Chaos has always been and will forever be an undefinable mess. The only thing known about chaos is that it is unknown until it is no longer that.
To demonstrate; what you know falls in the circle of Knowledge, what you don't know falls in the circle of Ignorance. What you are ignorant about seems messy and is considered hard to grasp thus it gives you this sensation of chaos, however, what you understand even to a rough degree gives you a feeling that everything is in an orderly fashion.
But what do we truly know? Is Chaos everything we don't know? Is Order everything we are mentally capable of accounting for? Would this make both Chaos and Order a concept of illusion or would it make them a concept of reality?
Still, the most concerning question is; what does any of this have to do with this murder-hobo called Leon?
Let's ask one of the previous questions first, hypothetically of course. (Ask doesn't mean there will be an Answer)
What if Chaos was not just a concept of reality but actually something real?
If that is the case, wouldn't this make Chaos everything that is Dark, Unknown, Mysterious, and Complicated?
"You know I've already seen those questions before and know all the answers, don't you?" One said.
"You are the one who wanted to hear the story. At least hear it properly." Zero replied.
"But I don't care about the parts I know." (1)
"That's your problem." (0)
"Alright, just tell me what happened to Leon already. How did he blow up that cave entrance?" (1)
"Goodness! You still keep asking the non-important questions ahead of time." (0)
"Gimme answers, dammit! You're the one who said you'd tell the whole story properly." (1)
"The hell! Someone as well involved in Magic as you are should have already guessed it out." (0)
"The magic I use is profoundly different. Now explain." (1)
"Well, in order to bring down the tunnel, Leon used a simple Air Control spell." (0)
"… Are you taking me for a fool?" (1)
"Wha… I just told you… You remember that the whole point in Leon's magic is the fact that he uses Magic in ways that aren't meant to be used in." (0)
"I wasn't talking about that… You know what? Gimme that book." (1)
"Hey!" (0)
One extended his reach and forcefully took the book which Zero was reading from.
"Let's go back in time a few minutes, shall we?" (1)
***
The collapse was happening… but in reversed… so it was unhappening. Magic could be felt but unlike the time which was reversing itself, the Mana was flowing in a normal flow… which in this situation is something extremely bizarre.
*Snap*
"Ah! Motherfu… tsk!" Eleanor couldn't help but curse as she wasn't able to maintain her spell just now.
A 4th level spell known as Retro Vision which is classified under the Space-Time element. She wanted to see what happened inside the Darkness just a while ago but all she could detect are little to no details.
Magic happened, unusual for a Goblin. Air Magic, Air Pressure, Mana flowing Backwards.
How could anyone have such precise control over Mana?
"In conclusion, the cave entrance was brought down with a reversed pressure made of Air. It is as if the air was forcefully pulled out and released to create a shock wave… or Vacuum."
Someone creating a Vacuum with Air Magic? Now that that's a scary notion.
Eleanor wasn't able to accept the fact so easily since creating such a phenomenon would require a complete Ritual Formation bound by multiple wizards whose talents are higher than 100% and with the involvement of a Spirit no less… not just a spell cast without components even.
Maybe the cave was just too weak from the inside and the goblins' plan when wrong.
"Headmistress."
"Speak."
"We have found a set of footprints near the woods where the diseased knights went missing. There is a fresher set of the same print spotted leaving the collapse site."
"Good job." Eleanor nodded to the knight who reported that.
"Any order?"
"Have you dealt with any Goblins nearby?"
"In one mile square. We have eliminated all the monsters but we may have missed those who are really good at stealth." The knight replied.
"That's understandable. Stealthy monsters pick the stray. Keep the work in packs."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Eleanor has just taken command of the situation 10 minutes ago and she made everything function like clockwork. Behind her, the students were split into two groups; those who were fascinated by the Headmistress, and those who sided with the Crown Prince who kept to himself in a clear silent tantrum.
"This won't end quietly."
Strange enough, this is what both the Prince and the Archduchess had in mind.
"I will go around and follow the trail. Something's telling me the Goblins surely has a back entrance to their Den." Eleanor said as she informed the gathered students.
"If the Headmistress allows it, I would like to spearhead any resistance from the Goblins' side once the entrance here is cleared." At that moment, the Prince made his move as well.
"Do what you see fit." She replied.
Both had clear innocent smiles yet behind those faces, they laughed like cunning foxes.
