Fantasy [Private] El Stories

[MementoDei]

Darhan​

He met in a nearby pub with a bard who looked just like him. They exchanged a brief gaze and sat together, with their guitars at hand.

"Wow. I'm impressed with the power of the Goddess. Are you going to do something about the voice?"

Darhan nodded. "Of course."

The bard finished his pint of ale and chuckled. "I heard that you can sing very well, but that isn't what you're looking for, is it?"

The bard was right, he needed to pass undetected and copy, as much as he could, every habit of his doppelgänger. It wasn't the first they had met in this place, where no one knew them and where everyone was far too drunk to notice them amidst a crowded bar. The people danced, laughed loudly and, after an exchange of a bag of gold, one of the bards went away through a small hidden door that lead to the stables.

He took his horse and took his route north, just as planned.

The barman made a waitress look for the foreigner bard to enter the scene. The singer of band that was playing before got hit by a wooden cup, the crowd was growing angrier. The blonde waitress found the bard at his usual place, with his guitar at hand. She called him to enter the scene and the silent man nodded, got up to fulfill his job. He had a slightly different aura to him, but the scared waitress only felt it for an instant.

Once on stage, the bard sat down and began to play a few notes on his guitar. One by one, the drunk guests and even the barman began to pay attention to the mysterious man who had taken the place of the weak singing skeletons from before.

"Hear, you mortal children, this tale of an old time" The few fights that were breaking out suddenly stopped and those who were about to take another taste of their drink, decided to stop to take a good look to the newcomer who had taken the small wooden scene.

"Where a noble woman prayed to the moon until the sun came up.
With her cries she begged that, as soon as the dawn came, she would marry her love."

Some people in the crowd knew that the bard was going to sing a series of poems inspired on old legends. Yet, they were taken back to their childhood, where those stories could still make them shed tears of joy and feel goosebumps from the tragedy that was about to be told.

" 'You will have your loved one, dark-skinned girl,'
Said the Silver full moon from above.
'But in exchange I ask for the first fruit of your love:
Only your first-born son.' "

Some young and old ladies in the audience began to feel their hearts slowly tear themselves apart. The young ones, because of the woman's bravery, and the old ones because of the hidden pain that the choice represented.

" 'If you love so madly, to fight your own fate,
You won't be a caring mother.' "

The young ladies were a bit shocked by how the Moon was reacting, while the old sadly nodded to the harsh truth. The guitar notes went in a crescendo before the refrain kicked in, impressing all the more the audience:

"Moon, you wish to be a mother, but you won't find the love that will give you a child
Tell me, Oh, Silver sovereign, what do you want from a son that is made out of flesh?"

The bard became the second voice of the guitar with a few melodic "ah". Those where the cries of the noble young woman that would make a terrible mistake. For a second the guitar stopped and the refrain ended with a grim sentence.

" The Spawn of the Full Moon."

The guitar resumed its calm notes, but the audience was no longer soothed by this, they were intrigued and some even scared to know how the song would unfold.

"From a pink-haired soldier, a child was born
With long silver hair: the mark of the Full Moon
With a bright golden gaze, instead of purple.
It was the first Son of the Stars."

The bard almost whispered the last sentence, making some men wonder if the son of the Moon would grow to become an evil man. With the blood of a warrior and with the blessing of the sky, anything was possible at this point. Those who passed nearby were curious to see that the pub was oddly quiet, but as soon as they heard the guitar, they went to their homes and fell asleep almost instantly.

" 'Damn his strange looks, This is no son of mine!
And I won't remain quiet.' "

The voice was full of contained anger and even venomous, many felt their throats tighten. The tragedy was unavoidable now. The refrain came back, like a bad omen that made some couples grab each other's hands in fear of what would happen next.

" The Knight who was blinded by his own grief,
Came close to his wife, with his sword at hand "

Many put their hands over their mouths, paralyzed by the cruel act that was about to take place, while the young women began to cry.
" 'Whose son is this? You have betrayed my love!'
And his blade pierced her heart.
Then, he climbed the mountain, carrying his own son, and left him near a stream "

Some began to whisper their relief to know that the child was allowed to live, while others were confused by the odd mercy the pink-haired Knight showed to the Spawn of the Full Moon. The refrain came back, just like a prayer, and reminded everyone that the true loving parent of the child was still alive. The moon would surely guide someone to come near the stream and adopt him.

It was the only hope they still had.

" And during the nights where the moon watches,
She'll ask the oceans to bring back her son
And the Child of the Sea, torn but obedient, will bring the heir to the Sky.
And the Child of the Sea, torn but obedient, will bring the heir to the Sky."

The last notes of the guitar left them with the relief they needed. To those who knew the poems, they thought that the bard had left out many important details of the story, such as the name of the Child of the Sea, or the reason why she was torn to give back the Spawn of the Moon. However, the performance had been so mesmerizing that they wanted to go to sleep and dream of the High tides brought by the full moon. The legend said that, during those days where the ocean would swallow the land, the son of the Moon was on his way to meet his mother. The audience applauded and they soon got out of the pub way earlier than they used to.

Under normal days, the barman would be unhappy about it, but he was also feeling very tired and he thanked the foreigner that had performed such an poignant song. He told the man to go back to inn, because the pub was now officially closed and, with a nod, the bard acknowledged the order.

Once outside, a silver-haired man, dressed as a priest approached him.

"I will accompany you from now on, if you don't mind."

The bard sighed. "What a mismatched duo we're gonna be, Ain. A priest and a bard...It's not very subtle. Even for keeping an eye on the world."

"Do not worry about my appearance, I can also change it to my will." Ain replied before changing his outfit to one that of a travelling actor.

The bard raised an eyebrow. "You look better in those than in the clothes of a warrior."

"Well, thank-"

"It was not a compliment."

Both of them began to walk down the path that would lead them to their next stop, with enough luck, they would get there in less than two weeks.

 

[Late]

Cornelius
​

"...you got to be kidding me..." Cornelius stared down at a number of puppet dolls laying in front of him and scattered further away. In the middle of this was a larger looking puppet clown who was staring at the dragon.

He managed to figure out a way he can return back to the city yet, unfortunately, his road was blocked. Cornelius perked up his head to look around the puppet to see that the bridge behind it was destroyed. The dragon then lets out an annoyed grunt and was about to turn away, his news about Eosforos was more urgent than fighting this strange puppet. Yet when he turned around, the puppet threw out a fire magic which caused Cornelius to jump away from it.

"Don't test me, puppet," Cornelius snapped in anger at the crazy puppet who only gave him a wide grin. If he had his wings, he would've flown up easily and get to Velder faster. Not to mention that magic was his weakness...he wasn't sure on what he should do. Though after staring at the puppet hard enough, Cornelius let out a low growl and puffs of smoke escaped from his nostrils. "Fine then, have it your way..."

Eosforos
​

After talking with his group of demons, they made a plan between them. The news about Xavier rejecting the dark el was interesting yet it limits their time. Some of the demons mentioned how Joaquin was not aware of how many had left him which was perfect for Eosforos as he needs someone to gather information from the enemy's side. As for the others, Eosforos asked them a favor to search around for a black dragon. Cornelius disappearance made him curious, not sure if the dragon died or simply got lost. He asked them to only search and report back whenever they are able to.

"We can meet up every other day...no...I don't want to look suspicious whenever I leave the city...perhaps we can set up an area where humans and demons are less likely to walk through."

They took the majority of the day to find themselves a good spot where it can be easily accessed and not likely to be found. When they found an area, Eosforos briefly laid down some rules about him and his connections with the demon king. He doesn't want rumors to spread too far and was afraid that the demons might get out of hand whenever the demon king is mentioned. The angel as well asked them to not mention him by his name but a different one that they can agree with. It didn't take them long to agree on "the morning star". He didn't disagree with it or made any comments. Eosforos mentioned how he doesn't want to come by every day, but rather make his visits random. The demons decided to have a lone soldier stay and they can shift position whenever in which the angel felt comfortable with. Eosforos eventually decided they were done talking for today. They have plans for Joaquin and the rest of his men but it was uncertain when the human army will be ready to move out. He bid them a good night before starting to head back.

When he reached the gate, Eosforos realize that he never had his chance to practice around with his sword. The angel sighed as he absently swings his sword around in his hands and perked up when he saw Elesis still training in an empty area that wasn't too far from the city.

