, but it would cost too much energy if used continuously.¡±


    Darkness spreads around the room. The light from the lamp pushes the darkness away with its trembling flames. He stood sitting with his gaze trained on the ceiling. Then the shadows around the room swayed and he found himself alone. He thought that usually there would be a voice speaking inside of him.


    ¡°Old Man is gone,¡± he thought. ¡°I should get used to this loneliness. I can¡¯t even train without him inside my head. The only thing inside my head is an empty black void, just me. I wonder how others coped with this loneliness at first? Still, no need to be afraid of the dark. What kind of man I would be if I am afraid of the dark?¡±


    Einar sat cross-legged with a stolid face. He took a sip of the air and imagined the void inside his head. Where does one put the mind? Is it through the senses you put the mind? Is it through the actions of others and the behavior of the external? No, there is no place to put your mind on.


    ¡°Simply, there is no mind,¡± Einar said. ¡°No mind at all is the answer to the corundum.¡±


    Einar cleared his mind of fear and emotions. He became one with the void until there was simply the void and him existing together. He stayed in the same position until all the feelings of distress and inability were gone. It was the benefit of an old soul mingling with a young soul.


    Einar¡¯s soul living with an Old Soul had turned him into someone different despite his young age. He had been walked through valleys of death and was made to experience the harshest days as if it was his own. The harshness of life was taught to Einar and he learned how to live his life as if he was going to die.


    That should be enough. Einar moved away from the bed and bumped into Camila who still wore her armor. ¡°Going somewhere, Young Lord?¡±


    ¡°Need to talk to Claudia and the others. You informed my parents?¡±


    ¡°I did.¡±


    ¡°Good. I¡¯ll be going to talk to the Princess. If she found out that I was alive and I didn¡¯t talk to her. She¡¯d say that I was trying to fake my death and then betray her.¡±


    ¡°The Princess wouldn¡¯t do that, right?¡±


    ¡°No, I expect her to do that.¡±


    ¡°I think you should use this as an excuse to get out of her faction. She has no allies and the others have started to blame all the problems to the Heretic Princess.¡±


    ¡°Scapegoat,¡± he blinked. ¡°Then that means that I have to help her.¡±


    Camilla clenched her fist. ¡°Please don¡¯t be so reckless, my Einar.¡±


    ¡°I know, my Camilla.¡± He said to her. ¡°I have to help my friends and I will not stand here knowing that they might be facing trouble. You understand, right Camilla?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡± She slightly nods. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m afraid that you¡¯d get reckless again and try a stupid gamble.¡±


    ¡°You could leave life right now. Let that determine what you do, say, and think.¡±


    ¡°Then I think that this stupidity and I should come with you.¡±


    ¡°And leave Layla alone?¡± He shook his head. ¡°No, please don¡¯t leave my little sis alone. Someone has to guard her while the people are busy being greedy and warmongering. You know how it is.¡±


    ¡°You always do this to me. I am yours and you always make me wait here. I think you forgot where my loyalties are.¡±


    ¡°To me. And I¡¯m telling you to guard my little sis.¡±


    ¡°Why are you like this?¡± She palmed her forehead.


    He blinked and smiled. ¡°Would you work under me if I wasn¡¯t like this? Ah, that face, I don¡¯t think you will.¡±


    ¡°I would like to meet this Old Man you keep talking about. If he¡¯s the one that taught you this then I don¡¯t know if I should punch him or praise him!¡±


    ¡°Please praise him,¡± Einar raised a hand. ¡°And it¡¯s not like he¡¯d do anything but if he does then your fault.¡±


    Her face stilled. ¡°You really do praise this Old Man.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s my mentor and he taught me to never abandon my companions. He¡¯s not with me now and he wouldn¡¯t be with things are. But I gotta prove to the Old Man that I can handle what is thrown at me.¡±


    ¡°Fine, but you come home, okay my Young Lord!


    ¡°I might.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, just messing with you,¡± he grabs the back of her head and kissed her on the forehead. ¡°See you around, my pouting big sister or is it big auntie?¡±


    ¡°Sister, please call me that.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so?¡±


    She folded her arms with a frown. Einar shrugs his shoulders and turned towards the door and walked into the snow. He tugged his coat and dragged his feet across the knee-length terrain, hands inside his pockets, and gaze trained on the tower that looms over the horizon.

 Chapter 217: Those Who Claim Power 2

    The silence was eerie to the woman inside this hidden hideout. A base concealed to anyone other than a few who knew what the person that was part of their circle. The light on the lamp cast a shadow on the face of Claudia whose hands were interlocked. She looked at the piled documents and the weapons she had amassed. Crystal staffs, rods of powers, and talismans that could protect her. She wore a true silver plate mail with an overcoat that seems to shine constantly.


    Tick, and tock, the clock strikes when the hand passes. Claudia couldn¡¯t stop thinking. She couldn¡¯t stop the voices inside her head thinking about the things that would come and the things that would destroy her. Images of her enemies seem like to come alive as phantoms, scourging her senses, making her thought that they were after her. They were after her and she had no way out. Her allies were doing their best but even Rufus was not around.


    Claudia wanted to have only peace within the city. No crimes and fools who would rely on a tower that returned dead men into coffins. She saw what kind of monster that the tower can spit out. She saw how a large army backed by Favored Children were easily beaten by a being covered by the sky she sees in the night.


    Her shaking legs created an echoing sound. The dark corners of the hideout made her uneasy knowing that she was only here because many wanted her head. Many wanted to sacrifice the Heretic Princess or wed her to those who wanted the Tower of Nimrod. Claudia hated the tower and what it represented. She hated how they were trying their hardest to take the towers and explore the resources beneath the tower. The tower¡¯s magical nature was gone. But the monsters and the riches that the monsters produce were still present. She could hear the greed on their voices as they talked about truces and contracts. All of them wanted the materials the towers produce.


    What did they want enough that they were willing to start wars when these continents weren¡¯t the only ones? Claudia knew that they were going to an expedition and within this endless continents, there were lands to conquer and tame. Their goal was simply to conquer and they want to control the Tower first. Once they have the power then they would have the ability to produce powerful warriors.


    The barrier was holding and the people were staying wary. Lady Rubina, of the Favored Children, was still out there in the open. The favored children were badly beaten by the being that appeared on that faithful day. The day where Claudia had to watch her friend block a being of frightening power to save her life. The day where when armies were lying helpless. Only one person was brave and strong enough to hold back the being of power. No one knew what happened and the soldier who told the tale was gone, dead, found in the sides where he lost his life to a stray bolt.


    Claudia stayed silent while the flames were dancing. She didn¡¯t notice the figure who saw across her, placing one leg on his knee, staring at the Heretical Princess.


    ¡°Good day,¡± the figure said.


    ¡°Huh?¡± She looked up. Her eyes widened in an instant. ¡°Who are you!?¡± She brandished her staff and before it could activate. The figure wrote a runic spell that turned into a dart, piercing the creation of her spell.


    ¡°Princess Claudia, always overthinking like always?¡±


    She calmed her nerves. ¡°You, why are you alive?¡±


    ¡°I defeated the being. That¡¯s all. Though I lost my powers and I am no longer as sturdy as I am.¡±


    ¡°Impossible!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± He blinked. ¡°Do I look that weak? Or are the ¡®Favored¡¯ the only one who can defeat that being? I assure you that the being won¡¯t appear, however, I defeated it at the cost of my soul being broken. I escaped and succeeded and now I came to you.¡±


    ¡°I,¡± she twisted on her chair. ¡°Is that really you, Einar?¡±


    ¡°Yes, my friend.¡±


    ¡°Then thank the heavens,¡± she said as if she was given water after a long walk. ¡°I thought I lost a friend.¡±


    ¡°Whoa,¡± he raised a brow. ¡°Not going to suspect me any longer? What if I am an illusion? An assassin that came after your life?¡±


    ¡°An assassin would try to get close to me by now. And...I know how to recognize a friend. Who do you think I am? I lived my life knowing how to tell who would stab me in the back. You don¡¯t have that aura around you, Einar.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s nice,¡± Einar folded his arms. ¡°I thought you hated me.¡±


    ¡°Why would I hate the friend who saved my life more than I could count? I know that I am not a trusting person and I scream at the shadows forming around me. But, even I know how to recognize my friends. I glad that you are still among the living,¡± she smiled at him.


    ¡°Though,¡± she added. ¡°I assume that you are here to work after being absent?¡±


    ¡°I am.¡±


    ¡°Checked on your parents?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll know.¡±


    ¡°Your little sister?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Anyone who knows that you are alive other than me and them?¡±


    ¡°Old Tarsus and the guards who saw me enter.¡±


    ¡°There goes my plan of scaring the rest of the army. Can I send you to kill their leaders?¡±


    ¡°It will be hard without my powers. I can try but I¡¯ll take out at least one.¡±


    ¡°This coming from the guy who took down that monster?¡±


    ¡°Regenerating soul, and I don¡¯t feel so good. It might surprise you that I am not exactly powerful after winning a gamble.¡±


    ¡°Was the monster dangerous?¡±


    ¡°Dangerous, too dangerous, and I¡¯m glad that I took care of her.¡±


    ¡°Killed her?¡±


    ¡°Defeated her in a way of letting her meet someone equal.¡±


    ¡°Another monster?¡±


    ¡°Not really, just an old soul.¡±


    Einar slumped on his chair, staring at the ceiling of the hideout. ¡°Rufus, he went and gathered the Black Dogs. He¡¯s wasting time holding the fanatics after me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go after him..¡±

 Chapter 218: The Black Dogs of Karl

    He sprinted across the rooftops of the city without slipping. The banner of the Tower City flapped about in the direction where the banners are. Einar navigated the roofs with his left hand pulling him from long distances. It was like an extended invisible hand he made of his own. Made his own through materializing the physical energy. He could conjure earth and water on his palm so he thought that he might as well do something like this.


    Einar rushed to the edge of a roof and leap into a roll, from his right shoulder across the hip, he started up, bent his knees, and took a leap of faith, grabbing hold to a beam, before planting his palms on the wall, rotating his body, and sliding down, his left hand conjuring the invisible hand grabbing on to something, breaking his fall.


    Einar heard the metal parts of weapons turning. He flicked his other hand and conjured a spheroid barrier that deflected the bolts instead of blocking them. ¡°Halt!¡± A voice said loudly. Einar stood with his hand still in gesture, keeping the barrier up, eyes staring at the uniformed men wearing cloaks with the symbol of the Black Dogs.


    ¡°The Son of Elior lives!¡± A man carrying a two-handed sword came out. ¡°Ah, knew it was bullocks that you¡¯d fall. I take it that this means that you¡¯d deal with the astral being?¡±


    ¡°Karl Von Harden, Commander of the Black Dogs, looks like you are worth the money.¡±


    ¡°Einar Elior, the Man Who Should Be Dead, your existence here only means you succeeded. The tales of your prowess despite being so young are true.¡±


    The Black Dogs lowered their crossbows. Karl said, ¡°Pardon, had too many strays around the place. Men who thought the right hand of the Heretical Princess would fall so easily.¡±


    Einar glowered at him. ¡°A mercenary actually holding to his contract?¡±


    ¡°Respectable,¡± Einar added. ¡°What keeps you from stabbing him from the back?¡±


    ¡°You think lowly of us, no, I don¡¯t see that you do. All I see is that you are wary of us. The Dead Man worries,¡± he put a hand on his chin. ¡°That is even more than I could think. The man is your friend, I understand that. However, we may be called dogs, but we never abandon our contracts for anything else. When a man breaks his words then we are nothing but oath-breaking fools. Oath breaking is bad for our business. You understand this, right?¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± he tapped the hilt of his sword with his gloved fingers. ¡°So where is my friend?¡±


    Karl thumbed behind him. ¡°Your friend got hit by a bolt right on the shoulder. He got lucky that there wasn¡¯t any poison smeared on the bolt. He¡¯s sleeping and we are guarding him. Or do you want to accuse of anything?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± he shook his head, ¡°I don¡¯t accuse any of you, just trying to take in how you¡¯d go this far for a man facing opposition everywhere. Aren¡¯t you dogs hunted down by now? To die by your contract. Are those truly the words that you believe in?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± he scowled. ¡°Do you want us to back out from this contract? Dead Man, you aren¡¯t our employer and I find it strange that you¡¯d want us to be out of this fight. Do you really think your friend could survive without us blocking his enemies? We are useful to be around.¡±


    ¡°I know. I just don¡¯t trust you at the moment. Still, I am not distrustful enough not to notice the service you have done to my friend.¡± Snow fell above the place where Einar came in. He looked at the Black Dogs with a stolid look on his face. You know me, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°We heard the prowess of the Heir of Elior. We saw your fight with the Astral Being and the way you drove it away. We are all witness of your abilities.¡±


    Einar straightened his back. His chin slightly raised. ¡°Then know that I will hunt you all down like the dogs you are if you betray me and your employer..¡± He scowled at them. ¡°I will believe in your oaths and I will not lay my blade against all of you until then.¡±


    Karl grinned. ¡°If this was spoken by another soul. We would have laughed and held our bellies. I don¡¯t know what made you this strong and stern, but I rather not pissed off a killer of your caliber.¡± He emphasized on the word killer. Einar snorted and turned his attention to the black dogs.


    They looked at Einar the same way they do at monsters. He was taller than everyone present and despite being so young. He had a muscular build that mistook him for a young man on his twenties. He seethes with the intent that only those who have killed could let out. He had no light in his eyes and his face placid look gave the Black Dogs a startle.


    Einar kept his silence until started to the direction where Rufus was. Rufus was bracing his back on the wall, holding his shoulder, keeping a cloth pressed on his wound. His eyes half-opened while looking at Einar. ¡°Rufus,¡± Einar patted his other shoulder. ¡°You look alright.¡±


    Rufus eyed him. ¡°Either I am dead or hallucinating. I can¡¯t be dead so it must be you. Even if you are an illusion then help me, an illusion. Make the bastard who ordered to shoot me pay.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s a different reaction, but I see no point dallying.¡± Einar stood and turned his attention the Black Dogs, elbows squared and eyes glowering at them. ¡°Karl,¡± he said, ¡°I will leave Rufus to you. I don¡¯t think I need to tell you how to do your job. Just remember what I said a while ago.¡±


    Karl scowled. ¡°Your distrust is unwelcoming, but I have no qualms against you. If it is the only way you can stomach our presence then let it be so, Einar Elior.¡±


    The two stared with sparks going off between them. Einar looked down at Karl Von Harden and with a scowl. He turned his back and set his mind on the task ahead.

 Chapter 219: The Wounded Confidant

    The two sat silently on the cold ground. The Black Dogs were guarding the vicinity of this tile-walled building. The area was spacious, on the ground were broken wooden tiles. Rufus sat while holding his wound. ¡°You came back so early,¡± he grimaced, ¡°are they so easy to defeat when my men cannot kill them?¡±


    ¡°How did they enter?¡±


    ¡°Through a tunnel around the barbican wall. Before the barriers were up it was chaos, Einar.¡± He stared blankly. ¡°So much chaos that I couldn¡¯t even think for a second. I thought I was fine with war, readied myself, couldn¡¯t believe that I stood with my hands shaking.¡±


    ¡°You are still here,¡± he whispered hoarsely. ¡°And that¡¯s all that it counts.¡±


    Rufus blew air. ¡°That¡¯s the thing is, how can I face these people? Ha, I was really a just fish on a pond. All these schemes and politics, they are too tiresome for me.¡±


    ¡°How¡¯s the weather?¡± Einar asked.


    ¡°Cold isn¡¯t it? All of them are waiting for the winter. They think that they can starve the City of Nimrod. They don¡¯t realize that just below us are farms that could produce beetroot that could feed the city states. We have cattle undergrounds and we can reproduce our products. They rely on us to feed them and now they think they can get away with all of this?¡±


    Einar produced a paper. ¡°It says here that they are allied against the ¡®greedy¡¯ of Nimrod. Bunch of fools really, they must think that we are a happy target.¡±


    ¡°They think so,¡± Rufus clamped his jaws. ¡°Lady Rubina, the Favored, the Lady warned that if we do not submit to their demands. She will personally break the towers itself.¡± He studied Einar¡¯s gaze. ¡°You do not tremble, Einar.¡±


    ¡°I fear only a little,¡± Einar confessed. ¡°When you face a being that could break your soul. The fears and worries that wrapped around you would disappear. Lady Rubina, I heard of her prowess, the Rose Woman, the Lioness of the Favored, the guardian woman, and the one that shelters the world. Tell me, why does she need to break our tower?¡±


    Rufus turned to the wall. ¡°Resources, they need the tower to become their food source. They want the carapace of the monsters. The hides of the beasts to make coats for their travels. Einar, they have set their eyes upon the Old Continent, where the Cain De Arno¡¯s voyage the ended.¡±


    ¡°The Heart of the World?¡± Einar gasped. ¡°It¡¯s real?¡±


    ¡°We have dragons, Liches, and Astral beings that have appeared. You are surprised about this?¡±


    ¡°The world¡¯s large enough as it is!¡± He shook his head. ¡°And now you are telling me there are more continents around us?¡±


    ¡°Einar, they call our world the Endless Continent, where it would forever expand and as years passed many seas would be created. The Heart of the World does exist, and if it exists then surely the head, the limbs, and the spine can be found as well.¡± He smiled warily.


    ¡°Einar,¡± he whispered softly. ¡°I don¡¯t want to die in a tower of vanity.¡±


    ¡°Then why are you here, Rufus Farley?¡±


    ¡°Because she¡¯s here and how can I leave her when she¡¯s doing her best?¡±


    ¡°Why is it always the woman with you lot?¡± Einar asked. ¡°I don¡¯t understand at all.¡±


    ¡°You are an island in the middle of the void, Einar Elior. When I first met you, you were as stony-faced as they called you. Thea, your cousin, was the only who would try. It was when our fates clashed at that fateful day that you¡¯ve become a part of us. You¡¯ve become a part of the fools who dreamed of securing this city. Every day you meet us, you look at us with contempt, your eyes so distance, and when we order you with importance, you only shrug, and do your mission. Einar Elior, what happened when you met that monster?¡±


    ¡°I became alone, Rufus,¡± he said lowly. ¡°The companion that I was always with was gone.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Einar gave a strange smile. ¡°Rufus, I think I am starting to understand why. Maybe, because being alone had made start to realize things.¡±


    Rufus clenched his fist. He cringed while looking at Einar, still holding his wound. ¡°Tell me, my friend.¡±


    Einar smiled at him. ¡°I have been reborn alone. The fight with the Astral Being broke my soul. My soul reforged again, but lonely inside a vessel that could more than one.¡±


    ¡°You are telling me this?¡±


    ¡°Why shouldn¡¯t I?¡± he shook his head, ¡°I¡¯ve survived simply because a miracle occurred. I will not lie to you, Rufus. I¡¯ve seen things and yet I still cannot fathom why I stand. I told you about my dream once. You laughed at me, told me what I was a fool for it, maybe, that dream might come true, or it will never come true for me. Rufus, I always wondered why my dream was like that. I get it now.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°Did you have your soul broken once?¡±


    ¡°Heavens, no!¡±


    ¡°Then you will never understand, he said and thought, ¡°No one other than the Old Man will.¡±


    ¡°You act strangely, Einar. The battle must have been rough and now you smell of blood.¡±


    Einar stood shaking his upper body. ¡°Tell me, who do I need to kill?¡±


    Rufus shook his head and exhaled. ¡°None, you will not kill more than anyone, Einar. We wait until Spring and once our people have recovered, then we will strike as best as we could. The rest should be scurrying around after the deed that you have. The people you killed are traitors! I do not pity them. Never!¡±


    ¡°So wait until spring. What about the factions that want the head our Princess?¡±


    ¡°The Black Dogs will warn the factions. They won¡¯t make a move now that they know that our Headsman is around. Your parents will side with us. The War Band of your father will be our greatest asset. The military might of the others are nothing but ants now that they have a reason to side with us.¡±


    Einar bit his inner cheeks and stared at Rufus.

 Chapter 220: Ravines of the Sky

    The snow did not fall on this very day. The sound of toddlers moaning was heard inside a thatched roofed house. Nolan Salvatore stood near the hearth with his palms pointed at the hearth. Ciara Salvatore sweetly smiled, holding her babies, a smile so warm that made the house warmer than it should be in winter.


    Nolan Salvatore turned his attention to the twins who were playing with their mother¡¯s hair. Nolan couldn¡¯t but lift a smile on his face. The warms of the fire soothed him. The logs crackled as they were burned. Ciara sang a sweet song. There was a stray leaf that fell on the doorstep. Nolan turned to the seat and twisted on it. He looked at the outside and saw that smoke rose from the chimneys of the village houses.


    ¡°They are having a feast.¡±


    ¡°Thanks to you,¡± Ciara Salvatore said. ¡°The games you hunted were enough to keep the village fed till winter ends. The village head wants us to stay because of it.¡±


    Nolan bit his cheeks. ¡°I attracted too much attention from the village. Are we going to stay here, Ciara?¡±


    Ciara fingered the cheeks of her little girl. The little girl giggled with a lone tone of voice. Ciara played with the little one with her finger. ¡°Not until the two can walk and talk. I may be strong but I will not risk the lives of Eira and Rory until then. We will need a wagon and a strong mountain horse that could pull it. With both of us, the wagon can be carried through mountains and hills.¡±


    ¡°What then?¡± He asked.


    ¡°We¡¯ll find a place where we can watch them grow into adults that could take care of themselves. That is the role of the parents to let their sons and daughter go.¡±


    ¡°You are used to this.¡±


    She smiled bitterly. ¡°I¡¯ve seen many orphans turned into adults. I saw them grow from toddlers into adults. I¡¯ve watched them grow old and I stood near their graves.¡±


    ¡°Yet you hold them every minute,¡± he said. ¡°I don¡¯t think I held them for an hour.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t blame me,¡± she muttered. ¡°I¡¯ve dreamed of having children ever since I knew you.¡±


    ¡°It bothered me that you didn¡¯t take another. I¡¯m sure that a bloke would have tried.¡±


    ¡°They did try. But have they waited for thirty-years and walked through a repeating cycle? Had they thought wandering an endless loop of suffering for the sake of me? I have seen some try but they never continued. They all fell to madness at thought of repeating a cycle. I induced them to a pretense loop and they did nothing but scream. Tell me, do you wish that I marry such bastards like that?¡± She sniffled. ¡°Nolan, how did you endure it?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think,¡± he said simply. ¡°I simply focus on what my goal was and went with it. I thought that I might as well continue with a foolish love that turned into a strange journey that ended up me marrying you. If I¡¯ve done anything that I am proud of. I didn¡¯t lose my reason and I didn¡¯t lash out like a child who would plug his ears when spoken with reason.¡±


    ¡°You are already mad, Nolan.¡±


    ¡°Why so?¡±


    ¡°Who in their right mind would marry the woman that made him wait for many years? Who would marry a monster like me other than you?¡±


    ¡°You are looking at him,¡± he groaned. ¡°Did you put a spell on me?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± she said. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare do that to you. It¡¯s simple really, you do not want to be alone in this world. Nolan Salvatore, just admit that you are lonely without me. We¡¯ve been together for many lifetimes and this is the only place that we are allowed to sit still without anyone noticing. At that battle, you hesitated despite your sword ready. You hesitated to kill me and even here you cannot raise your hand against me. I am happy that you think about me so deeply.¡±


    ¡°I admit that. I can imagine walking blindly throughout the dark. I could watch this world die and nevertheless, I will be hurt the moment you leave me. It is a strange feeling that borders between love and hate. We¡¯ve been hurting each other for so many years that settling down in a village while taking care of our children calms me.¡±


    His eyes turned serious. ¡°But I know you, Ciara Salvatore. I know that you are hiding things and you would move with the wind if it means that you would save a world that needed your help. You honor your promises. I know that. But how long will you honor such promise?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ve been doing this for eternity now. It is a battle that I cannot win. To save the world is slow and exhausting. Most people don¡¯t have the stomach for it and they do not push themselves when the time has come. I¡¯ve done it for so many times and the happiness that I had when saving worlds cannot compare to the time I give birth to my babies.¡±


    Ciara lovingly caressed her cheek to the babes on her arms. She stood up and walked towards Nolan. Nolan held his hands to his children and said. ¡°Where are you going? This is rare for you to hand them to me.¡±


    ¡°Just a peek outside, and I think you should spend time with them,¡± Ciara said, sauntering out of the house, her boots raking the snow that gathered on the door. She took one breathe and the snow around her melted into water that seeped in the ground. Burning light glinted in her eyes. She glanced at the sky and saw a giant crack that tore the sky. She turned her attention to the villagers plodding down the road. They continued moving without a single look at the sky. Ciara looked at the giant tore and frowned heavily.


    ¡°The Ravines of the Sky,¡± she said with energy running rampant in her veins. ¡°The Cheery Woman betrays, telling the Gods who would then peeked on the cracks they opened. All to spite the travelers who rest.¡±

 Chapter 221: The Watcher Girl

    Ciara started to dream of a grassland where none stood other than a single woman. She thought that the sky was blue and that the grass was too real. ¡°I¡¯ve fought dreams as well. I didn¡¯t know you were a dream master, Woman, or should I say Matriarch of Cheery?¡±


    ¡°You remember me,¡± the woman giggled, ¡°I expected that from you, War Maiden.¡±


    ¡°Speak,¡± Ciara demanded. ¡°Why do you bother my dreams?¡±


    ¡°I just want to talk. You and he are the ones alive.¡±


    ¡°Why do you live then?¡±


    ¡°I joined with them. Do you really need to ask?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± she shook her head. ¡°I didn¡¯t need to. But I want to affirm that you are indeed a part of them. Tell me, I demand to know why you break the world. I DEMAND why you want to break the peace!¡± Her voice was seething with energy. Her tone resembling a volcano¡¯s churning.


    ¡°Me?¡± She laughed with a high pitch. ¡°I do not choose to break the world. The above are those who choose it. You a stray savior, Ciara Alician. You will not rest until the day a blade finally struck your heart.¡±


    She glared. ¡°I am a Salvatore now! This is our world now and I will not stand by when you crush my new home!¡±


    ¡°No, you mistake me,¡± she waved her hands, ¡°I am not the one breaking the world. This is merely the way it was. Once the forest burns, the last tree suffocated by the smoke, will burn as well. You should know this by now. The world has an end and each end must be met. When they asked you to join them as a war maiden who fought gods and demons. You should have accepted, War Maiden.¡±


    ¡°No, I will not be a tool for them. Or do they want me to come out of my burrow and destroy them? Do they think that I can¡¯t?¡±


    She waved her finger. ¡°I am sure that they will be pleased to see you rage against the heavens itself. I am merely the messenger, War Maiden.¡±


    ¡°The messenger?¡± Ciara sneered. ¡°I saw you in a tavern with my husband! I saw you in my many lives and saw you interfere and lead his course!¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± she said,¡± I did fall in love with a young man who was lost. Yet his stubborn will was charming. I wanted to protect him but a certain woman warped reality to her bidding. Have you thought about it, War Maiden? Have you thought why a man who had nothing would follow you for years, spend time in loops, to chase you through all timelines and even in the world?¡±


    ¡°He loves me.¡±


    ¡°And you believe him?¡± She chuckled harshly. ¡°Oh you poor fool, the world favored you, and it blessed you. Take it like this, a lonely woman saw a young man fascinated at her, she fell, wished, and when it happened. She rejected and threw punches at him. Telling herself that it was a lie, however, the charm has happened, no matter what, the charmed will never break free. So understand why he wanted to kill you, why his rage boiled to the point of forfeiting most of his humanity. For the sake of you, oh, War Maiden, you haven¡¯t thought that he might be under your spell?¡±


    ¡°He LOVES me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what you want so he follows. The man has his stillborn child killed, he stills clings to you. You killed him and throw his soul not bothering where it would head, and still, he crawls back to you like a beaten wife. You almost murdered the son he nourished from birth and suddenly everything is fine. He crawls to you like a worm and now you have twins! What a happy family! A twisted family birthed from the warping of charms. You hurt the man, again, again, and again, and yet he does not let go. If that is not insanity then what is it? Can a man who calls himself sane able to forgive someone like you who made a mess of his life?¡±


    Ciara gritted her teeth. She stared at the woman before. ¡°Why do you cry when you speak, Alcina Cheery?¡±


    ¡°A decent man should not be subjected to this torture. You should know he is a good man. A wanderer who was lost and yet you force him out of your own wishes. I heard that those who are chosen bend those around them.¡±


    ¡°You lie, Cheery!¡±


    ¡°I do not lie,¡± she shook her head, not bothering to wipe the single tear that runs across her cheek. ¡°I simply told the honest truth about you. I may have loved him. But I am simply a messenger who speaks the words of those who watches through ravines of the sky. Ciara Alician, you will not interfere with the troubles of this world. Those who write the wills of this world will come. This world will burn, you may protect those who you love, but the moment you act, the world will crumble. You already broke those who are favored and only one remains. Their battles will be fought and you shall not interfere.¡±


    She spoke with a voice that ripped space. Her eyes were cold and her face was stolid. Ciara thought that barmaid of a tavern has certainly revealed her true colors. From the start, the beginning, the lass was a Watcher that provoke a spark to her destiny. Or was it all accidental.


    ¡°You want me to watch the burn? Is that what you want?¡±


    ¡°That is the writ of the Watchers above,¡± she said flatly. ¡°The world may burn or it may not. Know this, that you cannot interfere any longer. You have burned too many worlds for your wantings as a savior. The Watchers will not allow any meddling. This world will be judged by those who are placed on the wheel. You and he are not part of the destiny that runs here.¡±


    Ciara bit her lower lip. Her eyebrows met and the power that she contained was swirling around her. The messenger¡¯s face remained flat, she looked at the War Maiden, trying to form words, nonetheless, stopped, and looked away.


    The dream shattered.

 Chapter 222: Ciara Salvatore

    It wasn¡¯t a question if Ciara would continue her fight against the duty that she had for many years. Happiness had finally come for her and yet again the wheel of destiny turns. The weaving of the threads starts and no matter what she would find herself witnessing the day where everything turns to hell


    ¡°Hello, my lovelies,¡± she said to her babies. ¡°Mommy is strong, and you two would be strong as well. I believe that I will not birth weak children. Even if you¡¯re weak Mommy will protect you. Your Father will be here for you, and that will never change.¡±


    The two babies were asleep. Ciara caressed the hands of her babies and lets them go gently as she could. She walked near the hearth where her husband was. Nolan¡¯s soul was renewed and stronger than it could ever be. She had given him life force the moment they mated, his powers have become stronger, and he had become a half-dragon time wraith.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t believe you, my impossible man,¡± she thought. ¡°No matter what you always surprised me. I always fall in love with you. While I was blessed with power, you were blessed with the stubbornness that I can never fathom. The years you spent chasing after me has always been strange. After many millennia we are finally together with our babies. Our flesh and blood. Nolan, I do wonder if my lonely heart did charm you into becoming mine.


    She recalled the words of Alcina Cheery, and thought, ¡°If her words are true then it would hurt me. It would hurt me greatly but in the end, I could only accept it. You found a lonely woman and it should be your fault that you became mine. If all your love is a lie then let it continue to be a lie.¡±


    ¡°Ciara?¡±


    Ciara wraps her body around Nolan who was sitting on the chair. She buried her face on his nape and closed her eyes. She felt his warmth and whiffed his scent. Nolan Salvatore craned his neck wondering what has gotten to her.


    ¡°What¡¯s with you?¡±


    ¡°Nothing,¡± she peck his nape. ¡°I just want to.¡±


    ¡°This is weird of you.¡±


    ¡°What? You already tasted me more than once. Why does this bother you?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t usually do this.¡±


    ¡°I do when we are not clothed.¡±


    ¡°That, but, seriously, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°It bothers me that you usually don¡¯t continue despite knowing that I can last a day.¡±


    ¡°Slow down, you,¡± he grabbed hold of her shoulders. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°I might burn this world,¡± she said, resting her head on Nolan¡¯s chest.


    ¡°That¡¯s not a good joke.¡±


    ¡°There are beings that would come. They will try to turn the wheels of destiny and they want me to watch the world burn. Can you believe it, me? Watch while the world burns and I do nothing. They will eradicate this bubble world if I do anything.¡±


    Nolan¡¯s gaze sharpened. ¡°I thought you¡¯d hide something like this to me.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t anymore, I promised that I wouldn¡¯t. I¡¯m done lying and I¡¯m done hiding secrets. I¡¯m more afraid to lose you and our children than do something as hide this. Nolan, do you think that I can endure? Not helping a burning world?¡±


    Nolan couldn¡¯t help but sigh. He looked at the ceiling and back to Ciara. ¡°Why is it so hard to have a wife with such a savior¡¯s complex? Why can¡¯t you just stop? Why are you doing all of this?¡±


    ¡°Because it¡¯s kind. It¡¯s decent and the right thing to do. For the sake of the greater good. I want to help. What¡¯s wrong with that?¡±


    ¡°Nothing wrong with that,¡± he rested his head. ¡°It¡¯s just that surely there are days that you need to rest as well. I will not question whether you love us or not. But let me ask this, Ciara. Do you believe in people?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡±


    ¡°Then why are willing to save it before they could do anything?¡±


    ¡°Because wouldn¡¯t it be better if I helped them instantly? Wouldn¡¯t things be better that way?¡±


    ¡°It might be. But people aren¡¯t so easily defeated. Look back at the folks that we fought with. They were just nobodies that wanted to protect those that they cherish. That¡¯s why they could stop hordes of evil and slay giants. Ciara, I am not asking you to abandon a world that needs a hand, I am asking you to believe in the people that live in it. You should be the one that had witnessed the spirit of those who strives for good.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    ¡°Ciara, you¡¯ve become too much of a hero that you have forgotten how to become human. You¡¯ve forgotten what it means to stay still and just rest. You¡¯ve been doing this for so many years that I understand why you¡¯d act if the world is in trouble.¡± He caressed her hair. ¡°I can¡¯t help it if you¡¯d go and leave us. I¡¯ll hate you for it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not fair.¡±


    ¡°The better part of me says that I shouldn¡¯t stop you from helping this world. But the stupid and selfish part of me says that you should stay with us. That Ciara Salvatore had enough of fighting.¡±


    ¡°Which part of you do you lean more?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll let you decide that. If I was stronger than I might be able to stop you. I might be able to stop my wife from being too much of a hero.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯m a weak now,¡± she buried her face on his nape again. ¡°If the selfish part of you wants me to stay then I will. I will not promise anything.¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay, sheesh,¡± he smiled. ¡°I have become insane.¡±


    ¡°Too late for that, Husband. It¡¯s your fault that I am like this.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not true.¡±


    Ciara thought that even if it means that she had unconsciously charmed him and bent him to her will. She wouldn¡¯t let him go. She wouldn¡¯t let go of the man that she had been with the longest. She couldn¡¯t stand the idea of losing her partner. Ciara Salvatore thought that she wouldn¡¯t be complete without her partner. And so she chooses to stay her hand. Yet she knew that the moment they touched her family again.


    She would burn them all.

 Chapter 223: The Salvatore’s Peace

    Nolan took away the fur blanket and pushed aside Ciara. She was clinging to his arm. He took his arm and took his shirt from the tabletop near the bed. After last night he was tired and his hips were aching. He placed both legs on the wooden floor. He wore his pants and wrapped his coat around. He pulled the blanket up to cover Ciara¡¯s chest.


    The fire on the hearth was still on. He took a step to the crib and saw that the twins were sleeping well. Outside, the snow was falling again, there was mist gathering around the village. He saw that icicles were forming on the roof. He tugged on his coat and took a step outside.


    The roof was still intact. Nolan took a single leap and was already clinging to the roof. He flicked his fingers like flint rubbing on steel and lit produced a ball of fire that started to melt the roof. He stood on the roof and saw that it was fine. He thought that the roof should hold out. He leaped down like a feather and dusted the snow on his coat. He looked at the sky and saw only gray clouds that stretch miles and miles.


    He returned home and took a look around the house. The bed wasn¡¯t far from the hearth. The crib was on the end of the bed and the side was a kitchen with produces that he either hunted or picked up on the mountains. Nolan didn¡¯t hold back when it comes to keeping his family well-fed and safe. Though both Ciara and he doesn¡¯t need food. It was for pleasure that they had food. The villagers, however, thought that he was a good neighbor for gifting them the gains from the mountain.


    They didn¡¯t need much. She was a demigod that could break armies and fight those who rules heavens. While he became a half-dragon and half time-wraith. Things have taken a strange turn for him. He wasn¡¯t bothered by their irregularities. Sure, there was a greater being that wanted this world turning. Ciara could fix that but he won¡¯t allow his spouse to fight. He didn¡¯t like the idea of having his wife fight. No one knew Ciara better than Nolan and he¡¯d rather not watch her stand on top of a field of corpses. He couldn¡¯t forgive himself.


    ¡°Quite strange,¡± he thought to himself. He recalled that Ciara had a strange look on her face. That she might have charmed him. It bothered him only for a second. So what, he thought to himself. Even if he was charmed he refused to believe that he didn¡¯t fell for her along the way. He refused to believe that all the emotions he felt were lies.


    The emotions of his were of rage and love. The rage that he couldn¡¯t have her sooner and love that burned brighter than the sun. He admits that he¡¯s just a lonely wanderer without her. No man can an island in the middle of a vast ocean called life. Ciara was both a curse and a blessing to him. Without her, he would have been stuck in that tavern without any hopes of seeing more. Because of her, he witnessed the good of life and the evils that come along with it. She was a storm that carried him through many dangers.


    Did he like pain? No. He didn¡¯t. Was he exceptional? No, he simply forged on with the intent to not regret if he dies. He had come so far that the only way was forward. It was either to continue or go back. How could he go back when the way was long and tiresome? That¡¯s why he could only go forward.


    Nolan shook his head. He dragged himself to the kitchen and started preparing a hot bowl of soup and cheese and bread for the two. The bread was made from rye flour and the cheese he got from the tavern. He saw Ciara woke up and wear her clothes. She tramped to the table and stretched her white arms. She scratched her head and took a bite of the cheese. Nolan dragged a chair and joined her.


    ¡°The bed is squeaking now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised it lasted that long.¡±


    ¡°Good handiwork.¡± She took a sip of the soup. ¡°Rory and Eira were soundly sleeping. Told you the barriers work.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t much of a talker in the morning. Ciara was half-awake and her hair was disheveled. She even forgot the burnt scar illusion that she usually puts on. She noticed that she wasn¡¯t wearing and nonchalantly placed the illusion back. Nolan didn¡¯t understand why she was keeping the mask.


    ¡°The snow¡¯s falling.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it?¡± She stared at the window for a second. ¡°The barrier around the house wasn¡¯t noticeable?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone would notice it. What the hell is that anyway?¡±


    ¡°A barrier I learned from a demi-fairy.¡±


    Nolan liked this life. No battles and everything seems slow. He was tired of fighting and the woman in front of him felt the same. Ciara would have left already if she wasn¡¯t tired. They were just old souls that wanted peace. Indeed, he knew that there was a lurking being around them. A being that might lead the world astray and make a move. Ciara cannot defy this time. It was strange obedience for the woman hardened by many battles.


    Their story has been wrought with troubles and heartbreaks. Yet here they are living silently without a care for the world. Living their perpetual lives slowly. They¡¯ve walked the bleak path for so long that it was only right for the two to found their oasis. It was only fair that they would. It took both of them a long time to find peace.


    That¡¯s why inside this house there was only the Family of Salvatore. The family that refused the call of a journey. For the sake of their children, the two were willing to settle down. And so the quiet days of the Salvatore Family continued. The winter snow blows and the hearth was warm.


    But beyond this peace, there was a trouble brewing in a towering city.

 Chapter 224: The Demoness Who Would Never Be Heard

    The lonely woman sat in the corner of a soul. She couldn¡¯t do anything other than watch as the man she loves, make love and have a happy life. This is fine, she thought, although she hadn¡¯t seen the faintest of it all. An obsidian flower lasts for twenty-million years. The love of an obsidian blooded demon lasts for twenty million years. Those who are maddened would protect its love for even more than that.


    Here lies in the innermost depths of a soul a lonely demonic maiden trapped in her hell. Did she deserve such hell? No, simply, she wanted this, and she couldn¡¯t let him die. Not the human who she thought was her being. Simply, she was with him, and she had held the soul of her pitiful man without him knowing. Once a soul was bonded it could never be parted until absolute annihilation of the soul. The soul of a human could never last for eternity. It could never spend a perpetual life without breaking.


    So what does a demoness who had been beaten and sealed inside do? What would she do knowing that if she lets go the soul would crumble? The blood of a demoness was strong and her soul had powers that could sustain a human¡¯s soul. I have the right to let go, she thought, but what if there¡¯s no other realm? The woman asked herself before silence.


    One Hundred Years of being sealed. The woman watched as the human struggles. The cycle starts with the boy finding hope. Then she would witness the woes and despair of the woman.


    Two hundred years of being sealed. The woman screams yet no one would hear. So she counted the seconds she screamed. It was nothing short but insanity. The continuous suffering of a woman who wouldn¡¯t want to give up. From surviving into enduring. The demoness sat on the corner of the soul.


    No, no, never give in, and never give up, she thought. She would imagine the look of the human who trapped her. Hate, no that cannot be, must, and keep on going no matter what?


    Five hundred years of being sealed. The woman surrounded her soul with obsidian thorns. No, she must keep the love that cannot be. The man who does not love a demoness. The man who sealed the demoness and left her inside his soul, never to speak, and only buried under legions of hate.


    A thousand years of love and yet the soul does not crumble. Please, please, just notice, the soul screams inside. The images of her future succumbing to the fateful day. Ah, the defeat, the running away, the lonesome cycle does not stop. The demoness fell for her captor and now keeps him alive. The stupidity, the lonesome stupidity of a flowery obsidian, now foolishly keeping her man alive.


    Two thousand years of love. The woman screams harder than ever.


    Five thousand years of love the woman shouts at the barrier of the soul. The sealed soul could not emit power. Only the polluting of the obsidian blood and her soul acting like an engine that the soul survives.


    Ten thousand years of love. The soul of the man was a jigsaw puzzle with many pieces scattered. The soul of the woman picks the scattered pieces and forming it again and again. The soul was running on a drying soul of a demoness. Barren, empty, dried, the soul shivers at the fragile soul.


    Time passes and the soul shrinks to a candle-flame. The candle-flame contained the soul of the woman and the man that bonded for such a long time. Sealed in harmony and must never be parted.


    The woman¡¯s insanity turned into sanity when a million year passed by. She looked through the eyes of the man. Vast mountains of a desert that seems endless. A tower that could not possibly exist was seen on the vision. The tower pierces the ceiling of clouds. The soul turned into an empty void. The woman still sits in the corner with utter silence. Mumbling about the seconds and minutes that passed.


    Unable to get out of the soul container. She watched as the man she loves, fall again and again in love with the woman who did not want him. The vision of the many encounters surged inside her mind. She kept a note and started distracting herself.


    Five thousand years of insanity that led to a woman¡¯s envy. Unable to grasp the man she loved. Watching forever unable to speak or even hear his voice.


    The Obsidian Flower fuels the life of a man who would never appreciate. Unable to grabbed hold without being pricked by its glassy thorns.


    The obsidian woman bangs her head on the corners of the soul. Gritting her teeth while watching her man and bonded soul love another.


    I am okay, the woman lied to herself. As long as he lives, and I would be forever with him. The liar says while scratching her face inside her own personal hell. Ten thousand years of lies. The fifteenth million years of lies kept. Scratching her nails on the void, hoping, wishing, that she could be her.


    Nineteenth million years of love. The woman hears the toddler cries. The obsidian heart broke into millions of pieces. She squats on her empty hell, crying puddles of tears, clutching her chest, bawling, and the envy of a woman who could only act as a fuel for the soul of a man who would never know. The man who thought that the obsidian demoness was long gone. Would never hear her despairing cries. No words would reach the woman. No kindness. The sealed woman lingering inside the soul can never be out. Not even the one who wanted to escape at the ends of her old world couldn¡¯t escape the fate of being sealed.


    A million-year-old strong heart broke by the sounds of toddlers crying and its parents hushing the toddlers lovingly. The empty white hell shook and yet the million-year-old soul sat in the corner hugging her knees. Strands of energy being sucked out of her body, fueling the human soul.

 Chapter 225: Strike Fast and Hard

    Spring came fast and none were able to break the barrier protecting the Tower of Nimrod and its cities. On the front of the tower, there was a fiery woman who trudged alongside the melted snow. She stood with staff on hand and she wore a shawl along with her dress. The cowl covered her head until she pulled it back.


    She had amethyst colored eyes and hair that reaches up to her waist, braided into one tail. The braid was wrapped around her waist and she had a thin smile while facing the barrier. Her companions were standing far from her. The rumble of the air around her showed her power. It was the same as watching thunder itself stand still.


    ¡°Open this barrier.¡±


    She spoke the words with authority. Three words were all she needed. She was confident that many would obey a favored children.


    ¡°No.¡±


    So she didn¡¯t expect that she would be answered back by a nonchalant voice. Calmer than an unmoving crystal lake. She pointed her violet eyes to the source of the voice. She saw a young man walking calmly outside the barrier, passing through the thin light with soft steps.


    ¡°I am Einar Elior. The City of Nimrod and its sisters are not accepting any visitors that are hostile to our city-states. Kindly leave our air. You are polluting it.¡±


    She didn¡¯t hesitate and called thunder from the sky. Einar Elior sheathed his blade and threw it on the ground to his right. The thunder swaying to the blade, acting as its lightning rod. When the thunder was done he calmly took his sword back and looked at the woman again.


    ¡°Lady Rubina, you will only get a word from us and that word is ¡®No¡¯.¡±


    ¡°I heard of you.¡±


    Einar didn¡¯t reply. She continued.


    ¡°You defeated that Astra Being? How?¡±


    Einar stared with his sword on his hand. Just a straight look on his face without a tinge of emotion. Lady Rubina wasn¡¯t as calmed. She said to Einar.


    ¡°It seems you are not willing to say anything other than a word.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Einar replied.


    ¡°Then know that we have all come here to pay the debt this city owes. I have come here hoping that you all would kindly remember it. Yet, you all don¡¯t pay the favor back. I shall take this as your refusal? You are fine giving us the right to take this city by force then? All of us suffered the price when you ASKED for our help. We acknowledged that you might have defeated the Astral Being, but you must acknowledge our involvement in the matter. Or are the city-states too afraid of paying their debts?¡±


    Einar was like an idle statue with a woman rambling to him. He stared at the woman without saying a word. He was true to his words that he wouldn¡¯t say anything other than a word. Lady Rubina was being watched by all the forces and she wouldn¡¯t be shamed like this. She will not allow it.


    ¡°Then I have no choice but to!¡±


    When she said those words a figure appeared in front of him with a raised fist. Pulling his fist, Einar Elior landed a right hook on Lady Rubina¡¯s face, her body rotating twice, and almost falling face-first on the ground. Lady Rubina jolted forward, pointed her staff on Einar, and blasted a lightning bullet to his face. Einar evaded by instinct and followed his punch with a jab to her throat.


    Lady Rubina held her throat, draw a runic spell on the air and blasted it to Einar¡¯s location. Einar scoffed, ducked under the threat of the explosion, and pointed his palm to Lady Rubina. A rock was on his palm and he circulated two electric currents around his elbow and suddenly pushed the rock forward. The rock flew and created a bolt of lightning that punched through Lady Rubina¡¯s shields.


    Einar pounced forward, pulled his fist back, and throw it towards the liver area of the Lady. The Lady kneeled on the ground, she glared, healed herself, and escaped to the sky. Einar recalled the feeling of the wraith body and jumped to where Lady Rubina was. The cost of jumping hurt his body even though he only did it for a second. Lady Rubina flinched and released a shockwave that blew Einar away.


    However, Einar grasped her thigh and with a pull, threw her to him, landing a blow to her left armpit which was then followed by an elbow to her liver, again. After landing a blow, Einar pulled her forward and threw her down. He raised his right leg and stomped it on Lady Rubina¡¯s stomach. Einar flicked his finger and covered his body with an earth-like scale.


    Einar was merciless towards the favored woman. She was a being that has not lost. She probably wasn¡¯t expecting Einar to strike fast and hard. If there is one thing that Einar learned from Nolan. It was to never let a strong being think straight. She could level the entire city so he had no choice but to do this. Pulling her backward, she grabbed hold of her hair, and clawed her face, running a bolt of electricity to his hand straight to her head. With her shields disrupted, Einar was able to subdue her completely. Letting go of her face, he looked at the fallen favored woman, drew a seal on her chest. The seal was the same seal that Nolan used to convert Tania of the Obsidian Flower into his. He had bonded his soul and now this woman had no choice but to talk.


    Einar felt the burning of his soul. He was trembling and he felt like something was burning on the arm he used to propel the railgun. Einar knew that he could heal but the backlash was hard on his body. He was lucky that it took him only a few minutes to take Lady Rubina down. If Lady Rubina resisted more after he used the wraith body phasing. He would have just fell from where he jumped and die with all of his organs melted and heart exploding from the pressure of the jump.

 Chapter 226: Remorse of a Husk

    Einar took hold of the Strongest Favored children and captured her. Alas, that was the reason why most of the army quieted down. They saw Einar take down the Lady Rubina that has been worshipped as the strongest. Einar knew that he could only win once and that was because the conditions were just right. The army was around and that she won¡¯t go all out when faced with such a large amount.


    Einar¡¯s soul was cracking and he lost all colors of his surrounding the moment he imitated the powers of the wraith. He could recover but it would mean that he would at least wait for a month for his soul to recover from the injury. The injury had his body cracking and he also lost his runic abilities. To Einar, it felt like he was being poked by spikes all over the place. His monstrous pain tolerance and his inability to show emotion didn¡¯t make others question whether he was in pain or not.


    ¡°So your soul did take damage,¡± she said with a frown on her face. ¡°You avoided my attacks and that is a feat no one had done before. You...what is that power?¡±


    Einar turned his eyes away from the favored lady. He looked around him before folding his arms. He had no intentions of speaking. Wraiths were non-existent in this world and a power that would allow one to phase through anything was dangerous. Einar was able to imitate the ability simply because he had experienced the feeling of it.


    ¡°You won¡¯t tell. I expected that. Still, to put a seal on me that I do not know off. I can see why you¡¯d be able to defeat the Astral Being. Don¡¯t be too conceited, if it was me then I will be able to do the same.¡±


    ¡°I doubt that,¡± Einar said. ¡°I may be arrogant and I know that you are strong. But defeating the War Maiden of Space and Time is a thought that fools only have. You aren¡¯t a fool, Lady Rubina. So you should know better than to challenge a woman that has stepped on the faces of Gods and had saved more worlds that you ever possibly imagine.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt to try.¡±


    ¡°I doubt it,¡± Einar scoffed. ¡°You failed to face me and you think that you¡¯ll be able to match her guardian? I doubt you could win so give up. It is not our place and mortals like us should stay.¡±


    ¡°This comes from the man who proclaimed that he defeated that monster. Why tell me all of this?¡±


    Einar drew his blade and placed it against Rubina¡¯s neck. She paled at the sight of the blade pressing on her neck. The moment of paleness was then turned into a savage¡¯s smile. Rubina may be a lady but she was still a favored child who had killed her way to fame.


    ¡°I could tear your neck here. Do you know why I won¡¯t do that?¡±


    ¡°Because you find me beautiful?¡±


    ¡°No, you are useful.¡±


    ¡°You are blind.¡±


    ¡°I saw better faces than you.¡±


    That was all it took for her face to change into that of a frown. Einar¡¯s face was stoic as ever. Rubina braced her back on the wall of the room to stand. Her disheveled look didn¡¯t betray the energy spilling out of her body. She was a giant facing a man made of sticks.


    ¡°You are a blind man.¡±


    ¡°You lose to a blind man. How pitiful.¡±


    ¡°I will beat you.¡±


    ¡°I like a woman who can beat me up.¡±


    He stared with frosty eyes. Hers was colder than an iceberg. The thing about strong people was that they always feel superior. They wouldn¡¯t be easily be looked down upon. She could act like this knowing that she had the power and didn¡¯t use it fully. Einar knows that he just made enemies with a favored woman. That was not good but when did he care about his life?


    ¡°You will be our hostage. The seal will nurture me and the more you use your power. The more you strengthen me. That¡¯s what this seal is. I think you should obey.¡±


    The frost in her eyes froze her brows and she permeated cold air from her body. Her rage was enough to sustain Einar for days. He clenched his right fist and turned to her.


    ¡°See?¡±


    ¡°I can. What a devilish method.¡±


    ¡°It has many uses.¡±


    ¡°Is this the reason why you were able to survive that being? I understand now why you were able to stand up against that being. I can see it. I can see how your soul has many cracks and it looks like fighting me caused you a lot. But seeing your confident gait means that you still have other methods.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    Einar squared his shoulders. He leaned on the wall and covered his eyes to her. ¡°I will not ask why we are besieged from all directions and why you wanted to steal from us. Look, you underestimate the tower greatly, and we never wanted to be anything other than neutral.¡±


    ¡°Neutral,¡± she scoffed. ¡°You have a tower that could produce fields of crops and warriors that could slay beings that are treated like monsters in the fields. A tower that produces materials as if out of thin air and you¡¯d think that we haven¡¯t thought of this tower as a threat? Imagine what nations would do to acquire a tower like this. Sooner or later, your neutrality won¡¯t have any place. This continent is too big for us and we need a new place.¡±


    ¡°And you come here seeking our tower. If I hear any greater good or for the good of all bullshit thrown around your words, then forget it. I will not have it. Either the tower dies with us or none can have it at all.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°I can say the same. We won¡¯t just hand over the tower to people who think they are righteous!¡±


    Einar Elior had always been guided through the memories of Nolan Salvatore. Looking at the woman before him, his first thought was to cripple her.

 Chapter 227: Her First Fear

    Rubina had been a woman spoiled to her growth. She was powerful and blessed. Many would kneel before her and many would try to win her heart. She had seen many curs who thought they were worthy of her. Enemies who despite their animosity towards her. Showed her great respect that a woman of her status has.


    At this moment she was not being treated. In front of her was a man whose soul had cracked. There was a candle flame that spiked with energy inside the soul of this man. His eyes were frosty and no hint of respect or admiration was pointed at her. She was confident with her appearance and seeing this man unfazed damped a bit of her confidence.


    No, that can¡¯t be right, she thought to herself. It wasn¡¯t his lack of interest towards her that worried her. It was his eyes that showed no light. Her reflection was in the eyes of the man. He was looking at her as if she was a cattle. Yes, she had finally seen the malice of those who were around her. She realized that she had that same look when a man bows to her. She had thought this man as inferior, but he probably thinks the same. Who was captured and who was the victor here? She was the loser and he won against their bout.


    ¡°I made a mistake,¡± she thought.¡± I shouldn¡¯t have gone alone. I should have gone all out.¡±


    Einar Elion gazed at her nape and her collars. No lust could be found on that gaze. It was more like a gaze of a man who¡¯d like to his hands around her neck. She unconsciously gulped, turned her eyes away, only to look back at the man whose gaze had frozen. He was a ghost within a lamp¡¯s light.


    ¡°My master said that naturally selfish and that they always put themselves first. He hasn¡¯t been wrong and I only saw a few who had the selflessness of those. Back then, I choose to murder bandits because it was right. In my eyes, you are nothing more than a powerful bandit that has come to hurt my friends and family. You a strong, and you have your worth, I know that. But even if I let you go, you will come back. You are a proud woman, too proud, and I know that you will come back. Even if the favored children recover, they will know that I live here. Tell me, a proud woman of the favored. Why do you live?¡±


    She couldn¡¯t answer. His words were like an arrow slowly heading towards her heart. His fingers were twitching as if the moment she spoke words there would be fingers digging into her neck. The unknown feeling that was not present to her crawled from the depths of her emotions. Her eyes dilated and her heart rapidly beat like drums, deafening her ears.


    ¡°I fight for my people,¡± she said. Indeed, selfish, spoiled, and utterly arrogant to others. She was still a person who cared enough about her country to respect its wishes. If it was to benefit her country then she would do its bidding. That was at least she could to repay the country that brought her up.


    ¡°Is that so?¡± His words crept on her spine. Such a dismissive tone would have found her rage. She couldn¡¯t allow herself to lose control, knowing, that doing so would only strengthen the man in front of her. He was dangerous not because of his strength. But the ruthlessness that came with his strength and power.


    ¡°I am speaking no lies,¡± she said timidly like a mouse trapped.


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    Stop repeating that word, she thought, her eyes shaking mad. Her vision tunneled and the only focus of her eyes was the person whose fingers were eager to dig into her neck. She couldn¡¯t hold it in, the fear, the stress, and the absurdity of the situation. She was firm first but yet when she had realized how helpless she was. She had gone into a state of fear and panic. Warm liquid started to wet her now disheveled dress, dripping down her thighs, creating a clear puddle underneath her skirt.


    Tears poured out of her eyes, a body shaking sob came out of her, and her legs give in, planting her bottom on the puddle. Shame poured on her heart, and yet she looked at the man whose eyes didn¡¯t leave her neck. He was just staring vacantly at her neck.


    ¡°Should I?¡± He asked blankly while looking at her pathetic appearance. ¡°It would be better if I kill my enemies before they come back. But the wrath of a nation after killing it''s favored would be disastrous for this tower. Still, it won¡¯t hurt to be careful.¡±


    His hands went to her neck. She dragged her powers into full power and tried to unleash her strongest spell. Alas, the spell broke, and a surge of energy came rushing towards Einar. He took a step back and sat cross-legged in front of her. He absorbed the energy and she saw the candle flame inside of him grew into a bonfire. The cracks of his soul were mended and he was whole.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been duped,¡± Rubina thought. Still, that didn¡¯t change her perception of Einar. She refused to leak out what she thought in fear that she will find his fingers piercing her neck, she couldn¡¯t utter any words.


    ¡°Thank you for that,¡± Einar said with a thin smile on his face. ¡°This is a useful seal. No wonder the Old man only did to that demon. He was right that it would invigorate the soul.¡±


    Earth-like scales appeared on his gloveless fingers. The power that came from his spell cast resembled her energy. She saw a thread of light in her mind¡¯s eyes flowing out and into his soul. ¡°You are stealing my energy...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Einar said. ¡°This will seal your powers and feed me your energy if you misbehave.¡± He looked at the puddle underneath her. ¡°I shall be your escort, and I am guessing that your ladyship has no complaint about that?¡±

 Chapter 228: Two Voices Linger At the End

    Adey.


    Yes?


    You knew.


    Yes.


    Then why?


    You are a burned woman. I must play the role and while you play yours.


    How many times?


    Excuse me?


    How many times had we done this?


    I stopped counting.


    I see.


    I had to try, Machina.


    I know, Adey. I know that you want to.


    You shouldn¡¯t be surprised.


    I am not.


    No wonder you were close with that demoness. I see. Still, doesn¡¯t this scene never ceases to amaze? The chirping and the ringing bells, you¡¯d never know it was a black hole, where light wouldn¡¯t escape.


    Indeed. I cannot stop looking at it.


    Seriously, why do you always have that look only at this time?


    Because I know that this isn¡¯t the end.


    Hey, what if it was different?


    Different how? There¡¯s no need to look back at the dreams we shared. We had a family and that was all we need. In the end, you are a chosen, while I am the goon that keeps popping out of nowhere, isn¡¯t that the role you played?


    Indeed, still, how many times did we spend appearances? Why do we end up together only to point our weapons later?


    I have no idea.


    When did this start?


    From that alley. It was always that alley. The dance and the alley.


    We could give up.


    I don¡¯t think we can. You play the role and I play mine. That is the duty of ours. How many tries in eternity, until we can get a peaceful role?


    We¡¯ve been fighting this duel for a very long time now.


    How many seconds until eternity opens?


    Calm, Adey, you will have your battle, but know that I will always win.


    I know. But you know that I never give up. I never give in no matter what.


    That¡¯s why we are stuck in the first place.


    Adey.


    Machina.


    In circles.


    In cycles.


    Through the ring of eternity.


    Through the edges of destiny.


    We are chasing each other¡¯s back.


    Your back


    And your back.


    Endlessly circling on the cycles.


    Face changes and hearts are lost.


    The cycle of two never ends.


    For that is the Bleak Path.


    For that is the Path of Greater Good.


    Who is wrong?


    You are.


    No, you are, Adey.


    For the sake of what?


    For a lonely maiden.


    For a time wanderer.


    You and I.


    For eternity.


    No hatred.


    Just roles to play.


    That¡¯s what are our role is.


    Isn¡¯t it?


    You come far, my husband.


    And you are too strong, my wife.


    Did you think that I would reach this far?


    Yes, isn¡¯t it odd? That even our fragments fell in love, stuck in the same loop, how pitiful of them. Our heirs, and our fragments falling in love miserable towards one another, in an endless loop of love and hate and happiness.


    Do you think they will win?


    Who knew?


    Did you know it from the start?


    Do I even need to reply to that, my wife?


    No, you do play this role of well.


    Still, I never thought that it would be you.


    My wife, you should stop telling the burnt woman and the knight¡¯s tale to a person.


    I can¡¯t help it. If I don¡¯t then it would be too unfair.


    Tell me the clues.


    You survive for more than many years. You knew of a history that shouldn¡¯t have mattered, and your hatred for her.


    Tell me, would you have been happier if you two got together?


    I don¡¯t know, my wife. I simply don¡¯t know. I have no idea where she is right now. Do you think that I can even dare to look at that woman¡¯s face? She doesn¡¯t deserve someone like me.


    I like her. If I could I¡¯d rather be with her as well.


    She wouldn¡¯t understand.


    I know she won¡¯t. It¡¯s hard not to fall in love with someone like her. That¡¯s why I hate her.


    You are confusing.


    I confuse myself sometimes. Oh, that was a nice shot.


    It shouldn¡¯t be avoidable.


    To the normal, it wouldn¡¯t be.


    Hmm, the sun¡¯s being sucked out.


    Should we finish this then?


    How long until then?


    I don¡¯t know. But I will always find you.


    I know. You always do.


    Do you think something will change?


    After being in this state, you choose to still say that?


    Who knows? There might be a miracle. I never stopped believing about miracles, Adey.


    And this is coming from the Maidenly God?


    I can say the same, my Bleak Wayfarer.


    Your smile never changes.


    Same as yours.


    So, are you ready?


    Yes, I am. Not that you could win against me.


    That doesn¡¯t stop me.


    ***


    You lasted an hour longer. That is impressive, my husband.


    I live to please.


    Does it hurt?


    Not really. Doesn¡¯t bother me anymore.


    We are idiots.


    That we are.


    We should have found a better solution.


    Yes, but perpetually is impossible. Even those who were worshipped by them didn¡¯t last. Not even the creators lasted at the mercy of time. Repeat, and repeat, until we meet again. That¡¯s the role we must play until our fragments can find a way. That¡¯s what we are, Adey. That¡¯s what we are. But I am afraid.


    Afraid of what?


    You took longer than usual to find me. You almost reached the billionth mark. I was starting to think that you have slackened on your role, my husband. Maybe, you should start finding ways to get stronger.


    Your fragment is doing well. That¡¯s why. And not like getting stronger would help me against you.


    True, and your fragment is doing good as well. Strange that this time we met them.


    Indeed, and there might be a time that your fragment might destroy you.


    Nothing new then.


    Adey?


    See you later, and I hope I find you faster. I do miss you sometimes.


    I feel the same.


    I wonder what you¡¯re going to look like next.


    I am looking forward to it. You have been blessed with a decent appearance.


    Not like appearance stops both of us.


    Adey?


    Yes?


    That hurts.


    I know.


    I told you, no sneak attacks.


    I had to. I wanted to die with you this time.


    I see, then let¡¯s sleep, okay?

 Chapter 229: The Bleak’s Flame

    The snow that once covered the bamboos trees were gone. The sun, who was halfway up in the air, was rising steadily, and slowly until it reached the sky where it should be. Nolan, who wore a shawl around his shoulder, melted the snow away, secretly, making sure that there would be none of it. The river that was frozen had started melting, and fishes of unknown origin to him started swimming up the stream.


    Nolan took his bow and started pulling on the strings. He closed one eye, nocked an arrow, and aimed at the fish. The arrow flew, stab right through the gills of that fish, and fell on the river, or it should have if it wasn¡¯t for the string of energy that caught it. He carried the fish to his ungloved finger and placed it on the wicker basket sitting next to him.


    ¡°Fish?¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    Nolan didn¡¯t have to look to know who the person behind him was. Ciara, who carried her babies, walked next to Nolan¡¯s side, she inhaled the fresh air and cuddled her babies, her ruby eyes reflecting the mirror-like river. Her hair had been braided and it rested on her shoulder. She held her children with no effort as if they were weightless. They¡¯d be weightless to a woman who had been said to be a demigod in her world, and she has only grown stronger.


    ¡°Time moved fast, already spring. I still can¡¯t believe this.¡±


    ¡°Believe what?¡±


    ¡°That we¡¯d be finally together.¡±


    Indeed, how many roads and suffering did he took until he reached this stage? Nolan Salvatore couldn¡¯t count and couldn¡¯t any longer remember when did this journey start. Not that he cared, what need was there to weep over parts of life, he thought again, keeping that sentence inside his head. Nolan watched the fishes jumped in a c-shape formation, diving down, and rising until it finally reached the upper river, only to land on the ice sheet that didn¡¯t melt yet. The fish rolled back to the stream, got carried to the lowest part of the river.


    Nolan didn¡¯t take the fish this time. He turned his attention to the other fishes who gave up and swatted them with the same energy. He did the process until his wicker basket had enough fishes for the two of them. Nolan took a stride to the campfire he made an hour ago and started roasting the fishes near the fire. He dragged a stump and sat on it. He turned to Ciara and saw that she had no intentions of sitting.


    The aroma of fresh fish drifted to him. Nolan sat still, then, suddenly, there was a flash of light that blinded him for a second. The blinding flash covered the world in black and white, and before long he saw a vision of a man staring down a crystal that was seated on a field of clouds. The crystal was ten foot tall and there was a figure inside the crystal who was holding on to strange regalia that Nolan had no idea how to describe.


    The figure who was facing the crystal raised his fist and punched the crystal with all of his might. The punch didn¡¯t carry any magical power or it did chisel away the crystal. The figure whose face was blurred by the fires, suddenly had all of his blood vessels explode, the man kneeled on the floor, and withered away, melting like water evaporating into thin air.


    Suddenly, there was another man with the same figure, looking at the crystal, and slamming his fist against it. The same thing happens, and the figure died, this time, his body withering until no bones were left. Then, the area around Nolan turned bloody red, and hands that were missing fingers, and some completely cut, tried grabbing Nolan¡¯s legs.


    When Nolan looked at one of the faces, he saw the sigil of the bleak walkers. The nauseating feeling of experiencing the tragedy of the bleak walker he looked at, made his head light for three seconds, his dilated eyes returned to normal, and finally, he turned towards the wailing bleak walkers. There was no peace for those who walked the bleak path.


    ¡°Rest, my brothers,¡± he said solemnly. ¡°Do not interfere with my tiny bits of happiness. Leave, and take the vision in the fire along with you.¡±


    The bleak walker¡¯s eyes burned like a flare. Those who walked the bleak path like Nolan hurried out of his gaze. Every bleak walker carried pain in their eyes, and how can they compare to the millennia of pain that he had gone through? The bleak walker¡¯s blight vanished, leaving only the sound of the fire¡¯s crackling and the vision of a man punching a crystal with his bare fist.


    ¡°Ciara, can you see this?¡±


    He saw Ciara turned towards the fire. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°This vision by the fire.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°I said that this vision by the fire.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about? ¡°


    Nolan realized that no words came out of his mouth. He tried speaking about the vision of the fire, only for his words to be drowned out by something. He didn¡¯t know what it was, and he didn¡¯t want to question. Nolan¡¯s instincts told him that if he insists on this, his body would meet the same end as the vision, and he would found himself on a tiresome quest.


    ¡°No,¡± he said silently to his heart. ¡°I had enough, I rather not look at it, no, Nolan Salvatore, don¡¯t look at it, don¡¯t let yourself be carried into a journey again, you have a family now, and you must prioritize it first.¡±


    He doused the flame with water that came out of his left palm. The vision of a man punching a crystal faded, leaving only the wet coals, and the uncooked fish that didn¡¯t get warmed by the fire. He cast a glance at Ciara and saw a worried look on her face. The children on her arms looked at him, their big eyes gazing at Nolan.


    Nolan felt weak and worried, and the vision came knocking to his head with a loud snap.


    Nolan Salvatore felt fear after a long time.

 Chapter 230:

    The cracks of the world were starting to enlarge. It was a crack that spread around the world. Like glass, the crack of the world encircled the world, and only Ciara Salvatore knew of it. She felt the power of various beings that shook the world with their presence. In return she replied with her presence, the whole of beings turned their eyes at the woman who once sundered the heavens.


    ¡°Ciara Alician, so you are here in this world and with two of your children.¡±


    ¡°Dawn Lord,¡± Ciara said. ¡°And it is ¡®Salvatore¡¯ and don¡¯t forget that, fool.¡± She squared her shoulders as she evokes all the power inside her body. The Dawn Lord shivered for a second and then regained his senses as the power levels down.


    ¡°Tell me about your intentions.¡±


    A god intervened, ¡°You do not have the right.¡±


    But that god had his throat pierced and his energy sucked into a strand that Ciara Salvatore devoured. Around the village was a dome that covered it whole. The soul that Ciara Salvatore devoured become a power that protected them.


    ¡°Calm, War Maiden,¡± Lord Dawn said. ¡°We are only here to right wrongs.¡±


    ¡°Do not mistake me for a blind woman. I can see the flow of the worlds and the veins of it. You are doing something and that is something I cannot allow. I have children here.¡±


    ¡°You do not have the right to know, woman.¡±


    A star condensed into a spear stabbed towards the god who said that. The god blocked the attack and looked at Ciara Salvatore. Time had already slowed almost to a halt and even Nolan Salvatore couldn¡¯t detect the happenings around him.


    ¡°Do you want to fight me?¡±


    ¡°Do you think I don¡¯t dare? Look at you, carrying your children, and I am sure that you won¡¯t risk the life of your lovelies fighting me.¡±


    ¡°Threaten them and I will murder you. You shouldn¡¯t think of anything else other than doing what you want, fool. Be grateful that Lord Dawn is here with you? Do you want me to remind you all what happened to your pantheon?¡±


    The God arched his back and guffawed as if mad. ¡°Ah, did you hear that, Chief. This woman threatens the pantheon and her power only goes stronger! We only come here to care for the world and yet she tries to stop us! This is nothing but a violation of the agreement of the observer! She must be punished-¡°


    Before that God could continue with his arrogant words. Ciara Salvatore¡¯s phantom had beheaded the God and she pulled out his spine. The spine of the God turned into ashes and before long a boom of energy ruptured half of the sky. Ciara Salvatore stayed with her husband. She looked at the Gods without any mercy in her eyes.


    That was it. The eyes of a woman who would destroy a pantheon of gods for the sake of her family. The Gods had already faced a weaker version of Ciara and now that she was a mile stronger.


    ¡°Enough,¡± Lord Dawn said. Blocking the energy of this woman who had fooled those around her. How many lies did this woman have? He had lost count and now she was living happily without a thought of the destruction that she caused.


    ¡°We are here to fix your mistakes and you kill a god who merely speaks. Ciara the War Maiden, you are a woman who had destroyed worlds ¨C you call it ¡®saving¡¯ but you only hasten their destruction and at the end...you have destroyed more worlds than the world eater! Now you live in this bastion? You, do you even realize what you had done? There are cracks all over the place and now this whole universe slowly cracks! This is the heart of the universe! The mother tree and now you stay here even though the observer had said not to interfere!¡±


    ¡°You speak too much, Lord Dawn.¡±


    ¡°And you are an arrogant woman, Ciara! The laws of the verses are absolute! The levels of power that you have reached have broken every law! You don¡¯t even realize that you had given birth to children that could destroy the world by their tantrums!¡±


    Then a figure whose body was part of the space appeared. The figure pointed at Ciara and her children. Ciara widened her eyes and saw her children vanish in front of her. Her mind froze and before she knew it. Her astral sword had split the figure into two.


    The power of Ciara hasten the cracks. The world shook and none knew. Like toy figures that were stuck on a playing board. They all fell as the world splits. The magic that had loved this world slowly withered and the Gods who went to fix it shuddered.


    ¡°Ciara, stop!¡±


    ¡°Give them back!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid we cannot do that.¡±


    The observer, Alcina Cheery, stabbed a crystal blade on the back of Ciara. She smiled with her lips reaching her ears. It was a distorted smile that showed malice.


    ¡°Ah,¡± Ciara turned her attention to Nolan who was still on the campfire. She hastened her energy but it seemed like it didn¡¯t matter facing this strange affliction that had invaded her body.


    ¡°You¡¯ve become too strong, Ciara, and so we need to reset the timeline and fix the mess you had left behind.¡±


    The cracks that covered the sky slowly spread and shattered like glass breaking apart. The world distorted and the plane of existence was like a cloth being folded. Alcina Cheery turned her eyes to the figure who was unaware of what was happening. His body, which was an anomaly itself was swallowed by this tide of power that washed the world.


    Alcina the Cheery thought of taking him. But suddenly, an obsidian flower emerged out of his body and shielded him from the power that enveloped. Alcina, who wanted to take Nolan away, rushed, and yet a woman with obsidian plating palmed her on the stomach, blasting her away.


    ¡°You Gods...why do you involve my Nolan in your games? Ciara, I thought you¡¯d see through their schemes...but I was wrong. Nolan, she¡¯s not for you, and you not for her. Fate simply doesn¡¯t allow it.¡±


    The world turned blank. Like a television being shut off.


    Chapter 230: Unhappily Ever Afte

 Chapter 231: The Bleak Walker’s Companion

    He was staring blankly while rain poured on top of his head. His figure was hunched, his eyes silver, pale skin, and white hair, and he was carrying mortar and pestle, and in front of him was a wooden box with cabinets. He was tapping the pestle on the mortar, grinding a herb. Behind him was the woods, water drips from the leaves, the ground he sat was a patch of grass, his brown coat was placed on his head.


    ¡°Ah,¡± he said. ¡°What a dream.¡±


    Nolan said. He was daydreaming while stuck in the woods. Heavy rain fell on top of him, the leaves were being poured water. Nolan chewed on a rolled paper with dried herbs and tobacco on it. Around him were tiny lights that looked like bugs, but they were insects that infested this place.


    ¡°Light bugs,¡± he snorted through his nose. ¡°Annoying, hmm, I need to finish this.¡±


    He taps the pestle on the mortar until the herbs in the mortar became sticky and crushed. He took paste, opened his box, and took out three dried herbs stored in leather pouches. He poured the dried herbs on the paste, and he put the paste on his arms. ¡°Leave me alone, bugs.¡±


    The bugs disappeared and flew away, like an incense stick that smelled loathsome for the bugs. Nolan glared at the sky, his half-opened eyes staring. He recalled the dream again. What a dream it was, he thought. No, he needed to stay on the road, he still had villagers to visits, and offer his services.


    He stood up and took the box of medicine and wore it on his back. The rain continued pouring, and it seems like he had no choice but to get wet, his long coat wasn¡¯t enough to shield off the rain, it had kept most of his body dry, but his front was wet. Let¡¯s go, he thought. He started walking on the mud that had mixed of leaves and twigs.


    He started marching inside woods where the leaves were a lot. The woods had many hedges and bushes that he needed to cross. He didn¡¯t have any tools so he pushed his sole on a tree, and swung on a branch. He landed the flat of his feet on a tree and landed on the floor with a wet thud. The mud sprayed and he had to avoid it from sticking on his pants.


    Nolan continued his journey. The landscape was green and wet with all of the trees. This continued until he saw the sprinkle of water from the sky slowly halted. The sun broke through the clouds and the dews that gathered on some of the leaves glittered. The scent of wet leaves and earth wafted in the air. Cold wind pricked him and he involuntarily tugged on his coat.


    ¡°I should have found a hollow first.¡±


    He commented while vaulting over a large rock. He walked out of the woods and inspected the edges of the cliff. ¡°More woods,¡± he said. ¡°Hmm, there¡¯s no protruding rock around.¡±


    An endless sea of trees bathed Nolan¡¯s eye. He couldn¡¯t see the landmark that should lead him to the village where a patient was. He was a bleak walker, so it was his duty to see to those who live their lives.


    Some time went by, but the unchanging landscape still made his travels bothersome. There were walls of vines that had thorns. Boulders were blocking his way. Some of the terrains were steep and some were tiresome to clamber with how slippery it was. There were giant roots that blocked his way. Walls of trees didn¡¯t allow him to continue, so he went around them instead.


    Time passed, and he huddled inside a cove naturally made by the trees that intertwined together. Their branches naturally formed a roof and the branches formed a wall that shielded him from the rain. Nolan took the wooden box in front of him and started rolling papers with tobacco and herbs. He rolled a brown paper, and he flicks his fingers as if a candle flame would lit up.


    ¡°What am I doing?¡± He asked. ¡°I¡¯ve seen those dreams since forever now. Me? A warrior? There¡¯s just no way that I am. I¡¯ve been here in this world for four years.¡±


    ***


    Indeed, he was Nolan Salvatore, and that wouldn¡¯t change. It could be said that there were many fragments among them. Many which have been placed into realms that differed. These bubbles had become one, and a plain of endless trees and mountains became a part of this world. It was the result of various planes being transformed into one.


    Gods are fickle creatures and they do as they please. So when a human who held no power greater than God gets involved. He would be put among the rest of the toys. That is the fate of the lost named Nolan Salvatore. However, this man who traverses the forest of this world had become complete. The fragments of all that bound him had returned. To him, all of it was just endless dreams when he sleeps.


    He wouldn¡¯t know about the woman he fell in love. He wouldn¡¯t know about the suffering that he had gone through for her. He wouldn¡¯t even remember the joy he felt the moment his children were born. Those memories were dreams and a being that resided inside of him, the being that had done it to hide this lone wanderer wanted it to be so.


    Without memories, this wanderer moved without the height of what he did. She had made sure that he would be able to live his life without the worry of the Gods or the woman that was like a curse to him. Whether it was malicious or not, it was clear that she had done it out of love and envy.


    Tania, the obsidian flower, whose love lasted for twenty-four billion years watched over him. He was unaware of her, and yet this was fine. For the years that Nolan Salvatore spent, it was always the two of them that had been together the most. It was always Nolan and Tania who traveled together the most.

 Chapter 231: The End of An Endless Loop.

    Nolan Salvatore walked out of tall bushes. ¡°Ah, where is this place anyway?¡± He looked from left to right. The view in front of him was still the unchanging landscape of trees and mountains. Where was the rock that he was told to?


    The sea of trees swayed left and right. Rain fell and a mist gathered around. He puffed on a brown rolled paper and released smoke from his mouth and nose. Nolan scratched the side of his head, and he thought, ¡°Was I doing something, hmm, that dream-¡°


    ***


    Time stopped for Nolan. The world went gray and a figure appeared.


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not allowed, you must be free from that curse.¡±


    Time started again.


    ***


    He almost tripped on a branch. Then, he looked at the trees while relaxing his shoulder for a bit. The ground was wet. He couldn¡¯t possibly sit on such wet. The trees below were large enough to be called caves. He descended and followed a narrow rocky path until he reached the ground area. When he reached the ground area he started to look for a dry hollow. He found one dry hollow, twigs were on the ground, and it delighted her that there was a campfire that existed here.


    ¡°I must be close,¡± Nolan said. He started setting up his camp for the night. His wooden box had two compartments and he used the other compartment to pull out the necessary items he needed. He took a cup from the compartment and heated beans that turned into aromatic coffee. He took dried meat and started eating it.


    Some time passed by, he glanced at the rain and continued his journey. The ground was freshly wet and he heard the croaking of frogs. Some animals were running around the bushes. There were multi-colored birds that clung to the sides of the trees. When Nolan passed through this stream that was only thigh-deep to him. He noticed a sweet flowing air. Then, he saw a human figure that glided on the air. Every single one of these glided into the air.


    Alium. He recalled that he was in a world where people would call the world where the Valkyries flapped their wings. Some may call it the home of Valkyries, and some call it the world where every being resided except for the Gods and their mountains. It was a new world that was out of the bubble, and it was simply the afterlife.


    He recalled dying during that day. It was his only death and then he spent his life wandering as someone who wanted to help people.


    Nolan Salvatore felt joy in his heart.


    ***


    She knew this. She knew this well after staying in the heart for too long. The real wish of the Nolan that she loved. The wish of the man who had worked to save people from illness if he was allowed. But he was not allowed because he was charmed by a war maiden, a lonely war maiden that had no one beside her, and she had built him into a lonely warrior that walked the bleak.


    The Bleak Walker, a cursed name, a title branded by the lonely war maiden. Indeed, she couldn¡¯t deny that he felt a fondness for her. She hated that, for she knew that the War Maiden exploited that. She couldn¡¯t understand him either, the fool, the bleak walker who forgive the woman who killed his children, and created a false family.


    He couldn¡¯t even tell the lies that were placed in front of him. He was so blinded with the happiness that she conjured that lie. He didn¡¯t question why she give birth early. He believed simply because she was abnormal in the first place. He was so easy to fool that she could only scream, hoping, that he wouldn¡¯t fall for the lies of a woman.


    Every creation has a long process and she who had tasted the power itself could not believe her. Creating that lie would mean that she was giving birth to an imperfect vessel. The twins she created were the result of that process. Indeed, they may not be a lie, but she had created them to fabricate the life that she wanted.


    She had seen this repeated actions for the past twenty-four billion years. She had repeated this lie and she couldn¡¯t take it anymore. That¡¯s why she gathered power and succeeded in moving past the loop.


    Who said that the loop ended when he escaped this word? To her, he was only following the same pattern, the day where he would recall that he would loop back to Oasis City, the five hundred years of being used as a battery, and his arrival to the tower of nimrod.


    How many times had she seen him repeat the same thing over and over again?


    Twenty-billion years and an endlessly repeating loop that he couldn¡¯t escape.


    She was guilty as well. She was a woman who fell in love with her captor. The woman who was dragged to the endless loop that the war maiden had played. The lies, the disgraceful lie that she had conjured would always end with a world cracking at the expense of everything. She couldn¡¯t believe, that such a sinful woman would be able to stop at her lies.


    She had been longed to become a woman who had surpassed her powers. However, she knew that she had to do something, and finally that gamble worked. The gamble worked and now they were finally free.


    Free from the loop that had cheated her man.


    One day, she will be free, and she would accompany him. Until then, she will always be by his side, and that was has she been doing ever since then. Ever since the day that he sealed her. Ever since she became his. In this world where she had finally taken him. Tania of the Obsidian flower had finally achieved twenty-four billion years of escape.


    That¡¯s why she won¡¯t allow him to call for that woman.


    Her name won¡¯t be spoken and she will purge every memory of that woman from his head.


    For that was the only way they can be a free from her bleak path.

 Chapter 232: The True Enemy

    The Crystal shaped like a diamond floated in the void of white. The energy was being pulled out of the like string for sewing. This Diamond had a woman with pale hair and ruby eyes. She had no clothes. A woman guarded, watching the Diamond. She glowered at the woman. The woman inside spoke.


    ¡°You turned me into a battery. Alcina Cheery, are you happy now?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± she shook her head. ¡°He¡¯s stolen from me and now he is nowhere to be found. He has been reborn anew, War Maiden. We cannot find him unless fate dictates it.¡±


    ¡°I will find him,¡± Ciara said. ¡°I am his-¡±


    ¡°Stop,¡± Alcina said. ¡°He is not yours. You are not for him. Your fate was to wed a nobleman and he had accidentally stepped on the threads that connected you and that nobleman.¡±


    ¡°I will only love him, forevermore.¡±


    ¡°So you are willing to break the realms again? You call yourself savior, a messiah, and helper of the people. But do you know what I saw, War Maiden? I saw destruction, every world you had visited, you destroyed it, and you fought those who oppress, not knowing the consequences of what you have done.


    Indeed, you saved all of those in exchange you turn their lands into ashes. Their worlds withered and died. The purpose of you here is to be stripped, no, be used to sustain the worlds you had destroyed. The worlds are far too gone, and no creation can be done. War Maiden, you are a hero and a savior to ours. But to me, you are a destroyer of worlds, a woman who had played with a man¡¯s fate for too long. Tell me, I want to understand. Why would you do that to him?¡±


    Ciara smiled bitterly. ¡°You loved him as I do. That I can tell, and I hate you for it. I hate those who near him. I would destroy them and I would kill them. Alcina Cheery, I would kill you because I know that you loved him. He is mine and no one can prevent me from that.¡±


    ¡°He has been reborn.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. I will find him. I don¡¯t mind resetting the loop again and again.¡±


    ¡°Your manipulations of time will not work anymore. We made sure of that, War Maiden. We had made sure that the moment where you meet in that alley would not come to be.¡±


    ¡°So it was all of you!¡± She raged. ¡°So it was you who deprived me of our meetings! Those timelines where he did not exist! You took him from those timelines! So it was you all that did it! I see!¡±


    ¡°Yes, they may be impartial and indifferent, but we can longer take it. A man should not suffer for a million years. He might think that it was only thirty-years, but you made him wait and suffer for thirty million years! Waiting, asking, and telling him to suffer for you! I saw you watch him burn! Hung by the neck and slaughtered like a dog! I will not stand for it!¡±


    ¡°Cry all you want, I will find my Knight.¡±


    ¡°Have Mercy Pale Shine Woman!¡± She said. ¡°You have many names, Burned Woman, and you have many lies! The Pale Shine Lady, the Burned Woman, and Machina of End! Why do you hurt him so bad.¡±


    ¡°I love him.¡±


    ¡°Your love is unlikely!¡±


    ¡°I wait for the day that he can be my side. That is all there is to it. I don¡¯t know where he came from. What plane of existence he originally lived. You will never understand, Alcina. You will never understand the promise that I gave him. I only loved one man and I forged him from suffering and pain. I wanted to see what would become of him and he was the right one.¡±


    ¡°Your love disgusts me, War Maiden.¡±


    ¡°Because you do not understand. How could you understand a promise between two?¡±


    The War Maiden seems to be thinking back to something. Alcina Cheery sneered.


    ¡°Once upon a time, a soldier comforted a dying man, and then-¡±


    ¡°Enough about your lies.¡±


    She smiled shaking her head.


    ¡°Then no words can be said to you when you don¡¯t even listen. Observer, I will find my Knight, and no amount of powers can stop me. Once I find the boy, I will be able to find the strand linking to him. You said it yourself, you might not know where to find him, and that means all those who were carried doesn¡¯t remember as well. Pray, Observer, pray that I will never find the boy whose soul broke. I will find him and reunite with my Knight.¡±


    Alcina Cheery grimaced and scowled.


    ¡°So you had other plans! I see! No wonder it was odd that broken soul could be resurrected even though he had adopted the wraiths! I see! So it was your doing as well!¡±


    Ciara, the War Maiden, the Burned Woman, the Pale Shine, and the Machina of the End, smiled, looking at the woman in front of her. Alcina glared, her eyes hostile.


    ¡°I will not allow you to win, War Maiden. Hah, once I thought the Overlord of the Demons was the final enemy, the final battle would be over after he¡¯s done, but now I realize, the real enemy wasn¡¯t the Overlord of the Demons, it was never about him, it was you, you are the final enemy. From the start, you were the mother of all lies, the puppeteer that manipulated a man into loving you!¡±


    Alcina clenched her firsts.


    ¡°Ciara Alician, I will not allow you to succeed. I will not allow you to win!¡±


    ¡°Try as you might, Observer. I will win. I always win and no matter what, I will win despite all of your schemes!¡±


    From the beginning, it was all about the Burned Woman. It was never about the Overlord of the Demons, and it was never about defeating the Overlord. It was always about the Burned Woman, the unloved.


    She was the final enemy.


    The True Enemy from the start.


    ¡°I see, then whimper, Observer, for one day I will break this cycle. And you will be on your own puddle of tears, and your soul fed into mine.¡±


    The War Maiden said, closing her eyes.

 Chapter 233: The Burden of Memories

    He traveled under the trees. Sometimes he would plod on waist-length rainwater. He would climb on roots, hoping, praying that his wooden box does not fall. When the rain does not fall he would walk on the foliage-covered terrain. Holding on to the strap of his box, and his other hand, smoking the rolled brown paper filled with herbs that smoke away the spirits. The world, or at least this world, had been filled with strays, newly made, but to the rest, it was already four hundred years since then. Men and women were primitive, nobles, they go on crusades, conquering lands, and harvesting as many perks as they could. Then they go back to their Emerald King, hoping, begging, that they would reward them.


    The terrain was full of trees, roots, snakes, and giant protruding rocks that seem to sharpen like a rock. He had to cross bridges of vines and dodged flowers that released gasses. The walk through the forest was fun, in a way that any misstep would kill him. That a single purple-spotted leaf could murder him and with his stomach out of his body by the time he finished vomiting.


    Then, Nolan found the opening which leads him to more trees. Trees dotted every corner and the mountains higher than it could ever be.


    For the first time, in a while. Nolan sat on the edge of the cliff. The thoughts that should be present inside his head started to overflow - like a forceful fist that keeps hammering on the cover of the barrel. They keep on pounding that before he knew it. He was screaming while holding his head. His head sunk into the ground, forehead touching his face. There was something in his chest that he could not get out. He tried pouring out tears but he found out that nothing would come. It was like a dried dam. His chest tightened and there was nothing he could do other than try to breathe the pain out and let it passed. A bitter laugh escaped him. Then, he felt the rains fall onto him.


    There it was. The painful feeling as if he could not escape. Memories that should not exist poured and he didn¡¯t speak it out loud. When he spoke, time seems to warp, and he would feel like someone had banged his head. Silence, he needed silence, and only the sound of the rain wetting his face and hair. He spits out of the brown paper roll and sauntered to a tree where he could continue crying. He felt distraught as if he was screaming. The loss of something that kept all of it in chains. The foundations that held him crumbled and he didn¡¯t know of all places would he break. He didn¡¯t understand why he was acting like this. Only when the memories unknown to him flooded that he loses control of himself. No, it felt like something plucked a pinch of his soul and opened a dam worth of memories inside his head.


    He dreamed of adventures. He dreamed of being abandoned over and over again. He dreamed of many deaths. Many times he was hung and left for dead, a woman looking at him with bland eyes. He dreamed of friends dying as they fight. Or when they found hope only for it that hope to be doused by cold water.


    In the dream, there was a woman who had rejected him. Shamed him for armies to see and by the next day, they would leave him with broken lights, shouting at him saying that he had tried soiling their demigoddess and that he deserved to die. Then he was a slave to a Lord and the woman looked at him for half a minute before danging the pouch she earned in his face. He only cried while the Lord put him into the mines where he did not escape and died with a shiv plunged on the back of his head. Then, he was crucified and was then sold to beasts who fattened him up and would cut half of the fat he had grown to eat. The woman, whose red eyes, and cruel smile, who rejected his love, doing so horrible to him. For years, he spent chasing after this woman, and this woman shooed him away. Treated him like walking dung and sold him, simply because he was a creep who disgusted her.


    ¡°You follow me like a dog. You wag your tail and you don¡¯t mind my boot on your face. You are worse than a slave, Salvatore. You know my scars, and yet you still come for me. You want me because you only lust for my body. You would sooner wrap a blanket to shield the scars on my face and have your way with my body. That is what you are. You are dung. A disgusting man who cannot give up. If you want whores then go down the street and have two or three. Do not bother me.¡±


    Then he saw more memories of him failing and failing. He saw comrades and brothers to him falling because the woman abandoned him for a greater victory and he was forced to fight until the enemies caught him, tied him by a chariot, and dragged him across the sub-continent, while being kept alive through the use of the magic and was put in front of a King who skinned him in front of an audience while being called a flayed man. Then, he was paraded around an unknown street, his genital cut and turned into a necklace for him to wear. He saw the woman watch him from a distance. Still, with cold eyes as they threw rocks at him and made him walk coals for the amusement of the people. He recalled being nailed by the wrist on the cobbled gatehouse while men would pour flasks of healing potions on his wounds, preventing him from dying while unable to do with his body bound.


    He did not know why. He did not know where these memories came from. All he knew was that he was afraid and he feared speaking out loud. At first, he did, but then he spoke, and the pain vanished.

 Chapter 234: The Burden of Power

    He had been on the ground for a long while now. The pain vanished but the memories flooded back in. He could feel the time warp back in forth. The trees rustled in his heads. The raindrops pouring over the grasses. The wind whipping them to sway.


    Why do I live again?


    The rain tapped his wooden box. A hand reached for his face. It was a familiar face. Yes, it was the face of a woman he had been with from the start. The woman that had been trapped with him.


    ¡°You are always by my side,¡± he whispered. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°You are a fool, Nolan Salvatore.¡±


    ¡°Tell me why,¡± he demanded. ¡°Why are you doing this? To watch me suffer? Is this what it is all about?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± she replied. ¡°It was never about that.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± he wheezed. ¡°I understand. You pity me, don¡¯t you? You pity that I was a fool who had somehow done that. All of you, you never really understood. I have never been loved. My memories are false and the only thing that I had ever loved was standing on a tall building with the sun in front of me. That big giant ball of light that seems to split the clouds and vaporize it. I was a kid once. A kid that dreamed that he would one day find happiness. That somewhere along with his miserable existence that he would find it. Just look at the horizon, waiting for something to appear in front of him. You pitied me.¡±


    The woman¡¯s throat was blocked. Her mouth hung open.


    ¡°I pitied myself a lot. That¡¯s why your love and pity for me stings harder than anything else in this world. My heart feels crushed and my lungs searing. When I arrive in this world and the others. I was lost. I was a boy that wanted to get home. In stories, those who are lost find the wise wizard that would somehow guide their way. No one came to me. I became a fool who followed a woman who radiated with confidence and beauty. She held my eyes and my heart before I could do it. On the night of a battle, I professed my love for her. Ask me why I did that?¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because in the end, I know that she was never meant for me!¡± He screamed, forehead planted on the mud. ¡°A fool is a fool. I know I am a fool and I know that I wanted her death sentence! Can¡¯t you see? I gambled. I tried. I wanted to be with someone high as a mountain! And what did I get it for it? I got put in a cycle of death and rebirth! I live and live again over and over again. Sometimes crippled, sometimes a peaceful life which would be then broken by her call! You all think of me as helpless! I have no talents! I have not a single talent in this damned life! But give me long enough time and you will what I truly am! These memories burden me but they had formed what I wanted!¡±


    He grabbed the air like they were threads. He pulled them and grabbed hold of her. She tried to pull away without any luck. ¡°No,¡± she snapped. ¡°Do not take me away!¡±


    ¡°I am done being played! Will you get out of me already?¡±


    He pulled her soul out and she was tossed to the ground, mud splattering. An Obsidian flower grew, forming flesh, and a woman fiery red hair, and a beautiful yet scowling face glared at her as if she was mistreated. Nolan sniffed and drew a word of power that then locked all of the memories. His breathing stabilized and there was a red sun inside his eyes.


    ¡°What did you?¡±


    ¡°You are free now, Tania. You will not manipulate me ever again! I will not discard the memories! They are me! They scream! They anguish but they are still me! A Part of me and I will never allow the memories to disappear! It is an insult! I will not let you deny me of this!¡±


    The red sun on his eyes blazed. The accumulation of despair and deaths that he had suffered turned into power. Using his multiple past as his blood offering. Nolan Salvatore had created his power. Billions of years of dying and learning the runes had finally shown results.


    ¡°How could this be...I didn¡¯t see this!¡±


    ¡°I was always a bleak walker! And I am the Revenant of the Time Wraiths! I consumed the Old Revenant! I have forged power and I will not be a toy again!¡±


    Thunder lashed out. The ground sagged and the trees started to melt. The raindrops hissed as it touched the body of Nolan. Steam came out of his body and his body dried before it could be wetted. The flow of power that was woven around him had disallowed Tania from using her powers.


    ¡°I will not be toyed. You, I shall take that as well! I will not allow you to manipulate time and toy with me! I shall not allow it!¡±


    Tendrils of light forcibly stab on her heart. Then, she saw an orb, and she knew that if she lost that Orb. She would lose the ability to bind him and her. She would not be able to cast the powers that she had demonstrated. Nolan¡¯s hair started to blackened and there was a vortex that swallowed the power she had into the stomach of Nolan.


    Tania had mistaken. It wasn¡¯t because he was mad. It was because he had been patient that he was allowed to leave! She had a mistake using time and doing so had fed the time wraith inside of him. The Old Revenant, who he consumed, had started to manipulate his flesh, obeying the will of Nolan.


    Nolan manhandled the strings of light in front of him. He cut down the clouds and before long he saw that there was only Tania looking at him with the awe. ¡°I have been running away. I am awake now and I thank you for it, Tania!¡±


    The Old Revenant is Reborn.

 Chapter 235: The Heart and the Blade

    Tania followed Nolan through the dense jungle, her manifested boots, crunching twigs, and crushing leaves under her. ¡°You can bend the threads of power, why are we walking?¡±


    ¡°Because I don¡¯t know this world,¡± he said. ¡°Do you know this world, Tania? If yes, then passed it to me.¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Then silence, my flower,¡± he said to her. ¡°Or you will be.¡±


    His attitude had changed. There was an air of confidence and certainty that polluted him. Nolan Salvatore was a stone, but now he was steel forged.


    ¡°I will,¡± she shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. Why keep me?¡±


    He gazed at her. Eyes piercing her soul. ¡°Do you want to get out? You could have been reborn, and yet here you are, Tania, following a fool like me. You hating me makes me more comfortable.¡±


    She stopped. ¡°What am I to you, Nolan? What am I to you?¡±


    ¡°Someone I don¡¯t know what to do with. I don¡¯t understand why you would do this. Ah, if it was a pity, then maybe it was. Not that it bothers me.¡±


    The two were now on a cliff that led to another jungle of towering trees. The rain didn¡¯t let up and their waists were mudded. Both of them standing with rain pounding their hair.


    ¡°My heart, you are that to me, and I don¡¯t think that without it. I¡¯ll be whole. I, it is hard not to be with you, Heavens, it has been so many years that the thought of not being bonded with you sickens me. Nolan Salvatore, the day you die, is the day I truly die as well. Do you understand me, my heart?¡±


    ¡°I do. The powers that you have lent to me kept me alive. I¡¯d be a fool to throw you away. No, you are family, we are soul-bonded, that not even blood matters anymore.¡±


    Nolan grabbed the threads of power and fell trees. He pushed the threads down and lifted Tania and him down the chasm, falling like a leaf to the wind. The two landed and continued their long walk.


    ¡°You love her. Truly?¡±


    ¡°I do. So much hate and pain. Do you think that I could turn away after fighting for it for so long? She¡¯s still higher than the stars and I know that it wouldn¡¯t be ease. It¡¯s a bleak path that I choose. It was never about defeating the Overlord of the Demons. It was always about Ciara and her identity as the Burned Woman. We¡¯ve been reborn for so many times that the thought of the cycles scares. I live because she lives. I try because she tries. She¡¯s powerful and I know that.¡±


    ¡°You can run away with me. She doesn¡¯t know. She will never know. We are beyond realms now. Not the bubble, but the true lands where all those who died lives. We fight for the thirteen realms now, Nolan. This world is large as it can and many nations formed. We are reborn and we could Rulers.¡±


    ¡°We had been walking for days,¡± he said. ¡°The land is untamed, isn¡¯t it? I can tell by my memories how many Kingdoms past the Crystal Barrier that separates the Folk-Stone and the Spine of The Root. The Untamed Lands, the land where men live among the trees. I don¡¯t want to rule lands or make an effort of it. I was never a Ruler, Tania.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± she whispered, ¡°that¡¯s why I won¡¯t manipulate you to being one. I am your heart, and yours as well. I will live with you and eat with you, and I will allow you to wield me as you always have. That has always been what I am. Your weapon.¡±


    She pulled on his arm and caught his lips. He held her waist and spoke words of power that shone her veins. Slowly, she turned into a sword of pure black steel.


    ¡°My Pale Obsidian Sword of Zachariah. Through blood and flesh; through sacrifice and courage; this blade shall cut through its enemies.¡±


    ¡°I am yours,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s a shame that the Stasis River doesn¡¯t flow here, my heart. I cannot summon the Pale Pass Giant for you, but I am your blade. But I promise you that I am sharper than any weapon of this realm.¡±


    Nolan stared at the forest and swung Tania in an arch. The trees were sliced and fell and there was a clearing. Nolan lets go of the sword, pulled on the threads of power, and carved a cottage out of the trees, and then a transparent dome made of light above it. Tania transformed into her human form. She stood with a strange smile on her face.


    Words of power were flick from Nolan¡¯s fingers, a candle flame that lit the logs that he gathered. Tania twisted on one of the stumped, she rested on her chin and said to him. ¡°The first thing you do is to make me cut trees.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t complain,¡± Nolan told her. ¡°It was faster that way and I still cannot adapt fully the powers that manifest in this world. Harder than the roots, and heavier than the mountains. One wrong move and I could break the land. I can pull on the threads of power, but doing so would be lighting a box of dynamites.¡±


    ¡°For a Ghost deadly as you, do you want to rest so badly?¡± She asked.


    ¡°That is one of the many pleasures that I have, Tania. I know that I am barely human, and that¡¯s why I want to feel like one. Half of my body is dragon flesh, the other half a mix of wraith and human. That¡¯s why rest, Tania.¡±


    She nodded her head. ¡°I will then. So, how long until we reach any settlements?¡±


    ¡°Just two more mountains, Tania.¡±


    ¡°My heart,¡± she slumped her shoulders, ¡°I will be sheathed. Do you have any scabbard on you that I can be placed?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll craft one from the furs that I have in my box.¡±


    ¡°I see. So what will happen next?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll find a settlement and do some good. The North of the Three Mountains, they are hunted, and I will offer my services¡±

 Chapter 236: The New World

    Nolan Salvatore kept on walking while occasionally leaving trails of bodies behind him. In this Ancient Forest, creatures that stood taller than the trees had scales of fishes, and necks that could reach the tree leaves mingled. They plucked the leaves with their teeth and lived. Territorial creatures that had stood on his way and he killed them all. The Old Revenant was him. No, he was the Old Revenant reborn again as Nolan Salvatore. This struggle had been going for years. It would explain why he was so adamant about wanting the maiden.


    He didn¡¯t feel different. Just the essence of the Old Revenant had been devoured by him. The Old Revenant had no control and all the memories were now composed into one. There could be no Nolan Salvatore. This was his last form and existence and death mean oblivion. He would perish and stop existing. That was the way of the world and he won¡¯t argue.


    For days he had been seeing trees and gigantic roots. The world was fresh. It was a new world filled with civilizations that wants to conquer and find more lands. It was a ripe world and only lesser men would ignore the pickings. He had picked up knowledge and sorted it into volumes with his mind¡¯s library. A mind palace modified to be a library instead. There, he would take the volume that he wanted and picked it up. He would read all the records and matched it with knowledge. This time he took the rule of a medical doctor that travels for miles for a single patient. In this world where Wyverns and Pegasus were used as mounts. He was traveling on foot with his trunk attached to his back.


    Nolan Salvatore was not alone. In his shadows were the army of the Bleak Walkers that had died. The highest-ranking sigil a bleak walker could get. It was the authority of the walkers and he can summon their ghosts. They are simply a manifestation of their skills and talents. They are not real and none of them would answer. Nolan Salvatore and the Old Revenant made sure that the Bleak Walkers will have their rest.


    He wasn¡¯t the only one who walked the path. He met a traveler who was traveling the opposite. The traveler had been walking for months and he said that it would take Nolan more miles to reach the Ever-Spring Garden located on top of a mountain. The City was said to bloom purple leaves that showers over a sea of trees. Travelers would know the City by the griffons circling the city. The City was home to the many people of this world and he would soon near that place.


    Nolan Salvatore spent most of the path talking to Tania. She was lucid and aloof and she was strangely fond of hanging to his sword belt. Not that he needed the sword belt all the time. She was his sword and if he wishes it. He could summon her to do his bidding. It was simply a relationship between a man and his longtime companion who he spent too many times on the battlefields.


    The scenery changed into that of a forest with trees that had rope-like bodies. His boots were plodding through the thick swamp and yet he didn¡¯t smell the odor that should have been in the swamp. This world was too pure and too new for Nolan¡¯s liking. The magic that dwelt in this world was too unused and he knew that the real truth of this world wasn¡¯t as heartwarming as those who were sent here.


    Indeed, the land was new and ripe for picking. But they haven¡¯t mentioned that in all of the legends of the worlds, where men who died, and those who were taken, these grounds are the grounds of the world, where the Wild Hunt hunts, the Warriors who died valiant deaths are reborn, to conquer the lands, and create a new world. They have no memories and only Nolan had it. He wouldn¡¯t have the memories if it wasn¡¯t for Tania. He had done what others couldn¡¯t and that is to carry the memories into this land.


    But Nolan did not need power. He did not need to summon all of his fellow brothers to fight such an impossible task. He might summon them once, but to use them for his good would be torture to his soul.


    As Nolan continued his wonderings and mutterings. He saw a great mountain plagued with Wyverns and Griffons. A rain of purple leaves falling from patches of trees on the sides continued falling. Then, he saw a wide-open road that had many travel-worn travelers who were looking at the city with awe on their faces. They numbered many and the travelers all head for the bronze gate guarded by two men mounting medium-sized Wyverns that towers most of the trees. The two Guards had icy glares and they all watched the travelers. Nolan walked among the people with his medicine trunk¡¯s laces tightly held by hand. He followed a line and entered the city where he saw stairs that climbs up the mountain. On the side of the stairs were the residential houses and they were marbled, decorated houses. Among the guards were folks who carried spears that shines when the sun hits them. There was a long march of travelers heading up the city.


    Nolan tapped his boot on the stairs and carried on, climbing the city stairs while observing those who travel up. Mounted travelers on Raptors, and people who wore coats with curved lines, and long streaks were urging their mounts to climb the flat path that was for them. There were many more mounts and every single one of them was heading to the upper parts of the city.


    Purple leaves glided in front of Nolan¡¯s nose. He pushed air out of his nose and held wooden backpack¡¯s straps. He started climbing the road, heading to the location where he was meant to go before regaining his memories as Nolan Salvatore. In this new world, his first mission was to visit a person of power.

 Chapter 237: The Ballad of Three Rulers 1

    He entered an Inn with his luggage. People¡¯s eyes stared at him, but he continued. Rounding around an uneven table, placing his wooden box on top. A servant with cherry-like hair stood next to him, she eyed him, eyes scanning his clothes.


    ¡°Anything I can get you?¡± She said, her tray on her hands. ¡°Must be quite the travel, Sir.¡±


    ¡°Ale,¡± he said. ¡°Just ale and I want to be left alone.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    The servant skipped behind the Inn. She took a pewter cup filled with ale and handed it to him. The lamps above the ceiling shone the Inn. Smokes from the pipes of the men and women rose. They wore adventuring clothes and it was a scene out of a dream. They wore strange artifacts and each man here could probably wrestle with the creatures outside of the city.


    The tables were brown oaks, but some of them were uneven, and he had to adjust the pewter cup on his table. Behind the counter, there was meat being dried and a barrel of coal. A barrel-shaped stone filled with hot coal was used to roast the butchered venison. The smoke was led to a strange metal tubing that leads up the Inn. People were grunting and wheezing as they inhaled the smoke. There was a mixture of alcohol and roasted meat on the air. The scent was overwhelming in a way that lightens the mood. Weary travelers were welcome in the Inn. Everyone knew that it was a glory to reach this city.


    A troubadour struck the strings of his instrument. Men started singing while he started to work on the mortar and pestle. A man, who had a gash on his left arm, started to his table, slumping on one of the stools, showing his gashed arm.


    ¡°You are healer, correct? Can your medicine heal me?¡±


    Nolan assumed a professional demeanor. He put a hand on his chin and examined the wound. He nodded, turned to his wooden box, and took out two round-bottomed flasks. ¡°Drink this.¡±


    He took a drink. His face crumpled. ¡°This is.¡±


    ¡°Bitter,¡± he said. ¡°But it works, friend. Take that and you will have that gash gone by the time I finish my drink.¡± He took a sip of his ale.


