Originally uploaded Apr 20, 2023

Arthur Pov

I pulled my hood down further as the cave grew darker and darker as I delve deeper. The only sounds being my footsteps. In my hands I held a small torch. While I didn't necessarily need it, but I wanted them to know my presence.

I had originally planned on contacting Mordain later, but decided that having him be aware of my intentions will be helpful. As well as having his support and knowledge earlier seemed to be a better decision. As well as having a fallback option to relocate lessers to during the fallout of the war.

As I drew closer to Hearth I could feel a strong aura, but something wasn't quiet right.

From my left something darted towards me. Dropping my torch a sword roared to life in my hand as I parried against my attacker.

Illuminated dimly by the torch that was now on the ground I could see the beasts crystalline hide. Seemingly made of obsidian than organic scales. It actually looked more like some construct made with earth type mana.

The creature withdrew, but kept its dark red eyes on me. Forcing more aether into my conjured weapon it glowed brighter. Casting a purple glow.

I couldn't see them but I felt them, their was a sizable pack surrounding me. Using the cover of darkness to catch me off-guard.

'Yeah, that might have worked on anybody else.' I thought in my head as I reached out for the ambient mana.

I tugged at them with my own strength. And they were forced to bend to my will. Molded into shape and form by the aether that surrounded it. From the ground below several rows of stone spikes punched upwards. Each of them glowing a faint purple. And I could hear them make purchase as several beasts yelped in pain.

Not giving them any time to recover I relinquished my hold on my sword as a torrent of raw aetheric fire erupted from both my palms. Unmaking anything they touched into their base particles, whether it was organic or not.

These types of high level mana beasts were common here, deep within the beast glades. Creatures that were not documented or studied, left to fight amongst each other and evolve to survive, some of which could even pose a challenge to asuras. But something didn't feel right to me. As if some unseen force was poking at my mind.

I continued on my way, stepping over and around the carcasses of the beasts that stood guard of this dungeon as I retrieved my torch from the stone ground.

It was only a short distance, a set of large doors soon entered my vision. On the black wood there was a depiction of large bird, its wings spread wide, engraved onto the doors. Overgrowing vines hung down from the ceiling as it draped over the entrance.

I walked towards it, placing my hand on the doors. The black wood glistened in reaction to my light source, reminding me of the night sky. A black nothingness with tiny speck of sparkling stars.

'Now the only problem was getting in.' I pondered in my mind. I doubt they would outright reject me, if they didn't want me here they could have easily tried to burn me to a crisp before I even set a single food near their sanctuary.

I gently knocked on the door, creating a sound that seemed more akin to that of ringing metal. The sound echoed and bounced of the cavern walls. But there was no response.

I pushed aether into my back as one of my godrunes began to glow. Warmth emitted from the runes that appeared under my eyes as the particles that made up the material world were laid bare.

I could see the abnormal amount of not only mana but also aether that was coming from the other side.

"Guess I don't have any other choice." I muttered as I diverted my attention to another rune. My vision shifted, as my physical body was carried to my desired destination.

My body was still covered with purple lightning when I reappeared on the other side of the large doors. I had expected to be met with retaliation of some sort. I did appear to be a dragon who had used aetheric arts to infiltrate their stronghold after all.

But I was met with only eerie silence.

I headed for the balcony that overlooked the large chamber. Each sound of my steps seemed to fill the entire place in the silence. I reached the overhanging balcony, its marble columns a work of beauty. Reminding me of the ones of ancient structure of Earth.

And then I saw it. The once magnificent work of construction that Hearth was. A place that even put the greatest dwarven kingdoms to shame. The place where the exiled phoenixes lived together with the few remaining Djinn survivors. The last remaining remnants of Epheotus that was left in our realm.

It laid in ruins.

The vines that grew in and around Hearth were either withered or in flames. Blackened scorch marks marred the white marble floors.

The expansive gardens which housed tall trees that once stood proud were reduced to ashes. Hundreds of years to nurture its growth and it was all gone.

I couldn't believe my eyes. No, I didn't want to believe them. Had Agrona sent a strike team to deal with these phoenixes? No, that seems unlikely. With Aldir and Windsom overseeing Dicathen's war effort I doubt even Agrona could get away with sending a force capable of razing Hearth to the ground without detection. He wouldn't play such a risky gamble to get rid of what he would consider to be a mere afterthought.

Then the only reasonable explanation was Kezess. He clearly had the resources to order the destruction of Asclepius clan's stronghold. But even then he would have completely erased this place so that not even records survived. He would have purged Hearth from history.