"Hm...I wonder how well I'll do against the commander...not to mention that she probably needs help without the use of fire magic," Eosforos said to himself. He wasn't tired and the day was still young for now. In another hour the sun will really start to set and bring different shades of color to the sky. He is willing to spar for a good hour. The angel went ahead to walk towards the knight's position, giving himself a mental reminder to not roll up his sleeves. He also hopes to know when they will start moving out.

"Commander Elesis, I see that you are working hard here to make your promise a true one," Eosforos greeted her. "I appreciate it, truly I do. I need some practice as well, I am tired of being in bed for my leg to heal up. Right now, I am all better now and I am hoping you'll be my sparring partner for the next hour. I'm sure the air is a good opponent but I assure you that I am better." He grinned at her, amused by his own humor.

MementoDei

 

[Phant0m]

It was a month later that the training started to really get to Phantom.

Lento blocked another attack, and Phantom growled and he quickly got out the man's range. The amber scythe blade that was glowing on the pole dulled when he used his mana to Coat accomplish the feat. He imagined a direct line of his mana flowing through his hands on to the pole again, and the blade returned to its bright glow. Phantom got Touch down no problem, it made a lot of sense to him when applied to trying to Materialize his scythe. It was the same as if he was using Xiopetec's mana to get his scythe. It was Connection that was one of the biggest struggles of the day. He'd been trying to Connect the fire element to his scythe since that element felt the best suited for a fight to him...but after getting hit around by Lento all day with barely a spark, the priest wondered how the fuck he was gonna get all three of those skills down on top of trying to focus on a fight.

You'll be fine, Dust said, You can handle doing all three at once, he said.

Phantom did not feel fine.

The priest despised the pole he was given to spar with. The metal wasn't the right weight, and it wasn't the right balance for him. Xiopetec insisted that he took the pole offered instead of his usual staff.

You've worked so hard to get here without my mana...I'm afraid I'll undo all of that unintentionally. Besides, you need a new staff anyway. That one doesn't suit you anymore, Xiopetec convinced her priest.

Oh how he missed his old staff, and he gave it a glare as it was stuck in the ground beside Dust and Yullr as they observed the fight.

He took a deep breath, twirled the pole in his hands and changing how he held it in his hands for the millionth time. It felt better now at least and his hands were more spread out, but he grit his teeth at how awkward the hold was to him. "Concentrate," He hissed under his breath as he materialized the scythe blade again, and he circled Lento. He tried to imagine a lick of flames seeping into the link he made in order to get the scythe but only a brief spark appeared on the blade. "Fuck it," Phantom finally snapped as he made the blade disappear and just had the pole caught on fire before vaulting it at Lento.

The flames extinguished as it flew through the air once Phantom lost his focus on it, missing Lento enough that he didn't really need to dodge. "I've been at it with that stupid pole all day, I have Touch down. I'm about ready to just fight Lento hand to hand!"

Fume MementoDei

 

[MementoDei]

Elesis ​

She was glad to see that her comrade was doing fine, even more so after practicing and perfecting her swordsmanship once more. "I hope your leg is not hurting you anymore, Eosforos. I have a hard time not taking seriously any fight, even a friendly spar."

She smiled back at him and readied herself for a duel. Her long and agile claymore was light, just enough to make her able to wield powerful flames attacks while slashing down her opponents.

However, she had been practicing for days to use her melee attacks to her full potential, besides, she wouldn't ever think of burning the wings of the blonde angel.

Even if it was his biggest advantage in combat, even if, somehow, he presented himself as the enemy...

No, that would never happen.

She dashed towards the angel and swung her blade towards the angel, looking to slice his torso from his legs. It was an open attack, any soldier would be able to parry it, but that was the most important thing. She wouldn't fight him as an enemy, he was...only an ally.

Late

****
Lento​

He raised an eyebrow at Phantom's reckless attitude, and he couldn't help a chuckle to escape from his amulet.
"You wish to fight like a man, I see. Well, let's see how well you do." He said as he intentionally cracked his fingers and his neck.

Instantly, the rage in Phantom's face transformed into fear, he had finally realized who was the one he challenged to a hand-to-hand duel. However, just as he said "How about you-" Lento used magical coating to leap towards him and hit him hard in the stomach with a powerful punch.

The priest bent in two and coughed to catch his breath. Lento crouched to face the priest's gaze, who was already begging for mercy "I didn't feel any strong muscles, Phantom. Only your guts, or your fat. Have you really been training hard? 'Cause it doesn't seem like it."

Phantom's eyes filled with defiance, but before he could hit him back, Lento closed his mana field around him and Phantom's punch hit the hard surface of his defensive tool without even scratching it.

"That's it? Did you even try to use what you've learned to get through this weak barrier?" He said as the priest stood back up, still recovering from his first hit. "Good, you got back on your feet. Now, show me how you would stand as a warrior." Phantom put put one feet before the other to create enough momentum to power a series of punches. Lento's barrier stood them all, until he saw some stains of blood dirty it.

"My barrier is not a goddamn punching bag! And your stance is the worst!" He yelled before kicking Phantom's legs, putting the priest on the ground in less than two seconds. This time, he used less mana to avoid breaking Phantom's legs. The priest tried to get up again, but, by this point, Lento had seen enough.

"I respect your will power, but you accepted a bad fight. Phantom. Knock it off." He punched the priest's face, making his nose bleed. The priest was still conscious, but the hit had probably made him too dizzy to even think of getting up once more. Lento glanced at Dust.

"I'm sorry, Dust. I...got a little carried away."
Phant0m Fume

****
Ain​

He followed Darhan across the night sky and, after two days of flight, they arrived by a cave, where parts of a Nasod and many human corpses laid on the entrance.

"Are we here too late?" Ishmael's son asked.
"No." The bard played a few notes and, from the darkness, a few Kenaz appeared and warmly welcomed him. They flew by him and whispered in a language Ain couldn't understand.

"Looks like we'll discover a nice surprise, Ain. Hide in your spiritual form, you'll be my backup." With those words, the bard disappeared along the fire fairies. Ain knew that Darhan had enough time to prepare to nearly anything, but he still thought that his mother had given him a suicidal mission.

****
Darhan​

He discreetly used the magic of the Kenaz to hide his presence. All elementals, under the right hands, could function as the ultimate stealth spell. He unlocked the doors leading to the lowest level of the dungeon and found the one he was looking for.

"Xavier. They've done horrible things to you..." He extended his hand to liberate him, but he felt something different about Xavier's aura. "The dragon..."
A smile curled his lips. "Well, well....isn't this a pleasant surprise?" he thought.

The barrier that held back the dragon was weakening. A small push would be enough. Ishmael wouldn't know, and as long as she had Xavier back in her kingdom, a tiny mistake could be blamed on the demons' side.

Once he broke the barrier that separated Perkisas' soul from Xavier's, he opened a portal towards Ishmael's kingdom and put Xavier behind the heavy doors.

Step one was done.
Late

 

[Fume]

"He deserved it. Getting too cocky against another fighter is bound to happen, specially if he's has some experience in him." He replied back while just tapping on his shoulder as he passed through him. "Though I have to admit, I'm sure that you got some pointers out of me. Not sure if that's for the best in your case." He commented as he grabbed Phantom with one hand and let some mana infused with the element of light pass onto the kid, slowly healing his wounds.

"Guess it's part of my fault. You aren't used to that pole, so of course you'll feel a out of it. Hmm..." He thought to himself as he stared at the priests old staff, it still had Xiopetec's divine energy, but it was slowly dissipating.

"Samael, grab me the kids staff." His chains shot out and grabbed the staff, before pulling it back for him. "Thanks." He looked at it and silently muttered a spell that sealed the power of Xiopetec into a small gem. "This way, you won't interfere with his progress." He grabbed the gem and put it on his pocket for now.

"I'll make sure your staff is better, but if you pull another one of that mood, Lento is the least of your problems kid. Remember, I'm still using all 5 chains to keep myself from hurting the 3 of you." He looked visibly scared by hearing that.

"Now then..." He let go of the staff as it floated in the air before the end touched the ground. "I haven't done something like this in a decade, but tell me if it's to your liking."

A long mana force started to gather around the staff, giving off a light blue light from it. Once Phantom was good enough, he gave him a blood bead and told him to suck on it.

As he put his hands hovering on the sides of the staff, various symbols started to flutter around the staff, making it's form change. First, he made it so that it was longer, by what he saw him using on the pole, he prefers long curved blades, probably a scythe wielder is what he'll become.

Next, he changed the look of the fuchsia gem.