    The man grinned. ¡°Aye, good healer, what brings you to the city?¡±


    ¡°Do I need a reason?¡±


    He raised his hands. ¡°Not prying, just asking, a man of skill or a lucky one can come here. Or perhaps are you a High-Born carried by Weavers of Power and got here?¡± He looked at his outfit. ¡°But I know that worn look on you. Not Weaver could be in this city with that kind of look. You smell of earth and swamp, friend. Alas, the women here like that, it makes you brave, strange women really. Do not bite too much, or you¡¯ll found yourself a woman who¡¯d hound you for days.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare,¡± a voice said inside Nolan¡¯s head. ¡°You don¡¯t need anyone. I can be yours when you wish it. Please, do not find another girl, who might give you trouble. Nolan, you know this already, but you have a talent for finding obsessed women.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± Nolan collected the round-bottomed flask. ¡°But it seems to me friend, that you have bitten more than you can chew.¡±


    The man smiled bitterly. ¡°There was a woman who I thought would be easy picking. See, there¡¯s another Inn located not far from here, but she was a wonderful woman, beautiful, tall, and taller than I. So I thought, hey, I want to bed her, and when I tried to. By the Heavens, she rained down hell on me, cursing my father and mother, and hounded me until I found a haven. Listen, Friend, do not believe the lies that this is a city filled with submissive women! It was all a trap!¡±


    Those who heard of the man¡¯s despair hooted at him. They laughed out loud while the rest of the women inside the room sneered and scoffed at him. The man flushed and snorted. He folded his arms as if pouting. It was strange for a man to pout like that openly.


    ¡°Bah! Men,¡± Tania sneered.


    Nolan sipped on his ale, turned his attention to his wooden backpack and made that the compartments were nice and orderly.


    ¡°So are you staying for the Summit?¡±


    ¡°The Summit?¡± Nolan raised a brow. ¡°What¡¯s that about?¡±


    He nodded. ¡°You were traveling, so you must not have heard of the High Lord and High Ladies meeting in this summit. The most powerful men and women of the lands, meeting for the sake of mapping out their borders. We have the Dragon¡¯s Monarch, the Valkyrie¡¯s of Forlorn Gap, and finally the High Scholars of Shallow Valley.¡±


    ¡°I have heard of these people. All the nations are either side with them or loathe them. Looks like this place it would be a troublesome affair.¡±


    ¡°The Adventurer King demands peace. He would face them and they know that all of the Adventuring Kin would follow the banner of the Adventurer King.¡±


    ¡°I can see that. But that is not my problem. I am only a Healer, and I am no Adventurer.¡±


    ¡°True,¡± the man said. ¡°But if the Adventurer King demands his peace. Then these people will understand that his demand will be met. They will have no arrogance in this city. Friend, hope that they don¡¯t start anything or you will get involved.¡±


    His warning sounded out as a threat more than a warning. Nolan eyed him for a second, before turning his eyes back at the compartments of his box.


    ¡°They are here!¡± a man shouted from the doorway. ¡°The Three Rulers are here!¡±


    Everyone stood out and rushed towards the door in a hurry. The man who was talking to Nolan moved as well. The Innkeeper and the servant stretched their legs to the door in a hurry.


    ¡°Not going to watch?¡±


    ¡°No. I¡¯ll act if anything happens. We are foreigners and I should know better to meddle with the affairs of people. I would be a fool if I didn¡¯t learn a lesson.¡±

 Chapter 238: The Ballad of Three Rulers 2

    To the servant girl who rushed out of the tavern. The Rulers were the Greatest Legends of her time. The City may be separated by miles of unending forests and untamed lands. But their legends still spread throughout the world.¡±What a weird man,¡± she thought about the Traveler who carried a wooden box.


    The streets were filled with folk watching the skies. Children who dreamed of being legends looked up the skies. The Adventurers eyed the skies as well. The sun was mostly blocked by the flying mounts of three rulers. They were showing their might to the city.


    The crowd was both nervous and excited. Shadows formed on the ground, the heat reflected on the faces of the people. The flapping of the wings of their mounts casts a shade around the city. On the far left was the Valkyries led by Brunhilde herself. On the right was the Dragon Monarch¡¯s leader, Draco.


    The ones who were using a Griffin as a mount were the Scholars of the Shadow Valley. High Arch Scholar Tan inspected the mounts of his peers. No one was foolish enough to get in their way. The only who was seen flying towards them was the Adventurer King who wielded Caliber with his right hand. He was using boots with wings and he stood all alone among the three rulers.


    Dmitri Sky-Blessed, the King of Adventurers. He flew in the middle of the storm without batting an eye. There was a strong aura that made the servant girl want to pledge her loyalty towards her King. He was the only one who flew using those boots of his.


    ¡°I welcome you all to my city, Friends. I trust that you will meet my demands. The City is yours as long as no harm can be done towards my citizens. That you would swear on your Oath that you will behave on my domain. You are here to talk about your borders. That¡¯s all I permit.¡±


    Dmitri Sky-Blessed leaned down and pointed his eyes back to his palace. The Three Rulers were not able to talk to the Sky-Blessed King. He ignored them and only demanded that they behave in his city. Whether they took it well or thought of it as an insult. All the servant girl could think was how dominating the aura the three rulers were. The Voice of the King was booming. She didn¡¯t hear the voices of the rulers and they all circled the city, looking for their places to be.


    ¡°The Three Rulers,¡± a man said, ¡°decide their lands, not caring about anything else, I bet that it won¡¯t end well.¡±


    ¡°Do you think they¡¯d start something,¡± said another voice.


    A voice said, ¡°Do you see how the King acted? They know who the King is and who his people are. We elected Dmitri for his feats, power, and his ability to tame the lands that he dived. He had the right to the City the moment he asked the Builders to create a city that would act as a home to the Adventuring-Kin.¡±


    The servant girl listened. She then went back inside the tavern, carrying her tray, and watching the man who carried the wooden box. The man was concocting medicine and filled them in the round-bottomed flasks placed neatly on the table. The Inn had already mixed many aromas so his mixtures didn¡¯t add anything. Although she could smell the bitter scent, the thought of drinking those medicine made her lick her lips.


    The man was boxed in his bubble of a world. He was mixing herbs and medicine as if it was practiced. She didn¡¯t recognize most of the herbs and materials.


    The servant girl continued serving the people of the Inn until it was night. She would take a glimpse of the medicine man who was surrounded by the Adventurers who wore imposing clothing. A man wielding a sword that would rather be called a hunk of iron than a sword came swaggering. A woman on silver plater armor sauntered with her companions of maidens, battle, and travel-worn, they were beautiful and were like roses that were mudded. The table where the medicine man was sitting had free stools. The Maiden Roses, the maidens who came in, took the stools and watched the medicine man do his work.


    ¡°I believe that you can supply us?¡± said a Maiden, her golden hair, her sun-like eyes, slightly tanned skin didn¡¯t bother the Medicine Man.


    The Medicine man smiled. He was beautiful. ¡°I can, for the right price.¡±


    ¡°I am Aria, of the Maiden Roses. May I know your name, Healer?¡±


    ¡°Nolan,¡± he said to her. ¡°It is a pleasure, my Lady.¡±


    The servant girl caught the glint of surprise in the eyes of Aria. Knight Maiden Aria knew of her beauty, and yet here was a man who seems to have seen prettier girls than her. She saw how Aria loosen her shoulders, the Maidens behind her giggled softly, hooting at their leader.


    The Medicine Man named Nolan took their giggles with a soft smile. His practiced hands mixing herbs and making sure that everything was measured. The Adventurers booed at Nolan, envious of him hogging all the Maidens. The Maiden Girls replied with sneers and scoffs befitting their beauties.


    The servant girl could not blame them. He was a tall man with a beautiful face. He had a calm and gentle smile and had the demeanor of a Healer. But most of it all he had the bearing of a Warrior. She had seen many people and she could not imagine this man other than what he was hiding underneath the identity of a healer. If she can see this then it was obvious that the maidens would know better. They would know the man was and what he was.


    The Maidens continued their giggles and soft smiles towards the Healer. By the time when most of the patrons were dark, Aria, the Leader of the Maidens, had flushed cheeks, and she was giggling on every work that the Healer says. The servant girl carried a tray and placed it on the maiden. She winked at the woman and her face grew redder than a rose.

 Chapter 239: The Ballad of Three Rulers 3

    Aria of the Maiden Roses met up with a tall man. His eyes were silver, pale skin, and ashen hair. He carried only his wooden box and yet she knows that he was a man of power. His grip was careful and his smile so gentle that she thought how foolish she was for giggling softly.


    Her cheeks had softened. Her sisters hooted at her. They were all teasing about the look she was given. Those terrible girls, although they were blushing and smiling at the man as well. She thought of herself as a silly girl, but his eyes were soothing to her. As if there was wisdom to be found.


    The Inn was silent. Her Sisters were sleeping while she was watching man concoct potions for them. The journey was troublesome and they fought beasts. She had spent a fortune on potions and salves to saved her Sisters. She didn¡¯t know how much this would cost her.


    ¡°How was the travel?¡± Nolan said. ¡°I was on a path of endless trees and giant roots.¡±


    She had almost gaped. Who in their right mind would travel down the giant forests? She took the same path as everyone who wanted to travel to the City of the Sky-Blessed King.


    ¡°The Path of Purple,¡± she said. ¡°You traveled on a different path?¡±


    He smiled. ¡°I did. It was a strange journey of self-discovery. I gathered herbs and spices that would allow me to concoct a powerful potion.¡± He fished a potion of crimson liquid. ¡°This potion will be able to heal all of your external wounds and internal wounds. The side effects of this potion would mean that your body would suffer intense stomach pains. This is the result of your body forcing itself to heal. It is magical in nature with mixed herbs, but it still caused immense pain to be used.¡±


    She nodded. ¡°I understand, still, how much would it cost us?¡±


    ¡°A pouch of coins weight half a kilo,¡± he said. ¡°The materials are not easy to find and honestly I am giving it cheap. There is a market south of the city, an Alchemy city that prospers on concocting potions. Do you know about it?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡±


    ¡°Then you know the prices they have. Each potion costs about more than a sword. It is understandable with how volatile the potions are. Still, that is why they are precious, and many of them demand high prices for their guards.¡±


    ¡°So why are you selling it cheap,¡± she folded her arms. The blushing maiden vanished. ¡°You are not demanding of different price, right?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± he said softly. ¡°I am only interested in procuring a ring of holding. Those are valuable and useful.¡±


    She looked at the ring on her hand. ¡°I understand the sentiment. Still, it is strange that you do not carry a ring of holding when it can hold so much. Though the box is rather charming in its own ways.¡±


    He looked at her. ¡°Maybe, but it would be better if my herbs don¡¯t wither or spoil. I heard that there is a shop that sells them at an immense price. I need the money and thankfully your presence might solve this problem.


    Aria held her pewter cup and shook it tightly. She looked him in the eye. His silver eyes swooned her. Gods, he was a pretty man, and he was refined, like a blade forged and crafted carefully after many hammering. She thought of herself as silly for looking at him. The worst part was that he did not mind at all!


    ¡°Did you come here for the Summit as well?¡± He measured a concoction with one eye. ¡°I admit that I¡¯ve no care for the rulers. Do you think that the borders would cause trouble? Because I would like to be out of the City if it happens.¡±


    ¡°I doubt it,¡± she said to him. ¡°They would not defy Dmitri Sky-Blessed. Not when he wields Caliber and has the loyalty of the Adventurers. Do you think they would start a war with the men who hold the loyalty of the Highest Humans? They would be devastated.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± he replied, ¡°it must be troublesome, to live through all of this trouble.¡±


    ¡°You do not sound concern. Though everyone who reached this place, are worthy enough to be called Adventurers.¡±


    ¡°I am concerned. I can fight and I can handle myself. But Aria, there is no reason to fight everything and everyone. I prefer avoiding my fights, but when cornered, I rather fight fiercely. Isn¡¯t it the same for you?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± she answered with a thin smile. ¡°Swords dull, rust, and bend, and I rather avoid the creatures, their scales are tougher than rocks, and I do not want to hurt my Maidens.¡±


    She eyed him. Nolan corked a round-bottomed flask and pushed it to her. She held it with her two fingers and gazed at the deeply crimson liquid. Behind the liquid was the man¡¯s calm face. He was calm, polite, and sometimes toneless.


    She had seen men act like a stone. While they were stone he was the wind. He was an unperturbed blossom in the middle of mud. Maybe, that¡¯s why she was rather calm talking to this man. He was looking at her as a person. Though it helped that he was a pretty man.


    ¡°I would buy the potions,¡± she placed it in front of her. ¡°The night is still long, would accompany me, Nolan? Or are you going to rest? I assume that you have come today as well.¡±


    ¡°I did,¡± he pushed the rest of the flasks. ¡°I am not tired, and I have slept well under the roots of the trees. Still, I would love to see the giant roots of the trees. I heard that there are protruding roots all over the upper city.¡±


    She stood up and pushed the stool backward. ¡°Then I take it as a yes?¡±


    She smiled her best. The man watched her with stolid eyes. His lucid expression made her still for a second. Oh Heavens, what she would do if she was rejected?


    ¡°Then let us go.¡±

 Chapter 240: The Ballad of Three Rulers 4

    The view from above the upper part of the city was peculiar. All she could see was the endless seas of tree leaves that stretch for miles. Nolan only wore his graying coat. His coat whipped by the air, and his should-length silver hair being blown backward.


    You silly girl, Aria thought. How could you be so bold!


    She was confused, and she could only look at the endless trees in front of her. The trees were brightly lit by strange creatures that glow in the dark. Fireflies and strange creatures that glow like lamps. Below were the purple leaves falling endlessly.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it beautiful?¡± He said to her. ¡°It is a pleasure to see this sight. Tell me, Aria, what do you dream about?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± She said. She could not answer.


    ¡°I dreamed of peace inside my mind,¡± Nolan told her.


    How strange it was to tell a person he barely knows. Maybe, it because Aria was still a stranger that she thought, that he could tell her this.


    ¡°I want to see distant lands. I heard of a field of gold that stretches for miles. It is a field where sailing ships crossed and they say that every blow of the wind puts the mind to ease. I only heard of it once. But yet I want to see such sight. That¡¯s why I started my travel. I began this journey. Nolan, why do you travel?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know it myself,¡± Nolan squatted. ¡°I¡¯ve been traveling for so long that it is a surprise how I could even stand up. My feet are sore and my mind burdened with so many memories. Indeed, this place is beautiful, and yet I just know that this isn¡¯t going to be the end. How many realms will I have to cross? How many wonderful views are mine to see? How many can a man see before he kneels from exhaustion?¡±


    He was tired. His voice was so exhausted that she thought that he might just break down right there. But he continued squatting with his eyes hidden from her. He continued looking at the endless trees before him. He was not a stone man. He was a wind.


    ¡°The things you speak, I can¡¯t understand them. But a person must know the reason why they move their feet in the first place. I want to see those fields. That¡¯s why I travel and lived on.¡±


    ¡°After that?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll think about that when it happens. One objective at a time. Isn¡¯t that how it usually goes?¡±


    There was a beat somewhere. Nolan smiled silly with those words. He squeezed his eyes and turned his attention back to Aria. Aria froze with his mirror-like stare. She saw herself in his eyes. This made her pause. There was a flustered look on her eyes as she backs away, and tug on her curled braid.


    ¡°Did you bring anything to drink?¡±


    ¡°Why would I bring any?¡±


    He fished out a wineskin on his belt. ¡°Here, have some wine, it is good, I promised that.¡±


    She took it by hand and sipped. Her cheeks flushed red and she parted her lips away from the wine. ¡°This is good, what is this wine?¡±


    ¡°Grape wine, fermented by an old wood elf living in a hollow of a tree. He had welcomed me into his abode and offered me a wine to drink. The grapefruit came from an ancient tree that swims under a crystal river. There were so many strange rock formations around that tree and his abode felt more like a tower. He had many recipes and he was graceful enough to share with me.¡±


    ¡°A sage, you met a Wise Man. That is quite the lucky encounter.¡±


    ¡°Is it?¡± Nolan said. ¡°He was a talkative Wood-Elf, filled with knowledge, and he died when he taught me everything he knew. I buried him beside his wife. There were fourteen graves near him and there were carvings on those graves. His last wish was to bury his tower underneath the ashes. I made sure that there was no memory left. The man wanted to be forgotten and I was going to fulfill the he-elf¡¯s request. That was a task I could do so.¡±


    ¡°But why?¡±


    ¡°I have no clue. I had to burn all of his belongings and made sure that it wouldn¡¯t burn the entire forest. He wanted to be forgotten. He wanted to keep all of his memories to himself.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what to say,¡± Aria said.


    ¡°I feel the same,¡± he took the wineskin and took a drink. He wiped his lips with his sleeves and turned his attention to the side. His eyes grew distant for a second, like a hawk watching from afar. ¡°Quite the night isn¡¯t it? Aria, have you danced under the moonlight once?¡±


    She couldn¡¯t reply. Her hand was taken and she found herself dancing, swayed and led by his grace. The pride in her wanted a getaway. But her silly heart was grabbed by a rough hand. She gave up. She let this stranger danced her under the sway of the moonlight.


    Oh, the girls would laugh at me! She thought. However, she decided to dance away, not letting it bother her any longer, giggling, softly smiling under the silver light. She noticed others who were dancing under the moonlight as well. A troubadour took his time, he strung his lute, and another followed, a drum was heard and the beat of the dance became a hurried one.


    She found herself unable to think. The grin of the man before her was rather irritating. Yet, she danced under his tune and was surprised by how this man could easily sway her despite how proud she was with her strength. Besides, it didn¡¯t bother, there was a friend to be made along the roads, and she was not against meeting a new friend in this City where Adventurers prove themselves.


    And so Aria danced with Nolan, laughing, letting her warrior side rest for a while. She had traveled quite a bit, and there was no need to hold back when she had accepted this man as a friend.


    There was a giggle in the dark.

 Chapter 241: The Ballad of Three Rulers 5

    The High Scholar stood with a book open. In the book, a Crystal that was drawn with line imitating the shine of the sun. The High Scholar had compared the vision of the others to the Crystal they saw in their dreams.


    ¡°The Mother Heart of the World,¡± the High Scholar muttered. In the heart of the world, no, not even the heart. There was a chasm where the Mother Heart was, a Goddess that provides the world.


    The High Scholar rolled the scroll. He tucked them in among the flurry of books and scrolls and tomes. There were so many and yet no dust gathered. He would whip one of the servants, no, they¡¯d whipped their backs themselves if they see any dust gathered in this place.


    The Library of the Adventurer King, filled with knowledge, gathered and amassed from his Adventurers throughout the known world. He wasn¡¯t alone when took all of the knowledge. He was among his men. The men who vowed to protect him and heed his call when the rights of Adventuring men are called to doubt.


    ¡°What better place to put all the books of knowledge other than the library of the Adventurer King himself?¡± He said blankly. The library was utterly silent. All he heard was the sound of his footsteps bouncing against the marbled floor. The shelves towered over the High Scholar. All of this knowledge sealed within the library of the Adventurer King. The rest of the armies were outside the palace. While he was given the honor to visit the libraries.


    On the side of the library was an old man carrying the keys around his neck. He was Keymaster, and he holds the keys to the doors of the deeper parts. The High Scholar only had access to this level. Other than that he had no way of entering the deeper levels without permission from the Adventurer King. Forcibly taking or bribing the Keymaster, was not an option. A Keymaster was bound by his oath, and the Keymaster was woven with power. The High Scholar could sense the immense power that wrought the Keymaster.


    The High Scholar moved through the shelves. The shelves were high and there were many ladders on the shelves. His cloak was sometimes whipped by a small breeze that comes from the entrance of the library. The High Scholar stopped near a singular bookshelf. He reached for a tome and opened up the papers. He was looking for more information about the Heart Mother. Questions filled his head and the illustrations drafted by the Adventurers who mapped and illustrated the world. One of the journals showed a draft of the Heart Chasm. The Chasm where the Heart of the World was located.


    ¡°Why is the Heart Mother summoning the Burned Men out of her heart?¡±


    Far from this City was the plains Burned by the recent arrival of the Burned Men. Men wrought in fire that marched with painful moans coming out of their skins. They all wield lava-wrought stone weapons and these fiends cause destruction. The High Scholar knew that the four rulers weren¡¯t just here for the borders. They wanted to settle the lands they wanted to protect. And the fertile lands where they could grow their crops.


    The High Scholars and the Wise Men wanted to know where the Heart Mother was. They suspect that it was the Heart Chasm, but there were entirely no records about the Heart Chasms, other than it was forbidden to enter the Chasm. Guarded by those who are beyond men, these Guardians would not let those who had seen through the Chasm¡¯s heart live.


    ¡°This is a problem,¡± The High Scholar said. ¡°If this is true then we¡¯ll have to send an expedition to reach the Heart¡¯s Chasm. Multiple expeditions to make sure that they can confirm where the Burned Men are created. If we can¡¯t reach the Heart Chasm and figure out why these Burned Men are being spat out of the Chasm.¡±


    The Burned Men were stationed around the Veins of the Heart Chasm; long mountains that encircle the chasm, covering miles, and guarding the chasm against natural predators. Not like any predator could enter the Heart Chasm. There were simply too many mysteries in the Heart Chasm. Guardian Beasts that protects the Heart Chasm, and Warrior Guardians that were bound by the Heart Mother.


    The lamps of the library swayed. He turned to the side and saw hundreds of flying mounts rounding the city. The Factions were watching closely and even now, the High Scholar was always looking over his shoulder. No one would dare to start a fight inside the library of the Adventurer King. But, it was also the perfect place to kill anyone who they thought had wronged the library of the Adventurer King.


    The High Scholar took the tomes back to the scribing table. He plucked his favorite quill and produced an ink from his satchel bag. He laid out a scroll and measured the amount of Ink he needed and how he would go about describing what he saw and read. His quill moved gently, stroking a black line along the sides, before forming sentences upon sentences on the scroll. The library¡¯s light was not enough. He took the side and lit up a lamp and placed it on the lamp holder above the scribing table. He wrote his words concisely and laid out remarks. Dipping his quill, he made sure that the sentences were clear. Then, he took three more scrolls from his ring of holding and started scribing what he wrote to the scrolls.


    ¡°The rulers will know this,¡± he thought. ¡°We cannot allow the problem to be unsolved. The Heart Chasm must be investigated and we must figure out a way to stop more Burned Men from being burn. Their existence is dangerous and the fire they wrought on the land can only mean death for the New World.


    The Known World was still untamed. The lands are being captured and beyond this city were adventuring lords and land takers hoping to tame the Unknown World that was before them. The Four Rulers were the most powerful people alive and they must know.

 Chapter 242: The Memories of a Boy

    The new world was vast and wide. Countless seas of trees and untamed wildlands spread all over the world. He recalled. He had seen creatures that towered small mountains. The memories were being fragmented back. This metal plate forced by a hammer to fit. Then, it all came back to him, his journeys around the villages of this world, helping people, granting them the ability to have hope. Even without power, he was doing things that were close to his heart.


    Nolan Salvatore opened his eyes. Blocking the lamp with an arm. He lifted his body and turned his attention to the window, so many people running around, he thought. He leaped out of his bed, dressed himself up and tugged on his coat. His eyes darted to the box on the corner of the room. He nodded.


    The Inn was loud again. The boisterous guffaws of the men, their wheezing, and the chuckling of the women could be heard. He strode to one of the tables, reached up to his arm, and ordered cherry juice. He waited for his order when it arrived, he immediately started gobbling up the food before him. When he was done eating, he pushed the wooden plate away and drank on his wooden pewter cup. It smelled heavenly in the morning.


    ¡°Still thinking of her?¡± A glowing sprite appeared before him, arms folded. ¡°You are quite the womanizer, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± he shook his head, ¡°I was merely being friendly. Will you do this every single time I meet with other women?¡±


    ¡°Nolan Salvatore,¡± she tugged on his ear. ¡°Do you know how many women you somehow met up, turned out to be odd creatures that would break time and space? You meet with those who are Chosen, and that is a problem. You are Weave Breaker, a man who breaks the weaves of others.¡±


    ¡°Weave breaker?¡±


    ¡°You break the weaves of fate, that is the only explanation that I have for you. I was supposed to meet my end in the final battle, stabbed in the heart by the War Maiden, but your meddling had turned everything differently. I know you now, Nolan Salvatore, I see you for what you truly are.¡±


    ¡°Then what am I?¡± He said, calmly looking stolid despite his whispers.


    ¡°Just a Strange Foreigner lost in this world. Nolan Salvatore, have you doubted your memories in the first place?¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± he clenched his fist. ¡°By the heavens, I do doubt it. Every single waking moment, I doubt it, I doubt that my father, my dearest mother, and those who I call family might be a delusion. Think about it, my Tania. I have lived for millions of years, and have walked realms now. You witnessed it all, and you¡¯ve been with me. I can clench the souls of other beings and devour them. Do you know? I can remember the memories of Kaiser, the Half-Dragon. His love for this strange flower girl, who would dance along the fields of Arata. He loved that girl so much, and he married, had a happy life. He never loved again so that he may become a Guardian for the Dragons who he guarded. I ended his life for a squabble against a woman whose love I don¡¯t know.¡±


    He recalled those warm moments above the buildings. Where he could see the sunrise even though there was a mountain blocking it. The wind forcing him back, loudly bellowing. He did not want to believe that those were lies. Lies conjured by a dead man. The dead man is known as Nolan Salvatore.


    ¡°I want to be Nolan Salvatore,¡± he said, almost whimpering. ¡°I want to be him. The boy lost from time and space. The one who begged for alms worked on taverns and was forced to fight for a war he wants nothing about. Only because of a woman¡¯s inspiring figure which then warped into a pitiful love. I want to the Nolan Salvatore who fought with his brothers of war and walked even though his heart broke. I want to be simply he who walked through the valleys of death, slaying monsters, forging on despite his withering body. Tell me, Tania, I want to be Nolan Salvatore, I want to be me - not somebody else. Am I wrong for thinking that?¡±


    ¡°No, you can be whatever you want to be, my sweet,¡± she pressed her head on his cheek. ¡°I know what you are. I saw you all within those times - the times where you fought and madly slew those you could. Do you know how many times I¡¯ve watched you fight? To see you shoulder-to-shoulder with your brothers, pushing back an impossible tide, and the way you walked alive through all of these suffering. But do you know what amuses? The way you never really push away those who needed help. I must admit that seeing such sight was strange. I am a Demon, and yet your strangeness had led me to stay with you. I confess that I had my failings. I despaired as time passes, but your memories and your will to forge on allowed me to continue walking this path. And you have infected this heart of mine. You never really assume to give up. That makes you good and kind to me.¡±


    ¡°You assume that I am a kind and good man? The man who would hang a bunch of fools for the sake of his selfish reason? Or when I murdered those bandits, claiming their lives, torturing them mentally while I butcher their kind for the evils they committed? Would a good man do something so horrible? Is that a kind thing to do, my Tania? I am not a kind man and never was a good man. That¡¯s the truth.¡±


    ¡°No, but you are a good man, Nolan Salvatore. You have always been. No matter what, you are always the Nolan Salvatore that I know. You are him, so do not doubt your memories, Nolan. For you did not steal a man¡¯s soul. You are him, and that is the only thing that matters,¡± she lied.

 Chapter 243: A Memory of Rae

    Tania recalled the memories of old. This is the memory of a young boy who was thrown into the chasm of despair. This boy who had nothing, and was nothing. The boy who fought through a war.


    The sky was burning. The sound of screaming. The dry air and the smell of burnt corpses lingers. On the horizon was a giant whose skin was like a rock. Once there was a boy who walked through the valleys of the dead. Alone, his sword vibrating, the razor-sharp blade enhanced by water.


    ¡°Oh Lord,¡± the old man said, he was once a boy. He readied his sword-arm and used his sword to deflect a blow. Then, he parried, rolled out of the way, and threw a flask at this shadowy monster leaking smoke. He took a sprint, slid on the sand, and cut the monster¡¯s hind legs. The monster screamed, it reached out to the old man, the old man barely defending the blow of the monster.


    Forcing his body up, the man conjured a spell with the use of his left hand. The rune spell lashing like thunder, grabbing the monster around the thigh. The monster pulled back, dragging the man on the sand. The old man stabbed his sword, pushing his upper torso up, he conjured a rune spell, blasting his body upward. The monster rounded, turning its shadowy face towards the old man.


    The old man flicked his fingers. The shadow burned like a bonfire, it shrugged, grabbed towards the old man with its shadowy claws. He stomped the shadow¡¯s face. Conjured a lashing that turned into a green light of energy, wrapping a rope of light around the shadow¡¯s neck. He pulled the lashing, using his body weight to stab the chest of the shadow.


    The shadow squirmed, the old man grabbed his eyes and roared as his eyes burned with a soft light. The old man panted, his mouth pouring blood, his grizzled hair, his sigil marked eyes shoving memories of the dead. His veins glowed with pale blue light, and his wrinkled skin written with scars of battle.


    ¡°Old Man,¡± said a soldier, his left arm facing the wrong direction. ¡°You¡¯re still alive?¡±


    The old man turned. ¡°Young Rae, you are alive?¡±


    ¡°I should say the same, Sir,¡± he said. ¡°I don¡¯t think there are any others left.¡±


    ¡°Ah, is that so?¡± He turned towards the fields filled with the dead. Their weapons scattered on the ground, the blood wetting the dry sand. The sky burned. The wretched smell of the corpse lingered. His mind did not shook as it was before.


    ¡°Young Rae,¡± he said. ¡°Do you see any bannerman alive? Any Walkers that still live?¡±


    ¡°Just us, Sir Nolan.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± He wiped his sword with his cloak. ¡°We must forge on. This valley of death will kill us.¡±


    ¡°Not like we have a choice, Sir.¡±


    Old Nolan turned to the Young Lad. Born in a time of war, unable to know anything other than fight. He even heard from the lad that he thinks that the sun doesn¡¯t exist. That was he was born into this cruel world. Old Nolan picked up his pace, traveling down the desert with Rae, navigating through the dead, the living, and those who seek to destroy them.


    They found themselves climbing inside a cave. There, he found crates, and rolled sleeping bags, with an extinguished campfire in the middle. Old Nolan hauled the boy up, turned towards the supply crates and opened it. His limbs were glowing pale light, the runes carved inside him were getting intense. He never knew that killing a Revenant who took down his men would make him feel so alive.


    ¡°Sir,¡± Rae said, slumping on one of the rolled bags. ¡°Do you think that I can see this sun?¡±


    ¡°I will not give you false hope. But if we win this fight then there might a chance.¡±


    ¡°Sir, we¡¯ve been fighting this war ever since I was a young babe in my ma¡¯s stomach. My ma always laments about the sun and the shimmers of the lake. I don¡¯t even know what these flowers she says. I saw portraits around but I never really believe in them, Sir.¡±


    ¡°They exist.¡±


    ¡°I wonder if I can see someone day?¡± He glanced at Nolan. ¡°Though Sir, I never thought I¡¯d be following a man like you. Everyone knows you, Sir. You vanished after the pale mountain. Never thought I¡¯d see you here near the demon¡¯s river.¡±


    ¡°I am marching to the final battle, lad. If we succeed, then you might just see the sun.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like that, Sir.¡±


    ¡°There is enough food here, lad. You can survive long enough to last the final battle.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going Sir, I am not a coward.¡±


    ¡°No coward would find themselves here, lad. You are young and strong. You can have your peace if you stay still for months.¡±


    ¡°I am not your soldier, Sir.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I am not. Still, would you honor this Old man¡¯s request?¡± He looked at Rae. ¡°If I am to die, then I wish you¡¯d find my body. If the sun doesn¡¯t come back then travel to the last oasis and held it until death.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand, Sir,¡± he said. ¡°Where are you going, Sir?¡±


    ¡°I do not need rest,¡± he tugged his gauntleted hands. ¡°This cave is yours, lad. I still have a long way to go. If you do indeed search for my body, then please bring it back home. Though I am not hopeful enough that you¡¯d do it, and I understand. Who would search for an Old man who thought of something so stupid?¡±


    Nolan Salvatore marched to the final battle. Tania didn¡¯t know what happened, but she saw the young man searching a hopeless desert for an old man who marched towards the end. If it wasn¡¯t for the young man named Rae, then Nolan Salvatore would have been buried under the sands. Out of respect, the young man hauled Nolan¡¯s corpse back to those who knew him, his body buried and honored - a bleak walker who had his final rest.

 Chapter 244: The Bonded

    The young leaves were shimmering. The city was awake. Children ran with their training spears behind their backs. A trainer jogged alongside the children, telling them to hurry up. Wagons were being pulled by a four-legged animal with ivory horns, trotting the stone-paved road. The rider, who was smoking a pipe, turned his attention to the road.


    Men and women wore plates of armor that glimmered with the sunlight. Their stride was imposing, their exquisite weapons forged by the best of smiths were considered normal in this city. It was a young new world and the land was blessed with resources. It would take a thousand years for it to run dry. And as history told him, they would do it so without any remorse.


    He clambered up the street leading up the residential districts. The city was lively along the way, there were too many people for a city that should be hard to find. It was too far from any safe lands and is bordered between the deadlands and the fertile lands.


    The houses were square, some were triangle-shaped, allowing the shape to cut the winds up here. He roamed the streets until he found the house he was looking for. Knocking, the door opened, and a young man with golden hair sat alongside a woman who wore a shawl, hugging a lance-staff on her chest.


    ¡°Einar,¡± said Nolan. ¡°It looks like you somehow regain your memories.¡±


    ¡°Old man,¡± he started, patting Nolan¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I know that you still have your memories. I just know that it was you!¡±


    ¡°Quite the wild guess really,¡± Nolan closed the door, twisting on the chair. Einar followed, placing his elbows on the table.


    ¡°Do you know what is happening?¡±


    ¡°Someone redid the realm, that¡¯s it.¡±


    ¡°How? Is it the Lady?¡±


    ¡°Probably. Who knows really?¡±


    ¡°Excuse me,¡± said the woman. ¡°I am Rubina, and may I join?¡±


    ¡°Lady Rubina,¡± said Nolan. ¡°How come you are with him?¡±


    Rubina snorted, ¡°Oh please, I was just imprisoned by this man. Which I assume is your teaching. Hmm, but it is is a blessing, knowing that I wouldn¡¯t have my memories if I wasn¡¯t bonded to this fool.¡±


    Tania manifested into a sprite on Nolan¡¯s shoulder, ¡°I am not even surprised that he did this. Hmm, should I say like father like son?¡±


    Rubina eyed Tania, then turned towards Einar. ¡°I see a family tradition. How despicable. You are lucky that you had saved me from this redo of the world. The endless plains had turned into this kind of world. My home is forever lost, and there is nothing I can do.¡±


    ¡°Something happened,¡± Nolan said. ¡°And I do not know where we should begin. Einar, had you learned anything?¡±


    Einar shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s why we called you in the first place. This was a long shot, Old Man. There was a possibility that you weren¡¯t the Old Man I know. Rubina thinks of it as insane, but I just know that it is you. I just know that it is you, and my soul knows it well.¡±


    ¡°You were of two souls, so this was a long shot,¡± Rubina said. ¡°Still, are you sure that you know nothing of this strange occurrence?¡±


    ¡°No, I know nothing, and I assure you that this world has changed. I can remember a crack in the sky and everything changing. It¡¯s the same for you two, isn¡¯t it? You awoke in this strange world with memories that stretch for years. This is no illusion.¡±


    Einar looked down. ¡°Do you think we can find our family in this world.¡±


    ¡°Maybe, but there¡¯s a chance that they might not have been transferred here.¡±


    Rubina growled softly. ¡°What a joke, to think that all those memories would be lost within a single flash. I do not understand any of this. You, you must have a suspicion!¡±


    Tania shrugged. ¡°I am word-bound. Some forces disallow me from speaking. If I leak the word then those who hear the words will be extinguished. You are facing powers beyond any reasoning. You will need the power of those who step into the realms of God to even match the beings that might hear the words.¡±


    ¡°As you can see that¡¯s the case,¡± Nolan placed his palms on the table. ¡°Unless you reveal to me that you have powers to defy those who step into that realm - then do so we may know the truth.¡±


    ¡°Ridiculous,¡± Rubina bit her thumb. ¡°To think that I¡¯d be involved in such unfairness!¡±


    ¡°Welcome to my world,¡± Nolan snarled. ¡°And that¡¯s what we are going to get. Einar, do you know anything?¡±


    ¡°As I said, I know nothing as well. But, there is trouble beyond this land. There are burnt people on the badlands, Old Man. People who burn the lands they walked - I¡¯m not even sure if they are people in the first place.¡±


    ¡°They are monsters, you fool,¡± Rubina snorted. ¡°The Four Rulers are here for that reason. Border problems? Bah, those fools are adventurous and I believe that they are chasing after the Mother¡¯s Heart. The heart of the world - or so what they like to call it.¡±


    ¡°Why would they want to go to that place?¡± Nolan asked.


    ¡°Who knows?¡± Rubina shook her head. ¡°They might be looking for the source of the burnt people. A scout had seen the burnt men walking out of that place.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Nolan nodded. ¡°Then that¡¯s the first thing we had to look out for. Einar, I assume that you two had been invited for the expedition?¡±


    ¡°You mean this?¡± Einar held out a poster.


    ¡°Yeah, I wondered what expedition it was, but to think that they¡¯d be heading to the Mother Chasm. I had no interest at first, but not it is different.¡±


    ¡°What do you hope to find in that place?¡± Rubina demanded. ¡°Or do you think that the Mother Chasm is connected to whatever impossibly had happened to us?¡±


    ¡°My gut says so,¡± Nolan nodded. ¡°We have no clue where to go, but somehow I just know that it might be a good place to start. If we want to know then we need to find that place first.¡±

 Chapter 245: A Burden Lifted

    Einar rushed to follow Nolan out of the city. No one was holding the two back. Nolan WAS using his powers to glide through the forest. No need to hold back now that he found his destination.


    ¡°Old man!,¡± Einar said. ¡°Where are you taking me?¡±


    ¡°Sparring.¡±


    Nolan thrust his arms out to provide power to his glide. He strafes the air and shadowed over trees before arriving on a clearing not that far from the city. Einar followed with a thud. His body flickering ghostly smoke. He took a stride to the center of the clearing.


    ¡°You should teach me that.¡±


    ¡°My memories should be inside your head.¡±


    ¡°Yes. It doesn¡¯t mean that I know anything about how metal birds fly. Aerodynamics and all those things confuse me. So many formulas and numbers.¡±


    ¡°So?¡± Einar added. ¡°What are we here for, Old Man?¡±


    ¡°Should have figured it out already. Draw, Einar. Let¡¯s see.¡± Nolan rolled his sleeves.


    A skull manifested around Einar. It shaped around his head, giving him a ghostly form. Instead of obsidian what appeared was that of stone.


    ¡°Stone-skin,¡± Einar said. ¡°It takes a lot of energy, but it is a handful. You''re stronger than ever, Old Man. What happened to you?¡±


    ¡°A lot has happened,¡± Obsidian flesh grew out of his skin, covering Nolan¡¯s limbs. A mask shaped like a skull, made of obsidian, wrapped around his skull.


    ¡°Your eyes didn¡¯t glow red. Old Man, are you free from the Bleak Walker¡¯s curse?¡±


    ¡°Who knows?¡± More Obsidian flesh covered his skin. It acted like armor and is now wrapped around him. Shadowy smoke came pouring out of Nolan, an energy that made the air tremble.


    ¡°That is cheating,¡± Einar readied. ¡°First, you can glide the air, and now this? That is a lot of improvement, Old Man.¡±


    ¡°Perks of being experienced,¡± Nolan clenched his left hand. The veins on his body started to glow with a red light.


    ¡°Runes, huh,¡± Einar nodded, taking a stance. ¡°You have improved a lot.¡±


    ¡°Not enough to take the step!¡±


    Nolan blurred. He arrived above of Einar, manifesting a giant hand of obsidian. Plunging it towards


    Einar phased out of the way. He drew his sword, wiped the flat with his fingers, carving up a rune that coated the sword with jet-water. He sliced upward.


    Nolan took his hand back. He conjured Tania out of the depths of his soul and turned her into a sword, lashing towards Einar. Einar parried deftly, letting the sword slide on the flat, countering with a diagonal riposte.


    Spikes grew out of Nolan¡¯s arms, rushing towards Einar. The young man phased out, his skin grew transparent, avoiding the spikes that suddenly stabbed on the ground, producing devastating spikes that rooted out of the ground.


    Einar calmly navigated out of the spikes, his stone-like skin not hindering his movements. Nolan rushed in. Storms grew out of his body, lashing out lasso around Einar¡¯s waist, with a great pull, he heaved Einar into the ground, his body creating a crater.


    ¡°Distract the target,¡± said Nolan. ¡°The first rule is to find an opening. It would work on me if I wasn¡¯t recently powered. You have any excess memories?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± said Einar. ¡°In this world, Rubina and I grew up in the same village. We were bonded in that village - before she recovered her memories, she was a sweet gal. Well, she¡¯s still here.¡±


    ¡°Must have been quite a story.¡±


    ¡°It sure is,¡± Einar snorted. ¡°Before the world suddenly changed. I was dragging her around in hopes to save the Tower. Then things happened and now we are double-bonded. Double-bonded. Which means that she¡¯s sharing her dam of power with me, hence I can do so much these days. Whatever happened to you, Old Man? Did your new memories kindle something that allowed you to be this strong? Look at my stone-skin. Never been damaged once, but broke when it comes to you.¡±


    ¡°It clicked to me that I¡¯ve been doing rune-casting ever since. Well, I have greater control and I can say that I am a master of it now.¡±


    ¡°Well, you are ancient. A master of combat and magic - kinda deserved it, knowing who your enemies are, Old Man.¡±


    ¡°I was holding back you know. I don¡¯t want to kill my boy.¡±


    ¡°Bah,¡± said Einar. ¡°You are too much of a softy, Old Man. See, this is why you get played by-¡±


    The name he spoke was like a radio chatter. ¡°Anyway, she-¡± He spoke the name again yet he did not heart the word. It was the same as not being able to recognize the language that Einar was speaking. Einar started talking about his experiences and along the way - Nolan grew increasingly confused. He couldn¡¯t understand any longer. As if there was a huge chunk of his memories that were gone. As if somebody cut out all of the relevant memories of the holder of that name. He couldn¡¯t remember.


    ¡°Who are you talking about?¡± Nolan asked. Strangely, he felt his body and soul light. The boulder that burden his shoulders was lifted. ¡°I don¡¯t get it - but who in the heavens are you talking about, my boy?¡±


    ¡°Come on now-¡± He spoke the same name.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand the name. It doesn¡¯t click to me. I assume that the person you are speaking about is a woman.¡±


    ¡°What the hell are you-¡±


    Einar noticed Tania manifest behind Nolan. Tania shook her head and gestured for Einar to follow him.


    ¡°Ah, Old Man, mind if I follow Tania around? I think she wants to say something to me. Ah, probably help me improve my ability to phase? I can¡¯t seem to understand the ability despite overcoming its previous problems.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Nolan agreed. ¡°I don¡¯t know what is happening to me - but I feel light as a feather, Einar. It must be the energy being unleashed that made me like this. Never felt so light and free of worry.¡±


    The tension that hung around Nolan vanished. Einar had a face of disbelief as he follows Tania. She slumped on the tree stump and folded her arms - she was looking at Nolan with worry in her eyes.

 Chapter 246: To Rest Is Mercy

    ¡°Sit, Einar,¡± Tania pointed.


    ¡°What do you want from me, Tania?¡±


    ¡°I will tell you a story.¡±


    Einar frowned. ¡°A story?¡±


    ¡°I will tell you a tale of two fools. One is about a fool who chased the wrong woman and the fool who surrendered to the wrong man.¡±


    ¡°This sounds familiar,¡± Einar said. ¡°Is this about the Old Man and her Lady? She¡¯s beautiful, Tania. I can understand why and you should know it already, right?¡±


    ¡°That my Nolan is under her spell? That from the very beginning she had cast a spell the moment she laid eyes on him? Nolan¡¯s a tall man with fine features. He likes to think of himself as average when all the training and the strengthening had made him fit and beautiful to others. I pity him. Do you know that I know what that woman had done? I had peered into her mind when we fought. When I gathered power I was able to peer her mind. Power corrupts any woman and age and she is no exception.¡±


    ¡°So you are saying that.¡±


    ¡°That he¡¯s been trapped for years now. I know because I suffered with him. Einar, the memories of Ciara are vanishing from his mind, not that he wanted to, but because his mind was telling him to let go. He loved that woman so madly that he followed him for thirty years and the only Ciara who wanted to be with him. Has died with a sword in her stomach. She had escaped the abyss only to die of grief.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°The War Maiden¡¯s ritual allows the War Maiden to gain the memories of the Past War Maiden. Usually, only their skills and powers would only be gain - but she gains all of the memories. From every possible War Maidens, that existed. The Ciara who had gained all of this has become another - different from the Ciara who wept beside the grave and killed herself out of heartbreak and grief. I can never hate that Ciara. But this Ciara is different. A twisted woman who had learned a twisted love.¡±


    Einar folded his arms. He was speechless.


    ¡°This has happened so many times, Einar,¡± she admitted. ¡°I¡¯ve seen this scenario so much that it was a surprise to see that I had escaped. That we had escaped from the loop. The end of the loop is the time where all of the other divines opened a crack in that world. This is better, but I fear that he might crash.¡±


    ¡°Old Man, will break?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± she nodded. ¡°He will. Some of his beliefs were rooted in her. He¡¯ll lose his foundations and I¡¯m afraid that I will not be enough to catch him, support if he does. The weight that the man carries is a burden. And I carry my weight.¡±


    Einar bit his lower lip and grimaced. ¡°Why does this Ciara want him badly? Does this mean that all of the Ciara that I knew and Old Man Nolan knew was a lie? I heard that they had children. Was that an act as well?¡±


    ¡°No, I think she wasn¡¯t acting. I felt genuine love. Not the torturous love that she had pained him. She had gathered the memories of her family and yet somehow she still takes the same path. No, not that she could ever escape. The Pale Shine Lady and the Burnt Woman had to exist.¡±


    ¡°But why him? Why the Old Man? Why does he have to be the victim?¡±


    ¡°He was put into the role,¡± She said. ¡°Most of the roles are not passed and is not inherited. But he had inherited a role and I don¡¯t know why and how - but Nolan can pass his memories. He had incarnated his memories into another and he had done this for the past cycle. Now those memories have started degrading and the memories are disappearing from his mind.¡±


    ¡°Why tell me all of this?¡±


    ¡°Because he considers you his son. And I need to share this burden off my chest. You have the memories of Nolan. So you must know that there is a memory that he hid from his self.¡±


    Einar froze. She knew that those memories are. It was the memory of a man who had lost to fate. A man who devoured the dragons and the wraiths; it was the memory of the one that dined on the flesh of the Overlord of the Demons. It was the memory of a man who had abandoned his kindness. It was a man who had tried to slay Ciara¡¯s evil.


    ¡°It only happens in one timeline.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± said Tania. ¡°And it will do him good if he had that power now.¡±


    ¡°For what purpose?¡±


    ¡°To save him. He¡¯s going to die, Einar. His soul barely functions and before long it will shatter. I am barely holding it together.¡±


    Einar closed his eyes for a second. He said, ¡°Maybe, that¡¯s for the best.¡±


    ¡°Do you hear what you are saying!?¡±


    ¡°I do. I do. Father Nolan, he¡¯s tired, and he knows it. But his beliefs won¡¯t allow him to take his life and he won¡¯t ever crush his soul.¡±


    ¡°You are saying this, to the one you call father.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Because I know his pain more than anyone. I lived his pain. Tania, you know him well, and you know that my father would not resist death¡¯s clutches. He would welcome it and be glad of it. He¡¯s a tired old man who had been fighting pointlessly, Tania. Why can¡¯t you let him rest? What do you hope to expand his lifespan?¡±


    Tania¡¯s face crumpled. ¡°I don¡¯t want him gone. I don¡¯t want to be without him. I know that I am being foolish. I know that this is madness. But I have lived this madness long enough to love it. Einar, is it wrong to save the life of your soulmate? Is it so wrong to be this foolish? I just want to be with him. I just want him to live on his foolish wish of journeys and dreams of peace.¡±


    And she confessed.

 Chapter 247: Book 2 – Epilogue.

    Nolan returned to the City with Einar. Along the way, he passed by the trees and the various strange things. When he arrived in the city he walked to this stone-paved road and went back to the Inn. The Inn was filled with people drinking, eating, and smoking. Most of them were discussing the Heart Chasm. The Heart Chasm and the Burnt Monsters were a hot topic.


    Something about the topic that made Nolan curious. But he chooses to ignore the Quest that most of the adventurers would be going. There was this compelling thought before that vanished from his mind. That same feeling that compels him to follow this certain path was gone. His instincts told him that finding the heart chasm meant trouble. His mind was clear now - he was awakened.


    ¡°I do not know why my heart so at ease,¡± he thought. ¡°Though I know that I want to go back home. Yes, home, that was all I ever wanted from the beginning.¡±


    ¡°Home,¡± said Tania inside his head. ¡°Do you intend to leave this all behind, Nolan? But you are without power, Nolan, it will do you no good-¡±


    ¡°I can make a passage with enough power. I just know it. Ah, it was never about this world. It was about home, Tania. I want to go home! I now had the power! I can do it!¡±


    ¡°Will you leave me then?¡±


    ¡°Why would I do that when we are bound?¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± he knew she was smiling. ¡°I will be with you, like always.¡±


    ¡°I wonder where I can find power though.¡±


    ¡°You can.¡±


    Nolan walked out of the Inn and threw himself by lashing his hands on the pavement. He was thrown up in the air and he glided to a clearing. He landed with a soft thud and focused his hands. A billion worth of experience in rune making ¡ª he could create his own with knowledge of the other world.


    ¡°Are you going?¡±


    ¡°Strange attractors,¡± Nolan said. ¡°I believe in these. You wished for it and with enough power, you can have the way!¡±


    Nolan¡¯s wove of power brought forth the storms. Then, he saw a tunnel connected to another realm. Traffic lights, cars, and paved roads, along with high-rising buildings, men in their business suit, and airplanes that flew in the sky.


    Then the tunnel was cut apart by an extreme force. It was an invisible force that forcibly shut the doorway to that other world. Then, the light croaked, and storms filled with the area and within the sky, a figure emerged from the clouds - forming a form that was beneath explanation.


    I SEE YOU NOW CHILD OF GAIA. YOU HAVE ESCAPED FOR TOO LONG. YOU HAVE BEEN HERE FOR TOO LONG AND YOU ARE NOT WELCOME OF THIS REALM. NOT ANY LONGER.


    ¡°Run!¡± Tania said in alarmed. ¡°The Eon-Father is here! You must run away now, Nolan! He will be after you!¡±


    I SENSE THE POWER YOU GAIN RIGHTFULLY. I WILL NOT DEPRIVED YOU OF THIS BUT STILL, YOU ARE TRESPASSER. YOU HAVE STAYED TOO LONG YOUR WELCOME. I WILL NOT HAVE IT. YOU ARE BANISHED. THAT IS WHAT YOU WILL BE. BACK TO YOUR WORLD NOW. CHILD OF GAIA. YOU WILL NOT ENTER THIS REALM AGAIN.


    ¡°No!¡± Tania screamed inside her head.


    Why was Tania so afraid? He then felt the tugging of the soul.


    CHILD OF THIS REALM. DEMONIC CHILD. YOU SHALL BE RAISED AS ONE. YOUR MOTHER SEES YOU NOW. COME, CHILD. YOU SHALL BE BONDED NO LONGER.


    ¡°No!¡± Tania manifested, power surges through her body. ¡°I WILL NOT BE SEPARATED WITH HIM! I WILL NOT ALLOW YOU TO DO SO EON FATHER.¡±


    Nolan then took a long look at her back. This woman had suffered for many years for him. He could not allow her to be bonded any longer. His heart told him that he doesn¡¯t deserve such a kind woman. His memories were extinguished and he knew that there was shattering in his soul This was convenient. Peace at last. He didn¡¯t want to be seen by her. She was one of the reasons he still breathes.


    ¡°Tania, I release you, you are no longer a blade of Salvatore!"


    ¡°Nolan! No! You cannot do this to me! I-¡±


    An invisible force pulled Tania out of Nolan. Before she got taken, he leaned in and kissed her. Her beautiful face wet with tears, she held her hand, and Nolan stared at it, smiling at her.


    ¡°I am sorry.¡±


    ¡°You are a cruel man. Why do you always pain my heart?¡±


    She vanished without a trace. The Eon father raised his cloud arms and pointed his finger at Nolan. Nolan readied himself as he feels the tugging of the power. Then, he sensed it, a vision, no, a single man clutching his head in a forest somewhere, he was looking around, asking the question he once did the moment he waked up in the desert.


    ¡°Where am I?¡±


    He shuddered. He wasn¡¯t the only one. There was another fragment that knew nothing. Another one who would be placed into the hands of fate. Tortured, forever to be stuck in this cycle of suffering, and he knew that it was another him, a fragment of him that splintered. He thought he was the only one. The remaining one, but he was wrong again. Why now did he sense this fragment? Why could sense the fool that called himself Lanon? Why was Lanon, the real him, the one who found himself lost in this world lost again?


    YOU ARE BANISH CHILD OF GAIA. YOU ARE BEGONE!


    A power flowed inside Nolan and he found a warm glow that he embraced. He then followed the pathway, a passage that led to a familiar sky. This sky was familiar and the green pastures surroundings a city He felt the air and when he saw the plane he couldn¡¯t but muster a smile purer than he ever did. When he landed into the building where he usually found himself. He noticed the watch on his left arm. He weaved power and saw that it worked. The time and date remained the same.


    ¡°T¨¢im ag teacht abhaile,¡± he said, eyeing the direction of his home.


    Chapter 247: Fate Gives No Chances.


    END OF BOOK 2

 Chapter 248: Book 3 – Prologue.

    Lost In Thoughts he snorted. He crawled to the side of the alley, grabbing some of the leftovers, or whatever in a trash box. Rats crawled near the boxes, he didn¡¯t flinch, and continued crawling on the alley. He found a half-eaten bread. His face brightened and he turned his attention to the side of the alley. He took the bread, blew the dirt, and started eating. People passed by the side of the road. He hugged his knees.


    ¡°Ab-sol-ta¡ªfa-ha-b-a-ga-a-ha-hah-a-ha-ha-ha-ha-h-aha-h-¡±


    He heard laughter coming inside the tavern. What were those words? He didn¡¯t understand. It was already a blessing that he was able to enter this city. He walked through days and he got chased by bigger animals He found it odd that he was physically stronger - but it was a blessing.


    ¡°Blessing,¡± he thought. ¡°What kind of blessing is this? I¡¯m living off the trash of the people. I can¡¯t even get any job. Who the fuck would accept a tavern boy? They always hire the girls.¡±


    He was ragged. It wasn¡¯t his choice to eat leftover bread. It was simply he had no way of eating. The streets were guarded and he saw a thief get his stealing-hand cut off. The animals outside were strange in a way that almost all of them could kill him easily. Even the rabbit hard a horned forehead. How could he possibly hunt and lived off the land? Not to mention the fruits were different and although there are familiar fruits as well. He couldn¡¯t eat another after experiencing heavy stomach pains. Apples weren¡¯t domesticated and they were avoided. He only saw brawny men and strong-looking women eat the apples. Their bodies glowed with magic-light.


    ¡°Damn it,¡± he spat the bread. It was moldy and he tasted an insect in it. He threw the bread on the box. He turned towards the sky. Cotton clouds that wholly covered the azure skies. He had not seen a diamond-shaped moon like this. He could not recall his name. As if there was a smudged or radio noise blocking. There were memories of him doing urban climbing and exploration. He recalled being on top of a building. The memories of those who knew were smudged by some sort of power.


    The weather started to get cloudy. He sauntered out of the alley and turned his attention to the town garden. It was a town garden with a giant tree in the middle. The hollow of the tree was enough to keep him hidden from the sight of people and the rain that came in swiftly. His hoody was ragged, and it was cold. He hadn¡¯t changed his clothes and no one would even help him. He was a stranger to these people and they all think he was a loony.


    They were right in a way that it was impossible to talk to a person with no background. Who dressed oddly. And doesn¡¯t know the common language of the soul. Trust was based on communication and without understanding, he could only be placed in this kind of situation.


    The clouds wept and he could only hold on firmly to his will. The rain pattered slowly on the stone-paved ground. He looked at the blank space. When faced with impossibly he thought of only believe that he will get through this. Still, he was hard mud, and the protective casing he built around him cracked.


    ¡°Fuck, what do I do?¡± He asked. No answer other than the patter of the rain. Smoke rose from the houses. He could hear the songs inside the tavern that didn¡¯t make sense to him. A little dog on the side of the road whimpered then went running to the direction of the home it belonged to.


    The weather became drafty. The cold water seeped into the ground below. His stomach sounded. His body was cold that he recalled the breathing of the iceman. It was strange that he could recall the method. He started collecting his breath and regulated his temperature until his ragged breathing made his head grew numb.


    It was then that he caught a glimpse of a maiden in a purple and gold dress. She wore a veil around her mouth and a hood that covered half of her knee-length hair. The maiden started to tiptoe, and wind gathered around, she bent the water and started dancing, tiptoeing above the water that gathered on top of the stone pavement.


    Suddenly, she took out a lance of pure white, dancing with it, showing different stances. Her singing voice was nothing short but eternal. He felt his heart pumped and saw black veins escaped out of his palm and his vision made him see through the world differently. It was the same as having the vision of a hawk.


    ¡°What just happened?¡± He didn¡¯t know why but he thought there was something odd with his body. He didn¡¯t understand. He stood up, turned his attention to the maiden dancing under the rain. She must have thought that this was a secluded place and seeing him. She stopped her dancing. She pointed her cool eyes to him.


    ¡°Are you fine?¡±


    He can understand her. He widens his eyes, struggling to get a word out. ¡°I, am fine, just tired.¡±


    ¡°I see. You, I saw you in the town. Were you not a mute?¡±


    ¡°A curse,¡± he lied. ¡°I think you cured, Miss?¡±


    ¡°Aria, I am Aria. And you are?¡±


    He spoke. But no voice came out. He tried speaking his name but no words came out again. He said, ¡°I am Amadan, I thank you milady, for freeing me. I thought I was going to be a mute forever.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you are okay?¡± She said gently. ¡°I¡¯ve seen you, but to think you would be this impoverished. I can help you if you are willing to work for it?¡±


    She offered her hand. Amadan couldn¡¯t understand why. But he could only take this saving grace. Ever since coming to this word, Amadan felt kindness. He was just saved.


    Book 3: Repeated Cycles

 Chapter 249: The Pale Shine’s Fury

    Dressed rightly, Amadan was a fine young man that towered over Aria. His hawk-like eyes and somehow domineering stature made her wonder if this man who muttered a strange language could be trusted. Still, he showed nothing but gratefulness, and he showed it through his actions.


    The House she lived was a two-storied house made of stone and rock, inherited from her parents. She became a Song Maiden and wields the white lance of the lady that resides in the lake. She had been singing her songs and dancing her stances. She was a Song Maiden - but many call her a Battle, and sometimes a War Maiden. Still, she hated those titles, she was a Song Maiden, and she will restrain herself from being. That was her choice the moment she took the white lance from the lady that resides in the lake.


    Amadan lounged on the table with the writings that she had given him. The world was a kind one and those who can be allowed to learn from scrolls to forcibly learned through the scrolls, he had enough intellect to make sense of the wording and how the language was spoken and written. She had done something reckless. Still, he managed and was still working to prove that he was grateful.


    ¡°Aria,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ve been studying - thanks to you. Ah, do you want me to cook something for you? Split some logs? Might as well use me since I am leeching of your graces.¡±


    He was blunt and did not hide his intentions. He was trying to be useful and Holy, he knew how to be useful. He could cook well and work hard. She had never eaten so well that it shamed her that he was too good at it. She knew how, but comparing his strange recipes to her was laughable.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Aria said. ¡°Anyway, are you truly fine? I saw you practicing the sword. I thought you didn¡¯t know the sword?¡±


    He laughed. ¡°I think I have a talent for it. Somehow, I just know, and that there is a strange power inside of me. Can you see it, Aria?¡±


    She beamed at him. ¡°Your bones are strange in a way that when I felt them. There were an extra layer and more than I think. I would have to open you to know.¡±


    He twisted on the chair. ¡°Please don¡¯t, I rather not be skinned alive, Aria.¡±


    ¡°But we won¡¯t know until then. But, if you wish so, then let it be so. Still, have you planned on what you are going to do, Amadan?¡±


    Amadan stared. He walked next to Aria and kneeled on one knee. ¡°Aria, if it means anything, let me work for you, let me repay you for what you have done to me. It may be small to you. It may be insignificant, but know that you have saved my life and I¡¯ve no way to offer anything other than my services.¡±


    ¡°Are you a Knight?¡±


    ¡°I am not. But if I don¡¯t repay you, then I don¡¯t know what to do.¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t a child.¡±


    ¡°But I am a lost one. Please,¡± he placed his forehead on the floor. ¡°Let me work under you. I know you don¡¯t need me. I am useless to the bone, but let me repay you with the life you saved.¡±


    ¡°I do not need a Guardian,¡± she said. Amadan¡¯s eyes sunk. ¡°But you are making it difficult to refuse you. Tell me, are you not doing this for other reasons?¡±


    ¡°I would be lying if I said so. But I know that I am not worthy and I¡¯d rather stab myself in the throat than do anything to you. Not that I¡¯d ever win.¡±


    She liked honest men. No, he was far too afraid to lose the connection that he made with people. She wondered what have had happened to him. What took him this far in the area? These new lands were far from civilization and yet this man had reached this nameless town. No one dared to name the lands this far from civilization. Unless they were the Adventurer King who had taken a grand city. His rise to power was swift and fast.


    ¡°I am still not convinced.¡±


    He bit his lower lip. She saw the face of a man who thinks he was doom. ¡°I have no words to say. If you don¡¯t truly accept my services then I shall see what fate awaits me. ¡°


    ¡°You give up easily.¡±


    He stared. ¡°I could leave life right now. I let that determine what I do, say, and think.¡±


    She was baffled by his words. It seems that he was a man that accepts what would be passed to him. She let out a smile. ¡°That¡¯s a curious mindset. Still, you can do better to convince me.¡±


    ¡°You could never change anyone¡¯s mind. I see that you are set to refuse, and this is a gamble itself. Instead of worrying about the goal itself, I am doing my best to plea for you accept me into your service.¡±


    ¡°And this is your best plea?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that it is.¡±


    ¡°First, you temp me with your food, then show yourself as a good man who can do work. Honestly, this house is too big, and if this was your plan, you have succeeded, Amadan, your food is quite tasty, and it would be a shame to throw away a man who can cook well. Not to mention, this should keep all the nosy ones away from. Fine, you are to become my Guardian, and you will be my shield and my servant. Is that acceptable?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± He slammed his head on the floor.


    ¡°Stand, you are not in my service, I am Aria, the Song Maiden, Holder of the White Lance, and you now serve me, Amadan.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Miss Aria.¡±


    ¡°Call me Aria,¡± she said, leaning on her chair. ¡°But if we are to meet others. I expect you to call me Miss or Lady. Is that understood, Amadan?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I understand.¡±


    ¡°Good, and now please cook one of those dishes for me. I am starving. Oh, it¡¯s raining again.¡±


    She looked outside.


    ***


    News of Aria accepting the same madman shook this unknown town. Those who were besotted by her came, swords rushing, they trapped Amadan on a corner, and he wore no weapon. Shamelessly, they attacked the madman, expecting him to die as easily - the tradition was to kill those who were maddened.


    Amadan¡¯s eyes beamed red. His hawk-like eyes frightened the men. He swooped, in and tossed them around, throwing them by leveraging their momentum or through tripping them and letting gravity most of his word. A cudgel passed by him and yet he blocked it with his forearm, and the man who did it was thrown harder than anyone. Amadan who was the target resumed to whatever duties he was doing.


    Many wondered what was up with the Madman. Sauntering to the Song Maiden, they asked her. She replied, ¡°He is my Guardian, Cook, and wood-splitter, and a servant. So let that settle in your minds.¡±


    That was all they needed. Amadan was seized now and then and was thrown to the underground fighting clubs. Men who go on adventurers brawled with the young man and surprisingly, he had won and sometimes he would lose. Still, he was a hard young man and without the grime and the mud on him. He was a fine young man who was strange even to this world. They had seen many different adventurers that came from a different nation. But a man whose raven-like hair, pale appearance, and tall stature made for news. Maidens who were curious would surround the young man. Though he was flat-eyed, and barely had time to talk them. He was calm, polite, and toneless.


    When the Song Maiden performed her white lance dance. She was surrounded and asked of her relations with the young man. She gave them a flat-eyed stare and a cold voice. ¡°He is a companion and a good one. Please, do not test me, or would you like to hear my song of fleas?¡±


    They shuddered. Everyone stopped talking about Amadan and turned their attention to new rumors. Aria was pleased by their change and she went with her business as usual. She would dance with her white lance, sing her songs, and travel to the inner forest to battle dire beasts who came close to the town. When she was done, she would return, her bloody white lance cleansed in front of her doors. Amadan fetched her a bucket of water and she thought that having a servant was indeed fine.


    He started splitting the logs needed for wood. She glanced at her and thought how fine his back was. Foolish! She thought. How could I let myself be attracted?¡±


    She felt something odd. There was a strange force that was crawling in her heart. She dispersed it as if it was nothing. That crawling hand that seems to grasp her hand and charm her. She hated it. She despised it. She had accepted this role out of love for dance and song!


    She glared at that invisible force. I WILL NOT STAND BY THIS CAPTURING. YOU WILL NOT HAVE MY HEART. YOU SHALL NOT HAVE IT!


    The Invisible force vanished. She held on to her soul. She didn¡¯t know but she smiled. That invisible force was gone and yet she felt weak. ¡°Aria!¡± A voice shouted. She was caught. She looked at Amadan and smiled. ¡°I was feeling feeble, but do not worry, I am free.¡±


    ¡°Free?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, just a faint aching in my head.¡± And in my heart, she thought.


    She smiled, clamping her jaws. Then it came to her, it was a memory of a woman who walked through the valleys of death, a woman who cried, and a woman stabbed a sword on her stomach with grief. Ah, she thought. Then, she turned her attention to the invisible force that was one tried to charm her. Never again, she glared. Hatred, rage, and absolute fury came to Aria. How could you do this to me?


    ¡°Aria?¡±


    She meekly turned her eyes away and straightened her expression. ¡°Can you help me stand?¡±


    Amadan pushed her up. She stood, patted her skirt, and looked at him. She spoke his name. But her words came blank and noises that She spoke again. ¡°Amadan.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    She spoke. The words didn¡¯t come out of her mouth.


    ¡°Miss?¡±


    ¡°Amadan,¡± she said, biting her lip. ¡°You are troublesome, but I can¡¯t deny this is a new cycle.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t get it, Aria.¡±


    ¡°Really,¡± she puts her hands on her waist. ¡°Why do I have to do this?¡± She then looked at him, eyes so close. Amadan was tilting his head. He was ignorant. He was wiped clean of anything. And here I am, only that memory, that memory of that horrible meeting, Aria thought.


    ¡°Can you buy something for me, Amadan?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± he took her gold. ¡°Food? I¡¯ll be out then.¡±


    She saw him walked away. She grimaced and spun her white lance. ¡°Hmm, I prefer a sword, but it looks like I¡¯m just another fragment. I am free now. Still,¡± she turned her attention to the direction where Amadan came.


    A second chance, she thought. To think that there would still be mercy. I know it, I was right to deny the memories of the War Maidens, and I know that it was dangerous, and they did not listen. I am thankful for this chance, and I will not fail again.


    ¡°I am the master of my faith, and I am the Captain of my soul. Isn¡¯t that you always say? To have power over your mind and not of outside events.¡±


    She closed her eyes. She pressed her forehead on the white lance. She didn¡¯t know why they had met this early. Why after sticking that blade inside her stomach and dying in front of his grave that he would wake up in a new body with fresh memories. But she knew that disgusting stench. That promise of power from memories of war-mongering women. She hated it. Her fury rose, but then she saw Amadan walking with the food he bought. Her fury simmered, and cooled.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be coming for you, Burned Woman. You will not dirty my name any longer.¡±

 Chapter 250: The True’s Meeting

    Aria recalled the memories of the past. She knew what she was and she knew who her enemies were. All she knew was that death took her the moment she committed suicide over his grave. She was the first and the original - as she likes to believe and yet she was in another body. No, just a Song Maiden, but better than being a War Maiden, corrupted, cold, and born to fight until eternity¡¯s end.


    Surrender yourself to the cycle, she thought. To gain power there must be an equivalent exchange and that exchange is to be trapped in a cycle. She hated it. She saw the exchange of the shadows. The image of herself, tempted by power, and fragments of memories.


    You are free at last, she thought, looking at Amadan. Another fragment, like me, but still the same to the core, strong-hearted and easily fooled by a woman who would give him hope. Foolish man, even in this new life you still come looking for me. You won¡¯t leave me alone, won¡¯t you? That¡¯s fine, I won¡¯t either. I suspect that sadist won¡¯t either.


    The woman who merged with the memories of the War Maiden. She was here, but different in a way that she only took the memories of the previous past. The memories of madwomen who grew mad when they were drunk of power. Those who thought they could save more than they could handle.


    Never evil, she thought. Just a misguided fool who thinks that she could save more. It was never about power - and it was never about being powerful. It was about saving those who could not save themselves. Still, to think she would force her Bleak Walker, the love of her life through so much pain and anguish.


    Not like I am any better, she thought. Thirty-years, how can this man endure so well? Not after what I did to him, and the harshest things. These memories are mine. Not hers, they do not belong to the War Maiden who merged with others. She was the original and damn the heavens if it doesn¡¯t agree with her.


    They replicated my memories, took it for themselves, and ended up falling anyway. She thought. The tugged from a distant place was charming her. It demanded to come and join. She refused. She wasn¡¯t going to become a part of the War Maidens again.


    I¡¯ve had my fill of that role, she thought. I had done what I can and I failed in that role. Do you think that I¡¯d be willing to become a part of such madness? I¡¯ve fought with all that I have and realized what I truly wanted. The woman that tugged for her had realized the same. Foolish woman! She snarled. I will not be part of such a cycle. I had done what I could to and had abandoned all I have for a dream that was finished by others.


    She felt the pain of a mother in that tugging. She knew the pain well and had a sense of it. But hers was real and the other hers was nothing other than a lure and a bait for the Bleak Walker. She couldn¡¯t understand why.


    Amadan was a busy man who did most of the work around the house. Although she had awakened memories of a past life, she was Aria, and she wasn¡¯t going to let go. Though she had to deal with her heart beating faster than usual when she sees Amadan.


    He looks better, she thought. Better than what she saw in her last life. Still, she recalled the look of Amadan, that grizzled man whose looks shamed others. The grizzled veteran who noblewomen would stop to look at, cheeks flushing, red like roses as he stood towering. He grew into a fine man and age didn¡¯t slow him down.


    He looks fit, she thought. I can guess that there must be something that had happened. Fragment, he¡¯s one, but this one retained the strength of his predecessor, luckier than him. Obsidian coated bones, and flesh that could stop steel. He was fortunate compared to the man she knew.


    He worked his way to the top, fought with gritted teeth, and I underestimated him too much. I thought he would never survive, and he did, pestering me for years, making me worry for a stubborn fool who doesn¡¯t know when to give up. I wonder when will he try to make a move. It would be something to look forward to.


    She realized that her cheeks were burning. She breathes through her nose and set her jaws, stared at her white lance, and continued her white lance¡¯s dance, forcing the troubles away. She¡¯ll be coming for me, I know that she will, and I need to be ready. I can summon some of my powers and the songs of power reside. As long as I have the white lance then I can defend myself from the power of that imitator.


    The tugged got stronger. She held on to her white lance and started the dance of the white lance. She swung her hips and bent her waist as she dances without care. When she woke from her trance, she saw Amadan staring, cheeks flushed, and eyes staring at her. She grinned, and danced, emphasizing her hips. The poor man turned his eyes away, scratching his head in embarrassment.


    Aria stopped her dance and slumped on the chair placed near the door. Amadan passed by her and then came back holding a filled mug. He offered the mug and she took it. Drinking the mug, she realized that it was sweet, and she recalled how she loved this.


    Amadan didn¡¯t say anything and sauntered to the direction just outside of the forest. He carried his pack to probably find some log. There were little monsters in the vicinity and with her memories back. Aria didn¡¯t hold back in slaughtering the dire beasts that were spread around the town. She held no mercy against those who lurk in the dark and even in this second chance in life as the true her. She will not falter in that belief that she had held until her death.

 Chapter 251: The Fourth Route

    Amadan paced around the courtyard. He drew the obsidian sword that he conjured out of his body. Aria had taught him this. God Bless her, he thought, lashing the sword, dancing, the Ox stance, then the plow, and with a fool¡¯s stance, then the near war, the roof, and suddenly the break.


    Aria walked while walking with her white lance. ¡°Care for a spar, Amadan?¡±


    ¡°Sure, Aria!¡±


    He pressed forward. Swinging widely, aiming for the head. He did not relent. Instincts told him and his body told him to do so. She lowered to a crouch, stepping forward, aiming for his chest. He replied kindly by deftly parrying it, and then summoning a shield out of his palm, defending, and then dispersing them into shards.


    She used her momentum, making use of her weapon¡¯s reach for quick successive thrusts. She smiled, knitted her brows, lowered the butt of the white lance, and raising her slender legs for a kick. His body acted. Blocking with his forearm, and yet she spun, following it with a kick he barely blocked.


    ¡°Impressive,¡± she said. ¡°Are you sure that you didn¡¯t know how to use a sword?¡±


    ¡°I got into fights, but never was a swordsman or held any weapon with an edge or a point before.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± she spun her lance. ¡°I won¡¯t pry.¡±


    ¡°Aria,¡± he said softly. ¡°You never really did ask me. I know that I should be thankful, but I am curious.¡±


    ¡°Does it matter?¡± She asked. ¡°I can still kick you around if you want to. I¡¯m putting trust in you, and I hope that you¡¯d care for that trust.¡±


    Amadan nodded. He clenched his hand and the obsidian short came shattering. ¡°I will make sure that trust will not be broken.¡±


    She leaned on her white lance. Beautiful eyes, hair that seems to be made of silk, and that serene expression. God, she was beautiful, he thought. It made his heart ache how beautiful she was. He grew afraid of losing her trust. Her words were like pinpoint daggers. He would not dare to break it.


    She walked back to her house. Amadan stared. The townhouses were releasing smoke and not far was the single road. Merchants came rolling with their beasts and he noticed a horse galloping to the house. The horse¡¯s rider pulled the reins and stopped short.


    ¡°Where is Miss Aria?¡±


    ¡°Inside.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± the rider said, calling out. ¡°Miss Aria! Miss Aria! I need your help!¡±


    He didn¡¯t enter the house. He stopped in front of the door. Aria came out with brows frowned. She folded her arms in front of her chest, raised her head, and pointed her chin at the rider. ¡°What do you want from me, Merchant?¡±


    ¡°Beast, dire ones, can you help?¡±


    She smiled, cocking her head. ¡°I am not an Adventurer, Merchant.¡±


    ¡°No one¡¯s around Aria. Can you help?¡±


    Aria lifted her shoulders. ¡°Fine, where is it?¡±


    ¡°South of the forest, Guardsman is holding the dire beast.¡±


    ¡°What kind of beast is it?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Another new one. We have no name for it.¡±


    Aria came out of the house. She locked the door and hollered. ¡°Amadan, we¡¯re going. Merchant, you wouldn¡¯t mind if I borrow your horse, right?¡±


    ¡°But you have one,¡± the merchant trailed. ¡°Got it, can he ride?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t-¡± He wanted to speak more. He hesitated and turned towards Aria. ¡°I can. I don¡¯t know why, but I can.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± the merchant said. He lent his horse to Amadan. He mounted the horse and he naturally controlled the horse. IT was as if he knew it well. He pulled the reigns and saw Aria pulling her horse. It was a large mare with a golden brown mane.


    ¡°Let us go,¡± Aria clamped the side of the horse and pushed her mare forward. Amadan followed her out of the town and into the south of the forest, traversing the landscape, leaving only a trail of hooves. Amadan heard the fighting and not far he smelled blood.


    Corpses were strewn on the dirt road. Weapons were broken, and wagons were destroyed. A man in plate got his breastplate caved in, his mouth bleeding, spilling broken teeth. Aria galloped her mare, and pulled its reigns back, halting the mare. Aria leaped out, whirling her white lance, she struck the ugly creature with an oblong head and protruding c-horns around their neck. She lashed her spear, making the creature bleed. The creature stomped, and charged to Aria, she used her lance to jump out of way, and then lash at the creature again, making the creature¡¯s back of the knee bleed.


    The creature ran into a sprint. Amadan didn¡¯t know why, but his body charged, he conjured a spear, pulled it back, and threw it accurately on the knees of the beast, then he conjured a two-handed sword, and slashed it down around the creature¡¯s neck. Blood spilled, and the creature came charging again, this time, Aria lifted her lance and herself, driving the lance deep into the wound of the creature.


    Amadan took a step, pulled his two-handed sword back, and slammed it on the creature¡¯s knee, making it fall forward, and the creature¡¯s oblong head on the ground. Aria didn¡¯t miss the chance to stab the creature on the back of its head. The rest of those who were alive, retaliated, slamming their weapons on the creature¡¯s head.


    ¡°That¡¯s that,¡± Aria said without a hint of nervousness. ¡°You boys and girls okay?¡± She looked at the side of the caravan where the caravan workers were tending to their wounds and fears. Most of them nodded, except for one heavily wounded merchant who could barely lift his chin in pain. Aria ambled to the merchant, singing a song that started to make the man¡¯s wound heal.


    ¡°Amadan, make sure the rest are okay. And bury another spear in the creature¡¯s head.¡±


    He nodded and conjured a spear that he stabbed on the creature¡¯s back of the head. After that, he wended his way to where the horses were and staked them while Aria healed the caravan of merchants. Most of them were being soothed with her powers of healing.


    Amadan took notice of his hands. Still bloody, the smell was foreign. Is this really me, he thought. The memories, they are familiar, but strangely so familiar to me. Why? Why is killing not making me afraid? Why am I not uncomfortable!


    He recalled. He lived a life of following his dream. That dream made him lost and he always found himself around buildings. Always looking at the sky or the sunset that flashes the mountain. He was a statue on top of a high-rise building that basked in the wind¡¯s blow.


    The forest was blown by the wind tenderly. On the side were the people watching Aria dance. Her dance fluid, gentle, and oozing with vitality. She shared the dance to the people for them to be healed. Amadan watched, his eyes pointed to her dance of healing. What a beautiful woman, a fierce one, he thought. There was vegetation around the forest that made it look like a wall of green.


    ¡°What should I do?¡± He said, turning his eyes to the forest. The creatures polluted the air. The merchants were carving the body parts of the monsters. They were using carving tools with blackened tips to tear through the body parts of the monsters. There were many of the wounded with words of gratitude unstopping from their mouths.


    He had to think. The smell of blood cooled his head. What did he miss?¡±


    ¡°Home,¡± he said. ¡°I want to go home.¡±


    Can you?


    ¡°No,¡± he said. ¡°I can¡¯t. There¡¯s no way I can go back. How many years will it take to find a way? Is there even a way?¡±


    He didn¡¯t know what to do. Right now, he was clinging to a lifeline called Aria. She was his guiding light and even though he now knows he could take care of himself. A bigger part of him said that he wanted to help him. That he was rather comfortable to by being her side. It was not about love. He was sure of it. It was admiration and he was sure of it. It was as if being by side was a natural thing for him to do.


    ¡°What had happened to me?¡± He asked. No one could answer that question. For all he know was that he was transported into a world different from he knew. That is arriving in this world he became powerful and had all of these strange instincts that allowed him to act and fight. He started to wonder if there was a curse that was given to him and Aria helped him by curing it with her song. He saw Aria walked to him.


    ¡°Are you fine?¡± she asked, rubbing her white lance, the tip of it pointed up. ¡°You¡¯ve been acting solitary and dazed. I could have used your help.¡±


    He looked at her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Aria. I just don¡¯t know where or why I was given this power. Why am I so strong despite having no power before. I don¡¯t think I deserve this power.¡±


    She frowned as if offended. He didn¡¯t understand.


    ***


    Aria heard the most absurd thing from the mouth of Amadan. She was seconds away from admonishing him, then realized that she was speaking to a fragment of him. Yes, a fragment, but still the same, a foolish young man who appeared out of nowhere, asking her for courtship. She recalled how harsh she was and how embarrassed she was.


    ¡°It sickens me,¡± she thought of the torture that the other her did. That wicked woman who could never love anything other than power. That woman who had to test a man¡¯s love for millions of years for her to accept it. She wasn¡¯t better, but she still did refuse him for thirty-years. She was a fool. A fool who had nothing to live for and was thrown into the fray without being asked. How could she easily trust when her heart was shattered from the start? And yet he healed her foolish heart and made it whole. Still, she couldn¡¯t forgive herself for what she had done. She shouldn¡¯t have sacrificed the life of her child for a world that was going to be saved.


    She beamed at him. ¡°Amadan, would you like to hear a story?¡±


    ¡°A story?¡±


    ¡°Yes, would you like to hear it while they are busy prattling around?¡± She smiled again. ¡°Well?¡±


    ¡°Then let me hear it.¡±


    ¡°This is a story of two fools,¡± she started.


    It was the story of a man who had never given up. A man who everyone thought, wouldn¡¯t last a second in the fields of war, yet proved them all wrong. It was the story of a man who stood tall against his sorrow. A man who lost those who he called friends and fought with the will and heart of steel. The man whose devoted heart keep him going and who in the end didn¡¯t give in despite the light taken from him.


    She then told the story of a foolish woman who couldn¡¯t see love. A woman who had loved by her side, but was blinded by mistrust, a foolish woman who had accepted love and cherished it; only for her to be thrown into the abyss where everything she knew was questioned. It was the story of a woman who despaired in the abyss. It was a story of a woman who walked through a land that had been saved - only to be met with despair. A man who died in glory for what he believed in, knowing that he had done all he can to save a world. A man who wasn¡¯t given the reward he deserved.


    ¡°Some say it was a story about him,¡± she smiled. She was the Sun when she did. ¡°But I say it was never about any of them. It was about the two of them. It was the story of a man who wanted to have a new home. And a story of a woman who loved too late. A woman whose identity was taken and smudged, corrupted - yet ended up falling the same.¡±


    It was a story about chances and destined meetings. A story of a painful cycle.

 Chapter 252: The Lonely’s Plea

    She floated inside the crystal in a fetal position.


    There was a warm light inside this crystal. Warm light and cold liquid that cooled her body. It didn¡¯t matter that the liquid-cooled her. She was being used as a battery for a world. The others had intended to drain her of her powers. Which is the same as waiting for eternity? Not like it mattered. He was gone. Not even a fragment left of the person that had been with her since the moment she merged with a cursed woman.


    How did it start in the first place? Ah, that¡¯s right, it always ended up like this. Salvatore, he had the same name, and yet they always leave me behind. They appear in front of me, they hurt men, and then they go away. They always arrive, hate me, curse me for what I am.


    She recalled the time she was in her hut happily experimenting. She recalled a mob who dragged her to a stake, to be burnt, only to be saved by a Knight. Don¡¯t die for me, she said to that knight. But that Knight died protecting her from those who did not understand what she was doing.


    Every reincarnation she would find herself thrown into the pits of chaos or burn for her deeds. The War Maiden, a title given to her by the people, and to make herself stronger, she invented the merging and retained her memories. They all believed it was from God, or a being, but it was her power alone, and a way to cheat death.


    I could have done anything, but I refuse to become what I am not. I want to save the world and help those who can help, no matter what the cost. Never become evil, and never be drunk. I failed.


    An eternity of lifetimes she had seen all the evil that people could conjure. Whether human or not, she had seen all the evil, and mourn that evil. She had looked down on those who followed her. And she awoke as Ciara Alician, the War Maiden who wanted to save the world. The first she did was replay the memories of the War Maiden and saw a man who had abandoned her. The man broke her heart and she became stone to cope. She hated the man. And when found herself into a loop. She had done her best to make sure that the man would give up. She didn¡¯t put her eyes on the man who was desperate for Ciara¡¯s love.


    She couldn¡¯t forgive those who break the War Maiden¡¯s heart. Yet, in the end, she had realized that the man kept coming back, and his choices all lead to the same answer. To test the man she had allowed herself to succumb to the evils of murder.


    I had to kill you. I had to. Whether to see whether you¡¯ll fail or give up. How many lives can a man give before he gives in to despair? How many lives will he offer to the same woman? I had given you all the death that anyone could give. Yet you always find yourself back to Ciara, back to her and me. I had become here, and I didn¡¯t even know that, or was I mistaking myself? Am I her? Or is this simply what I thought after acting like her?


    However, there was one thing she didn¡¯t expect. The man came rushing to her without a thought of his life. It was never about lust. It always the man¡¯s desire to find a home to share with. A person to be with in his lonely life. She had discovered the secret that he did. The lonely man who wanted to give her heart to the woman he loved.


    When she realized that it was too late. His heart had grown weary and the eternity of waiting had made his soul fragile and tired. Her heart broke when he saw the man¡¯s rage. Her heart broke further seeing him fight desperately to be freed from the loop he had found himself in.


    What a fool I am. To fall in love with the person who I spat for an eternity. I was happy to live those moments with you. I was glad to give birth to them, oh what a foolish woman, and I thought had grown better. Oh, Ciara, I understand why you would fall in love with a fool. I understand it so well. Oh, I am sorry, and I am so sorry, please forgive me, oh what a foolish woman I am!


    Still, she couldn¡¯t decide if she was Ciara or not. Somewhere along the line, she had forgotten who she was, and she had relived Ciara¡¯s life that she started that she was hers. Yet, here she was, stuck inside a crystal, recalling the woman who refused the merge. That woman died, that Ciara died, weeping over her husband¡¯s grave, the iron woman, who survived the abyss, falling into despair, knowing that the husband she loved with her heart and soul, dead, gone, and never coming back to life.


    How many moments had she shared with that man?


    But deep inside she knew that she was never going to be truly Ciara. She might have lived so many lives as Ciara, but she never truly was Ciara, and that was going to be stuck inside this crystal, replaying the lives that she had spent with him.


    Sad and happy. Cruel or kind - she replayed them all within her mind¡¯s eye.


    Body shaking sobs escaped her, and tears formed into the crystal, her body shivered, the cold, it was so cold and lonely, and she found herself begging, weeping, and wishing. She had spent an eternity living yet when she realized that he was no longer in this world. Not even a single fragment that she could detect. She began to know fear, and she felt it until all of her limbs trembled.


    Please save me, oh Nolan, where are you? I don¡¯t want to be here, I don¡¯t want to be inside here any longer, please save me, you always do, please, please, save me.


    And the lonely Goddess muttered.

 Chapter 253: The Town Of Onerous

    After going back to the town. Amadan went to a tavern. Entering, he noticed the adventurers clamoring about, discussing, and drinking happily, most of them were travel-weary, and their cloak was on their shoulders, and their pewter cups meeting with a clack. The air smelled of wine, ale, and tobacco. Along with it, was the serving girl, carrying a tray to the customers.


    He took his usual seat on the far corner of the room.


    ¡°So that mirage,¡± said a voice. ¡°You think that¡¯s real?¡±


    ¡°They said so,¡± said another voice. ¡°A tower that pierces the sky, containing all the riches that we could not possibly imagine.¡±


    A man snorted. ¡°You¡¯d think that¡¯s so easy? A tower that is supposed to be bigger inside, I cannot fathom what we will find inside that place. If we could ever find it in the first place.¡±


    Amadan raised his hand. The servant girl came to him, offering a wink, and a poked on his shoulder. He smiled thinly, and then took the pewter cup.


    ¡°Drinking instead of laboring, Amadan?¡± said the girl.


    ¡°Yes, Ana. Do you find it so odd that I am not working?¡±


    She sniffed, too close to his neck. ¡°Yes. You¡¯d be an ideal husband if you ever decide to get married.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± He snorted, taking a sip of his ale. ¡°Not going to work, Ana?¡±


    ¡°Do you hear someone calling?¡± She sat across him. ¡°If not then I¡¯d be here. You still smell of blood. Who did you kill?¡±


    ¡°Fiends.¡±


    ¡°I heard that the merchants were stalled. You¡¯re going to charm the lasses around with this.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡±


    ¡°Please, have some confidence, you are tall, well-built, and hardworking. And add that you can protect yourself well to that list of charms you have.¡± She raises one hand. ¡°I¡¯m available, just say the word, and I¡¯ll be willing to bed you.¡±


    ¡°Oh brother,¡± he palmed his face. ¡°I don¡¯t need teasing.¡±


    ¡°Cheer up,¡± she said. ¡°I say that you are looking glum. Hard not to notice when you¡¯re so cheery. What happened? First kill? Did Lady Aria reject your advances? You can tell me everything.¡±


    ¡°And have you talking to everyone?¡± He said dismissively. ¡°I just want to drink some.¡±


    ¡°This early?¡± She said, looking outside. The rain had started falling. ¡°I understand if you want to rest here. Still, never saw you so gloomy and brooding.¡±


    ¡°Ana, what would you do if just can¡¯t accept the changes happening to you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll think about it. Is this what that this about?¡±


    ¡°It is.¡±


    ¡°Then I can¡¯t help you.¡±


    He stared at her, almost smirking. ¡°That was fast.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not good about that stuff.¡±


    ¡°Understandable. Hmm, Rain is pouring hard.¡±


    ¡°It sure is.¡±


    ¡°So, how long you¡¯d be staying.¡±


    ¡°Until I finish this drink.¡±


    ¡°No, I mean, how long you¡¯d be staying with Aria? She usually travels around in adventures. Seeing that you are her confidant, and servant, I assume that you¡¯d be traveling around as well.¡±


    ¡°She travels a lot?¡±


    ¡°What makes you think that she¡¯s always in town? She¡¯s a Song Maiden, and many want her talents, Amadan. She¡¯s quite the effective lancer and healer.¡±


    ¡°Is that so.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s why I wonder if you¡¯d be staying here as a housekeeper or go with her.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go with her,¡± he said decisively. ¡°I¡¯ll aid her as best as I could.¡±


    She leans on the table, ¡°Then that settles it. I hope you can keep up with her. Aria¡¯s quite the adventurer, and sometimes she doesn¡¯t appear for a year or so. She¡¯s easily homesick so you¡¯ll be back here always.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s an adventurer.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you thought she was just the local Songstress?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Amadan nodded.


    ¡°Oh man,¡± she tapped her finger on the table. ¡°If she had decided to hire you then that means you¡¯d be her luggage carrier. She always talked about hiring another to carry her luggage and lance; so I think you¡¯ll do best.¡±


    ¡°A baggage carrier, huh.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be down,¡± she leaned on the chair. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be useful to Aria. She¡¯s strong and reliable, but she¡¯s always alone in her trips. This should stop the worries of the lasses around. I am not sure if she¡¯s going to the civil lands this time.¡±


    ¡°Civil lands?¡± She raised a brow. ¡°The Central State, oh please, don¡¯t act as if you don¡¯t know, oh, you don¡¯t know?¡±


    Amadan nodded.


    ¡°Holy,¡± she said. ¡°The Central State is the Civil Lands, and they govern these lands. The Uncivil lands, the wildlands, and the states. Amadan, did you lose your memories?¡±


    Amadan couldn¡¯t reply. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know, I won¡¯t pry but the Civil Lands always calls for help, and I heard that before long the land that this town is built on is going to be part of the Civil Lands. So maybe we¡¯ll have a name for this town at long last.¡±


    ¡°I find it odd that the town isn¡¯t named.¡±


    She smiled grimly. ¡°Well, when you are in lands like these. It¡¯s hard to name them, knowing that they might just disappear in one night. This town is rather fortunate, and it lasted twenty-years, which is a miracle itself. Other towns don¡¯t last a year out here, and we are suspecting that this is blessed land.¡±


    This was new information for Amadan. ¡°So, do they have a name in mind?¡±


    She placed one finger on her chin. ¡°Onerous, the town of obligations.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t get it.¡±


    She smiled thinly. ¡°I don¡¯t get it either. Still, I¡¯d like to think that the name of the town suits it well.¡±


    Amadan scratches the back of his head. ¡°Well, at least I don¡¯t have to call this town, just ¡®this town¡¯ ever again. Yes, I think I¡¯m going to like the name after all.¡±


    ¡°People like it, and you see the adventurers?¡± She looked at the adventurers. ¡°They¡¯re here because the town has been blessed and many merchants come here. It won¡¯t be long until this town becomes a city, and I hope that you¡¯re still here when that happens, Amadan.¡±


    ¡°I will,¡± he bumped his fist against her. ¡°I promise that.¡±

 Chapter 254: Raindrops of Broken Masks

    Rain fell on the side of the road. The mist started to rise from the ground where the rain fell. The town of Onerous slept, leaving only the singing of the droplets, pounding the paved stone, leading only to this strange calmness that Amadan felt.


    Aria lounged near the window, on her lap was her white lance. Her eyes were in the rain outside the window. Her hair rested on the chair. She noticed Amadan¡¯s stare and smiled.


    ¡°Is there something in my face?¡± She said gently.


    Amadan shook his head. ¡°No. I am wondering if you¡¯re going to travel soon.¡±


    Aria rested her lance on the side, leaned her back on the chair, and folded her arms beneath her breasts.


    ¡°Yes, I assume that you are coming with me.¡±


    That shook Amadan. He held an expression of disbelief.


    ¡°What? Do you expect me to leave you behind? I do intend to make you carry my luggage. You asked for it. And I will happily do it.¡±


    The rain doubled. Amadan scratches the back of his head. His eyes glancing sideways, not meeting Aria. Aria held a smug expression, she dragged her chair near Amadan and smiled at him.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t leave you behind. Or make you wait for thirty-years while I travel around and do something. It is more fun to have a companion.¡±


    Amadan stood up. He saluted.


    ¡°Well, Captain, I¡¯d be under your care. I hope that I can help you.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s see,¡± she placed a finger on her red lips. ¡°You can cook for me, carry my stuff, and I won¡¯t have to worry about stuff. You see, Amadan. I was a lone fighter, hating on myself, cursing why I was doing all of this. I loved being alone, and I¡¯d test someone for thirty-years first before I let them close to my heart.¡±


    Amadan raised a brow.


    ¡°Then why are you so accepting of me?¡±


    ¡°I learned my lesson once,¡± she winked, awkwardly, as if she had never done it in her life. Her cheeks flushed red. Amadan held a baffled expression.


    ¡°That¡¯s amusing.¡±


    ¡°I am trying to make you laugh.¡±


    It was hard for Amadan to consume all of this. Here he was lost in the world, and yet his only worry was to find a new home. Did he think of this when he decided to sign up for that strange academy island located in the Atlantic Ocean? He was supposed to enter that academy and yet here he was in this new world. He thought that there was no way back. No place to go back home. Time and space seem so large that it made him cling to a thigh of a kind woman who saved her from cold.


    Amadan choked. He held his face up and showed weakness. He couldn¡¯t but help but let out a sob out of his mouth. To be accepted and be treated well despite not knowing anything about him. It was a warm feeling that he wouldn¡¯t dare to betray


    ***


    For her life, she had not seen the Bleak Walker cry too much. She liked to think so that she didn¡¯t. For her, he the Bleak Walker she knew was a strong man, stern, unbreakable, and beyond someone, she could understand. She did hate him, and she did so because of his fervor. When people died he didn¡¯t weep or maybe he did, and that she never saw him.


    Whenever there was trouble the Bleak Walker never cries. Heck, even before he became a Bleak Walker, he acted like one, a person whose emotions were stored away, bottled inside of him. He acted hard as steel, keeping his mind single-minded for a purpose she did not know about.


    She recalled the day she looked at him. The man whose emotions seem so fake to her. How could a man who barely shows any emotion truly love her? Thirty-years, the man chased, thirty-years she was reluctant, thinking, that it was an act, a long act that this man devoid of emotions plays.


    As she became harsher he became sterner than steel. No matter what his grim single-minded behavior never went away. And only when he was on the verge of death, that her stubborn, reluctant heart didn¡¯t want to let go. She had mistaken him for something and did not believe what the man had been through. To become harder than steel. To bottle it all up in hopes to look gallant and stern in front of the woman you love.


    In front of her was a fragment of that young man. A young man whose heart wasn¡¯t as hard as steel. She couldn¡¯t help but thought, that maybe, it was her that pushed him into becoming a Bleak Walker, Walker that walked all kinds of hell, forced to play a game of tag between those who grew fond of what he became.


    ¡°Ah,¡± she thought to herself, unable to calm him. The broken woman appeared, the mask of calmness broke, shattered, and she found herself looking away, unable to offer comfort.


    It may not be her.


    But she was the same.


    She liked to believe that she was another.


    That it was never her.


    Yet she was a warrior. That was all she was and it broke her.


    She found herself unable to find the words of comfort.


    The mask that she wore shattered to pieces. She couldn¡¯t form it. She could only turn away from him. She was after all the fool who stabbed herself out of grief. The woman who had sacrificed her child to a cause that was won without sacrificing that child. She was a weakling who wore the mask of the strong. She understood why she had made him wait for thirty-years in that past life. How she could not accept for that long.


    She hated what she saw in him. It reminded her of a foolish woman who hardened herself to take on the pain. To keep herself from breaking. To fight a war and bear the weight of the world alongside the heroes. Aria couldn¡¯t find any words of comfort, all she could do was turn away.

 Chapter 255: The Choice Of Steel

    She tossed her limbs around, whipped it on the sides, and rolled around, her bedsheets crumpled. The rain continued, and its continuous patter sounded faint. Through the leaves, the branches, and down to the crevices of the stone road.


    In her dreams, yes, her dreams which allowed her to access the memories of the Ciara that lost herself to power.


    She stood outside a hut with a man caring for the game. Deer, boar, and rabbits, this man had hunted, behind the man was a woman calm gaze. Aria recognized that face, it was hers, a woman who had gained the ability of the past War Maidens, the timelines, and became a War Maiden of Space and Time ¨C a possibility that was beyond her understanding.


    The woman calmly smiled at the man. Her belly was huge, and her cheeks perpetually beet red. A woman drowned in ecstasy, and a woman who had to hasten the growth of her children.


    Aria calmly looked at the woman. Jealousy, envy, and a tinge of hatred, it all came to her heart, and yet it was doused by cool water called reasoning.


    The memories she saw consisted of this woman¡¯s hatred. Single-Minded hate, a defrosting that took millions of years for the man named Nolan Salvatore to melt.


    The scenery changed into the woman¡¯s musings. She floated inside a void that had fragmented, a vault of memories where she replayed the actions of Nolan Salvatore, her face that of amusement, and confusion, and heartache.


    ¡°Why do you go to battle?¡±


    The woman who is Ciara Alician said inside this void. She watched the memories for a thousand times before breaking out of her space.


    The memory changed into the hut. The woman said in her thoughts, ¡°It took me this long and even though I manipulated him. He¡¯s a fool. Such a fool. But, alas, I¡¯ve fallen in love with a fool.¡±


    She patted her belly lovingly. Aria felt intense emotion, an emotion that was beyond obsessive, almost as if she wanted to possess all of this man. Like a chain that drags and twists the threads of Nolan¡¯s fate.


    A slave charmed to the War Maiden. She had nicked his heart to the point that eventually his actions would lead him to where she was.


    I will always find you.


    Those words echoed inside Aria¡¯s head. It was a charming spell and it was the same as a sigil of a bleak walker. Instead of showing despair and cries, the words of power were like a steel collar that tightens around his neck.


    Aria swims through her thoughts and wanders to the memory of separation.


    A sky of powerful beings, appearing out of the cracks, fighting Ciara Alician, the woman stood against the many gods, and yet she could only be contained through a crystal and made the heart of an entire planet. A punishment, to drain her of powers.


    But it won¡¯t work. Aria stood near the crystal. Ciara Alician draws on the powers of the War Maiden of Pasts. Her authority allowed to her gain power from all the Ciara¡¯s that existed in the timelines.


    Her power was overwhelming that it made Aria recoil in fear. Fear that there was a possibility that she would become a Goddess.


    Is this my fate? She thought, turning to the memory of Nolan carrying this Ciara over deserts, taking care of her, and allowing her rest. It was a trick and a test, and he succeeded in that test, so astoundingly that the Ciara of that timeline, after testing him, became what she was, a woman who wanted to collar a man, a slave, not a partner or a companion.


    She swam through the memories again and found parts of love. The strongest parts of a memory of birth and love.


    She stood in a cave where Ciara Alician gave birth. Nolan was not around and she sat with her babes on her hands. Her cheeks flushed and gaze so loving that it was hard to say otherwise that she hated them or used them for her gains. Yes, she made them for desperation, and yet she lost that, all of that, out of finding love for her babes.


    The memory of letting her child die. She recalled that memory with her heart feeling like it was being stabbed by daggers. It was a dreadful feeling that left her unable to deny that pain. Not even this Ciara could be so hateful to do so, and her soul was bound to never repeat that same mistake.


    Aria could feel the despair of this Ciara. The loss of her babes and Nolan torments her. Indeed, she¡¯s drunk with power, and would never let go of it. Yet, there were parts of her that were genuine, and Aria could not deny those.


    Human to her core.


    Aria played judge in this void. Yes, this Ciara is her, but not truly her, and she was the first, the original, and she would never let go of that belief. She had not danced and killed in the abyss ¨C only for her true self to be taken. She would not allow that.


    Even though there are genuine care and love you have there. I cannot let go of what I am. Never.


    Aria hammered that belief into steel. Sympathy was sympathy, and yet she would not allow her sympathy to cloud her thoughts.


    I acknowledge you but never will become you. I may have done things I did not like, yet I will own them, I will not reason that what I did was right or wrong. I will face it. I¡¯ve lived long enough to know that.


    Aria hammered the steel inside her mind and threw it in the center of this void. It burst into a brilliant tower of light that evaporated the thoughts she held.


    She had been tempted. She had been offered power and yet she refused them out of her belief. That borrowed power is no power at all. She might have died because of that belief. But that belief had died with her. It was the same as ripping her heart out. She could not do it.


    karsev

 Chapter 256: Those Who Are Caged

    Alcina Cheery stood on a transparent road. A crystal stood in the middle of this transparent terrain. A woman encased, holding her knees, and sleeping soundly.


    ¡°CHILD,¡± a figure of storms and light stood before Alcina. ¡°HAVE YOU COME TO VISIT?¡±


    ¡°Eon-Father,¡± Alcina bowed. ¡°I¡¯ve heard of what you did.¡±


    ¡°YES,¡± the figure nodded. ¡°THE CHILD OF GAIA IS NO LONGER WITH US. I HAVE SENT HIM BACK.¡±


    Alcina tightened her fist. ¡°Why?¡±


    The Eon-Father tilted his head, his storm eyes staring. ¡°THE RULES WILL BE FOLLOWED. THE CHILD OF GAIA WAS AN ACCIDENT. HE IS RETURNED TO HIS HOME, CHILD.¡±


    ¡°I,¡± Alcina stammered, ¡°you took all of his traces. How could you?¡±


    ¡°IT IS THE LAW, CHILD.¡±


    Alcina faltered. She bit her lower lip. Her eyes became a still pond. ¡°I understand, Eon-Father.¡±


    The Eon-Father left within plain sight. Alcina stood in front of the crystal. Her eyes reflecting the War Maiden of Time and Space, not an inch of her power dwindling, not a single drop had fallen out of her.


    ¡°You have become too powerful, Ciara,¡± she said. ¡°The Endless New World will become a world with multiple realms if this continues. You are merging the places you call home. And I¡¯m afraid you can do it because you are too strong.¡±


    Her voice was flat. She glared at the crystal with fish-like eyes. She shook her head and warped into a new scenery where a woman was wrapped in thorny vines. Blood flowed out of her and her ashen air had turned back to its obsidian color.


    ¡°Tania of the Obsidian Flower,¡± Alcina said. Tania, who was wrapped in thorns, raised her head and eyed Alcina. Her blood tainted face inspecting Alcina.


    ¡°You,¡± Tania¡¯s shrill voice sounded. ¡°I remember you. Yes, I always thought it was odd that a normal human could survive the light¡¯s war without help. My human, whose words I cannot even speak right now, wasn¡¯t as unblessed as he thought.¡±


    ¡°So why?¡± Tania added. ¡°Why do you help a normal human despite being an Observer, a specter that should judge with an unbiased eye.¡±


    ¡°Pity,¡± Alcina said. ¡°It is pity, Tania.¡±


    Tania snorted. ¡°You lie.¡±


    ¡°I care not for what you think. I care for him, and his sufferings were something a foreigner does not deserve.¡±


    ¡°Yet you watch for long, not caring, and not minding about what that woman was doing. Pity, that is a stretched out pity, a pity of a being watching her favorite pet.¡±


    ¡°Why do you say that?¡±


    ¡°Because I¡¯ve lived long enough to know what people see in him. I know what people see in the Biggest Fool of Oasis City, and his struggles, you relish on it, you are a bored watcher, a being that watches a man¡¯s pitiable adventure, and now that he¡¯s no longer here, you shudder, and realize something.¡±


    Alcina stared flatly. ¡°You seem to be projecting, Tania.¡±


    ¡°No, I am simply staring at my kind!¡± Tania growled. ¡°That¡¯s why I don¡¯t like you.¡±


    Alcina folded her arms. ¡°Because you see in me your actions.¡±


    ¡°You are dangerous, another being who wants him to be a toy. Oh, I know your case, and yet I wonder, why do you bother someone like him?¡±


    Alcina hissed. ¡°I am not malicious. I merely don¡¯t want to die before I put down the War Maiden. She¡¯s a blight to those who are chosen! She has violated every law of the world! She¡¯s a destroyer of worlds! A World Ender and you think I am the same as her!¡±


    ¡°Then answer me!,¡± Tania took a step closer to Alcina. ¡°What did you want from him!?¡±


    ¡°Do I have to explain myself to a woman who would become the mother of devils?¡± She glanced at the thorns. ¡°You¡¯ve been given the right to be the next demoness, the ruler of those who calls themselves devils and demons. Your time with him is over.¡±


    ¡°Answer me, Watcher,¡± Tania demanded. ¡°Why him?¡±


    Alcina stood looking Tania¡¯s eyes. ¡°It¡¯s the little things. You wouldn¡¯t understand. Like how I wouldn¡¯t understand why you choose to be with someone who had turned you into a weapon and imprisoned you for a billion years. It does not make sense that you do not harbor such hatred.¡±


    ¡°You avoid the question!¡±


    ¡°Like how you avoid reasoning how and why you would choose to protect a man that bounded you into your soul. The moment his soul shattered into many fragments. The bounding of your souls was broken as well. Or do you want me to continue this discussion?¡±


    Tania said dismissively, ¡°And you try to use that train of thought to avoid the answer. Alcina Cheery, Watcher, and Specter, and Observer. Why do you care so much about him?¡±


    ¡°A tavern girl, a wheat farm, and a brave nobody who rose from his deepest despairs, unable to accept the wish of a death¡¯s end,¡± Alcina spoke. ¡°Do you remember that?¡±


    Tania¡¯s brows met. Alcina shook her head. ¡°Then you know nothing. Ah, I see, it looks like there is a certain point that you did not observe.¡±


    Tania growled. The thorns around her raked her skin as if she was being flayed alive. Tania made no grunts, made no sound, and stared venomously.


    Alcina warped out of the world and turned her attention to the memory encased inside an ethereal orb. Touching the orb, she vanished from where she was standing and found herself standing, no, she was acting a role, and that role started with a woman who saw a strange person begging in the streets, unable to speak the language, and without any hope other than the scraps the people threw at him.


    She stood in place with time seems so slow. Missing three fingers, and bruised all over. Alcina stared at this person, her watchful heart that would not even budge, rippled, trembling her insides as she looks at the person who begged with an unknown language.


    ¡°Alms, please,¡± said the beggar. Alcina watched her hands reached out to her pockets. The same man stood near the backdoor of a tavern he was begging, and she demanding his right inside the tavern.

 Chapter 257: Memories of Woes 1

    A dingy cell, molded stone floors, and water leaking from the ceiling. A young man whose three fingers were missing hugged a wall, barely clothed other than the clothing that he carried. Strange clothing from the perspective of the populace of this world.


