The Main Building, a cluster of establishments housing offices, classes and certain facilities. Due to varying architectural designs of the buildings, the aggregation of such structures might seem a bit odd to behold but they maintain an air of art nevertheless.
In a certain part of this complex, standing among hundreds of bustling students who are on the way to class, are two boys discussing with each other.
"So.. which class do you recommend?" Chase Blackstone says to the blindfolded fellow beside him.
The Academy handbook did list out all the subjects they offer along with a short description but there are too many to choose from and so little time to pick everything he wants. Granted, Chase is only looking for beginner level courses but for some popular subjects, it is quite common to find more than one professor teaching one level.
"I propose you endeavor one of my favorites, the farming class. It is delectable to learn the art of growing your own food, what a wonder you commoners come up with!" Looking at Chase with four layers of blindfold over his eyes, he gives a wide smile. The term 'commoner' is a praise rather than an insult in Bolt Skylar's personal dictionary.
Blessed or cursed with the ability 'Opacity Canceler', he could see through up to four layers of object. After it is discovered that he could do so, the Academy received a torrent of complaints from worried females and jealous males alike. As expelling him is unfair since he did not actually do anything, they applied a simple countermeasure to the problem. Whenever he goes out of his living dormitory, four layers of blindfold shall be placed on his eyes.
Chase Blackstone found out the fact this morning when they were heading out to class, and finds Sky's presence to be less uncomfortable now. At least, when they are outside of the dormitory.
"Farming? ...maybe not. Anything more.. umm.. anything else?" Chase does not fancy the idea of cultivating crops. Even back in his old home, his father would go to Thanes to buy vegetables using the money he got from hunting.
"Would you be intrigued with delving into the culinary arts? I have been taking classes for the past two semesters and it is an absolute joy!" He pats his chest in a reassuring manner. In his eyes, cooking and farming are a respectable set of skills belonging to a commoner.
"Cooking.. cooking, maybe.. Okay, what's the most interesting class that you have been to?" Chase does not dislike the thought of learning how to cook. However, he has some reservations whether he should learn it here. He is more keen on learning survival cooking rather than preparing the fancy dishes that gets sent to his room.
"Of course, it is the f-" Sky gives an answer without a second thought.
"Besides the two you just mentioned" Chase could already guess what the answer is, so he stops Sky before he could complete the predictable sentence.
"I see, then.. hmmm... Ah, the History class!" After pondering for a moment, he calls out the subject known as a dreaded lullaby to most.
"History. Yes, yes, that might be good!" However, Chase is not a typical boy. He enjoys reading books and to him history is just another story that spans across the timeline.
"Then, off we go!" Grabbing Chase's arm without any consent, the one-week butler drags his young master into a sprint to class. To him, 'serving' might mean hanging out together.
'Sigh... at least he can show me the way around' Chase focuses on the positive side of being served by Sky for one week. Thankfully, Sky's added presence is warding off undesired people from coming close to him.
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Chase's expectation of a half-empty classroom is proven to be wrong as they struggle to find seats in the lecture hall. Recognizing his face, some students squeezed together to make room for him. Feeling guilty and unpleasant at their attempts to get on his good side, he politely refuses and goes on to find an empty bench at the very back of the class.
"What's with the number of people?" Chase asks his question as he observes the room from its highest positioned seat. The majority of students are chattering excitedly and throwing glances at the door in anticipation of the lecturer.
When Chase and Sky arrived at the lecture halls, there were two halls exclusively used for history classes. It was puzzling to see nine out of ten students entering this class and disregarding the other one. When Sky pulled him in, he followed without any resistance.
"This class is special. Very special. Most of the students here are newcomers and they would be gone after the first week" Sky explains as he points at the students who are still entering the hall in droves. Some of them files into the empty portion of the bench they are sitting on. Chase shields himself from sight with Sky's larger silhouette. Soon enough, the students who could not find seats exit the hall with disappointed frowns.
"Why?" What is so special? Is the lecturer amazingly handsome or beautiful that every new student would come over to see him or her at least once?
"Ah, he is here. See for yourself and be awed" Sky drops his volume to a whisper and sits straight in full concentration.
'Huh, where?' Chase gazes at the front but sees no one. Then he realises that everyone is looking up at the ceiling.
*Bam!*
A large, thick book falls down onto the marble lectern in front.
*Thud*
Just as Chase raises his head to look up, a shadowy figure drops down behind the lectern. His Kinetic vision proves to be useless in capturing the details of the figure because he did not focus on the correct place at the right time. That is not needed though, since the figure had already stood up.
"KYAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!" "HUAAAAAARRGHHH!!!"
Screams of students fill the hall and Chase could spot a considerable number of them fainting in shock. Some, like Sky, are grinning with excitement as they look at the professor, and Chase could see the reason behind the mixed reactions.
Standing around seven feet tall, he leans forward and places his four-fingered palms over the lectern. Chase's eyes follow the professor's elongated head down to the tip of his muscular, swishing tail. Clad in a brown, sagely cloak, the dark-green scales covering him blatantly display themselves. His slitted yellow eyes open and close as he surveys his students with a cold-blooded reptilian gaze.
"Greetingssssss..." The professor hisses as his forked tongue playfully exits his mouth for a brief moment.
"Well, does this class meet your expectations?" Sky whispers to Chase without looking away from the professor.
"..No. I think it just flew over it" Chase replies with a dry throat and wide-open eyes.
Since his arrival, Chase had been continuously presented with new things and experiences. Now, he is shown a sentient living being that he had never encountered before, a lizardman.
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"Is this it? The lair of Narag?" Talos inquires as he views the dark maw of the cave.
"Yessss... we shall pledge our allegiance to you if you could pacify her" Shakti of the Zumerian tribe bows his head in respect. They are a proud warrior tribe among the lizardmen but even they cannot accomplish a great feat like subduing a dragon.
