"That part with Velridar, what's your thoughts on it?"

"Huh? Isn't that rare, you asking for my opinion first?"

Tia-Norun and Enri-Ann were enjoying a moment of peace and quiet, away from the all-seeing table. They were drinking a beverage that looked like tea together.

Enri-Ann was the one who asked the question. She simply closed her eyes and sipped the content of her cup silently.

"I'm just curious."

"Coming from you, there is nothing more suspicious than curiosity itself. There's something behind that question you don't want to tell me?"

Tia-Norun knew her friend pretty well, that's why she tried to always notice the hidden meanings behind her questions.

"Can you stop trying to find meanings behind everything I say? For once, there's really nothing more to it. So, your thoughts?"

She recalled the question, and thought on it while drinking.

"Hmm... First, that's something knew isn't it? This is the first time a Remnant has been subjected to corruption not by being corrupted itself, but by having one of the ability to feel its children directly influenced."

"That is true, I also thought about that. You and I haven't made any children like the other Remnants, which makes it harder to understand how it could affect the mind."

They both placed their cup on the table.

"What about his sudden outburst? It made the place rumble like crazy. I fear that the massive release of magic energy that happened will influence the area where it happened. Worst case scenario, won't it cause a constant birth of magic beings?"

That was a real worry for Tia-Norun. More variations in their plan would only bring detrimental effects later on, and the one who will have to deal with it will eventually be Orion.

"Don't bother thinking about that. On the contrary, it will have a positive effect on the surrounding area. To begin with, it will only makes 'them' come back."

Enri-Ann once again took a sip of tea, while her friend looked confused.

"'Them'? Oh, you mean... But weren't they out of the pictures? You've said we couldn't get a hold of them previously?"

Silence remained after that question.

"I hate it when you do that."

"I know."

Tia-Norun rolled her eyes in exasperation.

"Anyway, you want me to guess the rest since you almighty being won't deign giving me an answer."

She took a sip of her tea in false anger, and thought about the subject.

"Well, I know that they feed on magic, and that the flow of magic in Triazils had been stagnating. We haven't found the source of magic yet, so we don't know why it behaved like this but we know it even transcend realms."

"Right."

Enri-Ann nodded.

"If they feed on magic, and if a massive pile of pure magic was to be released there... Oh."

She placed her hand on her brows and rubbed them.

"I understand now."

"Exactly as you thought. It will take a long time for most of them to return, but the youngest will be back in a few days."

"But Enri, is it a good thing? I know they are more on the instinctual side of things, but won't they cause trouble?"

"Not really, they never caused problems before, and I think they will be most intrigued by the boy, more than anything else."

Tia-Norun placed her index finger on her chin, and thought of something.

"I might have an idea to smooth things up."

"Don't do something stupid, alright?"

"I won't. Anyways I have another question."

"The annual invasion coming from the southern continent?"

She nodded, a little surprised.

"Don't look so surprised, this was obvious following the conversation. I will answer this one directly."

"Oh, thanks, almighty being."

Enri-Ann glared at her, which made Tia-Norun play with her pink hair while looking away.

*sigh*

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

She sighed, and went to explain what she got from the whole thing.

"Velridar's pure magic seemed to have affected the beings in that area. How much, how bad, how many, you and I can only guess."

"I believe that multiple giant type corrupted are in this part of the world, out of any civilization, in the harshest environment possible. Either most of them are dead, frozen, or asleep, and Velridar awakened one."

This was what Enri-Ann came to after thinking about it.

"But what about the invasion itself? There was too many beasts. If not for them, the worst case scenario would have happened, with armies of monsters invading Triazils."

"That's..."

"You don't know?"

But all Enri-Ann could do to answer Tia-Norun was shacking her head.

"All I can think of is that the pure magic attracted them. Instead of being hungry near the end of the year, they were forced to notice it, and like honey, they went for it."

Tia-Norun smiled in frustration.

"I guess we won't know. Let's change topics, alright?"

"Sure."

As they stopped thinking about what happened related to Velridar, they finished their little break, then soon returned to watch over Orion and his companions.

~

"So, Nylon, right? Son of Dylan of the beastmen, you came to help us too when we needed it right?"

Eric placed his chin on the back of his hands, his elbows on his knees.

"Yes, Lord Eric. Since you've been kind to us for many years, I decided with father's authorization to aid Turric in case the invasion happened."

"Then, you have my thanks. I had never ordered the beastmen to help us, because it is our duty since long ago. If not for you, we would still be fighting that giant creature."

Orion and Karteira explained on the way back to Turric what a Corrupted Lord was. He was thankful nothing as dangerous as these beasts never invaded in the previous years.

"But why did something like this suddenly appeared?"

Caroline wasn't expecting an answer, as she was thinking out loud.

"It would be weird to think that they're not evolving. It was really just a matter of time."

She heard Eric answer it as best as he could.