    Amadan dreamt of this scene. He stood in the corner with his arms folded. A furrowed brow, and narrowed eyes. He wondered why he was dreaming of such things.


    ¡°Ah, father, mother, please help, ah, it hurts,¡± said the young man.


    Amadan shrinks back. He looked at the young man whose ragged attire and chained limbs had dug into his skin. Footsteps sounded not far from the cell, and then he saw a woman whose beauty could fell Kingdoms. Her aura immense, eyes sharp, and well-defined features, alongside her golden aura that screams of divinity.


    The young man raised his head. The sword-maiden beside the woman raises a whip and lashes it across the young man¡¯s face.


    ¡°Your eyes are not lowered, lecher!¡±


    The young man hunches his back, his hands trembled, and wraps his arms around. He lowered his eyes and covered his head.


    ¡°Enough,¡± said the woman. ¡°Do not raise your whip against lecherous dogs who undress women with their eyes.¡±


    The divine-like woman snorted. Amadan¡¯s felt anger rose inside him. But he held the anger and watched on.


    ¡°What are his crimes?¡± The woman said.


    ¡°Stealing,¡± said the sword-maiden. ¡°He was recognized by peddler when he visited the tavern this lecher was working on. He¡¯s infamous for his foolishness, and many would have left this fool alone, but the moment he dared to stare upon your holiness, he had signed his death warrant.¡±


    The sword-maiden crinkled her nose in disgust, she squints her eyes and turned to the divine-like woman.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know,¡± the young man whispered.


    ¡°Silence!¡± the sword-maiden demanded. ¡°Say one more word and I¡¯ll have your tongue cut!¡±


    ¡°Enough,¡± the woman said. ¡°Tell me, what you can say about this.¡±


    ¡°I was desperate, your divineness,¡± he argued. ¡°I had no idea where I was and I had to start somewhere. I paid that man the bread I stole. I didn¡¯t mean to stare, your divines.¡±


    ¡°Liar!¡± the sword-maiden bellowed. ¡°Do not listen to this fool¡¯s excuse, we¡¯ve caught his eyes the moment he placed it on your, my lady divines. Most of the sword-maidens can attest to this. Any man or woman should know that your highness, must not be sullied by such lecherous eyes.¡±


    The young man didn¡¯t dare to raise his head, still cowered, trying to shield himself from the sword maidens whip. The divine-like woman, stared, curling her lips as she looks at the young man.


    ¡°You have no one to testify for you?¡±


    ¡°This man,¡± the sword-maiden lifted her chin. ¡°Has no one willing to testify for him. He is a man hated with contempt and is as clumsy to his work. Such a man cannot be trusted, and I believe that taking half of the light his world would do him good! Let¡¯s see if he dares not to confess for the sins that he had done!¡±


    The divine-like woman¡¯s chin was up, and her eyes were looking down on the young man who eyed the floor, daring not to raise it again.


    ¡°Do it,¡± the woman demanded. ¡°I shall be back.¡±


    The woman left without her guards. The sword-maidens bowed their head towards the divine-like woman and turned their face to the young man. Their faces filled with disgust.


    The young man trembled, he began trembling uncontrollably as the women approached and grabbed his limbs, a sword-maiden made him drink a potion, his whole body numbing. He couldn¡¯t move. The sword-maiden drew a long, narrow knife. She inserted the blade around the young man¡¯s eye and plucked his eyes out. The young man convulsed physically, face contorted, and curling into a fetal position.


    ¡°Ah, god, what have I done!¡± said the young man.


    The sword-maiden sneered. She dropped his eyes and stomped it with the heel of her boot.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± said the sword-maiden. ¡°He shall be judged in front of the people. His mercy will be handed to the people!¡±


    Amadan felt disgusted. He glared at the sword-maidens. The scenery then changing, warping into a different scene. The young man, whose other eye was missing, stood in a platform with a rope coiled around his neck, his lower lips jutting out, and staring wide-eyed to a distant sky. He seems to completely ignore the hateful crowd who demanded his death.


    ¡°Tell us your sins, and may you be granted mercy!¡±


    The divine woman stood not far from the young man. She did not hide divine-like aura and the woman swooned the audience to her favor before he could even speak. It was a hostile court and the young man could see it.


    ¡°Well?¡± the sword-maiden demanded. ¡°Use your tongue sinner!¡±


    The young man stood without a word. His hands tied with a rope that was bloodied and had bonded with his skin. The meek and slouched form of the young man vanished, he looked at the crowd with a thin smirk forming around him, his back straightened with eyes pointed at the divine-like woman.


    ¡°I did not do it. I did what I could to survive. Why should I explain when this crowd has already found me guilty!? But you know what?¡± He widens his stance, squared his shoulders, and lifted his chin proudly. ¡°If I am to die today, then know that I declare that I have done nothing wrong. And that if I am to die today then let it that my final moments! Is to spit on a divine¡¯s face!¡±


    He spat towards the divine¡¯s face. Phlegm, saliva, and blood smashed on her face, and before the sword-maidens could act, the young man bit his tongue and laughed shrilly as he was stabbed before he could be hanged.


    The young man did not cry. He laughed to his death and passed away with his lips curled into a smile. Amadan stared at the scene and wished for this nightmare to be over. He couldn¡¯t understand how someone could be pushed to the edge this badly.

 Chapter 258: Memories of Woes 2

    Amadan followed Aria through a dense force, his legs aching, his gloved hands fending off the vines, his eyes pointed to the scenery before him. It had been quite a time since they left the town with no horses and traveled on foot. They took a hitchhike with the merchants who were heading to a different place. Aria knew the way but refuses to talk about it. They found shelter and stayed, the white lance acting as a ward for both of them. When night came Amadan dreamed again.


    ¡°Slave!¡± said a woman¡¯s voice. Amadan woke up in a desert watching a young man with a sword in his hands. There was a collar made of invisible runes around his neck.


    ¡°Fight, for your master,¡± the woman¡¯s cold voice, her frozen stare, and the commanding voice for the young man. The young man¡¯s face was blurred, and he was named slave.


    The young man charges towards the horde of monsters, brandishing his sword, smashing it against the enemies. His movements sluggish, his stroke of the sword, barely keeping the monsters in check. His blade was jet-cutter that tore through the hides.


    The woman stood alongside heroes who brandish their elemental powers to the fullest, acting as the source of power, a conduit made to guide the powers of the Gods to her. She embraced the powers and connected the powers to the heroes.


    ¡°Fight slave,¡± she said again.


    The young man charged, tearing through the enemy, picking up a shield, and joining the shield wall, pushing through the enemies, and fighting as if he was a puppet. The rank-and-file soldiers cheered for the heroes, ignoring the slave, and brushing past his shoulders.


    ¡°Fight them,¡± the slave obeyed, despite his face. The slave fought through the ranks, jumping over enemy shield walls, using the runes he learned to blast a hole, allowing the cavalry to penetrate the deeper lines.


    Amadan felt the despair of the soldiers. The odds that were stacked against them as they fight a sea of enemies that were unable to stopped. The horses plunge, the giants crash through the soldiers, and the heroes slaughtering thousands after thousands, only for more to come, and in the middle of it was a slave who fought madly, ignoring his wounds, brandishing his sword while tearing through the legions, the spear that pierces through the shield wall, allowing the soldiers to force their way in.


    The battle continues for hours, and when night came, the beacon of light was the woman who controlled the slave, acting as a guiding light, forcing everyone to fight, for they know that it would be foolish to give up when the war maiden was still fighting.


    The slave, the young man, laid on the ground. He was missing three of his fingers, and the light in his eyes was gone, and yet the voice called to him.


    ¡°Rise and kill, slave,¡± said a woman¡¯s voice.


    ¡°I can¡¯t,¡± said the slave. ¡°Why you won¡¯t let me rest, please, I beg of you.¡±


    ¡°You do not have time,¡± said the woman. ¡°The time you rest is time wasted. What good are you other than a loyal dog that follows me everywhere I go? Isn¡¯t this what you wanted? You said you¡¯d do everything for me and yet here you are, exactly what you wanted and now you complain?¡±


    ¡°I need rest,¡± the slave begged. ¡°I can¡¯t fight, my ribs are broken, and I think my lung is punctured, please, let me rest, just for an hour.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± the woman demanded. ¡°You will fight and open a way for the rest. You will obey me, slave.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not hiding it any longer,¡± said the young man, rising from his position, brandishing his sword, faint, unsteady, and was barely as fierce as it looked before.


    Forcing his body up, the slave sprinted, fighting the horde, letting his body become a victim of swords, spears, and arrows. Amadan could feel the slave¡¯s pain, the wounds he was sustaining, and the hazy mind of the slave baffled Amadan. He could only watch and no voice would come out of his mouth. It was a dream, a strange yet cruel dream of a young man being forced to fight.


    The young man fought until dawn, his arm below the left elbow was gone, and he was fighting with a sword tied around his right arm, allowing him to continue fighting.


    When the young man was about to sleep, the woman¡¯s voice calls out. It was a horrible cycle of being unable to rest. The man forcibly had his heart restarted, and his breathing forced by the rune around his neck, allowing him to continue fighting.


    But when the stronger monsters appeared. The young man was beaten like a rag and was thrown to the side where he watched the heroes shove the enemies aside and the woman, whose face was devoid of mercy, looking at him, sunless skies behind her, and eyes pointed to him.


    ¡°You failed me, slave. I thought you wanted to follow me? Why are you lying there defeated? Stand, I still have use of you, I need to save this world, again.¡±


    ¡°Go to hell,¡± the slave said. ¡°Let me die, please, just let me die. I don¡¯t want to deal with the devil.¡±


    The woman kneeled near the slave with her hands on his cheeks. ¡°You say that but you never change, don¡¯t worry, I will always find you, and you will always follow me like the dog you are. When will you impress me, my suitor?¡±


    The young man gritted his teeth, and spat at the devil¡¯s face, before the rune around his neck tore through his neck, and beheading the young man, his head, being kicked aside by the woman, who looked at the young man¡¯s head with little care for it.


    ¡°You never learn no matter what timeline is this. I don¡¯t need a dog like you who can¡¯t even follow my order. I wonder how can the first love a dog like you.¡±


    The head rolled, eventually being buried inside the throngs of corpses. Amadan woke up, the rain falling from the leaves and his heart thumping loudly.

 Chapter 259: Memories of Woes 3

    Aria dreamt of a certain event that she did not understand. She could not understand where this fragment came from. She walked towards the edge of this memory and saw a grizzly old man with a jet-cutting sword facing a woman whose body screamed of the divine.


    His face scarred, his eyes bear the sigil of the dove of thorns, and the snake of woes, his skin pale, and a should-length hair with an unshaved beard, and he was missing three of his fingers.


    He hollered. ¡°Hail to the Talon King," replied the young man in the talons language. ¡°Thorned Dove, the Snake of Throes crawl the sand, in the dark, it patiently waits."


    The face of the woman turned solemn. "Bleak Walker, huh.¡±


    "The View From the above shows our smallness. The premeditation of Evil says that one must imagine the distant bleakness," The man replied while keeping his face bland. The sigil in his eyes lit up. ¡°I assume that you are the War Maiden.¡±


    ¡°A Bleak Walker,¡± said the woman. ¡°I thought you all had perished in that pale mountain pass.¡±


    ¡°We did. And we still live. Does the Lady want to traverse the pale pass mountain with the heroes, I assume?¡±


    The woman looked behind her. The heroes were ragged, worn, and they were carrying their weapons sluggishly.


    ¡°Yes,¡± said the woman. ¡°It is important that we passed the mountain. You understand this.¡±


    ¡°Then I shall lead you all,¡± said the Bleak Walker.


    The war maiden and the heroes followed the bleak walker through the winding passageway that leads to the upper part of the mountain. Aria saw a familiar terrain of gigantic crystal that were like towers and a river that runs with green fogs above them.


    ¡°This is the Overlord¡¯s territory, I am afraid that this the only place that I can stand. Crossing the territory means death to me, milady.¡±


    The war maiden scanned the area. ¡°A Bleak Walker walks through the valleys of mist and can trek the harsher lands. What is your excuse? It is unlikely that a bleak walker would stay on his feet.¡±


    ¡°I have no control of this situation,¡± said the bleak walker. ¡°I was given the duty to watch this pale pass with all of my life. This is my final task, and I cannot allow myself to step out of this place.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± the war maiden asked. ¡°You will gather all the enmity of the walkers and before long you will die. Come with us, and you might just find yourself a hero.¡± She ordered.


    Aria felt the extremely visceral charm in her voice. The Bleak Walker widen his eyes, furrowed his brows, and crossed his arms. He looked at the war maiden with contempt.


    ¡°Is this how you make people follow you, milady? Why do you cast a charm¡¯s spell on me? Do you wish for me to die in that landscape of miasma?¡±


    ¡°You resisted,¡± she fixed her gaze on him. ¡°You are a strong bleak walker.¡±


    ¡°If this is a test, then I would like to know why.¡±


    She turned to the heroes and whispered. ¡°I smell a demon inside the man¡¯s soul.¡±


    The heroes whispered, ¡°Then we should defeat him?¡±


    ¡°No, risking you all here isn¡¯t good,¡± she argued. ¡°I will speak to him and defeat him. Go now.¡±


    The heroes nodded and sauntered to the fog of green. The Bleak Walker eyed the War Maiden with careful eyes. His sword-hand was on the hilt of his sword. The War Maiden scanned from head to toe.


    ¡°You¡¯ve grown beautiful,¡± said the war maiden. ¡°I do understand why the first fell in love with you after seeing you like this. I cannot blame her, but this is just wonderful. I do have a question for you.¡±


    ¡°You speak without meaning,¡± the bleak walker said. ¡°What do you want from me?¡±


    ¡°I said that I want to ask you a question. Will you answer or shall I repeat my words?¡±


    The bleak walker narrowed his eyes, and tighten his lips. He crosses his arms and lifted his chin.


    ¡°Then I will answer.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you join me on Oasis? You should recognize me.¡±


    ¡°I do. But that is a past that I¡¯ve forgotten. It has been too long and I have to fight.¡±


    ¡°Are you a married man, Bleak Walker?¡±


    ¡°I am not, I wish I was, but I lost her already. She¡¯s someone you should know.¡±


    ¡°Who is it!?¡± the war maiden asked in a quiet voice.¡±


    ¡°Audrey Cress,¡± said the bleak walker. ¡°The Witch of Nether, she lost her life fighting by your orders.¡± He grimaced. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve forgotten your friend?¡±


    The War Maiden raised her brows in shock. ¡°How could that be?¡±


    ¡°I met her on a swamp as a guardsman of throes. But I don¡¯t see why I have to dwell in the past, milady. Can we get to the point?¡±


    ¡°How could you?¡±


    She lashes a spear of light through the Bleak Walker¡¯s stomach. The Bleak Walker could barely move as he was pinned on the wall.


    ¡°How could you do this? Why have you not followed me in this timeline like the good dog you are!? I AM YOUR MASTER. AND YOU ARE MY SLAVE, NOLAN SALVATORE. How could you fornicate with Audrey! I signed your death warrant! You are a failure! The biggest failure of all the ones I¡¯ve known before!¡±


    ¡°What are you-,¡± the bleak walker muttered the spear of light extended into all directions, piercing the bleak walker, his body splattering, and his head hanging down lifelessly, the spear of light turning into dots of light.


    She put the heel of her boot on his head. ¡°You are a failure. How could you be so disloyal? It looks like when I save this world. I would have to make that the dog does not follow another master. Do you get it, my suitor? You dare to court me, yet you now tail another master for a single timeline? You dog I should kill you for this, but alas, I cannot blame you, I see, you are a dog like I sensed you are.¡±


    Aria couldn¡¯t speak. The scene before her disintegrated and she was left heavily breathing while the rain harshly falls.

 Chapter 260: Memories of Woes 4

    Amadan crossed a mountain range while pulling his back forward. He took a glance at the giant ravine and saw mountains. The cold air felt refreshing and he habitually looked back, gazing at the mounds in the distance.


    Amadan looks at his finger. He couldn¡¯t understand why he was looking at them. Those dreams were quite peculiar, and yet he couldn¡¯t understand why he was dreaming of a man he doesn¡¯t know.


    Amadan followed Aria through the mountains until they find a good spot where the rocks blocked the cold wind. Aria raises her white lance and projected a dome of white light around. She looks at Amadan, lowered her head, and cuddled her fur-lined coat, falling into a meditative state.


    Amadan rubbed his fingers together. He took out the bread from his pockets and ate it. He held a canteen and started drinking, his eyelids slowly closing, and turning towards a dream once again.


    This time he dreamt of a sunny place. It was a desert with the sun out, the dark clouds that usually gathers in the dreams were gone, and he saw an old man who was walking under the sun, breathing roughly, his eyes wary, and he fell on the ground.


    ¡°I,¡± said the man. ¡°I¡¯ve come far, this, I, should be resting now, don¡¯t I? I¡¯ve done what I can, and I have fought all I have. Let me rest, please, just let me rest. I helped in saving the world, we helped, so please let me just close my eyes.¡±


    Amadan stood unmoving. He looks at the old man with pity. The old man fell on his back. He was about to close his eyes when suddenly he heard space wrap around him.


    ¡°Where are you!?¡± said a woman¡¯s voice. A purple robe, a witch hat, and graying hair. The woman had a beauty that was like the sun. She holds a divine relic on her hand and she whirls her staff, placing it near the place where the old man was laying.


    ¡°Bloody idiot!¡± she said, moving next to the old man. ¡°What are you doing here, laying around like this? Come on, I know you miss the sun, but you can¡¯t rest forever!¡±


    The old man tears up, he raised his hand, using all of his ten fingers to touch the woman¡¯s face.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°I, you are not a dream, how did you survive?¡±


    ¡°Humph!¡± said the woman. ¡°Do you think that I, the Witch of Nether, could be so easily defeated!? I am Witch of the Nix River, the destroyer of the stasis river!¡±


    ¡°Hah,¡± said the old man. ¡°You are alive, I remember that. But what can I do? I¡¯m just an old man who might not make it.¡±


    ¡°Hold on,¡± she formed complex runes and placed it on his stomach. ¡°That should do it, hmm, the runes inside you are weak, and this should keep you alive.¡±


    The old man rose from where he was lying. ¡°I¡¯m getting older, really now, why can¡¯t you just let me rest? I¡¯ve fought enough, and that should be enough.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be an idiot,¡± said the woman. ¡°I told you to live for yourself, not because you are a bleak walker or because you were forced into this role. You choose this role and now this role is over.¡±


    ¡°You know our curse,¡± he said. ¡°We are forever-bound to travel the world until our legs give in.¡±


    ¡°And do you think that I, the Witch of Nether, really care about some stupid curse? Oh, give me a month, and I will purge that curse out of your soul, idiot.¡±


    She puffed her chest. ¡°I brought the passing down, I took in the stasis river, and saw time ran out, every moment, I saw it all and you think that I would lose to such stupid curse?¡±


    ¡°I believe you,¡± said the old man. ¡°You are always a genius, Rey


    ¡°Is that all you can say, Sal?¡± She snorted. ¡°How old are you again?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I lost count,¡± he said. ¡°But look at you, always so perpetually beautiful, makes me wonder how this old man can compete against such a beautiful woman like you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not half bad,¡± she smirks. ¡°You have that masculine aura, and that a man with a lot of scars and a gentle smile is quite popular around. Remember when we visited the Salt Passing¡¯s royalty? Or the time at the Pontiff¡¯s demesne? All those noblewomen and widows asking if you had a wife. Really, how can such the thin man I found in the swamp turned out to be one of the people who saved the world?¡±


    ¡°I tried my best.¡±


    ¡°That you did, I¡¯m proud of you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± he smiled, the old man whose face was so grim, finally smiled. ¡°I¡¯d never thought I¡¯d hear that.¡±


    ¡°You deserved it,¡± the woman said. ¡°So now that everything is over, what would you like to do, Sal?¡±


    ¡°I, I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve lived my life fighting that I don¡¯t know what I¡¯ll ever do now that this is over. You can cure me out of this curse, but I honestly don¡¯t know what to do now.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± she patted his shoulder. ¡°You can always be with me. I mean you have nothing to do, and someone has to rid that curse.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± he said. ¡°If you want to take a friend who doesn¡¯t have that long, then I won¡¯t mind at all, still, I am quite old now, damn, when did time go so far?¡±


    ¡°Too bad for you,¡± she said smiling. ¡°I can fix that, if you wish to, you had a good grasp on the runes, and I believe that you¡¯d have better time spending it with me.¡±


    He smiled and bumped his fist against hers. ¡°I hope you treat me well and let this old man have some good rest.¡±


    ¡°As long as you don¡¯t laze around,¡± she told him. ¡°I don¡¯t mind having you around. Though I think that it¡¯s such a waste that our friends weren¡¯t able to see the sun again.¡±


    ¡°They died well,¡± said the old man. ¡°I¡¯m proud of them.¡±


    ***


    The scenery changed and Amadan found himself in a mansion. He was in a courtyard filled with children running around. The same old man, whose hair had grown white, and yet still tall, and appearance that made him look like he stopped aging at his late 40¡¯s. He didn¡¯t look so ill and he was instructing teenagers on how to hold the sword, the stances, the runes, and even how to shoot a firearm.


    A woman whose seductive appearance, sultry way of walking, and wearing a purple robe, carrying a divine artifact, walked, watching the old man teach the children.


    ¡°Ma,¡± said the old man. ¡°Done with the classes?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the children had a better grasp of the runes. I believe that they¡¯d do well.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± he turned to his students. ¡°You can all go now. Make sure that you know how to do better.¡±


    The students laughed and went away. The woman watched them, a smirk forming around her face. ¡°You know, I don¡¯t think that teaching them the sword matters that much now.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± he said. ¡°But it doesn¡¯t hurt to teach them how to handle bladed weapons, and close quarter combat is a must when you run out of ammunition.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s sit down, Pa,¡± said the woman.


    The two sat down on a bench. The old man rested his back on the bench. The woman as well, her hands on her thighs.


    ¡°It has been ten years, and the world has changed. And I think you are hiding something from me, Pa.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not, Ma. I just know how to adapt well. From tavern boy to guardsman and a bleak walker then one of the war heroes. I never thought my life would be this wild. I should be dead by now.¡±


    ¡°Oh please, Silica would raise you from the dead if you die without seeing her kids and do not think that Aarav won¡¯t forgive you if you don¡¯t see our grandkids!¡±


    ¡°I know, Ma,¡± he smiled gently. ¡°I mean I don¡¯t feel the urge anymore, and I don¡¯t see myself traveling now.¡±


    She looked at the children. ¡°Who knew it would end up this way?¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± he scratched the back of his head. ¡°I didn¡¯t think that we¡¯d go this path.¡±


    ¡°Well, I thought we¡¯d be drinking away while thinking of how to extend our sorry lives. Who knew that sharing a bed would end up like this?¡±


    ¡°Not my fault.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it is yours.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t regret it.¡±


    ¡°Same, Pa.¡±


    The man then turned sullen. ¡°Say, I hear that something is happening. Do you think that we¡¯d be able to witness it?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she said. ¡°I hope not. They shouldn¡¯t be able to live without the thread of that cycle. I made sure of that, but there is something that I cannot control. Kaiser has told us, that it cannot be stopped.¡±


    He grabbed hold of her hand. ¡°I¡¯d fight with you.¡±


    ¡°I know you will, Pa,¡± she said. ¡°I just wish that the children won¡¯t have to grow up fighting again.¡±


    The two stared at the children for minutes. It was then that a servant appeared.


    ¡°Madam, a certain noble wants to see you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be going then,¡± she said to him. ¡°Want to come?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m no good with nobles.¡±


    She did not reply. She nodded and followed the servant inside the mansion. It was then that he looked at the side, a strange hooded figure watched, and the old man couldn¡¯t sit still.


    ¡°Who goes there!?¡±


    The robed figure sprinted. The old man followed, his eyes grew, and the runes carved into his bones lit up. He bellowed, ¡°Intruder! Guards!¡±


    He followed the robed figure to the outskirts of the town. Then, he saw a dome of light cover the outskirts entirely. The robed figure stopped, lowered her hood, and showed her half-burnt face.


    ¡°Hello,¡± said the woman.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± the woman in purple robes floated, her divine artifact blazing.


    The old man readied his sword and pulled out his pistol. ¡°Answer the question.¡±


    ¡°Oh my, look at these traitors, not even knowing who they betrayed. You two threw me to the abyss, thinking that I went too far! Now you forget me!¡±


    She lashes her hand and the purple-robed woman got sliced in half, and her entrails raining on the ground. The old man¡¯s eyes widen, rage exploded out of him, and he rushed, conjuring a blade that immediately tore through the shield of light that the half-burnt woman¡¯s shield.


    ¡°And you disappoint me the most, I don¡¯t understand. You were less of a dog when this started, and yet every incarnation, there is something that changes. What are you? Where did you come from? And why do you inherit the strengths of your incarnations? No, you are too dangerous, I sign the fragmentation of your soul, I deem you unworthy, and I deem you unworthy AGAIN. Try harder dog, but I¡¯d like to see you if you still chase with a broken soul.¡±


    She punches his soul, and it shattered into many fragments. He fell on his knees and watched as the woman disappear. He turns his attention to the purple-robed woman, unsteadily moving, and placing himself next to her, not minding his breaking soul, staring, and mourning.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t do anything, oh Audrey, I was too useless. I couldn¡¯t do anything at all. Oh, Ma, you deserve better than this.¡±


    Amadan couldn¡¯t even fathom why he dreams of this. Why he was forced to watch a man be beaten down like this. The wails of that man haunted Amadan, and he couldn¡¯t help but shiver, closing his eyes, forcing himself to awake from that nightmare.


    He gasped loudly, catching his breath, and clasping his hands in fear, he couldn¡¯t stop his trembling. When he looked around, he saw Aria, still sleeping.


    ¡°Why do I dream of all of this?¡± he said, grabbing the locks of his hair. ¡°Make it all stop, I don¡¯t want these dreams. Please, why won¡¯t it stop?¡±


    The wind did not whisper back. Only the gust that came from the mountain and Aria¡¯s light breathing could be heard.

 Chapter 261: Interlude of Dreams and Nightmares

    Alcina had a dream. A dream of an innocent young man thrown into the dying world. A dream of a man who wanted to find a home. It was a simple dream of a man who wants to find a place in a world he was thrown to.


    It was a dream of a young man who was thrown into the chaos.


    A young man who knew of peace, and witnesses a world turn into ruins.


    It was never about courage, bravery, desire, and it never was love that drove him to fight.


    Without a choice, he picked up the sword and admired a beautiful mountain flower. However, the flower turned out to be thorny, full of malice, and he could not escape it. He was under a spell. That spell kept him from looking away, yet the young man fought, not only for the woman who charmed him under a spell but for those who he called friends, fighting through a war that would consume the light.


    It was a tale of a young man whose light could not be broken. Still, it was also a tale of a lonely woman, whose life had been torn to shreds, yet decided to save the world for it. It was a tale of two, but mostly, it was a tale of the young man who stayed strong, who did not shed his tears.


    Then, it was a tale of a man who could only follow the woman he idolized. A tale of a soldier who fought with his companions and fellow soldiers, a tale of a soldier who fought to hold the line, a tale of a sad man whose love did not go well.


    Then, it was a tale of a man whose only happiness is the end that waits for him. A simple wish that by the end of his life, he would find death and that death would embrace him - a tale of a man who fought for too long and whose only happiness was the thought of death that is to come. Accepting it, yearning for it, the man still fought, fighting in front, not denying his soul to the dance of battle.


    It was a dream of an old man who had seen things. A dream of an old man walking under a sunless sky, an old man who walks a wasteland, guiding young soldiers, and offering what he knew, when the better and wisest choice was to abandon them to the fray.


    This was a dream of an old man who thought he was unloved. An old man who fought for too long, that the thought of someone loving him was unfathomable. It was an old man who yearns for peace, knowing that such a dream has been turned to ashes.


    Alcina had a dream.


    A dream of this old man facing the last battle. Charging through the fray, fighting with the last of his soul burning, only to be sent away by those who sent away, it was a dream of an old man whose heart finally bled, seeing his comrades, companions, and friends seen him away.


    Alcina heard them.


    ¡°Go and live old man! You have for too long!¡±


    The old man did not hear it. He could only escape the battle in hopes that the voices of their hearts would be heard. That the world knows that those who fought reached the ends of the world, fighting as one. The old man didn¡¯t care, only wanting to fulfill the wish of others.


    Alcina had a dream.


    The dream of an old man who walked the desert of the dead, living as best as he can, hoping to give the message, not minding the diseases that turns his body into a corpse, not caring about his illness, this man still fought, fighting with all of his life, in hopes that he could give those who give him the burden of their words.


    Alas, despite the will, the aging body had taken its toll, and finally the old man succumbed to his death, and in his final minutes, he saw it, it was a beautiful scenery, a beauty he could not fathom, a scene of the light splitting the clouds apart, the darkness breaking, and the wasted lands, blooming, he knows it was blooming somewhere, the tainted land turning fresh, and his old lungs inhaling it.


    The warmth of the sun, that big ball of sunlight, embracing him, made the old man fell asleep. The old man let go, happy that finally, death has taken him, and that he can rest.


    Then Alcina dreamed of a stubborn woman that fought through the void where even the gods would falter. A woman who held the hope of meeting her husband, only to grieve in front of his grave, and ended her life to follow him.


    Then, it became a dream of hope, of a woman who wore a purple robe, and her dreams of meeting.


    Then, this dream became a nightmare, a nightmare of a young man thrown into a cycle of repeated suffering. All because of a collective of thought, and that of a woman who turned goddess, too afraid, too lonely, and too hateful to accept that such a madwoman like her could be loved. A woman who had done her best to destroy a will that was like a wind.


    Alcina had a nightmare of a man who can¡¯t escape, then a dream of that same man being sent home, leaving a single fragment to the world that had torn him, and beaten down.


    Alcina recalled the hands of a young man who would reach out to heavens. Oh, he was sweet, that Alcina, the Cheery, could not help but chimed in, and helped him. She had helped that young man. And she had been doing her best to make his reach his end.


    She recalled the old man who died in the desert, his ten fingers laid on the ground. And then she thought of the young man who suffers an endless nightmare, hoping, unwilling, charging on to find a light in the darkness, using all of his seven fingers to tear through the blockage of misery.

 Chapter 262: No Home To Return 1

    Amadan climbed an entire hill. Then he saw an entire city with barbican walls and watchtowers arms with ballistas. The walls were gray and a flag fluttered proudly on the front of the gates. From where he standing he could see the castle, and above the majestic jagged castle. Were the Wyvern Riders of this city.


    The Wyverns Riders surrounded the sky in constant alert. Far from where he was standing was a strange circular dome that releases a pulse that constantly returns once it hits something living. He was awed by the wide road and the line of people that came from carved roads. Where did all these people come from?


    They had crested the hill and he only saw them after climbing here. They made their way down the road. Amadan noticed the peddlers carrying wooden boxes on their backs and a strange melody. He followed Aria like her guard and although she wore a veil and a shawl. Her beautiful hair and white lance were the targets of attention. He towered over her and his build made it look like he was her guard.


    Upon arriving in the massive gate. Amadan stood shoulder to shoulder with Aria. She did not respond to him. They had not spoken to each other since the dreams started. They stood quietly and followed the line. Reaching the gate¡¯s frame, Amadan looked up and stared face to face with a being that had a dragon¡¯s head. It had red scales, and it wore plate armor and carried a poleaxe.


    ¡°Greetings, scaleless,¡± the dragon head person said.


    Amadan nodded, and the dragon-person turned his gauntleted palm.


    Aria moved a step closer and handed the dragon-person four silver coins. The dragon-person nodded and palmed its gauntleted fist.


    ¡°Greetings, Song-Lady, you are here to sing?¡±


    ¡°I walk the land to Travel, Dragon-Kin, do we have passage now?¡±


    The Dragon-Kin taps the butt of his poleaxe on the floor.


    ¡°You can, may the tree-father shade you, and the water fairies smoothen your voice.¡±


    ¡°May you stand strong,¡± said Aria.


    Amadan cupped his fist. He followed Aria and they shouldered their way through big crowds. Arriving in front of a giant inn, Amadan noticed the equipment of the adventurers around. Looking down on his own, he realized how rather unprepared he was in this journey.


    He had no money other than the salary Aria gave him. He relies on her and he had no idea what kind of world was this. Entering the Inn, he noticed the fine tables and intricately made carvings on the wall. The innkeeper was a stout man whose busy serving roasted beef meat. Some of the adventurers moved their eyes on Aria and turned it away when they noticed Amadan standing by her side.


    ¡°Greetings, Milady,¡± the innkeeper said. ¡°I take that you recently come to Ab-Vol? The journey must have been tiring, and I have the finest room.¡±


    ¡°I will take it,¡± Aria said softly.


    ¡°Very well,¡± he rubbed his palms. ¡°And the gentleman?¡±


    She turned to her eyes to him.


    ¡°A room next to mine, if it''s possible.¡±


    ¡°That can be arranged,¡± the innkeeper said. ¡°Follow me, please. Girl! Come and work the counter, I have guests to take to!¡±


    Aria followed the innkeeper with Amadan in tow. The innkeeper was a talkative man. He was stout and he had knowledge and ideas on what is happening around the city. The innkeeper left after handing the keys to Aria and Amadan. Aria was about to enter her room. Amadan grabbed hold of her wrist and pulled her closer.


    ¡°Miss Aria, are you angry with me?¡±


    ¡°I am not.¡±


    ¡°Then please talk to me. Silence does nothing for me. If there is a problem then we need to talk. I don¡¯t want to misunderstand anything. We are not children that sulk silently in the corner.¡±


    ¡°You are calling me a child?¡±


    ¡°I do not mean it like that, Aria. I just want to talk this out. Silence does not solve anything other than our heads conjuring different thoughts. Will you talk to me? It bothers me that for the past few weeks, we have been not spoken a single word other than gestures and nods. If I am to continue working under you, then let us understand why we are acting like this.¡±


    She turned her head away.


    ¡°Aria?¡±


    ¡°You bother me, Amadan. You bother me to my core.¡±


    ¡°Can you tell me why?¡±


    She locked her gaze with him.


    ¡°Amadan, I can¡¯t tell you. Not yet. Not until I sort all of the things inside my head.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    He held her wrist tightly. She didn¡¯t resist.


    ¡°Just let me think about it.¡±


    ¡°For how long?¡±


    ¡°Until I can make up my mind.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve made up my mind. Please tell me.¡±


    She pulled her wrist. It did not budge. She had pulled back with her strength.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t willing to let go?


    ¡°Aria, we won¡¯t understand each other if we don¡¯t talk. An Uncle of mine was a stubborn man, but he always confronts me and talked to me instead of prolonging the talk. When he died without us talking it out, I realized that it''s better to talk it out immediately instead of putting it off. I understand if you want me to back off. But until you tell it straight to my face. I won¡¯t.¡±


    She frowned wearily. She looked sideways and then stared back again.


    ¡°You are right. I¡¯ve been avoiding you for the past weeks. I can see that. I know that you are right, but I don¡¯t where to start or how I should explain it all. Amadan, I want you to back off and let my hand go. Let me collect my thoughts in silence, and five days from now, I will talk to you. Until then, please leave me alone.¡±


    She pulled her arm forcibly. She went inside her room with a word. Amadan looked at the door quietly before shaking his head, clasping his wrist in the opposite hand, and walking down the stairs. Exiting the Inn, Amadan pocketed his hands and looked up.


    ¡°What the hell am I doing here? I don¡¯t belong here.¡±

 Chapter 263: No Home To Return 2

    Amadan walked the roads. The city was noisy. His boots were muffled as he walks on. Peddlers were shouting for their wares. A priest preaches the masses, he was hoping to convert the masses to his God. He does it without care. His head proudly lifted.


    Amadan walked past a shop with a lot of weapons on it. He noticed that there was a high vantage point on top of this nail-like overlook. Amadan was amazed by the wide road, the stone paving, the building-lined street, and the majestic mounts. Cresting a c-liker road, he found himself standing in the edge of the nail-like overlook. In this place, he saw the endless landscape.


    Then, he saw it, a figure, an exact phantom, an imagination, he knew that he liked to talk to himself, to sort out his thoughts. Yes, he had imagined it, this world, it was too surreal, but yet he wanted to wake up from this world.


    The wind buffeted against him. He breathes out all the air in his lungs and took a step closer. The air was cleaner than his world, there was no noise population, and by the heavens, it was a beautiful world.


    ¡°A beautiful world of adventures, and I was saved by a beautiful girl. Yes, I know it already, I died when I took a step off that building, huh?¡±


    He recalled it. Of course, he was lying, he knew that he took that step off that building. He was a stupid young man who had heed the call of the void. He wasn¡¯t suicidal, he wasn¡¯t lacking any ambition, it was a whim, a whim of a stupid, idiotic, and sky loving fool.


    It was in front of him. The sky. He loved the sky more than anything. He wanted to view the world from above. That was the truth. He didn¡¯t have problems. He was the usual nobody who couldn¡¯t fix the emptiness of a husk. Again, he wasn¡¯t a suicidal person, it was simply, he thought, ¡°I wonder if I¡¯d die if I take one step¡±


    And before he knew it, he was falling down that building. The sunset caressing his face, it was strangely an accident, an accident that did not leave him feeling scared.


    He let go. The feeling of the wind. The feeling of the burden of the cog that weighted in him. He let go of all of it. It was a happy feeling that he did not want to let go.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Amadan, Lanon, ah, what was that other name again? Why can¡¯t he remember all of it?


    ¡°I was thrown into a forest right?¡±


    He saw it! He saw all the places that had been thrown. A desert, a valley where the fall broke his neck. A waterfall, where the water was too deep and rapid that he drowned. Then he fell on an endless sky where he died falling, not because of a fall, but because of starvation.


    He saw himself falling on top of a volcano. He saw himself fall on the ocean and saw himself get killed by simply falling on someone¡¯s fence, breaking his neck.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    He asked, but no one would answer him, and that there was simply no way for him to know. Fragmented memories, jigsaw pieces with the pieces unreachable for him.


    ¡°But why do I have all of this?¡±


    I don¡¯t know, said the phantom that leaned on his back.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Do you ask questions without thinking? Look, you don¡¯t know anything, you don¡¯t even know if this world is real, what if this is an elaborate dream? A woman, a beautiful woman, whose looks make you mad, how could that be? Why would she save someone like you who begged? Somehow you have these powers, and now you are in a place straight out of a dream. If this isn¡¯t a dream then what is this? Below you, that¡¯s the gateway back to the waking world.


    If the phantom was right then why does he can sense things? He felt like all of these things are real. Then, he felt a dam of pain and sadness that struck his heart. It was threatening his mind, and it was forcing its way to his brain.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know anymore. I don¡¯t know what to do. She, I thought that maybe she¡¯d be willing to give me purpose, ah, I was looking at her as the reason to go on. I hate it.¡±


    Yes, you hate it, the phantom said.


    ¡°I was using her to keep myself out of this nightmare. This place¡¯s a nightmare, and I am pretending it isn¡¯t? All these creatures, and the things outside of this place. Ah, I don¡¯t belong here. Hey, do you think that I¡¯d wake up?¡±


    Who knows? Why would you do something so stupid? I know that your body is strong now, but this fall would still kill you. Even if it doesn¡¯t, then it would break your bones. Ah, you¡¯re thinking of something else, aren¡¯t you?


    Amadan, Lanon, and whatever his name was. He did not understand. No, he simply couldn¡¯t fathom all of these fragments entering his head. It was like his head was a system that needs updating. It was painful, and every single time these fragments come. His chest gets heavier, and he felt like it was hard to move.


    His face scrunched as the sunset presses her light on his face. Tears poured off his eyes, and his limbs started shaking. ¡°Ah,¡± he muttered a hoarse cry, and then he felt the world go gray, his vision of the world turning gray as if all the color that he had seen was taken from him.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    Fragments of memories rained down on the dam inside his mind. This rain of fragments hit the damn, threatening to leak the water onto his head. The first waters, touched the sole of his feet, and he almost choked, he wanted to scream, but he held his scream. His body trembled, and before he knew it, he took a step forward off the edge of this overlook point. He simply lifted his right leg and placed it on the empty air in front of him.

 Chapter 264: His Friend

    He opened his eyes and saw a ceiling.


    ¡°So I was just riding my Wyvern when this person, upon closer look I thought, ¡®That¡¯s the bastard who escape when I want him to go down this mine, wait, he dyed his hair black?¡¯ and proceed to try and talk to him. So I landed my Wyvern, climbed up the hill, and then saw the bastard, just drop on the stone pavement.¡±


    He was a man whose face showed battle.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    The man¡¯s face scrunched. He glared at him with annoyance. Amadan looked around. He saw no phantoms this time. The dam that he felt was lost.


    ¡°You okay?¡± said the man. ¡°Always thought you are strong, but to survive that fall with only a few injuries. Look, if you are trying to kill yourself, how about YOU do it from a place where I don¡¯t see you? You don¡¯t know this, but you are someone who had helped a lot of people here. People were giving you a cursory glance, but the moment someone realized it was you, do you know? There was a commotion, and the people thought of helping the Aberrant Healer.¡±


    ¡°Aberrant Healer¡­¡±


    ¡°You are a weird guy. Odd to the point that I don¡¯t even know what to do with you.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to fall to my death,¡± he told. ¡°I simply slipped. That¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°Bullshit.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I just want to get a better view of the city. I was lost in thoughts all alone and just slipped off the edge.¡±


    He looked baffled. He was struck dumb. He turned to the other side. And then back to Amadan.


    ¡°That¡¯s dumb as hell.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it is just a dumb accident.¡±


    ¡°Then what about all my efforts to understanding what you¡¯ve been through?¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡±


    He rubbed his brows.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad if that is the case. Though, I¡¯d assume you¡¯d want to get out soon. You here to finally accept the task?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± he shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t anything about that.¡±


    ¡°Hey,¡± he said. ¡°You don¡¯t really think that Zula would let this go, right?¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s she?¡± He asked innocently.


    ¡°Your brain¡¯s mush, friend,¡± said him. ¡°Zula, the Thorn Queen¡¯s been looking to drag you to the Thorn Legion. Oh, don¡¯t tell me you lose your memories or something?¡±


    ¡°Friend,¡± Amadan said. ¡°In the path month, I¡¯ve fallen off buildings, got chased by monsters, had become a servant of a beautiful Song Maiden, and then I¡¯ve problems with my memories and I recently slipped on top of a vantage point.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± he asked. ¡°Someone actually made you a servant? Zula, the fucking Thorn Queen couldn¡¯t do it, and somehow this Song Maiden was able to tame Lanon the Free Walker?¡±


    ¡°I am Amadan.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so you go by that name now. Hmm, I guess I¡¯ll call myself Fez.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°What? You don¡¯t like it?¡±


    ¡°No, why pick Fez?¡±


    ¡°I just want to call myself Fez?¡±


    ¡°But, names have special meaning to them¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, the guy whose been helping these people, running away from them with the box backpack of his, is saying all of this. Gee, I wonder how many women have your hurt by now?¡±


    ¡°Fez, huh, what¡¯s your other name?¡±


    ¡°Castro, but I doubt that¡¯s going to be much now. I like Fez, three letters, and easy on the tongue.¡±


    ¡°You are my friend.¡±


    His face scrunched.


    ¡°That¡¯s weird, you hit your head or something? Ah, did you finally realize the greatness that is me?¡±


    ¡°Fuck no, I¡¯m just happy to see a friend, for a very long time, it has been an eternity, brother.¡±


    Fez was about to say something but closed his mouth instead. Amadan saw it all. In all of the fragments, there was one guy who stood up for him, who was there when the light was darkest. The bystander, the soldier, and the brother he loved.


    The brother who¡¯d throw his life away for him. The friend who¡¯d be willing to drag him out of a city filled with hostile, and die for it if he must. He was a person that should have not befriended a fool like him. After all, how can a person stay the same?


    In all eternity where people betray and kick him down. The only person who stayed the same was Fez and knowing that he couldn¡¯t help but feel glad.


    The memories were like fragments. He was pulling these memories from a source. He does not know where this source is and what it will entail. For once, he was glad that the fall did not give misery, but called a friend to his side.


    Fez, he thought. If this is just a coincidence, then let it be so. But friend, how I¡¯ve missed you? If this is another meeting after so long then can I truly let this be? Can I truly have my brother back?


    After all, this meeting, this friendship, it always ends with your death. No matter what, in the memories, all I see is an idiot who rushes to his death if it means that he can save the life of his friend. How many times have I seen you fall before me? You deserve better, my friend.


    ¡°You looking at me funny, man. You scare me, you fucking scare me. Anyway, did your box got lost or something? Where are you staying?¡±


    ¡°I am a hobo beggar.¡±


    ¡°Okay, weird, anyway, you can¡¯t stay here. Zula¡¯s out for blood, and that black hair ain¡¯t going to help your friend. Every bastard who works for here must have seen you fall from that watchpoint. All I¡¯m saying is, that you¡¯re pretty much screwed if they found you. And because they have light nets now. So we better check out before she sends her hounds at us.¡±


    ¡°I think I¡¯m going to be fine.¡±


    ¡°Bullshit,¡± he said. ¡°I know you are extremely agile and strong, but friend, you are going to have a bad time when the Wizards move, they¡¯ll be looking for you and they are expecting a fight. After all, you have played them too much of a fool last time.¡±


    ¡°What the fuck did I do to make her so mad?¡±


    He smiled. ¡°No one refuses the Thorn Queen, friend. You are the first.¡±

 Chapter 265: The Point of Madness

    Aria sat on her mind of the void. She watched memories that haunt her life. Memories of Nolan suffering through the pain her second incarnation. And memories of Aria saving the world. At every world¡¯s life span the darkness comes when the world tree casts its horrible shadow on the said world. Aria herself saw the memories of Ciara living a life that she thought would last. The darkness was manifested by the Overlord of the Demons. Still, his defeat only halted an enviable. The darkness always comes back.


    The memories were like bubbles floating inside the void. Aria swam through the endless dark and arrived in front of the bubbles, touching it with her bare palm, and illuminating her mind. She saw knowledge of power. The knowledge that would make those who lust for power salivate.


    Aria kept the shards of power but never touched them. The power was volatile and inside of them were strings that would attach itself to her soul. Once these strings were attached to her soul then there was no telling how her state of mind would change.


    Aside from the torture that her incarnation does. She notices that her incarnation would find herself saving the world over and over again. She saw Ciara Alician, the Burnt Woman become the light itself. But that light of hers was not enough to fully save an entire world that had finally met darkness.


    Among the memories, there were always Ciara Alician standing in front of the grave of the person she tortured and killed. Behind her was a storm of fury that shatters the land. The very world that she stood in these memories were breaking apart into fragments. She saw the location changes and every end of the loop Ciara Alician would have to witness the end of the world.


    Her mistake was assuming that Ciara Alician didn¡¯t break. That the woman in her memories was only experiencing the madness of her power. But in the end, the madness that overtook Ciara Alician was due to the first incarnation.


    Oh, he died, why did he die and leave us? Does he not love us? Why did he not believe that we were alive? He hated us, that¡¯s right, he never wanted us, and he left without telling us.


    How could her thoughts turn for the worst?


    The pain of the blade stabbed her body. The way the blood drained off her, and the cold puddle that formed around her. She had done that out of despair and yet Ciara Alician had twisted that. All that misguided rage that turned into madness.


    In the end, she wanted to become a God that could save everyone. Yet she always stands on a mountain of corpses. A terrain of blood and shattered lands. She had become so powerful yet there was still no way to save everyone. She had been trying for years yet there was still no way to save them. No way to save them unless she becomes a being that could save them with a single thought.


    When she realized that she abandoned the thought and thought of herself as evil. She thought of herself as a hypocrite who would want to save a world but at the same time torture Nolan Salvatore. It was when she decided to leave him alone in one instance that the horrible affection sprouted. In an instance, Nolan Salvatore was she did not meet Nolan Salvatore. He saw the man fighting madly without any direction. A tavern boy turned guardsman, and a guardsman turned into a veteran who fought until all he could.


    There were instances where she found Nolan Salvatore dead before he could rise. Breaking his neck, through drowning, and many more deaths caused by falling. In one instance she saw him fall from the clouds and broke his limbs, and then failing to crawl away from beasts.


    She had tried to extract the memories out of his head and found herself unable to do it. There was something that was blocking her powers and this made her crave what he knew. So she started a plan, a plan that involved Nolan Salvatore, and a plan that was different from their first meeting. However, when she did the plan she found that Nolan acted differently. He was stronger and he caused a different timeline. This timeline shook her. She knew that the loop has been going on for many years, but she never thought that there would still be a change. She followed this change without a word and acted as if she doesn¡¯t know it.


    Days of being carried had warmed this Ciara¡¯s heart and by the time she was delivered to the three maidens of fate. She had found herself wanting him. She had thought that Nolan Salvatore would stick along as well. However, he left without a word and when she found him again they danced under the moon.


    However, Ciara Alician¡¯s true madness started at one specific time, and that time was when he fought Kaiser and was beheaded. She had named him her Knight of Salvatore and yet by the following days. She found her Knight without a head and her fury almost burned the whole world. It was the moment she lost hope and the moment where Ciara Alician, truly entered a state of madness, and it is the moment where the end of the loop had its beginning.


    The day the Knight of Salvatore died, was the day the Burnt Woman almost turned the world into ashes. It was the day of madness and the point of madness. Aria recalled the howling pain of that madwoman and she could believe that she would have the audacity to burn the world.


    The first meeting of the Burnt Woman and Knight of Salvatore happened the moment the Knight of Salvatore was slain by the son of the guardians that guards the gateway to other worlds. It was the day that the Burnt Woman was born and the day that stood out in the memories Aria had seen.


    The day where the woman who wanted to save fully became a woman who yearned for more.

 Chapter 266: The Fragments of Memories

    Amadan didn¡¯t know why he was running at first. All he knew was that his friend was back and that he was getting into trouble. There¡¯s a memory inside his head that told him that. The memories are inside his head, but he seems to think that it didn¡¯t matter at the moment.


    ¡°She shouldn¡¯t reach us here.¡±


    ¡°Why is she after me?¡±


    ¡°You refused her. That¡¯s all. Zula, she¡¯s a wacko that thinks she¡¯s higher than heaven. Either you deny her and become her enemy or accept her bidding. She¡¯s smart as well and knows how to pick her fights.¡±


    Amadan crossed his arms. ¡°I guessed that she has a lot of people around her?¡±


    Fez nodded. ¡°Yeah, she has a lot of them. Usually, these guys have been instructed on how to capture the denier of favors. You are marked.¡±


    ¡°Can I say anything that might change her mind off me?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡±


    ¡°How old is she?¡±


    ¡°Who knows? It¡¯s a deathwish to ask that to her.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll send her a letter then. Maybe she¡¯ll stop bothering me.¡±


    Fez looked at him funny. ¡°You sure that would work?¡±


    ¡°Talking and not misunderstanding usually works. How did I offend her?¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t come to her meeting. She took it badly and in the customs of her nation. That¡¯s the same as slapping and spitting in her face. People who didn¡¯t want to meet her usually.¡±


    ¡°I,¡± Amadan nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to her through a letter.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯ll kill you. Or possibly collar you. Her nation has a tradition of slaving away for two days for penance. She¡¯ll have you eating impregnating her by day and a month later you are a father.¡±


    Amadan looked at him. ¡°That¡¯s an odd thing to say. Why say that?¡±


    ¡°Because she¡¯s the thorn queen. She¡¯s beautiful as a rose and has many lovers as she had before. Oh, you don¡¯t remember do you, you meet her band when she was roaming the untamed forests. They were attacked by a pack of beasts and she was one of the many that were injured. Your nosy self came to the aid of her band and you helped them so much that it was impressive enough for her. That¡¯s what you told me and that¡¯s what I hear from them. You are strong and your medical skills were charming. Not to mention that she likes tall me with sharp jaws.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±


    ¡°Not everything is complicated. But I assure you that the attraction she felt for you is gone now. It turned into a bog of hate that you can¡¯t get away from. What were you thinking about jumping down from that height?¡±


    Amadan explained. ¡°It was an accident, I slipped.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to accept that even though it sounds bullshit, but then again you aren¡¯t the guy who¡¯d give up on life so easily. I saw you in the worst conditions, brother.¡±


    The two walked to this camp clearing. Amadan noticed the claw marks around the trees. Fez guided his mount around the side and settled it down. It behaved perfectly well that it kinda bothered Amadan.


    ¡°This here¡¯s my clearing. Been using it to look at the city and get away from the bustle. My partner here can¡¯t stand the bustle of the city. Lately, adventurers are looking for the tower mirage. Even skirmishes are happening because of that tower.¡±


    ¡°Tower? So they are fighting over a tower?¡±


    ¡°Yup, a tower that they saw while half-drunk probably. An adventurer overheard two adventurers discussing this hidden tower with all kinds of resources. To that guy, it sounded like a wonderful place to explore.¡±


    ¡°Is there anything that might be true with that? People are going around for something that might just not be drunk rambling?¡±


    ¡°Who knows?¡± Fez shrugged. ¡°People here are naturally curious and remember, there are people who take things too seriously, like that one time about a goose that predicts the weather. Turns out the goose just ate something funny and the cold was making it act like it was predicting the weather. This mirage tower they are talking about sounds real to me. A tower that could only be seen those who can see through the mist.¡±


    Amadan settled on the log while kicking a rock to the fire pit. ¡°And they are looking for this prize while the other part of the continent is burning?¡±


    ¡°Well, why would you go to the burning lands when you can instead find a tower that might bring you riches and glory? Adventurers are seekers of the hidden, and they would want to know if the tower truly exists or not.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Amadan rubbed his brows. ¡°Anyway, it looks like I can¡¯t move away from this place for the week then.¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t leaving?¡± Fez asked. ¡°They are out to get you, brother. You should get out before blood starts spilling.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try to be reasonable to them. I cannot leave this city until I know what my employer wants from me. If she wants me out then I¡¯ll wander. I¡¯m recovering my memories and I am not fond of being in one place. So I¡¯ll leave the place or stay and serve her. I owe my employer too much to care about the thorn queen¡¯s legion. I¡¯ll be sneaky and skulking if I had to.¡±


    ¡°Well you ain¡¯t changing your mind,¡± he raised both hands. ¡°My pal here,¡± he pats his Wyvern mount, ¡°will be with me and will be around you then. Besides, I don¡¯t think you are lying when you say that you lost your memories. But I think you need a few talking to joggle that memory of yours. It has been two years since we get to sit around all quietly. I¡¯ll have a flask and a bottle in my saddlebag. You?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve nothing.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯ll spare us some raw meat that I got from hunting awhile ago, should still be fresh.¡±


    Fez started taking out things from his saddlebag. He started the fire. He sticks the raw meat and started roasting while sipping on his flash. Amadan leaned his back on the stump and tried to recollect as many memories as he could.


    ¡°

 Chapter 267: After the World Turned Blank

    It was warm and shiny. Suddenly, the world changed into a bubble.


    He and She saw two faces in the blurry world.


    A young man with calm red eyes.


    A young woman with sparkling red eyes.


    He and She saw the white stuff turn into crystal-like water. It dripped on to the floor and the paddies with a fresh smell.


    He and She were held by soft yet strong arms.


    He and She felt the warmth.


    He and She felt the hardness of strong arms.


    He and She felt the sweetness of their voice and the warmth of their tones.


    But suddenly He and She saw a crack in the sky.


    Then the world blinked.


    He and She saw the young man pinned to the ground with a palm of a hand top of his head.


    He and She was the young woman burning like the sun, surrounded by beings who shone like the stars. He and She saw the young woman turned into a ragged mess. He and She saw millions of chains wrapped around her body. He and She saw mountains flattened and rivers dry.


    Cities burned. Towns were sundered and villages were squashed. The sky turned red. The heavens were split and the seas dried as the clashes continue.


    The young man escaped and carried them in his arms. His body turned into a shield and became battered. He and She saw the young man running and running.


    He and She saw the young man¡¯s arm ripped from his body. They felt the coldness of stone within the attacker''s arms and they were separated from the warm feeling that covered them.


    He and She saw the young man being dragged by a figure to the cracks on the sky.  An obsidian flower wrestled him away.


    He and She saw the young woman appear before them again, screaming, her sweet ad sparking eyes cold, and stricken by fury. He and She felt the tears of the young woman as she protects them.


    He and She saw the young woman fall to her knees and rising every time. They saw her skin flayed and restored by every second, and yet none reach them, protected, encased by a shield, the woman remained strong. She fought till the blood on her face was washed by her tears.


    As the sky was filled with beings who shone like the stars. He and She saw a woman who poured all of her heart and power to the shield that protects them.


    He and She saw not a stone, but a woman whose face was filled with fear. Her hands were trembling and her heart loudly pounding as the cracks on her shield grew stronger.


    ¡°No, I am strong, don¡¯t worry, don¡¯t cry okay? Mama will protect the two of you, she will defeat them and find Papa. Don¡¯t worry, please, don¡¯t cry, or Mama won¡¯t be strong. You bastards! How dare you all! I¡¯ll slaughter all of you! I¡¯ll tear you to pieces and use your lifeblood to kill all of you!¡±


    The shield broke and hundred of hands descended upon her. Not once did He and She felt even the wind. Not once did He and She felt anything other than the warmth of their mother. When the power that was bottomless inside her was broken and the land itself was broken as well. She turned to her fists and formed a blade that tore through the flesh and hearts of her enemies.


    When the countless figures that shone like stars were on the ground. The sword in her hand became fragile and worn. She was missing a left arm and half of her face was unrecognizable with all of the wounds around. Her wounds did not sew back. Her swings were fragile and yet she fought to the very end.


    When her arms were on the ground and when her legs did not function. When half of the world¡¯s light was taken from her. She remained strong, but when she realized that those who she protected were in the arms of a man whose eyes formed a maelstrom of lightning. She began to despair.


    ¡°Give them back!¡± She shouted, crawling, forcing her battered to move on the mud wet with blood. The stern look she had vanished and what they saw was desperation.


    He and She was their mother crawling with no tears left to cry. He and She saw the beings that stood around her, chins lifted proudly, and their stare overbearing. A figure brandished a spear and stabbed it on her waist. She did not stop. She crawled, not even letting the spear stop her from crawling.


    When she reached the foot of the woman, she simply bites. She tore the being¡¯s legs and used her teeth to make the being stumble back. But the being¡¯s legs sewed faster than a blink.


    ¡°You are dangerous,¡± said this being. ¡°And your children could be dangerous as well. You have fought well, and that I won¡¯t deny. The Eon-Father is pleased, and you shall be the core of the new world. Your children can be used. It is not that we sought this punishment. But is the only way for these newborns to stay alive. You have violated every law under the heavens. You are judged, War Maiden.¡±


    He and She saw beings point their palms on their mother. They saw them encased her into a crystal. Her screams resounded and boomed throughout the world.


    ¡°You two are not ready,¡± said the being. ¡°Sleep children, the day shall come where you two would govern the world as well.¡±


    He and She felt the coldness of ice. The light that surrounded them turned into hard transparent walls. They saw the young woman¡¯s face plastered with despair and madness.


    He and She did not know why, but they placed their soft little hands on the crystal as if reaching out to the warmness that was stolen from them. ¡°Mama?¡± They did not know why those words escaped from their lips. All they know was that everything was being blurry and that their eyelids were heavy.


    ¡°Don¡¯t take them from me! I begged of you! Please don¡¯t take my light away from me!¡±


    What remained was a lonely tower that pierces the sky.

 Chapter 268: The Idiotic Loony

    Amadan carefully hid among the vegetation along with Fez. On some nights he would notice a large band searching the forests. On days he would find hunting dogs who would try to find their location. Fez¡¯s mount, however, makes any animal lower than it, scream at the sight of his mount.


    The sun would sometimes be a bother. There were hours where there would be leaf-bugs flying around. He also noticed that the Wyvern eats both meat and green foods. Fez, who should be bored, was strangely patient with all things aside. The skies were truly different from what he knew. On the night the skies were shining like diamonds were dotted on the sky. In the morning he would different flying mounts. The most impressive of them was a flying wagon that was pulled by a reindeer who glowed with light. He was sure that the reindeer was swimming in the skies. And he thought only Santa would have such a mount.


    ¡°Santa, huh,¡± Amadan said. How long had it been since he celebrated Christmas? It had been too long and if he counts his memories, then it would have been many years. The years of fighting and suffering. Amadan couldn¡¯t understand and it scared him.


    ¡°I must not run away,¡± Amadan said to himself. ¡°Do not run from it, and find center and peace.¡±


    Within the memories were the answers to his woes. It seems that he was repeating the same problem. The repetition of a problem and the doubts that come with it. To him, it felt like cheating, having the answer to his problem. But, it was him, and he accepted it.


    ¡°I won¡¯t repeat my own mistake,¡± he said determinedly. He does not know why but he thought that there was a spell that prevented him from being him. It was the same as being strapped on a moving vehicle, the vehicles move by itself while he can do nothing. He did not understand. He didn¡¯t understand it well. Somehow, he knew that it was he just another bastard, a duplicate, and yet he felt free.


    ¡°I am me, I think, therefore I am.¡±


    It bothered him that he was only of the many. But in his core, he believed that he was still him. It didn¡¯t matter what he saw and even if it was delusional. He would still be him. However, there are parts of his memories, in all of them, that was blurred. Memories of him speaking to someone were cut off. It was like a heavily censored video with someone putting on a white blur on those memories. The words he heard were blocked out by an unexplainable noise.


    What were the memories that he was being blocked out from? All he could remember last was being pulled up and then being thrown into the jungle. He retained his physical abilities but lost most of the powers that he earned. No, that was the only thing this body had kept.


    ¡°I guess, I am just Amadan of Nobody now,¡± he said softly.


    ¡°You have this hobby of changing your name, why?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I mean if people are trying to kill. It would be better if they don¡¯t know your name, right?¡±


    ¡°True, but changing your name all the time when it¡¯s convenient is a bother. Still, I kinda see what you are going with. I assumed that you do it for the fun of it.¡±


    ¡°No, my current name means loony or idiot.¡±


    Fez¡¯s lackluster face lit up. ¡°Are you serious?¡±


    ¡°I am. I don¡¯t know why but I started calling myself that.¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s your box anyway?¡± He said. ¡°How can you be a medicine man if you don¡¯t have your medicine box?¡±


    ¡°I lost it somewhere.¡±


    ¡°I bet a woman has it.¡±


    ¡°Why assume that?¡±


    ¡°Because my friend, you attract trouble from every dangerous woman out there. As long as you didn¡¯t meet Aria, then it would be fine.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Amadan leaned up. ¡°Which Aria are you speaking?¡±


    ¡°Aria of the Maiden Roses. She¡¯s a knight, a dangerous one.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a relief.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s also her twin, a song maiden.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°Aria, her twin sister¡¯s a song maiden who bears the white lance. She¡¯s the object of affection of all the young princes in the Lilian States. She and her sister has made a name for themselves. The song maiden for her dances and strength, and the Maiden Roses for her monstrous capability in battle. She has a thousand knights on her back and has broken anyone who dared to court her. Why are you asking anyway, you¡¯re the one who knows more than me.¡±


    ¡°Remember when I said that I was serving someone now?¡±


    ¡°Oh God,¡± he stood up, pointing. ¡°You just fucking didn¡¯t. Please no, you weren¡¯t stupid enough to flirt with the Maiden Roses or serve her, right. That means, oh god, you are serving the Song Maiden?¡±


    His fists shook madly. ¡°I kinda want to kill you now.¡±


    ¡°Whoa,¡± Amadan flinched. ¡°What¡¯s up with you?¡±


    ¡°My friend, you just made an enemy of the Lilian boys. What the fuck were you thinking? Wait, no, that¡¯s not important, you bastard! You met with the other Aria as well?¡±


    ¡°I think I danced with her under the purple leaves of the Adventurers City?¡±


    Fez took a step back. ¡°You are insane, no, you should stick with that name now. My friend, you are a fucking idiot, why do you always pick the worst girls to tangle with? Do you know how fucked are you right now!? You just flirted with the worst people of all time! Why the fuck am I protecting an idiot like you?¡±


    Amadan frowned and folded his arms. ¡°I did not flirt with them. How come you want to associate dancing with someone as flirting with them? Why can¡¯t two people just be friends?¡±


    ¡°Oh no, you are a double-idiot as well. And you wonder why many women wanted to kill you for it?¡±


    ¡°I have a lot of grudges with women? I don¡¯t remember it.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t, do you?¡± A different voice said.


    A woman with raven hair came out of the trees holding a gigantic sword and swung it.


    ¡°Found you!¡±

 Chapter 269: Rushing Fangs

    He caught the gigantic sword between his palms.


    ¡°And here is the medicine man, so weak, so fragile, or he likes to tell himself, and yet he could catch my sword! Lanon! I finally found you!¡±


    Amadan wasn¡¯t having it. He twisted the gigantic sword and twirled her while still talking. Around him, he heard the sound of strings being pulled. He started to a sprint, and run up the tree and climbed like a madman.


    Arrows flew to his direction. He swung around the tree by plunging his hand on the tree bark, avoiding the arrows, and the magic spells. It came to Amadan that his instincts roared. It was a primal feeling. He saw the leaves. The hooded figures hiding in the shadows. He saw Fez riding to the sky. He saw an arrow coming to his cheek. He saw Zula charging in his direction. He heard the crunching of the leaves. The metal piercing the air. The teeth that were gritted and the sound of wings flapping.


    Zula slashes overhead. Amadan swung on a branch, twisted his body sideways, and landed a lick on her gigantic sword. She blocked the attack, found her footing on the side of the tree, and gestured a hand signal. Amadan sprinted to the side, dragging his hands on the tree, clawing and carving the tree, allowing him to find a foothold and leaped into action. He ascended up the forests and used the leaves as cover while arrows flew. The magic arrows, he had used to use the branches to block the path.


    Zula was still on a rampage, her gigantic sword cleaving her way to him. Amadan suddenly dropped down, swinging, and drop-kicking her on the side. She flew a good distance and got herself planted on a tree. There were many of them, and knowing that he was outnumbered and unarmed. Amadan followed the leafy trail and made his way through the jungle while keeping his movement stale and undetectable.


    The noises they were making were little. Amadan saw a spell that flew to the sky, producing a signal of some sort. Knowing that they had air mounts, Amadan came to a stop, hid on the spot, and waited for prey. They were grouped into three, and there were spots that he could hide, he took the pounce, and punch with enough to knock them out. He was patient and by the time he had done four groups. The life-detecting spell found him. He did in the fifth group, and grabbed one of them in the collar, throwing the person at Zula who was about to split him in half. Zula barely was able to stop, and redirected her attack on a tree, cleaving the tree, and cutting it down.


    ¡°Found you!¡±


    Zula came in like a storm. Amadan found an even footing and dodged her wide swings. She was swinging her sword with enough finesse and mastery. If it wasn¡¯t for the memories that came sprouting inside him. He would be split into two.


    Of course, her swings were not reckless, she would make a feint, and all Amadan could do was block a blow by dragging his arm on the flat of the gigantic sword. Amadan saw that arrows were homing him at him. To avoid this, he weaved around Zula, making the arrows hesitate while making sure that no one would hit him. He rolled his upper torso and did two steps for a straight job. Magic circles came out above her head and spears of light came piercing the ground he was standing.


    Amadan fought her by parrying. Although he had the strength and the flexibility to avoid her attacks. She had the stamina of a raging beast. Every blow from her sword was enough to numb Amadan¡¯s arms. Knowing this, he went for a quick takedown and threw her so hard in the ground. With her down for a second, Amadan was able to sprint away, avoiding the arrows, the comrades of Zula, who were readying their blades were disarmed by him. With a blade in his hand, he fought the enemies while making sure that they weren¡¯t murdered by him.


    Amadan found himself using the sword to parry and counter-attack. Zula swung. He avoided. Zula pulled her sword back and tried to sweep Amadan¡¯s kegs. Amadan jumped to avoid, used the gigantic sword as footing.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you run from me!¡±


    Amadan kept his silence. He saw Zula cut down a path and rushed towards him. Brandishing the sword, he pulled his blade inward, and suddenly thrust it forward with one stroke. Amadan could tell her hate against him. Still, he wasn¡¯t willing to be beaten, and so he caught Zula¡¯s sword again, stole the sword from her grasp and planted it hard on the ground with a throw that buried the sword on the ground.


    ¡°Amadan! Do you really think I won¡¯t find you!? You will pay you bastard!¡±


    ¡°Look, I apologize, but can you leave me alone? I know that I did you wrong.¡± He said while avoiding her dagger strokes. The rest of her men were unable to shoot. The mounts from above were unable to take a glance with the leaves blocking their way. Engaging her in hand-to-hand combat. Amadan came in, pulled her closer, and whirled her away. Zula landed on the side of a tree, and leaped at him again, this time, she advanced her iron skin and had enough weight and speed to crush his bones.


    Still, he ducked, and rolled to the side, avoiding her strike. Settling down on top of a tree branch, Amadan avoided her furious blows enchanted by iron-skin. Amadan¡¯s arms were hurting just parrying away the swing of this woman.


    He swung around like the monkeys and made sure to prevent her from getting her gigantic sword. Amadan was looking for a chance, and when he found this chance, he landed on an even floor, and when he did, he pulled his fist back, twisted his body and rushed in when least expected.


    With her face in front of him, Amadan didn¡¯t hesitate, he pulled his fist back, twisted his body, and gave Zula a right hook on the face.

 Chapter 270: Never Freed

    Zula cracked her head. Her swollen cheek did not mean anything to her. Amadan, he didn¡¯t flinch, he didn¡¯t take a step back.


    ¡°The Medicine man is strong,¡± Zula said. ¡°So now I hear you work for the Arias. What a joke, was all the will you showed a joke as well?¡±


    ¡°It is not,¡± he told her. ¡°I became a servant of Aria because I owed her. I¡¯d be trash if I don¡¯t repay her kindly. Don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    She lunges at him with her bare fist. He took a step back, weaved through her fists, and elbowed her right in the rib. She took a step back and whipped her right leg at his face. Amadan blocked with a back-handed slap. He reached in his her guard, jabbed, and swiveled his entire body for a punch in the chin.


    She shook madly. She staggered and found herself getting thrown into the ground. Arrows came behind his back. Amadan turned, caught the arrows in mid-flight and threw them like darts back at the enemy''s knees. He started running on the walls and evading the rest of the spells coming at him.


    ¡°Why do you run, Medicine man!¡± She stood up despite the blood on her face. The swelling of her face did not hide the rage on her face.


    ¡°I can¡¯t change what you think of me. I don¡¯t even know why you bother to attack me.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt to try, Medicine Man.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t do medicine any longer. At least until I get my answer. Anyway, I don¡¯t like the way you want me in your group. If you want a manservant or a slave. Go look for other than me.¡±


    ¡°Not if I detain you here.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve no sins against you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s where you are wrong.¡±


    ¡°Will you hear reasons?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Then why we are talking?¡±


    She smiled.


    Amadan caught the silent blade coming at his shoulder. He grabbed the attacker and whip him around like a rag before kicking him on the ground. The attacker falling screaming. Amadan did not like those who were unreasonable. Somehow, the sight of this woman had made him uncaring.


    ¡°I just want to be left alone. Will you comply?¡±


    ¡°No-¡±


    Amadan lunged himself like a spear towards Zula. She couldn¡¯t react in time and had her ribs crushed by her tackle. Amadan didn¡¯t relate. He did not think twice. But Zula glared at her, a smile on her face, as she forces her body, wrapping her legs around his arm, intending to twist it.


    Amadan lifted his arm and smashed her back on the ground. The instinct that the memories held inside his heart roared. Arrows made of light were coming to him. He cocked his head, weaved around the arrows, and retreated. He saw Zula standing up.


    ¡°I know it, Medicine Man! You were stronger than you think of yourself! You are not a weakling! Not at all! I was right!¡± Zula guffawed like a madwoman. Amadan couldn¡¯t hide his shock at this woman¡¯s strange laughing.


    ¡°The memories you are looking for isn¡¯t clear,¡± he thought. ¡°I don¡¯t even know if I am the person you are looking for. I am who I am. I know that I am a fragment, but if I were to doubt myself here. I would lose the will. I do not want that. I just need to focus on.¡±


    Amadan drew cold air with certainty. His eyes became glazed and focused. Dilated eyes and a silence that made Zula flinch at the sight off.


    ¡°I was wrong,¡± Zula shook her head. ¡°You were a killer from the beginning, Medicine Man.¡±


    She snaps her finger. Multiple arrows came at him again.


    Amadan remembered the face of the man who dwells under the sunless skies. Under the tyranny of a woman¡¯s whims. The pain, the suffering, and the whole of it came to him. He tried to invoke obsidian from his body. He was unable to. He hated it. He hated the feeling that he scraped for the runes that he could remember.


    He pushed a strong wind towards the arrows. Then pulled the rest to the ground. Amadan roared like a beast maddened. His eyes brew bloodshot red and when he met people¡¯s gaze. They fell on the ground as if they had seen the horrors of the world. It flowed through him. The painful branding that every memory inside his head had felt. The branding almost left him in shivers and nearly collapsed. He stopped himself from falling over.


    He closed his eyes and opened it. Two sigils were branded on his eyes.


    ¡°The Dove of thorns seeks freedom from the thorns; to find meaning in its pain.¡±


    He said, the dove of thorns burning in his right eye.


    ¡°The Snake of Woes, seeks a path through the misery, to find a way to through the woes.¡±


    It came to Amadan who he was. However, he felt empty, desolate, as if he couldn¡¯t explain the emptiness that wrought his heart.


    ¡°Am I just a fragment? An imitation that held no purpose other than the lingering regrets? Or am I what I am? A person named Amadan? I don¡¯t know anymore. Or just the remnants of a person who fought to the very end and was finally sent back home?¡±


    The sigil on his eyes brought pain and emptiness. The rivers of determination that flowed through him were emptied and left without anything. He couldn¡¯t think of anything other than what was in front of him. The curse of the Bleak Walkers, he remembered. The curse of those who walked the bleak path. It never left the fragments and was always with him. It was never cured nor would it ever be gone.


    ¡°Once a bleak walker,¡± he said wearily. ¡°You will never become anything else.¡±


    The colors of the world were gone. The screams of the fallen millions shouted at his ears. The deafening silence followed by the screams who died were maddening. He saw the millions of comrades that he fought with. They all looked at him with stares of pity and anger.


    ¡°What do you all want from me?¡± He asked them.

 Chapter 271: The Tears of Madness

    The madness never stops, friend. It never does.


    He didn¡¯t want this madness. Yes, this madness, this curse that all bleak walkers have, it will devour us. Our eyes were a gift and a curse to the bleak walkers, in battle we are unmoving, uncaring, and we will not be able to stop until all of us find the place and peace to die.


    Tell me, friend.


    What compels you into action?


    What force spurs you to battle?


    What did you abandon to harden?


    To be unfaltering in the face of your enemies.


    Friend, what did you to make yourself so hard?


    You are breaking friend, the cracks of madness are flowing.


    Tell me, Nolan Salvatore, outsider, what makes you live on?


    ¡°I live for nothing!¡±


    He cried as the illusions of the dead came to him. So many faces, and yet he could not remember their names, forever lost, and forever abandoned to the whims of time.


    ¡°How many eternities will it take for you to find peace, friend?¡±


    The laughing did not stop. The arrows that lost their color shot at them. He stared at the enemies. The enemies showed their horror through the sheer terror that they sat when their eyes saw Amadan¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Something is wrong with his eyes! Don¡¯t look at his direction!¡± Zula shouted. ¡°Damn you!¡±


    She pulled her gigantic sword and targeted Amadan¡¯s head. Amadan stared straight into her eyes, freezing her movements, and made her turn screaming in fear. Amadan squeezed his eyes in hopes that it would go away. The pain in his eyes did not disappear. The color of the world became faint.


    Amadan took a step back and launches a kick on Zula¡¯s cheek. She immediately got knocked out. ¡°Leader!¡± He heard someone shout. He took off, vaulted through obstacles, and avoided the tree branches. His eyes burned to the point that he felt something wet his cheeks.


    Arriving in a dense area filled with tall grasses and trees. Amadan found himself staggering. The ghosts of the dead, their voices, and their faces followed him. Behind him were a legion of the dead, staring at him, some had murder in their eyes, while the rest were that of pity and sadness.


    Amadan crawled inside this hollow. It was a place where he could only rest his head on the wall. He could hear the wing-beats of beasts and the footsteps of people trudging through the grasses. He kept his mouth shut and closed his eyes. It didn¡¯t matter when he closed his eyes. It was simply maddening. All these ghosts and memories colliding inside his head.


    Why do we live? A voice pleaded. Ah, why do we live when we already fought with all our might? How many times, how many eternities will it take for us to have a rest? Ah, all the friends that I have to leave behind. I can¡¯t even remember her anymore, our little sis, she¡¯s alone out there, and we can¡¯t find her.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± He asked.


    She must be afraid inside that well, what if she drowns again? I don¡¯t know, hey, what¡¯s the date? Ah, are we really out of the loop?


    The voice whispered.


    ¡°I¡¯m going mad,¡± Amadan said weakly.


    I was left alone in that dungeon, ah, it hurt so much, why didn¡¯t I cry? Being turned into a flesh battery by those monsters, I can still feel them ripping away all the energy inside of me. Being tired and energized again and again. Oh Lord, why does it hurt so much? Lanon whispered. His voice sounded younger.


    The rain fell. The ghosts stood in the tall grasses, their dead eyes staring into Amadan. They died while we live, we always live, they call it a blessing, but it is not oh God, why can¡¯t we have any mercy. Oh Lord, it hurts, why did we think to be so hard? It hurts, oh God, why does it hurt so much now?


    The ghosts started screaming. A million voices that sounded like him simultaneously cried, drowning out of the rain, the drops hitting on the ground and the leaves being rustled by the rain. Amadan covered his ears, yet the shouting of the ghosts, and the weeping of a million of his voices.


    ¡°Oh God, make it stop, what is happening?¡± Amadan asked.


    The memories flooded and collided into his head. So many memories and his head couldn¡¯t take it. They all crashed and collided, his heart hurt like it was a being smashed repeatedly by a hammer. Like hammer blows that held no mercy!


    Death is mercy, Lanon whispered. A mercy we can¡¯t seem to have. Oh, it must have been nice, to be returned home like that. Ah, how could he have left us behind, why did he have to return and leave his fragments? Ah, it hurts, it¡¯s so painful mother, why can¡¯t it just stop?


    Lanon wept. The teenager who was sent into an unknown world, the scared kid who couldn¡¯t believe why he was sent into a different world, the kid who didn¡¯t know what to do, the kid who begged, the kid who wanted to find meaning, and the kid who wished for a place of peace; only for that wish to be shattered by the dying of the light.


    The kid who was forcibly shoved deep inside his head.


    The kid wept loudly that it could ever have done.


    The million voices of those who had died. The maddening sound of his voices crying inside his head, whether due to anguish, madness or utter despair. They all cried together as if to deafen Amadan¡¯s ears. He could not tell what was wrong or what was happening. All he could think and hear was the voices. The despair, the bottled-up fear finally flowed into his heart.


    The rusted steel broke apart so easily. Amadan couldn¡¯t bear the pain, the anguish, the maddening voice of the kid who had been shoved deep inside his head.


    Oh Lord, please, let this be a place where we had escaped. God, please, don¡¯t make me meet her again, Lanon whispered madly, weeping as he does.

 Chapter 272: The Deadman’s Wish

    Why do you live?


    ¡°I am scared, okay?¡±


    Don¡¯t look away from us. Look at us, gaze at us, we are here always, following, that is your curse.


    ¡°Leave me, I don¡¯t need ghosts. Give me the colors back.¡±


    The colors don¡¯t matter, Lanon whispered, the voices repeated. How many of them that they started mimicking the voices of nature? The sounds of rain were mimicked by them, mockingly, as if to distract themselves from the nothingness.


    ¡°Leave me.¡±


    I can¡¯t do that, Lanon whispered, his voice sounded scared. How would we know if we are out of the loop? That woman will not stop, no, who is she? I don¡¯t remember, ah, maybe I do remember, it¡¯s just that we are forgetting.


    Amadan covered his ears. The ghosts of the past cried louder than ever. Their maddening sounds were enough to drive him mad. No, was he going mad with all of these voices? He doesn¡¯t know what to think. He simply had to cover his ears and maybe they¡¯ll go away.


    It was a strange day, a ghost said to him. A rugged old man whose face was gashed by a dagger wound. I was minding my business, guarding the lady, she was beautiful, and yet she made me follow her to this garden, and before I know it I was at the end of her blade. The look on her face that screamed murder, the wickedness inside her heart. Why is he the only one free?


    ¡°Who?¡±


    The Old Revenant, the one who saw the end of the dying of the light. He who saw the saving of the world. The kid who turned his mind into steel, the old ghost whispered. He was able to break out of this uncertain loop, but why did he not take all of his fragments? Ah, no, mother no, I don¡¯t want to be stuck to this suffering. Why won¡¯t God help us?


    The time wraiths, Lanon whispered to Amadan. She devoured them, no, we are time revenant, those who rose from the dead to live on, seeking for something that we¡¯ll never reach. We¡¯ve corrupted the time wraiths, and by her eating, we¡¯ve become the worst of our kind. Bleak walkers are cursed, birthed by the old revenant, the first burnt witch, the knight of Salvatore.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± Amadan whispered back.


    Remember the knight of Salvatore, remember Machina and Adey, remember the pale shine lady who dances in the pale bridge. Remember the tower of many monsters, remember the girl in the well, remember Vero, and make him live. Remember the poison on her hair, and remember the twin¡¯s heart.


    ¡°Please, I don¡¯t know what you are saying!¡±


    There¡¯s a little girl that is lost in a new world, a ghost whispered. She cries with two toddlers, she cries, and they cry as well; when the towers are grabbed by those who are greedy; when the tireless servant lays down her blade, and when the two are lost - the world shall repeat. Find the babes or continue the bleak path.


    ¡°What are you saying?¡±


    A crystal sits at the end of the world. She cries for her babies. A girl is reborn again and she murmurs in the dark. You can do nothing about it, the old man said. The powers are beyond us, and there is no hope for anyone. Escape, leave this place, do not let be taken in by her; no more, no more of her, do not fall into her voice.


    ¡°Who?¡±


    The girl who sings a new voice, another voice said sadly. Hear heart and soul yearns but she is what she is to her core and there will be no endings for her and you. Do not let her find you, do not meet her, and maybe we¡¯ll find peace.


    ¡°Aria?¡±


    The liar lies, a voice that seems maddened said. She lies, and lies, and hurts and despises. She will lie and lie until we are dead and broken. Her heart will always be the burnt woman, no matter how pale shine she wants herself to be.


    ¡°I should go alone? Leave again and be alone?¡±


    It is what we do, Old Salvatore said. We walk alone and find whatever meaning we get. Did you forget, no, you never felt it didn¡¯t you? By the time we walked that path for the first time, we¡¯ve already let go. We hold on to that feeling because it felt good, but then we were returned to the place where we thought we could fix our mistakes; in the end, it was never us. It was her that wanted to fix her mistakes and somewhere along the line she had drank too much power.


    ¡°I thought we love her?¡±


    She died, Old Salvatore said. And I moved on, tell me, young one, in the memories you saw, when they find themselves back in time, what did they want? That¡¯s right, they wanted to fix what had happened. I had lived a life that I called proudly. Why changed it? Why trample the sacrifices in the first place? I see I was the only one who saw that scenery.


    Amadan saw the memories of the clouds that shadowed the world being split apart. The sun finally coming out after so many years without it. No matter what fragment of the soul. The scene of the world finally being saved was carved into their souls.


    Amadan felt the quiet of the ghosts at the mention of that scenery.


    At the end of the world, they saw happiness.


    In the end, they were able to witness the sun¡¯s return.


    ¡°What should I do then?¡±


    The ghosts were quiet. They turned their attention to Old Salvatore who was looking at Amadan kindly. Find that same peace I saw, young one. You¡¯re chased by ghosts and the voices of the dead. I cannot help you with this. Sometimes you just have to find that peace yourself. So face the chaos, stand up, and clench your hand. Solve the problems until you find it.


    ¡°We¡¯ve been saying that. To find peace, but we never do find it!¡± A voice raged. ¡°We fail every single time!¡±


    Old Salvatore smiled, ¡°Then go fail again.¡±

 Chapter 273: The Coward’s Escape

    Amadan kept the name. He couldn¡¯t hold on to his true name. Even his name was invalid to this world, like a broken curse, a name forbidden to be spoken - he wouldn¡¯t try.


    Zula didn¡¯t chase or showed her appearance. He didn¡¯t find Fez as well, his good friend who had finally been reborn. He was happy about that, and he hoped that he would find Sheen as well. The two deserved to be reunited in a world that had a dying sun


    .


    He was back at the Inn and he took all of his stuff. He took his bag with him, walked out of the Inn, and didn¡¯t look back. He went to a store and bought the necessities he needed for travel. It was best that he didn¡¯t leave a note or took the things that were given to him. He was out of money by the time he bought a horse from a stable, and the horse was what he needed to travel the roads.


    I thought we¡¯d be walking, Lanon whispered, the voice sounded laughing. A bleak walker, no, a horse rider now?


    ¡°Horse rider huh, the horse in that world went extinct after ten years. All the mounts were either eaten or killed since the miasma affected the animals greatly. Most of the time we had to put them down since they¡¯ll get corrupted by the miasma.¡±


    What are your plans, Lanon told him inside his head, the voice was clearer. The world is vast and yet we know that one day she will find us. No matter what world it is, she always finds us. The Bleak walker''s curse won¡¯t let go and she will find a way. I don¡¯t know what fragment she is, but as long as she remembers then there is no way for us to be free. We are bound to repeat the loop the moment we get too close to her. That is the sad truth that we had seen. You saw it, right?


    The memories flashes like strips of film in front of him. Amadan clamped his legs on the horse, whipped the horse, and rode until he was far from the gates of the city.


    ¡°We are running away,¡± Old Salvatore walked, like a phantom that haunts him, alongside him were the ghosts of the dead, the walkers, and the many faces that he had. They all paraded themselves with Old Salvatore in the lead. ¡°We always do, we leave people behind and jump into the fray without fault. We abandoned their lives and moved on. Do you know why?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Because we fear overwhelming love. We fear what she is and what she had become. In every memory we saw how she would turn, there¡¯s no telling how she would snap and tick in this world. Killing her means nothing, and the only way to not get involved is to find a way to separate the identity of the Salvatore. Keep your name, and walk the bleak path until you reach the path. The True one had finally escaped true the works of the Eon-Father. He had spent too much time and had done what we could not.¡±


    ¡°Attract a powerful being to take us away?¡±


    ¡°That too. But keep out of her sight. Still, I wonder how long can we hold out? Remember, she always finds a way and she will find her purpose as well. When she finds that purpose then the world will have to bend for her. She¡¯s that strong.¡±


    Amadan rode further from the city. Stay, boy,¡± he said, pulling the reins of his horse. He saw a train of caravan merchants, he sidled near one merchant and hollered. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s with the crowd?¡± He scanned the caravan again.


    ¡°Burt Golems,¡± the merchant snorted, looking at him with flat eyes. ¡°Adventurers are kicking it, and more comes. Burnt Soldiers have been trying to seize the roads around.¡±


    Not far from where he was were the figures of Burnt Humanoids fighting a group of adventurers. The adventurers fought the monsters, not a flinch or fear in their eyes, these were men and women who had seen the life of danger and adventurers.


    The adventurers didn¡¯t take long to defeat the enemy. Amadan pulled the reins of his horse and followed the caravan train. The merchant who was smoking his clay pipe looked sideways and asked. ¡°You following, Wanderer?¡±


    ¡°I am if you don¡¯t mind.¡±


    ¡°What do you do?¡±


    ¡°I was a healer.¡±


    ¡°You are not anymore?¡±


    ¡°I lost my medical box.¡±


    ¡°Your skills as well?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°I see. Can you fight?¡±


    ¡°I can.¡±


    ¡°Good, we don¡¯t have to worry about you. We will be traversing the unknown plains for a while. You¡¯ll be welcomed as long as you contribute.¡±


    Amadan twisted on his saddle. ¡°So you are traveling markets?¡±


    ¡°That we are, Wanderer. The plains are still unknown and barren. With the Burnt Ones coming out of the heart of the world, there¡¯s so little that would dare to continue this dream of expansion.¡±


    ¡°The weather¡¯s getting cold,¡± Amadan said. The merchant puffed two rings of smoke and turned his attention back to the road.


    The ground changed into that of tall grasses. The caravan started traversing through a road with thick and tall grasses. Amadan rested on his saddle, and unconsciously peeked over his shoulder. ¡°I ran away again.¡±


    We always do, Lanon whispered.


    Old Salvatore appeared with the Walkers, their red eyes the only thing that was colored in Amadan¡¯s view of the world. ¡°It¡¯s our choice to try and get away. We find peace and not ourselves get tangled with her. But I warn you, she will find a way.¡± The voice seemed amused and proud. ¡°She has a knack for meetings and that, I fear.¡±


    ¡°Are you okay, Wanderer?¡± The merchant asked. ¡°You¡¯ve been scaring me with your muttering, ah, the road, here, only for a few coins and you¡¯ll have a new pipe.¡± He offered a bag of tobacco leaves and a clay pipe from one of his crates.


    Amadan reached for the pipe and threw the last of his coins. ¡°Trading my coin for a pipe and a bag of dried leaves.¡±


    ¡°Worth it, isn¡¯t it?¡± said the Merchant.

 Chapter 274: In Death, they did Part…

    Aria took her shawl out and wrapped it around her shoulders. She didn¡¯t wear her usual outfit and that she was going to abandon dancing and singing. She also took her luggage with her. At best she¡¯d be a sad wreck who had finally made her choice. She collected her thoughts and memories and concluded.


    She walked out of her room. The usual chatter of the Inn did not bother her. Though the appearance of another man surprised her inside. She continued down the floor where the Innkeeper was entertaining the guests. ¡°Where¡¯s the person that was with me?¡±


    The Innkeeper looked up and was visibly surprised at the sight of Aria. ¡°Madam, it has been quite a while, and I trust that you are well-rested. As for your companion, he had left the city two days ago. I believe that he took all of his belongings and left to the unknown lands.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Aria was shocked. In her head, Nolan Salvatore wasn¡¯t a man who¡¯d just go. No, he was exactly like that, and she was thinking that he wasn¡¯t. ¡°I thank you, and I shall vacant my room now¡±


    The Innkeeper wanted more words. Aria left with a quick strike and paced out of the room. She turned her attention to the highest point in the area. She walked towards the vantage point with her thoughts swimming around. She had been a woman who had been steel from the start.


    I guess he must have remembered something. Hmm, the memories that I have points out to what I did. I don¡¯t blame him, and he must have hated me. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a man capable of enduring such long-lasting torture. I mean, what did I ever gave him other than the misery?


    She was no saint. She had been a tough bitch for the sake of saving the world. She admits inside her heart that she truly wanted to save that world. That even with all of the suffering, she wanted to save her homeland. That was the place she was born and raised. There was no greater glory to her other than saving it. She had dedicated her life to it that the appearance of a smitten young man. Oh, how had she made that sweet young man, who grew up to become a fine man who had taken the eyes of others as well. Her heart was an icy fortress and it took thirty-years to melt it.


    She could not forget the day that she accepted that love. Her heart was so filled that the frosted smile on her face vanished. Those days were sweet and tiring. Her stolid heart became a worrywart and one of the pleasures that she had was seeing him alive and back to her. She had seen so many of her people die and yet he endured and stayed strong.


    With the sun out of the picture life was tough and it was a place where children were forced to hold weapons instead of toys. They did not know of the sun and all they had in them were this dedication to fight. She had wanted to save the world for the sake of seeing a world without children holding weapons.


    When she got pregnant and the battle with that monster of the pale pass was coming. She had chosen to abort her child rather than fight for it. She thought that it was only fair as a warrior. She had seen women who did it for the greater good and she was no exception. That broke Nolan Salvatore. She understood that. And maybe, that¡¯s why when that blast was about to kill Nolan Salvatore. She didn¡¯t dare to use her powers or block it while strengthened. She knew that she could survive that at least once. But she chooses to die for what she had done. To save the world she was willing to do anything. But yet the phantom pain of losing her child by her own choice dented her steeled heart.


    Aria found herself on that vantage point. She thought back to the Abyss that she saw. The truth that she told herself that it was a lie. It hurt. The painful feeling that in the other worlds she had caused suffering to an honest to goodness man. That his love might have been a lie itself. That the reason for his fanatical affection was due to the charm spell that she had induced unconsciously to him.


    She sat on the edge of the vantage point with her eyes staring blankly. Ciara Alician, the person that she was a woman who had grown ill with power, and that power had driven her to the most heinous of things. To think that her intentions turned malicious and the man she loved tortured in such a hopeless amount of time.


    ¡°It¡¯s shameless to ask more of you,¡± she said to the wind. It was an honest to God words. She knows that she was not in control. That in the time she strolled in that abyss and the time she watches Nolan Salvatore suffer at the hands of a woman who had held her face.


    It was painful. So painful that she couldn¡¯t even ask her heart to calm down. All she could do now was to live the life the song maiden. That was her role and her aspirations and dreams stayed with her. Ciara Alician, no, Aria, the Song Maiden had always been strong. She wished that she had at least talked to him once before parting. But he had made a choice and she did as well.


    How many times had they parted? No, she was sure that she had only parted with him once. And that she had fulfilled her death do us part.


    She looked at the world distantly. Body-shaking sobs escaped her and she held cheeks, hollow laughter coming out of her, which turned into soft weeping muffled by the winds. With her back turned and cries unheard, the steeled woman whose heart was steel broke for the second time.

 Chapter 275: Sands Underfoot 1

    Underneath the sun of Ali Bara was a train caravan that stretches like a snake. The sandy hills and the brushes of cactus living on the sands alongside the rock hills painted with the color of sand. The sand snakes were following under the caravan. A young adventurer wrapped a scarf around his head. The hot wind coming from the mouth of the world made grunting sounds. Amadan turned his eyes to the merchant.


    ¡°Looks like things are moving fine.¡±


    ¡°Ali Bara is a desert that once stood within the mirages of Tae Amor. There was a large tent city around this place, but they disappeared the moment that the long storm came and brought over disaster.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been here then.¡±


    ¡°I was here when I visited Ali Kun four winters ago. The settlement occupies the Ali Vasa River, a river that runs underground through a cave system. The waters of Ali Vasa are said to be purer than any source of water; not that this is the truth when we don¡¯t know the known world,¡± the merchant said.


    Amadan puffed a smoke. ¡°I notice that you are eager when it comes to knowing about the known world. I think you mention forty-five locations while I was sitting around doing nothing.¡±


    ¡°People die someday and I do not want to be one of those that died before seeing everything,¡± he said.


    ¡°Is that even possible? To see everything?¡±


    ¡°It is not that I want to see everything. I am not na?ve, friend. The world isn¡¯t so kind as to give this merchant. I could die suddenly.¡±


    ¡°All things die.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s why I can use this to keep moving forward. Live and earn gold while I go around these places. I sell pipes and dried smoking leaves and that alone keeps me on the road. Anyway, Ali Tang has many places and it does surprise me that green-lander like you would come to the sands. I thought you¡¯ll leave for Tax-Bam City.¡±


    ¡°Tax-Bam was a nice place,¡± Amadan rubbed his brows. ¡°But I had to keep moving. This is my curse, I walk forever, merchant.¡±


    ¡°Then you are welcome to guard me on my steps, Walker.¡±


    ¡°With how you pay me?¡± He smirked. ¡°I¡¯d think about it. Smoking leaves with a merchant, that does not offer navel-dancers on the road? I don¡¯t think I¡¯d join.¡±


    ¡°You never joined those others. Five times they said that they want to poach you out of my service. Fives time you refuse and six times you ignored our beautiful dancers. You are a fine man, Amadan. Three of our dancers fancies you and one wants to marry you and have many babies.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t get why.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± He bit his clay pipe. ¡°You are a strong and the way you handle yourself speaks louder than any sweet words the adventurers barks on the girls. When you took down that Scorpion with your bare fist. I thought that the sands itself would turn into a river with those girls staring at you.¡±


    ¡°You are exaggerating, my friend,¡± Amadan said.


    ¡°I am not,¡± he shook his head. ¡°Ali-kin people welcome masculinity more than handsome faces. These adventurers think they can flirt with the girls when they spit and sneer at the desert they love. That is the greatest insult they had done on this travel. If not for their veils then these adventurers would have been discouraged by the sheer anger. While they do not show such a thing to you. You have traveled the desert, and you know how to live on it, friend. I know this.¡±


    ¡°I have lived on the sand for many years,¡± Amadan said, looking at Lanon staring at the sea of sand. ¡°Before I found myself on the grassy parts of the world. I¡¯d been living on sand and that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°You live with the sand and despite the heat you barely utter complaints.¡±


    ¡°That is the same as being mad that it rains. This is something that is not within our control. You can¡¯t complain about how the world is. That¡¯s a waste of time.¡±


    ¡°See?¡± He said. ¡°This is why you are loved by the dancers. They are attracted to a man who understands the worth of the sands.¡±


    Amadan couldn¡¯t help but glance at the girls not far from him. Glassy-eyed ladies with pride higher than mountains. Wearing cowls and veils that cover their faces, possessing such a delicate yet toned body. Their bodies exude beauty and charm, but they are prickly thorns that could kick any adventurer in the face if they dare underestimate them. Warrior Dancers of the Sands, and strange women who were attracted to him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about all of this.¡±


    ¡°You think too much with your head, friend. How about thinking with your genitals?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, no, I know that¡¯s not a good idea and believe me, friend.¡±


    The merchant eyed him. ¡°I believe you. I don¡¯t know why but your words, I believe them. Still, let the girls fancy you, and it would be better to let them do so. But I believe that taking them in as your blood-sisters will do you much good. They are reasonable and I believe they will listen to you.¡±


    ¡°Why not try to flirt with them?¡±


    ¡°I am done with that friend,¡± he said, and then eyed at the sash tied on his left hand. ¡°I have only one flower and that flower shall not be sullied by another flower.¡±


    ¡°I get you,¡± Amadan said. Amadan leaned his hand on the wagon and looked at the sled that was being pulled by beasts. The wheels of the wagons were on the back of the wagon and so far he had met bandits, monsters, and strange natural occurrence within this desert. He was far now from where she would be and Amadan felt free. The Old Man was gone, and Lanon had been silent. Amadan didn¡¯t know why but he felt like he was free, released from bondage and the invisible collar around his neck was gone. Like a weight that was lifted after carrying it for too long. Amadan never thought that such a choice would lead him to feel so light.


    He had settled on the wagon slash tent with the merchants. The bright dots on the sky were visible on the bucket¡¯s surface. The caravan formed a rectangle and in the middle of the formation was a giant fire that was conjured by gathering all the wood they had carried.


    People wore thick clothes while near the fire compared to the thin clothing they had on the day. Amadan played with his clay pipe while the merchant was inside his wagon, snoring. The dancers gathered near the bonfire and started doing their thing except for the one whose eyes sparkled like diamonds.


    ¡°Sula, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Stallion.¡±


    ¡°Stallion?¡±


    ¡°You are.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Amadan rubbed his chin. ¡°Why are you not dancing, Sula?¡±


    ¡°I have done my dancing. My sweat had been paid. I am now a metal dancer.¡±


    ¡°Is there a difference?¡±


    ¡°They are sweat dancing while I dance with the metal now,¡± Sula said.


    ¡°That makes sense,¡± Amadan said.


    ¡°You don¡¯t look at me.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Amadan looked up, ¡°I don¡¯t think that you are not beautiful. Believe me, you are one of the many that I think is beautiful. But I was recently free from a woman¡¯s hand.¡±


    She beamed at him, ¡°I am thinking that this woman is far stronger than me.¡±


    ¡°Why think of that?¡±


    ¡°Only a strong woman can handle someone like you. You are a beast that hides behind masks. I can see you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that I am hiding anything.¡±


    ¡°Other than the ghost you speak to when alone,¡± she buried her feet on the sand. ¡°Your veils are too easy to see, Walker.¡±


    Amadan had no reply to that. What can he reply when he would never clarify? Sula continued looking at him. Her eyes were judging him and he could only stare back. Amadan thought of her eyes as sapphire. She had this lock of hair that was in the middle of her forehead.


    ¡°Is it in your culture to be so aggressive?¡±


    ¡°When a man can defeat sand monsters as easily as you are when even the adventurers could not do so easily ¨C do not be surprised that women such as I find your fascination. Men in cities think that everyone is the same. That we look for handsome men with riches. But we are a race of warriors that had abided in this tradition. What is the use of a man who could not hold a hunt with his woman? What is the use of your handsomeness if we starve?¡±


    ¡°Just move to the city then.¡±


    ¡°Do you think that a fish can swim on land? You asked too much.¡±


    ¡°You are a human and I know that you can.¡±


    ¡°And why are you far from home, Walker?¡±


    ¡°I have no home,¡± Amadan said. ¡°That¡¯s the gist of it.¡±


    Amadan saw the light paint her face. He could hear the sonata of the singers and the dance of the girls. The faces of the men were happily red while partaking on the swinging hips. However, no hand reached out, not when the girl¡¯s dagger swings with their hips as well.


    ¡°You are serious about this,¡± said Sula. ¡°You are a man who does not lie, but may I be your blood-sister?¡±


    She slashed her palm with her nail. Amadan held his palm up. ¡°Okay, calm down, Sula. You are moving too fast.¡±


    ¡°If you do not want to accept me then be my blood-brother. I am a free woman and I shall walk with you until I find my road to take.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like an excuse.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need to take that from you. Come, take my hand.¡±


    ¡°This is a bad idea,¡± Amadan said, taking the hand, and gripping it firmly.


    ¡°It is not,¡± she gripped his hand tighter. ¡°So now that you are my brother. May I ask where we are going?¡±


    ¡°To the sand city.¡±


    ¡°The sand city sits on the crater. The great rock still releases cold even to this day. What are you exactly looking for in that place?¡±


    ¡°Nothing,¡± Amadan declared. ¡°I am a Wanderer looking for refuge and I think the Boss wants me to guard him. We are fellow travelers after all.¡±


    ¡°Rahim is a good man. But he has no masculinity in his marrow.¡±


    ¡°Not everyone likes fighting.¡±


    Sula said, ¡°And you like fighting?¡±


    ¡°I do. Blazes, I like it since I am good at it.¡±


    She folded her arms, ¡°Rahim was a warrior once. He abandoned all of his assets when once, he was a man who¡¯s followed by sand dancers. He has left the sand in search of greener pastures and salty seas. I cannot blame a man for wanting to search for the world. But to abandon his home¡¯s identity for the sake of mingling with the rest of the world is plain bad for the sands.¡±


    Amadan didn¡¯t get what she was saying, ¡°So why make me your blood-brother when we barely know each other? Don¡¯t tell me this is a ploy?¡±


    ¡°Your anxious mind surprises me. You act like a sand dweller and you walk the sands as proper as we do, Brother. But worry not, you shall not be mistaken as a pretender, but a true walker of the sands.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand any of that.¡±


    ¡°You are not well-read are you?¡± She asked. ¡°I¡¯ve long suspected that you do not know of us. Or our existence does not merit your attention?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Amadan shook his head. ¡°It is just that I am ignorant of the world. This world seems so endless that I simply had no time. Not to mention my memories do not align with what I know.¡±


    Sula stared confused, ¡°I see that you are not lying. Then shall I educate you, Brother? I will make sure that you will receive the proper lessons to know what this land of sand is.¡±


    Amadan deftly nodded. He looked at the blood on his palm and tried activating his powers to no avail. He thought, ¡°It looks like my powers have been ripped apart by the original and I have no control over it other than the enhanced strength of my body. No, I am deprived of the ability to use magic unless needed.


    The journey continued and sands gathered on his cloak. The Boss lazily watched the sands continue. The landscape stretching far into the horizon. Sula had wrapped her veil around her face and carried a spear on her hand. She had three spears on her back and a dagger on her waist. She sat in the same seat where Amadan was.


    The air smelled hot and sucking air was the same as taking in hot air inside your lungs. The desert wasn¡¯t all just sand either. They had to go through passages that shield them from the incoming strong winds that blow from the east. The caravan had to switch between the sleds and the wheels. The beast that was pulling the wagon had to stop since even they are unable to cross the desert when the sand rages. The beast he rode looked similar to a buffalo but had longer limbs and long eyebrows that protects the beast from the sand.


    The cliffs of this valley were reddish. Sula lounged on a rock while Amadan had his face covered while the storm rages above their heads. The rest of the caravans were hugging the red cliffs.


    ¡°The red storm,¡± Sula said. ¡°I like sandy storms such as this. It reminds me of the time where I was reading this book about lances. Ma and Da had this problem with this sweetbreads.¡±


    ¡°Bread and reading,¡± Amadan said. ¡°Kind of girlish for a woman who has three spears.¡±


    ¡°And kind of rude for a man who cannot harden in front of a beauty. But do not worry, Brother. I will accept you for what you are.¡±


    ¡°This false sense of affection is just odd.¡±


    ¡°False?¡± She looked insulted. ¡°I have spilled blood and gripped your hand tightly. To not love your blood-brother after doing so is the same as insulting myself. Whoever woman you¡¯ve must have broken you. Do not worry. When you tire of treating me as your blood-sister. I shall allow you to court me as a bride.¡±


    ¡°That makes no sense,¡± Amadan said.


    ¡°To the ignorant, it does not. When you took my hand as a blood-sister I¡¯ve released my affection. Or does your culture allow fornication with your sisters?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Amadan shook his head.


    ¡°Then it only makes sense that you have to start over. I was willing but you broke my heart and accepted me as a sister.¡±


    ¡°I have no idea how your culture works.¡±


    ¡°Think of it as a blood promise. A promise made between two palms holds more weight than words without blood.¡±


    ¡°I just want to walk the desert. Not have a sister that wanted to be my wife a while ago.¡±


    ¡°Was I the one who accepted my blooded palm?¡± Sula said. ¡°Ah, yes, that was not me; that was you. You could have refused but you choose to accept my palm. What kind of person are you to accept something so casually? Did you not think at all?¡±


    ¡°It made you stop.¡±


    ¡°That is not a wise choice. One must always stop and think about this. Do you accept someone¡¯s offer without knowing the offer?¡±


    ¡°Being your blood-brother was enough.¡±


    ¡°Enough to make you accept someone¡¯s offer because she offered her hand. Brother, I worry about your sense of security. You should not do this. But fret not your Sister shall make sure that you do not fall for the wiles of lecherous women.¡±


    ¡°I have no comment on that.¡±


    She raised a brow. The sands above them blew stronger. ¡°I worry that the man I have tried to make my husband was a foo. Who knew that I was right? I think that I had made the best choice.¡±


    ¡°Do you now?¡± Amadan kicked the sand. ¡°Nice to hear that you are convinced that it was the wrong choice.¡±


    ¡°I do not need anything other than a babe,¡± Sula said. ¡°But I¡¯ve now escaped the path that my sisters have tried on me.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that makes sense.¡±


    ¡°That I was using you to escape wedlock? That I saw you as a strong fool with no head?¡±


    ¡°That as well. Believe me, no man is that lucky and I believe that my luck with women is troubling.¡±


    ¡°When you are easily fooled like this it makes sense. Like I said, fret not, for your Sister here shall make sure that her Brother does not fornicate with the wrong woman.¡±


    ¡°You use me. I don¡¯t like being used.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s why I am your Sister now. Do you not like having a Sister to bond with? Of course, you like having a Sister. Rahim agrees that I shall accompany you now.¡±


    ¡°The Boss did?¡±


    ¡°He is easily swayed by someone who could protect him. The man has no marrow in his bones that I feel pity to anyone who sleeps with him. Ah, enough about your woes, tell me isn¡¯t she beautiful?¡±


    She pointed at one of the adventurers. ¡°She has long silky hair. Her buttocks are very nice to me. I want to touch it.¡±


    ¡°So you swing both ways.¡±


    ¡°Love is love,¡± she said proudly. ¡°And lust is lust. A person shall follow his or her wills when can. That is life.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Amadan snorted.