It has been a week since Narag, the Continental Dragon of the West went on a rampage. At first, they assume it to be answering to the Demon King's call but higher level creatures such as them should not be affected by it. Their high intelligence and greater strength grants them resistance against the mind-control. With the coming of each Cycle, the Demon King would personally come to recruit them either by force or by doing a favour.
Narag, as the only surviving Continental Dragon, is a symbol of power and wisdom. Making her home in the most undeveloped parts of the land, she avoids humans and concealed her presence perfectly. The creatures of the Western continent greatly reveres her and even presents offerings to her at the base of her mountain. Nowadays, they flee in all directions whenever they hear the flap of her wings.
Narag's descent into insanity was gradual, she waged a battle within her own mind which her sanity eventually lost. Up till a week ago, she had been rampaging within the confines of her own mountain, perhaps still holding on to the fragments of kindness she still has while preventing herself from slaughtering the other faunas. Then, things escalated when she blasted open a hole on top of the mountain with her breath and painted the sky red.
She flew out of that opening and started to raze the forests with scorching flames. Trees were uprooted just from her swooping over them, mountains were leveled when she hits them. The Zumerians, like most of the warrior lizardmen tribe, lives in underground caverns. Even so, they were still affected by the tremors caused by the rampaging dragon. Failing to come up with another solution, they were preparing to form a coalition force with the other tribes to take down the dragon.
Before they could execute their foolhardy plan, a human came over to them. No, not just a human. He is something more.
"Wait here. If I don't come back in a few hours, it means I've failed" Talos states his willingness to venture alone into the lair. He is not sure whether he could succeed, but he shall give it a try.
Leaving Shakti, he treads over the blackened earth and charcoal, making his way to the entrance of the cave without a hint of fear on his heart.
Shakti looks at Talos's shrinking figure. His murky, silvery-grey long straight hair tied neatly into a ponytail swishes slightly with each step he takes. The thin cloak he puts on only covers the top half of his body, leaving his trousers observable. There are no wings, no horns or claws, he looks and smells just like a human. The only item that absolutely proves his identity is the pitch-black sword on his belt.
'He looksss so human.... but there's no doubt about who he issss'
He is Talos, the soon to be 108th Demon King.
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"As you are still within a 'classsss sampling' period, I shall focus more on the magnificence of Hissssstory rather than teaching according to my regular syllabussss" The Lizardman Professor announces his intentions to the class.
He studies his students and exhales a long, tired sigh. Once again, he is presented with a familiar scene that occurs in every first week of a new semester. Droves of new students would flood his lecture hall just to ogle him like an exotic animal. Then, some would faint once they have achieved an overabundance of the cheap thrill they sought after. After the first week, he would be left with only a handful of students that truly wish to learn about the events of the past.
"I shall divulge my perssssonal information first, seeing how you cannot stop looking at my tongue and tail" To emphasise his sentence, he moves his tail from one side to the other and watches the little human heads turning to follow like they were hypnotized.
"My name is ssssyxysxysxsxsyxxssssshhhssss" He pronounces an incorrigible sound that is supposed to be a name.
The students who had already leaned forward and are lending their ears start to knit their eyebrows and wrinkle their foreheads.
"I was joking. Did you really expect me to speak like that?" After announcing that, he starts to make loud chirping noises that is most likely the equivalent of human laughter. His mouth is pulled back to reveal a set of thick, sharp looking fangs in an expression that might be a grin.
"AHAHAHAAHAAAAAHAAHA!! Good one!" Sky is the only one brave or uncaring enough to laugh at the joke.
Seeing the lukewarm reaction he brought up, the professor ceases to laugh and returns his expression to normal. Well, as normal as an ordinary lizardman. He does appreciate Bolt Skylar's reaction but then again as the boy is a returning student, he is already well aware of his peculiar quirks.
"I am Vey of the Shurendaal tribe. Among the lizardmen, we are well-known as scholars and negotiators. We are one of the very few tribes that keeps a peaceful relationship with humans" To be more specific, they are on the neutral side. They support neither the Demon King nor the human side. Due to their occasional contact with humankind, they have learnt to eliminate certain accents they have.
"Among my tribesmen, I am considered to be a deviant. I venture far and wide and indulge myself deep into my studies, including the human society. My interest as you might have guessed, is history. It just so happens that humans are intertwined with a major part of history, which brought up my interest to study you. In exchange for divulging my knowledge, I am also learning things from you, whether it be your physical workings or mental procedures" A part of learning history is deciphering why certain actions were taken. Being from a different species, he lacks what might be common sense to humans.
"There might be others like me scattered about the world, but I have no knowledge of who they are" The members of the Shurendaal has a peculiar trait of having different interests. As such, most of them have to pursue their desired knowledge on their own.
"Any questions? If not, I will end this introductory session and move on with the subject" Vey secretly hopes for no more questions. This class would only last for an hour and he would very much like to instill the seeds of historical inquisitiveness deep within the students' heart during this short period.
A female student raises her hand up. Vey lets out a groan in his mind.
"Yes?" Whatever the question is, please be short.
"Are there other demi-humans like the lizardmen, Professor Vey?" A really blunt question that might even be considered offensive.
"Demi-humans. Please refrain yourselves from using that term when referring to us, I doubt you would be left unscathed if you mention it in front of my less-passive kinsmen. It could be taken as an abrasive term, just like how you would not like it if I call you demi-lizards" Calling him a demi-human is like declaring him as a sub-species of humans. The lizardmen, although smaller in numbers, are just as advanced if not more, than the humans.
The girl which asked the question flinches at the response. The others sitting near her start to inch themselves away in fear of getting caught up in an attack by an enraged lizardman.
