Reinhardt had this sinking feeling at the pit of his stomach. He had a lot he wanted to say, a lot he wanted to do. Yet, his mind wasn’t working at all. It was like he was stuck in an infinite loop. He heard the same things over and over again without any moment of reprieve. It reached the point where his head crossed the boundaries of psychological turmoil and gave birth to a splitting headache.

And yet, underneath it all, in the midst of all the confusion, the pain and the doubt, Reinhardt knew what it all meant. It meant his separation with Lumina. His eventual plan to make her his wife could not come into fruition. It was the proverbial end of the line for them. He looked at the girl in question, gauging her reaction to the news.

Lumina's tears welled up once again as things started to sink in. She was well past the denial stage by now. Instead of going through the usual route towards acceptance, she never had the chance to move on to the next. Right now, all she felt was fear and trepidation.

She was no stranger to the role of an Oracle since she was always at the receiving end of Reinhardt’s stories. His impassioned talks to enlist in the division of the Templar Knights became a popular point of discussion. But for her, that was an excuse, another reason so that she could be with him. Still, she had learned a lot from those times.

Being an Oracle wasn’t an easy task. A lot of responsibilities fell on her shoulders aside from serving as the direct link to their God. The most important duty was making use of her foresight to avoid disastrous events. From that to the usual tasks such as being the head priestess in performing divine rituals. She also appeared in public to boost the morale of the faithful. More than just a figure head, she defined what it was to have a lot on your plate.

Lumina also learned about the Templar Knights. They were a separate entity from the Holy Knight Corps and the Holy Knight Army. Their numbers increased or decreased during times of war, after uncovering assassination plots or as the need arises. There could be as many as to fill an entire squad or as few as two to serve only as bodyguards and aides. These knights were as skilled as a country’s general and as competent as the best warriors in the continent. Only the best and brightest joined their ranks. And their duty revolved around protecting the Oracle. Providing their help in whichever way they could.

Still, these things didn’t appeal to Lumina at all. All she wanted was to stay with Reinhardt. And now, all those things that she held dear were being threatened. And she dreaded the result. It meant being away from her beloved master...the person she held dear to her heart ever since she was a child. They can never be together anymore.

Lumina grew up wanting simple things. Being taken in as a servant in this family, despite her status as an orphan and commoner, was already a blessing. It would’ve been easy not to follow through with Reinhardt’s promise to keep her safe. The life of Lumina's mother didn't bear that much weight. After all, it was the duty of the servant to lay down their life for their Lord. So as recompensation, she served the house that treated her with kindness. Even more so because Reinhardt was a much gentler lord compared to his father.

It was only now that a new emotion sprung inside of her.

It was greed.

Something she had never felt before.

It was true that you never noticed that something was important unless you lost it.

For her, it was her freedom. It was the freedom to choose who she wanted to be and who she wanted to serve. Some might say she was being selfish, but she didn’t care. For once, she wanted to be able to do something for herself.

Both Reinhardt and Lumina remained silent. All the life siphoned out of them. Resignation written all over their faces as they looked at the three visitors. Their hopes and dreams crumbled before them. Ironically, it will only remain as is, never to be fulfilled.

Lumina turned to her master with bloodshot eyes. "My Lord...I don't want to…" she trailed off, aware of the ramifications of her selfish request. She had a hunch that if she tried, he would definitely do something. It was something that both of them may regret afterwards.

Her appointment as an Oracle, though still not official, was one of those things that you can’t reject. Excommunication would be the most lenient punishment they could hope for. If they were that lucky. But they could never be happy. Some of the fanatic followers might go to the extremes and threaten their lives.

Lumina wanted to cling to Reinhardt. She wanted to hear him say that everything will be alright. But he neither moved nor said those comforting words to her.

Reinhardt restrained himself. He was afraid that if he didn't, he'd take Lumina's hand and run away with her. Go to the edges of Infinitia where they could live life in peace.

He reined in his growing impulse to speak his mind. He knew that if he didn't, he might tell her how he felt and end up making things more complicated. Turning things harder than they already were.

They both knew that letting their emotions take over would only end with bad consequences. Lumina could do nothing but weep while Reinhardt suffered in silence.

The bishop stood up and spoke the words that they both feared. "Oracle, you have to come with us to the holy capital city, so you may perform your duties as prophesied." And when she didn't budge, the bishop nodded towards one of the knights. The guard followed the orders and started to lead her outside.

