Zeaxar’s POV

(“Then I say come, Gods don’t scare me Zeaxar. I’ve already proven I don’t fear it, if it means securing our future I don’t care what I must fight.”) I turn off the Iris comms and get out of the vehicle, wearing my business tux I begun walking away from the luxurious car and towards the current main building of the Human government. “Ah! Mr.Hellborn I presume!?” A mousy young human man walks down the many long steps that take up to the building’s entrance “This way please, the meeting has already began and unfortunately you are a bit late” the man gestures for me to follow him but I show no acknowledgment to his existence  and continue walking towards the stairs. One by one I climbed the stairs as the man followed behind me, soon I reached the large wooden doors and pushed them open “The..meeting is to the left…” by now my aura had leaked out and reached the whole building’s insides. I silently walked towards the left and turned into the corridor leaving behind the man and other receptionists in the lobby cowering for their lives, I made sure to walk down the corridor at the slowest pace possible while enjoying the sense of fear that filled my destination. When I reached the door I slowly opened it revealing the large room inside, the human government officials and Etyrian leaders where all present inside and sitting around a large circular table with a holocrystal in the middle of it. “You’re late Hellborn” Arryn Yesventis Queen of the High Elves spoke first “Ah excuse me your majesty” I perform a bow with a slight smirk on my face “It takes time to move whole outfits you see” I stood up and glanced at the multiple leaders “Enough theatrics Demon, where is he?” Zyrr the Werebeasts Chief spoke next from the other side of the table, I sighed “I do enjoy my theatrics don’t I? Well here you go then, Ladies, Gentlemen and impatient felines I present you the Emperor of Dherki” the young boy walked in from behind me as shadows left his body since he had been cloaked the whole time “Alexius Xioqu, let’s sit”. I walked over to an empty chair as far away from the fuming werelion and sat down, Alexius followed me and sat a seat away “King Hellborn…Since you are finally here, care to explain the situation?” a blonde human fellow to the left spoke with a heavy northern accent “So far the only information you’ve given us is that the first expedition was mostly wiped out and survivors captured dying soon after” the human leaders directed many glares at the young boy.

“While it is true that his kind captured the research expedition and made them participate in kill or be killed activities it is not the whole story, you see from further investigation it was found that most of the party was wiped out within the scouted area by a diverse type of Wyrm. The survivors escaped the desert and were captured by his people when they entered their territory, I will let him explain what the situation at the time was” I glance at Alexius who seemed nervous at the many glares he was getting, he nodded “My father was Emperor at the time, although Emperor holds utmost power within our society the High priest also holds a similar position… My father ruled that the survivors weren’t worth helping and employed them in the monster arena… The High priest who was also my teacher found that humans at the time held minimal magical power and regarded them as inferior therefore as such the rest of the populace began to as well. We underestimated humanity and heavily payed the price.” Alexius clenched his fists and looked down at the table. I continued after him “After a platoon under my command also got taken the squad leaders managed to break out of imprisonment but a single platoon leader ended up being left behind, within that first incursion most nobility, the emperor and empress got killed. When we returned for our man the High priest was also killed and then after Dherki surrendered, the question is now what shall we do with their surrender?” I glanced around the room at the many itching to speak but were beaten “Then from what I understand there is nothing else to speak about, the ones in control are dead while those that remain cannot be blamed for their superior’s decisions” Queen Yesventis spoke before anybody else could “Look at this child, does he look like some monster leader to you?” she glared at those that previously aimed their hatred at him “Then the decision is made unless anybody else has something to say?” nobody did and therefore the topic moved on with me continuing “Then as previously planned I will move a whole outfit to operate in Dherki for protection and information gathering, Alexius here will become part of the council that sits here as well. Now for the next topic.” Many eyebrows raised at my sudden change in tone. I leaned forward and rested my arms on the table with fingers entwined together “Mr.Kieth would you mind explaining my resent findings?” I locked my gaze on the plump short human.

