Chapter Ten

The Laws of Humans

In the world of will and mana, each clan had its own set of laws, which varied from village to village.

However, they all shared two common elements: first, obedience to the clan elders and higher-ranked mages, and second, enforcing order while protecting individuals' personal freedoms.

These laws were unbreakable, shackles binding individuals to one another. Once someone broke their shackles, they were considered a criminal disrupting the system, and their suppression was a priority.

In the case of Sero and Jin Bei, they had been accused of harming the second-path mage Doska while both were first-path.

Usually, such a problem would end with a minor punishment, but behind Doska was Draka, and behind him was his mother Daki, who held an important position in the Anira family, enough to send the great investigator and high judge Horai, who was known for his wisdom, just for the sake of avenging Doska.

In the central area of the village, crowds gathered along the roadside as Horai led the procession.

Behind him walked Sero and Jin Bei, their hands and feet bound by an iron rope from a shard belonging to him—a terrifying sight not only due to Horai’s identity but also because he showed no mercy to Sero, who was merely fourteen years old mage.

"This is a scheme!! That wretched girl stole my money and is trying to blame me and this kid!" Jin Bei muttered angrily inside, but he couldn’t show it in front of the crowd or Horai.

"An investigator, huh? It seems I underestimated the connections of that wretched girl, but that’s not bad news; in fact, it's even good. The more talk about this case, the more I benefit," Sero laughed inwardly, though his face showed sadness and fear to stir the crowd's emotions.

To an onlooker unfamiliar with what happened, Horai’s cold, emotionless face dragging the arrogant and drinking Jin Bei might suggest that he committed a crime.

Then, they would look at the orphaned child Sero, with his swollen cheek and crying face, and think him the victim. No one would realize that the innocent-looking child was the most wicked and cunning of them all.

Entering the inner region, many students lined up, listening to Horai’s intervention. Most had heard stories of him and how he was a chivalrous man who loved justice. Among the students were Risa and Li Xian, watching in silence and horror, while Jinta observed with a sly smile.

Unlike Sero, Risa was luckier and was received warmly. Lady Stolz from the Gaist mansion treated her with the love and affection she hadn’t felt since her parents' death.

Not only that but being a talent of the Six Candles stirred the senior family members' desire to flatter her due to her promising future not only for the Geist family but for the whole clan.

As for Li Xian, she was assigned a simple room and became a servant of Anira’s subsidiary family. Although it was a waste of her talent, it was normal for orphans to perform hard work to gain the family's respect and appreciation. Even so, her situation was better than Sero’s.

Jinta was placed in a crucial faction within the Hervolt family, specializing in gathering information for the clan. Despite the faction's reputation for violence and cruelty, Jinta showed great contempt when he kicked that faction leader between the legs on the first day.

Even when punished with a whip, he laughed while being lashed and didn’t even receive a wound or scratch, earning him the title "The Savage Hervolt Wolf," which garnered respect from many students.

All these events happened in one day, but the orphans didn’t feel the passage of time since they were still young.

Only Sero felt the importance of time, having memories of a thousand years.

"What happened to my brother?!" Risa stared worriedly at her brother, who looked as if he had been beaten severely.

"He was accused of harming a second-path mage," murmured Dread, who stood behind her. His expression was as cold and light as autumn winds, showing no sympathy or concern.

"Isn't that the boy who attacked old man Ji, the head of the orphanage too?"

"Seems he dared to lay hands on someone important."

"What about the man with him? Is he involved too?"

"I know that man! He’s the drunken hunter Jin Bei with the Tree Arrow Shard!"

"The drunken hunter who was shunned from most taverns? Is he the criminal?"

Various thoughts and dialogues circulated among the students. Some accused Sero while others thought him innocent. Some blamed Jin Bei while others defended him.

But no one reached a decisive conclusion. In the absence of evidence and sufficient information, no one was guilty, and no one was innocent.

Horai reached the entrance of the Anira family mountain and kicked the ground around him. A crack in the shape of a square pyramid appeared underneath, carrying him, Sero, and Jin Bei, and floating in the air.

It was the Moving Earth Pyramid Shard, a third-path shard used for transporting goods and prisoners. However, it had a drawback: it consumed a lot of mana and required the user to bear the total weight of the earthpiece and everything on it.

Yet that only showed how strong Horai was, even Sero felt a bit of envy.

At the top of the mountain, in front of the main

Mansion gate, the four guards waited silently. As soon as they sensed the arrival of the high judge Horai, they dismounted and stood firmly.

"Welcome, esteemed Horai, from the Anira family servants!" The guards welcomed Horai’s arrival with their hands clasped and their knees hitting the ground.

"Lead the suspects to the eastern bamboo grounds. The trial will start in half an hour. Also, ask the servants to prepare the place as Lady Alice and the clan elder of the family Nyoska will attend," Horai spoke calmly, his words piercing the guards like a lightning bolt.