"Wait! You can't do this! You can't force her to accept something she doesn’t want!" Reinhardt stood up as well, in the act of stopping what was about to happen. But the bishop spoke words that sliced through all his objections.

“Actually, we can. May I remind you, that if you try to prevent what was destined for the Oracle, we'll arrest you for treason!" Those words were enough to root Reinhardt on the spot. It was the truth, going against the wishes of the church was tantamount to ignoring the orders of a king. He was powerless. Like a fish that floundered when out of the water. He could never resist such a strong tide. All arguments he had prepared rendered useless by that one simple fact. It cut through his case like a hot knife through butter.

"My Lord, no, please...I don't want to go...please!" Lumina attempted to object and emancipate herself from the grasp of the knights. But they were all in vain due to her small frame. Her vision clouded by the renewed tears wandered over to Reinhardt. She pleaded for him to take action. But he remained standing, devoid of movement, almost like a statue. His shoulders hunched, unable to look her in the eye, knowing he had failed her.

It was quite vexing considering their mindsets were in sync. They both wanted to prevent Lumina’s fate. Lumina had no power yet she wanted to avoid her destiny. While Reinhardt had the capacity to resist and yet he did nothing.

"Wait! I beg of you, please don't take me away!" It only took a moment before Lumina found herself out the door. It took that much time for her to finally realize that the time for separation was now.

Hoping that her voice would still reach Reinhardt, she took a deep breath and yelled with all her heart. "My lord, I want to be with you!"

What else could she say?

Those words reached Reinhardt's ears and it jolted him back to reality. Like a flash of lightning, his feet seemed to gain a life of its own. He was a few steps away from the door when his stride faltered.

What else could he do?

They were taking her away from him. Away from his reach, away from his life.

"Go after her Rein! You can still be with her! Remember our dream!" Reinhardt's head snapped towards Kristov. His friend stood at the doorway that led to the kitchen.

The realization of what his friend said made his eyes grow wide, once again filled with a bit of hope.

If he couldn't be with her...at least he could be by her side.

With renewed vigor, Reinhardt ran outside in time to see Lumina. She was being dragged towards the majestic carriage drawn by four white horses. It was parked right in front of the house.

"Luminaaaaaaaa! I will come for you! I promise!" He yelled at her, his eyes boring into hers as a smile formed on his lips.

Lumina stopped struggling and mirrored the same expression Reinhardt had on his face. They looked at each other for a long time, their eyes spoke volumes. After that brief pause, she nodded in acknowledgement. She wiped her tears, smiled at him one last time and went inside the carriage of her own accord.

Reinhardt stood there even until the carriage was long gone. "We have a lot of work to do Kristov, from now on we train day and night!" He said rushing out to the backdoor.

His friend scratched his head while standing by the window. "This is going to be a pain; well...at least this makes things interesting!" Kristov answered, his voice laced with amusement.

Deep inside, Kris felt dejected. The emotion didn’t take root for his sake, rather it was born out of concern for both of his friends. There was truth in what he suggested. Reinhardt and Lumina could be together if they pursued their dream.

But that was it, they could never be together in the truest sense of the word. But for those two it would be enough. What he failed to understand was, what good would come out from suppressing such emotions? Sighing, Kristov shook his head in disbelief. He could never fathom how people in love think. The emotion was too alien for him.

~*~

The horns blared and songs of praise echoed throughout Phracea. The cheers of the people reverberated all over the city. All their eyes glued to a certain spot of the holy cathedral. On top of a veranda overlooking the whole city stood a person clad in white.

Immaculate. Saintly. Divine. Those words best described how the woman carried herself. Her dark hair shone with a radiance. The veiled crown she wore reflected the suns rays and created a halo-like effect. On her hand was a golden staff that had her symbol and little golden bells which jingled when she moved. The gown she wore clung to her ripe curves but it did nothing more than gain the reverence of the people. It revealed the Oracle's symbol on the upper part of her breast which still had a faint glow.

Lumina passed the Spiritual Resonance. The mark she had was genuine which made this day an official event for the whole country. Their faiths uplifted, their hopes renewed. Yet for Lumina, it was the final nail in the coffin. It severed her ties to her own personal life. She now belonged to the people, she wasn't entitled to her own freedom.