The man barely responded and kept a blank façade of an expression as he spoke “What ever do you mean King Hellborn?” he didn’t meet my gaze “I have recently come upon information that your government is holding more Cerberii alive and hidden, would you be so kind to explain?” many of the Etyrian members and some human seemed enraged at this information “Why would we do that? I can assure you that “boy” you accepted into your ranks is the sole survivor” I knew he wouldn’t be an easy crack “Then you wouldn’t mind if I forward my evidence?” I raised my right arm and a shadow appeared behind me, Leya handed me a crystal which I inserted into the table through a slot in front of me “Since the divide that brought in the two year war multiple laboratories were used to produce Cerberii, powerful human children with enhanced souls and artificially altered bodies. This much everyone here knows but did you know that one such laboratory was kept active even after the war ended? Hades Laboratory is to this day still in use with the surviving maniacs that started the power struggle still working there albeit in chains” with every word images appeared above the holocrystal and with every image the man’s expression became darker “Care to explain this then Mr.Kieth?”. “Y..Yes…As you all know our race has suffered great losses and we believe that each life has more worth today than it ever did to keep us from extinction, they serve life sentences caged inside their own creation but I swear what they do in there is nothing more than the usual aether research! If you truly wish I will personally guide you through the whole thing! The Cerberus program died with the war, we absolutely did not continue it!” with those final words a smile creeped its way up my face “There will be no need for that, if you say the program wasn’t continued then I am obliged to believe that” I ended that topic there and let the rest go on with their’s. The meeting went on for another three boring topics that I mostly ignored except for the last one, “Lastly I wish to ask about the next expedition, Zeaxar…you are aware of the creatures that leaked from that portal correct?” The Wood Elf Elder Reiner spoke to me “But of course I am, while it is true that draconic hybrids have been the stuff of legend in our history it is not strange. Life works in strange ways but for a race so powerful it is not uncalled for a realm to be ruled by them, their blood runs stronger than even us demons! For a realm full of them is dangerous you do have to take something into account Elder…My mercenaries number many and are trained with keen military co-operation and are lead by ones I personally pick. We have ways of dealing with dragons specifically, half dragons aren’t far off”.

A hand slammed on the table “Do not underessstimate dragon blood Hellborn…My kind only holdss a very ssmall percssentage of our heritage from dragonss but a half born sssentient dragon? That would be on part with a wild Devourer sspirit!” The large snake in the room Nekt the Queen of Gorgons and Drakons spoke in a rather worried tone “It hass been too long for our kind to fully know but we sstill have it written in our hisstory bookss! The WereBeasstss have it etched ssomewhere too! Dragonss are not to be trifled with! The Dragon warsss taught uss that well enough!” many nodded at her exclamations, “Nekt speaks true” Zyrr sighed “We mustn’t forget what that fallen Elder Dragon’s power felt like… If it wasn’t for the heroes the second wave would have costed us much more than it did… Elder Dragons have been in hiding for eons yet the prospect of a realm with even one of them fully awake and not fallen to the void’s whispers is… something that makes my fur stand on edge…” the room went quiet for some time. “An Elder dragon is something we’ll have to deal with when the time comes, until then we shall focus on scouting rather than combat. Shall we call the meeting’s end here then?” mostly everyone nodded and agreed so I gestured for Alexius to stand up, I waited for everyone else to leave first as I usually did just so I could look at their expressions as they left but this time someone approached me, voluntarily, someone I didn’t think would do so ever “Don’t mind these old oafs child, my race welcomes our peace with open arms” more specifically approached Alexius but normally she wouldn’t even look at my direction due to… past events… “Has this demon given you any trouble yet?”. Alexius seemed frozen and unable to speak which was mostly normal given her cold beauty so I spoke for him “Trouble? Now milady why would I ever get this child in trouble?” she gave me a cold glare and looked back at Alexius “Don’t trust everything he says, if you need anything at all be sure to ask me little one” she gave him a warm smile and turned to leave. I sighed and put my hand on the boy’s shoulder “Don’t be fooled kid, she waves that warm smile at you but in actuality she’s as sly as her husband. Let’s go” I push him towards the exit “Um...who’s her husband? Why isn’t he a member?”.

