"Sometimes it's not the enemies that destroy you – but the friends who betray you." - Aiden Blackthorn
Valoria. A city of rain and darkness. Once a glorious trading city, known for its grand markets, inns, and bars. The houses were tall and large, yet as wide as normal homes, giving the city a unique flair with its "thin houses," as adventurers liked to call them. But now, the peak of this once magnificent city was far in the past. Due to a curse from the Tier III elemental, the "Celestial Dragon," the once proud and splendid city was engulfed in eternal, heavy rain. The people of Valoria, who had once filled the vast streets, were now scarcely seen, as everyone sought shelter in their homes from the endless rain.
Two figures wandered through the rainy streets, both clad in black, waterproof cloaks. Aiden glanced at the small watch on his wrist, a farewell gift from Seraphina and Selennia. It showed 9:30 a.m. The young men were right on time. Vincent soon spotted a sign pointing towards a small dead-end alley. As the young man read the text on the sign, he grinned. "Bingo." The signpost led the two young men to the bar Le Clair de Lune, the destination of their journey. They entered the alley and found a small hatch on the ground. The bar's logo was engraved on it. But before Aiden or Vincent could open the hatch and enter the bar, a voice sounded behind them: "Hey, hey, hey! What are you doing there? You're not from around here! What are you doing in this city?"
Episode 3 - The Shadow, that once was Light
When Aiden turned around, he saw a young man in iron knight armor. He was rather thin and not particularly tall. His light brown hair reached his shoulders but was tied back in a ponytail. A single strand had slipped out and hung in his face. The man wore a confident, almost arrogant expression. In his hands, he held a long spear. "Halt, strangers! I am Norya, one of the highest-ranking knights of this city! Whatever dark intentions you may have, I will stop you and protect this city! I swear it on my honor as a knight!" Aiden's expression was one of impressed disbelief – in a negative sense. He turned to Vincent and said, "Go on ahead. I'll deal with him." Norya was surprised. As Vincent entered the bunker, he shouted, "Hey, hey, hey! What are you doing? Why aren't you listening to me? Hellooo?"
But in that moment, Aiden stepped in front of him. "I told you, I'll be your opponent." Norya grinned. "I'll take care of you in no time!" With that, the warrior raised his spear, planting his feet wide apart. He shouted, "Now you will witness my special technique! Super Duper Ultra Special Technique: Piercing Storm of the Unconquerable Sky, which shatters the stars and rips the heavens in two, as the earth trembles and the seas rage, unleashed by the immeasurable power of a divine warrior, whose spear divides worlds, bends the elements, and in a single, all-consuming strike, tears the veils of reality to pierce eternal darkness with the light of the immortal! HYAAAAAAAAH!" Norya swung his spear. The name suggested the attack was incredibly powerful. Aiden reacted quickly in the face of such a mighty warrior. He did something creative, something few fighters dared to do. The way he dodged the blow was remarkable. If there were gods, they would surely take interest in Aiden. He… took a step to the side.
The special technique turned out to be a mediocre, normal spear strike. "Uh…" Norya was impressed by the incredible skill Aiden had just displayed. But Aiden then activated [Body Enhancement] on his right arm and gave the spearman a light shove, sending him flying to the other end of the alley. "One less problem." Aiden realized that the city probably didn't need guards anyway, since no one ever left their houses in the rain. With that, the young man entered the bar as well. The small bar was packed with people in cloaks, just like Aiden and Vincent. As soon as Aiden entered the underground building, Vincent called out to him: "Over here!" The young fighter turned and saw Vincent sitting at a table. Next to him sat a man, about their age, with long blue hair and a slight smile on his face. If one had to describe his appearance in a single word, it would be "mysterious." Aiden sat down next to Vincent and Azrael. "Long time no see, Azrael." The mysterious man's gaze and emotions were unreadable. He replied in a calm and friendly voice, "Yes, it's been a while. How have you been?"
