Over the skies of Xeris, the world burned as Daimen did battle with not one, not two, but fifteen Spirit lords. Scything winds tore through the skies with great fury, tearing apart space in their wake. Blazing blue fires burned holes in space as they sped toward him. A sea of shadows quickly crept in, threatening to suffocate him in its dark embrace; they also were supported by an equal measure of mist, which began locking down space; all the while, it also tried to slip through his defenses.

Daimen defended against this, and more. Star falls swept through the sky, missing the Spirit lords but burning through the command ships which were too slow to react. With one hand, he fired breaths of destruction, burning through both magical and physical shields. His other hand —with his spear—warded off a constant stream of close range attacks.

This battle had begun with Daimen at the top, and now they were on equal footing. But Daimen knew that eventually, this battle was going to turn against him. So he fought, fought with everything he had, putting his all. His will was draining fast. His energy reserves not far behind. He gave his all... And his all was thrown back at his face.

By now, his senses, drained as they were, were still focused on his opponents, pushing everything unimportant from his mind. The Solarian Emperor was utterly overbearing and dominating, certainly, but Daimen knew that the man wouldn't have been a problem had his pillars not been with him. Daimen was so tired that the only thing that kept him from just leaving was the fact that a karmic debt was owed, and damn him, he'd collect.

"Everyone calls you a savior, a messiah that'll save them from me, but we both know that that's not true, is it?" Solaris hissed, a colossal wall of fiery haze rising from behind him with as much intensity as a low tier Spirit lord's flame. "Look below at your handwork, at the millions eradicated... You are no hero, you're a villain."

Daimen didn't reply, his full concentration on the battle. He knew that a continuous battle in an open sky like this would definitely lead to his fall, so he timed his attempt just right, borrowing a combined hit from Solaris and Samon to propel him downwards. Daimen dipped his metaphysical hands into the essence of destruction running through the world and did something he hadn't ever tried before.

Like a monstrous beast, the head of a titanic dragon rose from behind him. It was hazy and leaked grey fog at the end of its neck, but it was still easily identifiable as a dragon. And like a dragon, its giant maw opened wide, and from it came a thick, giant breath of destruction. The Spirit lords that had been on his back a few seconds ago scattered like flies, fleeing in different directions. Daimen was about to direct the beam at them when he felt himself spiritually slapped, and the world was flooded with fiery energy.

Wary, he ported backward a few miles away. Solaris didn't chase. Instead, he hovered over a sea of roiling Sunfire essence, tendrils of flames licking gently at the atmosphere. His pillars hovered behind him over his domain, their confidence returned at the sight of Daimen's ragged features. He was already thinking of a last minute resort when space parted, and four figures stepped out.

Aelar looked just as he always did: Stoic and outwardly emotionless. However, this time Daimen detected a hint of something else, a sense of wariness in the man's aura as he regarded Daimen.

Yuseria wore an expression of both wariness and confusion, both directed at him. Her armored wings were spread wide as she turned towards the Solarian Pillars, a bow appearing in her hands.

Halar, the mad king, who was usually a very boisterous man, a contrast to the look most of the other great powers portrayed, was now calm and collected, a careful look in his eyes as he gazed intently at Daimen and then at Solaris.

However, it was the fourth person that actually drew the most attention. Grimnar Bareken, head of house Bareken. The only great family who was based underground, refusing most contact with anyone above ground. Last he'd heard, the man was staying away from this war. The only presence his house had in the war was simply to sell weapons to the others.

"Hiya, Solaris! I see you've been very active lately." The man waved.

Solaris nodded. "Grimnar."

"Nothing more to say? No witty insults for an old friend?" He pointed at Solaris' hammer which blazed with energy. "I made that hammer for you, Solaris. Not my apprentices, not my spawns. Me! And how am I being repaid? My home besieged by you and your abominations."

"Don't make me the villain here, Grim. If you and your ilks hadn't interfered in this continent the last time, this war wouldn't be happening."

Aelar moved forward. "We interfered because you were getting out of control and your hunger would have eventually seen eyes set on our territories." The man waved a gloved fist. "There is a way we do things, Solaris. You don't see us warring with each other for territories."

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Yuseria took on from Aelar. "We are content with what we have because having too much can sometimes be more of a detriment than a benefit."

Daimen's face immediately went cold, a sick feeling building up in his guts.

"We are the only ones still standing in this war, Solaris. The upstart powers of Camlen and Gandor are fallen or soon to be." Aelar continued. "If we continue this war, it will only cost us more in gold and men, things that could see us at a serious disadvantage when this whole debacle ends."

Solaris' eyes narrowed. "I will not be the loser in this war, Aelar."

