“Here master Volken, drink this!”
My apprentice offered me a vial that contained a green liquid. I drank the contents with great urgency, as if I was parched from lack of water. The pain in my right arm subsided after the effects finally settled in.
“…”
My mind was muddled with thoughts as I think back to that human girl. It has only been a few months since her arrival, and she already has the strength to rival mine! Her growth is too abnormal to be called a mere genius. A higher power must’ve been involved for her to receive this much power.
“To have lost an arm to the likes of her… It pisses me off to no end!” I yelled, smashing my fist against a tree trunk. Upon contact, the bark splintered, causing the tree to topple over. A cacophony of cries of alarm came from birds and various animals as the foliage and shrubs shook from the animal’s retreat.
“C-Calm down master Volken…”
“That damned lowly archbishop. For him to speak to me like I’m some sort of child. How dare he! If I could, I would annihilate every member of the Church of Pillars if they weren’t so closely protected by that Pillar Artoic!”
“Additionally, Artoic has given each important member of the Church of Pillars a mysterious power,” Airon chimed in.
“Yes, that power…”
The Church of Pillars, established by Cardinal Nicholas ten years ago, experienced an immense surge in popularity. The Cardinal is a charismatic man. Every time he delivered a speech, the people have been spellbound. Every assembly he has hosted, some would say that their very view on life would change. He has a strong foothold in the politics of other countries too. The war on Craidol? It was all his doing. The other kingdoms refrained from helping Craidol out of fear of Cardinal Nicholas’ authority. His effect on the world is unrivaled.
Where does all his self-confidence stem from? The Pillars of course! As worshipped by members of the Church of Pillars, they are known as the gods. Having the endorsement of these gods, all leaders fear him. Initially, they doubted his assertion of being in contact with the Pillars, yet he demonstrated to the sovereigns of the Ashia continent irrefutable evidence of their presence and power. That damned fiend was also the one who sent most of my comrades to their graves. He was the one who gave us knowledge of the Pillars and caused us to fall into a snare that resulted in the demise of my comrades! He was there when it all happened, grinning at us stupidly as he stood and watched behind the Pillars!
Remembering the past now of all times… If I could, I would torture that despicable man and cut off his arms and legs slowly as he chokes on his own blood and limbs.”
Grumbling, I steadily rose from the hard dirt.
“A-Are you sure you should be moving already, master?”
“I’m fine,” I reassured Airon as I surveyed the area. “The healing vial has stopped the pain and bleeding.”
Looks like Zolvo teleported inside the woods between Jahla and Cronas. If I had to guess, we were about thirty minutes away from Jahla.
“What a fearsome power…”
Members of the Church of Pillars are divided into four sections. The Cardinal stands at the apex of the chain of authority while the archbishops are beneath them. The lowest two are set aside for priests and worshipers. Through a religious ceremony hosted by the Cardinal are where archbishops are ‘blessed’ with a power that came from the Pillars themselves. I attended the very first one. It was held for the first ever archbishop, a man named Kio, to be coronated. The sight that I beheld there is permanently etched into my memory... It was a moment I will never forget.
“…!”
At the sound of a broken branch, Airon and I spun our bodies to face the origin. From above was a hairy beast latching onto a tree branch with one arm as it watched with its beady red eyes.
“It’s just a Monka,” Airon sighed.
Subsequently, a larger number of Monkaps appeared, swinging from tree limb to tree limb, congregating near the first one. They interacted with each other through a succession of low grunts and howls, as if they were embroiled in a minor dispute. Shortly thereafter, the noise faded and they all left.
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“What a loud bunch. They are probably part of the same troop and were trying to look for the straggler,” Airon explained. He then rambled about the species, but I wasn’t paying him any heed.
“…A straggler?”
To my dissatisfaction, a recollection from my past of Solgen and I, having fun in the cold after our first lessons at South Osmen, emerged from the depths of my memory…
“Getting emotional from watching a family of apes…”
No matter. I must keep marching forth. I’m doing all of this for my people, nothing more. If only those two humans joined my side, I would nurture them into powerful beings and have them kill the Pillars and that bastard Cardinal as foretold by The Oracle, but she refused. I wanted to keep them on a tight leash, but what you cannot control may bite you in the ass later. If humans truly are set on exterminating whatever life is beyond the portals, then…
“We cannot let that happen at all costs. Airon!”
“Yes, master!”
“Let’s go. We have to go meet the Cardinal. You still have The Oracle, yes?”