    ¡°She talking silly again?¡± Rahim asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Amadan replied.


    ¡°Then do not bother. She should have been wedded a long time ago. But her tastes are worse and her mind¡¯s not in the right place. She should be married to a good young man with a good sense of strength. Yet here she was wandering the world for reasons people sneer at.¡±


    Sula glared with murder. Amadan calmly looked at her murderous eyes and said nothing. Rahim stared back like a dead fish out of water. He took his pipe out and glanced at the raging storm of dust and sand carving the cliffs above.


    ¡°The way¡¯s going to be opened soon. Might want to get ready, Walker. The path is going to open and the king of the sands is going to try and kill us. The adventurers are readying up their gear. You should as well. Sula, you are a metal dancer now, ready your spear!¡±


    One of the rocks that blocked the valley entrance started moving. Amadan took a position within the vicinity of Rahim¡¯s wagon while the adventurers guarded the front. Sula readied her spear while staring at the mountain of a creature.


    ¡°The old man of the pale pass,¡± Amadan muttered. The creature that was rising from the sands did not make him happy. Sula held her silence. Rahim readied in the caravans while the spell casters readied their arsenals.


    The sand golem towered like a building. Gust and maelstrom broke through every corner of the landscape. The spells rattled like snakes and the area around the paths started tearing through the combined might of the adventurers and the spell casters.


    Amadan had realized that the people here were stronger than normal humans. The fresh air coupled with the sweet and sickly amount of energy had made these people stronger. This world was new and rules of the strong were far different than he knew.


    Amadan was happy about this world. The adventurers started fighting and the way they fought made him remember the days when he and the people around him fought to defeat a single monster who these people could easily kill. He remembered the screams and their voices. The loud strength that they carry in their voices as they use their bodies to defeat one single demon while the heroes do their work. Just normal humans holding the line for the sake of humanity.


    ¡°The world is lucky,¡± Amadan said. ¡°They have people as strong as them.¡±


    He felt jealous that such a world had these people. There were only a few of them in that world and he could not forget the despair on their faces as they face the unending tide of flesh. But beyond that despair was something more beautiful. Amadan continued watching while Lanon, who did not appear, took his sight and pointed it at the monster. The adventurers held the beast off but the beast summoned creature out of the rocks beside the caravan. Amadan did not wait for the adventurers to their backs. He swatted the mace on the side of the wagon and clubbed one rock beast. The beast shattered with his swing and he followed it by neutralizing the beast around the wagon train. The rest of the party of guards barely defended against the monster who was made of rocks. Sula had to use a shield to defend the caravan while Amadan had to disable them with a mace to the head or the chest. When the mace got bent he used his bare hands to slam them on the ground. The Adventurers were keeping the gigantic beast down but it wasn¡¯t enough to control the maddened creatures trying to distract the adventurers from winning. Amadan made his move and exerted strength to gather all the stone monsters. By the time the adventurers staring tearing the knees of the monster. The monster blew a strong gust around the adventurers and brought them down to the ground bleeding. The spell casters had their shields shattered and the first wagons were immediately destroyed by the blast that came out suddenly from the monster.


    The other adventurers held the line back to the caravan. Sula stood in front of Rahim whose dead-like eyes barely had emotions on it. Amadan sprinted past the wagons and tackled the giant with his shoulder. The adventurers came running with their weapons lashing out with power. The giant rolled to the side and pushed up to leap. The whole of the valley trembled and before he knew it. Rocks fell on the side of the passage and many more rolled to the side. The first five wagons were broken by the rocks. Amadan dashed to a rock rolling towards Rahim¡¯s wagon and stopped it, throwing the rock to the beast.


    The Adventurers gathered their companions and soothed the adventurers and made the adventurers rise. They rose to action and started guiding the beast. The combined efforts of the adventures and Amadan managed to push the beast back. Amadan scaled the rock beast until he reached the chest area. Placing both hands on the beast¡¯s body; he summoned obsidian spikes inside the rocky beast¡¯s body and stunned it. He pulled his fist back and slammed that fist on the body of the beast. The beast¡¯s skin shattered and Amadan leaped out of the beast¡¯s body, allowing the spellcasters to strike down the rocky beast with a tornado of spells. Amadan glided on air until he landed on the sand with a roll to break his fall. The adventurers focused their mangled weapons and launched an attack that broke the knees of the beast.


    A spell caster¡¯s voice echoed and a large hammer of rock landed on the beast¡¯s head, shattering the stone head into pieces. Blue blood wetted the floor. Amadan lowered his fists and turned his attention to the caravan. Amadan felt exhausted using the obsidian spikes and make it ravage the beast¡¯s rocky body. Amadan sat on the ground and saw Sula walking towards him. She stopped when she was a step away from him.


    ¡°See? Many of my sisters affirm that they want to capture you. Fear not, I have told them that you are my blood-brother,¡± she offered her hand.


    Amadan pulled himself up, ¡°Thant¡¯s for that.¡± He looked at the wagons on the front. ¡°How many died?¡±


    ¡°One of the wagons got crushed underfoot by the boulders. We¡¯ll be arriving on the next spot so until then you need to take a rest on the wagon. I¡¯ll gut Rahim if he doesn¡¯t make my Brother rest after his contribution.¡±


    Amadan nodded. He felt the eyes of the adventurers. They nodded at him and turn their attention back to the wagons they were protecting. Amadan plodded until he reached Rahim¡¯s wagon. Rahim eyed Amadan and pointed at the rocky beast.


    ¡°You have earned favors and now they want to poach you. You¡¯ll get your share friend, and I hope it will help you in helping me.¡±


    Amadan flinched. He vaulted inside the wagon and leaned his back. He looked at the sandy sky and pulled his cloak to cover his face.

 Chapter 276: Sands Underfoot 2

    When Amadan entered the city of sands there was a flute playing. A man whose face was covered in clothing played. Children listened in with cross-legs on the carpet that the musician played. Rahim took Sula with him to the place where the caravans. So many names for one city. It was as odd to a world born out of a combination of the worlds. Some people were stronger than some monsters. It was a world that could survive the hell that Amadan saw in the memories.


    ¡°A world like this means that there¡¯s little trouble. Still, if monsters like that are everywhere then there must be a threat stronger than these folks.¡±


    The heart of the world where all the burnt people come from. He also hears the murmurs of a tower that appears out of nowhere and closes at the time of dawn. Hence as he strolls the streets his legs carried him to the artisan shops were those who knew the story of the world. Upon entering this shop he noticed the shelves of books and the strange concoction. There was a man whose jaw was painted red.


    ¡°May I help you?¡± The man noticed. He examined Amadan. ¡°You are new. Then let me this out of the way. This tattoo is part of our culture and that of our dedication to the Way.¡±


    ¡°I get it,¡± Amadan raised a hand. ¡°I heard that shops like this are used for gaining knowledge.¡±


    He eyed him quizzically. ¡°We sell what we want to sell.¡±


    ¡°Not a good business plan,¡± Amadan commented.


    ¡°Not your problem, stranger.¡±


    ¡°Amadan.¡±


    ¡°And I won¡¯t bother,¡± he said, ¡°but courtesy, I am Takir, Scriber of this City of Sands.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s this city¡¯s name anyway.¡±


    ¡°Ah, names, it gives identity. But alas when even the world forgets its names. You will have questions, yes?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°The world¡¯s full of out of places. I am surprised that a man who wears the cloak of a traveler would bother. Perhaps, you are a traveler of wisdom. But I smell the warrior in you.¡±


    ¡°I am a traveler. A curious one. So what can you tell me about this world?¡±


    ¡°Ah, the world, it is fragmented, wisdom-seeker.¡±


    Amadan listened.


    Takir continued, ¡°There are rumors that many parts of the world are different. The soil we find here can be different from the soil there. I find this foolish when different environments and climates result in different properties. But alas in those parts of the world there are materials not found in our world. We are not ignorant of the materials and I believe that this world¡¯s so vast that we had not seen all of it. But when those who are the masters of the arcane fine it so terrifying then it must be the truth.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s like saying that they have seen everything there is to see. That¡¯s impossible unless they had asked the all-knowing creator.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, but they are astute and they feel differently upon entering these parts. Their magic does not work as fine when they are in the proper world.¡± He raised two fingers. ¡°Fully and Fragmented. Different arcane systems lie two different magics.¡±


    ¡°So two magic systems when they enter this place. Different from the natural world.¡±


    ¡°Yes, to put it bluntly, the world is a puzzle with many pieces barely fitting in. Like hurried fragments placed together to form such an incomplete world.¡±


    Amadan folded his arms, ¡°Do you have any evidence?¡±


    Takir smiled. ¡°I had none other than the words written by a letter from wise men who is too curious for their good. Tell me, friend, is this all you wanted to hear?¡±


    ¡°The mirage tower. Do you know anything about that?¡±


    He frowned. ¡°Everyone¡¯s talking about the tower of treasures. Foolish that tower is a habitat of monsters that no one has ever seen. Besides, without the proper life form energy - no one can enter through the space that it is protected by.¡±


    ¡°You seem to know this.¡±


    ¡°I know because wise men had told me. Do not think of entering that place if you cannot see it in the first place. That tower filters those who do not crave something out that tower. Not to mention that inside that tower is a pocket of space-separated from this world. You¡¯ll starve to death and that is assuming that the monsters do not kill you, stranger.¡±


    ¡°Adventurers are looking for it. Some must have come here and received the same answer.¡±


    ¡°You are not the only one,¡± Takir said. ¡°I¡¯d said many times that chasing after a tower such as that is a fool¡¯s folly. If you plan to take on that tower then you need to be suited for it. But, I don¡¯t see that interest in you, friend. You seem to think that the tower is merely a curiosity.¡±


    ¡°If I find it then I will see what¡¯s inside that tower. I doubt that a tower like that will interest me other than it appears out of nowhere and was said to be the tower of the creator.¡±


    ¡°Tower of the creator?¡± He snorted. ¡°The creator wouldn¡¯t be so foolish to give a pathway to him. As there are floating cities in the far west and the islands carried by colossus beasts. The world¡¯s strange and beautiful at the same time.¡±


    He unfolded a paper. Amadan followed the movement of his fingers. He took a brush, dip it into ink, and wrote runic characters on the paper. Amadan followed Takir¡¯s brush strokes and sensed the tiny bits of energy coming out of his brushes.


    ¡°What¡¯s that for?¡±


    ¡°A customary greeting from this shop. It is our way to make it so that you had come here and received this. You will be patronized by scribes and welcomed as a seeker of wisdom.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask for this.¡±


    Takir pointed his palm on the paper. ¡°You are a curious traveler. I believe that the services of my people are going to be useful to you. And we always look for explorers willing to seek out the truth from the tall grasses and the deepest seas.¡±


    Amadan stared at the piece of the parcel. He took it with his right hand. He tucked it inside his bag and leaned on the counter with Takir following his movements. Amadan stared forward and looked Takir in the eye.


    ¡°I appreciate this, friend.¡±


    Amadan walked out of the shop. The bright sun welcomed him. The heat from the sun seems to split the roar. The people around the city seem so uncaring when it comes to the sun. He navigated the dense crowds, bumping into shoulders and making sure that his pockets were watched. He arrived on a wooden and sandstone made a building. He entered the inn, looked for Sula, and found her sipping on a tankard.


    Rahim ate roasted food pierced by a stick. Amadan came close and twisted on the chair. Sula gave him a sidelong glance and shook her mug slightly. She had this serene expression unworthy of her usual expressions.


    ¡°Eaten anything bad?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t. Looks like you are staring at my face too much, Brother,¡± she smiled. ¡°Perhaps you are in regret now? Do not worry. The blood pack between blood-brother and sisters can be revoked through the consumption of both blood.¡±


    Amadan frowned. ¡°That¡¯s cannibalism isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°How rude,¡± Sula said. ¡°It is a perfectly acceptable ritual between brothers.¡±


    Amadan arranged himself on the chair. He looked at Rahim who just raised a shoulder and didn¡¯t say anything. The inn had many voices and many individuals or groups were tucked in round tables. The counter of the innkeeper was filled with food. Beer and roasted meat scented the large room. It didn¡¯t help that smoke was coming out from some of the clay pipes.


    ¡°Well, okay, so what¡¯s happening?¡± Amadan asked.


    Sula sipped on her drink.


    ¡°We¡¯ve sold our good,¡± Rahim said. ¡°The city had not been able to receive supplies for smoking leaves in months. I¡¯ve amassed quite the fortune with my goods perfectly delivered.¡±


    ¡°Do I get a bonus?¡± Amadan asked.


    ¡°You get paid like usual,¡± Rahim snatched the bag and placed it on the table. ¡°The rest of your payment will be with me. You will be needing your horse, Walker. I¡¯d bought Sula hers and now it sits on the stable.¡±


    Amadan pushed his fists on the table. ¡°Good, I needed a horse.¡±


    Rahim raised a finger. ¡°It is not a simple horse, friend. It is a horse made for travel. An Errant beast that travels the land. It is the best horse suited for your travels.¡±


    Sula looked at Rahim and snorted. ¡°Rahim talks nonsense. He got the horse for a lesser value than the rest. He had argued that the horse was not an errant beast. If this man didn¡¯t give me the horse as well. I would have exposed his lies. Alas, merchants truly are whisperers of lies.¡±


    ¡°You accepted the horse,¡± Rahim pointed out. ¡°That is the same as doing the deed. No matter, the horse will serve your purposes well and my load can be increased as well.¡±


    ¡°The man thinks of his profits while hiding behind a curtain of sincerity,¡± Sula clicked her tongue. ¡°Do not be deceived by the enemy¡­¡±


    Her face went pale. The mutters and chatter of the Inn stopped before turning into madness. Everyone started running out of the Inn. Rahim shivered madly while Sula¡¯s eyes dilated, her arms shook madly, and she hurried outside as well.


    Amadan followed and then saw the streets filled with people. Above the skies where the clear blue skies were once painted was now the color of magma painting the sky. Followed with it was a face filled with hatred. The face of a person who seethes with rage.


    The world trembles. Amadan gathered his strength and stared at that hatred incarnate.


    ¡°I AM THE BURNT ONE. I¡¯VE AWAKEN AND THIS I SAY TO THE LORDS WHO HAD IMPRISONED ME. YOU¡¯VE TAKEN TWO PRECIOUS THINGS FROM ME. TWO BUDS THAT HAD NO SIN SHOULD BE LEFT ALONE. YOU MOLDED THIS WORLD OUT OF ME. YOU USED ME AND NOW YOU TAKE THEM FROM AND USED THEM AS PILLARS FOR YOUR DECREPIT ORDER.


    ¡°I REJECT THIS HEINOUS DESIRE. I REJECT YOU EON-FATHER. I SHALL TRAMPLE ON THE LANDS AND BURNT IT TO ASUNDER. I SHALL NOT BE BULLIED. I WILL HAVE MY CHILDREN BACK. FOR THE CRIMES THIS HEINOUS I SIGN THE DEATH WARRANT OF THE PEOPLE BORN OF THIS WORLD. MY GOLEMS SHALL AWAKE FROM THE DEPTHS OF MY ANGER AND BURN IT ALL INTO ASUNDER. THIS IS THE HATRED OF A MOTHER. KNOW THIS WELL, EON-FATHER.¡±


    The face in the sky seems to burn it. Another face that of a living storm came. The winds shook the landscape and rain fell on the desert.


    ¡°YOU DARE CHILD!?¡±


    ¡°I DARE BECAUSE I CAN. YOU SHOULD HAVE DONE SOMETHING. YOU SHOULDN¡¯T HAVE TURNED ME INTO THE HEART OF THIS WORLD. LET MY WRATH FILL THE SKY AND THIS WORLD A PARADISE FOR MY CHILDREN. GIVE THEM BACK YOU MONSTER.¡±


    The world trembled at the two images in the sky fighting. Amadan trembled alongside the world. The image on the sky was something beyond imagination. A person who was once a figure that struggled against the overlord of demons now fight a battle beyond Amadan¡¯s imagination.


    ¡°Is that her?¡± Lanon said. His ghostly appearance screams of despair. Old Salvatore appeared with the sigil on his eyes blazing. ¡°That is her alright, no, the one who had become the bane of worlds. Look at her, who would have thought that she¡¯d reach such a height of power. And now she faces even such a being like this all alone.¡±


    ¡°Is that really her?¡± Amadan asked, almost tearfully. ¡°How do we run away from a person who had become a God?¡±


    ¡°We hide as best as we can,¡± Old Salvatore said. ¡°She has not found us and it only means that our greater fragment has escaped. I don¡¯t know what our fragment has done. But it seems that for now, we have escaped the greater sight of this woman. Sometimes, I wonder, are we blessed or cursed, to be loved by someone that could wrestle with the being that manages the world.¡±


    Amadan felt the sands underfoot became wet.

 Chapter 277: Four Pairs 1

    Aria saw the image of Ciara in the sky. She tugged on her coat as the battle between her and the Eon-father had ravished the land. She saw storms being conjured and heard the screams of those who were around her. The rainy city that she had been walking on was ravaged by the storms that blew.


    ¡°What are you fighting for?¡± She thought. ¡°I can hear your sorrows, Ciara. What I am fighting for that makes me so maddened enough to fight even the ones guarding the fate of the bubble.¡±


    Aria took cover behind a building. The storms caused by the fight raged and the world seems to be the battlefield of this storm. The buildings were being torn and those who were unlucky had their bodies smashed under debris. Aria had pulled children and mothers far too many times. Her white lance had conjured a shield that blocked the stones and flying fragments.


    ¡°This should be right, no, this is what should I have expected the moment I got my memories stirred. I know myself better and I know when not to give up. Yes, that should be it. No matter what you are then you would be mad as well. To have your children used as fuel for a world. They have your bloodline now.¡±


    She recalled the little hands of the twins. Their soft breath and smooth skin and their gentle cries. Aria¡¯s heart tugged at the memory of those two. They were born early and then were taken from their mother. They were strong beings nurtured inside a womb of a woman who held greater power.


    ¡°I cannot imagine losing my children again,¡± she thought. ¡°If I experience such hell then would I be able to stay calm as well? Ah, Nolan, you have started something, no, I should not blame you for this madness. I cannot. Let go, damn it, how do I let go of something that has been a part of me?¡±


    The storm raged and the wrestle of the Eon-Father and the Burnt Woman continued. Aria kept her white lance as a shield while the parents had their kids were on their embraces. A woman was tightly hugging her child, and the little child was hugging her Mother, shaking and shivering.


    Mother, I¡¯m afraid.


    Fear not, Ciara, your mother will always be with you.


    Are they going to get us?


    Your father is fighting, dear. Do not worry, I will make sure that you will not be left alone.


    Aria saw the flashes of memories for a second. She closed her eyes to shake off the memories. She turned her eyes to the storm and sang a song of abundance and grace. The white lance conjured white butterflies that flap their wings, protecting the people, coating them with white light, and creating another layer on the barrier.


    Above the skies seems like it was being split. Ciara¡¯s fist tore the skies, blazing like a meteor on a cloudy night. The thunderstorm broke through every brick. Aria sang the song of light and the area around the lance became a barrier against those who seek shelter from the storm.


    She saw people ran to her barrier and through her power she shielded them. The Song Maiden¡¯s power comes from the strength of her voice and soul. As emotions kindled in her heart, the barrier, the white lance shook as it releases an even more powerful light.


    ¡°Under the white lance that protects all. O voice of thy warm mother, please spare thy pitiful and let the songs of love and protection give birth to a warm shell.¡±


    She sang a song and within the vicinity was a gentle phantom of a long-haired woman embracing the city. As the fires above them turned the clouds to embers. When even the storms itself were ravaging the terrain and as mountains explode within distances. Aria kept her white lance steady and she kept her song going for all to hear. When even the Gods were trying to kill them. Aria herself refused to give them to death. Not when there were children under her protection.


    I refuse to repeat the same sin, she said. I will not allow myself to witness the death of children. I cannot allow it and you shouldn¡¯t allow it as well. I need to stop you, Ciara. But doing so will damn my soul. You won¡¯t stand by if you witness my soul. The War Maiden¡¯s Ode will not allow me to be different. I need to find them. I can feel it in me as well. I know that you want to find your children.


    She knew that Ciara had given birth to the twins in hopes of tying another chain to him. However, the incarnations within her, the mothers who did not have their children were too volatile and their will manifested into an unquenchable desire. Aria saw how dangerous this desire was through the fragments of memories.


    Now, this world now uses the child born of her as pillars. The twins are of different genders and they represent a balance that was perfect for this world. Could it be that they were planning to usurp her power, take it to the twins, and then raise them as the true deities of the world? If the knowledge that I got from her is true then this world is an incomplete one with histories that are jumbled and mixed. The pasts and future are being mended through her power as well. No, Ciara had not to reach true creation, then it only means that the time wraiths she consumed, those beings are now her fuel, she¡¯s repeating those times, letting the wraiths she consumed be her fuel. Is that why you can contend against the Eon-Father, Ciara?


    The duel above the sky split the sky into two sides. One side is that of flames and the other that of storms. When the storm rages and finally when the storm subsides all that was left was the brown skies. Aria fell to her knees and yet the joyful cries of the people around her kept her heart on.


    ¡°Sister!¡± She heard a voice. And when she turned she saw face similar to hers.

 Chapter 278: Four Pairs 2

    Aria had seen her sister in her memories. While she was a Song Maiden her sister was a Knight of Roses, a woman of valor who held the eyes of people. The two had similar looks and disposition. Aria felt her heart warm at the sight of her sister.


    ¡°I knew it was you, my dearest Sister!¡± Ari pulled her close.


    Aria raised her arms. ¡°I, it¡¯s good to see you, my sister. I am gladdened that our fates had crossed.¡±


    She smiled, ¡°I can say the same. I just knew that it was you who would do such thing as protect.¡±


    Aria eyed her. ¡°It seems like you did well in coming here. No, this should be expected of the Knight of Roses. I¡¯ve heard of your exploits, Sister. Your tales of wonderful tales.¡± Aria looked grim. ¡°I am saddened that we have to meet in such a sad state. The world¡¯s tearing itself apart.¡±


    Ari looked up. ¡°Sister, it is not the world that is tearing itself apart. The Gods seem to be troubled and this is causing so many problems such as this. I fear that if such battle continues then we¡¯d be torn apart as well.¡±


    The civilians pulled away from them while the rest of the Knights of Roses guided them. The city ruins grew awake and the downpour from the heavens sullied the ground as the heat washes over. Above the skies, a powerful cry wash heard and the burning figure of the woman cindered the figure in the storms.


    ¡°Looks like that woman won,¡± said Ari. She pointed at her chest. ¡°We gotta find a way to stop this. The rest of the factions are moving. I heard from a Mage before the same Mage left us to here to fend off. He was in a hurry.¡±


    ¡°They know something that might help?¡± Aria asked.


    ¡°Killing a God or a Goddess is impossible for us. We had to appease it and the Wises think that they can do that by finding this Tower of God that appears out of the Haze.¡±


    Aria looked at Ari. ¡°Where¡¯s this tower?¡±


    ¡°The Tower should be in the desert. A sorceress will open a pathway to us, Sister. Will you come with us? The White Lance needs to be used, Sister. We will have better chances, no, they¡¯ll have better chances if we come with them.¡±


    ¡°So soon?¡± Aria looked around. The city was covered in both ashes and debris. The rest of the poor fools started clearing up those who are under the rubble. People started running out of their homes while the clouds conjured by that storm were burned away.


    ¡°What is happening?¡± Ari asked. Her hands were on her waist. And her hair resting on her breastplate.


    ¡°I¡¯m clueless, sister.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I know, however, this is something that goes beyond what we knew. Two cosmic beings fighting like images on the sky, that is concerning. If this battle keeps happening then the world won¡¯t last. I insist that we find this thing.¡±


    Ari smiled. Aria wondered what she¡¯d think.


    ¡°Sister, you weren¡¯t so adventurous. Did those beings finally changed your mind about singing and dancing all day?¡±


    ¡°What are you saying?¡± Aria tapped her white lance.¡±


    ¡°I heard that you had a servant. This servant left you. When I saw that letter concerning how you got a man on your own home and been with this said mad. I thought that my dearest sister might have finally taken a groom, a husband or a lover. Of course, I knew that you are rather fickle, and your lover is the song, but the letter made me reel in shock.¡±


    ¡°I had someone served me. Not a lover.¡±


    ¡°Aye, I¡¯m sure that is your bleeding heart, sister.¡± Ari pulled on the hilt of her sword. ¡°I met a swell man in one of the cities, a bold man whose face was chiseled, and I admit that I would have wanted that man as my lover. He was smoldering with this aura I cannot understand. However, this man left without a word.¡±


    Aria¡¯s brow furrowed. ¡°For my sister, who had practically married the field of battle, says this? What do you mean, my sister?¡±


    ¡°It means that she had fallen too fast,¡¯ a woman said.


    Aria turned and saw a maiden in the same outfit as Aria. Aria noticed her eyes first. ¡°Aura, so you are all fine, dear?¡±


    ¡°Never better, your sister here,¡± she leaned her forearm on Ari, ¡°has taken a liking to a man.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Aria turned. ¡°Is this true?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is true, however, that was a magical night and I am a woman who had a focus on the strifes. That won¡¯t distract me and you know that,¡± Ari admitted.


    ¡°Says the little girl who waited inside an Inn for the same man to come out. Aria, Ari here¡¯s rather sensitive, and her poor broken heart waited for that man. It was a sight.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Aria said.


    ¡°Not interested then,¡± Aura raises both hands. ¡°You are the same, and I am safe to assume that we¡¯ll be traveling together.¡±


    Ari took a step in front, Sister, I wish you dearest and I wish to get back to the problem now.¡±


    Ari and Aria stood on rough stone. They passed through broken buildings and went to a strange man who had opened a portal.


    ¡°The twin sisters,¡± said the doorman. ¡°It looks like the hunt for the tower will be easier with the twins around. I do hope that you save our worlds; or is this new troop going to be little use?¡±


    Aria and Ari passed through the portal and into a field with tents, wearing different banners and clothing. The twins went inside and barely ignored the people inside. When the holder of this place saw the painful beauty of the reality behind this troublesome affair, she had to guide him.


    ¡°Welcome, Twin Sisters, I didn¡¯t expect for your visit, and I wish nothing more than that. The situation¡¯s dire and I wish that you understand if we had called for you. We need to find this tower and we need to appease the two beings of this world¡±

 Chapter 279: Four Pairs 3

    Aria had eased her mind on the prospect of this so-called tower. She remembers the tower like an old fading dream inside her head. She had been trying to contain her spirits, the thoughts that wander back to the fool who was plaguing her mind. Oh, how sweet those days were, and she¡¯s expected to just forget about those?


    ¡°Sister,¡± Ari called. ¡°I heard that the Adventurers are showing up from the portals. Will you come?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Aria said. ¡°I¡¯ll stay in our room.¡±


    The room had two beds, one table in the middle, and a pitcher next to the door through this hollow part of the wall. Ari wore her gear and had tied her hair into a ponytail. Aria herself started asking if the man her sister met was the same man that keeps troubling her dreams.


    ¡°Goddamn it,¡± Aria said. ¡°When did you become so popular? Really, that look doesn¡¯t suit you, I preferred when you were a smoldering old man with a grizzled look and a chiseled jaw.¡±


    It made Aria think of the days where they get peace. When they were just two fools spending beautiful time while waiting for the next battle, spending too much time holding hands, and wishing that they¡¯d meet again when the battle dies down.


    They had time together the moment she awoke. However, she had sensed that he had changed while she was asleep. Then the memories came and she had no excuse. No more, she wouldn¡¯t burden him again with such love. It wasn¡¯t her love, it was her other self, but how can she deny that her love didn¡¯t reach that far?


    She had driven out thirsty maids and sultry noblewomen without him knowing. She had done things to keep others out of her man, and she did not regret it. She admits that she had done terrible things in trying to drive him out of her life, and yet she failed. She had failed in not loving and this love had put him into misery.


    If she had a heart then she had ripped it out in hopes that she won¡¯t feel it. That the pain will subside and she will be able to forget. She had been away for a short while and her heart aching and eager. She shook this feeling and joined Ari.


    She sat alongside her rosebuds, and the stare of the men was clear on them. However, their eyes had fear, the Knight of Roses, and the White Lance, she and Ari had been dangerous foes. Many had tried but they all end the same, their blood on the ground, face swimming on their pool of blood.


    ¡°Cheers,¡± Aura said, her mug meeting with another. The rest of the rosebuds smiled, ate, and chatted with their fellow rosebuds. Ari and Aria shared the same table.


    ¡°Mistress,¡± said Aura. ¡°Why do you share the same names?¡±


    ¡°We just do,¡± Ari said. ¡°From here and now, call me Ari, and my sister as Aria. That should differentiate on who¡¯d you want to call. My sister¡¯s joining us on the hunt.¡±


    ¡°I am glad, however, Ari, numerous groups are coming for the price. Some want to appease the Gods, while the rest seeks for the child. They think that the children that the burnt woman speaks are that of her treasures. Who takes the treasure shall be holding power.¡±


    ¡°Our fight shall take us to the desert then?¡±


    ¡°The desert,¡± Aria looked. ¡°Is this tower in the middle of a desert or something?¡±


    ¡°It should be,¡± Aura said, she drew two lines in the air. ¡°I¡¯ve prepared a portal that will take us to that place.¡±


    Ari observed the two lines, ¡°I assume that you had already cleared the mark. I don¡¯t want to be transferred in between solid objects.¡±


    ¡°I did, Mistress,¡± Aura flicked her hand. ¡°I had the wards set up and our thorns are ready.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll be moving, Sister. Would you like to prepare, though, I think that you won¡¯t need much other than what you are already wearing. I had taken the liberties in preparing ourselves for this.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Aria nodded. She held the white lance on her back and closed her eyes for a second.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Aura said. ¡°We will move before the mark fades. It is taking a toll on my body.¡±


    ¡°Here,¡± Aria hummed a song, a sweet tune wrapped around Aura. ¡°That should take the burden out of your body.¡±


    ¡°Song of reprieve,¡± Ari said. ¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d do so easily, Sister. I take it that your songs had become better with the white lance as your conduit then.¡±


    ¡°It took time,¡± Aria confessed. ¡°But I managed. We should move before her body becomes split.¡±


    ¡°Girls,¡± Ari called. The rosebuds moved and followed Ari out of the establishment. Aura nodded on the rest of the girls, took a stance, and opened a portal like opening a curtain, but without the hazards of being torn apart. Upon entering the portal, Aria saw a vast desert city with a crystal clear river, and strange mounts crawling on the sand. Not far from where she stood was a strange barrier of haze, coupled with dusty wind surrounding this barrier.


    ¡°Aura!¡± Ari shouted. Aria turned and saw Aura on the ground, spitting blood, and eyes blood red.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Aria asked.


    ¡°Interference,¡± said Ari. ¡°She had cleared the area but it is too strong. Are you alright, Sister, you are sensitive and I assume that this is worse for you.¡±


    Ari shook her head and squared her shoulders, ¡°I can take a beating, do not fret, Sister. It looks like we are close to this tower, was this your plan?¡±


    ¡°Partly, this is rather strange, hmm, I can smell the Wise Men around. The city¡¯s full of the greedy and the holy, my sister.¡±


    ¡°I can tell.¡±


    The skies cleared for a second. Aria saw the skies filled with flying mounts.


    ¡°Looks like we need to go back to the city,¡± Aria said. ¡°Get her mounted, we are leaving this.¡±


    She mounted and turned her eyes to the city. She trotted at first, then went for a gallop, and the sounds of horses came from behind her.

 Chapter 280: Soul-Bound

    Amadan had crawled through this sandy area with Sula following his tail. Wrapped in a shemagh scarf, her eyes followed, leaving Amadan to think that they should switch.


    ¡°And you could stare in my lovelies,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m your sister, this is indecent.¡±


    ¡°Blood Sister.¡±


    ¡°And yet you could find to understand that in our customs it is the same. Do not worry, I will not pursue a man who does not like me, and I had made you my blood brother, and that won¡¯t change.¡±


    Amadan frowned, he took cover around a rock, turned his attention to the dire beast with the same frame as a scorpion, with longer legs and multiple stingers. Amadan placed his gloved hand on the rock, he took the mace on his waist.


    ¡°You can summon those black rocks, and you choose to use tools,¡± she said.


    ¡°Takes energy and time, don¡¯t want to use it and let me borrow your gauntlet.¡±


    She pulled her gauntlet back. ¡°No, I¡¯ve seen you destroy rocks with your hands, and I will not hand over this.¡±


    She was a handful and headstrong woman, a strange one. Amadan didn¡¯t hate her, and although her strange words would amuse him. He didn¡¯t have to force her, and so he moved. Crawled through the sand, took a stance, and leaped to the dire beast. The dire beast didn¡¯t notice, he swung his mace on the first stinger, wrapped his elbow around the stinger, swung to the main body, and hammered the carapace, and leaped out, doing a forward roll followed with a step out of the way.


    He saw Sula ran out of the cover, and threw a spear on the soft sections of the beast, Amadan pushed himself up, grabbed hold of the grappling hook, threw it around of the stingers, and started to pull. He was able to hold the scorpion down, and Sula drew her saber and slashed the soft area.


    Amadan tangled the stingers, pulled on the power, and grew a spike on the belly of the scorpion, making it writhe in pain. He sprinted, grabbed his mace with his gloved my hand, and smashed it on the head area of the beast. The beast still moved, and he had to climb up the beast and follow it with a smash on the head.


    Green blood spurts out of the monster¡¯s head, and he dodged, making sure that none of that blood would come in contact. Panting, he twisted on the sand and leaned his elbows on his knees. Sula plodded, her shemagh slightly rustled, a lock of her hair on her nose. Sometimes, he thinks that her eyes were like a diamond.


    ¡°I do not remember being undressed,¡± she looked at her clothes. ¡°Why do you stare like a dumb four-legged beast? Silly Brother, if your crotch is aching, so do not be worried and let it go. You must go on a journey to dismiss this blood oath that we had done. I shall find us a hovel, and you will bring money while I give birth to younglings.¡±


    Amadan pointed at his forehead, ¡°I sometimes wonder if that is your real thoughts or you are messing with me. You¡¯ve been doing this ever since that day.¡±


    ¡°Brother,¡± she said softly. ¡°When two gods collide like that, it is not hard not to think of love and such things. The world¡¯s ending, and you wonder why I think like this?¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± he said. ¡°I can¡¯t do anything about it.¡±


    ¡°I do not expect my Brother to fight Gods,¡± she said, standing near the beast. ¡°The only beautiful thing that happened is that I have met a blood brother so foolishly. However, I have gained thoughts that maybe I had tried harder. Oh, if the world ends then at least I spent it with a blood-brother who has strong arms.¡±


    Amadan had no complete thoughts when it comes to her. He was unsure how he would react to suddenly having a sister like this, and it was odd, and he couldn¡¯t ask truly to leave.


    He turned his head and look at the skies. The battle that happened had caused strange changes in the desert. The desert became muddy, and spots, where volcanoes were active, started acting up, producing river of lavas.


    Adventurers gathered on the city of sands. All with one goal of finding the tower that lives inside a haze, a pocket of space that only a few could see.


    Amadan had seen the tower of Nimrod in the distance. There was strange attraction coming from that place, and that allure was not easy to resist. He cleared his head, turned to the beast, grabbed the ropes from his bags, and wrapped it around the beast.


    He pulled the beast out of the sands and starting to the city. He could tell that Sula was behind, and it was an hour-long haul. When he arrived in the city, he was stopped by the guards, and adventurers turned their eyes on him. The buyer of the beast came out, told him to follow in his home, and to wait until he bought all the gold. As he waited he felt a presence that shook his heart madly, his eyes opened widely and he turned to where that presence was. Two familiar faces, and different expressions on their faces.


    One had the look of resignation while the other looked pleasantly surprised, cheeks blushing. Sula went past the two, turned her eyes to the two, and back to Amadan, she said, ¡°Brother, I know that they are beautiful, but you must not stare at them as if you are seeing a monster. That is rude.¡±


    Amadan could hear the thousands screaming inside his head. Old Salvatore appeared on the corner of his eyes, he looked at Ciara, lowered his head and said, ¡°Soul-Bound, we really can¡¯t escape from her. No matter where or when she will unknowingly find us.¡±


    Lanon screamed, he cowered on the floor and started sobbing. Amadan looked at that sight, and could only look Aria in the eyes, with the same look that she had on her face, a look of resignation, and the look of someone who could not escape. Amadan thought, no, it was time to speak, no more escaping.


    karsev

 Chapter 281: A Heroic Resolve

    Amadan, no, at the moment he was Nolan Salvatore, with his heart staying brave, no matter what the ghosts of the past were saying. Lord, they were loud, so loud that he couldn¡¯t even hear the raging wind and the rain happening in the middle of the desert. They were not that far from the city, and it was a vantage point where they could be alone, just the two of them, no lies, no running away, just the two of them sitting in one place.


    The rain fell hard.


    ¡°Is this your work?¡±


    ¡°No, this is her work. I think you should know who am I, Nolan.¡±


    ¡°Which Ciara are you?¡±


    ¡°The one you love, heh, do you still even love me for what she did?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I was the one who let a single man spear thirty-years of waiting, the woman abandoned her children. Nolan, when that child died, I was willing to die. I was willing to die for the mistake I made. I should have not done it. No, I should never have thought of it. I wish I had loved your earlier than I should,¡± she smiled.


    ¡°You, are you her?¡±


    ¡°I can ask the same thing. Nolan, who are you?¡±


    Nolan smiled bitterly, ¡°I am just a fragment, the main fragment, and he had escaped this world.¡±


    Her eyes grew wide-open, then she squeezed her eyes closes, and clenched her hands. Her face crumpled, and a bitter smile was decorated on her lovely face.


    ¡°I see, but I guess we are all fragments, aren¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°That we are,¡± he said. ¡°I had to be true to you, no matter what, I want no lies anymore, I ran away from you, and here we are meeting again. I don¡¯t the War Maiden of Space and Time can detect us, and we had freed ourselves from her; but Ciara, I want to know, no more running away, no more lies, and no turning our heads away. I, do you love me.¡±


    ¡°Madly,¡± she nodded softly. ¡°I do, I always do, and the thought of what the other me had done to you, it pains me, and destroys me inside. I had made your life worse, I was too stubborn to believe that someone like me could ever have one. You, you were my greatest surprise, my happiness, and my light. But how can I live, knowing what I did? Heh, even she had fallen for you, and you had two children, and those children now suffer the fate of being fuel for this damned world. I had walked abysses, just to see you, and out of that abyss, I saw that you were long gone, I had taken my life, hoping, praying, that I could see you again. I dreamt of it, a happy life, and yet that time never came didn¡¯t it? We were so busy fighting that we didn¡¯t know at all,¡± she said, with such melancholic face. ¡°I wanted you, and I was happy, just to see you, and yet how many years had you suffered. You ran away, and I know that this relationship isn¡¯t something to be applauded. Tell me, how can I dare to show my face, knowing that I had done this to you?¡±


    ¡°Tell me, Ciara,¡± he said. ¡°What¡¯s the best time of the day?¡±


    ¡°Definitely dawn,¡± she smiled saying.


    ¡°I know you¡¯ll say that! I am happy that you say that. Haha, is that you, in a new body? Really, why do we keep meeting in such odd ways, Ciara?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I think fate plays us, but I wouldn¡¯t say so otherwise. Really, why does this happen to us? We were trying to save the world! And now we are trap in this time. I shall confess to you, Ciara. I am not of this world, I am not out of this world and I never was!¡±


    ¡°You weren¡¯t in the akashic records, so I was suspecting it. Is that true?¡±


    ¡°It is!¡± Nolan said. ¡°I am from a world where peace was so lovely! A world where you do not worry about such things. You are free to love and become what you want as long as you strive for it! When I came to this world it was like people never felt peace! Did I ever tell you how I fell for you? How it was so odd for you to think that I would fall in love with you? There were days that I wanted to give you up, but then I saw you standing in that field and damn me if I let you go. Heh, damn it, how the fuck do I escape from you?¡±


    She moved closer and planted her face on Nolan¡¯s shoulder. ¡°If this is you, then, please, just stay with me, do not move, and just let me have you by my side. I have dreamt of this for so long, that if I let you go now, I would lose myself. You sinner, how could you make me fall for you so hard?¡±


    ¡°I had done my best.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you did. If you didn¡¯t persist so hard, who would love such an obsessive bastard? How could a man not try if he truly loves a woman? I wanted you, but it was hard, the days were dark, and my duties presided you. I won¡¯t lie, I had duty over love, and it was only when I saw with someone that my stubborn heart gave up, I wanted you before my life ends. It just saddens me that we never really had the chance to be always together. I am jealous that she had spent so many years with you. I ask, can I even be with you, in this world that the other me is trying to destroy?¡±


    Nolan grew silent, he lowered his head and gathered rainwater on his palm. When the rainwater overflowed, he threw it on Ciara, her sorrowful face grew confused. Then, she just smiled, and planted her head on his shoulder, she seems like she did not care, and just went with that she desired.


    ¡°I was sure that I want you gone in my life.¡±


    ¡°Then why are you here.¡±


    ¡°Because I think it is you. Damn me, if this is an illusion then it¡¯s the same thing. It¡¯s always the same thing, we keep meeting and separating, that I sometimes ask if we don¡¯t matter at all. No matter, let¡¯s just stay here, no lies, no running away, no misunderstandings, just the two of us, and if you are true, then after so long we finally met again. How many hours in such eternity did it take, Ciara?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she said, that bitter smile plastered forevermore. ¡°What am I supposed to say that has not been said? We know how this usually ends, Nolan.¡±


    ¡°I do. We meet, something happens, and we are separated until we meet again. We fight, we brawl, and we hurt each other. I think this is the first time we have met again that didn¡¯t start with a fight. We are too old for that, no, we are simply tired. We deserve better, you had saved the world, and I did the best that I could in that world. How are we so lucky to be in this world? I know that it is you, I know because the ghost of the past keeps shouting at me.¡±


    Nolan listened to the voices. They were screaming murder, the rest were terrified, and while he heard sobbing. The ghosts were the fragments of those who had suffered under the Burnt Woman. He pushed all their voices.


    ¡°I can feel the pain in your eyes,¡± she said. ¡°The Bleak Walkers curse never leaves you, and I cannot imagine living with such a curse. Nolan, how can you stand this?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know myself, I just continue no matter what. That¡¯s what I do and what I have always done to myself.¡±


    She sat closer, not caring that her clothes were mudded. They were sitting on a log rolled in the dunes, and the changes in the weather had made rainfall for quite a while.


    Her arms were wrapped around his waist. He drew her close and laid his head on her head. He looked at the city of the sands, covered in mist, and lights. Her wet hair was around his shoulder, and the smell of her hair was something.


    ¡°How does it feel, having a new body?¡±


    ¡°I think we look the same. Aren¡¯t you lucky, to have a goddess love you?¡±


    ¡°Oh, cocky are we?¡±


    ¡°I say that I can be. Do you not believe it?¡±


    ¡°No, I think you are. You are looking at an idiot who had a love for a woman with a burn scar. I had never felled for because of your beauty, power, or reputation. You should know this best, Cia.¡±


    ¡°I know, Nol.¡±


    ¡°When I swear forevermore to you, the moon was up, and I hear that the pale shine keeps us soul-bound and that one day even if we forget, we will always be together. I thought that it was such a strange belief, but then now, I think I wholeheartedly believe that the ritual will work. No matter what I do, I would meet you again, no matter what time and space it is, we will always meet. That¡¯s our curse, Nol. Forgive me, and we are forever destined to meet in such strange ways. But I can give you this choice, Nol. I can have my soul destroyed right here, and right now. I will allow you to be free, this meeting, it is a blessing to me, and the wish that I had when I left that abyss has been fulfilled.¡±


    ¡°You know my answer, Cia.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I want you to think again.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Nolan said firmly. ¡°I¡¯ve tried and failed again and again and again. I have enough of trying to kill the person that I love. An eternity of doing it, you¡¯ll get tired of it. That¡¯s why let¡¯s just talk. I understand that you are going to save them as well?¡±


    ¡°Find the kids, yes, they are still hers, and I cannot stand it when I see children being used like this. One time is enough, and I will never do such a thing again. Never, I will not allow it.¡±


    ¡°Your sister,¡± he asked. ¡°Is she with you now?¡±


    ¡°She is,¡± Ciara rubbed her head on his chest. ¡°I think your blood sister took a liking to her, and Ari is a sweet sister, and I think she took a hint. Your blood-sister, I think she was to bed her.¡±


    ¡°Sula, she¡¯s quite weird, she was gunning for me, you know?¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± she jabbed on Nolan¡¯s rib. ¡°I¡¯m surprised that you resisted such a beautiful woman, I wouldn¡¯t care, and you deserved it.¡±


    ¡°Please, how many times have things gone wrong for those noblewomen who tried to court me? I was surprised that this mug could get women to like.¡±


    Her eyes were opened widely.


    ¡°Are you serious? When you got older, you aged like wine, you were a fine man who had seen battles. You were well-built and our affairs were spread that some thought of you as an ideal knight. There was a knight who wanted you, and I said it right to her face ¡°No,¡± which scared the wits out of her.¡±


    ¡°I think if the War Maiden says that to my face, I would be afraid as well.¡±


    ¡°True, still, I grew selfish. Even if you are a fragment, you are still him. And I am well, yours, that¡¯s just how it is. Unless you want to destroy me and be freed? We are soul-bound and I asked you once. I won¡¯t take it back now.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s getting cold,¡± Nolan said.


    ¡°I can warm you,¡± she sang a song of the sun. ¡°It¡¯s rather warm now isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°In this life, you are the maiden of songs, isn¡¯t that nice?¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± she said, a smile finally on her face. ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to sing without care.¡±


    ¡°It suits you, Cia. Do not worry. It¡¯s cold, come closer, okay.¡±


    She stuck her body closer, not giving a damn about her wet clothes. She then turned her thoughts to the past.


    ¡°Nol,¡± she said. ¡°I shall confide to you. I think...you followed me not because you loved me. You see, War Maidens, they have the abilities to charm any person, and I believe that you fell for me, because of that, and the illusion you feared is true.¡±


    ¡°I suspected it.¡±


    She widened her eyes, ¡°Then, let me a sing a song of dispel.¡±


    And so she sang the song of dispelling. The rains could not stop the melody of her voice. The notes manifested physically and wrapped around Nolan, and Ciara took a step away, her hands on her heart, with an expression not benefitting that of the fearless war maiden that she was.


    ¡°How do you feel?¡±


    ¡°Like a chain was lifted from me.¡±


    She turned her head away. ¡°I see, then, what do you think?¡±


    ¡°That nothing changed,¡± he said firmly. ¡°It must have been ingrained within me. It has been countless years and I think that even I was charmed, the effect is now indefinite. Well, it¡¯s not so bad really, when I have someone like you. I am foolish. I should be mad, but you know that? I just let go. Call me foolish, but I just let go of it all.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re lying to yourself.¡±


    ¡°Maybe, I am. Or is this your way to let go as well?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ve lived my life as best as I could. Knowing only one single purpose, to save the world, and bring back the sunlight. I toiled the roads, fought for others, and became the light alongside the heroes of the world. It was my duty, and beyond that, it was my dearest wish. I wish for humanity to live not in the shadows, but under the sun. Nol, you have been the hand that has been holding me when I thought I¡¯d fall. That¡¯s why I never faltered until the monster of the pale pass happened. I admit that when I lost our child, I had told myself a sinner, a fool who had done something. I don¡¯t know what I was thinking, and that sin I will carry for my life. But when the old monster of the pale pass wanted you dead. I couldn¡¯t prioritize duty, I had to save you even it means falling. I didn¡¯t fall and I walked the abyss, seeing memories of another me. I was afraid, but in the end, I choose to continue forward. Nol, I died on the day I saw your grave. Maybe, the gods had mercy, and I am alive again.¡±


    Her eyes narrowed, she was filled with determination that he had seen for so many times. The look that Nolan Salvatore could never forget, the eyes of the hero, the savior of that world. The look of the woman who had toiled to save the world from darkness. Behind her, was the hole in the clouds, the light came out of the hole and her hair glistened. She was filled with a terrible resolve.


    ¡°Nolan, I want to save this world.¡±


    Nolan looked at her with a smile. Yes, this was the Ciara he knew, the War Maiden, no, the Hero that he always admired. She was the Ciara Alician he knew and loved.

 Chapter 282: A Truce

    Amadan returned to the Inn. He saw Aria¡¯s twin, the Knight of Roses, and her roses alongside her. Behind Amadan was Aria, the Song Maiden, she pushed on him. Sula took a long inquisitive look and had that smile on hers. ¡°Ah, brother, have you finally put it in?¡±


    Amadan paused with arched brows. ¡°What are you even talking about?¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Sula shook her head. ¡°Could it be that you have not done anything? I am disappointed, come, I shall remove the bond of blood. I shall not have a spineless and limp blood-brother.¡±


    ¡°We have a truce,¡± Aria said. ¡°We are fine now.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we are,¡± Amadan replied. ¡°We¡¯ve made peace for a common goal.¡±


    ¡°Is that true, Sister?¡± The Knight of Roses said. She fixed her eyes on Amadan. ¡°Ah, I see, you really do differ from him, odd, he was rather vigorous while you don¡¯t have that overwhelming sense.¡±


    ¡°Sister,¡± Aria said. ¡°I told you that was it.¡±


    Amadan had realized the composition of his body. He thought that the body that the main fragment had differed. It was like metal that has been tempered and a metal that had been not. Amadan took a seat next to Aria. The voices in his head were screaming, but he chooses to ignore them. He had to focus on the current goal. He wanted to save the world, and help Aria return the child of the burnt woman to her. That line thought of helped Amadan cope in helping Aria. He knew who this Aria was, and he had been sure that this was the Ciara that he knew. The Ciara that was like a calm wind in the storm, never furious, and was like a silent flowing river. Was he too blind to see the burnt woman? Compared to Aria, the Burnt woman was malignant, fury personified that bad bottled up.


    ¡°So you want to find the tower,¡± he went straight to the point.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Ari nodded. ¡°There are rumors that the tower is located right around this desert. As you can see from the adventurers that we aren¡¯t the only one who thought of this.¡±


    Amadan fixed his gaze on the Inn. Adventurers were discussing, using maps, and drinking their bill. The counter was filled with people asking questions.


    ¡°Looks like they want the treasure,¡± Amadan said. ¡°So what¡¯s stopping them from entering the tower?¡±


    ¡°The entrance is a hazy door,¡± she placed a gloved hand on the table. ¡°Some had found the entrance, but these entrances are immaterial, like smokes that one does not easily pass. It was impossible to enter the entrances of clouds. Not to mention that when these entrances appear, monsters of obscene strength takes the adventurers on.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t stop them from trying.¡±


    ¡°Adventures don¡¯t give up!¡±


    The inn shook at the monstrous roar that happened again. Such an event had been going on for days now, and he had gotten used to the sorrowful cry of the burnt woman. The burnt woman had been fighting the Eon-Father since that day, and each battle changed the weather. There were days where the climate was too hot and days where it was too cold.


    Even the desert had been too muddy or too sandy. Those who could teleport out of the city had been valuable, and their services cost a lot of penny. Some had the artifacts and the strength to cross the desert while some had to stay behind.


    ¡°So how we find this door,¡± Amadan asked.


    ¡°We find where the tower beasts are spawn and enter it.¡± Ari pointed. ¡°However, I¡¯ve heard rumors that there was a pair that had entered one of the doors. They were strong and they entered the doors so easily.¡±


    ¡°Did you catch their name?¡±


    ¡°No, but they are strong. One was like a ghost, and the other was a volcano of energy. I¡¯ve witnessed who saw them kill a horde of these beastly creatures as if they know where to hit them. We¡¯ve seen them take down these enemies with precision, and enter the door when they found it. They had must have done something that had allowed them to enter the doors without being stopped.¡±


    Amadan folded his arms. ¡°We have to start somewhere.¡±


    One of the Knights of Roses stood and placed a map. ¡°Here are the sightings of the doors. I believe that these areas are on a cycle. And if we are right then these places would have one of the doors.¡±


    The maps showed three circles that represent the areas where the door might appear. ¡°What door has recently appeared?¡±


    ¡°Here,¡± the Knight pointed to the eastern part of the map. ¡°The next gate should appear here.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s our destination, and we should see what this door does,¡± Amadan sat closed to Aria, and whispered, ¡°I think this is the tower of nimrod, do you know of it?¡±


    She nodded, and whispered back, ¡°I do, I¡¯ve seen memories of it. Do you think that you can enter?¡±


    ¡°I think we can,¡± Amadan said.


    ¡°What are you two whispering about?¡± Sula asked. ¡°Do not talk so closely or we may not hear you. Or are these lewd words that contain such spiciness?¡±


    ¡°You are strange,¡± Aria said firmly.


    ¡°Yes, I am,¡± Sula answered. ¡°I may ask you questions regarding how you¡¯ve met with my blood-brother?¡±


    ¡°Blood-brother?¡± She turned, her inquisitive eyes set on him. ¡°If I recall from your customs, only those who have failed to seduce their chosen partners would turn them into their brothers.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sadly,¡± Sula fixed gaze on Amadan. ¡°Brother has no interest in such bodies if he had tasted such a beautiful one.¡±


    Her lascivious gaze scanned Aria. Aria folded her arms and nodded. ¡°Hmm, well, he isn¡¯t as lecherous as you think he is.¡±


    ¡°Girls,¡± Amadan pleaded. ¡°Can we get back to the topic, please?¡±


    Aria smiled, and Sula nodded. Amadan turned his eyes back to the map. If these were beasts coming from the gates, and if his gut feeling was right that it was the tower of nimrod. He wondered to himself if those two who entered the tower of nimrod was them.

 Chapter 283: The Little Protector Part 1

    Hero was a word that was stuck on her. Yes, she was chosen by the world to represent light. She had accepted such duties, but yet she had lost sight of it.


    Rubina, she asked herself, ¡°Why do you go to battle, Rubina? Why? What¡¯s the point of saving the world that isn¡¯t even yours? Is it because you like doing it or is it because of the idiot?¡±


    The idiot, she thought. The idiot who never lose sight of himself despite the whirl of the world. She had asked why can he keep continue moving forward. Was it because of the vessel that had lived with him? Rubina, she couldn¡¯t understand why she was back in the tower that abandoned her.


    Her head rang. In front of her was the figure of the man who had put her through all of this. The same buffoon that had pulled her from her throne. She was the damn queen of the heroes of her world. She was a beautiful and powerful girl who had knights wish for her hand. She had worked her way up the ladder to living a better life. To live a life of comfort while occasionally saving those who need it.


    ¡°Rubina!¡± Fool said. ¡°Did you hit your head? I know that you are alive!¡±


    The Fool had his soul bounded to hers. It annoys her that both of her soul, and probably her heart was part of him. It was a violation of her freedom, but yet she was thankful that due to their meeting that she survived the merging of worlds.


    ¡°Damn it,¡± she stood up. She always does. It was a disease that did not leave her despite having a new body. Similar in a way that it did not allow her to give up. ¡°How in the hell am I losing to someone like you!?¡±


    She clapped both hands and her staff¡¯s embedded gem fired multi-colored beams of light that tore through the bodies of the monsters. The Fool became transparent and tore through the organs of the monsters. He created a greatsword of obsidian from his hand and shouted, ¡°Rubina! Enhanced!¡±


    Particles of energy compressed into a seed that buried on his sword. The Fool raised his weapon and slammed it vertically on the chimera beast, its guts spilling out with a sloppy wet sound. Rubina fell on her bum and stuck her tongue out. ¡°God, why did I follow you in the first place?¡±


    The Fool landed softly. He turned towards her and started picking out the pieces of gore, and the dirt that clings to her hair. ¡°Man, you look like shit. I know it has been hard since we entered the tower. But you should be familiar with this place.¡±


    ¡°Familiar? How could I be when I barely visited the tower? Can you help me up?¡± He pulled her up from the ground. He circled her and patted her bum.


    She growled and pulled her wand closer. ¡°I don¡¯t know how you are doing this so casually?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± He tilted his head. The Fool was too single-minded. In this world, she had been reborn in the Kingdom of Magic where they started children who had connections with each family. She had grown up with this young man who barely cared about what others thought of him.


    ¡°Gods, what am I doing?¡± She had caught to the realization that this Fool hasn¡¯t looked at him other than his best friend. It somehow annoyed him that there were legions of fools who would try to marry. Yet, the Fool called Einar Elior was not one of them.


    She was tired and what she wanted was nothing more than a bath. Hell, she¡¯d leave if she could, but not when her Fool was trying his best to reach out to that cry. The tower of nimrod was a special tower that sits upon a dungeon, a world within layers that had been providing the city that it once stood. There was an ecosystem inside this dungeon and its biome. It was far bigger than she remembered.


    ¡°Looks like you¡¯re right,¡± he said, going around her back, braiding her hair. ¡°The floor itself has turned into different worlds that encompass each world that was merged. If the world was mixed then it would have been a collapse. Still, then that means that they are somewhere around the tower, probably in the core.¡±


    ¡°How did I get involve with this?¡±


    ¡°Because you are kind no matter how bullish you act,¡± he finished braiding her hair.


    ¡°I disagree. I am a lady with many knights.¡±


    ¡°And none that you wanted to marry. I think Arthur is a good match for you? What¡¯s wrong with your face?¡±


    ¡°Sigh, gods, what did I ever do to deserve this?¡±


    She was sick of it this man. This incomprehensible man who did not care about anything other than personifying the ideal that was born unto him. He liked to believe himself as a nobody, but he was someone who was made into someone. She believed that Einar Elior was made to idealize the hero that the on that possessed him couldn¡¯t be. Yet, the Fool could not see it, and the worst part of it all was he an oblivious fool.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been sighing too much.¡±


    ¡°I know¡­¡±


    There was one flaw that Einar had. He was a fool who believed that he could throw his life so easily. He was born to think that, and not even the memories of the past stopped that belief. It was tiring to follow such a person. But, the hero inside her couldn¡¯t just let him be.


    ¡°Can you still her cries?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I can hear my little sis alongside two infants,¡± his mood became grim. ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s happening, but she sounds like she¡¯s in pain. You heard of it, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the cries of a little girl and two infants.¡±


    It was a heartbreaking sound that resounds in the world. As the Eon-Father and the Burning Woman fights in the sky. The muffled cry of a little girl was hidden.


    ¡°I want to save her,¡± he said firmly.


    She couldn¡¯t allow him to go without help. It was not the hero inside of her that could not let go.

 Chapter 284: The Little Protector Part 2

    First, the world scribbled into many hallucinations.


    Then she found herself floating amid this space. It was bubbly and soft and squishy. Then she found herself on the ground without her brother¡¯s chair. ¡°Ma? Where are you?¡± She whispered. She was surrounded by dots of white light.


    ¡°Huh?¡± She looked up and saw a figure who breathing roughly. ¡°Miss? Is that you? How?¡±


    ¡°Camilla?¡±


    ¡°Miss!¡± Camilla kneeled and placed her head on her lap. ¡°I thought¡­I was alone. The sky got cracked, and here I was thought. Madam, and Sir, forgive me I¡¯ve failed them!¡±


    ¡°Ma?¡±


    Camila sobbed while clutching her clothes. ¡°I couldn¡¯t do anything, but run. Madam, I promise you that I won¡¯t leave you behind!¡±


    Camilla was her light. She was carried behind her back and through times she could only cry as Camilla risks her life to protect her fragile body. Even when she¡¯s out of breathe or passed out on the ground. She could only cry and hope that she would wake up.


    It felt like an eternity inside this place. Camilla had lost what she carved for herself and a wide scar slanted on her face. It doesn¡¯t bother her but it bothered her.


    The place was a world that they didn¡¯t know about. She didn¡¯t know why she had barely grown old despite the times that had passed. The milky stars and countless mirages of galaxies that gathered and formed were something she watched.


    In the world that turned warm and cold. She and Camilla found freedom in a basin where there were monsters. However, upon arriving in this basic they found two infants that were connected to a rope-like energy. The infants were crying as the energy passed through them.


    ¡°Can we get them out?¡± She said.


    Camilla tried to pull the twins out of their pods. But the bolt of lightning was too much for her. She almost lost her hand. She could only give up and notice that no monsters would come inside this basin. She had to work out the rest and through her efforts they made home.


    However, to sustain her she has to venture out in the open where the beasts are. The area was filled with growing fruits and a drinkable source of water. But she knew that Camilla won¡¯t give up.


    Every time she goes out of the basin she would come back exhausted. Despite the scars that riddled her once pristine skin. Camilla doesn¡¯t stop with her smile. She couldn¡¯t complain, and she had to be brave. Still, when the night was cold, and when the dark seems to consume all the light. She would hear Camilla cry somewhere and call out to her brother.


    There were days she would found Camilla talking to herself.


    Camilla became strong. She was a fierce protector. However, she could not pretend that Camilla¡¯s heart was broken. Small as she was, she did not miss the affection of this loyal servant. She had protected her out of obedience to the master that she might be able to see.


    Layla¡¯s heart ached at the thought of not seeing her brother. It was harder for Camilla who saw how her masters die, and all she could do was run. She was clinging to the hope that her brother might be able to come back to them.


    But the world was so dark and above and below were worlds that differed. She knew that they were relying on the poor infants who were being used as a catalyst for these worlds. They were always hurt and only through the dews that fall on top of their pods that they are soothed.


    Their thundering cries were maddening sometimes when the stream of energy was transferred on their bodies. Camilla could do nothing. She could not do anything to soothe their woes. However, she found herself sitting near the twins, singing, hoping that her songs would soothe their troubled life. That was all she could for she had no walking limbs. She thought of herself like a leech that could only empty the blood of her host.


    Her heart feels heavy all the time.


    Help. She would cry out sometimes to the dark.


    Her voices echo.


    Body-shaking sobs would try to get out of her voice.


    But she could not let it out. Not when even Camilla was holding it. Not even when those who suffer for her was holding it.


    ¡°Please help,¡± she said quietly. ¡°I don¡¯t know what to do. I¡¯ve been trouble for everyone. So please, if it means anything, please help Camilla. Please, I don¡¯t want her hurt so badly every time. Brother, please help me. I¡¯m scared. It¡¯s so lonely without Mama and Dada. Brother, I thought you will protect me?¡±


    How long has it been since the worlds conjunct?


    Days passed yet there was nothing she could do.


    Camilla toiled the basin to her liking. She created a cabin and had fashioned herself with the fur and bones of the monsters. For the sake of her alone, she would toil and fight while searching for a way out of this hell. She wanted to whisper for her to rest.


    But Camilla had forgotten what rest was.


    She would not give up until she finds a path out of this world.


    Camilla won¡¯t be stopped no matter how she pleads. That was one of the pillars that held her heart together. She knew what doing so would mean to her. She was barely holding and she could only function because of this belief. This belief that catapulted her into action.


    ¡°Camilla,¡± she gathered her courage. ¡°Please come back safe, okay?¡±


    Camilla widened her eyes and smiled. It was bright despite that scar across her face.


    ¡°Of course, Milady. How can I ever leave you behind?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you later.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Lady Layla. I¡¯m off now.¡±


    Her steps were invigorated and her stride was firm. All she could do was see her go. That was all Layla Elior could do in this world that did not give her any power other than her words. She rested her head on the chair that Camilla made for her, and prayed.

 Chapter 285: Tower Worlds

    Einar Elior felt the tower world floor tremble. He knew how volatile the tower was. Each floor equaled a world. Time was so dilated that he had not aged despite traveling for years in one single world. He had to remember that he was in the tower of nimrod. The tower that belonged to the world that he was born into. He recalled the Old Man, the Wraith with Dragon¡¯s Flesh, who was bound to his soul. He recalled his soul¡¯s destruction at the hands of the Burnt Woman. He remembered the salvation and the conjunction of all worlds into one.


    Something went wrong. The worlds didn¡¯t fuse properly and now a tower holds many worlds. Such vast worlds of broken civilizations purged and blended together to create anew. Some of these worlds were that of concrete jungles. Places with towering peaks, metal stars, and Jade palaces larger than mountains. Technologies that he only saw through the memories of the Old Man, the Bleak Walker, Nolan Salvatore.


    Alongside him through these worlds was Lady Rubina, a Hero of the world where the tower of nimrod existed. The strongest of the favored children, and the one that had been with Einar through birth and waking of memories. He had tried to release her from the bond that he had casted. She had refused and choose to beat the lights out of him in fury of his own words. ¡°I dare you not! Einar! The moment you release that bond then you will have the strongest of the favored children¡¯s fury on you. Or had the years come and by, and you still think of me as nothing, but an acquaintance!?¡±


    Her fury had made Einar hesitate in asking the question. Dear no, her presence was a blessing to the worlds he walked. If not for the memories of the Old Man who walked millions of miles. He would have given in to the temptation of settling into one of the many words that held no life He could have been an Adam¡­and she his Eve. Such thoughts were degenerate and to think further would have been a dishonor to his friend.


    He had walked with her through these worlds. Each one was devoid of any life other than the beasts that inhabit it. The few forms of human remnants were lost or idle wanderers that dreams to escape the tower. Bleak Walkers, men with cursed sigils on their eyes, forever doomed to walk forevermore.


    Einar had a sigil however it was suppressed. Rubina was immune to the curse for her pride did not allow it. They were unable to die due to their bodies feeding on the energy around them. They can go on for years without nourishment as long as they can sustain their bodies with the same nutrients through meditation. A method learned from a robed walker with jade skin and long black hair. A walker that rides the sword as transport and companion. They had not seen the walker for the walker departed to venture the world.


    Among the walkers were those who trade food and luxuries that they have no knowledge. They had eaten as pleasure and acquire technology which they have not been able to witness. The memories of that peaceful world were useful to Einar. The Old Man¡¯s knowledge had allowed him to understand these devices. Weapons that only through memories he had known or through the imaginations of those who had dreamed of it.


    ¡°Such weapons they are of use to us,¡± Rubina gleefully said, fashioning her embedded staff with such technologies, remaking them to her liking.


    Blessing as they were for they are adaptable to the bodies. Einar needed no armor for he could phase, but yet such armor was welcome for someone like him who had not been given the right to control the strings of power.


    The worlds they walked started to blur like passing scenery. Such worlds were beautiful and lonely. Abandoned civilizations, a carcass world, a water world, and many more worlds came to the past in such times. There were days where Einar dreaded to think what would have happened if they had not to gain technology to breathe in space.


    So many worlds yet Einar could still hear the cries of two infants and the whispers of hope of a little girl. Stalwart steel heart and a wish for the death of solitude had driven him. Einar asked multiple times for why he was walking. Why he was urging to follow the road?


    Einar followed the voice. It was so hard to give up when he had walked so far. He had thought that walking in solitude would not faze him, that the memories of the Old Man would steel him. Steel gathers rust and becomes brittle. He had to admit that the shoulder lent by Rubina was something he cherished. So many worlds and thousands of sceneries. Yet a scenery without her would have been a sour memory.


    He had understood how little connection that he had with the tower. How the tower was not controlled, and that the string of connection that he had with his sister was too thin. If he had a greater connection with the cry he would have done something. Their journey would not span for years, and he would not be able to witness the countless worlds.


    He did not even bother to know what world it was. All he needed to do was find a way to the heart of the tower where the crying was. It did not matter to him if it meant an eternity of walking. Time seems so fast despite all the things that had happened to them. He had noted that he had lost track of the number of times he had been into these kinds of worlds. What does it matter when he could not do anything?


    Einar Elior turned his attention to the wreckage of spherical ships that floated in the sky. These ships seem to be digging into space itself like worms. It was a world that had reached the stars, yet Einar could not detect any people. The door was at least visible with training and he¡¯d know how to.

 Chapter 286: Rusted Steel

    A rumbled city with such a familiar tone on it. Einar had not thought that he¡¯d reached such a familiar city. In the middle of this city was a crater, an endless abyss where there was only dark. The streets were mossed and the wall ill-maintained. The roads had not been cared and the only thing that stood tall was the castle. Alas, the same atmosphere that left no humans about.


    ¡°This is a city where the tower should be,¡± Rubina said, her chin on Einar¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Looks like we had wandered into our world. Yes, our world should be full of green.¡±


    The world outside of the rumbled city was that of black sand. Not a single life was sustained and throughout the world was an empty land devoid of any life. The next entrance was in this city. Einar and Rubina had wandered around the city to find anyone, leaving none.


    ¡°It looks like they were reborn as well,¡± Rubina commented. ¡°Do we stay here or move further?¡±


    ¡°Stay,¡± Einar said quickly. ¡°Let¡¯s rest for now.¡±


    They found a place where they could camp. Einar set up the portable tents and sat near the fire. The camping gear was from the technologies they had gotten from strangers. Einar felt the tremble of his heart. Even the steel-like belief of dying alone sounded so disturbing to him now, filed until nothing remains.


    His eyes stared deeply into Rubina¡¯s red hair. Her red lips and wonderful green eyes. Her beautiful nape and her demeanor when she was focused did not escape his eyes. He thought of the memories of his Old Man. The memories of the Old Man who had striven to find love in the darkness hours. Such emotion was foreign to him in a way that he did not understand. He was twisted and the memories of Nolan Salvatore embodied his personality ¡ª the personality of an unyielding determinator.


    When did he start thinking of the fear of losing her? She had been with him for so many years and in this lifetime they had grown together. The thought of this road without her made it sound so despairing to him. He could slog into these worlds because of her. She was family and she doesn¡¯t argue against it.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been looking at me for quite a while now. Have you finally realized how beautiful am I?¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± he had agreed without hesitation. ¡°I guess I must be awakening to this now.¡±


    ¡°Why now?¡± she said asking, her eyes scrutinizing him.


    ¡°I thought about how lonely the road would be. Rubi, I had told you that I wasn¡¯t supposed to be anything. I was just a saved vessel that was made for something.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense,¡± she said to him. ¡°You were reborn and that spiritual father no longer holds you. You have his memories and his way of fighting. But you are what you are now, Einar.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Rubi,¡± he said. ¡°I know that you have no real obligation to follow me. I may have sounded ungrateful, but I do appreciate this.¡±


    ¡°And you say after so many years together? Look, I could have married a wonderful knight or a beautiful prince. But my blood calls for adventure and that blood calls me to walk the earth. I¡¯d rather walk this earth rather than stay in my high throne again. Besides, who would keep you forward if I wasn¡¯t here?¡±


    ¡°I thank you,¡± he nodded his head.


    ¡°Spare me that, why are you like this? Is this because of the ruins,¡± she snorted. ¡°If anything they should have been reborn like everyone else and have lived their own lives without knowing. Some take their own form while the rest don¡¯t. I¡¯ve become far too beautiful, and yet I have my memories because of your bonding of the soul. Do I regret being bonded to you? No, I don¡¯t. Really, seeing you hesitate is terrifying. Just focus on what is in front of you, Einar.¡±


    He crossed his arms and stared at the embers of the fire. He could hear the crying of the infants and the little girl that he had promised to reach. Outside of the tower worlds were another world at the brink of destruction. Was he fighting for the sake of saving the world? No, he was fighting for the sake of one lonely girl crying at the ends of the world. There was no noble act of saving the world here. Just two idiots who had traveled for many years in hopes to save those who cry with despair.


    ¡°How long until the ends of eternity?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I wonder?¡± she smiled. ¡°This task is not so easy, but rejoice that I am here to guide you through this despairing walk. Aren¡¯t you glad that you have such a great lady beside you?¡±


    ¡°True, I cannot deny that,¡± he said.


    Einar continued staring at the skies who he had known. The stars here looked as what he remembered. The crying of the girls was so close and wasn¡¯t too far now.


    The next day they took a leap of faith into the abyss below. They fell for hours without no pauses and even in this place, no light would bloom. Only Rubina¡¯s hand was the warmth that he kept holding as he falls further. When they broke through the sky the sight of a gigantic monster that stood over trees looked at them. Einar Elior smiled as he phases through one of these creatures, dissecting the monster into two.


    Leaping up back to the sky he used the charm created by Rubina to stay afloat as she rains down hellfire upon this world of monsters. The towering green trees turned into hell. Then, she raised her staff and pummeled water into the forest, creating a downpour that brought forth a flood of water upon his view.


    Somersaulting, he gently descended into the mudded ground. Rubina landed on the ground beside him and started releasing wards that allowed them to search the world for the gate floors. However, before she could finish the chant, a stir was in the sky. Figures descended upon one another with their robes fighting against the wind.

 Chapter 287: Cries of Innocence

    Einar fought to the end until all the monsters in the vicinity were dead.


    He had created a valley of the dead. His body forcibly standing due to the technologies that were embedded in his body. Such technology allowed continuous fight against the enemies.


    ¡°You okay?¡± said Rubina. ¡°That was close¡­I think we killed more than we could have imagined. Damn, the monsters are stronger than they have the right to be.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s rest for a second.¡±


    He rested his back on hers. They were in a circle protected by a ward that filters out the nasty smell on the air. Einar was rubbing the back of his left hand. Rubina was adjusting her force staff which had been auto-repairing. Such wonderful technology was indeed a blessing to them.


    ¡°The cries are close.¡±


    ¡°They are.¡±


    Einar and Rubina rested in that place for hours. They woke up to continue their journey into this world. Unlike the worlds, they had journeyed this world was green and filled with so many strange vegetations. He and she had rained down upon lightning and bolt upon them and none had been able to rest until all the monsters in the vicinity were dead.


    Chosen One, Unchosen One, it didn¡¯t matter when they were this strong. Throughout their continued journey they¡¯ve accompanied creatures that were undebatable if they were differently powered. Through phasing, he was able to hurt most of the monsters. There was nothing that he could defeat when he was backed by Rubina¡¯s disastrous firepower.


    Toiling for many months in this world they had found a paradise which seems to be filled with energy. Upon arriving in this paradise they noted the numerous beasts carved.


    The beasts were carved and sliced as if they were being scavenged. They followed this trail of slaughter and saw a woman who stood proudly against a beast ten times her size. She was bleeding all over yet the fierceness in her face was firmed.


    ¡°Let¡¯s kill it,¡± he said.


    Without any noise, he phased the distance between the distance and tore the heart of the beast with one swoop and finished it off by creating his own spike of earth right under the beast¡¯s buttocks.


    The beast laid dead on the ground creating a puddle of blood. Einar looked back and saw the woman¡¯s face shrouded by the shadows. Above her was the alien sun who shone brightly against her hair.


    ¡°Do you understand me?¡± He asked.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Rubina,¡± he said. ¡°Translation of the soul.¡±


    ¡°A sec,¡± she casts the spell. ¡°That should do it.¡±


    ¡°Who are you? What¡¯s your name?¡± The woman asked.


    ¡°Einar Elio-¡±


    The woman threw away her weapon and jumped into Einar¡¯s embrace. Einar raised a brow and felt the body-shaking sobs of the woman. Einar heard her familiar voice, and could not help but wrap his arms around the woman.


    ¡°Did you wait?¡±


    ¡°Master¡­how could you leave us?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he said with a whisper. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have left if it wasn¡¯t for the world¡¯s conjunction.¡±


    ¡°So who¡¯s she?¡± said Rubina.


    Einar pushed the woman away gently and turned to Rubina. Her face was crinkled and her eyes were fixed on the woman.


    ¡°She¡¯s Camilla,¡± said Einar. ¡°I told you about her, right?¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± said Rubina, as if understanding. ¡°Hmm, to think you would survive, and know us. This is quite a coincidence.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± said Einar. ¡°We¡¯ve been following the cries of infants and Layla¡¯s whispers.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Layla, we must go to her, Master. She¡¯s¡­I think she would break. We¡¯ve spent ten years in this world and yet I have not aged. It seems our bodies do not age slowly.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, of course not, the thick energy in this world is incredible. My mastery of spells increases by just being inside this sphere. I say that you must have turned strong as well, Camilla, was it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, and you are?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s Rubina, one of the Chosen, a favored Children.¡±


    Camilla folded her arms, ¡°I see. You looked different, Master. But I just knew that it was you for some reason.¡±


    ¡°I did bond some sliver of my soul in you.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± said Rubina with cold in her voice. ¡°I wasn¡¯t the only one?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± he curtly turned back to Camilla. ¡°I had to save her so I made this bond possible.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± she said with a snarl.


    ¡°You¡¯ve done well, Camilla.¡±


    ¡°I did my best, young master.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you did. I believe you know why we are here?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no one to save here other than her.¡±


    Einar nodded. They followed Camilla to the paradise where Layla was on.


    Sometimes it doesn¡¯t take a whole journey of suffering to save someone. Einar Elior knew this well with the memories of Nolan Salvatore. That it didn¡¯t matter how much he toiled, what mattered was the end of that journey.


    Einar stepped into paradise and saw a little girl sitting beside the two infants. Camilla smiled beside Einar as she lets Einar amble to his sister slowly.


    Layla Elior, the abandoned child, saw the figure of Einar approaching her, and she just knew in the instant who this person was. In the world, she knew and the world she knew now there was only one person who said that he would protect her. It was her big brother and she knew that one day he¡¯d be coming. Einar was sure that was in her mind. That¡¯s why the smiling face of his sister was what he needed. However, as he was standing in this joy of finding his sister. Einar noticed the cries of the infants to be louder. The poor children who were abandoned after they were born and turned into power sources for the world.


    They had no sin other than they were born powerful. There was something wrong about all of this when even the Burnt Woman that had hated a single man for millions of years to be brought to rage. To a fit of anger that could destroy the very bubble of the world that they were living on.


    In this place, he felt the rage of the Burnt Woman, and alongside this rage was a desperate desire to have her children back.

 Chapter 288: Cries of Anger

    If not for the pains of the wrath she saw, and the anger. She wondered if she could have the life that she sought. Back when it was all shiny and blue. Back at a time when a cabin in the middle of the forest where a knight who was rather foolish in spirit would visit. His cheeks blushing red. Too pure for his own good that not even the threat of his own life from an angry mob.


    Alas, had she hidden her thoughts too far? Or was it the woman who sips tea in that void, who had resisted her every effort to manipulate her into truly becoming the woman. Was there any reason for the unjust treatment she had done for a single man who had loved someone dearly? Can she even tell them truly that it was pure jealous that turned into a shameful love?


    How envious it was to see such a man who had done the impossible. Or was it because a part of his soul was inside of him, that she hoped that one day he would understand her? Alas, that knight couldn''t be alive, not when that knight had lost his life in her defense.


    How hateful it was for her to spend much time in unreasonable hatred. Did she want to prove something by doing so? She does not understand anymore, she was tired of the pain that constantly lashes on her skin. Why was she born strong? Why had the world given her the power to overturn the world?


    What was the reason for all of the suffering?


    Was it to lead her into something? No, she snarled. It was for the sake of achieving the ultimate world. A predestined fate designed to create a vessel that could host entire worlds. And he, who she had tortured, and had fallen in love, was simply the wrench thrown into the cog, creating chaos that had set her free from the destined fate, a fate that would have left her powerless.


    Rage. It burned through her like a rumbling volcano. The arrogance of those who were above her. She would have left them alone and let them rule the stars. They dared, she growled. They have dared to take my children, and use them as batteries! Fuel! Her angered boiled a sea. She lashes out a whip that broke the heavens, and almost shattered the atmosphere of the planet.


    Eon-Father, the bastard had dared to do so. The bystander, and the Watchers, all of them had to die for her. She will make them pay and will turn into asunder. Ah, but what about the children that live in this reborn world? The folks who had been given the happy ending that they could not have?


    She saw the lives of those who had suffered. The Jade Prince and the Ruby¡¯s Empress, the two fools who fought until their ends, and was ones who saved her from deities. Can she ruin the endings that they have achieved? But at the cost of her life and her children? No, she could not do it. No, she would never abandon her children, even if the world and all of the other ones hate her for it.


    The Witch who abandoned the Burnt Woman, the one who put her into a stake, to be burned, cursed to an infinity of misery until the day she finds peace. Peace, oh, how lovely would that be to her, but how can she achieve that when the world was against her? No, it would only be fair that the War Maiden of Space and Time and the Burnt Woman would be alone in this endeavor.


    Would she forgive him? Oh, that sweet man who was too foolish to understand. No, she cannot blame him for not knowing, and she cannot blame him for the many times she had broken his heart. Test? Trials? She was only being a fool who did not want to believe. And when she does, she saw what little light that the world had given her. Alas, it was a dream that was woken up by the reality that as long as she was the Burnt Woman. Her soul would be damned to never find that peaceful cabin in the woods.


    She dreamed of starlight and the earthy scent produced when rain falls on dry soil. That village near the bamboo forest, the small giggle of her infants, and the back of that foolish man who wouldn¡¯t give up. Ah, she couldn¡¯t help but want it, beg for it, and would do anything for it.


    The Burnt Woman wanted to be Ciara Alician. The Ciara Alician had a better ending than her who was damned to this cycle. There was no greater meaning to her actions other than her desire to be free of this cycle, and find peace.


    She was not looking for forgiveness. She knows who she was and what she did to achieve all of this. She was not looking for pardon for what she had to do. Her sins were her own, and that she accepts without excuses. But she had a red line that she won¡¯t cross. The powers that held her by the throat should know, no, they should realize who she was and what was her red line. She wouldn¡¯t care if it was her. The anguish and pain was something she knew how to live with.


    But the cries of her children that constantly echoes in her ears. Their painful cries as the world that used them for the sake of others, simply, because they were born into this world as powerful beings birthed by her. They had no right¡­the world did not have the right to use them as disposable tools.


    The crystal cracks. The power that she had to withhold didn¡¯t show any mercy. She would show no mercy to those who used her children. There was no reasoning other than to save her children. She would not let them grow without a mother to soothe their cries. She vowed to the void that she would not let them do so.


    She would let her anger burn the universe.

 Chapter 289: Cries of the Lonely

    Nolan Salvatore spreads his arms to fall on to the dunes. He landed with both feet planted firmly on the sand. He looked up and caught Aria. He settled her on the sand. She patted her robes, and drove her white lance on the sand, forming a web that catches all the traces of energy.


    ¡°Looks like we have to go there,¡± she pointed at the horizon.


    Nolan frowned. ¡°That¡¯s far.¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± she shrugged. ¡°But that¡¯s short compared to the distance before. Not that it would bother a Walker.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll carry you if you get tired,¡± Nolan said.


    ¡°Sure,¡± she smiled. ¡°Not like you¡¯d be able to do that. I do like seeing you walk with firmness.¡±


    ¡°A sand world,¡± he commented. ¡°Never thought I¡¯d want to walk a desert this big again. These floors are rather disturbing.¡±


    ¡°We are lost,¡± she said. ¡°I do wish that the others were with us.¡±


    ¡°I do as well.¡±


    Aria glanced sideways. ¡°Sure you do, wouldn¡¯t that be lovely? Beautiful girls, that would accompany you?¡±


    Nolan sat on one knee. ¡°I won¡¯t lie. That would be rather sweet. Being surrounded by flowers.¡±


    A frown escaped her. ¡°Do you remember those noblewomen of the Salt Passing?¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± Nolan said.


    ¡°I was the one who told them to go away.¡±


    Nolan almost fell. ¡°That was ten years before you even recognize my existence.¡±


    ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t want them to have you. Really,¡± she dipped her finger on the sand. ¡°Besides, not like you wanted their attention. You do know that most of the Salt Passing women cuckolds their husbands more than anyone?¡±


    ¡°Is that fact?¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± said Aria. ¡°I dully remember how most of them there were too busy fighting that they do not realize that their wives have a harem of pretty boys and young men. Though I believe that a hardened young man like you would have been smothered by those beauties. What joy would have been.¡±


    ¡°But I did not.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you didn¡¯t. I was actually surprised by that. Hmm, though I just thought you preferred men.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, no.¡±


    They journeyed the desert until they saw a transparent gateway leading down. This gateway was on top of an oasis with a pond and a few trees that created shade. Nolan sat on the shade alongside Aria. The two stared at this might desert of irregular peaks and hills of sands.


    ¡°I have always wanted to ask.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Did you really not have a fetish regarding scarred women?¡±


    ¡°Can I evade this?¡±


    ¡°No, I am curious, that¡¯s all. Please, why are you blushing like a maiden? It¡¯s not like we have not done it.¡±


    ¡°Not in this body.¡±


    ¡°True, we didn¡¯t have time after we had a truce.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have time, as always.¡±


    ¡°I do agree on that,¡± she said, carefully looking at her white lance. ¡°But aren¡¯t you lucky?¡±


    ¡°We both are.¡±


    She stared at him. ¡°Hmm, Indeed I do. Ah, I do prefer you when you are older.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just cruel.¡±


    ¡°What can I do?¡± she said with a gentle smile. ¡°You aged like fine wine.¡±


    ¡°So what do you think will be the world next?¡±


    ¡°I do hope that we have solid footing,¡± she commented. ¡°I do not like swimming in an ocean filled with creatures. This is a blessing itself that none of our allies had to do this.¡±


    ¡°Do you miss them?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡±


    ¡°She,¡± her voice was caught. ¡°Do you remember her?¡±


    Nolan fixed his eyes on her. ¡°You do know her then?¡±


    ¡°I saw you fight with her. She has been with you longer than we could. Where is she?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± he said, rubbing the back of his head. ¡°The last time I saw her was before the conjunction of the worlds. She¡­I wouldn¡¯t have to be here if it wasn¡¯t for her. Tania, I might have forced her into an eternity of suffering.¡±


    Aria twisted. ¡°I would help you save her.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± he refused. ¡°I brought nothing but suffering for her. But if there is a chance I would do anything for her.¡±


    ¡°I envy her.¡±


    ¡°No, you shouldn¡¯t.¡±


    Nolan became silent. His eyes staring at the bouncing heat of the desert. His ears picked up the voices of the infants. The smell of hot air, and the taste of sand on the tip of his tongue. Aria worked studied her lance quietly while speaking a language that melted runes into it.


    ¡°Fifty-years,¡± he said. ¡°Ever since we entered the tower of nimrod. It has been that long already.¡±


    He continued, ¡°We have not aged a single year and I doubt we will with the thickness of this energy. You did teach me to cultivate my body for longevity and that I am not exactly even human anymore with this body. Hah, I never thought a building loving idiot like me would become someone like this. I do wonder what would have happened if I enrolled in that place without being transported here?¡±


    ¡°Was that world peaceful?¡±


    ¡°Too peaceful,¡± said Nolan. ¡°I don¡¯t know if a world like that would suit me. But I missed it.¡±


    She knows what he was talking about. Nolan was sure that this Ciara had learned where he came from. How he was a foreigner that came to this bauble. As there are many planets in the vacuum of space there are many universes as well. Outside this universe should be the universe where he came from. He didn¡¯t know how the main fragment did it, but can he even go back to the place where he belonged? No, he was far too weak, and he was fake of an inferior fragment.


    He was a copy. He was a fake who had been reborn in a world that had been tangled and broken into many pieces. It was a chaotic world where the virtues and beliefs of the main fragment had given him strength. He would have broken if it wasn¡¯t for the thoughts of Nolan Salvatore.


    Inferior. A copy. He was all of that, and there was no mistaking it. He was someone who has no home even if he did find a way back. A cry of loneliness shook inside his chest.

 Chapter 290: Screams of the Begotten

    Nolan Salvatore did not lose the screams of the past.


    The rage that built up did not go away. It was pure willpower that held him together. The curse, the fragile soul, and the maddening screams of the dead did not seize. Every waking moment of his existence was held by the souls of the damned, the ones who could not reach out.


    The betrayed shouted mockery at his forgiveness.


    Leave me alone! He shouted at them. How could they understand the beliefs that he had? No, no, Nolan Salvatore was not kind, nor he acted out of the ideas that were held firmly inside his head.


    Dirt tastes badly here. Ah, Ciara, she¡¯s lovely, but can I really trust her?


    Kill her, said a voice.


    Throughout the valleys and the mountain worlds, he heard the anguish of the fallen. Even as the rest of the Bleak Walkers marched with them he could not do it. No, he wouldn¡¯t do it. He did not have the heart to do what would have been a scene. He explained, ¡°We are in a truce right now.¡±


    They said, ¡°Fool, you are being fooled. Oh, when will you learn? When will you learn that she¡¯s here to break you?¡±


    Old Nolan looked at her back. ¡°She¡¯s her alright, and no one other than her feels like this.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s like that,¡± Nolan said.


    Lanon shrunk at their comments.


    He continued marching while the banging on his head kept on pounding.


    He leaped up a tall mountain, slid through the slopes, and followed her through forests of vines. His body acting as a shield. His sword-arm defends her from the things she could not deflect.


    It was always like this for the years he remembered. The years where Nolan Salvatore would defend a woman who did not need defending. She was far stronger than him. Her power was enough to direct the war effort against the overlord of the demons to a close.


    He recalled that her death had caused a blow to the army of light. People back then were so single-minded about their belief in the war maiden. When she dies the hopes of the people died as well. It was like a funeral that never ended.


    He left the army of light and marched with those who took the Bleak Path. He joined armies and became a rank-and-file soldier of the Bleak Walkers. An army of fools who went on suicide charges to defeat the undefeated. He broke through the ranks massacring enemies and making use of their bodies to defeat the enemy.


    All of that to defeat the overlord that was escaping from the shadows that cover the land. It made sense to them that it was him alone that wanted the end of the world. But no, he and his people were only victims as well. A victim of a world that was starting to get devoured by the shadows. It had no benefit. There was no other purpose other than to save the souls of the people that he rules.


    Why would someone want to destroy the world that he or she lives in?


    Perhaps they didn¡¯t ask that. Maybe they could have done something. But there was no true solution to people who differed in forms and races. Even back then the people were barely clinging to that dead world. People ate the monsters and the monsters did the same.


    Kids were birthed in the dark. They were poor kids that did not know what peace felt like. What a world with a sun felt like. They grew up hunting monsters for food or joining the war effort against the light.


    But maybe they found hope when that sun shone again. The final battle broke through the impossible, and the world trembled with the amount of power that was being generated.


    Nolan felt hope and peace when his back fell on that sand.


    He knew that the world was saved. But was it truly saved? Did the sun during that time truly return? Or was it a false sun that gave hope only for that hope to be ground into dust?


    Were all those sacrifices all for nothing?


    No, if all the worlds existed then it meant that in one of those timelines they had succeeded again and again. That all those killings were meant for something despite it all. He wanted to believe that.


    So why do they still scream at him for not driving a sword in her chest?


    ¡°Is that you, Kaiser? Why does your soul does not speak? Why do you not speak at all? Hey, you are strong, right? Why do you not speak at all?¡±


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    Nolan caught a branch and barely avoided getting pummeled in the ground. Aria pulled him up the branch and stared at him for a while. ¡°Are you sure that you are fine? You¡¯ve not spoken for days now.¡±


    ¡°Just the visions,¡± he said truthfully.


    ¡°The ones that wanted to kill me or the ones that scream at you?¡±


    ¡°Both.¡±


    ¡°Aw, that is troublesome,¡± she went around him and started poking his neck with her elbow. ¡°Well, I can¡¯t blame you for what the other me did.¡±


    ¡°Ciara.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°You hated me didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I did. Why would I not hate you? You were an annoying individual that circled me like a vulture. I thought you were a weirdo that wanted to just bed me. I hated you for that. I tried almost everything you know? But who knew that you wouldn¡¯t give up for years¡­and well you grew fine. I was jealous and then things happened. You know the rest.¡±


    ¡°Did you regret it?¡±


    ¡°You are asking that?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course, I regretted doing it. If I could turn back time I wouldn¡¯t do it. Remember that dream I told you once?¡±


    He recalled in the pits of his memories. A dream that they shared.


    ¡°That one day we¡¯ll live in a quiet place if the sun returns.¡±


    ¡°A place where the golden wheat grows, and where one could see the ocean.¡±


    ¡°A happy ending.¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s hard, right?¡± She said with a bitter smile.

 Chapter 291: Time’s Due

    His hair was white. His eyes were faded red. There was wrinkling on his skin. Throughout the years of traveling it was only Aria that remained unchanged.


    ¡°Hah,¡± he breathed out.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve said that for many times now.¡±


    Her eyes stared at him. He looked at her with kind eyes as well. Time seems to pass fast and slow in these tower worlds. If they did not have the constitution they would have perished on the first floor they landed. Aria¡¯s hand, held Nolan¡¯s wrinkled hand.


    ¡°We can stop this.¡±


    ¡°And let then go? No, please, allow me to continue.¡±


    Her lips curved. The face she made crumpled with a frown. ¡°Why?¡±


    Nolan smiled wearily. ¡°It¡¯s the natural order, Ciara. Take it this way. I am a fragment of the main fragment that separated from me. I depended on the main fragment to keep me alive, but that left me into a broken copy. My main fragment has simply been destroyed, obliterated, restored, and reformed. I am a broken soul, Ciara. I¡¯ve spent too many lives and it seems that this soul wouldn¡¯t last as well. I¡¯ve reached the lifespan that my body and soul could handle. Sadly, I am still a nobody.¡±


    ¡°No, you are not. You are my husband. Don¡¯t you ever think that you are nothing. You are my hero.¡±


    ¡°Am I?¡± He said smiling. ¡°That makes me blush.¡±


    ¡°There must be a way. We can find a world on the floors to rest. That might do something.¡±


    Nolan shook his head. ¡°You are powerful, Ciara. Do not pry your eyes away from the truth. You can see it. Besides, didn¡¯t you like me when I am older like this?¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± she nodded. ¡°I want you even more than ever. Still, I cannot accept this. Not after all of this time. It felt like it was yesterday when you looked so young. I just don¡¯t understand why you would turn like this!¡±


    ¡°Like how a plant withers without its sun. I am that. I¡¯ve been left too long without my sun and I am withering.¡±


    ¡°Maybe she can help,¡± said Ciara. ¡°The Burnt Woman. She can help you.¡±


    Nolan held her hand firmly. ¡°I am fine. No need to look out for her. She will take you. She will devour your soul. I can assure you that.¡±


    She saw the weak flame inside Nolan¡¯s body. This weak flame was like a candle that was getting shorter by every second.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t fair,¡± she said.


    Nolan said. ¡°I know. We finally had our truce and time together. But¡­this is far longer than when we first met. We are lucky to have this. Imagine the people that did not have such a gift.¡±


    She bit her lower lip. ¡°There must be something that I can do.¡±


    ¡°You can stay with me, help me with this. Honestly? I thought that I¡¯d last long. But it seems cheating death too much has lead me into this. I don¡¯t know how long. Can I even reach them? Ah, my children, are they alright?¡±


    She stared at her, and looked down, clenching her hand too hard. Her legs were like straw. The bag around her eyes was blacker than it should be.


    His soul has been broken up to many pieces. It is no surprise that he¡¯s body¡¯s being affected, she thought. I had bonded my soul to him, but it does not work. It¡¯s just too old and broken to be restored. No, there must be another way, right? He cheats his way through this.


    ¡°Are you thinking of increasing your bond?¡± He said as if daggers were stabbing in her chest. ¡°I will not allow it. No, not at all. Even if the bastards screaming at my head are telling me to beg for it. Every time we pass through a world my time moves. I recognize this city.¡±


    He pointed at the giant hole. ¡°This is where the tower of nimrod was. If we crossed this then we should be able to pass through and secure the infants. I think they are close.¡±


    She could sense the cries of the infants'' boom. ¡°I can tell as well. Should we jump?¡±


    ¡°We should.¡±


    She watched as Nolan let himself fall on the pit. She followed behind, watching his back as they fall into this abyss. She did not know why it felt so long to reach the end. But when she broke through the clouds, she saw Nolan on the ground face-first.


    She twirled her white lance, sang a song of healing, and descended. She pointed her white lance and yet she saw that none her spell did not cover his legs. ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡±


    ¡°My body¡¯s alright,¡± he said painfully. ¡°But it looks like the damage was too great for my legs. I don¡¯t think I can walk for a time. We should stay.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± she shook her head. ¡°I can sense the monsters around the world. And a power that might even rival mine back in our world.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    She pulled him up and made him cling on her back. ¡°I can carry you no problem.¡±


    ¡°This is embarrassing.¡±


    ¡°No complaining now. It¡¯s the least I can do.¡±


    ¡°You can just summon something you know? Conjure something that might help.¡±


    ¡°No, let me do this. I can run faster than any conjuration and I don¡¯t think we can stay still. Or do you not like my body?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be a burden.¡±


    ¡°You will never be a burden. Besides, I do like this.¡±


    ¡°Ha, I think you bump your head, Ci¡±


    ¡°Just leave it to me okay?¡± She said. ¡°You must at least share your burden with me.¡±


    ¡°I,¡± he went silent. She looked back and saw him resting his head on her shoulder. It was rather hard to carry a man who was taller than her, but her strength was something to laugh at and she rather liked it in a way. Still, it didn¡¯t leave that worry in her heart behind. She hated the screeching feeling inside of her. It was maddening. It was tempting. She wanted to reach that black flame, but she refused. She couldn¡¯t do it.

 Chapter 292: New Oasis

    She did not expect to find a thriving place in the middle of this world. No, she could tell that this crater itself resembled a place that she thought she would never go back to. The world beyond this place was damaged and changed. But this place was different. It was the place where all of it started. Sure, there were no sands and the barbican walls that she felt safe was no longer present. But the mountain that stood behind this place was the exact same mountain she looked at when she was done with her training for the day.


    ¡°Oasis?¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± said Nolan.


    His eyes shook. She saw how it shook madly. It was then that she saw an orb made of metal fly, scanning them from head to toe. Then, figures broke through the clouds wearing metal all over their body. One of them carried a long spear gilded with wires and sensors.


    ¡°Speak,¡± he said. ¡°Are you foes?¡±


    ¡°We came for my children,¡± said Aria. Her eyes did not give off any lie. It was then that another figure phases through space, and then landed in front of the man with a long spear. His eyes scanned them, before landing on Nolan.


    ¡°Old Man?¡± His voice shook. ¡°Old Man! Hah! I know you were coming! Took you long enough.¡±


    He paced to Nolan. Nolan¡¯s eyes darted to the man who stood not far from him.


    ¡°Einar, good to see you, boy,¡± he said.


    He smiled. His grin was wide. ¡°Old Man, hah, it has been a hundred years since we saw each other. You have aged,¡± his eyes piercing through Nolan. His grin turned into a grimace. ¡°I see. They are allies, this man¡¯s my Old Man, and I have to assume that this is her?¡±


    ¡°What makes you say that?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Because you always find him. No matter what world it is. You two meet. Come, I¡¯ll show you around this haven of yours.¡±


    Nolan limped forward. She did the same and walked on the stone-paved road, following Einar who was raising his hand everywhere. She saw that the houses were made of fine stones and concrete. There were orb-like machines that we''re building establishments.


    ¡°We recently got people who came from worlds who had greater technology. They have been attracted to this place because of the cry of the infants. We had decided to create a haven for the lost here. This is our new Oasis City, and I think you can remember it, Miss.¡±


    Nolan stayed silent. His lips were sealed. He was probably hearing the cries of the infant, she thought.


    ¡°How long have you been here?¡±


    ¡°Almost a millennium now. We do not age slowly, but we have cases like the Old Man. Their souls aren¡¯t as strong as they are used to be. I benefited with my broken soul which allowed the soul that I was reborn with to adapt properly. You could say that I¡¯m a wraith or at least a half.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Ciara nodded. ¡°Still, it must be hard here. If you only had started developing this city.¡±


    ¡°The world was filled with danger. Even I wasn¡¯t enough to stop them. It was only after so many years of fighting that we were able to stabilize this world. It doesn¡¯t help that there are monsters who are seeking after your twins. We can¡¯t get them out.¡±


    Einar¡¯s gait looked exhausted. It looked to Ciara as if he was carrying a weight. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that.¡±


    ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t matter. The view from the above has helped me realize how insignificant it is to worry about things we could not fully control. Besides, if there is a way out of this tower then it will reveal itself one day.¡±


    Einar led Ciara and Nolan to the place where the cries were louder. Ciara saw a woman whose red hair fluttered in the air. She was holding hands with a little girl whose soul shone brightly.


    ¡°Your kid?¡± Nolan asked Einar.


    ¡°Yes, she¡¯s Rubina, and that¡¯s my daughter Kele.¡±


    Rubina sized up the two of them. She looked at her husband. ¡°Is this?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is.¡±


    ¡°Camilla was looking for you.¡±


    ¡°Is Amity okay?¡±


    ¡°She is. But I doubt that she would move away for a while now.¡±


    ¡°Camilla is here as well?¡± Nolan asked.


    Einar turned. ¡°Yes, we found her protecting Layla and the infants. My wives have been guarding the infants in hopes that we can do something, but alas we are powerless.¡±


    ¡°Your wives?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Rubina snarled. ¡°My Sister-wife and I share the same husband. I think this bastard¡¯s too lucky, but alas it was the only way. I liked her as well so it doesn¡¯t matter.¡±


    ¡°Nice job,¡± Nolan said jokingly.


    ¡°I learned from the best.¡±


    Ciara stared at Nolan with blank eyes. ¡°From the best?¡±


    Nolan smiled at Ciara. ¡°Hey, no need to look at me like that.¡±


    ¡°Anyway,¡± Rubina butted. ¡°We should go to the infants. We might be able to do something about them now.¡±


    They were led to where the pods of the infants were. The infants were trapped in the same pod. Ciara¡¯s heart turned cold in fury and that of despair. She saw how the tears of the infants were filled with compressed energy. This said energy was the same energy that she felt when entering new worlds.


    ¡°This can¡¯t be!¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Einar said sadly. ¡°The twins are attached to the world itself. If we remove them there is a chance that the tower worlds will crumble. They are acting as the core of the world. Even if we do want to remove them it is impossible. We do not have the raw power to break through the binds. Only the Burnt Woman or the Eon-Father or a deity could possibly remove these bindings.¡±


    Einar continued. ¡°And I don¡¯t think you could do it as well, Miss.¡±


    Nolan clicked his tongue loudly. His face was wrapped with despair. Ciara could only look at the eyes of the twins who were crying endlessly. Their eyes reflected Aria whose face was riddled with the utter despair of helplessness.


    They were powerless.

 Chapter 293: Cursed Are Those Who Seek the Bleak Path

    His body felt so weak that it reminded him that he was not as immortal as he thought he was. He had seen things and experienced things that no one would believe. He had fought the worst the universe could give, and had come unscathed. It was odd that he was losing to the one thing he could never avoid. Time was his enemy.


    I had so much time, he thought. So much time yet I couldn¡¯t even save my children. I know that they are creations of the Burnt Woman, but I want to save them. I want to save them from this hellish torture. Is the cost of saving them this sea of people? Those who are lost? Einar himself is not alone in this predicament. They could do nothing about this, and even if they do. They cannot decide.


    He saw how many of the lost here were settling down. According to Einar, the travelers here had traveled the edges of the horizon, and yet couldn¡¯t find the exit out of this place. They had found the bottom and the only way out was through a thick barrier that no technology or magic could pierce.


    He stayed in front of the infants with a somber look on his face. His face on the verge of crying. His skin was wrinkled. His clothing was worn with travel. His eyes were faded red, and he stares at the twins who were crying in pain. His eyes reflected the compressed energy that drops from the eyes of the twins.


    He held his chest, lowered his head, and started shaking. His body shook as he snorts, and wipes his eyes. He stayed in front of the pods with muffled sobbing.


    Nolan didn¡¯t stand up. He stared at the twins who were sustaining the world. That was all he could. He felt a hand on his shoulder and saw that it was Ciara. She wrapped her sleeved arms around his shoulder.


    ¡°I¡¯ve tried. I cannot do anything. Forgive me.¡±


    He held her arm. ¡°There is nothing to forgive. You didn¡¯t do this. Not the you that is with me.¡±


    She said nothing. Nolan held her arm until she left him alone. His eyes were fading. In his view, the world became black and white. There was a heavy pressure that was bearing down on his body. The sheer weight of this pressure made him want to vomit. His insides churned. His hands shook madly as he then held his head. He started breathing rapidly. He held his chest and clenched it with eyes squeezed.


    ¡°Nolan!?¡± He heard Ciara¡¯s voice.


    The voices that surrounded him grew louder. He heard and saw the millions of those who walk the Bleak Path wail at him simultaneously with murder. They pointed their fingers at Nolan while shouting, ¡°You fail,¡± without a stop. The voices rebelled and his brittle will broke even more apart


    ¡°Ah,¡± he mouthed. ¡°Please, stop, just stop, leave me alone will you!?¡±


    He felt someone¡¯s hands pulling him back. He saw nothing other than the darkness and those who died before him, pointed their fingers at him. ¡°You have failed, Walker. Again. When will you learn?¡±


    He couldn¡¯t control his shaking. His breathing grew ragged until all of his consciousness went away.


    He then woke up in a void with a person that looked like him biting his fingers, dragging his nails on stone, and chatting his teeth to the point of his teeth breaking. He scratched his cheeks and tore it while repeatedly saying, ¡°Forgive me, forgive me, without no end.¡±


    When the person in front of him in this became unmoving. Nolan saw a vision that resembled a strip of film. He saw every death and every pain that he had suffered. All that suffering that lead to him seeing the end of the world. In every life, he had not been part of anything. Either he was too late or that before he could even become something the world has already saved itself. He was left alone wondering if he could have done something more. Could he have done something that would have helped? He saw himself stand alone while the world cheers. His lonesome self standing in the background of the hero. He was a footnote to every story and nothing more than a text flavor for the person who shone brighter than him. She was the sun while he was a light bulb.


    Here he was in the many visions without doing anything. He was Nolan Of Nobody, a savior to no one. That was his role and even the power he had attained meant nothing. He could fight monsters, but could never save those who he wanted to save.


    ¡°I did things because it was the decent thing to do¡±


    ¡°I did it because it was necessary.¡±


    He told himself that. But what was the use of making excuses inside a heartless void? Crack, he was breaking and his soul was crumbling piece by piece.


    Death was coming for this fragment. That¡¯s right, he was just a fragment. He wasn¡¯t Nolan Salvatore, just another part of a soul that was unable to return home. It was a cruel fate left for a copy. That was all he is and yet he did not fear that. He was who he was no matter what. But yet what he feared and hated the most was his inability to save what was in front of him.


    His hands were never meant for saving those who were in need. He was a Bleak Walker, a man who walked the bleak path, accepting what the world can give him, knowing that he can get through it. However, the pain that burns his heart did not cease.


    Nolan Salvatore opened his eyes. It had no light other than the sigil that shone on it. The dove of thorns, the snake of woes, and the eternal hawk circling his pupils. The world turned red as the madness of those who held the curse turned from curses into maddened laughter. His face did not change. His eyes remained stolid as he stares at the space.

 Chapter 294: Her Bleak’s Path

    Nolan didn¡¯t move. He was laid on a bed inside a cottage house. His eyes were staring at the ceiling. His soul was a candle that was barely lit. Ciara sat on his side, holding his hand. She wore a brown shawl around her shoulder. She had replaced her worn-out robe with a finer one with embroidered flowers on the side with blue linens and gold.


    The wind blew gently the curtains to her face. She swiped the curtains off her face and turned her attention to kindling Nolan¡¯s soul. The lights of the sun shone on her face, the other half obscured by a shadow. Her lips were pinkish-red, and the bag on her eyes was like eye shadows.


    ¡°Miss,¡± said Einar who stood with her daughter, who was sucking on her thumb. ¡°You should rest.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Ciara mouthed. ¡°I, I might not be able to see him awake again.¡±


    Ciara saw Einar fix his gaze on her with her peripheral vision. ¡°Did you know already that this will happen?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± she shook her head. ¡°I assumed that his copy would live long. I remember that before all of this he was taken by the Eon-Father and was thrown out of this bauble. You saw it, right?¡±


    ¡°Not far,¡± Einar said. ¡°But the power that the Old Man wielded at that moment was breathtaking. He wielded too much power that the Eon-Father had sent him away. Eons of knowledge on how the runes worked have allowed my Old Man to know how to wield them as if pulling strings.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± said Ciara.


    ¡°Why do you do this? How did this even happen?¡±


    ¡°I¡­was trapped in an abyss where fragments were lost. Time in that abyss was strange and all I could do was to keep moving forward. That abyss had no time and I felt no hunger. Suddenly, I was out, and I took my own life at the thought of living without him. I wanted to save the world at that time. I was a fool who was too afraid to let her children live in a world that was devoid of light. I feared the ifs that would have happened. What if the world won¡¯t be saved? What if the world won¡¯t be able to take down the enemy? What if I failed and my children live? I feared that to the point that I saw it as mercy not give birth to my child. Deep down, a part of me died and I accepted that deathblow in hopes that would be my punishment. By what right did I have to do that? In the end, I wasn¡¯t dead, and I lived only to see him buried before me. It hurt so badly.¡±


    Einar did not speak. The little girl beside him watched with a tilted head.


