ISION

It was now or never.

The test of time had finally brought us to this very moment for the chapters to end. . . Right here and right now.

The flames ripped apart the planet wide open, destroying everything and anything in the crossfire. Fire spilled out of its core, engulfing anything in its way, as Mother Nature didn't take any prisoners, no matter how special they were.

None of the cries, screams, violence would be heard; all would be rejected into the void of nothingness. They could pray to the Planeta Deus from above, but no Deus could listen to their pleas.

Our blades intertwined in an attempt to cut out the life of the other.

It was a duel of history that transcended time, breaking the laws of physics.

This fight of ours would cause ripples in time for the generations to come after us.

I knelt to the ground, taking a breath. I scooped the decaying soil, which washed away in my hands for it to be gone forever.

There was only one way that I could look, and that was to look forward. . . to the man who was in front of me. The man who appeared before me was nothing but trouble.

I would be the only one who would stand before him and fight, fight until my last dying breath.

His eyes spoke of ethereal destruction, a magnet that pulls anyone to him and ultimately gets decimated.

His golden, silky hair flowed down his legs, touching the ground. His blue azure eyes were calculating and frozen.

With that cape of his was like a protective shield covering his hair from the back.

I clutched my arm as I stood up from the ground, tall and proud, ready for the consequences of this battle. Too many had lost their lives for the sake of this moment, for it to all end here.

A final death-match between us would happen, and the others who remained would tell the story to anyone who could live after this.

Which was unlikely.

"Is this where it ends for you, Ision?" He approached me closer and closer, with each step filled with purpose and a killing intent that shook this planet to its core.

I looked to see the piles of bodies that had been slumped on the ground as a consequence of our battle that led to their ultimate demise.

"Well, Castor, I can say the same thing for you." I pointed my sword at him as I began channelling the power of Leron into it.

Castor with a devilish grin as he, too, began channelling the power of Ero. Even from here, I could feel the immense strength and power that he was letting out.

It was almost suffocating, and anyone who would have been alive still would immediately die from the power that Castor alone was using at the moment.

I drove my sword to the ground.

Leron den volcano!

The planet exploded in an instant. I thought it would buy me enough time, but I was wrong. . .

"Ero via revert!" Castor shouted as the destruction of the planet reverted to normality.

"Come on now? You seriously think that I would let you win by doing that?" He scoffed, waving his hand in dismissal. "Fight me like your life depends on it."

WHOOSH!

His sword clashed with mine, and I realised that he had put himself into the first phase of Wrealthvelt.

It was clear that he was going all out in our battle.

Our swords continued to flash and clash as we chipped away the materials from our swords.

He lunged in attempts to pierce through my chest, but I dodged it away in attempts to find a weak spot, but there was none that I could analyse.

If the fight kept going as it did, I would be on the losing side of history, and I couldn't do that to myself.

There was only one way that I could settle this without a defeat.

GUH!

His hand pierced through my chest, opening up a hole in my body.

I blinked profoundly in utter shock as he leaned closer to my ear, "That's for all the people you killed."

BLUH!

He pushed his hand and went deeper and deeper into my chest to the point the only thing I could do now was cough out a tremendous amount of blood.

I reached out to him with my hand smearing blood on his face, but he wasn't phased one bit at all in the slightest.

SNAP!

I snapped his arm open, the blood spilling and gushing as I could see the pieces of bone fragment appear.

The pain was unrelenting, devastating and cruel.

He forcibly kneeled me to the ground as he did the same too.

"You're lucky that I'm giving you a death, that you don't deserve you."

"Y-You. . . Traitor. . . H-How could you?" I mustered up all the remaining strength I had in me to.

Castor, for the first time, drifted his eyes to somewhere else other than me, "You made me do this, Ision. . . Don't get it twisted." He pulled his hand out of my chest to reveal a bloody fist that dripped with red.

I dropped to the ground, my hand on the ground, powerless to even move.

I was too weak to move, even if I wanted to; I couldn't do anything about it as Castor towered over me.

He would be the last thing I see. . . How pitiful.

"I'm sorry it had to end this way," Castor muttered.

The lies that were spewing out of his mouth. It was nothing but lies. I could see a faint smile on his face.

He didn't mean a single word that he had declared. He loved every moment of this, and I could do nothing about it.

Castor sat there in silence, waiting for my impending demise, as there was only one more thing I could say.

"Leron in cartion"

"Leron ine cartion"

"Leron ine cartion"

Like that, my eyes closed, disappearing from this very world.

Whoever came next after me. . .

Don't fail.

MARO

The world is your oysters, they say. . .

I knew little about my world, and my world knew little about me, either.

I was never one to fully believe in the statement, but as things come and go, I begin to realise, think, and answer.

That the world truly is your oyster.

