Freslia P.O.V.
“How long have I been out?”
‘What a migraine!’
It wasn’t the healing ward nor my quarters. I arose from the bed not recognizing anything. With a final check on my clothes, I headed for the door barefooted. I was in a hurry.
A tidy, cozy training area for meditation with floating sigils, orgon and strange formations everywhere welcomed me. The place was undulating with imperceptible energy vibrations, a sealed space.
I felt his presence from behind.
“You took your time deactivating the grand formation. They almost had me.”
Extensive, invasive and intrusive dark energy overcame me. It felt like a tempest, a dark wind. My hairs flew back. My blue eyes manifested with all their power.
Entering the rift through the opening, something from the realm of nightmares came forth, a golden horned draconylf woman. She was walking in my direction. Striking and terrifying by all estimations. The type of being I had heard about yet never met.
I wasn’t able to move too much. I was being suppressed even harder than the grand Andara forest formation of the malgrunians. She walked around me in a counter-clock motion, I was being assessed just like a prime meat cut in the Augir private market.
‘Shouldn’t you do something Akathos?! This is Malaktaraf!’
“So, this is her.”
I had no idea what she meant, her voice was cold as the deep waters. My eyes were exchanging glances with Lord Akathos; he was calm and impassive with zero intention of doing anything.
The draconian singularity settled her eyes on me right in front of my nose. There was barely any separation. She spoke with a menacing tone, not once shifting her eyes from mine.
“Make sure she trains him to my liking, Akathos. Eriel would have loved it.”
She turned and walked away just as she had come. Only when she was gone did the pressure dissipate. My mind was going haywire, trying to make sense of things and the implications ate pieces of my soul.
“Where is my brother???!!!”
“Eriel did not return, Ikrei did.”
‘What?! No way! Why?!’
I couldn’t accept it; I didn’t want to. My stare was anything but kind.
“You played your part perfectly, you fooled me, I thought we were bringing him back. Elder Akathos 9002 sounds about right.”
He moved to stand directly on my left.
“It wasn’t a lie, technically. It needed to be done, even if I gained a little of his trust a day earlier. As you saw, it was close. I wasn’t going to let the fate of my beloved disciple in anybody else’s hands but mine. As ironic as that term sounds coming from me.”
He dispelled one of my curiosities. I was staring him down regardless.
“This was all Eriel’s choice. Let it go, Freslia.”
Half an hour passed, our lives flashed through my mind alongside a simple chorus of a piano tune from my brother that was no longer the brother I knew.
‘? Memories, memories, it is. ?’
Nevertheless, the sense of emptiness and sadness was ever present.
“Damn deviators, regressors and all the rest! Everything would be so much easier if you didn’t exist!”
“Breathe easy Claimere, things also work in reverse. Just focus on the now. Do you need to soul commune, rest, pills, a love formation? We can talk for a very long time; I have a special drink that I have been saving for such an occasion.”
“I’ve just lost my one true friend all over again and this time I don’t know if he will ever return.”
A tear did fall from my right eye.
“What are you going to do Freslia?” Akathos voice was very kind and sorrowful.
“I have taken preemptive measures as well. I have a date!”
“You did?! You do???!!!”
“A full date with all the intricacies of the Andurian custom.”
I removed another tear from my eye and smiled.
“I will pay for everything my friend, no matter what you do. Let loose and go wild! Please don’t destroy an entire floor while at it. Please?”
“I’ll take that, Lord Akathos. Mikros is coming with me, we have earned this.”
“Report on your return. Have fun.” A waving Akathos also turned to leave.
I walked slowly but with determination singing that song Krigsain played for us, Mikros’ favorite.
‘I hope you are ready for what is coming Jin Jin, I’m about to rock your world!’
Yun Hee P.O.V.
Ialpalgar carriages are the westerners’ favorites. As a cultivator and a malgrunian, I find myself somewhere in the middle. I was looking outside the window from the one I was in.
