Most stories about the triumph of good over evil are reluctant to delve into what happened after everything ended.
And one can understand the storytellers. Who would want to hear about towns and villages left desolate, about mothers and children weeping, inconsolable, bereft of fathers?
There's always a desire to conclude with "...and they lived happily ever after."
Unfortunately, even the most successful wars do not conclude with the aforementioned happy ending.
The latest victory over chaos came at a great cost to this world. Throughout the existence of the rift leading to the plane of impermanence, a tremendous amount of deadly energy spilled in from there.
It is reasonable to assume that this did not happen without significant consequences.
Yes, the climate changes that were triggered have slowed down and, for now, have even stopped, but the damage has already been done. Plants, unaccustomed to such sudden temperature changes, were dying.
Fields, left untended, were withering and decaying.
As if that weren't enough, the plague of chaos swept through animals and plants like a scythe of death.
Finding land untouched by chaos that could still be cultivated proved to be very difficult. Real battles were fought over such plots.
Food became the most valuable commodity, far surpassing everything else.
All this led to the logical consequence – a famine erupted in this world, unparalleled in its severity. It affected everyone, from warmasters and nobles to peasants. But while the warmasters had their prana, the peasants had nothing.
It was harsh, but those who survived were fortunate that a significant portion of the population had been destroyed or enslaved by chaos. Otherwise, many would have had to kill each other due to the lack of food.
Even though the alliance of samurai, onmyoji, and two great warmaster clans managed to control the remnants of the eastern part of the continent, the situation in the west, north, and south was very dire.
Not all cities had fallen by that point. And when the threat of chaos diminished, their inhabitants realized in horror that they were left in completely devastated lands filled with horrific creatures, utterly alone.
Very soon, those who survived began fighting over the remaining scraps of resources. When those ran out, they turned to the one thing that was still abundant: their fellow countrymen.
Yes, the lands beyond the east were teeming with various types of cannibals and the like.
Human meat turned out to be the only product somewhat untouched by chaos, so the fight for it was particularly fierce.
It's also worth remembering that not all chaos servants were destroyed, even though they had lost all their top leaders and almost all their middle management. The survivors added a bit of "fun" to the lands, which were aptly named the "Wastelands of Chaos."
It was a dreadful place, devoid of hope and even a shred of humanity.
As a result, the already struggling east, dealing with food shortages and erratic weather, also had to defend its borders against raids by deranged cannibals and monsters.
In such conditions, life was hard, almost unbearable, yet people still found reasons for joy and simply continued to live.
Kansei Sly and Katsumi managed to survive the hardships of war, though they lost almost all their trade wealth. But that didn't bother them. They found a secluded place and continued their happy life away from everyone. Katsumi's skills and strength were enough for both of them. Any packs of monsters or tribes of cannibals met a fierce death in the robust threads of her web.
The head of the Mizuno clan, Katashi, also survived and, as promised, married Jishin's sister. She was a most serious and unyielding woman who could temper her husband's excessive impulses. It was planned that their future child would formally merge the clans of Earth and Water into one unified clan.
For now, the clan heads ruled separately, but did everything possible to eliminate any future disputes. It wasn't hard as not many warmasters survived, and those who did - had no interest in new wars or revenge. After a year and a half since the war, Katashi's wife, Reiko, found herself pregnant.
The incredible news that the former head of the Sumada clan was still alive shook everyone. His memory had not returned, yet this did not prevent him from taking a keen interest in the surrounding world, posing very strange and incomprehensible questions to those around him.
When Jishin learned about the details of his miraculous recovery, he became very interested in the personality of a certain humble healer. But no matter how the Shadow Stone searched, they only found him when the clan head had significantly calmed down.
Rumor had it that Goro Sumada had changed a lot and took up inventing. Some even said that it was thanks to him that a much more advanced method of making paper for scrolls appeared.
The air-wielding Avasaki and fire-wielding Hizoru finally became history. Perhaps some of them survived, but they were too afraid to reveal themselves, fearing revenge.
The technique for detecting chaos spread widely, becoming something of a first exam for those who wanted to become warmasters. Meanwhile, research was underway to create a method for destroying chaos, though this did not prevent the researchers from casting displeased glances toward a certain war hero who refused to share his own technique. Although, they could only glance, given the protection he had.
Meanwhile, the Deathbringers did not receive what had been promised to them. After the war, there weren't many of them left. Koruga died in one of the particularly fierce battles and could no longer control the unruly families. A couple of such families decided to quietly return to the old path, kidnapping promising warmasters to replenish their thinned dead legions.
