After some time, Meris appeared in the Kalagda forest. He sighed at the sight of the forest where his last son had created his small order away from the intrigues of their Great Clan.
He quickly reached the place where the order was located, but now instead of the order there were ashes and many torn bodies, although there was a terrible smell of blood all around, not a single wild creature dared to approach.
The old man felt a familiar aura and quickly moved towards it and soon reached the center. He froze in shock at what he saw. He had a strong heart, but seeing such a scene once again, it missed a beat.
The old man's eyes glowed with rage and sadness when he saw the bodies of his son and daughter-in-law, which were torn apart and nailed to a post with a note:
- Great Heavenly Fang and his Narrowed
Clenching his paws tightly, he restrained his rage and aura so as not to frighten off the killers. In his heart, he promised to find the culprits and punish them so that death would be their dream.
Having removed the bodies of the dead and collecting the surviving bodies, he buried them. And he took the bodies of his son and daughter-in-law and carried them to Armeu Hill, which was not far from the clan, and buried them under Bemra, a special type of birch tree.
Standing in front of the grave, Meris involuntarily began to cry.
- I was a bad father. I raised you badly, so that you became a weakling... I shouldn't have listened to you then, that the main thing in life is happiness and you shouldn't spend your whole life becoming strong
- Nonsense, complete nonsense, I see you enjoyed your life!? Without strength, everything will be taken away from you, your happiness, joy, everything dear to your heart and... Life...
He paused for a long time, remembering all their happy moments before they went their separate ways. The old man clenched his paws, and then turned around and walked away from the grave a few steps and said trembling:
- I have the Erald and it is safe. I will raise him as they should. I won't make this mistake again..
Meris looked into the sky with tears, standing with his back to the grave. At this time, Kagel's Heroic Spirit appeared in front of the grave. He watched his father's back melancholy. Only strong Warriors could leave behind the Heroic Spirit after their death.
Meris felt this and only closed his eyes, from which even more tears began to flow.
- Yes, I was the only weak one here...
He did not dare to turn around, because he was a bad father and husband.. He could not protect either his wife.. Not one of his sons. He has no excuse...
- Farewell... May Bios be with you
Meris disappeared from the hill. Instead of heading straight back into town, he decided to walk.
Along the way he stopped at several places. They were all different: ancient clans, fields, forests, capitals, mountains, rivers, divine peaks...
His expression continued to change after stopping at these places; silence, sadness, downtrodden... Soon he returned to the city and moved to the house of the mayor of the city.
Standing at the entrance to the Mayor's house, he was stopped by two guards. Each of them was a powerful Supreme Being.
- Old man, please go away. "Our Mayor does not greet guests at this time"
The gate guard said to Meris and shook his head as the old man stood outside the gate.
- Yes, but I'm not a guest
Meris responded emotionlessly and looked at him. There was not a single emotion on the old man's face, only insane calm and detachment.
- May I know your name?
The Guardian asked carefully, because he did not want to let Bios offend the strong Master of Ascension. He couldn't help but look at it again. Before Meris could answer, a voice reached them:
- Let him through
- Yes
The guards opened the gate and let him inside. He calmly walked in and moved towards the house itself. The Mayor's house was not luxurious, but simple in appearance. If it weren't for the strong guards, it could have been confused with just a small mansion.
The doors to the house were immediately opened by the butler, from whom no small power also emanated. Meris entered the house and simply followed the butler without a word. They immediately reached the desired room. The butler only opened the door, and after Meris entered the room, he closed the door and left.
In a room full of various papers, scrolls and other ancient records and manuscripts sat a man from the race of fairy-tale dragons. Immediately when Meris entered he looked at him and stood up.
- Greetings, old friend. I'm glad to see you're still alive
The man walked up to Meris and hugged him tightly.
- Yes, long time no see, Alger
Meris still responded emotionlessly. He was glad to see his old friend, but he could not allow himself to smile. Alger immediately noticed this and became more serious.