"If you mean creatures that could think, feel emotions and speak like the humans...... then the answer is yes. The ones that have yet to go extinct and within my area of knowledge are the centaurs. As for beings with high intelligence but do not speak the human tongue, there are plenty but the most famous one is the dragon" Vey chooses carefully on what to divulge. Carelessly revealing locations and species in hiding could possibly endanger them. Some dragons like the Continental or World Dragons could commune telepathically with any creature but Vey decides to keep that information to himself since those beings do not appreciate human company.
There are also certain races that have been omitted from human history such as the dwarves and elves. Those are the races that have been extinct before the start of the first cycle, the reason being humans themselves. After massacring the elven and dwarven populations, they claimed the cities, facilities and knowledge as their own. To save their own pride, they erased the existence of those creatures from the annals of history, washing the blood off their hands. If Vey mentioned this here, he might be executed.
"Anymore questions?" He pans his head through the mass of students in search of an inquisitive soul.
"Very well. Let us start with an interesting topic, the Three Wonders of Armus" It is always best to start with something of great mystery and nothing is better than the one he just mentioned.
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A thunderous snoring sound echoes through the dank, dark tunnel of the cave. Talos winces and rubs his ears each time the sound passes by him. As if it is not bad enough that he has to walk through this without any light source. Once in a while he would feel something squishy and squirming under his bare feet, inducing a slight sense of disgust in him. He would have just created a simple light ball but Dragons are notoriously alert when it comes to Magic. It only matters slightly though, as he has partial night vision.
'So this is how a Dragon maiden snores? Gosh, I can't even begin to imagine how loud she could be when she's awake and roaring' The only reason he even considered taking on this task is because he has a chance of success. It is known that Narag would go to sleep at the end of her rampaging session each day, and she would return to her home to go into slumber.
'You would probably die if you want to find out. You cannot hope to contend against a Continental Dragon in the state you are, Talos. However, if you wait until the beginning of the Cycle to unlock my powers, it would be too late' Wrath, like Justice is still locked in the form of a mere sword.
'It's fine, I know that' Talos understands, when the 108th Cycle begins he has to ascend the throne of the Demon King. As soon as that is done, he would be bound to the castle in the Cursed Lands until the Hero challenges him in the final battle. As such, this is his only time to gather strong allies.
'I am sorry, Talos. You are burdened with the heaviest task out of all my champions thus far. If only I did not make that mistake...' That mistake. Its greatest err since the moment it acquired sentience over three thousand years ago. Blinded by the prospect of gaining an easy victory, it chose him, the 107th Demon King.
'Wrath. How does this work? I mean there are currently two Demon Kings, are you split in half or...?' He left the sentence hanging as it is already sufficient to obtain the answers he need.
'The 107th had already lost over half a century ago. I am fully with you now although he is still considered to be under my banner' With its champion's defeat, it roamed the world in search of another. The penalties imposed for its breaching of the rules brought upon the longer than usual delay between the 107th and 108th Cycles. Regardless of being unresolved, the 107th Cycle would be considered finish as soon as the next one starts.
'Is there really no way to negotiate with him? The 107th Demon King?' The Demon King. An unsavory title given to those who take over this position.
Demons do not exist. At least none that Talos could see. Even if they are real, Talos holds no power over them. The only demons he knows of are the ones that reside within the hearts of his fellow kind.
Monster Overlord. What are monsters? They are but normal creatures that live in their own ecosystems. Humans expect these faunas to remain docile when they so brazenly barge into their homes to hunt and pillage.
Lord of Shadows? Quite a good name but unsuitable to what he is actually doing. Besides, it gives a bad impression to shadows. Shadows are nice, they give cool protection that provides so many creatures the temperature they needed to live.
'None. his goal is a different one from mine. Nothing would come out of it but the absolute destruction of everything. Even though his victory is also mine, the results are in favour of his own desire. He is twisted, but powerful, even more powerful than me or the other one' Wrath has to refer to Justice as the 'other one' as it is still bound by the rules.
'I see. Then I have no choice but to plunge into the Cycle with only the army I gather on my own behind my back...' There is no helping it, it is foolish to assume that he could wrest control of the lower tiered creatures from the stronger Demon King. Not to mention the 107th would be free to roam the lands, unlike Talos.
'And that is why you must take the risk this time, to get the strongest allies you could recruit. The Continental Dragon and the Lizardmen is your first step, there are other beasts to consider as well' Beasts that cannot be affected by the brainwash are very valuable. Having them fighting along their side with a relationship built on trust and loyalty would be a great boost to Talos's military force. Even then, their chance of victory against the 107th Demon King is quite slim and there is also the 108th Hero to consider.
Talos knows that he had almost reached the end of the tunnel and would soon enter the central part of the mountain from the bright light given off from an opening ahead. The blown off mountain cap had created an entryway for light to shine in which is quite convenient for Talos who needs illumination to do his job.
'My first step seems to be pretty big and brutal, Wrath' Talos peers into the light-filled exit and observes Narag, the last surviving Continental Dragon for the first time of his life.
Narag is huge, even by the standards of dragons. If looked at a close distance, it might be mistaken for a hill from the size alone. However, certain characteristics greatly define its identity as what it is. The tough, greenish-white scales covering its body. The six golden, enigmatic horns that adorn its skull and most noticeable of all are the two rows of bluish crystalline plates running down from the top of its head down to its tail. Thankfully, its golden eyes are still closed.
'I believe the humans have a saying which is appropriate for this matter. The first step is always the hardest' Wrath comments dryly.
'That's not very helpful, Wrath. Not helpful' Talos is pretty sure the other humans did not have to do something as extreme as winning over a hundred-meter long dragon when taking their first steps.
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"And so we start with the Earthscraper. Yes, the gigantic underground structure which is heavily guarded by the Holy Order. This Wonder that resides in the Western Continent is the most mysterious out of three, with almost no information about it being circulated around. One must wonder just what secrets or treasure does it house that it requires thousands of guards and intricate barriers to protect" Even Vey himself is intrigued by it. Just what precious items are hidden in its heart?
