Bel-Yor city
Exterior ward
Spring court
Hidden world, Terra
Gaea solar system
Milky way Galaxy
Neutral Free zone
March 8th 2019
The Hidden World of Terra was said to be just as vast as the seven continents of the mundane world, with its lands and oceans located within a secondary spatial location. There were four land masses that in total were almost equal to the mass of the seven continents, a body of ocean that was around sixty-two percent of the hidden world, dividing the four lands like an X shape. These four massive land masses were known as the seasonal continents and within the seasonal continents were the seasonal courts. The seasonal courts were the main bases of the rulers of the four lands of the Hidden World, and the continent that Sam and her teammates were flying through was known as the Spring continent. Each of the four lands was divided between the Exterior wards and the Interior wards. The Exterior wards were the lands with the cities, towns, and villages belonging to the average inhabitants of the Hidden World. While the Interior Wards belonged to the aristocrats of the Hidden World and were similar to a castle town. Just like how the Exterior ward was hidden and protected from the Mundane world by the Grey, the Interior Ward also had its form of barrier that kept it separated from the Exterior wards and it was under the control of the Noble families. After they had gotten a location to the last place Stella's Exodus had been set to, the group went straight to their spaceship, and with the help of the Golden Dawn agents, a pathway had been created through the Grey to let them passage into the Hidden world. Luckily their ship landed in the spring continent, but unfortunately, they were not able to reach their target straight up. The airship had appeared in a region filled with massive trees that looked like a jungle. Each of the trees within the region was like skyscraper buildings in urban cities, only they were massive with large branches and lots of greenery. The ship flew through the sky, well above each of the trees as they set forth for the city of Bel'Yor.
"Bel'Yor is one of the many cities of the Spring Court," Leon said. "It's considered the best, as the other cities aren't even worth talking about." They were all seated at a circular table in the back of the airship, a hologram of the city of Bel' Yor propped up in front of them. The airship had been put on autopilot that would take them straight to Bel' Yor so there was no need for Emily to be at the wheel. Right now, they were gathered here to talk about what to do when they reached their destination.
"What's Greyhorn," Henry said.
"It's a nightclub that craters towards the needs of its clientele," Leon said with a smile.
"Leon," Emily said warningly. "We're not going there for pleasure. We're going there for information."
"I wonder what relationship there is between your aunt and the Al' Roth," Leon said.
"Al' Roth," Sam said.
"It's one of the Five magical families of the Hidden World," Leon said. "At least it was till they were massacred fifteen years ago. There's only one member of the Family left and we're going to his club."
"If the Mccoy were a vassal family of a Great magical family, then maybe the Al' Roth were their masters," Emily said.
"I doubt it. The Al' Roth is a family of Beastmen race," Leon said. "I don't see a family like them having a human family as Vassals. No...If anything I would say that the relationship has nothing to do with them being part of the Great Magical family. And might be something else. We'll ask Lance once we meet up with him in the club. Anyway, what I want to know right now is about that thing that is attached to you." Leon turned to Sam. Sam raised an eyebrow at Leon's hidden question. He was talking about the Golden Deer that had appeared to her aid during her attack against the Infernal engine.
"Yes, that Golden deer. It's not a mystical beast as it appears to be," Emily said. Mystical beasts were beasts of a magical nature with a bit of intelligence well above average animals. That thing that had appeared to help Sam looked like a Mystical Beast, but with the energy that it had brought with its arrival, its true nature had been revealed. Leon had seen the Golden deer back in the forest on Luna after he had killed both Sinutu and Anuntium. The deer had arrived on the scene but then it had gone after Sam fell unconscious. He hadn't bothered to find out why an Elemental being was parading as a Golden deer but now that it was within Sam's Soul realm, Leon wanted to know how dangerous this thing was.
"It's an Elemental being," Sam said.
"You know what an Elemental is," Leon asked.
"Huh, I might have read up on them during Arcane practicum class," Sam said, not bothering to explain how she had gained massive bouts of information. Pieces of information that had been given to her by the Gaea spell system. "Elementals are said to be a race of naturally formed spiritual beings, right."
"They're Celestials from the Elemental plane," Leon said. "The Elemental plane is adjacent to the Divine plane and our plane." Just as Leon was talking about the Elemental plane, a speck of green light flew out of Sam's chest, forming a little white and black colored bird. The creature had six tiny wings that were coated with white lightning, its golden beak vibrating at a speed that could tear through metal itself. The bird flew around Sam's head before it settled on her shoulder. Leon's eye squinted at it with a little bit of malice.