"I bestow upon you Light, to heal and show the way to others. I bestow upon you Nature, for life will flourish upon your travels. I bestow upon you Fire, to incinerate your foes and give the warmth of your flame to the poor. With these words of mine, this gem will not only gain all three of these elements, but the mana around it shall flow in union with it's user. Converge into one and become the instrument for a bright new tomorrow." As he finish his enchantment with the ancient tongue, the gem grew in size and the colors of light blue, light green, light red and white flowed in a unified tone.

Next was the placement of the gem, which he decided it would be on top, but a bit to the back, so that the mana blade could connect to it easily. The coils then ran down, giving the staff details, like snakes moving around and a path way towards the gem.

To give some more adjustments, he made some space so that the person wielding this staff could firmly plant their hands, enough space to move them and giving it a small chain at the end, to symbolize his creation.

Finally, he put two enchantments on it.

"Heed me spirit of mana. Let this staff be a proxy for your power to run as the original has before. May you let anyone that makes this catalyst of yours be strong and understandable." He spoke once more in the ancient tongue, only this time shortened the incantation.

"You that has peered into ancient knowledge, you that has mastered techniques long ago, you that finally understands the concept of hardships. I give you my blessing, for you are man and I am warrior. Never again shall you fear when I am with you, never again shall you anguish when you are alone. We are one now, I am a weapon and you are my user. For this point forward I shall come to you, just utter my name..." He spoke from the ancient demon language, this enchantment was meant to bind ones weapon to themselves. It's easier this way to summon a weapon, than to always carrying it.

After giving that last enchantment, he let the flow of power slowly decrease until a beautiful, silver long staff was floating midair. It was pulsating with power just from looking at it.

"It's done, kid. Grab it and test it out for yourself." He finished the last touch as he put the sealed gem with Xiopetec's power at the very end of the staff. "And don't forget to name your weapon, that way it'll be easier to carry it around. And absorb that mana sphere by the end of this week, or else you can kiss those benefits goodbye."

Phant0m MementoDei

 

[MementoDei]

Ain​

Once Darhan reappeared from the darkness, he knew that he had done exactly what Ishmael wanted. There was one thing that bugged him. He followed the undercover angel and, after an hour of silence, he asked what had been eating his curiosity away.
"Dar-"
"Don't use that name here. We don't know who might be hearing us."
"...ok. I'm just curious how you managed to fulfill the first step so fast. It's just mind-boggling."

Darhan turned towards him and used his Projection magic to hide their presence and their voices. He sat down and gestured Ain to do the same so they could face each other. Whatever he was about to tell him, it would be a long tale.

"You really are quite the curious child, aren't you, Ain?"
Ain squinted his eyes, unsure about the hidden meaning of Darhan's words. The elf disabled his disguise, revealing his silver hair, amber eyes and long ears. For someone that relied on Ishmael's own power, Ain was baffled by how Darhan's hair and eyes had resisted the changes Ishmael's magic imposed on most angels. Neither of those physical traits had turned blue or green.

"Do you remember that demon girl we kept prisoner, your dear sister, Cai Er? She was my entry ticket to a pact with the demon kin."

"Mother wouldn't allow you to-"

"Your mother, my goddess, sold her to eliminate your father. You know how much she hates everything and everyone she can't control and that she hasn't seen for some time. It's has something to do with her past, I believe. She didn't tell me anything beyond having to deal with some traitors infiltrated her followers after she left them alone for some time. It was a long time ago. In any case, I'm here to fulfill her will. Demons, angels, humans, elves...She told me that she didn't mind who I used to achieve her plan. You heard her yourself, I believe. You were there, physically. Maybe your mind wasn't there to remember it."

Ain frowned, he didn't like the hostile attitude Darhan showed to him, but considering that he had accidentally broken all the flasks in his laboratory while he was looking for his pendulum during a night of debauchery, he understood the man's anger. Apparently, he had passed centuries during his old life trying to complete those potions and his loss was too great. He did remember what Darhan was talking about; he just never expected him to make such a bold move.

"Despite some...unfortunate accidents caused by a clumsy prince that is right in front of me, I was able to find the way to find a way to seal a deal with the demons. They're stuck in Hamel, they can't defeat the Red Knights in one strike and the Knights can keep a siege for a long time. They want to invade other places, and Feita was a fiasco. So, their last hope to rush their plans was to get Velder to their knees. Unlike Hamel, Velder is a town of wood. Perfect for Kenaz to thrive, and they can control flames beautifully."

"What would mother gain from helping the demons? They'd corrupt the El and weaken her in the end."

"Do you think Ishmael is the goddess of the Pure El?"

"Well...she is the goddess of the El, so I think she's stronger when the El remains pure."

Darhan chuckled. "You're too naive, Ain. Ishmael is a very powerful goddess who can separate parts of her conscience into the El whenever she wants to. She can see almost everything that's happening around any El shard. The El is being used in the demon world, it's getting corrupted in the human realm, yet Ishmael isn't looking very sick, is she? She's a bit paranoid, I'll admit it, but certainly not weak in this moment. You've seen her power for yourself, back in your father's world, haven't you? You were only saved by an ancient goddess of another realm she can't control, if it weren't for that, your head would be rolling along with your sister's in that dimension."

"What do you intend to do, Darhan?"

"I have only one goddess and one mission. You want me to explain twelve years of planning, I'm giving it to you because you're Ishmael's heir. Now, where was I..." Darhan lowered his gaze and after a second of silence as he collected back his thoughts. "So I summoned the Kenaz to help the demons, but I kept them as my closest informants. They obey only one master and that is me. The other dark elves and demons believe they got their control over them because they obey their orders, but that's only because I gave my Kenaz that order. But only being allies with the demons isn't enough."

"So that's why you went in and out in secret to the human realm during the past two years. Or for the past month in the human realm. You got enough time to meet that bard you swapped places with. But to convince him so fast, you had to have met him before, maybe when you were still alive."

"Yes. And he was my gate to the some other crucial people among the Knights defending Velder. Bards are very social people, just like merchants and the people he led me to were glad to cooperate against Ishmael's enemies. I also tried to contact one of my old friends, but he was unreachable. And I seriously can't figure out what that guy wants half of the time, anyway."

"Wait...so you don't think Eos-"
"I have no concrete lead or proof of what he's looking for. For now, he's innocent of any real crime. Including treason."

"But you plan to find the information, don't you?"
Darhan nodded. "And now you know I have multiple ways of getting the information I want. I don't need to rush things too much from now on, we've put him in a very tight spot right now."

"And how did you find out his link with Xavier?"

"He was very...insistent about having him as a disciple. Once Ishmael began pointing fingers at him after the dragon died, it wasn't hard to deduce for her, and for me, that Xavier is very important in his plans. Xavier had a close link with the dragons. If he destroys that link, he can unbalance his mind and prove that he's the only person Xavier can rely on...and with one stone he'd hit two birds."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Ishmael knows a bit of where he comes from, and one thing that she is sure of is that, if it were possible, Eosforos would like to erase a great deal of his past from history books. Lower class glitters had no way to know the way to infiltrate Velder without a little help from the inside and, oddly, they only targeted a dragon. With a safe route to get in and out, they could've tried to get something more out of it, like injuring a general, assassinate the King or kill the guards at the entrance to help their troops crush their enemies. But they only injured a dragon. It's rather odd, isn't it?"

"Hmm....if you put it that way, it is." Ain answered, crossing his arms. The more he thought about it, the more he was disgusted by both angels' strategies. He frowned and whispered. "It's absolutely disgusting..."

 

[Late]

Eosforos​

Eosfóros stared at Elesis as she went forward for an open attack. He raised an eyebrow at her choice of target and bring up his own sword. He saw no need to dodge as he lifts up his sword horizontally to block out the attack. His own claymore was made out of the toughest metal and proved to be a bit heavy with sharp edges. Elesis’ sword clashed against his in which his sword vibrated in reaction. The angel took this chance to counterattack, not giving Elesis another chance to throw in another slash and he pushed her sword back away from him as he has two hands on the handle. As Elesis starting to take steps back, Eosfóros’ claymore glowed faintly and the angel threw in his attack. The knight held up her sword in defense yet his attack was significant heavy compared to her’s. It forced her to be pushed back against the strength.

“Commander, I don’t want you to go too easy on me,” Eosfóros said. Though knowing that Elesis doesn’t want to truly hurt him made him smile. It seems to him that he earned her trust. “It’s actually pretty adorable for you to go for an open attack like that. Come on, at least show me what you’re made of without the use of fire magic.”

