|Jude|
As soon as I expressed my willingness to go to the Council, the two male lances' tense expressions relaxed. I sensed their relief, perhaps because they were worried I would resist. My mother was stunned by my decision, but my father stepped up and calmed her down.
As we were getting ready to leave, Arthur approached us and offered to accompany us. I was going to refuse, but then I realized that Arthur had a bigger reason for joining us. Normally, he would have stayed behind with our family. I nodded in agreement, and the Lances didn't dare object.
Before we departed, I went to Curtis and asked him to keep the true reason for my visit to the Council a secret from Kathy. I wanted to protect her from knowing that I was being accused of a crime. Curtis understood my request and nodded solemnly. Then, we made our way towards the Council's location.
The Lances flew effortlessly without the use of spells. I was able to fly using my own white core, which surprised the Lances and Arthur. Arthur followed us by riding Sylvie, whose true form had already been revealed when he brought her to the Academy. We flew over the Grand Mountains, which divided the Continent of Dicathen in half. It was impossible to tell how far we had traveled, but eventually, we landed in a small clearing on the edge of the Grand Mountains, facing the Beast Glades. We decided to rest for the night.
During our rest, I used my evolved X-Ray Eyes to see particles of mana and strange purple particles. The purple particles were different from mana, heavier, and didn't move together like mana. Just as I was about to share my discovery, Varay held up her hand and searched the air for something. Suddenly, the sky split apart, revealing a metal staircase.
A piercing light seeped through the crack of the wall that had split apart, blinding me momentarily. As my eyes adjusted, I could finally make out what was ahead. A brightly lit corridor with an arched ceiling stretched from where we were, walls covered with mysterious designs carved onto every visible facet and corner. The engraved runes gave the impression that the corridor was more like a memorial etched with names of the deceased than a luxurious decoration, each engraving and design holding a purpose and meaning. Simple chandeliers hung from the ceiling every few meters apart, but while the hall was brightly lit, the white light gave off a cold, emotionless feel, reminding me of the hospitals back in my old world.
Varay broke the silence. "Now that we're inside the castle, it is best not to converse with us or any of the lances," she whispered with an unusual chill to her voice as we entered through the rather crudely-made door.
We walked in silence, with only the echoes of our footsteps filling the hall. Doors of different colors and materials lined either side of the metallic corridor, each distinct from one another. The corridor seemed to stretch on indefinitely, but thankfully, Varay stopped us at a seemingly random door to our left. She knocked without pause until the door swung inward, revealing an armoured man the size of a bear.
I took a closer look at him.
"My Lords," the guard immediately knelt down with his head bowed.
"Rise," Varay replied cooly. The guard stood back up but did not make eye contact with either of the two lances. Instead, his gaze was fixed on me, regarding me both curiously and cautiously.
"Tell the Council of our arrival." Olfred waved the guard away impatiently. The armoured man took another quick bow and disappeared behind a hidden black door that looked to be a part of the wall.
After a few minutes, the guard came back out and fully opened the door for us, allowing us in. "Lance Zero and Lance Balrog have been given permission to meet the Council, along with the prisoner named Arthur Leywin."
I looked at Olfred, raising a brow. As he walked past me, he muttered, "Bah. Code names," as if embarrassed.
I couldn't help but let out a wry smile before trailing behind the two lances.
As I passed the guard and stepped through the hidden door, I could immediately sense the change in atmosphere. We were in a large circular room with a high-rise ceiling made entirely of glass. The room was simply decorated, with only a long, rectangular table at the very back. Six chairs, each seated with one of the members of the Council, were facing the three of us, scrutinizing me with different expressions.
"Your Majesties." Olfred and Varay both bowed towards the Council as the former kings and queens rose from their seats. I stood still, not bowing to the Council.
A husky voice boomed, "Ignorant! Do you think you're above the Lances? You should at least take a knee as a sign of respect." I looked up to see the former dwarf king, Dawsid Greysunders, with a bushy brown beard spilling from his chin and covering his upper torso. He wore a leather armor adorned with decorations that seemed to be restraining his muscles rather than protecting them. However, his soft, uncalloused hand twiddling the gold wine flute made me wonder if those muscles were just for show.