"It is said the Storm Knight, Gale Tempest himself used to guard the place for a short while. In fact, he was the Commander of Light, the highest ranking Knight within the ranks of the Holy Order. His sudden disappearance took place around thirty years ago" Some would call him the strongest swordsman under the heavens, but Vey does not think the title is authentic. The Storm Knight had never fought any of the other Legendary individuals, most of his achievements were done within the Western Continent. It is illogical to call him the strongest when his strength was untested.
"Now, what does this mean? Does it not give rise to questions in your mind? If you pause and think for a while, you might see the connection between his disappearance and the Earthscraper itself. What happened? Did he venture deep underground and found paradise there or did he perhaps find out the truth within the Earthscraper and was promptly eliminated? He might not even be gone, the news about his disappearance might have been faked and he might be dead" Vey states the few theories behind the vanishing swordsman. He himself does not know which one to trust as all of them are baseless, but it makes for a fine topic to rouse interest in those who knows or idolizes Gale Tempest.
A lone hand shoots up among the students, bringing his attention on a small black-haired boy. How peculiar, he has silver eyes.
"Yes?" Maybe there is a question for him. If so, he has succeeded in his attempt to garner some attention.
The boy stands up spiritedly without being asked to and starts to fire a barrage of words at him.
"All the theories you have stated are invalid, sir. Although there are written works that state the continuation of Gale Tempest's journal after his enrollment into the Holy Order as fake entries, there are multiple proofs that say otherwise. Even though there is a time lapse between the entries he wrote last regarding him joining the Order and the entries after, the feats that were written in them were really accomplished. Several experts have also verified the handwriting to be the same, supporting the fact that Gale Tempest did not truly vanish at that time period. There is a possibility that he might have come into a conflict with the Order and left to resume his adventure and might even have died, but he did not disappear during his service in the Order"
Chase is a big fan of Gale Tempest and his journal. He himself had forgot the number of times he read through his personal copy of it. He could probably recite the events that were written on each page. Upon his discovery of the mini-library in Godric's Hollow, he earnestly searched for more materials regarding the Legendary swordsman. It was delightful to go through others' views and interpretations of Gale Tempest's journal. Heck, some of them even said that Gale Tempest could have had a few screws loose in his head but Chase knows better than to believe that.
"Yes, true. In realising that you have grasped the essence of learning History. Why do we learn History? To avoid repeating past mistakes? To find out great events in the past? To me, it is to look at the disparities between the world that had been recorded and the world that currently is. Tell me, could you confidently say every single record depicting the past was written without any bias or facts omitted or falsified? I for one, could not. As such, I study the past in order to find the underlying truth hidden beneath the millenniums of lies"
Where a lie is made, a distortion is formed in history. By spotting out these creases, and mapping all the relevant points, perhaps he could discover what it was that the deceptions were made for. There are too many holes in history, records of events that happened before the first Cycle are almost nonexistent. From where did the Glyphs come from? How do they even work? What were the old kingdoms that existed before the ones that stand today? Perhaps he could find the truth by seeking an immortal, yes.. there is a certain creature that might be able to answer him, but he needs more than a thousand lives to reach it with his level of strength.
Vey shakes his head off the foolish idea and notices that he had been spacing off for a while. The boy which asked the question had already sat down.
"Oh, my apologies. Let's move on to the next one, the Cursed Lands, also known as the Portal to Hell or the site of the Demon King's Castle"
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Talos runs his hand over the Continental Dragon's thick scales, feeling every bump and spike protruding from it. His fingers are long and slender, but they possess an unexplainable strength behind them. That strength though, is nowhere near enough to subdue the creature sleeping before him. That hardly matters, because his goal is not to slay the dragon, but to befriend it.
'That's it... easy now.. don't wake up just yet..' Talos directs the words to himself rather than the intended recipient. Beads of sweat are already rolling down his back.
'Let me talk to you, Narag' His palm finds a spot on the dragon's temple.
He starts to sync his breath with Narag and empties his mind. His eyes slowly closes like a rusted gear being turned. As they fully shut, his consciousness merges with that of the dragon. There is no colorful burst of light, no shadowy tendrils, he simply slipped into the creature's mind.
Talos reopens his eyes to find himself in a beautiful verdant field dappled with trees and animals. There were a variety of them, from cherry blossoms to bananas, rabbits to cats. Each flora and fauna, even ones Talos had no knowledge of, live in harmony under the most comfortable weather Talos had ever seen, it feels like droplets of gold would fall from the sky if it rains. The air is unnaturally clean as well, so clear that his lungs would probably thirst for it once he leaves. Thankfully this is only an astral body.
'Where is this place?' Talos is aware he is in Narag's mind. However, this place is constructed out of the dragon's memories. If so, everything he sees here must be real at some point.
When entering a creature's or person's mind, its owner would always be somewhere inside it. Usually, the master would be located in a place with something of great significance to them. Wherever that is, it is not where Talos is standing now. Realising this, he starts to wander off and see this strange land for himself.
Talos does not walk, he shifts locations. Physical modes of transportation are insignificant in this world, one simply has to think themselves away from one spot to another.
He reappears high up in the clouds, giving him a bird's eye view of the lands. Perhaps it is due to the dragon's ridiculously old age, its excessively abundant memories, that the lands Talos sees appear to be boundless.
'Is it there?' Talos sees a shining white city, it reminds him of the capital of Bosco somehow. He shifts into the city for a closer look.
He arrives in a plaza bustling with activity. Tall ivory towers overlook the square, casting long shadows over the white tiles. The humans are dressed in robes of pure white, matching the colour theme of their city. None of them took any notice of Talos, showing that Narag is still unaware of his presence within her mind.
'Where are they going?' Talos sees a procession making its way through the crowd of people.