Orion wasn't of the same opinion, but there was no need to reveal the details about Velridar to anyone else other than Deveralna.

Right after, Eric turned to Orion.

"You said you would show me how you managed to check on Kamala. I hope you haven't forgotten?"

He was about to open a portal, but Amelia stopped him before that.

"I would like to request something before that. Can I?"

Eric stared at her for a moment, trying to guess what she would request, but he couldn't find anything.

"I don't see what you would want from me, but sure, ask anyway."

"Could you make that woman who fought with us earlier follow us? I would like to have a talk with her."

Caroline gathered immediately that she was interested in May.

"May right? She should be off-duty right now, right?"

With a nod, Eric confirmed her words.

"She is. I couldn't leave her working when she exhausted herself that much. Do you mind calling her?"

With a smile, she immediately went out of the front door, and ran outside.

"Give her a minute, she will be there with May in just a moment."

Before anyone could even feel bored, Caroline returned with a confused May.

"Miss Caroline, please! Where are you dragging me-"

When her eyes fell on Orion's group, she felt a lot of problems coming her way.

'Damn it! I wanted to rest in peace!'

She bit her lips in frustration, but remained normal afterwards.

"Alright, since everyone is ready, let us go."

Orion finally opened the portal to Horizon.

Amelia and Karteira walked through it first.

"This is like a door. Once you are through, I'll be following right after."

Nylon and Eric looked at Orion as if he was a rare animal. Caroline dragged May without thinking much through the portal without waiting for Eric, who blinked a few times from how sudden it was.

"Miss Caroline! Wait, we don't kno-"

May's voice was drowned out once she went through.

"My friends went through first. If this was dangerous, I would have made them go last."

"That's true."

With that said, Nylon shrugged and walked nonchalantly through it.

"What about you?"

Orion said at Eric with a gentle smile.

"Caroline already went through, so what choice do I have?"

He walked in anxiously, and found himself in a space almost completely white.

The sky was white with many glistening dark stars, there was two houses in the distance, the sound of the sea could be heard on his left side, and he could see a tree in the distance.

*woof*

A sudden barking noise made him jump. He looked down and noticed a white dog wiggling its tail at him.

"O-Oh. Hello there."

He kneeled on the ground, and patted the dogs head gently.

"That's Sirius. We've made him a part of our family recently."

Karteira explained, before Orion walked through the portal at last, and closed it behind him.

"What is this place?"

He continued to scratch behind Sirius' ears while Nylon asked that.

"This is Horizon, a place Orion created with his magic. It is out of Triazils, in a different realm. It's easier to understand like this."

After Karteira gave a short explanation, Orion looked around.

"Where is Amelia? And those two women too, where have they gone?"

"Hmm... about that."

Karteira avoided his gaze, and looked a little perplexed.

"When the woman named Caroline saw the sea, she rushed toward it with the other one. Amelia went after them in panic."

Both Orion and Eric looked at each other, and covered their eyes with their hand, already exhausted.

"I'm sorry about my wife..."

"Well, she is not causing problems as of now. Let's just follow after them. We'll talk once there."

...

"I haven't seen the sea since we were young!"

Caroline's eyes sparkled, ecstatic in front of the beautiful sea. Strangely silent, May stared at water with mixed emotions.

'If miss Caroline did not force me to come here, would I have ever seen the sea?'

May never saw the sea before. This was the first time she even heard of its calming sound.

"This is technically not a natural sea. It was created by me and Orion, so it is artificial."

Amelia managed to catch up to them.

"Artificial? For what reason would you even need to create a sea?"

"Well..."

There was a need to keep the sirens hidden from prying eyes, but was it her right to say it to strangers?

"Because of us."

Senia's head popped out of the water, followed by two others.

"Huh?"

Caroline turned her head to Amelia while pointing at the sirens, astonished.

'There's no reason to hide it if Senia showed herself.'

Amelia made up her mind, and quickly described them.

"They are sirens, a faction, or species which doesn't exist on Triazils. They lived on another continent, but were captured by a slave trader, or prize catcher, something in those lines."

"Orion found them inadvertently, and saved all of them. To avoid the sirens being captured again, he thought of creating a place for them to live in peacefully, hence the creation of the Siren Sea."

May and Caroline's opinion on Orion and his group went through the roof in an instant.

"Amelia."

Orion appeared behind her with Eric, Karteira, Nylon and Sirius from a portal.

"Oh, it's the dog."

It seemed that May's interest was on Sirius, so she walked toward him to pet him, which he obviously did not refuse.

"It's name is Sirius, he likes to be petted almost everywhere, but only Orion is able to make him growl in happiness, for some strange reasons."

Amelia crouched next to her while patting Sirius' back.

While these two were engrossed on the dog, Orion, Karteira, Nylon, Eric, and Caroline all went to discuss about other things.

Mostly, how did he create such a place to begin with, and for that, he needed someone else.