Aiden and Vincent told him everything that had happened to them. Azrael listened intently, surprised. By the end, his smile grew wider. "I'm sorry, but I must go now. It was nice to speak with you both one last time as friends." Aiden was confused. "One last time? Are you leaving?" Azrael grinned. "Hahaha, you could say that! After all, I'm not actually here physically. To answer your question: it's not me who will prevent us from speaking peacefully again, but you." At that moment, every other guest lowered their hood. Beneath each guest's hood was an undead skeleton. "What the?!" Aiden was confused and shocked. Vincent remained calm. He said, "Azrael Nocturne, the necromancer. Am I right?" Azrael's body began to dissolve into dust, just like the skeletal man from the previous day. Apparently, he had made a skeleton look like himself and sent it here. "Haha, you're absolutely right! By the way, the bones of these skeletons are hollow and filled with a potent poison gas. I wonder if you'll manage to escape, and if we'll meet again – next time as enemies." With that, Azrael completely turned to dust. The same happened to the skeletons that had previously posed as the bar's customers.
Immediately, Aiden ran to the hatch, only to realize that it had no handle with which to open it. "What the?! It can only be opened from the outside!" Vincent remained calm, trying to think of a solution, but it was futile. They couldn't just destroy the ceiling or walls since the bar was underground. Aiden shouted for help and banged on the hatch, but soon he lost his strength and collapsed to the floor. From one of the employee rooms, skeletons stormed out, rushing toward them. The two were too weak to fight back. This was truly going to be their end. However, something unimaginable happened. Someone had opened the hatch from the outside and jumped down to rescue them. Aiden was relieved to see help had arrived. But when he looked up to see who had come to their aid, he was filled with deep disappointment. It was none other than the spearman Norya, whom Aiden had just defeated in passing. "Oh great… And here I thought I'd survive…" Norya got ready for battle and called out, "Now, dear heroes in distress, I, the radiant Norya, will save you! These skeletons will feel my special technique! Piercing Storm of the Unconquerable Sky, which shatters the stars and…" He was interrupted by Aiden, who poked him in the ankle with a plastic fork lying on the ground. "Okay, okay, I'm on it. Geez, you ruined my heroic entrance…" Norya then swung his spear a few times and managed to defeat the five skeletons, which crumbled to dust. Apparently, they had been purposely weak, intended only to land the final blow on the weakened boys. Once the skeletons were defeated, Norya wasted no time in rescuing the two boys from the bunker.
About ten minutes later, the two young men were able to breathe normally and move freely again. Vincent was relieved. "That was probably sarin gas or something similar… I'm glad we were saved in time." He noticed Norya looking at him somewhat sheepishly. "What's up?" The spearman immediately replied, "Oh, no, Master Eberhart! Is there anything else you wish for?" Vincent now had a frustrated expression on his face. "Yeah, for you to never call me by my last name again!" Aiden smirked. Vincent had always hated being addressed by his last name. According to him, it made him sound like he was at least fifty years old. Then Norya spoke again: "Master Aiden, Master Vincent, if I may ask, what is the goal of your journey? You know, so that I can help you." Aiden smiled and replied, "Well, I'm not sure if you can help us with that. But in my opinion, you've earned the right to know."
Norya listened intently. "So, we come from another world and are basically searching for a way back. However, we don't know how to accomplish that." Norya now had a wide grin on his face. "Wellll, I think I know how you can at least get more information. Vincent, you're a Beast Tamer, right?" The man nodded. What did the warrior know? Shortly after, Norya pointed toward a large hill outside the city. "Do you see that hill there? On top of it is a shrine. It's a large tree with an entrance. Adventurers often leave offerings for the gods there and, in return, have a wish granted. Go up there and try your luck!" Vincent's face twisted into an angry expression. "What the hell?! THAT's your tip? You better tell us something useful, or else..." Aiden placed a hand on the angry man's shoulder. "Let's at least give it a shot. Give him a chance." Vincent lowered his head. "Fine."
