Jerome woke up to the feeling of his core cycling at very rapid speeds, devouring world energy around. He was feeling very refreshed but quickly slowed down his core so as not to alert any foe. One couldn’t cycle while they slept, yet he had cycled nonstop for three years under Blade’s Edge Canyon, and he had no way to explain that occurrence. He had been cycling while asleep ever since then, but he shouldn’t do it here. He would easily be noticed if he cycled while sleeping. Somehow though, his body felt more relaxed here than at Kilian’s Palace.
Jerome popped his eyes open to find himself in a tent. He remembered passing out from using too much essence. It was a miracle his channels weren’t burned.
“You’re awake,” Selene said beside him. She was sitting cross-legged on the floor in meditation.
“And I can see we made it out alive,” Jerome said with a smile.
Selene nodded. “It’s all thanks to you,” she said.
“It was a team effort,” Jerome said, checking himself and his space ring.
Wouldn’t want to find out that all his possession had been pilfered while he slept. He knew the Itakars wouldn’t do such a thing but just to be on the safe side.
“So where are we?” Jerome asked and Selene led him outside.
The sounds of battle reached him at that moment and Jerome looked up ahead to find out they were on a battlefield. An actual battlefield!
“What the hell?!” he exclaimed.
“The Children don’t want us to move past this point,” Selene said. “You’ve been out for a few days, Jerome.”
“Days. Can we tell time now?” Jerome asked and looked up at the sky but it was dark. However, there was a moon and stars spread out as far as his eyes could see beyond the firmament.
Jerome laughed excitedly. “I can’t believe I missed seeing the dull light of the moon at night,” he said.
Selene smiled at him acknowledging his words. She had felt the same way when she saw daylight after the endless night of Terra Praeta.
“Tell me about the situation,” Jerome said as he calmed down walking side by side with her.
“Alvric is here,” Selene said and Jerome stopped, his anger stirring. “After you passed out, his men joined us and helped to get us out of that illusion,” She continued. “We had to work together to get out of there.”
Selene observed Jerome for a while as he clenched and unclenched his fist.
“Where is he?” he asked.
“He took his men to go fight some Children. If we don’t clear the way, there’s no way we can enter the good parts of Terra Praeta,” Selene said.
“The good parts?” Jerome asked.
“You’ll understand when the sun comes up,” Selene said, and they resumed walking toward the battlefield.
“I feel like my mental energy is…more,” Jerome said, changing the subject.
“Every one of us has gone through a lot of transformations after the Tower,” Selene said. She looked curiously at him and asked, “How are you able to cycle while sleeping…and at such great speeds?”
“I have no control over it. After Blade’s Edge Canyon, it just sort of happened,” he said almost absently.
They walked on in silence until they got to the top of a small hill within two thousand paces of the battlefield. Jerome could see the Sprouts assaulting the Children and the Children resisting without much effort. Their numbers were far more than what he fought with before, and there were five colossal Children in their ranks.
There were also many winged Children hovering in the air. Their bat-like wings were shorter than his, with patches of skin missing in a few places. Some of them would dive down threateningly from time to time as if to pick up the Sprouts, but their lithe bodies didn’t seem strong enough to lift a single Sprouts. These flying Children could be said to be feminine in nature. They were not beautiful, just less irritating than their male counterparts.
“The highborn are having a meeting soon and I need to join them. Ajax is on his way here,” Selene said. “The Alvrics may be planning something so don’t fall into their trap.”
Jerome took the warning to heart. He decided to wait until they finished their battle with Children before he took action against Hedon.
He sensed Ajax from a distance of about 200 feet before the Sprout landed near him, surprised with how stronger his perception had grown. His perception used to be a little over ten times less than that before. This was truly a great fortune for him.
“How are you feeling?” Ajax asked with a smile.
“Never been better,” Jerome responded smiling back. “What happened to the Tower of Solon by the way?”
“It’s far behind us now,” Ajax said.
They bumped fists and sat down on the hill and Ajax started giving him details of the ongoing battle.