"Shut up," I snapped, unleashing Dragon Fear. Two other Lances were in the room, making the situation more challenging. My pressure focused on everyone but the elven Lance and the Dwarven royalty. The king and queen were both pressed, and the other Lances were kneeling.
But I was livid. My pressure increased, causing the weaker Lances to fall close to the ground with their faces. Even Varay knelt under my pressure. I spoke with a tone of rudeness, "I came here to see what the grand Council had planned when they called me the savior of Xyrus City and the human and elven princesses, only to try and prosecute me."
The human king flinched, and the queen widened her eyes. "Hah," I laughed slightly. "Your Majesty, did you hide the news about your beloved daughter? How corrupt Lucas Wykes threatened to rape her?"
The queen gasped and whispered into her husband's ears.
"Need I remind you that we are here as leaders of this damned continent, not fathers?" Dawsid interjected, pounding his fists on the table. "This boy mutilated one of his fellow schoolmates before killing him. Shall I read the description one of the scouts so kindly sent to us?"
"Both legs, crushed into mush past the mid-thigh. Left arm, dismember and cauterized past the elbow. Right arm, frozen and crushed. Genitals..." As the former dwarf king continued to read off of the scroll, even he seemed to have a hard time saying what was coming up next. "Genitals, along with the pelvic bone, crushed and—"
With a confident tone, I spoke up, "All I did was seek revenge. He dared to lay a hand on the one I love, so he deserved what he got." Even Dawsid, who had been so vocal before, fell silent at my words. However, he couldn't resist a jab, "And who might your lovely girlfriend be?"
I shot a glance at Priscilla, who seemed to understand my gesture and gasped. "You're dating Kathyln?" she exclaimed, causing the rest of the Council members to stare at us in surprise. I simply nodded my head in confirmation.
With a dismissive shake of my head, I continued, "I didn't come here to bicker with you old fools who can't even stand up and fight for our continent. Instead, you're busy discussing what to do with a boy who went a little too far for revenge."
My words seemed to strike a nerve with the entire Council, and even the human king flinched at my brazenness. Just as Dawsid was about to retort, I cut him off, "Isn't it time for you to show up already?" The Lances all tensed, sensing the danger in my words.
I decided to release Dragon Fear as a tall man stepped into view, his presence exuding power and authority.
Suddenly, a pale, blonde-haired man materialized in the room. His presence seemed to transcend mortal limits, as if he had stepped out of another realm entirely. His eyes contained the entire universe within them, and as he entered the room, the pressure increased incredibly.
Each person struggled under the weight of the pressure, even those who were vastly more powerful than the others. With a slightly amused tone, the man spoke, "To think that a lesser would notice me." I glanced over at Arthur, who seemed to recognize the man. Was he the one Arthur wanted to tell me about later?
The man introduced himself as Windsom, one of the Asuras who had granted our ancestors powerful artefacts years ago. "Even though you call us deities," he said, "we prefer to be called Asuras."
As Windsom spoke, I sensed another of the Asuras arrive. This one had three eyes, but only two of them were open. His white hair was tied in the back. Just then, Director Goodsky and Master Galahad entered the room. Director Goodsky looked as if she had been imprisoned and was in bad shape. They both recognized the Asuras and bowed to them.
|Arthur|
"For those who do not know who I am"—the purple eye on his forehead focused on me—"I am Aldir."
"Windsom and I have been sent here to give you lesser beings a chance of survival in the imminent war with the Vritra," the asura continued without pause.
"So, just as we feared, there really will be a war..." Alduin spoke aloud as if he was simply voicing his thoughts.
"My role here now is to oversee the remainder of what you lessers call 'the Council' and instruct you on the necessary preparations to fight against the Continent of Alacrya. I shall begin by discarding the corrupted." He then pointed towards the Dwarven Royalty, killing them with a few seconds of delay.