It took awhile for Elesis to feel confident enough to go tougher on her ally. This time around her next attack was more difficult for Eosfóros to deal with but he was happy that she was willing to least give her most. The angel had to block again and dodge away from the other swipe which she was quick to deliver. He grinned at her determination and start to deliver slashes of his own, pushing back Elesis with his strength. Eosfóros didn’t want to cut her so whenever he believed he was pushing too hard, he eventually eased up and allowed Elesis to clash right back at him with her sword.

They kept going at it for a good while, Eosfóros learning more about her strength and tactics as Elesis was familiar with his sword’s ability to make powerful counterattacks. It wasn’t long that Eosfóros felt a strange sense of tiredness and messed up with one of his strikes with an unsteady balance. Elesis didn’t let this opportunity fly at all, using this moment to clash her sword against his with such force that Eosfóros’ sword was snapped out of his hand as he was unable to hold back. The knight proceeds to shove him, forcing him to fall to the ground.

Eosfóros let out a grunt of surprise, coughing slightly as his contact with the ground picked up the dirt dust. He looked up at Elesis who had her sword pointed at him. He took a glance around to see his sword was scattered away from arm's length. It looks like the commander was completely exhausted as she was breathing hard and sweating as well. Same goes for the angel but he had to get one more in for himself.

Before the commander could say a word to him, Eosfóros swiped his leg over Elesis’ and she ends up falling down to the side, dropping her sword in surprise. Maybe unfair as it was unexpected but Eosfóros sat up with a pleased smile and picked up her own sword as she grunted from falling on the hard ground.

“I think we need a break,” Eosfóros said with a smile, looking down at Elesis with her sword in his hand. “If we keep going, then we will be too tired to do anything else at all.”

MementoDei

 

[Phant0m]

Phantom! Xiopetec called out after the punch and she gave a sigh. I come back to find you on the ground, not knowing which way is up or down. You were doing so well keeping your impatience in check.

Not now Xiopetec, please.

Hush. I don't want to hear your wounded pride. Now tilt your head forward and clutch your nose to stop the bleeding until Dust heals you.

Phantom followed her order, clutching his eyes shut for a moment before taking a deep breath through his nose.

He felt ghost fingers comb through his hair. Do you know where you are?

Some weird ass desert Lento conjured up.

Good. Your name?

Phantom.

Can you count backward from 32?

Xiopetec I don't think I have a head injury. I'm fine.

I have to make sure. Ghost lips kissed his temple. But I deem you without a terrible head injury. If you were able to stand, I would have a better indication to see if whatever is left of that brain of yours sustained any further injury.

Is that an insult?

Maybe. She chuckled.

The priest sighed as he felt the light element start to heal his wounds, and he frowned when he was called cocky. He opened his mouth to protest but held his tongue, and his body tensed when Dust had the staff. He glanced between his beloved weapon and the man, raising an eyebrow.

Xiopetec gave a sinister chuckle. Well, he really is upgrading your staff, child.

What does that mean?

Something that only concerns me for the moment. You focus on what you need to do, alright? Then she was gone.

Phantom glared at Dust at the threat. "I get it. I fucked up, your points are made. I'm not gonna pull a stunt like that again so you don't need to keep threatening me," He huffed and he watched the ritual. The priest didn't hesitate to grab the new staff once Dust was finished, twirling it to get the feel of it. The balance was a little bit different, but it was something that Phantom would get used to, and the silver made the surface feel considerably smoother than the staff originally was; it was more forgiving on the scars on his hands and he hummed as the pleasant texture. His posture relaxed as he clutched the staff, relieved at the familiarity the staff still had despite the upgrade.

"I think I'll name you Nox," Phantom said with a smile at his staff and then his smile dropped at the mention of the sphere. "I've been...yeah, I really need to...well, I think.." His eyes lit up. "I think I have an idea on how to go about getting the sphere absorbed!" He made to go towards it before pausing, "Wait do you want me to do another round of sparring and do the sphere later?" He gave Lento a wary side-eye look.

Fume MementoDei

 

[Fume]

"Phantom, we only have 1 month and 1 week left. We're starting to run out of time fast. Sparring can come up later, but if you don't get the mana sphere in today or in one week, then it was a useless effort on my part. Though let me warn you now,

It won't be a walk in the park. No pain, no gain." His warning was ominous, but the priest probably got the message saying that it won't be easy.

"For now, Lento, I can offer you a light sparring, but that's the best I can give you, in case your still itching for a good fight. Or if you want to spend the rest of your time with Yullr, you can." He gave an offer to the knight as he brushed his notebook.

"I need to do this tonight, at least." He thought to himself this, planning something since they came back from the Library.

Phant0m MementoDei

 

[MementoDei]

Elesis​

She wasn't very pleased by the move Eosforos had pulled on her in a spar, but that wasn't the only thing that bothered her. In fact, she had noticed that Eosforos was a very capable fighter, she had trouble keeping up with him, so she couldn't help but feel that Eosforos' sudden moment of weakness came from his injury.

"You're right, Eosforos." She said, smiling weakly. "I didn't expect you to trip me...but it's good to know you take spars like real-life combats."

Elesis got up and glanced down at Eosforos' leg. "I..." she was reluctant to continue her sentence, because Eosforos might take it the wrong way, but she had to make sure everything was fine. The angel gave her back her sword and she sheathed back her weapon before continuing awkwardly her question.

"Eosforos, I...I-I hope you are recovering well from your wounds. You...I mean, I don't want to...Actually..."
She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself, but she already felt her cheeks turn slightly red. She cleared her throat and tried one more time to speak her mind. She didn't want to think on the reasons she was so nervous in front of Eosforos. They were probably the wrong reasons.

"Eosforos, I admire soldiers that push themselves to be better, I also do it. But...you see, it's not good for anyone to go too far. I think...Xavier would be happier to see you with the least wounds possible. I mean, it's the best outcome for everyone, isn't it? You're both safe and we can advance to victory. With Alec too, of course."

She remained silent for a few seconds and finally decided to leave, pretexting to have a meeting to attend. She didn't forget to wave at him, with a smile on her face before walking around the camp until she found Vanessa talking with a white-haired man. She got closer to them and saw that the man held a wooden guitar in his arms and two slim swords to his back.

"Hello, Vanessa."
"Commander Elesis! How rare to find you here. Has the day of the mission already set?"
"No, not yet."she smiled michievously and decided to tease her comrade a bit to push back her own confusing thoughts. "I didn't know you enjoyed music, Vanessa...unless you're here because-"

The blue-haired knight was about to reply harshly, but the white-haired man soon intervened. "Now, that's not something you can joke around, Commander. Vanessa, this lady here, is simply a fan of my..." The man smiled suggestively and played a few notes on his guitar. "Exceptional skills."

The leader of the Centurion Guard gave a knock on the head of the bard before going away, visibly flustered. The bard rubbed his head and sighed.

"She still takes everyone too seriously..." He looked at Elesis and he quickly took back a confident and calm attitude, typical of mercenary veterans. "Where are my manners, I wonder...My name is Noel, I'm a bard who comes and goes with the wind. I've heard your name from many people I've met, but I never imagined I would have the honour to meet the legendary Commander Elesis Sieghart."
Late

****
Lento​

He pondered Dust's suggestion for a while before giving him an answer. "I still have things to learn, but the sooner I can put my skills to the test, the better."

"Not all your skills are useful in combat, Lento" Yullr warned him.

"But I can hone any skills better with combat experience. I'm a soldier by trade and a warrior by nature. I can't hardly remember any skills I don't use in combat."

Yullr closed his eyes and nodded before going away. He didn't seem frustrated, but he didn't have an ounce of trust for Dust. That was all there was to it. Lento sighed and told Dust that he'll continue to train the following morning.

Phant0m Fume

 

[Phant0m]

Phantom and walked over to where the orb was floating, twirling his staff in a carefree fashion. He observed the orb. "But...is it gonna work?" He wondered aloud. What did he mean by...this is going to hurt, isn't it? The priest sighed and then he looked at his staff. "You have a curious aura about you Nox...if you can come to me when called-"

Your staff can also "disappear" for lack of a better term, child, Xiopetec chimed in.

The priest jumped and he smirked. "So cool...if we had time I would wanna learn how to do that kind of stuff."

You want to learn everything. Don't you know the saying, "curiosity killed the cat?"

