(Long chapter, hence the above average SS price)
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Gray particles of ash drifted down from the sky, darkening the air. The smell of burnt rock and brimstone ran flush in the background, a gritty scent. Gouts of steam blasted up into the sky, the searing air dangerously close to boiling.
Dorian's first impression of Magmor was a rather dismal one.
crunch crunch
He took a few steps forward, his feet crunching some of the loose gravel found on the broken stone ground. He looked around, taking the area in.
Several hours had passed since they had boarded the skyship to fly across Lansc. After the short competition with the Golden Flame Dragon Aiden, where Dorian managed to bluff, or cheat, depending on how one looked at it, his way through to a victory, the group had continued their journey uneventfully.
Dorian had stayed in his room, focused on recovering. The energy expenditure he'd needed to shift Fate so much had been enormous.
'That was a huge change in Fate. I changed the results so heavily, for so many things at once…' He'd thought, back when he was sitting in his room, going over the competition in his mind.
'Well… those changes might seem huge to me, but in reality, all they did was alter the route of the wind and the fall of each knife, knives that I myself threw. How much would it have cost to alter all of Aiden's knives?'
Dorian knew it was possible to change the Fate of someone else. He'd practiced sparring with Helena, back on Taprisha, and had been able to redirect the punches she threw, though none of those blows had held the Power of Law within them, or been fully serious.
'Helena, huh? I hope you're doing well.' He smiled as he thought of her. Of all the beings he had met so far, Helena had to be the one that struck him the most. She was sweet, kind, funny, and absolutely cute. One of the most genuine people he had met.
The way she'd selflessly risked her own life to stop the Eleventhborn, protecting Potor City from devastation… It had won his full respect. A person as selfless as that was rare.
'God knows where you are now, though.' He sighed, shrugging. He tossed the thought from his mind. It would probably be a long time till he saw her again.
They'd touched down on one of the transport towns on Lansc, the one that connected to the World Bridge of Magmor. After landing, they'd promptly traveled through the World Bridge.
The World Bridge from Magmor to Lansc was one of the shortest World Bridges in the 30,000 Worlds. In their flying forms, it only took them around an hour to completely cross through it, with nothing of note happening.
"Great Lord, Tomo City can be reached if we follow this path here." Leader's voice broke into Dorian's thoughts as he looked around.
They had arrived from a World Bridge that led all the way to near sea-level of Magmor. The grand Magma Sea that covered Magmor billowed heat, making flying an impossibility for most creatures.
A winding river of rocky ground spread out near them, half swamped over by lava. Dorian could see several dozen grey stone paths leading off in various directions, some stretching hundreds of meters wide, others only a fragile dozen or so meters. On one path, in the distance, Dorian could just barely make out a glowing grey Magic Herb.
'Oh wow, it is an Exotic World, huh?' He thought, noting that he had found a Magic Herb in literally the first few minutes they had arrived. He ignored the Herb, focusing on the mission at hand.
"I see." Dorian gave Leader a small nod in return. Leader was a natural tracker and hunter. The maps Dorian had memorized were likely the same as the ones Leader had memorized in his preparations for Magmor. To Dorian, however, most of the larger stone paths all looked the same. Leader's skills shone forth before him.
"Hold a moment, inheritor, if you will." Another voice broke in, a kind, feminine one, carrying a slight hint of respect and a stately air.
'Man, they really buy that I'm super strong, huh?' Dorian thought, feeling a slight bit nervous. A single slip up could leave him in a really dangerous spot.
"Yes, Mira?" He turned to look at the speaker, nodding again.
The Humanoid Form of the Wise Jade Dragon nodded back, gesturing around her. Behind her, the Golden Flame Dragon Aiden simply stood watch staunchly, his fine gold robes somehow magically ignoring the small pieces of ash that were raining down around them.
"Allow me to cast a divination before we travel further. I should be able to more easily pinpoint the source of my grandmother's soul now that I have arrived on planet."
Mira waited to see Dorian give her a slight nod before she sat down in the ash-covered ground. Aiden frowned slightly when he saw her wait, but after a moment, seemed to nod and accept it instead.
"Inex Sulso Tanuo…" Mira began to chant a long stream of words, ones unfamiliar to Dorian. She closed her eyes as she spoke, fully concentrated. The words she uttered carried with them an eerie, mystical power, one that was faintly unnerving to Dorian. They echoed in the back of his mind, reappearing over and over.
Faintly, cool blue light began to spread out from around Mira. It started slowly at first, but quickly began to pick up speed. The farther it moved away from Mira, the stronger it appeared.
Dorian watched this all silently.
After a few tense moments, dark blue light fluttered beneath the eyelids of the Wise Jade Dragon. She opened her eyes, her voice full of excitement, the rich stately air she bore about her vanishing.
"I've found her!" Mira jumped up, a smile on her face.
"I can sense my grandmother! Or at least, the remnants of her soul!"
"Where?" Dorian broke in, his own voice full of curiosity.
Mira turned, looking in the direction of the path towards Tomo City.