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'I do not know, this memory must have been before I acquired sentience' Which means, it was before the first Cycle. A memory farther back than around three thousand years ago.
Flower petals of bright vibrant colours are being scattered from the windows of the towers, they drop down to the plaza below like fluffy snowdrops. A pair of dancers, male and female, are twirling and waltzing side-by-side followed by a group of armoured men riding thick-plated horses. Their armours gleam like diamonds as they reflect the piercing rays of sunshine, enhancing their handsome fair faces. In each of their hands, they carry items such as bows and circlets designed with a nature motif. The onlookers gaze at them with admiration and awe, signifying these riders as people worthy of respect.
'Look at them. They treated my 'saviors' like this too when they abducted me from my family. Not a single doubt whether their actions were righteous or not, just pure ignorance and admiration over mindless heroics' Talos had once been taken in by his fellow humans, an act of humanity, they say.
He remembers the happy times he once had, living peacefully undisturbed with the pack in a forest removed from human societies. They would gather together and hunt when game was present. It was mostly for sport rather than food, the nourishment they acquired was just an added bonus to their fun. Then they would take a dip in the crystal clear streams running down the picturesque mountain. The wolves would often playfully shake off their wet fur and spray him with drops of water.
While reminiscing over his lost past, Talos keeps his feet moving as he follows the armoured men. They look like really important people, and they should be if they are within the Continental Dragon's memory. Having this event before him being presented in such detail must mean that Narag observed this from somewhere close. From what he had heard of, Narag never favored the humans, so the very fact that this city exists in her memories is already a great peculiarity.
The riders continue to press on a straight path, passing through the plaza and goes on a route leading up a hill. Talos could see a formation of marble columns forming a circle on top, but he could not make out the details because he is still far away. He considers shifting closer but his instincts tell him to wait and follow the men.
Not even a dozen steps later, something gives rise to a wave of terrified screams from the people behind. Even the well-trained warhorses start to pace and snort nervously as they sense danger. Talos's beastly instincts accurately pinpoints the source of the dreaded feeling welling up in him but it had no need to do so. The riders have dismounted their horses and their heads are turned up towards the sky in response to the looming shadow that befell them.
The robust figure of a dragon is darting down towards them. Its gigantic maws open wide to reveal a set of razor sharp teeth as it delivers a bestial earth-shattering roar of fury. The air pressure from its descent alone pins Talos's foot to the ground, greatly reducing his ability to move around. He sees the group of riders unsheathing their weapons with ease and readying themselves for a counter strike against Narag.
A bright pool of flames start to gather in Narag's throat, threatening to roast Talos and the men into cinders. Talos knows he has to shift to avoid his astral body being destroyed, but his instincts tell him to stay and observe even though his heart is already screaming for him to flee. He would not die if he is killed here, but he would be ejected from the dragon's mind and suffer a terrible headache. If Narag wakes up while he is in that state, he is as good as toast.
A louder roar comes in from the marble columns. If the dragon's roar was a sound of bestiality, this one is full of majesty. Just from the roar alone, Narag is tossed away by a tremendous unseen force. Talos spots pieces of Narag's thick dragon scale getting peeled off its body and her scaly wings being ripped into tatters. Narag's figure fly farther and farther away like a limp rag doll as it is thrown by that invisible power.
The scenery around Talos starts to distort and fade, signaling him that Narag had no recollections of it. Hence, this scene cannot be continued as she had never observed what happened next. Talos shifts his position in the direction Narag was thrown, hoping to find the injured dragon.
He speeds over a rocky mountain, delves into a fetid jungle and crosses a huge lake in search of Narag. He stops at the dragon's crash site, where hundreds of thick trees had been snapped up like dried twigs and the ground gouged out by Narag's humongous body. Talos sees Narag's figure shakily getting on her feet at the end of the freshly dug ditch.
Finally locating his target, he shifts closer and places himself a dozen paces in front of Narag. The dragon stops her movements and gazes upon Talos's foreign figure with her golden eyes. The long-haired human is wearing clothes that greatly differs from the others, they look like dull-coloured rags. And on his belt is a familiar sword, yet she could not place a name on it. It feels like she had seen it at some point in time, but when... ?
Then, she realises where she is.
'You, how dare you trespass my mind? What business do you have with me that we could not meet in the world we share?' She broadcasts her thought for Talos to hear.
"I would have done so if I could, but I've heard tales of you going berserk and burning everything around you. I don't really fancy the idea of being roasted alive' He had seen the visual proof as well that confirms the lizardmen's story.
'Preposterous, why would I...' Something clicks in her mind, her more recent memories start to light up. Like a person waking up from their dream, Narag begins to remember.
The surroundings warp and shimmer like the dying flame of a candle. The skies turn crimson and the clouds zip through it in fast-forward, leaving dozens of visible white lines. The scooped out land refills itself into place and the branches and twigs gather themselves to form bizarre arrangements of wood and leaves. Birds and beasts mutate and sprouts an extra appendage or two, sometimes a human arm or an extra head. Talos understands that he is seeing the touch of insanity on Narag's mind.
The dragon turns her head to the left and right repeatedly at high speed, her eyes appear unfocused on anything.
'WraTh, hAv-HavE- y0u reaLiseD whaT-wHaaa-whAt yoU HaVe DonE? N0, nOt Ju-juSt You! ALL Thr-tHrEe oF you AnD HIM aRe to Be bLaMed' Narag's projected thoughts are choppy and intoned strangely. It is a surprise how she can still communicate in this state.
'....'
'T-T-t-thE cyCle iS NOt a FooLprOOf SysTem, thIs woRld is not wORtH ProTectIng! H-h-HE Must be stoPped, thE wOrld neEds to be desTroyed befoRE iT is ChaNged fuRTHer. ArmUs caNNot be hiS Pl-pL-plAYgrouNd!!'