Airon rummaged through his pockets and pulled out the black crystal.
“Good. Let’s move ou-“
Before taking a step, I felt an ominous sensation, as if I was being monitored.
“…Airon. Go on without me.”
My student cracked his mouth slightly as if to question my command as if to question my command, but quickly comprehended the situation when he saw my expression. He gave a nod in acknowledgement as he put away The Oracle and discarded my treasured sword, leaving me behind. After confirming Airon was out of earshot, I quietly picked up my sword from the ground.
“You can come out now,” I said to a nearby shrub.
No one came out or uttered a word as the silent night persisted in the woods. This carried on for a couple of minutes before I had enough. As I was about to begin cutting down the trees, I observed a figure emerging from the thicket.
“You just continue being a thorn in my side. I tried my hardest to let you escape back there, and yet here you are. What is your goal?”
“…”
“Nothing? Not even going to ask why I’m missing an arm?”
The person before me wasn’t smiling in the slightest as they glowered at me.
“If this is how it’s going to be, then so be it. Let’s end this feud once and for all, dear sister.”
In response, Solgen brandished her saber and pointed the blade at my neck. “Of course I’m ending this, you shitty brother.”
“Hmph. Stubborn till the very end…”
****
One of my subordinates, Cardinal Nicholas, was speaking to me through a holographic projection I erected. Cardinal Nicholas had his head bowed, refusing to make eye contact with me. He perceives this as an act of disrespect, as he would never consider looking upon someone such as myself. How flattering…
“One of your archbishops was killed by those humans, Nicholas.”
“I have no excuses for their failure, Goddess Artoic. I shall receive all the blame.”
“I think her name was… Catalina? Wasn’t she one of the weaker ones?”
Cardinal Nicholas paused for a moment at my words, and said, “Yes. Archbishop Catalina was ranked tenth out of the archbishops in terms of physical prowess.”
“Ranked tenth, you say? Are you implying those humans, whose only been here for a few months, are already able enough to kill one of the archbishops I so happily blessed with power?”
Cardinal Nicholas bowed further. “Once again, I have no excuses. I shall await your punishment.”
“Punishment? There is no need for that. Your usefulness so far has far outweighed the need for punishment.”
“Thank you for your esteemed words.”
Is it about time I dealt with those humans? They are getting stronger indeed. If it wasn’t for that shifty bastard, I wouldn’t have had to pay this much attention to them.
I recoiled back into my chair and sighed as I gazed out of my palace. “What is Demos attempting to accomplish? How dare he leave all the planning to me? Demos hasn’t been found ever since that little raiding party came marching to our doorsteps ten years ago. Preparations to open the Labyrinth are nearly complete. At this rate, it should only take five more months. Solis and Luna are goofing off doing whatever at Noblela while Bolaan and Xalan are far west. I heard that Zero was off doing important research at a place called the Forbidden Area, east of Ashia. That damn Demos has me cooped up here doing everything! And The Enforcer has yet to report to me about what transpired at the Wyvern Zone!”
“…”
Ah, right. He’s still here. Frankly, this Nicholas person is the embodiment of crazy. I thought I’ve seen it all, but this guy specifically…
“You’re dismissed. I have many things to do. Report any substantial pieces of information soon.”
“As you wish, Goddess Artoic.”
With a wave of my hand, the video call with Cardinal Nicholas was finished.
“Crazy bastard. Now then, what are the humans on Earth up to?”
By lifting my hand again, a new blue screen appeared displaying a team concluding their battle in a place they call a Dungeon. They’ve prevented a monster outbreak once again. Those Dungeon Conquerors from America have pretty good synergy, especially the ones called Joel, Darion, and Sophie. The strength of their core energy is unknown, however it must be incredibly potent. They must be one of the stronger superhumans. I figure they will become good enough sustenance for our end goal. If they live that long, that is…
With a snap of my fingers, a plethora of new screens shined their light upon my face. Each of them was showing a video feed of a different country.
“No problems here either. It’s funny. They don’t have the faintest clue about what will happen in the future. They believe that the danger has subsided, but it has only just started. The Conversion has only completed its first stage, and that was to allow planet hopping through the portals, yet it’s only one-way. For now. Once we find ‘that’ in the Labyrinth, is when we gods will take the first step to reclaim our former glory and more. Alas, that is in the distant future. We must be patient. Rushing things will only impede us. If we rush, it will be akin to a human fighting against a raging tsunami, or a monkey lifting a mountain.”
All we can do…
Is wait.