    ¡°When I awoke into a new body I thought that it was time to change. But who knew that I would meet him again in this new body? The worst part was that I was hesitant. I was afraid, and I still am. I don¡¯t want to lose him after meeting him. We¡¯ve spent years traveling here and I should be happy. But I am not. I cannot imagine it. The thought of seeing my beloved and being with him and then losing him again. It¡¯s a sick joke. It¡¯s a blessing that we¡¯ve been longer than a normal lifespan? No, please, I can¡¯t accept that. I¡¯ve helped save the world. Wouldn¡¯t it be just fair if I get something that I want? I like the me that loves. I like the me that wanted to be with him.¡±


    She placed her cheek on his left hand. ¡°It hurts so badly. It hurts. I can¡¯t take this. I don¡¯t want this. Not when we fail at even rescuing the children. I am a failure of a chosen.¡±


    ¡°No you weren¡¯t,¡± Einar mouthed. ¡°In the memories of my Old Man, no, my stepfather. To him, you were his hope and shining light. When the sun was lost he turned to you. You should know by now that my stepfather had no place in this world. He originally only wanted to help you shine brighter, but in the end, he fell for you like a fool. I understand why he would. You shone so hard that it was hard not to follow you into the jaws of hell itself. If my Old Man could hear you, and I think he could. He would have not allowed you to say that. You were always his hero. That won¡¯t change¡­but my Old Man wanted to save as well. He knows that he was not fit for such a role, but he tries despite having no qualities of a proper savior. That¡¯s why when you say that even I disagree.¡±


    Ciara didn¡¯t respond. She stared at Nolan whose appearance resembled closely to what she remembered. He had many scars in that timeline, and all of them were because of his stalwart protection. An arrow that was meant for her. A spell that was supposed to take her life. He always mouths how he was a nobody. How he was nothing compared to the others who were far stronger than him.


    ¡°But you don¡¯t know didn¡¯t you?¡± Ciara whispered. ¡°You are my hero as well. My guardian and my shield in whom I trust.¡±


    She traveled her gaze on Einar. Her eyes were clouded with a haze of emotions. ¡°Can you leave me to be with him alone?¡±


    Einar opened and closed his mouth before nodding. He dragged the little girl with him who looked back. In her eyes reflecting the cloudy gaze of a storm in Ciara¡¯s eyes. The girl tilted her head again and paced along with Einar.


    Alone in the room with Nolan, Ciara placed herself on the bed and used her lap as a pillow for him. Caressing his forehead, she smiled, and two drops formed around the side of her eyes. The wind blew for a second, and then she said to Nolan with such a calm voice that would even silence a crowd of heroes.


    ¡°Nolan¡­I think understand her now. Someone asked me once.. Have you ever loved someone so much that you¡¯d be willing to destroy the world?¡±


    She pressed her forehead on his.


    ¡°I do.¡±

 Chapter 295: A Life Lived Too Long

    Einar had thought that there would be hope when he saw his stepfather. However, that hope was extinguished when he saw his depressing form.


    Was that truly the Old Man who he had known for his steel will? Or could it be that his broken and shattered soul had turned him into someone so weak? It was something unavoidable.


    ¡°They have not gone out for a week now,¡± Rubina said. ¡°I fear that they¡¯ve lost hope as well.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± Einar said to her. ¡°My Old Man¡¯s broken, and she fears that he might leave her without her watch. I told you already, right?¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Rubina said, adjusting her robe¡¯s hems. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯d preferred to be with you two. Hmm, I¡¯d never thought that I¡¯d be ending up this way. Like you as well.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Einar scratched his head. ¡°I never thought of it like this. Well, you did fix me up real good.¡±


    ¡°I did,¡± Rubina twisted on a chair overlooking a pond.


    Einar sat as well. ¡°How long will we last?¡±


    ¡°Who knows? I¡¯ve already accepted that one day that Burnt Woman will destroy this paradise we have or ourselves. I envy our children, they¡¯ve lived long lives free of such reality they are facing.


    ¡°I want them to grow up. I wanted grandchildren.¡±


    ¡°Sorry to hear that, or this your new way of wanting to have more children?¡±


    ¡°Can you take it?¡±


    ¡°I have to ask Camilla first if she wants to as well. Pardon, but Camilla is a treasure that I loved more than anyone else.¡±


    ¡°Including me?¡±


    ¡°Equal at least, but don¡¯t be fooled. I¡¯ve always wanted to have a big sister and a wife. My palace was filled with lovely ladies, you know?¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Einar raised a brow. ¡°I guess even at this eternity we learn something.¡±


    ¡°Fortunate aren¡¯t we? Not everyone has the fortune to live this long.¡±


    ¡°And that fortune isn¡¯t going to last long,¡± said Einar. ¡°I can feel her power breaking through every world. Dermis took his life because of this feeling. He was sensitive than most of us. Rubina, I don¡¯t want to lose you all.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the same for me,¡¯ she smiled gently. ¡°I want to live forever with my family. You are all my treasure. But you know it already, Einar. We¡¯ve done everything we can. We¡¯ve killed most of the hostiles in this world, and tried everything to delay the impossible. We spent a millennium of finding ways, but there was no way. It¡¯s the same as tearing through space. We aren¡¯t deities, Einar. We lacked something that would allow us to step into that threshold.¡±


    Einar looked at her with complicated eyes. ¡°I didn¡¯t fear. No, I still don¡¯t fear death because it is not within my control. But I fear your death, and our children, I fear theirs as well. I don¡¯t want them to die.¡±


    She leaned on him. ¡°Silly. How could you falter when you preach such beliefs for too long?¡±


    ¡°Because I have a family now. Isn¡¯t it natural to do that?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve lived too long. Years became months and days like weeks. Tell me, do you regret living life this long?¡±


    ¡°No, of course, I don¡¯t. I had all of you. There were times that made me want to despair, but when I have all of you by my side I felt alive.¡±


    ¡°I can say the same. Just let go, you always say that. Even in the end, we are together, isn¡¯t this the best for us?¡±


    ¡°It bothers me how lenient you are with this.¡±


    ¡°Einar, I have the second most sensitive senses here in our Oasis. Dermis, despaired and saw it as a chance to take his own life. How he could live when he had already lost his own reasons? Our soul could still live on for many years, but that is assuming we can survive this. Besides, the bond is there for a reason, and no matter what we will find each other. That¡¯s how the bond is. Or do you not believe in it?¡±


    ¡°The Old Man and her is the living proof of the bond. Still, to be parted with you just feels so wrong.¡±


    She smiles. ¡°You¡¯ve grown sweet. Ah, the days where you barely notice.¡±


    ¡°I was a fool, but I wizen up.¡±


    Rubina stared at him. ¡°I am afraid. You can see it.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I do.¡±


    ¡°But I believe that we will find a way.¡±


    ¡°I do as well. That¡¯s why I spend most of the time here in Oasis with our family now. Camilla, she had already accepted what it there to come. I think she thinks she¡¯s already in heaven. Besides, who said we are giving up? If we can do something when she comes to this place then we¡¯ll do something. We¡¯ll fight, but until then stay with us. Worry not about the future, but remain in the present with us. That¡¯s all I ask from you, my Einar.¡±


    ¡°When did you become so strong?¡±


    ¡°I was always strong. I had to be. I don¡¯t want to lose to the fear of her arrival. And I understand that she will choose what a mother¡¯s choice would do. I know because if I am to be placed in her position. I too would pluck out my babies from this suffering they don¡¯t deserve. No mother would stand this kind of evil.¡±


    Einar wished that they had the power. But it was simply beyond them. They had the time but not even that was enough to pull the babies out of the pods. Taking them from the pod would mean death unless he or she can sustain the infants. And when the infants are out of their pods then the end of the world would come.


    The world that they inhabit would wither away instantly into the void. Einar could tell that it was the end. That the War Maiden, the Burnt Woman would not fail.


    Einar shook the thoughts away from his head. He turned his attention to the house he built. The community that he helped flourish into something worthy to be called a paradise for a few. It was the Oasis reborn.

 Chapter 296: Roses Burn At the End

    Sula breathed in and out. She let her gaze travel on the barren world burned by fire. It has been years since her blood-brother left. No, they disappeared and never came back.


    The world turned into nothing but a landscape of ashes. The world despite how enormous it was could not contain the sheer amount of power released by the Eon-Father and the Burnt Woman. The ocean was evaporated and the constant flash floods and destruction of the land have turned the land into an uninhabitable wasteland.


    The Gods had abandoned them. None of them were able to repel this apocalypse. They could only run from this battle and hope that they could survive.


    That¡¯s what she did when all of this started.


    ¡°Aria?¡± She called to the Knight Maiden of Roses. There was no one other than her in this ash made of a hill. Overhead of her was a burning mountain and an ocean that was formed recently by the Eon-Father. However, the power of the Burnt Woman did not stop growing in the time they had been fighting. Sula had seen mountains thrown and split apart. She saw the rain and storm of the Eon-Father split apart. She had seen things that she would have not believed. The stars that broke as they clashed. The sky that was filled with thousands of stars from a distance creating a myriad of lights that she could never imagine. How much of a speck she was in this universe?


    ¡°Insane,¡± said Sula, lifting her half-broken body. She dragged her flatten left leg and traveled her gaze to the fallen. The Knight of the Roses banner stood proudly on the side. She felt an overwhelming sense of pride as she saluted the banner she had served for years.


    ¡°Time does fly when you don¡¯t notice it,¡± she paced on the place where a shield still held. That shield had the symbols of rose and the one holding it stood her ground.


    ¡°Oh, Aria, my sister, you are made of steel,¡± Sula said, bowing her head in front of the Rosen Knight.


    Sula took the shield from Aria and laid her body on her arms. She closed her eyes that did not have the look of someone who knew that she did. No, even in death she won¡¯t give up. That¡¯s what she was and Sula hated it that she had not met her sooner. She was someone who she would die for.


    ¡°Bloods,¡± she sat cross-legged next to Ari. ¡°O blood that dwells within me. Heal thy body.¡±


    Blood seeped out of her pore. The blood, however, did not wrap around her body like how it should. It only went back to her body, making her cough a mouthful of blood. Sula took the straps of body armor and pluck it away. She held her stomach and saw a fragment of rock that was stuck on the lower side of her left rib. She wasn¡¯t feeling the pain, but she knew that it was too late for her.


    ¡°Oh, looks like this is the end? With my sisters by my side? Ah, what a glorious way to go then,¡± she stopped herself from tending to her wound. ¡°O blood father, I shall offer thy lifeblood into your hands.¡±


    She lowered her head. She pulled her dagger and cut her hair short, tying that hair around her wrist. She took all the pieces of her armor and watched as the figure of the burnt woman appeared in the sky. The Eon-Father, whose light of power was dimmer than ever. While the Burnt Woman who was gathering such power just by appearing.


    ¡°IT IS NOT TOO LATE FOR YOU.¡±


    ¡°I HAVE NO WORDS TO SPEAK. YOU WILL PAY FOR WHAT YOU HAVE DONE. YOU HAD NO RIGHT. I DON¡¯T CARE FOR YOUR PETTINESS.¡±


    The Burnt Woman simply extended her power-wrought hand. The Eon-Father was instantly pierced by the light that came out from the stars.


    ¡°YOU REPRESENT THE STORM WHILE I REPRESENT FIRE. I WAS HERE BEFORE YOU FOOL. I AM THE BURNT WOMAN. I AM THE CORE OF THIS WORLD AND YOU CHOOSE TO BATTLE ME IN MY BODY. IN MY PLANET?¡±


    She drove the spikes of light to the Eon-father. The sun itself became her weapon as it wrapped around the figure of the Eon-Father.


    ¡°YOU KNOW NOTHING.¡±


    ¡°Then you underestimate me,¡± said the Burnt Woman. This time Sula saw her manifest in her true form. A beautiful woman with golden hair with eyes of red. She wore a dress that seems like it was worn out. Sula did not understand why a woman this powerful would wear such a plain dress.


    ¡°How beautiful.¡±


    The Burnt Woman floated above the air with the myriad of galaxies behind her. The sun which was the brightest among the galaxies that seem to gather around him continued orbiting around her. A stream of power was being drained out of the Eon-Father.


    ¡°Stop this!¡±


    His voice no longer held no power.


    ¡°Stop? I had devoured most of you. You are the only one left other than the bystander. Where is the obsidian flower?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s no longer here. I have taken her to the next world.¡±


    ¡°She has grown powerful and you choose to send her away. How typical of you.¡±


    She pulled the power out of the Eon-Father. The storms that raged died out. The sun took out the clouds and what was left was a world burning. Sula could feel her life being drained away. All she could see was the life force of the planet being taken away.


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    She saw the Burnt Woman turned her way. A tower rose behind the Burnt Woman.


    ¡°You are alive, I¡¯m sorry that you have to go through this hell. But, I will not speak any excuses. Rest now, warrior, you will all be reborn in a place not like this. This I promise with my whole heart.¡±


    Sula saw the Burnt woman pull the tower of mirage from the depths of the world. She saw how the world became like the stars with only the tower and the burnt woman existing.

 Chapter 297: The Fear of Death

    He opened his eyes and saw a pale face. The curve of her face and those worrying eyes. He was sure that it was Ciara.


    ¡°Ah, why am I awake?¡±


    ¡°I did it.¡±


    Her eyes had turned red. Her hair was like the shine of the moon on a pond. Nolan lifted his body and clenched both hands. He felt no strength in his body. The strength that allowed him to take on monsters had been deprived of him. He transferred his gaze on her.


    ¡°I had to take all of your strength in hopes to make you live longer. I had tried to take a part of my soul, but you seem to reject it. All I could do was take what was burdening you into me. As you can see, I¡¯ve regained some semblance of my appearance.¡±


    He stared at her. ¡°You made me into a human?¡±


    ¡°You still have Kaiser¡¯s physique integrated into your soul. But your body would fall apart sooner or later. It¡¯s not like I can do anything about it either. This is all I can do.¡±


    ¡°You look stronger,¡± he scanned her.


    ¡°I did take your abilities from you. That boosted my power into such a state that I could probably take on the overlord of demons without breaking a sweat. Not enough to defend against the Burnt Woman. She¡¯s coming here so I have to assume that she has defeated the Eon-Father.¡±


    Nolan laughed. ¡°How can she be so strong?¡±


    ¡°The ritual that had allowed her to incarnate all the War Maidens into one body had made her strong. That eternity had allowed her demigod of a body to become even more. The mastery of runes and the knowledge of all the war maidens before her, had given birth to a Maiden of War. I had guessed that it might be because she had taken her persona. You could say that I am the Burnt Woman as well. If we met then she¡¯d probably overpower me in an instant. This body will belong to her as well.¡±


    Nolan looked down. ¡°Is there anything we can do?¡±


    Ciara shook her head. ¡°No. Maybe we would have stood a chance if your main fragment was here. But right now we are helpless. We are a boat in the middle of the storm.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Nolan scoffed. ¡°Just go gently into the night? No, I don¡¯t want that.¡±


    ¡°Nolan,¡± Ciara held his hand. ¡°Sometimes...you have to let it go.¡±


    ¡°You are going to die.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡±


    ¡°It matters to me.¡±


    Ciara smiled at him. ¡°I told you already. I regret dying without you by my side. This is a better ending for us.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s stupid,¡± he snarled. ¡°Don¡¯t die because of someone like me. You¡¯re thinking crazy, Ci.¡±


    ¡°I am. If there was hope then I would have done something. I do not give up easily. Even if it means marching to hell as long as a slither of hope remains I will do it. But I can¡¯t help what is coming to this Oasis. Nolan, even now I can feel the worlds tremble at her step. There are about thousands upon thousands of worlds in this tower of nimrod alone. She will come.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like this.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to like the storm. You just gotta go through the storm.¡±


    Nolan bit his lower lips. ¡°This isn¡¯t like you at all.¡±


    ¡°Regrets, I have too many regrets. Isn¡¯t it natural that I wanted nothing more than to spend the last hours of my life with my beloved? We¡¯ve lived long lives this time. Better than such a short time we were together. Honestly, this is your fault as well.¡±


    ¡°How is it my fault you¡¯re acting so weird?¡±


    ¡°Weird? What is wrong with loyalty? Do you find it that odd for someone to be loyal to their beloved?? Or do you think that only men can do that?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Nolan denied. ¡°I just don¡¯t want you to die.¡±


    ¡°This is coming from a man who thinks death as nothing. I once died too you know?¡±


    ¡°I just have someone to lose this time. I¡¯m afraid of what would happen now. When I died I was always alone. I had nothing to lose in those moments. Now, I have you and this scares me. Look at me, I should be stronger than this,¡± his hand shook madly, his tears wetting his palms. ¡°We¡¯ve lived long enough that it is a blessing. But I have lived long enough without worrying about death; that when it finally comes I am left horrified by the thought of it. I was so used to surviving that this is haunting me to death. Or is this because I¡¯ve turned human because of what you did? I don¡¯t understand. I shouldn¡¯t be fearing like this.¡±


    Nolan had let himself become hard that he forgot to be soft. The thought of not being able to do anything was a horrifying thought to him. He wanted to fight. He didn¡¯t want to give up, but the reality of the Burnt Woman was going to happen. She will not stop in her goal to take her children back. If there was goodness in the Burnt Woman. Then she would desire to save her children.


    He couldn¡¯t hate her. They were his children as well. He could remember helping the Burnt Woman give birth to them in that cold cave. Their soft cries were something he could not forget.


    ¡°Can we escape into that hill?¡± Ciara asked. ¡°For one last time, I hope that we can dance to our hearts. Or we can join their hopeless effort in trying to fight back. Everyone is gearing up to fight the Burnt Woman. Some want to convince the Burnt Woman for salvation, but I don¡¯t think she will have any of those thoughts. After all, she would understand how they are using her children as a wall to protect them from the beasts of this world.¡±


    She stood up in front of his bed. She looked down at him with a pale shine around her.


    ¡°Nolan. Are you going to fight to the death or will you spend your last hours with me?¡±


    Nolan opened his mouth and closed it. He held her hand, and they left the house.

 Chapter 298: A Mother’s Anger

    If there was anything that she felt when she entered the tower of nimrod. It was hate. She hated all of it. A world that compresses worlds in one single tower in a single space. To develop this kind of tower was the same as manipulating reality to the point of creating a new bauble, a world that belonged to the Eon-Father.


    He was trying to create a whole world for himself, a world where he ruled supreme with his own rules. To do that he was trying to test my children into becoming the cores of the world, she thought. But by what right does he have to capture them and turn into a source of power? Two innocent infants forced to become a holder o many worlds! By what right did he have to take my children from me? By what right?


    When she landed into the worlds. She heard the cries of her children. Their painful moans that continue to echo. The worlds itself were continuously expanding and by making use of the tower as a catalyst for growth and her children as fuel


    The pain of being ripped apart without even knowing they are being ripped apart. What kind of monster would device such bastardy? How dare he? How dare they make use of my son and daughter!


    ¡°Stop!¡±


    She saw the deities of many worlds come down. She smiled. ¡°So this is where you were hiding?¡±


    ¡°You fool! What have you done!?¡±


    The Burnt Woman moved her finger. The deity who said that word had his body pierced by the sun¡¯s light. The sun extended and stabbed the deity until his soul became food for the Burnt Woman. She grabbed the other deities. ¡°Here you are leeches, improving your powers by making use of MY children. MM BLOOD. MY BELOVED. HOW.DARE.YOU.ALL.¡±


    The deities who tried to act were instantly enveloped by the sun¡¯s light.


    Their bodies burned into ashes. The deities immediately returned to their human form without a scratch. This time she held their souls and continued burning them. Their life force continuously flowing in her body. Their memories of cultivating their power in this world made her head go blank. She lashed her power and immediately split worlds apart.


    She calmed herself and looked at the sundered wasteland she instantly created. Her eyes went blank. This is what you are, a fool, a witch, a monster, a devil in disguise. This is what you are. It doesn¡¯t matter what you are. Just don¡¯t let them become like you.


    She moved to another world filled with those of the dead. Creatures that did not have any flesh on them. These creatures were abominations and the continuous. They were not given any rest. One of them resembled someone who she thought dear. A Revenant that still lived but has lost his mind.


    ¡°Rest now, Revenant.¡±


    But why!?


    Tell me, what did I do wrong?


    Even if you had abandoned me, I would always have loved you.


    If this is the only way, then at least let me look at you.


    I just wanted to protect you¡­what is so wrong about that?


    I know that that I am a creepy bastard that can¡¯t take a hint for thirty-years. But what¡¯s so wrong with wanting to love? I just want to give my life to the one who will save the world? What¡¯s so bad about that?


    The Burnt Woman recalled the barely breathing Knight of hers. The one who followed her in a repetition of time. She had planned the loop to fully utilize the chance. She was planning to lure the time wraiths and devour them. When she has them devoured she would be able to pursue true power. She did. She had spent uncountable years to develop her powers. Yet in he stayed the same. There were times where he wasn¡¯t part of the loop. There were times where he would appear later but in the end, it''s always the same. The same tear-filled face. The same dying body that has forgotten when to give up. It took her a long time to make him hate her. And only when she had revealed some of the darkness that was inside of her. Still, she believed that he was the same. The Old Revenant who waited for the Pale Shine Lady. The Knight that stood up to her. She was the Burnt Woman. Even in the many times that she had tried to manipulate him. The times where she made him do her bidding. The blind fool was loyal, not knowing, that she was just someone who was a greater part of the woman he fell in love. He was someone who loved deeply. She couldn¡¯t hate that.


    Ah, I really did fell¡­I guess that¡¯s it.


    She was resolute in this belief of hers. That man had left this bauble and returned to his home. A home that he belonged. It was his right and his reward after enduring so much. Still, there were large parts of her that wanted to see him again. Even if she had no right after what she had done.


    ¡°This is different,¡± she said. ¡°This is not about me, it was never about me or him. This is about two babies crying their hearts out. Against their will. Against anything. I don¡¯t want them to cry. I don¡¯t want to hear them cry. I may not be a good person, but I will not let someone who has done nothing wrong to feel this pain because of me.¡±


    She couldn¡¯t let go. She did not dare to let go. She fought the Gods and destroyed worlds for the sake of her goals. It was never about her wants or desire. It all changed the moment she heard the voices of her children inside that cold cave. To use them. To exploit them was worthy of her anger. For the sake of her children, the Burnt Woman would destroy anyone. No one in the world could stop her from rescuing them.


    Her will was fueled by anger and despair. The anger of what they had done and the despair of not being able to rescue them sooner.


    ¡°Rory, Eira, mother¡¯s coming!

 Chapter 299: Gently, into that good night

    ¡°I will be coming with you,¡± he said.


    That made her happy. Her heart jumped as she dragged him around. Some peddlers sold many things in the Oasis despite the incoming storm. Like them, they had let go of their desire to fight. They were not cowards who dared not to fight. But just tired people who had lived long enough. Immortality was beautiful and sad. They had seen so many beautiful things, and have felt painful things. They simply wanted to give it up.


    If the Burnt Woman was not coming. If she would not destroy them at the mere sight of the barriers that protect them. They would have honest hope. But if she could destroy the Eon-Father who had reigned for how many years, then what chances do they have?


    She wasn¡¯t fond of giving up hope. That was not her. She would rather die than give up hope. She would let herself be torn to pieces if it means there was hope. But her thoughts were twisted and knotted by such desires to keep on going. Such thoughts were harmful, destructive, and was beyond her. She had reached out to that pale shine inside of her. Not for becoming stronger, but for the hope that he would live a little longer. That was her desire and that was what she followed.


    She had saved the world. She had done her best to be selfless. Now that she thought about it, it wasn¡¯t about duty, it was about her desire to do good. She knew how cruel the world was but that didn¡¯t stop her from trying to make it better. She knew how hard it was. She simply didn¡¯t want to let it happen to others. But this time she only wanted one thing, and that was time.


    ¡°So much time wasted,¡± she said inwardly. ¡°I could have done something. I could have noticed. I should have settled down in one of those worlds. But I know that I had already said my word. Oh, Nolan, you are too good, you would tolerate my desire to save the children. If you had asked. I would have done so. I wished for it but again I was too foolish to see it. We have to much time but I choose to continue, and you choose to do so because of my wish. You followed me because this is what I wanted and you too wanted to save them.¡±


    She stopped on her track and looked up at the hill that was uncovered by the lost. When they discovered this place there was a particular hill that stood out. They built the houses around this hill and it was a place where those who wanted to be alone could see the whole of the New Oasis.


    She led Nolan and walked this path they have created. Her heart almost stopped when she felt the energy that came from Nolan. His soul was trembling, shattering, and the power she kept was holding it back. She thought it would last but it seems like it was too weak. No, his soul was helpless after enduring so long. All those time he had fought and used his soul to protect and survive. He was damaging his own soul. Souls would last for many years, going into the cycle of reincarnation until this soul breaks apart. But his continued use of his power had made him weak, and it didn¡¯t help that he was simply a fragment. But it did not matter to her. Fake or not he was Nolan Salvatore, the fool who followed her in that past.


    They arrived on top of the hill that overlooked the New Oasis. Ciara felt the wind on her forearms, neck, and her face. The smell of the wind was fresh and from this place, she could see the people who were not going to go gentle into that good night. The braves ones would kick and scream no matter what. She saw Einar and his family readying themselves to that end. It won¡¯t matter to the Burnt Woman if other children would be here. Only one glance at the barrier and she would lose to her anger.


    ¡°Ciara?¡± Nolan weakly said.


    Ciara stared at him. His soul was like an hourglass with its sand dissipating into nothing.


    ¡°This is familiar, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the same hill and they even placed a bench here,¡± he said. ¡°Let¡¯s take a seat, no, how about a dance first?¡±


    She smiled. He took her hands and with their fingers interlocked. They danced slowly to the rhythm of the wind. Her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat that was acting as a step. Ciara let go at this moment. She did not think of the incoming storm. All she wanted was to savor this. Let her have a better ending than her taking her own life at his grave.


    ¡°I¡­am sorry. I couldn¡¯t give you a happy ending.¡±


    ¡°No, I am happy. You did your best, for a mortal.¡±


    ¡°Yes, a mortal. That¡¯s what I am. Hey, did this knight of yours did well?¡±


    ¡°The best there is, there is no Knight that I would rather have. I would split on anyone who¡¯d call you a nobody. You are my hero, my eternal knight.¡±


    His shirt was wet. The sun that once swayed with them turned black. Ciara looked up and saw a woman reflected in the sky, floating, looking down on the place where her children were. Ciara tightened her embrace, her body shook madly, and her heart hurt so much.


    ¡°I did well?¡±


    ¡°You did.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­I am yours forevermore.¡±


    ¡°I am yours, for eternity..¡±


    He leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. Within that dwindling light, Ciara saw Nolan¡¯s face. There was a smile that reached up to his ears. His faded eyes grew bright as the dark covers the once blue skies.


    ¡°See you, Ciara.¡±


    ¡°You as well, Nolan.¡±


    ¡°I love you.¡±


    ¡°I love you too, madly.¡±


    His smile faded into particles of light. His smiling face turning into dots of light that seems to climb up to the sky. Within the darkness, the tiny dots of light gave light to Ciara.


    On top of a hill, embracing a set of clothes within her arms. Ciara cried.


    Her voice thundering despite the fires that burned the Oasis.

 Chapter 300: Book 3 – Epilogue.

    The Burnt Woman lost sight of her anger the moment she saw the lines of power that covered this place.


    She brought out her power and the fire burned everything except the pods where her children were.


    She thought to bring herself near the pods when she saw a pale shine of light. Looking at the pale shine of light, she saw a woman whose pale hair and red eyes resembled her. She carried a white lance that brimmed with a compressed of power.


    ¡°The Lady of the Pale Shine Pass¡­why are you here?¡±


    Her white lance instantly broke through and tear through time. The Burnt Woman raised her guard and defended herself from the pale light that was invisible to the naked eye.


    ¡°Your poor child,¡± the Pale Shine Lady said to herself. ¡°To reach out to the Pale Light in hopes of salvation. You are a liar, Ciara Salvatore, you are a liar. In the end, you cannot give up on hope. That¡¯s not you, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Who are you to speak my name?¡±


    ¡°Your name?¡± She snarled. ¡°Why does the Burnt Woman take on this body¡¯s name? Oh, you nameless child, how can you lie so badly?¡±


    The Burnt Woman did not reply with words, but with power. The Pale Shine Lady complied with power as well.


    ¡°You are fire, while I am light. I am the gentle shine, while you are a raging torrent. I will not last. But in accordance with the soul that has wished for hope. I shall fulfill Ciara Salvatore¡¯s wish.¡±


    ¡°Another fragment of mine?¡±


    The Pale Shine Lady summoned her white lance. She sang a song and the world seems to awaken. The stars shone behind her back, combating the sun that the Burnt Woman had summoned.


    ¡°Why? I just want my children back.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± said the Pale Shine Lady. ¡°But a selfless child had finally given in. She had given in the desire that had wonderfully kept even inside the abyss. Such a pitiful child who could not fall. This is her wish and I hope you can defend.¡±


    Ciara tried to bend the light. It didn¡¯t work. She pulled on the strings of power and tried to weave a spell. But that didn¡¯t work either.


    ¡°You bend reality but I see you. Because of light, you can see. And because of the light, you can control. But I AM the light. The Pale Shine of light that you looked up to. The moonlight that soothes the weary traveler.¡±


    ¡°DO NOT GET IN MY WAY.¡±


    ¡°Hush, child.¡±


    Her white lance conjured a thousand spears of light. Each spear contained the force to break the world. Ciara caught all of them and disposed of them. Her body burned with power and her rage grew. She grabbed hold of the sun and used it to swat away the Pale Shine Lady.


    The Pale Shine Lady broke through many mountains. She lifted herself, caught the Burnt Woman¡¯s blow, and returned it with a push that almost buried the Burnt Woman into the core of the world.


    ¡°You are too late,¡± she said. ¡°Too late, as usual.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± The Burnt Woman wiped her mouth.


    ¡°Did you think that they would allow them to live? You created your children with your power. Did you think that the Observer, the one who knows you so much would not expect this?¡± She pointed at the pods. The pods were covered with bright flashes.


    ¡°YOU DARE.¡±


    The Pale Shine Lady slapped down Ciara on the ground. She sang. ¡°I sing the song of power and conquest.¡±


    A great force weighted over The Burnt Woman. Her eyes became the sun as she tried to overpower the power of the Pale Shine Lady.


    ¡°Do not be so rough. I am only a phantom summoned. I am the granter of power to this poor soul. You didn¡¯t know that they were nothing but just the hearts of your children? Look around, Burnt Woman. There is nothing but the motherless in the fire you created.


    She turned her eyes into the place where the settlement was. A young girl held a toy while crying in her mother¡¯s embrace. Her skin burnt and her life dwindling as her cries were muffled by the fire around her.


    ¡°I will not seek forgiveness.¡±


    ¡°Of course you won¡¯t,¡± said the Pale Shine Lady. ¡°You are the Witch of the End, the Machina, the destroyer of worlds. You are driven by the fire of your heart. To tell you that you are wrong is nothing short but a hypocrite. I shall tell you this, you have come for nothing. This poor child had seen the children and had given them an escape. You will find their physical and spiritual body here. Ciara Salvatore, the War Maiden and Song Maiden of mine had saved before you could. You will find nothing here other than the world you burned.¡±


    ¡°YOU LIE!¡±


    This time the spear of fire took the left side of the Pale Shine Lady.


    ¡°It seems that I¡¯ve come to an end.¡±


    The power that wrought her suddenly disappeared. She fell on the burnt world with a thud. The Burnt Woman immediately pounced to the pods only to see nothing but the remnants of the hearts of her children. The Burnt Woman¡¯s rage grew. She pounced to the vessel of the Pale Shine lady with a spear made of the sun.


    ¡°You!¡±


    The woman looked like her. The Burnt Woman tried to take her soul but there was a refusal. Her soul rejected this woman¡¯s soul.


    ¡°Nolan¡­I¡¯m coming. I did good, as well. I tried too.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying?¡±


    The Burnt Woman peered through her mind and saw this woman¡¯s dance. Her pain, her sorrows, and heartache. The Burnt Woman tried to take it all, for her, but she couldn¡¯t. The light of the Pale Shine Lady guided her soul into a milky path made of stars.


    ¡°Wait!¡± She said, crawling to a stand. ¡°Please, please, no!¡±


    The path disappeared. But what was left in this burned world, was the figure of a woman who ruled nothing. In the crumbling world, she stood unable to do what she came here for, she reached out, crying, ¡°Save me.¡±


    Chapter 300: The Pale Shine¡¯s fury.


    END OF BOOK 3

 Chapter 301: Book 3 Interlude – The Lonely God

    It was dark and silent. There are a few stars that didn¡¯t make it so lonely. No, not that it matters? She thought. The world¡¯s damage to the core, and there can only be death.


    What did it mean? What was all this suffering for? Nothing, just nothing at all! They looked to me as if I was a devil! She screamed inside this void. The stars looked back at her. They offered nothing other than their silent stare.


    Another world burned. She had seen worlds destroyed but this time she had driven the blade to the heart of the world. This bauble belonged to her solely and nothing else.


    I just want them back. What¡¯s so wrong about that? I just want them back with me.


    She was painfully aware of what her powers were. But she was far from true creation, and she was never the Mother of Creation. All she had was the strength to destroy worlds. What was the point of hands that could only destroy?


    What did the Burnt Woman want from the very start? Where did it all come from? She could recall the image of the Knight that trusted her back. The Knight that granted him power.


    Knight of Salvatore. He named himself that, but he never returned. That sowed hatred to that Knight. Still, she understood only later that he was killed by Kaiser in that timeline. That alone made her toy with the man who did not know what he was wronged for. He was clueless as ever not even when he had been killed too much.


    She fell hard. That was all she could say. Or was it all the emotions of the incarnations working her way into her heart? No, she wouldn¡¯t be so desperate to have a family.


    Did she know in that instance how little time she had? Still, floating in a space where she was all alone? Was this all she had in this? What was the point of fighting so hard until now?


    That was something she did not understand at all. Did she even want to be this powerful? What was the point of power when everything around her did not exist?


    She was not asking for forgiveness. She was not looking for anyone to tell her that she was not wrong. She knew what did and wanted to do it. Truthfully, what the Burnt Woman wanted was the comfort of a home.


    The image of her mother smiling in a burning stake. The smile of that knight who dedicated his life to protecting her. The unwillingness of a man who lost to this world, fighting with all he had. And finally, the birth of her children in that frosty cave.


    The feeling of their soft skin, and their lovely giggles. The way they sleep into her arms lovingly. That warmth and softness all lost into the gentle night. All because of the power she had. The power that she was born with. The power that she claimed for herself and tore the world with.


    It was not a lie that she wanted to save the world. That she had gone through many timelines to save a world that hated her and treated her like a cursed woman.


    But what did it matter to a world that does not exist?


    This is my prison.


    She said to herself as the power within her rumbled. She did not know why she felt voices in that place. The bauble that was her prison was pierced. Beyond that bauble she saw a world different from hers, but still the same. She wanted to reach that world where people were alive, but she chooses not to. No, she pulled her hand in fear of what her hands could do. This sinful hands of hers that destroyed worlds for the sake of her own.


    And so the Burnt Woman broke. The woman who would face gods and monsters broke at the emptiness of the void. She sat on a rock that floated still amid this black. She held her head and sat on the corner of this rock with body shaking sobs coming out of her.


    It was silent. There was no air and yet she still lives. Not even this vacuum could kill her now. When she sat on this rock a field was formed around her. The wind finally came and the feeling of it came back to her skin. She raised her head, tears still wetting her cheeks, and eyed the world that she would not go.


    The bauble sustained her being, continuously strengthening her power. With no living being alive around her, she absorbed what this bauble could give her. The more power she got there was still no chance she would reach the true creation.


    However, the illusions she produced did not soothe her. There was no life in them, no beating in their hearts. The screams of a million souls screaming at her at the cost of producing the illusion she wanted. They were like fireflies that gathered like a swarm to escape the world that she had burned. Every single soul escaping to the next world where they might be returned. A soul stood in front of her, accompanied she assumed was his family. The soul had the image of that young man who she met on that tower, and he nodded his head in farewell. He bore no hate and continued to move forward.


    She held that hole until all of them escaped from this world. When the hole of the bauble snapped back into place there was only a soul-crushing silence that remained. The stars twinkled brightly as the silence called. But in this world, there was a singular existence that stood


    In this bauble, there was only one beating heart.


    In this bauble, there was only one soul.


    In her rock, there was only one cry that resounded.


    In this world, there was a sad voice that echoed all alone.


    None would hear her.


    For in this bauble of a world there was only one that ruled a world of nothing. A world devoid of life where silence ruled.


    In this world, there was a lonely god.


    karsev

 Chapter 302: Book 4 – Prologue.

    Arel had swept the beach of seashells and the likes in hopes to gather anything useful. It was beautiful, the sun-kissed ocean, and the whole of it reflecting light, shining as far as he could see. The wind called not far and beyond this was a lonesome Golem made of earth with a tree on top of its head.


    He swept his gaze again. The sand under his feet. The breeze from the ocean caressing his face. It was then that he saw a figure lying on his back. He ran to this person and watched. It was a young man, should be the same age as him, whose head was gray, and wore clothing that did not match the town¡¯s particular brand of clothing.


    Arel pulled this man out of the water. He listened in to his chest and heard his heart beating. That made him sight in relief. ¡°Okay, wait here,¡± he said to the unconscious man. He ran to the nearest port. He saw Bach, tall, muscular, bearded, and certainly broad-shouldered, resting.


    ¡°We have a situation!?¡± Arel said. ¡°Someone drifted!¡±


    ¡°What!?¡± Bach shouted. He ran with Arel.


    The two came back to where the man was and found the man still lying on his back. Bach took the man carefully with his broad arms and carried him steadily up the stairs leading to the open plaza where the church was. Arel opened the door, swooped in and saw Iris reading a book.


    ¡°Iris!¡± He demanded. ¡°Someone needs help!¡±


    She lifted her beautiful head and stared at the young man on Bach¡¯s arms. Her gentle expression turned firm as she led Bach to one of the free beds inside the church¡¯s clinic. The young man was laid on the white-sheeted bed. She placed both of her palms and sang a gentle song that manifested these tiny sprites in the air.


    ¡°Is he going to be okay?¡± Arel asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s in better shape than when you arrive here.¡±


    ¡°Do you think he fell from a ship? Or an airship?¡±


    ¡°He seems fine. I think the shock merely made him faint. He is quite sturdy.¡±


    Iris sang another song that manifested more sprites from the air. These sprites danced in circles around the young man and stopped when his eyelids started to twitch. He opened his eyes.


    ¡°Can you understand us?¡± Iris gently said.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Arel followed.


    The young man traveled his gaze on the burly Bach, then, he placed it in between Iris and Arel. He held his forehead and did not speak. Arel noticed that tiny nod he did, which made him think that the stranger could understand him.


    ¡°I am¡­Nolan, just Nolan.¡±


    Bach folded his arms. ¡°So, are you lost? Where did you come from?¡±


    He was taking it easy. Arel was surprised by how calm he was. Arel did not stay this calm. No, he felt like this man was too used to waking up like this. There was sadness in the way he moves his eyes. He couldn¡¯t understand why.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. What is this place?¡± He asked.


    ¡°This is the Island of Concordia.¡±


    ¡°What country?¡±


    They all looked at each other and smiled wearily. ¡°We want to know that as well.¡±


    The stranger nodded. ¡°I am lost it seems. I have no idea where am I or where to go. I don¡¯t think I can return home, no, not with this world.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s odd,¡± Arel thought.


    ¡°Do you know at least which part of the world is this?¡±


    ¡°We should be adjacent to the Land of the Alf¡¯s¡±


    ¡°Alf?¡±


    Bach gestured. ¡°They are the long-ears. Do you recognize them?¡±


    ¡°I think I do.¡±


    ¡°Then there is the Sieben Republic, then the Kingdom Roland, the Kingdom of Norm, and finally the Easterly Isle. This is the continent of Adon, and I think you are lost if you don¡¯t know any of these names.¡±


    He smiled depressingly. ¡°I am indeed lost. I think I owe you, people, now.¡±


    Iris glued her hands together. ¡°Do not worry, the Church has to watch over the lost. We understand that this was simply unavoidable. But it would help if we know what happened to you? Did your ship faced a storm like Arel here?¡±


    The stranger named Nolan turned to Arel. ¡°He¡¯s lost as well?¡±


    ¡°Well, not really,¡± Bach said. ¡°He¡¯s one of the farmers our island. He owns the abandoned ranch and has been making it work.¡±


    ¡°Barely,¡± Arel said. ¡°If you like then you can stay in the ranch if you want.¡±


    ¡°That would be kind of you,¡± Nolan said.


    ¡°Well, we got to help each other out.¡±


    ¡°So tell us,¡± Bach interjected. ¡°It might help us understand. Or is it hard to talk about? Arel here didn¡¯t remember until one good smack in the head.¡±


    ¡°I remember,¡± he started, ¡°falling from a high place. It was suddenly out of nowhere that the impact must have had knocked me out of my senses.¡±


    ¡°An airship maybe?¡± Bach guessed.


    ¡°Or a dragon?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t remember?¡± Iris asked, leaning forward.


    ¡°Forgive me, I don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± she replied. ¡°For now, how about we let the patient rest? Arel, Bach, can you let Nolan rest for a while?¡±


    ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll catch up to you, Nolan. For now, rest.¡±


    ¡°I will get you spare clothes,¡± Arel said. ¡°Looks like you¡¯d need one.¡±


    Nolan stared at them and bowed. ¡°Thank you, for being kind.¡±


    Arel went to the door and let them passed first. Iris went to the head of the church to report, while Bach sauntered away. Arel was about to close the door when he saw Nolan grabbed hold of his head. Silently, he sobbed with body-shaking sobs escaping from him.


    ¡°Why am I here? I thought I was supposed to be home? Why? What more do you want from me? I¡¯ve given everything.¡±


    Arel closed the door silently and looked up to the sky. There was nothing that he could do when faced with a man¡¯s sorrow. Some things should be left alone and somehow, his heart told him that he won¡¯t be able to console this stranger. It was a sadness that Arel did not understand.

 Chapter 303: The Island of Concordia

    Arel took the time to carry the clothes he thought would fit the stranger. The others were kind enough to give him spare clothes, and that it wasn¡¯t the first time they heard this request. He gave the clothes and sat on the staircase. The flowers of pink and purple swayed with the wind. The door opened behind Arel. The stranger was dressed in a brown jacket and pants.


    ¡°This is better,¡± he said while looking at the area. The pink tree probably had attracted his gaze.


    ¡°Beautiful isn¡¯t it?¡± Arel said.


    ¡°I can¡¯t disagree, indeed, it¡¯s so peaceful,¡± he looked at the view with a pained expression.


    ¡°Were you a soldier, Mister?¡±


    ¡°Just call me Nolan, please.¡±


    ¡°Arel.¡±


    ¡°Arel, yes, I think I was. But that¡¯s over now.¡±


    ¡°I understand. Many of us came here to forget as well. I was once too.¡±


    Nolan looked at him sadly. ¡°You looked younger than me.¡±


    ¡°The Former Empire was recruiting people like me. I was an Earth Meister, Sir.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°I can control the earth or at least some part of it.¡±


    Arel walked side to side with Nolan. They sauntered into a tree-lined street with leaves falling on top of them. He saw the blacksmith and her golem moving boxes. To the right, he saw the mansion of the noble house of the island.


    ¡°Are there only a few people here?¡±


    ¡°Oh, this is just one of the communities here. The other side of the island is populated by the people who have contact with the mainland. You could say this is place is more than a community where the lost usually ends up going.¡±


    Nolan nodded. ¡°Kinda fitting. So, where¡¯s your place?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s there.¡±


    He looked. The place was a two-storied building made of stone and brick. Behind this building was an open field with crops. The crops lined in rows. Arel thought about explaining the red fruit in his backyard. He was interjected.


    ¡°You¡¯re growing tomatoes?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you know them?¡±


    ¡°I think some of the flowers I¡¯ve seen are familiar to me. At least in this world.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a weird thing to say,¡± he chuckled, rubbing his foot on the pathway of his house.


    The house was silent except for the girl with a hat with a feather attached to it. She wore a beautiful smile that made Arel rub the back of his head


    ¡°Is he the new guy, Arel?¡±


    ¡°Ania, you should get down!¡±


    She giggled and let herself fall like a leaf swaying with the wind. She tumbled mid-air and landed on the ground while making a bow.


    ¡°She¡¯s Ania,¡± said Arel. ¡°She¡¯s a friend of mine that was stuck in this town as well. She usually helps out, but most of the time she just sits around.¡±


    Her eyes locked on to Arel. ¡°That¡¯s quite rude of you! Hey, ignore Arel, he¡¯s just grumpy about farm work. I heard of the newcomer so I thought to say hi.¡±


    ¡°Hello then,¡± Nolan said.


    ¡°Oh!¡± She said quite happily. ¡°You are quite handsome, Mister!¡±


    Arel looked at her, frowning. Nolan eyed Arel the smiled thinly. ¡°Are you a couple, you two?¡±


    Arel and Ania looked at each other with widened eyes. They looked back at him.


    ¡°No, not all,¡± they said.


    Nolan scratched his cheek. ¡°I guess that¡¯s that. So you¡¯re siblings? Two friends, who just grew together?¡±


    ¡°The former.¡±


    Nolan nodded. ¡°I see. Well, it¡¯s not my business. So where am I staying, now? What can I do to help?¡±


    Arel put a hand on his chin. ¡°Well, for starters, can you please prepare yourself? If I¡¯m right then Miss Vitoria and Miss Lucille should be coming. They¡¯d want to know who you are.¡±


    ¡°Who are they?¡± He asked quizzically.


    ¡°They act as the governing party. This island is ruled by her lady, Beatrice De Concordia.


    ¡°I see. I have to pay my respect then?¡±


    Ania butted in. ¡°So no returning to your home?¡±


    Nolan visibly squirmed. He looked down with shadows casting his face. ¡°It¡¯s impossible. I don¡¯t think I¡¯d see my home again.¡±


    Ania would have said something at that moment, Arel thought. But he saw despair and acceptance in his face. It was hard not to miss it when Nolan was trying his best to keep his face stolid. Everyone had their own hurt and pain that to speak was fruitless until he could understand that pain and hurt. Ania knew it. Arel knew that he wasn¡¯t willing to tell.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Ania said apologetically.


    ¡°No need,¡± Nolan said, keeping that forced smile on his face. ¡°I kinda accepted it now. When you live long enough then you¡¯d kinda just keep moving forward.¡±


    Ania tilted her head. ¡°You¡¯re not that old.¡±


    Nolan smiled. ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear that.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go in.¡±


    The three of them entered Arel¡¯s home. There was a bed hidden behind another section of the room. There were a table and a kitchen and a living room. It was quite a simple home for Arel. The three walked to the table. Arel went to get them coffee beans and placed three cups on the table.


    Nolan fidgeted around. Arel raised a brow here. ¡°Are you okay, Mister Nolan?¡±


    ¡°I am not used to this silence,¡± he said, rubbing the back of his head. ¡°I got used to trouble it seems.¡±


    Arel understood that. The peace of the island was overwhelming to the point that it made it seem like the war six years ago never happened. Arel traveled his gaze on Ania who sipped on her coffee. She shook her head and gestured without Nolan seeing it.


    ¡°So how about we start with helping me harvest the tomatoes while waiting for Miss Vitoria? She¡¯s usually busy so it will take her a while to come and visit. She would know that you¡¯d be with us.¡±


    Nolan sat his cup down for a second. ¡°I would love that. I¡¯d be willing to help if I can.¡±


    Ania skipped to where the baskets were. Nolan followed behind them wearing a calm yet tired look on his face. The sun kissed them and together the three started working on the fields witch baskets strapped on their backs.

 Chapter 304: Hurts and Pain

    Arel felt sweat run down his neck. Ania was fanning her self while the stranger, who should be in bed, was walking around the fields, completely harvesting all the tomatoes in the field. Arel had been on this island for four years. He lived the land and knew how to cultivate it. He risked and planted a lot this year, trying to challenge himself. But to think that the rows of tomatoes and crops he planted would be easily picked up today. It could say that this stranger was a blessing. Oh, he should really call him Nolan.


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Arel said, gladdened.


    ¡°It¡¯s no problem,¡± Nolan placed the basket down. ¡°This is a relaxing work for me. Far different from the usual things that I do.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re amazing. It was like this was nothing to you.¡±


    Nolan opened his mouth but closed it. ¡°If my body fails me now then I don¡¯t know what to say.¡±


    ¡°Well, you helped me, Nolan.¡±


    ¡°My pleasure,¡± he sat cross-legged, watching the plants. Behind the plans was the sun climbing down to rest at the bottom of the sea. The wind grazed the pink, purple and green trees on the edges of Arel¡¯s vision.


    ¡°This is a nice island.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡±


    Arel couldn¡¯t see Nolan¡¯s face when he said that. But, somehow, there was a somber mood that came at him at that moment. It was something that Arel felt wounding him as well. He recalled the war not too long ago. He was fighting for his life while making sure that he would stay alive. Ania was around so he wasn¡¯t that broke, and was able to leave with her when the war was done. They have survived and they came here on this island to find peace.


    ¡°I won¡¯t ask.¡±


    ¡°Ask what?¡±


    ¡°What makes you always have that look on your face.¡±


    Nolan laughed. ¡°And here I thought I was good at hiding it by now.¡±


    ¡°I think you are good at it. Maybe you have reached your breaking point.¡±


    Nolan sighs. ¡°I think you¡¯re right. I¡¯ve lost so much. I¡¯ve hurt and pained too much that the thought of this island bothers me. I fear that this is another rest in the storm. I hope it is not. I¡¯m so tired of running and fighting. I¡¯m so tired of losing people that I love again and again. I¡¯m done fighting with the best of all I have only for the world to pry it away from my hands. I¡¯m so tired, but the will in me refuses to sleep. Even after all these years, the thought of giving up and lying down scares me. Do you know why?¡±


    Arel thought and looked back at the war he fought. ¡°Because it would be a dishonor to the people who did not make it alive?¡±


    ¡°Yes, exactly, that¡¯s why I am afraid that putting my body down would dishonor them. I had my moments where I just broke. Hah, I don¡¯t even know why I¡¯m saying this to someone who I just met.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Arel said. ¡°I don¡¯t fully understand, but I think that I know that pain. It might be a little pain, but I understand some of it.¡±


    Arel continued, ¡°But we survive, and we owe it to those who we left behind where we are now. I sometimes asked why I wake up in the morning. Why do I bother to plow the fields? But, I think that there¡¯s still beauty in the world. And honestly, I think we¡¯re too tired to give up.¡±


    Nolan was painted by the sun. He looked at the sky without clouds. The moon appeared alongside its smaller red moon. The stars appeared like dotted white ink being pointed by a brush. Pink and purple leaves were blown away and the plants before them tilted.


    ¡°I think so too,¡± Nolan said, holding his head with his left hand.


    Arel looked at the ground. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re suffering too. I wouldn¡¯t even dare to presume that I can truly understand. But, I think you should not let it get to you too much.¡±


    Arel stood. He took the baskets with him inside the shed. He left Nolan alone in the field. He arranged the baskets, took the tomatoes and made sure that they were properly placed in the bin. Then, he heard the voice of two young ladies outside his door. He opened the front door and saw Lady Vitoria and Miss Lucille waiting. Lady Vitoria wore her outfit, a flowing fairy dress, two plated boots and her magic sword within her grasp. Alongside her was Miss Lucille, wearing her uniform, carrying a bag.


    ¡°Good day, Arel. I see that you are doing well. I¡¯ve heard of the stranger. Would you mind if we meet him? We have questions to ask him.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not a bother. Please go to the back to see him. He¡¯s watching the fields as we speak.¡±


    Lady Vitoria nodded and looked Arel straight in the eye. ¡°Do you think he should stay?¡±


    Arel looked up fore a second before aligning his eyes to hers. ¡°He helped me pick all the tomatoes today, milady. He was grateful and calm. I confirmed that he¡¯s a soldier, don¡¯t know which country, but I think he¡¯ll do fine. You could say that he¡¯s just like some of the people who fought in the Former Empire. I think he¡¯ll behave here.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Lady Vitoria fiddled with the pommel of her sword.


    Miss Lucille fondled her bag. ¡°I think we should ask him ourselves, Milady. We need to inform him of the rules if he¡¯s staying.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± she breathed. ¡°Arel, we¡¯ll be meeting him. Please excuse us.¡±


    They went around the house and walked to Nolan who was staring. Arel thought about listening in, but he instead walked away from the glass of the door and twisted on the living room¡¯s couch. Ania came in. She sat on the seat while twirling her earth wand.


    ¡°Are you done with the blessings?¡±


    She bobbed her head. ¡°I am. That went smoothly.¡±


    ¡°It did,¡± Arel said, looking outside the house. The sun had rested and all that was left was the moon and her little companion that orbits around her.

 Chapter 305: The Lost Can Rest

    Nolan saw two walking towards him. He stood up. The night was shining. The island had this mythical look around it. And two ladies who were like fairies was mystical to him as well. One thing particular about them was their elongated ears.


    ¡°Good evening,¡± he bowed.


    ¡°I wish you an evening as well,¡± said the woman who had the look of a noble.


    ¡°I am Nolan, just Nolan.¡±


    ¡°I am Vitoria De Concordia. This is Lucille, my assistant and a servant of House Concordia. I¡¯ve heard that you had recently entered our community. Is this correct?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Ma¡¯am.¡±


    ¡°Were you in an accident?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Where are you from?¡±


    ¡°Far away,¡± he laughed wearily. ¡°I don¡¯t think I remember it now.¡±


    She studied him. Nolan laid his eyes on her emerald eyes without flinching.


    ¡°I¡¯ve confirmed that you were a soldier. Do you remember what army did you serve?¡±


    ¡°The Army of Light,¡± he said, softly.


    ¡°The Army of Light?¡± Lucille said in the side. ¡°I do not know which army is this. Can you explain?¡±


    ¡°An expeditionary army.¡±


    Lady Vitoria waited as if he was going to say more. Nolan kept his silence and stared back. None of them gave up until Lucille continued.


    ¡°So do you not remember¡±


    Nolan shook his head. He smelled a wafting aroma coming from Arel¡¯s house. He turned to Lucille. She wore a silver short hair, a frilly dress resembling a maid¡¯s outfit, particularly a Victorian one. Her piercing silver eyes match her hair, and the moon behind her back was lovely.


    ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± Nolan lied.


    ¡°I see. Tell me, do you intend to stay on this island?¡±


    Nolan touched his chin. He looked at Lady Vitoria. ¡°It depends. I am used to not being wanted. Besides,¡± he looked around, ¡°the island makes me rather afraid.¡±


    ¡°Afraid?¡±


    ¡°That I¡¯m dreaming. That there¡¯d be an island this peaceful in the many universe.¡±


    Lucille said. ¡°Well, the island has been left untouched by external elements. I assure you that this island has been like this for hundreds of years.¡±


    ¡°That is good to know. I¡¯ve been here for only a while and I think I liked it. I¡¯ve always loved the ocean.¡±


    Lady Vitoria stared blankly, fiddling with her sword¡¯s hilt. ¡°Have you killed?¡±


    ¡°I did. Some deserved it, but most of the time I hated it with all of my being.¡±


    ¡°What is your race?¡± She asked.


    Nolan found it odd that she didn¡¯t ask for that sooner.


    ¡°I am a hybrid.¡±


    ¡°A hybrid?¡± Lucille asked.


    ¡°I have a dragon¡¯s strength and endurance and something else. But, I¡¯d like to be called a human.¡±


    ¡°Your age?¡±


    Nolan wearily smiled. ¡°I honestly don¡¯t know. I stopped counting at twenty-two.¡±


    Vitoria and Lucille looked at each. They turned towards him. ¡°You look young.¡±


    ¡°As the Alf¡¯s are.¡±


    ¡°So you are older than you look.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sadly, I am. But some parts of me are that of a dragon. That¡¯s why I call myself a hybrid.¡±


    Vitoria gestured Lucille. She took a handbook from Lucille, wrote on it, and handed it back to Lucille. She tapped the pommel of her sword and started.


    ¡°If you wish to stay on this island. I hope that you do not break any rules. Like any town or village, we have laws. I hope that you can follow the laws and live with us until your heart¡¯s desire.¡± She took her hand away from the hilt of her sword and offered it on him.


    ¡°This is a small community, Mister Nolan. If you wish we can give you a chance in the village the opposite of the Island. But we are lacking manpower. And I think Arel heavily appreciated your help.¡± There was a smile that bloomed on her. Lucille was neutral, but her calmness made Nolan wonder.


    ¡°I thought you¡¯d asked more questions, Milady.¡±


    She smiled softly. ¡°I would love to. But as we are sensitive to nature. I am sensitive to the woes of those who could not feel the calls of the earth mother. You speak with a heavy heart, Nolan. You are lost and you found yourself on this island. Arel was the same as you. But four years on this island had changed him. This island is welcome to those who are lost and had nowhere to go. I just hope that you do not break our hearts, Mister Nolan.¡±


    ¡®Oh, I won''t,¡± he said to them. ¡°You are giving me a chance. That is all I could ask now. I was worried that you might kick me out. But are you not doing so. And I am thankful for that, Lady Vitoria. This is the first time that I was saved while drowning in the middle of the sea.¡±


    He saw a smile on her face. She was looking at the moon. There was a shower of pink and blue that started to glitter when the moonlight hit it. ¡°This is truly praiseworthy,¡± she said. ¡°I hope that your stay on this island, it will be healing to you. The Island of Concordia has been always accepting strangers since my ancestors. This land once belonged to the Alf. Now, it is just a place for those who seek peace. I do hope that you would not break our trust, Mister Nolan.¡±


    She said and smiled. She sauntered away with Lucille and gestured goodbye. Nolan smiled wearily and rested his back on a tree. The tomatoes were harvested. There was a river of stars above and the red moon had a small object that circles the moon.


    ¡°I wonder if this will end?¡± Nolan asked. ¡°Being thrown away from one world to another? How many times I have died? I don¡¯t remember at all.¡±


    He had been on this journey for so long. He had seen things. He had done things. He was pained. He wished that there would be something he can do. He saw worlds being destroyed and false hopes. Still, Nolan wanted to believe that there was still hope along the way. That there was something more. That for once in his life that the world would give him peace. That there would be an oasis for him.


    He wished for it.

 Chapter 306: Old Monster

    Night. Nolan walked to an empty clearing when his instincts roared. He suppressed his instincts. He looked up and saw a blade aimed at his chest. A man with long dark blue hair thrusts his saber. Nolan didn''t act. The man didn''t pull back as the blade entered halfway into Nolan''s chest. Blood flew on his blade and he stumbled, falling on his bottom.


    "You!"


    Nolan stared. "What do you want from me?"


    The breeze carried his voice. The blue leaves of the trees shone with moonlight. The woman stood, pointed a finger on Nolan. Strings of flesh started to sew back Nolan''s flesh as if it was natural.


    "What are you!?"


    "Hybrid, a part human."


    "You lie!


    "It is the truth. Tell me, why do you attack me?"


    "I smell great spirits on you! Spirits that should only of the evils have! The townsfolk may not know but I can see through you! Tell me! I will protect this island!"


    "Do I look like a monster to you?"


    "Tell me!"


    Nolan stared blankly. His red eyes spiraling into the shape of a hawk screeching. The man stumbled again with his limbs trembling. His eyes shook and tears flowed down. But the grip on his saber was firm. He was ready.


    "Settle down, fool. I''m just an old monster that had lived too long."


    "I will not!"


    "I said settle down," Nolan reprimanded. "When you stab first before asking. Usually, it doesn''t end too well. I can see that you are afraid to the point you would do something this stupid. I am not a monster. At least, that''s what I like calling myself."


    He gave out a broken smile. The man still pointed his saber against Nolan.


    "I do not intend to kill. Not anymore. Not again. But if you wish to continue then you leave me no choice but to break your sword-arm. I will make sure that you won''t ever lift a sword or a saber in your entire life. I''ve let you stabbed me. I''ve let you get away with that because this is a new start for me. I will not let you sully it. No matter how much of a monster you sense of me."


    His saber rattled. His legs shook. Nolan could see that the man was just a kid who had barely seen battle in his life.


    "Please," Nolan begged.


    The young man sheathed his saber. "Can you please take your eyes away?"


    Nolan closed his eyes and opened it. The eternal hawk screeching on his eyes disappeared. The coldness that cooled the area vanished. The young man stared at Nolan and around his body.


    "What are you exactly?"


    "Hybrid. I wish I know what I am exactly."


    "You could have easily killed me, and avoided that."


    Nolan clenched his fist. "You were watching me intensely. I''ve felt you when Lady Vitoria and Miss Lucille was here. You should not stare too much or your enemies will seek you."


    He continued staring, hands still on his saber. "Did you move here to wait for me?"


    "Yes, I wanted to know. Who knew that I would be stabbed. Hah," Nolan laughed like a broke record. "I guess it didn''t take a day to break this peace. So what now? Should I leave? Swim away? It seems like you don''t welcome me here. Oh, I''m sure that no one would want some monster here, aha."


    "No, I just-"


    "Just what? You stabbed me in the chest, lad. That''s one way of saying that you don''t want me here."


    "I just want to know if you are a threat!" He bellowed. "I thought you''d be able to easily dodge that too!"


    Nolan smiled wearily. He held his head and pulled on his hair. He felt awful being called a monster. But considering what he had done he thought that he deserved it. He had done things he was not proud of, but still, he wanted to be human. That was the only bit of normalcy that he had. He was tired. So tired that he could just sleep for years. But he held on to that broken light inside of him.


    "Just forget it," Nolan said. "I''d leave if that pleases you. I don''t want any trouble. Not any longer."


    "No, please wait," he said. "I am Kuhn, and I hope that you forgive me for this atrocious act."


    "What now?" Nolan snorted. "I thought I was a monster."


    "I was wrong."


    "Don''t judge too quickly."


    ''No," he said shaking his head. "A monster would have ripped my heart out. But you didn''t, Sir. You held back. No monster would show mercy."


    "Then you are even more foolish. I could be waiting for you to turn me back."


    ''No, I don''t think you will, Sir."


    "Why''s that?"


    "I have not seen a monster with a pained expression like yours, Sir."


    Nolan scoffed. "Is that so?"


    "Yes, please, let us start over. I was too hasty."


    Nolan stretched his legs to Kuhn. "You. Do not try this on anyone. Promise me, if you are a man of your word."


    "I will. I see my mistake."


    "I don''t think you do. You are lucky that you have struck me and not anyone else. Is there a reason you want to wield a weapon so badly on an island this peaceful?"


    "That''s because it is too peaceful that I wanted to protect it," he looked ashamed.


    "I see, Well, next time don''t try to stab people who have dangerous auras around them."


    Kuhn stared at him. "Sir, I could not feel your spirits."


    "It''s Nolan. It''s an innate syndrome. The Walker''s Syndrome which is my curse. I can see that you''re able to sense it. I was careless."


    "Mister Nolan," he said softly. "Again, I hope that you can forgive me for what I had tried to do."


    "It''s nothing, really. If I didn''t have this body then I''d be over for me."


    "I heard that you were washed ashore here."


    "That''s right, but the sea''s dangerous," Nolan rubbed the back of his head. "Look, I am a tired person that just got here. I promised Arel that I''d helped around and I intend to honor that. You won''t find trouble for me. I just want a rest from my troubles and I vow that."


    Kuhn nodded without a sound. He turned to the sky and then looked back. "I will remember that and once again. Forgive me."


    Kuhn left to the trees. Nolan stared at the kid and grunted.

 Chapter 307: A Dragon’s Welcome

    ¡°CAN YOU HEAR ME, WALKER.¡±


    ¡°I can. That didn¡¯t take long.¡±


    ¡°COME MEET ME ON TOP OF THE SHRINE.¡±


    Nolan leaped and was instantly glided into the shrine not far from him. He landed on the stone path of the shrine and followed it until he was in a nest-like clearing. But what surprised Nolan was not the trees with crystal leaves. The dragon whose aged smile showed humanity. Nolan stopped for a second, before letting go of his desire to be on guard.


    ¡°Welcome to Concordia, Child of Terra.¡±


    ¡°Hello, Dragon?¡±


    ¡°Are you surprised?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Well, you shouldn¡¯t be. You should have seen dragons in your perpetual lifetime. I am Dalia, Guardian of Concordia, a dragon that rules the wind, time, and space.¡±


    ¡°Nolan,¡± he sat cross-legged. ¡°I am a walker.¡±


    ¡°Not going to attach ¡®bleak¡¯ to it?¡±


    Nolan looked up. ¡°I see that you know something.¡±


    ¡°I saw you fell there,¡± the dragon pointed above. ¡°The sky opened up and I heard the whispers of the eon-father and his incoming demise. That poor old fool. Hmm, welcome to the life of a perpetual, Nolan.¡±


    ¡°What do you know?¡±


    ¡°I know what I saw. I may say that your involvement within these loops in time had made you near my age. I do not pity you. Do you know why?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Because you got used to it.¡±


    Nolan smirked painfully. ¡°Well, that hurts me than it should. I thought I was going to be a nobody, but look am I, I even have to seal my rune weaving. This world¡¯s too peaceful or was it not like this?¡±


    ¡°I assure that you that it was not. Years ago there was a war between an empire and those who would not be slaved. Blood was shed and orphans wandered alone with a burning hatred. But alas there was a kind hero that showed that there is more to this world. I can see that this peace would last enough for a lifetime.¡±


    ¡°A peaceful and happy world, huh.¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± the dragon seemingly smiled. ¡°A grand spell had allowed this to be true. That hero managed to put multiple words to shame. Sorry, Nolan Salvatore, but this is a world where a hero had already saved it. There is nothing to be found here but peace. Something a soldier like you might be able to stand.¡±


    Nolan¡¯s brows joined. ¡°Why do you imply that I don¡¯t want that? Besides, why do you know so much?¡±


    ¡°I told you. Space and time and the Eon-father telling me before his death. Your wife, oh, which one is her again? She seems to have ascended to a higher realm. She¡¯s one of the many now. But do not fret, your wife, she¡¯s here, but with a new body. But I doubt she remembers anything other than a few. She¡¯s been here longer than you, and you could say she had helped this world already.¡±


    ¡°Even here, damn it.¡±


    The dragon looked at Nolan, perplexed. ¡°Oh my, it seems that you didn¡¯t receive his memories. A soul too broken to realize, but I am sure that the sentiments will remain.¡±


    ¡°Will we meet again?¡±


    ¡°Oh you will, you always do,¡± the dragon smiled through its fangs. ¡°That the curse you two share. But then again your meetings take two incarnations or more or sooner. Her soul had gotten favors and mercies for she was blessed. But you are forever lost with what you carry. Before you come here you might not have remembered the world before this. Your time is blurry, Nolan Salvatore. You could be called a resident of time. Your soul is tethered to the fabric, sewn itself to time. You do not possess the powers of those who usually are sewn into time. You are human with a body of a dragon turned wraith. You are closer to the existence of the spectators and the observes, but unlike them, you are a wandering kind.¡±


    Nolan trembled. He felt his vision tunnel and rotate. ¡°Does it mean that I won¡¯t have rest?¡±


    ¡°It depends on you. You have some, but not complete control of your fate.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Nolan pulled on his hair. ¡°I guess this isn¡¯t within my control.¡±


    ¡°Do you know why I called you here?¡±


    ¡°To tell me this?¡±


    ¡°Yes, and that because I want to welcome you. You are a lost soul and it isn¡¯t every day that you find a new soul wandering into your world.¡±


    Nolan patted the blue leaves on his lap. ¡°Is that all?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it may be hard to believe, but this is a peaceful world. You won¡¯t do much here other than wander the lands or you could stay and have a chat with this lonesome one.¡±


    ¡°You have people down there.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± the dragon said. ¡°But they look up to me too much to say anything. But I believe that you won¡¯t treat me the way they do.¡±


    ¡°I might.¡±


    ¡°A wanderer of the bleak who faced gods and demons would still say that? Please, I¡¯ve seen some of the visions, and I say that, that is a lie.¡±


    Nolan snorted. ¡°Is that all you want to say?¡±


    ¡°That is all. But Nolan Salvatore,¡± the dragon¡¯s voice became firm. ¡°You are tired. I can tell. You have walked quite a path and I say that you use the time you have here as a way to rest. I do not pity your journey, for that would be an insult to your wanderings, but alas let me offer this island of mine as a place for the wandering soul called Nolan Salvatore to rest, oh my, what¡¯s with the tears?¡±


    ¡°Can I stay here for a while?¡±


    ¡°Of course you can, oh your poor child. Have you forgotten to be soft, Nolan?¡±


    This island was painful. It was quiet and kind and warm, that the words of Dalia were like a truck hitting him. Before this world, every world he woke up to was him fearing for his life. It was extremely unsettling for him to walk up to kind people and a happy world. He had forgotten the air of calmness that it scared him.

 Chapter 308: A Dream for Silence

    She had another dream. It was a dream of a soldier who returned from the battlefield. He was a survivor. Young, hopeful, and never really look back. She wondered why she was seeing this dream - it was like she was walking around this dream and that feeling in her chest was so warm.


    Then she saw a woman who stood in her courage no matter what. Dalia saw the two of them appear before this world. One had a pale shine on her and was born blessed, a catalyst for those who would save the world. She would be the beginning of a hero. She would encourage those who have the heart to save the world. She would be a mentor. For the sake of worlds, she would save them.


    The soldier, the walker, and wanderer keeps looking for purpose. While he would forever remember, she would wander worlds first without knowing who she was or where she got her skills and talent. Unknowing about her fated, who constantly chases after, unable to catch up, and always too late to arrive.


    Dalia thought it as a saddening story among the many stars she had seen. Still, they were the new arrivals, the two that had shed their normalcy to follow the path. Though she does think that maybe they had forgotten what it was like to see peace. She had seen their longings for it, but the two were so hardened by the worlds they travel, and the pains they had witnessed to know peace.


    She felt it on the walker who was too broken to function. The peace hurt him more than any war or murder. To put a man who lived his life in war and battles to a peaceful world was too sad. He had a bleak hope while the woman had hope that shimmers at the darkest day. She was perfect for her role while he was just lost.


    One day, like every world, and every timeline they will see each other again. He would be clueless and she would be as well. That has always been their role. The role of two bound by a single curse.


    Dalia had seen the mouth of the world closed the moment he arrived. The gateway that should be opened was gone. She was quite startled that the visions were gone. The last of her vision was the arrival of the two. Despite ruling time and space, she could not do anything when even fabrics of time itself won¡¯t move for her. However, the peace that was coming made her happy, for she knows that among the many stars and worlds out in the baubles. This world had succeeded in creating a happy one.


    There was healing. There was peace among the world and many who had shared suffering the Greater Evil had come to talk peace and hold hands. Such peace won¡¯t last but it would be known as the only world to have such a phase.


    Of course, evil and such would still rise and that there would be many crimes as well. But it was different and the senses of the world changed because of this. The Greater Evil defeated and peace will reign. Every world has a cycle and it would take too long for this world to have one again.


    This world was a world that has already been saved. Monsters still ran amok in their lands, but they had no desire other than to live by the way they should live. Humans would chase them and the rest of the races would as well. That was natural and there can be no change in that.


    Dalia wondered if the two were sent here because of the peace. Or was this the repentance of the woman who took the life of the eon-father? Or was it the obsidian demon who had been devoured by the one who took the new role of the eon-father?


    Still, Dalia did not wish for that woman to suffer. She understood her reasonings and how she was willing to fight gods for the sake of her children. The woman who burns would never find the warmth she was looking for. She was cold and all alone lost in her dreams and thought; locked from the rest of the baubles which contained universes in it. The cosmological multiverse that she rules with no life in it other than her. It was her prison and her own sentence for damming a world of trillions. It was her self imposed punishment.


    Dalia closed her thoughts. She watched the horizon and the sparkling ocean. She saw the giants walked the ocean and the sea leviathans jump out of the water. She saw the airships from different lands passed by with her eyes. She had seen so many things. She had been through the hell that she understood the feelings of the two. However, the visions and what she saw must cease. No, she could see the visions being pulled out of her mind. Before long, this world would become isolated from the rest. Many like her who protects their lands could see this. The gateways of cosmos had left them and they were only able to fend for themselves. But Dalia had accepted it. If she didn¡¯t, then she wouldn¡¯t have welcomed them. She and the others would have taken action, but the time of war was over for this world, and it was time for a cycle of peace. It was all thanks to a little hero and the one who guided the world into this path. She thought of it as the birth of a new fairy tale.


    Season changes and time as well. Those who are lost don¡¯t stay too long. They travel until their feet are sore. But in any event, even the wanderers of time and space should find rest in a good warm place.


    For now, why not give the two wanderers a rest?


    This was their moment of silence.


    The dragon smiled at her generosity.


    Seeing those visions made her dream of an ending she wanted for the two travelers.


    She smiled at that dream.

 Chapter 309: The Sad Memories She Knew

    Ashia Brayleigh bid her farewell to her students. She walked on the stone path while watching the building-lined streets. Covering herself with a hood, and a simple robe that hides her sword. She walked among the happy smiling people. She wandered lands to have seen this come into fruition. She walked on battlefields to see this vision of her students come into fruition.


    She found herself near the harbor where the ships from the Kingdoms were docking. The moon reflected on the surface of the water. Sailors, both young and old, worked tirelessly in hopes of docking the ships. Above her was the airships sailing the clouds quietly. Not far was the lamppost created from the crystals unearthed from the depths of the seat of the Greater Evil.


    Ashia produced a chart from her pockets. Her students told her to stay but she wasn¡¯t looking for that. She could not intrude on the lives of her students. She studied her chart and thought of visiting the old dragons. She had thought that maybe they would need visitors. Those lonely dragons were the cause of this peaceful world. Not like they would stop her from visiting so.


    Not to mention that she saw something that bothered her. She had stopped seeing the mouth of the world. The usual brightened stars that blink faster than one could imagine was gone. Where was the Starfall that usually comes when the clock ticks near to the twelfth?


    Ashia rubbed her head. She made sure that her ponytail was still tied. She walked around the harbor while waiting for her ship. She preferred the seas compared to the skies. Or was it fear that she might fall from such height? She passed by many wandering folks, turned right, entered a restaurant and ate. She preferred sweet beer rather than the grape wines that seems to stink her mouth.


    She went out of that restaurant to saunter the sides of the coastline. Once she could not see the houses or people around she drew her sword, raised it and watched it gather the light of stars. The pale shine on her sword drew all the wisps that hid under the bed of the earth. She sang a song and there was a melody that sang back.


    Time changed so easily. Once, the land was dark and covered in the bleakness. Who knew that a little boy and his companions could change it with such grand magic?


    They changed the world through their actions. Of course, this didn¡¯t mean that the world would forevermore stay like this. She had thought her students were simply dreaming, but to achieve such a fairy tale of an ending for the world was kind enough.


    It was not about whether the world would soon leave this era of peace. It was the bare fact that the world had a history where it didn¡¯t know what was fighting. And that history had been written when her student achieved the impossible.


    ¡°Hominy''s Contract,¡± she said. ¡°A contract that does not kill but incapacitates. A grand curse where every act of violence does not kill but returns them to a prison where they are rehabilitated and put into trial.¡±


    To change the laws of the world itself was something she did not think possible. They had created a grand jury that judges them. A symbol that those who do evil will be judged upon an acting deity. A contract that would forever change this world ¡ª a contract that would last for centuries.


    The contract that shook the minds of those who had thought of it as impossible. The Dragon of Concordia had even laughed at such a wondrous contract that has not been seen. Although, she does think that it was the work of her students, not her, and she found it uneasy how the dragon of Concordia would look at her with amused eyes.


    She sheathed her sword. The sand below her boots and the gentle wind brushed on her face. She sat on the sand cross-legged with her eyes pointed at the horizon. She stayed here in silence before walking back to the harbor where her ship finally arrived. She boarded her ship and went to her cabin where she started writing in her journal. Her journal was as thick as a book already yet here she was writing even more. Reading back, she thought of the days where she trained using odd memories that appeared before her. She used these memories to become strong and teach those who needed teaching. She was an Half-Alf with a good grasp of the teachings of her memories. Beyond those memories, there were things that she did not understand as well.


    ¡°I wonder if I can get answers from them,¡± she said, watching the lamp on her cabin¡¯s table. Outside the round window was the rolling seas. She turned her eyes back to the page and thought of the memories she found herself blushing. It was a memory of a woman who watched over a battered knight. The emotions spurred by these remnants of memories made her daydream. She was a stone-faced woman that even her students teased her for! What would her students think if they see them acting like this?


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be a slave to these memories,¡± she thought sadly. Besides, it¡¯s not like she could see the face of the knight that comes back to her in these memories. She could only recall a blurry scene of her and this knight dancing as the world behind them burns. She recalled the sadness in that man¡¯s face. The heartbreaking pain that seems to dig a hole in her chest. The dreams felt so real that it made her decide to understand these memories. She had helped save the world and so had thought that maybe it was finally time to stop running away from it. She wanted to know what these memories were and how can she finally put it to rest.


    She wanted to let it go. These memories were a gift to her, but they should be put to rest. It was simple. She didn¡¯t want to dream of these sad memories.

 Chapter 310: Arel’s Farm

    Arel woke up to the sound of someone singing a song he did not know. He walked out of his house and saw Nolan watching the fields grow with a watering can on his hand. Nolan looked behind and nodded. ¡°Morning,¡± said Nolan. Arel walked to Nolan and stood next to him. He inhaled the air and watched the wind blew from the east.


    ¡°Had a good night of sleep?¡±


    ¡°I had, not this long that I had one actually,¡± Nolan confessed. ¡°I do think that this farm of yours is a pretty, lovely view of the ocean as well.¡±


    The ocean was displayed before them in full view. Not far from the island was a gigantic walking beast made of rocks with a tree growing on top of it. It was quite a sight as always.


    ¡°That is a Golem, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Arel nodded. ¡°That¡¯s Von, he¡¯s the protector of the island.¡±


    ¡°Giant creatures are living under the sea. How do you live with them?¡±


    ¡°They are part of the world,¡± Arel said. ¡°They live their lives and we live ours. As long as they don¡¯t get near the island or come near the ships heading to the mainland then it is fine.¡±


    ¡°Monsters, shouldn¡¯t they be exterminated? What if they ran amok?¡±


    Arel looked at Nolan with a tiny frown. ¡°They are living creatures, sentient beings that had been here before the islanders. I don¡¯t think that removing them would be good. They are peaceful unless you cause enough hurt for them to react.¡±


    The wind blew and made the trees sound. Nolan fiddled with the watering can. Arel found it uneasy how he was giving off that bloodlust awhile ago. Monsters are not wholly evil, but they are territorial and invading their grounds means that they can be rather aggressive.


    ¡°I understand then,¡± Nolan said. ¡°Well, you have Lady Dalia here so I doubt these monsters would try.¡±


    ¡°I see that you¡¯ve met the lady on the island. She¡¯s quite something, right?¡±


    ¡°A dragon,¡± said Nolan. ¡°I was fairly surprised that the guardian protector is something like that. She was pretty powerful, and I believe that is the reason why no giant creature has come.¡±


    ¡°And because Von is here,¡± Arel pointed. ¡°He¡¯s been here the longest, and I think that he is sentient as well. Well, enough about that, can you help me move the cows?¡±


    ¡°No sheep?¡± asked Nolan.


    ¡°No, sheep are raised on the other side so there¡¯s no need for them, though the cows here are rather docile. All they do is stare at the sun and wait to be milked. Ah, can you help me milk them?¡±


    ¡°I can hold them for you,¡± said Nolan, putting the watering can down. ¡°I¡¯ve no idea how to do farm work. I can water your crops and till your land, but not much really. How do you even do it? You¡¯re way younger. Did you live your life on a farm?¡±


    ¡°I was taught. You could say that I have a love and talent for this.¡±


    ¡°So am I going to move the cows now? Where?¡±


    ¡°Up the pasture, they are trained so they¡¯ll move when you rang the bell.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll take them to the pasture. They won¡¯t fall, right?¡±


    ¡°Oh they won¡¯t,¡± said Arel.


    He watched Nolan ran from the house. He looked around and saw that the crops were watered. From the patches of wet dirt near the water source, Arel assumed that he had been doing it since morning. He felt bad knowing that he had water wand ready to cast magic that could water the plants.


    Nolan rang the bell. The cows lined up behind him and followed him the pasture. Arel heard footsteps from behind. Damn her happy-go-lucky smile as she saunters around his farm.


    ¡°Good Morning, looks like it¡¯d be sunny today.¡±


    ¡°Morning, he up and working already? Whoa, what a slave driver!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s diligent. Shouldn¡¯t you be working?¡±


    ¡°This early? No, I just want to know if you guys are doing fine. I heard all our lovely protectors have screened him. Kuhn seems to be dazed. I wonder what happened?¡±


    Arel thought for a while. ¡°I have no idea. But I can say that he¡¯s going to live here, at least for a moment.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? Well, he seems nice, but he looks like our kind.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Arel agreed.


    ¡°Oh, they said that he should come and visit the Inn. They wanted to meet the new neighbor so better not keep the sisters waiting.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll remind him. We still had a lot of work to do. But we should have a good rest after work.¡±


    Ania grinned. She skipped to the general direction of the mansion. Arel turned his attention to work and started by carrying a pitchfork to the barn. He cleaned up the barn first and made sure that the brushes and milkers were okay. He also cleaned the buckets near the well, watched for any rotting, and would look back to Arel watching the cows.


    He was watching the cows with a half-dazed look on his face. Once in a while, he would stare at the giants walking on the seas, and then back to the cows. He was twitchy, uncertain, and certainly, he was always on-guard, as if some malevolent force would come and attack him.


    Ambling to Nolan, Arel stood shoulder-to-shoulder with him. Nolan was staring blankly. He was aware of his surroundings and then he would blank out. His eyes were like a light flickering alternately. By the time he noticed Arel, minutes had passed.


    ¡°Still adjusting?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes,¡± Nolan said. ¡°I am new to this. I just expect some monster would come suddenly. See, the last time I had peace like this, I was in this village with a river, and although it was peaceful. Monsters were appearing in the outskirts so I was still restless.¡±


    ¡°Oh, no wonder.¡±


    Arel thought that maybe he lived before the Hominy Contract. He still knew people who wanted nothing to do with monsters. It was understandable.


    ¡°After this, we should visit the Inn.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Nolan said, watching the cows with his flickering eyes.

 Chapter 311: Hominy Contract

    To put it bluntly, the three sisters gave quite a feast to him. That was their greetings to the newcomer of this village, the place where they had been raised. The inn was simple that it had a few tables on the first floor, and some villagers ate inside of it as well. The Inn was run by the daughters of the Inn, inherited from their parents, who have sadly passed away.


    Arel didn¡¯t drink with how early it was. Arel sat with Nolan and the sisters who own the Inn. One of the sisters of the Inn was the one who worked in that clinic. The two sisters manage the Inn. One of the Sisters manages the cooking, and the other one handles the counter and those who would use the rooms upstairs. The Inn does not have any customers usually other than those who eat food. But some travelers make their way past this village and would settle down for a moment to eat. Arel and Nolan wouldn¡¯t have anywhere to seat if it wasn¡¯t for the sisters vacating one of the tables.


    Lilia, the woman who wore a yellow dress with a bodice, beautiful cyan green eyes, fair skin, long waist-length brown hair was the oldest of the Sisters. Beside Lilia was Collete, a blue-eyed tanned skin beauty, with this gentle yet uppity smile on her face. Nolan sat with both elbows leaned on the table. The other sister was the one who ran the clinic, which was Iris.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad that you have taken a liking to our island, Nolan.¡±


    ¡°Yes, this island is beautiful,¡± Nolan replied.


    ¡°Arel isn¡¯t working you hard?¡±


    ¡°Oh, he¡¯s been kind to me.¡±


    ¡°So what are your plans now?¡±


    ¡°For now, I think I¡¯ll just try to set a proper footing and then decide what¡¯s best for me. It is not my style to just do nothing.¡±


    ¡°I need someone to lend me a hand.,¡± Arel declared. ¡°Farm¡¯s getting big and I think the island will be expanded by Von soon.¡±


    ¡°Expanded?¡± Nolan said.


    ¡°Von¡¯s been building the island again,¡± explained Lilia. ¡°The island was rather small and it has been growing larger due to Von raising islands. We were having problems with where the people are going to live. But it looks like that¡¯s a problem solved.¡±


    ¡°I am ignorant of the matter between the titan this island has. So forgive me, but is there no chance of that titan turning bad?¡±


    Collete pushed her bowl. ¡°He¡¯s our eternal protector and has always does. Lady Dalia lives on this island and I doubt anyone would dare to attack an island protected by them. You don¡¯t need to worry that much.¡±


    ¡°I see. That¡¯s good to hear.¡±


    ¡°Are you like Arel? Did you fight in the war?¡±


    ¡°I fought in a war,¡± said Nolan. ¡°But unlikely it¡¯s the same war that Arel had. I¡¯m done with all of that cruelty,¡± his face was filled with regret. There was a great pain that Arel couldn¡¯t fathom.


    Collete said. ¡°I know that this is fighting as well, but if you are lacking money, then you can help the island by ridding the islands off the monsters.¡±


    ¡°You want me to kill them?¡± Nolan folded his arms. His voice turned serious. The calm tone of his was gone.


    ¡°No, you will send them back to where they belong,¡± Lilia explained. ¡°The Hominy Contract has saved this land already and we¡¯ve found a way to send them back to where they belong.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been hearing this Hominy Contract ¡ª is it related to this ¡®way¡¯ you are saying?¡±


    She nodded, ¡°Indeed, this contract allows us to evict the monsters from this plane. Instead of opening up their insides we cut their connection to this realm, forcing their body to be spirited away to their world. First, we must take down the ¡®gate¡¯ where they come from. Then these monsters will be sent home.¡±


    ¡°So, still going to use violence then.¡±


    Lilia shrugged at that. ¡°It is better than we did. It takes many blows to kill a monster. Crippling them, poisoning them, making sure that they suffer, compared to this? This is mercy and a better way. But the Hominy Contract is limited only to those who came from the gate. Those who are born into this realm are unaffected by the Hominy Contract.¡±


    ¡°So take them down the old fashion way.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Nolan got silent. He looked down on the table. His eyes on the pewter cup. ¡°I only have to close the gate and make them go away. Hah,¡± he pushed against the table. ¡°I can do that, but I¡¯m going to need a weapon that can replicate this ¡®hominy¡¯ contract. I just have to do it.¡±


    Arel wasn¡¯t convinced with that tone of his. There was a dreaded determination in his voice and actions. To Arel, he always looked like a man who keeps moving despite how sick he was with doing it. Arel felt the attitude of a butcher of monsters. He wasn¡¯t any better. He wasn¡¯t new to this task. He had been a monster hunter even when he was fighting for the Empire. He had held monsters in chains and watched them get butchered for the sake of the precious materials that grow in their body.


    It only stopped when the world had changed. The hero of the elemental light has changed the ways of the world. It was a change that no one had seen coming. They are still part of their lives, but yet the change was evident.


    ¡°I have a great sword, though a little rusty, it should be enough if you polish it with a whetstone.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, what do I do to activate the contract?¡±


    Lilia went behind the counter and dragged the two-handed sword to Nolan. Nolan easily lifted the sword with one hand swung it, producing a gust of wind that made the hair of the customers stand up. Lilia looked at him and sang a short song that made the great sword glow.¡±


    ¡°Can you speak the words?¡±


    ¡°Light of home,¡± Nolan said. ¡°I see. A weapon that sends them back home.¡±


    Arel didn¡¯t know why, but Nolan seems saddened by the thought of his home.

 Chapter 312: A Fear of Peace

    Nolan thought of how odd the word Hominy was. To his understanding, it was the act of removing the hull of a corn after bathing it in a liquid solution. But to them, it was an act of wounding the enemy until they are removed from the world. The bathing of wounds until they are sent back home.


    The idea to Nolan was tempting. He could drove this two-handed blade into his stomach, thinking, that maybe this will send him back, but the principle that binds him refuses to listen to that temptation. He could never try to take his own life again, never, he swore.


    Bach waited on his boat. He twirled a pipe around his fingers. He puffed a cloud of smoke that rose to the air. He saw Nolan and his eyes widened, followed with a grin, and a hop out of his boat. He opened his arms and gave a bear hug that Nolan received.


    ¡°You look well!¡± He patted him in the shoulder. Nolan noticed Bach¡¯s gaze trail to the great sword he carried.


    ¡°Ah, you hunting monsters?¡±


    ¡°I need the money.¡±


    ¡°Hmm,¡± he looked at the giants on the ocean. ¡°I can go to the Two-Rocks where the greens are.¡±


    ¡°Greens?¡±


    ¡°Goblins,¡± Bach said. ¡°They¡¯ve been ruling that land for a while now. No one comes there since then. Heard that they are going around making tribes now. We can head there if you live.¡±


    ¡°We can do that.¡±


    ¡°Then to that island.¡±


    Nolan vaulted into the boat. Bach walked inside the cabin where his wheel was. He looked back. ¡°Just shout when you see a titan underneath us!¡±


    ¡°You guys do endure living in this place.¡±


    Bach said loudly. ¡°Well, home is home, no matter how many dangerous things are there, it is home. Besides, we have Von protecting us, and the Lady as well!¡±


    ¡°A dragon that sits on top of a giant earthen golem. So is this why the island isn¡¯t associated with the nations around it?¡± Nolan leaned on the railing.


    ¡°We don¡¯t, because we are a free island. The nations respect the territories of the dragons. I do say that we are living fine ¡ª not once in the long history that anything had happened to the island. Besides, when you have someone like Von and the Lady protecting, I don¡¯t think they would be brave enough. Or be cruel enough to harm the ancients who have lived their lives in peace.¡±


    The ocean was beautiful in a way that it sparkles like crystals. Nolan feared the danger below this ocean which was filled with the giant creatures that were the size of small islands. Nolan saw a gigantic turtle with a strange kind of orange moss growing on it. He saw a humanoid-like creature swam like a frog underneath them. He saw giant fishes the size of cars and long sea serpents rest on rock spikes underneath the sea. It baffled him how unusually large the creatures here were.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it beautiful? The Elephantine Seas, the seas where there might be giants.¡±


    ¡°Might be is an understatement to what I am seeing.¡±


    ¡°None of the people in the mainland knows how to cross the seas without asking someone from Concordia. They had studied sea charts and maps and had tried expeditions to vanquish the Elephantine, but they rule these tides and no ship or magic could outmatch them. Even if you are the hero of elemental light. He¡¯d be scratching his head on how to deal with these lovelies.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a scary amount of them.¡±


    ¡°They say that the Elephantine Sea has great deep tunnels which have their world. This merely the outside look and beyond that is a place even I don¡¯t want to think about.¡±


    Nolan had lived incarnations upon incarnations, and have seen another world. But never had been in a world like this where everything was strange. He had been in that world repeatedly again and again and again that he had stopped himself to know the names of every location he had been to.


    The memories inside his head hurt him. This was a strangely new experience for Nolan. He wondered if this was a reward for all the suffering he had gotten? A moment of silence for the fool who fought too long. Looking back, Nolan thought of his reasoning for fighting. He asked:


    Why did he go to battle? What was the purpose he found? Why did he not lay down his arms?


    The answer was simple. He had been so empty from the start that he found purpose. The kid that was lost in time and space found a reason to fight when it was dark and scary. Simply, he wanted to keep that light shining no matter what. It was a beautiful light that shone in the darkness. He was like a moth attracted to it. Without that light, and without that reason, he was a Wanderer lost in his thoughts.


    He had only come this far because he thought of how he had no way to influence some of the things happening. It was the same thing as getting mad at the rain. What is the point of being mad at the rain? He didn¡¯t have any control of it and therefore he thought to never act upon it. He allowed himself to become hard to the point that he didn¡¯t notice how many cracks were on him. He was broken and without purpose. He had been wandering around for too long. He had lived long enough repeatedly that being thrown into this new peaceful world made him feel like he was lost. He had been fighting and fighting since eternity that he didn¡¯t know what to do. He hated fighting. He didn¡¯t enjoy it, but it made him feel like he was alive.


    He decided to move against the island because he wanted to fight. He wanted to swing his arm. After all, what was the point of a Bleak Walker that does not fight? What was the point of a soldier who only knows how to kill monsters?


    The peace was burning him. He didn¡¯t hate it. He didn¡¯t spite it. He was afraid of it.

 Chapter 313: Recalling Dreads

    The island was quiet. The sands were white. Nolan pulled the boat he borrowed from Back and tied it on a stake on the beach. He surveyed the land. Strange trees that resemble the palm trees in his world. Some of these trees had finger-size thorns. It was quiet aside from the occasional squeaky voices. Nolan burdened the great sword on his shoulder and approached silently. As long as he holds the sword then the spell and contract have an effect. It worked like a charm.


    Nolan wanted to pull the strings to weave power, but he chose not to. He shapeshifted his arm with a familiar obsidian mass of flesh hardening into blade-like claws. He sheathed the great sword. He walked calmly with the sigil of the Shadowed Wolf appearing in his eyes. He recalled the name of Gael Jag, the boy who tried to fight Ciara, the boy who was turned by the Old Revenant.


    With the Sigil of the Shadowed Wolf, he walked past without the green skin monsters noticing. He swung his hardened flesh of an arm and used it as a whip to crack the spines of the goblins. Planting his arm, he spread his flesh like roots and manifested it to stab the goblins from the bottom.


    Nolan expected blood, but he saw the goblins bathed in milky white. They turned into orbs of light that turn into bullets of light that disappeared out of his sight. Some of the goblins left their material belongings while those who belonged to this world stayed in their spikes.


    ¡°The Hominy Contract isn¡¯t perfect, but,¡± he watched.


    Earthen roots suddenly grabbed hold of the goblins who were not included in the contract. They were covered by sturdy roots that dragged them into a cocoon made of earth. The earth¡¯s embrace was the conclusion of those who created the grand spell.


    ¡°It¡¯s still killing,¡± Nolan took his arm back and shifted it back into normal. The earth rumbled for a second and he saw a goblin made out dirt, bigger than the rest, with a goblin riding on the head. The goblin looked around and saw none of his skin. Nolan released smoke made out of lights that revealed himself.


    The goblin shot out earthen bullets at Nolan. Shifting his arm to form a shield, he blocked the earthen bullets and deflected the bullet. Pointing his palm at the goblin, he fired a ball of compressed flesh that exploded into snakes of flesh that stabbed all over the earthen creation. The goblin riding on top of that goblin golem fell face-first. Before it could regain its footing Nolan raised a hand to flatten the goblin, turning said goblin to orbs of light.


    Back then he had been unable to completely kill humanoid creatures so simply. He recalled being happy being able to kill a single creature on his own, but yet he was unhappy. It took him many lives and many sacrifices to reach this point.


    Nolan¡¯s eyes seethed red with the eternal hawk¡¯s sigil coming out. The screams of his fellow bleak walkers and his screams resounded throughout the air. They all screamed at him. All of their words directed at Nolan.


    Nolan¡¯s expression did not change.


    Why do you live while we are dead?


    By what right do you have a beating heart?


    It¡¯s not fair! Why you?


    The words were a storm of insults and woes. The woes of the dead did not stop hurling. Nolan watched calmly without a flinch, he scanned the area and used the eyes of a hawk to get a view from above. He looked at his transformed hand and thought of the demoness that lived with him.


    Even without Tania, he was able to use her power. Her soul had been bound too long inside of him that it became a part of him.


    I was a monster to you. Even with all of the hardships that you had faced, you didn¡¯t leave me. You were there for me to the point of breaking your soul. I couldn¡¯t do anything for you.


    Nolan thought of the demoness he trapped within him. She was someone who wanted to fight for her power, and yet because of his ignorance, he had trapped her into eternity with a soul who was too weak to fight. Even with this power, he couldn¡¯t repay her, no, does he even have the right to do so?


    Why were you so willing to stay with me, Tania? Why? When all I did was make use of you? I don¡¯t understand how could you put up with a nobody.


    He understands some of the reasons why, but he felt like he didn¡¯t deserve it. Nolan shook the thought out of his head and spread the roots of obsidian flesh to every hostile being that he could find. Tania of the Obsidian Flower, she called herself that.


    Nolan met her forces at the height of the war. She gathered the attention of all the light¡¯s army and made devastating attacks that rose mountains and broke armies. It took a lot of effort to bound her, and it was only because she was protecting something that she lost. Nolan understood what she was fighting, no, when he lived with those demons in that underground city, he understood that she was acting as their guardian.


    ¡°The Obsidian Flower,¡± Nolan said, making of a garden made out of obsidian-like flowers. His skin glowed with rune tattoos and symbols that were carved on his flesh, each of them acting like circuits and wires that flowed power inside of him.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be able to do this without this body, hell, am I even human?¡± Nolan withdrew the flesh he released all over the island. Before long, the goblins in the island turned into orbs of light, some of them being called by the earthen mother back to the ground, where they were embraced to their rest.


    ¡°They call it peaceful, a merciful way of death, in the end, it¡¯s just a nicer way to die. You still hurt them, wound them, and make them bleed.¡±


    Nolan¡¯s arm shifted back to normal. The voices that squeak when he came here were gone.

 Chapter 314: The Knightess Besets

    Ashia felt the surge of power. That power could not be felt by others. But Ashia felt it when the creatures above and below her trembled. She did not think much when she vaulted out of her boat, used her power to glide through the ocean, avoiding the creature, and staying out sight from the ferry.


    She saw a boat moored not far from the island she felt the power from, the boat had a person guarding so she chooses to create a bubble, dive under the sea, and use another route to reach the beach. Upon arriving at the beach, she felt horrible power coming from the ground. Black and flesh-like spikes that turned into flowers stabbed on the goblins, and then she found the scenery like a dreadful garden for the souls.


    ¡°What is this?¡± She thought to herself. ¡°This amount of power has a sense of dread. This is even beyond what he defeated! Another devil this early?¡±


    She drew a sword of light that manifested in the air. She took the sword of light and went to the source, hiding her powers, she drew close and saw a man standing not far from her position. He was a tall man with gray hair, a well-built body, and long limbs.


    The man turned his head to her location, his red eyes pointed at her. Ashia¡¯s soul shook for a second, and it wasn¡¯t for the blessings she had received, she would have been paralyzed. The man blinked, his eyes went empty gray, and he took a step to her.


    ¡°Forgive me, I was on guard.¡±


    ¡°What are you?¡±


    ¡°Hybrid.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°A human with other flesh, is that better?¡±


    Aisha didn¡¯t let her guard down. ¡°Was that your doing?¡±


    ¡°It was. You were drawn into it?¡±


    ¡°I felt a sense of dread. What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°Cleaning up some goblins.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡¯ Aisha checked the surroundings. ¡°This is one of the islands raised by the Titan called Von. You cleaned it up?¡±


    ¡°I was requested to do so, Miss?¡±


    ¡°Aisha.¡±


    ¡°Nolan.¡±


    Aisha nodded. ¡°Mister Nolan, is that power yours?¡±


    ¡°Sadly, it is. You said it had a sense of dread in it, but I assure you that I¡¯m just a soldier, nothing more, nothing less.¡±


    ¡°A soldier could not possibly have this power.¡±


    ¡°There are exceptions.¡±


    ¡°You?¡±


    ¡°Maybe?¡± Nolan said. Aisha did not respond. She looked at this person whose powers were simply bleak. She had not heard of a powerful person on this island, but considering how bare do they know of the Elephantine Sea¡¯s only island. It was not that improbable for someone like this to exist. But to have this kind of dread that might even surpass that of the one they defeated years ago.


    Aisha clenched her sword of light. ¡°Mister Nolan, can you let me detain you?¡±


    ¡°For what purpose?¡± His expression did not change.


    ¡°That power of yours, I don¡¯t know if you know this, but that is a dangerous power you hold there.¡±


    ¡°I know. This does not belong to me. It belongs to someone who deserves it more than I do.¡±


    ¡°Then can you hand that over? This is important. We must destroy this power before it consumes you.¡±


    Nolan eyed her. ¡°I don¡¯t get it. Why are you so concern about this? ¡°


    ¡°It is important that you must not take hold of this power any longer. You can control this so I am sure that you know how dangerous it is.¡±


    ¡°I know, but the problem is that this power is part of my soul. This is the same as offering a part of my soul, you intend to slice a part of me. Forgive me, but what you are asking is impossible, even if I do want to hand this power.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Ashia peered. She saw remnants of powers inside of him that seems to have been mixed. To take it was the same as crippling him and it was buried deep into his soul. No, was he born with this power? But he said it so that it belonged to someone. No, she could not compromise on this, this was a dangerous power that had corrupted even that person. There was too much evidence and only through the elemental light that he was freed from said corruption.


    ¡°Please, I will make sure that I will aid compensate with my own.¡±


    ¡°You are even willing to cut your life for it,¡± he touched his chin. ¡°I admire you, but no need. I don¡¯t fight any longer.¡±


    Aisha did not move. The sword of light manifested to the point that even the light from the area dimmed. There was a thin dome of light that started to glow. ¡°That power is too dangerous to be left alone. Forgive me, but since you listen to reason, I shall now do my duty.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± Nolan said. ¡°But I will defend myself.¡±


    Aisha brought for chains of light. The sword of her light was thrusted to his chest. Nolan drew the great sword that he carried which was covered with something black. It was fleshy and was strong enough to block her thrust.


    Aisha pulled her sword back, directed the chains of light to bind him. However, the chain merely passed by his body. He skidded on the ground and pulled his palm in a twisting motion, before planting it on her stomach. She slashed around his neck, only for the sword to pass through again. Obsidian flesh started growing on the place where his palm landed, Aisha sang a song, and blinked out of the trap, the obsidian flesh falling on the ground.


    ¡°That¡¯s quite a grin.¡±


    Aisha didn¡¯t know what face she was making.


    ¡°Forgive me,¡± she said. ¡°I just want to protect this little peace that my students created. Oh, this is no malice.¡±


    ¡°Students,¡± Nolan said. ¡°I understand. But sometimes the face says it all.¡±


    Aisha did not know what her face was at that moment. She did not even bother to care as she cemented the goal she had at this single moment.


    There was someone who could use the corrupted power that turned this world dark once.


    It was now her duty to rid it here.

 Chapter 315: The Unrelenting Her

    Ashia was sure of her strike. Nolan blocked with the greatsword. Ashia pivoted hers with a blow directed to his side. The blow was fast, but he caught it with the length of the sword offering him an advantage. Ashia tried to move inside his guard. Nolan pulled his hand back and released a gust of wind with the mere thrust of his arm. Aisha blocked the attack with the dome of light around her.


    Nolan swept his sword. She easily dodged. Nolan moves in for another palm strike, she uses her heel to slap the flat of his blade. Nolan uses the moment of her kick to pirouette the flat of his blade at her. She barely deflected the strike, her arm strength, feeling helpless at each inch that he moves his arm.


    ¡°There is no need to fight.¡±


    ¡°There is! Give it up!¡±


    ¡°Why do you go this far?¡±


    Aisha tried to go for a headbutt, only for Nolan to take a step back, go under her arm, and use his shoulder as a lever, to slam her down on the ground. Realizing how overwhelming he was in close quarters, she blinked from that position and appeared fifteen feet away from Nolan. She conjured a milky light that formed into multiple arrows of light.


    She pointed at Nolan and he was branded with a dot of light. The arrows she created made a beeline towards her. Nolan brandished his sword, fling his wrist, and swat the arrows of light. He slammed his foot on the ground. A hand made of flesh-like rock manifested below her. She stomped her foot and smashed the hand. She slid instantly in front of him and made a vertical strike.


    He blocked it. He flicked the flat of his blade against her. Aisha realized that he was not planning to use the edge of his sword. If he doesn¡¯t want to cut then she would use this chance to subdue him!


    But Nolan wasn¡¯t a newcomer to battle it seems. He sheathed his sword, brandished his fist, took a step forward with his left leg, and his right foot tiptoed, his hands up, chin tuck down. Aisha attacked. He quickly pivoted in another direction. He did a left hook. She avoided. Nolan weaved and went for a right hook. Aisha blocked his fist with her sword, snorted, and smashed her sword¡¯s guard to his face.


    Nolan got hit in the face. He got stunned. Aisha used this chance to make for a slanted slash at his shoulder, the edge of her sword burying.


    ¡°No smoke?¡± She thought. That should have damaged that power, but yet it did nothing!


    Nolan swung his arm. Aisha dodged by a leap backward. Nolan took quick forwards steps. Aisha raised her arms to blocked his fist, but his barrage was getting strong. Aisha tried to get out of his flurry of attacks, but Nolan didn¡¯t relent, he uses his elbows, forearms, knees, legs, and fists to attack her. It was a merciless attack that left her arms.


    Nolan tried to grab hold of her sword, but she merely pulled it and went out of his grabbing range. Nolan made a straight punch pointed at her face. She weaves her head to the right, avoiding it. Nolan swept the flat of his blade, but she deflected it and went it for a riposte that stabbed the tip of her sword in Nolan¡¯s chest.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Nolan¡¯s wounds closed as his flesh was sewn by something invisible. Nolan made a quick flick of his sword. Aisha rolled away from that flick and felt the air tremble. She couldn¡¯t do anything when suddenly she was pulled on the left shoulder. Her body rotated clockwise thrice before she landed sideways on a rock wall of the islands. She saw Nolan bring down the flat of his blade at her, she rolled to the side, regain her footing, and leap away from that strike.


    Nolan followed it with another strike. She blocked that strike again. Nolan swept her legs, and she fell on her back. Nolan stomped his leg on her stomach. He followed with another but she blocked it with her arms. But through the gaps, he saw Nolan made a kicking motion, and she became a fall that flew sidewards, destroying the trees, and crushing her own body against the rocks.


    ¡°I have to do it!¡± She creamed, lines of yellow light filled her body. She not taken this much of a beating ever since she and her students faced that monster, but yet this monster seems like it had no intention of using the edges of his sword.


    Nolan flicks his arm that turned into a whip, smashing the ground in front of her. She strafe to the right, her body bathed in light that healed her wounds. She did not hesitate this time. Her sword blinked and she drew a line of light that instantly drew blood on him.


    Nolan kneeled. She rushed to where he was and tried to stab her sword of light on him. The sword of light then passed through his chest. She started to sing the song of purification only for the sword of light to phase through his body as he stands.


    Nolan¡¯s face remained grim. Aisha didn¡¯t relent as she drags her sword to where his body was, still, she found no smoke rising for her or the act of purification doing anything. Nolan spat blood, he kneeled on both knees and looked at Aisha, who still sung her song of light. There was no hesitation in her eyes, just a drive to do what she thought was right.


    Nolan tried to stand, but she stomped on his shoulder to make him stay still. ¡°I take no pleasure in this!¡±


    Nolan moved his body, but Aisha used the dome to bind him in chains. She then started to sang the song of light louder only for the song to shatter, alongside her dome. The world stood still. The wind that was blocked by her dome of light blew again.


    Nolan grabbed hold of something from the air. Aisha tried to block only for her world to go around, her body tossed in the air!

 Chapter 316: An Interjection

    ¡°Stop, Walker,¡± a voice said.


    Aisha looked up and saw a dragon with black and green scales descending on to them. ¡°You will destroy the Elephantine Seas and the nearby island if this continues!¡±


    ¡°Lady Dalia?¡± Aisha asked.


    The dragon looked at her. ¡°What are you doing, Miss Aisha Brayleigh? What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°You can see for yourself!¡± She pointed out. ¡°He has a corrupted power!¡±


    The dragon looked back and forth from her to him. ¡°I assure you that he is not.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve long enough to know what is! I¡¯ve seen many who have been corrupted by that same dread!¡±


    The dragon landed with her four limbs. ¡°If that is true then you wouldn¡¯t be able to stand. You won¡¯t be standing if this man was ever corrupted. Do not mistake similarities to the true thing. If you continue on this path then I assure you that you will not leave here alive.¡±


    ¡°Are you threatening me, Lady Dalia?¡± She said firmly.