I wanted to say because I’d shove a dagger in his back if he was but I contained myself “Because he’s probably too busy doing what ever the hell he’s doing in another realm, I suppose someone already told you what the void waves are correct?” he nodded “The first wave was when the Etyrian alliance first arrived in Etyrian, the second wave occurred decades later when the Atlantian race sent a human to test their creations with on the void and the third wave happened here on Earth and was when Etyria saved humanity from probable extinction”. We reached the exit and began stepping down the steps “You’ve done your homework kid, yes those are the three void waves. During the second wave the one human called upon the strongest of each race to join together and fight together, using their joint mana signatures the void’s massive army was lured by their hunger towards them putting them against the worst of the wave. That human is her husband, to this date he is still missing and only recently have we found that he might have survived the wave. Get in” I entered the vehicle’s driver seat and waited for Alexius to get inside the front passenger seat “I wasn’t able to find out much about him… ” he closed the car’s door and glanced around the other members of the council also leaving “Why did you single that man out back there? How did you know he might be behind it?” his question didn’t surprise me as I did know how perceptive this kid was but it still made me chuckle “Kekekeke…” I started the car and drove out into the street “I don’t, all I need was put a seed of doubt into all of them and mentioned that the information leaked… now all I have to do is wait and see how each of them acts… I’m not even sure if the Cerberii are being kept at Hades but if they are then my spies will notice changes to its routine”. I began driving around the city while Alexius glanced around the sights it had to offer “How can a race that can create something so beautiful also create something so insane? Matthew… Even before he awakened his power was abnormal… thousands of them?...” I slowed down to turn and arrived at the city’s gate, “Do you know why in the human language our kind is called Demons and Devils? Because of our physical traits and differences, there is no real translation for our race’s names to theirs so they went off their mythologies and history which was altered by the Atlantians to reflect so. In the end though humans can be much more terrifying than what those two words represent, each human has their own demons inside them but some grow to have a devil as well”.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

He looked at me with a confused expression “Kekeke…Fear boy, fear is what makes this race so strong. A demon’s lust, an elf’s pride neither a dwarf’s greed can compare to a human engulfed by fear and insanity. Read their history kid, for generations they have fought each other. Generations of evolving combat methods and improving machines of war, generations of losses and instability yet now they suddenly have balance and peace? They say so but look around” we pass by the gate with multiple guard posts each having three or more soldiers in AetherTech armour and weaponry alongside two Troll sized mechanized suits. “They trust nobody, not even themselves yet expect it from others. It’s hypocrisy at first but when you know their history it’s understandable, now add in the hatred they feel against the Atlantians into the brew and everything falls into place” I press a button and the glass on my window opens, I take out a card from the vehicle’s cabinet and show it to one of the armoured guards. The guard nods “Have a nice day Ambassador” he speaks through his blacked out helmet and I close the window again, “So you’re saying It’s a whole race run by emotion?”  Alexius stares at one of the AetherMechs curiously. “Yes they are, but right now two key ones are what drives them. Fear of death and Hatred towards being used, they are blinded by them and see nothing else” we drive out of the city and onto a long road surrounded by a dried up landscape “They cling to what power they can get a hold of, power that will yet again be their own demise”. I step down harder and accelerate “Which is why those that can look ahead of the fear and behind the hatred are so much stronger.”