~~~
Selene walked down to the tent where those from the Great Houses were having their strategy meeting. Before she got to the tent, Trudhorn joined her for which she was grateful.
“I heard the Royals were able to cut a path through the Children on their own. From what I’ve gathered so far, it seems the Children let them pass…so to speak,” Trudhorn said, but his statement sounded more like he was asking for confirmation.
“You heard right. They left us here to figure things out on our own,” Selene responded. She had always known the Royals had a few tricks up their sleeves, but this one felt a lot like cheating.
“Young Lady Selene,” someone said joining them as they walked toward the tent.
Selene looked to her left. “What do you want, Alvric?” she asked looking away from him. She knew what he wanted but she’d leave Terra Praeta before bending to their wishes. Thankfully, her House was just as powerful as House Alvric.
“How’s Terra Praeta treating you, Young Lady,” Murray asked. He was not in a position to call her Itakar. Only those of the direct bloodline, the heirs of the Great family had the effrontery to do that.
“Quite fine thank you,” Selene said curtly.
“We Alvrics are willing to be in your debt if you would leave the Royal disciple to us, Young Lady,” Murray said, getting straight to the point as they slowed to a halt in front of the tent.
“I will have to disappoint you Alvric. He’s under my protection, but let me give you a bit of advice. I’d make sure not to piss him off if I were you,” She said examining the tent.
Murray Alvric kept his gaze on her for the entirety of their exchange and after her warning, which sounded more like a subtle threat, he spoke up.
“I’m not here to gain your permission, Young Lady,” Murray said. “When we’re done with the Children, he’ll die next. I hope you and your teammates wouldn’t interfere,” he said as he walked away.
Selene shook her head with a small smile. They’d probably assessed Jerome’s level of skill inside the illusion and thought that was all there was to him. They were in for a surprise, especially now that Jerome was back to full strength.
Selene turned her attention back to the tent and walked in with Trudhorn. He hadn’t spoken throughout the whole exchange, he just listened. She knew he was keeping his silence because he was sure they could do nothing against Jerome.
“...cost us a lot of manpower,” Fei Lin was saying when they stepped into the tent.
The noise from the outside world was immediately drowned. The tent was refined by an artifact it seemed; a soundproof tent.
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“Welcome, Itakar,” Fei Lin said and Selene nodded. “I don’t see your brother,” she said with a small smile to which Selene frowned.
Out of all the heirs of the Great Family, Fei Lin was the youngest, followed by Hedon and Berj Baelor. She and her brother were the oldest. Yet her brother acted like the youngest among them sometimes. He had even wanted to court Fei Lin at one time but she had declined. Reason being that he was too childish. That had hurt their family’s reputation in more ways than one.
“What’s the plan to get past the Children?” Selene asked, changing the subject of discourse.
“We need sacred artists with long-range offense techniques to open fire and lead the way,” said Lang, who was sitting beside Fei Lin.
“How long of a range are we looking at?” Trudhorn asked.
“At least 100 feet,” Berj said from the side. He hadn’t come with anyone from his team. He wasn’t a strategist, but he truly didn't need to fear being pressured by the tactical knowledge of a few Sprouts. Berj was in a league of his own.
“That’s a lot,” Selene said.
“We’re looking for…someone,” Fei Lin said hesitantly looking Lang’s way and Lang slowly shook his head at her.
Berj scoffed his displeasure at their open show of secrecy. “If you’ve got something to say, Fei. Say it,” he said in a voice as deep as the growl of a bear. Berj was not one for covertness of speech.
Lang sighed. “When we entered Terra Praeta, someone—I don’t know who—killed a Child that was chasing us through the forest. It was a pretty big Child, and fast too.”
“Do you care to elaborate, Lang,” Selene said, interested in this someone.
“We only saw a flash of blue light and boom! Its head was blown off,” Lang said gesturing with his hands. “We didn’t see anyone…why are you smiling?” He asked as he looked at the Itakars.
Selene and Trudhorn were smiling from ear to ear as they listened to him.
“And what do you need this Sprout for?” she asked, still smiling.