No one bothered to find out who was to blame, attacking and cutting down everyone immediately. It was dishonorable, but this world was used to much more unpleasant things.
Hearing about this, Stas once again thanked his insight. Earlier, he had decided not to reveal his trump card in the form of preserved vampire corpses. As it turned out, this was the right decision.
The Imperial Turtle finally came to and, as promised by Ssashas, retained her memory. Now, together with the Nine-Tails, she was intensively training her new sister. Notably, the latter had grown even larger over the past year and a half, and this was clearly not the limit. A magnificent monument was erected at the site of the Great Serpent's death by the efforts of the Sumada, on which the event that had transpired there was inscribed in hieroglyphs. A certain humble earthling was also mentioned there.
Kaede cried for a long time when she heard about the last minutes of her sensei. On the other hand, life still went on. The rot poison turned out to be stronger, and Hirui eventually lost his magnificent wings. But the yokai didn't leave him and was able to support him in a difficult moment, dissuading him from suicide.
However, Hirui still couldn't bear the company of his kin, who treated him like a cripple, so he followed Kaede to a new city being built for yokai. There, he lived in the guise of a man, rarely assuming his dragon form.
The yokai decided to forge much closer ties with humans. And though the yokai and the onmyoji, now living side by side, regarded each other with skepticism, there was no particular irritation. In one way or another, all sought a bit of peace.
At the same time, dragons returned to the mountains. The taint of chaos hadn't affected their lands much, so they could easily find food for themselves. Moreover, humans wouldn't be able to approach the mountains anytime soon, which was just what the dragons needed. Yamato, as before, stepped back from leadership, shifting this routine onto the elders. Yet, everyone was satisfied.
Aoi Mizuno survived the last battle and continued to enjoy great respect from his clansmen. He, as before, did everything possible to support his nephew's power.
Funny, but he continued to find time for active arguments with a certain well-known healer. Occasionally, the heads of Sumada and Mizuno would join these verbal jousts. At such times, the imaginary lances flew especially vigorously.
Kenta Rinako's remains were never found. No one knows whether he died in battle or just quietly went into the Wastelands of Chaos, continuing to carry out revenge for his daughter, Mari Rinako. For a while, a nondescript woman named Shiori showed interest in his whereabouts, but soon she disappeared too.
After the defeat of chaos, Kizashi's star moment arrived. The influence of instability had a surprisingly strong effect on the flora and fauna of this world. Therefore, it was Kizashi who worked on finding and developing safe products. Considering the rampant hunger, his work was hard to overestimate. His potions and elixirs only got better each year, setting new records.
He continued to maintain close contact with Shiro the Serpent, sharing interesting achievements and findings with each other.
The head of the hospital, Michiro Sumada, married Yuriko Sumada and produced a whole slew of healthy children, for which he later received the unofficial moniker of "Mad Rabbit." As it was shameful for a hospital head to bear such a nickname, he grew quite irate whenever he caught even a hint of it, though this did not deter people from quietly laughing about it.
All these one and a half years, Jun Sumada had been on a bender, only occasionally going on the most difficult missions to destroy large bands from the Wastelands of Chaos. His status as a legendary hero shut up even his most irreconcilable enemies, allowing him to do whatever he wanted.
He even had a brief but very bright fling with Sora Mizuno, which almost ended in a duel to the death. However, just a day later, they were talking and drinking as if nothing had happened.
Nevertheless, it was clear that he didn't find such a life satisfying. Something was weighing on him. All the more strange seemed his regular visits to his, as he put it, favorite yet treacherous student.
When the war with chaos ended and the most intense months passed, Io Sumada resigned as the head of the Shadow Stone. Jishin accepted his departure, appointing his old friend Shin Sumada in his stead. Some spoke of an overthrow, but those who knew Io believed it to be his own desire.
And they were right. Because just a month later, Io took the position of advisor to the head of the Sumada clan. And no one dared to interrupt this advisor when he spoke.
Ayami Sumada, the female warmaster whose face was irreparably disfigured, quietly took her own life, unable to live with her inner demons. Sometimes, the horrors of chaos and war never leave you, no matter how hard you try to forget.
Mei Sumada from the Eiko family, a former teammate of Shiro the Serpent, fulfilled her dream by getting married and having three children. However, she never received the position of head of the family, as her father died in the war with chaos. Family intrigues can sometimes be the most merciless.
