Ability Cries of the Fallen Type: Low Triggered Event: "I will be forever be the reminder of what you have done. You humans are the true monsters in this Dungeon." Effect: Ignite the sorrowful flames within and burn everything to ashes.
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“Is it….really true?” The man named Stevan asked.
Seraphine doesn’t really care what her master was planning, so she simply went along with it.
“Yes”
“I……what happened?” He asked.
Before she could say anything, Verum intervened.
“You captured some slaves, found that one of them was your long lost childhood girlfriend that has gone missing, she had two daughters and claims it was yours, and she died because of an attack that is happening right now.”
That is the worst lie she had ever heard. There is no way he would believe it right?
“Girlfriend? Yes, I think I had one before.”
‘No way…’ she thought.
“I think you had another friend that is fighting too.” Verum added.
Stevans eyes widened.
“Your right! My king, we need to stop her and inform that it was your subordinate!”
“Do not worry.” Verum reassured him “I already told it to leave, unlike you, I casted [Unworthy] to it and should have heard my command.”
Seraphine was wondering about Stevan calling her master as king. Does he have an ability related to that?
“Can you grant me permission to meet my friend? I’m worried about her.” Stevan asked.
“Just wait until she comes back.” He responded “More importantly, I want you to guide us to the nearest city. Your daughters need some help and I need information.”
“Understood my king.” He bowed with his hand on his back and another on his chest “Would you also like me to tell you everything I know?”
“Yes, and don’t call me king, Verum is fine.”
“Yes, Lord Verum.”
“…..”
“???”
“Just tell us what you know.”
According to him, they are in the Continent of Leyndel. A place where humans, elves, and Beastfolk were at war with each other. The place they are in are the forest surrounding the borders of the mountainous beast kingdom.
Getting to the nearest human settlement would take a week due to recent battlefields created by other creatures.
Seraphine doesn’t know why, but she was sure that there had never been any elves or beast folk before.
She shook her head. It was a stupid gut instinct for her to think they appeared out of nowhere right after she died. All she needed right now is to learn about Kaito.
“I’m sorry, I do not know him” He said to her when Seraphine asked, then fired a question back.
“What is both of your names? From now on I will take care of you and I want to get to know about my two daughters.”
“Seraphine.” She answered, and thought about what to say for the other girl. Verum seemed to be intrigued in what she would be called as well and left the responsibility for her.
For the first time, she smiled. She still doesn’t like how her chest hurt when she got stabbed. Seraphine pointed to the girl and responded.
“Idiot.”
“Seraphine and….Idiot?”
“Just go with it.” Verum said, probably fed up with the introductions
“Understood Lord Verum.”
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“Oh hell no….” Keren exclaimed.
She was walking towards their former camp, now a large field filled with fallen trees made with charcoal and ground made of several craters. The fire had long been extinguished, probably done on purpose by a companion while she was walking back. She looked at the smoke into the distance, she was glad that some trees in the forest has natural mechanisms to put out fires or else the entire place would be gone.
“I hope its not that bad.” she said and turned her head to a dot in the horizon.
If her eyes was not deceiving her, there is a campfire within that field.
In the middle of it was a man and two girls, joyfully cooking a Sinbad, A green fruit on the shape of a square that gets sweeter when cooked over an open flame. She personally doesn’t like the taste.
She leaped towards them, arriving in an almost instant and creating smoke from behind.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
“Oh hey Keren. I’m glad your back.”
Stevan, who is grilling the fruit, is sitting in a log with a happy smile. Keren saw that a girl with golden hair was using his lap as a pillow, soundly asleep. The other girl with white hair is just quietly sitting as well and starring into the fire.
“What the fuck are you doing?” She asked, “What happened to the others? I told you to leave with them!”
Her temper is starting to reach unimaginable levels, while her mouth is starting to spit flames once again. It screams ‘One wrong word and your burnt.’
“Others?” Stevan wondered, then he widened his eyes “Oh no! I forgot I-“
“Dead” The other girl interrupted, “Undead attacked……again”
Keren felt her heart sunk. She had always been prepared to see them lose their life, but not by negligence!
“Dylan? Tom? Everyone?”
Nobody answered. Even Stevan refused to talk and kept his head on the ground.
Keren is very much tempted to kill him. What he did is to waste the lives of so many people. Both of them were the only ones who knew that this was because of his ability and how much dangers it brought……yet she also knew that if she were in his shoes, she would also stay and fight until her last breath.
But a mistake is still a mistake.
“Stop lying and just admit that your judgement was wrong. Stupid group, elected me as leader but didn’t listen anyway.” Keren complained as she walked away a few meters to casually pick up a tree and place it across Stevan, causing a loud boom and dust particles to cover the food.
“We’ll both go to the Capital at dawn. I don’t feel like going to the city now.” She said.
“But the Capital is 2 month-“
“No it is not. Go contact Marie to take us there since we have no luggage anyways. Take the slaves with you.” She cutted, and closed her eyes while leaning down on the trunk, ready for a new day, hoping this was all a nightmare.
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“Well, I never thought of seeing you two again.” A voice said, startling Keren from her sleep.
The space rippled, and a large crack formed in mid air. It then shattered, creating a shimmering sky blue portal on the shape of a broken piece of glass.
What emerged was a beautiful girl with damp yellow and green hair, her blue and purple heterochromic eyes stared at the current site and immediately walked back as to not dirty her pure white dress.