It's been four months since she got to the capital. During that time, she met so many people that she feared she wouldn't be able to remember their names. The clergy, the Templar Knights, her servants and the citizens of Phracea. And yet she longed for one specific person. The one person she now didn't have a right for.

Lumina held back a sigh, her face plastered with a smile as she waved at the people. There was no reason to harbor such thoughts. She had to accept the bitter with the sweet. Since she now understood the importance of the role she played. Not only a puppet that followed the church's orders but a shining beacon that made a difference.

The cheers grew louder as she stepped down from the veranda and entered her room. The servants bowed to her as they awaited her orders. Yes, this was her life now. She will always carry that flame, it will never die down. But for now, she needed to focus on what she could do.

~*~

A lone desert salamander burrowed deep within the ground in haste as it sensed the oncoming gallops. The sound started with a thrum. Constant yet changing, sometimes it’s as quiet as one’s heartbeat, then it shifts to a deep rumble like tribal drums. An ornate white and gold carriage appeared, drawn by four regal steeds. Flanked by cavalry on each side; two were guarding the rear while a helmed-knight led at the front. The knights wore armors colored blue and silver. But, the helmed-knight sported the opposite color motif of red and gold.

Basing on the emblem embellished on their armors, they were Templar Knights. They were escorting the carriage of the beloved Oracle of Feria. It was part of the Oracle's duty to travel around the country and visit the places where they needed her. Right now, the destination was a remote village.

A new kind of illness has spread in this village. Although it wasn’t lethal when contracted, the mortality rate was nine out of ten. Since one in every ten people died from the illness, it caused quite an uproar. According to rumors, it is likely that the demons were behind it. The citizens grew restless especially since the cure was nonexistent. This was where Lumina came in. The mere presence of the Oracle could bring wondrous results. By appearing on behalf of the church, she can renew the faith of Osiris’ followers. Rejuvenate their dwindling devotion towards the God of Life. It was a testament of how faith shouldn’t be underestimated.

They were on their way back to the holy capital of Phracea. The trip had been as usual, no other pressing matters happened. The Oracle pacified the people and let them know that the research division is doing their best to come up with the cure.

Curious of what was happening around, the salamander's head popped out of its underground lair. It was about to come out of the temporary shelter but a sudden earthquake scared it into seeking refuge once more in the safe depths of Mother Earth. A deafening roar came from the distance which caused the horses to panic.

“Hyaaah! Calm down…calm down...good boy! There you go…” yelled the lead knight in front of the group, trying to pacify her scared steed. While the chauffeur did his best to placate the horses drawing the carriage.

The group heard from the locals that a rampant dragon made its nest in one of the caverns in the canyons. No one knew what drove the dragon away from its natural habitat into this derelict place. One would wonder why they were still trekking through this dangerous route. Even after they received warnings from the villagers.

They had no clue what caused the dragon’s migration. Some theorized that the monster territories shifted due to the appearance of a powerful monster. The reason why they were stuck with this trail was simple. There was no alternate route to begin with. They had no choice but to pass through here to reach the village. They were grateful that nothing happened when they were heading there. Then again, they were unaware of this news and only found out when they arrived. It was the reason why everyone was on high alert.

“Stay on your toes! Do not let your guard down for a second, our priority is the Oracle's safety and we must ensure her return to the capital!" she motioned for the chauffeur and the knights to continue with their journey. But a huge rumble resounded throughout the region before they had the chance to continue.

Squinting at the horizon, the helmed-knight checked the source of the commotion. From across the canyon, dust clouds gathered and covered a large area. The knight almost thought that it was a dust storm. But the rumbling of the ground persisted and intensified. The earth beneath their feet started to quake.

Many eyes widened in shock as beasts emerged one by one. The dozens of monsters moved like one body, running towards their direction.

It was a stampede!

“Maneuver the carriage near the cliff! And to everyone else, spread out and make sure to divert the beasts coming our way! Protect the Oracle, make sure no harm—" the knight executed a well thought out plan in this dire situation. Like in their training exercises, each knight moved soon as she gave out orders. They moved near the cliff where they were sure to avoid direct collision from the stampede. A barricade was then set up, each gap filled by a knight to divert the attention of errant monsters. But before they were ready, a huge reptilian creature appeared out of the horizon.

It was...a dragon!