‘I prefer the transportation methods and beasts of Yinshengan.’
The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.
Dangerous red-locks had come for me. The fortress head elder of Malaktaraf had given the order. My complaining had more to do with my emotional state than the carriage itself.
‘Siwonhage yujihasibsio! Keep your cool!’
Even if Mr. Li was with us as the carriage driver, the company inside the luxury ride was making my hairs stand on end. There was no need to make our final trek towards the castle with horses. Krigsain wanted something and the women gave off a feeling similar to my mother, specially the white haired one.
“Have an frielin! These fruits come from far away.”
I did partake, it was delicious, something I had never tasted and my table has been full of delicacies every day since young. Hazu was enjoying herself as the white haired showstopper passed them around.
‘Pretending in front of this lot is exhausting.’
The entire thing was a joyous ordeal about the happenings in the Turgan continent with the occasional verbal jab between the two women, a drunken feast of tales by the chosen of the Andurin. Until one silly story was half-way through.
“…in those days there were no regulations on mass size magical artifact constructs. Yeah, we went for a ride on that thing inebriated.”
“Really? Aurshaka! What happened next?”
“We got home. The streets weren’t reinforced either back then. I thought we were going straight. When we woke up we had zigzagged the main street into a puzzle or something.”
“Yippee, your new man is that old, Dee.”
“Ho, ho. That’s a good thing, Wynie.”
They chortled, the amount of alcohol they had guzzled was gargantuan. Hazu and I exchanged glances.
‘Older than the Madame? What game are you playing chosen?’
He was just playfully looking at the window holding a bottle when he spoke to me.
“My brother will leave you in the dust. Let’s make a deal.”
The two chatty women kept drinking but made no more noise.
“I don’t quite follow your thoughts, Krigsain.”
If he wanted to play I would play but on my terms.
“I’ll help you. There is more to your lord than you think. I read the contract. Even your mother cannot get you to where you want.”
The directness of his actions spook me. I didn’t show it; my own blessing became active. Even Mr. Li’s energy expanded into the passenger seats. Hazu became vigilant.
He just smiled like a demon, like a Malgrunian seat. The eyes of a hunter telling its prey to lay down gently or be torn.
“Apologies, chosen. I never make deals with people I cannot read.”
“I’ll help you develop your chaos root. It’ll be like Ikrei’s. I need an answer from you, that is all.”
Hazu, Mr. Li and I had a three soul connection through Hazu’s special soul artifact. The Madame had authorized many things for my protection.
‘Hear him out then reject him.’
‘Consort blood thread with care, han beon-ui gihoe il su issseubnida.’
‘What can be worth a fully developed chaos root? Intriguing little miss!’
We drank and played the fool with many simple and sweet blandishments, even a few songs. Our soul exchange continued. Krigsain didn’t seem to care.
The following four hours only fueled my curiosity. More tales, more jokes and more drinks were consumed. We even played a four way Andukros match. He knew what he was doing. I couldn’t resist the urge anymore.
“What’s the trick?”
Krigsain held the board piece in his hand, he seemed to fall into deep though.
“Whether you know it or not, the touch of Malgrun is great upon you.”
‘There it is. A window for the will of the Andurin, choice.’
The women began drinking and eating, they were having a kick with my self-inflicted plight.
“Are you going to derail my plans?”
“Your plans, your problems but our order also has its own agenda and so do I. However, I am curious about one thing. And that one thing determines everything else. High stakes cosmic game little lass. Wanna play?”
The devil, the devil with red hair was all I saw. It felt like being inside the Ryaltar for my blessing once more.
Hazu and Mr. Li sent several messages, we conversed for another hour. We agreed that one answer outside of the soul contract couldn’t be detrimental.
‘There’s nothing I know that’s so critical. What does he want?!’
I explained my conditions and we agreed upon them. A ritual dagger, six drops of blood each and a couple of cups and we were ready. I couldn’t lie and he couldn’t back down.
‘Strong, stronger than most under the heavens!’
