Ray

Ray slipped back, letting the ice skid him towards the back as purplish back mana flooded through the portal. Xnarthan appeared through the portal, hundreds pouring through in minutes.

"A thousand birds ride to death!" Rena shouted, making Ray turn towards her, nearly falling as he did so. A huge flock of birds flew towards the Xnarthan as they conjured a massive flood of shields.

An amateur move, just a few shields would have been enough. The birds pecked the shields, dissipating while minimal damage. The shields collapsed a few seconds later, the Xnarthan reaching for potions for a refill.

Ray took the chance, pouring three thousand mana to set them on fire. Anita shot Void, and daggers rained on the Xnarthan. The hundreds that had just poured in died, just like that.

Ray was surprised for a second before he sensed the amount of mana, Tier 1 and Tier 2 with just a few Tier 3. The Xnarthan were trying to make them run out of mana. System, a refill please?

Mana gained: 43, 573 mana. A detailed amount may be requested later

Mana as unspent: (96,333/102,400)

A hundred thousand mana. Ray would be almost Tier 11 now with the mana he had already. But he had to admit, he wasn't surprised it was this much. After all, he had killed hundreds. The number still hadn't caught up with him.

But somewhere, in the back of his mind, he knew that he had killed hundreds of living, breathing Humans that had lives and families. Now, however, was not the time to have a conscience. No, he could do that after he killed the hundreds more pouring in. A collection of Tier 2, 3 and 4 this time.

Ray reached back at the door, shooting more waves, spending over thirty thousand mana in the process. Torrin held out a potion towards him, prompting him to take it.

"A mana recovery potion, it should help you refill." Torrin said.

"Wait, we should spend as much mana as we can before using it." Ray said as he attacked the Xnarthan with all of his remaining mana. Seventy thousand mana. Ray was judicious about it, conjuring multiple types of glitter and sending it at the portal in waves. The Xnarthan erected defenses, but still failed.

After all, Ray was fighting a bunch of uncoordinated, seemingly untrained people that were nearly a third of his Tier. Not to mention the fact that his element was just that stronger. Ray could see why the purer mana theory was trusted, despite the lack of proof. The glitter rushed through the entire army, butchering them. A massacre.

Ray controlled his mind, willing himself to not think about what he had just done. Just a thought and hundreds dead. The emotion was there, hovering in the back of his mind, threatening to break him down during this critical moment.

Mana gained: 60,013

Mana as unspent Tier 11: (156,346/204,800)

>  

Ray drank from the potion, hiding his shaky breath as he did so. The fights before had been easier, then he had been fighting for his life, but now… The Xnarthan would kill him if he did not kill them, but he was still killing hundreds.

Perhaps it was just his imagination, but Ray could feel their panic as his fire descended, the resignation as their shields failed, regret as they died…but no hatred, not for him. But it was probably his imagination making things up, so he could justify his actions.

‘But they didn't hate me!’ Ray could feel the excuse forming in his head, And oh, he was tempted to let it. So easy…

'In war death,

In life breath,

And in Fae enwreathe' Norman's voice echoed in Ray's head.

'Is that some Fae poem?" Ray asked as his memory returned. "Is your memory coming back?"

"Not much, and just temporarily, but for now I can think, child. I fear that in my condition I have let you find yourself in a regrettable situation. I gave you a path to power, but I forgot what came with it.

To be Fae is to surround yourself with the elements of the world. A Fae influences the world around him as it influences him. But you are not at that stage yet. The trial of adulthood would prepare you, and aid you, in fighting such issues. But war, dear war, is not an easy beast to tame.

And should the day come that you care no more, then know that you no longer walk the path of peace. The path I pressured you into choosing a few days ago in the woods.' Norman said, his voice older, carrying some sort of gravity that made Ray listen to him.

"What do you mean? What does the path mean? Am I really feeling others' emotions?' Ray asked.

'No, and yes at the same time. A full Fae might be able to with our telepathic powers, but yours are weak. The emotions are just your mind picking up the few things it can and then mixing it up with its perception of things. But you will need to face your actions, put to rest the destruction you wreck.

Or you will find yourself failing when the time comes for you to be Fae. A path is not exclusionary, a Fae of war must put down their weapons at times, and a Fae of peace must pick them at times.

And the Fae of self must learn to care at times. Come, child, as you enter the next stage of your Trial, I, Norellies, ancestor of the House Feline, shall guide you on the next step on our path.' Norman said, his voice drowning out as Ray's surroundings changed. No, not changed, just blurred.

The Xnarthan appeared in focus, the rest of the world blurring as mana rushed into Ray.

'To be a Fae of peace is to feel your surroundings, to feel for those that are not you and yours. The path grants great power, amplifying your magic many times over. But it comes at a cost, you cannot simply dismiss the life of others as a Fae of war might. No, we must face them head on. But not all start off with the strength to face such

emotions. So we help them. A Fae, after all, does not fight alone. Come child, take my strength. As you have not the strength, I give you mine."

