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Chapter 6 - Seeds of Destiny

The two warriors had taken different paths, but both knew that time was not on their side. To change the future, they had to gather allies and power before the Puppet Master of War moved against them.

Raigor – The Vampire Merchant and the Skin of the Hydra

Raigor advanced across a vast dusty plain, heading towards the Mountains of Fire, where Seraphis was said to live. But along the way, he came across a small trading village, a place he remembered only as a pile of rubble in his past life.

He stopped for a moment, looking at the makeshift stalls and the people trading with a resigned air. The villagers were poor, victims of unfair taxes and bandit raids.

But it was when his eyes fell on one merchant in particular that the past (or rather, the future) exploded in his mind.

"It can't be him..." Raigor thought, gritting his teeth.

In front of him, a man with pale skin and red eyes ran a shabby stall, desperately trying to sell his wares. It was Maggor, a vampire, the one who would become one of the most feared warlords in the future.

In his previous life, Maggor had been responsible for the fall of numerous cities, selling weapons and information to both sides of the war between Angels and Demons. Raigor remembered well the day he had executed that man with his own hands.

Now, however, Maggor was just a desperate merchant, ignored and mistreated by his customers.

Raigor closed his eyes for a moment. Should he kill him? He could nip the evil at its roots, before Maggor became the monster he remembered.

But then an idea made its way into his mind. What if instead of killing him... he saved him?

With a sigh, Raigor approached the stall.

"Business going bad?" he asked in a deep voice.

Maggor looked up, suspicious. "Are you here to rob me like everyone else?"

Raigor shook his head. "No. I'm here to give you an opportunity."

The warrior pulled out a huge piece of scaly skin, black and hard as steel, from a sack: the skin of a Hydra. Along with the skin, he also placed a large piece of dark meat, still pulsating with magical energy, on the stall.

Maggor's eyes widened. "Is it… Hydra skin?"

Raigor nodded. "And its meat. You'll need it to create the most powerful armor and weapons this market has ever seen. With this, you can attract customers and nobles willing to pay any price."

Maggor stared at him, incredulous. "Why do you do this?"

Raigor crossed his arms. "Because the future can be changed. And now you owe me a favor."

Maggor licked his lips, his eyes sparkling with greed and gratitude. "I will be in your debt, warrior. If you ever need a weapon, or shelter… seek me out."

Veran and Dairon – The Path to the Great Tree

Meanwhile, Veran was silently advancing through the forest, accompanied by Dairon, the half-elf with whom he had already formed an alliance. After their first meeting, the young archer had agreed to join his mission, and now the two were heading towards the heart of the forest, where the Great Tree of Life grew.

The golden leaves of the sacred tree shone among the treetops, and the air was charged with an ancient and powerful energy.

Dairon looked at the tree with a mixture of wonder and concern. "I did not think it was already so imposing… But if what you say is true, it will soon attract the attention of dark forces."

Veran nodded. "In the future, the Angels will burn it to deny it to the Demons, and the Demons will corrupt it to gain its power. We must stop this."

Dairon clenched his fists. "What must we do?"

"For now, we must protect it and make it grow stronger. And then… find more allies."

As the sun set, the two warriors felt the weight of their choices.

Raigor had changed the fate of a man who would have become an enemy. He had transformed him into an ally.

Veran and Dairon had reached the Great Tree, but their battle to protect it had only just begun.

The times were changing. And the Puppet Master of War would soon find out.

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