Both Blaine and Priscilla Glayder froze, their complexion becoming paler.
"Y-Your Majesty. If I may say something..." Blaine was the one to speak, and by the manner of his speech, it seemed that something must have happened to make the King appear so meek. "You have clearly shown us your capabilities, enough for me to believe that you are not someone of this realm. The difference in our abilities is to the point where I am unsure of why you would need us. Can't you simply go to the Continent of Alacrya and defeat the Vritra?"
"As for your point, King Glayder. Yes, it would be simple enough to gather the Asuras and personally fight against the Vritra. However, the Vritra Clan, along with the three other clans that are under their command were all former Asuras that have broken our law. Even we can no longer calculate how much stronger they have truly become. Moreover, a battle of that magnitude will undoubtedly level the world. And that's me being conservative," Aldir continued as he faced the frightened King.
King Glayder responded with stunned silence as we all tried to imagine the magnitude of a battle that could sink continents. Aldir continued speaking, "We Asuras and the Vritra Clan had agreed upon a treaty where no higher beings can directly attack one another or interfere with any lesser beings. Instead—"
"Hold on. Doesn't the fact that you killed two 'lesser beings' go against your words?" I cut in.
The asura's glowing, purple eye narrowed as it peered into me, but after a brief moment, Aldir's lips curled into a smirk.
"Dicathen had received no direct aid from us Asuras, but is now up against a population governed directly by Agrona of the Vritra. Even with my actions, he wouldn't be rash enough to break the treaty for us simply evening out the playing field," Windsom answered in Aldir's stead.
"What of the black-horned demons that have been invading our land for years? One was even responsible for killing a Lance!" I countered. "You're talking about the owner of this fragment?" Director Goodsky was the one to answer, holding up the black fragment of the horned being that killed Alea Triscan.
"Boy, I see it wasn't a lie when Windsom said you are not simple. The being responsible for killing the Lance, and the ones that have snuck into this continent are not Asuras. Those monsters were once lesser beings such as yourself that have gone through countless experiments," Aldir spat, obviously disgusted.
"So there are monsters that are not Asuras capable of destroying the strongest mages in our continent? Is it even possible for us to win?" Merial Alduin, Tessia's mother spoke for the first time.
"Yes, but they are limited and Agrona's precious trump card in this war. Now that he knows of my presence, he will not dispatch them so recklessly as before." Aldir sat back down, his whole body turned toward me.
"Think of me as a general in this upcoming war. It is in the Asuras' best interest that we are able to defend this continent. Now, Windsom, isn't there something you and the two boys have to do? I will take care of the rest here. We require countless preparations before we could defend ourselves."
|Jude|
Windsom seemed to want to take us both somewhere. I saw Master Galahad looking at me in worry, I simply nodded my head to convey to him that I was fine.
After we both were pulled out of the room, Windsom was bombarded with Arthur's questions. "Something we have to do, Windsom? Isn't it important that we participate in the discussion? Shouldn't we be there in the room as well?" Arthur asked him.
"That is not your fight. Aldir knows what he is doing and will do his best to prepare you lessers for the imminent war. When that time comes, if you do not want to be useless, we need you stronger."
"Makes sense, so what are we going to do?"
"First, we're going to visit your family. You will need to say your goodbyes to them." The Asura's back was still facing me, making it unable to determine whether he was joking or not.
"Goodbyes? What goodbyes? Where will I be going?" Arthur pulled back the Asura's arm.
"I'm taking you and Lady Sylvie to the homeland of the asuras. Your training will be held in Epheotus."
I asked in shock, "Epheotus?"
|Arthur|
"Am I allowed to know all of this?" I questioned, removing a sharp branch out of my hair.
We were currently hiking through a familiar part of Elshire Forest after Windsom had teleported us nearby. It took me only a few moments upon arrival to realize that I had been to this part of the forest before with the Eralith family; we were headed towards Elder Rinia's hideout.
