In a different future

Vel

She came again. Without Kyros this time. Surrounded by my ‘peers’ questions were thrown at the saintess, who looked overwhelmed. In a dark corner, I hid, afraid of being seen by her. Of her seeing how I have withered. No more the confident smart lad; this tower taught me my place.

But she found me and she smiled brightly. I ran away with a bumping heart.

“George! George!” She called. Small hands caught me by my thick mage robes and I stopped, clutching the tombs from the library on my chest. I shied away, hiding my blushing face with my long, unruly bangs.

“Finally found you. Your hair... Did studies turn you old? Hehehe.”

Months later:

On her fourth visit, I finally showed her my work.

“CREO GOLEM.” Runes, arranged in a circle, lit up as stone transformed into a tiny doll. It waves hi to Venessa.

“Wonderful!” She looked closer, shaking the tiny man’s hand with joy on her beautiful face.

“Though with some limitation, I can hear what he hears and see what he sees. It's…my contribution to the battles ahead.

“Battles?”

“Imagine! Thousands of these puppets! fighting against the cursed. No one needs to be sacrificed for the cause! You don’t need to… Can’t you see the possibilities?!”

“This is amazing!” She picked up the doll “Truly outstanding. And they said making toys was for fools.”

“Damn that old headmistress! Ah, you're bringing up horrible memories I'd rather forget, haha.”

Vanessa bent down in her gold and white robes of the church, inspecting its design, which I spent nights on. It felt holy to be by her side, but she was still the same girl who played toys with me. In this musty room, I just smell her lavender scent that I spent every night dreaming of.

“I can’t wait to show this to Kyros.”

“Hmm.” A storm raged in my heart.

“I know how you feel about him, but he is getting... better. He grows on you.” She said, with an uncertain smile. I am sure the many women before said the exact same thing before he kicked them to the streets.

Vanessa put down the dolls. “Thank you, Geo- Vel it is now. Mage names get confusing.”

“I will always be George for you.”

Her cheeks were round as she smiled at me with her warm hand in mine.

“By the way, your face, it’s different somehow…”

“I tried showering before you came for once. Hahaha.”

Years later:

Kyros came this time. Lounging on my chair, he played with old figures like a child. Long, golden hair flows down his red cape. Covering his sharp jaw was a blonde beard. His eyes still haven’t lost their murderous gaze.

I dropped my heavy books on the table with force. “What do you want?”

“Can’t I visit a friend? We haven't seen each other since the wedding. Oh, maybe that's why…HAHA!”

“WHAT DO YOU WANT!?”

After a bitter staredown that I felt could have lasted days, the prince spoke. “Your golems are weak. Brittle. Inefficient.”

“I gave you thousands.”

“And thousands broke.” “THOUSANDS to use at your disposal and you came to my office to insult my life's work? Leave.” I pointed to the door. The prince stood up and stepped up to me with his golden armour.

“LEAVE.”

The prince chuckled at my weak attempt at intimidating him. “Do not misunderstand, Vel. Your spell is fantastic. But there is a defect, a flaw that needs to be fixed.” The prince pointed his finger at my first stone figure, exploding my first design with an explosion. “The material. I have ideas. Big ideas. Venessa heard them. She didn't think it was possible. 'Only a genius could make it a reality.'.”

I was lured in.

The prince pulled out a chair by my desk with an inviting smile. "Want to hear more?"

Now.

I see your reflection in my enemy's eyes. As beautiful as the first time I saw you at the orphanage. Slender fingers gripped my neck and holy fire charred my skin, incinerating all it deemed dirty.

“I am sorry.” My tears sizzled into steam. “I loved you. From the beginning to the end.”

*******

Tarion

Vel's head burnt into crumbling, black ash. I withdrew my mana blade quickly as Vel was consumed completely by golden fire.

“Do not be afraid.” The seeker spoke, admiring the sight. “Holy flame does not burn servants of the land above.”

Being burnt was the last thing on my mind, while my wife was possessed with power even my bloodline couldn’t compare to. The true power of the saint. I shook myself out of the awe that swallowed me and I reached my hand to my wife.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

“Vanessa.” Tentatively, I put my hands on her shoulders. “Vanessa! Are you alright?”

“The ones above control her now.” The regal-voiced Seeker. “With the spell memory wipe disrupted, the connection with the above was established once more. The shield your captain broke was the last wall in the way. Pity her grace killed him; he was a smart boy.”

“CHILDREN OF THE DRAGON.” The voices of gods spoke through Vanessa.

“BECOME ONE.” In an instant, fires in her fiery eyes were extinguished. Like a puppet suddenly cut from its string, Venessa collapsed, and I caught her in time.

(00:00)

Power seeped from me. I caught myself with a bent knee as my exhaustion took me. My wife’s light, resting body weighed me down like iron. As my head dripped of sweat, I wiped off Vel’s soot from her hand with my torn shirt as she peacefully slumbered.

Plonk

image [https://i.imgur.com/2GxHSQ4.png]

I sighed with relief. No one should be this glad to have a notification box talking to them.

image [https://i.imgur.com/usad9YB.png]

The seeker’s staff tapped on the ground. “Now that my assignment is blowing into the wind, my presence here is no longer required. But I learnt a great deal. Come visit us one day, Duke. We have much to discuss.”

“How?” is asked. “No non-mage can find the damn place.”

He smiled. “Ask an elf for help.”

The staff’s crystal flashed, and he blinked away.

Comes and goes, doing shit all.

