(VOLUME 3) CHAPTER 57 -OVERDRIVE-
ALTER VIOLET
Activating my surroundings to mana, my pathways to my quadra-elemental affinities sky rocketed. Since Divine mana didn’t want to obey me, regular mana shall do the trick, I thought, already initiating my time stopping spell. Trembling, my legs begged me to stop using mana to this extent. My arms numb to the pure feeling of overwhelming authority and power. Yet, the more I reached my arms to it, the hotter the blood became, my blood.
This is truly OverDrive.
“You are over exceeding yourself, stop!” Stated the Angel, defending the bastard with her life.
“Why…to what lengths drives you to do this?” Asked the boy, my enemy, the reason for my total failure as a human and as a son. He didn’t have the right to question my drives or lengths, yet he still did with a confused and uncertain face of emotion.
A smile creeped on my face and I let it go. A smile that made me feel like back then, my life before reincarnating into this world, when I was the bigger person. Now I know why my past self and Onyx said about me not accepting my past self, having time as my enemy. It was all clear now. If I didn’t accept it, I would still be my weak self that I had always been. Letting those around me die, fighting and struggling with the enemy that I could easily defeat if I had just accepted the past and clinged into it.
They were right. With this unknown enemy called Dimgaze and him, I rather use my old self until death or my goal has been completed. Yes… that is what I need to do.
I need to hold on to my old, cold, and heartless past to overcome this path that has been chosen by me. However, right now I need to erase him and subdue the rest into my power. But if it has to be done…I stopped my mind before getting to that extreme of reality. But If it has to be done, I will kill them all here, right now.
My mouth opened and let out words that I thought I was never going to use ever again, ever since my time as a general in my other life and as an Apex. Looking into him, ignoring everyone else in the route, focused only on him with deep hatred towards him. Judging by his facial expression he too sensed my true intentions when he made eye contact.
“Memento Mori,” I said loud enough for not only him to hear but for the rest too. That is when their emotions spilled into the battlefield, the battlefield where they would lose even with him on their side.
Yet, this was a fictional world where anything he says, does, or thinks becomes reality with his will. Then he would have a mana core like the others, Sammael does not even need to acquire one since his nature is Divine mana in this world.
Whatever plan they had needed to be countered by mine, no matter the power houses they obtain in this world or place–if it is from my past life or some guess that has been manipulated out of my mind itself–had and will be decided in this long battle that I had pushed out of fear and dread to lose.
Reaching through my mind, I called for the one sword that hadn’t been mine but was entrusted to me. Come, SoulBlade, Crusader Of Horrors. Within that moment, a bright golden oval portal that almost resembled that of the one he summoned back in Afreon appeared next to me in a miniature size. And through the golden portal rested a dark purple handle with two silver rings almost at the end of the handle. Pulling the sword out of the portal, revealing a pair of platinum horns with excruciating details around the two horns that can only be described as the horns of a past Dragon God. On the sides–where the edge of the silver colored blade resided–were ancient structures of unknownst knowledge. Twisting like tree vines over a structure or building for years to then finally cover it completely by it. In the middle was a dark purple color just like the handle but it had gems, dark purple gems that had power in them. As well in the tip of the sword was another gem but it was large in size and color scheme.
This was the true form of this sword. Somehow or in some way it had evolved or enchanted itself without me doing anything. It had broken past its sealed forms in such little time, did my fight with Saint Michael cause some sort of trigger to the weapon or was it my sudden change in power? As I tried to appraise it more, it had become more confusing to understand the reason behind it.
Nevertheless I wasn’t the only one caught off guard by it as well, the faces that they were so trying to hide were betrayed by their emotions that hurriedly flew to me. Allowing me to feel what they felt just moments ago. It was truly a blessing and a curse to have this ability, but as it was bestowed to me by her, I now too had an excuse to use.