"That way…" Mira said and pointed, but then frowned.
"No, not quite." She nodded, and then pointed down lower, towards the Magma Sea.
"The exact location is coming from deep within the Magma Sea. But the signal isn't staying still down there…" She shook her head.
"It's moving towards the surface."
"How quickly is it moving?" This time, it was Aiden that responded, his voice rough and full of a hint of excitement as well. The Wise Lady was an extremely important figure in the history of the Draconic Tribes.
"I can't give an exact speed, but…" Mira shrugged,
"It will surface in a matter of hours."
Just as she finished speaking, Dorian looked up, his eyes narrowing.
In the distance, towards the direction of Tomo City, he could just barely make out what appeared to be a gout of lava and rock, shooting off high into the air.
.. .. .. .. .. .. ..
The Holy Prince Isaac of the Shade Church of Light cursed under his breath as he dodged yet another bisecting slash from the ferocious wolf Anomaly.
BOOM
The stone pathway he was standing on split apart, a huge, 200 meter long slice of energy cutting through it and leaving a long gouge in the magma not far below. Stone shrapnel, dust, and clumps of molten rock were thrown soaring into the air, a hellish maze of chaotic debris.
Resting on his back was the still body of the other Anomaly he had captured.
"REELEAAASSEEEE HIMM!" The furious roar of the Anomaly Aron echoed in the air, his Langshen form giving off rolling waves of power. The Langshen were legendary beasts in their own right, and while Aron's Soul Spell Matrix was only at the peak of the Lord Class, at the Pseudo-King level, it was still more than enough to battle against King Class experts.
Prince Isaac took a brief second to look to the side, several thousands of meters distant, where his comrades had been fighting.
Only two figures remained standing there. The Diamond Wizard Taemin standing imperiously, while his comrade was resting in a meditative post, recovering her energy. The Vampires were nowhere to be seen.
'They retreated. Good.' Isaac thought in that split second, nodding mentally.
The Diamond Wizard Taemin was an extremely durable foe. Very few men or women could defeat him in any type of long-term battle, especially not those in the Lord Class. His Shades must've retreated when they realized the straits they were in, following his orders to the letter.
'Veritas didn't deign to help either, huh? She might've been able to take him out.' He mentally shrugged. He hadn't expected 'their' Anomaly to help out. Relying on such an unreliable being would be foolish.
WHOOSH
Isaac's eyes seemed to freeze over as he looked at the large wolf that had just appeared in front of him. The blade that was pierced through its mouth didn't seem to affect it adversely.
Still... If it was only at this level, he could handle this.
His eyes stiffened a moment later, however, as he looked beyond the attacking wolf.
"Damn... Company already? Look's like the Blazing King couldn't tolerate us any longer." Isaac could see a trio of Wizards charging down a stone path, flying over the path, but low to the ground, so they wouldn't fall off due to the sweltering heat channels from the lava.
"Light Magic: Imperial Wings." Two pairs of immaculate, glowing golden wings appeared on his back. He gave the roaring wolf in front of him a cool glance.
"You're lucky I don't want to clash with the Blazing King right now, Anomaly."
"ROOOAAAR!"
Aron didn't respond otherwise as he charged, slicing out with another mad blade of energy. This huge layer of force bisected the air, shuffling forward with a huge amount of momentum.
Before the attack could land, however, Isaac's form seemed to explode into particles of light as he retreated, retreating away from the field of battle at an incredible pace.
.. .. .. .. .. .. ..
"Where is he, Panon?" Helena's voice was cool and controlled, the picture of an elite female Reaver as she ordered her subordinate to answer her.
The elderly Blood Wizard stood in front of her inside the courtyard they'd rented out, a pensive look on his face. He had a calm air about him, tinged faintly red by the Blood Magic he practiced.
"Lady Helena, as soon as you left to take a walk outside, he had us preserve Probus' body and then left with it immediately, after picking up intel about the Ascension Ruins and the Flame Empyrean Turtle that is about to appear." The Wizard's voice was tinged with a hint of confusion as he responded, shrugging.
"The Ascension Ruins?" Helena responded with confusion of her own, scratching her head.
On the underside of her arms, several long, red marks could be seen, like that of freshly healed skin.
For those to appear on a Pseudo-King Class True Vampire, a being known for its fast regeneration and natural health, meant either the injury had been inflicted with the Power of Law involved, or carried enough force or repetition to leave a long-lasting mark.
"Yes, Lady Helena. We couldn't make heads or tails of it either." Panon shrugged again.
Helena waved him away as she walked towards the back of the courtyard, where the various private houses were located. She walked into one of the smaller wooden ones, where she and the other females among the group were staying.
"Why the Ascension Ruins? Why did he take Probus' body with him, and preserve it? Trajan… what are you doing?" Helena's voice was befuddled as she spoke, shaking her head. She clenched her fists in determination as she whispered aloud,
"I will not lose you too, Trajan. I will NOT."
