As Ezekiel and Riley continued to provide aid while they waited out their unexpected delay, Sanafalls was in far worse condition. Though not at the hands of the Cruor. Being as far away as they were from the border of the Desolate Lands, they were largely unaffected. At least, not beyond the standard agreements of additional provisions and other supplies when under attack by hordes of Cruor.
Yet, even so, much of the city was currently a smoking crater with areas turned to glass from the intensity of the heat, as a result of the attack that had recently occurred.
Far less bizarre than the attack on Naramoor, which, due to the Rot that were invading, was a grotesque mess of warped and pulsating mold and fungal growths.
Instead, Sanafalls was filled with holes and broken buildings. It was obvious that the city had come under attack by a number of powerful Radiant Hunters. Given the size of some of the holes, there were some peak Legendaries among them.
Other, less prominent, but still noticeable, elemental aftereffects were also visible.
A makeshift swamp that half a block collapsed into. Ash and dust, where a large fire blazed and destroyed several buildings. Branching burn marks, where Lightning elements struck the streets. Though, there were few to no effects that could be attributed to the elements that were of a less than bright splendor.
Worse yet, were the tattered remains of several banners that were not native to the island. Each one depicted a brightly glowing golden candle.
However, regardless of this destructive attack, the citizens of the city were nowhere near as downtrodden as many outsiders would expect them to be. While not exactly common, the island of Sanafalls was large, and the city of Sanafalls had a great deal of support that it could call upon from its neighboring towns and cities. So, while it was unfortunate, the city was recovering fairly quickly. Even if there was still a large amount of infrastructure that needed to be repaired.
Ultimately, the ones who were suffering most from this attack were a family that weren’t originally from the island itself. A mother and daughter that were currently laid out in the infirmity of the Sanafalls Cathedral. One in bed, recovering from a near death encounter, and the latter, sitting in a corner as Life Mages did their best to save the former.
“Wendy... You need to eat something. You can’t just stay here and watch. There’s nothing that you can do, child.” Grand Scholars Scarlet stood next to Wendy as she stared, unblinking, at her mother’s unconscious form. Kare was perched in her lap, staring unblinkingly at her from below.
The older Obscure Hunter had been placed into a coma to aid in her recovery, as well as to prevent her from experiencing the excruciating pain that she would no doubt be feeling right now. Bright golden lines ran up and down her form. Radiant poison that was slowly eating away at her magic, soul, and body.
At the moment, Reya was nowhere in sight.
“You say that there’s nothing I can do... So, what’s the point in doing anything right now?” Wendy’s words made Scarlet frown. The older Glacial Mage’s eyes narrowed in frustration and worry.
She glanced over Wendy's body. Several bandages stuck out from beneath her sleeves and dress. Remnants of the battle she had experienced, each a mark that would surely scar. The effort to remove the poison that had infected her had been too much for the healers to avoid causing.
Worse yet, removing them would cause additional stress to Wendy’s body. Even in the future, it might not be worth the effort. More so if Wendy didn’t start filling out again. Her weight had dropped considerably during her recovery.
Sighing in defeat, Scarlet said something she hoped she’d never be forced to say. Especially to such a young girl who was in the depths of despair. But she didn’t see another way. Not after having tried everything else for the past few weeks.
“So, that’s it then? You’re just going to let them get away with this?”
Wendy’s head whipped up to face Scarlet, eyes narrowed in a glare that shot daggers from her eyes. Darkness flooded her eyes, turning them fully black, even as her shadow started writhing on the wall. A faint hint of mana began to cause pressure to be felt by the Mages in the room.
A loud ringing made Wendy stop, as Evelyn’s condition temporarily worsened due to the foreign mana in the atmosphere.
“Mom!” End lunged, but Scarlet stepped forward, putting the girl in a chokehold and dragging her to the door of the room. Shadows flared and struck at everything in sight as she panicked, but Scarlet's next words made her stop.
“So, you can’t do anything to help, but you’ll do anything to harm? I didn’t know you wanted your mother dead so bad!”
Even Kare, who was rearing up to defend her partner, stopped what she was doing in shock at Scarlet’s accusations.
“Let’s go, child, you can’t be here anymore.” This time, Wendy didn’t struggle as Scarlet pulled her away. The glares from the Healers caused a pit of guilt to fill her. Even as Kare sent her words and feelings of support through their bond.