“You know this person,” Fei Lin said suspiciously.
“We all know him, actually,” Trudhorn said. To which they were a little surprised. If they knew him, they should have recognized the technique.
“Ahem. Well, he attacked from the sky,” Lang said. “I estimate he’d be faster in the air than anyone of us.
“If we could have him draw the attention of the flying Children, the rest of us can break through their blockade without much interference from them.”
“That’s a sound plan. Should we call him here, or?...” Selene asked. She could see the curiosity in their eyes. They wanted to know who the Sprout was.
Fei Lin nodded vigorously, very unladylike for a Sprout of her station and Lang glared at her. He turned to Selene and nodded curtly to which Selene smiled. The heir of the Fei clan was known to be a little like them—wild and free—which she had no qualms about. The Fei clan was too poise and sophisticated in their appearance for Selene’s liking. It was good to have someone among them who was a free spirit.
Trudhorn left the tent and after a few breaths, returned. As soon as Jerome entered the tent, Fei Lin couldn’t help but exclaim in shock, “Aren’t you supposed to be dead?!”
~~~
Jerome was stunned by the statement just now, but he quickly recovered and couldn’t help but look displeased at Fei Lin. She was supposed to be the heir of a Great clan and she was acting uncultured.
“Ahem,” Lang broke the uncomfortable silence in the room and glared at her once again.
Fei Lin was a little embarrassed herself but said nothing. Her cheeks showed evidence of her state of emotions, however.
Jerome walked toward a large table at the center of the tent and sat down in one of the chairs around it, staring daggers at everyone. His mood had been soured by that statement just now and Selene would answer for it.
“They say you’re very fast in the air,” Berj Baelor spoke up breaking the awkward silence in the room. He was a bit angry as he watched the kid sit at the table that was meant for the Scions of the Great clans. It was utter disrespect, but he said nothing. This was not the time.
“Hmm,” Jerome said, gazing at the giant Sprout. His voice was deep and kind of scary, but Jerome was not concerned with him.
“Good,” Berj said standing up. “You would draw the attention of the flying Children so the rest of us can break through their barricade,”
“I would do no such thing,” Jerome said looking the big guy in the eyes.
At his full height, Berj was as tall as the ceiling of the tent and gave off a daunting presence. His dark brown furred armor with the crest of a running bull was evidence of his House—House Baelor, House of the Running Bull.
Selene smiled and leaned back in her chair, ready to watch a show. She never gets to do this with her teammates. She raised her legs and crossed them on top of the table and folded her arms behind her head. Trudhorn scratched his head as he thought about what to say to calm the rising tension in the air.
“I propose we talk about this a little more peacefully,” Lang said. He didn’t want Berj to hurt the Sprout who was clearly a kid and would break under the pressure of the older Sprout.
Jerome and Berj continued to glare at each other, both of them refusing to back down. The silence in the air stretched on for a while before Berj sat down grudgingly.
“Fine,” he said, not taking his eyes off Jerome. “But he’d still be the distraction.”
“What a shame. Would’ve loved to see something exciting,” Selene murmured loud enough for everyone to hear.
Lang looked at her with pleading eyes and Berj just glared at her.
“What?” she said, looking innocent, and turned away smiling coyly.
“Let’s come to an agreement first, shall we?” Lang said. He was the most level-headed Sprout among them at the moment and the oldest.
“What’s your name, kid?” he turned to Jerome. He too was unhappy with Jerome’s disregard for status. Jerome was supposed to stand by all rights but since no one said anything, he swallowed his remarks as well. Selene clearly thought highly of the kid since she was ok with him sitting.
Jerome looked at him for a while sizing him up and scanning him for the first time. To his surprise, the Sprout was far more powerful than he thought he’d be. His core was a lot denser than that of the Royal twins he saw at the training ground back in Farryn. It wouldn’t be long before he advanced to the Spirit Realm.
“Jerome,” he said.
“Jerome…you mean the Jerome?” Lang asked with a shocked expression on his face.
“The one and only,” Jerome said. Rihal had said he was famous after Pilgrims’ Keep, so it was best to just go with the flow. Plus he didn’t really care if people knew about him.