The last time he saw such Meris was after receiving news of the death of his last son, and then the death of his wife.
- Sit down
Alger only briefly asked Meris to sit down next to him, and then asked:
- What's happened?
- There is no more Kagel...
Meris could only say this with burning rage and incredible sadness.
- What!? How so..
Although Alger guessed what had happened, he did not even dare to think about it. He involuntarily remembered the past.
His last son died in the Battle of Darkau, his wife died after giving birth to Kagel. Meris then had a choice of either the life of his wife or his son.
Meris chose his wife, but she chose her son, and he has nothing to do with it.
I couldn't help it. And so Kagel was born, to whom Meris gave all of himself, and now he is dead...
-Parents should not bury their children...
Alger clenched his fists thinking about it. Although he did not have children like Meris, he saw and felt his emotions.
- Help me find out EVERYONE who did this
Meris, with eyes red from blood, looked at Alger. Meris, although he seemed quite calm, was ready to explode at any moment in a fit of rage.
- Certainly. I will help you identify everyone involved in this case.
Alger nodded seriously, and then asked:
- You've probably already found some clues, who you can start with?
- Yes. Today I will bring justice and find the next ones. They will pay for their deeds and sins
Meris slammed the table and then stood up abruptly.
- You know where to find me. Thank you and goodbye. Until next time
Meris said only this. They were old friends so they understood each other well even without words. They knew that this would not be their last meeting.
- Fine. Good luck, Meris
Alger, smiling, watched Meris until he left his office, and then home. Alger quickly took a blank sheet of paper and wrote instructions on it, and then pulled the bell. The butler immediately entered the room.
- Go take it to Naargau
The butler took the letter and moved to carry it, and Alger only looked up thoughtfully.
About three minutes later he looked out the window, and at that moment the Butler returned with a letter and handed it to Alger.
Alger read it and threw it into the corner. The butler picked up the letter and, bowing, left. Alger stood for some time, looking out the window and thinking about what he had read.
- How sweet is betrayal, and how bitter are traitors?
Alger said quietly and sat down to work again on the documents.
It was already evening and only light light shone along the distant streets of the city. At this time, Meris had already returned home to his tea shop.
Entering it, he saw Elam, who was dressed completely in armor, and his spear lay next to him.
He drank tea and watched the steam from the cup opposite him. He looked at Meris for a few moments, and then drank his tea and also the one that Meris had prepared.
He stood up and nodded. They went outside. Meris looked back and noticed three tall archers, dressed in bright red cloaks, who were following Elam. Each of them was a Dux (General) under the command of Elam.
Then he saw Ved, the Chief of the City Guard, who appeared nearby with his retinue. Their faces were hidden by hoods, and their movements were precise and deliberate.
Each of them was an incredible Supreme Being, and Elam and Veda himself were powerful 215 Level Ancestors on par with Meris.
Meris left the letter on the table and set off. They moved together - Meris, Elam, Veda, five special guards and three archers.
3 Ancestors and 8 Sages, their squad was already equal to a powerful Clan or Order. They can easily wipe out the small and medium clans.
They went through two turns, entered the arch, where three guards remained, and went to the gate. Strangely enough, there was no one on that street. Although it was late evening, in such a big city every street was bustling with life.
The clothes of these guards were very different from those of the others, and Meris raised his head and looked at the sky.
Everything on him was in black - only the stars were still visible and illuminated the space, and magic shone around him.
But suddenly the stars disappeared and absolute darkness fell. Or rather, eternal darkness. There were no stars, no moon and nothing at all. Not a sound. Not a single living creature.
At this time, many ancient monsters and immortals encountered the team of Zealot and Erald. Thus, monstrous battlefields were formed.
One of the monsters, having received a fatal blow from Zealot, croaked in his direction:
- Zealot! You're Beindarch, you should be on our side, not on the side of this Cattle
Zealot and Erald heard him once again and laughed. Instead of Zealot, his Harding Lemo Do Gi answered:
- Old man, what are you talking about? You fucking Ant, we need WARRIORS, not you ants who are afraid to enter the Path of Ascension to the Lost Lands
- How dare you!