The Legendary Mage ended up dragging Wendy all the way to the mess hall, where she plopped Wendy onto a stool, and told her to wait until she got back with some food. Threats to tie her down were also made, to ensure that she followed Scarlet’s command.
“Here. You need to eat, or else you’ll never get better.” Scarlet had mostly returned to being a gentle guardian by now. But there was still a certain level of sternness that wouldn’t be disappearing anytime soon.
For her part, Wendy simply did as she was told. Still unhappy at being removed from her mother’s presence. As could be seen in the way the shadows moved around her without any conscious commands.
The two humans and a Spirit sat there in silence for a while. Even after she had finished eating, Wendy didn’t do anything. She just stared at her tray, aimlessly, as Kare tried to gain her attention by nuzzling her chin.
“Do you want to know why I made you have that outburst?” Scarlet smirked when she saw Wendy shake her head. “I wanted to see how much you were like your brother.”
Wendy finally turned her attention up from her tray. Her face was twisted in confusion. She knew that Ezekiel could get mad, but how did that tie into her reaction in her mother’s care room?
“It wasn’t often, but your brother would get defensive when it came to his loved ones and friends. To the point that he would sometimes leak his mana. A heavy pressure, heavier than his Step and Tier would indicate, would settle on the shoulders of everyone in his vicinity. Just like how the shadows lashed out near everybody around you a little while ago.” Scarlet seemed lost in thought as she closed her eyes in reminiscence. “Given how you reacted, I wanted to see what I should do next.”
“What do you mean?” Though it was still only very slight, Wendy was slowly coming out of the shell she had formed around herself. “What does me being more like my brother than you thought have to do with anything?”
“It means I have some idea of how to distract you, and how to keep you from collapsing in on yourself.” Scarlet stood up; a determined glare spread over her face. “Training. Lots and lots of training.”
Wendy looked askance, her curiosity gone, and her despair now replaced with frustration.
“What good will training do me? It’s been useless up till now, and it will be useless moving forward!” Memories of the attack on Sanafalls filled her mind, and she started hyperventilating, even as Reya tried to calm her down. “I wasn’t able to do anything! Even with the training we’ve been doing. Even with the weird help that my brother’s notes provided. Nothing stopped those Kindled bastards from nearly killing Mom, and if it wasn’t for me, that wouldn’t have happened in the first place! It should be me in that bed! For the Ancient’s sake! Reya is in a sealed box, since that’s the only place with the level of darkness necessary for keeping her alive!”
By this point, Wendy had stood up, and her fists slammed down into the table leaving dents from where her blackened, shadow covered, hands had struck in anger. The bench she’d been on was tossed away by a shadow that was cutting up the floor behind her. Kare was safe, but the immediate vicinity wasn’t spared the young Obscure Hunter's wrath.
Yet nothing seemed to phase Scarlet, who just stared in unamused deadpan as she watched the temper tantrum in front of her.
“If you say you’d be better off dead, then I’ll smack you like I did your brother when he tried to say something similar.”
Wendy nearly choked on her words. Her shadows stopped moving, and she looked at Scarlet in fear. That was exactly what she was going to say.
“Ezekiel... He...” Wendy couldn’t say it. Yes, they had been separated for the majority of their lives, but she could never have imagined that he would’ve said something like that.
“Indeed. There were many points where he blamed himself for other people’s actions. The Cult of Light in particular. He was wrong, of course, and he learned to accept that fact.” Scarlet reached across the table, grabbing Wendy’s shirt and pulling her close. “Do you know what he decided to do when he got himself together?”
Wendy shook her head, heedless of the fact that her feet were no longer on the ground. Even Kare was staring at Scarlet with curiosity, knowing that the older Mage wouldn’t really harm her partner.
“He trained. Even when he knew it would be hard, and that doing so would piss off his enemies. He trained, harder and harder, and he reached Legendary at twenty years old.” Scarlet gave Wendy a soul-searching gaze, before letting the younger girl fall to the ground with a grunt. “Given your element, even if you started later than him, I think it’s possible for you to match that record.”
Wendy's eyes widened in shock. She had only recently reached the peak of Tier two thanks to Kare’s help. But was still knocking on the door to Tier three. She hadn’t even known whether or not her soul was large enough to have formed her third Chakra yet.