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Matthew’s POV

I breathed heavily as the first signs of mana exhaustion began showing themselves from the continuous testing of Wayne and Ember’s new bodies (“Master you should take it slow… you are still not used to your own body yourself… your mana usage is too high…”) says Saya worriedly, I take a couple steps back and rest my back on a half standing stone pillar “Yeah you’re right…It’s getting late anyway…” I stare up at the ascending moon amidst the many stars unblocked by any city lights they shone brightly at us. “Wayne has simple abilities like a normal aether pistol would have but I didn’t expect his bats to become that and Ember also was quite the surprise, well done Saya” a silent giggle went unnoticed in my mind, “It’s beautiful” a voice suddenly spoke from next to me “Wha…” I was caught off guard as Risa went unnoticed by me while she sneaked up by my side and laid back onto the same pillar. She turned and gave me a confused expression “What is it?...” I cleared my throat as I clenched my fists “You caught me by surprise… my senses have also dulled along with my soul, which is concerning” I looked back up at the sky “Yeah…it is beautiful”, (“Ehh… I could make it better…”) Saya commented thoughtfully. I couldn’t help myself as she said that with a serious tone and Fae weren’t known for their sarcasm, I buckled forward as I began to full heartedly laugh “What is it?... What is so funny?...” I let myself laugh for another couple moments but finally rose back up after wiping a tear “Right… You haven’t met Saya yet, not sure how to go about doing it though”. I stared thoughtfully at my chest thinking of what a non-combatant spirit could take the shape of, (“Would this work?”) Saya interjected on my thoughts as a sudden bright blue light shone… on my face. “S… Saya?...” the blue ball of light morphed around my eyes taking the form of what I can only define as goggles. “Like this I can physically have a voice and use within combat!” Saya’s voice echoed out from the goggles as I took them off to examine them, “That’s… interesting design?...” the goggles were your average shape and a leather like band for it to hold onto my head. The frame was black with blue runic inscriptions running through it and the leather band, the lens also had two black runes on the inside per eye which weren’t visible from the outside.

“Put them…me…them?...Uhh…just put them on!” Saya’s excited yet confused voice echoes out of the goggles, I raise the lens to my face and pull the band over and behind my head “Saya… is this vision enhancement?” I began focus on certain things and my vision practically zoomed in on them “Mhm! Yeap!”. While marvelling at the gadget I remember Risa next to me “Ah… right… It may sound strange but this is Saya, she is a Fae. Fae-kin are a spirit race that live most of their lives as roaming souls, they bind themselves to physical or even sentient things to gain a body” she looks at the goggles curiously “Hello?...I’m Risa”. “Nice to meet you princess! I’m Saya the Dun…Saya…just Saya!” a humming sound suddenly began to approach us “Well just Saya the goggles, say good night to the princess for today. Ma’s here to pick you up Risa”, I turn around the rubble and stand by the road as in the distance two bright lights approach me quickly “What are you going to do now Matt?” she walked up beside me as the car slowed down and turned to face the direction it came from “Information gathering, I know some unsavoury individuals that could tip me on where to look. Normally I could persuade them to speak easily but with no power over my aura my current body and weaponry will have to do”. “Yo kid you coming?” Abbey shouts out from the driver’s seat of the old ford truck, “Don’t get killed…” Risa said her parting words without looking at me and walked towards the vehicle. After Risa got in Abbey gave me the same look she gave me when I left to join the E.A “Oi Red” she nodded and I nodded back, a wordless conversation with the same meaning every time, I looked back up at the night sky as the truck drove away “Really is a beautiful sight… ” I turned around and walked over to the aetherbike. I took out the key from my pocket, started it and turned the vehicle around while it hovered to face the road “Saya be ready to materialize Wayne at any moment when we arrive” I pulled down the goggles and sat on the bike’s seat. I unbuttoned the black leather trench coat that normally was fully buttoned from my collar to my waist and took out my arms, it waved behind me holding on from the collar button “That’s better, the dress code doesn’t count if I’m off duty” I studied my black T-shirt where hours ago a whirlpool seemingly grew from it “Would be annoying if I had to change it every time… thankfully”.

I leaned forward onto the bike and turned the throttle “The wind… I thought I’d never feel it again…” Saya spoke through the goggles as I accelerated deep into the town’s streets, within minutes I reached the southern end of the town and turned off-road while keeping the direction I was heading. The bike handled perfectly even off-road as unlike wheels levitation magic didn’t require physical contact with the ground but did add upward and downwards as possible movement directions so one had to be very careful with driving uphill as the magic wasn’t strong enough to turn the bike upwards as it drove at full speed unless the user motioned the stronger secondary magic to do so. I drove for about two hours through the desert like dried up landscape until signs of a ruined city began to come into view, surrounded by deserted mountains and hills from one side and open sea from the other the city stood in complete ruin. When I finally reached the crossroads I slowed down and began driving down the city streets that lay full of vehicle wreckage or fallen buildings, I hovered over wrecked cars and stone rubble along with the occasional bone carcass from an unidentifiable creature. “Where is this?...” Saya whispered as if afraid to wake the ghosts that might have rested in these ruins “This? Welcome to California, one of the largest and most populated areas on this planet that albeit it’s ruin still has some mild hospitality. Geographically speaking we are in the south west of the second largest continent, politically speaking?... One of the only two continents that still retains human life”, I took a hard turn and some signs of life presented themselves. Lit signs hung by large buildings along with mostly clear streets and the occasional human walking on the sidewalk, she whispered again “Most populated?... so little people…” I glanced around “Most of the surviving population has been militarised, the old, the sick, the weak and the guilty are all that remain on the streets”. I slowed down even further and turned into a downward tunnel dimly lit up, the tunnel took down to an underground parking lot and I drove over to the far left corner where some other operational vehicles were parked.