And it wasn't any ordinary dragon. It was bigger than the ones you usually encounter in the wild. In fact, they wouldn’t be surprised if the thing barrelling towards them was a grand dragon.

dragon tutorial [http://i65.tinypic.com/262xrtj.png]

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The categories on the different kinds of dragons had a lot of variations. The most common depends on the dragon’s habitat. They were either land or sea dragons, whereas they call winged ones as sky dragons. But the widely accepted classification in the hierarchy categorized dragons depending on size, intelligence, and power.

On top of the food chain were the ancient dragons. They possessed knowledge and wisdom that rivaled the Gods themselves. Some held enough power that they were able to have a humanoid form like the God who had created them. The size of their dragon forms can encompass a whole castle, some were even bigger. Their existences believed to only be part of myths as it had been almost a century since one appeared.

The next on the list are the pseudo ancient dragons, also known as the dragonoids. They were purported to be children of ancient dragons. Though unconfirmed, it was a topic of wide debate that they were the ancestors of the dragonkin race. A lot of dragon scholars and sages are on a constant deliberation. Some deny them as the children of the ancient dragons. Instead they directly linked them to the God of War who had a dragonoid appearance. Their size may be questionable considering at most, they have the same size as humans. But no one could question their wit and power. Like the ancient dragons, they are adept at using dragon magic. Especially the ones attuned with their own element.

The third on the list are the grand dragons. Unlike the previous two, grand dragons do not have human faculties. It was more proper to think of them, and the dragons below them, as beasts. It doesn’t make them less threatening. Sizes could vary from as small as two to three carriages while the biggest reported was able to destroy a mansion of considerable size.

Last but the least, the normal sized dragons. This is where the wild and domesticated ones belong. Some countries prefer to use them as mounts due to their resilience and tough hides. They also have more stamina and most considered them as intelligent creatures. They rarely had large forms, usually a few feet taller than regular horses.

Knowing that a charging monster was of a grand dragon scale offered little to comfort. As it usually took two to three groups of exceptional adventurers to take them down.

~*~

On top of the cliffs, surveying what transpired below, were two people. The bigger one stood with a brown muffler covering the lower half of his face. His light brown hair cut short and a bit unruly. The coat he wore extended down to the ground, covering what seemed to be heavy armor.

He reached up and grabbed an ornate sword and shield hanging on his back. “I guess it's time for us to make an appearance? Ready, partner?" The man looked down at the other person crouching down beside him.

Contrary to the burly guy, he only wore light cloth armor to focus on speed. He wore an identical brown cloak, except his didn’t cover his face. He nodded back in response for confirmation. He stood up, and jumped from where they were watching without any preamble.

"Oy oy! Wait for me! This guy is always running ahead without me!" The muscled guy said before he jumped from the cliffs as well.

They both moved to slow down their descent. Otherwise they would go splat upon reaching the ground. The robust guy used his long sword, thrusting it deep on the sides of the cliff . While the other guy flung a grappling hook towards the cliff and used it as an anchor.

A normal citizen would gawk at what they did. That daredevil act was impossible for normal humans. Even seasoned veterans will think twice before replicating their action. “Take care of the ground Kris! I'll attack him from above!" Reinhardt said to his partner once his descent stopped. Making use of the rope, he ran on the sides of the cliff and took a different direction. He gathered momentum and jumped towards the dragon's shoulder.

"Leave it to me! Hey! You ugly piece of shit! Down here!"

[“Banshee’s Wail!”]

Kristov bellowed in front of the dragon, his feet firmly planted on the ground. The skill created distortions in the air, the winds shrieking like the skill’s namesake. The monster took the bait, hook line and sinker. Its attention shifted to the first person who initiated the attack. Kristov had its undivided attention, since the skill focused on gaining aggro1.

Reinhardt took the opportunity to take out his Nodachi. He spun the blade on top of his head with the blade part facing down and plunged it on the dragon's chest.

Force and gravity played its part. Reinhardt’s sword slashed down across the chest of the untamed dragon. If it were any other blade, it wouldn't have pierced the dragon’s thick skin and flesh. But what he wielded had an enchantment that allowed him to deal more damage to large creatures. It was a blade that was sharp enough to pierce the hardest metals, even the scales of dragons.

Meanwhile, Kristov had his sword and shield forged by a famous blacksmith. It took a lot of effort to get a blacksmith from the holy capital to forge his weapon. That was why he prided himself with his “Sword of the Deep” fashioned from sea monster materials. Instead of focusing on attack, his weapons veered more on giving him defense. Even the sword itself had an attribute that weakened enemy attacks to a degree.