But, if what Scarlet was saying was true, then it was possible that she’d be able to break through faster than she thought.
“You didn’t think you could go through, and overcome, the events you went through this past month, without gaining a single thing at all, did you?” Scarlet raised an eyebrow at Wendy’s confused, yet hopeful, expression. “The soul grows through experience. Adversity being one of the greatest contributors. You were still just shy, before the attack, but now, I’d say you have the potential to reach Step two, maybe Step three, if you push yourself.”
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The confusion, despair, and overall sense of loss and aimless anger that Wendy was feeling began to dissipate. In its place was directed wrath, and a sense of hope that she had thought was lost.
If she could grow more powerful, she could make the Kindled family pay. She could make them hurt for what they had done to her mother, to Reya, and to Ellen.
A memory flashed in her mind, and she felt her anger grow as her father’s face filled her mind. She needed to make him pay as well. Although, that would be left for her mother when she recovered.
Pulling herself up from the ground, Wendy glared at Scarlet, even as the older woman looked down at her sadly.
“What do I need to do, to get the resources needed to break through as fast as possible?” There was grit and determination in Wendy’s voice, and Kare trilled in joy at the change in her partner’s mood.
“First, we’ll fix this mess.” Scarlet smirked as Wendy nearly face-faulted. “But then, we’ll get you to the training room that your brother helped design, just for breaking through like you so dearly want to.”
Wendy begrudgingly got to work, cleaning up her mess under Scarlet’s supervision. But there was an eagerness in her now. An eagerness to train, and to get the power needed to fulfill her new goals.
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Hidden in a dungeon deep within the Morathi Alliance, painful cries could be heard, as well as tearful sobbing. Two prisoners, both locked away within the Kindled family’s properties, were forced to suffer a tormenting punishment. Each one different and done for a separate purpose.
“You wretched failure! How could you be so pathetic!?” A whip cracked as flames seared the flesh on Warren’s back. The chains holding him in place glowed brightly, and the burned lashes closed as Radiant energy flooded his body. Healing his wounds but leaving a myriad of scars running up and down his form.
Warren’s screams were heart breaking, as the mana from the whip continuously ravaged his flesh. His pain never ended, even as the torturer stopped his efforts.
“You were given one simple order! Kill the whore, and her darkened spawn!” The jailer reared his hand back to strike once more but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder.
“That’s enough, for now. We wouldn’t want our hound to be of no use in the coming days.” Dressed in immaculate armor, a man with golden hair and eyes approached Warren’s cell. There was a large golden wolf shaped Spirit walking behind him.
He gave a glance at the cell across from it, looking at the newest occupant inside. “After all, we don’t want our bargaining chip doing something drastic.”
Behind him, Ellen glared hatefully at the Radiant Hunter, who merely looked amused at her attempt at defiance.
“It’s usually scarier if you’re not crying while your glaring.” His words were true, and Ellen futilely tried to shake her tears away. “A shame. A descendant of the Kindled family shouldn’t be so weak as to show tears for their lessers.”
Ellen shook her head harder, silently denying any relation to the Kindled family. But couldn’t say anything through the gag that was wrapped around her face.
“Patriarch Howlend, you honor me with your presence, my lord.” The jailer took a deep bow, ignoring everything except the man in front of him. “If it would please thee, how might this humble servant of the honored Kindled family be of aid?”
The torturer was terrified of the man in front of him. He knew full well that, as a Flame Mage, he was only barely allowed to live within the primary compound of the Kindled family. Were he almost any other element, he would’ve been forced to live on the outskirts, even with his lineage.
His being able to work directly in the family’s prison was another perk that could easily be taken away. Forcing him to become a Hound, since his Tier was already at the Adept level.
Ignoring the jailer’s question, Patriarch Howlend turned back to Warren’s broken and stitched together form. The sight of his glazed over eyes made the patriarch frown.
“How disappointing. To think that my most promising son would turn out like this.” Howlend sighed as he reached out to the jailer, who immediately handed over the whip in his hands. “Though, you were at least able to provide a relatively talented heir. Good enough for us to sell off without consequences at least.”
Howlend’s words seemed to light a spark in Warren’s eyes, and the dull and glazed over look on his face seemed to harden for a moment. Only to fade away as the patriarch to strike with the flaming whip once more. Cutting through Warren’s face and took out one of his eyes in the process.