'Then who? Just who could possibly do such a thing ?' I cursed in my mind as I gripped the railing of the balcony.

In a desperate attempt to get answers I jump down. My simple hooded cloak fluttered as I landed, cracking the marble floors. The destruction was worse up close.

Blood stained the walls, impact craters and scorch marks were plentiful. Clearing showing that a battle had taken place here.

But that wasn't the strangest thing, the strangest thing was there were no bodies where there should have been. No trace, there were clear signs of the phoenixes fighting back to defend themselves against their unknown attacker but there remained no corpses of either party.

Almost as if they were purposefully removed or taken by someone. They clearly didn't care about cleaning up the mess they created, but they wanted the bodies for some other purpose. I have seen my fair share of fucked up shit, during both my time as a king and as a Lance. But this was truly unsettling, a complete ghost time with no bodies.

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But what kind of being could have done such a thing so easily? A underground stronghold full of not only the phoenixs of the Asclepius clan but also some Djinn and asura halfbloods.

My vision shifted again, as I materialized in the meeting room I had first met Mordain in.

The carefully crafted table, its surface modeled after the beautiful cityscape of Zhoroa, the ancient Djinn city now erased in all forms from history, was heavily burnt. Its wooden surface marred and stained with blood. Still fresh and warm.

Purple runes shone brightly on my skin, but I didn't even need Realmheart to feel it. The almost suffocating amount of aether present in this room. It even made some levels of the Relictombs seem quaint with the amount of ambient aether that I could feel right now.

The small numerous motes of purple seemed to dance within my presence, almost as if they were welcoming me.

I bent down to further inspect the damage when I felt a sudden change in air pressure.

A thin panel of aether manifested itself at my side as a gust of sharp wind bombarded me. Quickly turning on my heels I am met by a large beast. Its featured wings stretching from one side of the room to the other.

Its large talons scrapped against my shield, unable to rip through it.

'Avier.' I thought as I fully saw my attacker's face. His yellow eyes seemed to shine with anger and malice. Rearing his head back he unleashed a pillar of green fire. It harmlessly bounced off of my barrier but he didn't relent.

With a mental push the aetheric panel that separated us flung forward, knocking the wyvern into the wall.

But he was upon me again, the wind aiding him as he shot towards me like a bullet.

Not wanting to kill him I reach out to the aether in front of me. The empty space between us was ripped apart. As if it was paper, revealing a gaping hole in the fabric of reality.

Avier passed through the portal, not having enough time to stop himself. And appeared just behind me from a similar portal.

For now, my understanding of the spatium edict was the most useful at my current state. Having near full control in such a aether dense environment made bending space easier than usual.

"What have you done, Indrath envoy!" Avier hissed as he turned to face me again.

"Look first of all, I still consider myself huma-" Before I could finish my sarcastic remark Avier bellowed again, spewing out another bout of emerald flames.

'This is getting nowhere.' I mentally sighed.

Avier's spell dissipated with a small pop. Fizzling out into ambient mana. And before the wyvern could recover from the momentary shock I reach out with both my arms.

Being a descendant of dragons, wyvern's biology is quiet similar. And like most dragons, they can take on multiple forms using mana as a medium for physical transformation. And lets just say I have more than enough experience dealing with those pompous overgrown lizards.

Seizing control of Avier's mana I forcefully rip him out of his large beast state. Creatures like asuras and their genetic cousins need large amounts of mana to sustain their full forms. And by taking away that mana they are forced to return to a more power saving state.

A gold light shrouded Avier, before it quickly dissipated and all that was left was a much smaller owl.

"What have you done to me!" The small owl screeched as it struggled to regain its footing, no doubt disorientated from the lack of mana and sudden transformation.

With movements too fast for regular beings to see I grab the owl by the throat. He didn't even protest. Clearly feeling the oppressive aura I was emitting. I didn't need to waste my time with this bullshit.

I stared directly into the wyvern's eyes, and I could swear I saw a flicker of fear and doubt in its eyes. But he quickly hardened them to match mine.

"Arthur Leywin?" His voice shook as he finally saw my face.

"We have some things to discuss now, don't we." I asked and he obediently nodded his head. Well, the best he could nod with me holding him by the neck.

Cynthia Pov

I slumped back into my chair.

'How nice of them to give a spy like me such commodities.' I joked as i stared into the ceiling. A plain stone ceiling that I have grown all to familiar with. The room they kept me in was a far cry from the large and a bit too overly decorated offices I stayed in but it was small and quaint.

Honestly I should be thankful I am even alive at this point. I was almost certain of my execution when Xyrus was attacked. I would have been just the perfect scapegoat for the council.