Phantom chuckled. "But satisfaction brought it back," He quietly retorted as he focused back on the mana sphere.

What were planning on doing with the sphere?

"Touch."

...So what you're saying that you're going to stick your hand in that sphere and hope it'll go where it needs to?

"Yep."

Good thing you have a staff with you. You're going to need it.

Phantom rolled his eyes and rolled his sleeves back. He went to strap Nox to his back like he did with his old staff, only to not feel the staff in his hand anymore. "Convenient," He noted and he cracked his knuckles. "You gonna stick around Xiopetec?"

You want me to, child?

"Yeah...I don't wanna feel alone...and just in case something goes down I want you to ground me."

Xiopetec chuckled. I'll be here but sort of...a distance away. Now, go. Do your thing.

The priest took a deep breath, closed his eyes and he gently cupped the edge of the sphere. He imagined an opening in the palm of his hand for the mana to enter through, and he coaxed the mana in the opening.

Only to be met with pain.

The flow was slow, so it was a manageable pain. Phantom clenched his eyes shut as his arms felt a slow burn and the burn spread throughout his body. Muscles started to feel sore, and he clenched his jaw. He increased the flow, hoping to make this quick as if he were ripping a band-aid. The burn started to grow in intensity, and he felt like his very skeleton was trying to tear itself out of his body to escape the scorching flames making his skin tingle until-

ENOUGH.

Phantom's eyes snapped open and he fell to his knees, panting heavily. He curled in on himself, his body trembling as the burn slightly eased, but still made him want to vomit.

Phantom? Can you hear me?

The priest didn't want to nod. His head felt like it was stuffed with cotton.

Answer me!

Y..yeah. Loud and clear...that bad huh?

How can you be nonchalant about this?

I'm not in the shape to freak out now...why did you stop me?

You were overwhelming your body, child-and your pain tolerance wasn't high to begin with-so it was either I stop you so you can briefly let your body grow accustomed to what you did or have you pass out from the pain.

Phantom sat up normally after a long moment of silence. Thanks.

Xiopetec hummed.

He looked at the orb and he groaned. I only dented it...

Can you stand?

Phantom stood with only a little bit of a wobble. He gave a low serpentine hiss, and his tongue flicked a bit. I thought-

Your body fell into the habit...sorry, but focus. You can stand, yes? Go at it again.

What?!

If you wait for the pain to vanish completely, you'll never want to go through this again because it'll hurt 20 times worse the second time. You're still in pain, keep going so you can deal with it and get this over with. Faster we get this done, the faster you can go to your tent and sleep the pain off. I'll stop you when it gets to be too much.

Alright, let's do it. He touched the orb again and reopened the connection, forcing the mana in once more.

Phantom lost count at how many times Xiopetec forced him to stop and then kicked him back into action, but when he finally finally got the last of the sphere absorbed...he promptly faceplanted in the sand. His entire body felt like it was throbbing after millions of heated knives were stabbed into him and then all of the blades were twisted at once. The priest felt copper in his mouth, and everything just ached and felt like lead, and his head felt so light and cotton-filled that Phantom would bet the money he didn't have that he was running a fever.

Xiopetec panted in his head, matching the agonized breathing of her priest. With her power now definitely sealed away, her limited ability was taking a toll on her...and screaming at her priest to stop and go repeatedly instead of actually intervening was actually..pretty exhausting.

You finally did it!

I'm sleeping here tonight. I will not move, I just want to suffer here in peace.

For the love of me and everything that I stand for, please do not move anywhere. You will collapse and with your luck, you would bang your head against something and-just-lay down and stay still for once. No wandering today.

Even if you disagreed I wouldn't have moved anyway.

Just rest, child. Phantom noted that his goddess sounded like she hadn't been rested for centuries.

On it.

And then he finally passed out.

 

[Fume]

He sat in wait as he saw Phantom slowly but surely absorb the mana sphere that he put as his challenge. It wasn't anything to scoff at, but his persistence was quite good. Nobody loves pain and there is a limit to how much can resist said pain.

However, this one was different. The body changes, the skeleton becomes harder, the muscles stronger and all in all, an upgrade on the body and mana efficiency.

"I won't be surprised if the next time you see yourself you get a shock, kid. I bet that your body is changing as we speak." He grabbed the kid that fell on the sand gently. "Of course, now that means that after you wake up, you're going to feel your power pulsating around you. Wonder how you'll react and how you'll accustom yourself with the remaining of the week? I bet I can get a laugh at it." He entered Phantom's tent and gently set him down.

"Get some rest, you deserve it with how you got the first goal down." He ruffled the kids hair before leaving. Looking around, he saw that Lento were busy with themselves and figured that now would be good enough of a time to perform the ritual.

He walked behind the mountain that he created and entered a small cave with enough space for him to do what he wanted. He needed to be secretive on this, after all. He couldn't really trust Yullr, no matter how many times Lento and Phantom told him to.

With a finger, he drew in the ritual after he drew the serpent that would circle around and eat it's tail, while inscribing a few more incantations and words of his summoning. As he finished he let some mana pass through the circuitry and purple light started to dimly lit the cave. Before him, was the thing that he wanted to summon.

"Hello there, Xiopetec. This is the first time we actually meet." He spoke with a casual tone, but deep down he felt anger just to talk with a goddess, mostly at himself.

Phant0m

 

[Phant0m]

The goddess looked around, noting that she wasn't looking through Phantom's eyes anymore. Her neon yellow eyes fell on Dust, her pupils dilating before constricting to their normal size. Her hair froze momentarily before the strands now moved about but in subtle movements. "Dust...yes, this would seem to be our first formal meeting," She agreed as her tongue flicked. She looked at the summoning circle and then she raised her eyebrow. "To be frank, this is very unexpected of you to speak with me..." She tilted her head. "Why? Why summon me here?"

Fume

 

[Fume]

"Even though I hate asking for help, specially for a divine being such as yourself, I have to at least support Phantom on something and what better way, than to make a deal with the goddess that took care of him?" He replied as his chains slowly drifted around the place.

"So, here's the thing, Xiopetec. I know your story, your powers and even how much influence that you had on the world. I know how motherly you are and how flickering your existence is. I bet your asking to yourself, then what would you want from someone like me?

Well, it is always nice to have a backup plan of a backup plan. I know that Phantom loses his cool altogether and I know that sometimes he chickens out on many occasions. You're always on his head comforting him. But that isn't enough, not nearly enough. And with me constricting the amount of options you have on him to continue his growth, I have come to the conclusion that he may need someone to that he can physically lean on him.

Because we both know, I can't be near him again after I go back to the demons side. I may even become his enemy and in a scenario, I know that he won't be able to fight me, to try and take my life.

Then I came up with a plan. A deal with someone that he has the most conversations, the precious person that could snap him back to reality. What I want from you, Xiopetec is for you to become my backup plan against that Angel and some other things while being Phantom's support and I don't mean the kind of support that he gets in his mind.

In return... I'll find you a vessel." Her eyes widened. "You heard me. I can find you a suitable body for you to reincarnate in this world. All I need is confirmation. And you can't tell Phantom about this, it'll be his after training surprise."

Phant0m

 

[Late]

Eosforos
​

The angel didn't say much when Elesis was telling him how she wishes for him to stay healthy for Xavier's sake. He was smiling at first as she was stumbling her words in front of him in the beginning, thinking it was simply adorable though his lips twitched when she thinks that Xavier will be happier to see him in perfect condition. Once she left him for a meeting, the angel waved back at her and fetched after his sword. His smile became a sad one, forcing him to play around with his sword to shake off the unwanted feeling.

"The Xavier I made him to would be happy...perhaps not the other one," the angel mumbled to himself, thinking back to Elesis. "...she is very strong and rather a caring soul...perhaps suitable to be the perfect partner...but..." His words trailed off quietly. He put a hand on his forehead as he felt himself burning up, perhaps from the exercise. Eosforos eventually checked on his arm where the tattoo is, noticing it was darker than before. Was his time really running short? He frowned at this, studying his mark before he unrolled his sleeves. "...Just a little more time...please," Eosforos whispered, looking around him before he starts heading back to rest for the day.