From her Spatial Ring, she withdrew the Capitoline Wolf Bracelet. The entire bracelet had taken on a red sheen, with a few pale cracks appearing on the outer edges. It vibrated almost imperceptibly, giving off a faint sheen of light.
While this was a rare inheritance treasure, a powerful Artifact that carried with it huge enchantments, it could not be used infinitely. Very few powerful Artifacts were reusable, and those that were were prohibitively expensive and equally difficult to create.
"I can use you twice more before you shatter… But what do I do now?" She muttered, temporarily lost in thoughts as she looked at the Artifact, trying to figure out what to do.
Helena was standing in the entry hallway of the house, turning and facing the door she'd just shut. The hallway led off into several small, but nice, traditional rooms, with long carpets and beds that were low to the ground. The walls were decorated daintily, with landscape portraits of flowers and sunshine, a drastic change from the hellish landscape of Magmor.
A small, petite figure was currently looking out one of these doorways, a pair of tufted fox ears poking up.
Clutched in the hand of this fox girl, a small, thin dagger of light could be seen, emitting almost no energy or Aura.
"I have had enough of being used by you as bait. Everyone always uses me. Every time. Always." Arial's voice was a frail, broken whisper, so quiet that no one, no matter how keen their senses, would be able to hear it.
As she finished speaking, she walked out of her doorway casually, her every step quiet and careful. She began to walk down the hallway, headed directly for Helena, the dagger of pure, warm light clutched behind her back.
"I'm afraid it's time for me to go."
.. .. .. .. .. .. ..
"So what now?" Trajan's voice was rough as he looked at the Spatial Ring in his hand, holding it carefully.
Inside it was the still corpse of Probus. He'd had one of the Blood Wizards under Helena cast a Peace Sealing Spell, a type of Preservation Spell intended to keep a corpse in perfect condition. Many Blood Magic Spells revolved around corpses and blood.
According to Mello, if he wanted to save Probus, this was a necessity.
Mello smiled as he looked at Trajan, his appearance covered back up by his hood and strips of cloth. They were currently standing on the city wall of Tomo, overlooking the plateau that housed the large city.
"Let me tell you something, Trajan." Mello began, resting his hand on the Vampire's shoulder.
"I was open and honest to you about who I am. Like I told you after you joined me, I'm what your people call an 'Anomaly.'" Mello continued, nodding his head.
Trajan nodded back.
"And us Anomalies are an odd breed." Mello smiled, taking his hand away as he looked out in the distance. Mello's vision in this form was unique, one that allowed him to pick out trails of energy, similar to Trajan's own vision. It was what allowed him to pick out Helena and her team fleeing using the Capitoline Wolf Bracelet.
"You see, our souls are ones that have a special connection with Fate. I'm sure you've heard some version of this from the leaders of your Aurelius Family. Strange events will happen, lucky occurrences will take place. Things that should not normally happen… will happen." Mello turned and looked back at Trajan briefly.
Trajan nodded a second time, his usually talkative nature nowhere to be seen.
"This connection is an odd one. The fabric of reality normally rests upon Fate. Let us describe Fate as, say, a giant, floating rug." Mello began to paint a picture to his new ally.
"People with regular souls leave a small impression on that rug. Some of the truly mighty or lucky leave a slightly larger impression, tugging at those around them." He held his hands out in front of him, miming an image of a rug and pushing down on it in a few spots.
"With us Anomalies, however… the effect is much greater. Imagine a large, fist-sized rock slamming into our Fate rug. A rock that some Anomalies can even guide and shape, perhaps not perfectly, but still with some degree of control." Mello smashed down with his fist, plunging through the invisible rug. He mimed as if the rug was rippling, waving out.
"I see." Trajan muttered a response, rubbing lightly at his blinded eyes.
"Now… Imagine what happens if you gather not one, not two, not even three, but four Anomalies into the same place. The same world. The same general location. All at the same time. Well, I only count now because my 'Concentration' is on this version of me, but still." The smile on Mello's face grew wider, a hint of excitement appearing in his eyes.
"All as a legendary treasure trove is about to make an appearance. A treasure trove left behind by a man who once had the power to rule the world if he so chose. A man who disappeared, vanishing from the world." Mello's eyes flashed.
He then whispered another line so quietly Trajan almost couldn't hear it.
"A man who made me what I am today."
Mello shook his head, regaining his composure and easy smile.
"Think about it, my dear Trajan! A grand collision in Fate will occur, the likes of which this world has never seen! Humans, Vampires, Shades, Anomalies. The mix of characters is wild, and the results will show that!" Mello's eyes lit with an eager fervor as he spoke. As he finished, his head whipped to the side, looking right at Trajan.
"And in all that… A perfect opportunity for you will arise, my dear friend, to revive your dearest friend. You simply must seize the moment. It is as I said before. It will be as easy as..." Mello held up two fingers again.
SNAP
"That." He smiled.
"To the Ascension Ruins, we must go. Prepare yourself." He nodded, looking back out into the distance, towards the ever-present Magma Sea.
"They shall appear tonight."
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