But alas, seems the asuras have finally initiated their game. That was all this was, the countless lives of lessers, working for generations were nothing but pieces on a game board for them to move and control.

At least Epheotus gave general freedom to Dicathen, barely even making their existence known. So much so that they were all but forgotten, only heard about from legends and myths.

While Agrona molded Alacrya to be his playground, testing and weaponizing its citizens to be expendable soldiers. It was depressing to think about, and I was once so captivated by their goals.

Fighting for the betterment of my blood's status. Backstabbing and manipulating my way up the ladder. And when the opportunity came where I could finally prove my worth to my sovereign I took it. Arriving in Dicathen and fully integrating myself into its society.

I wonder what Virion would think of me when he finds out about the full picture. I doubt Aldir will keep it a secret much longer. He seemed to be able to fully see right through me. Maybe that just came from the years of experience he has. Something we lessers will never truly understand.

I honestly should thank Arthur when I have the chance. The information he provided will not only give Dicathen a much needed edge but also it might have just saved my life, proving my worth to the council.

I couldn't help but chuckle. Here I am, just a mere mortal caught between a conflict that is above my realm of understanding. A clash between god-like beings that could possible plunge the entire world into chaos. Just the simple thought seemed to drain my energy as I sank deeper into the chair.

I had once thought that maybe that boy, Arthur Leywin could be the saving grace, the much needed piece of the puzzle to save this continent. But my meeting with Aldir only seemed to dampen my initial assumptions.

It almost seemed crazy to think about it now. How could I believe that one boy could change the future. Sure, he had talent I haven't seen in years. Perhaps will never see again. But in the end he and I were just simple lessers, a insect in the eyes of beings who governed this world. Maybe if he was given enough time to grow and develop he could have been an once in a generation prodigy mage. Perhaps even a future Lance that could show the people a glimmer of hope.

But fate is a cruel mistress isn't she? Arthur Leywin seemed to have just been a boy born at the wrong time on the wrong side of history.

My inner thoughts were suddenly interrupted as a knock could be heard. But not from the door.

Turning my head I saw a hooded figure, staring at me from the window. That would have been creepy enough, but the fact that I was currently in a castle that was floating several hundred meters in the air just emphasized the insane factor. Maybe I was going mad?

Before I could even scream or react in any sort of way the hooded man appeared in my room in an instant. Seemingly have teleported in.

As tendril of purple lightning crawled all over his skin, he turned to face me and drew back his hood.

And I was met by a familiar lock of blonde hair and gold eyes.

"Hello there, Cynthia. They seemed to be treating you well." The boy said as he looked around my room, wearing the same face that displayed little to no emotions he always used.

The room I have provided was simple. A small table with documents strewn across its surface with a chair to match. With a bed at the far end. Not great, but I didn't have much room to argue.

I bolted up from my chair, sending it crashing to the ground and approached the boy in shock.

"Arthur, how are yo-" Before I could finish from within his large cloak appeared my bond. Avier in his small owl form. He gently flew up and rested on my shoulders, like how he usually does.

"You should teach your bond some manners." Arthur said, giving Avier the side-eye as he did. Avier only seemed to turn his head away to avoid direct eye contact.

'Just what did you do to him to make him act like this?'

"Anyways, I take it that things went well?" Arthur asked as he stared at me. His empty golden eyes seemed to have a magnetic effect as I was drawn closer. Just what was this boy to emit such a feeling that not even the asuras can?

"Well, I am alive at least." I joked to relieve some of the pressure.

"Good, you are still necessary. Given time the council will have no other choice but to reluctantly trust you." Arthur noted as leaned on the small wooden table. Taking off his large cloak in the process, revealing a set of simple black pants and tunic, which only accentuated the color of his eyes.

"Necessary? Could you make it sound less manipulating and uncaring?" I poked fun at him, trying to lighten the mood. Something within seems to have changed.

While he was still working for me at Xyrus he would exert a friendly nature, a thin veil to mask his true strength. But now it seems he has discarded the facade.

Every single word from his mouth had a underlying power to it. A greater suppressed power, which took more effort to control.

It might be an insane idea but what other choice did I have? I couldn't just stand by helpless as higher beings treated us as if we are nothing. If I was going to die then might as well die doing something worthwhile.

Maybe it was my mind denying reality, but it hardly mattered anymore. I stared directly into Arthur's eyes again. They say that the eyes were the windows to a person's soul. And I felt as if I was staring directly into the sun, unfathomable power and age, something that only asuras could have.

'Perhaps Arthur could make a difference?'