    ¡°No, I am saving you!¡±


    At the corner of her eyes, Aisha saw a mask resembling a black skull staring at her. In the mask, there were burning red eyes that seem to seep into her soul and burn it. She heard millions of souls screamed at her. She felt every blasted flesh on her body freeze at that sight. What was standing to her was a man covered in a plate of armor made of obsidian flesh. This armor was riddled with runic tattoos and lines that emitted enormous power. In that man¡¯s hand was a blade covered in the same material, but this time it had rune linens that made her tremble.


    ¡°Cease, Walker,¡± Lady Dalia said, with a gentle tone. ¡°You¡¯ve not come here to fight any longer. You¡¯ve lost some of your focus, but now that you have broken through my scales and drew blood. I am sure that you¡¯ve woken up.¡±


    Aisha saw the rock-like flesh withdraw from his body. Underneath that armor of stone-like flesh was him who showed no signs of wounds, just holes on his body. The obsidian-like flesh on his sword melted back to his body, seeping inside his pore.


    He took a breath that almost emptied the energy of thin air. ¡°Forgive me, for wounding you, Dalia.¡±


    ¡°Heed it no mind, Walker. As for you, Ashia Brayleigh, I have heard that you have become wise. But to think that you would mistake this power!¡±


    ¡°I sense dread, dragon,¡± she said. ¡°I have seen that power corrupts even those who have been walking the light! Bright One! Earl! Sinclair! All of them had been turned when that said power came to them! And you think that this man is an exception! They had the will of steel! Not even that was enough to stop them from being corrupted!¡±


    ¡°Then you know nothing,¡± Dalia said. ¡°None of them can compare to the hardship that this Walker had. And do I hear firmness on your voice, Ashia? When did you become so strong that you would blatantly not show any respect!¡±


    There was a boom in her voice that made Ashia knee. Ashia moved her head and saw the man called Nolan stood without care at the boom of her voice. Even with the space shaking he found no worries and kept that calm face. Even among the dragons, there was only one who ruled space and time. The ruler of the Elephantine Sea, Dalia.


    ¡°Forgive me, Mistress.¡±


    ¡°Nolan. I¡¯ve heard that you have cleaned the island. But I do not want this to ever happen again. Your power will draw those who seek such power.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°Are you hurt?¡±


    ¡°I am fine, Lady Dalia. I want to know if she¡¯s hurt.¡±


    Ashia glared. Lady Dalia stared at her.


    ¡°She¡¯ll be fine. She may look sweet and lovely, but she¡¯s a warrior Alf that has been roaming this land saving people. This is nothing compared to what you were going to do to her. I am glad that you have stopped.¡±


    ¡°I wounded you.¡±


    ¡°Pay it no mind,¡± she shook her wing and the flesh was healed. ¡°For now, I will send you back to the shrine. It seems like we have need to discuss these powers of yours.¡±


    ¡°What about, Bach?¡±


    ¡°He would know. For now, I beg of you to leave.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    She opened her dragon¡¯s mouth and sang a song that Ashia did not understand. It was sung in the voice of the dragons that Ashia couldn''t sing unless she had the vocal cords of one. Nolan turned into a bullet of light and disappeared from the scene.


    ¡°As for you,¡± Dalia stared. ¡°I¡¯ve thought that you had grown weary of fighting.¡±


    ¡°Why stop me? Why lie?¡±


    ¡°I did not lie. It is the truth. You just faced one of the deadliest men to have ever walked the bleak path, and you¡¯re lucky that I was here to stop you.¡±


    ¡°You underestimate me!¡± Aisha roared.


    ¡°I know what you can do. But you are facing a man who fought gods and demons and never ran from them once. I wouldn¡¯t call that wise.¡±


    ¡°I was doing fine!¡±


    ¡°Yes, you did. But he could have killed you if he particularly cared about doing so. You fought a man who could not be bothered fighting. There are only a few who could control a dreaded power and that power of his was not taken, but given to him with the heart of a demoness with nurturing it. You will find no corruption. Taking that power we¡¯ll be the same as killing him. I will not allow that. He¡¯s under my protection. Not like he¡¯d need it in this world that your students. You will travel on the boat he took. Take a good long thought about this. I will not repeat myself, he is under my protection.¡±


    The dragon flew and left the island. Aisha stared at her palms and cursed. ¡°Damn Witch of Nether¡­how can she say that? Is it true? What do I do?¡±


    Aisha¡¯s sword of light dispersed. She could still feel her body stiff.

 Chapter 317: Tired, Not Broken

    The blue and pink trees were in from of him. The rock tiles of the shrine alongside with the chime of the bell on the crossbeam made Nolan feel that peace again. Leaves were strewn on the ground, the salty wind came from the north.


    He sat on the flight of stairs just before one would found the dragon¡¯s dwelling. A shadow covered the shrine as the shadow landed on the clearing where the dragon¡¯s dwelling was. He looked back. Lady Dalia, the dragon, craned her sight to Nolan.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect her to fight you.¡±


    ¡°It was nothing.¡±


    ¡°Yes, to you it might as well be a daily occurrence.¡±


    ¡°This is a peaceful world, Dalia,¡± he peered at her with a knowing gaze. ¡°I think I don¡¯t deserve it. Will you listen to me?¡±


    ¡°I will.¡±


    ¡°There was a guy who thought of nothing other than pleasing himself. He likes watching the buildings that stood piercing the clouds. He was rather fond of climbing said buildings, watching the sunset and the night that comes after it. He was nobody special in regards to that he was just another young man aiming for his dream. He knew how to climb because it was his hobby. He knew how to fight because it was needed for him. But it was a peaceful world like this ¨C not as perfect that there were no wars or conflict ¨C but peaceful enough that you¡¯d live your life with a good chance that you¡¯d see no wars in your lifetime. But then the world had a funny way of breaking people. No, he knew from the start that it was a cosmic joke. Gods do not roll dices or prattle about the affairs of mortals unless they are eager to make fun of you. H learned that well. He accepted it and thought of death ¨C but even he thought of purpose. There must be more to this life!¡±


    Nolan smiled. Dalia leaned her dragon¡¯s head on the staircase.


    ¡°He lost so many and he asked, ¡®Is this within my power and control?¡¯ and thought of it. He made himself harden like steel and follow the whims of a simple light that dwells in the darkness. There were many brave heroes and yet she stood out because there was something in her that he liked. Foolish as it was, it was simply love at first sight.


    ¡°But maybe, he wanted to make her into his purpose. He used her to lift his spirits and yet in honesty he fell hard before he knew it. He was a survivor in a way that he survived because he was careful. He was lucky and unlucky. He lost so many but he kept moving forward. Not because he was brave or that he had hardened his heart to the point of being unable to feel pain. But simply because he thought that he wanted to die knowing that he did something. Thirty-years he followed her through hell without thought. There were days that he was injured because of a wave of flesh. The monsters were too strong for him. The enemies that did not give them mercy.


    ¡°The worst part was that he had nothing other than the thought of wanting her to succeed. He never cared about his well-being and just fought like a madman devoid of reason. That was all there is to it. Do you know how terrible the world he was in? It was so devoid of life. Everyone fought because there were so few people. Even young kids fought on the battlefield with little disregard for their life. That didn¡¯t break him. Not even when he had to stare at the graves of his loved ones. The woman he fought for and the unborn child who could never see the light of the sun.


    ¡°He fought the light¡¯s war as a person who walked the bleakest paths. People who have nothing to lose other than their lives. You could say that the people he was with were fools who thought they have nothing to lose. But they have each other and they didn¡¯t know it. They were idiots who would smile at the thought of laying down their lives for the sake of their comrades. He was the weakest of them all and that¡¯s why they choose him to go and tell the world that these brave people had done the impossible! Ha-ha, what a bunch of fools! But they are brave fools!¡±


    Nolan swallowed.


    ¡°I love them so much. Don¡¯t you just hate it when you promised these people that you¡¯d be with them, and they scream at you to run away? In the end, you didn¡¯t die as you wanted to and was given false hopes. Lifetimes of suffering simply because someone was too pained to trust you. Do you even know? I don¡¯t even break. I cannot break because I know that they don¡¯t want me to. I¡¯ve failed again and again, and yet here I am still loving and hating her. I just don¡¯t know. I am tired, never broken, but drained. Even with this power, I don¡¯t feel so different. Some men would lose themselves and I would too if not for those who I traveled with.¡±


    ¡°Have you thought that you might be different now?¡±


    ¡°Never thought of myself as different. I¡¯m nobody because there are people who are better than me. People that were nobodies who became heroes. And if they see me in a world this peaceful. Do you know what they would do? They wouldn¡¯t grit their teeth in jealousy. They¡¯d smile and tap my shoulders and say that it¡¯s nice. They were nobodies who were heroes to me. To become anything other than nobody would be disrespectful to them. Hah, I don¡¯t even know why I am telling this.¡±


    ¡°Maybe you just want to chat up? Don¡¯t worry, I will listen to you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    *****


    Nolan talked as if recollecting memories. He didn¡¯t care about the time as it passes by. Lady Dalia listened with a smile on her dragon¡¯s face. When the morning rose again Nolan was pressing his back on a tree. Dalia muttered at him, ¡°Run¡­Let hope live, you tasteless man¡­hmm, you ran too far didn¡¯t you?"

 Chapter 318: Strangers 1

    Arel saw Nolan walked into his fields with holes in his shirt. He carried a pouch of gold. He vaulted on the fence and waved. ¡°Yo, just got back from the hunting¡±


    ¡°You work fast,¡± Arel said.


    ¡°I arrived yesterday, but I had business with the Lady.¡±


    Arel nodded. ¡°The work here is done so no need to help today.¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Nolan said. ¡°Here¡¯s my rent.¡±


    ¡°Oh, no need really, just help me around and that¡¯s fine.¡±


    Nolan smiled wearily. ¡°This is shameless, but I really need the gold right now. Especially when I have no clothing or gear other than handouts. I think your shirt is holed now.¡±


    ¡°Goblin?¡±


    ¡°Well, things happened. Oh, have you heard that there¡¯s a famous wanderer that¡¯s going to stay on our island?¡±


    Nolan¡¯s expression turns blank for a moment. ¡°I¡¯ve met her already. Do you know her?¡±


    ¡°The High Lady of the Alf¡¯s, Ashia Brayleigh. She¡¯s someone respected as a mentor of the current heroes of the elemental light. I say that she¡¯s one of the prettiest teachers and respected.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t deny that she¡¯s the prettiest, but didn¡¯t expect her to be a teacher. I see, no wonder.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Nothing,¡± Nolan shook his head, he leaned on the fence. ¡°How do I reach the other side of the island anyway?¡±


    ¡°Just use the tram service,¡± Arel said.


    Nolan widened his eyes. ¡°A tram here?¡±


    ¡°What are you surprise about?¡± Arel laughed. ¡°Concordia can be called the resting stop of the world. No bandits would come and disturb anyone who sails on a ship piloted by a Concordia Islander. After all, there are only unbelievable people in this island.¡±


    ¡°A Golem that guards an island, and a Lady Dragon that watches the skies and the infinity. I may be an idiot but even I could tell that this is the crossroads of the baubles. This is a wonderful island. Peaceful.¡±


    ¡°It took years to achieve this peace,¡± Arel said. ¡°People died fighting for this peace, and I saw them cheer on the plaza of the kingdom. Ania and I were walking around when we met up with people who wanted to give us a place to stay. She took administrative affairs while I choose to have this farm. You could say that it was a dream.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad that you guys achieved this.¡±


    Nolan smiled. The sun behind him along with the empty blue skies. He was leaned on the fence, his hair fluttering freely as he spoke. ¡°It makes almost jealous.¡±


    Arel started to wonder if he could ask him. ¡°So, do you really nor know?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± he said, placing his hand on the fence. ¡°I do not know what continent is this. My home is far away, impossibly far that it just painful to think about how I could reach it.¡±


    ¡°Then, I won¡¯t ask.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the understanding,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t like talking about home. It is just that I don¡¯t know what most of my home is now. I¡¯ve been traveling so far and for so long that the thought of going back home or even remember the faces of my family seem like an impossible task now.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Arel pursed his lips. ¡°I don¡¯t know your situation, and I don¡¯t dare to ask. I just hope that what bothers you would be at peace. I sympathize with the thought of home, but we have our hurts that I can''t comprehend what you are being hurt by. That would be too self-serving for me to assume that I can alleviate it. Ania used to say that it is only you who could fix your hurt.¡±


    ¡°I know that too well,¡± he laughed. ¡°It¡¯s easy to say that we just need to stop thinking about it. That doesn¡¯t work so well. We¡¯ll hurt to the point that it just aches the heart thinking about it. You go thinking that it won¡¯t hurt, and you try to remove it, but then you don¡¯t even realize that there are fragments of it that you could never remove. They are wounds and even though some are healed. Wounds that have cut deep don¡¯t easily stop hurting.¡±


    Arel didn¡¯t reply. Nolan nodded at him. ¡°Thank you for telling me about the tram. Looks like I¡¯ve become talkative after reaching this island.¡±


    ¡°I guess you let your guard down,¡± Arel said.


    ¡°The resting stop of the world. Hah, no wonder she was so relaxed despite knowing.¡±|


    Arel didn¡¯t understand.


    ¡°Very well, I do hope that I can continue working with you, Arel.¡±


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be watching the fields.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    *****


    Nolan found his way passed the plaza and saw the tunnels where the tram is. He saw a marble building on it. There was a woman stationed in this building. Nolan asked for a ticket and he got his ticket. Boarding the tram, he spent time watching the blurring scenery and the rolling landscape. Once he got out of the tram he saw another wall of blue, the horizon reaching far beyond. The sun-kissed ocean, the gentle giants walking and swimming on it like they were bathing. Where in the world would he see such wonders again? Not even the tower worlds had scenes like this. No, even if there was he too busy fighting for his life with Aria.


    There was a bench on the side of the cliff. As he sat there he fished out a cigar and started smoking. He wasn¡¯t fond of smoking, but it made him calm. He wasn''t concerned with smoking now that there was no need for his body to worry about it. He wasn¡¯t as fragile as he was in his first incarnation. It was then that he heard the footsteps of someone, upon looking he saw a woman whose blond hair was shine by the sun. Her beautiful blue eyes, her rightfully curved body, and the cloak she wore did not betray her beauty. The curve of her face was rather lovely.


    ¡°Good afternoon.¡±


    She craned her neck and patted her forehead. ¡°The Lady did say that you¡¯d be accommodating. Can I sit down?¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind."

 Chapter 319: Strangers 2

    ¡°I¡¯ve been here for so many times that this view does not go stale.¡±


    ¡°I agree with that,¡± he puffed a cloud of smoke.


    ¡°We got on the wrong foot. Dalia explained who you are. You are a bleak walker.¡±


    ¡°She told you? And here I thought she¡¯d be silent about that part.¡±


    ¡°It was better to learn than to be ignorant. It is not her style to hold back. I couldn¡¯t get it out of my mind how she protected you. In all of my years, she had never done anything like that.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°She also said that I shouldn¡¯t pay you too much respects. You look fine despite your age.¡±


    ¡°I was rather old before. My body became like this after events that I had no control.¡±


    ¡°So what type of blessings do you?¡±


    Nolan simmered down. She continued talking without looking at him.


    ¡°All she knew was that how we are close of age despite my Alf lifespan. Lady Dalia did tell how you are some sort of hybrid of a human that consumed the life of a guardian and an old monster. She said that your power itself was something that did not warrant my concern. So, it would be of use to me to know what blessings do you have-¡±


    Nolan said firmly. ¡°That¡¯s funny. I don¡¯t remember any blessings. Just hardships and killings. I killed people. I killed more people and did things. In return, I got curses and the screams of those who I traveled with. You should know about it. I made you experience it.¡±


    ¡°Horrendous, it was. I didn¡¯t think that it would be a curse. So it¡¯s not a blessing that made you strong?¡±


    ¡°I was normal, Miss Ashia. I was a soldier who got himself into trouble. I became only like this because I stayed alive for too long. I got the Walker¡¯s Syndrome, a curse that compels me to keep on living, doubling my already strong desire to live, trekking the lands, until my feet could no longer carry me. The curse is under control, but I don¡¯t think that you could ever call my curses as blessings. I became strong because of events that I have no control over. I didn¡¯t get all of this power simply. It was not handed to me. I died and killed to get what I have.¡±


    ¡°Then I was being rude.¡±


    ¡°No. You have no way of knowing this. Besides, what are you doing here, Miss? I believe that this is no coincidence that we meet here.¡±


    ¡°I did say that we got on the wrong foot. This land has been peaceful and my students and I worked hard for it. Many had shed their blood for this world that to let something like that go would be unreasonable for me. We had to change the workings of the world. Do you understand?¡±


    Nolan craned his neck. ¡°Do you expect me to say, Yes? You were reasonable, but no one would lay down their life suddenly for that.¡±


    ¡°I had no choice. If Lady Dalia didn¡¯t explain, I would have chased you until the ends of this world. You can¡¯t expect someone who fought in ridding of a dangerous power for years just stay still when she founds another power that may turn the world she had seen turn peaceful chaotic again.¡±


    ¡°I can see that happening. Not that I would ever just lay down and give up my life for your belief.¡±


    ¡°You are strong,¡± she nodded. ¡°That I can tell by that power you were about to shatter me with me. Every inch of my body screamed.¡±


    ¡°I was going to knock you down with a rune spell. Dalia stopped me before I could have carved a giant hole on your chest. The thing is that I wasn¡¯t hesitant. I should have killed you. You¡¯d do the same if she didn¡¯t¡¯ stop us.¡±


    ¡°Yes. But that is a past that had happened.¡±


    ¡°A past where you stabbed me in the chest and tried to cut my soul. You do know what happens to a soul that has been cut up? You were threatening to kill me from existence itself. That is something that is not easily forgiven. I sit here with you because I wanted to know.¡±


    ¡°What I think?¡± She looked at him sharply. ¡°I think that you are a dangerous being. This is a peaceful world and the likes of us are not welcome in such a world.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Nolan scoffed. ¡°Then why are you here? Because you want to kill me? Do you want to rid of me? Is that why you are here, Miss Ashia?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± she said. ¡°I was wrong in trying to kill you. I accept my mistakes, but it doesn¡¯t mean that you are less dangerous. I came here in hopes to start a school. Lady Dalia invited me who had no place to go. What do I find here? A person who could possibly destroy continents by wielding his power. Do you expect someone who had protected the world to just let go of this?¡±


    Nolan flicked the cigar off his fingers. He stabbed it with his finger and the cigar was gone. She continued staring at her with her eyes reflecting the blue seas. The side of her face kissed by the sun. Nolan noticed the first stars appearing. He had a lot to say. But there was the fatigue of travel finally weighing on him. There were things he wanted to do. To cry. To scream. To just let his rage out. But he had been alternating between young and old that he started to question whether he was sane or not. Yet he held it in not because he had control. But because the young and old man inside of him was too tired. How he thinks and feels and behaves was something he had no control. Still, he could think of none at this moment. Her words drifted. The rage of the young and the calm of the old mixed. What was left was just a solid wall.


    ¡°I guess you are right. You didn¡¯t have a choice in the matter.¡±

 Chapter 320: The Transmigrator, and the Reincarnator

    When Nolan stopped talking there was an awkward silence among them. She had tried everything, but she felt like she was air when faced with the stoic look on this man¡¯s face. She had done her best trying to keep a point, but yet she had never seen someone who¡¯d dare to ignore her like this. Or was this how it was to face a man who was not years younger than her?


    But she saw something instead that worried her. There was a blank and empty look on his face. The shadows cast over his face made it seem so that he was looking at the night, and never the curiosity in his face. He stared. He took no step forward and sat silently.


    She opened her mouth as if wanting to process what had happened. Then she slacked off on the bench watching the moon. Memories sometimes would flood in her head. These memories of different women with different faces. Each memory as painful as the next.


    ¡°I can¡¯t keep doing this,¡± she said to herself. ¡°I can¡¯t keep doing this forever. Every single time, a new face, and old memories that does nothing but hurt. Do you realize it as well, Lady Dalia? What are you trying to do by making me associate with someone like him?¡±


    *****


    Nolan stared at the sea. He heard only echoing from his ears. Here it was again. The young and old self screaming at him. The young Nolan at his right. The old man at the left. One had the optimism that could not be settled by the darkness while the old man screams at that brightness.


    It had been getting worse each time. The young and old alternates every time they appear. They would have different minds and souls. Ever since then he had seen many of these visions appearing before him. They could not hurt him, but their pleas and begging were loud. Each had different opinions and their memories were that of bright optimism and single-minded grim determination.


    His head hurt. The Sigil on his eyes burned each time these red hazes appear before him. The curse of the old revenant stills follows no matter the world. Or was it because he had consumed the old revenant that these visions are his now?


    Why do I still live? I thought that the Eon-Father would send me home, but why am I in this world? No, can I even go back to that world? It¡¯s so tiring how I had to jump on these worlds without having to witness them all. Ah, why does my heart feels like this? I want to scratch something that does not exist. My body feels so heavy and yet here I am unable to ask what was this feeling. I¡¯ve been through these phases. Or was it because I¡¯m too tired to die?


    This too shall pass. Your time will come. I keep saying these things inside my head, but yet my time never comes. Either I awake in a new world with false hopes and by the end I have to die by her sword or she would offer her life to save mine. It has always been like this. I fail at each turn. What happened to Einar? What happened to Tania after I got taken away by the Eon-Father? I have memories that seem to have been memories from a shard of mine. All of them had shattered and I¡¯m the only one left. Why can I detect them now? My senses are strong enough to pull these strings all over me. Who the hell wants to suffer like this? What is the reason that I try to get up?


    Is it pride? Or is that I am too ashamed to take my life knowing that there were people who would have loved this. But this is no immortality. What is the point of immortality when you have no one to walk with? I¡¯ve seen memories of a dying world. Memories of another me who had been able to reach the ends of a world. I saw a dead planet. A dried-up sea and yet when I am here I can¡¯t but think that those worlds were not the same as this world.


    This is a world of peace made by those who seek for peace. I cannot think of any reason why would I be in a world like this. Even the island menaces are easy to dispose of. I thought that once I could be in a peaceful world. I¡¯d be at peace. But now I miss it. When I was there, I thought of how grand it would be to go home, but when I am here, I realize that life carries on. In that world, I was needed. People relied on me. I don''t need people''s pity. I needed a purpose. My senses were at their peak. My hearing is sharp, smell things, and I watch everything with a critical point of view. I felt alive in that world. I see. That was it. That¡¯s the reason why I feel bothered here. I thought of that place as my home. I fought for that home. I¡¯ve died so many times for that home. I had brothers who needed me. I had people who would walk up to me. But these few instances where I tried to win. I failed in all of them. I was aiming too high and my wax wings got burned.


    I have nothing here as well.


    Oh, mother, what do I do? What do I do?


    Nolan didn¡¯t understand. He couldn¡¯t understand why his body trembled. He felt the dam of his eyes swell, but then he realized that he had nothing to crying any longer. But he understood it well. How tiresome it was to pass into another body that belonged to him again and again.


    He held on to his tears. He looked at the person beside him who seems to have been staring at the sea. She blinked and nodded. He thought that she could at least understand what a person was doing staring at the sea. It was not the first time he had to sit with a person who tried to kill him. He was used to it.

 Chapter 321: Worlds Resembles 1

    Staring at the sea for too long had made them witness the dots of light flying in zigzag lines. There is a bar not far from the bench. This bar was open and the tables were on the white sands. The music was playing with a vinyl record with a crank. There was only the owner of the bar playing his music alone. When the two came in, he nodded and started to take their orders.


    Nolan sat on the table with Ashia. The winds swayed the chime on the crossbeam. There were paper decorations on the beams. A crystal lamp was on the table. Nolan leaned on the table while buttoning up his coat. He had forgotten about buying clothes. All he had in his head was how to make sure that everything is fixed with this woman.


    She twisted on the chair. She adjusted her clothes and leaned back. She eyed him with her brows furrowing. Her lips were quite red and he saw an annoyed face.


    ¡°I noticed that your clothes aren¡¯t fixed.¡±


    ¡°I was planning to buy some. Have to entertain you.¡±


    She nodded. ¡°I hope you don¡¯t use your power. People cling to those who have power. No need for me to tell you that, I guess.¡±


    ¡°People want power. This power is for self-defense. I will only use this to defend myself. I worry about your students. They might think of me as an evil that needs defeating. I hope that you take care of that in hopes that there would be no misunderstanding. I do not wish to kill any of your students or hurt them. I hope we have an understanding so that we can move on with our lives.¡±


    Nolan taps his fingers on the table. She looked at him and nodded. The scent of the owner¡¯s cooking drifted in the air. She leaned with her head slightly tilted. Behind her was the rolling mountains with the trees blinking with light.


    ¡°I had done that. I have told them of your existence. The Lady was nice enough to support my claim. What did you do to make her so eager to help you?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s a dragon that rules time and space as well. I am sure that she could understand my plight.¡±


    ¡°Would you mind me asking what the world you came from was?¡±


    ¡°It was a world of death and battles for the right to survive. Dalia should have told you that it was the same event. However, this time it seems that there is a difference. This is not a dependent world. This is the sole verse and there is only one here.¡±


    Nolan produced a tree with fruits on it on his palm. ¡°It was a tree realm that consists of many branches. When the fruits fall on the ground, the sprouts grow into another tree that contains a realm. Each realm consists of worlds. Think of the world that I came from just another fruit. It is like a tree that grew realms we called baubles. I live in one of the realms. However, what we called the world tree had caused the death of it. Those who mastered the powers guard each of these realms. They are a council of lonely beings that had grown strong enough to know the world they lived in. Each of these worlds would die because of the shadow cast upon the world tree itself. The world tree itself is not evil itself. It simply had cast shadows for it was the biggest tree to grown on that bauble.¡±


    ¡°Then what made you come here in this world?¡±


    ¡°I was in one of the baubles. The darkness arrived and the world was dying. We thought of killing the overlord of the demons would make it all go away. However, we were ignorant to the point of stupidity. We misunderstood and fought the wrong enemy. When we should have planned an escape, we fought not knowing what a child we were. One day I awoke back to where I first arrived. Nevertheless, it was a world where a savior had realized the futility of her efforts. Can you imagine a world that could not be saved? A world where you have to violate the laws of time just to find the answer to the question that bothered you. This savior had done everything to the point of madness. Then she learns the truth and madness came in. She wanted to leave the world. Use the powers she had amassed to save who she could save. Nevertheless, that only made those liked the status quo mad. Her ascendance was rocky and the more she traveled the more she realized that every world was dying. Therefore, she ascended more and killed more. She had become a blood-soaked savior. She saved worlds in the hope that they could have that little time. So, she traveled and reached the main tree only for those who wanted her gone to try to break her. But she did not easily break. She sought more time. The whole of them took her away.¡±


    ¡°So you witnessed all of this?¡±


    ¡°Not all of it. But the being that had tried to send me back home had given me some of the vision he saw. He wanted to make me understand.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°The look on your face says it all. I am nobody. Just a survivor who had lived long enough to have seen things you would not believe. I do not dare to tarnish the lives of braver men who were willing to offer their lives.¡±


    ¡°It surprises me that you can still say things like that. Or do you not want to be different?¡±


    ¡°You could say that,¡± he said, taking the wooden tray from the owner whose smile reaches up to his ears. He raised his pewter cup and nodded at the owner.


    ¡°I have already dealt my delusions of being special. I am just among the many travelers. I do not feel special compared to the teacher of great people that had changed a world for the better.¡±


    She smiled wearily. ¡°It bothers me that some of the details of the world you mention seem to resemble this world.¡±

 Chapter 322: Worlds Resembles 2

    The moon hovers around another moon. A giant sea creature sleeps near the beach. A ship with a paddle wheel on both sides swam the seas quietly. The crystal lamp casts a shadow around them. Rosy red cheeks, but yet there was no sign of them getting drunk. The owner of the bar was no surprise it seems.


    ¡°You¡¯re not out yet.¡±


    ¡°My tolerance is far stronger than this. Alcohol is poison. I can stand it.¡±


    ¡°Same.¡±


    ¡°Still,¡± he chewed on a cigar. ¡°I didn¡¯t think that you¡¯d be able to defeat a strong being like that.¡±


    ¡°The elemental light helped.¡±


    ¡°Elemental light. That¡¯s a phrase that I haven¡¯t heard for a while. The world I was in used that term too. We used the elemental light to bring forth the power to bring down our enemies.¡±


    ¡°That reminds me of your story. You fought this overlord of demons and brought back the light. How did that happen? I thought the darkening was done by this world tree.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, it was done by the world tree. The Overlord of the Demons was our enemy. He was supposed to be the source. But when I repeated I realized that he was trying to tunnel to the different side of the world. My memories of this time are vague and I hardly remember anything other than stabbing a person who wanted to keep his people safe.¡±


    ¡°This person that seems to have done things. I am surprised that you were dragged by this woman.¡±


    ¡°You could say that I was just an extra to her feats. She has overturned expectations. She had done things that I would never dream of doing. I don¡¯t know why she fights so hard. I don¡¯t know what drives her to keep on moving forward.¡±


    ¡°The way you speak sounds like you do admire her.¡±


    ¡°I do admire her. She¡¯s the strongest and most proud woman I¡¯ve met. There are times where I have loathed her. Times where I moved on. And instances where I choose to love her. She was my wife.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± her eyes wide open. ¡°No wonder. So you are saying to me that you are the husband of a powerful woman? Golly, how did you do it?¡±


    ¡°Took me thirty-years to defrost her heart. She¡¯s a strong woman who had been through the worst. I don¡¯t know if the power got to her or simply there was something that broke her along the way. I cannot imagine the pain she had been through. The last time I saw her she was taken away. I couldn¡¯t do anything other than watch. I wanted to be gone. Be away from that home. Instead, I got myself messed up like this. We had two wonderful children and I couldn¡¯t save them. I heard the truth that was she manipulating me. That was I only a tool that was used for purposes I don¡¯t even know about. I was under her spell. That all my lives I had been living a lie. A barefaced lie that I had been too stupid to accept. Tell me, can you continue loving a woman who had tortured you because she could not believe that your intentions are true? You¡¯d then remember how many times you have tried to kill her. How many times you did love her back. In the end, we keep finding each other. We keep hurting each other that it makes me wonder why I would go back to her.¡±


    Her face was stone. ¡°You must love her for you to do that. But I don¡¯t think that such love would be healthy.¡±


    ¡°I know. I just wish that it wasn¡¯t like this. That we had met in a better place in a better time.¡±


    ¡°Why confide in me?¡±


    His eyes stared. ¡°You¡¯re still a stranger to me. Besides, it¡¯s not every day that I can tell people that I came from another world. Feels like a load off my chest. Been feeling this since forever and right now I just want to get rid of it. Strange, I¡¯m talking about this with the woman who just stabbed me in the chest. I guess things never do change.¡±


    ¡°I saw your face and I thought how awful it was for someone to barely even care about the stab in his chest. It was a strange experience. You¡¯re so used to this that I wondered what would have truly happened if Lady Dalia didn¡¯t stop us.¡±


    ¡°I would have taken another life. That¡¯s it. To me you were hostile. I¡¯ve live lives killing those who are hostile to me. I would be another day.¡±


    ¡°Do you even ask if there¡¯s something wrong with you when you say that?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d get used to it. I hope that we won¡¯t have any problems. If possible I don¡¯t want to hurt another human being. It¡¯s rare for me to have peace like this. Like a gift from the heavens itself. It would be a pleasure to enjoy this peace. I assure you once again that I am not someone who¡¯d turned. Because I would have done so. But never, I will do so. It would be a dishonor the fallen. I carry their will and their voices. That is why I must keep walking the light. The view of the above dictates the smallness that I carry.¡±


    She folded her arms. ¡°I believe you. Strange, but I believe that you¡¯d take your word seriously. Besides, I wouldn¡¯t share a drink and a table to a man that I would kill. But if there is a chance of you turning into madness because of that power. Out of duty, I will not hesitate to put you down, Nolan. I wish that you would understand that. This is a world painstakingly cultivated by the hardship of my students. I will not allow anyone to taint it. They walk the light and are basked in it. I am their shadow and I hope you understand this.¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± he raised a cup. ¡°Let us drink, Ashia. The night is deep and your gold deeper than mine!¡±


    She raised a cup and met it with his cup.

 Chapter 323: Worlds Resembles 3

    Nolan noticed the greenish-blue glow on the edges of the beach. It covered the coastline. He turned to Ashia whose cheeks have become rosy. They had emptied cups of ale and yet that pocket of hers seems endless.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to pay for all of this, right?¡±


    ¡°I will. Think of it as compensation for stabbing you.¡±


    ¡°Do you know what that is? I don¡¯t think they are organic,¡± Nolan pointed.


    She looked. ¡°That¡¯s the leftovers of the magics of the creates. Who says that humanoids can only wield magic? Most of our powers were learned from observing the creatures. There¡¯s a fish in the sea that produces a circle of water that turns into a beam of water that could even tear through thick hulls. I think we had a problem like that in the north where merchant ships were unable to pass. They have to airlift the goods to their destination.¡±


    ¡°I see. So they are not dangerous are they?¡±


    ¡°On the contrary, they can be used to recover energy. But people like us who have large reserves cannot be affected by this.¡±


    ¡°The world knows this?¡±


    ¡°Used to be a part of the customs here to take bathe on the day where the sea glows. I think the southern edges of the Republic still do the ritual and they made it as a festival.¡±


    ¡°Arel, this guy whose a farmer here. He said that his friend and him fought a war.¡±


    ¡°Probably the Civil War then, the Olden Ice Dale was where we fought the enemy and change the world. The civil war is where the Old Empire got beaten by the Republic. It was bloody and would have been longer if it weren¡¯t for our intervention.¡±


    ¡°The more I hear about your escapades, the more I envy you. You¡¯ve all reach a golden ending for this world. That is something.¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°That still doesn¡¯t mean much. This peace may last, but who knows how long will it last?¡±


    The crystal lamp shone brightly when the wind blew. Nolan leaned his back on the chair. Ashia peered in her drink, eyes focused, and brows gathered. She licked her red lips and supported her chin with her gloved hand. She took a peek at Nolan.


    ¡°So what do you intend to do next?¡±


    ¡°Teaching,¡± she said. ¡°But it seems that won¡¯t be my profession. They wanted me to have the Headmaster role. Which would solidify the status of the island, knowing, that they have someone like me watching their children. I may not look like it, but I am quite as popular as my students.¡±


    ¡°Yet none of the islanders seem to care,¡± Nolan eyed the owner.


    She followed his eyes. ¡°Well, they know me long enough not to care about this. I have lived a long life, and I¡¯ve been here most of the time. You could say that this is the place where I rest my sore feet. I have a house around here, and it has been quite a while. The republic¡¯s good enough. My students are grown-ups now. They don¡¯t need their teacher anymore.¡±


    ¡°Must be quite sad,¡± said Nolan.


    ¡°It is!¡± She said nodding hurriedly. ¡°They all think that I should get married! Bah! What do they know? Do they think that all there is to life is love?¡±


    ¡°That seems like an excuse. Or do you Alf¡¯s have different customs?¡±


    She snorted. ¡°I¡¯m considered young for an Alf. While my people think that I interfere too much. But, I can¡¯t just help but love the way the humans struggle. Look at them, trying so hard, and now look at what they achieve. Back then, my people wanted nothing to do with humans. They think of humans as barbarians who know nothing of the world. But look at what they have done to this world. It¡¯s lovely. Even back home the matriarchy has seceded the throne in hopes that there can be no lonely queens. We are long-lived but it was better to change the system. The queen of my home didn¡¯t want the island to be filled with the old. She wanted new faces and children running around the Alf Island. My word made her resolve to go through the people of the Alf, but it is an issue that seeks the betterment and the flourishing of the world.¡±


    ¡°Are there any other nations other than this place?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± she said to him. ¡°There is the United Countries that choose to gather into a council. The invention of the machines had made traveling to the United Countries as a possibility. Because of this the ¡®spell¡¯ that my students conjured was accepted, but the system itself isn¡¯t perfect. There are liabilities and flaws on it that might be used to usurp the system.¡±


    ¡°I see. How long will this peace take?¡±


    ¡°Long enough for people to think that it is the natural way of things.¡±


    Nolan felt disquiet inside. No matter what he looked the world seems like it was in a status quo. A quo that would last long enough for them to think that it was natural.


    ¡°I do envy you all.¡±


    Nolan leaned back on his chair again. The wind up his neck. His hair dancing along. The beauty of the stars that seem to cover him. No matter how he looks at it. This was a world that had reached a happy ending, but lives move on.


    No army to fight on.


    No threat that could destroy the world.


    It was a peaceful world.


    So peaceful that he wished that those who died before him could see it.


    Tears fell on his cheeks. Nolan palmed his face. He didn¡¯t try to hide his sobs. His body shaking. A miserable laugh escaping from his lips.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°I am not. Just the memories are getting terrible lately. It makes me wish I could gouge my brain out.¡±


    Nolan wished he could forget. He wished that the drink would allow him to forget even for a single moment. The screams of the fallen died. The world seems to go black with only the table around. The young man who was lost quietly sobbed with his drink.

 Chapter 324: A Forgotten Wish

    Nolan had enough of drinking. Ashia didn¡¯t seem like her pockets were empty. The drinks didn¡¯t make him wobbly. Ashia sat beside him on the tram.


    The tram traveled on the rails leading to the bigger part of the island. From the inside of the tram, Nolan could see the blinking lights coming from the town where he was heading in the first place.


    The tram was empty aside from the operator who seems to be operating the tram quietly. There was no sound other than the bottom of the tram hitting the metal railing. The trees passed by with a blur.


    He noticed that the tram was following the coastline.


    ¡°There are strays out there,¡± said Ashia. ¡°Trams like this are too fragile compared to them. The coastline¡¯s safe so they use this to get around. Besides, the view¡¯s not half bad.¡±


    Nolan leaned his head on his right palm. Ashia moved close, her body sticking close to Nolan. Nolan glanced at her and heave a sigh. ¡°You want to change seats?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not drunk, are you?¡±


    ¡°Not even tipsy.¡±


    Nolan focused on her. ¡°You¡¯re getting too close. I¡¯m not complaining though.¡±


    Ashia looked down and shrugged. ¡°I gave you quite amount. Relax, I won¡¯t kill someone who I shared a drink with. Oh, you know what? Let¡¯s change seats.¡±


    Nolan stood up and twisted on the seat. She moved to the windows and leaned the right side of her head on the glass pane. From this side, Nolan could see the side of her neck, nape, and collar bones. She had loosened her robes. The tie of her hair was also loose.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move,¡± he said, grabbing her hair. ¡°Your hair¡¯s a mess. Arrange your clothes too.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± she pulled on her clothes. ¡°Thanks, I usually just tie with it whatever.¡±


    Nolan fumbled his fingers on her blond hair, his fingers tying Ashia¡¯s hair into a braid. She continued her focus on the blurring scenery, the landscape rolling before them.


    ¡°My students used to do my braids, but they are big now! Oh no, sir, can¡¯t have their teacher treating them like children.¡±


    ¡°Do you have family, Ashia?¡±


    ¡°My parents had died fifty years ago. Well, they live long happy lives so I cannot grieve. They were happy that they were able to give birth to me and raised me well. I am one of the few who were birthed you know?¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Nolan pulled his fingers away. He settled his hands on his lap. ¡°Strange, I thought you¡¯d have a family or a lover.¡±


    ¡°I had one. But our paths were different and that he was human. To love a human is hard. Bah, he was happy in the end though, so I have no qualms. Besides, I couldn¡¯t chase after that kind of happiness when the world was in danger. I am quite used to this life of mine. I can¡¯t change that on a whim.¡±


    ¡°You could say that,¡± Nolan said. ¡°I don¡¯t know what to do now that I am here. What do you expect from someone who lived his life fighting?¡±


    ¡°Says the man who can braid a girl¡¯s hair?¡±


    ¡°I was a regular in an orphanage. Back then the sisters didn¡¯t have any way of helping. Everyone was forced to fight that we took turns in helping the kids. I had to regularly cut their hair or braid them. I didn¡¯t have time, but I think I was good at it.¡±


    ¡°Anything else?¡±


    ¡°I was a decent cook. Some of the vegetables and produce here are similar so I might be able to cook them up. I wonder if Arel will like them?¡±


    ¡°Arel, that farmer you keep on mentioning. You seem fond of him.¡±


    ¡°Who wouldn¡¯t be fond of your rescuer?¡±


    ¡°You think of him as a friend.¡±


    ¡°I do. Lady Dalia, and I guess you are one now. Don¡¯t you agree?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but I hope that you don¡¯t turn, Nolan. I really do.¡±


    Nolan smiled wearily. He fondled his wrist, turned to the front where he could see the incoming station. He took a step outside of the tram followed by Ashia. A lamp hung around the concrete crossbeams of the station. There was a flight of stairs that leads to a place with buildings lit up by the lamps.


    ¡°Well, this should be my stop,¡± said Ashia. ¡°I am glad that we have this talk.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I regret that our first meeting was violent, but it is rare for me to sit down and talk it out. Most of the time my enemies come rushing in without reason, stabbing and slashing against me.¡±


    ¡°Now you¡¯re just making me guilty,¡± she said with a guilty look. ¡°Farewell, for now, Nolan. I wish you a pleasant day.¡±


    She disappeared from his sight. Nolan descended on the flight of stairs and entered a shop where he can buy some of his necessities. He used the coat given to him by Arel. He tidied all of them into his rucksack. To his surprise, he found a clearing next to a tunnel that leads to a high place. In this high place, he saw what seems to be the corona of the sun breaking out of the horizon.


    Somehow, it reminded me of the scenery that he saw before he fell.


    That feeling of falling from a high place. The wind buffeting me. The sun kissing my face as I fell. I thought that was the end but I was there and then fought. I fought for her. I fought for them. I survived because of them. What was I looking at that place again?


    Nolan sat down staring at the sun masking the seas. He thought and asked himself why did he climb that building. It was then that he remembered the wonderful feeling.


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right. I wanted to climb that building to be happy. I like seeing the world from above. That was all there is to it. Damn, when did I forget? Have I gone senile despite having a young body?¡±


    Nolan didn¡¯t know why he kept on walking those roads.


    Those burning sands.


    The bloodied landscape.


    The pain and heartbreak.


    But...he thinks that he found it again.


    ¡°Please,¡± he begged. ¡°For once¡­let me find peace.¡±

 Chapter 325: A Cheery Pretender

    The dragon stood with her back rigidly straight.


    ¡°Oh my, so hostile.¡±


    ¡°You are not welcome here, Observer.¡±


    ¡°Why so?¡±


    Dalia the dragon glared at this woman.


    ¡°This is a peaceful world. This isn¡¯t your bauble, farm girl or guardsman was it?¡±


    ¡°Hehe, so you knew from the start?¡±


    ¡°I thought you were dead, woman.¡±


    ¡°Come on now, who said that I can be killed? As for you, o Witch clad in Purple, you seem to like this form of yours.¡±


    ¡°Do not speak of that title in front of me.¡±


    She threw her hands up.


    ¡°Forgive me, it has been so long. What time is it? Oh, don¡¯t so agitated Witch. Dalia, you call yourself Dalia now, right?¡±


    Dalia¡¯s form shape shifted into the form of a woman wearing robes with a dark purple of a hair that reaches up to her waist.


    ¡°It has been long, Witch.¡±


    ¡°Observer, cheery as always.¡±


    ¡°Oh my, how hostile. Truly, it has been so long. Witch, you devoured a guardian, did you? You broke your own, took a dragon¡¯s flesh and went so far but got here instead. How old are you now, o my purple witch?¡±


    ¡°You test my patience. There is no place for you here. I thought that she got to you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I would have been gone if it weren¡¯t for this kind obsidian flower helping me. Hmm, interesting, truly interesting how things turn out, isn¡¯t it, Witch?¡±


    ¡°You eye me with suspicion. I am not like you.¡±


    ¡°Run! Let hope live, you tasteless man!" She cackled, imitating a voice. Dalia cringed at the way she perfectly imitated her voice. ¡°You could have fooled me. Really, to adore men with such unyielding purposes. You are lost as well.¡±


    ¡°Shut it. It has been long. This isn¡¯t about me. I just want my friends to be happy. What¡¯s so wrong with that? You act cheery but you know that you want that as well. After all, who was the fool who can¡¯t leave a poor boy alone.¡±


    ¡°I liked it,¡± she said. ¡°The way he rose from the start. Fumbling about in a world that was not suited for him. He is a good friend to me as well.¡±


    ¡°Why are you here.¡±


    ¡°To travel and observe. That¡¯s what I always do. As for you, you are cheating. So, where¡¯s she?¡±


    ¡°A place where she should be. They are one. You will not bother, Observer. You are powerless in this world. Your source is dead, and I made sure that the woman will stay in the prison she made. But that woman takes what she wants and does what she wants. There is no stopping her and I think it won¡¯t be that long till she breaks. But at that time the souls should have been recycled. Alas, they are not as clever as the purple-clad witch who escaped the grasp of the burnt woman. Such a clever scheme. To even fool the gods themselves. Now you stand as a guardian for this peaceful world. Too peaceful. Just the way you like it.¡±


    ¡°Revenant,¡± she said with a snide. ¡°How did you escape the cycle?¡±


    ¡°Same as him. I spent a long time to be good at the forces. I do admit that I was tethered to him as an observer. I am free now that the bauble is destroyed and I am unbound.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you help?¡±


    She looked at her as if baffled. ¡°You wound me with those words, Witch. How do you think he survived all those timelines? How do you think he would be able to sustain a body, devour a body, and have this power nearly equal to me? I made it happen! Do you know? Because he was a good friend of mine. You cannot temper heavenly steel with softness. You must temper it from the fires of chaos itself!¡±


    ¡°You turn him nearly broken!¡±


    ¡°Battered, not broken. He is unbroken! That is why he is a good friend! I wouldn¡¯t do it for anyone than him. Before all of this, I was the one with him! I was the one who fought with him! When even the gods would spite him! I am his ally forevermore! Even before his meeting with the pale shine! I was his ally.¡±


    ¡°Then why do all of this?¡±


    The observer¡¯s smile had a tinge of despair. ¡°Because I want to help him. What I want to ask is that even though you have all that time. All that power. You choose to stay ignorant of all the matters regarding him. You stayed passive, waited, and did nothing. You, Dalia,¡± she said with a tinge of disgust. ¡°It is even more disgusting than I am. You have all that time and you didn¡¯t even think of helping a friend once.¡±


    ¡°He is not my only priority. He is not my whole world, Observer. I am not bound to serve him. Do you think that I should always orbit around and let my whole existence revolve around him? Then you are not thinking straight, but I doubt a revenant would ever think straight. I will not allow any of your trespass here. Stay still. Do not meddle with the world¡¯s affairs or I will make sure that not a single fragment of your soul would be left alive.¡±


    ¡°Your threats do not scare me, Witch. You are a great pretender, greater than even me. But I guess the one that sought power would stay the same. Or does having a whole level of omniscience made you realize something? Look at you. Acting like some merciful deity. I may be despicable in your eyes. But I never abandon those who needed my hand. Never. The Oath that I sow isn¡¯t as terrible your Oath for greater power. Your act right now does nothing but fill me with utter disgust. I am no threat. That I can say. I won¡¯t hurt a friend. You as well. We have long perpetual lives, Witch. You should settle on your ideals. You¡¯re too old for this.¡±


    ¡°Leave.¡±


    The observer vanished like a mouthful a breath in cold air. Dalia gripped the body of her staff and her form turned back into that of a dragon.

 Chapter 326: The Witch Who Ran

    Think of it as a scene that happened before my eyes. I have two wonderful friends who loved each other. Their story was that of a fairy tale for me. They might of it as teasing if you tell them so. For some, their tale was that of a legend itself


    There was a soldier who rose to the ranks of a knight by pure strength and will. He was a fine young man who was weaker than anyone, but his diligence and loyalty to the cause could not be questioned. How do I know this? Well, you could say that I was the one opposed him. He was far too lacking as a knight for the war maiden. She was a conduit of the elemental heroes and she needed a better guard.


    He rose to defend her. He held lines for here that it was only then that I approved of him. My grips with him were that his self-esteem was that of the gutter. He clings to the war maiden because there was something that he found. Salvation or hope¡­who knows?


    He was looked up to. He didn¡¯t know it. Not because of his strength or looks. It was because everyone could see the tireless effort that he does. He said once, ¡°I¡¯m weak. I have to better than this. That is the only control that I have,¡± and that made my expectations of him rose. Even a fool could learn after many experiences. By the time thirty-years have passed, and when he finally got the love of his life to accept him. The war maiden loses his life.


    The unbroken man that I know kneeled on two graves that day. Before the battle, he sacrificed the life of his unborn child so that the war maiden could fight without the baby holding her back. Nonetheless, she died by the pale mountain giant¡¯s strike. He was saved physically but his lights were out.


    I couldn¡¯t say anything. None could. He disappeared. He left the light¡¯s army and was gone from us. It was only when it was ten years later after killing off the obsidian demoness that I met him alongside his bleak walkers. He had grown into a fine man of stature. His eyes painted with the curse of the dread. He held no emotion. He was stone, but as expected he was not broken as I thought he¡¯d be.


    He was one of the many who approached me for the implanting of runes in their bones. I was hesitant to carve runes on his bones, but he insisted, and that he had better chances. He was easy to teach, but that didn¡¯t mean he was a grand genius. But his line of thinking held difference and he surprised me with some of the things he knew. Maybe that was why he was effective.


    The light¡¯s army and the bleak walkers were separated. But he was not so easily forgotten. He refuses to acknowledge it, but staying at the side of the war maiden and his tales of fighting alongside her was something that many loved; whether noble or not. They had heard of the Knight Salvatore. Especially the day where he lost the war maiden. The elemental heroes of light knew him, but yet they could not face him after failing the war maiden.


    He was an aging man by that time I met him. He was one of my only friends that his side was warmth for me. I had achieved things that I wanted and lifespan could outlive them. My body was strong so I did not need worry. By that time those who I called friends were buried six feet underground. He was one that still lived. I admit that there were days that my heart beat for him. Nonetheless, he was a man who sought purpose on letting death take him naturally while he does his best for the mission he had given his whole to.


    At the ends of the world where we ended the overlord of the demons, I saw him run. It was something that he didn¡¯t want him to do. I thought that I was being foolish, but I was able to pull through and survived. I was sure that he would one day come home. But he didn¡¯t. He was found dead in the desert. The runes in his body retained his shape. I made sure that he was taken back to the Oasis where they would know that the Salvatore Knight was back.


    I was glad that I found him. But what broke my heart was that after two years of his burial. The war maiden who should have died returned from the grave, desperately looking for his husband. It made sense of why the elemental heroes could still fight despite the death of the war maiden. The war maiden never died and thus their existence was ensured.


    We didn¡¯t have the heart. I should have told her. But what I found during that day was the smile of a woman who had taken her life in front of his husband¡¯s grave. I had to witness such scenes of love and betrayal. The lines blurred during that time when I took the title of the Witch of the Nether. The world died not before long and I took the life of the guardians. But in the end, I was trapped alongside them. I could not escape. I have to watch two of my best friends love turned twisted.


    They kill and love another. I watched it for so long that I had no strength to get involved. It was only when I learned of the truth that I choose not to pursue it. When the war maiden, not her, the burnt woman left and was surrounded by the gods. I choose that time to escape and I flew in this world where I could serve the people. I was afraid that I would have to witness them die again and again. I had enough so I left.


    But looking at how things are. I start to wonder whether our fates are intertwined. The Witch of the Nether, I wonder if they will notice that it¡¯s me?

 Chapter 327: Land From Sea

    Care the land and fill it until your heart is content, is what he said. However, this land provided was something he did not expect when returning to Arel¡¯s farm. With the giant golem dragging a drowning island from the bottom of the ocean.


    He was tasked with an enormous responsibility and new land to make do with. The winds were buffeting him from all sides. He wore his work clothes and started cleaning up the seagrasses and weeds alongside the molds that gathered. His hands easily lifted the boulders and the few rocks scattered among the field. Strange flowers that lived under the seas started to wilt due to the meeting with the sun. He had deduced that they were plants that somehow lived under the sea without the need of much sunlight.


    Not far from where he was, standing was a wooden frame of a building. He was not much of a carpenter, but even he could build a cabin. He remembered that there was a time where he and his pa worked on a cabin next to a lough. Green pastures that stretch as far as the eye could see. Their sheep were making a ruckus along with their sleepy shepherd.


    He does not remember their faces. The name of his country was lost to him. The memories of old were gone and blurred. It was lost in time and space. The film reels aged in his head. All he recalled were memories of the various him who suffered the burnt woman. There are sweet memories and happy ones, but the despairing ones outdid the sweetness.


    He did not think much of it. His legs plodded the fields. His arms lifted the rocks and the sharp coral reefs that were on his way. His strength allowed him to work until the afternoon where the seagulls from the sea rested on the beams of the cabin he was building.


    A shadow blocked the field, and he saw the giant of the island resting. The giant sat on the ocean with its head pointed to the sky. The growling mold on the arms and the back of the titan could be seen from where he standing. He continued to do his work until the giant walked again. With most of the field cleared up, he started to move away by following the dirt path. He saw the inn run by the sisters and the two-storied house of Arel.


    ¡°Yo,¡± Arel waved.


    Nolan neared him. ¡°Done with you?¡±


    ¡°I am,¡± his hands were on his lap. ¡°I don¡¯t do much considering that I only water my plans. I got to say that you are fast to take care of the land and you even have the time to build a cabin frame.¡±


    Nolan rubbed the back of his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know what I¡¯d even do on that farm. Maybe I can grow some fruits?¡±


    ¡°Apples can grow here.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll do that. The thing is that I have no money right now.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m on the red as well until I ship this.¡±


    ¡°Monster clearing it is then.¡±


    ¡°Will you be okay, Nolan?¡±


    Nolan massaged the back of his neck. His eyes pointed to the ceiling. There was a leaf stuck on the crossbeams of the building. He noticed.


    ¡°I think I will be. I do not think I will lose so easily.¡±


    Nolan bid him farewell. He entered the stone-paved road and saw the shop where the blacksmith rang. He was a bearded old man who swung a hammer to a heated metal. His little girl played with a doll and craned her neck to him. The bearded old man turned to him. ¡°Dar-Son is my name, human. Are you the newcomer? Have we met?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. Can you fix this weapon?¡±


    ¡°Hmm,¡± he took the weapon he got from Arel. ¡°This thing¡¯s broken. This is his blade. Arel must be serious about giving up the sword, not as the boy would be helpless without it. You are new so I can reforge this into a new sword. However, it will have to be a backsword since the materials are lacking. I can make it new. Do you agree?¡±


    Nolan did not need the weapon. At best, he could construct a weapon and bring forth the sword Zachariah out. The old man stared at him. Nolan gave up thinking about it and said.


    ¡°Please do.¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± the Dar-Son started working on the steel. He first melted the sword and made a mold of the saber. His arm was brutish yet precise. Each strike caused the blade to form; alongside it was lines that gathered on the blade itself.


    ¡°Is this the magic that caused them to return to their world?¡±


    ¡°Yes, even without it the earth itself will help in returning it. Nevertheless, alas we must be better than that.¡±


    A runic power gathered on his hammer. When the hammer strikes the blade, the runes started to disperse into tiny bits of pieces that then formed around the blade. The hiltless sword burned with heat. Dar-Son did not cool the sword but instead cast something that blackened the sword. He stood up. His hand fished through a chest and he took out a scabbard.


    ¡°This is my welcoming gift; I hope that you would be good for us.¡±


    Nolan took the gift. ¡°I will be good. Thank you, Dar-Son, and little girl.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s called Lena. I hope you can get along with her.¡±


    Nolan bid the two farewell and left the shop. His legs carried to Bach whom he asked to ferry him to another island. He traveled on the boat and arrived on an island where the bull monsters were destroying the natural resources of the island. Bach did not leave his boat and stayed maroon near the water.


    Drawing the sword from his scabbard, Nolan focused his eyes on the bull-monsters. His perception of time slowed to a crawl and with a step, he phased through a bull and turned the bull¡¯s body into dots of light.


    ¡°Still got it,¡± he nodded. His face was still. But there was a strange elated look on his face as he rid of the bull-monsters.

 Chapter 328: Runes and Monsters

    Nolan took the time to ensure that his power was optimal. The island was far too precious to put his experiments on a test. He did not want to disrupt any peace on the island and thus he chooses to test his in this place.


    Before he got the power and the understanding of the runes. He relied on the knowledge he learned from Audrey Cress, the Witch of Nether, and his teacher in the arts of Rune Crafting. Rune Crafting was limited to what he could weave and form on his fingers or draw in the air.


    However, ever since that world, he had taken a step. He pulled on the weaves, the strings themselves to create a reaction. To do this his body stimulates the place where the strings are and reached it by phasing. When he phases he reaches and creates a chain reaction in which if pulled on properly he could create his spell and activate certain effects.


    ¡°Blinking,¡± he said, his body appearing into a flash of light. He had done this by the concept of his body accelerating forward. Like two ends of a wire where the light signal is transmitted. He can also do this in long distances and even use the ¡®strings¡¯ to fish out any enemy and teleport to the places he had attached these strings. Not like this world has enemies, to begin with.


    Spreading these strings he sought for any hostile life on the island. He felt three of them and choose to imitate the spell in which they return to the world they come from.


    ¡°Home, huh,¡± he stared at the sky. It was blue and cloudless. Not a single thing other than the strange view of this world. ¡°I don¡¯t remember home. If I could construct a gate that would leave me back home. Then I wonder where I would go? Which home would I return to?¡±


    The spell they used is based on the attachment of each living being to the home they are returned to. When struck with the spell they are spirited away to the place they should belong to. There were various clauses in the spell that governs this world. Nolan could feel the strings they have attached and even he could not influence it. Unlike the other worlds, this world was static. It will not change unless the cycle chooses to change.


    A giant fish leap out of the ocean in an arc, leaving behind droppings of water. Nolan pulled on the spell and watched the ripple of water turned still. He heard the sound of the ocean crashing through the sand and the strong winds pushing against him. He moved around the island until he saw Bach¡¯s boat marooned not far from the island. His vision stayed still and suddenly, with a quick step, he was on the deck of the boat. BacH was on the front with his fishing pole. He looked sideways as if the quickstep did not bother him. Was everyone on the island used to this kind of power?


    Nolan sidled beside him. Bach continued fishing while watching the seas.


    ¡°Got any fish?¡±


    ¡°I have. Do you want to eat? Or do you still want to travel in my boat? Ah, do not give me that look, friend. People in our lovely island tend to fool themselves about their powers. We are fools who fought in a war and tries our best to act normal. I can see why the Lady wants you here, friend. Ah, perhaps you are older than me as well?¡±


    ¡°Not that it matters, Bach.¡±


    ¡°Aye, it does not matter. If you want to use my boat then I¡¯d be happy to. She¡¯s an old one but she needs to stretch her sea legs. Aside from Edward, who I tend to ferry on the mainland and back. It¡¯s only you so far who uses my boat.¡±


    ¡°I thank you. I have no dime to pay you right now.¡±


    ¡°Ah, buy me some drink and we call it even. The sister¡¯s inn should be nice eh?¡±


    Nolan nodded. His hands clasped behind the back, and his head held motionlessly and facing forward. There was a silence for a moment as the ocean vows before them.


    Bach pulled on his fishing pole. Nolan leaned his rear on the side of the boat and choose to watch over. His eyes sharpened and beyond the blue seas, he saw the hill-size sea creatures that populate the underwater.


    ¡°The sea of giants,¡± Bach said. ¡°They say that once there were even larger creatures such as this. Some of them are predators who hunt ships and destroys islands with a single leap out of the water. This sea was once filled with islands, but those islands have drowned because of the sea giants.¡±


    ¡°How did they cope?¡±


    ¡°We accepted the tragedy. Most of the people realized the futility of waging a war against the ocean. Those who could not accept hunted down the sea creatures in where they appeared, bathing the ocean with blood. When the dragons arrived they choose to keep the monsters at bay by their presence alone. To wage war on the ocean is foolish. And thus we compromised.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°You do not like monsters. You have the same eyes of those who hunt with them, and that it is like watching my own eyes.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I spent my whole life fighting them. I bled a lot from them. I saw friends die in their hands. I know that there are some sentient creatures, but to truly love them whole is something I cannot accept. I don¡¯t think anyone could sleep soundly with mad dogs sleeping next to them.¡±


    ¡°Yet we have to listen to reason. It is quite hard, isn¡¯t it? But we must listen to our hearts and minds before we let our primal desires take over.¡±


    Nolan nodded his head and sat on the edge of the boat. ¡°I guess you could say that,¡± Nolan agreed. Bach nodded as well, tugging on the fishing pole, reeling anything that bit the bait. When he was done playing with the fishes. They prepared a grill in which they then eat and shared a drink.

 Chapter 329: Visitors From the Alf 1

    Nolan in the past few days had focused on building the frame of the building. The roof was done. The walls chiseled with wood supported by the stone he carved out of his power. He had the means so he chooses to cut the walls.


    Nolan used the funds of his island clearing missions to buy seeds. He used an earth wand which allowed him to grow trees instead of waiting for them to grow. He did it by using his powers to cultivate the land advance the growth of his orchard. He settled a few wooden fences around his home to keep any stray animals from getting inside. When he was done setting in the fences he crafted a bench in front of his cabin. He bought a mattress from the general store and bought utensils. The cabin was simply in a way that it had a room, a small round table that acts as a living room, and a toilet. There was a nationalized bathhouse so he could use that without worrying.


    He sat on the bench watching his trees grow. Arel would visit sometimes alongside Ania. He would get a few stray people who amble around his orchard. A church was located near the plaza dedicated to the mother of light. They had two kids and a father who preaches the good word of the holy mother.


    Nolan didn¡¯t know why but he carved a cross near his bed. He recalled the days where he sat alongside his father whose face he could no longer remember. The sign of the cross, and a bible in hand while listening to the local priest whose jolly attitude made the trip to the church worth it.


    When noon comes he goes to the Sister¡¯s Inn where he would dine alongside Arel and Ania. When that was done he would help in the patrols while keeping the wanderers off the dragon shrine where Dalia won¡¯t get disturbed. Speaking of Dalia, she was fond of an eastern drink which she enjoys. The barrel-sized gourds she drinks made Nolan astonish.


    Bach was an accommodating individual and when he¡¯s not lazing near the port. He would invite Nolan to catch these shrimp-like creatures that are the size of coconuts and sell them on the other side of the island. Nolan didn¡¯t know why but the island life followed with things that required him to do made his life busy. He viewed life with the view from above, but when he was here he was forced to care. Time seems slow here and yet fast enough to make him notice a few strange things.


    When he¡¯s not doing anything he would teleport himself to the bench where he watches the sun take a dip on the horizon. He spent most of the time gazing and feeling the winds coming from the sea. When night comes he would take a seat inside his cabin and think of how he should expand it to a wonderful cottage.


    When it was time to sleep he was stuck in a dream of a world where those who died before him ranted and screamed murder at his face. Some of them held their hands, begging for Nolan to pull them up. Nolan stayed still on a platform made of red light and watched them be pulled down by the strange gray void below his feet. In the morning he wakes up and tends to his fruit trees. When he¡¯s done with tending he would go to where Arel was and helped on his crops.


    It was when he took a break to smoke a pipe that he saw the figure of Ashia walking around with a bag. She leaned on the fence and offered a bottled drink that smelled of apples.


    ¡°Apple Cider?¡±


    ¡°Yup,¡± Ashia said. ¡°I heard you were making an orchard farm. Didn¡¯t think you¡¯d go through with it.¡±


    ¡°Miss Ashia,¡± Arel said.


    ¡°Oh, so same person,¡± Ashia nodded. ¡°I thought he was talking to a different person, Arel.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the only Arel around here, Miss.¡±


    "True, still, how do you like your life here?¡± She asked.


    ¡°I should be the one asking that, Headmistress.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fun. Kids are so lovely, aren¡¯t they? So young and full of energy.¡±


    She hopped on the fence. ¡°Doing odd jobs seems so suit you.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think I had it in me. Well, it¡¯s a start, I wouldn¡¯t want to jinx myself, but I think I am adjusting to this place. It also helps I got Arel here to help me out.¡±


    ¡°Glad that you settled in.¡±


    ¡°Friendly, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I am in a good mood. Gotta keep the darkness out of you. You wouldn¡¯t mind serving some of the fruits you have grown to my students? The dean told me that they wanted to serve up some snacks. I think it will work out.¡±


    ¡°They can just buy some snacks, you know?¡±


    ¡°Fruits are healthy. How about we talk about it?¡±


    She landed on the stone road and started walking to the direction of the tram. Nolan followed suit with his hands inside his pocket, walking side by side with Ashia. He kicked around a few stones to the side and carried on with his eyes faced forward. A group strolled near the mansion to their side. They went past the bathhouse and entered the plaza. They turned to the flights of stairs and entered the tram. She sat close to Nolan which didn¡¯t surprise him.


    ¡°I need a favor from you.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± he looked at her.


    ¡°The Alf Council wants to meet. They detected you and have chosen to travel to see. Lady Dalia had intercepted them and had given them her thoughts. But it would be best if you come and let them see.¡±


    Nolan turned serious. He placed a hand on his chin. His other than hand resting on his lap. ¡°I hope they¡¯d be lenient. I have already told you my case. I won¡¯t allow my power to be sealed. But I will talk to them in hopes that they¡¯d understand.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for cooperating. I think you are settling in nicely. I don¡¯t want to ruin this for you.¡±


    Nolan smiled wearily. He held his chest. The urge to walk the earth filled him.

 Chapter 330: Visitors From the Alf 2

    A hovel made of roots that came out of the ground. Two long-ears guarded the hovel. The wind blew from the front of him. He saw the long-ears stare at Ashia. When they craned their neck to Nolan they flinched. The grip on their spears tightened. Their spears were made of intertwined roots.


    Ashia entered the hovel with Nolan. Nolan saw three robed Alfs who sat on root-like chairs. He recalled that the Alfs was perpetually young and only when they are close to death that they wither. They have flesh but the way their flesh rots was different. Nolan shook his head. He looked at the elders without any greetings whatever. The elders didn¡¯t react to his actions. Except for the young Alf whose face went red. The young Alf tried to open his mouth. But one of the elders raised a hand.


    ¡°Stop,¡± the elder said. ¡°This man is far older than anyone of us here. The dragon respects, and we too shall do so. You will not do anything. Not in front of the hero and this being.¡±


    ¡°But elder this man might turn evil!¡±


    ¡°Cease,¡± said Ashia. ¡°Good and evil are in the eye of the beholder. Elder, why take someone so young?¡±


    ¡°We want to teach him. Nolan was it?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Please teach this man who you are.¡±


    ¡°What do you expect from me?¡±


    ¡°Just think of something. This will also allow us to peer through your soul.¡±


    Nolan cupped his chin. He scanned the hovel and said. ¡°I will try to make you see what I see.¡±


    *****


    When Nolan said those words Ashia saw his eyes turned bloody red. A hawk came out of his eyes that soon circled them. The flapping of the wings of the hawk created a familiarity of dread. The world seems to disappear. She saw the elders panicked at this black void they were in. They heard the screams. Oh, the screams! The anguish! The pain of millions upon millions of souls screeching at him to save them. The people inside the hovel groaned. One of the elders went weak in the knees and the young man screamed. His eyes glowed red. The shouting of the souls didn¡¯t stop. She saw the hands of the screamers come at them. One of the elders raised a hand weakly, telling, ¡°Stop.¡±


    Nolan closed his eyes. The world returned. Ashia¡¯s hand shook. Nolan¡¯s face remained like a stone as Nolan explained.


    ¡°What you saw is how I see the world when I don¡¯t suppress my curse. I have an ability that I got from a friend that turned me into this. What you saw is my curse and you might misunderstand this curse as corrupting darkness. I thought about it. If I should let you people seal this power. But I will defend myself if any of you try to seal mine. It is because it is mine that I won¡¯t give up on it so easily.¡±


    The elder shook his head. The young man who held his head took a long horrified look at Nolan. He looked down. He went out of the room without any noise.


    ¡°We ask that you forgive his rudeness. He is young and he will lead us. This too will wake him and make him realize that there are things that he must not provoke. We have thought madly of you and we wish that you do not upset the peace that our dearest Ashia had achieved.¡±


    ¡°I will not. I¡¯ll try my best. I like this peace,¡± he said with an almost trembling voice. The elders looked at each other. They spoke on their mother tongue.


    Ashia smiled at Nolan as she drags him out of the house. She looked at him.


    ¡°You are free of them.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Nolan said half-heartedly. ¡°I thought they¡¯d be demanding.¡±


    ¡°Well, you have Dalia to thank. She has been resting your case and had been explaining. Really, what did you do to make her so protective of you?¡±


    Nolan shook his head. The wind brushed his hair.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. All I know is that she took me on her island without anything. But I guess she¡¯s just overprotective. What a mom, really.¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Ashia smiled at that. ¡°When I was a fledgling she won¡¯t let me leave the island unless I could destroy one of her puppets. She may not look like it but she is the sweetest dragon you can find. The rest of the ancient dragons aren¡¯t as friendly. Maybe because they fear us who have grown strong. But Lady Dalia knows no fear. In fact. She¡¯s one of the living storms. None can contest against her. She might be sweet but she had drowned an entire race for a crime. Only because she had tamed her demons. I wouldn¡¯t want to see her angry¡­Nolan?¡±


    ¡°I expected a lot worse,¡± he said to her. ¡°I expected fighting but we only talked. That¡¯s good but now I¡¯m even more afraid that this is a lie. Tell me, this isn¡¯t some lie, right? Some dream? Because this peace scares me more than a demigod staring down at me.¡±


    His eyes quivered. His lower lips trembled. He smiled as if despairing at the thought. Here he was a man who had faced gods and demons yet so afraid of the days of peace he was given. He was so afraid that this was all a lie conjured to hurt him. He¡¯s strong yet fragile at the thought that this was all a brilliant lie conjured. She didn¡¯t know why she understands. She didn¡¯t know why her heart skipped and why she wanted to get closed. Or are these memories inside her interfering?


    Fear came strutting in her heart. She moved her hands away from him and watched as Nolan continued looking at the horizon. She wondered if he usually does that.


    ¡°Oh God, please don¡¯t let this be a cruel dream,¡± he prayed.


    Ashia couldn¡¯t say anything. Yes, there was peace in the upper surface, but in exchange for the peace, they have made here¡­she had done something that she was not proud of.

 Chapter 331: Interlude of the Cursed Woman

    Under the Peaceful World.


    Evil depends on the eyes of the beholder. If he is judged rightly for the things that he does; can he be called truly evil? Can those who were judged as evil by the world truly evil?


    Ashia asked that. The boiling world. The heat of the forge of the underworld seems like it would permeate her skin. The truth was better to be told without the layers of a lie it hides from.


    ¡°Lady Ashia,¡± said a voice. ¡°You returned to the underworld. It seems that you have not forgotten this old man. Truly, your heart is too kind to see this old man out.¡±


    ¡°How are they?¡±


    ¡°Imprisoned. For they are now chained upon the earth whence they came from. Their minds forever linked until they are sent peacefully to the next life.¡±


    The war took all of Ashia¡¯s effort. Hundred years of fighting for the sake of a world that did not want to save itself. There must be more to this world! There must be more to this life!


    Images overlapped of a woman screaming at the top of her lungs. The memories were that of a woman ran through crowds upon crowds of demons. Her empty eyes. Her gore-coated sword that seems to have lost all luster. Always all alone in a hill of swords chasing after someone whose back seems so distant.


    Who are you? Said the Voice in every meeting.


    There was a pain in the heart of every meeting. No, she recalled a lovely dance. A charge at a Goddess and awakening in worlds upon worlds. Worlds upon worlds where she was not chosen by the light. Worlds where only the pale shine of hers shone the dark.


    But the hero within her could not be silent. Not when those who could not help themselves call for her help. Not when they would cling to her thighs for salvation. She did not understand why she was sent to such places, but she sought meaning to all those suffering, hoping for a respite in a world that used her. On her journeys, she met three women who she never met before.


    Lady Decima, Lady Aisa, and Lady Nona gathered around a dancing fire. Lady Decima wore a headdress, clothed in white. Lady Aisa wore a blue gown with a headdress. Lady Nona wore a fierce red robe along with a headdress. The three of them observed the fire that danced in front of them. They looked up at Ashia or to the woman in her memories with weary smiles and frowning faces.


    O woman abandoned by time, Cursed Woman, Walker of Bleak, and the one that lost her way. You will not find your hope here. Not until the dragon of time and the Bleak Walker accepts their peace. Do not forget the child drowned in the well. Do not tarry. Find the Obsidian Demon and embrace her and become one. For she will be one with you and guide you to your peace. Until the day you¡¯ve forgiven the loss of the child.


    The three women of fates disappeared. All that was left was an empty campfire. Ashia didn¡¯t know what happened. She saw nothing more than memories of a woman who travel the lands. Desperately looking for a pale shine of light that would save her from despair.


    Sometimes this woman wonders where she came from. Why she was walking the land. Then she met a demon who had the same goal and yet without names they chose to be one. For what purpose? Both of them had forgotten in the recesses of time. Even souls get tired and there were too many worlds. So many despairing people who wanted to be helped. People that clung to her while hating the world.


    WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT FROM ME!


    The woman shouted upon a crooked hill. Two voices overlapped as she brought ruin upon demon-infested lands with her rage. Then she saw an escape to her life. She wanted to forget. She wanted to run away from time. For she had not consumed a time wraith that her memories started to deteriorate. So many memories became blurred. Time and time again she started asking who she was until she woke up with crumbling remnants. A world where she had lived a happy life. A world she was allowed to have what she called a family. Then she saw encroaching darkness that threatens the happy world. She acted and created upon a spell that would punish those who are wicked and send monsters back to their home. If it weren¡¯t for the goodness of her students. Such underworld would have been a place of torment. But instead, it was a world where the wicked sleep. Those who could not be salvaged were thrown into the pits where they are sent to the next life.


    ¡°Are they in pain?¡± Ashia asked. The cocoons stored those who were called the wicked.


    ¡°This is the best of mercy. For the things that they had done? They should be placed in hells. But that is this humbleness¡¯s opinion.¡±


    ¡°I know what you mean. But we must keep this peace. Are the seals ready? No, are you ready, friend?¡±


    ¡°What is the point of immortality if I could not have any purpose?¡± he asked. ¡°I¡¯ve lived a long life and I belong here. I am lost and that I shall take this role.¡±


    ¡°You are not lost.¡±


    ¡°I am already. But you, Lady Ashia. You must learn that you have done your mercy. Some fought for their land are rested here, but for the sake of peace and yours. You must learn to forgive yourself. You have done your best, Milady. Now, I am happy that you have not forgotten this old man. Goodbye.¡±


    Ashia left the underworld. The holes that connect them gone from the world. She held her head and took a step that carried her back into the island¡¯s shrine. Dalia stared blankly at her. A bottle of wine floated and landed in front of her. Dalia nodded her head. Ashia sat cross-legged and pulled the cork. She sat silently drinking while the dragon watched her.


    karsev

 Chapter 332: The Creeping Memories

    He had been looking at the sea. The burning sun that  warms the seas. The ocean was blue and the sea giants swam as if there is no tomorrow. On the other side of the island, there was a festival happening. Not far from where he was sitting at was a kid who stumbled upon a round rock.


    He could see the world from the above, like a hawk gliding in the air. His vision had grown far and his senses tuned to the point that all of the tiniest details in the world felt so unreal to him. This was the world in its purest form; the clean air, the bugs cricketing, and the birds chirping. The groaning of the water as the sea giants rise up and down, creating a splash that turned into rainbows when hit by the glorious sunlight.


    The memories of the past shuddered. He remembered being on top of a hill where the last of the sunlight was gone. Only a thin light that enshrouded the darkness. On that hill, there was a flower that bloomed. One of the loveliest flower that existed in that world. He took that flower and traveled two miles to present it to Ciara.


    Those are memories. Memories that no matter what he does, he could not escape. His past catches up no matter what excuse he made using his brain. The past that he had was too many. So many lives wasted to the woman who marched the lands in the hope to save the world.


    But her cause was just, and her mission pure. He understood that the lives he had spent were miserable. That somewhere along the line he had forgotten what it was like for someone to rest near the sea. The wind caressing his ears, and the brilliance of the scenery before him was strange.


    He fought for this. The lives he had slain and the lives that he lad lost to reach this place. If he was asked whether all of it was worth it. He would undoubtedly say no. Everyone he knew and loved is ashes now. Remnants in the dusty attic that is in his head


    He was alone in a new world again. It was tiresome, lonely, but he lived long enough to accept such things. That this too shall pass. All that he has right now would pass and go. Even this peace would crumble sooner or later. To think about the future that he had no control over was tiring. The past was also so heavy and agonizing. Nolan wanted to live looking at the present. It was easier said than done. And he was acting like an old man that constantly repeats the memories that he had. They were all memories that had no meaning in his current life. In this world such memories were useless. This was not the world that was rebuilt using the body of the burnt woman or the world that he was originally sent to.


    This is a world that all of his powers and memories were useless. It was a brand new world. He thought about such a world and how he could live here. This place was his home and yet the itch to wander the land never truly disappeared from him, only smothered.


    He left the seat and went back to the tree-lined street leading to his home. The blacksmith had a line. The golem they had were handling the customers. He passed by the Inn and saw that it was full. He arrived in the stony path and strolled to Arel¡¯s house. He was sitting on his balcony while talking to Ania. He gave them a holler before continuing down the recent dirt path he carved. The piece of land that was raised by the golem served as Nolan¡¯s new home. There was an orchard in his land, filled with apples. The apples were created by his power, so his powers weren¡¯t as useless as he thought it is.


    His cabin was built as he wanted. He had to drag logs and carve bricks from stones. It made him laugh how Arel said he could be a good mason and builder. His hands that were used to kill and bleed creatures being used to create and tend? It makes him speechless the way he heard it.


    He sat on a tree stump that he took from the mountains. It allowed him to rest his feet and watch his orchard from the kids who usually play around them. He wasn¡¯t as greedy or his body needing that much nutrition. Ghosts and Wraiths don¡¯t need to eat to live, especially when he has the body of a dragon as well. He even wonders if he was still human?


    He couldn¡¯t ask. It doesn¡¯t matter to him. Still, he thought to himself if he could live a life like this. Peace has always been a comfort he couldn¡¯t believe in. In his experiences, he had long believed that nothing lasts forever, and this happiness will pass on as well.


    ¡°Einar, son,¡± he called. ¡°I failed you, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    He recalled the last memories that he had of the young man wanted to live. He had no relations to him in blood, but he loved him like his own that the thought of not knowing what had happened to him. The twins as well, they may be a trick done by the burnt woman, yet he couldn¡¯t twist his thoughts away from them.


    Then he saw the face of the woman who had been always in the timelines. Where he was weak and weary and when the strong comes at him. That obsidian flower always blooms at the times he needed it the most. He had assumed that she¡¯ll be forever with him and that it was natural that where he goes, she would as well.


    ¡°I was wrong,¡± he said. ¡°You did keep me accompany me all this time, huh.¡±


    It was too late. She was long gone and there was no way to find her. Not at the vastness of the multiple universes out there. He just had to keep ongoing. That was all he could at the moment.


    karsev

 Chapter 333: Letting Go

    He recalled a memory of a timeline.


    He was in a tent with the burnt woman. Her lovely pair of red eyes and that armor of hers scarred by battle. Beautiful as she was there was an aura that caused those who saw her worship the ground she walks.


    He recalled being a loyal dog hunting down for the burnt woman in this timeline.


    It was a strange dream of him standing like a spectator on the sidelines. The fervor in the eyes that he was showing in this dream unreal. Here was a man who dedicated his heart to the victory of the light.


    ¡°I want you to become the devil for me.¡±


    This was new. This was what he was called to do in one of the timelines. To be the devil that was hated by the world. It was a deal made by the two to provide a common enemy to rally against.


    Nolan didn¡¯t know what she was thinking, but he had thought that she was planning to make a devil out of him. Standing on the side he thought how ridiculous her request was. Still, what surprised him was how eager he was to throw it all for the sake of this woman. In this dream, he could tell the spell that was on her words, and those glowing red pair of eyes that seemed to tell him.


    ¡°Why am I seeing this dream?¡± he asked.


    The dream fast-forwarded.


    He lay down on the table with the burnt woman herself manipulating his insides. His body was being fused with the corpse of the overlord of the demons who had been hunted down by the burnt woman.


    When the process was done he had the appearance of the overlord of the demons. The burnt woman stood before him without any emotions on her face. Her hand on his blackened cheek. Her alluring aura forcing him to listen. There was resistance, but he was under her spell.


    He obeyed as commanded. He subjugated the tribes in order fool the world. That is why he was standing in front of them with his obsidian broadsword and sending his people to die. He had no control. He became a monster out of necessity for the burnt woman to achieve her goal of finding a way out of the world.


    She was not Ciara. That was something he was certain about. This was a collective consciousness of the burnt woman. A consciousness that wanted to save more than she could. A messiah that wanted to save the world even it means damning the soul of one person for it.


    ¡°He can take it,¡± she reasoned.


    And so he damned Nolan into this path that would allow her to search for an answer that was beyond any of her means. She was trying to figure out the workings of the world and without anyone to help. She started from the bottom and took him into this repeated loop of suffering as a way to discover the inner workings of the world.


    ¡°My faithful knight,¡± she said.


    This time it was a memory of Nolan with a sword stabbed on his stomach. All around him was the legion of the light that stood against him. By her orders, he chooses to fight the impossible, not because he chooses to, but because she ordered.


    This was his life. To be on the ground dying for a woman who he thought was the same. Even as he stands as a spectator he only felt his stupidity radiating from this scene. Was all his life so simple that he¡¯d dedicate his heart and soul for one thing?


    Yet even though he was under her blade. Those who followed him were charging the enemies. The darkness he conjured was breaking, and he couldn¡¯t find it himself to let go of the demon folks that choose to support a nobody like him. He was a fraud of an overlord of the demons. He was a sham that kept on going in hopes that this woman who had found a way to manipulate the time of this world could figure out a way to save everyone.


    It was easy to say that it was for the greater good of all. That he should be honored that he had taken the role. He couldn¡¯t even dare to think of how many times he had played that role only for him to be thrown aside. She did not care as long as she could achieve her goal.


    Nolan Salvatore was a puppet.


    He did not belong to that world and thus he was a malicious cog that could be used. He was able to change things solely because he wasn¡¯t supposed to be in this world. He was a tool. That¡¯s why he had strings on him that made him act.


    Seeing these memories that flash like a film reel made Nolan wear a tired smile. He was a fool. But in the end, he thought that even a fool like him was allowed to have something.


    Still, even though in these memories he was a puppet for those higher than him. He was surrounded by those who believed in someone like him.


    Even so, he was proud of himself.


    He could recall what brought a bit of light inside his heart.


    It was insignificant and it didn¡¯t matter in the long run.


    But when he offered his hand to that destined girl trapped in the well.


    He knew that he wouldn¡¯t become a monster. No, even if he despairs, he will not allow himself to be broken. The repeated timelines did not break him. Even if he did the vilest thing. He knew that somewhere along the way the goodness that he had protected still lived.


    The memories faded. The monster that laid on the ground as he was stabbed to the heart by the burnt woman. The monster was slain and maybe that was his last memory before he found himself back on Oasis as a free man.


    He woke up from that dream.


    The ceiling he built and the bed he procured.


    Nolan Salvatore sat up and looked distantly.


    He found an answer.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll let go then.¡±

 Chapter 334: The Broken Light Still Works

    Arel saw Nolan plow his fields. Nolan was a calm water compared to the uncertain sea that he was back then. Arel noticed that his rather stiff behavior was gone. When Nolan caught sight of Arel behind his fence. Arel walked to where Nolan was and greeted him.


    ¡°Hey, work going well?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± he said, placing his hoe on the ground. ¡°The trees doesn¡¯t need my growing. I can grow them by runes, but they still need constant maintenance. The power of the earth here is rich and the soil¡¯s quality is superb.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you make me feel like an amateur,¡± Arel confessed.


    Nolan kept that thin smile. ¡°I did work in a farm once. Still, I found peace in doing such carefree work. The minutes under the sun is nothing compared to what I have been doing before.¡±


    He saw that light. It was only at this moment that Arel realized that he was speaking to someone the dragon of the island think of as equal.


    ¡°So where are you going?¡±


    ¡°To Ania, I will help her.¡±


    Nolan stared deeply into him. Arel took a step back. There was something in Nolan¡¯s eyes that froze him from his steps. He couldn¡¯t help but reached inside the pockets of his frock coat.


    ¡°She is the pulse of your heart, isn¡¯t she?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°My pulse of my heart,¡± he smiled, as if remembering something. ¡°That is a way of expressing it in my home. The way you looked at her, lad, it makes me think back to my foolish self.¡±


    ¡°I am not in love with her,¡± Arel stuttered.


    ¡°Sure, but if you are, let me tell you this. Good times they never truly last, believe me when I say this.¡±


    Arel felt that heartbreak on his voice.


    ¡°Regret is painful, and when you lost her, you would think back at the days you had the chance, but didn¡¯t. You¡¯ll have dreams of what if that would never go away.¡±


    Arel thought of Ania. ¡°I¡­am uncertain with my feelings.¡±


    ¡°Are you?¡± he said kindly. ¡°I heard from the sisters that you were with her throughout a war. You two survived a war and fought against the enemies. Ah, is it because you want to stay like this forever? Do you think it would stay like this? She is a pretty woman, Arel.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Arel leaned on the fence. ¡°We¡¯ve been through thick and thin, and fought for our lives. I¡¯ve saved her life and she had saved mine for countless times. I believe that our bonds are unbreakable, but I am just afraid to take that step forward.¡±


    Nolan eyed him with this dull eye. ¡°I find it unsettling to see how unhesitant you are. Time does not wait for the cowardly, and fortune favors only the bold. Arel, you are a soldier it seems, and a soldier fights. Are you willing to suffer the pain of rejection or suffer the pain of regret? I will not force myself into your own life, but as someone who owe you, it unsettles me to see you two like this. I maybe am projecting my inability to once act immediately, and hold no regrets, but I don¡¯t want to see such bittersweetness from you two.¡±


    *****


    The plaza was serene as it was quiet. Birds hummed and the leaves from the trees fell softly on the paved plaza road. Ania sat on the stairs next to the church while holding on to a journal. One would think that she was a carefree girl, but in truth she was a woman who had been through war and under her belt was the lives of people who she had bled.


    Nolan and Arel walked to where she was. Nolan strides to the stairs and sat on the side as if he had nothing to say, meanwhile Arel walked to where Ania was.


    ¡°Oh, you two are together?¡± she asked, her head tilting at the sight of Arel¡¯s rose-like cheeks.


    ¡°Ania,¡± he said, a knee on the ground, ¡°we have been through the toughest times, and the hardest battles. Yet, I am afraid, and only because a friend woke me to reality that I have come to here to say that you are the pulse of my heart, you are the beat that tugs my chest, and you are my sunshine on this darkness.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± she was confused.


    ¡°I know that maybe I am being too forceful, knowing that I have not done anything, yet here I ask you to be my woman.¡±


    Her face was stiff as a board. Her lower mouth hanged down. Her journal tightly gripped on her left hand. She looked at Arel with confusion at first, then with softness, rage, and finally that of a person who gave up on thinking.


    She craned her head to Nolan. ¡°You gave him this idea?¡±


    ¡°Did you not want it?¡±


    ¡°I wanted him to realize it himself. Oh my poor heart, you just can¡¯t do this to me.¡±


    Arel seemed to tremble. Nolan stared at Arel which Ania noted. She turned her eyes on Arel, her hands guiding him to stand up. There seems to be understanding that both of them have.


    ¡°Well, looks like we have a change of plans,¡± Ania said, smiling up to her ears.


    If Arel didn¡¯t get the meaning of her smile then Nolan would have whooped him right there. Alas, Arel immediately took her by the arm, wrapped his arms around Ania and twirled her around. Nolan leaned back, a smile forming around his lips.


    He didn¡¯t need to do anything here. They needed a push and even a fool like him could tell. Nolan had fought for so long that he had forgotten about the simple things. He thought back to Vie who smiled as he pulled her out that well. To the comrades who had smiled at their coming death in hopes that they bring back the light to this world.


    Nolan couldn¡¯t achieve his own happy ending. That¡¯s why he wanted to push the backs of these two. He sat back on the stairs, and supported his head chin with a hand. Nolan felt a warm on his chest, the light was broken inside, but it still worked.

 Chapter 335: A Trio of Souls

    It was dark, silent, and still. She was lost in this world when this pale shine appeared before her. She clung to this pale shine and before long she felt the embrace of this light. Memories that were blurred became clear and the screams of someone¡¯s back at the light


    ¡°I will give you my power,¡± she heard herself. ¡°Do not give up.¡±


    Then she saw the face of a young man lost in time and space. A young man spirited away from home who choose to fight instead of giving up. The memories she had were mixed with the memories of this woman who he chased after She ran to the deepest parts and saw a languid figure sitting on a table on this plane of existence that seems to be inside their heads. Another woman whose head was blonde sat next to this pale shine of a figure.


    ¡°You?¡± said the woman.


    ¡°Tania,¡± said the pale shine. ¡°It seems that we are bound by fate.¡±


    ¡°Why am I on this plane?¡±


    ¡°We are forever bound now, the burnt woman had destroyed our realm, and now we reside in this woman¡¯s sou. A trio of souls inside of a woman.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Ashia said. ¡°You two are inside of me. Your powers are becoming too strong, and yours as well. I will stop to exist if this continues.¡±


    ¡°Where is he? Did you find him again?¡±


    Ashia folded her arms. She eyed the pale shine. ¡°You recognized him but didn¡¯t give her the memories. What for?¡±


    ¡°Because it is painful. This is the main fragment.¡±


    ¡°He still lives,¡± Tania sat as well. ¡°I thought that he was sent back to this world.¡±


    ¡°The Witch of the Nether took her from the stream of time for his good. The Eon-Father wanted to return him from the start. He wanted to play with time knowing that the burnt woman will succeed.¡±


    ¡°But you know that already,¡± the pale shine asked Tania.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve been with him through all of his troubles. That burnt woman, she had done things that I thought a savior wouldn¡¯t do. He turned him into a monster and yet he never knew. It was not his control. I fought him. He sealed me and I was stuck as nourishment for his soul!¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± the pale shine lowered her head.


    Tania slammed both hands on tables. ¡°That¡¯s why he must take responsibility as well! He is mine! Mine you hear me!?¡±


    ¡°Slow down,¡± said the pale shine. ¡°Do you think that?¡±


    ¡°Of course I do!¡± Tania demanded. ¡°He is a bastard! But he is a bastard that I have grown to love! Why you and not me?¡±


    ¡°I,¡± the pale shine hesitated. ¡°I don¡¯t know either.¡±


    Ashia looked at the two souls. Two troubled souls who are inside of her. She could not think of this as a coincidence. It was determined by someone or something. Still, knowing the memories of these two had made her feel weak. That power of that man was similar to the demoness and the light that still glowed inside of him was the same light that brought forth to the pale shine.


    ¡°Tell me, truthfully, you two,¡± said Ashia. ¡°How can you love a man like that?¡±


    The two souls glared.


    ¡°Looks?¡± Ashia continued. ¡°I understand that. But other than that?¡±


    Tania looked at Ashia with eyes that seem to pierce a soul. ¡°You have my memories and have seen his life. He is a single-minded man that is committed and has the sheer will to plow through the obstacles without minding.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Ashia asked. ¡°He seems weary.¡±


    ¡°Can you blame him?¡± the pale shine defended. ¡°He has been fighting ever since he was thrown to such worlds. To fight without complaining. To continue marching without losing himself in the process. Only because he has been put through such suffering that even the steeled heart of his has rusted. Can you walk the land knowing that within your eyes are the souls of the fallen screaming at you for every second? Can you continue forward without letting them drag you to hell?¡±


    ¡°He is hard, but not he has not forgotten how to be soft. I know that this may sound insane, but yes, a woman falling in love with her capturer, who had shown how manly he can be. How could I not respect him?¡±


    ¡°You two are insane,¡± Ashia said. ¡°But I guess this isn¡¯t something I would understand. I don¡¯t get it, especially you, Ciara Alician. Why run?¡±


    ¡°I was afraid,¡± she said. ¡°Afraid of what comes next. I am a warrior and I¡¯ve never known peace ever since the day the light vanished from my home. As time passed I sought out for comfort and found him still with me. He wasn¡¯t with me because I had beauty, and he proved that well.¡±


    ¡°So? What are you two going to do?¡± Ashia asked. ¡°I¡­have grown tired and your powers sustained me. That contract with the ancients has thrown my soul into sunders. Hah, I¡¯ve achieved my dream of becoming a teacher, with my school! Yet here I am dying because of it. I have no choice but to surrender my soul to you two and you are going to fight?¡±


    The two were silent.


    ¡°I have a wish,¡± Ashia said, with that weary smile. ¡°I wish that you would stop running away. This is a world given to you by my students at the cost of damning my soul. Your souls have been wrapped together and thus I can only tell you this. Why not just accept it? All I see are fools and I am not handing my body to fools. So what do you say?¡±


    Tania and Ciara looked at each other. Both light and dark intertwined as they flowed inside Ashia. Memories upon memories of sadness and happiness came at her, mingling, and finally settling in.


    Ashia opened her eyes with that gold red glow on her eyes shimmering. She didn¡¯t know why but her first thoughts were to run. So she did and laughed at the cloudless skies.

 Chapter 336: A Last Chance

    Nolan has not felt this way for a while now. He wore his frock coat and placed a hat on top of his head. He arranged his tie and made sure that his sleeves were well arranged. After arranging his suit he walked out of the cabin and thought of how it should be fine until then. Arel had already agreed to guard his orchard. Not to mention that he had placed runes that would help the needs of his orchard.


    Nolan walked out of his cabin. The sun greeted him as he walked down the carved dirt part of the road. He walked past the lovebirds who have started clinging to each other. Nolan continued down the tree-lined street, entered the plaza where the leaves were falling, and took the lift down to where the port was. It was when he neared the boat taking him to the mainland that he saw a figure sitting on the stairs. She wore a white hat, a shawl, and a braided bun neatly around her head. She cast a glance at Nolan who did not carry any luggage. Nolan noted that she had a strange tint of red in her eyes now.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you wear glasses, Ashia,¡± Nolan said. ¡°It suits you.¡±


    ¡°Do you talk to women this way, Nolan?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I am merely being polite. So where are you going?¡±


    ¡°I can ask the same, Nolan,¡± said Ashia.


    She continued, ¡°Away, it seems that I am needed around the world. So many countries out there, with no companion. What about you? You have no luggage other than the suit you are wearing. I hear from the Captain that you are going to be traveling. Leaving your orchard for a while?¡±


    Nolan nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve legs made for traveling. It is a syndrome of mine to travel until my legs are tried.¡±


    ¡°We have trams and trains, you know?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant,¡± he scratched the back of his head.


    Ashia stood up, grabbed hold of his tie and started fiddling with it. ¡°Your tie¡¯s crooked. How come?¡±


    ¡°I was in a hurry,¡± Nolan replied. ¡°You smell lovely.¡±


    She looked up. ¡°Again with the compliments, are you hitting on me?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so bold,¡± he said. ¡°Besides, I think I¡¯m taking steps away from letting of something that bothers me.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s sad. Is it because of a woman?¡±


    ¡°Part of it,¡± he said. ¡°Still, I choose to let go.¡±


    ¡°I see doubts.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s easy to read me huh,¡± he said shyly. ¡°I just don¡¯t know anymore. Maybe because of age that I have started to forget how I should act. Young? Old? I don¡¯t know anymore. I should forgive myself, ah, what I am even talking.¡±


    She pulled on his tie and looked up to him. ¡°Do you hate, Ciara?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Nolan¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡°Do you?¡±


    ¡°What are you?¡±


    ¡°Just tell me, do you hate her?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t. Never. Hell, even after the things she did, no, the burnt woman did, I couldn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°What about Tania?¡±


    ¡°How do you know these names, Ashia? Ah, is it the Lady telling you this?¡±


    ¡°I will always find you didn''t I?¡±


    Nolan listened. He forced himself to listen.


    ¡°Who are you, truly?¡±


    ¡°A trio of souls, such a fortunate happening. Still, I was able to live a life saving a world. Isn¡¯t it lucky for me?¡±


    ¡°Tell me. Who are you?¡±


    ¡°Will this do?¡± She placed both hands on the side of his head.


    Nolan then saw flashes of memories in an instant. Nolan¡¯s face stilled, that soften expression gone, turned into that of despair.


    ¡°Why?¡± Nolan asked. ¡°Why do you appear before me at the times where I choose to take a light step? And? So are you there too? Now you two are inside of her? If you two had chosen to take over her life then I swear that I won¡¯t hold back.¡±


    ¡°We choose this,¡± Ashia said. ¡°You saw it. How I save this world.¡±


    ¡°You just can¡¯t enter my life this way. What? How? This isn¡¯t fair. Why are you always like this?¡± He held her shoulders, head lowered, and eyes watering. His tone of voice was weak, and he was hunched.


    ¡°Do you believe me?¡±


    ¡°How long have you think I¡¯ve lived? You are the same now, this is too much for me to take in, and you expect me to give you smiles and kisses?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Ashia said. ¡°I just wanted to be with my husband. I, you should know that to survive we have to be Ashia.¡±


    ¡°Then which one is alive and which one is dead?¡± he asked. ¡°What a joke, it¡¯s just cruel of you to do this.¡±


    He was on his knees. Ashia stood in front of him without moving. She held her head and pulled him up. ¡°Stand, I did not marry a weak man. I didn¡¯t allow myself to be bound by someone who would be as weak as this.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m tired,¡± Nolan looked up, in tears. ¡°Just why, why now?¡±


    ¡°Come on, you big baby,¡± she pulled on him. ¡°You¡¯re going to soak your suit. You look good on it you know?¡±


    Nolan grabbed hold of her shoulder again. ¡°I want to believe. I truly want to believe you and that memory¡­but this has happened for so many times that I am afraid. Tell me, what should I do?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t run,¡± she held him. ¡°Maybe, we can finally walk that dream. Under the sunlight with our hands held¡­I don¡¯t mind sharing a body. I mean we both want the same thing.¡±


    Nolan stood and looked at her with longing. The tired old heart of his couldn¡¯t lash out. The light that still worked couldn¡¯t argue. He held her hand and pulled her quietly into the boat. He sat on the deck of the boat and leaned on the side. Ashia sat beside him silently without noise. Only the wind and the engine starting up.


    ¡°Let me believe in you, just this once,¡± he raised a finger. ¡°After this, then I will leave, and never looked back. I am tired and old.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I promise.¡±


    Nolan looked up with a dull look on his face. He closed his eyes and yet he felt that she was still there.

 Chapter 337: A Moment of Weakness

    Memories kept flooding inside of his head.


    The truth about the burnt woman. And the pale shine lady that was Ciara.


    Now, there was a dance that proved lovely. A fragment of him dying, content that he was able to have the last dance with Ciara. He saw in the memories the burning of the world by the burnt woman as well.


    He did not feel pain or hatred. He felt tired. There was a pain in his heart at the thought of seeing and watching Einar die alongside his family. He wanted to believe that it was not his fault. That he had no part in that destruction. Nolan understood the pain of the burnt woman. A mother¡¯s love that could destroy the world. How lonely she must have felt as the world is destroyed?


    Nolan could sympathize with the devil. He had loved that devil for a million years.


    Nolan didn¡¯t know what to do now that things seem so lovely. Not far from him was Ciara who is in the body of Ashia, and the current Ciara has the memories of Tania, the woman he bound to her soul. The two of them inhabit the soul of Ashia, who had used her soul as a compensation for the world spell she had cast for the world. A trio of souls resides in that body, and one of them was heavily influenced by the two.


    ¡°You are scared, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    She asked. Nolan stared back.


    ¡°I am, you know that monsters like us don¡¯t get happy endings. I accept that the moment I found myself burying you two. If you are her¡­then why did you do it?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Why did you let yourself die?¡± Nolan gritted his teeth.


    ¡°You mean in our first lives?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Why?¡±


    Ashia smiled bitterly. ¡°Why? Do you even have to ask why I would take my own life in front of your grave? I promised myself that I would make it up to you. The moment I was sent to that void. But you were six feet underground and my heart broke before I could catch the fragments of it.¡±


    ¡°You are not like that.¡±


    ¡°Then you haven¡¯t been to the void. The screams, Nolan. Can you hear them?¡± her eyes warped red. The eternal hawk present on her irises. ¡°I can hear them as well. They drowned you until you forgive yourself.¡±


    ¡°Have you?¡±


    ¡°How could I? Do you know what I hear?¡± she looked up to the skies. ¡°I hear the sounds of a child crying. Three children crying for their mother¡¯s name. The burnt woman is a version of me that has been broken by the weight of the world. I saw in her memories how she and her knight was burnt in a stake. That scar of mine is nothing compared to what she had suffered. A woman who died in the hands of her people who did not falter and stayed strong. I understand. I can understand why she fought so madly, but I cannot agree to become like her. I wanted to save her children, and our children as well. They were not born out of my womb, but they are my children for we are biologically the same despite the difference in timelines. I wanted to fight them, but I died. My soul placed inside with Tania, the woman who had been suffering with you. We have become one to survive the burnt woman and the Eon-father¡¯s wrath.¡±


    ¡°If I didn¡¯t have your memories inside my head. I would not believe a single world out of you. Alas, you are here, and she¡¯s trapped somewhere in that realm.¡±


    ¡°Her powers had gone strong,¡± Ashia looked up. ¡°We can do nothing and she must stay in her bauble to protect her self.¡±


    Nolan bit his lower lip. He watched seagulls glide as the giant beasts swam the crystal sea. Ashia placed her palms on the side of his head.


    ¡°But one day,¡± she said. ¡°There will be a day where someone who didn¡¯t give up on her would find her again. He would find himself in a body and they would be together.¡±


    ¡°Why do you think about this?¡±


    ¡°I saw it,¡± she spoke softly. ¡°She will be found without memories. He would take her hand and they¡¯d be free.¡±


    Nolan recalled a duo in that under-world.


    ¡°Adey?¡±


    Ashia merely smiled. ¡°Machina too.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­how long has she been playing this game?¡±


    ¡°When you are a goddess,¡± she said playing with her fingers. ¡°You can do anything. Well, she will find a version, a fragment of you reaching her.¡±


    Nolan grabbed hold of his head. ¡°I don¡¯t even know what to say. How long has been this going?¡±


    ¡°Tania¡¯s memories, my memories as well, says that it has been going for a very long time. I suspect that we are the only ones who got out. I wonder if this is all predetermined?¡±


    Nolan¡¯s face darkened. He opened and closed his hands as it trembles. He breathed raggedly at the thought of it. What happens if this continues forever? An eternity of separation and reunion. Nolan had been living his life with a thought that everything shall pass as well. That there are things he could control, and there are some he could control, but not all of it. And that there are things like how rain and destiny that he has no power over.


    The memories were terrifying to him. That maybe he¡¯s still living this cycle and she would be separated from her again. That thin metal sheet holding the dam of his sanity was spilling. The previous realizations poisoned. Still, the warm hands pulled him was soft. When his head was rested on her chest.


    She said no words as Nolan released body-shaking sobs quietly. This time fat tears spilled on his cheeks. The young and old in him cried. He mourned.


    They mourned under the silence of the azure skies. The seas acted like a gentle cradle for them. Bacchus saw the two of them and left them in their silence.

 Chapter 338: The Students Who Saved the World 1

    Agni was a port town. Brick buildings, tiled roofs, and stone-paved roads. Everyone dressed in garments similar to the people in an era that has long passed in Nolan¡¯s world. Bacchus¡¯s boat appeared on the port with a group with signs.


    Ashia walked to the rampart where she was greeted by well-dressed men in military uniforms along with maidens in protective dresses holding staffs. Among them was a tall redhead of a man with broad shoulders. Upon seeing Ashia appear this man approached with grace, kissing Ashia¡¯s hands. They barely noticed Nolan who was behind Ashia.


    ¡°Master,¡± said the man. ¡°I see that you¡¯ve finally decided Agni.¡±


    ¡°Gav,¡± Ashia said softly. ¡°You¡¯ve grown into a fine man. I see that you brought your entourage with you. Are these perhaps the novices?¡±


    Gav spread his arms proudly. ¡°Yes, Master! These are my proud wards and novices! They are here to see the wonderful you!¡±


    ¡°Hmm,¡± Ashia traveled her gaze on the troop. ¡°They are well-equipped and verse with magic. I see that you have not forgotten my teachings.¡±


    ¡°How could I?¡±


    Nolan deftly shook his head and strolled past them. He waited on the side watching the pedestrian road. Cars shaped differently and creature carriages were passing by. As they talked Nolan disappeared from plain sight. It was only when Ashia cast her gaze around that her eyes finally landed on Nolan.


    ¡°Nolan!¡± Ashia demanded. ¡°Come, meet my students!¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Gav turned. His eyes scanning Nolan from head to toe. ¡°Who is this?¡±


    ¡°Nolan Salvatore,¡± Ashia said kindly. ¡°He¡¯s my companion as I travel now.¡±


    ¡°A new students¡±


    ¡°My partner.¡±


    ¡°Your partner? You? A partner?¡±


    Gav stared a hole into Nolan. ¡°Can you introduce yourself, Mister?¡±


    ¡°Nolan Salvatore,¡± Nolan said briefly.


    ¡°Is that all?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Ashia chimed in. ¡°He is from Concordia.¡±


    ¡°Ah, the island. I heard that the headmaster had sent you around the world. Does this mean the Lady of the Island has made this man into your traveling companion? Pardon me, my Master, but I don¡¯t think anyone in this world can dare to say they can protect you.¡±


    ¡°That is true,¡± Ashia agreed. ¡°However, Nolan is my partner. I hope that you respect that.¡±


    ¡°That can¡¯t be,¡± Gav shook his head. ¡°Master, how can I allow you to be with someone weaker than you? I shall test this man¡¯s mettle for myself.


    Ashia turned to Nolan. Nolan casts a stare at Ashia. ¡°Do you want me to fight for you?¡±


    ¡°If possible,¡± Ashia said, then she neared one of his ears. ¡°I would like for you to take it easy on him.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Yes, please do.¡±


    Ashia turned to Gav. ¡°Nolan will be your opponent.¡±


    ¡°Is that right?¡± Gav asked. ¡°I might break him, Master.¡±


    Ashia smiled. She did not add anything. Gav eyed the two with a raised brow. He turned to one of his troops and ordered for them to take the carriage to them. Nolan followed the group and sat on the same carriage as the two of them.


    They travel on the roads of Agni, went past a statue and turned right to a courtyard. The carriages were welcomed with a men and women waiting in life. Gav escorted Ashia while Nolan walked calmly to the courtyard where an oval ground meant for training was located.


    As Nolan entered the courtyard he heard whispers and jeers from the people. Even though the world was changed by the world spell that Ashia had cast, the whims of humanity still stayed. Nolan heard the sound of coins being poured as they gathered around the oval.


    Nolan entered the ground standing tall like a sharpen sword. Gave entered the ground equipped in training gear. Gav threw the training sword curtly to Nolan and smiled with disdained in his eyes.


    ¡°Which nation did you come from?¡± Gav asked. ¡°My teacher is a free spirit, and she has a heart of glass. She might be the teacher of us heroes, but she is a soft hearted woman that has taught us everything. Even if you are from that island, I will not allow anyone to interfere with her freedom.¡±


    Nolan stayed dully silent. Gav shook his training sword. A red glow around his sword that seem to tremble the air. Nolan saw this energy boiling around his navel. Gav, the young man, thrusts his sword forward leaving after images.


    Everyone cheered at that sudden strike. Nolan moved his body and the sword missed him. Gav pulled his sword sideways and tried to strike Nolan in the side of his suit. Nolan strengthened the back of his hand and parried the sword. Gav had the power to blow him away so Nolan did not dare to get careless. So he gently knocked the sword away, grabbed hold of the flat of his sword, and pulled him back before tripping him.


