Ky sat alone by a single tree that stood atop a hill looking down at a small town. They were still a two days' ride from Cruuxford. It's been three days since they left Astria. Solara and Ava had caught up to them a little bit after the encounter with Vesryn. Solara had informed Ky that Syndra sent them to aid in the mission. At the moment Solara, Ava and Amara went into town to get food while he chose to stay behind.
He wanted to be alone because his mind was still drifting to what Thana said the last time, he saw her. A god intervened in his death, and he still wanted to know why. In his hand he held a rock that he came tossing in the air. The past few days Solara used fairy dust to aid in his recovery so he could now use magic, but he couldn't overexert himself. What people didn't know about Ky was that unlike most Astren, he couldn't do a form of spatial magic or even spirit magic. Ice magic was his affinity, but he had another form of magic he could do.
After losing his siblings years ago he discovered the second form of magic. Gravity magic was another form of magic he was capable of doing. A faint magic circle formed above Ky's hand as the rock came back down. Instead of landing in his hand once more it began to float.
Gravity magic was one of the forms of magic that was hardly used so it was classified as Arcane. Arcane magic was the name used to describe types of magic that few practiced or had been forgotten in history. As Ky looked at the rock floating in the air he began to wonder; if it was a god that saved him from dying then could they have gifted him with the affinity to manipulate gravity?
This was something he had never thought about until now. Though, why save him and not his brother and sister? Unlike most Astren, Ky hardly prayed to Thana or any deity for that matter. He knew of some of them, but he didn't really look toward them for help when it came to anything. With that in mind he became frustrated because he felt that he didn't deserve the god or being saved by them. He continued to stare at the rock that floated above his hand until he felt something. Ky lowered his hand causing the rock to fall as he looked around. There was nothing but he felt strange as if he was being watched. After a moment he looked at the shadow of the tree. A second went by before Amara emerged from the shadow.
"Either you're quite perceptive or I'm getting rusty with my magic." Amara said as she pointed at the ground beside Ky. He shrugged as she slowly approached him and then sat down beside him.
"I am actually somewhat familiar with shadow magic." Ky said in a soft tone as Amara gazed at him with a curious look on her face.
"Hm…thought I was your first Vesper comrade." Amara smacked her teeth as she elbowed Ky in the arm.
"We're comrades now? He slightly grinned before it faded, and he had a grim look on his face. "Actually, you're the first Vesper I met. The person I knew that was a user of shadow magic actually was a Edahs." Ky sadly spoke as he looked off into the distance. Amara appeared confused as she looked at Ky.
"A Edahs? Here in Vanaheim? That's something I never expected." Amara said as she started to consider something.
"There was a small group of them years ago that tried to sneak onto our land. She was the only one that managed to escape the Astrian army." Ky sighed as he placed his hand on his face. He sat silently for a moment before he lowered his hand. "I met her one day when I was trying to steal some food from one of the stores in the middle region of Astria. Back then I wasn't good at stealing anything. When the knights sent me away after a beating, she revealed herself to me." Ky said as he began to grin slightly. "She gave me food that she managed to steal. After that we kind of stuck together for a while." Ky said as he went silent again while looking off in the distance.
"You fell in love with her?" Amara questioned as Ky glanced at her and shrugged.
"Saria told me not to trust her, but I never listened. A few years ago, she and I decided to venture outside of Astria. We ran into some people that her people attacked when she first arrived on our land…. She disappeared, and those people took their anger out on me." Ky said as he clenched his fist and gritted his teeth. I dragged myself back to Astria and went straight for our hideout in the forest outside of Eshelon. Everything we had stolen like artifacts, silver and jewelry was gone." Ky grumbled as Amara looked at him with a look of pity. She placed her hand on his shoulder and looked at him with a serious look on her face.
"You should've listened to Saria, mate." Amara said sternly as she gently squeezed his shoulder. Ky frowned and then looked away.
"Anyway, where are the others?" Ky tried to change the subject.