Xavier
​

Xavier woke up with a pained gasp and was slapped with an indescribable pain all over his body. He wasn't sure how long he was unconscious and now have no idea where he is. The man tries to get up despite his nerves screaming at him to rest, looking around the room he was in. It took him awhile to figure out that he wasn't in the lab anymore yet his heart couldn't stop racing. The things they did to him...he wants their heads on stakes. Despite being in a different room, all he felt was panic and tried to stand up yet kept collapsing in exhaustion. His body was so busy shielding Xavier from being absorbed into the dark el that his muscles were too tired for any sort of movement. Not to mention the sharp pain he felt somewhere in his hands and lower back. He believed that they must have injected something inside of him though after leaning closer to his hands, there were stitches. They did more than injections and it just hit him that his gauntlets were missing.

"Where am I? What is this?" Xavier loudly asked, his voice was dry. Did he ever get food before? Or water? Those demons really didn't show any signs of mercy when working on him. "Eosforos? Are you here?" He coughed out, hoping that the angel was the one who got him out of the mess.

"You're awake."

"You're still here?" He croaked quietly, the voice in his head coming back to him.

"Yes, I am still here...something cut loose of the barrier between you and I...but I am far too weak to think on what might have caused it," the voice grumbled low, exhausted just like Xavier.

'Did...were you protecting me?' Xavier asked in his head.

"Yes, we do share a body after all. If you were ever to surrender to the dark el, then that's game over for me as well...I guess I did it for both of us but mostly for myself," the voice grunted. "You're in a safe place...I hope. Try to relax."

Xavier growled low, still looking around until he realized that there was someone with him in this room.

MementoDei

 

[Phant0m]

Xiopetec's jaw dropped and she paced around the edges of the summoning circle. A vessel...finally, she can...feel whole again. She looked down at herself, and her lips set into a straight line. She looked at her hands and...they were pointless. These hands can't do their job, can't feel the things around her like Phantom or Dust could. She couldn't console her priest with her touch like he needs, despite how badly she wanted to just envelop him in a hug and just...shield him in her embrace.

She stared at Dust, observing his face and analyzing his expression but only to find honesty. She gave a small, gentle smile. "I...owe you an apology then, while you are still my child's ally," Xiopetec purred as her face softened. She paused and her expression grows serious. "I agree to your deal, Dust," She points a finger at him, "but Phantom has grown very accustomed to hearing me inside of his head. Even though I don't speak with him as much as I used to, he's going to be very agitated without my presence there for a month. He's going to feel...all alone in there, and he hates the quiet. So...I'm making you aware now. Phantom isn't very open with problems until it's too much, and we have seen how well he handled his frustration earlier." She sighed. "My point is, I want the vessel and I want to be sure you can take care of him until I can actually see him again."

Fume

 

[Fume]

"Who says that it'll take a month for me to find you a vessel?" This made her have a puzzling expression. "Remember that nurse back then, the one that didn't had the decency that Phantom has for his patients? I made an example of her when Phantom left. At this point, she can be considered unable to practice her magic, since I made sure her connection was severed. How would you like it? To take what she has left of herself, her body and roam around in it, knowing fully well that now it's yours to keep.

Remember, I'm not above of taking things that humans have, plus my hands are already tainted. What's going to happen if I take another life? A day is enough for me to find her, so you don't need to wait a full month.

Of course, being thrown at it just like that, you'll need some time for you to get used to having a real body. Not to mention that the nurses age is close to what you had before ascending into godhood. You'll also need that body to be strong enough for you to protect your follower, which means that I have to part with a third of my mana to fortify it and then let you enter the body and sync with it.

You can deal with Phantom's revenge quite easily that way. While at the same time, the body will change into more of your image. A win-win situation for you and one less follower for Ishmael." He replied to her as he thought things thoroughly since the last time in the Library.

"I don't know why you want to apologize to me, but your better keep those for when you see Phantom again." He pulled out a ring with her symbol on it. "Touch this ring, that way you'll be able to contact me. This way, I won't become your follower. I'll ask Lento to let me out of the dimension two weeks prior to finishing the training, giving you enough time to get used to your new body. I'll leave you here for the remaining of the time to get used to your body and mortality, probably will change this place a bit to accommodate you.

As soon as I'm done with my part, I'll destroy the ring, or maybe you want it for style?"

Phant0m

 

[Phant0m]

Xiopetec's face was split by a wicked grin. "Oh I love that," She said in an excited hiss, her tongue flicking before she laughed, "It's the perfect revenge! Claiming that hag's body for a heretic goddess." The goddess leaned over to touch the ring, and she examined it for a moment, feeling its surface before pulling away. "You are full of surprises, but I want that ring...that way it'll be the last thing that Angel sees when I finally make him pay for what he's done..." Her expression darkened a moment. "I wonder why my child decided to learn fire." Then she leaned away, circling the ritual circle once more before looking to Dust. "You sacrifice a lot, Dust...I hope that the world repays you in kind before you meet your end," She said in a quiet voice, "But what do I do now? I go back into Phantom's head and act like none of this happened?"

Fume

 

[Fume]

"I'll put in an extra incantation for you to remodel her body, you can put your image to a certain degree, but I can't really make her any younger, well any younger than 5 years at least." He then took a step back after she touched the ring. "That's right, none of this happened. Until the promised time, just keep it a secret to Phantom, that way when he receives you, his jaw will probably drop as yours did." She looked away a bit embarrassed.

"When the time comes for me to go get your body, give him an excuse that you have to meditate or something for a couple of weeks. That way he won't suspect a thing." He was about to leave before he turn back at her. "Also, when fusing with your new body, the vessel will have to be naked. So bare with it for a bit." With that he left before throwing a small mana disk to erase the previous ritual circle.

Phant0m

 

[NinthSomnus9029]

Alec

The nasod was sitting down on a pile of rubble 2 miles out from where he had eliminated the squad that had attacked Alec's temporary shelter. When the sun had come up Alec had finished the repairs on his arm and managed to recover his el energy. Thanks to his newfound healing factor that the old man had discovered while repairing Alec, he was able to fix himself all night till the sun rose back up.

Since coming here Alec had noticed that ever since meeting Elesis, demons wouldn't attack in large numbers until the sky darkened. He used this time to spy on the actions of the demons who had not noticed his figure. It would seem that there were four factions of demons invading Velder. Each faction wasn't active at the same time thanks to the data Alec collected during the first two days. He had spied on two demon camps one that would be active at night and the other during the day. When he saw the night camp go to rest and the day camp come out, Alec assumed that the demons worked on the idea of what areas were more likely to be attacked during what certain hours on the day based on their information they had from previous battles. It was a unique tactic but it had its flaws.

Using one of these flaws to his advantage, the night of the second day Alec had waited for a few hours till he felt it was certain that the day troops were sleeping. He had snuck into each of their tents till he had found the war tent were all the day plans were usually held.

"What are you demons hiding." Alec moved through all the papers and such. He found a particular piece that was a map of Velder, On it was small dots on certain buildings and key points. Some of the dots were crossed off with an 'X', Alec felt it was possible hit locations the commanders sent the troops out to attack. When Alec finished up, he used this chance to eliminate some of the demons in the tents closer to the war tent.

After what seemed forever Alec had repeated the process multiple times at multiple location in a span of a few days. He would keep a clear picture in his head of what he saw on the maps he founds as well as written documents. He had a chance to possibly find a scholar who could read the demonic language. If he could find a book or something he could probably do it himself but that idea was put on hold.


During the chances, he didn't attack a settlement he took that chance to shut down and restore his energy. Afterall is said and done Alec begun his journey back to the knights headquarters.
​

 

[MementoDei]

Ren​

She noticed that Xavier had moved and she quickly rushed by his side to reactivate the purification spell she had worked on since his arrival. He tried to move around, but the spell also acted as a barrier to stop him from attacking her. He was very badly injured, but the greatest problem he was currently facing was being poisoned by the Dark El.

Something inside him was acting as a barrier, but it was also weakening by the minute. She focused all her forces to get out the last remains of the impure energy, but it was getting increasingly difficult.

"Why? The El shouldn't-"

She stopped talking when she heard Xavier mumble something. She was glad that he was at least conscious.

"Xavier. Xavier, can you hear me?"

The man's eyes slowly turned towards her, his eyes were, luckily, still blue. "Thank the Goddess! My name is Ren Griganni, I'm a warrior of the goddess and your medic. You're safe, don't worry. Darhan brought you back as soon as he could. You're in Ishmael's kingdom, Xavier, far from the demons that did this to you."

She decided to not mention Eosforos, at least until Xavier didn't bring him up. For now, the most important thing was to heal him completely. Ren knew that it would be easier for the boy to know only the story Darhan had told her to tell. If the news spread, she'd have to unveil the truth when Eosforos came back; Alive or Dead.