The zealot shook his head and said:
- They are hopeless. Kill these ants
***
The entire huge cosmic void disappeared along with the sun, leaving only blackness and soundlessness. In this emptiness, everyone was motionless - every species, every organism, every living thing that had ever been dreamed of.
Meris felt his heart tremble. Elam tugged at his cloak. He snapped out of his trance and turned around. He really didn't like what he saw. He raised his eyes to the distant sky, then to Elam and Veda.
- What happened, Meris? What you see?
Yelam asked worriedly. For a few seconds it seemed to him that Meris had disappeared from their world. Meris's very existence seemed to waver.
"Your face looks like you saw something very scary." Why did you turn pale? What's happened?
Elam continued seeing that Meris was not answering, the others also became nervous. Elam didn't like all this very much.
- Tell me!
Elam grabbed Meris, and he immediately answered:
- I saw the Devouring Darkness and the Dawn of Destruction
- How can this happen?
t be?
A shadow passed over Elam's face. After all, what Meris saw meant the beginning of a nightmare similar to what happened during the War of Horror and Devastation.
- I don't know, according to prophecy it should come in hundreds of thousands of years
Everyone fell silent and stared at Meris, who then said:
- Right now we have no time for this... other ancient seers will deal with the prophecy, because I'm not the only one who saw it
Meris spoke and waved his hand. They immediately nodded because it was true and the Great Council would deal with this prophecy better than them. They all moved forward and disappeared into the darkness of the night.
The next morning, the city, as always, began to buzz, but at the eastern gate everyone suddenly became quiet when they saw a detachment of horsemen heading into the city and from whom emanated a terrible smell of blood.
- What are they?
- And is it important? Mind your own business
-Have you heard about the Evil Monk?
- Yes, news about him is booming throughout the area.
The gate guards simply stood there without reacting. Once in the city, the detachment turned into an alley and disappeared from sight of the crowd, and then the crowd began to whisper, and only a few old creatures seriously looked in the direction where the detachment had disappeared.
- What kind of monk was destroyed by the Great Clan and several orders in one day?
- Yes, yes, he showed up to them and before the threshold read a whole scroll of their atrocities, presenting a lot of evidence
- The Great Clan was furious and wanted to execute him for slander, but this monk turned out to be very strong. Even the support of other Orders did not save them
- How can this be? Are you sure he is not one of the Pillars of the World?
- Nope, they're seeing him for the first time. All the information guilds and offices found nothing on him. Perhaps he was in closed training the whole time
- Apparently the Great Clan offended someone who shouldn't have been offended
Elam and Meris returned to the teahouse, and the rest returned to their business. Entering the tea room, Meris immediately saw Haldar and Erald, who were sitting at the table and drinking tea. Seeing Elam and Meris covered in blood from head to toe, Haldar and Erald opened their mouths and were speechless.
- Grandpa Meris, are you okay?
Erald jumped up sharply and quickly ran up to him. Haldar also stood up and walked over. They were both very surprised that they were completely soaked in blood. As they got closer, they noticed that most of the blood on them had long since dried.
- Don't worry, it's okay, it's not our blood.
Meris began to calm Erald and Haldar.
- Okay, I'll go.
Elam immediately moved to wash himself from the blood. He saw that he was superfluous there.
- Grandpa, where are mom and dad? You said that they will come in the morning, and if not, then with you. Where are they?
Erald couldn't help but ask, looking at Meris. He looked around, but there was no one behind Meris. Looking out the window, he also did not see his parents there.
- Erald, I'm sorry... Your grandfather couldn't save them
Meris sat down with tears in front of Erald, who was shocked by what he heard.
- Like this?..
Erald asked, not realizing anything. He looked blankly at the old man.
- Kagel and Melissa are no more... Forgive me, Erald..