"Oh yeah… we ran into some girl who was with the arc knights. She's a squire and she look pretty beat up but somehow, she managed to make it to that town. Apparently, she had passed out and was in the medical center for the past few days." Amara casually said, causing Ky to nudge her in the side with an angry look on his face.
"Why the hell didn't you say that earlier?" Ky questioned as Amara looked offended.
"I ended up bloody learning something about ya so I figured it could wait a bit!" Amara panicked as she leaned away from Ky. He sighed as he struggled to his feet.
"Well getting to know me isn't important. The mission we have at hand is." Ky retorted as he turned away from Amara.
"Solara was trying to get information from her but she's too out of it. Apparently, she's a squire so it was her first time on a battlefield I reckon." Amara said as she appeared beside Ky. He looked at her curiously wanting to know more.
"Where are they now?" Ky questioned as they headed down the hill to see Solara, Ava talking to the young Astren woman. It was Thalia and she now had a scar over her eye. She looked surprised when she noticed Ky approaching. Ky was uneasy when he realized she was Vesryn's squire.
"Ky…" Thalia said nervously as Ky stood silently and didn't utter a word. After a moment of silence and everyone staring at each other awkwardly he bowed his head.
"Why were you with the Arc knights and not in Astria?" That was the first thing Ky decided to ask which caught Thalia off guard.
"I heard Vesryn was there so I asked them to take me so I could be of use to him." Thalia said as she hugged herself nervously as if she was trying to shrink her presence. Like many people, Thalia admired Vesryn and possibly even had a crush on him. Ky grunted as he stepped past everyone and began walking.
"The hell are you going?" Someone called after him.
"Cruuxford, obviously." He replied without looking back to see who asked the question.
It had been an hour since they had left the town, they found Thalia. She was now venturing with them so she could show them the hideout of the demons. From Thalia's recollection the knights had been killed and Lura had been the last one. She sent Thalia away in order to get back to the kingdom, but she never made it. By the time she had arrived at the town they had left she collapsed and passed out. The look of guilt on her face was noticeable.
"Let go of that guilt, it's meaningless." Ky said as he walked alongside the Kirin Ava and Thalia were riding on.
"Why are you and a foreigner a part of this mission?" Thalia asked, ignoring Ky's remark causing him to shrug.
"Maybe the princess thinks I'm more competent than a group of knights." Ky teased as he noticed Thalia look at him with a displeased look on her face.
"Vesryn says you're quite troublesome and put princess Saria in too much danger." Thalia retorted as Ky let out an empty laugh.
"Vesryn gets everything he wants and is revered by the entire kingdom as a valiant knight. He even almost wedded Saria at one point. Yet for some reason he had to hire a guild to kill me." Ky said as he glared at Solara with a serious look on his face. He saw the guilt on her face which caused him to look away. After a moment of silence Ky began to distance himself from the group. Everything that happened in the last few days hurt him mentally. He didn't know who to trust and what to believe at this point. All he knew was the Reaper sword couldn't remain in the hands of demons. After maintaining a good distance from everyone Amara emerged from a shadow beside him.
"You've been like this since they showed up…" Amara calmly said, trying to initiate a conversation.
"Solara and Ava are a part of the silver cloaks. A guild that Vesryn worked with a lot, and he hired them to kill me. Taegan was their leader and he betrayed them so he could get the sword." Ky harbored a slight disdain for them all. He didn't understand why any of what happened, happened.
"Taegan did it hoping to save his wife and daughter. As for Vesryn, I can tell he's someone who hates being overlooked." Amara replied as she walked closer to Ky.
"I suppose I slightly understand Taegan's reason for taking the sword. The thing with Vesryn is another matter though. I'd never admit it to him, but I once looked up to him and even envied him." Ky said, causing Amara to look at him surprised. "He had all the magic potential and the luxury of nobility and knighthood. He lived in the inner region where the way of living is wondrous while I lived in the outer region where things were harsh. The knights who are sworn to protect us are more like bandits." Ky said as he gritted his teeth with frustration. "Not to mention he got to be by Saria's side almost all the time." Ky said as he began to think about Saria for a moment.