Ray found himself sliding on the ice towards the Xnarthan, the rush of mana flooding his body as his brain just…opened up. A thousand different senses entered his head as he felt a completely different sensation: the mind. Ray could feel what was happening before him. The fear of the Xnarthan poured in as he slipped towards them.

And the intent to kill.

The soldiers that were pouring in, they were forced to come here, but the only thing on their minds was their lives. Not a thought to the Elves. Ray even felt some disgust towards the Elves huddled in the corner. The Elves on the other hand were radiating a much stronger sense of fear, and weakness.

Ray could barely make out the mana radiating off them, the Xnarthan must have cleared the stronger ones out first, the ones remaining were too weak now.

'Tell me, what do you see?' Norman asked.

'An army.' Ray said. 'A cocktail of fear, determination, and hatred. The Xnarthan were coerced to come here I think, fear is by far the largest emotion they are currently feeling right now. But there is enough determination to be sure that they do want to kill us. And that they would not hesitate to kill any non-Humans that come in their way. Just how did they become so…'

'A mixture of selection, brainwashing and mental influences, I am sure. The Empire is not the first to employ such a tactic, nor will it be the last. As long as Sapients exist, so will the path of war and self. But so will the path of peace, and it is our duty to ensure that the other two do not get any greater.' Norman said. Wait, what did he say his name was?

'Do not worry about my name, Norman is as good as any. I am surprised you got one so close. But now is not the time to worry about such things. The time has come for you to kill' Norman said as Ray sensed Anita and the Shadow Princess joined him for round two.

But this time he could feel their emotions. Anita was a bit scared, but still remained confident in her power. The Shadow Princess was harder to read, but she possessed a very keen hatred for the Xnarthan, and…something similar to what he was feeling right now? A weaker version?

"I do recommend you focus on the task at hand. The Xnarthan will not wait for long.' Norman said.

Ray refocused, concentrating on the enemies as he conjured yellow glitter, mixing it with green and light blue. The amount of information he was getting was disorienting. The fears of nearly a hundred people that were gathered there, not to mention those that were determined to end him.

'What do you do now?' Norman asked, prompting Ray to move forward.

'Do you end the lives of those that have not harmed you yet?' Norman asked, making Ray pause for a second before sending a wave of yellow glitter ahead.

'Yes, for they would do so should they have a chance. I can feel it.' Ray said.

'But should you not give them a chance? After all, they could change their minds.' Norman tempted, confusing Ray. What was he trying to do? In fact, what was up with this entire thing? The Trial, it was so random - oh, Norman was at his old tricks again. Ray observed the effects of the trial closer, the trial made everything seem slower,

and gave him some idea of what the enemy was thinking. Norman was helping him again.

'Oh, I assure you, I did not lie. The Trial is truly on, and you will face your conscience today, the other things are just…coincidental.' Norman said.

Ray rushed at the Xnarthan shooting yellow glitter as he waded through them. The new ability let him see their attacks coming, giving him time to dodge, but it had a side effect. Ray felt the emotions of every person that he killed, the fear, the resignation, the shock.

'Do you see what you are becoming? Is this what you want to be? A machine of war?' Norman asked.

'No, this is what I have to be,' Ray said, as he dodged another attack. The attack was closer to home this time. Ray conjured a wave of brown glitter, surrounding himself in it as he used it as a reserve of defense.

The vest was working overtime, absorbing his mana as it blocked most of the attacks. But a few still sneaked in. And then Ray made a mistake. Or perhaps he had made one when he walked in here without knowing what power he was using. The prelude was normal, an average Xnarthan agent that shot swords at him. But the emotion

that came when Ray killed him…the agent was thinking of his daughter.

Ray's mind went to Ma, and for a split second, he was distracted. The Xnarthan struck as Ray conjured layers of earth, retreating as waves of attacks struck him.

'And yet it is what you cannot be. The path of peace holds not the mechanisms of war. What do you do now, child of peace?' Norman asked.

Ray had no answer to give, the Xnarthan surrounded him, their armored silhouettes in focus. A mess of emotions, and for the first time, he felt the vitriol radiating from them. The people before him, they took pleasure in bringing down enemies.

The glory was what they wanted. The victory. And Ray despised it. Perhaps it was hypocritical of him when he had killed hundreds of their compatriots, but he could safely say that he did not like the act of killing. The act was a necessity, but no matter how necessary it was, Ray did not like it.But what could he do?

'What can you do?' Norman asked.

'I don't know. What do you think I should do?' Ray asked, frustrated as he prepared to defend himself. And then the next attack began. A wave of arrows shot at him, followed by fire, water, air, earth. Just about every usual element was present, hurtling towards Ray in a rush of mana.