Meris, seeing this, hugged Erald tightly with tears.
- It can't be... This can't be... Dad and Mom promised... They promised that they would return... Dad, Mom...
Erald stared blankly ahead, not realizing anything. Only his grandfather's words that they were no more were spinning in his head. Tears flowed relentlessly down his small face.
- Do not Cry
Meris said while crying himself, and then slapping him on the back said:
- If a man cries a lot these days, his heart will become unstable.
Erald's heart ached unbearably.
- Moms... Dads... no more
Erald whispered and his head began to hurt. His eyes suddenly darkened. From shock and stress, he collapsed on the floor unconscious. Meris immediately caught him and prevented him from falling.
And so he lay unconscious for three days.
When he finally woke up, the first thing he saw was Meris sitting next to him. He just looked at it and then looked at the window. As if he was waiting for him to see his father and mother behind him.
He sat there and waited for about fifteen more minutes until he decided to get up. He understood that they would never return. Meris was simply silent and watching him all this time. Emotions appeared and then faded away on Erald's face.
Trying to get out of bed, he almost fell to the floor from powerlessness. Three days of lying in bed unconscious take their toll.
- Carefully
Meris quickly picked up Erald and poured energy into his body with his paw, which immediately restored strength to his weak body.
- You can go?
- Yes
Erald nodded, holding onto Meris, and then was able to stand and walk on his own. Feeling strength and energy, he clenched his paws and thought:
That's what I need. Only with her can I do what I want
After that they went down to the hall.
Haldar was already sitting in the hall and thinking about something. Erald sat down next to him and also thought. Haldar, seeing Erald, wanted to say something, but noticing his condition, he restrained himself, and Meris silently went to get the dishes.
- Grandfather
Erald, coming out of his thoughts, suddenly called the old man away.
- Yes? A.
Meris turned and was very surprised. At that moment, Erald's saddened face changed to full of determination, in his eyes
ah, the burning spirit was burning. Firmly squeezing his paws, Erald shouted:
- Grandpa, could you teach me how to fight?
- Yes! Certainly!
Meris grinned and nodded, as if expecting these words. Even if Erald didn't want to learn to fight, he would force him.
Haldar, hearing Erald, realized that this was his chance. He immediately stood up and bowed and shouted:
- I want too. I want to learn how to fight with Erald and I don't want to be a burden to him. Teach me, please!
He couldn't miss his chance to become strong too. He remembered his father's words:
- Son, become someone whom they won't think of looking down on. Become a strong man
Meris looked at Haldar doubtfully and nodded for a second:
- Hmm... Okay, that's not a problem.
Meris initially frowned at Haldar's request, but after considering several options, he nodded and left.
He was currently more concerned with Erald than with Haldar. He saw that Erald had changed.
His eyes shone with an insane light and determination that amazed even him.
- Treukh, Garamb... I swear, I WILL KILL YOU, TRUCK, GARAMB!
Erald swore to himself with incredible fury in his eyes and clenched his paws tightly. His rage and determination will turn into a force that will crush all his enemies.
- Here my new life will begin... My new Path... My first goal is to become Strong, the second is to repay Erald and his family, namely to help in his revenge, and then I'll think along the way
In this life, Haldar vowed to become a truly worthy and strong man, as his late father wanted. He will no longer make the mistakes of the past.
Having sat back down, they began to wait for Meris to arrive. He returned with the dishes and put them on the table, and then looked at Haldar:
- Come to me Haldar
- Yes?
Haldar stood up and walked over to Meris. Although he didn't understand why, it was better to do what you were told in this situation.
- It will hurt a little, but be patient.
Meris smiled and Haldar simply nodded. Meris was surprised at Haldar's complete obedience.
- Maybe he's not like that after all... No, I have to see for myself
In the next moment, Meris's claw turned into a thread, which without hesitation penetrated Haldar's forehead, with the goal of reaching his Lake of Memories to completely read Haldar's life.
Boom!