"Do you love her?" Amara questioned, sounding intrigued to know.
"I never even looked at her that way honestly. After what happened with Niyana, I just started doing careless things." Ky said as he began to reflect on the past and his choices.
"Niyana, I assume that's the name of the Edahs that robbed you." Amara concluded as she jabbed him in the arm. "Ha she bloody stole your heart. Pathetic!" She teased as she looked at him with a sly grin. "You are aware that Edahs don't have one lover at a time, right?" Amara questioned seriously as Ky shrugged.
"I honestly don't care anymore. Once we finish this and Syndra lets me go, I'm leaving Vanaheim." Ky grumbled as Amara seemed amused.
"Why would you leave your homeland?" Amara wondered as Ky pointed at his eyes.
"I'm not a true Astren and most outer races aren't welcomed here. Terrans are the only group of beings that share this land with us so they're an exception." Ky proclaimed as Amara looked at him confused.
"Your skin and hair texture resembles any other Astren that I've seen. You're a bloody citizen of Astria so how can you not be a true Astren?" Amara prodded with a strange desire to know more.
"You're asking me so many questions, yet I haven't once asked you anything." Ky changed the subject which took Amara by surprise. "Tell me about your brother." Ky requested as Amara sighed and seemed to shrink at the thought of revealing anything about it herself. Ky stared at her silent as she kept her head down for a long time. She groaned in frustration as she glared at him vexingly.
"His name is Arlen, and he was a valiant warrior in the Rithen kingdom. I'd even bet he'd be able to defeat Vesryn in a duel." Amara chirped with admiration as she looked to think about her brother. "He had a son with a woman he deeply loved." Amara said as she bit her lip and grew silent. Ky started to speak but he decided not to say anything and merely walk alongside her. The two were slowly forming an inseparable bond that neither of them realized.
*****
"Ah, I'm still quite famished!" Anon said as he pushed the Arc knights dead body off him. He licked his fingers as he walked across the room. He grabbed a towel placed on a table. The reaper sword was also on the table.
Boom!
The door burst open as another Vae came flailing into the room. Taegan came through the doorway with a frustrated look on his face.
"Where is my family, Anon?" Taegan was clearly losing patience. Anon smiled as he finished cleaning his bloody hands.
"I must apologize for my delays. Hesperia is looking after them so you should find her. If I'm not mistaken, she's a few doors down." Anon said as Taegan cursed as he exited the room. Anon sighed with relief as turned his back from the door. "I didn't expect you to show up, Naeghi."
Naeghi stood silently in the doorway with a displeased look on his face. "You don't have enough resources for a war, Anon. You've cost some Oni to lose their lives having them foolishly follow you and your people." Naeghi said as he began entering the room.
"Isn't it amusing that Oni tend to refuse to follow Dark Oni? Also, I find it strange for someone like you to try the diplomatic approach. It's so unlike you." Anon teased as Naeghi stepped closer to him. His size was beginning to appear more menacing the closer he came to Anon.
"I admire you legitimately are trying to give demons a fresh start but we're demons. We don't work well with other demonic races, and we exist for chaos and bloodshed." Anon shrugged as Naeghi grabbed him by the shoulder.
"Your actions will cause Vexo to act earlier than planned." Naeghi snapped as Anon was silent for a moment before smiling.
"He's going to destroy this land on his way to Jotunheim anyway, so why not allow my family to entertain themselves until then?" He questioned as Naeghi huffed angrily as he let Anon go.
"A Great War is going to come and you're wasting the lives of our people for your family's entertainment!" Naeghi snarled as Anon chuckled before turning away.
"Without the gods the people of this world are doomed no matter what!" Anon yelled as he became a slight blur. He appeared behind Naeghi with the reaper sword. A strange aura of ash began to emit from the sword as he took a swing at Naeghi's head.