"Careful now, Leon," Emily said as she sensed the true power of this being. Sam couldn't help admiring this creature that had given her the strength to destroy the infernal engine.
"Who are you," Sam asked. She felt no malice or danger from the bird. Instead, she felt a sense of camaraderie and kinship with it.
"I'm Avis Tontrualis, one of the 12 Thunder Spirit Kings of the Thunder Elemental Dome" The bird squeaked. Leon frowned upon hearing this. Like everything in the Universe, there was a hierarchy when it came to power. Just like how godhood was the end of the line when it came to Ascendance for most mortals, the Spirit King rank was the equivalent for the Elementals. Being a Spirit King was the same as being a god. At least a lesser deity. Most religions across the galaxy worship them. Leon couldn't believe that a being of such power would come down and make a contract with Sam.
"What's a Spirit king doing here," Leon said.
"I heard the call of my Master so I answered and came to her," the bird said. It turned to Sam and began pecking her ear. If Sam wasn't stunned by the bird calling her Master, she would have found it cute how it was pecking her ear. But alas, the situation didn't call for her to fall for its charm. Though she felt no bad intention, Sam still needed to understand how and why she had a connection to this being.
"Do...Have we met before" Sam said. " Did Asha send you to me,"
"Asha.." Emily muttered. That was the name of one of the nine pagan gods of Terra. The one Sam believed gave her the Celestial mark.
"Yes," Avis said. Sam thought of the dream she had while under the influence of the Infernal engine. She thought of that warrior from the battlefield where thousands of bodies fell from her sword. Sam had a distinct feeling that the girl had been the goddess, Asha. But Why did she feel that she was missing something else? There were a lot of things that Sam didn't understand. How did she gain the knowledge about magic after the contract with Avis had awakened in her? Even the contract with Avis felt like it had always been there, but dormant till their reunion just now. Sam felt like when the strange energy from Avis had entered her Soul realm, something had opened within her consciousness. Like a gate had opened and memories had spawned within her. Memories of understanding and comprehension. Sam felt like she understood more about the world, about the Odyllic and the Mystical and Arcane forces that were bound to it. It was the same way she had quickly grasped mana control and mastered the Countering art that Emanu had taught her. Like she had claimed, in the five days of training she did with Emanu, Sam had come very close to mastering the technique. She wasn't perfect when it came to using Perfect Counter, but her efficiency was very close to a hundred percent. Even her Adamantium fist martial art felt like it was something Sam was used to. Like her body was remembering the past or something. Sam was sure that the Gaea spell system had something to do with this.
"Master, although I am your contracted spirit, due to how weak your Odic force is, I'm afraid using my powers would be limited." Avis continued to speak. "There are still seals that bound me from completely helping you, so the only spell I could give you was the Sonata Requiem. If you want to use my power to its fullest, then you must reach the Immortal phase of Ascendancy." The Immortal phase of Ascendancy. Ascendance was divided into three phases with various levels within each of the realm. The first of the three phases was the Awakening phase. This was the phase that those who Awakened their dormant soul core within their soul started from. It was the phase that most Ascendant Mystic in the universe belonged to. Not all Ascendants could go beyond the first phase, staying as a Master for most of their long lived life. Then there was the second phase known as the Immortal phase. This phase as the name implied was the phase when an Ascendant finally gained the chance to cultivate immortality into their very being of existence by ascending through the various realms. These realms are the Sage realm, Great Sage realm, Semi saint realm, Saint realm, Lord realm, Prince realm, King realm, and Emperor realm. Each of the realms was also divided into stages. The Beginner stage, the Low stage, the High stage, and then the Peak stage. And then under the stages, were ten tiers that determine the power difference between people of the same stage. Sam was currently at the fifth-tier Peak stage of the Adept rank. According to Avis, for Sam to be able to use his full powers, she would have to reach the Immortal phase of Ascendancy that most Ascendants could hardly reach. Though it was impressive that within just a month, Sam had reached the peak of the Adept rank, a sign of how fast her growth was, reaching the Immortal phase was something even she could hardly do. It was well known that the closer one got to the Immortal phase, the harder it became for one to ascend through the realms. And now that Sam was both using the Mystic and Arcane art, her cultivation speed might have taken a hit. This was why it was advised that using both arts was not wise. Sam had a lot going for her.
"So what can you do for me," Sam asked.
"Currently, as you're an Adept mage, I can help amplify your mana and strengthen the spells you can use," Avis said. Which were only two spells. Sam thought to herself. Wait...she still had the Grimoire Emily gave her. The last time she read it, there had been a bunch of spells written in there. Back then, Sam could hardly understand what she was reading, but now that she had the comprehension skill of an Adept Mage and her Odic force had seen a boost, she could easily learn those spells.
