Fire and ash rained freely in the lands of Pacifico, as they had for the past two weeks. The death of the Life tree had demolished the ecosystem of the planet in unforeseen ways, turning the once teeming with life world into an arid and grey land.
Atop a hill overlooking the Life tree, Prince Magnus watched what the Demeter clan now called the Cursed tree with a venomous glare. The tree pierced the sky, rising higher than any mountain he had ever laid eyes on, but its brown bark had given way to a sickly white wood dripping with a blood red sap. And the leaves which had once shaded the planet’s capital were missing, replaced by a ghastly flame.
14 days ago, when Magnus had stormed the Demeter clan’s holy grounds and set fire to the tree, a soul wrenching cry had resounded across the entire planet. Like a reptile shedding its skin, the tree had shed its bark, and with it, its leaves. The fruit hanging on its branches that had fed and powered the people of Pacifico for centuries sparkled with light before blasting away like shooting comets, leaving the Life tree bare and empty. The fire, however, had never disappeared, blanketing the world in a continuous rain of fire and ash.
Magnus saw it with his very own eyes. The hordes of fruit coalesced into ten pieces. Ten seedlings of the Life tree. 8 had flown to the opposite ends of the world, hundreds if not thousands of miles from his position, but two were well within his grasp.
The first had flown straight down, seeking asylum in Vigro, the very home of the Demeter clan. In turn, the noble clan’s people had rallied and raised a towering wall of bramble to protect the seed. Magnus had led his men to push through, but the wall had held for two weeks. Pietro had even taken some of his subordinates from the Geb clan to attempt to infiltrate the capital by way of the underground, but the system of roots was even harder to cut through than the wall. This was a defensive formation created by the collective strength of an entire noble clan. Magnus hadn’t expected to be able to succeed, but he had still decided to park his forces close to the capital.
Reinforcements were trickling in on the daily, and soon, he hoped to acquire an army large enough to overrun Vigro. The only hitch to his plan was the interplanetary council. Despite Magnus and Pietro’s impressive military achievements, few trusted the prince and the general’s son to lead a direct confrontation against Demeter. However, none of the generals of Jupiter, Geb, or Agni were currently free to relocate to Pacifico. There were several leaders of the clans who had ventured to Pacifico in search of the other eight seedlings, yet none commanded high enough strength to wrench control of the operation from Magnus.
The situation had led to the current impasse where Magnus could only watch as Vigro continued to improve its defenses. He wasn’t angry, though, not with the situation at least. He was a patient man and the council not so much: the growing number of reinforcements a clear sign of that. Magnus would get his army soon enough, and when he did, he and Pietro would flood the streets of Virgo with blood.
No, the only reason Magnus was angry was because of the injury to his soul that still haunted him two weeks later. His vision blurring, Magnus swayed as he slowly lowered himself to the ground. Covering his eyes with his hand, he groaned as his head rippled with agonizing pain. Drops of blood dribbled to the ground, streaming out of his eyes, nose, and ears, and a high-pitched ringing rumbled in his ears. He heaved as his stomach spasmed, nausea abruptly overtaking him. The episode lasted only a fleeting moment, but to Magnus, it felt like an hours-long torture.
Pietro rushed to his side, shouting at a nearby soldier to call for the healer. With a flick of his palm, he raised the ground to form a bucket Magnus could throw up into. He watched over Magnus as the latter roiled in pain and ordered the remaining soldiers to form a perimeter. No one was to approach the hill.
By the time the healer showed up, Magnus’ episode had finished, but that didn’t stop Pietro from ordering for a full checkup. With a shaky hand, the elderly healer pushed out a string of white flames to connect with Magnus’ chest. It blazed with varying intensities until the fire fizzled out entirely. “As before, Prince Magnus’ body is in good health. The power in his mana is able to heal the superficial wounds on its own after each… episode.”
Pietro bore down on the man with a stern look. “And what of the episodes then? Can you heal him?”
“Overlord Pietro, just as yesterday, the day before that, and the day before that, it is well beyond my ability to heal a soul injury of this magnitude. Especially one inflicted by a divine treasure.” Bowing deeply, the elderly healer spoke sympathetically. “I promise you, if there was anything I could do to help you, your majesty, I would. If I could bear this pain for you, know that I would.”
“Agh!” Stomping angrily, the ground around Pietro shattered. “Empty words do us no good! What we need are competent healers.”