Eleanor didn't give Edward just one chance to screw up but also an opportunity for another. Meanwhile, he was thinking of how to solve his previous mess up by crushing whatever Eleanor was planning.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
With a simple hand movement, Eleanor touched her left shoulder and behind her dress, two soft Combat Wings appeared. They fluttered softly as she started rising gradually through the air and moved towards the thick forest.
Just that move was enough to cause a stir among the students.
"Those combat wings? The Blue Moon Wings!"
"Awesome. Those are the famous Wings from the stories."
"The wings used by [Reign], right? The only mercenary company that carried a royal insignia just because a princess was a member of its ranks."
"Such grace!"
It caused a stir indeed but the most negative one was with the one Eleanor was meaning to cause.
"If you have time to talk, start busying yourself with clearing the entrance and get ready for a fight!" Prince Edward shouted as he had to seize this opportunity while it lasts.
***
Bringing down the cave while the others were busy was just a part of a big twisted plan.
Leon himself had no idea what that plan is but one thing is for certain here, he is still not back to his normal.
How does it feel to always be drowning in bad thoughts and negativity? It is not as depressing as it sounds but it can only be thought of as some form of slumber, sleepwalking or rather… sleep-massacring.
What caused him to fall into that trance is something rather mysterious to him but deep inside, he was really going to leave the forest… leave everything behind… maybe just escape from it all and take his time recovering in some countryside.
But how is he back again massacring humans and goblins like there's no tomorrow?
It all became weirder when he returned once again to the back entrance of the Goblin Den and slid in.
He slowly came back to his senses. Not fully but gradually. He had a shortsword in hand and a muddy pathway ahead of him filled with dirt and filth.
Some sort of a cave, maybe.
The steps he took started to make sound and attracted beings of sharp senses towards him. Since the collapse happened, these beings were nervous and unable to think straight thus their first action was to move towards the first anomaly.
They ran, they looked around, they searched, they sniffed. Goblins like to operate in groups especially in pairs, one for eyes and another for tails. The eyes' role is to scout and look, the tails' role is to run away and bring reinforcement.
Leon knew that and for some reason, he has clarity in his strategy.
Kill the tail first and they eye second.
Goblins are also really good at perceiving the world around them especially inside their dens. There is one weakness though…
Just as a pair of Goblins passed a certain wall, two hands came out of the wall, held their necks and with frightening power, the goblins' throats were crushed by a horrifying technique.
Leon squeezed the life out of those goblins with this hand technique which is considered a forbidden Martial Art move. Looking at how distorted the necks of the goblins have become, there is no use denying how dangerous this martial technique is.
Leon walked out of the wall as he was camouflaged into it using a mixture of Earth Magic and covert tactics.
And he went in further and further. The fact that he annihilated almost thirty goblins since he entered the den was a great thing accomplishment worthy of a…
< LEVEL UP! (17 → 18) >
< Thanks to your training efforts, your base Agility grows up by 1 >
< Thanks to your training efforts, your base Perception grows up by 2 >
< [Heresy Resistance] Level Up (2 → 3) >
Slowly, he became more adept and aware of his actions. His objective, however, was still driving him.
He walked in deeper and the cave started to become more spacious. Even his confrontation with the goblins became more direct this time since he started feeling something he was getting closer to.
"Gather! Protect the Totem! Gather, warriors! Intruder!"
Inside the cave's inner sanctum was a Goblin who stood a head taller than the rest of his kind. It carried signs of old age and wore what seemed to be like the bones of various creatures, a Goblin Shaman.
While a cliche, the ritualistic practitioners of the Goblins grow into shamans who possess superior intelligence and higher Strength. They are also not adept spellcasters or anything of the sort but rather practitioners or Blood Magic, a type of sorcery that uses sacrifices to perform some magic seals and spells.
The Darkness Spell which shielded the entrance of the Goblin Den before the collapse was something like that too.
As Leon stood behind a corner he could see the Goblin Shaman clearly gathering what remained of its tribe around itself to use them as meat shields. Looking further into the cave chamber, Leon could even see part of the Darkness spell being emitted from some sort of construct and around it were several corpses of goblins. From what he could tell, these were ritualistic sacrifices to activate the Darkness spell.
"Hurry! Gather more. Defend the place. Together!"
