Alex dedicated some moments of the night to meditate, as had become a habit for him. This practice had brought him much mental clarity, even more so since he arrived in this world. It helped him continuously improve his temperament. Here, however, it had an additional benefit, almost a necessity, as the mystical powers of this world were profound. Every insight he could gain about their techniques, energy, or growth greatly aided him.
When he felt ready, he went to bed to get a well-deserved rest. However, tonight, such a thing would not be possible. For a while now, Alex had been having unsettling dreams and a growing sense of insecurity. There was something lurking in his dreams. Small, disjointed scenes haunted him day by day, but today was very different. Today, he found himself in a field that smelled of blood, filth, burned flesh, and scorched earth.
There were bodies everywhere—of all races and ages, from gigantic mammoths and colossal dragons to dwarves and even smaller species. Billions of bodies, trillions even, and the most terrible part was that even amid all that massacre and madness, the battle continued, and blood flowed like rivers. The living died right and left, and even in death, they rose to continue fighting against their sworn enemies. Even spirits cursed themselves to inflict one last curse.
Every faction, every party, and every race fought to their last breath, showing a commitment and devotion that bordered on madness, giving their all and sacrificing everything they had and more to fulfill their purpose. And all for what? So that, in the end, the cursed thieving fairy could sign a white peace with her rival, unable to achieve a decisive victory. Both fairies would simply withdraw, without even exchanging a blow between them.
Alex had witnessed the total annihilation of all life in pursuit of an ego-driven battle. When both beings saw that the fight was futile on either side, they simply withdrew as if nothing had happened. He couldn't look away from a certain part of the battlefield. There was something very special there—his own body, surrounded by the gnolls that had accompanied him until now.
The impact of seeing himself dead in such an absurd war for an ethereal goal began to drive him towards madness. He felt the urge to scream, but his voice wouldn't come out. He wanted to break everything, but his hands wouldn't respond. He even felt the urge to vomit, but there was nothing inside him; he was just empty and dead.
Alex sat on his corpse, took his position, and closed his eyes. The landscape around him changed, and he was in the sea, deep in the sea, sinking without being able to do anything. For a long time, he had wanted to free himself from this madness, leave this place, but he had no way to abandon it, and madness began to infect him. He sank into a deep and deadly sleep.
"Rise and fight."
A voice suddenly emerged, but Alex was deeply trapped within his consciousness.
"Fight."
The voice repeated over and over, at first as a faint whisper, gradually increasing in intensity until it became a thunderous scream that shook everything around him.
Finally, Alex regained control of his body and was able to shake off the apathy that was about to lead him to his death. He began to circulate his energy from the ashes to resist the forces besieging his mind and causing his strange state.
Soon, he was able to calm his mind, and his scenario began to change again. He went from sinking to being in a kind of dimly lit, empty room, except for a presence in the room—a humanoid figure that seemed human but was nothing more than shadows, a spectral entity.
"What happened?" Alex murmured to himself.
"The world rejects you," the spectral entity replied with a voice that resembled Alex's own but hoarse and raspy.
"What do you mean?" Alex asked, confused.
"It's because you didn't receive, because that fairy denied you," the specter replied.
"And what happens now? How can I confront her? What can I do to avoid going back to that place?" Alex asked.
"Be stronger," said the specter.
...
...
...
"And embrace the ashes." Suddenly, the specter took a large greatsword from its back and sent a powerful strike towards the sky, creating a wave that seemed to split reality in two.
The dream world began to lose stability and crumble until it finally destroyed itself.
Alex was ready to wake up when he heard one last mysterious female voice.
"Do not despair, young human. The forest will always be your home."
Finally opening his eyes, he could see that everything was back to normal. He was in a tent, a higher-quality one purchased from the city, sleeping on a bed made by the gnolls, with Torel by his side.
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"You damn pervert!" Alex kicked Torel in the butt for infiltrating his bed once again, then dressed and left the tent.
The first rays of dawn welcomed him, along with a camp of gnolls working diligently, moving resources, organizing the tools he had brought, and distributing tasks. Atasha was in full matriarch mode, assigning tasks and organizing groups of workers to obtain resources, while Raknar and Taraoh were selecting those who would be trained as soldiers.
Alex let them do their jobs for now. He would communicate his decision in the afternoon and listen to what the others had to say about it. After all, his position as a leader wasn't one that made others follow him unconditionally. He still had to justify himself when necessary.
On his part, the young human went to meet Zalika to obtain cultivation elements. He needed to accumulate and refine his ash energy to create his energy channels as soon as possible. This had been delayed every time he had hurt himself by overusing his techniques, but now he was determined to achieve it as quickly as possible.