'...The Cycle is not at fault, it is I who have erred, Narag. I am aware that a conclusion would come one day, but this is for the best'
'F0OL! ThIs OncE perFecT wORld hAD been TranSfoRMed inTo th1s abOminAtion anD yOu InsIst it iS foR tHE BEst?! ThE errorS Would cONtinuE tO PiLe uP unTIl it reaChes a MaxiMUm poiNt, thE unDerWorld WouLd OvERfill and ThE eNd - and- aND'
Narag stops moving its head and looks straight at Talos, or the sword on his belt to be more precise. All traces of madness had been lifted off her at that very instant.
'I will destroy this wretched cycle and destroy the world so it could return to what it once was. I will not be stopped. Not even by you, my vengeful friend'
Small cracks appear in the air and spiders their way toward each other, creating greater fractures in space. The world shatters into fragments and shards like broken glass.
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"The Cursed Lands, situated in the Northern half of the Northern Continent. It is separated from the rest of the world by the Kingdom of Hwalren, the Infallible Gate. Staying true to its namesake, the Cursed Lands is a curse placed upon all of humanity. It is home to a plethora of vicious man-eating monsters and has plagued the world for ages. Unlike the Earthscraper though, we have an abundance of information regarding it thanks to the knowledge shared by previous Heroes"
The Hero and his party would have to venture through this God-forsaken place to reach the Demon King's castle.
"It had been reported and confirmed that the Cursed Lands hold no food or water source and any rations brought along would quickly spoil. This greatly impedes the Hero's advance more than any monster. Keeping yourself well-nourished while fighting off endless hordes of monsters is a difficult task to accomplish"
It would not do if the Hero arrives in front of the Demon King with an empty stomach and no energy.
"Now here comes the confusing part, the creatures that live in the Cursed Lands are spawned from trees. Yes, they grow on trees like fruits" Even though he is a non-human himself, even Vey does not comprehend the concept. He was born like a regular lizardman from an egg in the hatchery.
A good number of students let out gasps of surprise but not Chase. He had already read about this back in Godric's mini library, so the shock had already passed a long time ago.
"The coalition forces of humanity would often conduct campaigns to destroy these trees during the peaceful periods in between Cycles, but they have yet to succeed. Like the heads of a Hydra, each tree they cut would cause another two to sprout from the ground. It had been thousands of years and humans have yet to find a method to effectively destroy them" A few lizardmen scholars did pitch in to study the trees, but they could not figure it out as well.
"With an endless amount of monsters being created, one must wonder what their diet consists of. Dozens of Heroes have confirmed that the monsters do not practice cannibalism and if you say they eat humans, you must remember that the Infallible Gate is named so for a reason. The creatures could never acquire enough humans as their food source as long as the Kingdom of Hwalren stands guard"
The Kingdom of Hwalren is the vanguard of humanity, they guard the rest of the world from the brunt of the Demon King's forces.
"Some scholars went as far as to suggest that the monsters conduct photosynthesis like plants. That theory had been proven wrong by captured samples, though. The samples die within a week of no food and water, just like ordinary living beings. These wise scholars could only continue to scratch their heads when they take into consideration the vast amounts of nutrients needed for the trees to bear these monsters in the first place"
You cannot create matter from nothing, the trees must have acquired their source of nutrients from somewhere.
"As such, a few radicals claimed that the Cursed Lands is actually a land filled with an overabundance of food. They call it the Blessed Lands instead, to emphasise their points. This theory does not have any proof to it, since not a single edible material had been located there despite the fact that every square-inch of the place had been combed by generations of humans" However, Vey does not simply discard this particular theory because some ancient records of his tribe did record such a place in ages past.
"In its deepest reaches is of course where the Demon King's castle is located. The exact architecture of the castle is undetermined since various Heroes had given different reports which suggests that the castle might change its looks according to the Demon King's desire" That is a lovely feature that Vey would appreciate to have in his own home.
"It is worth to note that the majority of humanity's forces are concentrated in Hwalren, including the reinforcements from Bosco and Armitage. As such, the Eastern and Western kingdoms are left with only a fraction of their original armies. In light of recent events such as the unexpected attack from creatures of the Millennium Forest though, several legions might be recalled to Armitage for security purposes"
It makes sense to focus their forces on the most critical point which is the Cursed Lands. However, it would be disastrous if the Kingdom falls in the meantime.
"We can only hope for the Infallible Gate to stand strong against the forces of the Demon King" Vey does not wish for the death of humankind. With the loss of life comes the loss of history and civilisation. He would be farther away from his goal if that happens.
"Perhaps one of you here would be involved in the battle one day, now let us move on to the final Wonder of Armus. I'm sure all of you here are familiar with this... it is none other than Armitage's own Millennium Forest"
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Talos flinches awake and finds himself beside Narag's stirring body.
'I've failed spectacularly, haven't I?' Talos thought as he moves away to avoid getting squashed.
'It could not be helped, she was in no condition to have a proper conversation with us. I did not expect for the roots of madness to be so deeply embedded into her mind... you have to flee now and search for allies elsewhere as this is a lost cause'
Instead of heeding Wrath's advice, Talos places places his bare feet firmly on the ground. He pulls out the pitch-black sword from his belt and holds it stalwartly in front of him.
'I won't do that, Wrath. I would make a poor leader if I leave my pack defenseless on their own'
He tightens his grips on the hilt and bares his fangs. Wolves are honorable creatures, he promised to take care of this problem and so he shall. He would not turn tail and run away even though he is so terrified that his hairs are standing on end.
'...You are a splendid champion, Talos. If only you were born earlier...'
Narag flexes her enormous wings and stretches her powerful legs. She turns about to face the puny Demon King and opens her jaws wide to reveal a well of flames pooling up within her cavernous throat.
