Chapter 43: Wrath of the Blue Wolf
Jarek and Amara navigated the dense woods under the cloak of night, their steps soft against the forest floor. Jarek's face was a mask of anger, his brows knitted tightly as if attempting to solve a puzzle. Amara, trailing slightly behind, wore a look of concern, her eyes flickering towards Jarek with every rustle of leaves, reading the tension in the air.
Jarek's frustration bubbled over as they moved through the forest, "This would be easier if the boy had an aura we could actually see! His first time! And he pulls something like this?!" His words pierced the night as his tunic snagged on a branch in his haste.
"He could be hurt or lost, Jarek. Hold your judgment until we find him."
"You know as well as I do that Darius can handle most of the Mana-beasts around here, and he’s smart enough to steer clear of the ones he can’t."
Amara opened her mouth to respond, then stopped herself, realizing words wouldn't soothe Jarek's nerves; his rant was merely his way of expressing worry. She sighed softly and continued to follow him through the night.
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Earlier in the day, as the sun began its descent, Jarek and Amara anxiously stood at the forest's boundary, waiting for Darius's return. This initial foray of their son into the wilds weighed heavily on them, the day's event was not just a test for Darius but for them as well, a trial of patience and trust.
However, dusk turned to night with no trace of Darius emerging. Resolving to seek him out, they entrusted Tilly with watch duties, arming her with a magitech device for communication, before venturing into the shadowed woods.
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It had been hours of worrisome travel, multiple times during their trek they came across various mana-beasts, nothing life-threatening to the pair, but it served as a good way for Jarek to release some frustration.
In the midst of their journey, atop a rocky outcrop aimed at giving them a vantage point, Jarek unleashed a bolt of lightning from the heavens to empower his sword, dispatching a giant obsidian mantis that loomed as tall as a man. In the aftermath, an unexpected sight redirected their attention. Far across the forest, beyond the span of countless trees and hidden trails, a lone column of fire pierced the canopy. It blossomed into a small circle of flame, barely visible even from their distant perch.
Amara was already in motion, dashing down the rocky slope. Her mana flowed around her, easing her descent. Jarek paused, his gaze sharp, mana sparking in his eyes as he assessed the distance. "Tier three?" Without another word, he jumped from his position, his body moving with swift precision as he followed Amara.
Catching up to Amara, who was swiftly navigating the forest on a wave of mana, Jarek called out, "I detected the aura of a Tier 3 mage and knight! Couldn't make out the details, but a battle is underway!"
"Go ahead of me, I'll catch up!" The urgency in Amara's voice was unmistakable.
After a moment's pause, Jarek nodded. His aura flared to life, lightning crackling around his legs before he propelled forward with explosive speed.
As Jarek vanished into the distance, Amara retrieved a crystal from her robes, shouting, "Arcaventus!" Light erupted from the crystal, enlarging the mana wave beneath her, accelerating her speed through the forest.
Already far ahead of her, Jarek hurtled through the forest, his speed transforming him into a blue streak of destruction. With every step, the earth tore apart, his wake leaving a trail of devastation through the woods. The shockwaves from his passage startled animals and beasts, their ears ringing with explosions long after he had vanished.
Aware of the growing distance still to cover, Jarek hesitated on pushing his limit, his brow furrowed with worry. Concern for Amara's safety weighed heavily on him. In Fang Root Forest, making oneself known, whether on the periphery or deep within, was perilous, regardless of one's strength or cunning.
Leaping across a vast chasm in the forest, Jarek sailed through the air. Mid-flight, he sensed a surge of wind mana from afar.
"A Steel Knight?" Jarek muttered, now pushing himself even faster. Then, another surge of mana caught his attention—this time, lightning. Its tier was a mystery; the mana felt strangely foreign, traits that stirred a profound fear, traits deeply recognizable to him.
"Darius."
Clouds, dense and dark, rapidly gathered in the night sky above Jarek. With a focused cry, "Thunderclap Mantle!" he invoked a knight skill. In an instant, a colossal bolt of lightning struck, encasing him in a cocoon of energy. His aura transformed, his figure becoming a blur of pure energy as his speed multiplied.
Far ahead, Jarek sensed the battle of wind and now fire mana clashing, a clear sign that his son was involved in the skirmish. This understanding seized his heart, prompting a determined shout into the night, "Hold on, Darius!"