No one cried for the deaths in the realms above.
Late

****
Elesis​

She passed a good half hour talking with Noel, who was a very calm and open guy for a veteran mercenary. They shared their war stories, and Elesis understood his pain when he mentioned how all his men fell during the Velder Civil War.

"We sided with the rebels, out of patriotism perhaps. But our defeat was inevitable after two battles: the one at the Hope Bridge - It was called the King's bridge before that battle - and the one at the Clock Tower square."

"The Clock Tower battle was lead by Lara Tureen, I believe."

For a second, Elesis could've sworn to see Noel sadder all of a sudden, but that image was quickly replaced with his usual calm demeanour. "That's right. She was quite fierce in battle."

"Did you know her well?"

Noel fell silent for a moment, he lowered his eyes and took a deep breath before answering her question with a quieter voice. "Not really. I just caught glimpses of her in between the brief clash my unit had with hers. It's a sad tale for me to tell, commander Elesis."

The Blazing Heart nodded and apologized for bringing such a painful memory. The bard nodded and regained once more his composure, although Elesis could now feel the hidden sadness behind his serene smile. The bard began to play a melody with his guitar and a wisp of green light appeared near him.

"Noel...? What's that light to your right?"

Because he had lowered his gaze to focus on his instrument, Elesis couldn't tell if the bard had seen what she was talking about, but it was certain that he hadn't heard her. She raised her voice and repeated the question. The bard frowned and lifted his gaze, a bit surprised and confused to what she was talking about. Elesis was shocked by this and she rubbed her eyes and the green light she had seen was no longer there.

"You must be very tired, commander Elesis. All soldiers must rest well for the battles to come."

She blushed as those same words reminded her of what she had tried to say to Eosforos earlier. It looked so simple to do coming from another person's lips, but deep down she knew she cared about him more than Noel would care for any of his men. It was a strange feeling, but familiar enough to know that it had a name. It could easily be pointed to by others, but it was harder to admit it openly.

"You're perfectly right, Noel. I'll catch some sleep before the night watch. Have a nice day."

***
Ain​

It was almost impossible for him to maintain his physical form for long ever since they entered Velder. He knew all too well that it wasn't a problem for Darhan, who had been transformed into an angel when he had his soul fused with a dark El shard. Because of this, he was probably the most capable spy among Ishmael's army. The elf had told him to look out around Velder's outskirts and, just like one would obey a father, Ain did what Darhan had asked of him.

During one of his travels, he found a Nasod walking back towards the town gates. He promptly came back towards Darhan and found him talking to a red-haired girl. He got by Darhan's side and waited until their conversation was over.

He didn't expect that a human would be able to see him in this state, and Darhan's gaze filled with wrath to glance briefly at him before acting like the woman was hallucinating. With the same movements he would use to play the guitar, he embeded the notes with mana and put a stealth spell over him. The woman rubbed her eyes and Darhan took the opportunity to make her go away as soon as possible.

As soon as the swordswoman was not in their sight, Darhan turned towards him and walked back to his tent. Ain followed him and materialized himself into a blue-haired actor. Saying that Darhan looked angry was an understatement.

"You are a fucking idiot, Ain. If you're going to be near me, do it in your human form or just stay away. That said, you surely have something for me. Tell me."

 

[Late]

Xavier
​

"Darhan..?" Xavier rasped out, not understanding what was going on. He took a moment to lay flat so he can try to relax his heart beating. He definitely started to feel sick to the stomach now that the pain all over his body was starting to go numb.

Eventually, he remembered who Darhan was, his alchemy teacher when he was undergoing training. Perhaps the reason for his tail as it was made out of the purest el shards, moving around under Xavier's command. Though he could barely lift up the tip of it due to the condition he was in. Suddenly, Eosforos came to mind. He tries to look around for the man but he wasn't in the room, only Ren. His heart nearly went back to its rapid pace.

"No wait...where's..." Xavier didn't get the chance to finish his sentence as he started to cough. It was probably best to ask when he was feeling significantly better...

MementoDei

Aragorn
​

As the night settled in, Aragorn let out a loud sigh. It has been almost a week since Cornelius left for a walk and has not returned back. Already he tried to search around for the old dragon and he can at least confirm that he was not dead. Komodo could smell a dead body miles away. His search gotten far as well and the fire dragon plan to go further out in the next day.

Yet, he noticed something that was bothering him for awhile. Eosforos always kept looking at his direction and it looks like he was trying to look for Cornelius. Aragorn wasn't sure what was his problem and he often ignores it, yet as the days fly by without Cornelius presence, it was getting to him. Like today, he spotted the angel who only took a glance at him before walking into a tent to rest for the day. Personally, the dragon wants to bite the angel's head off for messing with Xavier's memories. Komodo already got used it...before. Now that Xavier was as well missing in the area, the poor dragon was wide awake and kept his head up and searching around as he was on top of Aragorn's back.

Aragorn wished he knew what was going on, especially since Phantom disappeared as well. Cornelius probably scared him away for good. He wished he had said something as Phantom was in no capability to even stop a dragon fight back then. The black dragon was simply blinded by rage. Aragorn let out another loud sigh.

He hopes tomorrow will be different.

 

[MementoDei]

Ren​

She urged Xavier to relax, because of the Dark El that was poisoning him, but Xavier seemed to be very agitated. She wasn't sure how much of Xavier's fear was a product of his torture or being separated from Eosforos. Either way, the last remains of the poison were now closer to his heart. If she didn't remove them now, Xavier would die.

"Xavier, you're probably worried about Eosforos, but I can tell you that he isn't injured, but if you continue to move and worry about him, you'll die. I'm serious. Calm yourself or the Dark El will poison your heart and you won't see him ever again."

She walked towards a nearby table and drank a flask of mana to replenish her strength. She had less than three hours before Xavier reached death's embrace. She walked back to her patient and strengthened her healing magic.

Late

 

[Fume]

Dust
​

Two weeks passed and with the last month upon us, I decided it was time for me to actually step up my teaching one last time with a little game. The rules are simple, to try and make me buckle my knees, but there's a catch to it. Despite them just reaching 4 sets of chains, I'm still using my 5 sets to mediate my strength. In this scenario, I still have a great advantage in strength and speed, so here's how we can tip the scales.

For every 10 hits they give me, their chains will start to dissipate, releasing more of their power and their current speed. But that means that after 40 hits each, my own chains start to release themselves. Once my chains reach zero, they have exactly 10 minutes to simply run away and survive. If your enemy is too strong, it isn't coward of your part to run away but smart.

I've been sitting around not exercising my body at all with me teaching those two, it's time I shake away my rust and force them to become stronger in the heat of battle. That's the way one should do.

With Lento's experience in fighting, he can catch up to me pretty well. While Phantom now has some experience with sparring with him, he's actually never collaborated with someone to take down an enemy, plus with his new mana filled body of his, he can stand at least a chance.

They were in front of me, with Lento having his sword out and already coating his body with his own mana, while Phantom has his staff out materializing a blade at the tip while just putting his hands and feet with coating. They were in the battle positions, waiting for the signal for me.

"The both of you know the drill, hit me with your best shot!" I yelled while releasing all the power that I could muster in my current, five sets of chains, position. They recoiled as usual from the show of power, but nevertheless they rushed forward.

Lento was first, releasing quick strikes towards me, but I either dodged or deflected with my chains around my hands, Phantom tried to swipe at me from a blind angle, but I simply pushed Lento away while ducking under the attack, I then kicked him away from me, sliding a few feet away.

Not giving myself a second to rest, I rushed forward on Lento, enveloping my hands with ominous energy, which was my mana's color midnight purple, and I hit him twice, but his mana shield was up, so he mitigated the damage to a certain extent. Grabbing him from his shoulder, I launched him straight at Phantom, to which he dodged his friend hitting him. He chanted something and made a small plant rise, stopping Lento from going far away.

"Not bad..." I thought to myself as a spear of light almost hit me, if I hadn't dodged it. I smirked as I ran towards him, an army's worth of spears were thrown at me, but since my movements weren't almost unhindered from the chains I was able to dodge most, except for two of them. 2 hits confirmed on his record for now.

I swiped at him heavily with my fists, but he dodged them almost by dumb luck, growing a bit angry he tried to slice me with the blade, only for me to catch it with my bare hand.