'The Continental Dragon has six hearts, make sure to avoid this and-'
A golden beam of light as big as a horse shoots into Narag's open mouth and extinguishes her fire. A wispy trail of smoke smelling of burnt flesh escapes through her slitted nose.
With bloodshot eyes and a burnt throat, Narag roars in pain and trashes wildly. The mountain trembles like a frightened kitten for each time she bumps her humongous body against its internal walls. She whips her carriage-sized spiked tail at Talos but before it could smash him into pieces, an unknown person holding a fan adorned with a dragon design appears in front of the 108th Demon King.
The black-haired man swiftly swings the fan in his hand and a blast of wind dozens of times stronger than a cyclone tosses the dragon's whole body and smashes her against the wall. Chunks of rock fall down from the walls as a result of the tremendous impact.
"Fulmination!"
The fan in the stranger's hand shreds into pieces and organizes themselves into multiple transparent globes. Swirling red clouds could be observed inside each globe, threatening to burst through their confinements.
The man clad in dragon-hide armour points his finger at the pinned dragon and half a dozen globes dart towards the target. They hit Narag on various spots of her body with a soft thud and..
A blinding flash of light accompanied by a deafening roar is produced as the globes explode. Talos is thrown back by the impact and hits his back hard against a large boulder. He coughs out a mouthful of blood and slides down the rock like a sack of potatoes.
"Point!" The unnamed man shouts to no one in particular.
As Talos staggers to his feet, he watches the globes coagulating and turning into a white butterfly. He stares dry-mouthed as the white butterfly circuits around the man. The stranger vanishes into thin air like he never existed.
'What..?' Talos could not make heads nor tails of the situation.
'Narag!' Snapping himself out of confusion, he peers through the dust clouds and spots the dragon's lifeless carcass. Her body, layered by thick armour of scales had been blasted through on several locations. Her slit eyes have turned glassy, signifying her death.
'Get out of the mountain now!'
The hollowed out mountain could not stand the terrible impact of the previous explosion. It is only a matter of time before it collapses onto them.
As there is nothing that he can do and nothing to be done, Talos agrees with Wrath. He replaces the sword on his belt and conjures a light ball before dashing through the tunnel he came in from with hopes that he would make it out in time.
He sprints at the fastest pace he could, to the point that his muscles feel like they are tearing up. Just a little more and he would make it out...
With a loud crumbling noise, the ceiling ahead of him crashes down and blocks his only way out.
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"Ah yes.. The Millennium Forest.." Vey repeats the name on purpose.
"Found in the Western part of this Continent, it is a unique place indeed. Its property of having multiple layers with different environments and ecosystems alone would have given it the rights to be one of the Wonders" The humans have detailed records of only the four initial layers and their calculations state the existence of four more.
"However, this Forest offers more to its mystery. For example, how could it only be discovered about a thousand years ago? The humans had created societies that spans across the plane for ages and yet they did not find this particular forest until approximately a millennia ago. Is this not strange in itself?" Vey has partial knowledge of the reason why but he chooses to withhold it for the same reason he did not divulge the locations of other sentient beings.
Chase frowns and concentrates more than he already did. He had thought about this before, but he never got the answers for it. Even Marcus does not know.
"This brought forth two theories. Theory number one states that the Forest had sprouted up out of nowhere around that time but this theory is strongly criticized for not solving anything. How did it suddenly 'sprout up' ? As such, the second theory is more widely accepted. The second theory states that the Forest, as unlikely as it is, had been teleported from another place to its current location. This is further supported by the old journal that depicted ruins of civilisation found within the deeper layers of the Forest"
If the Forest had suddenly grown over land, where did the ruins come from? As such, it is more logical to say it came from another place although teleportation is impossible.
"It is a widely established fact that the creatures within the Millennium Forest would never exit it. That is, until the recent attacks.. but for a thousand years, they faithfully stuck to their territories within the Forest"
"As you already know, being able to explore the fourth layer and reporting its information would earn you the rights to become a Zenithian Knight. Now this is another mystery... why is it that within the time span of a millennia, no one made it to heart of the Forest?"
Countless Legendary individuals had been born into the world in that time. There must have been someone that had the ability to break through seven layers of defenses, and yet why is there no information?
"I believe that there HAVE been people who had reached the innermost region of the Forest, but they either did not return or they chose to keep the secret to themselves" Oh, Vey knows the secret that lies within the heart of the forest but the secret itself holds more secrets that Vey has not an inkling of an idea about.
"With the not-so-recent invention of the Glyph of Life though, it might be only a matter of time before its secrets are unveiled. Perhaps the Hero could explore it for us after he defeats the Demon King" If he could beat the Demon King, that is. Vey hopes he could.
Vey sticks out his tongue to taste the mood of his students. He catches the scent of alertness in the air, which is a good sign for his class. Maybe he could go into his regular syllabus a little bit now.
He flips the pages of his untouched book and stops at a bookmarked page.
"The mysteries would surely be solved one day, but let us focus on things that have already been discovered. Let us talk about the political feud between the Tarranian line ..."
The students who had been leaning forward sink back onto the back of their benches. They start to doodle on their notebooks or fold paper origami. Some of the girls pulled out mirrors to inspect their makeup. Only a few still remain focused on him.
'Why do I even bother...' Vey sighs inwardly.
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Trapped in the tunnel with his only way out blocked, Talos refuses to give up. He utilises his strength to the fullest by removing the rubble using his bare hands. It is a vain attempt, because more debris rolls down to replace the ones he had already removed.
"Surviving a dragon and dying from a cave-in? I refuse to die like this!" Talos protests loudly.
'?!'
He senses something underneath him. Heeding his instinct, he steps to the side and pulls his fist back to punch the creature once it surfaces.
As a silhouette pops out of the ground, Talos swings his fist but stops halfway as he sees who it is.