'What do you do? Oh, I am glad you asked.' Norman said, sounding glad.

'In war death. In life breath. And in Fae enwreathe. Do you remember this? Not just a poem, you know. The Fae do not act by thinking, they act by emotion. The magic you use might take the shape of Human, but it is still Fae. And during this trial, it will answer you. Now tell me, what do you want to do?'

'I want to kill them.' Ray said, dodging and countering the attacks, conjuring waves of water to counter a storm of fire, desperately trying to avoid death.

'Well then, just do it, give yourself over to your power. Just let go, Ray Rosenmund, of house unknown, for you are Fae today, and the Fae of peace do not fight alone, the elements fights with them.' Norman said.

Ray thought of what Norman was saying for a second, and then realized what he was talking about. The tell the ice everything advise. Was he telling Ray to just do it with all the elements around him? Ray had no problem with that. A few seconds later, Ray let it out, concentrating on what he was doing, thinking to the space around him

now.

And it worked, somewhat. The power Norman had sent through, flowed through him as thought faded and emotion took over. The emotions of the Xnarthan pointed Ray towards what was to come. The incoming elements were but a single thought away, and so were Ray's own. A weapon Ray could wield with ease, and he did. A hail of

fire, a storm of ice, the elements warred as Ray wielded them against the Xnarthan.

Mana rolled in the air as Ray sunk into his senses, his body operating on autopilot. An elemental puzzle formed in the air, inviting Ray to solve it. A hundred points of green glitter there, a little blue there. The emotions helped Ray target, the stronger the emotion, the stronger his reaction.

Anita, the Shadow Princess and the rest joined in, forcing Ray to change tactics. The fight progressed into a dance, a continuous exchange of moves as Ray tried to put up a fight. In the back of his mind, he felt a life end. Derrit. Or was it one of the other rebellion people?

A wave of happiness and glee traveled through the Xnarthan at the death, prompting a reaction from Ray. An angry gust blew through his mind, as the sky filled with glitter. A rain of fire ensued, killing the ones responsible. But Ray still felt little, the event sinking to the depths of his mind as, for the first time, some of the Xnarthan retreated.

And were immediately killed by their compatriots. The portal lit up again, purple mana seeping into the air. Ray turned the ice below him into spikes as he struck at the Xnarthan remaining. The Xnarthan panicked as attacks began to flow.

A massive ball rolled through the crowd, crushing everyone. Gordon, who had been hanging back, acting now. A rain of light, void, and dagger killed most as they retreated back.

But this time there was no pouring for Xnarthan. No, the people this time were quite recognizable. A group of people emerged from the crowd, dressed in gaudy gear. Mage-Warrior Erkland. A guy in a wheelchair that disgusted Anita. A legion of Mage-Warriors. A bigger legion of high Tier Xnarthan.

And finally, a guy dressed in so much shiny gear that Ray wondered if he wasn't some sort of treasure monster. But it was easy enough to tell who, and what, he was. The Emperor's outer disciple.

The most worrying thing wasn't that they had come face to face with his oh so important self, the Emperor's disciple. No, what held Ray's attention was the simple fact that every single person among the fifty odd people in front of them was at least Tier 15, with Mage-Warrior Erkland capping it off with the heavy weight of a new Tier 20.

Ray crouched, knowing that the fight was hopeless before they even started. System, mana,' he thought, conjuring what mana he had gathered.

> Mana gained: 43,119

> Tier 11 (199,465/204,800)

A failed attempt. The Tier up must have reduced the mana he got. Wait, didn't he not get mana from people more than five Tiers less than him…why did that change? System? No, wait, that wasn't important, right-

In battle situations such as this, the System may raise the requirement to more than ten Tiers on a subjective basis if the numerical difference is more than 100:1 in total.

The total amount of Xnarthan agents faced were 573, due to the fact that only three people participated in any major capacity the mana was not curtailed.

Ok, he had an answer now. But what was he supposed to do with it? The people in front of him were too powerful.

Norman jumped on Ray’s head, tilting his head. 'Ray, do you see me as family?' Norman asked, surprising Ray. What did that have to do with anything?

'Yes?' Ray wasn't actually sure, Norman was close enough, and had helped him a lot. But to call him family…

"I have to give credit where it is due, you put up a good fight. A lot more died than we thought it would take to kill you. And you didn't break from all the killing, either! An achievement, certainly. I would take you into the Xnarthan if I could. But you wouldn't like that, would you?

No, I have no choice but to kill you. A pity, but you are too talented and too powerful to let live." the Emperor's disciple said as Ray sensed a storm of reddish yellow mana emerge, heading right towards him.

The storm was calm, slow and steady as if it had all day to kill them. The Emperor’s disciple clearly didn’t view them as a threat. And then Norman began growling, glowing white as Ray heard a horn blow in his mind.