“So….who contacted me?” She wondered.
Before anybody else could answer, Stevan already intervened.
He awkwardly stood up, “I did. Hey Marie, Its been a while.”
“I see, well, you know the price, you could pay for it when you get here.” She haughtily said, though she looked rather silly when its only her head sticking out of the portal.
Marie noticed the two cute girls soundly asleep near him.
“Woah.” She commented “When did you two get kids?”
Nobody answered.
“No time for jokes huh. You can enter now, don’t mind the crowd though, there was an event happening and it was getting really busy.”
As they all silently gather their stuff, Keren picked up both of the sleeping girls. One on her back and another as a princess carry.
Stevan did not react to It, but was rather distracted by his Lord in his body.
“Hey, why didn’t you tell me It was The Radiant’s church?!” Verum complained in his head as Stevan explained the location on the other side of the portal.
“But why? Is there a problem?”
“You’re an undead! And that specific religion specializes in eliminating negative things like you! Chances are, they have a barrier that will disintegrate any undead that even dares step foot.”
“Do not worry Lord Verum. I have always been a lucky, Im sure well be fine.” He reassured as soon as it was his turn to enter.
"You better, or else your gone."
Before he goes through the portal, he looked behind him, at the scorched forest that should have never been destroyed on a normal day. He doesn’t know why but it feels like he is a changed man, a different man.
Stevan took a deep breath, and entered.
He felt lightheaded, as if floating on water on a river current. His eyes are surrounded by the same colors the portal had, and he can’t help but close them for being too bright.
When he opens it, what greeted him was a simple room made of dark wood. The decorations were rather fancy and exceptionally bright. A common trait for their church.
Behind him was the portal that is currently closing as if shards of broken glass were reattaching itself slowly until its gone. No matter how much he has seen it, the process has always been so fascinating.
He looked at his body, which, fortunately, was completely unharmed. His opened wound on his chest was still covered in bandages and armour, athough it seems all the dust and dirt on his body was instantly cleansed.
Before he could comment anything, he noticed the girls leaving him behind so he had to catch up, entering the middle of the Cathedral.
There are hundreds of people within. He could see many priests with bright, fancy white robes with a yellow spiked circle symbol running around the place.
The priests, who worship The Radiant Star, was tending to the hundreds of adventurers and mercenaries looking for their blessing. They are most definitely getting overwhelmed.
He looked around and saw that the massive church seemed to have not enough space within. The line already exceeded the place and is now on the streets. Fortunately, the place automatically cleansed debris, or else the white marble that it was made of would have been extremely dirty.
“Apparently,” Marie gossiped, “Some arrogant elf prince is traveling around to fight every human that challenges him to a one on one. He has some kind of ability that made him impossible to ambush unless you are the challenger. He is arriving to the Capital soon to fight our princess. I think he apparently had heard of how much of a monster she is in combat and thought she was worth challenging, or so I heard”
‘She still has that habit huh.’ Stevan though. ‘She still won’t stop gossiping for things she isn’t even sure was true.’
“How are you by the way?” She asked, breaking him from his trance.
“I’m fine.” He replied, rather, he is happy that he is being useful to his Lord.
“How about the other people in your group? Where are they?”
Stevan looked into her eyes, which was enough for her to understand the situation and desperately change the topic.
“Uhh…It’s been 3 years right? I never thought so many things have changed since then.” She smiled.
‘Your making it worse.’ He thought as he was reminded of a past incident that happened long ago. The one that changed the course of their lives forever.
“I got kids now. These are mine.”
He pointed towards the two girls sleeping soundly in Kerens arms.
Stevan could see Seraphine peeking and pretending as if he wouldn’t notice her eyes twitch from slightly opening them.
Keren whirled her head back so fast it might have broken the sound barrier. Both she and Marie only learned that information now.
“When?” They asked. Even Keren seemed too shocked now to be upset over what happened last night.
“I –“ Stevan tried to remember, but his head was blank. Eventually, his Lord had to explain.
“You were affected by an ability that made you lose your memories. You only know now when you saw the faces of your daughters. Your wife was killed by the undead yesterday.” Verum explained to him in which Stevan repeated to the others.
“I can smell your bullshit.” Keren claimed.
“Don’t swear on a church.” Marie complained.
“Shut the fuck up, bitch, asshole, you can’t tell me what to do you fucking-“
As they both argue at each other, Stevan felt at peace, feeling like nothing has changed. The three of them had always been this way, and it seems some dynamics are just too hard to break.
They finally arrived at the entrance, which slightly confused Stevan. They were supposed to enter a different room and not go outside.
“The place got too cramped so they had to move many rarely used facilities away like the [beacon], you will have to pay up outside. Apparently, even the barriers had to be disabled and moved out.” She complained.
Stevan was fine with it. It has been so long since he came back.
When he exited the Cathedral, what greeted him was many structures of different shapes. Stevan, who was raised here, could pick out the various important buildings in every sector of the city.
He could see the plaza with all kinds of stores, selling bizzare items to so many people of different colored garments.
The adventurers guild is ever so imposing, yet the adventurers themselves stood out with their assortment of gear like a rainbow.
He could see many more recognizable organizations, but the most important of all was the castle, which resembled a large fortress made of navy blue stone on the outside, yet he knew was actually an incredibly beautiful large marble mansion when you remove the walls protecting it.
Stevan took a deep breath and whispered.
“Welcome back Stevan, Welcome back to Sydney.”