"Glad to sssee you alive, wouldn't have found you if it weren't for the racket you were making" Shakti the lizardman's upper half is poking out of the hole in the ground.
"Get in, quick!" He hisses not out of anger but because he is a lizardman and that is just how they talk.
Shakti retreats into the hole and Talos follows suit without any qualms. Anywhere is better than here right now, even some underground passageway the lizardman dug out.
"Oof!"
Talos falls down onto a rocky floor. The unprecedented fall inflicts some cuts and bruises on his body. He did not expect the hole to be so deep and with no footholds to boot.
"Thissss way, and dim that magic light.. it hurtsss our eyesss...." Shakti shields his eyes with his four-fingered hands.
Talos nods and extinguishes his Light Ball out of respect. His partial night vision is good enough to prevent him from walking into walls, at least.
He follows Shakti into a branching cavern, he thinks. He could not make out the details but the outline looks like it.
"Our scoutssss have dug into the dragon's lair and found her dead body... you have kept your promise" Shakti says in a respectful tone.
"It was not me, someone I didn't know about appeared and killed her with ease" Talos clarifies the truth.
"...I ssssee. Neverthelesssss, Narag is subdued just assss you promisssed" A bit of the lizardman's disappointment is mixed into that sentence.
'Wrath, we need to have a talk later. I would like to find out about what Narag said to you and who that man was' Talos dislikes secrets. There are no secrets among pack members.
'I promise to answer your questions once the Cycle starts. As for that man, I do not know his specific identity... and I'm afraid I can never tell you about who he is. That is just against the rules'
'Very well, if he is involved and it is part of the rules, I'll let it be'
"Here we are, welcome to our village" Shakti says proudly.
Talos does not need to make another globe of light, the luminescent crystals scattered over the ceilings is giving off a comfortable amount of bluish lighting. He could see hundreds of clay huts arranged neatly on both sides of an underground stream. The huts are more advanced than they sound, a majority of them are built with three-storeys worth of floors, something that would be difficult for humans to emulate with clay.
This is a different village from the one Talos visited before. It appears to be more refined and advanced somehow, perhaps the technological levels of each tribe is different.
A group of grown lizardmen wielding spears and tribal shields make their way towards Talos and Shakti.
"Thissss is our savior, Talos Wolfchild the 108th Demon King!" Shakti announces to his tribesmen.
The warriors hiss in response and bang their spears against their shields. Judging from their lack of hostility, Talos assumes it to be a sign of respect.
Shakti joins his brethren at the forefront and grabs a spear and shield. He makes eye contact with Talos and drops his equipment to the ground as part of some strange cultural sign.
"To honor our promisssse, we the Zumerians, one of the four tribessss involved, pledge our allegiance to you!"
The warriors bang their shields repeatedly and hiss like snakes rather than lizards.
'I hope the other three tribes would keep their promise, but at least you have one tribe as your ally now'
'All this and I suppose I don't even have a tenth of the forces needed to defeat the Hero and the 107th, do I?' Talos smiles and nods at his new companions.
'It's a long journey, my champion. A very, very long journey'
Talos Wolfchild, the one raised by wolves, the 108th Demon King and lesser known as the Champion of Nature took his first step on that day.
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Outside Professor Vey's lecture hall, two peculiar boys are talking to each other. One is the silver-eyed Scholarship Beast, and the other one is the undesirable blind-folded boy.
"So, was it not enlightening? History Class, I mean" Sky inquires as he bobs up and down on the balls of his feet.
"Yes. Yes it was" Chase says uncomfortably as his eyes shift to his surroundings. Sky's strange behaviour is attracting plenty of attention towards them.
"Anyway, I want to go and check out the Magic Diagram Class so-" Chase is about to tell Sky that he could go anywhere he wants to.
"Oh! Magic Diagrams, how lovely! Yes, yes it would be my pleasure to come along and explore the wondrous arcane arts!!" Sky shouts at the top of his lungs and twirls in a circle.
"...yes, my pleasure as well" Chase answers stonily.
"Oh yes, young master! I forgot to give you something..." Sky rummages inside his uniform's inner pocket and pulls out a white envelope with a broken seal.
Chase narrows his eyes as he stares at the envelope. He gingerly takes it off Sky's outstretched hands and looks inside.
"It includes your timetable for Combat and Magic classes, and I am glad to inform you that we are in the same class!" Sky says before Chase could even read the first word written on the parchment.
"Same.. class....?" The muscles in Chase's jaw starts to slack, causing him to open his mouth stupidly.
'I knew that it was strange that there was no information regarding my compulsory classes. I thought I got the dates for the timetable distribution mixed up but it was this guy all along!'
Chase lets out a long, tired sigh and continues to read the letter. There would be one session of Practical Combat and Theoretical Magic class each tomorrow, so no damage had been done since he did not miss out anything.
"So, are we ready to depart for Magic Diagrams?" If Sky has a pair of dog-ears and a wagging tail, it would fit him perfectly at that moment.
"...Yeah, let's go" Chase turns around and makes his way to the relevant classroom with Sky tagging close behind him.
'It must be fate... struggling is futile... sigh....' Chase resigns himself to having Sky sticking around.
Maybe he will get used to him eventually, maybe.
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Hey, sorry for the slight delay! I lost a good chunk of my draft due to some undesired accident and had to write it again.... [th_107_.gif]
So in this chapter you find out about the lizardmen! What? I never said the story only has humans in it... although most of it would be about humans, yes.
This chapter and the next would be fraught with explanations, yes explanations for Chase but I will try to make it less boring with another character's event in-between.
In this chapter also, I can safely say that all the main characters have been introduced! Hooray! [th_057_.gif]
See you next week!
EDIT: I'm experimenting this jumping from one place to the other style, so if it sucks please tell me so I could discard it and go for another format
A great mess Armus Two sides of a coin, two sides of an eye
For The Curious Mind