I parked the bike between a rusty old car and a similarly rusty truck, after getting off I flipped a switch hidden under the bike’s seat and took out the key which I dropped into my zipp pocket and then closed it (“Everyone’s swift with their hands here, Saya focus a dense but thin aura around me. Thieving is nothing new”). I glanced to the left where two rough looking men stood laid back by a wooden doorway (“So she really did end up employing bouncers…”) now you have to understand that I was tall for my age but these two were a whole foot taller and almost as wide as the double door way, I raised the goggles onto my forehead and began walking to the doorway. I walked past the bouncers and was about to push open the door “Oi outsider, we don’t want no trouble here” one of the bouncers glared me down and I locked my eyes on his “There is no trouble to be had, if they co-operate that is. After all I don’t wanna break Mick’s new toys” I pushed open the door leaving behind a confused bouncer and entered the pub (“Guess I really don’t look human anymore… if I even am human”), “Didn’t know you served dogs around here Mick” the voice came from the bar where three of the ten or so stools at the very end of it are occupied. “Shove it Bekk” the bartender a dark skinned woman in her thirties with long black hair lined with green turned to me while tapping away on her phone, she looked up “What can I g…Matt?” she looked at me with a raised brow “Duty?” she asked the question with slight fear in her voice. I glared at the back of one of the shady men at the bar “No, off-duty” I turned and sat on the first stool right by the door, the pub wasn’t very large as except the bar itself there was only three tables with four chairs each and only one of them was occupied with two men and a woman playing some card game and drinking. I glanced away from the bar and at the bartender “I’m looking for information, thought you’d have something for me Mick”, she eyed me suspiciously and ended with staring at what I guessed was my black eye “Cain ain’t around today but I might be able to help, what you looking for?” she was leaning onto the wall behind her but when she began hobbling to stand in front of me it was obvious. Looking closely you could see the mechanical left leg she had under her worn out camo jeans, “How’s Cain been?” her expression had a slight twitch but overall remained plain “He’s the usual, getting into shit too deep for him”.

I sighed (“So he does know something”) “Heard about the labs being reopened for use, wonder what they’re doing in there now”, she grabbed a bottle of beer from behind her and leaned onto the bar slightly to my right and whispered in between sips “He’s in deep Matt, I don’t know what to do. He hasn’t told me much…I expect there’s a lot more to it but…” she rested the bottle on the bar and stared at it “If you offer to help him get out I’m sure he’ll tell you everything he knows, you know how he is he doesn’t mean anybody h” I interrupted her “Michael, what did he find?” my tone was commanding even while whispering. She glanced at me then took a long chug out of the bottle “Govs been moving shit a lot since last year, you know that Academy they built right by Olympus?” I nodded “Heavily armed containers were moved from the ports, Hades and Silvus to there. Several months back they even moved a military transport with several Mechs and Trashers as guard, Cain said he’d never seen so much military moving together since the war. Two months back…” she lowered her head and held her forehead with her right hand “Someone with a case full of cash came by to speak with Cain, the guy was alone with some rich ass suit and bleached hair. Offered Cain a deal, see what is inside those containers and get the money. They told him they’d take care of the guards themselves while he snuck a peak, he took it even though I begged him not to. Deal went without a hitch, he snuck by the port as somehow an electric failure occurred which shut down all security and the guards entered a panic for some reason. Something got their attention and he got in and out easily but… Matt… inside those damn containers… They’re…” she held her mouth with her eyes wide open as if resisting from spewing.