Chapter 13 : A Kingdom Destroyed

However, at that moment, what we were doing was clearly not what I had in mind when accepting Var's request… Instead of heading straight to the guild, Elvaria launched into an improvised tour of the city.

"Elvaria, aren't we supposed to be in a hurry?" I asked, trying to keep my calm.

"Yes, but we also need to investigate, so it's important to inspect every corner of the city," she replied with disarming confidence.

Ah… Alright, I thought, resigned.

The city was dotted with fountains, and the commercial streets were far more crowded than those of Iveralmn, likely due to its proximity to the sea. But what struck me the most was Everstil's dungeon, immense and imposing in the center of the kingdom. A large square surrounded it, where adventurers of all kinds had gathered. Since the transformation crisis, they seemed to be the only humans visible in Othosomo. Around the dungeon, several adventurer shops were closed, but one could make out a forge, a shop, and a few other stalls dedicated to selling provisions. This dungeon was the economic heart of the kingdom, allowing it to survive without the help of other nations. I couldn't deny that the urge to enter and explore it was rising within me. After all, Everstil was one of the three undefeated S-rank dungeons, known for its complexity, second only to Gyse of Verdesable and the Prism of God, our real objective.

After this long detour, Elvaria finally agreed to lead us to the guild, the only building still open, apart from the churches. It looked like the one in Iveralmn, almost identical. Each guild seemed to share this appearance so adventurers could easily find their way, no matter the kingdom.

Upon entering, we were immediately met with a mocking gaze.

"Pff, ahahaha!" A small man, in his twenties, visibly weak, was openly laughing at us. I could feel Elvaria's frustration rising, and I couldn't deny that it irritated me as well.

"What are you laughing at? Do you even know who we are?" she attempted to say but was abruptly interrupted by a bearded dwarf with an axe strapped to his back, wearing heavy armor.

"Pff, ahahaha!" laughed the dwarf, cutting her off. "You youngsters are funny. Pretending to be heroes won't make you one."

At that moment, I understood what he was getting at.

"Pretending, you say? Who exactly are we pretending to be?" I replied, feigning a shocked expression. Elvaria glanced at me, and within a second, she understood my intention and decided to play along.

"Us, pretenders? Oh mercy, what a tragedy!" she added, exaggerating her movements, playing her role to perfection.

The dwarf, visibly perplexed, spoke again: "Well, it's obvious. You're pretending to be Novus Obris! The red-haired lady and the powerful black-haired warrior. Any adventurer could guess that; they're popular, you know."

"Oh, what a tragedy, our disguise has been seen through!" I exclaimed with theatrical despair, exchanging a knowing look with Elvaria.

"What a disaster, indeed! To think they would discover we are imposters the moment we arrived!" Elvaria responded with the same exaggerated tone.

The whole guild erupted in laughter. The adventurers present began mocking us, some even going as far as to insult us. But we paid them no further mind and headed toward the counter, where a blonde-haired, green-eyed elf, the receptionist, was standing.

"How may I help you?" she asked in a calm and composed voice.

"We were informed that there's a request waiting for us," I said.

"I will need to verify your ID cards, your guild affiliation, as well as your names and ranks," she replied politely.

"Of course," said Elvaria, handing our cards to the receptionist. She gave them a quick glance before continuing.

"Your identity is confirmed, Aley, Elvaria. As you know, we have a request for you–" But she was interrupted by the sudden uproar that broke out in the guild.

"The real ones?! That was them?!" shouted an adventurer, shocked, hands on his face.

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The entire guild was buzzing with excitement. Surprised murmurs echoed everywhere, and I even saw the dwarf, who had mocked us moments earlier, fall backward, dumbfounded.

The receptionist continued despite the commotion: "As I was saying, there's an urgent request. A gathering of humans transformed into monsters has been reported in the vicinity. We ask that you eliminate them."

Another one of those missions… I thought.

Suddenly, a voice resonated in my head: -ALEYSTRIA!-

No sooner had the voice echoed in my head than a powerful wave of magical energy swept across the entire kingdom. Instinctively, all the adventurers looked up, reacting to this invisible force. Even from inside the guild, you could feel the oppressive energy.

"Aley, you feel it too, right?" asked Elvaria, her expression serious. I nodded silently.

"Prepare for battle!" I shouted to the other adventurers, fearing the situation was about to escalate.

Without wasting a second, I rushed outside. There, above the capital, a slender figure floated in the sky, its wings spread gracefully. What immediately caught my attention was its shark-like tail, adding to the strangeness of the sight. It was the size of an average man, but its aura was overwhelming, so intense that the entire city seemed to feel it.