Excluding the young Angel, the other two should know the potential of this weapon just by saying the name or even seeing it in flesh. It's a terrifying power that could counter the power of a couple of gods even when they go full power. That’s right! I thought, imagining a scene where I had hunted every single one of the beings who had the Apex of power. Demi-gods or fully, they were the ones who had put me through this suffering and one sided path for their entertainment, but now it was my turn to walk the path of chaos and destruction just to relieve some of my burden.
In that second I activated Abeyance. “Now feel the power of the person who will be the destruction of the Apex.” I said, appearing behind them as my sword set its course.
PEARL MILLGUARD
The cold and gentle breeze that passed by, a moment where we would have a chance to take a break after everything that had been going off the script. After our conversation with Angel Queen Betty, some understanding came to light. As I think, there is a war happening in Ezar right now and there is nothing we can do at the moment. My mind and self emotions are telling me to run from here and fight in that war, but my gut told me the opposite. If I were to go right now and fight, I would most likely die within a couple of days.
Meaning I have to get strong, even if it is within a couple of days or even months I have to endure it so that I can be strong and fight this war. Letting out a scoff as I remembered that they probably didn’t need me since they have Hannah–a future sighter–who can see the future and tell them what and what not to do to win this war. My mind began to wander off again, playing back everything that had happened just in a couple of days. Seeing the bright bluish moon in front of me, lightening my surroundings was just something to take in. Everything just became more complicated than it had to be.
Queen Betty had given us four two options: One, is that we were to leave immediately from the Angel’s territory and never speak about the alliance. Or two, be trained under the Star-ranked soldiers and fight the beings that caused war upon Ezar. She gave us time, one night to be exact. “That should be plenty.” were her exact words before leaving us to our own–we had guards or guides but we simply declined them in the first place–with permission to our own rooms as guests of the Angel Queen herself.
“What should I do now?” I quietly asked, hoping someone with the answer would come up and tell me the way. But not everything is like fairy tales or a story that was made for children who would misbehave, this was a real life situation where if I were to make the decision that would cost the life of my two siblings along with the old dragon.
Taking it lightly is not an option or an ideal scenario but one thing is for sure, if I were to choose and the time was up, I would only know when to cross the bridge.
Nonetheless, I now have to take a breather and look at the bigger picture. The Queen’s words didn’t seem truthful but they weren’t empty either, yet it feels like there has to be some other side to this ‘alliance’ that she put on the table.
Talking to Chuzeoth and Eugene is a better idea, to get their own way of thinking is sometimes the most effective but sometimes not. This was a life threatening situation and one head is not enough to make this big of a decision, better having more opinions than one straight that could end our race of Millguards.
Before leaving inside, I took a glance into the night sky savoring the view of the blue moon that illuminated the dark corners of the flying temple. Though I didn’t know what was to come and all I had was those around me who are willing to help me to an extreme.
Walking down the golden hallway, the statues of Angels on each side were holding a torch. Bright and hot, still floodlighted everything that was in their path. It was a sight to witness just like the blue moon outside, everything outside the Kingdom of Ezar was a sight to see.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
Then my eyes caught a group of three people, two who were part of my years of growing up and the one who had a relationship with Alter’s past. That is when it hit me, my surroundings were familiar to me for some reason but didn’t recognize it because of my stress on the matter. In front of them was a glass window that only showed a person, a boy who hasn’t even hit fourteen years of age who is struggling to understand his own role in this world, in all the dimensions.
I felt guilty in some way. Alter, a human who now has the power to rival Star-ranked beings once wanted to be a normal human being. His emotions spilled when he fought Michael and told me what he wanted the most, he wanted to be a normal being who would want to go to school, to grow up as a normal human, to die as a normal human being. All of this is the opposite of what he wanted, of what he desired. He was forced into having this power, he was forced to fight a war that he doesn’t want to fight.
But when he was born into this world, he was taken from the path he wanted and now is a pawn of fate and destiny. If only I could help him, take some of his burden that he now carries.
Seeing as how I was lost in guilty thoughts, I snapped myself out of it and eased my composure so that neither Eugene or Chuzeoth could sense my emotions just now. Putting a fake smile to my face and aura of a healthy child–thought I was clearly older than Alter in his human years.