Leon could feel his blood rushing as it is the moment before he kills but he had that side objective in mind now that he could see the source of the Darkness spell.
"Read!"
< Analyzing… 1% … 23% … 78% … 100% >
< Analysis Complete! >
< [Shadow Magic Lv.1] has been added to your Status >
< You have learned [Shadow Magic - Darkness] >
Space-Time, Earth, Air, Light, and now Shadow. The fifth element for Leon to acquire was the most disturbing of them all, the power of the abyss itself.
Leon felt a profound sensation from the element more than anything before. Not just was he trapped in a dark cave but he now felt this darkness around him.
Thanks to the fact that he learned about Light Magic early on, Leon understood that Shadow is not just the absence of Light but also everything it is not especially when it comes to the nature of Mana.
< You have learned [Shadow Magic - Shadow Control] >
He understood it way too fast to the point where he revealed a spell by himself in a matter of seconds.
It was all true; if the Light is the energy that gives life and warmth then the Shadow is where death and emptiness lurk. In theory, this means that the shadows possess a negative to draw out energies and dissipate them away or rather… leech on them.
< You have learned [Shadow Magic - Leech] >
Like nothing before and as if he found a match, Leon's mind entered a state of enlightenment. If there is an explanation for this situation, it would be that the Shadow Element and the Chaotic state of mind he was in shared the same origin.
Still, easy come easy go. Leon couldn't keep the enlightenment up to those few seconds before it slipped off his mind along with the remainder of Chaos.
Who remained now was Leon, a fully functioning one back to his consciousness. Leon realized that instead of escaping, he made trouble with the Prince.
"Fuck!"
He took out the Goblin mask off his face right away and backed away after throwing it as far as he could.
"Aak! Aakakakkk!"
His actions not only startled him but attracted the goblins as well. Sadly, he can no longer see near the Darkness spell without the mask.
"Fucking hell! Not now."
Violently, Leon took what remained of the Light Mana he stored and laughed it towards the Goblins with a strong flash.
"AAAK!"
"KAAAA!"
"RKAKA!"
The monsters went blinded immediately and Leon was given the chance to recover his cool. Immediately, he didn't give the goblins a room and cut the two near him with a single sword strike.
The other goblins started screaming but there was no use other than blindly rushing at the lone hunter. If he is surrounded, even monsters know that this may save them.
*Swish* *Swoosh*
But to no avail, Leon didn't give them the chance to close the distance and used his sword and throwing knives from his storage to prevent himself from being outnumbered.
Three more goblins died, four remained and they realized that there was no way they could defeat this human anymore. The shaman pushed his last three soldiers towards Leon and suddenly ran the other way.
"Fuck off!"
With simple movements, Leon sent off the Goblins and chased after the shaman that was mindlessly running towards a rock trying to pull it away. Before it could even do anything, Leon kicked it from the back against the rock and held the goblin from its head.
"Kiss the rock."
*Thud* *Crash*
Without evening having the chance to harness any magic, the Goblin Shaman was killed almost immediately leaving behind nothing but a motionless corpse and Leon holding his chest from the pain as he seemed to be going through something… something very unnatural.
*Goodness!"
Leon finally dropped to his knees.
He remembers everything he did so far but he felt as if he was… a puppet… a drone on autopilot.
He was acting as if he was programmed.
"The Ring!" He thought, "It must be it."
Immediately, he summoned the Ring of Horus in his hand and tried to take it off seriously this time. Whatever magic or nonsense it gives him, it can now manipulate him.
This is not worth it, none of it is.
Still, the Ring is impossible to be removed.
"DAMMIT!"
Frustrated, Leon tried to set his priorities straight but he failed yet again. He looked around for a way out but just as he was about to trace his way back, he started looking around the altar where the Darkness spell was being maintained.
The altar had a lot of bones gathered around a skull that belongs to what seems like a very evil-looking creature. Just to be safe, Leon kicked the content off the altar for the spell to gradually fade.
Now that this was taken care of, he could now see more parts of the cave, especially the rock where the Goblin Shaman was running towards.
An exit, maybe.
Leon headed towards it, held the rock well, and used all the force of his body to leave it away with the help of some Earth Magic to topple it to the side. As expected, there was a goblin-sized tunnel behind it.
"Light!"
Leon immediately aimed his Light Element towards the deep crack in the cave down the goblin hole.