Norya bid them farewell with a flamboyant bow and a wide grin on his face. "Well then, my good sirs, it was an honor to assist you! Perhaps our paths will cross again, but until then, stay brave and keep fighting!" He turned and marched back into Valoria's rainy streets, his armor clinking with each step. Aiden and Vincent watched in silence until he disappeared into the darkness. "I can hardly believe he actually helped us," Vincent muttered quietly. Aiden nodded, a small smile on his lips. "Sometimes help comes from unexpected places." Without further words, the two began their journey toward the hill Norya had pointed out. The rain continued to pour relentlessly as they climbed the muddy path. The old shrine was overgrown by a massive tree, its gnarled branches reaching into the sky like fingers. When they reached the entrance of the shrine, Vincent stopped and looked skeptically at the tree. "This is supposed to help us?" Aiden placed a hand on the trunk, feeling a strange energy flow through his fingers. "We're about to find out," he said calmly and stepped through the shrine's entrance, ready for whatever awaited them.
The interior of the shrine was illuminated by glowing mushrooms. Water covered the floor, and in the center, a small tree stump rose from the ground within the large, hollow tree. The young Beast Tamer spotted a small pouch resting on the stump. He opened it and found ten small rings, which fit perfectly on his fingers. As he slid the rings on, a status window appeared before his eyes. "New skill acquired - [Spirit Vessel]." The Beast Tamer smiled. "Incredible..."
Meanwhile, Aiden noticed strange inscriptions along the side of the stump. "Vincent, take a look at this." When the serious man looked at the text, he immediately recognized the language. "Japanese?" Thanks to [Interdimensional Communication], the normally English-speaking men could perfectly read and understand Japanese. Apparently, the useful skill worked for languages spoken in their home dimension as well. The text was cryptic and mysterious.
"Ancient time, dangerous growth. A prison meant to keep the monster from breaking free. Fifteen chains hold it fast. When the eight powers unite to judge the one, the path home will open. But if even one is missing, Valoran will destroy the world."
As Vincent read through the text, Aiden took a few steps back. "Valoran?" But Vincent only sighed. "It's... time." The Beast Tamer raised his left hand. From the ground behind Aiden, a Gorgon emerged. It was a Tier I monster of the 'Mythical' category—a small, broad snake with a stinger on its tail. Gorgons were known for their paralyzing venom, which they delivered with a sting. Without hesitation, the Gorgon struck Aiden in the back.
"Vince! What… What are you doing?" Aiden shouted, his voice filled with confusion and pain. With an empty, somewhat sorrowful expression, Vincent recalled the Gorgon, which dissolved into energy that was absorbed into one of the rings. It seemed Vincent could now store beasts within his rings using his new skill. "I have no choice… I summon the beast that has followed me in the sky all this time, protecting me. Sorry, Aiden, but it's over." Aiden heard the cry of a large bird approaching. Moments later, a massive bird with flaming feathers landed at the entrance of the stump. "Be proud, you're being killed by a Tier II Elemental beast. A Phoenix is extremely rare, after all." Aiden tried to stand, but it was futile. The Beast Tamer had already commanded the Phoenix to breathe fire. The tree quickly caught flame, and soon the entire shrine was engulfed in fire. As Vincent calmly walked toward the exit, Aiden screamed, "Vincent! What the hell are you doing?! We've been through everything together, all the battles, all the challenges... and now you just want to sacrifice me like this?!" Aiden's voice trembled as he tried to stand, but the poison had paralyzed his body. "We swore we'd find a way home together! You can't betray me now! Why, Vincent? WHY?!"
The Beast Tamer lowered his head. "You don't understand anything." With that, he finally left the temple. Aiden struggled to get up and flee, but he had already inhaled too much smoke. His vision blurred. Barely able to stay on his feet, he collapsed once more. Darkness consumed him. He lost consciousness.
Hey! Thanks for reading the third chapter of Tales of Seven! Now the story really begins!
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"Hey, look at this! The shrine's just a pile of ashes now! Wait… there's a person lying there! We need to help! Hey, can you hear me? He… He's breathing! The boy's alive!"