My very own devilish smile manifested.
“AER ARLUN SPHORIUM!”
“ANAM KALIM DES GLAOH!”
Our souls fused for a split second and we drank the contents. The deal was sealed. I had my path secured, all I needed was to answer a question. Something quite perturbing for a demonic malgrunian, an honest answer with no doublespeak.
‘What a fool. Right?’
Krigsain’s eyes became red, Dee’s eyes became obsidian black and Wynie’s turned purplish with gold irises. A triple covering of godly power. There was no room for games, Hazu and Mr. Li were shaken by the amount of power, even the horses galloped without control.
“Are you evil because you need to be or are you evil because you love to be?”
Ikrei P.O.V.
Day of Io?l, sixth day of the week. Second week of the twelfth month.
“AHH!”
“Urrgh!”
I woke up.
The backlash from the whole experience was unwanted. Dreams and nightmares coalescing into a single thing within my mind. I was back in my room in Malaktaraf. I stretched my hands and moved my fingers. My bearings were all messed up.
My core pulsated with energy and I stabilized as I repeated the breathing exercises. There was a blue emitting light artifact on my table, it was easily visible within the dark room. I was groggy but still managed to reach the table.
There was an envelope next to the blue light emitter. There was a written message on it, “For your eyes only, master Akathos.”
The words jolted me out of my state and I took out the parchment inside, a runecraft grade object. The runes inscribed into it made it clear.
The contents made me feel all sort of emotions, I was a human soufflé. Eriel’s remnant caused a stir, I was somewhat happy. By the time I memorized everything I was dressed and bolting faster than ever before out of the room, headaches and protections be damned.
"ADOHI!" "Star Shadow Steps!"
THUD. THUD. ZOOOOOM!
The letter floated midair as it dissolved.
—Ikrei,
You have five minutes to memorize the contents written in this parchment.
Congratulations in forming your true Will based core. You have endured what most cannot, the dark portion of the chaos path. A path filled with evil. Praise the Great Will for the help. You wouldn’t be reading this otherwise. You will forever fight against your own darkness and its blessings and powers. We will aid you in short order with this considerable inconvenience.
Your training is specifically tailored with two main considerations. First, your temporizing of action, your tendency towards indecision and fear of the dark. Second, the battles ahead and the threats surrounding you that are well beyond the current conflict. A strong chaos magic blade is the only safe haven for you. This was the choice made by Eriel.
Only key members of the order know everything that has happened, do not share this with anyone outside of this circle. Your unique private crystal registry record is 125678963211-32 with all the details for your review and is safe kept in the Humertal Halls back in Lemuria under the watch of the sages. There is also Eriel’s Stargazer bank account 435567854-32 with 70000 Ucra worth of funds, contact Sage Irya for more information.
There is but one more step for you, your individual kotari trial. Everything is ready, I know you will do well. You are no longer the defenseless na?ve boy that arrived at Malaktaraf, you need no further hand-holding. We fight and die for the right to choose. The final choice is here, you can leave, join the Kagemusha or do whatever else you want. You can also stay and bleed with your brothers and sisters. Eriel made his choice, it is time for Ikrei to do as well.
Didn’t you say all you wanted was a better life? Something better than being a small hunter? We have prepared you the best we could for the road in front of you. It is time to spread those wings. This is the period to rest, meditate, prepare, reflect, mingle with your fellow Andurin and decide.
We have been summoned for urgent matters and suitable replacements are in the castle until our prompt return. We hope you are here when we do, we really wanted to see you, I am sorry. You have barely scratched the surface of who you can be, whatever you choose, wherever you go, we want you to know and remember one thing my disciple, we love you.
Forever Soaring, AELZIR!
Akathos Sirlenk – Freslia Avair Zela
PS: If my calculations are correct, by the time you are done memorizing you should run to class. Sage Sarkan will have you upside down if you are late on a sacred day. I don’t recommend another mistake with my brother. —