Grabbing Pietro’s arm, Magnus calmed him with a reassuring smile. “Forgive my brother. He is only acting out from an abundance of care. Your skill has been paramount to the brief comfort I am able to enjoy, and I am eternally grateful for that.”
The healer bowed even more profusely. “Your words are too kind, milord. Too kind. There is nothing for me to forgive. This humble servant would never hold anything against Overlord Pietro.”
With a wave of his hand, Magnus gestured for the healer to leave. The old man acquiesced as he walked in reverse, maintaining his bow, but the healer stopped as he remembered something. “My apologies, but I do have some good news.” Pausing, the man awaited Magnus’ permission before he continued speaking.
“Proceed.”
“Marquis Li has sent news of her departure for Pacifico. She wishes to join our siege efforts and will arrive tomorrow morning, bringing with her a retinue of the Undying Division.”
Clapping his hands, Pietro’s stern face eased. “Finally. A healer of her stature should be able to reverse my brother’s curse, correct?”
The elderly man nodded his head. “Yes, milord. Marquis Li should be able to cure the side effects of the curse, but...” Tenuously raising his head, the healer spoke sympathetically. “Do not raise your expectations too much. It is my professional opinion that while your strength will return to you with a stronger white flame user, the episodes may only be curable with time.”
Pietro looked like he wanted to say something, but Magnus beat him to it. “Worry not. So long as my strength returns, I can endure the pain.” The healer retreated from the hill leaving Magnus and Pietro alone.
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“Perhaps if we push for it, Marquis Li can arrive by today. I can pressure my father and you yours.”
“Do not bring this up again, brother.” Rising to his feet, Magnus shook his head. “The Marquis will come when she comes. Right now, it is important that I not show weakness. My father would be most disappointed if I relied on nepotism to overcome my very first setback.”
“I understand how it looks, but these episodes have been going on for far too long. It’s not even just you who was affected. None of our forces who were on planet when the tree cried out can unleash power greater than the Grandmaster tier.” Pietro’s glasses fogged as his emotions surged, and he paused to wipe them down.
“Our initial forces are a negligible amount. Apart from the two of us, no one of note was harmed. We stand to lose more than we gain by relying on our clans.” Sitting on the ground again, Magnus tore a part of his sleeve to cover his nose as it began to bleed again. “Think of how our reputation will skyrocket when we not only overcome that damned tree’s curse but also defeat the Demeter clan.”
Pietro raised a chair from the earth below Magnus and formed one for himself, too. “Ever obsessed with results, you never change. I’m just frustrated. That’s it.”
Shrugging, Magnus chuckled through the pain. “Don’t you worry. As much frustration and rage as you are feeling, I guarantee I have just as much, but we will not take it out on our own clans.” Coughing loudly, he bent over and spit out a mouthful of blood. “The Demeter clan. They are the ones who will bear the burden of our revenge. We will raze their city and erase them from these lands.”
“That’s the Magnus I know.” Pietro clenched and unclenched his hands while imagining the havoc he would wreak once they could bypass Vigro’s defenses. Staring at the burning tree in the horizon, he was excited. “Well on the topic of the destruction of the Demeter clan, our scouts have finally found traces of that other seedling. They think a group of Demeter monks reached the site first but have been unable to leave the area thanks to our heavy security. They are currently tracking them but sent word back just now. Any day now, we will lay claim to the first seedling.”
Magnus smiled, the thought of the seed briefly overpowering the pain rattling his body. “Together, brother. We will leave Pacifico each with a seed on hand. I think the day we are both Kings is not far.”
Clasping onto Magnus’ hand, Pietro repeated. “Soon.”
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Thunderclap after thunderclap, Kai flashed all over the rainforest. He started the night focusing on the areas with the highest density of Green Mamba pirates, but as the fight continued, he adjusted his strategy to appearing wherever the Puma and Eagle tribes needed him most.
Lightning crashed to the ground as he landed in the midst of several pirates. Swinging his greatsword widely, he cut into the nearest enemies before releasing his hold on the hilt. Activating his yellow color, he controlled the blade as it whisked through the pirates, eviscerating all in its path.
Once he was done, he flung the sword back to his hand and sheathed it. “Tend to the injured. Anyone with injuries so great they cannot continue will be taken over there to rest in the cover of the rainforest. Everyone else, focus on the East side. We are so close to pushing the snakes away from your lands. Don’t give up now!” Confidence overflowing in Kai’s words, he roused the warrior’s spirits as he shouted. “FOR THE TRIBE!”
