"Do we really have to run?" Luke asked Jax after a few minutes of jogging down the castle halls. It was fun, and it reminded him of running down the halls in school, but the odd looks they were getting from the palace's staff only got more and more embarrassing the longer they ran.
"Yes! If there's a chance of there being another war, I need to know. Right now!" he yelled back, picking up even more speed.
Sighing, Luke picked up his own pace as he chased after Jax, easily keeping up with the other cultivator.
When they finally got there, the view took Luke's breath away.
The garden was ethereal in its beauty. Butterflies of every color and size drifted through the air, their wings shimmering in the light of Theos's suns. Tiny rainbow-colored hummingbirds flitted from flower to flower, and flamingos and peacocks paced languidly on freshly trimmed and perfectly manicured grass.
A winding stone path snaked between flower beds and under tall, fruit-bearing trees. A small waterfall in the distance emptied into a peaceful, lotus-covered lake, filling the area with the soothing gurgle of water and the musical chirping of birds.
Slowing down, Jax made a cone around his mouth with his hands and yelled, "REX!" at the top of his lungs.
For a moment every creature in the garden stood still and stared straight at them before continuing with their lives, curious about the humans that had broken their peace but not enough to do anything about it.
"I've told you not to do that, you loud asshole!" a voice shouted back from deep within the garden.
Grinning in spite of his earlier rush, Jax marched forward, trampling on the grass with reckless abandon and sending rabbits scurrying out of their way. Hesitating briefly, Luke sighed and followed him.
I already ran all the way here—might as well go all the way. Poor garden, though.
They found Rex leaning with his back against a tree, his finger held out in front of him and on it a large blue-and-white butterfly, slowly and gracefully beating its wings.
"The new guy said one of your brothers died."
Luke suppressed the urge to cringe at how callously Jax had delivered the news.
"No," Rex responded flatly.
What? Luke frowned.
Jax opened and closed his mouth before staring at Luke, disgusted. "What kind of sick jokes do you like to tell? You fucking asshole. How can you just say stuff like—"
Sick joke, my ass. What's his deal? Luke stared at Rex. Does he not know that his brother is dead? But then, why would he just deny it?
"It's not a joke, and I'm not lying. Maybe you just don't know?" he said, crossing his arms under his chest. "I know what I heard."
"I would know if one of my brothers died." Rex furrowed his eyebrow, and the butterfly flew off his finger and began flying in loose circles in front of him. "It was my cousin."
This fucking guy. Luke fumed. "Well, thanks for being clear."
"Oh." Jax's eyes narrowed. "How did it happen? Was—"
"The Rebel," Rex interrupted him.
"Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. I need to go home," Jax mumbled, pacing back and forth. "Where's Cyzicus? He needs to let me use a teleportation altar."
"Who's the Rebel?" Luke asked.
"A rogue cultivator at the Hero tier. She came to the island sixty years ago, and she's been trying to supplant Cyzicus as emperor ever since," said Rex.
First Sophia the cyclops, and now this character? What's with this island and squatters?
"Is that how it works? If you're strong enough, you just show up somewhere and take it? Don't the gods interfere?"
Rex scoffed as if the very idea of the gods doing anything at all was ridiculous, but he didn't say anything.
"Rex. I need you to—"
"Jax, calm down." Rex leaned back and closed his eyes. "Even if you do go home, what are you going to do? Fight the Rebel? Fight her warriors? You're a single mortal. Nothing you do will make a difference. At best you'll die a quick death."
"What am I supposed to do, then? Huh! Stay here and train while she butchers my family?"
"She's not going to kill your family, Jax. There's literally no point."
"She's done it before."
Okay, so clearly, I'm missing some context here.
"That was different, and you know it," Rex said. "It's been a long time since then; she probably has bigger concerns."
Jax paced back and forth. "I need to be home! I'll grab my mother and my sister and flee. Bring them back here."
"If you want to be stupid, then go. What are you hassling me for?" Rex sighed. "Look, there's literally nothing you can do, even if you go there. They're too far, and you'll need Gramps to take you there and bring you back—walking will take you months. And he can't. Besides, her plan is obvious. She killed my cousin to start the battle. She picked now to do it because she knows that the Tide is coming."
"That's her plan, then? Side with the giants and destroy the island?"
That—
"No, you idiot. She wants to kill Gramps now, just before the Tide, to force Sylcra and all her cultivators to bend their knees. Gramps is the only one strong enough to helm the teleportation network, and without it, they won't be able to protect any of the towns or cities, and if she's the only hero on the island …" He trailed off, nodding meaningfully at the two of them.
"Wait, let me get this straight." Luke scratched his chin in thought. "You"—he pointed to Jax—"want to go home because your family might be in danger from this Rebel. For some reason. The Rebel wants to kill Cyzicus so that everyone else on the island has no choice but to rely on her to teleport them to the different cities when they get attacked by giants in six months. To do that, she needed to lure Cyzicus into a battle, which she did by killing your cousin."
A pretty classic coup.
"Basically." Rex nodded.
"I see … So I guess what it comes down to is which one of them is stronger."
"I suppose it would."
"That … Who's stronger? Cyzicus or the Rebel?"
"That's the question now, isn't it? The last time they fought was when she led the Pelesian Army to Sylcra. Back then, she was no match for Gramps, and her army was too small to challenge the sects. But a lot can change in sixty years." He shrugged, seemingly unconcerned with the outcome.
"And where do you fit in all of this?" Luke turned to Jax.