“How’s his condition, anything new?” I asked, seeing as the three of them focused on Alter, almost like a toddler who is about to take his first step. Susan turned to me after peeling her eyes from the injured ‘uncle’, with eyes that had guilt also. If I remember correctly, the reason why Alter used this power was because the Angelic council had brought Susan like an animal and put a trial on her for being a demon. “There is no change at all, his heartbeat and blood are all normal, but his aura continues to change rapidly. For a few seconds he originally has his aura but then it changes to something more sinister before changing back.”
As Susan explained to me, the moment of phenomenon happened. Alter’s aura changed from his normal aura to a dark and sinister one that chilled even the Angels that were attending him. In the corner of my eye, I noticed how Chuzeoth had already something in mind as to what this was or could possibly be.
A single and lonely tear fell off Susan’s eye, before many more continuously advanced. Her cries filled the hallway and even made the Angels inside the room turn to attention, after they quickly turned to their task. “T-This is happening because…” in between her words, sobs and breaking down, she fell on the floor landing on her knees. “Because of me, he’s, Alter is changing into what he once was before.”
This grabbed the attention of everyone in the hallway, even the Star Michael was there. Just like him, everyone else was confused in what Susan had just said. ‘Alter is changing into what he once was before’ has a bad ring to it. Believe it or not, Angels, Humans, Demons, hell even us the Dragons could get the wrong idea of this meaning.
I reached out to the crying Demon and hugged her with the warmth of a friend, hoping that she would calm down and explain what she meant by that. However, the emotions that ran out of her told the otherwise and whatever there was to explain had to wait until later.
Star Michael had followed us to our rooms–more specifically to Susan’s room–where we had to have our meeting for the future that is to come in a span of minutes or days. During our walk there, Susan had fallen asleep herself due to the exhaustion of days we had lately. Thankfully, there was a door leading to the living room that she had. Using that room as a meeting square, we put down every piece of information we had. Since the beginning of our travels to now, all while the strongest Angel stood next to the door that lead to Susan’s room just in case she had woken up.
Half an hour after our laydown of information, Angel Queen Betty along with general Klyde had arrived to hear and help us piece this puzzle together. Unfortunately we had no leads as to what Dimgaze had under his hand or what he was after, but many unsolved mysteries were at hand when we began to think.
That is when Queen Betty had asked me about Alter’s origins.
“Lady Pearl, what is Sammael–I mean what is Alter Violet from you?” She asked, looking at the table in front of her. “No offense but he seems to be more powerful than a mere dragon and he beat my strongest soldier without using Divine mana just to be called an unidentified Angel.”
I took a moment to think over her question, after all this is what I was waiting for ever since I heard what the Angel healer said about his blood. ‘Royal Angel Blood’? That was something I didn’t understand as well. How can he have Royal Angel Blood when he had Onyx’s memories?
Since I couldn’t settle on one thing that was close to his ‘origin’ I decided to tell her about something relatively close to it. “None taken, but as for the question about Alter’s origin. All I can tell you is about his time in Afreon, the dimension of the inferior race as the other races put it as.” Yet before I continued forward a question about Onyx was there, “Queen Betty, do you know that we Millguards are three dragon royals?”
The Angel Queen nodded in agreement to which I once again continued, “I for one am the middle child. The first is Eugene.” Pointing at Eugene who was already falling asleep like it was a boring topic. “Lastly, Onyx. The heir to the throne of the kingdom of Ezar, one who had potential of becoming the youngest Star-ranked King in the history of the Dragon kind. Until he suddenly disappeared from the kingdom and never returned.”
Moments when Onyx left the castle without telling anyone replayed in my mind that second, how Hannah and Chuzeoth blamed themselves for not stopping Onyx or being there for him. “However, after some time, our heirloom—SoulBlade—responded to an unknown call. The weapon opened a portal and went through it, landing in the continent of Afreon in response to the caller who at the moment was Alter.