Eiji Sumada, the other teammate of Shiro the Serpent, miraculously surviving the war, was executed for a series of murders of peasant women. The reason was not that he killed them, but the court's suspicion of his tainting by chaos. Eiji screamed and promised that his teacher or his comrades would vouch for him, but no one ever came.
After his funeral, a figure of a middle-aged woman was noticed near the grave. She lingered for a couple of minutes, then departed in silence without saying anything.
Having seen enough terrors, Uramasa Kensei finally hung up his two-handed sword on the wall and, leaving politics, focused all his attention on his growing daughter. Thanks to his connections, his family lived in full abundance, growing food for the court of the clan heads.
But what happened to the hero of our story? What did the victory over one of the most formidable enemies of the universe turn out to be for him?
Stas Ordyntsev received a whole sea of fame and honor. When Jun Sumada joked about their status as heroes, he had no idea how right he was.
The identities of the six who stood against the Serpent King and saved the world became well-known. Even the most wretched peasant in the deepest backwater of the world could list each of them without error.
Their names were given to children, people went crazy about even having a chance to talk with them or just to be in their company. As for the number of unmarried women and girls who took an interest in Stas, it was like a wave threatening to engulf him completely.
Need one mention that he hardly found any of this desirable?
Stanislav enjoyed spending time with his friends and working on prana and other types of energy.
Love affairs, formal dinners, and festivities were not for him. Fortunately, his sensei bravely took all this upon his broad shoulders.
However, the honey barrel was not without a spoon of tar.[1]
Leviathan's ascension as a new great spirit created an insurmountable rift in her relationship with Stas.
The earthling perfectly understood that his pet was not to blame and that everything had been planned by one cunning son of a bitch long ago.
Yet, even so, Ordyntsev refused to treat her as before. Her willful venture to the front, risking her life, and finally, getting bound to this world – it was too much for the man who had never been known for his ability to forgive.
The worst part was that Levi's connection to this world excluded the possibility for the snake to travel to other worlds. She was irrevocably bound and could no longer leave.
For Ordyntsev, who wanted to leave this world at any cost, this was a heavy blow.
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And as if that wasn't enough, no matter how the man struggled or whatever he tried, he could never find a way to leave this world.
The surrounding barrier was too strong. The only one who might have been able to suggest the next research direction was dead, and going to the surviving cultists for answers… Stas wasn't that mad yet.
The situation wasn't made any easier by the sensei, who still hadn't given up the desire to travel. Sometimes, Ordyntsev had an impression that the supreme was already "sitting on his suitcases," just waiting for a signal from Stas himself.
Nevertheless, although there had been no success in researching interworld transitions over these one and a half years, some progress had still been made.
*****
There were two of them. Those who challenged the natural order of things and won.
Takehiro Satoshi appeared to be a man of about thirty-five now. This age was considered most ideal in terms of physical indicators.
The Serpent standing opposite him displayed no unnatural age changes at all, as his body was still growing.
The technique of immortality, which they had long sought, was finally completed. It could be activated by one person and had no side effects.
The men respectfully bowed to each other, turned around, and went their separate ways.
Five minutes after their departure, the seals activated, destroying all traces of their presence and the base itself.
The Serpent and Satoshi knew that they would try to meet as infrequently as possible to eliminate any risk. The temptation to kill the second carrier of the information was too strong to ignore.
But one way or another, each of them left a deep respect for the opponent in their heart.
*****
Besides working on immortality, Stas and Takehiro had another grand project that was successfully completed.
Moreover, even dragons participated in its implementation.
The essence of it was that all the surviving inhabitants of this world took great interest in the method for predicting future chaos invasions.
Theoretically, the great spirits could do it, but everyone wanted to be extra sure.
The result of these reflections was the Chaos Detection Network. The idea behind it was quite simple: the network consisted of special stone transmitter monoliths, which, upon detecting the presence of a rift, sent information to the nearest nodes, and those sent the signal further.
To the original signal, each consequent node attached an additional "packet" with its location.
Thus, the transmitted signal arrived at the center, having within it the entire path to the source of the disturbance.
The monoliths themselves were the complex work of three types of magic. They were crafted by samurai artifact makers, warmasters, and onmyoji. Dragons then distributed them around the world, after which they buried them underground.
The network was completed a year after the end of the war, to everyone's relief.
However, Ordyntsev was amazed when an incredibly agitated Jun burst into his laboratory during an important experiment.