Lang looked from Selene to Trudhorn to Fei Lin in shock before calming down. The news was that Hedon Alvric killed him for embarrassing him in Pilgrims’ Keep. Hedon was publicly rebuked by the Royal family for killing twenty-five people from the slums all of whom were Jerome’s family. To see the kid alive and well after all these years was nothing short of a miracle.
“Were you the one who killed the Child chasing us in the forest sometime ago?” Fei Lin asked unable to stop herself.
“What of it?” Jerome asked back.
“Thank you, for giving us a helping hand,” Lang said, taking back the reigns of the conversation. “We would, however, require your assistance once again to help us break the blockade set by the Children,”
“And what do I get out of this?” Jerome asked and Berj glared at him.
“Obviously I’ll be doing you all a favor. I am capable of leaving just like the Royals, you know?” Jerome said and Berj mellowed out.
Jerome had heard of how the Royals left which was quite surprising. He thought the Children couldn’t have just let them pass through. There must have been something involved nobody was considering.
“You won’t make it far,” Fei Lin said glaring at him. If he wasn’t going to help, then it was a waste of time bringing him here.
“Where is Hedon by the way?” he asked, ignoring the Fei heir.
“He’s in battle, trying to prove his mettle,” Trudhorn said, almost mockingly.
Jerome nodded. He’d hoped to see Hedon at least once. To look him in the eyes once before their battle. Jerome fantasized about how he was going to slice through his throat just as he did with Doti and a fire roared in his veins at the thought.
“Are you gonna help us or not?” Fei Lin asked, getting impatient with him.
Jerome didn’t bother with Fei Lin. It seemed she wasn’t the one with the last say at the table. Everybody deferred to the older Sprout. So he waited for Lang to ask what he wanted. Jerome didn’t really want anything from them. He just didn’t want anyone to interfere with him and Hedon.
“What do you want then?” Lang finally spoke up.
“Do not interfere with the Alvrics and me. When we’re done breaking through the blockade, you pack up and leave.”
“Done,” Lang said after a while. He was interested in the kid now. For a common disciple to go against the heir of a Great clan was not something one saw all the time.
“We Baelors wouldn’t interfere as well,” Berj said. “But you’re not gonna be able to beat him, kid, not with the people he has around him.”
Jerome didn’t respond to that. He turned to Selene who was busy cleaning her nails. She looked over and just shrugged. Selene knew what Jerome was capable of. She just needed to inform him of a few things and Hedon and his teammates would be in a lot of trouble.
Jerome nodded. He stood up and asked, “When do we start?”
“We start when the sun comes up. For now, we rest,” Lang said.
~~~
After they made it past the Tower of Solon and regained their strength, Hedon found out that he and his teammates were stronger than they were before. Their cores were denser and able to hold a lot more essence and their mental capacity had been enlarged.
He had quickly taken his men to the battlefield to regain some of the confidence they lost while facing the Children in the caves where they lost some teammates. After fighting alongside his teammates and venting his fury at the Children for a while, they walked back to the camp ready to rest for the night.
“Young Lady Itakar didn’t agree to my proposal, Hedon,” Murray said to him after they had walked a few hundred paces away from the battlefield.
The battle was at a standstill for now. And the children remained at the boundary between the dark cloudy parts of Terra Praeta and the clear parts. Until they came up with a way to get rid of them they weren’t going anywhere.
“That’s kind of odd. What allegiance do they have to him?” Hedon asked wiping his body with a piece of towel.
“He probably must have helped them a lot more than we surmised,” Murray said.
“As long as they don’t interfere with my plans,” Hedon said and looked at Murray. “I can’t leave that kid running around, he’s a loose end that needs to be cut off. And I’m pretty sure he would be making his own plans against me.”
“He can try,” Murray said. “But what plans of his can succeed against the heir of a Great clan?”
Hedon chuckled. “Let’s find out what the others discussed for now. Then we make our move after we leave this place,” he said and walked toward the cluster of tents owned by the Fei clan.