- RASOC -
Hielgan gripped his greatsword tighter, he could feel his fury bubbling up from inside him. He had exerted himself to rush to the docks, to assist someone that could have been his ally, his friend.
"Hey there lad, I hope you are not hurt." The individual in the golden armor spoke as he walked up to him.
"You killed him..." Hielgan murmured.
The individual stopped in his tracks and looked at Hielgan suspiciously, but his gaze fell short of him and it turned to the half-mortal.
"Thieves... Poachers... Murderers."
The Ticigirian then staggered to his feet as he grumbled these words to them, with glowing green eyes Hielgan witnessed the shadow of the Ticigirian reinsert itself in their presence.
"You are a tough one." The individual in golden armor observed, then he drew his sword from his sheath. "But this... will finish it."
The individual in golden armor raised his sword and pointed it toward the Ticigirian and began to chant, realizing what the mortal in golden armor was about to do, the Ticigirian immediately charged toward him.
With a wild swing of his large arm, the Ticigirian slammed into the mortal, but with a raised sword the individual quickly blocked the blow.
"My my you still have this much power in you?" The individual commented as he felt the power behind the Ticigirian's strike.
Looking at how unrelenting the Ticigirian was, the individual in gold broke free and jumped away from him. The Ticigirian lumbered and nearly fell from the breakaway, Hielgan saw how weak the half-mortal had become, his speed from earlier was nothing but a dream now.
"The shores of Morland renounce your presence, I abdicate you from this mortal life with Moria's essence - [Venerate Evict]!" The individual completed his incantation and immediately a bright orb appeared on his palm as a brighter lighter light surrounded his body. "Poor creature..."
Seeing this brilliant aura Hielgan immediately realized who the individual may be, Hielgan felt his body freeze up, and his feet felt as though they had been lodged into the ground.
'My instinct tells me... he's not ordinary.'
For the first time in his entire life, Hielgan felt an aura far superior to his own and he was afraid of confronting it.
In the wild, creatures that can not fight back against the bearings of nature can never hope to survive. However, since his defeat against the Saber, Hielgan had somehow conformed to the bearings of Morland and had been unable to fight back against it.
At that moment Hielgan recalled memories that ran deeper within him, memories of his grandfather.
'I am the son of a dragon!'
The orb of light in the individual's hand expanded to the size of a large boulder, the Ticigirian was breathing heavily but he managed to muster some strength and initiate a charge against the mortal.
Hielgan could see the look of lament on the individual's face, it appeared as though he did not want to fire his attack on the Ticigirian. Unfortunately, the large orb was released and it flew toward the exhausted Ticigirian.
Even with all the resilience that the Ticigiran had, Hielgan knew it would still not be enough to withstand the attack heading the Ticigirian's way, especially after all the damage he had sustained.
At that moment, another explosion erupted from the docks.
This time the ships that had been spared from the earlier explosion received the brunt of the current one, several ships capsized and sent their cargo crashing into the sea.
"You guys okay?" the individual in gold asked his colleagues.
"You should be more careful captain, this might give the other Holy Knights a bad name."
"Pssst. You seem alright."
Fortunately, the magi had created a shield in time to protect themselves and the remaining guards.
"Umm, where is that kid from earlier?"
As the explosion died down the Holy Knight could not help but notice that Hielgan was missing from where he had been standing. A concerned look on the Holy Knight's face returned as he scanned the area for any traces of Hielgan.
"Where could he have gone to?"
Suddenly the Holy Knight felt a faint pulse of aura emanating from the direction he had shot the orb, he immediately assumed that it belonged to the Ticigirian so he focused his attention on the area as the dust cleared.
'It's different, it is not like the wild mound of aura that the Ticigirian was spewing this one seems ferocious and... polished.'
The Holy Knight wondered as the immaculate aura suddenly flared up.
'I have always hated these calculated instances, but since it can not be helped.'
The Holy Knight stood there as the most powerful individual in Rasoc, everyone was looking toward him for direction and any foolish decisions would not only sully his reputation but that of the Holy Knights of Moriandia as well.
"So it was you?" The Holy Knight finally asked.
Hielgan stood in the miniature crater with his greatsword raised, his greave and armor completely ravaged, his cuirass hung on threads, and his boots melted at his feet.
"He's still in there." Hielgan muttered.
The Holy Knight seemed stunned by the situation, Hielgan had withstood his spell and still had enough aura to stand. When the Holy Knight looked closer, he noticed Hielgan's skin had a strange pattern as though scales were arrayed just beneath it.
'Another half-mortal? Were they friends?'
The Holy Knight sheathed his blade as the Ticigirian had now fallen to his knees, it appeared as though he had left his fate in Hielgan's hands.
"Search the ships!" The half-mortal suddenly blurted.
"The ships?" Hielgan repeated.
The Ticigirian's Primal Form dissipated, and his fur seemed to fall off as his limbs returned to their normal size.
"Search the ships!" With tears streaming down his eyes he repeated.
The guards gathered around the Holy Knight, the magi were ready to restart their barrage on the Ticigirian but the Holy Knight ordered them to stop.
"I want those ships searched, a healer to assist the half-mortals and this entire area secured."
The Holy Knight bellowed and walked toward Hielgan.
"You come with me."
The Holy Knight and Hielgan followed the guards as they began to search the ships around the docks, they started with the ships that had not been affected much during the battle. Hielgan followed the Holy Knight closely without saying a word until he finally spoke.
"It seems your friend was far keener than most..." The Holy Knight started but Hielgan remained silent. "Do you believe that the presence of Holy Knights can dissipate evil?"
"From the moment I encountered him, I felt a darkness in Rasoc and that darkness has only grown larger."
"So that's a no then." The Holy Knight figured. "I felt it too, whet you call the darkness. But it's not darkness, it's something far worse."
"Far worse than darkness, what's that?"
The Holy Knight lept onto one of the marooned ships and Hielgan followed, the deck of the ship had been ravaged from the aftermath of the battle. One of the hatch doors that led below deck was wide open and when the two approached to examine what lay beneath, they were stunned at the revelation.
"Despair..."