“Aaarrrrgggg!!!” The rattling of chains pulled taut and shaken as Warren screamed in pain echoed through the dungeon. A whimpering from Ellen could barely be heard as she watched her father be tortured even more.
“That’s enough, for now. Let them recover, else we won’t be able to continue in the future.” Howlend handed the whip back to the jailer, who nodded and retreated from the cell with haste. “Now then, since we are alone, I will ask you one simple question.”
Turning to Ellen once more, Howled reached through her cell with his magic, removing the gag that was keeping her silent.
“Will you comply with your marriage willingly, or must we continue this show even longer?”
Ellen remained silent for a moment, tears continuing to stream down her face. Howlend raised his hand, a sword of light forming as he pointed it at Warren.
“Yes!” Ellen screamed; her voice hoarse from her gagged attempts from earlier. “Yes... I’ll do what you want. Just stop hurting my dad...”
Patriarch Howlend smirked as Ellen pleaded for him to stop his actions toward her father. “It seems like you can learn. That is good. It means that we won’t need to kill your Spirit to make sure the lesson sticks.”
Ellen’s eyes widened in shock at the thought of her Spirit being killed because of her disobedience. It was already bad enough that they were torturing her father to teach her a lesson. To go after her Spirit would be the final breaking point. The loss of her bond, and damage to her soul, would be too much given what she was already going through.
“Now then rest easy, for now. We will have a proper contract put into place to ensure that you keep your word.” Turning away from Ellen’s cell, Howlend slowly walked out of the prison. “Your Spirit will be returned to you in the morning. Though, if you fail to keep your word, I assume you know what will happen.”
The only sound to echo from behind him was Ellen’s sobs as her fate was seemingly sealed. In front of her, Warren tried to reach out to her. His emotionless gaze flickered briefly as he shed tears of his own.
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In the depths of the Northern Tundra, Shari led dozens of banished nobles and rebel Hunters and Mages east, intending to wrap around the Frozen Fjords that covered the uppermost reaches of the Continent. She was currently bundled up, and being carried by Bonnie, as Noren rode behind her, and sliding through the snow even further back was a sleigh filled with people. Several other Hunters were in a similar situation, doing their best to stay warm and pull their caravan forward.
With her were several Scholars that had decided to accompany them when they had evacuated Harkem. The stronger members of the rebels had remained behind so as to attempt to fight off the combined forces of the Loyalists, Cultists, and Kindled family.
“How much further must we travel?” Noren’s voice cut through the cold air as he and several Glacial and Flame Mages and Hunters did their best to maintain a stable temperature that was more easily traversable as they moved. “We have been traveling for weeks since reaching this frozen hellscape, and I’m not sure how much longer we will be able to last.”
Shari remained silent. She wasn’t the leader of this group, but she was still in charge of her own team now. Even though she wasn’t anywhere near the most powerful. So, she was privy to slightly more information than most of the others.
“Given how far we’ve traveled, it is likely we’ll reach the westernmost Quintessa outpost within the next few hours. At least, that’s if the Tempest scouts are reading the stars right.” Shari glanced at the cloud covered sky. The only way they could accurately navigate right now was by having Tempest Hunters with flying Spirits go above the sky. There, they could map out the stars and determine what direction they needed to go.
Looking around the group she was with, Shari sighed in restless disappointment.
“Still thinking about your parents?” Noren asked as he moved to wrap an arm around his fiancé. “I know how you feel, my parents were sent with a separate group as well, remember? Same with my brother. But, if things go well, we’ll see them again soon. At the outpost.”
Shari tried to smile, but it was clear that she was still thinking of something else. Noticing her mood, Bonnie snorted and shook her shoulders, forcing Shari out of her darkening thoughts.
“Sorry. I’m thinking about Ezekiel and Riley...” Noren frowned at her words. This was a topic that was sore for both of them, but more so for her. “I just can’t believe that they’re gone. Even if it’s not confirmed that they’re dead, it’s been months, and given the rumors flooding up from the Archipelago... It just sucks that that family can’t seem to catch a break.”
Noren held Shari even tighter to try and comfort her. “When they get back, we’ll do everything we can to support them. That’s all there is to it.”