    Gav was slammed on the ground with dust blowing everywhere. Gav¡¯s aura burst with power when suddenly he saw Nolan¡¯s eyes warped red. Nolan demanded, ¡°Please, stop, you will get yourself hurt, young man.¡±


    There was a violent aura around Nolan. Gav¡¯s eyes trembled as he stared at Nolan. He raised both of his hands and smiled wearily. ¡°I guess teacher don¡¯t associate herself with just anyone. Where have you been while we were saving the world?¡±


    Nolan pulled him up. ¡°It¡¯s good that she has bright students.¡±


    ¡°What are you to her?¡±


    ¡°You should ask her yourself.¡±


    Nolan patted dust on him, and walked away from the training ground. Nolan saw Ashia walked to him. She looked at Gav, and said. ¡°You didn¡¯t hurt him too badly?¡±


    ¡°I made sure of that. You have good students, Ashia. Still, I find it surprising that I can face a hero like that.¡±


    Ashia folded her arms. ¡°Do you ask yourself how insane your journey has been? A man who faced gods and demons is afraid of heroes?¡±


    Nolan smiled awkwardly at that. ¡°Still, this is quite a welcome. Are your students like this?¡±


    ¡°Hah, wait until you meet Lovell and Orland. Those two are going to ask you a lot.¡±


    Nolan looked forward. From where he standing he could still smell the sea.

 Chapter 339: The Students Who Saved the World 2

    The culture of the port town was mixed from different eras.


    Nolan relaxed on a balcony on top of a seaside cafe. The cafe had the smell of java and tea and biscuits. Ashia sat across him with her cup on the table.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad that you have been calmer.¡±


    ¡°Yes, calmer,¡± he muttered. ¡°I just thought that it¡¯s a part of my long life now. How many can say that they have lived this long? You know what? I am sad that I couldn¡¯t see it all back then. The worlds that we have failed to explore. I was dragged to places and forced myself to find something that would make me feel that I am alive.¡±


    She leaned on the armchair. Her eyes focused on the sea. Chin raised a tiny bit, emphasizing her beautifully shaped face. Her long ears poke out of her hair.


    ¡°Do you know where I came from?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Some parts, yes, I know where you came from. That peaceful place seems lovely. Do you remember it?¡±


    ¡°Not that clear any longer. My memories are a jumbled mess. The alternation between young and old has been terrible. Do you remember their faces?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t. Not anymore. The void has been a terrible place and the years had made me forget. Even if I want to remember they are just blurred images. My memories as Tania is vague as well. Like I told you, we¡¯ve been fused to survive, and our memories are a broken mess. Honestly, if you didn¡¯t look the same? I would have been unable to find you. It must be so short for you how we meet. Just think of it at my point of view. It took many years for me to meet you again. I met many people, and if truth to be told, I was on the brink of letting go as well.¡±


    ¡°You should have done that,¡± Nolan said. ¡°You know what happens to us always. We never really do stay together.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that.¡±


    ¡°I am just telling the eventual happening.¡±


    ¡°Shut it,¡± she reached for his collar and pulled him forward. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear that talk.¡±


    Nolan¡¯s stayed his gaze on her.


    ¡°Please?¡±


    He nodded, folding his arms. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. We¡¯ve not talked for years, and I have nothing to say to you. I just don¡¯t know what I should do.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s okay,¡± she said. ¡°Our times are far apart and even I am unable to fully come to terms with this. You¡¯re not the only one with fears of separation.¡±


    Nolan stirred his coffee. ¡°How was it? Saving the world.¡±


    ¡°It felt great. I felt vindicated. Then it came to me that the world I saved was not the world that my heart wanted to save, but it was a start. Alf¡¯s have long lifespans and this body, as long as my soul is well won¡¯t ever witter, much better than the body that we have. I have a long time to think about and in those times I saw people passed away as well. New friends dying and I was alone. Again, and again, I have to walk the road. My students, they have been trying to save the world ever since they were young. I am proud of them.¡±


    ¡°It must have been great.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about Einar.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Nolan shook his head. ¡°I am proud of how he passed. A man should never go gentle into that good night. It is better to die that way than the way I died.¡±


    ¡°How many times have you died?¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t count. I think you know that as well.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Ashia smiled wearily. ¡°I can understand.¡±


    ¡°You have a family here,¡± Nolan said.


    ¡°I have, but it doesn¡¯t mean that you have to be jealous about it. We might be able to start anew here. This is a world far from the baubles, an isolated world protected by our dearest friend.¡±


    ¡°Dearest friend?¡±


    ¡°Audrey, the Witch of Nether, she is the dragon that lives on the island.¡±


    Nolan¡¯s eyes widened. His eyes trembled. ¡°Master is here?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I thought you already knew?¡±


    ¡°I, didn¡¯t know that, huh,¡± Nolan¡¯s lower jaw trembled.


    ¡°By the way,¡± Ashia said. ¡°I hear that you two were close back then.¡±


    Nolan held his head. ¡°Yes, we were.¡±


    ¡°Not going to hide it?¡±


    ¡°Why should I? She helped me survive the tide of battle after all. She has been our medium ever since you passed. I had to be her shield while we were at our last steps to the overlord. Hah, even if we knew how things were, it was too late. Even the burnt woman took million years. I doubt we had the chance.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not jealous are you?¡± Nolan grinned slightly. ¡°Do you really need to ask why a guy who had been troubling for years would suddenly give up on you? How many times did you give me a beat down? How many times you slap me around, and told me to leave you alone? You were right I was being creepy. But a Salvatore never gives on his love. If there is anything that I can tell you then I regret none of it. Hah, why did I fall like a fool so hard for you?¡±


    ¡°You found hope in me,¡± Ashia said. ¡°I think that you mistook admiration for love for quite the years. If anything I should blame you for not pushing me down when you have the chance.¡±


    ¡°Yes, push down the war maiden who can break me in half. You¡¯d punch a hole in my chest before I can try.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t try, how would you know?¡±


    She stared deeply, head tilted, and a teasing smile he had not seen for years. He couldn¡¯t help but smile back, dragging his chair near where she was and started.


    ¡°You know, we never really had a long talk with how things are.¡±


    ¡°Agreed, usually it¡¯s just battle, dinner, and bed for the two us back then.¡±


    ¡°The balls in the Salty Passing were rather nice.¡±


    ¡°Until those ladies come after you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s why they were always running away.¡±


    And so the two just talked.

 Chapter 340: The Students Who Saved the World 3

    Gav stayed his eyes on the ground where Teacher was staying. Teacher disappeared from them on the island of Concordia despite their protests. Suddenly, Teacher arrived in the town with a partner. Gav had been hiding his presence and the two were undoubtedly close.


    They¡¯ve known the associates of the Teacher and had been throughout the world in search of a way to prevent the rise of another being that could affiliate with the darkness of one¡¯s soul. The world was saved totally with this, and yet in their journey, they had not heard of someone like Nolan Salvatore.


    ¡°His power rivals even mine, no, he was holding back,¡± Gav thought.


    Nolan and Teacher stood watching the circle summon two of Gav¡¯s friends. Lovell and Orland, the strongest duo, but that could change with the Teacher and this Nolan being together. Gav took a step and stood close. Lovell¡¯s face was already scrutinizing the towering Nolan. He was a strange man with a stony look on his face. He gave a calm and still aura that Gav had underestimated him.


    ¡°Who is this ma, Teacher?¡±


    ¡°Nolan Salvatore,¡± Teacher said. ¡°I doubt you heard of him.¡±


    ¡°Greetings, ¡°Orland said. ¡°I see that you have been with, Teacher. What are you to her?¡±


    Nolan Salvatore turned to Ashia and then back to Orland. ¡°Husband.¡±


    Gav raised his brows. Orland smiled wearily while Lovell immediately flicked her wrist and a power burst forth that should have lifted this man off the ground. He merely stood unharmed, looking at Ashia with a calm face.


    ¡°Please be lenient, they are still heroes of this world.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Orland drew a sword of light. Lovell pulled a staff from her own space. She glared. ¡°Gav! What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Look! Another person has come and fooled our teacher! We must teach him a lesson!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think the Teacher¡¯s as foolish as you think she is.¡±


    Gav smiled. The two of them brandished their attacks towards Nolan. Nolan dodged their attacks without a sweat. Gav was worried about the output of their attacks, thankfully Teacher had made a barrier that was able to block even their attacks.


    ¡°Teacher is even stronger than before,¡± Gav thought.


    He continued watching the two heroes attacking Nolan. For these two the Teacher was a figure they thought of as a parent and their overprotective behavior is the results of Teacher spoiling them. Many had tried to court Teacher, but they¡¯ve been put down by these two who would test the courter with such two.


    ¡°They¡¯re angry that the Teacher didn¡¯t invite them to her wedding? Or was it because she didn¡¯t tell them at all? That Orland, abandoning his knight duties for this. Still, they aren¡¯t hitting him.¡±


    Nolan Salvatore continued dodging their attacks. They were like little children trying to hit an adult. Frustration builds up as they couldn¡¯t do anything to him. Orland brandished his sword, the elemental light changing in-between all elements.


    Nolan Salvatore¡¯s stony face didn¡¯t change. He continued to stare at the two while keeping his composure. His suit was unharmed, his posture and gait were unbroken. Lovell started to sang the elemental song and rained hail. Gav noticed the Teacher¡¯s brow being raised. The output of the spell was strong enough to break even sound. It was only when that Nolan Salvatore finally conjured a sword made of stone?


    Gav blinked. Nolan Salvatore was gone and the ice spikes conjured like hale were minced in mid-air. Lovell¡¯s eyes widened as her staff was torn to shreds and Orland¡¯s elemental light of a sword overcome by a stronger light. Gav blinked and the two were on the ground restrained by a rope made of green light.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Teacher clapped. Nolan Salvatore breathed out. Orland and Lovell stood up with their eyes on the sword that Nolan Salvatore was holding.


    ¡°What is that?¡±


    ¡°The Pale Obsidian Sword of Zachariah. My sword and my blood, the light of my soul.¡±


    The sword became particles of light.


    ¡°You are strong,¡± Orland said. ¡°I think it would have been far easier if you were with us.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Lovell demanded. ¡°Where were you when the world needed someone strong?¡±


    Teacher took a step in front of Nolan Salvatore. ¡°He¡¯s been fighting a vengeful goddess and had been fighting demons that you, my little ducklings would despair at. Orland, your movements are sloppy, Lovell, watch the output. Nolan here could have beheaded the two of you if he was not careful. We have known each other for a very long time and had been recently united after so many years. I came here worried for the three of you but it seems the world is safe in your hands. I will be leaving so do not worry about me.¡±


    ¡°Where, Mother?¡± Lovell said. ¡°I thought you were going to be at our wedding.¡±


    ¡°Lass, I think you will excuse this selfishness-¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Nolan placed a hand on Teacher¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You¡¯ll be going. This is important.¡±


    ¡°But-¡±


    ¡°No, do not miss their happiest of days,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine on my own.¡±


    ¡°You can come,¡± Orland said. ¡°If Teacher¡¯s missing out on our wedding for your sake then she must really miss you. Besides, I don¡¯t think we haven¡¯t got a beating like this ever since we saved this world.¡±


    Lovell calmly looked at Nolan. ¡°How long have you known, Mother?¡±


    ¡°Longer than I should have,¡± Nolan Salvatore said.¡±


    ¡°I see, then forgive us for how brazen we are. I believe you understand.¡±


    ¡°I do.¡±


    Nolan Salvatore was a man of few words. He stood silently after replying. Teacher traveled her eyes back and forth and patted her forehead. ¡°Fine, still, Orland, why are you here instead of working?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to see you, Teacher. We¡¯re having a baby.¡±


    Teacher stood dumbfounded before glaring at the two of them with frozen eyes. In Gav¡¯s years, he had not seen such frosty eyes on their teacher.


    ¡°You fools!¡± Her voice boomed. ¡°You risked the life of your child in such a stupid stunt! How dare you two!¡±


    Anger was rare from the Teacher, and yet her words were cold. Her calmness was gone and the only thing left was rational anger to fools who¡¯d endangered their child.

 Chapter 341: Cold and Warmth

    A storm hit suddenly that the port town became silent. There were only rain and the sounds of droplets hitting the stone road. The brick tiles making placid sounds as the water flow from the roof down to the ground. He was staring outside the window. A lamp was placed on the round table behind him. His hands were on his pockets, and he had the look of melancholy on that reflect face in the glass.


    There was peace in the way he stood with loosened shoulders. He was holding on to a cigar. Taking a few puffs he rested his eyes on the outside world where even the rain couldn¡¯t stop the clear water from turning muddy. The crystal seas stayed the same. The sea beasts that live near the port town was visible seen as their towering figures would block the light coming from the sun that has hidden behind the clouds.


    Taking his frock coat, he only had a vest on. He continued smoking while his thoughts drifted to the scene where he saw Ashia give her students a stern warning. Nolan had known her for years that it was rare to make her angry. However, her voice when doing so awhile ago was filled with frustration. Nolan understood why she was like that. No, if he didn¡¯t understand then he was a coward who didn¡¯t want to see it.


    ¡°She has her family here,¡± he thought. ¡°There¡¯s no point in barging in their time. They¡¯ve been separated for a while and I guess it only means that I have to stay away.¡±


    Nolan couldn¡¯t interfere with her life. When at her side he could not help but stand silently with a few words. Their relationship has always been about him serving as her attendant. He had allowed himself to be her attendant out of devotion that even he is surprised that would last for a million years. Still, the thought of the current Ashia, possessing the souls of the women he loved dearly made him confuse. His thoughts are constantly drifting and he was anxious at this lasting peace.


    ¡°No way that this would last forever,¡± he thought paranoid. ¡°It¡¯s always like this. I get a rest in an oasis and some shit starts pulling me back to chaos. It has happened again and again. I don¡¯t get rest. I keep on fighting back with a disappointed heart.¡±


    Peace was like a trap to Nolan Salvatore. It was a false hope that he couldn¡¯t trust. There was something about the peace that made him think of it as a powder keg with a fuse slowly closing into the keg. Nolan Salvatore couldn¡¯t help but think that a place where the danger was real was better than something like this. The peace that they had sown here was too grand, that it was like a fairy tale. A happy world where a monster like him shouldn¡¯t be in. He couldn¡¯t sit still knowing that his presence will bring some chaos to this world.


    ¡°And here I thought that I left it behind,¡± he said.


    Nolan squeezed the cigar on his palm. He took the lamp on the table and went to the door. Before he could reach the door it was opened from the outside, a woman in a shawl carrying a lamp with her entered the room. Wearing her glasses, Ashia lifted her face and saw Nolan. He saw that she was carrying a basket of wine bottles on her left arm.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to go out.¡±


    ¡°In this rain?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± he told her. ¡°I just want to breathe some fresh air.¡±


    Ashia raised a brow. She then closed the door behind him. ¡°You know that your anxious face is easy to read. Come on, sit down, I brought some wine.¡±


    Nolan eyed the wine. ¡°You sure have. Hah, do you think we can even get drunk?¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t hurt to try,¡± Ashia placed the wine on the round table. She sat on the bed with hands on her lap. She gazed at him. ¡°Come, sit down with me.¡±


    Nolan complied without insisting. He sat next to her and took one of the bottles, pulling the cork. ¡°I thought you¡¯d be chatting with them.¡±


    ¡°I was done with my lectures,¡± she said to him. ¡°They are adults now, clingy, spoiled, but still they are adults. I was infuriated with their behavior that I have to tell them. I couldn¡¯t allow them to make the same mistake as I did back then. I¡¯ve already lost too much that I will not compromise on it.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    She cast a look that seems to dig into Nolan¡¯s mind. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Do you want to go back to war? Fight battles again?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You are anxious. You were smiling before I revealed my secrets.¡±


    Nolan¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Yes, I am afraid. I wanted peace but yet this is terrifying. As if it is criminal for a monster to live in a world like this. I don¡¯t belong here, Ciara. I fought so hard that I have forgotten what it was, and reuniting again doubled that fear.¡±


    She stayed silent with a downtrodden look. She drank on the wine, passed it on Nolan and took her shawl, placed it on the table, and turned to Nolan with glassy eyes. She traveled her fingers on his chest, pulled on his neck and rested her head on his chest.


    ¡°I know you are afraid. I do,¡± she continued, ¡°we were raised in a world of constant war that it couldn¡¯t be helped. To be suddenly put into a world of peace must be horrifying. I made my peace with this world, and I can only help you find it as well. You are not alone, hell, you got a three in one here. You don¡¯t have to worry, dear. It will be alright this time.¡±


    Nolan hooked his arm around her waist and pulled her closer. He took the wine from the table and drank it. The storm continued. Their whispers and groans muffled by the sound of the rain. Clothes were strewn on the cold ground and the creaking of wood.

 Chapter 342: After-Night

    Nolan opened his eyes. He looked beside him and saw Ashia clinging to his arm. The blanket was warm, and on the background, he could hear the rain falling on the stone paving. He pulled the blanket off him and walked to the corner of the room. He dragged the bucket near the bed and pulled on the strings. Water came from these ¡®strings¡¯ that were conjured by him. The water fell on the tub and filled it.


    The floor was strewn with clothes and wine bottles. Nolan gathered them all in one spot and pulled on Ashia¡¯s cheeks. She grabbed hold of his hand and rubbed her eyes. She sat on the edge of the bed with a blanket barely clinging to her skin. She looked at the tub and back to Nolan. ¡°Can you help me braid my hair back?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Nolan nodded. She showed her back. Nolan took the cloth from the side of the bed and started wiping her back.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t braiding my hair.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Nolan told her. ¡°Besides, it would be best if I wipe you now before I braid your hair. That wine you got us was too heavy, and I know I can take poison well. What is that anyway?¡±


    ¡°Dragon¡¯s Rum,¡± Ashia said. ¡°I got it from Lovell who felt sorry. She saw me heading back to our room so she handed me the wine.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s rum, but you call it wine?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Indeed. The Dragons are very fond of this, and this one can even make dragons sleep. It is the drink of people like us who are unable to get drunk with normal wine.¡±


    Nolan wiped her back and traced the cloth on her sides up to her armpits. She turned around without a thought and took the blanket off her bare chest. Nolan wiped her clavicle and rubbed her cheeks with the cloth. She stood up and let Nolan wipe her from the waist down, and sat down. Nolan fiddled with her hair and tied her braid into a bun. With that done she stood up with her hands on her waist.


    ¡°Come on, I¡¯ll help you wipe your back,¡± she said.


    Nolan turned around and showed his back to Ashia. She took the cloth from him and started washing his back. ¡°I hope I didn¡¯t scratch your back too much. It would be a shame to add these kinds of scars into your back. Some of them really don¡¯t heal up.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t. Not like that it bothers me. This kind of reminds me of the time where we had to bandage one another. I think we should stay off this dragon wine until then.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind,¡± she told him. ¡°You rub one, and I sometimes itch the ditch. Besides,¡± she wrapped her arms around him. ¡°It has been years since I had a night with you. The last time we did was when we were on the river of nix where we had to wait for the storm to pass on the crystal desert. Even in the tower worlds, your fragment was so single-minded about saving the twins. Nolan, can you remember the memories?¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± he told her. ¡°But the memories itself feels so real that it might as well be just another past that I have forgotten.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± she said to him. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine now. The world isn¡¯t as terrible as you think it might. At least this world.¡±


    ¡°What about the other nations? Kingdoms? Empires? They wouldn¡¯t even try to make a move about this situation? Are there people abusing this system?¡±


    She moved away from Nolan¡¯s back and sat beside him. Water was evaporating from the surface of her skin. They were superhuman that could destroy an island or cut an entire hill with a stroke of their hand. Heating their bodies to this degree wasn¡¯t something special to them.


    ¡°I gave you my memory of the under-world. No system is perfect and I made sure that hell and heaven exist in this world. I¡¯ve closed the path, and no one could open it unless they want the laws of this very world to kill them. This is a close-off world, Nolan. A world where it is separated from the baubles, and outside this is a universe that expands infinitely. Audrey had made sure that this won¡¯t be touched by any higher being.¡±


    ¡°Nothing is permanent, Ciara. If you and your students could create a law that does like then we need to assume that there will be individuals that could do the same.¡±


    ¡°I know, that¡¯s why I made sure that even after two thousand years none would be able to touch upon this system. Once the spell lost its power then this world will become like what your original home is. A world that has no magic and power, only the natural sciences that embody it. By that time magic and laws of power will nothing more than tales spoken by the elders passed by mouth. I¡¯ve given this world a thousand years, and I think that should be enough for them to forget about us. Forget about the laws that were cast, and it should be a reward for me. I planned to live my life on the island of Concordia, changed my name, and wait for the cycle of reincarnation. But a certain somebody has to change my plans, and here I am. Thankfully, it scars down below, and I don¡¯t have to worry about red-stained sheets every time.¡±


    Nolan squeezed her cheeks. ¡°How about we dress up first before we talk further?¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± she stood and took her clothes from within her luggage. Nolan wore his clothes back on and buttoned his suit. He took a sniff of his suit and raised his shoulder for a second as if wishing that it won¡¯t be that noticeable.


    ¡°You really need to pack more clothes than that,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that you won¡¯t be fighting monsters from now on and please no more clearing of the monsters. I don¡¯t want you destroying a plot of land accidentally.¡±


    ¡°Good idea,¡± Nolan said. ¡°So, what¡¯s the plan?¡±


    ¡°Stroll around?


    Ashia beamed at him. Nolan raised a grin. Deep inside his heart, there was a wish that this would last forever.

 Chapter 343: Bottom Lines

    With her arm hooked around Nolan, she braced herself on him as they walk. ¡°Please bear with me for now. Ugh, I¡¯d rather suffer this now than be permanently bleeding when we do it.¡±


    ¡°Regeneration is a bitch,¡± Nolan said. ¡°Besides, I¡¯m sure that you had taken the worst wounds. I thought you wouldn¡¯t mind this.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see, for years I didn¡¯t know you have a thing for popping women cherries.¡±


    ¡°Hell no,¡± he said to her. ¡°I have no fetish regarding that.¡±


    ¡°I agree with you, and I don¡¯t like bleeding from my crotch every time we do it as well. That¡¯s why I have to scar it down to make sure that it won¡¯t happen. I have strong regenerative abilities, Nolan. I can grow an arm if I need to, and you think that I can¡¯t grow my hymen back?¡±


    Nolan shut his mouth to look at the horizon. The harbor wind ruffling his hair. He wouldn¡¯t dare to continue that argument. There was no way of winning it.


    ¡°Glad that you agree with me,¡± she said to him.


    ¡°I just don¡¯t want to bother with it. It¡¯s your body after all.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, can you shift your face back to your older look?¡±


    Nolan stopped right at the edge of the harbor. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You heard me. The light above, you aged like fine wine, husband! I talked about this over and over how those harlots in the salt passing trying to marry you off! They wanted strong men, and you were a survivor of a long-lasting war! You fought battles and survived and many admired that broken shield on your back and the cloak. That graying hair of yours, and the way you stood firm despite the troubles. Some of your fellow soldiers know your background where you work in an inn. If anything they admire how you started from a worker in an inn to a guardsman of throes, and a soldier of the Talon King, and veteran of many battles. Or that you melted the frosty heart of the war maiden. They think of you insane.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°For falling in love with a cursed woman,¡± she said looking down. ¡°Nolan, do you think that because of being with me that you suffered? You do know that the cursed part wasn¡¯t just about the burn wounds that I had. My parents weren¡¯t killed just because they were nobles. We were cursed and those burns were a sign of our bloodline.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s a part of life. What need is there weep about the parts of life that had passed? I¡¯ve already marched through hell for multiple times, and I carry the curse of my comrades screaming at me perpetually and you¡¯d think that this bothers me?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it bothers, I just want to know if you had ever regretted it. I heard that you had a girl named Alcina that was always with you. She just vanished suddenly, and you didn¡¯t know better.¡±


    Nolan titled his head and had this blank look on his eyes. He stopped near the lamp post and pulled her close. ¡°I don¡¯t want to regret. Because if I regret then it would mean that I don¡¯t want those to happen. They died like heroes and I won¡¯t forget. I may break, cry, and sometimes wail at the world for doing this to me. I will regret but fully giving in and regretting the actions that I had chosen? No, never, I would rather not. I have lived my life as the best as I could not knowing any purpose other than to find purpose with the actions that I have chosen. If I regret falling in love with you during those years then I am denying the ¡®me¡¯ who had made those choices. We are volatile, Cia, and I rather not believe that the life that I had live had no meaning to them.¡±


    Ashia looked up to him. ¡°When I was walking in the abyss back then. I had many thoughts and regrets. That through my years I had been fighting to save the world that I forgot that I wasn¡¯t saving my soul. I mean, what kind of savior prioritizes the world before her children? Does someone who does that have a right to save the world? No, she does not have that why¡¯ I choose to die by the hand of that monster. Still, I didn¡¯t want to let you go, and you were my light as I choose to travel back to the light where you should be. But I only found your grave and I couldn¡¯t take it. I was too late. When I stab that blade into my stomach I wished that I could have a second chance. I was given it and if I live then you must have lived again. It was only your fragment but that gave hope to me that one day I can see you again. Tell me, Nolan. I will ask you this. Can you ever forgive me for what I have done? For letting our unborn child die to save a world, not caring about the life that was in my womb?¡±


    Nolan stood firmly. He stared straight into her eyes with both hands on her shoulders. ¡°Ciara, I love you, and you were my light in my darkest days. You were the lamp that shone the darkest valley and shielded me in the mightiest storms, and I believe in your cause during those times. I would follow you into hell and even do it again and again if you want to. But even I have things I could not forgive. I begged you on that day before the battle. I kneeled in front of you in hopes that you would reconsider and have mercy. I understand that you wanted to save the world. That the life of a single child is less than the world you were trying to save. I can see that you have regrets about this and that if you could slap yourself back in time then you would do it. But¡­I cannot forgive you for that day. I cannot just forget and forgive the day you refuse the birth of that innocent life.¡±

 Chapter 344: To Live Long

    The two of them sat on the far edge of an overlook point near the harbor. Ashia had been quiet when Nolan spoke of his true thoughts regarding the events of the past life. Forgiveness was the right of those who suffered. Nolan Salvatore stood firm in his belief that there are sins that could not be forgiven so easily.


    She said. "You confuse me."


    "Yes," Nolan replied. His face looked like stone. "I love you, but that doesn''t mean I can forgive you for that. No, never, even when I die. I cannot easily forgive you for that."


    " Even if I did pay the price?" she asked him.


    "Yes. On that day I was forced to bury my child and on the next day, I have to put that child next to you. Something broke within me that day that I couldn''t allow myself to stay still. I joined the Bleak Walk in hopes to find purpose and light. I met up with the Light''s army and fought in the shield wall as the heroes pushed forward. I did not regret a single thing. I honored those who died before me. I mourn them but choose to keep moving forward because I know that they''d want that. I wanted to believe that I could just look back and say that it was a part of my life. But even someone like me has a bottom line. That day...do you know how I hated you for it? How I despise the way you look at that child as if that child was nothing more than a hindrance in saving the world. I understand your reasoning. That the child would die the moment the elemental heroes would use you as a medium. That child would implode from the inside and die. You considered that as mercy. I know. I understand what you have to do. But I begged you with all of my heart and soul that day. Please, don''t kill the child and let the world give you some bits of happiness!"


    Nolan bared his teeth. "You deserve that child. The world owed you so much despite the lack of power. Ciara, do you know how many bodies I have to bury to keep you in power? Vero of Sorer, the Talon King, and the bastards who ran the Guardsman of Throes to the pit of disgrace. I wrung the neck of the Talon King. I split the head of Vero of Sorer simply because he didn''t want to let go of the power that he had taken! A good man like him turned into a pitiable maggot! Despair is like a goddamn disease that gets you in the end. He let that despair get into him and it turned him into a fool who wanted power. Ciara, when you were too busy dealing with the dark. I made sure that you won''t be bothered with the things such as Marlon''s disciples or the Sword Maiden of throes wanting you to be replaced. I had to care about them and let you work freely in your single-minded pursuit of saving the world."


    Nolan held his head and continued. "The world wasn''t as good as you think they were. Just because there was a greater threat it didn''t mean that they would unite in hopes of saving the world. Our armies weren''t run by hopes and wishes. It was run by and funded by the merchants that use the materials and meat of the demons we killed as a way to feed the people. You know about this. I don''t believe that you don''t."


    "The merchants of salt passing were part of the Pontifex state," Ashia said. "They handled the transaction regarding the breeding and butchering of demon-animals. Ogres and Bovine Races were prime candidates for breeding. One of the Merchants suggested that we breed these monsters and turned them into cattle. The Bovine Race, at least one of them are able to stand in both legs could talk like humans as well. They were sentient cows and we turned into the cattle. It took us five years to destroy their ability to speak and they became large cattle that we''re able to feed communities. Each of the monsters and demons had their own innate connection. If Marlon''s disciples didn''t discover a way to create an artificial light that could produce the same light as the sun then we would have continued that path."


    Nolan nodded. "We did continue that path. You believed that it stopped, but it never did. The Light''s army consumed bovine meat and we had stamps that differentiate them from the cows that they have grown in the under-farms. The Bovine meat that came from them filled the bodies of the soldier. We continued eating them because consuming them had given us strength. It made us strong and allowed us to hold the line. It was only when the Witch of Nether and Marlon''s disciple that we were carved with runes in our bodies that allowed us to become strong. You know what? I killed and had done things I am not proud of. But never in my life, I dared to go as low as killing a child. I met children who would fight for me a piece of bread. In my eyes that day you were something that I couldn''t forgive."


    Nolan stared at the ocean with glassy eyes. Ashia placed a shaking hand on her right lap and asked. "Then why are you with me?"


    "Because I think you regret something. The Ciara that I know wouldn''t have done something as stupid as sacrificing her life for the sake of one person. You''d think of the greater good because that was your dream. You rather see yourself suffer than let that go. That''s why I always asked why you would save me. I twisted that thought thinking that there must be more. Tell me, Ciara. Why did you have to shield me that day?"


    Ciara laughed grimly. "Why? It was simple. I didn''t want to lose another. The world is heavy Nolan. I didn''t want to do it knowing that I would have to carry it alone again."


    Nolan gazed at her. "We are old and tired."


    "I agree," she said to him. "We are blessed to able to have long lives. That''s why I want to talk instead of arguing. I don''t want emotion to rule me now that we are given the chance. I''d rather be honest than lie about it."


    Ashia stared. She let her back rest on the bench with her eyes traveling the clouds.

 Chapter 345: Book 4 – Epilogue.

    ¡°So what do you want to do?¡± she held her heart.


    The ocean was still and the wind caressing her hair.


    She was afraid at this moment. There was something about the mood today that made her worry. Nolan Salvatore was a man who stayed strong from the start. Right now, he was stating words that made her worry about their future. She was worried about this future. She knew that it took her many years to reunite with him. She wanted to believe that it would happen, but a hundred years of waiting was hard.


    She was happy. The three souls that became one was worried about the idea that he would leave them. ¡°Please no,¡± she was deathly afraid. There was this fear that sprouted inside her heart. Ciara Alician had taken her life once because she found her husband¡¯s grave.


    Her heart was trembling.


    She knows that if he would move on then she would be alone. Audrey, the Witch of Nether was her friend, but she would never substitute for the partner that she gave her heart to.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been with you for all of my life. I dedicated forty-years of my life and fought until my body was old and dying. We¡¯ve jumped from worlds to be with together. I cannot forgive you for what you did. But I am willing to start over.¡±


    She opened her eyes wide. ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Marry me again,¡± he said to her. ¡°I want you to marry me as yourself. Not as Ciara, not as Tania, but Ashia. Tell me, what is the meaning of your name?¡±


    ¡°Life and hope,¡± she replied. ¡°My parents picked this name because I was filled with it. I was hope for the Alf Race, and I choose to embody the name.¡±


    ¡°Ashia,¡± he said with a serious expression. ¡°Before your students get married, let us marry first. Not through any church, but through bonding of the soul. I will give you the knot of my soul if you gave me yours.¡± He stood up, pulled something from his chest and presented it to her. It was a glowing orb with both light and dark turning clockwise¡±


    ¡°Marry me.¡±


    ¡°I thought that you couldn¡¯t forgive me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I couldn¡¯t forgive you for that. But that doesn¡¯t mean that I would throw you away. That I would abandon you so easily. We are old people inside younger bodies, Ashia. We¡¯re old as the stars and you¡¯d think that by now we should be cold inside. That our hearts are frozen like ice as well. I don¡¯t believe that. Even if my heart stops beating I can feel these emotions. I might be able to control them, temper them, but I don¡¯t think can rid them. We¡¯ve already been played with time and yet we can never go back to that time. That¡¯s why I want you to have this.¡±


    Ashia stood up. She didn¡¯t know why her eyes were blurry. She could see Nolan, but her heart was pounding. She imitated the process and pulled on the strings of her soul as well. She neared this orb made from her soul and neared it, Nolan.


    Like two knots being together, she felt a strong tug. She felt her body strengthened and she saw Nolan Salvatore¡¯s hair lost all color. His eyes became deep red and there was a certain aura that she had not seen from her. She didn¡¯t know why, but she could sense him where we are, and as they close this tugging sense grew strong as well.


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    ¡°It is the same seal that I bonded Tania with. Think of it having a ball on each side of a rope. If I am thrown then your soul would be thrown as well, and because of this, we will not be separated again. Even if we are continents apart, as long as we are in the same world then we will be pulled together by this.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± she melted the orb into her soul. She wrapped her arms around Nolan and smiled. ¡°I was afraid that you would leave me.¡±


    ¡°Why would I? Look, I just want to have a companion with me. Or are you going to back down on that? There is a world and I would like to accompany me. Maybe, one day, it won¡¯t be just us traveling.¡±


    Ashia¡¯s face brightened up. Illuminated by the backlight she recalled the figure of a firm old man. That old man was Nolan who was still human. The Nolan who fought through hell with his human spirit. She held him tightly without care.


    ¡°I swear,¡± she said to him. ¡°I will try to be good.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± he said to her, ¡°I lied. I don¡¯t want this to be our last chance. I¡¯ve been chasing for so long that this time I won¡¯t let anyone say otherwise.¡±


    Ashia felt like she was floating.


    The two of them did not stay that long on that overlook hill. They roamed around the town with renewed interest. Old as they may in spirit, these two fools were roaming around with a curiosity of a child. Even in this world, she did not have the luxury of living a carefree life with the war. She had spent years studying the laws of the world that she forget to experience the things that she has. If it wasn¡¯t for her students, Ashia would have lived this life repeating an old mistake.


    Let go, a voice told her. Just let go for a second.


    Grab hold of that hand and never let go.


    That voice begged.


    Ashia stopped for a second and saw a figure standing in the middle of the road. This woman had a burnt scar around her face. She wore a battered armor filled with scratches and dirt. But despite that burnt scar and worn armor, there was a bright smile on her face that rivaled the sun. Ashia smiled at that figure and turned her attention forward.


    She had been playing savior all the time that she had forgotten to save herself. That¡¯s why she let go of that role. She had enough of it.


    She let it all go.


    Chapter 345: A Moment of Silence.


    END OF BOOK 4

 Chapter 346: Book 4 Interlude – A Role To Play

    ¡°What happened to him?¡± she asked the remnants of the light¡¯s army.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe it,¡± a man said to her, ¡°you¡¯re still alive? After all these years?¡±


    ¡°I said what happened to him Jar-Khan!¡±


    ¡°He went mad,¡± a woman said. ¡°That¡¯s the only conclusion we had gone. The New Talon King took the demon lands and made it himself. Now the Salt Passing and the Holy State want a piece of the pie. Again, where were you?¡± the woman demanded. ¡°We thought you died and you came waltzing in without a thought? We mourned for you! We cried for you and yet you were alive!¡±


    ¡°I was trapped in an abyss, Arita. It took me years to find the light back.¡±


    ¡°Bullshit!¡± she stomped her feet. ¡°You have no right to place your feet on the ground. You abandoned us when we needed you the most-¡±


    ¡°Shut your mouth, Arita!¡± he pointed his face at her. ¡°She¡¯s right. You abandoned us at our time of need, and now you come crawling back as if it matters now. The abyss¡­if you are telling the truth then I¡¯m sorry, but no one ones other than he became what he is today.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you stop him?¡± she demanded.


    ¡°Lady Ciara,¡± said Arvan, ¡°the Dragon had started to act like this after he returned to Oasis. At first, he started punishing thugs, criminals, and slavers, but as time passes he got worse. He went after nobles and crucified a priest of the holy state. He stole from Marlon¡¯s disciples and the Witch of Nether taught him.¡±


    ¡°Audrey?¡±


    ¡°That woman fell!¡± Arita shouted. ¡°She became his and tolerated his behavior! She had helped him defeat the Dragon himself and took on his mantle!¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°Kaiser,¡± Jar-Khan said to her. ¡°He dealt the killing blow to the Dragon, took on his mantle, and consumed his flesh. After that, he devoured the Guardians guarding the gate, and sealed us.¡±


    Ciara folded his arms.¡±What about Audrey?¡±


    ¡°She escaped,¡± said Jar-Khan. ¡°She sent herself away after leaving Old Nolan with the Sword of Zacharia. We tried to stop him, but Ferdinand had one of his legs broken. The one thing we do know is that he took on another mantle. You saw the clouds above, Ciara. The same day that the world darkened, we saw the same clouds.¡±


    ¡°No, it can¡¯t be,¡± Ciara said to them. ¡°Nolan won¡¯t turn into that. He¡¯s a good man.¡±


    ¡°Is he?¡± Arita questioned. ¡°When you died he became a Bleak Walker. Most of the Bleak Walkers after the war vanished in the Styx River and died. He was the only one who kept roaming around the world even after we discovered more continents. After we found him barely alive in that graveyard filled the bones of our comrades, he has not been the same.¡±


    Ciara heard of the time when they found her husband in that graveyard. He was laughing as he started pounding his chest madly. He broke the bones around him, created fire using the leftover broken hilts, and pommels and cooked the marrows inside the bone.


    Instead of wandering the earth he stayed in that graveyard until someone found him. Audrey, the Witch of Nether, and Ciara¡¯s friend found her husband and took her back to Oasis where he was fed. He was granted titles and young women, but he refused and walked back to the dried-up wasteland until Audrey convinced him to accompany her.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°Power,¡± Arita said. ¡°She desired power, and took the Walker with him.¡±


    ¡°You are many!¡± Ciara asked.


    ¡°And most of us are old, Lady Ciara,¡± said Arvan. ¡°Forgive my tone, but he allowed himself to carve his organs and ate on dragon flesh. Audrey did something to him that made him¡­stronger. Now he slaughters left and right and shad been killing the members of the Holy State. They had sent 150 crusaders to where he was seen and only one of them returned alive to declare to leave him be. They want his head, and the heroes won¡¯t play. Not after they fought so long, and their lives so brittle. Without you as a medium, their bodies have been bearing the weight of power from the Gods themselves. We are too old, and he seems to have found a way to grow strong. How can we match one of the Walkers who slew devils, demons, and monsters and painted the desert with blood? He is lost, Lady Ciara. I think you need to-¡±


    ¡°To do what, Arvan!?¡± Power bursts forth from inside of Ciara. ¡°Kill my husband? You are asking me to kill my husband? Do you want me to murder all of you here in one spot!?¡±


    Ciara shook madly. The remnants of the light¡¯s army stood. Arita lifted her head and gave a howling laugh. ¡°Hah! The frozen lady has opened her heart truly! But too late! The husband you treated like a piece of furniture, a dog that you keep by your side is gone!¡±


    Ciara lifted her. ¡°Take that back, you bitch!¡±


    Arita glared. ¡°I said nothing wrong. We saw you shame him, kick him around, and tell him he is not worthy for three decades!? Do you know what we thought in the first few years? A pathetic man clinging to someone''s thigh! But then he continued for years while you did nothing but humiliate him! I understand that you might have been creep out, hated him, but why did you not tell him to go away? Why do you care now? You should have heard the wail of the man they called Steel, the unbroken, grieving for his loves one. I¡¯ve done terrible things, but to do that to him. I don¡¯t understand why you care now after being so selfish. Do you want to save the world? Kill him.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± Jar-Khan said. ¡°You are asking something hard. Are we monsters now that kill our comrade? Ciara, you might convince him, you are his wife, and I¡¯d think that he might listen to you.¡±


    Ciara gazed at the ground. ¡°Forgive me, I lost my temper.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jar-Khan said. ¡°I just never thought that we¡¯d see you again. Go in peace, War Maiden.¡±


    *****


    If there was anything that could be said he looked like a walking corpse with all the cuts around his armor. He had a deathly pale complexion and carried a two-handed broadsword carved with runes. Around him were the fallen soldiers, the horses, and mounted monsters that the light¡¯s army had been using. The light illuminated this figure in Red, whose cuts were being sewn.


    ¡°Nolan,¡± she called out to him.


    The figure in red turned, he lifted the mask of his helmet, revealing a scarred diseased look. There was a gash around his face, and he was missing an ear and a part of his face was burnt. His left eye resembled that of a snake. That old look was a familiar one.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± asked him.


    ¡°It¡¯s me, can you remember me?¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± he planted that sword of his. ¡°You are alive, that¡¯s good, I saw you die, burned, crying, and you die. I see I guess I was right to stay alive.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Nolan Salvatore lifted his blade. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, if Audrey is right, no, if Alcina was telling the truth. Then I have no choice but try to kill you. I cannot let you become a destroyer of worlds, Ciara. I cannot let you do that. That¡¯s why¡­¡±


    Nolan flashed with his sword lifted. He brought his sword down with a savage strike. Ciara lifted her sword, guarded against the strike, deflected the blade down. Nolan pivoted and swung his legs to where Ciara was. Ciara blocked with her arms and saw Nolan thrusting his blade to her stomach. Ciara parried the blade. Nolan lets go of his blade, grabbed hold of her, and tried to put her into an arm lock.


    ¡°Tsk!¡± Ciara used her brute strength to throw him off. Nolan used his weight to throw himself down. He slid his feet on the sand, pulled his sword back, and took a strike at Ciara.


    ¡°Stop this!¡± Ciara blocked him. ¡°Why are you doing this? Why?¡±


    ¡°I have no choice, but to kill you.¡±


    His sword-arm was shaking. His eyes tearing up as he swings the sword.


    ¡°Why? After this time?¡±


    ¡°I have to do it. I must kill you. If you have not lived then it meant that your soul is still stuck here! You cannot leave this realm with a body! You must be able to reincarnate and not transmigrate!¡±


    ¡°Please stop,¡± Ciara said. ¡°I don¡¯t want to do this.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± he said pleadingly. ¡°You¡¯ve beaten me down for so many times, yet now you hesitate. I have to kill you here, Ciara. I have to. Or else we won¡¯t be free from this torment. With my hand unaffected by the fates, the cogs that run this putrid cycle of suffering!¡±


    Nolan¡¯s arm bursts with power as he swung his sword down. Ciara casts a spell to propel her body up to evade. Nolan dashes like a madman swung his sword up and down and did a wide-open slash. Noland¡¯s martial techniques have always been strange to Ciara. It was a mix of combat techniques that covers his guards. While he was an amateur with the sword, he was devastating with a knife and his fist. He was one of the few that she had seen kill with his bare hands and the way he trained was different compared to the rest of the soldiers.


    Nolan feinted with his sword, wrapped his legs around Ciara¡¯s right arm and tried to lever her arm the opposite way. Ciara raised him again, and immediately use her brute strength to smash him on the ground, and stomped on his legs.


    Ciara lifted a leg and broke his sword arm. ¡°Please, stop, I don¡¯t want this.¡±


    ¡°But I must do this,¡± Nolan phased inside the stand and came out with his bones being forcibly healed by these black stone-like flesh.


    Nolan wielded his sword as a madman possessed. Ciara avoided contact with the blade, parried, and then without much thought, sliced Nolan¡¯s arms off, which she followed by cutting his legs. Nolan fell, but the black flesh started to create his body. His eyes glowed red as his body was covered with the stone-like black flesh.


    ¡°I must do this,¡± he said to himself.


    ¡°Please,¡± she pleaded


    Nolan rushed up to her. No matter how strong he was, Ciara had the upper hand. It was a clear difference between a human and a blessed human. Even as his armor became like rags, and even if his sword was broken into two. Nolan Salvatore fought Ciara Alician until the sun went away.


    ¡°I must kill you,¡± he said, biting her leg. ¡°I need to kill you¡­if it means saving you from this eternity. I must kill you!¡±


    He bit harder. Ciara¡¯s eyes were empty. It was only at that moment she saw a figure carrying a lamp. She held a smile on her lips. ¡°I see, it seems that poor Nolan can¡¯t even beat the blessed ones. He still plays this role well.¡±


    ¡°Who are?¡± Ciara asked.


    ¡°I am an Observer, Alcina the Cheery. He¡¯s right. If you don¡¯t want this to continue then I suggest letting him pierce your heart with a blade.¡±


    ¡°But why?¡±


    ¡°He holds no ties to the fates here. This will free you, but this world will be damned.¡±


    ¡°Will that save him too?¡±


    The woman named Alcina shook her head. ¡°He will have to find his way.¡±


    ¡°I must¡­kill you,¡± Nolan stood up with an arm-like blade.


    ¡°Will you die?¡±


    Ciara stood and stared. ¡°I don¡¯t want to leave him alone.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Alcina lifted her hand. ¡°Then I have no choice.¡±


    She froze. That was the only way to describe it. Nolan moved as if strings were attached to him. His eyes showed fear and yet his actions contracted that fear.


    Ciara stood while watching the blade-arm inside her chest.


    ¡°Very well,¡± Alcina said. ¡°I hope this will take you away from here. I guess this is better than the first time. Rest Nolan,¡± she drew a line and blood spurted from Nolan¡¯s neck, his eyes rolled, and he fell without any movement.


    ¡°Good night, Ma- Ciara, I wish you happiness.¡±


    *****


    Alcina looked at the corpses. Her eyes were glassy, and arms trembling. She placed her hand on her chest and breathed in and out. She pulled on her hair, clenched her hands so hard that blood came out, and suddenly her expression became still.


    ¡°This should take them both to their paths.¡±


    She took out a locket with three people in the picture. She held the locket close to her heart and took a step that took her suddenly to an alley where she watched a man fell down into an alley. She changed her robes into that of a waiter girl and approached the man that fell on the alley out of nowhere.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± she asked.


    The man tilted his head. He looked around him, and then to Alcina. He pointed at her, and in return she said. ¡°I am Alcina Cheery, and you are?¡± She pointed back at him.


    He pointed at himself. ¡°Nolan Salvatore.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Alcina said, pulling him up.


    ¡°You have a long way to go, Nolan. Ah, but don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t tire from this.¡±


    The person that fell the alley didn¡¯t understand.


    She smiled as she pulled him out of the alley.


    karsev

 Chapter 347: Book 4 Interlude – Where is Alice?

    How long has it been?


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she said to herself. ¡°I must imprison myself.¡±


    Is this really what you want? Oh, poor girl, why can¡¯t you let go? All of your creations are soulless. Just clay that serves no purpose. You can see layers and see his soul. Even the past him is perpetually trapped, and you can do nothing but watch his suffering. Someone has sealed it. A power that even you could not tamper with.


    ¡°I am not looking for pity,¡± she cried.


    You say that, but look at your foolishness. It is closed loop until you ended that world. When you defeated the pale shine you set fire to this bauble of reality. From the beginning to the end you were destined to be the sole ruler of this bauble.


    ¡°I just wanted to save the world, and I-¡±


    Speak no more lies. You threw him away again and again and when suddenly he¡¯s out of the picture you seek for him. Just when you escape the first world you choose to seek him. If the Pale Shine didn¡¯t got trapped in that abyss. If her shine didn¡¯t stop flaring, you would have been unable to break the loop. Tell me, what is the price of this power you sought?¡±


    ¡°Everything.¡±


    You are a hero. That is the role you are eager to play. The role that you seek even though you were burned in a stake. A promise to the Knight that couldn¡¯t leave you alone. He was far from home. His soul transported in another reality. Then, he came back, you tortured him, and couldn¡¯t accept the hand that the first incarnation of you did. It was an anomaly in time, and yet when he¡¯s gone you sought for him. You seek comfort upon your loneliness. Your bear the weight of worlds that his constant presence was warmth for you. You didn¡¯t love him for who he was. You love him for the warmth that he gave in your twisted way.


    ¡°That¡¯s wrong,¡± she said. ¡°I truly did-¡±


    Please, you lie. And even if you did, I guess a monster who watches her love ones die for years again and again. How many of your grandkids, and adopted kids you watched die? At the end of every road you find yourself staring an entire graveyard of those who you love. But you were fine because of a single presence that persists. You could continue because you found a comforting warmth. The warmth that you first toss aside like trash. The warmth that you treated as irrelevant until the monster that is you got old and tired.


    She sat on her lonely throne listening to this voice. The illusions she conjured projecting the memories embedded inside her head. She saw how many the times she had rejected that warmth that it dwarfed the times she had peace with him. It was a despairing amount.


    The shield that protects you. How many times have you watched him hanged on the gallows with a noose around his neck because it would save the world? How many times have you turned him into a monster so that he could play the role of a monster while you could play savior? You couldn¡¯t do it. Not even with all of the power that you have now.


    ¡°Leave me,¡± she said.


    You would have done that. How many souls reside on your life? How many of them cries and screams at this fate? I can hear them shouting to find him. You¡¯re too late. Too late. Not even the natural laws could help you. You create a puppet that could serve your as vessel. A puppet that would allow you to roam. It¡¯s too late for your crusade. You know what you are, Burnt Woman. That sickening desire to save the world would not allow you. Not even destroying this space you rule would let you do nothing. Time passes by and the lie you tell yourself does not cease. This prison worsens you. It boils your mind and turn you into something worse. You can hear them all. You can hear the cries of world that needs saving. Your will alone could influence all of this. That is your curse, Burnt Woman, the role that you have found yourself in.


    ¡°I wanted to save the world. I wanted to. Do you think I am lying?¡±


    No. You do not. You told yourself that after you save the world you¡¯d rest. That you¡¯d take his hand and be far from all of this. But a woman who cannot let go would not be able to do that. Until your learn to let go of this desire then you will be in this role forever.


    She was silent.


    Your silence means nothing. I am you and you are me. Even now you refuse to think of the possibilities. The Pale Shine could escape because of circumstances. She had escaped using the abyss and her circumstances had allowed her to miss the merging of all incarnations within one body. She was able to escape because at that time Nolan Salvatore had arrived in that world in that single moment. His presence disturbed the cog and that allowed her to become the Pale Shine. And at that time you were traveling to that tower world to find him. You knew that there was no way you could search the infinities. So you did something to reach out. A lifeline you could use to find him among the infinities of this bauble.


    Tell me. Do not lie.


    ¡°What?¡±


    I said tell me. Do you really think that you are complete now?


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Lies again. You know who you are hiding. You knew that the only reason that you were able to reach that tower world was because of a fragment of your soul. One of us was able to escape and became a pale shine.  It is not so far fetch that you could split into fragments as well. So let me ask you again, Burnt Woman.


    Where is the soul that you have sent before you decided to travel to that tower world? The soul that you had created to bear a body and power to improve your chances of saving it all? I ask you.


    Where is Alice Dame?

 Chapter 348: Book 4 Interlude – Down The Rabbit Hole.

    She had a dream of a savior. This savior walked a valley of death. When dark came she saved it all. She was named Alice Dame in her life, and although she had a brother, she was a liar like the three of them. But she had to be the same as her memories told her. She had to be better in hopes that she could win against the everlasting depravity that was around her. No matter how odd the people looked at her. She won¡¯t hesitate to save them if she needs to.


    Then he came along with that familiar aura residing within him. When she felt that aura she felt like a piece of her soul reacted, sending a message to somewhere. She danced with this young man, and then when things became odd, she found herself walking inside the tower where the monsters had been slain.


    ¡°Hear me,¡± a voice said. ¡°You must continue this honorable path. For that is the path of the light. Hear me, o my fragment, vessel of thy war maiden.¡±


    Alice knew that this was her fate. She held her hand towards this light and saw that there were the memories of her past incarnation.


    ¡°It looks like I am unable to use my power properly. This is the consequence of forming a new vessel out. These memories of Brother, no, he is gone, with the gods after him, he¡¯ll not survive the merging.¡±


    The world turned white and as if it was all made of glasses. It shattered into a billion pieces. She saw the world remade like puzzle pieces coming together.


    Time was diluted like a constant stream. She grabbed hold on to her power. She thought about back to the Jade Empress, and her husband¡¯s way. She collected willpower by riding the waves of time.


    ¡°Violator!¡±


    She saw specters that guard the collective of time. Their existence was strong enough to rattle her bones. She drew her blade and slashed at them. Her strike was lightning manifested in a stroke of blood. Once she got one down she used her free hand to take the specter and consumed said specter.


    ¡°Power,¡± Alice pondered. ¡°I need this to survive, and help.¡±


    For what? The thought comes to mind. Alice sees a memory of a woman walking down a landscape of blood. On her feet was the corpse of the man who had been with her all the time. A constant soothing presence turned into a cold corpse.


    She was not wholly complete. Her memories were incomplete, no, there were too many of them that she has to sort them out before her head explodes. She sorted the important and compiled the memories of the teachings she learned from the other worlds.


    ¡°Still, why?¡± she asked herself. Tears poured out of her eyes as she watches the same man die and die again. With her hand and through a blade and arrow. She knew that if that man wasn¡¯t with her she¡¯d lost her way. She persisted knowing that he was a presence that would be constant to her.


    ¡°I found it,¡± she said. ¡°What I was looking for.¡±


    She cried as specters arrived. She drew her blade from the sheath and carved the air with a strike. She felt the world that she had lived collapse and a presence was constantly watching over her like a third eye. She looked at the present, and she knew she had to persist.


    She continued surfing this stream until she found herself falling. A dragon looked at her with impatient eyes. She stared with deadly eyes as she fires a destructive beam of curses towards her. Alice withdrew her sword, gathered power on it, and sliced through the beam of curses. The dragon appeared like a misty ghost.


    Alice parried the attack of the ghost. She twisted around in mid-air as she used the strings connected to her to scan through the world¡¯s inner workings. The power here was different but she can pull the strings. However, these strings were flimsy and weaker than what she could pull in her true power.


    ¡°What is this?¡± anger rosed from the depths of her souls. From above and below she could tell the concept of the world with one glance. The dead are turned into orbs of light and returned to whence they come. While those who have committed sins were forced down the valleys of burning heat. Even the innocent would be burned in this hell if they had committed a sin they didn¡¯t have.


    ¡°A perfect world that has been saved,¡± she said as she went pass a cloud. ¡°Was someone able to make a spell that could allow this? But still what is this?¡±


    She can hear the cries of the weak. Where those who could not die are returned to where they think of as home. They are then trapped by those who prey on them. Not even death could save them. Only through the taking of their life that they can escape their fate of being tortured by a convenient system cast like a web in this world. It was an almost perfect world of a happy ending. However, from the memories, she knew that such a world wouldn¡¯t last for a thousand years without someone being able to exploit it.


    She saw flaws in this world and through her space-like eyes, she saw the veil. A crumbling Empire and the evil that has spread like hungry maggots on a rotten corpse. Despite the rules of this world and the grand spell. There was never a guardian to come to the aid of those who are weak and easy to exploit.


    Alice could not stand it. The War Maiden that was part of her could not stand it. She let herself fall down and through one stroke she slew the dragon. She let herself fall and land on a mountain range where there was no one to hurt. She clenched her hand and marched forward with a steel gaze.


    She could not let go of that desire. Letting go would be the same as cutting her arm.

 Chapter 349: Book 4 Interlude – Bloody Alice.

    Alice landed on the mountain range. She came down walking past the tall sturdy trees. Upon arriving to the outskirts of the mountain range she saw four-wheeled vehicles carrying lumber. The personnel working wore uniforms that she assumed were part of a military.


    ¡°I am a foreigner here,¡± she thought. ¡°I have to make sure that they don¡¯t spot me. Hmm, the chains says it all doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    Slaves were not common in the memories of the war maiden. Bastards, criminals, and the poor forced to work under harsh circumstances. She was not fond of them, and Alice thought that only those who have sinned deserved this. She gave an impartial eye to the chained ones.


    She slid through cover, and listened in.


    ¡°Looks like the prisoners are working properly. As long as they are anchored then there is no way they can escape,¡± said a voice.


    ¡°The spell returns them back home. After we changed their minds into thinking that their cells are home. They will return when we shoot then. God Bless the Heroes,¡± she heard him laugh loudly.


    ¡°The spell will take a thousand years to decipher. The heroes stopped the dark one, but they didn¡¯t thought much other than mercy. I wonder if the Magus is going to make this beneficial for the Empire?¡±


    ¡°We were beaten in the outer-lands, but I believe that the Empire will rise. The Volk of Man shall persist.¡±


    Alice had no information. She didn¡¯t know what was to do other than patiently wait. The two soldiers chatted until the trucks carrying the lumber moved. She hanged under the trucks with her legs locked under the vehicle. She focused her thoughts on the information.


    ¡°I cannot allow myself to side one side alone. I made that mistake when I thought the demons of my home world were the enemies. Everyone of them has their own reasons for what they are doing. I cannot compromise on this. Never again.¡±


    She thought with a steeled resolve.


    The vehicle traveled for hours before stopping. She heard a polluted smell as she observes her surroundings. She swung her body away from the vehicle and saw time moved slow. The tall buildings, flying ships, and the strange crystals around made her nod.


    She landed with grace, and turned her attention to the city encased with blackened walls. ¡°Was the city burned by something? No, what are these creatures that attacked them?¡±


    The surroundings of the blackened walls were skeletons of large beasts. One of them were the size of a hill, and the one that stood out the most was the body of some sort of beast that turned into rock. She saw that there were checkpoints and she didn¡¯t have paper. Not that it mattered when she was like a crouching ghost. Alice got inside the waled city and plodded through the streets.


    The roads were ill-maintained, and there were signs of war. She could smell the smell of construction around. The banging of hammers and the clanking of chains. She continued down a street, took a left, and turn towards the barracks where the majority of the soldiers were. She listened in with her hearings.


    ¡°My power¡¯s connected to the string of power my main body¡¯s sending me. The connection is far, and the suppression from this world is too strong. I can¡¯t get my power out or this world itself will retaliate. The difference between baubles of reality is truly too much, and this world¡¯s set of rules makes it harder for me to adjust as well. I can still use dominate and my physical abilities, especially my perceptions are still fine. Not to mention that this body had deficiency in mastering the runics.¡±


    Alice walked around until she found gangs of murderers and thieves. She could not believe the way how people are treated. The spell cast around the world seem to enslave them to their home. Alice could think of a peaceful application, but those who are unable to defend themselves are forced in situations where they are anchored to a single place.


    ¡°I cannot stand for this,¡± she held the devil back. ¡°I cannot use my power here. If they are able to manifest a world spell like this then they are strong. Not to mention that my connection to my main body is stagnant. Only despair, and sadness.¡±


    Alice clutched her chest. It was painful seeing the memories. She promised that one day she would leave her blade on the side of the road. ¡°I think of saving the world and the people yet I would put him into torment and fail at saving him. What kind of savior I am?¡±


    She laughs with her figure appearing before them. Her slash rends their legs and the one who seems in charge of the gang fell on his cut off legs. Alice placed her left palm on top of this man, and her eyes glowed. She saw memories upon memories and sortied them out. She crushed the unimportant ones and harvested the things she needed.


    ¡°Dominate,¡± she said. ¡°I never used this ever since I tampered with his memories. I need to find more memories to take, and proceed with caution. If the one suppressing my power is here somewhere then it would be best not to get found out. I can only move on with this power.¡±


    ¡°Deadman,¡± she thought of the Deadman that was known from this body¡¯s home world. She had heard of an exterminator who exterminated a hideout of mountain bandits with said cruelty. With the Hominy spell of this world not working against her. She would be able to save a handful of souls from the torture.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t my world,¡± she said to herself. ¡°Why should I even continued this fight?¡±


    She looked at her hand and to the ones struggling on the ground. The cruel world that her main body had made her heart like steel. She had been killing that she was used to it. This was her only way, and she had persisted for it. She couldn¡¯t stop, and that¡¯s why her merciless blade took the lives of the people around her, then the world itself took their bodies.


    karsev

 Chapter 350: Book 5 Prelude – To Refuse Action.

    One day, he dreamt of a beach with white sands and cool winds. The sun kissing his face, and the warmth of it gracing him. With dust and dirt on his eyes, he dreamt as blood and gore were scattered on the ground, strewn into strips of flesh mixed with the bile of liquid of those whose stomach was pierced. The sunlight was a rare resource back in those times.


    The vision was changed like a new screen placed in front of him. Nolan found himself standing on the beach of Concordia with his feet buried in the sand. His hair would drift along with the air, and the scenery of gigantic monsters rising to the surface of the water was a grand sight.


    ¡°Kids, don¡¯t swim with the leviathans around!¡± Ashia called to them. She followed the kids who were her students. They had to return to the island to fulfill the promise, and that promise was to watch the car-size turtles rest on the beaches of Concordia.


    It has been a week since they roamed the town. When Ashia returned to the island she fulfilled her promise of taking the kids to the beach where they would run around doing foolish things. Nolan stayed guard while watching the kids interact with the turtles.


    He said. ¡°Is everything fine?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± she replied. ¡°Fine as they could be. The Empire however is-¡°


    ¡°Ashia,¡± he said softly.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± she scratched her cheek. ¡°No more talk about saving. Be selfish for once.¡±


    ¡°When we can we will help. Not obsess ourselves on things such as that. I would have to stop you. You promised me that.¡±


    She showed a smile. The light of the sun behind her. ¡°I know! I just like this to last! We know what we are, Husband.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Nolan gave her a nod.


    A bright light in the dark attracts moth to the flames. Gentle or not the moths fly to the fire wondering what that fire is. Power attracts power and trouble. Nolan had acknowledged that it was never under their control.


    ¡°But my steel is worn,¡± he thought to himself. ¡°I am worn steel that has been fighting for so long. Sigh, or is it because I¡¯ve become old that I am starting to complain?¡±


    ¡°I finally found what I was looking for.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± she looked at Nolan. ¡°What are you saying?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. I feel some semblance of peace.¡±


    ¡°That is good to hear.¡±


    Nolan squinted a reflection from the water. He wanted to embrace this peace, but he had lived long enough to know that things never last. Someday this peace will be broken, and there will be days where hardship remains. Not expecting it would be the same as thinking that rain does not exist. His habits do not easily stop. Nolan knew all of this but he chooses to look at the present before him. To worry about the future was tiresome. He wanted to know what it was like to feel at peace.


    ¡°I wanted peace of mind,¡± he said softly.


    Ashia stared deeply into his eyes. ¡°I see. I hope we find that peace of mind here.¡±


    ¡°I think you already do,¡± he said to her. ¡°From what I know of you. You wouldn¡¯t be chasing kids around with worry on your face.¡±


    Ashia smiled shyly. ¡°Well, I, come on, you are trying to make me feel bad again!¡± she complained. ¡°Besides, who knows? If we keep going at this rate we¡¯ll have our kid to look after.¡±


    ¡°I wonder about that. I¡¯m not as exactly human now.¡±


    ¡°Your body is human,¡± she said, closing in, almost a whisper. ¡°We should be fine. Still, our prowess means that if we do have a child. It will take time because of how strong our bodies are. I¡¯ve seen cases where mighty users of powers gave birth to strong children. And you saw what happened with the burnt woman¡­¡±


    Nolan pursed his lips. Ashia looked at him with silence for a second. ¡°I don¡¯t particularly care if you slept with another version of me. You are sleeping with a woman with three souls residing in one body that has been joined together. Don¡¯t worry.¡± She then stared with that warrior-like glare. ¡°Still, I expect that faithful husband won¡¯t stray from now on. Got it?¡±


    Nolan raised both hands in surrender. ¡°Got it, besides, how can you even say that after the years that I have stayed loyal?¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± said Ashia, pulling her braid. ¡°I saw women eyeing you when we were roaming around Agni. The women in that town, the way they smell strongmen around baffles me. They are like hounds!¡±


    ¡°Is that a thing here?¡±


    ¡°Masculinity attracts,¡± she shrugged. ¡°We might have reached an era that resembles peace, but women here still look for a dependable man. Habits die hard.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    Ashia nodded. She ran to one of the kids who were trying to poke their heads inside the turtle¡¯s mouth. Nolan rushed to one of the kids who were trying to climb when he saw someone running towards them. Nolan carried the kid down and waited behind as Ashia turned her attention to the person running towards. Ashia took the rolled paper from the messenger, and read. Her eyebrows met, and she massaged her temple.


    Nolan approached from behind. ¡°What does it say?¡±


    ¡°Murder in the Empire,¡± she explained. ¡°Someone has been able to murder someone without the spell activating. Well, I guess it was going to happen sooner or later.¡±


    Nolan stared. ¡°Not going to try and chase after this?¡±


    ¡°Should I?¡± she stared. ¡°To be frank, the self-righteous heart of mine is telling me to go, but the demoness inside seems to be pulling my ears as I try to do so. Goodness, I am confused.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± he said.


    ¡°I will not act upon it. It is not my duty any longer. I think I earn this rest.¡±


    Nolan didn¡¯t say anything. He looked at the kids running around with no care for the world. This world was a peaceful one, and if this was going to be his home. He¡¯d protect it if there is a need.

 Chapter 351: Deadwoman

    Alice ran across the wall while chasing a thug. Launching up, she thrusts her blade against the thug¡¯s back. She pushed her blade up the thug¡¯s spine, placed her foot on the spine, and started to absorb the memories of the thug. She saw visions of the enslaved being called to their cages.


    She threw the thug who then got devoured by the earth-mother of this land. Alice had been roaming the Empire, and the cases had not stopped. Alice had thought that once she finds the ringleader of the cases she¡¯d be able to find a way to stop the crimes.


    ¡°I was wrong,¡± she thought while looking at the remaining blood. ¡°The scope of this is beyond me. I have no power or influence and I cannot take over so easily.¡±


    Alice had hunted the vilest. Because of the earth-mother and the Hominy spell that she was unable to show the results like the Deadman had done. Fear was a tool that could be used to exploit weak-minded hearts. Superstition was one of the keys. She recalled him plowing his way through an enemy state. He wounded his way against an enemy state and hanged a few people.


    She held no remorse against such methods. In her time she was forced to enact violence upon those who would pursue it.


    The streets of the Empire was broken. The great scorching happened when they provoked an Ancient One. This land was riddled with Ancient beings that Alice could tell how strong are they just by the suppression they were doing. Her main body was blockade by the power she was unable to control.


    She could hear running steps below the floor. Alice vaulted out of the window and cat leaps to another building, following it with a sprint that matches the wind. She could go further, but she didn¡¯t want to attract more attention than she had been doing.


    The building she was in was one of the many abandoned ill-maintained structures. She barely needed food as long as the energy in the air continues to exist. Alice had noticed that this world was constantly being drained by the Hominy Spell that was cast by the heroes. The spell was designed to make use of the energy of the world for two thousand years, which means that when the spell runs out most of the world would have to develop a way to sustain the technology they are running.


    ¡°I had seen so many civilizations like this, and they always end up the same.¡±


    She could see that the designer of the spell has hopes that the people of this world would be able to succeed past the hatred. That the thousand years of peace would be enough. As far as Alice could tell, people, living sentient beings, as long as they have their ideologies and beliefs, there will be a time where they will disagree, and resentments lead to anger.


    Alice had enough of seeing that cycle repeat. Ideas are hard to kill and even greater power does not scare those who are willing to grab hold of their freedom. She had seen that man in her memories fight despite having no power greater than the ones he had taken for himself. He fought her for so many times that she had seen him die again and again in front of her.


    ¡°For the greater good,¡± she said always. ¡°What a load of garbage.¡±


    How could she say that with a crying face? How could she tell herself that with her tears-ridden face reflecting on the shine of her blade? Or when she sees him dead with his blade plunged inside of her? He had come close to killing her, and if it wasn¡¯t for her abilities she would have been killed.


    Alice was lost. She was lost to this despair of losing him. She had turned to manipulation and charming in hopes to prevent his resistance. It took many years of using him that she had enough after a billion times he had tried to stop him.


    There was no way she could be forgiven so easily. The worst part about encountering him was that each time he lost the rage burning inside of him. What was left was a cold fury. Alice recalled the memory of the war maiden. The memory of that fragment of her dancing with her beloved. The memory of that woman failing to kill her. She had sent her to the cycle of reincarnation.


    Alice, no, the war maiden inside her head had been fighting for so long that the steel coating her heart had slowly melted. She could feel the stare of that man again. The stare of the unbroken bleak walker that had walked many miles.


    ¡°Ah,¡± she thought. ¡°Those eyes were the ones that made me unable to stop.¡±


    She could recall the eyes of determination of the unbroken bleak walker. The eyes that looked forward. Daring eyes that would look upon the jaws of death without flinching. The stare that made those who have seen it would have made their knees grow weak.


    He might have died unfairly. But he had faced his every death with the same stare. That unflinching stare that did not stop. When a human that had not been blessed could repeat the same actions because of his own beliefs. Then what about a war maiden that has been blessed with power? How could she dare falter when even those who are unblessed could have a single-minded grim determination that could not be changed?


    ¡°I cannot back down,¡± she forged her resolve. ¡°I¡¯ve promised that I won¡¯t be stopped. As long as people need help then I shall continue to exist. That has been my way.¡±


    But the hammer that forged her heart seems to have grown weaker. She could not get the throbbing pain out of her chest and soul, perpetually burning like a poison. She had power and the will yet she found no one by her side. Alice, no, the war maiden called the burnt woman wondered.


    What was the point of this power? What was she fighting for in this reality that she did not belong to?

 Chapter 352: A Sight of Hope

    Alice felt like the case of this Empire was a lost cause. She had been tying people around flagpoles to warn them, but other than fear they seem to fail to realize that they are being hunted. The people were listless with eyes constantly staring at the ends of the world. Their feet were wet with mud. Hands calloused by the work given to them by a broken Empire holding on to their delusions of power.


    She had enough extracted memories to understand that this Empire tried to expand beyond their borders. Then they met up with Lord of a Kingdom run by humanoids with the same features as the devils she knew, and they faced the wrath of this Devil. It was only when the Empire was burning that the other nations halted their ruinous ideas of expansion.


    ¡°The Darkened One,¡± she muttered. ¡°A being that has been corrupted by a ruinous power who lead his people to war against nations. He would have won if it wasn¡¯t for the heroes that were born out of the work of the wise woman known as Ashia of the Alf Lands. A woman who should have the same power as that of a War Maiden guiding her power to help the heroes save the world. She¡¯s the key to all of this.¡±


    Alice could not allow herself to see only one side of the battle. For every action, there must have been a reason as to why they had done such a cruel system. No, can she even call it as a cruel system? The state of the Empire, if improved, could change the environment greatly. All Alice could see was the poor people of the Empire that had been hit with war. She had only made things better for this city she was in. She hung a few criminals and massacred an entire clan of murderers because she could. She had free the enslaved only for them to parade on the streets begging for alms, which she expected.


    She traveled her gaze on the street before moving from the scene. She walked a stone-paved road with a scent of wash stone. She sauntered past beggars and observed the crowds gathering on the side. A little girl begged with a cloth wrapped around her eyes along with her disease-stricken mother. A priest who worships the light prayed salvation for those who wanted to be saved, a hat near his feet, filled with coins from the masses.


    The river was muddy. Below were filled with burned wood and rocks that she assumed to have come from the buildings. She crossed another ruined street filled with blocks of building lined together in one straight line. She had imagined that this sight would have been grand back in the days. But this city was lost to the war and was on its knees. She ambled to a plaza where a firing squad with bolt-action rifles pointed their weapons at the prisoners. Their rifles fired and the people facing the wall fell together. She squinted at the sight of those rifles. The people here wore differently than the last world she was in. It was a civilized world that had abandoned their spears and swords for firearms.


    Alice wore a frock coat and had her hands on her pockets as she walks the city. People had assumed she was some middle-class person just by the sword she wielded. It was the only sword she had carried out of the original world. She turned her attention to the place that she was looking for. She entered a hideout of those who would exploit their own in such times. They stared at Alice with lusty eyes staring at her neck. She changed her posture and with a stance she disappeared.


    There was a flash of blur that ended up with their bodies loosening in the opposite direction. One of the riflemen stared blankly as his body falls on the ground. Alice stayed her sword, the blood on it steaming. Sword marks scarred the ground they stood and the only one left was the cages of those who were imprisoned by these people. She sidled near the cages and flashes her sword to slice up the cages.


    ¡°What are you?¡± asked one of the women.


    ¡°Someone who is here to help. I will carve a path for you. Do you know any place where you can be free?¡±


    ¡°None,¡± said another woman. ¡°We have nowhere to go, Milady.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± said Alice. ¡°I can guide you to the nearest safest city. I¡¯ve heard that refugees are trying to cross to the republic. By my honor, I will protect you all.¡±


    ¡°Are you alone, Milady?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but I assure you that my might can allow passage. By my honor, I will make sure that you will be able to leave this troubled land.¡±


    Then Alice saw what she was fighting for. If there was a proper word for it then it was happiness. Seeing them bloom like flowers as hope appears before them made her heart light. This was the reason she fought for so long. Alice had been addicted to the smiles that blossoms when sprinkled by hope. She nodded at them with a smile that somehow made those who looked at her smile. The gloom on their faces vanished and what was left were folks willing to follow her.


    Alice poured power from her back and grabbed them through this invisible power. When the invisible power picked them up their eyes widened but without the fear. Alice focused her powers and pulled from the source where her power was. Suddenly, she was outside the walls where she had transported the mark she left behind. The people blinked at the sudden change in the environment, their eyes looking at Alice as if she was their savior.


    ¡°Ah, how could I forget?¡± she could recall the days where she roamed the land as a witch. The days where she was just a witch living in a hovel inside the woods helping those who are in need when they are lost. This was her calling and yet she wonders how could she always forget?

 Chapter 353: Heartbreak

    The campground could be warmer, she thought. She watches the women and men who she had gathered. There were some of them who would rather stay close to her. The little kids she had saved were particularly close to her. Alice could understand that she was the mother hen for the children at the moment.


    ¡°I am slow,¡± she said. Although she was faster than the eye could see. She had to worry about the gust of wind that she carries.  Her flash step composed of using her ethereal ability to teleport herself within short distances. She could still manipulate enough power to do long distance teleportation, but that backlash was the same as lighting her soul up for all the ancients to see.


    ¡°Time passes,¡± she said to herself. ¡°I am still weak in the heart. I thought that one day I would stamp out all of these underlying emotions, but who am I kidding? I like seeing people smile when hope comes for them. It is my opium that I cannot let go. I was fooling myself about duty and family ¨C in the end I love bringing a smile to those who needs it the most.¡±


    Images passes on the campfire. Despite the loving smiles of those she had brought hope. There was one man who had been tormented by her very existence. A man so loyal that not even time and space could change that. It was only because of how she plays with his life that he¡¯d turn into a brave knight or a nightmarish monster out of legends.


    In every timeline she had turned. She had found him a perpetual assistant. A man that would bring him warmth at her darkest and coldest days. Of course, she was a fool who couldn¡¯t trust those who¡¯d say they¡¯d love her. She had tried everything to keep him away, at first, out of annoyance, which then became about keeping him safe. She had turned him into a monster for her own greater good. She had made sure that his memories would stay erased, without knowing that he had relived his life. So she recalled a memory of the past as she stares at the fire.


    *****


    This was a memory of the past, she thought. This was the first time she had awakened from sleep. She had become the war maiden¡¯s incarnate. Multiple souls reside with a single-minded wish of saving the world. She was on a hill covered with blood and gore. The strays of battle walked limping to their fallen comrades. She saw him standing with his comrades lying on the ground. His back was stabbed with arrows that almost pieced his plate and mail. His battered shield riddled with bolts and arrows. He should have died with his injuries, but he had a knack for surviving. His will to survive had made him become known as Steeled Heart before he became a Bleak Walker that fought until the end.


    ¡°Milady,¡± he was on his knees, ¡°are you perhaps alright?¡±


    ¡°I am fine, Salvatore,¡± she said to him.  She could see that Burnt Woman¡¯s fire-scarred face was like a stone. ¡°You should be looking after yourself, Soldier.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Ma¡¯am.¡±


    Their relationship was purely out of subordinate and superior. Not even the heartfelt confession or you could say a slip of tongue would change that. She had seen this young man wake up. Her old memories of the past body, no, the past fragment was filled with regret and despair. When she looked at this man she felt pain and fear.


    I assumed that he was someone who I wanted to keep away. A person that had made the previous incarnation of me that was lost to abyss fell into such despair. I had to keep him away or else I would lose to this emotion.


    She did not like the seething pain. The heart rending ache that seems unable to cease as she looked at him. She had one goal at this memory. She wanted to save the world and watched people grow from their despair and blossom into flowers of hope that shines brighter than the sun itself. The first few years in the second incarnation as Ciara Alician was a mess. She was unable to do anything with how clueless she was. She had been unable to discern the cause of her late incarnation. The incarnation to Ciara Alician was late. She was unable to deduce the reason why she was weaker. It took her many efforts to support the elemental heroes and even her powers as a war maiden wasn¡¯t enough for the army of light to win against the darkness.


    She was in a tent that day. Twenty-years since she possessed the knowledge and memories of Ciara Alician she had learned that there was a time where she had placed the man into a podium to be shamed for his behavior. She foolishly thought, ¡°If I do this then he will stop.¡±


    He didn¡¯t stop. No, he made the shaming a lesson to steel himself further. Or that the loss of friends had steeled him into silence. He trained differently from the rest of the army. He would sat all day cross-legged from time to time in silence when he¡¯s not guarding. When he¡¯s not working he was a statue that does not move until said. He followed orders with a single-minded behavior.


    He only said ¡®yes¡¯ and ¡®no¡¯ when talking. Alice didn¡¯t understand what had happened to him. All she had heard was that he walked out of a cave without the friends he was usually with. But he was unbroken despite the loss of his friends. He stood guard alongside a maiden of throes who had the same demeanor as him. The two acted as they told, but what she noticed was that her gaze would travel on him. The years had not been fortunate to Nolan Salvatore. His face was that of a man that had seen things. He had embraced his height and stood with confidence and command. There was weight and age on that glare of his. He had become a fine man that even the maiden that guards with him could not take her eyes away. She had admitted that his lineage or where he came from was unknown to her.  She had always wondered where he came from.


    When you are strong travel goes smoothly. The camp was growing larger and the men she had recused became an army of militia that followed her very command. They did not bother her in her tent. She stayed where she was and did not say anything other than a few words. She was lost trying to remember the memories of the past.


    She had been fond of thinking back to her past. She recalled the day where their battles took them far from the Oasis City and deep into the harsh lands where the army prowled on enemy territories. She trudged the seas of corpses and saw him struggle against a humanoid enemy. A monster with thick fur. Alice stared as he locks the humanoid¡¯s arms and choke him to death. When the humanoid fainted he drove a silver dagger coated with bane salve.


    Alice recalled trying to ask if he was fine. Then she recalled that their relationship wasn¡¯t that fine. She recalled seeing him crawl to a body torn open by great claws. Alice recalled the face of that body. It was the same maiden who had guarded her tent and helped her wore her armor.


    Nolan clasped his hands into prayer and chanted a prayer for the maiden. Alice didn¡¯t know what prayer was that. All she knew that he didn¡¯t speak it in the talon¡¯s language. It was a language she had no recollection of hearing or learning.


    When the pyres were lit during that night she saw him standing in front of his tent with that same stony look on his face. Alice hadn¡¯t talked to him deeply, and her approach was awkward.


    ¡°You rest, Soldier.¡±


    ¡°No, Milady,¡± he said to him, ¡°I rather guard your doors.¡±


    ¡°Join then in mourning.¡±


    ¡°I am done, mourning,¡± he said firmly, not even daring to hide his eyes. ¡°I will guard you as she did. That is my duty.¡±


    She did not understand why he would do that. Then it was only when she saw his later that day that he was using his duties to throw himself forward. Alice had realized that he had been using his sadness as fuel. It then clicked to him how the last incarnation had fallen.


    ¡°I refused,¡± she thought. She hardened her heart and let the man be. He stayed guarding the door and fought on many occasions against human and devils.


    Even as years passed she had treated as nothing more than a guardsman. She had traveled upon lands and fought enemies. When years passed and when years in this timeline had passed she saw his graying hair. He didn¡¯t lose the stony look. His eyes held the same age and weight. She was about to look away when she saw him surrounded by little kids offering him tiny purple flowers. She could tell that the by the clothes the kids were wearing they were definitely orphans.


    She froze. A smile blossomed on that stony face. There was a warmth that showed on the man¡¯s face. She could not help but stare at it. This man had served her for years yet he would show such smile at others, but not him? She didn¡¯t understand why he kept that look.


    The war with devils during that timeline was harsh. Her powers were limited and she had no power other than the elemental light and her knowledge of the runes and witchery of the incarnations of the war maiden was all she have.


    When the devils came at that day she fought a hard and chaotic battle. That battle was caused by the collapse of the front lines. She fought for a day and yet found him nowhere to be found that she had thought he had run away from the greatest battle that humanity had against the devils. When she returned bathe in blood among her soldiers.


    She passed by an orphanage burned to the ground. Among the courtyard she saw a lone figure dragging devils out of the orphanage. After he was done dragging the corpses he sat on his knees staring at the corpses of little kids whose burned lids and clawed bodies were stomach turning even to the war maiden.


    Alice recognized the man. That scarred armor and graying hair was undoubtedly him. She walked towards him with silence accompanying her. He eyed her quietly and stood. He unwrapped the bracelet on his left wrist and handed it to her.


    ¡°I want to resign from the position, Milady.¡±


    ¡°Truly?¡± she stared. ¡°You¡¯ve served me well, Soldier. Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°To follow my wrath, Ma¡¯am.¡±


    He didn¡¯t said much after that.  Five years passed and she heard no news other than a man covered in red slaughtering devils. When the army of light reached the place where the demons were she found him among the ranks of the Bleak Walker. The Bleak Walker were infamous for their unbending will. In the end he had walked the same path, she thought. Upon meeting again he held a momentarily gaze of longing and desire, but that was replaced quickly by the gaze of cold fury.


    She didn¡¯t meet him again until she saw his body displayed by the devils on the front of the overlord¡¯s castle in hopes to make them feel fear. His lifeless body hanged stabbed through the heart and his head on the edge of the pike.


    Alice didn¡¯t know why she lost her head that day. She suspected that it was that caged emotion burning inside her, but she thought to ignore it. It must have been her rage of being unable to protect a loyal servant of humanity. At the end of that timeline when the world was swallowed by the shade. She recalled the sun-like smile he showed to the orphans.


    The journey for the refugees weren¡¯t easy as well. Their main enemy were the patrolling soldiers and bandits. If not for her ability to detect they would have seen groups targeting the camp. They were getting bigger as herds come to flock to their location. Alice had not stopped in her quest to liberate those who needed liberating. She had killed for them and pried cages open. She could only dare do this because of the innate power that she had. Alice had to worry about the dragon and the heroes of this world, but she believed that as long as she stays in the proper path then there would be no trouble between them.


    Rolling landscapes and snake-like streams were on their paths. As they traveled she had learned that she could not detect any hints of separated paths in this world unlike the world before this. The world was solely locked into one single narrow path that could twist into different branches. There was a force that prevents the looping of time here. She could not redo the time she had spent unlike the loop she had done. She had suspected that this was the work of a powerful being that had control over the time of this world. This world was a reality with a guarded time. Even the Burnt Woman could not change the timeline or manipulate the time here.


    I liked this feeling. Lead good people that deserves a chance to live. Huh, is this because I have a new body and a clearer mind that I could see from the ¡®view from above¡¯ like he always does?


    I have enough of fooling myself that I did it for the good of the people. I did it because I liked it. I liked seeing people smile when they find hope. I like basking under the sun knowing that I did well for them. And that¡¯s why I cannot allow myself to act as if I had not done him wrong. A billions years of torment¡­of rejection, and selfishness. How could I even dare to face him?


    ¡°You are a monster. That seems to be the role that you want to act, Ciara,¡± he said to her. ¡°That¡¯s why I bow to my soul that as long as Ciara Alician, no the Burnt Woman exists, then my soul haunts as the Deadman!¡±


    She thought that did not deserve any happiness. Savior? Healer? Messiah? She was the one to decide that by her lonesome self.  She know what she was and that wouldn¡¯t change.


    Her thoughts went wild. The self-loathing. The pain. Everything came smashing at her heart. No, she did not falter at the moment. She carried the refugees to the place where they can be safe. When they arrive to their destination they were greeted by border guards. Her thoughts went wild, but then she saw the difference in treatment. War had killed a lot of people and they are willing to take people in. When she learned that they are going to be treated fairly she left like the passing wind. A little girl looked for her, but she was long gone.


    She traveled on roads and sat on trams. She watched lives of those around her and yet her heart was stilled. The pain that she received as the burnt woman. The loss of her children, the twins she wanted to save.


    I wonder, she asked, pleading. Why can I save those who I wanted to save the most?


    She had saved millions. Led people into victory and yet those who she loved the most wither and die before her. How many times have she seen them die and die again? How many of those she had taken in grow into older people surrounded by the people they love turn to dust? How many times have she put them to rest. Every home that she had would turn into dilapidated home. How many lands filled with the graves of those she loved have she owned?


    But what bothered her was the mountain of bodies that she had stepped on. The bodies of the different versions of the man she loved. The man who had been constant with her life forming a bloody mountain underfoot.


    Monster.


    That was the right word for her. That blow from the Pale Shine Lady hurt more than she thought it would. Her body was alone in that empty space, a prison that she made for herself.


    ¡°Who am I even fooling anymore?¡±


    She kneeled with her hands covering her eyes.


    There was no way that it can be forgiven. She was trying to play the role of the hero no matter what. She was a fool. A fool who couldn¡¯t let go of a promise made from a gentle knight. She couldn¡¯t let go of that dream. That dream of a shiny and peaceful world. A dream that she could live if she let go. Here was a world that reached a happy ending. It was not perfect for everyone, but it was better than the world she had saved. Worlds where people cheered her name on nations with nothing, but rubble. She was a savior who had crossed time and space to save one world again and again.


    No matter what she thought of herself, there was only one answer to her pondering. She was a monster who pretended to be a savior. A savior who was addicted to the smile of those who had found hope in their darkest day. She wanted to be their sword and shield. She had done it. She had saved so many worlds yet her heart was empty. Her soul calloused. How many eternities has she spent? How many more does she have to suffer? She thought that deserved it. That a fool like her shouldn¡¯t be happy. She did not deserve it, thought.


    Happiness are for those who worked hard for it. A monster is a monster no matter what dress they wear. Ciara Alician, no, the Burnt Woman named Alice Dame broke.


    Her beliefs crushed. Her soul cracking as second passes.

 Chapter 354: A Meeting Of The Cursed Ones

    Alice despaired at the thought of it all. It was unlike her to spend her time doing nothing. She wandered this war-torn land and she saw healing. There was only refugees to guide and bastards that needs punishing. Even the case she had seen in that city was an exception. The more time she spent wandering this new world. She realized that she was not needed. That she had been doing nothing, but taking care of problems that would have been solved by itself.


    What does a savior do in a saved world?


    Alice wanted to ask someone that. But the constant presence that had warmed her for billions of years of lifetime had left her behind. She¡¯s alone now. Alone in a world that doesn¡¯t need someone like her. Of course, she walked around to help people, and do odd jobs to have money on her purse. She really doesn¡¯t need eating or material things. The perks of being alive for too long was that she knew techniques that would allow her to survive without those two. Still, eating was a way to make her feel that she was human despite the things she had done. She understood what she was. There was no helping it. Still, she at least wanted to drown these feelings away.


    Hah, a monster, having feelings, what a joke.


    That voice inside her said with venom laced on it. She could not be easily poisoned or hurt. Yet her heart was in pieces and her soul was cracking. She had become unstable to the point that she wondered if she would implode at any second. She had keep herself from walking on cities and towns. The more she wandered this world the more she realized that there was barely nothing for her to do. There were occasional problems such as roadside thugs and people that needed help on the road. She had stopped counting which people she had helped. If she wasn¡¯t good at helping and doing things quickly then she would be embarrassed, knowing, that she lived long enough to know what to do already. Wouldn¡¯t it be more embarrassing if she could not?


    Alice stared at the stretched landscape of rolling mountains and hills. Sightseeing was the prime hobby of those who have perpetual lives like her. If she was going to be asked who she would rather share this scenery, then she would like it shared within the comfort of someone she cared. But that will never happen.  The Eon-Father had took him away. And she have no right to think about affections when she herself was a monster to him.


    She didn¡¯t know how it took her this long. Or was it because of how desperate she was after having her babies used as batteries for the world? Her twins¡­the children that she gave birth to. If¡­the Eon-Father didn¡¯t found them. If she had not given them such heavy power¡­would she have been able to live that life? A quiet life watching that calm river, listening to the sound of bamboo, watching him work.


    But that will never happen, she thought. She had lost herself to rage and had given herself the power that made her an owner of her own prison. Even though she had the power now. She can still tell that some parts of her soul were scattered in different timelines where she is forever bound to fight for others. She could see them like multiple monitors she could only watch perpetually.


    Still, that child that was inside, that little miss that was covered with dirt, and smelled of grass. She wondered if she could ever come back to that kind of behavior. She was a witch that was left alone inside a hut. She recalled the days where she made spells and potions, and waited for people to come to her. It was only when that Knight came to her that things changed. That she understood who she was. She had tried to help, but one of the Greatest Sages in that timeline had caused her to be cursed. She had become the Burnt Woman. A woman destined to be burnt for the sake of those who are around her.


    Still, a good amount of her wanted to experience that peace. If anything, she understood why she couldn¡¯t let go of him.  She felt pathetic as she continues to grimace at the sight. It was only when she noticed a small figure on the side of the hill staring at the sky. She was small, barely six, and she wore ragged clothes. Her soul felt familiar and that green tint of her hair made her chest tremble. She could see that her soul was cleansed. She had undergone the proper cycle of reincarnation.


    Alice had already walked to the little girl. Alice froze once she got closer. The little girl opened her eyes wide and cowered, expecting to be hit. Alice gave her a smile and kneeled on one knee ¡°I am not here to hit you, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°N-No!¡±


    She continued covering her head. Alice was about to reach out when she suddenly saw a face overlap. Her limbs froze and she saw the soul that was as cursed as her. She didn¡¯t know why, but she was rattled.  The person in front of her was cleansed. Truly reborn¡­yet why is she like this?


    ¡°Okay, calm down, I won¡¯t hurt you,¡± she called to the little girl. The little girl opened her large round eyes, and stared at Alice. ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°Alice Dame, and you are?¡±


    ¡°Nia,¡± she pointed at herself. ¡°You won¡¯t bully me?¡± She said with shaking voice.


    ¡°No, I won¡¯t,¡± Alice said. ¡°Where are your parents?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she said. ¡°They left Nia around an alley and never came back.¡±


    ¡°Oh, would you like to be with me? I can help you.¡±


    She looked up to her. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I just want to help.¡±


    Alice smiled, no, she forced herself to smile. She knew who this little girl was, and she knew that she wanted to care for this little one because of it. Vie, the green-haired bleak walker with a poisonous hair. The girl that was forever damned to die on a well.


    She was once called Vie. But right now, she was just Nia, a girl who had lost everything.

 Chapter 355: A Tired Soul

    Alice didn¡¯t know what to do with a little like her who showed fear. Although she followed Alice to a town where the people are walking on both roads, dodging the carts that comes and go. She never threw away that fear. Alice guided the little one to one of the shops, and bought her a new dress instead of the ragged one she had. After that, she weave her way through the noisy crowd, and entered a place where they could eat.


    The little girl was entranced by the smell of the food that enriched the air. Alice led the little girl to one of the tables, and had her sit while she chatted with the waitress who were busy twirling her trays. The customers were simple folks who she assumed were the workers of the town, enjoying their day. The waitress to their order and for a minutes Alice waited until the food was laid on their tables.


    ¡°Can I eat this?¡± asked Nia.


    Alice gave her best to smile, ¡°You can, please, and it is my treat.¡±


    She took a bite of the chicken-like leg. She grabbed hold of the steaming potato and ate. Alice noted that her hands were calloused. She had many bruises and only when she healed her wounds that she followed her. Alice thought back to the orphans that she had led, and yet she couldn¡¯t let her eyes away from Nia.


    I killed you when I escaped that world. I killed you. I murdered you. Now¡­I dare to feed you. Why am I so depraved to the point that I do this? Ah, I am jealous that you could enter the cycle of reincarnation free from memories, you soul is the same, still cursed, but you are Nia, not Vie, oh Vie, why do we have to meet again?


    Vie, the Bleak Walker. A woman with poisoned hair. She lives in a swamp and was one of the dangerous bleak walkers that had existed. Her fate however always ends with her dying inside a well, and by Alice¡¯s hands. Alice didn¡¯t know why in every timeline she would be forced to kill Vie.


    Why does fate like me to meet those who I wronged? Ah, Vie, oh Vie, I wish I could repay you¡­yes, maybe in this life I can. Oh, you are so young, and yet the curse¡­it is still in you.


    Alice stared at the little girl who ate like a rabid dog. She didn¡¯t noticed Alice staring. Her face was smothered with oil and grease. Her expression was a little better than when she meet her. She was starved and she didn¡¯t even know that she was dying.


    ¡°Do you like it?¡± Alice asked with fear in her voice.


    Nia¡¯s eyes sparkled. ¡°I do! Thank you! What¡­do I owe you?¡± She asked fearfully. Alice knew that this little girl, despite her age was a wonderful soul, and she wasn¡¯t that surprise she would be like this.


    ¡°Think nothing of it,¡± Alice told her. ¡°I live to serve those who are lost.¡±


    I like to think that I do, she thought. That self-deprecating voice was not leaving. She could hear heart break. Her stomach curling at the thoughts crawling in. A dry laugh escaped her which she was able to hide. Alice didn¡¯t know what was happening to her. She should be helping around, but the thoughts were grabbing her will.


    ¡°I don¡¯t get it,¡± she said honestly. ¡°I-I can¡¯t just eat without paying! See, Ma said that I shouldn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s your Ma?¡± Alice asked.


    Her eyes went dimmed. Her hand holding a spoon trembled. Oh I know that gaze, young lady, too well.


    ¡°Do you have anywhere to go?¡± she asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Nia said. ¡°I¡­thought that maybe if I sleep on that place I¡¯d be taken to the place where Ma and Pa went. I want to be embraced by earth-mother.¡± She lowered her head.


    The Earth-Mother was what they call the planet. The Hominy spell allowed those who belonged to this world to die, and be taken to rest where they would enter the cycle of reincarnation, and be born again. Free from the memories of their past and free to redo their life without care for the weight they had carried. Alice thought that the sound of it was tempting, and she would throw herself down the earth-mother¡¯s embrace if she could. But that dream or temptation won¡¯t happen. Not when she¡¯s the burnt woman that had burnt worlds. Not when she¡¯s a monster, a sleeping goddess that rests her prime body on a lonely prison that she rules.


    The umbilical cord of light that connects her to the burnt woman was present. Her mind as Alice Dame was slowly being filled with the memories of the burnt woman. The memories of the monster that played savior. A cursed woman that had wanted flowers of hope to bloom on people¡¯s faces.


    ¡°I need someone,¡± Alice desperately said, shutting down the pessimistic thoughts entering her head. ¡°To take care of me¡­be with me. You are alone, right? I can give you food and a bed to sleep if you become my companion. No, don¡¯t give me that look, I am not asking you to be my daughter. You love your ma and pa enough that you¡¯d want to be embraced by the earth-mother. I understand that, but I need someone to accompany me. Please?¡±


    Alice said, begging to the little girl who was tilting her head, worried, confused. She examined Alice¡¯s eyes as if trying to figure out her motives, alas, the food on her belly probably decided what she wanted the most. Alice wondered what the little girl had seen during the past days. She couldn¡¯t heal her past, but maybe she can give this reincarnated soul a safe place to stay.


    Safe? I wonder how long? If I do, will I have to watch her grow old, get married, bring me her husband for blessings, and then see her lovely children and grandchildren? How long until I fill another lot with the graves of those who I adopted? Why? Why do I keep doing this? Why can¡¯t I stop myself from caring.

 Chapter 356: Despondence

    Sands stretches towards the endless horizons. Bodies strewn like hills and rivers that flowed blood. Alice stood on top of the mountain of corpses with hands reaching out to her. At the bottom of the hill there was a Revenant climbing the mountain.  Possessing the eternal hawk on his eyes. Body that was wrapped in worn armor, and a cloak that signified the Talon King, the snake of woes, and the dove of thorns almost blurred.


    Deadman¡­when will you stop? Ah, do you even know what you are? You are a revenant, you walk the world of the living, not knowing that you have already been killed. When did your heart turn into this?¡±


    Deadman pulled on his collar. Rope markings were scarred on his collar. He was missing three of his fingers. His burning eyes of red staring at Alice. Alice watched silently as this Deadman climbs the mountain. Once he arrived in the mountain, she easily kicked him off the mountain.


    Rest again, Deadman.


    ******


    Alice opened her eyes as those words were spoken. She was greeted with a familiar ceiling. The ceiling that she had been seeing for days. She looked around her room. A double-bed with silk sheets, a drawer and wardrobe on her right, and a round table that allowed her to watch the scenery. It was a house located on top of a hill. She had arrived in the town of Agni three weeks ago and bought this particular town. In those four weeks she cleaned the rest of the countryside and worked as if possessed. When most of the bandits that were marauding the countryside were dealt with. Alice found their wealth helpful due to the new companion she had took in.


    The door was opened. A little figure wearing a handmaid¡¯s clothing paced with a little tray on her hand. She stopped not far from the door, her eyes were darting at the bottles of dwarven wine, who could even allow someone like her to get drunk. It was an intoxicating feeling that she had not felt. She had given up drinking wine when she realized that she could not get drunk. Not this time however, the dwarven wine that came from some forge where an ancient resides had perfectly intoxicated.


    ¡°Sister!¡± scolded the little girl, hands on her hips. ¡°You¡¯re a big sister! You keep crying and you don¡¯t stop drinking!¡±


    Alice lazily placed her chin on a pillow. Her body felt like it weighted tons. There were bags on her eyes, and the whites of her hair had grown whiter than a moon¡¯s pale light. My shoulders are heavy, my body is heavy, and I cannot find a reason to get up in the morning¡­what is this point?


    ¡°Sister!¡± the little girl demanded Alice¡¯s attention. She was growing red with cheeks pouted. ¡°Gee! Why are you like this, Sister? I thought you were a reliable sister, but I was wrong! You are a big baby!¡±


    Alice traveled her gaze on the little handmaid. ¡°Nia¡­I am¡­not feeling well.¡±


    She raised her chin up while folding her arms. ¡°Of course not! If you drink this many then you won¡¯t feel good! Ma and pa told me that drinking too much turns your stomach from inside and out!¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t happen!¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Nia demanded again. ¡°You will get up now!¡±


    Nia brazenly pulled on the sheets she wrapped herself like a cocoon.  The poor little girl was struggling to get her off the bed. Alice didn¡¯t want to make it difficult for her so she let herself be rolled out of her bed. She lay flat on her back and stared at the ceiling with half-open eyes. Nia¡¯s face come into view with her cheeks pouter than ever.


    ¡°Please at least eat something!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really need to eat.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Nia planted her foot down. ¡°You will eat with Nia on the table! Come on!¡±


    Nia grabbed hold of Alice¡¯s wrist, pulling her out of her room. Alice obeyed with her shoulders drooping. She paced to the table where she saw her breakfast of bread and eggs. It smelled wonderful enough for Alice to eat. Nia stared at her expectantly, her large eyes waiting.


    ¡°It¡¯s good,¡± Alice said.


    Nia¡¯s brows met. ¡°That¡¯s what you always say, Sister.¡±


    ¡°I do?¡± Alice raised her head. She thought of the breakfast and she did find it tasteful enough.


    ¡°Yes! Sister! I know that you got the money, but please live better than this!¡±


    ¡°Nia, you have changed in within a few weeks. I thought you¡¯d stay quiet and shy!¡±


    ¡°Not when Sister acts like this!¡± She began to worry. ¡°Is there something wrong with you, Sister?¡±


    Alice smiled helplessly. Her heart sunk at the way Nia looked at her. Pathetic. How can she let someone like her worry? She forced a smile on her face. ¡°I am fine.¡±


    Nia glared. Her round eyes seemingly piercing into her soul. ¡°You aren¡¯t fine!¡±


    ¡°But I am,¡± Alice tried to protest. However, Nia wouldn¡¯t hear it.


    It took Nia a few minutes before she calmed. With Nia calmed Alice crawled back to her bed with her blanket wrapped around her head.


    ¡°The voices¡­they are louder today,¡± she said to herself. She covered her ears while sigil on her eyes showed her the illusions and the screams. The outside world was blocked by the noise it created. All she heard were the screams and the anger directed at her. However, what she could not bear was the voice of those who she had taken in as sons and daughters. A vision of her on the side of their bed, her hands holding them, and them smiling at Alice that it would be okay. That they were always be with her. How many times have she heard that line repeated? She couldn¡¯t count. She placed her hands on her head. She looked tiredly at the blank space with little light on her eyes. Her shoulders ached and her eyes were blurry as she felt droplets of liquid slide down her neck. The screams became louder. She was sure that she knew how it ignore them, but yet she was unable to do that. She could not run away from them like she used to.


    karsev

 Chapter 357: Colors and Less

    People filled her vision. However, her vision was filled with black and white. The black mingled the white. Wagons travelled the crossing, yet her eyes never left the little hand dragging her. Unlike everything else the hand that held her had warmth and color.


    ¡°Sister,¡± Nia¡¯s voice said. ¡°Please at least look forward!¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Alice blinked. She pointed her eyes to the road. The brick-paved street was curved downwards. Buildings were two-tiered and they were well-maintained. Not far from her was the sea where boundless oceanic monsters the size of small mountains walked peacefully. This was the town of Agni. Next to the town was an island called Concordia where they said an ancient lived.


    Who cares?


    Alice could not care. She wondered why the fire inside her heart was embers. The umbilical cord that should be connected to the Burnt Woman was faltering. A goddess dying of heartache, what a pathetic one. But when did I ever thought I was great? I wanted family, I wanted to find peace, and save those who could not be saved. I wanted the flowers of hope to bloom, because he gave me that gift, and that hope. What am I doing?


    That unbearable will was not around her heart. It was stamped out of her chest. Her soul was cracking and was falling like a broken glass. The power was being sucked out of her and only her inhuman strength remained. She could force the power back, but yet she decided not to. Maybe that¡¯s why I could get drunk and hungry again? That¡¯s it? Deprive myself of power, and feel human again.


    ¡±Sister,¡± she demanded. ¡°Hurry up! We¡¯re going to miss the whales!¡±


    Alice hastened her steps. Her every steps were heavy and she found out that she wanted to crawl back to her bed. Nia had been insisting that she should watch the whales with her. What a lass, feed her a bit, and become as a bossy. Or is it because she¡¯s still young that she does not have the temperance of her previous incarnation?


    Warm sand was under her boots.  The sea stretched as far as she could and not far was the island of Concordia, closer, and yet protected by a thin barrier that her eyes could perceive. A god dwells there, I shouldn¡¯t enter unless I want trouble. Not that it matters.


    Winds buffered against her and she felt her coat stained with the salty breeze. Nia pulled Alice over to one of the benches, and together they sat watching the whales appear from the depths of the ocean. She recalled that there was a kingdom of these creatures, and yet they were so peaceful compared to the ones she had fought. Still, they looked like monsters to her, and years of fighting monsters did not stop her fate. She wasn¡¯t going to speak of her hatred against the monsters. Not when there was a light that was smiling brightly at the sight of these creatures.


    This should be the world that I wanted. It is not perfect, but if maintained this sort of peace could last forever. I cannot take away the badness of the human¡¯s heart, or the minds of the cruel, but I can mediate it. This should be the world that I wanted to make. Yet I failed, there are no layers of time here, only straight time, and these people had done what I couldn¡¯t. Is this punishment? Mother, father, oh Nolan, I could have created a world like this. Free of the World Tree¡¯s shadows, and free from the darkening that withers the land, and turn man into monsters. I should have done better. I should have thought better. I am a failure.


    The words weighted heavily. The screams of the dead broke the sounds of the waves. The begging of Nolan Salvatore entering her ears, pleading, begging, confessing. She could recall her heartless eyes on his teary eyes. Betrayal, happiness, and despair was written in those eyes. And you call yourself a hero?


    The waves appeared from the depths of the sea and back. Their sizes towered some of the steam-and-crystal ships as if they were nothing. Their skin were armored with barnacles and sea moss. Their face were gentle and they seem to look at them with gentleness. Alice hated the way that monster looked.


    ¡°What are their colors?¡±


    ¡°You can see them!¡± Nia said back.


    ¡°Just tell me, bossy lass.¡±


    ¡°Blue, and gray! Their bellies are white!¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Alice imagined the colors. She could tell what the world looked like now. Only Nia remained colored, the rest were black and white. She didn¡¯t lost the colors until she settled down on that house. She knew the answers to why she was seeing this way. She was powerless against the thought of it.


    The Burnt Woman, her main body that sleeps outside of this world. It ruled many elements yet it dominates fire and war. She was a goddess of fire and war. And this body was of a war maiden. When she was roaming around spilling blood the colors were vibrant. She knew the answer and wanted to run away from.


    I am someone who relished in wars. My own powers are nurtured by wars and violence. Without conflict then there is no reason for my powers to manifest, I cannot manifest strength in this world, not unless I seek for that hatred. The powers that I thought was meant to protect, was born out of madness. Born of war that needed fighting. What is the use of a war maiden without war?


    That answer was breaking her. She knew it and hated it. She love the peace and the hope that blooms, but her power was born of the sins of war and violence. Without them she was like a flower without rain. Slowly wilting as the suns dries her to wither. She had realized it, but refused to accept it first.


    This is your answer. A world without color. A world where she only shines brightly.


    Alice didn¡¯t understand why Nia was colored. Why her joyful face remained painted within this world of black and white.

 Chapter 358: A Moment of Weakness

    Alice hung.


    She hung herself on the crossbeam of her room with a rope coiled around her neck.  Her body shook as sobs escaped out of her eyes. Her cheeks down her neck wet with the tears. She was crying as her body swung around the crossbeam. The rope did not even make a dent of her neck. It was like the rope was tied to an iron pole.


    The rope snapped. She fell face-first and felt nothing as the floor cracked instead of her head. Irritated, she removed the rope around her neck and crawled back to her bed, covering her ears and muffling her cries with the pillow. This continued for minutes until she fell asleep. She woke up and the sun was almost down. She couldn¡¯t tell the day with how black and white everything was.


    The door opened. Nia entered with her little wooden tray. She looked at the rope on the crossbeam of the room. Her eyes grow worried. She skidded to where Alice was and pulled her blanket. Alice slid to sat and looked at Nia with half-open eyes.


    ¡°Sister, please eat.¡±


    Alice nodded. She opened her mouth as Nia places the soup. The soup warmed her stomach, and she felt the parse feeling in her throat gone. Nia tapped the spoon on the bowl and continue feeding Alice until the bowl of soup was done. Nia took the tray and plodded out of the room with a hunched figure. Alice slid her head back on the pillow, eyes staring at the ceiling blankly. She then covered her ears with her palms and cringed. Her lower mouth trembled as the world of black and white turned violent red. She saw visions of screaming and death in front of her. Visions of mountains of corpses and deserts filled with the dead. A man was thrown into guillotine with a smile on a face. A man was hung on the gallows with a smile directed at her. Another one screamed vengeance as nefarious forces grants his desires. A man died caressing her cheek, and another one died protecting her from a blow that wouldn¡¯t even graze her.


    ¡°Ah!¡± She suddenly stood up, drew a sword of light and pointed it at the four corners of the room. She felt uneasy at the bed and crouched down the corner with her palms covering her ears. Her eyes shook madly as she the screams grew louder and louder that it drowned the world¡¯s noise. Her heartbeat were lost in the sound and even her breathing felt distant as the screams grew. She wrapped her arms around herself and sunk her head in it. Body-shaking sobs escaped her again as she planted her forehead on the ground. She screamed but no sound came out of her mouth. She laughed suddenly, followed by a muted cry that made a puddle on the floor. She crawled lethargically back to her bed and wrapped herself with the blankets.