What came to my senses as I opened my eyes wasn't the sound of nature of the birds and the bees buzzing and fuzzing, but rather, it was the cries.

The cries of mine.

Everything blurry and indistinguishable to my eyes had become focused and sharp, analysing the world that came into sight.

The first thing I saw was a hand, an arm, and a tender smile—a smile of benevolence worn on a woman.

Her fiery hair was lush and gracious, flowing down her shoulders, personifying her grace. And might I add, she was astonishingly beautiful.

It looked like she was pretty young, with her pale complexion the focal point of his face. She rocked me in her hands with a beaming smile filled with pure joy.

"It's a boy!"

Another voice had come to the picture as I saw an extended hand reach my temple.

Like my mother, an equally handsome man, though something told me he was a bit clumsy with his big old toothy grin, Colgate smile, and chest puffed up, ready for action.

He had short hazelnut hair and a clean-shaven beard that enhanced his complexion, and his clothing was rather ragged and broken.

It made more sense as I slowly looked at my surroundings, and from its appearance, it seemed we were living in a simple and humble cottage. Which wasn't a bad place to live at.

My sensations started to bottle up, and it was going to burst.

Was it anger? Nervousness? Excitement?

"Wahhh!"

None of the above. . . I guess.

Well, for some reason, I felt like crying at this very moment.

"Did I do that? " the man said in a panic, trying to fan me with his hands.

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"Wahhh!"

"I'm not that ugly, right?" He pointed at himself as the woman giggled, shook her head, and cooed at me. As soon as she did that, I stopped crying instantly.

"Maybe I am ugly." He muttered, smiling faintly at me.

"No, you're not, dear; you're just clumsy, " she answered, looking at me with another beaming smile. "Aren't you cute?" she smiled, touching me. "Yes, you are!"

Since I was this woman's child, I would allow it just this time.

As the man attempted to reach out to me slowly but surely, this time, he failed.

"Wahhh!"

He chuckled, drooping his shoulder in defeat, "Kassie, you just gave birth to him, and he already has a favourite."

"Don't say that, Lenin. He's just coming out of his shell." She smiled at me. After all, like you said, I just gave birth to him." She joked back at him.

Kassie and Lenin - Mother and Father.

I was the son of both Kassie and Lenin, and I was okay with that.

My past life was filled with memories of joy and contentment, but I still did have a lot to live as, after all, I did die at quite a young age, the age of 14, that is.

I lived in an environment where everything, including the future, technology, and advancements, was a sign of the past.

It didn't sound possible, but trust me, it really did.

We exceeded our expectations and stood atop the mountain, looking down at everyone else.

I lived in a world that people wouldn't even be able to comprehend, but never mind that now, I was living in a new world and assigned to the role of a baby.

I would play that role to the best of my abilities, that was for sure.

But the biggest question was yet to be asked and had been itching my brain. . . What was my name? Seriously, have they come up with a name yet?

"Hmmm. . .Jaxon? Paul? Steven? I mean, those are pretty good names, don't you think?" My father stroked his chin, deep in thought of the possible names that I could be.

Please, none of those names. . . They were all terrible. Can someone remove my father from naming me?

"Lenin." My mother smiled and looked over at him. "Those are terrible names." She looked at me and thought, "How about. . . Maro."

I did my best to nod immediately at the name she had suggested. Now, that was a name befitting for someone like me.

Maro was a name that suited me the best.

"Maro?" My father asked in surprise, "I mean, I still think Ja-"

"Wahhh!" I cried out more.

"Okay! Okay! Maro. . . Maro it is." He muttered, smiling as they looked at me with such affection that I couldn't help but feel I was more than loved.

"Still think Jaxon would've been cool."

"Lenin!" My mother giggled.

Okay, that was it; I knew that this was a family that I wanted to get used to. . . Let's live this life now, once and for all.

———

It had been a couple of months, and one thing was for sure. . .

I spent most of the time in my crib looking at the ceiling, which sucked. Sometimes, I forget how useless babies could be; how could babies look up at the ceiling for hours and hours and do nothing with their lives?

Well. . . Babies don't usually have a conscience at this age, and most of the time, I'm pretty sure they didn't get transported to another world, either.

So, I'm not a typical baby after all.

"Maro." My mother scooped me up from her crib.

Ah yes, my chauffeur that took me wherever I wanted whenever I wanted. At least to the place she wanted me to explore, and most of the time, it would be to watch my father soil up, but it wasn't just any soil.

Purple Soil.

Or what my mother likes to call it from what I've heard. . .

Purpura Solum.

Whatever it was, it only made me more curious about this world. I mean, who would've thought that there would be Purple Soil?

The only thing I had back where I belonged was plain brown soil.

The soil that my father was digging looked to be unfertile. It was, in fact, a dark purple, not rich in colour.