Effortlessly, Naeghi evaded despite his large size. His anger was clear as he let out a bellowing roar and a powerful aura caused the room to shake. Anon was knocked back from the force and thrown off balance. Naeghi appeared in front of him and hammered him in the chest.
Boom!
Anon was knocked through the wall and landed in the hallway. The sword was flung down the hall as he hit the ground. He groaned in pain as Naeghi appeared over top of him.
Stomp!
Naeghi stomped on the ground causin debris to rise up off the ground. Anon had already moved out of the way and appeared behind Naeghi. Anon waved his hands to create a magic circle. Blood began to come from the corpse of the dead Arc knights' body as well as from the other Vae laying lifeless in the room.
"Blood bullet!" He shouted as a flurry of bloody particles were fired at Naeghi who stood motionless. The blood particles went through the wall behind Naeghi but he was unscathed.
He shouted as a flurry of bloody particles were fired at Naeghi who stood motionless. The blood particles went through the wall behind Naeghi but he was unscathed.
"Dark Oni have the toughest skin out of all demons so your pathetic blood magic is useless." Naeghi said as he lunged at Anon. Anon grinned as he lunged forward preparing to take Naeghi head on in battle this time. Anon struck Naeghi in the chest which knocked him into the wall. This surprised Naeghi as he sat motionless as rubble fell on top of him.
"It's a full moon tonight so I think I have a reasonable chance to take you out. If he do kill you then I'll become Vexo's right hand and get to watch as he destroys Jotunheim." Anon smiled with a sinister look on his face which made Naeghi fume with anger. Naeghi roared as he burst off the ground and with a swing of his hand blue flames filled the hall. Anon leaped back hissing at the flames on his jacket in which he tore off immediately and threw to the ground.
A large hand grabbed Anon's head before dragging him across the floor.
DUN… DUN… DUN!
The sound of his face hitting stone as he was dragged. He began to cry out in pain as Naeghi threw him down the hall in the direction the sword had gone. Anon eyes darted all around the area searching for the sword. Other Vae were rushing down the hall with weapons and their fangs out. Before they could get close a beam of hellfire was thrown at them. Anon hugged the wall and covered his head as he felt the heat over him which was burning his skin even without touching him.
He looked up to see that his comrades had all been incinerated and nothing was left but ashes flowing away down the hall. Anon lifted his head to see Naeghi standing over him with a look of superiority. "Shall we end this foolish squabble, or should we continue? If we do keep going, I might end up killing your siblings and children." Naeghi snarled with deadly intent.
"The sword…where is it?" Anon asked as Naeghi began to look around, seeming surprised. He stood silently for a moment before he pushed the wall Anon was leaning against. His hand went into Anon's shadow as if he was sticking his hand in as if it were water. He pulled his arm back and Amara emerged gripping the sword in her hand.
"What has it been, three years, Amara?" Naeghi grinned wickedly as Amara tried to struggle to get free. He tightened the grip around her neck as she continued to struggle and made an effort to strike him with the sword. Unfortunately, he grabbed her wrist with ease and began to laugh. "How did you find me?"
"Where…is he?" Amara choked out as Naeghi tilted his head in confusion.
"He?" He seemed confused until it finally dawned on him, and he smiled once again. "Ah, you're referring to Eldar, well he's not here of course." He chuckled manically as he squeezed her neck even more.A cold air began to fill the hall causing Naeghi's expression to change. A giant wall of ice formed causing Naeghi to let go of Amara for the wall appeared between them. Amara fell back and Anon finally made his move and lunged for the sword. Before he could reach her his face was cut causing him to fall backward and cry out in pain. A glow of energy appeared behind Amara as Ky's face came into view after pulling down his hood. He caught her with his free hand, and she seemed surprised as she rubbed her neck in pain.