Minor trials for theft and fights between pathless individuals were conducted by second-path mages. Medium crimes like physical harm, fraud, and a mage killing a pathless individual were judged by third-path mages.

However, the presence of one of the clan elders only occurred in cases of murder between mages. Although such a crime had not occurred, their presence was still terrifying.

Nyoska and Shiasu were both expert mages of the fourth path, while Annalise was of the fifth path.

Just that fact alone made the guards' hearts tremble.

"Your command, esteemed one!" shouted one of the guards submissively as he dragged Jin Bei with his iron rope.

"Damned scoundrel! If it weren’t for the great Horai, I would have smashed your body!" Jin Bei yelled in his heart, but in reality, all he could do was grit his teeth.

Regarding Sero, the guards had become accustomed to him and they had the impression that he was a coward who had only helped Doska for his own benefit.

Consequently, they did not speak to him, glaring at him with disdain as they dragged him along.

......

The Eastern Bamboo Grounds were a vast area built for the elders of the clan Nyoska to spend time during the summer heat. It was surrounded by a dense bamboo forest, so lush and green it seemed to be carved from jade.

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At the top of the hall was a raised wooden platform covered with various silk cushions, and behind it was a wall adorned with thousands of paintings by many artists depicting the Anira family from the first generation. All of them had one thing in common: they concealed their mouths with a ribbon, mask, or fan.

In the center of the area was a deep lake of clear water, with red blood lotus flowers floating on it. The place, in short, resembled a paradise for artists.

Walking barefoot on the water's surface was the enchanting beauty of Nyoska. Her delicate steps moved as if lighter than a feather, creating no ripples on the water.

She looked young of age although she was the oldest of the three clan elders, he brown silky hair was flying with the breeze as she glared with her pink eyes on the lack, he clothes were large and comfortable showing only her arms.

Nyoska was known for her calm demeanor within the clan, but Elder Hervolt was more aware of her true nature. She was like a venomous snake, secretly manipulating everyone behind the shadows, to the extent that she was described as the best ally and the worst enemy.

"My lady, do you truly intend to judge this trivial case?" Alice spoke quietly as she walked on the grass beside her.

"Why not? This seems like an interesting story. Besides, I'm bored; I've read all the novels I received from the Message of Heaven sect," Nyoska replied with a silky, melodious voice.

"But it's just a trivial issue! Ruining that wretched Doska's hair doesn't require condemning a hunter renowned for his expertise in bear hunting," Alice said with a hint of annoyance.

"But I didn't ask for him alone; I requested everyone," Nyoska said, taking another step.

"You mean you will include that orphan you adopted? Is there a reason? Or is it because of what you were told about him?" Alice’s concern shifted to curiosity.

"Humans feared the four-armed being out of ignorance, but that being changed their lives. Do you know which book contained this saying?" Nyoska spoke calmly.

"Wasn't your favorite book 'The Story of Terra'? I thought he eavesdropped on a high member, my lady," Alice responded with a flustered expression.

.....

When Terra emerged from the forest, her appearance was unusual. She had a human-like female body with wooden horns and four arms extending from her shoulders, but she didn't care.

"Life gave me a body when I didn’t know what a body was. What was I before?" Terra muttered, now in the body of a twenty-year-old woman.

She could see and eat and had two hands, but she didn’t know her original race. Terms like race were not even in her thoughts; she was just Terra.

Where did her name come from? It was present in her mind just like her soul.

Now she had a youthful, flawless body with long green hair reaching the ground, one green eye, one blue eye, and extremely fair skin.

She had little in her mind except searching for questions and then searching for answers to those questions, so she moved forward in silence until she reached the first human civilization she found in the world.

"Other entities? They don’t walk on all fours and don’t make loud noises," Terra thought calmly, then walked toward them silently.

The village was small, with fewer than a hundred humans. The men were huge and muscular, while the women were adorned with jewels and various precious materials.

Despite her strength and beauty, Terra was still illiterate and didn’t understand their language. When she approached them, she heard loud noises like the sound of trumpets being blown.

"Too noisy," Terra muttered as two arms closed her ears, glaring at them with annoyance.

Some village men were blowing trumpets made from goat horns, while others were making loud noises like monkeys, and others carried weapons and bows.

What caught Terra’s attention was that the women were in the farthest part of the village. Despite many of them having jewels, they retreated in fear.

"But why make useless beings wear better clothes while the greater beings fight?" Terra felt a great confusion, greater than when she wondered about herself.

"Mother!!" The cry of a four-year-old child pierced the air. Terra looked silently at the child, who trembled like a leaf in a storm.

"Mo… Mother?" Terra mimicked the child's voice but felt nothing. Her voice made the men draw their weapons and raise their voices. In a moment of anger, one of the men shot an arrow directly at her, hitting one of her arms.

