Weeks passed.
As Gaven had said, the orbs showed no reaction to being together. I'd tried running mana through them, and they were even impervious to damage. At least, to the amount of force I could currently express.
I trained as much as possible, but as shown, nothing was better than battles to improve myself. The evolution of [Spectral Soul] also seemed like a once in a lifetime opportunity, and its change appeared to be significantly influenced by my already present psyche.
So I remained practically stagnant. It wasn't something I truly despised, though.
Things were calm after so long of being practically on the run across the world. It felt like this was my stopping point, and I would go no further than these islands. But the world never stopped changing, even if, at some moments, I seemed frozen.
Gaven came to me, announcing that he was leaving.
"The call of the Sea God is strong, and I sense I'll be heading out much farther than Rakfall this time," he told me.
"You don't know why?" I asked.
Gaven chuckled. "I never do. But our purpose is never set in stone, and all we can do is flow with the river. It once led me to you, and it seems something else requires my attention."
The man had taken such a large role in my life on this planet, even if I hadn’t known him for very long. Some part of me didn't want him to go. I couldn't hide under him forever, though, and it seemed like that was what I'd been doing.
He must've seen the frustration on my face, speaking kindly. "You've done everything yourself, Cain. A little guidance does not discount your achievements." I nodded, not knowing what to say in response.
With a pat on my shoulder, Gaven was gone.
It was odd, being on the island without him. I still didn't interact with the villagers much, as I could get my supplies and leave just as quickly. There really was no need to go into the town, and there was no longer any reason to go to the temple.
Two days after he left, I felt myself sinking into the trance of my flames atop the lighthouse. The night air was brisk around me, invading the thin walls. All three of the orbs were in my hand, and I rolled them absently.
Suddenly, the sirens began to sing. It sounded different than usual—almost frightened, rather than tempting. I stood, listening carefully. The waves were higher than normal on my side of the island, their movements almost unnatural.
Not wanting to be unprepared in the case that the siren's song was a warning, I went downstairs to put on my armor and grab my axe, slipping the marbles into the breast pocket of my shirt underneath the leather. My trust in Matilde had grown, and I had no thoughts of discounting her people.
They were just trying to survive, like everyone else.
Standing next to the lighthouse, I looked toward the ocean. Every second made me tenser, and the waves slowly calmed. Then, the familiar sound of rowboats made its way to my ears.
There had to be hundreds of them. Why were they coming here, and in the middle of the night? The only thing of importance on this island was Gaven, and he was gone. Perhaps they were looking for him, but I couldn't immediately jump to that conclusion.
The hundreds of boats began to land on the shore, sand scratching as they were dragged up the beach. I held my ground, with no plan to meet the force that had arrived. Their intentions were unknown, and I only predicted two courses of action—they would ask questions and stay or leave; otherwise, they would attack.
Their energy was determined, around a thousand sets of footsteps pounding up the hill once they'd all gotten out of the boats. Such a massive force, and my heart began to pound uncomfortably, my hand tightening around the handle of my axe.
The first line of people stopped around thirty feet from me, and one man walked forward.
"Cain!" he shouted, rage filling his voice. I felt utterly shocked, bafflement muddling my brain. How did he know me?
"What do you want? Who are you?" I asked.
He snarled in reply. "Did you think you could hide forever?" Displeasement welled up inside of me. What did he possibly think I was running from?
"Hide from what?" I asked, and hopefully, he would answer the question this time.
"Hide from justice! Gaven isn't here to save you now." The man took a step forward, the familiar sound of a sword being drawn slicing through the air.
My mind raced. These people had probably waited for Gaven to leave, far enough away that he wouldn't notice them; hence it taking two days for their arrival after he left. But how did they know he was gone?
And what did I do that resulted in this anger toward me? Almost an entire army had come to supposedly subjugate me. I could only think of Rakfall, as I'd been there last. However, this colossal force had come just for me. And why? I couldn't understand it.
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My mind raced. The only thing that seemed plausible was the whole thing with Olmor, who had wanted me to kill the King. What had happened after I left? If he had used me as a scapegoat, this might make an inkling of sense. Had they actually succeeded in the assassination?
But why me? And how had they convinced—assuming the King was dead—the new leaders that I had done it?
I pushed aside any other possibility. The Federation wouldn't possibly come all this way for just defecting, and I knew Davion didn't have this massive force behind him. He would've come himself if that was the case.
Apparently tired of my silence, the man screamed at me. "You'll pay for your sins, traitor!" Then, he charged, the rest of the soldiers rushing behind him.
His sword swung down at me with an incredible speed, but I got my axe up to deflect it away. A sideswipe immediately followed, cleaving the air, and headed for my torso. Jumping back, he missed, and I lunged for him.
Not fast enough to redirect his sword, my axe buried itself in his belly, cutting through the insignificant armor he wore. With a squelch, I pulled out the blade, blood and guts following. He fell to the ground with a negligible sound.
The others finally caught up, roaring their rage at their leader's death. I distinguished the flame at the top of the lighthouse, needing every drop of mana at my disposal.