I thought that would be the last I would see whatever my father was doing, but it seemed my mother was also inclined to watch what was happening. I've never made it this far in this "farming process."

But lucky me!

I got to see this first-hand now.

He dug the Purpura Solum out of the ground and put it into what seemed like a small bowl. He then began grinding it until it had become a liquid.

An ooze of purple dripped from the bowl, touching the grass and turning it purple.

What in the world was this?

"Do you want to drink some?" My father extended the bowl to my mother's mouth.

She smiled, shaking her head, "No, not today."

With a toothy grin, my father immediately extended the bowl to me.

"Lenin. . . He's not even one year old yet."

"Oh yeah! Right."

Just as I was about to reach the purple liquid with my little tongue, my father instantly retracted the bowl.

How could you mother. . . You are a traitor. . . I wanted to see what would happen if I was able to intake this Purpura Solum, but I would have to watch my father drink it instead.

As the liquid travelled down his throat. . . Nothing. Nothing had happened.

Well, that was anticlimactic.

WHOOSH!

In an instant, my mother covered my eyes, preventing me from seeing the blinding purple light that my father was exhibiting.

The trees and bushes around us were blown in the other direction at full throttle. It was only a couple of seconds later that I was able to look at my father. . . But he was different before.

His blue orbed eyes had transformed into that of something else. Now, his eyes were filled with not only that but deep purple, a glow that beamed as I peered into his eyes more.

As he moved his hand, traces of purple followed him.

Seriously?

What was going on, and what world was I currently living in?

I looked at my mother for an answer, but she smiled at me, poking my nose.

My father took a fighting stance as he extended his left arm, and soon enough, a purple-bladed sword formed in his hand.

Okay. . . If things weren't already crazy, things would go even more crazy, and I didn't even know how that was humanly possible.

My mother was unphased by everything happening; it was like any other day for our family.

This was my first time seeing this, especially my father in action.

I had never seen him doing something like this before. Most of the time, I had always viewed him as a simple father who would work on the farm digging the Purpura Solum from the ground, but now I knew that soil was used for something else.

That was something I was watching right now.

PHOOSH!

My father readied himself into a fighting stance, striking his sword downwards, emitting purple traces that flowed with his movements.

I was most curious about the purple traces that followed his sword.

What exactly did it do?

He quickly breathed as my mother watched with a simple, smug look.

VROOM

Holy shit. . .

Before I could even blink, that tree, standing tall and proud, had been split in half.

From what I had witnessed, it seemed my father didn't move a single muscle to destroy that tree.

Was it because I was just a baby that I couldn't see what happened?

Indeed, that must have been the case, too.

My father walked over to us proudly, pointing at himself as the purple in his eyes diminished.

"You do know how to show off, don't you?" She playfully rolled her eyes.

He shrugged, grinning, "You know me; I have to let loose occasionally."

"It does seem that way, dear."

While they were bantering with one another, I drowned their voices out, placing them in the back of my mind.

Now, I was committed fully to one thing and one thing only.

It was to figure out how to achieve the same set as my father and understand the world's mysteries.

———

It was long but hard, and after hours and hours of hard training and dedication, I finally achieved what no baby could have.

The one thing that kept me all night was this non-stop training.

I had to, for the world and its people relied on me to be able to achieve my goals and succeed in my training.

"Maro! He's crawling!" My parents were cheering me on.

Alright, I'll admit. I was exaggerating a bit about how much the world needed this training to be completed, but it was still tough to do with little lets like mine.

Give me some slack, will you?

It wasn't every day that you were a baby and couldn't even use your legs to crawl.

But guess what?

Here, I am not able to crawl across the cottage.

It was about damn time. . . Freedom at last!

This marked the journey of knowledge and self-discovery in this world, but first, I would hide my time and wait patiently until it was nighttime.

Mum had put me into the crib that I resided in. However, when my parents were in their room, I knew that it was time for me to begin my master plan once and for all.

With all my might, I managed to escape the prison that my mother had placed me in, and now I was on a mission to find anything that I could get my hands on.

Most of the time, I was forced to look up at the ceiling and only think about the thoughts that I had in my mind.

I wish I could talk right now, but I can't yet.

As I roamed on the ground, I made my way to the bookshelf, where I had seen both my father and mother on multiple occasions.

It would be a great place to start my education if it meant anything.

I could barely pull out a book without falling, but I could still get a single book out.

That was enough for me to be satisfied with.

Just wait until I get older. I will consume all of those books with knowledge.

I was going to be some genius in this world, and that was for certain. I would make sure that was true.

As I peered my eyes over the book cover, "Planta Mundus."

Slowly but surely, I flipped the page to a massive map with all its sharp edges. Then, I realised this world had way more to it than I initially thought.