"Unpleasant feeling, pain, pain is bad!" Terra thought, and in response to her thoughts, red leaves formed from the wound, causing the arrow to fall to the ground.

The men stared in disbelief and outrage, viewing Terra as a monstrosity.

Human nature rejects what differs from humans. At a time when survival was the hardest, humans were more cautious.

Not to mention, they barely understood mana and couldn’t distinguish shards from other random objects, so how would they react to a naked entity with horns and four arms?

Terra’s wound reopened, and she felt her mana stirring. After all, she had consumed the Life Shard. The shard did not reject her, as it had become a part of Terra, thus releasing its power.

The blood spilled on the ground causing a tree's veins to erupt forcefully, encircling Terra and lifting her into the air.

The tree was thorny and had large leaves that blocked all the arrows shot at Terra.

"Angry, why?" Terra wondered, then recalled her fondness for juicy fruits.

She touched the tree with her palm and imagined a fruit, and from its branches emerged numerous fruits like grapes and apples.

To the humans, it was a miracle, especially when obtaining food often required the deaths of many men. Now, a strange entity appeared with the power to create whatever fruit it desired.

Suddenly, a barefoot girl rushed toward Terra, causing the men to scream in terror.

"Don’t come close! It will kill you!"

"It's a monster! You'll die!!"

"Someone, grab her!!"

But it was futile. The girl was in a state of severe desperation, her face pale from hunger due to the lack of supplies.

When supplies were low, weak children were sacrificed to ensure the village's survival, especially the ones with no parents like that girl. So why was she abandoned? The answer was that she, like Terra, was different from them.

All the villagers had dark black hair except her. She had pale white hair and was considered cursed, so the other children avoided her.

Inside, the girl was just like Terra, alien to a world where she wondered about her purpose. But at that moment, all she wanted was to eat something. Her instinctual survival drive overcame her logic, and she rushed toward Terra.

"Does she want the fruit? I mean, it’s delicious; I wouldn’t be surprised," Terra descended calmly from the protective tree and, with one of her four hands, held a bright red apple, taking a bite to show that the fruit was harmless before offering it to the girl.

"Thank you!" the girl said in a dry, sad voice before taking a small bite.

It wasn’t the best apple, rather it had no taste at all, as it was originally made from the mana stored in Terra’s magic realm. making it poor as food.

However, the girl didn’t mind and continued eating until she finished it, then moved on to the tasteless grapes.

The girl didn’t realize that the fruit was like mana stones, slowly building her ability to use magic too.

"I'm so sorry for this young lady! I am the elder of this village. We apologize for the violent welcome we gave you," an old man in simple clothes spoke humbly before Terra, with a crowd of men behind him ready to act if Terra made any movement.

"Does he want fruit too?" Terra thought with a puzzled face, then grew another apple and offered it to the elder.

"This... Thank you for the gift. We do not wish to show any hostility toward you, young lady, so I will invite you to the village as an honored guest," the elder said humbly.

Deep inside his heart, he hoped Terra was a benign entity and did not intend to harm them, especially after she had shown divine power, making him reconsider using violence and opt for negotiation.

"That’s...fine," Terra thought, but this time her thoughts came out as words. A beautiful, melodious voice like a siren’s emerged from her mouth, soothing the atmosphere as she smiled gently.

......

"I know this story too, and now, after thousands of decades, the wisest mages have discovered that Terra learned to speak as the Life Shard became part of her with each interaction with different forms of life. But what does this have to do with the current situation? And what does the young child Sero have to do with it?" Alice asked with curiosity and confusion.

"What I meant is that we treat him as an ordinary person, but he is not. He did beat up the orphanage keeper even though his record showed he was one of the most obedient children. In the awakening ceremony, it was said he taught a few children a crude but harmless method of absorbing mana. Then he wanted to join us from among all the families although he is a Geist. Don’t you see where this is going?" Nyoska said calmly, holding a lotus flower in her hand.

"My abilities will not reach your level of intelligence, so I did not reach your conclusion," Alice said modestly.

"You will see for yourself soon, as our guests have arrived," Nyoska said calmly while sitting on the cushions in a childlike manner with Alice standing beside her.

Through a massive door, the four guards emerged with Jin Bei and Sero, along with Daki, Draka on her right, and most importantly, Doska on her left.

"High Judge Horai will arrive in a few minutes," Alice said calmly. She had originally sent him to retrieve the records documenting all events in the clan, or at least those with witnesses.

After a few minutes, Horai entered with a large book in hand and walked slowly until he reached the water pond.

"Bow to the great Lady Anira Nyoska," Alice said in a commanding tone, forcing everyone to bow to the ground.

Even the guards bowed, pressing the heads of Sero and Jin Bei to the ground as their hands were bound behind their backs. Only when Nyoska raised her hand were they allowed to rise.

"Very well, let the trial begin!" Horai shouted forcefully, shaking the place, and announcing the beginning of Sero’s fate.