"Clan Skyscar, my family, came from Peles as part of her campaign. My grandfather was a general in her army. But when he saw how cruelly she was fighting the war, and all the innocent blood that was being spilled, we surrendered to Cyzicus. Years after the war, she slaughtered most of us in retaliation. But if she's out of hiding, then …" He trailed off.
The pieces of the puzzle clicked in Luke's head.
So it wasn't Arke that killed his grandson at all. Still, what should I do? Do I stay here and bet that Cyzicus wins? What happens if he doesn't?
Does it matter? he thought numbly. It would suck if he dies, but I don't see a way to affect the outcome at all. Obviously, it would be better if he wins, but if he does lose, what does that mean?
He glanced between Rex and Jax.
Both of them will probably die. I can't imagine a world where descendants of traitors and the previous emperor would be spared. Realistically, I don't have a horse in the race, but will she see it that way if she wins and finds a handful of elite mortals trained personally by Cyzicus, all of them living in her new castle?
It makes more sense to leave and not risk it. I don't even know if I want to compete in the Olympics, and I literally just met all of them yesterday. Sure, Cyzicus and Nel probably saved my life, but Nel was doing her job, and he was saving his granddaughter. I just happened to be there.
The training is cool, and the ring especially is useful, but I already have it. The baths are a neat trick, and I bet they have more like them, but I don't need them. Not with the Seed.
All I really need is some monsters to kill and a way off the archipelago. The latter, I can't do anything about until the situation with Arke changes, but this whole island will supposedly be drowned in giants in a few months.
That might not be enough stat points to get me to the Warrior tier, especially when I consider I still have to unlock the Bloodline, and I still need to master the techniques, but it should be enough to let me max out my attributes. Which is a massive plus.
"Oh, they're here," Rex said, climbing to his feet as he stared off in the distance.
"Who?" Luke followed his gaze and traced it to a small speck in the sky. As the speck came closer and closer to them, he realized that he had actually seen it before. It was a griffin, and riding on its back were two figures. "What's Nel doing here?"
"I didn't realize you were acquainted."
"I just met her yesterday. Why is she here?"
"Gramps asked them to come. He wanted us to do something for him." Rex glanced between him and Jax consideringly before shaking his head and turning back toward the sky.
"Is that what I think it is?" Jax whispered under his breath, his eyes wide in awe.
It's so fast, Luke thought as the griffin cut through the air, growing larger and larger with every second that passed. It went from a spot in the sky to flying above their head in seconds and then touched the ground at their feet moments later.
The second it did, Lukeus stumbled off and fell to his hands and knees, moaning and heaving as he emptied the contents of his stomach.
"I'm never riding that thing again!"
"It's not that bad," Nel said defensively, floating off its back and landing gently on the ground. Her eyes darted over Jax and lingered curiously on Luke before she lunged forward and caught Rex in a hug. "How've you been?"
"Good," he mumbled, shoving her away.
"Are you ready to go?" she asked.
"I am."
"Good." She turned to Luke. "How are you settling in?"
"They boiled me alive." He lifted a hand and pulled back his index finger. "A girl threw fireballs at me. I saw Arke destroy a part of your castle, which was cool. She also killed some dead guy and then blasted your grandpa through his throne," he rattled off. "But I got this ring and this sword, plus a massive amount of debt. So I guess I can't complain. Thanks for recommending this place."
He flashed her the most obnoxious smile he could and gave her a thumbs-up.
"Well, I'm glad you seem to be having an exciting time. I'd love to stay and chat, but we have some work to do." She knelt next to Lukeus and slung him over her shoulder before tossing him back onto her steed. "Hop on, Rex. There's no time to waste."
"Wait!" Jax knelt and prostrated himself before her. "Take me with you! I need a ride!"
"Who are you?"
"I'm Jax of Clan Skyscar. My family might be in danger."
A glimmer of recognition passed through her eyes. "Where do you want to go?"
"North. Across the river, to Sixra. If you can't go all the way, I understand, but if you can take me across, I'll be eternally grateful," he said, his face still planted on the ground.
She looked at Rex and he frowned before nodding imperceptibly.
Sighing, she shrugged. "Fine, get on."
Leaping to his feet, Jax eagerly climbed on top of the beast without a shred of hesitation, clearly fearing that she might change her mind.
"Thank you!" He bowed.
"Can I come, too?" Luke asked suddenly.
They all looked at him oddly.
"Why do you want to come?" Nel asked.
"Well, it's that or staying here and boiling myself alive every few days." And because I don't want to be here when shit inevitably goes down, that's why.
"I understand not wanting to train, but I'm afraid that Aura can only carry four people. Sorry."
"That's okay! You know what, I've been slacking off a lot lately. Why don't I stay here and train, and Luke goes with you?" Lukeus eagerly climbed off the griffin. "Besides, he's Luke, I'm Luke—there's practically no difference between us. No difference at all. And honestly, we both know that I'm not the mission type of guy, Nel. This guy fought a Warrior-tier giant if what they say is true. Much better choice than me, don't you think? I think so," he said, inching farther and farther away from the catbird before taking off in a sprint in the opposite direction. "You'll do great, Luke."
I think he's growing on me.
Nel watched him run off, both annoyed and with mirth in her eyes. "Fine, you can come."
"Great." Luke grinned and cautiously climbed onto the griffin. "Where are we going, by the way?"
She grinned at him. "Grandfather wants us to deliver a message to Sophia."
"Oh."