The monster roared, flailed and tried to swat Reinhardt away. From the way it reacted, it got angered by the damaged he dealt. Even with his speed, he was unable to dodge the attack with his sword stuck in its chest. He felt a stabbing pain when he got thrown off onto the side of the cliffs. His vision blurred and turned white for a moment. He knew that he may have fractured a rib or two due to the impact.

Reinhardt landed on the ground, right beside the carriage, and coughed out some blood. Gritting his teeth, he tried to get up on his feet so he could get back to the fight.

"Rein! Be careful! This dragon is a lot tougher than he looks!" Kristov warned before jumping out of the way when the dragon took a swipe at him using its tail. Without pause, the dragon reared back and used its fire breath to incinerate him.

[“Absolute Wall!"]

It's a good thing Kristov’s reaction time improved in the passing years through hard and rigorous training. If not, he would have been easily barbecued by the onslaught of the infernal breath.

While the dragon was busy, Reinhardt seized the opportunity to climb the dragon. He jumped towards his wedged weapon, applied more strength to pull it out and then used the dragon’s chest as leverage to jump higher.

Rein rotated mid-air until he was upside down and drew out a small ornamental weapon. He made intricate movements with the dagger. It emitted light from its tip, leaving a runic circle as an afterimage. The light steadily grew brighter and fused with the small ornamental dagger. Once the light quieted down, it had taken the shape of a blade made of pure energy.

"This is the end for you!”

[“Combination Art: Twin Blades Temporal Slash!"]

The skill in itself didn’t have anything to do with time. Rather, with the two blades in his hands, his potential for damage doubled. He could dole out twice as much in the same span of time.

Using a skill Reinhardt had learned, he kicked off on an invisible wall in the air while still airborne. He borrowed the force to add strength behind his assault and plunged down towards the dragon. He sliced with his blade and dagger turned sword. Once the carnage was over, he ended up crouched on the ground with both of his weapons on his sides.

The dragon howled in agony. It wobbled and somehow lost its balance. The huge body of the creature crashed on the sides of the cliff, causing the earth to shake from the brunt of the impact. Sensing that it was losing out on the battle, the dragon slowly stood up and ran off, escaping as fast as it had come.

"That was harder than I thought…good thing it escaped. I’m not confident we’d actually win if it chose to fight to the death." Kristov walked towards his friend while sheathing his sword into his shield and placed it on his back.

Reinhardt did the same as he stood up and sheathed his sword and hid his dagger in his breast pocket. He had suffered a major injury. One that would take time to heal if not treated immediately with healing magic. But he acted like it was nothing and that he didn't have any wounds at all. He didn't feel the pain nor the rush of adrenaline that was still making its way through his bloodstream. He was more conscious of how his heart seemed to thump faster than when they were facing the dragon.

They were both headed towards the carriage when the lead knight intercepted them. The knight had drawn blades pointed at their direction. “Who are you? What business do you have with the Oracle?" Before either of them could answer, the rumbling started once more. But instead of the earth shaking, small rocks started falling from above them.

They all looked up and were all rendered incapable of movement. A huge boulder on top of the cliff toppled over and began its descent towards the ground. Needless to say, with its trajectory, it was quite evident where it will fall. The ones on the receiving end of its descent were the carriage and all the people around it.

It was already too late, their reactions were too slow.

Reinhardt and Kristov knew it would be too late to do anything. All they could do was help diminish the casualties from this unexpected miscalculation. Their body tensed as they each started to make a move, Rein dashing towards the carriage.

[“Sword Saint Style Second Form! Frigid Dance of Icicles!”]

The boulder got assaulted by ice, frozen like a giant snow ball. A second after the transformation, a flurry of blades was unleashed upon it. It shattered and broke off into bits and pieces as if it were tiny diamond crystals falling from the sky. The bright orange sun created a myriad of colors and lights in the barren canyon as they reflected off of the crystals.

Reinhardt and Kristov stood in awe, their gaze stuck on the back of the knight.

The lead knight sheathed one of the blades and with the other hand slowly removed the helmet. Scarlet red hair flowed out and tumbled on her back, almost reaching her waist, as she turned to them.

"Now, tell me who you are!" The sweet voice that came from her lips only verified that she was in fact...

“A woman?!" uttered Kristov in shock, a slight blush creeping up his cheeks.