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In the city of Nyxhaven, Princess Ley was finishing her preparations to meet Alex. Today, it had been confirmed that this human was the person they were looking for, so technically, she had already won the competition, and the envoy with the resources to deliver was already in her entourage. The only thing missing was a final response from the marquis, which had her quite anxious because the empress's envoy had brought all the information he had requested.
"Princess Ley, Marquis Rhenar Tholens requests an audience," a butler informed her.
"Have him come in immediately," the princess responded impatiently.
The audience hall had a third of the people who usually made up the princess's council, in addition to the new members sent by the empress. Many wore concerned faces since they hadn't been of any real use to the princess throughout this emergency, and they feared losing their positions.
"Rhenar Tholens presents his respects to Princess Ley," said a kneeling Rhenar in the middle of the audience hall.
"Enough of formalities, Rhenar. Let's get straight to the point. Do you have the guide?" the princess asked.
"Unfortunately, my lady, he fled into hiding two nights ago. As I learned this morning, some members of his council who are not present decided to threaten the young man to obtain contact information," the marquis replied.
"What did those vermin do?" the princess asked incredulously at the notion that she had been sabotaged so blatantly by her own council.
"There doesn't seem to be external interference. Rather, desperation leads them to do stupid things without knowing very well what was at stake or whom they were dealing with," the marquis said.
"Actions have consequences regardless of how stupid the one doing them is or what their intentions were," the princess responded in a fit of anger. However, she immediately calmed herself. "Don't tell me you couldn't track down a simple street boy."
"Of course, I can track down a simple street boy. However, he has the aid of the Crow's Claw. It won't be easy to find him. We'll probably lose months in a hunt. Given this, it's better to go with plan B," suggested the marquis.
The princess had to weigh her options for a few minutes. Having the boy was practically a guaranteed 100% victory; it would be a simple procedure since he had the confidence of the other group as well as a way to communicate with them. That way, they could deliver what they needed to deliver and end everything cleanly. Plan B, on the other hand, referred to simply breaking into the forest. This was much riskier; after all, it was known to everyone that this forest remained unconquerable. It was inconceivable that a newly integrated young human had both the power and the ability to survive inside for such a long period.
"It's inevitable then. Prepare our troops and the gnolls. We'll force our way into the forest," the princess replied.
The council members nodded and rose to fulfill the princess's orders, leaving only the marquis and the crown's envoy in the room.
"Sir, could you explain to us in a bit more detail what will happen when we find this person? The orders say we can't harm him until 18 months after we conclude the negotiations," the princess asked, although she knew what she was doing was quite unprofessional. She still needed to know what would happen and if she should prepare for any contingency.
"Don't worry too much about that, princess. When we find him, I'll make him an offer he can't refuse to join the empire, and we'll conclude the matter positively for both parties," the envoy was clearly daydreaming, counting his chickens before they hatched, probably something he would regret in the future.
"Very well, marquis, for your part, I would like you to take another look at the absent members of my court. I need answers," the princess said.
"Of course, my lady. I thought you would say that, so there is already a team reviewing their backgrounds. You should have a report on your desk by the end of the day," the marquis replied.
The princess found herself slightly grateful. It was difficult to find such competent people working for her, as all individuals as useful as him were being employed by her mother. She and her sisters could only compete for the scraps, but now that she could temporarily rely on someone of this caliber, she would use him to the fullest to gain a considerable advantage over her relatives.
"I expect nothing less. You may leave," the princess concluded, then stood up and walked to the stable where her drake was.
On the way, she couldn't help but think about everything that had happened and feel great anticipation for the person she was about to meet. What would be his caliber and the level of his strength? The princess's blood burned at the thought of encountering an incredibly powerful being, ignoring the fact that the marquis himself had confirmed that the human had recently entered the world of Glamoria and had just begun cultivating his inner energy.
When she reached the stable and saw her drake playfully bothering its caretakers again, a sensation of anticipation flooded her. This mysterious person was also responsible for healing her drake, which had been suffering for a long time. More and more feelings crowded into her chest, and immense curiosity and anticipation were growing little by little.
"Little Fel, we will soon reunite with your benefactor. Perhaps we can properly repay him for the help he gave you this time," the princess said.
The drake, upon hearing the voice of its rider, immediately changed its attitude and stopped harassing the poor guards who were curled up in the fetal position. It ran to rub its head on the princess's shoulder.
"Hahaha, I see you're very eager to see him. It almost makes me jealous. Do you prefer him over me?" the princess asked, pretending to be hurt.
The drake shook its head and began urging her to mount it. It had been a long time since they had trained under real conditions, and the drake was eager for a new expedition.
"Don't worry; everything will be ready soon, and we'll head to the forest," the princess assured it.