"Too shallow of a blade." I commented before applying a bit of mana on my fingers and shattering it, taking advantage of his shock I punched on his stomach and while still recoiled from that I put more force and threw him on the sky. Still with the momentum, I used Samael to grab his leg and spun him around a few times before releasing him a few ways away. He ended up on rolling for a bit, but then he got on his feet and skid for a bit, recovering from the attack.

While I concentrated on that, Lento rushed at me again, but this time he was more aggressive, using more of his body to try and hit me. Surprisingly, it did the job as he hit me 3 times with his sword and 5 times with either his off hand or feet.

"Nice job, Lento, but you should know that you're repeating your moves every 5 ticks." He warned him as I grabbed his leg, fully expecting that, he jumped up on the air and coated his other foot with more mana and brought it down on me, only for me to catch it and then spun him on the other direction. He landed on his feet and ran towards me again, but there was a difference, he was being a little faster on his approach.

"Is this... yes. His warrior spirit is getting stronger and now he's improving himself now." I thought as I could see his moves, yet some were starting to become feints, making me deflect the second strike more than dodging it.

Just when I was about to deflect another attack, I saw something coming from behind me and I had to stop it with my other hand. It was Phantom with his scythe back up, while my other hand was holding Lento's sword. Both putting their body weights on their weapons.

"Come on! Is this everything the two of you have!? Put more effort into it or the both of you are as good as dead!" I riled them up, but they simply grunted under their breaths, just one more push... "If you don't, I'll start a massacre on Velder and I'll repeat what I did on Feita. Or maybe, my higher up wants to join in the fun and do it for me, erasing the entire town up with only one strike! ENDING EVERYONE!" This angered them while I only smirked. They yelled as a flurry of swipes and stabs were thrown at my direction.

I dodged the best that I could, but even I had lost my rhythm in that chaos, letting their chains be released one level. They looked at me with hatred in their eyes, not noticing on how they feel a bit lighter and stronger.

A step up of more improvement to come.

"Not bad, not bad at all." I replied despite my defensive position. "You've got the spirit and the stamina to back up those screams of fury, but it still isn't enough." I gathered energy around me as the barely scratched me yet.

"I'm barely trying here." He mocked them as he gestured them to come to him. His hands were overflowing with energy at this point. "This! Is me trying!" Two spheres appeared with condensed energy and he fused them both in a heartbeat, before releasing towards them, as a beam of energy soared through the wind.

The both of them dodged to the side, as they watched the beam go into the distance. Few moments later, it exploded with a shock wave that reached them despite the space in between. A cold sweat rolled down on their cheek as they looked at him with some nervous smiles.

"Come on, we're going to keep going until all of those chains are broken! Surpass those limits of yours! Don't fear the pain! Don't falter your progress! Just keep moving forward!" He gave them a little more motivation as they steeled themselves for another bout. "Good, that's what I like to see."

Phantom was the first to make a move. He raised his staff on the air and conjured a massive fireball, looks like that part of my mana strengthened his spells. He launched it at my direction and I rushed in, not showing fear at all.

As it came closer, I could feel the heat permeating from it in mere meters away. I jumped up and punched it straight up, yet it only moved an inch. Not wanting it to fall down on me, I coated my fist with half of my strength and punched it again, this time sending it upwards and exploding like a firework.

In that moment, Lento sprung into action and used the moment to get a solid hit on my abdomen and tried to drill his sword through it. In a moment, I was able to turn the tide of his attack and drive him into the ground before throwing him to the side violently.

At that moment, Phantom threw at me four spears of fire and a single spear of light hit Lento, healing his injuries.

"Cheeky bugger." I thought to myself as the previous spears were a distraction. He then rushed at me with his scythe, I dodged the first attacks but then he surprised me when he started implementing hand to hand combat in his style. "Good!" I almost yelled out loud to this development.

Lento then joined in as well, both attacking me at a decent speed, while one was casting spells at the same time. This improvement... this is what's going to change the war! Just a few more pushes!

I grabbed their next attack and made them hit each other using their bodies, stunning them. I then started attacking both of them at the same time with speed and power to boot, they could only defend themselves from my onslaught, yet despite of this their second chain broke.

"Can this finally make me half serious?" I thought to myself as they rolled out of the way, their hands were bruised and their arms as well, but this is necessary for their growth. They released more energy than they thought they would. Yes, this is very good!

Phantom released multiple fire and light spears towards me, their size grew, their power increased and their speed two fold, but so did the number of attacks for me to dodge and deflect. Despite the rain of magic, Lento pushed on and reached me, and made me shield him while he attack me, clever guy.

I let them attack me with their coordinated skills, but despite this plan of them, I was able to dodge and attack Lento, misdirecting him towards the rain of spears. Just when I was about to give him an uppercut, a plant sprouted up and immobilized me, or so I let them think. I let Lento give me a couple of attacks on me, while I used the strong points of the plant as a makeshift shield. Phantom then warned Lento to get out of the way as he created a giant mana concentrated sphere that had both Fire and Light element embed into it on the air aiming straight at me.

"That looks bad..." I commented as I pried myself out of the plant as Lento ran to a safe distance away from the blast area, but multiple plants were summoned again and made me stay there. "Crap!" I yelled in my mind as I couldn't do anything except for blocking this attack.

It wasn't as a big explosion as my blast, but it did pack the punch to it. If I didn't put up my coating then I would've gotten some damage on me. It's not their time yet to make me buckle my knees.

As the smoke started to clear, I roared my spirit out, dissipating the rest of the debris around the air. Only having a few parts of my clothes singed.

"Not a bad attack, but still not enough to put me down!" I ran forward while Lento did the same to intercept me, we collided, but I kept going and caught up to Phantom, where he dodged it to the side. "No you don't!" I yelled at him as I threw Samael's chains and grabbed him, before kicking Lento forward with a mana coated kick and then slamming the boy on top of him. I heard the breaking of another pair of chains,now the last push for them to unleash their true strength!

I saw that Phantom had enveloped themselves in a light coating, healing their injuries once more but at a rapid rate. I just let them heal up and took a breather. As soon as they finished, they rushed at me, haven't we danced this song before?

We did, but this time it was different. They coordinated their attacks from the front while coating their entire bodies with mana, increasing their combat prowess even further. The more they fought, the higher the output, until finally Phantom's mana blade made a cut on me and Lento's physical strength finally started to hurt me with his sword.

Beginning to being pushed back, I upped my force, but as I did they relentlessly countered back in sync. As they did, I noticed the thing that I wanted to see for a long time. Their bodies were being pushed to the peak that sparks started to flow out of them, this is it! The art of Unleash! They are finally putting my final work into practice! My variable, the Burst Unleash! The sparks were often appearing and disappearing, and every time they did their attacks were twice as more powerful than before.

But that chain hasn't broken yet, which means that they haven't put enough strength into them. If that's the case...

I took a leap backwards and pointed towards the sky, putting half of my entire mana into this next attack.

"If you're this strong, then survive this!" I conjured a large sphere filled with dark energy, the amount of power was so large that the friction between the energy started to create electricity around it. Their eyes widened as I unleashed it towards them.

Lento rushed forward and put his sword up, trying to slow it down, but despite his effort it didn't at all. Phantom joined in the fray and tried to push it back with the knight, yet it didn't even budge an inch away.

"Come on..." I thought to myself as the sphere kept pushing them back. "Come one!"

They kept trying as they pushed all their power forward, but it still wasn't enough to push it back. But just as Dust was about to intervene, the last chain broke and as if their will to survive came forth, they released what sealed power they had cut the sphere in half, letting it dissipate into nothing, albeit they became very tired.

I moved forward towards them, as they were taking in air, in no condition to fight back.

"Today's training is over. Do what you two want to do and rest up." I announced to which they fell on the floor, taking in the air as much as possible. Funny enough, one of my chains was on the verge to break as well. If that if they continued to fight, they'd have a harder time against me.

Phant0m MementoDei

 

[Late]

Xavier
​

It took him awhile to actually listen to her. Xavier laid flat on his back as Ren did her very best to get rid of the dark el energy that was swarming all over his body. Even though he feels better with Eosforos around, he knows it was best to let someone else ease him down. Yet it was so strange to not see the angel with him. He figured that Eosforos will be with everyone else here but that does not seem to be the case. Was he in a different room? Talking with Ishmael? Or...was he not aware that someone saved him and still believed that he was in the hands of the demons? Whatever the case is, it won't be long that he gets his answers. For now, Xavier did his very best to relax and let Ren do her job.

MementoDei