They had charged first, so I would not hesitate.
Not all could attack at once; a limit of four surrounded me. The adrenaline filling their swords was deadly, and each pushed my dexterity to the limit.
I dodged, I defended. Some swords cut into the thick leather of my axe's handle, jerking my arms as they pulled away. My back was almost always vulnerable, so I continued to turn.
The metallic strikes of blades rang through the night. Then, with an upward slice, I severed a soldier's arm, making him fall back, screaming in pain.
Each body I felled got pushed away under the feet of rushing soldiers, heavy boots thudding against cooling skin. I ducked my head, the sharp sword from behind me catching my hair. It penetrated the man before me, sending him groaning to the ground.
The wave was endless, continuously pushing me down. Each strike that I blocked with my axe felt heavier than the last. I spun, roaring, sinking my axe into the chest of one unfortunate man. Then, yanking it out, I twisted to dodge a spear, swinging my arms to the left to sever another's head.
It fell to the ground, the sickening thump lost in the pandemonium of the battle.
Strikes began to land, one sword slicing deep into my arm, another stabbing into the vulnerable skin of my hip. I swung down, shattering that sword, then reversed the motion to cleave through the weapon holder's groin to his chest.
Around fifty had died by my axe; I was beginning to lose count. Hundreds remained, and I saw no end.
I let [Silent Blade] take hold of my axe and begin to wreak even more havoc. With a swing, I severed the wood of a spear, slicing entirely through the torso of its master. My blade continued, landing in the side of another man.
I was drenched in blood—it spurted from the neck of an enemy and covered my face with even more.
The weapons of the attackers couldn't handle the force of [Silent Blade], and they slumped to the ground like wilted flowers. [Enhanced Sense] was raging, informing me of every backstab and strike.
Lunging at a man, I flung him to the side with my axe, slicing through the hip with a sickening crunch. I broke free from the circle of attackers, and ran through the unsuspecting men in the middle. I turned my arms with every step, carving through the cannon fodders' legs and arms.
Heads flew as I dashed, moving fast to avoid falling prey to any swinging blades.
My mana was almost drained, and my arms ached. It had to be around a hundred dead, now. Nowhere near enough. I would not die standing still.
A burning feeling spread over my chest, almost like I was being doused in molten wax. It felt like my heart was pushed to the breaking point. There was no time to analyze it further, however. Another wall of bodies stopped my rampage, forcing me to hold my ground.
The soldiers pressed down on me, and then a burning agony penetrated my brain. I groaned, trying to not let myself stop. Any moment of inaction would spell my death.
My mana hadn't wholly depleted, so I knew it wasn't the reason for this pain. Still, I let [Silent Blade] dissipate, which would hopefully alleviate the ache.
The destructiveness of my blade diminished, and the soldiers noticed. Unlike me, they were not feeling the fatigue. More shallow cuts began to build up on my arms and exposed areas, making it feel like my body was burning along with my head.
Suddenly, that unfeeling voice echoed in my head.
[Requirements Met]
And then, I did scream this time as my brain exploded. This seemed to stop the army in confusion, and every movement they made that disturbed the flow of the wind was in slow motion.
Messages began to flood my fading consciousness.
[Wisdom +1]
[Wisdom +1]
[Intelligence +1]
[Intelligence +1]
…
It continued until my intelligence increased by ten, my head burning like a heated metal rod was being forced through it. The straining remnants of my sanity focused for a moment, and I patted my chest. The outline of the marbles was gone.
My mana core was forcibly expanded with a cracking in my chest, making it hard to breathe. It completely filled up as well, all my used mana restored, but the messages weren't done.
[Skill Upgraded] - [Summon Flame (4) → (6)]
I brokenly laughed, then the sound dissolved into coughs. The pyromaniac would be so pleased.
Blood dripped down my face—from my nose and from those around me—sliding into my open mouth. I let that itching urge finally consume me, flowing from my mana core to every inch of my body.
I detonated, flames erupting in every direction. It spread, soaring up, until I was in the center of a massive burning furnace. Screams resounded through my ears, the bodies of the soldiers turning to ash as they flailed.
The limits of [Summon Flame] had been broken, and its range and intensity had risen way above my understanding. The color had changed from that reddened orange to an almost white hue, and it leaped from one soldier to another.
My mana was draining, but I did not care. I let it all flow into my flames, and I felt liberated as I watched the world burn.
This is what we wanted, isn't it?
My axe had slipped from my hand, lying on the scorched earth next to where I was on my knees. The warmth of the inferno soothed over me like a pleasant breeze. I pushed the wrath of my flames harder, but it still did not reach its limits.
I would not die here; if I did, I'd take everyone with me in an uncontrollable blaze. The soldiers farther away from me had started to run, but my rushing flames raced after them like the hellhounds of nightmares.
If this is what level six was like, I couldn't even imagine the destruction of level ten.
Mana drained, the last dregs of fire still burning, and only ash left in this accursed world, my consciousness faded into the consuming blackness.