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Diving into his chest pocket, Jarek retrieved a small disk and raised it to his mouth. With thoughts of Amara, he shouted into the device, "It's Darius! He's in a fight with a wind knight... a steel knight! Do not rush in! I'll take care of it!"
Amara, gliding on her mana wave, felt a tremor and warmth coming from the magitech device tucked within her robes. Taking it out, she honed her focus, hearing Jarek's warning, "Steel?! Please, make it in time, Jarek!" Her aura flared, infusing new strength into the wave she rode. She pulled two additional beast crystals from her robes, their glow merging with the first, intensifying the light and speed of her passage through the forest.
Jarek, slicing through the dense forest, became acutely aware of the growing intensity of the distant battle. The flickering of fire mana, shifting abruptly to water, caught his attention from afar. Then, a beam of light, first blue then yellow, pierced the night sky. The ground under Jarek trembled, quickening the beat of his heart, fear flashing in his light blue eyes.
His aura, a tempest of lightning, roared louder as he pressed on, feeling the shift from earth to wind mana in the air.
Suddenly, a wild surge of lightning mana filled the atmosphere. At that moment, a profound dread seized Jarek, his jaw clenched so tightly that blood began to seep from the corners of his mouth.
"DO NOT TOUCH MY SON!"
Jarek reached for two crystals at his waist, both radiating a deep, pure purple glow.
As he propelled forward, breaking another sound barrier with his surge of speed, his blue manaforged armor began to cover his limbs.
Jarek was nearing his destination, glimpsing a brighter clearing through the trees ahead, a stark contrast to the dense woods. Darius's mana, once a beacon, had vanished from his senses, leaving only the overwhelming presence of the steel knight's aura.
As Jarek tore through the final stretch of the forest, heart racing, his gaze locked onto a harrowing scene—Darius on the ground, burned and bleeding, under the assault of a knight shrouded in dark green.
The sight of his only son being kicked, limbs twisting unnaturally as he bounced across the broken ground, was a vision that pierced his heart deeper than any blade.
In that horrible moment, the world seemed to narrow, Jarek's focus sharpening on the scene ahead. Filled with dread and fury, his speed brought him to a screeching halt.
In the midst of this violent pause, a lance of pure lightning gathered in his grasp, forged from his surging, dark-blue aura. With a motion as violent as the storm's own fury, he reared his arm back with the lance crackling with untamed energy. And then, with the stillness of the forest as his witness, he launched it—a spear of vengeance—rocketing towards the dark figure advancing towards his son.
Ramman, his eyes filled with madness, moved towards Darius, suddenly, a lightning bolt, violent and instant, burst from the distant treeline. It struck, a crack of thunder following its path. Ramman's aura flashed, hands catching the lance before it pierced his chest. The impact's roar echoed as he was hurled back, vanishing into the night with the sound of destruction in his wake.
Jarek's arrival was swift, a mere blink and he stood over his son, his gaze sweeping over Darius's injuries. No words escaped him; his expression remained unreadable, yet his eyes, bloodshot and shaking, scanned the damage inflicted upon his son; his boy, their little wolf.
Gently, he scooped up his son, the blood and black ash from Darius's wounds mingling with the grey fabric of Jarek's tunic. With Darius cradled in his arms, Jarek made his way back to the cover of the trees, each step measured, the weight of his son feeling heavy in his arms.
Another surge of aura detonated behind Jarek, "Jarek! Of all people, you should understand my feelings!" Ramman ascended from a crater, the earth around him scorched and alive with electricity. Ramman's body was singed, skin cracked and bleeding from the collision. He shrugged off the remnants of his shattered armor, leaving the undamaged, spectral armor of his manaforged set gleaming with an eerie light.
Jarek continued to advance towards the treeline, his steps steady.
"A Knight's aura is his pride! You, who have none in the face of love! How could you?! How could you stand between us?!" Ramman's voice thundered through the clearing as he snatched a beast crystal from his waist, its green light seeping through his clenched fingers.
As Ramman's wounds visibly started to close, a look of betrayal crossed his face, clouded with genuine confusion. "You are just like me, Jarek! The BLUE Wolf! You showed no shame when your aura changed colors; it was all for her! For your love!"