He watched as the as the group, much to his satisfaction, split into two before obeying his commands. He had been fighting for well over a few hours now, and at some point, the role of general had somehow fallen on his shoulders. He neither questioned nor shunned it, though. The generals of the tribe had been caught unaware, blinded by their bloodlust, and in that moment, Kai had appeared like a radiant light. The people’s faith in him was temporarily at an all-time high, and they were eager to follow his commands.
With another thunderclap, Kai blasted away in a burst of blue, headed towards another group of pirates. His initial charge into the Green Mamba had changed the tides of the battle. Anger clouded his mind as he butchered the pirate’s army, while memories of his time as a prisoner of the snakes merged with the recent assassination attempt he had survived. Nothing had been enough to satisfy the Green Mamba’s eternal quest for conquest: not his life and certainly not the lives of the Puma and Eagle tribe.
Just as the Hunter’s army had been blindsided, the pirates’ army was disorganized and unprepared for someone of Kai’s level to rush them. The army comprised mainly of Master and Senior Apprentice level Elementalists with the strongest fighter Kai had run into being a singular Grandmaster tier. He was unsure where the executives leading this army were, but he assumed their disappearance had something to do with the missing Thomas and Alexander.
Taking advantage of the situation, he used his superior speed to save the fragmented tribe warriors and coalesce them into a single force on the eastern side of the clearing, and not letting the authority get to his head, he delegated the actual tactics of the battle to the generals of the Puma and Eagle tribe. Kai could handle the macro, but to micromanage the entire fight would be suicidal. He simply lacked the expertise to accomplish that.
Annihilating another group of pirates, Kai relayed his same orders and froze as he prepared to launch himself again. There were no other Green Mamba members attacking the tribe’s warriors within the clearing. Stabbing his greatsword into the ground, he observed as the Puma and Eagle Hunters pushed back the pirate forces on the Eastern side.
The battle was by no means finished, but the results were heavily leaning in their favor. Kai exhaled loudly as he was finally able to release the pressure that had been mounting on his chest and shoulders. Drawing Kai’s attention, the sound of snapping branches appeared behind him, but he looked with curiosity rather than wariness. He recognized what was coming.
Carried by a wave of water, Thomas, Alexander, and a group of unconscious people arrived in the open fields of the clearing. Tightening his grip on his greatsword, Kai asked. “News?”
Thomas quelled the wave as he lowered everyone, watching as Alexander tenderly placed Pengu beside Kai before rushing to join the frontlines of the battle. “There are two executives with this army, but we’ve already taken care of them. Everything else from here on out can be handled by the tribe.”
Kai plopped to the ground, rubbing his eyes in exhaustion. He scratched the little chick’s head as he spoke. “Thank Set. I was running on fumes by the end there.”
Walking over to sit beside Kai, Thomas began to pet Pengu. “Same here. If it weren’t for these unexpected allies, Alexander and I would have been done for. It’s about time this night finishes.”
“Speaking of which, what’s with Alexander? He emptied his mana just last night. I figured he’d be comatose by now.”
Sighing, Thomas ran his hand through his hair. “Got his first kill today. It was… savage to say the least.”
Watching as Alexander dashed away from the eastern side of the clearing and towards the south were the injured had been gathered, Kai frowned. “I see. I’m… happy at least you were nearby. You helped him through it?”
“As much as I could, but I think he needs this right now. He needs to do anything at all that can keep his mind away from it, and once he’s ready.”
“Once he’s ready, he’ll have the both of us to support him.” Kai nodded his head as he finished Thomas’ thought.
Alexander was muddied and drenched as he ran from one patient to the next. Just from looking at him, it wasn’t apparent he had just spent the entire night fighting a war. He didn’t even look tired, but Kai felt as if he could see the exhaustion in his soul. He could recall his own pain when he first killed, and the desperation that came with it when he buried himself in his training to forget.
Yes, Alexander would need them, but to be fair, he was handling it as well as could be imagined. Taking a look at the sky, Kai noticed the rain was lessening, and the clouds were beginning to disperse. Through the cracks in the clouds, thin rays of sunlight began to teeter down on the rainforest, signaling the beginning of a new morning. Taking one final look at the tribe’s progress on the eastern side, he laid his back on the grass and shut his eyes. They had won.