We're in deep trouble. Very deep trouble.

Somewhere in the kingdom, a few minutes earlier:

"I was so close… so close…" Macrinis sighed. He had developed a drug capable of pushing humans beyond their physical limits by injecting them with monster blood. But the failure was bitter. The side effects turned humans into monsters, reducing his experiment to a disaster.

In his makeshift lab, he held a vial in his hands, his gaze haunted. "I may be an S-rank adventurer, but this request… it's madness, conquering the dungeon of Verdesable, of Aqualida? It's impossible. Ever since I was a child, I idolized adventurers. Their presence, their strength… I did everything to become like them, but I lack the power." His voice was heavy with regret. "Day after day, I studied, trying to push past my limits. But they remained insurmountable."

He remembered a mysterious man, who had once come to offer him a promising recipe. But it had failed, turning innocent people into monsters. "If only I had succeeded in kidnapping the princess of Iveralmn… with her divine blood, I could have surpassed those limits…" he muttered. Indeed, Macrinis knew that the royal lineage of Iveralmn carried within them that precious blood, a legacy from the first king of Iveralmn, the same one who had united the continent. Long ago, he had consumed the blood of a god, but that's a story for another time.

Frustrated, he let himself fall into his chair. "What should I do? Give up after all I've sacrificed?"

Suddenly, a noise pulled him out of his thoughts. -Knock knock knock.

Surprised, he stood up slowly and opened the door to his lab. At his feet was a vial filled with a glowing red liquid.

"This… this can't be… divine blood?" he stammered, astonished. Excitement surged through him. "Father… do you see this? I'm going to surpass S-rank! I'm going to achieve what you never could!" he shouted, looking up toward the sky.

Without hesitation, blinded by ambition and madness, he injected himself with the divine blood, now mixed with that of monsters.

What he didn't know was that the blood in this vial wasn't from just any divine being, but from an ancient deity sealed beneath Orthosomo, forgotten by all, a remnant of the Holy War. At that very moment, Macrinis had sealed his own fate.

"What is that thing?!" an adventurer yelled as he exited with me and Elvaria. The sky had darkened, a violent storm had broken out. It was pouring rain, lightning tearing through the sky, and this being floated above us like a god.

With a simple gesture of its hand, in the next second, 20% of the kingdom vanished in a devastating explosion. The flames, black as night, consumed everything. In the distance, I spotted Var, who suddenly appeared amidst the chaos.

"Follow me! We need to evacuate the city immediately!" he shouted, running in all directions, trying to organize a quick escape.

Aleystria… get rid of that usurper, the voice in my head commanded, louder, causing a sharp pain.

"Aley, are you okay?" asked Elvaria, concern in her eyes.

"Let's run!" I said, grabbing her hand. We stood no chance against that thing. We started running, the entire city was in full evacuation mode.

With every movement of this creature, a part of the kingdom was literally erased.

Within minutes, Orthosomo was nothing but a field of flames and debris. The screams of terror echoed all around.

Every time I saw a family in danger, I used Quick Step to help them escape, my frantic pace leaving no room for hesitation.

Elvaria and I made back-and-forth trips to evacuate as many citizens as possible.

But, in a short time, the kingdom was razed. Everything was reduced to ashes and ruins, except for the dungeon tower of Aqualida, we take refuge with the other survivors on the hill where we had camped the night before.

"That looks like a god..." murmured a terrified child, barely 12 years old. The word struck a nerve in me. His mother spoke up.

"A cruel god, then." My head began to throb painfully. That word, "god," irritated me deep inside. Elvaria noticed my discomfort.

"Are you okay, Aley?" she asked me, her voice soft, trying to calm me.

"Yes, I'm fine..." I said, but suddenly the voice in my head resounded again, louder, angrier.

-What are you waiting for, Aleystria? Go destroy that gnome!-

the voice ordered, piercing through my mind. Against all logic, I felt a strange conviction take hold of me. A smile crept across my face.

"Elvaria, I'm going to take it down... that thing flying up there."

She turned to me, shocked. "What are you talking about, Aley? That's madness, even for you!" Despite her words, there was no turning back for me.

"If you're going, then I'm coming too," she declared, seeing my smile. She eventually smiled back.

"You might die, Elvie," I said softly.

"So might you. And besides, I'm way stronger than when that dragon slammed me into that wall." Confidence rang in her voice.

"Very well," I replied. "Let's go challenge this so-called god."