"I thought you went looking to see if there were any survivors from that knight group." Amara choked out as the wall of us in front of them shattered and came crumbling down. "Their dead now get out of here…" Ky nudged Amara away from him as he slammed his sword into the ground causing ice to rise up everywhere. A second went by before the ice melted nearly instantly from hellfire. Naeghi appeared in front of Ky with a wicked look on his face.
"Who is this new comrade of yours? I think I might turn him into a fiend as well. Ha!" Naeghi laughed as Ky evaded his hand and slid under him. Ky slashed at the air as more ice went in Naeghi's direction. Hellfire appeared again, instantly melting the ice with ease. Ky was at a disadvantage, but he didn't care he was prepared to fight no matter the cost. Amara had already disappeared without a word as Anon appeared in front of Ky. Anon tried to claw at Ky's face, but he evaded the attack causing Anon to crash into the wall. Ky let out a deep sigh as he was prepared to try using the magic, he never took the time to learn. It was all or nothing since he was facing off against demons that were clearly powerful. Naeghi and Anon charged at Ky as he waved his hands as a magic circle formed under his feet and began to spread out. He pointed his hand downward, and the atmosphere became heavy causing Anon and Naeghi to stop in their tracks.
Anon collapsed to the ground first struggling to get to Ky but the pressure was too immense. Naeghi was kneeling on one knee trying his hardest to fight the force of gravity. Ky lunged forward increasing the force of gravity on his body in order to seem heavier. He slammed his hand into Naeghi's stomach causing a cracking sound before his body was knocked backward. Ky then raised his hand, and the center of gravity became extremely light. Anon floated up to the ceiling and before he could do anything Ky pointed his sword at him. A large pillar of ice shot up and impaled Anon in the chest causing him to cry out in pain. The ice continued to spread as Anon began to cough up blood.
As Ky turned his attention away from Anon he was struck by a large hand which knocked him back. He went flailing down the hall and began to roll trying to regain his footing. He managed to gather himself, but a powerful leg struck him in the chest which knocked him back even further. Ky regained his footing as Naeghi appeared in front of him. Ky and Naeghi punched at the same time, but Ky used gravity magic to make his strike more powerful. His strike was powerful enough to cause the hall to crumble and Naeghi was blown backward.
"She went and found a monster it seems!" Naeghi howled as he continued to struggle against the gravity magic. Ky was breathing heavily, and he knew there wasn't much time left. He hadn't properly trained with gravity magic so he was aware his potential would be limited. All that mattered was making sure that the sword got out of their hands for now. Ky swung his sword with all his might causing a powerful force to erupt from it. A large slash across Naeghi's chest appeared as he was knocked backward even further.
As Ky started to move forward, he felt cold touching his back. Luckily, he had figured out how to cover himself with a small gravity that would reject the force of bladed objects. He spun around to see Taegan with a sword. For a moment he hesitated but he pressed his hand against Taegan's chest. In an instant he sent Taegan away from him and hurtling down the other direction of the hall. Ky quickly turned around to be struck in the face by a powerful blow that knocked him back. He coughed in pain as he held his face with Naeghi standing over him breathing heavily.
"I've spent the last ten years in this world learning about Alfheim and Vanaheim. Never have I heard anything about an Astren being able to do frost magic or even gravity magic. In fact, I've never heard of anyone in this world using that form of magic." Naeghi breathed heavily as he smiled with intrigue.
"I'm only half Astren." Ky replied as Naeghi grinned wickedly.
"Judging by the looks of it, you're inexperienced with that form of magic so just give up. I'll let you live and turn you into a fiend. I'll make you become a powerful one at that and you could rule with the rest of us." Naeghi said as he held out his hand to Ky who was sitting on the ground breathing heavily. Ky stared at Naeghi's hand for a long while before he shook his head.
"I'll pass on your offer. If you're going to kill me then just do it already." Ky snapped as Naeghi sighed as he aimed his hand at Ky. Hellfire began to form around Ky and he let out a deep breath as he began to accept his fate.