Shari turned to look at him in confusion. “What? Did you think I would tell you to forget about them? To focus on the here and now? You already know that the former is pointless and are trying to do the latter. So, I will tell you what you want to hear, which is also the truth. Ezekiel and Riley are our friends, and we’ll provide whatever aid we can, once we’re in a proper position to do so. Alright?”
Smiling widely in thanks, Shari nodded, and finally found her focus, turning back to their route forward. Only for the snow in front of them to be divided by an invisible blade.
Plumes of snow launched into the air, and dozens of Adept level Hunters rose from the snow. Among them were also several Legendary Hunters.
“Halt! Not one more step. State your business, and your loyalties!” The leader of the group, a Legendary Glacial Hunter called out, and the pressure she released was enough to make most of Shari’s group buckle over.
However, among the group was one Hunter in particular that caught Shari’s eyes. A man in full armor with a familiar looking sword stood near the middle of the group. He was covered from head to toe in enchanted armor, and it was clear that he was only barely at the lower Steps of Tier three, but that didn’t matter.
All that mattered was that he was a Void Hunter. Meaning that they were within the boundaries of Quintessa. Even if they were still far from the outpost, Shari could now finally relax, as she knew that they were safe with a faction that could just barely be considered friendly.
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In the central regions of Quintessa, within one the last remaining Temple of the Void still held by humanity, Lady Wilma, once Mythic Hunter, now the most senior member and nominal leader of the Church of Ten, sat slumped in a throne like chair as she listened to the reports from a number of Grand Scholars.
“That summarizes the state of the Desolate Land’s border, Lady Wilma. Unfortunately, unless Wolken recovers, it is unlikely that we will be able to reclaim the towns and cities lost in the conflict.” There were many despondent looks as the man finished his report. “The attacks were just too well planned, and there was no way we could expect one of the Old Ones to take part in this attack. Not when it’s been... decades, since the last time there was any mention of him.”
The reminder of her brother’s current near-death state was disheartening for Wilma. She had seen her brother laid out in bed several days ago, before she was caught up once more by the various duties that she was required to oversee.
“Keep me informed of any changes. For now, make sure that Strom has all the support he needs to hold the line. It is unfortunate that his element is not the best suited for fighting the Rot, but he should be able to make sure that they can’t push any further any time soon.”
Nods from her fellow Grand Scholars showed the approval of her peers for this plan.
A knock on the door drew the group's attention. “Enter.”
After being welcomed into the room, a Hunter with a gray bird on his shoulder opened the door and greeted the Grand Scholars in front of her.
“Greetings, Grand Scholars, I have news from the northwest. Another group of rebels and exiles from Willowbrush has arrived.” Confusion spread throughout the room, how was this newsworthy enough to garner an interruption for this meeting. “Apparently one of the Hunters in this group is the childhood friend of Ezekiel Luminance, as confirmed by one of his students. Whom Ezekiel had shared stories with regarding his past when he was teaching.”
Given the contribution that Ezekiel had provided, this was serious news. Since it wasn’t confirmed that the first Legendary Void Hunter was dead, it was fully possible that he would return at some point. So, keeping his friends and family in good health was a good idea as far as most of the Grand Scholars were concerned.
“What is their status?” Lady Wilma was on her feet, unable to do anything due to the distance, but also too excited to sit still. “Have they safely been brought to lands free from the Rot and other Cruor?”
Traveling through the Frozen Fjords that covered the north was usually a death sentence for anything other than an incredibly well prepared mid to high Step Adept. Yet, the progress made by the Church of Ten had increased the likelihood of survival for larger groups by leaps and bounds.
Even so, it was hard to say if they would survive without any losses.
“They are fine, surprisingly, and Miss Alkena has reunited with her family at the westernmost outpost, along with the other refugees. Though, they were shocked to hear about the state of our nation.” Which was understandable, since Quintessa was one of the strongest forces against the Cruor, so to have lost so much land so swiftly was almost unimaginable.
Yet, before anything else could be said, another Hunter burst into the meeting room. This one was panting and gasping for breath as they tried to speak.
“Exalt Wolken.... He’s awake!”
While she was interested in the Legendary Void Hunter’s friend, Lady Wilma was immediately brought to attention, and forced herself to move as she went to see her brother.
Given the state of affairs that Quintessa had fallen to, it was nice to finally hear some good news.
Maybe, they’d be able to turn their situation around, now that they once more had two Mythic Hunters to fight back with.