"You have been given permission to stay in Epheotus so you will figure it out sooner or later. While memorizing the information that I've told you isn't necessary, it is always beneficial for one to know the culture, mannerisms and politics involved when in unfamiliar territory. Especially if you have to interact with the important figures of said place." Windsom advised, not bothering to turn around as he continued pushing branches and vines out of his way. "But I have a feeling that you already know the importance of that."
He also looked at Jude, "This is important for you to know even though you are not coming to Epheotus. I also determined that training alone would be best for you as your fighting style is extremely unique; there is no Asura capable of teaching you."
Jude nodded in understanding.
I went on as I recited what we learned. "Okay, so there are sev... no, eight races of asuras in Epheotus. Each race consists of multiple clans, but only one clan within their respective race are titled as one of the High Eight?"
"The Great Eight," the Asura corrected immediately.
"What race was the Vritra Clan?" I tried to imagine multiple times in the past what sort of creature the Vritra Clan might be, with their horns and grey complexion, but nothing came to mind.
"The true form of the Vritra Clan is that of a fearsome serpentine asura called the Basilisk. It will be good for you to take note of the races and clan names of the Great Eight."
"What became of the Basilisk race after the Vritra Clan and other Basilisk clans' betrayal? I pressed on, swatting a particularly annoying insect that had probably thought my ear would make a good resting spot.
"Excluding the fact that the Vritra Clan was replaced by a lesser clan as part of the Great Eight, some of the more radical races pushed to annihilate whatever remained of the Basilisk race. Fortunately, the ties between each race reach far back in history; friends of the remaining Basilisk clans stood up for them. In the end, measures as drastic as genocide were never taken; it would be foolish for a whole race to bear the crimes of a few, after all."
I couldn't discern what Windsom was thinking as he told me all of this. The inflexion and tone of his voice didn't match what he was saying, his words sounding almost sardonic.
"I see..." I continued walking, looking at my dirty boots crunching on fallen leaves and broken branches. "How were the Great Eight selected anyway?"
"The clans of the Great Eight have almost never changed. For example, even though the Dragon race has the fewest number of clans, the Indrath Clan, the clan of my master and Lady Sylvia, has been a part of the Great Eight since the beginning of our history. However, even to this day, the strength of the Great Clans are grades above the rest of the others. This is about the closest thing to an answer I can give you."
We continued to rally back and forth as we made our way towards Elder Rinia's hidden shelter, Windsom mostly quizzing me on the names I needed to know. I was able to process most of the information fairly quickly, but my sleep-deprived and starved state took a toll on my ability to retain information.
"Anyway, not to sound like a brat, but couldn't you have brought us any closer? If you teleported us from an airborne castle in the middle of the Beast Glades to Elshire Forest, I'm sure you could've teleported us a few miles closer..."
"The home of the Diviner Elf that your family is currently taking refuge in is surrounded by a fairly large barrier that I did not wish to agitate. Teleporting through it might've caused a ripple in the barrier, which might give away the location of everyone inside."
"Ah... my apologies then. I'm a little on edge in my current state," I responded, scratching my head.
We had just gone through the waterfall that hid the entrance to Elder Rinia's home when Jude spoke. "So let me get this straight. Agrona, current head of the Vritra Clan, led his race out of Epheotus to Alacrya, where he had been experimenting on the lesser races, and declared himself Eternal Ruler?"
"A rather tasteless title to give to oneself but, in essence, yes," the asura confirmed.
"Then this treaty that you guys talked about earlier; if the Vritra Clan, along with the other clans of the Basilisk race, are asuras, shouldn't they be forbidden to directly act in this upcoming war?" Jude asked again, as I tried to keep track of how many turns we took in this maze of a tunnel.
"Yes, but that was never the problem"—Windsom stopped walking and turned back towards me—"Arthur, Jude, didn't you ever once wonder why the Asura races didn't just kill the Vritra Clan and the clans following them? There are seven other races after all."
"Of course I have, but didn't you say something about the consequences that would affect the lesser races that were living in Alacrya?"