    Outside, the stars shone and she saw the tiny wisps of creatures that paraded down the street. She stared at them before turning her eyes back to the door where Nia entered. Her hands were cut and burnt. She sauntered to Alice¡¯s bed and crawled towards Alice wordlessly.


    She sunk her little head on Alice¡¯s chest. Alice stared at the little head. She was like a lamp in the darkness as she covers Alice with warmth. Wordless, she wrapped her tiny arms around Nia, her arms still not long enough to wrap Alice into a tight embrace.


    Nia sniffled and Alice felt her chest wet by tears not of her own.  Alice pushed her away, but her grip around her was tight. She could pry her away like a rag doll, but Alice had no heart to do it. She flailed her hands, confused on what she should do in this situation.


    ¡°Please,¡± Nia sobbed. ¡°Don¡¯t leave me too.¡±


    She gasped listening to her cries of help. Nia, sensing something, buried her head deeper on Alice¡¯s chest. Alice stared at her little head and placed her cheek on it. She closed her eyes and forcibly kindled the flame inside of her. The power that she had beating like a heart. The umbilical cord connected to the Burnt Woman, however, seems like it did not respond.


    Her heart ached. Tears escaped out of her eyes again as she cradled the Nia on her arms. It was happening again. A little girl cries for her help and she wanted to save her. She wanted to make the flowers of hope bloom on Nia¡¯s face.


    Yet she couldn¡¯t say the words. She couldn¡¯t speak the words she would say. She couldn¡¯t do it. She couldn¡¯t light her heart on fire and proclaim the words that the little girl wanted to hear. She wanted to grab her heart and scold it.


    I can¡¯t. Not anymore. I have enough¡­please don¡¯t make me do this again. Oh lord of mercy, when will it end? When will this end? I don¡¯t want this anymore, please, I beg of you, I cannot do this again. I just have to turn my head away. That¡¯s it. Turn my head away and keep my eyes away. A monster doesn¡¯t care¡­I am a monster. That¡¯s why the way it should be.


    Her hands crept into Nia¡¯s neck. Nia stared wordlessly at Alice. Her large round eyes was like a mirror to the soul. She saw a crying face on her eyes. There was bags on her eyes and her hair was not smoothed and combed. Alice felt her hands grow weak. It limped down to her sides as she lowered her head in shame. How could she even thought of such shameful thing?


    ¡°I am afraid,¡± she confessed to the little girl. ¡°I am so afraid of losing someone again. I am tired of it.¡±


    ¡°Please, ma,¡± she begged her. ¡°Don¡¯t leave me.¡±


    Alice stared at her begging. Painfully, she grabbed the last of her will from the depths of her heart. I owe her, this soul, and I should repay her¡­please, oh lord of mercy, let me have this. I can¡¯t leave her alone. Not anymore. Even if it hurts, and even if I am to be left alone again. I have to do it.

 Chapter 359: Earned Peace

    Nolan piggybacked a kid who got his knees hurt. The little boy was crying as he wiped his tears. ¡°Come on, your knee will be fine once we get a hold of your Teacher.¡±


    ¡°But!¡± the kid protested.


    Nolan smiled. ¡°Now, now, crying will make it less hurt, but it will be fine. Besides, how many times have I told you not climb the vines? If I didn¡¯t catch you then you would have broken something.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry.¡±


    ¡°I know you are, but be careful, okay? Teacher Ashia will scold me if I don¡¯t watch you.¡±


    Nolan plodded the hill until he saw the building. On the backyard of this building there was a woman wearing a dress, a shawl around her shoulders, and a gentle expression. Her golden locks shone brightly when the afternoon sun hits it. She was raising her finger at the students while off-hand was placed on her lips. She had a different face, body, and a new name yet her soul remained the same. She called herself Ciara Alician once, but now she was just Ashia Salvatore.


    Nolan carried the kid back to the backyard. The little boy slid down his back and raised her hand. His little eyes begged Ashia to tend to her wound. Her face changed with worry and after producing a milky glow from her palm. The wounds of the kid was gone. The little boy turned to face the wall after Ashia was done with him. She excused herself from the kids and let her assistant teacher, named Mary, take care of the kids.


    ¡°Thank you for finding him,¡± she said. ¡°I couldn¡¯t leave the kids alone.¡±


    ¡°I know what you have to do. Besides, I shouldn¡¯t really intrude when it comes to your classes.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t mind. I am Headmaster of the School so there is no need. Besides, I believe that I am giving you too much tasks. I wanted to travel around with you, but it seems I cannot do it yet.¡±


    Nolan shook his head. ¡°Please, for once I don¡¯t want travel around. I¡¯ve been doing that for years that it has been tiring. I am a bleak walker, you know? I do a lot of walking so don¡¯t mind it. Besides, I like Concordia, and especially seeing that smile on your face.¡±


    ¡°You flatter too much,¡± she said, but she¡¯s smiling. Nolan couldn¡¯t help but stare at that smile. All she know of Ciara was that steeled-look and the constant worry. With the weight of the world lifted from her shoulders. She seems like she found a place where she can be without worry.


    ¡°I really like seeing you this way.¡±


    ¡°I do. I¡­should have done this. It feels good running away from it all. But is it right?¡±


    ¡°This is not the world we vowed to protect. Still, it is home. You¡¯ve done well for the years you¡¯ve spent in this world that it makes me quite ashamed to have someone as wonderful as you.¡±


    ¡°Oh please,¡± she thumped his shoulder. ¡°In what world would you have a man so loyal that he would travel worlds upon worlds and fight gods and demons? Nolan, I hope you don¡¯t forget that three souls have merged into one inside of me. And as Tania, who have been with you since you could remember, I couldn¡¯t imagine separating from my other half. Goodness, you were so forceful, that I sometimes wonder if I¡¯d like dominant men. Still, I am happy that my heartaches are soothed now, not to mention, that I can be with you! I feel blessed that we can finally walked under the sun.¡±


    Nolan thought of the journey. It was painful and yet he took a step forward. That was the only way to go. He was glad that the long walk allowed him this warmth. This warmth may not last, but Nolan had thought that he would cherished it as long as he could.


    He couldn¡¯t help but smile. Ashia raised a brow and elbowed him. ¡°You¡¯ve been smiling a lot. Goodness me, you make me feel young again.¡±


    ¡°Our souls are old, but not our bodies.¡±


    ¡°Thankfully for that,¡± she dragged her boot on the ground.  ¡°Come, Mary might get annoyed if we dally too much.¡±


    The two of them returned to where Mary was. Mary was a simple girl who had aspirations of teaching. She showered the kids with her own gentle smile and taught them. Nolan stayed on the side to watch the two women teach the kids. Once in a while, the kids would gather around Nolan where he would play around with them. Around the corner of his eyes, he saw Ashia giggling happily. There was an expectant glare on her eyes that made Nolan wonder what she was thinking.


    When the class was over the kids were escorted back to their homes. Nolan and Ashia took the curved scenic route and walked quietly watching the afternoon sun paint the seas with its colors. Various giants rose from the depths of the seas and floated. Nolan and her continued strolling until they reached their humble home. The orchard that Nolan has been keeping were flourishing. Around the trees were baskets filled with produce. There were workers who came from the other side of the island carrying the baskets into wagons. Some of them gave a greeting while the rest continued harvesting the fruits. The once simple cabin that he had built became rather grand. It became a proper two-storied brick house that was made painstakingly by the two of them. He was proud of their work and the house could still be expanded if there is a need for it.


    Ashia entered the house first. Nolan was about to enter the house when he stopped for a second. His eyes drifted to the skies where he saw a faint object that was there. It was round with a faint halo around it. He squinted his eyes further and saw that it seems to be a moon. He hadn¡¯t noticed the moon before, and thought that it was just hidden. Still, he couldn¡¯t help, but feel worry at the sight of this new round object that had happened in the sky.

 Chapter 360: Alice’s Promise

    Although it would hurt, Alice let herself be free from the worries that would come after. Her perception of the world had color now, and it was all thanks to the sun that accompanied her lonely days. Alice Dame, the Burned Woman, Burnt Woman, she was them, but at the moment she just want to be the step-mother to Nia. She could feel her connection from above quiet, her main body was entering a divine slumber.


    ¡°Can I really have a bit of happiness? Even for someone like me?¡± she asked the heavens. The heavens were her constant companion in her journey throughout the years. All alone under the skies of barren wastelands of forgotten worlds. She had seen things that would break hearts. She saw the ends of civilizations and had always been alive to see grand worlds turned into dust. She was sick of it, yet her heart yearned for companionship, and she found it on a soul she had maltreated. She wanted to give the soul a happy life. She had seen herself as a tool.


    The little girl slept peacefully on the bed, a happy smile on her face. She was bask by the moonlight and she didn¡¯t sleep separately. She was afraid that Alice would leave her. Despite being the incarnation of the bleak walked named Vie. In this world she was merely a child without the memories of her past life. She didn¡¯t want to make her suffer, and thus she had to remove her curse. Curses were twisted lines of curses that intertwined within one¡¯s souls. She has her own curse, and she had been able to suppress it. She had suppressed the curse and even though it was not fully remove like hers, she would still be fine.


    Alice has a sliver of the power of creation on her palms. She is a living God that walks the planes of man. She couldn¡¯t use her power freely, knowing that this would cause the world around her to be unstable. Even she wouldn¡¯t come out unscathed if the Ancients of this world were to gang up on her. She could feel a presence of someone so strong in this world and yet it does not worry her. She had no qualms about these beings. But in a scenario where she detects they would try to mess with the current status quo of the world. She would destroy them. She would gladly put them down for the sake of the little girl.


    Realizing that her thoughts were venomous. She shook her head and turned her eyes outside the town. The town was quiet and the few who work on the wharf are starting there early. She was able to discern the colors so she had greater appreciation for the town. She watched from her balcony. Head leaned on the fence of her house. This world was rather stable due to the Hominy Spell that the heroes of this world had casted. The only thing that this world has to worry was the skies. For every civilization that she saw thrived had met their end because they didn¡¯t watch the stars.


    Still, that was not her role at the moment. She knew that as long as she exists then her heart wouldn¡¯t be able to forgive herself if she couldn¡¯t save those who can¡¯t protect themselves. She was a god and yet there were so many affairs in this world that taking care of them would exhaust her.


    This time Alice Dame, the Burned Woman wanted to be save. She wanted to be save from this void of darkness that covers her. That darkness was reaching out to her mind and yet she couldn¡¯t dare to shake her head away from such thoughts.


    She recalled the primordial beings and gods she met. They all held cold hearts and she couldn¡¯t understand why they would. Then, she had spent an eternity wandering and helping that she finally understood why they would let their hearts be colder than ice. It was better that way. She also understood why even though she had slain them they felt no emotion other than joy. An eternity of wandering could only feel so good unless one has a constant companion. Hence the gods worries about the cycles of reincarnation. There was a vast infinity that she saw. Even a being like her could not possible watch all of it. She could divide herself to fragments and watched with an omniscient eye, but it tires her.


    Not that she could use that powers in this world. Her main body had the powers while she was only a sliver. Still, her consciousness has been divided into two, but it still felt that she was whole. The visions of her pasts still walked upon her, and the screams still lingered. She could take them on as long as her sun was around. She could endure it, thinking, that if someone like her Nolan could survive despite not having the qualities of a god. Then she should be ashamed of herself.


    ¡°Nolan,¡± she whispered.  She thought of the bleak walker that fought for her and defied her. The thought of him experiencing so many deaths because of her whims brought her pain. When she ended the Pale Shine Lady. She saw their memories and how that man¡¯s soul crumbled as they dance. His main soul should be around, and yet she couldn¡¯t dare to seek for him.  She had always asked herself what would have happen if they didn¡¯t come for her that day. Would she have lived a quiet life with their twins? Listening to the sounds of the river and the clacking of bamboo? Would she have watched them grow into wonderful people? Would she had been able to enjoy a life with him?


    But those questions are questions. She could not change the past that had happened. There was no world to reverse the past and she had destroyed it when she freed her children from being used as a tool for a world to thrive. She turned toward Nia who was still sleeping soundly. She smiled, and then thought.


    Sleep well, little one. I¡¯ll accompany you as long as I could. I promise.

 Chapter 361: His Resolve

    The skies were painted blue as he flew underneath it. Ropes of energy pulled him up as he swings around the vast skies. Piercing headfirst on the clouds and navigating through the nimbus. He could see Concordia Island from above surrounded by the sea giants that bathed in the ocean. His coat flapping wildly. Face buffeted by the winds as he dives down where he could see his home.


    Like a falling feather he landed on the side of his orchard.  Ashia sat on a chair with her eyes on a book that read. ¡°The Mist and the leaf¡± and her stayed focus on it. Nolan step toward her, circling around, looking over her shoulder. He understood the letters thankfully to him being able to extract the skills required. The symbols were something he was used to by now, and it was also thanks to her language instilling that he was well literate in this world.


    ¡°You like flying nowadays,¡± she said.


    ¡°I do,¡± Nolan responded. ¡°Makes me free and leads my thoughts away from walking. I can suppressed the curse to an extent, but doing so would require me this habit. Flying seems to be one of the ways I can cure it. How about yours?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve done my fair share of travels and ever since then I had released myself from the cure. The souls inside me also helped alleviate it and completely remove it. I worry about you, Nolan. I worry that one day you¡¯d just turn your legs somewhere and leave.¡±


    ¡°Do you think I will?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Then you should know that I won¡¯t.¡±


    The orchard leaves were blown by the wind. The baskets were empty and the workers that usually come by to harvest the fruits on the trees weren¡¯t here. A festival was happening so they had told Nolan earlier on that they won¡¯t be coming for a few days.


    ¡°Ania¡¯s pregnant.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Nolan nodded. ¡°Arel must be grinning happily now. So they went to check on someone?¡±


    ¡°Audrey handled it, but just to be sure they went to Agni to check the baby. The clinic does have the right facility and equipment, but Arel is quite anxious about his child. The young man couldn¡¯t stop grinning.¡±


    ¡°You jealous?¡±


    ¡°Hah?¡± She looked away from her book. ¡°Obviously, I am. But you know that we can¡¯t risk an unprepared pregnancy. I must make sure that when I do become pregnant my powers and the gifts they got from you won¡¯t turn them into monsters. They would be controlled and determined by their age. I don¡¯t want to feel that pain again, Nolan. I didn¡¯t personally experienced what the burnt woman did. But the loss of her children and all because she couldn¡¯t control the powers of her children scares me. I¡¯ve not been a good mother. None of my incarnations are. I¡¯m afraid and I know that you want one.¡±


    Nolan couldn¡¯t deny it. He nodded. He lost his family already, and being thrown into a world without them scared him. He craved for it madly. He wanted to find companionship and familial love that he lost. He barely could remember them any longer. Their faces and their names were like smudge blurs and distorted sounds.


    ¡°Do you remember them? You birthparents, Ciara?¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± she looked sharply at the mention of her true name. ¡°I still could remember the day they were burned in front of me. Just because they didn¡¯t have the money to pay for the levies and serfs. They burned them and branded me as a cursed woman. I should have hated them, Nolan. I couldn¡¯t find it to my heart to hate them. Because I know that my parents did everything they could to help them. Sometimes, I wonder what would have happen if I awake before it happened. But then again, the loop that we ended up didn¡¯t allow that. When the war maiden took over my incarnations, I was thrown into the void, became the Pale Shine and roamed some places in the fragments of history and became a legend. I couldn¡¯t do anything about it. Still,¡± she smiled, ¡°I had a family here. My second parents and their presence gave my heart and soul healing it needed. I let go as I let of my desire to be like a hero. You know? I think this is the right choice. I never knew that I wanted to teach children. Hah, no wonder I like visiting orphanages and making those kids happy.¡±


    He did recall that she regularly visited orphanage and let herself be surrounded by children. Her smile when facing those children were mesmerizing that even Nolan who was trying to be like stone couldn¡¯t help but turn his eyes to it. A female knight mingling with the little kids whose smiles were rare as gold. He loved it.


    She eyed her. ¡°Are you really sure about this?¡±


    ¡°About what?¡±


    ¡°Being with me?¡±


    ¡°Ask that again and I¡¯ll answer you with actions.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t even give you a child¡­even though you want us to be a family.¡±


    ¡°It hurts,¡± Nolan confessed. ¡°The more I think about it, it hurts. The day I buried our unborn infant and then the next day, you in that grave broke me. I lost the twins as well, and then Einar¡­my boy Einar¡­.he was a good man and he lived a life surrounded by his family in that towered worlds¡­still¡­it hurts losing them. As long as they are safe it¡¯s fine to keep waiting.¡±


    Ashia sighed. ¡°I am pregnant, Nolan. I just takes it slowly. I am not human and the Alf race¡¯s birthing period lasts for twelve months. I would give birth in the thirteenth.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Nolan hung his jaw. ¡°That¡¯s good. I just have to wait.¡±


    She placed her book away and gestured for Nolan to come. Nolan rested his head on her stomach and body-shaking sobs accompanied him. He couldn¡¯t hold it in.


    ¡°Really, I know this would happen. It is okay, nothing bad will happen okay? With Audrey and you around, I don¡¯t think anything will happen. I can defend myself I have to. So¡­please¡­try not to worry too much okay?¡±


    Nolan nodded. Letting the tears out. He couldn¡¯t help it. He wished that there would be no trouble. Yet¡­his heart betrayed him. His worries blooming intense. He had suffered long enough to know that relying on hope all the time he was worrisome.


    For now. He let go of the worry. Those tears of happiness and sadness forming into a terrible resolve to protect.

 Chapter 362: The Observer’s Interlude

    A young girl sat on the side of a fireplace, an old woman with withered hair sat on a rocking chair. A long time ago, people described her hair as like the golden manes of a mythical beast.


    ¡°Girl,¡± called the old, a tremor in her voice, slow, but calm, and filled horror. ¡°You didn¡¯t listen. Didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I,¡± said the girl. ¡°I am sorry.¡±


    The old woman¡¯s withered finger, old, wrinkled, pointed at the girl. ¡°You are not a bad one, right, no, you are cheery¡­so that can¡¯t be so.¡± she laughed as her voice then trailed. ¡°Do want to know a story, do you? It¡¯s a story about two of the four liars.¡±


    ¡°Old Gran?¡± said the girl, her voice faltering, swallowing, as she continued.


    ¡°Did you know,¡± she rocked her chair, matching her tone of voice with it, rickety, ¡°There was a goddess who brought gods, demons, and spirits. She was a beautiful woman, a savior, beloved by the people, and she did things truly within perfection. Light blessed her and she had heroes who followed her every order. I was once of the knights she blessed. I saw it for myself, girl. Her radiance aura shining as sunshine broke through the stained glass. Her voice soothed and calmed even those who have a tyrant¡¯s heart. She led armies and destroyed those who dwells in the dark. Purifying in the name of light.¡±


    The young girl listened, her little fingers tapping the brickwork.


    ¡°What drove us to her callings were her majesty. We knew that as long as the Maiden exists, then the world will always be at peace. She was our goddess, lord, and yet even she could not stop the wars, the greed, and abuses of those who had evil in their hearts. On her side was a knight, not just any knight, but a man who rose from a guardsman to a knight that people adored. A stern and robust knight whose stern determination to complete his missions and help as he could showed through his actions. She was her knight and he was loyal. No darkness could temp him. He kept on moving despite it all, knowing, that as long as he was needed then she would allow him to be by her side. If our Maiden was a constant ally of peace, then he had helped her carry the burden of the world.¡±


    Her eyes flickered. ¡°I admired him. Many of the young knights of our orders admired him. No matter how old he get, his training, and his appearance grew only finer. A gentleman, and a warrior that none could argue, worthy to be by the side of Our Maiden.¡±


    She paused, tired eyes on the dance of the flame.


    ¡°So it came to my surprise that the Stern Knight Lord we knew ended up being put into trial by Our Maiden. None questioned our Maiden as she berated him in front of the people. I was one of the many who had been allowed to be in the front. To do this I¡¯ve never seen someone¡¯s heart broke as he did. His old and rugged face showed despair at the words she spew at the day.¡±


    ¡°The people turned on him as easily as the words of the Our Maiden told to. It was then that I realized that there was a conflict that we weren¡¯t allowed to know. A conflict that resulted into the death of this Knight. By noon, he was strung on the old plaza, killed by a rope coiled around his neck. Many of us admired the Knight, and yet those who had thought of him as a relic of the past laughed. My belief in the Lady was overturned, and my confidence her cracked¡­.But then I understood what vengeful spirit had possessed the Knight.¡±


    The young girl swallowed a lump in her throat.


    ¡°Wraiths, spirits, and those of demons had been festered on our Knight¡¯s soul. His true colors, a betrayed soul, raging upon the people who he served, guided, and saved with selflessness, bellowing curses that shook the plaza and brought terror in the hearts of men and women. It was a birth of a Revenant we call Deadman. A vengeful spirits that had turned our dear Knight.  You¡¯d expect that he would come at us who watched him get hanged. Yet he focused his anger, his hatred on the woman he loved. A burning desire that did not cease, leaving those who are wicked to fear his existence. Existing within the material and immaterial world. The Deadman knows no boundaries, and chases Our Maiden fir eternity, hoping that it would be able to catch up and plunge his obsidian sword of Zachariah into her stomach, releasing his soul from the curse that he spewed with his own mouth. He is forever damned as a fixed being that would constantly hunt down Our Maiden.¡±


    She wiped her tears and shook her head slowly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how it ended up like that. Yet, I wonder what would have happen if Our Maiden was not bound and chained by her duty to the people, and she was allowed to do as pleased. If she could have left the Knight alone who used the ruinous powers instead of heeding the orders of those who preserves the light. It pains me to say that the Deadman and the Burnt Woman would forever be stuck in a constant battle. The Deadman forever haunts the Burnt Woman, forevermore, until he could plunge his sword in her heart, allowing the former Knight to be free from the curse he cast with his own mouth and be reborn again, free of the taint, free of the curses, and free from the ruinous powers that held him to fight the Burnt Woman who would surely not stop until she herself could save those who could be saved. Our Maiden is bound by the curse of her duty, and she is bound to en eternity of service the moment she took that blessing. That is her curse, and a duty she has to follow.¡±


    Though she had pictured them once as a perfect pair, a Knight and His Mistress, loyally devoted to her. Now, she believes that the Deadman, and the Burnt Woman will not have their happy ending. She does knew of four liars.


    The first liar, the Pale Shine Lady, was a fool who could not stop rejecting, yet she had finally given to her desire.


    The second liar was still sincerely maddened.


    The third liar, the Bleak Walker, who is always out of time, had been able to stay long enough to convey.


    The fourth liar was a tired and aged soul, who could not stop lying about the lie she calls duty.


    ¡°Gran?¡± the usually cheery girl asked, her eyes filled with sorrow as she listened to her Gran. ¡°Will the Second and Fourth liar be okay?¡±


    ¡°I hope so,¡± said the Gran, unsure of her answer.  But she knew that the Second and Fourth liar would continue their lies. ¡°Come on dear, you need to go to bed now.¡±


    ¡°Okay Grandma Machina,¡± said the cheery girl.

 Chapter 363: An Understanding of Three

    Nolan was the main fragment. He was sure of this. The last fragment that ended up in the towering worlds was the second last of him. He could recall the fragment of his being, a separate existence that haunts. Madness was the weapon of this fragment, and yet Nolan could tell that he no longer had a connection with that being.


    He was sure that he was a Bleak Walker, not the betrayed, and certainly not the Deadman that he saw glimpses in his memories. Although he was the anchor point of his memories, existence like the Pale Shine Lady, who Ashia embodies, as her anchor point acts as her true identity even though she was reborn after fighting the Burnt Woman.


    He thought of it as simply as ¡®Bleak Walker Nolan¡¯ and ¡®Deadman¡¯ as a separate existence. And Ashia being the Pale Shine, while Ciara as the Burnt Woman. There were gaps in his memories and certainly when he died trying to free himself from the clutches of the Burnt Woman and prevent her and the family she had made to escape the world he knew before, he received memories, and even used such memories to butcher those bandits on that mountain using Einar¡¯s body.


    ¡°Still, I don¡¯t feel any connection to him anymore,¡± Nolan sucked in the air, and pulled the invisible strings in front of him. ¡°And May God¡¯s love be with you.¡±


    Nolan wouldn¡¯t have asked this question if it was not for Audrey, who he discovered was the Witch of Nether. Though knowing her identity, Nolan couldn¡¯t help but bow his head to the mentor who had engraved the runes in his bones and muscles.  Not to mention, he thought of the days where he found her among the ranks of the bleak walkers.


    ¡°Shit, so Ashia knew huh,¡± Nolan grunted. ¡°Should I be thankful that my wife has the same taste? Goodness, who thought that we both had the eye on her.¡±


    Nola wasn¡¯t surprised since they were rather close. If anything, Audrey seems like she¡¯s happier to know of Ashia¡¯s pregnancy. If anything, the three of them being together seems like a trip back to the past.


    ¡°Goodness,¡± Audrey said, her purple robe¡¯s sleeves tucked on her side. ¡°To think that I¡¯d see a day like this again. You work fast, Nolan.¡±


    Nolan groaned, then nodded, ¡°Is she going to be alright?¡±


    ¡°Two beings that has a tug on the creation itself is quite worrisome. Worry not, despite her lack of knowing, she¡¯s able to give birth, though I expect that I have the position of the godmother.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Nolan smiled. ¡°Is that even a question? Still, if you had revealed yourself earlier.¡±


    ¡°I would have,¡± Audrey nodded. ¡°I was watching the two of you from a distances. You were easy to identity with your face, and I had already suspected that Ciara¡¯s dormant memories would be awakened the moment she comes in contact with you. You are soul-bound after all so it didn¡¯t take long. Though, you are a lucky man, no, I should say that both of you have finally wizened up?


    A huge smile of relief plastered on her face, ¡°You two have been chasing each other, fighting, and scowling that it was rather tiresome.  Not to mention that you two had the audacity to seduce me in that timeline.¡±


    ¡°We did not,¡± Nolan protested.


    ¡°Hey, I didn¡¯t mind it,¡± she turned her head to Ashia. ¡°Did you? Because we did thought you were dead, and frankly you know how it was.¡±


    ¡°A moment of weakness,¡± Ashia said, nodding. ¡°I lost to myself, and besides do you really expect me to push him down instead of someone who had been with me in that tent?¡±


    ¡°Why yes,¡± Audrey said. ¡°Your cold shoulder to your loyal knight was annoying. So it fills me with my joy that my loveliest are finally together, free from their stupidities that has caused me heartaches and irritation. Not to mention,¡± she hooked Ashia and Nolan with her elbows. ¡°You two are and has been a pain to me. You two idiotic fools!¡±


    Nolan locked gaze with Ashia, and nodded. ¡°Come on, you are being sentimental now.¡±


    ¡°How could I not?¡± she snorted. ¡°We being together again has always been my dream. Do you know much of a loony the burnt woman was? She was indeed a fragment that took the identify of MY Ciara and that I have to act for a millennia knowing that she might just pull the plug out of my soul! A terrible experience, I say.¡±


    ¡°Still,¡± she added, arms folded. ¡°It is alarming that she had become a Goddess. Do you two even feel alarmed?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Nolan said, a weary smile showing. ¡°She has a knack of showing up suddenly, and I take it into consideration of that happening.¡±


    Ashia stayed silent. ¡°I hope she does have the heart. I felt heart heat when she defeated me and I was thrown to this world. I would have been unable to reach this world if not for her opening a hole. Spite her, hate her, and even mock her, still, I understand the madness of losing your child. No one, not even her, should be allowed to feel that. If it was to save my children from being an eternal source of power for worlds. Then I would too, no repeat her mistake just to save them.¡±


    Ashia showed a terrible resolve as well. Shamefully, Nolan who had the memories to understand that pain, knew that deep inside, if such thing happened to him, then undoubtedly he would become another Deadman, and follow the path as well.


    ¡°Ah, that was it,¡± Nolan muttered. He looked at his hands and thought again. His fingers were whole, and he wasn¡¯t missing any.


    If there was anything that he could recall about being the Deadman. It was that he lost three of his fingers. He was rather glad to see them complete. Heaving a sigh, he turned toward the sea where the giants bathe, praying that his heart remains steeled and firm. The memories of Deadman was fading, and yet he couldn¡¯t find happiness in such thoughts.

 Chapter 364: Pact of the Old

    She stood in the sunlight. ¡°Got a request for you.¡±


    Nolan clasped his hands behind his back. ¡°So? What is it?¡±


    ¡°I need to eat a certain fruit.¡±


    Nolan stared. ¡°I can buy it on Agni.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s thing,¡± she rubbed her cheek. ¡°It is available way down east?¡±


    Nolan blinked. ¡°I can fly to that place. If you don¡¯t mind.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the thing,¡± she said. ¡°If you buy only a few then you¡¯d need to go to that place again.¡±


    ¡°Ashia,¡± Nolan leaned on the doorway. ¡°What do you want?¡±


    ¡°Can you get me a basket of pearl-fruit? They are these silver-colored fruits that are just so tasty. See, they only grow down the east, on Fein lands!¡±


    ¡°What about teaching?¡±


    ¡°My assistant got it for me. The kids will understand.¡±


    ¡°Can we just ask Audrey? She can probably take us into that place.¡±


    ¡°Tele-portals causes ripples and bad for the kid.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Nolan nodded. ¡°I didn¡¯t even know that.¡±


    ¡°Happens all the time in the Alf-lands.  I am not risking it.¡±


    ¡°For a fruit. So how many days will it take?¡±


    ¡°Ten days on boat, and a day and half by train.¡±


    Nolan turned his eyes on the orchards. ¡°I can¡¯t really leave the orchards alone. Arel also needs help. Oh, you are actually pouting?¡±


    ¡°I am not.¡±


    ¡°Whoa, that is strange.¡±


    ¡°Look, I want that fruit. Also, it is an excuse to have that travel.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Nolan nodded, gloved fingers on the side.


    ¡°Really. Not that I want to eat something and watch those strange structures again.¡±


    ¡°You want to sightsee while pregnant?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be silly. I can take care of the kid.¡±


    ¡°For a fruit?¡±


    She drew her lips to a line. ¡°Please?¡±


    Nolan¡¯s lips curved. He took a step away from the doorway and sighed. ¡°Fine, I am assuming you know the way?¡±


    ¡°Of course! I live long enough to know!¡± she stood slowly, walked inside the house, and paced next to the table. ¡°Look, I got a map right here.¡±


    There were about nine continents. Nolan recognized Concordia Island on the left side of the map. Left of Concordia Island was the lands of Alf, and right was the town of Agni. Beyond the town was a former Empire, and to the North was the borders of another Empire that has crumbled because of the war. Beyond these two nations were smaller nations. There was a railroad line that Ashia traced with her fingers, connecting to each stations.


    ¡°I am surprised that they allowed to make a station across their borders.¡±


    ¡°A sign of peace,¡± Ashia pointed. ¡°The railroad lines are a source of trade. Every four days a cargo of supplies arrived on each station. I was with my students when they sign the pact. Ten tons are delivered on each station, and are placed in the warehouses. I have a pass so I can cross the borders.¡±


    ¡°Odd,¡± Nolan folded his arms, eyes on the map. ¡°They¡¯d let you on their lands? Well, you are a living legend so that¡¯s no surprise.¡±


    She slid on the chair, elbows leaned on the table. ¡°I did live my years honorably, and fought anomalies. There are many old ones that are still alive, living their lives as quiet as they could be. See, when they failed on taking the world through power, they started with diplomacy.¡±


    ¡°Old Ones, huh,¡± Nolan muttered.


    ¡°Yeah, they are like us in a way that they find no meaning in fighting anymore,¡± Ashia stared. ¡°There are some who are lucky enough to have a lifelong companion, while most lived their lives watching their love ones grow old.  There is a pact that has keep them from interfering and those who tries to break that pact are usually killed.¡±


    ¡°Harsh,¡± Nolan said.


    ¡°That is the price they agreed they agreed to pay. There are only a few of them that has survived. The last corrupted one had killed them. The heroes had to do it in order to fulfill the pact. I was allowed to interfere because I was new to the pact. Honestly, one of the reasons that I want this trip is because I want you to be taken into Mount Toic. You have to face them.¡±


    ¡°I see. So this isn¡¯t just about the peal-fruits?¡±


    ¡°The peal-fruits are in Mount Toic. Mariyah guards them and is given only to the Oath-sworn. I have stretched it long enough, and it has to be done. I know that you¡¯ll make me proud.¡±


    ¡°You overestimate me.¡±


    ¡°And you underestimate yourself. I do wonder why a man who had fought demons, demigods, and gods could still stay that. You were a guardsman of throes, and yet here you are, able to pull on the strings of power so casually. You don¡¯t even need to draw the runes. You can just manifest them as you see fit.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you¡¯ll make me proud.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± Nolan nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll take you to Mount Toic. So that¡¯s what the luggage was for.¡±


    ¡°Yes. So, how about we ask for volunteers? I¡¯m sure they won¡¯t mind watching the orchard.¡±


    ¡°I hope they won¡¯t. Arel¡¯s busy with Ania so I can¡¯t really ask too much from him.¡±


    ¡°He just needs to watch the place.¡±


    Nolan inspected her. ¡°You want to go now?¡±


    ¡°Already told her that we¡¯d go.¡±


    ¡°My pack?¡±


    ¡°Already done.¡±


    ¡°Were you planning this?¡±


    ¡°I was since I have to make sure that we do. I have Audrey¡¯s approval as well.¡±


    Nolan nodded, and walked up the stairs, retrieving the luggage that she had prepared. Smiling up to her ears, she waited on the doorway, and then clung when Nolan neared her. There was hastiness on her steps.


    ¡°You are too excited.¡±


    ¡°I traveled with my students, and alone all the time. Besides, I¡¯ve always wanted to walk under the sun without anyone bothering or trying to kill us.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we have that right now.¡±


    Nolan walked with her. He looked up. The object on the sky still loomed. His eyes lose its focus before it refocused again. He recalled that it had the size of a marble before, and now it had the size of a ball.

 Chapter 365: Astral

    ¡°She¡¯s here,¡± Ashia said.


    ¡°Already?¡± Nolan nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll be back.¡±


    Nolan was in a train alongside Ashia. The trip was going to be long so he took the time to rest inside the cabin. But hearing Ashia, he pushed the window up, and slid out of the train and landed softly on the ground. The train speeding away.


    A woman with blazing red hair, slit eyes, and two hidden arms clasped behind her back that it made it looked like a strange belt.


    ¡°Uh-uh,¡± she said, examining Nolan. ¡°So this is the man that broke the icy walls of the Mocker of Ancients. Hmm, you do have something inside of you. Still, some had their heads split open trying to break those walls.¡±


    ¡°I was the first,¡± Nolan argued. ¡°May I know your name?¡±


    ¡°Astral,¡± she said. ¡°I am one of the Ancients that heed the call. If you are strong then I shall welcome you as Guardian.¡±


    ¡°Very well,¡± Nolan conjured a single-edged blade. ¡°Let¡¯s dance then!¡±


    A devilish smile erupted from the face of this woman.  Earth erupted as a lance made of earth that was taller than her was thrust towards him. Nolan parried that attack, he slid to her guard, and slashed his sword. She blocked the sword, and was thrown away by the sheer force of his strength. Nolan took a single step and appeared before her, blade raised towards her rolling back. She pivoted, spun, and blocked his blade. She gave a grin as she used her earth-lance to keep her balance.


    Nolan didn¡¯t let her. He kept on interrupting every action that she does. He gave no quarter to the woman named Astral. Forcing her to continuously block. Nolan repeated his blows until the woman named Astra pulled on the powers. A lance made of earth rushing towards Nolan in every direction, like a hundred bees that contained speed and power capable of breaking the sound. Nolan had felt that there was a grand spell placed around this deserted and barren land. The sky were tinted a bit gray and he caught the sight of the broken lands being reformed, not to mention that he felt Audrey¡¯s power. Was she watching?


    Thousands of lances formed underneath the earth that he stood. Above and below there was a rain of lances that intended to skewer Nolan. As the lances tip met Nolan, they all phased through his skin. Like a flash of light, Nolan swung his blade, slicing vertically in front, tearing through Astral and carving a part of a plateau.


    Her arm flew, rotating madly before landing on the ground.


    ¡°Even my curses couldn¡¯t reach you,¡± she said, a weary smile on her face.  ¡°Are you perhaps possessed by one?¡±


    ¡°Do you want to see?¡±


    ¡°No thank you,¡± she grew her arm back. ¡°I can tell from the curse alone that it would be something I don¡¯t want to see. Spare me of that, I rather not think of it.¡±


    ¡°The spell?¡±


    She clapped her hand. The dome that tinted the area shattered into a thousand shards of light, like broken glasses turning into swarm of fireflies. The sun appeared before them. She stretched her arms and wrapped her extra arms around her waist.


    ¡°You make me feel weak. I guess the Mocker wouldn¡¯t just be with someone strong. We should catch up. I want to see what that woman has been doing ever since she humiliated the rest of us.¡±


    Nolan flew like a bullet and saw the train. Seeing the window¡¯s cabin, he slid inside, followed by Astral who sat on Ashia¡¯s side. Ashia eyed Astral with a gentle expression.


    ¡°That was fast.¡±


    ¡°Well, none of my invisible lances seems to work on him.¡±


    Nolan thought of the prickling sensation that he felt. His body registers everything that might hurt him and phase through it. Not to mention that the runes carved into his bones and soul were neutralizing every spell. He had hunted monsters, demons, and even those who¡¯d call themselves as gods. It was easy to replicate the effects of the oils that used to neutralize monster¡¯s ability. One good rune that emits a wave of it when closed to him was all what he needed.


    ¡°Well, you are fighting my husband after all,¡± she said, her face so proud. ¡°It would be odd if he does lost to anyone of you when you are all so weakened by age.¡±


    ¡°This is coming from your mouth. Things really do change so easily. I figured you to be a single-minded woman who only cares about your duties, so it is nice seeing something other than the look of stone in your face. I hope you didn¡¯t fall too quickly.¡±


    ¡°No, that can¡¯t be right,¡± she said. ¡°He waited for me for a thousands of years unimaginable and I only ran away from him. If anything, I should be glad that we finally stopped and thought about it.¡±


    ¡°Hah,¡± she said, shaking her head. ¡°I wish someone would wait for like that. Alas, the life of the perpetual isn¡¯t as easy. Anyway, I am glad to have another one in the fray. Still, I would like to warn you, Ashia.¡±


    ¡°Of?¡±


    ¡°Someone strong has appeared as well. She is a blur and her aura brings fortune as well. We believe that she was a threat, but her actions so far are normal, and she¡¯s living so quiet that we had decided to leave her alone instead of provoking her. She¡¯s a god-caller and that alone is enough for the Guardians.¡±


    ¡°Do you know where she is?¡± Ashia asked, hand on her chin.


    ¡°No, not at the moment. We prefer not stepping on her foot while she enjoys her life. Besides, we have something more pressing to look forward to.¡±


    Her eyes traveled to the outside world. The object above the sky seem to grow larger. That round object with a faint glow was getting nearer and nearer to the planet.


    ¡°A troublesome thing isn¡¯t it?¡± Astral said. ¡°I hope to welcome you to our ranks, Bleak Walker.¡±


    Ashia stayed silent, arms folded, eyes watching the object that was getting nearer every single day.

 Chapter 366: The Only Escape From Eternity

    Astral left the train. It has been three hours since the train started traveling. In that three hours Nolan had stayed silent while looking at the object.


    ¡°That¡¯s the real reason?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I didn¡¯t lie to you.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Nolan agreed. ¡°Because this should be expected. The world being saved won¡¯t be enough.¡±


    ¡°We are attractors,¡± she whispered. ¡°We draw from the source of power. We are lamps that attract all the good and evil that the universe has to offer. Each perpetual knows of this. This world are one of the sanctuary worlds that we can rest. There is no being like the Eon-Father here¡­but it only means that we are easily susceptible to cosmic forces. That is another one of our curse.¡±


    She looked at him.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I expected a reaction.¡±


    Nolan blinked. ¡°Do you know what they always say about good times?¡±


    She looked down.


    ¡°It never last,¡± Nolan replied. ¡°You know this. I know this.¡±


    ¡°Still, do you find it uncomfortable?¡±


    ¡°I do. How long will it take?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. We just need to get rid of that.¡±


    ¡°Can we?¡±


    Ashia stayed silent. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Nolan turned his attention to the object above. A faint glow covered the object. Enhancing his vision he saw an atmosphere around the object, green continents, and a vast ocean. His eyes couldn¡¯t penetrate the thick dense cloud, but there were concrete and cobble work that form a star-like pattern.


    ¡°Did they try anything?¡±


    ¡°Audrey slowed it down and it¡¯s now traveling below the speed of sound. There were actually three of them, it had two moons and one of them were naturally resistant to the source of power. I have some resemblance to the tug because of her memories. But my current soul¡¯s not strong enough to handle it.


    ¡°So you want me to handle it?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I believe in you.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Nolan smiled. ¡°So they want to grant me something in the mountain?¡±


    ¡°No. They want to welcome you as guardian. That¡¯s all there is to it.¡±


    ¡°Any ideas where should I hit it? I think I have enough power to sidestep it.¡±


    There were a slight light in her eyes. ¡°Will you be okay?¡±


    Nolan set his jaws. ¡°I am. I have a tug on the power of creation. I know I can win.¡±


    ¡°Audrey will help you.¡±


    Nolan eyed her. ¡°It kind of bothers me that you are taking this well.¡±


    Ashia looked up. ¡°I¡¯ve known you for too long, Nolan. You fought demons while having nothing other than the sword we recycled, you used every possibly weapon you have in your disposal, and woke up in fields of corpses, braced your shoulders against a wave of flesh, and even fought beings far stronger than you. Do you know that they always make a bet about you?¡±


    ¡°I know. I keep betting on myself and those idiots didn¡¯t know. Ashia, you know that I am not brave. I am not stubborn as well. I can be reasonable and unreasonable if I have to. What keeps me moving is the thought that at least when I die. I know that I have done everything I can. I intend to deserve my death. Yet¡­I seem unable to do that.¡±


    ¡°I noticed. I remember the timelines. Compared to the days you have given up. The days you didn¡¯t were much longer. Honestly, I thought of you as insane. Tell me, why do you fight?¡±


    Nolan blinked. ¡°Why ask me this now?¡±


    ¡°I want to.¡±


    ¡°Because I can. I don¡¯t know why people keep asking me that. I might be insane to those who hear me. But what¡¯s so wrong in doing your best? I fight because I want to. I keep moving forward because I want to.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a lie, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You know it as well. Do you know what one of the reasons I rejected you for so long?¡±


    ¡°Duty.¡±


    ¡°I am not that simpleminded,¡± she argued. ¡°Being courted for thirty-years in that timeline, after being treated like some cursed woman, and someone showed up, showing that he can wait for me, and become a friend that I can rely on. You were my confidant and before long someone I loved. Still, I know why you ¡®think¡¯ that you fell in love with me. You want someone to light your way, and you wanted to believe that. I¡¯ve always hated seeing that in you. ¡°


    Nolan rubbed his chin. ¡°I thought of that. I saw how determine you are and wanted to follow you. I was using you as an excuse to keep moving forward. I was a beggar, a tavern boy, and a guardsman before I met you. Of course, it wasn¡¯t just because of you. A friend of mine wanted to be a part of the light¡¯s¡¯ war. I followed him and kept you as an inspiration. I admired you and used that admiration. I mistook that admiration for love, and I admit that. But, I am telling the truth that I do indeed think that I should welcome it, and not fear it. I intend to deserve my death. Of course, there are days that I can rust and stagger, and when I break¡­I still get up foolishly.¡±


    Ashia stared, but said nothing for a second. ¡°These moments may not last¡­but I intend to make it all count. I just wish that our days would continue to be peaceful.¡±


    ¡°I wish as well,¡± Nolan eyed the object above the planet. ¡°But we aren¡¯t given that rest. We could only live as best as we could.¡±


    Nolan knew that already.


    He had already been given the answer to his dilemma a long time ago by the Old Revenant on how he could end his eternity of fighting.


    You cannot escape this unless you kill her.


    She is your bane.


    She is your nightmare.


    In order to save your soul, you have no choice but to kill her. You have no choice. If you want to end this fate then you have no choice, but to  surpass, and defeat her. All of her. But¡­


    She is your heart as well.

 Chapter 367: Desert Reminiscence

    A train station that was rounded around a plateau with a view of the dunes that followed a long river connecting to the northern sea of the continent. Holding Ashia¡¯s hand, Nolan escorted her through the crowd, and rested on a bench. People were looking at the scopes mounted on the side of the railing.


    Leaning on Nolan¡¯s shoulder, Ashia watched the heated dunes, and the long river.


    ¡°Do you remember Oasis?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡±


    ¡°Sad that it fell. We had to make a new home on the stasis river.¡±


    ¡°It worked well,¡± Nolan shifted his arm. ¡°That place had rounded natural walls and protected us from the rocks and natural predators, even the nobles choose to move out of the ¡®safety¡¯ that they desired.¡±


    ¡°Safety,¡± she smacked her lips. ¡°What a word for them. If they didn¡¯t control half of the merchants of Salt Passing. I would have given them the people¡¯s justice.¡±


    ¡°Ashia,¡± he said slowly. ¡°Back then, you knew that I was doing it right?¡±


    ¡°The killings? I saw you hung people when I followed you. Men, women, and even those who could be turned into soldiers. I know my ideals were getting better at me. And it was because I saw some reasoning in your actions that I could not give a reason to hang you in front of the crowd. I did in other timelines, but never as myself.¡±


    ¡°I am still not whole, Ashia,¡± Nolan whispered. ¡°I have one missing fragment, a strong fragment that escaped me, and possibly stronger than what I am.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Ashia nodded. ¡°I am connected to her mind after all. Will he come?¡±


    ¡°For you? No, but he will come for her. If anything, I fear that he might come for me.¡±


    ¡°I see. Still, we have no control over that. Fight because we are damned to this.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve been at it for years. It¡¯s still hard to believe that we aren¡¯t being chased by monsters.¡±


    ¡°Perks of being strong to squash them. Do you think your guardian friends would accept me?¡±


    ¡°Accept you?¡± she smiled. ¡°You humiliated them. From Astral to Faun. Once we reach Mount Toic no one would dare to disagree that you are not worthy to be a guardian.¡±


    Nolan nodded, he looked up to the sky, where the giant ball had become a moon for the world. Nolan worried about the tides that would be changing, and the effects the object. However, power came from different directions, stabilizing and pushing the object. It would take about four years for that object to come and enter the atmosphere of this planet.


    Nolan tugged on the source of power with his little finger. He could see the strings of the world attached to each tiny objects. The feeling was the same as using all of his sense to form a new one. The world we became opposite colored. If he wanted he could create an instant rune-spell that could carve a lake on the dunes.


    Nolan snapped his eyes closed. He withdrew drawing from the source of power. He turned his attention to his side. Ashia¡¯s eyes stared at the dunes with a calm face. Although he had seen such fate for so many times now. The thought of seeing her face this calm still perplexed him. How long it was to reach this far?


    In this world there was no enemy to slay. No world needed saving for it has been saved. Now, there was only nature taking its course, plowing towards the planet.


    ¡°It really is beautiful despite the threat of it.¡±


    She looked up. ¡°It is. Still, I wonder when you will tell me about your world.¡±


    ¡°My world?¡± Nolan asked.


    ¡°Yes, your home world, the world before you came to my home world.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Nolan said, wearily smiling. ¡°I am not telling you because of anything special. It¡¯s just that it has been so long that I had forgotten what my world was. Not to mention that I keep on getting young and old.  I would become young, and then die old. That cycle had made a mess of my head. All I know was that I was in a modern world with towering concrete buildings, where peace seems to have come. Sure, there might be places where war is active, but people live and die peacefully, although they are buried in work sometimes.¡±


    She stared, listening.


    ¡°I had a brother, and I think we had a rather big family. Well, it was nothing special really, and I spent my time foolishly climbing buildings for fun.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fun for you?¡± she nodded. ¡°I did notice how you were rather nimble.¡±


    ¡°Ah, well, it helped that I could climb like a monkey. I didn¡¯t think that I would reach this far,¡± he smiled. ¡°I was not talented and it took my millennia¡¯s to acquire something and gain power by consuming the old revenant.¡±


    She blinked. ¡°I think that the brave men of history, of all worlds didn¡¯t think that they would become notable.¡±


    ¡°Ah, true, you don¡¯t know what life will put you through,¡± Nolan thought back. ¡°I recalled someone from my own world. He was a farmer who liked hunting. You know what guns are right?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I did spent time on those towering worlds with you.¡±


    ¡°This farmer who liked hunting joined a war. This nation fought a bigger nation, and he fought until he became death to people¡¯s eyes. When people asked him if he regretted, he said that he did what he was told to do. He was a farmer who fought for his country, and became the most deadly soldier in our history. So I get what you are saying. I never wanted to be like this, but again, what need is there to weep over parts of life?¡±


    Ashia agreed with a bobbed of her head. ¡°For now, how about we enjoy the dunes? We lived most of our first lives in the desert, though I wish it had a little bit of green on them.¡±


    Nolan nodded, turning his eyes back to the desert.

 Chapter 368: A Ghost Whispers

    You know it don¡¯t you? Said the man¡¯s voice.


    I know.


    She is a liar.


    I know. But this one is different.


    The man raised his hands. He was missing three fingers.


    How long will you keep ignoring it?


    Until I can have what I want.


    She is your curse.


    I know.


    He stared at the endless black. A landscape of corpses. One of the corpses faced upward. A face that he was familiar with. Young and Old. They all look the same to him. Some were beheaded. Some were simply stab in the heart. If one would examine every body. He was sure that they would be amaze how he had been given every death possible.


    Maybe you can find out now. How a planet squashes you into the surface of another planet, desperately holding it up. She is a liar. Fragments we are, she¡¯s still her. You admired. You respected. Love? Do you even know why? Or does the momentarily happiness keeps you foolish?


    I know.


    The world of endless black became transparent. He could see Ashia leaning on his shoulder. The landscape blurring as the train passes.


    This isn¡¯t the finish line. Just an island among the Greater World, the world where the truest lives. Where all legends and fantasies have been imagined, given to those who were able to take a glimpsed of it. She will reach it. She¡¯s close to it.


    I know. She has always been a liar.


    Yes. Do not mistake her current thoughts to be her real thoughts. I¡­wish that I had this joy, finding a fragment so separate from the base. But who knows when the woman who could do well¡­would go back to her ways of tormenting a poor soul.


    She is wonderful¡­isn¡¯t she?


    Yes. I do admit that. But that doesn¡¯t change she is a fragment of her.


    She is the first one. You know this. Don¡¯t lie, liar. Stop telling yourself that you do not love this Ciara.


    The man whose skin was layered with an obsidian skin, clenched his hands, and yet his three fingers did not recover. For someone who could grow a limb. He could not grow his three fingers back. Forever lost. No, more like a vow to the name he had promised.


    Why do you want to reach the Greater World? The true one?


    The man did not answer. His body hissing smoke. A momentary anger. Eyes burning red with all the sigils that a bleak walker can have.


    Old Revenant¡­Time Wraith¡­A Bleak Walker.


    I am.


    Yes.


    How many times has been this way?


    You can tug the creation. You are near her strings. You will not part here. No, I assure you that.  The Disciple of Nether, River Nix¡¯s Witch, and her master, the one who walked the Stasis River¡­had found an isolated path to Greater World. He would have saved us. No, Hero Ryle tried, he was lost, a burning candle, and cursed as well. Oh Brother Ryle, I wish I could have done something for you.


    I do not understand.


    You are older than this planet.


    I know.


    Time¡­You will hunt her.


    No. Not this one. Please. I beg of you. Not this one.


    Yes¡­she is near. Just near. Remember¡­she will always find you. Our eternal enemy, the person that we have not been able to defeat. Our enemy.


    I know that already.


    You know your curse. I must continue


    I don¡¯t understand.


    You are a liar as well.


    I am. Who said I wasn¡¯t?


    Stop lying. You know that she will have false tears, but she will always find you.  A single look and she would decide who you belonged to. This path is different¡­strange¡­so peaceful¡­an almost perfect world that she would have tried to save and burn it at the same time.


    The man¡¯s hollowed eyes looked at Ashia.


    That woman who gave you her life. The one you run away with. She was her too. Adey¡­Machina¡­they decided to die as fragments rather than continue to become what we are. This one¡­how long could you hold this hand?


    As long as I could.


    He turned to the man¡¯s voice. Beyond that obsidian mash he hides. Beyond all the noises that the dead makes. There was a look that he could not hide.


    You will continue?


    The man clenched his hands.


    Yes. That is the bleak path. You found her. I didn¡¯t. It is only right that you could be with Ciara. The Ciara that we had truly loved.


    Or you can stop and become one with me. Stop chasing after her.


    No. I cannot forgive the Burnt Woman. The War Maiden who died in the Pale Pass, I can forgive. But not her. It is the only way out of freedom. I am revenant, a wraith that could not stop.


    You will tire of this.


    Does the light tire? Do stars wonder why they exist? We are fixed. She made us a fixed creature. A constant in these worlds. She had turned us into a monster¡­because she¡¯s lonely.


    What could we have done?


    Not carry her on our back when Oasis fell. We shouldn¡¯t have carried her broken body, we should not have carried her to the Three Fates, where she met with the Incarnations of the War Maidens, and letting ourselves beheaded by Kaiser. She argues that what she had done, was so that we would have the courage to drive a blade in her heart. No, she¡¯s a liar. Do you think that a woman who had watched her children die, her children¡¯s children die, wouldn¡¯t be numb to it? How many times have you thought she had watched them turn to dust? We should have prevented the merging of the world, where she came from, from being destroyed. We shouldn¡¯t have let the gods merged it into one giant world. Not let her escape that loop.


    She had created a fixed point. We cannot go back to the time where she had lost it. Because she had destroyed that world out of an excuse of saving her children.


    She¡¯s not that cruel.


    The man¡¯s face seems to twist in hatred.


    Even after all the years of being put to death? You lie to yourself. She is a liar. You are a liar. But¡­you are the liar that reached this end. When you perish I shall continue to hunt her down.


    He looked down.


    Was there a future¡­where we were able to?


    Go back home?


    Yes. There was. But she found you.


    Even there?


    You have helped her be a god. Time is nothing to her. If anything, you should already know why you were sent in her world in the first place. You know it in your heart, but you lie to yourself, thinking, ¡°No, it can¡¯t be possible,¡± but you know that is a lie as well.


    Why do I listen to a ghost?


    Because you know it don¡¯t you?


    Tell me. Have you seen this path?


    No. I envy you. This is where our path differs. Our Ciara found you first, not the Burnt Woman. I am glad that there is a path like this. She is close, but Sister will hold her back. Alcina¡­you poor fool.


    Alcina?


    The endless black vanished. The train¡¯s horns sounded. His vision cleared, replaced with Ashia¡¯s confused stare. Nolan smiled, throwing those thoughts away. Why does he lie to himself so much¡­he can only wonder as he escorts her out of the train, eyes on the sandstone structures of a town.

 Chapter 369: The Oasis He Dreamt

    Nolan climbed Mount Toic with Ashia sitting on a familiar that looked like a green transparent deer.


    Wind buffeted Nolan as his jacket fended of the wind, and the leaves. On this path he could see the view of the landscape, stretching as far as he could, rolling hills, and buildings dotting the land.


    The silence was with them until they reached the top of the mountain. The top of the mountain was strange in a way that it was bigger than the city they had passed by. There were cabins built on the side, and there was a river stream that acted like a roar. On the far side far from the entrance there was a spire that seem to glow.


    Nolan followed the path, hovering above the river, and landing in front of the Spire. Various animals in the form of phantoms lined up on the side, watching the both of them. A door opened in front of the spire where they found a C-curved gateway leading up. On the corner of the eyes he saw Ashia stopped.


    ¡°Good luck.¡±


    ¡°Not coming?¡±


    ¡°I have to stay.¡±


    Nolan nodded. He entered the gateway, hand first. He was transported on top of a warm rounded ground. Everywhere he look he saw a blue sky that seems so endless. In front of Nolan there was a figure that seem like he was made of light. He had no face. He didn¡¯t wear clothes, and he was certainly a person made of light.


    SON OF GAIA.


    The figure spoke.


    YOU HAVE COME FAR TO MEET US. YOU DO NOT BELONG HERE


    Nolan squeezed his eyes.


    ¡°Do you intend to seek me out then?¡± Nolan squared his shoulders, summoning the sword of Zachariah in his hands. A sword made of lightning and thunder, a sword that seem to rupture and divide space. ¡°I fear that won¡¯t be easy.¡±


    SON OF GAIA. YOU ARE A WANDERER, ARE YOU NOT?


    ¡°Yes,¡± Nolan nodded, he glared. ¡°Do you intend to test me?¡±


    YOU POWER SUITES YOU WELL. A POWER BORN OUT OF EXPERIENCE AND SUFFERING. I DO NOT INTEND TO ROB YOU OF THIS POWER, FOLLOWER OF THE MERCIFUL GOD. FOR EVEN I HAVE NO POWER. TO END YOU HERE WOULD MEAN DEATH.


    ¡°Ashia, my wife, she said that I was called here,¡± Nolan placed bot of his hands on the sword of Zachariah. ¡°What do you want from me?¡±


    HELP US. A PLANET COMES. TO BRING FORTH CHAOS TO THIS WORLD OF PEACE.


    ¡°What is this world?¡± he asked.


    A WORLD FREE FROM THE BRANCHES. AN ERRANT THAT HAS WENT ASTRAY. THERE ARE MANY WORLDS SUCH AS THIS, SON OF GAIA. AS MANY AS THERE ARE WORLD TREES. THEY ALL BELONG TO THE GREATER WORLD. THE LAST WORLD WHERE ALL MUST REST.


    ¡°You know something,¡± Nolan took a step forward. ¡°You have power, strong enough to keep this world intact. I don¡¯t know why, but I can feel your hold, no, you are this plane itself. A personification of the planet itself¡±


    SON OF GAIA. DO YOU WISH TO SAVE THIS WORLD?


    ¡°I do,¡± Nolan said. ¡°But I am no hero. I¡¯ve not save any world. But if I can help then I would do it.¡±


    YOU ARE NO HERO. BUT YOU ARE A VARIABLE THAT MUST NOT BE IGNORED. THAT IS WHY I ASK YOU. WHY DO YOU NOT PULL ON THE SOURCE OF POWER?


    Nolan stared, his lips sealed. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    DO YOU TRULY NOT KNOW?


    ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± he said.


    YOU HAVE DEFEATED THEM. YOU ARE WORTHY TO BE OFFERED AS GUARDIAN.


    Nolan blinked,  and then he laughed. ¡°Hah, I am glad that I am ¡®worthy¡¯ after all the millennia of hardship that I faced.¡±


    EVERYONE HAS A ROLE TO PLAY, BLEAK WALKER. YOU ARE NO EXCEPTION. I SHALL REMOVE YOUR CURSE. FREE YOU FROM THE SCREAMS. DO YOU WISH TO BE FREED?


    ¡°How?¡± his eyes grew cold. ¡°Do not lie to me.¡±


    I DO NOT LIE.


    ¡°Then what do you mean you can remove my curse?¡±


    ONE OF YOU STILL EXISTS. HE SHALL BE GIVEN YOUR CURSE.


    ¡°You mean to give my curse to him?¡±


    SO YOU KNOW OF HIM.


    ¡°Because I am HIM. He is me. I do not forget who I am.¡±


    THEN WILL YOU GIVE IT TO HIM?


    Nolan stared blankly. He held the sword of Zachariah on his hand.


    ¡°Where is he?¡±


    IMPRISONED.


    ¡°If you give him my curses. What he will become?¡±


    BACK TO A BLEAK WALKER. ONE HAS BECOME A REVENANT WHY YOU HAVE STAYED THE SAME. YOU ARE FORTUNATE SON OF GAIA. YOU FOUND SOMETHING IN YOUR WOES THAT HAS KEPT YOU ALIVE.


    ¡°Then I want you to give him this sword,¡± Nolan solidified the sword on his hand. A sword made of Obsidian, with a cross hilt. ¡°I don¡¯t know how long will my peace be here. But if he is somewhere then he must be in pain. I don¡¯t know what became of me when the Eon-Father tried to send me home.¡±


    SO YOU AGREE, SON OF GAIA.


    The figure became a wall of light that covered a part of the sky. A smoke of light streamed on Nolan as he felt power invigorate him. He had no connection to this world, and now he felt that he was one with the world. He no longer used his own internal reserves and converted the power around him into something he could use.


    The sword that he handed flew and was covered in a spiral of hatred manifested into a form energy, piercing space, vanishing from Nolan¡¯s sight. Nolan¡¯s vision cleared. The voices that accompanied him and his eyes that were red from the sigil turned silvery. Power remained yet he felt like a big thorn was pulled out of his soul.


    He tried to summon the sword of Zachariah from the depths of his souls.  It did not came. It was free from his grasps. Free from the knotted and twisted curses.


    The figure returned into a humanoid made of light. He carried a basket with him, filled with pearl-fruits.


    ¡°You are free, Son of Gaia. I hope that you can help us four years from now.¡±


    Nolan took the basket.


    For the first time in many years. He felt no weight on his back. No screams. Just the silence of the peace that he yearned for. Turning around, he saw the sun on the other side of the ocean. He recalled the day where he stood on top of the building. This was a mountain yet there was something so similar that made him want to cry.


    He could weep without worry now.


    Nolan knew that he found his oasis.


    And he would protect it.

 Chapter 370: The Maiden Who Became Selfish

    She caressed her stomach while staring at the gateway. Astral appeared on the side of the gateway. She trotted to her with a smile.


    ¡°Ash,¡± said Astral. ¡°You look worried.¡±


    She shake her head. ¡°I am.¡±


    ¡°Why? I don¡¯t think your hubby is the type to cheat¡­or is he?¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± she scratched her cheek. ¡°Circumstances can be discussed. It depends on the woman as well.¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡± she raised a brow. ¡°Really? Sure is tolerant are you? I don¡¯t remember meeting someone like him. Or ever seeing you get close to this person. Or is this a sudden love?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± she bobbed her head. ¡°I don¡¯t think I could explain it to you. Let¡¯s just say that it is hard to describe how we are. I say that we are truly fated. Blasted man wouldn¡¯t give up on me. I feel so blessed¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± she turned to the stream. ¡°That is so cheating. I¡¯ve never seen you this blooming. Or it because after all these years you¡¯ve become a woman? It was a news to us that the Mentor of the Heroes had a husband. Not to mention she bears a child, happily teaching. I guess we all change in the end.¡±


    She looked at the gateway again.  The light trembled. She held her stomach and her brows furrowed.


    ¡°Come on,¡± said Astral. ¡°He¡¯ll be fine. The Lord of the Morning will not do anything.¡±


    She nodded again. Ashia twisted on a bench near the river stream with Astral leaning on the bench. It was a quiet place where the only sound that could be heard was the giggling of children and the solemn look of individuals. People passed by and they greeted her.


    ¡°A village of immortals.¡±


    ¡°It is. We lost two immortals today. It is rare that these folks would return to this place. I do remember that the four layered world had many troubles. They won¡¯t reach this world. I don¡¯t think they will with that spell. And not like they would find anything on the surface.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± said Ashia.


    ¡°They say that this peace is revolting.¡±


    ¡°The Deniers again?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. They choose to venture on the fourth layer. They intend to rid that place of chaos. No matter what realm and firmaments the chaotic beings of the cosmic lingers. They will find no place here. We had made sure of that two years ago. It is time for peace. Yet there is always something that threatens us.¡±


    Ashia looked up. An object on the sky that seem to glow.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be relying on your husband.¡±


    ¡°He can do it. He¡¯s no hero, but he can do it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a giant planet. Four years from now he¡¯ll have to cut it down.¡±


    ¡°I am not worried,¡± she said. ¡°My husband will cut that planet into two.¡±


    ¡°You really are confident about him.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯ll do it because I know he can. Do you know how many time I¡¯ve seen that man return despite all the hopeless scenarios he faced? I¡¯ve seen him fight a horde of demons. Fought down many evils a man could and returned alive. He might not been chosen by the world as a hero. But I choose him. He¡¯s mine you know?¡±


    ¡°I am not trying to.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± she lifted her chin. ¡°I won¡¯t let a planet stop us. We wanted this for a long time, Astral.¡±


    ¡°Tell me.¡±


    She nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve been wanting to find a peaceful place to settle. We are different in thinking and his ideals sometimes do match mine. I think that because of our different views that it took us so long to be together. I do think that I was addicted to it¡­but do you know what made me realize?¡±


    She listened. Her eyes on the stream.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I saw him happy. The man who I know was a man of war was happy. He loved the peace. I could have not appeared in front of him, but yet my heart told me to not let go.¡±


    ¡°I am glad that you seem to enjoy this choice.¡±


    ¡°Yes I do, Astral. I don¡¯t think I will regret it.¡±


    She knew that this was not the world she fought for. When she became a war maiden without the help of the three fates. She knew that her path would be bleak. No matter how many times he tried to push him away. He kept on being with her not only because of admiration, but because he wanted to cling on to the hope she carried.


    Nonetheless he respected the Nolan Salvatore who fought with his life on the line. She admired the unbending will that he showed every battle and his ability to keep on moving forward and be devoted to a cause.  That¡¯s why she fell. She had hurt him, and shamed him, and yet she knew that she was running away from her own feelings. She admits that she had done things such as warn noble ladies who fell for his courage and looks. She had done petty things to keep him by her side, but she was a coward who could not admit that she loved a man.


    She could not forgive herself for what she had done to her first child. She could not pretend anymore that she didn¡¯t let that monster of the pale pass kill her because of what she had done. But then again it was fine now right? This was not the world she had promised to save.


    This was not the place where her soul was born on.


    She had done her best.


    That duty was over.


    Why not be happy?


    Why not let go?


    ¡°Ashia?¡±


    She turned to where that voice was.


    There he was standing with a different mood around him. His shoulders were relaxed and he had lost that blood-like eyes. She felt not curse lingering on him. He didn¡¯t make the face he does when he hears the screams inherited by a bleak walker. He gave a soft look on Astral. Astra turned to Ashia and smiled.


    ¡°Hello Guardian,¡± said Astral. ¡°I bid you goodbye for now.¡±


    Nolan nodded. Ashia smiled. ¡°Done?¡±


    ¡°Done.  Let¡¯s get out of here.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    She said to him, letting Nolan take her away from this place.

 Chapter 371: Her Time of Peace

    The songs of the past could not change the crimes. No matter what world she saved, there was no excusing the worlds she had made to suffer. She had many names, yet she couldn¡¯t let go of her name as well.


    Pretending to be some kind of goodie two-shoes, she snarled to herself. But...let me remember what it is like to be human. To feel like you are needed. Not to be glared like a monster for once.


    Alice took the basket and rounded a street. Alice¡¯s house was on top of an overlook point. So Alice had to carry the basket up the hill. Not that it would matter to someone superhuman like her.


    Four years, she muttered. It has been a long time since I came to this world. The cord that connects me to the Burned Woman has grown still. No, I can pull my power out if I had to. I see no reason to do it however.


    Alice observed the giant object in the sky. It was a planet that acted like a second moon to the world. The appearance of this new moon increased the water levels. The Port Town of Agni responded to this by creating a natural barrier wall on the coastline. Magic played a role in creating the coastline.


    Around the world the same was happening. But the lack of major wars and Alice purging those who would dare to commit evil had made things peaceful. Though Alice had noticed that there were Guardians of this world who held a level of power.


    Alice had been able to conceal herself not because of any type of magic. Simply because Alice had a connection to a living God, her main body, that she could avoid detection from these Guardians.


    They are like flies I could easily swathe, she thought. No, please, no, why do I have these thoughts? Would it kill you to stop being so suspicious of those who would guard the world? Fool woman you know that this is a closed off world. There are no world trees here. Just an Errant World that is lost on a Cosmic Plane.


    Alice entered her house and placed the basket on top of a counter. Craning her head, Alice examined her home. It had been decorated with a magic lamp, a voice-box and a couch. The curtain swayed all the time with the house directly pointed at the sea.


    Alice prepared the fruit, bread, and meat she got from the town inside a cooling box where the items are usually put on. After she placed the items inside the cooling box. Alice turned towards the counter where the ones she left aside were prepped up and ready.


    It was then that the living door opened. A girl entered the room carrying a bag, and skipped to where Alice was. Alice smiled and set aside the ingredients on the table, kneeled and let the girl who was ten-years of old hug her.


    ¡°Ma!¡± said Nia. ¡°I got this!¡±


    She fished out a paper with a marking on the top right. Alice took the paper and nodded her head. ¡°That¡¯s great. You¡¯re growing smart, Nia!¡±


    ¡°Hehe,¡± said Nia, giggling. ¡°Ma, what are you cooking?¡±


    ¡°Pie I think?¡±


    ¡°Oh no, Ma, you know that you are terrible when it comes to pie!¡±


    ¡°Well, excuse me that we have different tastes on the matter!¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± she crossed her arms, pouting. ¡°It¡¯s your food Ma, so it¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    Alice bopped her nose. ¡°Go and change. Your uniform¡¯s going to be stained.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Nia said, running up the stairs.


    ¡°And don¡¯t run on the stairs!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine Ma! You made me strong.¡±


    ¡°Manners Nia!¡±


    Alice breathed in a sigh. She gathered the ingredients once again, and started preparing them. She went and created an apple mincemeat pie. She was fond of the pie when she was back in a world where things were advanced. This world she was in had advanced once again and had started paving a path for a peaceful civilization that was closer to the world Nolan had lived. Of course there are matters that require her attention. But most of the time she had shown some of the paths to the people who had the power to do it. Appearing before them and offering them wisdom that belonged to the people who were wiser than her.


    She had nothing to offer, for she was a goddess of war, but she can offer the realization and the knowledge of those who had been better at her in regards to caring for people. Alice thought that no system or ideology was perfect unless each side sits down. Some do not compromise and some do it out of hatred.


    There was no changing human nature unless you take their free will. She had ruled with iron fists and yet she couldn¡¯t feel superior about her achievements. Alice had been saving worlds yet Alice could now recall the destruction that she leaves behind after saving those worlds.


    Alice could no longer pretend about her actions. Not when she had seen the look in the eyes of those people in the tower worlds. The look of the Eon-Father and the Pale Shine as she slays them.


    Alice stared at her palms. Her ideals, beliefs, and wants were being suppressed by her reasoning. Four years had passed since she came to this world. In those four years she found a home. But even so she wanted to find a reason to keep on going. Four years was nothing to an eternal like her. She was perpetually alive and she only knew three existence that could end her.


    Deadman...I hope he does not find me here, no, I doubt that he would here. He would hate interfering with this world. No, he¡¯s after the Burnt Woman, not Alice Dame.


    Alice calmed herself. She placed the pie inside the oven and waited for it to take. It was then that Nia sauntered down the stairs and twisted on one of the chairs of the table.


    Focus on the current, fool woman. Don¡¯t let them ruin this bliss you found.

 Chapter 372: Her Addiction

    If she had anything to say about the world that she was in. It was that it was eerily peaceful compared to the worlds she knew. Alice had done her investigations and heard of the names of the people that have saved this world. They were powerful people and that is why she couldn¡¯t go near them, fearing that they may be able to know of her existence.


    She crossed a road while watching the automobiles powered by blue crystals they mined. Not one of them seemed to understand that the use of their crystals were draining the air of the power. There was something inside the crystal that turned the energy into electricity. She had thought that magic was so simple once. But her travels around different worlds and meeting figures changed that perception.


    To Alice magic was a superimposed coincidence. Strings that are weaved together for the sake of producing an effect.  She believed that most of those who wield these powers could not connect the dots. They do not string these effects together to produce power beyond.


    She recalled that when she was in a highly advanced world. Where science ruled the world more than magic. All those devices were made from the minerals and metals that had somehow produced images made of light. When she saw those images she was sure that they were made of magic. Then she read the manuals given to her and it left her baffled how complex they were.


    Those modern worlds had changed her perception. She had seen so much and used what she had learnt to create a god out of herself.


    Alice sometimes wondered what would have been the conclusion of their many battles if she didn¡¯t have those knowledge? Would Nolan have been able to beat her? Would he have won against her who possessed such knowledge?


    No, she knew the reason why Nolan continued living. Why he continued to suffer.


    She couldn¡¯t admit it herself. She likes to think that what she did was right. Afterall, what kind of an idiot falls for the person she made to suffer? Not out of sin, not out of spite, but out of belief that there was no way that he could have fallen for her. She used him as a tool and a warmth that she could rely on.


    She made a monster, devil, and a villain of him in those timelines.


    She had wondered what made her so desperate to turn a good man into something he didn¡¯t want to?


    No matter what evil he had to make during those times. She could not be convinced that his heart was into it.


    She had a sickening belief that once he broke he would become one of the many that chased after him. That he would show his true colors.


    He broke. He stumbled. He was placed in so many despairing situations that she would never do to someone. No, she was jealous. She was sure of it. She was jealous of the Ciara that had been admired by Nolan Salvatore. She was envious to the point that she had concentrated all the evils in her heart to one single person.


    It couldn¡¯t be forgiven. She realized that her sickening ways couldn¡¯t be forgiven. But looking back at the way he was broken and then rising back to his feet made her cheeks blushed. What made her act that way? Was it the anger that she had kept on her heart? Or was it the very fact that she could rewind time in those instances that she thought of those times as irrelevant? Had power gotten to her head that she was sure that as long as she turned back time. She could use him as a way to experiment with the workings of those worlds?


    Was the excuse that she had done those things for the greater good of the people around her was enough? Or was it because she saw him as an illusion? A person that shouldn¡¯t even be in that world?


    No, there is no way that my actions are excusable.  What kind of monster would make a man suffer for millennia just to prove that she was right? To use him as a tool?


    ¡°Hah,¡± she snarled. ¡°Am I being too emotional? Foolish woman. By what right do you have to feel guilty about your sins? The sins that you have done? But even so...why do I cling to the idea thaI can still live a peaceful life? By what right do you have to ask for a peaceful life you fool! Do you think that you can be forgiven? Do you think so?¡±


    She gathered enough power to break a continent. She glanced at the side where Nia entered. She did not sense the power she wielded. She could have broken this continent apart with a single blow from this power.


    ¡°Mama?¡± she said, ignorant of the power that could have murdered this continent.


    ¡°Nia, welcome home,¡± Alice drained the power from her body. She felt the cord connecting to her main body aligned and that surge of power had almost broken out of her body. She had to be careful.


    Her hands shook. She turned towards Nia and was about to speak when she felt Nia¡¯s embrace.


    ¡°Upset again, Ma?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± she said, without thought. ¡°I am afraid.¡±


    She squeezed her eyes close. The power that flowed within her was amazing. She had been holding back in taking in power. But it seems like even if she does stop taking from the source of power. Her body itself drinks the power and fills her body.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Ma,¡± Nia said, her little arms wrapping around in a circle. ¡°You should really take the time to relax.¡±


    Alice nodded. She hurried to the couch and held her head. There was pain and a heart wrenching desire to drink the power. She craved it. She wanted it. But seeing Nia those thoughts vanished. How could she think of breaking this continent when Nia was around?


    Alice hated it. Alice despised the way she was going. She¡¯s as ancient as a star and yet she couldn¡¯t control her impulses. The sickening desire to drink in power stayed with her.

 Chapter 373: A Visit From the Observer

    You poor fool. Why delude yourself?


    Alice took care of the house. She cleaned the upper floor before moving to the second floor. She got rid of the dust and burned the rest of the garbage that was placed on a box she bought.


    You...have you forgotten your oaths? Have you forgotten about the promise you made that day? Tell me, you did forget! For what? For the sake of mistakes you have made yourself? Don¡¯t be foolish! We need to reach the Greater World. We need to find that world!


    ¡°For what purpose,¡± she shouted suddenly.  Alice held her head again and gritted her teeth. She sat cross-legged on the wooden floor and absorbed power to sustain her hunger.


    ¡°I need to get a hold of myself!¡± she stated. She ran to her room and gathered power again. After that she returned back on the first floor where she played with the fire on her fingers.


    Something dark and scary. Something that stretches within infinity of time. A two-headed wolf, a walker of bleak, and three-fingers. Demonic skin made of blackened woodstone. He wears the mask of the old. Hunting down those who had flayed his skin. He is a gravewalker, and he always finds his only prey. He walks the dread and punishes those who had called themselves  as saviors. One of the many. But yet only one. Created by the efforts of a foolish witch. You promised! You made an oath to reach the gates of the Greater world! You promised.


    The image of a Knight pulled from the legs being torn by mangled and wrinkled hands. She saw a throne made of silver being burned. A man who wore a cloak and a crow sat on his shoulders. He carried a staff that flew like spears. He walks like the shadows and haunts like a ghost.


    ¡°Please,¡± said Alice. ¡°I just need to watch her pass peacefully. That¡¯s fine right? We have so much time ahead of us. Why not try to feel this peace?¡±


    You think you can run away? A monster playing house? Did you tell him that? When you wrapped his limbs in chains? When you turned him into a devourer that broke the lands, and killed Oasis City¡¯s inhabitants? Did  you think of him as you ram your sword in his heart, thinking that you were the righteous one?  Please, do not lie to me! Do not lie to your heart¡¯s desire!


    ¡°But I do feel this pain!¡±


    You do. How long are you going to pretend that you are not used to it? To pretend that you would be fine to watch a loved become wrinkled, and die? You do not have much time here. You should know this. Your thoughts betray you. You know this!¡±


    Alice couldn¡¯t lie to herself. The power of the Burned Maiden was getting stronger. Without any life to support. The Burned Woman would only grow strong as minutes passed. Every deity ends up somewhere and that place was called the Greater World where people like her might be able to place themselves in an eternal slumber. She must reach the Greater World! She must escape him before she is thrown again into such a tiresome loop of fighting.


    Alice paced around the world before turning her eyes to the door. She saw a woman standing on the doorway with a cheery mood around her. She bowed the moment she met eyes with Alice.


    ¡°Hold on. Stop and calm yourself, Burnt Woman. Alice Dame was it? Still, I really am always impressed by your ability to find him. Here to ruin another life eh?¡±


    ¡°You...Why are you?¡±


    ¡°I said stop. Do not try to channel power. You made me able to find you because of it. Do you really want to be hunted down here? When Miss Vie is around?¡±


    ¡°Vie? You? Did you try anything?¡±


    ¡°Silly question,¡± said her. ¡°I am not you. Miss Nia is happily enjoying her studies. I am glad that this is her fate. Still, to think you¡¯d play mother. Then again you were always a good mother to those who you cared for.¡±


    ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°I just want to know why you almost want to break the continent in half. Oh, you know that he¡¯s here.¡±


    ¡°Alcina!¡± she said with gritted teeth. ¡°Do you think that I won¡¯t rip you in half here?¡±


    ¡°Of course not!¡± she shook her head, deliberately looking at Alice with a grin. ¡°When did you not try to kill me? Ah, but are you sure about that?¡±


    ¡°You...you were the one who allowed them to find me. Are you here for that same purpose? Again?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m here to look at the monster playing pretend. Besides, if  you want to then I can always tag you. Made him realize that the one he is hunting is in this errant world. You did well, honestly. Fooling him that he became a hunter for the Gods.¡±


    ¡°You yanked his chain.¡±


    ¡°And you did not have a part of it? Don¡¯t be so pretentious to think that you did not make a monster of him. For now, let us talk shall we?¡±


    ¡°I have nothing to say to you.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I know.¡±


    ¡°I am going to rip you apart.¡±


    ¡°Do you really want to attract him here? Because you¡¯d be making another if you act up now. Oh, go ahead, call the Deadman here and now.¡±


    ¡°You know him. Deadman.¡±


    ¡°Poor Mister. Really, why didn¡¯t you let him go in that time? You cut him down when you left for the new worlds with your family. But you failed to realize that at that moment he was a revenant.  Really, I am rather surprised that Mister Nolan can have so many fragments...right now there are only two remaining. I am surprised again that you didn¡¯t immediately ruin him. Or was it because he has a tug on the creation itself? Ah, is it because of the Deadman?¡±


    ¡°What do you want from me, Alcina?¡±


    ¡°To talk,¡± she said with open arms. ¡°I always wanted to talk to  the person that murdered my dear father and mother.¡±

 Chapter 374: Apotheosis of the Bleak Walker

    The world halted to a still.


    The observer¡¯s arrival shook Alice from the core.


    ¡°What the hell is happening?¡± asked Alice.


    ¡°It only means that I am here. Really, I can see that you are in your third stage.¡±


    ¡°Third...stage?¡±


    She raised a finger.


    ¡°One: She will meet the lady of the three fates and bring salvation.¡±


    She raised two fingers.


    ¡°Two: She shall bring salvation and chaos. Causing worlds to break.¡±


    ¡°Three: She shall delude herself to starting the cycle anew..¡±


    Alice stomped her leg.


    ¡°That¡¯s not happening.¡±


    ¡°It has already happened,¡± said the Observer. ¡°You have three cycles and four years here that have made you delusional. The Burnt Woman, the destroyer of worlds, and the Deadman¡¯s Torturer. Do you really think that acting this way could change that? This had happened when he died during that time. You suddenly turned good despite all the filth that you have done for this world.¡±


    Alice secretly clenched power. The woman who called  herself as the observer smiled. She  pulled something in the air as Alice felt her body flung to the clouds where she stood on one.


    ¡°You really think that you could hold me? Please, you may call yourself as a God while you are in your main body. But right now, you are simply a woman who has fooled herself as a good one. Besides, you do not have any right to stay in the world any longer, Burnt Woman.¡±


    Above the clouds. Right in the atmosphere she saw the planet that has been getting closer and closer started to burn. The planet became another sun as she could do nothing but watch it happen.


    ¡°LET ME GO!¡± Power burned through Alice¡¯s veins as all lies of her proposed humanity came out.  When her skin burned what remained was a humanoid figure of a creation of light pretending to be a person.


    ¡°See?¡± she said to her face. ¡°You are nothing but a lie created to pretend.¡±


    ¡°Nia!¡± she screamed with murder in her voice. The air around ¡®Alice¡¯ burned like fireworks popping endlessly. She had tried to get out of the Observer¡¯s control, but there was nothing.


    ¡°You cannot move me. You cannot defeat a fixed being. Oh, please, don¡¯t give me that look, Burned Woman. You created Alcina the Cheery unknowingly, when you had killed my mother and father while chasing the Deadman. I don¡¯t fault you for what you did. I understand now that the lust for power is something that no one can resist. Maybe you truly are starting to change. Maybe. But I¡¯ve seen you do this for millions and millions of years. Each cycle brings nothing, but the death of a world and the awakening of the Burned Woman. I mean I should have hope, but thinking that the woman who burns, a goddess who governs wars would stay peaceful is nothing short but a delusion. You are unable to change. You will complete your cycle before long. You are too stubborn, Burnt Woman.¡±


    ¡°Le me go!¡± said Alice, pleading. ¡°I have to save Nia.¡±


    ¡°Do not worry,¡± she said to her. ¡°Nia will have her salvation. Not because of your help, but through the man who will become a guardian. Really, these are one of the few things that makes being an observer worth the time. Behold, the one you had wanted to obtain.¡±


    She saw the familiar figure zip through the air, breaking the sound barrier, and approach the planet. Light escaped out of his eyes and the sword he wielded seemed to scar time and space itself.¡±


    ¡°Papa was always someone who did not belong. But this Papa has been able to escape your grasp...Behold, Burnt Woman, you will never reach him now.¡±


    The masked lie fell. The heart that covered her lies broke as power from an invisible place came to Alice, her eyes burning with greed as she tried to capture Nolan who was trying to stop the planet.


    ¡°You have no power here, Burnt Woman,¡± said Alcina. ¡°You will not stop this. You cannot do it. This is not your domain. This is not the man you loved. You threw him away already. You threw him away and now he hunts you, Burnt Woman!¡±


    Alcina spreads her arms as space itself locks her from moving. The Alice that wanted nothing more than to spend years of peace with Nia warped into a being that could not control itself.


    ¡°Look at you,¡± Alcina shook her head. ¡°You could not hold back. Ah, the Goddess who broke the Eon-Father now weeps at the thought of the man who had persevered to be with her, leaving her. You should have known this would happen. Do you really think that centuries of torture can forgiven? Do not think that this man can be with you. Really, I might be a mistake that was formed out of a moment of weakness, but even I won¡¯t allow my Papa to commit the mistake of falling in with you. The Deadman will be the only one you have. Begone, Burnt Woman, you have no place here.¡±


    The planet that was above the world turned into bright stars that fell softly on the world. Powers fell on every part of this world as it then started to yank Alice out of this world and back into that lonely world where she only existed.


    ¡°You are one of the many anchors that she tries to use. You do know that you only exist as a beacon? You are nothing more than that. I once believed that maybe there will be something good that would one day come. But it was nothing more than a delusion. He was right from the start. The Deadman was right. Once you see a useful warmth of light then you¡¯d cling to it just like you cling to a drug. You even stop pretending to be human. You are made of light, Alice Dame. Nothing more than projection. That''s why I consider this as a mercy.¡±


    She drew a familiar sword from the confines of space. She could recognize the shape of that sword. It was the sword that he usually wielded. The sword that he used to fight hordes of demons. It was the sword he had used in the war that he called Zachariah.


    ¡°Why do you have that?¡±


    ¡°Who knows? Hush now, the Deadman says his regards. Back to the hunting ground, Burnt Woman.¡±


    The sword stabbed her. A pair of hands that were missing three fingers pulled her out of the world.


    Thrashing, kicking, screaming, with it ending with a cursed dagger rammed against her throat.


    A hateful face appeared before her.


    It was an aged face that was filled with scars.


    The Eternal Hawk was on his eyes.


    It was the face of the man she killed before going to the tower worlds.


    The human that faced a demigod...the human...not the Nolan Salvatore that reached this apotheosis.

 Chapter 375: Book 5 – Epilogue.

    In that empty rock she called home she awoke. She pulled her hair as she was unable to reach that world again. Not even the senses she had could detect that world any longer. The Observer was gone from her sight. Vanished. Alongside that world where he was.


    ¡°ALCINAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA¡±


    Her blood curdling scream broke four worlds she created. The incarnations within her protested with rage as the ¡®beacon¡¯ named Alice Dame died. She tried to reach into one of the many beacons, but there was something preventing her from reaching them.


    ¡°What the hell is this!?¡± she raged.


    She saw a hateful vision. A fragment of Ciara Alician, the woman who should be part of her, now fragmented away, looking at Nolan Salvatore, HER Nolan, descending down towards them.


    Seeing the child next to Ciara Alician. Something burned inside the Burnt Woman as jealousy and envy turned the blackened space into a flare of red. The black color for space turned orange and red as an unknown envy rose from the depths of her heart.


    ¡°Told you,¡± a phantom said, appearing next to the Burnt Woman. ¡°Nothing but lies, just envy and jealousy inside you. You...have you become so lonely now that you want a companion? A simpleton that would tell you that you are right? You didn¡¯t want to be alone. That¡¯s why you kept him and fell. The gall of you to think that you can still be with him. I won, Burnt Woman. You will not have my Papa anymore.¡±


    ¡°Won?¡± she said, mumbling, and muttering words none would understand. ¡°You! I will hunt you down, Alcina!¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter,¡± a voice mocked. ¡°I have made it sure that you won¡¯t bother him. He shall be forever lost in the spaces where a god like you wouldn¡¯t reach. That world is close to the Greater World, a true errant world where not even the Gods could take a step unless the almighty himself wants to. You may be a God. But you are not almighty, you are no Grand Architect.¡±


    ¡°WHAT ARE YOUUUU!¡±


    ¡°The child that you thought you had removed.. The child of the woman who you killed. The child of the man who has given everything to be by your side. The child who saw his father killed again and again for the sake of an Evil pretending to be good. I will not pretend that you weren¡¯t good once. But there is something rotten inside of you that could not be changed. If not for the cruel, imposing coincidence that the cosmos have given me. I would not be here. An Observer does not meddle, but I merely followed the words of a phantom that possessed me.¡±


    She breathed out a breath that turned into a phantom. It was a figure that wore a mask made of fleshy obsidian. He was missing three fingers.


    The Burnt Woman tried to grab this phantom but it disappeared. Lashing out in anger, she broke another world that she crafted, and what was left was the image of the Observer fading away from the background of this burning universe that the Burnt Woman created.


    You started this fight.


    The Burnt Woman heard the voice of Alcina.


    When you took his life and made a guinea pig out of him. You who did not care about the life of a loyal man who wanted nothing but to fight for the cause you yourself started.


    Face it,  Burnt Woman, Goddess of War and Envy, you did not want a companion in life. You wanted someone who could play the fool, while you basked in your self-righteousness. You may have saved worlds, but you left them in ashes as you did.


    Do not ever think that you are the right one just because you think you are. I¡¯ve seen what your ¡®right¡¯ can do to the world. Your wanting to do to the right have caused billions of lives, of the people who you labeled as evil.


    She tried to remove the voices inside of her head. The grip of this voice however could not be easily removed. All that was left for her was the mocking voice of the Observer.


    You will not find your peace here, Burned Woman. I will make sure to continue observing until the day all the beacons you had placed are removed from this world. Until the day the Deadman cuts your throat, and ends you. I shall be kindly watching, hoping, that he will be freed from this battle.


    And so she vanished without any trace. What was left was the Burned Woman who had become a Goddess of War for the sake of those who wanted a helping hand.She was back in this lonely world. She was back to the place where none would hear. She was so close to finding that reason to take power. She needed Nia to find that reason and yet that reason was robbed by a meddler.


    But then she saw pasts like a broken film reel flying in every direction.


    Upon the many worlds that had happened. There was one person who broke his trust out of his own free will. The man who devoured the time wraiths and a guardian wasn¡¯t the one in the towering worlds. She had seen it happened only once yet she knew that he took the role of the old revenant. Older than the Burnt Woman, before she was put to a stake.


    She could hear the Deadman coming. She could hear the Deadman coming for the beacons that she had thrown into the world. Once those beacons are gone then she would never be able to escape this lonely world. She had done it when she let those people of the towering worlds escape this world. She wasn¡¯t going to escape within that slit so she thought better. She spread the seeds that would allow her to be free.


    But he was coming. The Deadman comes for her fragments, hunting her down until there was only her.


    Thirty-seven trillion seeds yet many of them had been torn. It was a task that could last an eternity...but yet the Deadman needed to hunt the last three of her seeds before they could find the spark that would allow her to creep out of this world.


    How could she have forgotten something? It has always been this way ever since she started the loop.


    Nolan Salvatore...who became the Deadman...would chase the Burnt Woman.


    Not because of love.


    Not because of a promise of happiness.


    But to simply hunt her down.


    And she wouldn¡¯t like it otherwise.


    And so the woman¡¯s twisted love turned into a joy she could not fathom. Her face warped into that of a bliss of a woman who couldn¡¯t control her happiness. She laughed like a maiden in love, waiting, eagerly, for the Deadman to come and visit.  The moment she could see the man with three missing fingers again...she would know.


    For their story has always been about their meeting...


    Chapter 375: The Sequestered Emotions


    END OF BOOK 5

 Chapter 376: Book 5 Interlude – A Destined Cycle

    A man whose flesh was being sewn by obsidian flesh stood before a woman. Around the woman was a wasteland where so many mountains and hills were torn apart. Power gushes through her eyes. A blade however was stuck on her chest, constantly absorbing the energy.


    ¡°Lanon,¡± she said, tearfully. ¡°I thought you loved me. Was all that a lie? Why? I trusted you...I thought you wanted to save the world.¡±


    ¡°You are a beacon. A monster,¡± said the man whose obsidian-like mask of a face stared at her. The red glow in his eyes bore malice that could drown a world.


    ¡°I loved you.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± he dug the sword deep into her chest. ¡°But Ciara, you are a monster. I do not fault you for wanting to save the world, but look at the waste that you had left behind. All that power you use without a thought...for the sake of a greater good. That greater good...that piece of shit of belief that as long as you save the world you mind killing me over and over.¡±


    ¡°I won''t! I loved you!¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± he said. ¡°That¡¯s the thing here. Some things are best left alone. The world isn¡¯t so weak that it could be defeated. I¡¯ve seen better men fight for the sake of the light. I saw those who were told to be weak rise to the top and defeat the evils that all the world can offer. You...the worlds don¡¯t need a destructive savior.¡±


    ¡°Why? Please...why?¡±


    He drove the sword further, almost to the hilt of the sword.


    ¡°You...no matter what world it is. You really are a liar, aren¡¯t you? Stop it, Ciara. It makes you look so unsightly.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand...we promise...that after we save everyone...we¡¯d be happy...you and me...together...why?¡±


    ¡°Hush now,¡± he plunged the sword deep into her.  ¡°The same sweet lies. The same goddamn lie...I wonder why you like that lie so much? Oh my Burnt Lady, when will you stop lying?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand!¡± she grabbed hold of the sword, eyes pleading to him, searching for sanity in that deep madness his eyes held. ¡°Please! Tell me! Why!¡±


    ¡°I said stop lying!¡± He took his hand off the sword and pulled her arms using both hands. She screamed. But the pain she shouted did not come from the missing arms or the sword stuck in her chest. It was the scream of a heartbroken woman who had been betrayed by the person she trusted most in the world.


    She believed in him. She had believed that he would support her as she saves the world. That¡¯s why she couldn¡¯t understand why the same person had turned his blade against her. Her knight had betrayed her and took her arms. How could she not have her heart broken?


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± said him. ¡°We¡¯ll meet again, Ciara. One day, I will meet your main fragment, and when I do I will make sure that I could rest her soul. Cleanse it and send you to reincarnation.¡±


    ¡°Whyyyyyyyy?¡± she asked, eyes tearing as she spat a mouthful of blood. The sword that was stuck inside her chest kept on sucking in the power that was trying to gush out of her. The second wind that she had never came to her. The power that she relied on never came.


    ¡°Lanonnnnnnnnnn!¡±


    A man¡¯s voice sounded. It sounded with fury that could break the land. He turned towards that voice, disarmed the man, and choked him until he fainted. She tried to get away only for him to get the sword that man wielded and sever her legs.


    She screamed again under the burning sky. He scooped her within his arms and gently pushed the blade down. She stared at him with utter heartbreak in her eyes. He wondered how many dreams that this fragment had? How many fragments of the Burnt Woman that he had killed? How many of them promised a beautiful ending only for him to stab them in the back? Absorbing the essences that made them a war maiden. That was the purpose of the man who had turned into the Deadman.


    As she whimpered painfully, as the blood that came out of her wounds drained her out of life. The Deadman¡¯s face softened. He leaned his forehead on hers.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± he said to her. ¡°This is the only way...you will not change, Ciara. I know that, and that¡¯s why I can only do this. I know that the moment I woke up the second time, when I delivered you into the three fates, you were not the Ciara I know. You were just the War Maiden, the Burnt Woman who is the personification of the War Maidens. That¡¯s why as the person who had delivered you to them, I must take responsibility.¡±


    ¡°I...please...don¡¯t leave me...it¡¯s so cold¡­¡±


    ¡°Shhhh,¡± he whispered. ¡°We¡¯ll meet again...I think there are only three of you...after I remove the seeds...then I¡¯ll meet the real you again...Ciara. On that day, I don¡¯t plan on losing. I am not planning to lose to you again and be thrown into a scar in space and time again. I still remember that day. Losing to you as you then travel worlds with your family. I thought in some parts of my head that you¡¯d do me proud, then I saw the burning worlds you tried to save.  You save those worlds at the cost of something too great.  Seeing you save worlds over and over again...was horrifying. Because you truly believe that you were right. That¡¯s why...until I meet you again. I¡¯ll hunt them all down. You were hard to kill, which is expected of an incarnation, for now...how about resting?¡±


    She whimpered as her breathing stopped to a halt. The sword of Zachariah that he wielded cried as the souls of the war maidens he killed lingered. Endlessly trapped inside the sword.


    He stood up and gazed on her lifeless body. The burning world that she had left in order to defeat a greater evil would soon turn bountiful.  Kissing her forehead,  he turned into the form of a time wraith,  turning his eyes to the next fragment.


    He didn¡¯t regret it.


    He was used to it.


    Killing the woman he loved so that she could find peace from her madness.


    His wish to stop the Burnt Woman did not cease.


    He had already known ever since he turned his blade towards her.


    That the Bleak Walker who became the Deadman, and the Ciara who became the Burnt Woman won''t have a happy ending.


    karsev


    I like to thank everyone who have been reading this story so far.


    For now, since I''ve reach this far, I am planning to rest until then.


    Thank you, for taking the time to read this.


    -barsev

 –The Bleak Walker’s Epilogue–

    I saw many stars and planets on my way to Concordia.


    I didn¡¯t know why, but I was a part of a trichiliocosm.


    A certain path was paved for me, and that path ends for me here. Not because I was destined to die, but because the figure in front of me, standing on top of a storied building, basking under the light of the sun was me before I started my journey.


    I had asked myself why I was sent to that world in the first place. Then, it dawned to me that there were two paths that were paved for me.


    One path ends with me walking the bleak path. The path which I have been able to take. I became a bleak walker that walked on the bodies of my comrades, trek through dunes, and reached a world where none could imagine. All because of a superimposed coincidence  that led to the path where I reached a state where I could pull a tug on creation. But I came to notice that I wasn¡¯t the only one suffering. The other me, he was still walking his bleak path, forced to take on the task that I refused to looked at.


    No, it was because I knew that it was not Audrey, not the woman who carried the lamp, and certainly not the Burnt Woman who forced the fool standing on top of a building to start the journey. No, it was not the call of the void, but merely a simple push on his back, down to that tore in where he would start his journey.


    I looked down on the hole where he fell, before I dived out of the place. I was not an eternal being that could create life, sustain life, and see through all creation. I was simply an anomaly loose on a cog, a cosmic plaything that was created through a single imposed coincidence.


    I did not think when I pushed my own back through that hole in space. All I thought was how natural it was for me to do that.


    Even though I know what hell was waiting for me.


    Even though I know that I would suffer.


    But it was a needed coincidence.


    Nolan Salvatore will have to become the bleak walker and be split into two. I was in a state of being high with power that I turned my attention to the fella that was wandering without looking back. He was thrown into another world, searching for the fragment of the burnt woman. He was in chains and was dragged by people who wore strange armor made of steel powered by crystals containing energy that greatly enhances their strength. He turned his attention to where I was looking and nodded. His smile was so sad that I wondered if I was right to abandon this fragment of mine. But then I turned my attention to the place where they were waiting for me. Ciara, the Ciara that I met in that world, and our children had grown lovely. I think he knows it somewhere inside his soul that there was a possibility that he could have the joy that I had felt for the four years before the planet came to this world.


    But it was his own choice. He needed to hunt the Burnt Woman for the sake of his own peace. Usually, the fragments would return back to where my soul was. But then again this soul had become independent due to the souls it took. It was a symbiotic relationship, a body that relied on the body of Kaiser, the Guardian Half-Dragon to gather power through the cosmos. It was because of his strong body that gathers power, and the ability of the Old Revenant. Their souls fed on him, and bonded, forged by exploring the cosmos. It is no wonder that I was able to have this power. I understood that the moment this ¡®planet¡¯ that I tore apart, showed me the power that my soul embraced. I didn¡¯t know what to think about it other than this was meant to happen. I needed to become a fixed being.


    I could not know anything. It was the same as asking why the worlds were formed. It was naturally there. That was what I thought when I saw the ¡®me¡¯s¡¯ starting their journey. Across the seas of space and time there was only the Deadman left, the Nolan Salvatore who took in the name of Amadan, a name that meant fool, a loony.


    I could not stop his wanderings. I could not stop the need of this fragment who had separated from me. I know that this was a fragment that knew that there was no helping it. The Burnt Woman needed to die, before she could reach another world where she could grow again. She would repeat that, for she had become a goddess who had thought to save everyone, knowing that when she saves worlds she would leave it burning.


    He was the second Nolan, the Nolan that woke up in that desert, thinking, that he would be able to do something, knowing that he came from the future, not knowing that he was trapped under the cycle of someone who wanted to become god for the sake of the good she wanted imposed on any worlds she saw suffering.


    ¡°Why is it so wrong to seek for the good of it all?¡± she  said once.


    She was fighting against a madness that every intelligent lifeform had in any world. To take that away means that she was going to rob them of their freedom.  It was a selfish, yet somehow pure wish that she could not let go, even if it means losing her sanity to achieve it.


    I was filled with hate for her.


    He was as well.


    But I could not chase after this woman who wanted to save worlds. You could say that I was running away, after all, I finally found the place where I belonged. I finally found it. That¡¯s why I could only pray that one day, he too would find it as well.


    I pulled my consciousness out of that realm. Leaving only images of my fragment who called himself as Amadan being taken into a cart, headed to a market where he would start again.


    I saw them on the beach where they looked up. My little boy, my daughter, staring at the sky with glazed eyes. Her hand was clasped together. I fell down like a feather, and prompted myself upright, when they saw me coming out of the clouds, the falling stars shining behind me. I saw the joy that I have been looking for.


    ¡°Welcome back,¡± she said. My children grabbed on to my thighs as they cried.


    They say that a bleak walker marches until they find their oasis.


    I finally found it.


    This was my oasis.

 -After the End-

    A man was captured at the tip of the world where none should be able to live. A broken small moon that has a strange atmosphere around it. A space station who bore solar sails. As they approached the man who wore nothing but an age-old jacket and carried a pistol on his lap. They noticed that the man was fine despite the pressure and the gravity that made their exoskeleton¡¯s motors groan.


    ¡°Sir,¡± the astronaut said. ¡°We¡¯ve come to plead you.¡±


    ¡°I am no one.¡±


    ¡°Revenant,¡± said another. ¡°Please save our souls.¡±


    ¡°Do I look like a God to you, friend?¡±


    He pointed at the vertical slit that looked like an eye. A gigantic orange hole that seems to open up the vast space. Galaxies were being sucked from every direction. None could escape it. But he had seen such sights for so long that it was not new to him.


    ¡°Why do you cower when your people have made such wonders? Why do you people bow your head to the wraith that has lost his mate? Alas, I am a Guardian, a Revenant that watches for eternity. But what kind of Guardian let''s people die, eh? Do you have your mothership, friends?¡±


    ¡°They are  trying to escape that, Sir.¡±


    ¡°I understand. Then let me tell you this. I shall send your people to the next dimension. Send them a beacon but heed my words, friends. Find your own planet and live peacefully. Try not to bother the natives of that world or you shall perish.¡±


    The Astronauts shuddered. The one that seems like a woman with long ears nodded and bowed her head. Beyond that thick helmet was strange eyes. He ignored those eyes and held his hands towards the slit in the void. He held them together and strange pillars of light captured the slit.


    ¡°Go now, I shall wait for your ships to pass. Godspeed, friends. May You are Blessed By Whatever God you worship.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Revenant.¡±


    The two were tethered back to their ship. A beacon was released and every augment inside his head kept on telling him that a number of them were coming to this location. He wondered how they could have known that someone like him existed? But that doesn¡¯t matter now. How long had it been since she left him alone? He was not mad at her mortality. They had lived long good lives and even his descendants have become the leaders of the many worlds that this dimension had. Maybe some of them had known who he was?


    ¡°It¡¯s a good run, Ashia,¡± he said. ¡°Still, I would love to have seen the end of the world with you. In the next life, I¡¯ll find you. Or will you find me first again?¡±


    He said that with a smile. Who knew that the young fool who watched the sun from above a building would end up standing at the ends of the world? Who knew that so he would travel on so many worlds? How many wonders had he seen? It was not enough even for him. He couldn¡¯t help but laugh at that thought inside his head.


    Then the motherships arrived with their boosters arriving. One after another they appeared before the beacon that those astronauts have said. He smiled at them and showed his presence to every person inside the motherships. It was merely an illusion, but it was enough to show them who he was.


    Humans were stubborn and forgettable.  A century is enough for them to forget and yet he couldn¡¯t help but laugh when thinking about the long-ears and the red-skinned who were with them inside their motherships.


    The long-lived wouldn¡¯t easily forget. Not when he would hunt them down if they would even try to do so. But can he even do that knowing what is next for him?


    He opened a hole where they could pass to. Those motherships and before the slit could break free from his hold. He jumped behind the motherships and started to wander the hyperspace before everything turned into a kaleidoscope world. He could see the motherships sailing this sea of reflection when suddenly he saw a familiar world. He didn¡¯t hesitate to follow that world and he passed through easily. Dropping from an unknown height he saw a familiar sight that made tears appear on his eyelids. Then at one of the buildings he saw a red-headed young man standing on top of a building. Next to him was a courier bag and a bottle of dehydrated drink.


    ¡°Seriously?¡± He palmed his face at the sight of this young man. Landing on top of the same building like a cat. He turned his attention to the tragedy brewing next to this young man. On both sides he would suffer. One was a grizzly death and one was that of a journey of pain and heartbreak. He could just take him away from all of this, but then he wondered what would happen to him if he does. Should he kill him? No, that won¡¯t be right. If anything, he knew who he was going to be. He could see the tragedy before him yet it will come no matter what.


    He appeared in a blink of an eye next to the young man looking down on the street. He gave him a pat on the back and he started to fall. He looked at the edge of the building and saw the young man swallowed by a portal. A scent and presence that resembled only her. So she was looking here.


    ¡°I see, no wonder I could survive for so long. So it was my own doing to protect him. There¡¯s no path but this. And I have no path other than to do this...huh.¡±


    He began to fade. He could see through his hand. He looked up to the skies and gave a weary smile. ¡°Ever the cosmos¡¯s plaything am I? No matter, I have done my part and now I shall move on. Hey, can I find her again?¡±


    None answered him, but he was sure that he could. He has lived long enough and time was his ally. He was losing strength. His soul was crumbling, dissipating like a vapor in the wind. He had given it all to the Deadman who continued his hunt. He couldn¡¯t be like him. He couldn¡¯t allow himself to be like him. He may be able to live a long life, but it was because he knew that dying would allow him to get closer to where she was. An eternity of walking, hunting down a monster in a world that she may not exist. He couldn¡¯t do that. So he could only pray to the version of him that couldn¡¯t let go. That he would peace as he did.


    His hand slowly became like dots of light. The sun started to set and before long his entire being glowed. He turned his inner eye to the place where he had forgotten. A moment of recognition as he saw their faces.


    How many times has it been? It didn¡¯t bother. For once he found peace. He bathed under this peace and saw his body dissolve into dots of light under the night sky. As he becomes a hundred dots of light. Nolan Salvatore couldn¡¯t help but smile at the place where he shall go. But still, he wondered if she should feign ignorance first?


    A laugh escaped his lips as he truly disappeared. His soul entered a spiral well made of stars. But before he could truly enter he saw a lonesome image of him sitting on a hill of a world of his own. Forever the hunter and the bearer of the sword that he had refused to take.


    ¡°Life is goodbye,¡± he said to him. ¡°The next time you find me, no, find us. You¡¯ll have everything. I¡¯ll convince her. Besides, I''ll take a long time and we¡¯ll find another anyway. So wait, okay?


    His voice drifted as the spiral well of stars shutted close.


    *****


    In another place, in another time there was another one that had the same image as him. Dragging his broken body and stabbing it inside his opponent¡¯s stomach. He tore the helmet off her and saw a heartbroken woman¡¯s face. How many times has it been? He couldn''t count and yet somehow he heard words that comforted him. Placing his palm on the woman¡¯s head. The pain in her face was gone as she slowly drifted to sleep. He knew who that voice was and yet he envied his cowardice. But he needed to keep on going. He needed to fight on. Because it was his promise. That¡¯s why this was his only path. More of him would be lost in worlds. So many fragments of him walked the bleak path and he knew how to end it all. To stop her from opening that portal that swallowed him. He knew who the coward that pushed him off that building, but that doesn¡¯t matter now.


    Amadan. The name means of a fool, and that of an idiot in his native tongue. What kind of fool would choose a bleak path? He would. That¡¯s why he slid away and into another world where he would begin his search. How long would it take again?


    It didn¡¯t matter. He forged the steel inside his mind and created a wall around the flame inside his head.  The last of the bleak walkers continued on his bleak path. Knowing that there was still a path for him. He landed on top of a sand and followed such a path where the sands would consume his figure.


    Heaven was not enough for the fool.


    THE BLEAK WALKER


    END


    karsev


    My Other Stories :


    The Bleak Walker (Completed)