"A Familiar also acts as a support when it comes to calculating the right formula for a spell," Emily said. "Witches are well known for their familiars and how much support their familiars give them," Emily would have loved a familiar long ago, unfortunately, the Elementals didn't favor her that much. She could have used her magic to force them, but Emily didn't want to go that far. Besides, her skill had reached a level that she didn't even need support.
"I would love to get my hands on a Familiar," Henry said.
"Unfortunately, only Witches can sign a contract with such beings," Leon said. While they were discussing inside the airship, the ship itself had reached what looked like a metropolitan city filled with skyscraper buildings with sharp peaks that could pierce the sky. The city had an area of around 54,555 square miles, the same size as the state of New York. The city looked alive, busting with Infrastructures that surpassed any of the modern cities in the Mundane world. There were magnetic rail lines with Mag trains that flew at such absurd speeds. There were also shuttles that people used to drive themselves around the city, the shuttles resembled mundane cars, only they didn't use tires on the ground, but relied on the floating technology that allowed them to levitate and move. There were posters on some buildings, advertising items like Magitech, Cosmetic, and even some models with holographic features. Sam and Henry couldn't believe their eyes as they took in the wondrous views of the city as they flew above it. It felt like they had left Earth, and appeared on a different planet. Even the World energy on this side felt different, purer, and denser than it was on the other side.
"In the middle of the city is the Golden Dawn Tower," Leon said. "That's where the Tower Master, the Guardian of the city stays. Luckily for us, Emanu already alerted them of our arrival, so they shouldn't stop us. They'll act as backups just in case," Emily was back in the pilot seat, flying the ship towards the location of where Greyhorn's club was.
"This Lance....Do you know him well," Sam asked.
"I've known Lance since I was a kid," Leon said. "Back when I used to visit Bel' Yor, I would see him from time to time. He was an annoying brat that wouldn't leave me alone,"
"And now..."
"Now he's still a brat who's probably involved in some crappy shit," Leon thought to the time when he had met Lance back in Lamentias. That was before the shitty incident that had led to him being exiled from the Divine Federation.
"We're here," Emily said.
****
"It's just like the Herald said it would be," Lance AL 'Roth said. He was wearing a long-sleeved green shirt with the top opened, showing his chest. Around his neck were chains with runic shapes colored silver. His ashen gray hair was sleeked backward while his wolfish yellow eyes were covered by the sunglasses he wore even though there was no sunlight. Lance was in his private office in the back of the club, the light in the room was so dim that one could have missed the shadowy shape that was perched by the door to the office. Normally, in the dim light room, one would not be able to see the full outline of the shadow, but Lance was able to see him thanks to his heightened sight boosted by his Internal senses.
"The Asha'Yee has arrived," the shadow being said.
"And with her also comes Leon," Lance said with a chuckle. "I'd keep myself hidden if I were you, my friend. I don't think Leon has forgiven you yet for the Lamentias incident," There was a light chuckle from the corner like the being wasn't that concerned about Leon Haravok.
"Leonard Haravok should be happy. After all, I gave him exactly what he wanted," the shadow said.
"I don't think he sees it that way," Lance said. He looked up as he sensed the landing of the Golden Dawn ship on his roof. "He has some nerve I'll give him that. Using my roof as some landing pad." Lance got up from his seat. He went to the only window where he could see the streets of Wolfshire, the citizens smiling and walking, the look of happiness on their faces. Unaware of the situation that was going on even in their city. "I assume that the preparations are complete."
"We've rounded up all the sick ones and forced those who are aware into signing a binding contract. No one should be speaking about the virus." Lance sighed as he thought about the events that were to take place soon enough. The situation in New York hadn't worsened but it hadn't gotten better yet. Also, the other cities across the Mundane world weren't faring well. And yet things were escalating too fast even for Lance. The Beast Abominations that had attacked Cedar Lake had happened as the Herald said it would. As a Beastman, Lance felt a revulsion at the idea of these Abominations being on the planet. Especially that of a certain feline beast King. He wanted so badly to do something about it, but he had his own set of duties to do here. First, he had to make sure that the Asha'Yee returned to their base.
"It's not gonna be simple," Lance said. "Getting the Asha'Yee. She's with Golden Dawn and Leon. There's no way he's going to let her out of his reach."
"That's where I come in," Another voice said. Sitting on the other side of Lance's table, was the Warrior, Titus, dressed in his white cloak and combat gear of the Fallen Star.