“Master!” My bodyguard guard faded into view with a horrific injury on his back. I remembered my own injury. Only fresh scars remain of the evidence of my tough battle. About to kneel, I pat him on the arm.

“Without you…fucking lifesaver you are.”

“It is my duty. You ask. I do.”

“Then stop calling me master. Tarion will do.”

"Yes… Tarion!” He said, with the greatest boyish smile, he beamed with pride. “Ah yes. Tarion, the seeker, he left something.” From his belt, Kurt showed me a double-edged dagger about a foot long with a hilt of intricately written runes embossed in the steel handle. “This tool allowed me to cut through George’s shields like a pin to bubbles.” It radiated a rainbow hue.

“What the fuck is it?”

Kurt shrugged.

“Mmmm…” a tether touched it and flashed into my inventory. “It's payment for the show we put for him. Keep it. Your reward.”

A large explosion spread its sonic wave.

“The east!” Kurt shouted

“Fuck! The castle!! Brace yourself!”

105 points to Agility.

Tethers wrapped around Kurt and my arms hugging Vanessa tight; a light step pushed me up to the night sky, leaving Vel’s dust behind to scatter in the ring ruins.

While Tarion dodges a mage’s spells.

Joshua

I blinked my eyes open, and lanterns passed by as I was dragged on the ground.

Still in the prison.

“This new power is more incredible than I could imagine. I under its allure.”

“I do not. The heavenly demon may have a penchant for the dark arts but pure skill is where true strength lies.”

“Is that why you chose me…? Didn't want to be tainted?”

“Wolfburn. The conquered do not deserve to be snide."

Charles is…Where?

Strength slowly returned to me. I blinked my eyes again, glanced to my left and saw a damaged body with horrible burns across the body carried by tendrils of black. I heard faint breathing from the man close to death. My eyes gained focus and full of rage, I grabbed the liuen’s hand that held my hair. My chest warmed as circles whirled faster than they had ever done. Sucking mana from the air with an exhale, muscle budge, twisting the woman's arm.

“You woke up fast. Did she teach you as well?” The Liuen rotated her arm back with a quick turn of her right wrist and smiled with a more Liuen face and long, dark, raven hair in a braid. A shockwave of power rocked me to my bones but I hold on to her arm still.

“Greystones are as tough as they say.”

“I’LL KILL YOU, YOU WEIRD BITCH!” Summoning all the strength I could muster, lightning zapped through me, demolishing everything in my sight to dust. Out of the cloud, one left straight to my face blew the dusty air away. Black mist caught me before I bounced on the floor.

“It's futile, nephew.” Mist stood me up straight. “Even with the power of sacrifice, I cannot compare to a Xiao. Wipe the blood from your face and walk with us before she stops caring about favours.”

“Sir, miss! Over here.” Mist pushed me along and we ended up at a stone wall no different from the rock the underground prison was dug from.

After trying his own palm on the rock, Davis looked at me. “I have been struck from its list of users but the young master should still be accepted.”

“What a stroke of luck. We would have failed if your brother didn't love you still. Put your hand on the rock, boy.”

“I would rather die, Liuen.” Lightning buzzed and sparked on my fingertips. An unconscious Charles was dropped like a bag of flour in front of me.

“What about him?” Kellen stared me down with a venomous gaze. “Want him to die too?”

I dismissed my lightning. Swearing, I walk over to the wall. Hand on the wall, runes shimmered, and the wall slowly went down.

An old woman stood by the open door.

“So noisy.”

“ZHI!!” I screeched.

“Táobīng!!! ” The Liuen intruder leap ripped through the air as she charged toward Master Zhi with a wide punch. A palm that shone gold blocked the thunderous punch with ease. The ground under Zhi's feet gave way, breaking into chunks, and the master stood relaxed with her left scratching an itch on her lower back.

“HERE IS WHERE YOU HIDE!” A shockwave pulsed from the Xiao’s right fist and Zhi’s large sleeve shredded apart revealing forearm muscle corded like ship rope.

“Jing. Loudmouth as always.” Golden fingers pinched into Jing’s fist. Drawing her close, Zhi’s elbow attacked the intruder’s chest. Jing guarded and the prison shook.

Dust fell and stepped away slowly from the battle of superbeings. Kellen held me with his dark hand.

“No.”

“Hehe. I wasn’t running. I would get in the way-”

“No.” Dust fell again and Kellen looked up at the ceiling. “We really were noisy. We better move before we get his attention.” Kellen once again pulled me along.

“Scared of my brother, uncle?”

He froze and turned to me with those venomous eyes that looked deep in mine.

“What? Going to threaten me again?! I left my mother to die! You think I can’t kill my one-armed uncle?!”

Another boom turned my head and I covered my eyes from the rock dust. Blows rained on the doctor. Each strike made the rockchamber we stood in rumbled and Zhi parried each with ease. Her left hand remained on her old back and the retiree grinned.

“This ain't training, you old bat!” She found me. Before she made a comment, she noticed me pointing at her prized student on the floor.

Her left arm punctured the air before I could even see it move. Jing twirled, landing on the ceiling with a scalding spiral on her stolen guard uniform. Her dark eyes winced in pain.

“Wolfburn! Take you kin! Find the monument! I will keep her busy.”

“Busy?”

Zhi’s right fist blurred and the air popped. Jing dodged, stepping off the wall, and Qi spiralled into the stone brick, digging upward.

“You?”

Palms out then to her waist, Qi steamed just above her skin with incredible control. Like an ocean in a cup, she contained her fury.

“Has my reputation plunged that low?”