"I did, but what I had not informed you of was that the treaty was not our first course of action. After Agrona and his follower's escape, the Great Clans, excluding the Basilisk race, came together for the first time, regardless of factions, and formed an assembly of the leaders of each Great Clan. The leaders decided to send a small division with our elite asuras to quickly dispose of Agrona and his followers." Windsom paused for a moment, and even with his stoic expression, it was obvious that he was deliberating on whether to express what was on his mind.
The asura eventually let out a small sigh and conjured a small barrier around us. "You both must know that what I'm about to disclose to you must stay with you; this information is known only by a few members of the Indrath Clan."
I nodded, locking eyes with Windsom as I waited for him to continue.
"Everyone in Epheotus believes that Lady Sylvia was somehow captured and held prisoner somewhere, but it was actually Lady Sylvia who voluntarily went with the elite division tasked with killing Agrona Vritra and the clans that followed him."
"What?" I exclaimed, my voice coming out a lot louder than I had meant it to. "How does that make sense? She went on a mission into enemy territory without knowing what to expect? That mission was basically suicidal. No way your master, Sylvia's father, would've let her go."
"Of course, Lord Indrath didn't allow her to go," Windsom growled. "What I'm saying is Lady Sylvia concealed herself and followed after the elite division. By the time they were aware of Lady Sylvia's presence, it was already too late to back out."
There was a long pause before either of us spoke again.
"So what ended up happening to the asuras sent by the leaders of Epheotus?"
"What none of the leaders had expected"— Windsom's face contorted in disgust as his hands formed a fist— "Agrona, that cunning snake, was waiting with an even larger army of Basilisks and lesser races that had the same innate magical abilities as them."
It took only a moment for me to realize what his words implied. "The Vritra Clan was interbreeding with the lesser races of Alacrya," I whispered.
The asura only nodded in return, before continuing. "Apparently, Agrona and his followers had been interbreeding for quite some time, seeing that there were well over tens of thousands of the mutts waiting for our battalion."
"So the band of elite asuras you guys sent were outnumbered..."
"Tremendously outnumbered," he stressed. "And the element of surprise that we thought our warriors would have had was rendered moot."
"What befell them in the end?" I murmured, more so wondering myself than expecting an answer.
The asura shook his head in response. "Communication was lost soon after the battle started. While we are certain that their side took a considerable loss in numbers, we can only speculate that the brigade of our elite asuras, the pride of their respective clans and races, were either killed or captured."
I was silent as thoughts on how Sylvia managed to escape filled my mind.
Windsom's next words snapped me out of my daze. "Lord Indrath was furious after being told by Agrona himself that his only daughter had been killed in battle. If it had been up to him, my master would surely have waged war, ignoring the consequences. However, the rest of the Great Clans were against it and pushed for a treaty." Windsom turned around and resumed walking again.
"The treaty was eventually formed between the two sides, forbidding the asuras to act directly because of the collateral damage it would cause if a full-scale war were to occur between the seven asura races of Epheotus and the Vritra Clan's army of basilisks and lesser, half-breed mutts." There was obvious spite in his voice, but his expression had turned back to normal.
As I began thinking again, I realized how much of a disadvantage Dicathen was in. This treaty had been in place since generations ago, and even though it prohibited asuras and the half-breeds from directly participating in the battles, who knows how many of the so-called 'lesser races' of Alacrya had the blood of asuras mixed in with theirs.
I wanted to ask why the other asura races didn't do the same and interbreed with the lesser-races, but if it took centuries for the mad genius Agrona to come up with a way to interbreed an asura with a lesser race, then the other races probably haven't found a way how. I doubt that, even if they could, most would be against breeding with the lower races because of their own morals and pride.
"Wait. So the ancient six artefacts that you guys gave to the people of Dicathen..."
"Yes. It was our way of giving the people of this continent a sword and a shield. We knew that the powers and knowledge contained within those artefacts would ignite a revolution for your people. We were right, but we only found out through recent events that it hadn't been nearly enough. It is Lord Indrath and the other Great Clans leaders' wish that, with our direct intervention, we can equip the mages of this continent with enough strength to defend this continent from Agrona. We fear that if Agrona gets access to the inhabitants of this continent, the Vritra Clan will gain enough fighting power to overthrow Epheotus."
