Date: 3-January-1000
Time: 01:00 PM—In the Heartstone Empire - Wildress Village
"Where is this 'Heartwood' located?" Rio asked Althair.
"Honestly, our journey is already 50% complete. Heartwood is an unexplored place..." answered Althair, who now had a different appearance.
"You mean it's off the world map, right?" Alicia cut in, understanding immediately.
"That means there will be monsters or other challenges that will stand in our way," Clara concluded.
"It's okay. This is our only option," Alex said reassuringly.
"Is the place safe?" Alicia asked.
"Very safe. Even if you lived there until you died, you would be safe. Plus, the forest is filled with animals that are all tame," Althair answered his friends, who also had different appearances.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
The five of them turned to their left and watched four knights about to enter a shop. On the chests of their armor was a heart logo, symbolizing the Heartstone Empire.
Once the knights had entered the shop, Rio whispered, "They must be looking for us."
"Yes, you're right. They'll interrogate the locals to see if they've seen any foreign youths or a young man with gray eyes," Alicia replied.
"Then let's go," Althair urged.
"On foot?" Alex asked.
"No, we'll buy horses."
Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.
The sound of horse hooves echoed. Each of them rode their own horse, except for Clara and Alicia, who shared one. They set off on horseback in formation: three horses side-by-side, with one horse following behind.
The three horses in the front rode abreast. On the far left was Alex, in the middle were Clara and Alicia, on the far right was Althair, and Rio was in the back.
"Hey guys, I want to tell you something," said Althair. "During the last battle, I felt like I could advance to the next level. In other words, if we face another life-or-death battle, I can break through to Tier 3 Mage, which is {Archmage}," Althair explained at length.
"Wait," Clara replied, surprised, and she continued, "If that happens, you'll be the youngest Archmage in history."
"Sure, but I can't be, because an Arthur was born into this world. I'm sure Senior Arthur reached this tier much faster," Althair replied.
"But Emperor Arthur is only recorded as the youngest Transcendent, you know?" said Alex.
"Yes, Alex is right. You could be recorded as the youngest Archmage because no one has earned that title yet," said Alicia.
"However," Althair said quietly, "I can only be written in history as the youngest Archmage if I'm still alive." It was a bitter fact that Althair pointed out. "In other words, if we die here, no one will remember us. No one will tell the story of the tragedy of our Empire, or of my achievements."
"History is written by the victors, right?"
"And the losers can only..."
Althair didn't finish his sentence, letting them fill in the last word with their own thoughts.
"Hey, hey, hey, why did the mood suddenly get so awkward?" said Rio.
"I mean silent, not awkward. You know what I'm feeling right now?" said Rio.
"I don't know, idiot. How could I possibly know how you feel?" Clara retorted.
"Hahahaha." Everyone laughed softly at that. Even Carsel laughed as if he could understand.
"Alright, what I'm feeling is confidence. Even though I know our enemies are strong, I've always believed in our teamwork. I'm confident we can beat them, as long as we're together."
"And I believe that we will succeed in reaching that place."
Everyone fell silent after hearing Rio's words, their feelings a mix of emotions. They felt inspired, more determined not to give up, but they were also aware that every meeting must eventually have a farewell.
Information: The artifact they used only lasts for 12 hours. After 12 hours, there is a 3-hour cooldown before it can be used again. Althair and his friends had been using it since 10:00 AM, which means it would run out at 10:00 PM and could be used again at 01:00 AM.
Althair's Point of View - 04:00 PM
The others and I were still on horseback, in the same formation. I saw the sun was already setting, meaning it would be gone in about an hour. As I was thinking, I suddenly remembered something, so I told my friends about it.
"To reach Heartwood, we have to pass through a place called 'The Veil'."
As I spoke, I saw my friends on the left immediately turn to the right to look at me.
"The Veil? What's that?" Clara asked.
"It's the thin border between the human world and the spirit world. We have to enter that place (The Veil) because the path to Heartwood is there," I replied.
"The only path?" Rio asked from behind.
"Yes, the only one."
"How dangerous is that place?" Alicia asked.
"It's guarded by an S-rank Warden and also has monsters of the same rank."
"There are only two paths in that place: the path to the spirit world and the path to Heartwood," I explained. "The Warden's role is on both paths. He guards it, but that doesn't mean we have to fight him."
"What do you mean? He'll just let us pass?" Alex asked.
"Not exactly. The Warden will certainly block us, but there is one way to get him to let us pass, and that's through a transaction."
"What kind of transaction?"
I answered while looking up at the sky. "The Warden needs an item called a 'Krisom.' The Krisom itself is shaped like a crystal, but it's not a crystal. And that item is in the storage ring Senior Arthur gave us."
"So, if we give the Krisom to the Warden, he'll give us permission to pass?" Alicia confirmed.
"Yes."
"Was it the same when you were with His Majesty Arthur?"
"Of course."
Without realizing it, Clara had noticed the lie I told...
He... Althair looked up while he spoke, a sign that what he's saying isn't true, Clara monologued, staring at Althair's face. But the question is, why are you lying? Lying to us....
On our journey, I saw someone—no, not one person, but two. A man and a woman in pristine white clothes. This confused me. Have we been discovered? But how? We're wearing a Unique-grade artifact. If we could be found, it means...
"Slow down!... They're elves," I told my friends.
We controlled our horses' speed, slowing down and stopping. We stared at each other. And the two of them spoke first.
"Why are you in such a hurry? Relax, my friend. Isn't that right, Golden Boy?" said the male elf.
Golden Boy... That was my nickname at the Academy. We got off our horses, standing individually. To be honest, I had many nicknames, but the most famous were 'Golden Boy' and 'Dark Horse Mage.'