"Student, drop all this scientific drivel of yours and run after me!"
Stas sighed wearily and gave his teacher an irritated look.
"Sensei, unless you explain what's going on, I'm not moving an inch. Right now, I'm almost done figuring out how to remove chaos from wheat, and believe me..."
"The monoliths detected a transition!" Jun's words knocked all the prepared speech out of Stas.
"Are you sure?" he asked tensely. "Another invasion?!"
"No, no," Sumada began pacing the room. "The signal was very weak and somewhat strange. Nevertheless, it still included a trace of chaos, so the network detected it. Do you understand what this means?"
"Someone has arrived in our world. And this someone might be manageable." The earthling's lips stretched into a predatory smirk, mirrored by his sensei.
"Exactly! I've asked a favor there, so it'll be just the two of us heading to the check. I'm owed a favor at the observation center, so only we two will know what happened. Are you ready, or shall I give you time to finish with the wheat?" Jun's voice carried a hint of mockery.
"To hell with the wheat," Stas snapped, heading towards the armory. "Wait for me outside."
"Ah, just like the good old days," Jun whistled cheerfully. "I wonder who decided to drop by for a visit?"
*****
The transition to the new world was much tougher than usual. Hydra's warning about the strong protection barrier was fully justified.[2]
If not for the unique assembly of the transitioning artifact, Morph risked never escaping from the realm of impermanence.
However, he managed to break through.
And now, observing the withered, rot-covered soil, Morph already knew that he had arrived here very untimely.
The traveler knew all too well how terrible the demons of decay could be. He had experienced it on his own skin.
Ironically, it was because of them that he was here.
The order from a human named Hydra, if he could still be called that, was crystal clear: "Gather at least ten users of this world's unique type of energy and return."
In essence, Hydra had ordered him to kidnap ten living people.
And this was far from the worst of his orders.
To save someone dear to him, Morph was willing to serve even a mad archmage of flesh, obsessed with dissecting and studying everything imaginable.
Yet Morph wasn't about to compromise his principles and kidnap random people. He knew human nature too well to be sure of the existence of various scum and renegades whom no one would miss or mourn.
He just needed to establish contact and learn the language.
But his very first encounter with the locals ended in bloodshed. Deformed and twisted semblances of people lost all reason, attacking him with a singular desire to kill.
Their death was swift, but it did nothing to advance his mission. Wherever he went, there were only ruins.
'Hydra will be displeased with the death of all those he wanted to capture,' Morph thought wearily.
Just as he was about to move on, he sensed danger. His body began to transform into combat form, but he was too slow for those who attacked.
The traveler's body exploded with pain as he was slammed into the ground with great force. The earth instantly turned to stone and pulled his limbs as far apart as possible.
The huge, savage-like man raising a club above him was just the icing on the cake.
Morph grimaced. Alex had told him this mission wouldn't end well. He should have trusted his friend more.
*****
"Stop!" Stas quickly shouted, halting his sensei. "There's no chaos in him! He's completely clean!"
"What?" Jun puzzled, also inspecting the strange being before him, of which only a bone mask protruded from the ground, its eyes glowing yellow within. "Indeed! Who are you exactly?"
A few seconds of silence followed, and then, Serpent and Jun heard an incomprehensible jumble of sounds in response.
"Clearly, we don't understand his language," Stas snorted, looking at the newcomer with great interest. "How strong do you think he is?"
"His reaction is about on the level of a veteran warmaster, but his speed is a bit lower. Do you think we can let him go?"
"We need information about his transition method," Stas shrugged. "I can study his body even in a dead state. If he does anything suspicious, knock him out. Now, slowly let him go."
*****
Looking at the talking people, Morph felt both relief, knowing that there were still normal people here, and apprehension.
He could sense the power of these two, and everything inside him screamed that they were deadly dangerous. If he did something foolish, he wouldn't even notice what killed him.
Usually, in the universe, there was a clear separation. Warriors followed the path of close combat, and mages trod another one, developing long-range abilities. But right now, Morph saw a very rare path that combined both. Warrior mages were a headache for everyone.
The worlds that produced such monstrosities were usually considered the most dangerous.
In the meantime, his captors had reached some decision, and Morph felt the bonds beginning to release him.
Slowly and very cautiously, he stood up under the watchful eyes of the humans.
He gestured towards the bag on his back, then, without making sudden movements, took it off. He opened it, showing the contents and pulling out a translator artifact - a metal plate with two indicators, red and green.