From what I had figured out, the world that we were living in was called,

Vesitga

My world was divided into four nations: Passus, Semita, Indago, and Persequor. As I read more about it, I realised that humans weren't the only species that inhabited this place.

Passus - Mermaids

Semita - Fairies

Indago - Orc

Perseqour - Dragon

While all these nations lived within Vesitga, one nation was dominant.

We were the fifth nation

Humans

We lived in Juvo.

It was said that long before my time and even before my parent's time, the four nations were bickering with one another in attempts to wage war. It wasn't until the Humans, the saviours, stopped them from doing so that there was a golden age of peace within the five nations.

We thought we had achieved such peace as if we had never achieved it. Who knows what would've happened to Vestiga if we had?

Thanks to humans, we would never need to know that answer.

It was a piece of history in Vestiga that everyone knew about, and ever since then, the people of Vestiga have lived in peace without any significant conflict or damage that has happened. Soon, I flipped to another page, which details the different types of Solum that Vestiga had to offer everyone who lived there.

Solum was divided into five main categories.

Caeruleum, Ater, Rubrum, Viridis and Purpura.

It seemed that Purpura was the most powerful and rarest Solum to get in Vestiga. From what I understood, there were only a few ways to obtain these Solums.

It was either to go on quests that were given by merchants who had an abundance of all sorts of Solums, go to dungeons to fight and potentially mine for ores that would store Solums, or, lastly, just be lucky that your area was fertile and goldmine for Solums.

Interestingly, the place where we were living fitted the perfect description of a goldmine for Solum.

My father was able to dig for Solum to find Purpura.

Each Solum provided different abilities and powers that were granted to drink the liquid of the Solum. After all, I had seen first-hand what the Purpura Solum does, and it was a force to be reckoned with.

Trading was extensive in Vestiga, as Solum was worth even more than food. That was wild to even think about, being the most valuable resource.

Just as I was about to read the next page on something to do with Plantae, my mother scooped me up from the ground.

"Now, what are we doing here?" My mother nuzzled my nose with a gentle and warm smile.

Damn it, Mother!

You ruined my plans to understand the nature of this world.

If I could speak, I would. I had to think fast on my feet.

"Wahhh!"

"Oh?" She cooed me, trying her best to soothe me. "Would you like me to read you something?"

I stopped crying in an instant.

Mother laughed, "I guess that's a yes."

She placed me back in the crib as she began reading me a story. . .

When I said "story," I meant something informative, like learning more about the world.

It wasn't some little fairytale meant to make babies like me go to sleep. I wasn't any baby; I would refuse to sleep as an act of defiance. But as my mother read more and more, I could feel my eyes being heavy as I slowly drifted away.

You win this one, mother. . .

LENIN

I dug and dug until I couldn't anymore.

That's what I usually do in my free time. After all, I am a farmer for a reason, you know?

Especially since Fons was coming right around the corner, it would be nice to be early and ready to dig out the Solum that was getting more and more fertile by the day.

As I dug the last remaining Purpura Solum for the day, I took a step back and took in everything.

That should be enough as I placed all the Purpura Solum in Thesaurus, ready to be packed and shipped to the markets.

I quickly wiped the sweat off my face when I entered our little cottage. I understood that when most people see this fine establishment of a house, they would probably be curious as to why anyone would want to live here, and I can give one good reason.

It was simply peaceful.

No one ever came here because it was so isolated from the rest of the world, and that was exactly what Kassie and I wanted, but most importantly, for Maro.

I want him to learn about Vestiga too soon, as he was just a baby.

I would protect his innocence if it were the last thing I did.

Kassie was sitting in her chair, watching over Maro as he slept peacefully and soundly. As I began watching over him, a gentle smile formed on my face.

He had Kassie's angelic looks, but Maro would have my ravishing and dashing hair colour.

A blondie.

He might be getting all the girls Vestiga had to offer him shortly.

He would be a lady's man.

"Long day?"

I nodded, trying my best to smile. " It was a long day, but it was pretty worth it. I'll head to the markets to sell some of the Solum we got today."

The markets opened early in the morning, and I would have to be there before every other merchant came in to set up a good location.

If there was one thing I learnt, it was that merchants were either the kindest or most greedy people I knew.

"You should take Maro along with you?"

"Maro?" I tilted, "Wouldn't that be a bit unsafe?'

Kassie chuckled in delight, covering her mouth and shaking her head. "We all know that if Maro is with either of us, he'll be more than safe, " she answered.

I couldn't help but return the grin as I knew what she said was utterly authentic. "I bet we can then!"

It was settled. I was going to show Maro a little more of this world, as all he knew was that it was simply this little cottage of ours.

It was about time I gave him something more interesting, but, of course, with moderation.