Chapter 3: Prologue III - Crying Child

"Your Highness! It was my fortune to serve you and the ancient!" he shouted as he returned his attention to his foes.  "High lightning of the Heavens! Hear my call! Sacrifice!"

The soldiers of the alliance were only around 10 meters when a loud explosion was heard. Lightning bolts rained and hit the soldiers. There was no room to evade. It was like water pouring from a waterfall. The bolts overflowed from the sky and eliminate all living things around it. Only King Cedric was not affected by the calamity as he was protected by the energy of the national treasure.

Half... exactly half of the remaining forces of the alliance got wiped out in this one move by General San. But the price to pay was the consumption of his soul. With this, the old general will never be able to enter the stream of souls.

As his sparkling body stood, it was already void of life. At this moment, the leaders of the kingdoms regretted their greed and decision. So what if we conquer the Golden Leaf? With the loss of our armies that were much greater than the "War of the first fallen", we are bound to suffer greater misfortune than the fortune we gain. But all this thinking was going to change for the worse.

King Cedric Stood on top of the castle walls. Behind him was the vast center of capital were his people stood with gazes of admiration towards him.

"Friends, My family, My people! Forgive me. This is all that this powerless man before you can do. This sin... I will carry... that none of your descendants shall suffer in the future. If the ancient creator can remember our faith, then he might save us from this eternity. I will use our National Treasure as the final means... to end this war." The king said.

"Your Highness! We are with you till the end!"

"Whatever happens, we are still people of the Golden Leaf!"

"Hail King Cedric!"

"Hail the Ancient Creator!!"

The people shouted and exclaimed. Though they are to enter an eternity of nothingness, they were still excited and happy that their king was always looking after them.

King Cedric smiled as he looked at the palace far away. His lifeless wife and child were still there. He had no opportunity to bury his deceased family. Tears flowed out from his eyes as he remembered the love for his wife and the yearning to touch his child... but this calamity happened.

"Cedric! Surrender now and be spared from this end!" A semi-bald man in his late 70s shouted.

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"Old worm! I should have known it was you who incited this madness.!" King Cedric looked at this old man in disdain.

"Fool of a king! You heretics are banes of the 7th realm. If not for you evil magic and sorcery, none of this would happen. Your deeds go against the Lir! The god of Light, Law, and Order!" the old man exclaimed.

The old man is Pope Bragar of the Holy Lands of Lir. A kingdom founded by the church of Lir, the largest religion worshipping the god Lir. He was the one who waged the Holy War against the Demon Lord Turda-in in the "War of the First Fallen". Now, he again, waged war against the Kingdom of the Golden Leaf. On the outside, was him waging a Holy war. But on the inside, it was him wanting the powers of the conquered nations.

"Hahahahahahahaha!" King Cedric laughed. "Old worm, do you think things will go as you have planned?"

"Fool! There's no escaping your fate!" Pope Bragar retorted.

"Then... suffer disappointment!" King Cedric shouted as he raised their national treasure.

Bragar widened his eyes as he saw what happened. The citizens of the Kingdom of the Golden Leaf raised their hands and placed it near their hearts as if taking an oath. Then bright light flowed out of the national treasure and encompassed the center of the capital, swallowing all that it passed through.

"Noooooo!!!" Pope Bragar shouted but there was nothing he could do. The capital of the Kingdom of the Golden Leaf vanished without a trace. Nothing remained in the central capital. It didn't even resemble a kingdom anymore if not for a huge castle at the end of the capital that remained in its place.

Loss.. a huge loss!! This War was for nothing. The alliance didn't expect the Leafians to have such treasure that will make them disappear from the face of the realm. The scholars and Art masters were not able to answer this mystery. The alliance lost more than half of their forces and gained only empty lands. There wasn't even a single coin in sight. And the King's castle only contained simple rooms and ornaments. Nothing was worth more than their sword and armor. What a tragedy. They earned nothing yet the cost was more than they could afford.

The Queen of the Silver Sword Queendom held in her arms the lifeless body of her beautiful sister. What she wondered was that she had heard that even the child her sister bore died with her, but there was no corpse of a child found near the vicinity. Only her lifeless sister.

Thousands of miles away - The Republic of the 3 States

"Uwaaaaa uwaaaaa!!!" A baby boy cried. As the child opened his eyes, what he saw was a tree, that blossomed with pink-colored flowers. But then he felt hungry... and the only thing he could do was cry for food.

Not far from the crying child, an old man came tumbling down from a small hill near the forest.

He was an energetic looking old man with leaves on his hair and mud on his face and clothes. His face showed an expression of surprise and bewilderment. Why the heck would a child be in the center of this forest? He was just gathering some wild herbs when he heard the sudden cries of a little baby.

The baby was bundled in thick white linen. on the baby's small neck hanged a ring turned into a necklace.

"What the!!! Who hanged this necklace on the kid!! Aren't they afraid it might strangle the baby??!!" He was angry at the person who wore the necklace on the child.

As he was looking at the crying child... of which he had nothing to do with, a feeling of compassion whelmed in his heart. Then he thought of something.

"I see..." The old man said. "This is my last mission before I join the others huh? You really give me no choices... It's always been like this... to others... you gave thousands of choices... to me.. its only one... you're just saying -Just do it!- huh?" He was looking at the heavens while mumbling.

"Oh well... so... what do we have here?" He picked up the child and raised him up.

The little baby boy seemed to stop crying as it was looking at him. Then the child smiled with a rosy cheek.

"..." The Old man stared at the smiling child. A warm feeling engulfed his heart as he looked at the amiable little fellow.

"What's your name kid?" The old man asked.

"Oooooooooooo" the child replied... with an "o" shape on his mouth.

"Hahahahahahhaha" the old man laughed. "You act as if you understand me huh? Kid.. you think I'm a fool? Who'd believe that you can understand me? You're just a newborn brat.... er... the heck I'm talking too??!!! I might be really crazy!!"

"Oooooooooooo"

"Don't mock me!"

"Oooooooooooo"

"............." The old man then searched for some clue as to where the baby came from. But the only clue

he could find was the ring hanged on the baby's neck.

On the ring were words written on the inside part. "Gin Ordric Dawnfall... Oh... a good name!"

The old man carried the baby and walked outside the forest. Leaving the lonely cherry tree behind.