Slowly, Morph pressed the plate to his head and touched one of the symbols. A few minutes later, the artifact beeped, and the red indicator lit up.
The world traveler handed the artifact to the two and made a gesture as if pressing it to his head and pushing one of the symbols. He then again gestured to explain the artifact's purpose for learning languages.
A fierce argument broke out among the mages, ending when the biggest of them snatched the plate from Morph's hands and, with a smirk, pressed it to his head.
The artifact worked, and the big man grimaced as if from a headache.
Morph reassuringly gestured at the second mage, whose hand pointed directly at him.
After five minutes, the plate lit up green, and the big man irritably tossed the precious artifact back to Morph, who almost dropped it in surprise.
If he had broken it, Yanis Slers would never have forgiven him.
*****
"What a lousy feeling," Jun whined, massaging his temples and cussing every other word.
"Did the artifact work?" Stas asked mercilessly, uncaring about his sensei's pain. "Did you learn the language?"
"I'll see how you fare when you finish," Jun hissed, then pondered. "Seems so. I know, um, eight languages? And I'm willing to bet that only two of them are native to this bone-face. Now, let's see, one, two, three…"
Stas's sensei began to inadvertently utter words and sentences from each learned language, trying to sort out his feelings. The nearby alien did not interfere.
However, on the sixth language, Ordyntsev's entire body twitched, and he gestured for Jun to stop.
"Please repeat that, the sixth language."
"You mean this one?" the teacher asked, surprised, uttering a phrase in the requested language.
"Yeah," Stas whispered hoarsely, then turned to the world traveler and asked in clear Russian. "Where did you learn Russian? Were you on Earth?"
"No," Morph smiled, though it was invisible under his mask. "But I knew those who were born there."
"Then I have a question too," Jun spoke seriously, drawing the attention of both. "If you know about Earth... Do you know the secrets of creating their legendary booze?"
A loud slap marked the meeting of Stas Ordyntsev's hand with his own face.
He didn't know why, yet clearly, something was going wrong here.
*****
"So, that's how it is," Ordyntsev mused, digesting all the information Morph had dumped on him. "To save your master, you work for Hydra, who seems to also be from Earth? And you're assisted by another earthling. And there's a third earthling somewhere who isn't eager to communicate? How many of us are there?!"
"Correct," Morph nodded calmly. "As for how many, the universe is infinite."
"And to set off to the World of a Thousand Paths, you need ten prana users?"
"You're right."
"Then what are we waiting for?" flared Jun with fervor. "How many prisoners and traitors do we have out there? A few words, and I'm sure we'll round up ten in no time!"
"That's all well and good," Stas interrupted Jun, leaning forward slightly. "But could you tell us more about the World of a Thousand Paths?"
"Of course," Morph thought about where to start. "We should begin with the fact that interworld travel is a big risk. There's always a chance of getting lost in the endless diversity of the impermanence. So everyone needed something that was easiest to navigate from. A kind of beacon in the realm of chaos. There are several such places, but one of the most famous is the World of a Thousand Paths.
The traveler paused, emphasizing the importance of what he said.
"It used to be a huge limb of some titanic being like a divine golem or something similar. Now, it's a home and trading place for the most desperate and enterprising representatives of hundreds and thousands of worlds. In the World of a Thousand Paths, you can buy or sell anything in this part of the universe. Slaves from war-torn worlds, spaceships from techno-worlds, or magical artifacts. But don't think of it as a paradise, because those who can't afford to be there quickly become merchandise."
"Damn! When do we leave?" Jun couldn't hold back.
And this time, Stas was fully willing to support his impatient sensei.
If he had doubted his plans before, now he knew for sure that a new chapter in his life had just begun.
Entranced by the secrets of the World of a Thousand Paths, he felt like a moth lured to the glow of a huge bonfire.
And although the knowledge about the identity of his compatriots stirred his imagination, Stas Ordyntsev decided not to rush.
First, he would try to gain some independence and a foothold, and only then contact Hydra and a certain Alex Wolffs.
For the Serpent makes his move only when he is completely sure of success.
End of the eighth book.
End of the series "Healer of Monsters."
[1] Translator's note: the meaning should be self-evident (when a lot of good things become totally spoiled by one small bad thing), so I chose not to replace this idiomatic expression. There's no suitable match in English anyway.
[2] Translator's note: the author has written several series (about a demonologist, a necromancer, a metamorph), and they all converge in a multiverse of sorts. The characters you see mentioned here and further are from there.