The air was thick with dust, the weight of destruction pressing down on the remnants of the hidden city. Fires smoldered, their embers flickering like dying stars in the underground ruins. The battle had been won, but the cost was clear.
The city that had sheltered these warriors for generations was gone.
Aelric stood at the center of it all, his gaze sweeping across the shattered stone, the crumbled pillars, and the bodies of both warriors and enemies alike. He knew it wouldn’t take long.
The Order would notice.
An entire squad of their enforcers had gone missing.
That had never happened before.
The response from the Order would be swift and merciless.
They needed to leave. Now.
Aelric turned to the warriors who remained, their faces a mix of exhaustion, sorrow, and waiting for direction.
His golden eyes burned with intensity. “What do you want to do?”
Silence filled the ruins.
Then, the silver-haired elder stepped forward. He placed a hand over his chest, bowing slightly. “You have passed the trial of the Unknown Goddess. She has entrusted you with her power. And now, we entrust you with our lives.”
One by one, the warriors followed suit, kneeling before him.
“We will follow you, Aelric,” Kaela said, her sharp eyes unwavering. “Wherever you lead, we will fight.”
Aelric’s gaze swept over them.
One hundred.
That was all that remained. Warriors, women, children.
A city once hidden from the world was now nothing more than a ruin.
Aelric inhaled sharply. Then he made his decision.
“The Order must never know what happened here,” he said. “Not yet.”
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His eyes flickered toward the crumbling ceiling and fractured stone pillars.
“There’s only one way to make sure of that.”
Aelric clenched his fists.
He had always relied on his intelligence, perception, and adaptability to survive. But now…
The Goddess had left something more.
A sudden pulse surged through his body. At first, it was a whisper—a faint hum in his blood, like a memory buried deep within him. But then, his vision blurred.
Knowledge flooded his mind.
Aelric stiffened, his body overwhelmed as visions flashed before him—
A golden sphere of power, expanding outward.
A vast and endless void, a sanctuary beyond the reach of the world.
His breathing was steady as the understanding clicked into place.
The Goddess had granted him two gifts.
The first—Barrier Magic. The ability to create powerful protective shields, though the extent of its strength was still unknown.
The second—Subspace Creation. A dimension outside of time and space.
A home.
Aelric exhaled slowly. So that was her final gift.
A place to protect those who had nowhere else to go.
A place for them to grow.
But there was more. As he focused, a deeper understanding bloomed within him.
This space wasn’t just a gift for him. It was a fulfillment of a wish long forgotten.
He could see it now—through the power, through the lingering echoes of the Goddess’s will.
The first warrior to ever take her trial, their ancestor, had wished for his people to be protected. Even when the world crumbled, even when hope had been stripped from them, he had wished for a way to keep his descendants safe.
And the Goddess had listened.
She had waited, holding onto this power, until someone strong enough to wield it appeared.
She had entrusted him with her home, not only to protect his people but to honor that first warrior’s wish.
Two birds with one stone.
Aelric opened his eyes, golden irises shimmering with newfound power. “I know what to do.”
The warriors watched in silent anticipation.
Aelric raised his hand.
At first, nothing happened.
Then, the air crackled—a golden light igniting from his palm, spreading outward.
Aelric could feel it. The energy was raw, untamed, powerful. He pushed his will forward, attempting to shape it into a protective field, but it flickered unstably.
Kaela’s eyes sharpened. “You’re forcing it too much.”
Aelric gritted his teeth. He knew she was right. His mind understood the concept, but his body had yet to master it.
Veyne smirked. “Guess even you aren’t perfect.”
Aelric scoffed but didn’t deny it. Not yet.
Instead, he focused on the second power.
He extended his hand again.
This time, the golden glow shattered the air itself.
A swirling vortex of light and shadows tore open before them, revealing a massive expanse beyond.
Gasps echoed among the warriors.
It was… a world.
Vast lands of untouched soil. Rivers of pure water. An endless horizon, untainted by the Order.
Aelric stepped forward first. His feet touched solid ground.
It was real.
And it was theirs.
“This…” One of the warriors whispered. “This is a miracle.”
Veyne let out a low whistle. “So, the Goddess really gave you her domain?”
Aelric’s fingers dug into the rich soil. No.
He could feel it—the lingering presence of the Goddess. The warmth of her blessing.
This wasn’t just her domain.
This had once been her home.
And now…
She had entrusted it to him.
Aelric turned, his golden eyes burning with certainty. “This is how we will move. This is how we will stay hidden.”
His voice was steady, unwavering. “We will train here. Prepare here.”
The warriors listened, hanging onto every word.
“The Order will come for us,” he said. “But when they do… we will be ready.”
Once everything was gathered, Aelric led them back to the ruins one last time.
Every fallen warrior was given a final farewell. Their bodies were burned in a ceremonial pyre, their souls sent off according to warrior tradition.
Then, Aelric turned to the fractured stone pillars—the last remnants of the underground city.
It had been a home. A sanctuary.
But now, it was a grave.
The Order could never be allowed to investigate it.
Aelric extended his hands. This time, the power flowed naturally.
The ceiling rumbled.
Stone cracked and splintered.
Then—the underground city collapsed entirely, buried beneath tons of rubble.
No trace remained.
As the dust settled, Aelric exhaled. It was done.
No evidence. No bodies.
Only the future remained.
Chapter 13 ends