"And this is where I come in. A stronger chess piece that the Great Clans can utilize to gain the upper hand in the upcoming war," Jude sneered as he crossed his hands.
"Well, I would think of it more as, us training you to defend your family and homeland," Windsom countered, his lips curling upward ever-so-slightly.
"Meh, I prefer the mutual benefit over questionable acts of altruism anyhow," Jude shrugged.
"I guess you still don't trust us completely," Windsom said, studying me with a curious eye before asking, "On a side note, how do you plan on informing your family of our... plans?"
"Don't worry, Windsom. I thought a lot about how I should break it to my parents while I was in jail," I winked as I interrupted Jude, walking past the asura and toward the flickering firelight coming from the end of the tunnel.
As we approached the end of the tunnel, I could see the shadows of a few people surrounding a fire. I couldn't help but smile at the sight of my large warrior of a father scrubbing dishes near the underground stream as Elder Rinia, my sister and my mother were concentrated on a simmering pot over the fire.
|Jude|
"Something smells delicious! Did you make enough for me?" I yelled out, causing everyone to whip their heads in my direction.
Each of them had a different reaction as they realized who it was that spoke. My father dropped the dented pan he was scrubbing, my mother and sister simultaneously bolted up from the makeshift chair that they were sitting on, while Elder Rinia simply gave me a meaningful smile as she continued peeling the potato in her hand. The only one that I didn't see was Kathyln, but that was to be given seeing what I told Curtis.
In seconds, I was wrapped in the embrace of my family as my mother and father checked my body for any signs of injuries.
It seemed that someone had already informed my family that I would be visiting them soon, and going by expressions, I would bet that it was Elder Rinia.
My parents were interrogating me on the full details of what exactly happened, but stopped dead in their tracks all of a sudden. The soft footsteps that echoed through the tunnel stopped behind me, and I took no hesitation in introducing the person.
"Everyone, this is the person that helped me through everything while I was imprisoned... and also Arthur's prospective master."
I waited for some sort of reaction, but my parents and sister were still silent, frozen in place as their eyes were still glued to the figure behind me.
"Ahem, tone it down." I turned behind me to see Windsom look at me in confusion before his eyes widened a bit in understanding.
"My apologies," he replied, and the air around us changed back to normal. I had gotten used to the pressure the asura normally gave off, but to a normal mage, it would be suffocating. My mother and sister fell on her knees while my father stumbled, barely keeping himself on his feet.
Elder Rinia, who was a bit farther away, stood up and gave a deep bow toward Windsom. I'm not sure if she knew his identity, but she, at least, seemed to understand that the unknown person was not someone ordinary.
"Welcome to my humble abode. Please, make yourself comfortable." The elderly elf spoke in a well-mannered, respectful tone that I've never heard her use before. Windsom simply nodded in response, filling the tunnel with silence except for the crackling of the fire.
My father was the first to speak. "Firstly, th-thank you for helping my son. I know that he can be a handful." The Asura actually let out a faint smile at this before speaking. "It seems your child has caused you many worries."
"And will continue to do so in the future," my mother finished as my father helped her and my sister back up. "But Arthur, what did you mean by the prospective master?"
"Alice, your son just came back from a long journey. There's plenty of time for this topic after he's gotten something inside his belly," Rinia scolded, ushering everyone back around the fire.
Thankful for the chance to finally eat something, I sat down, impatiently blowing on the hot stew to cool it down.
Windsom declined on eating but sat down with us as he idly looked at the fire. Once everyone had finished their meal, my father began informing us what had ensued on their side.
[Author's Note: Quite a long chapter here. There will be a small chapter before the War Arc. For the in-between, I am planning some chapters which I'll most likely release alongside the initial War Arc chapters. ]
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This is the discord link for the TBATE fanfic server. I just joined the server recently as a new author! https://discord.gg/QCrcHgyH6p