“That is how we found Alter, in the middle of a battle with the basilisks. Meddling with the people of that dimension hoping to have a normal life before he was resolved and pushed to use the weapon heirloom.” I stopped. Letting the words sink into the air and into them before speaking again. “So to answer your question, Queen Betty, he is a human, a human who has capabilities of a Dragon and an Angel from the looks of it.”
A small smile of relief washed my face, letting the others in the room see my expression to realize that I was in fact saying the truth. A truth that was far from the real one but close enough to be understood like ones.
If in some way it were to get out that Alter is an Ancient Walker, it would spark a massive war between all dimensions and races. The bare fact that a single Ancient Walker is alive means the knowledge of having the power of chaos in their hands with just being alive.
Queen Betty was quiet for most of the time, like she was thinking of something that I couldn’t put my finger on, but one thing is for certain. Whatever the thoughts that are in her mind circling is about Alter, that I can promise.
After some more hours of talking, my mind seemed to have reached a point where the decision needed to be made. During the time that the Angel Queen asked me about Alter’s origin, I casted a telepathic spell to those who were not part of the Angel society–meaning Chuzeoth and Eugene–the only two who weren’t asleep or in an injury.
In that time, the elder dragon and the older sibling came to an agreement with this so-called ‘alliance’ that was proposed to us. That whatever was going on Ezar–whether it was good or not for the Empyrean nation of the Angels–we would leave immediately if there was something greater than a Marshal-rank.
When the timing was right, I spoke to Angel Queen Betty with a confident tone as a princess of the Dragon race. “Queen Betty, I think right now is the time to talk about our ‘alliance’ now that we know what is going on.” Then the room’s attention went to me, something that I was used to already but was nerve racking when it came to other races, specially Angels and the Angel Queen herself. “We, the dragons of Millguard have decided to accept your proposal of an alliance, but there is conditions to this alliance.”
Star Michael put a foot forward signaling his disagreement to this statement, even general Klyde did the same to express his own anger by putting his hand on the hilt of his weapon while releasing a huge amount of aura. General Chuzeoth noticed this as well as Eugene, both simultaneously called their dragon armor but held still.
Being part of the dragon race meant death anywhere and anytime, dancing with death was our momentum since the early ages and still is. If this agreement went wrong, fighting Angels–including the Angel Queen–meant nothing to us, fear of a fight was not in our definition of Millguards.
Hell, if Alter, who is human with dragon and angel powers still fought the strongest soldier of all angles without caring for the consequences, why couldn’t we do the same? I thought with my heart beating as fast as the Millguard army assembled when war was declared.
In fact, I was ready both mentally and physically for the fight to be unleashed, which meant that I was turning into a battle junkie like my mother back in her prime days. Relaxing my eyes that were dragged by one angel to another to end up on their leader, fixating in her eyes for the next movement of this ‘facade’. I raised my hand, telling the dragons who already had seconds away from using their core phase and their dragon form in order to destroy this flying temple and demolish it to the grounds with those in it, to stop and stand back.
The Angel did the same when she saw me do it, making the room more breathable and understandable. However, this was a…
“I accept those conditions if it means that the Millguards will be in alliance with us.” Spoke the Queen with a gentle voice, her hand reaching for the cup of tea that was served to us moments or hours before. Yet she thoughtlessly drank the cold tea without any complaint coming out of her but instead there was enjoyment in it. After she took another sip of tea before looking at me, “...So you knew.”
I shrugged it off, playing it as if I didn’t know at all. “You overestimate me, Queen Angel, but there wasn’t any hostility in the soldiers' emotions when it spilled into the air around us. Sure the aura being released made it hard to tell but I took a gamble.” I said, as I too grabbed the cup of cold tea and naively drank it. Angel Betty’s face of speechless words played as she saw this, forming a small smile that I was able to get a glance of. She truly was beautiful when she smiled, I said in my mind. Maybe she can be my sister in law if I just throw the right cards at Alter when he recuperates.