Prelude

Aren Avensa Outskirts of Tython

  “I managed to contact the subject, but only just before he had cleared the seventh and final pillar of the great jungle basin. That caused a myriad of problems.” Aren Avensa stopped feeding energy into her recording crystal as she shuddered, recalling the events that happened after Lykan and Nayali managed to convert the seventh pillar to the great forest spirit. Two things happened, the first was a ring began to form linking the seven different points into one continuous circle. The second is that the land became cleansed. There was no other word to describe such a phenomenon, other than cleansed. A great white beam soaked the lands, all but burning away any form of corruption it came in contact with.

  As the healing wave came everything that had been touched by corruption dropped, as a cleansing wave took hold. Everything that is, except for Lykan. Of all the beings in the forest, only Lykan seemed to be immune to the wave of magic that washed out trying to cleanse everything.

  Aren sat there recalling the image of the proud figure standing over the field of battle. His hands coated in blood. He looked down at her with a contemplative look before she passed out. She had told him that she had information for him. Information about who his mother was. At first Lykan seemed interested, but when she awoke, she found that he was gone.

  It took time to find out what happened. Aren was one of the first to awaken, then Nayali and her bonded dragon. It is a good thing the dragon bonded to Nayali, for it was the beast who first found Lykan’s tracks out. Apparently, the transformation to the great jungle basin happened over the course of a week. During that time everyone and everything inside the jungle basin was held in some type of stasis, where only the power of the gods sustained them.

  There was also an effect, as every living creature gained attribute bonuses, even Aren.

  Blessing Bestowed: Cleansed.

  Cleansed (Epic): You were part of a land that had all seven pillars directed solely to improving the land. This monumental feat has been witnessed and awarded by the gods. As you were part of the group who finished clearing the final pillar, the rarity of your blessing has been increased to Epic. Reward: All attributes +3. Special reward, negative status effects removed.

  The blessing was huge. Aren checked and everyone got the same blessing, well everyone being Nayali and her bonded dragon. They both got the same blessing. Well, the same blessing minus the negation of negative status effects. At the time Aren was still wearing her deserter brand from her breaking her contract with the kingdom of Sidhertha’s military. This was a necessary step she needed to take, to follow Lykan. Her goal of course was to find him and bring him back into the fold of his people. That of course was before they were besieged by waves of corrupted monsters.

  The monsters were probably the most interesting change to happen. At first the beasts of the forest were monsters, plain and simple. Their minds had been turned into mush. The corruption turned them all into alpha predators that fought and clawed their way towards dominance of the land. This of course changed after the waves of cleansing energy. The beasts had all reverted back to their prior states. Most hid at the sight of Aren and Nayali. They all also managed to steer clear of Florijma, Nayali’s bonded dragon.

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  From Nayali and Florijma’s bond Aren was able to find out many key details about the cleansing that had been missed. For starters Aren found out that dragons could get such blessings, as Florijma had received the same exact Epic level Blessing: Cleansed.

  Florijma having this blessing was important, as it improved his already keen senses enough that he could find the path Lykan took on his way out. It was also Florijma who helped Aren figure out that there was a week gap in time. From there, his tracks were found heading north-east out of the jungle basin.

  Fortunately, the three of them didn’t find too many difficulties making their way through the forest. The hardest part came from fording a river, this was hard only for Aren. As for Nayali and her bonded dragon they just flew over the river, while Aren herself had to swim. The two never stopped, instead they continued to fly ahead without waiting for Aren.

  This of course was the end of her short but interesting stint with Nayali, former betrothed of Lykan. This was good as Aren needed to break away to report into her superiors about had happened.

  In her mind she tried to go over where she last left off. Lykan killed the corrupted dragon, but in so doing broke his spirit sword. This was likely a more crushing blow than he let on. He had the blade replaced by a silver mithril sword that he then used to duel Nayali over the destroyed city of Dunthir in a duel of the heavens. This was good as it meant only two people had to battle each other, rather than the hundreds of thousands who would have likely lost their lives otherwise. Lykan won, in so doing got two years of peace and then Nayali had to be his wife? The terms were never truly clear.

  Lykan won the duel but was badly injured in the conflict. He was so damaged that he could not even wield magic and was later dismissed from the Magi Officer Corpse of Sidhertha, albeit with an honorable discharge. This granted him the ‘Vov’ moniker on his last name, showing that he was a veteran who had already served his time in the military. This was good, especially for someone so young as the moniker was a marking of the gods that showed he was not a deserter and had finished his time admirably.

  From there Lykan was then asked by King Philipon of Sidhertha to perform the third old-world law, the law of kings. Lykan did so but chose a person from the crowd to act as a hydra. Apparently, the myth of the legendary hydras being king killers was both truth and misunderstandings. The hydra was just a title given to a person, who if he died two more would rise up in his place.

  Shaking her head, Aren tried to focus her mind away from those thoughts as that had been left out of her first report, but it would not get her where she needed to be now. Steeling herself, she calmed her mind and began to congeal her thoughts into a coherent form, before focusing her mind on the crystal in her hand and beginning her updated transmission.

  “I managed to contact subject Lykan Vov’Vita. I witnessed his clearing of the seventh pillar in the jungle basin where I and others here received the same blessing of Cleansed. This caused me and everyone other than the subject to pass out, for a week. During this week Lykan made his way out of the Jungle Basin and headed north-west. I have tracked his steps to the outskirts of Tython, but this is worse than I had suspected. The war of the Azani has spread further and faster than predicted. I will attempt to re-establish contact with the subject, but it will take some time. Also know that I was not able to inform the subject of his connection to the order.”

  With that done, Aren filled the rest of the crystal with enough power to send the message.

  Only after she felt the power leave the crystal and head off west, towards its counterpart did Aren let out a breath she didn’t realize she had been holding.

  Then after a second, she turned towards the rubble that was the burnt and destroyed remains of what had been Abberty Village, Lykan’s former home.