In a split second, the heavens seemed to explode and the earth shook. A small stream of dazzling light suddenly gushed out from Haldar's forehead! The light threw Meris two meters.
And the light disappeared, and everything returned to its place.
- Incredible print. There are powerful people behind him
Meris immediately thought that it was not worth climbing any further. He coughed slightly and asked:
- Hmm, where are you from, remind Haldar?
- I'm from a place called Earth. I don't even know how I got here. I was lucky to meet Erald and here I am
Haldar honestly told everything that he remembered. Meris, listening to Haldar, saw that he was not lying, but this seal alarmed him. Haldar was clearly no ordinary man.
"He seems like a good guy, but we'll have to continue watching him." I don't want to insult him either. Okay, nothing will happen to me here
Meris thought for a moment and nodded:
- I see, fine then. I will train you both
- Thank you very much
Haldar bowed to Meris once more. The old man nodded and looked at Erald.
- Okay, okay. Erald, will you go to the temple with me? Pray for your parents and the order
- Yes.
- Haldar, you can come with us too
Meris stood up and began to walk towards the exit of the tea shop, waving his paw at them so that they would follow him.
- Fine
Haldar nodded and together with Erald stood up and followed Meris.
Leaving the teahouse, they moved to the western part of the city.
***
Meanwhile in the Great City of Nestayn.
On the street of merchants, a little girl stood in front of a monk who had laid out a variety of things on the floor in front of him.
- Grandfather, please show me this bracelet made of white wood.
- Hold it young lady
The sitting monk handed her a bracelet made of the most ordinary wood. The girl, taking it, began to examine it very slowly, and then nodded to herself and handed it back.
-Can you pack it?
- Of course, but do you have anything to pay for it?
The monk, taking out a beautiful box, put a bracelet in it, and then looked at the girl, who, having heard his question, began to rummage in her pockets. Taking out everything she had, she handed it to him.
- Is this enough?
- Hmmm
The monk, taking this little thing, looked at the girl. The girl, seeing that he accepted her payment, smiled and spoke:
- I want to give a gift to my older sister. Since our parents died, my sister has taken care of us all. And I really want to give her something beautiful
- Good goal. Here you go. I hope your sister will be happy
The monk handed the girl a box with a bracelet, and as soon as she took it, a cry reached them:
- Hayley, there you are!
- Sister May! Look what I bought, this is for you
Hayley quickly ran up to her sister and handed her a beautiful and very neat box. Although it was made from ordinary materials, the quality of work was excellent.
May, looking at little Hayley, shook her head, and then looked at the box and was shocked, because where did she get such an expensive thing?
- Hayley! I understand that we do not live the best life, but theft is not an option. Let's go give it back and apologize
- Sister, I bought it! I didn't steal anything
Hayley heard her sister and was ready to cry. Mei, seeing this, calmed her down and took the box in her hands.
- Good good. You didn't steal it. Can you show me where you bought it?
- Whine, this Grandfather has
Following her finger, Mei only noticed a street vendor monk next to them. Having looked closely, she realized that she had seen him somewhere before.
The monk, noticing that they were looking at him, raised his head and smiled at her. Mei clearly saw his face and immediately remembered where she had already seen him.
She worked at the reception desk in one of the local Guilds, and she saw information on recent events and this grandfather was there.
The people nicknamed him the Evil Monk, who recently destroyed the local Great Clan.
An incomprehensible being on par with the ten Pillars of the World.
Oh Bios, please protect
Mei, gathering all her courage, trembling with her whole body, walked up and handed the box back to the Evil Monk.
- Sorry, we can't afford it
- No. I have already accepted the payment.
- But.
- She paid the highest price. She gave everything she had. So take it, otherwise there will be trouble
The monk looked into the trembling eyes of this young girl. This bracelet will help her gain strength for her small but noble goal.
Mei, hearing the monk, nodded tremblingly. She realized that he would not take her back.
- Go, maybe our paths will converge again