"Who said you're going to be?" Grimnar said. "If this war continues as it is, I'll have to fully step in. That means my fresh legions will begin marching on for your capital. Look at it, Solaris, it's basically destroyed. You'll need a mountain of precious stones, irons, and a lot of gold to get all this back to how it was. And you can't do that when the five of us are charging down on you."

Daimen moved back, his hands tightening on his spear.

"Five?" Solaris' eyebrows rose. "What of the sixth?"

Grimnar shrugged. "Fyre has been pretty weak lately, and I'm not just talking about this war. The last grand war saw them with a devastating loss, a loss which has been continuously mirrored in this war. They lost their rights to this continent when they failed to hold it from you."

"And what of him?" Solaris jerked his head at Daimen, who was now brimming with fury. The four Heads turned towards him. They were wary, yes, but Daimen saw it as more of a passive thing than an active one. They didn't fear his ragged state now, they feared what he would become once this war was settled. Slowly, the four moved away from him towards Solaris, their backs turned towards the person they were fighting against a second ago.

"Frankly, we wanted you gone, Solaris. Your presence in this world is like a knife sharpening up to one day point at us. But a knife is something we can defend against. Worst case, you kill us and then our Kings descend on your true body up there, and then the Inferno's would have to step in. It's a huge loss for everyone." The dwarf then pointed his metallic staff at Daimen. "Him, on the other hand, is a nobody. An upstart. Someone who doesn't know his place. He challenges those who he has no right to even look up to, all because of some great affinity he has up his sleeve, an affinity he doesn't know how to use. Normally, I'd have suggested we force a Spirit oath on him, but I've seen a lot of crazy things happen this last hour to put any hope on that. So I say we rid ourselves of a pest who doesn't know which house it has gotten into."

Daimen didn't wait, he fled. He tore through space just as a red beam of Sunfire bore a hole through his right knee, tearing off the leg right at the knee. Daimen hissed in pain as he fled. He dug through his essence well and tried to channel the little life energy that he had into his legs, but was met with a splitting headache as his mental energy became insufficient to work such a powerful technique.

Daimen landed on the top of a mountain, and had to flee again as he detected another spatial incoming. He had enough mental strength for one more teleport, so he used it, appearing instantly in the middle of the hungry ocean. He took off immediately, flying with all his strength towards the south. He didn't know where he was going, only that he had to keep as much distance as possible from those backstabbers.

Truthfully, he shouldn't have been surprised. This world thrived on deals and benefits. Solaris had been a thorn in their side until Daimen came in. His strength, although untrained right now, had the potential to grow into something truly powerful in the future. And no matter how peaceful he might seem, those who'd been in power for millennials wouldn't want someone like that in their backyard. He should have expected this, and now he was going to pay the price.

That was the last thought he had before all the things he'd been keeping locked in burst out, and a sob choked up his throat. He had been arrogant, thinking of himself as some kind of special boy who couldn't be touched when truly, he was weak. He had thought that being personally powerful was enough to protect himself from people like this. Meanwhile, they had been planning on coming at him like sharks. Now he was going pay for it, and Keilan would too.

[I'm sorry Damien.] Gray said from beside him. [Powerful you might be, but you cannot fight against a greater number of Peak level Spirit lords when you're still a mid-tier. It's just not possible.]

"And I'm going to learn that lesson the hard way," Damien said dryly just as space tore about five miles behind and his pursuers stepped out. He grunted as an iron staff tore into his leg with enough force to spin him through the air. He gnashed his teeth a moment later as lightning slammed into the staff, flowing through it and into his body.

Gray's voice was the last thing he heard before he blacked out. [Who said you're going to pay anything?]

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"You have failed, Gray."

Gray stared at the enigma, Merak. He might not have been officially acquainted with the man, but beings at their level were already so skilled at intent that the common means of introduction were usually abandoned for a quicker way. With his intent, he read the man's origin, finding the parts the man left public and leaving the private ones alone.

[Do not question me on my job, Sapphire Master.] Gray hissed back.

"Your job?" The man's eyes burned with the equivalent power of a sun. "Your job?! You were given a simple task, a task which you've continuously failed woefully at! And now you tell me not to question your competence!" He stepped forward. "The Sapphire lords have tasked me with his protection, and trust me when I say, I will see it done."

This time, it was Gray's turn to take a threatening step forward. [Lest your lords forget, they weren't the ones who gave me this task, so therefore, they hold no authority over me. And also, let me inform you just in case you weren't made aware.

[There are beings who have a vested interest in the boy, Merak. Beings outside your comprehension. And unless you would like to be erased, you will loosen that obsessive diligence and let the boy handle his own problems. He doesn't need his problems handled for him.]

The man, Merak, took a deep breath, even though he hadn't needed to in uncountable years. "What will you tell him when he wakes?"

Gray turned towards the place where Damien was sleeping, peacefully and fully healed. "The truth... Atleast enough that it doesn't break him."