"He is mine, Jarek!" Ramman's presence exploded, a fierce vortex of dark green wind swirling around him. His gaze, intense and unyielding, fixed on Jarek, "My love for him is as genuine as yours for her!" Short swords appeared in his hands, his lower body merging into a tornado.
At the treeline, Jarek carefully placed his son on the ground. He ran his fingers through his son's hair, letting out a heavy sigh, "Your mother will be here soon. Everything will be fine, son."
Jarek stood and turned, his expression unreadable. "I should have recognized your sickly aura, Ramman." As he finished speaking, a bolt of lightning struck behind him, revealing his sword stuck in the ground next to Darius. The impact enveloped Darius within a crackling, protective blue aura.
Jarek calmly approached Ramman, his aura spiraling out of control. It mirrored the heart of a storm, commanding the skies above to split with thunderous roars and flashes of lightning.
"Why?! Why are you interfering?! You can see my words are true!" Ramman teetered within his whirlwind of mana, his voice carrying the edge of madness.
"He is my SON!" Thunder roared, the world momentarily ignited by a heavenly bolt of golden lightning. It struck the earth near Jarek, unveiling a majestic sword embedded in the soil. A silver broadsword, adorned with potent runes along its blade, its guard fashioned as dual waves diverging, encircling the mouth of a wolf clasping the blade's base. Its hilt, bound in chains, led to a pommel bearing the Valdene crest.
Ramman paused, his breath caught, then released into laughter, strands of his remaining hair lifting in the tumultuous wind. "Mythrender, so that's its form now... Come then! I'll show you he is mine! And that sword, I shall claim it too!" His laughter turned maniacal, a dreadful brilliance exploded from the tornado at his legs, and in a blink, he vanished.
Every member of the Penitent Knights Union knew of Mythrender, the Valdene family's ancestral blade. History tells, that it was discovered by Warwick Valdene within an ancient ruin, in a region of Gaia yet unexplored. An artifact from the primordial age, the sword possesses the unique capability to channel and intensify any elemental power, also adapting its form to resonate with the wielder's soul. On the battlefield, Warwick became a legend, his prowess with Mythrender turning into tales of awe among the races, its lethal edge carving a legacy in history.
Greed sparked in Ramman's eyes as he sliced through the air, his figure blurring into the wind. One moment visible, the next a mere whisper, he then split, creating multiple echoes of himself. These images of Ramman flickered across the field, appearing and vanishing.
Jarek grasped Mythrender, its edge sparking to life with electricity upon his touch. A deep roar escaped him as he infused his aura into the sword. The motion seemed unhurried, almost leisurely, as he drew the blade through the air. But in that deceptively calm slash, Jarek engulfed the space before him in chaos.
From Mythrender's glowing blade, countless massive mana blades burst forth, each slicing deep, massive gashes in the earth. The air filled with earth-shaking roars, destruction and lightning that spread as far as the eye could see, all unfolding in mere seconds.
The sound was deafening, a symphony of thunderous roars and the shattering of nature, echoing far and wide. Amid this maelstrom, Ramman's defiant shout was the only sound that rose above the chaos. A burst of dark green light cut through the devastation, signaling the emergence of a colossal spectral serpent. This entity of pure wind mana, a giant snake, spiraled upwards, carrying Ramman in its jaws. Breaking through the veil of destruction, it released him into the air and then wrapped around him protectively.
Gripping his gushing shoulder with his sole remaining hand, Ramman hurled his venomous promise into the raging winds, "Jarek, your end is sealed! The Tower's eyes will uncover all! His demise is inescapable—why deny him the taste of love in his final moments? Is that not the mercy a parent owes? Is that not the duty of love?!"
Jarek aimed his gaze skyward, electricity crackling around him, turning the air sharp with energy. His body became a conduit for raw power, lightning weaving through his form as his manaforged armor bore the storm's might, etched lines flaring in sync with his pulse. "A parent's duty is to shield their child, a duty I've faltered in today...but mercy? You'll find no mercy here."
"You forfeited your existence the moment you laid hands on my son," Jarek hoisted Mythrender, directing its point towards the heavens, channeling the sky's fury into its blade, "World-breaker!"
Ramman's face blanched, his eyes blazing with a ghastly green light, "Wyrmforge Fusion!"