"Those two are the Elf King and Queen, Elkarl and Leina," Alicia whispered.
"It's been a long time," said Elf Queen Leina. She held her chin in thought. "Let me remember, the last time we met, if I'm not mistaken, was at the inter-species tournament, right?"
The tournament. That was held when the others and I were 15. In other words, two years had passed since our first meeting with these elves. I got the 'Golden Boy' nickname from the academy, and the 'Dark Horse Mage' nickname after winning the inter-species tournament.
"Not in a hurry, huh?" I said, responding to King Elkarl and ignoring Leina's pleasantries. "Don't think you have a lot of time, Elkarl. Who knows, today might be your last."
I called him by his name directly, without the 'King' title.
"My last day? Who? You or me?" Elkarl replied, summoning a longsword. It wasn't large or wide, but a long, slender blade. The sword was beautifully decorated, its hilt wrapped in leather? or something of the sort, and was colored gold.
Leina herself also unleashed her magic level, and we all drew our respective weapons.
And I will now explain the source of power for the Mage and Swordsman roles. A Mage's source is mana, while a Swordsman's is Aura Force. Mana is the magical energy scattered throughout the universe, whereas Aura Force is the spiritual energy that comes from willpower and intent. Mana = external energy, and Aura Force = internal energy.
Compared to Mana, Aura Force is more stable because it cannot be countered (you know, anti-magic?). For capacity, a mage has Mana Circles inside their body, with a maximum of five, whereas a swordsman only needs willpower and intent. The stronger their will, the greater their Aura Force capacity. For example, having a clear purpose in life (the will to protect one's family or ambition), not giving up easily, and having a stable mind under high pressure. This results in a large Aura Force capacity. Conversely, if one has a weak will, their capacity will also be small.
And 'intent' here acts as the driver for Aura Force. Intent transforms Aura Force so it can be used.
Intent to protect > Sword Aura becomes stronger for protection.
Intent to kill > Aura Slash becomes deadlier and sharper.
Mana is used for spells and creating magic weapons (although mages are characterized by long-range attacks, it doesn't mean they can't fight at close range or use weapons). Aura Force is used for all sorts of aura manifestations and domains. If you're confused about Sword Aura, imagine the sword is the bone and the aura is the flesh that wraps around it.
Third-Person Point of View - In the vast, treeless grassland
"Hey, what about our horses?" Rio asked.
"Let them go. Let them be free," Althair replied.
Each of them untied the ropes from the four horses' necks. The horses, sensing danger, fled in terror. Only six humans and two elves remained.
They managed to get here... That means all the Obbsurians are dead. And that also answers why our journey has been relatively smooth, Althair monologued.
Queen Leina of the elves made the first move. She raised her magic staff and uttered ancient words that Althair and his friends would not understand.
"Arbores quas amo"
(May the trees I love)
"Vocationi meae respondeant"
(Respond to my call)
Instantly, the grassland was filled with giant trees, growing rapidly from the ground. Althair and his friends grew more cautious; after all, their enemy could manipulate the surrounding trees. Suddenly, giant roots attacked from below, branches tried to grab them from above, and carnivorous plants emerged from the bushes.
"Leave it to me," said Alicia.
She stabbed her sword into the ground, and fire immediately erupted from the earth around them. The fire rose vertically from the ground, instantly burning any object that tried to get close.
It didn't stop there. Althair, with his Terribilis Wind affinity, immediately manipulated the surrounding air, creating a strong wind. This was a combination attack. Althair's wind merged with Alicia's fire. Once merged, Althair directed the fire wind towards the objects trying to attack them. The surrounding trees, which shouldn't have been hit because the fire was only vertical, were now struck by the flames, because the wind was directing the fire. Althair then split the fire wind into three, which grew large and formed 6-meter-tall whirlwinds.
Additional information: There are only 7 affinities: wind, earth, water, fire, lightning, light, and darkness. And from these 7 affinities, branches are created, like shadow from darkness and ice from water. This is where nobles are special compared to commoners. Althair has a wind affinity, but not just ordinary wind; it's Terribilis Wind. Commoners would only have a normal wind affinity, not a special one like the Kaelveros family.
However, it's different for royal families. They don't get one of the seven affinities; they have their own affinity that is passed down through generations. Stellaris has a {Star} affinity, Moonstone {Moon}, Sunstone {Sun}, Skystone {Gravity}, and Heartstone {Eternal Ice}. The reason Heartstone is different is because I was too lazy to think of something complicated, so I just threw in ice.
Back to the present
"Impressive," said King Elkarl, his tone mocking rather than praising.
But the forest continued to grow back quickly. Rio, seeing this, acted immediately. He entered his Over-Thunder mode and, at a speed of 100 m/s, rushed forward and slashed at Leina with his katana. But King Elkarl had already predicted this and protected Leina. Rio's katana clashed with Elkarl's sword.
It didn't stop there. King Elkarl twisted his sword in a way that made Rio's katana spin to the side. Then, King Elkarl kicked Rio in the stomach, sending him flying 10 meters back. Rio crashed through trees but didn't fall or get injured because he had a protection spell from Clara.
But just as Rio was about to correct his position, King Elkarl was already upon him, not giving him a moment to breathe. Rio was pushed back by a series of slashes.
Alex, seeing this, said, "I'll leave this part to you guys. I'm going to help Rio."
"Yeah, go on, fatty. Help that idiot. Let us handle Leina," said Alicia.
Alex didn't respond to the 'fatty' comment, or maybe he would get his revenge later when this was over. Alex wasn't actually fat; in fact, he had the largest build there, not because of fat but because of his bones and muscles.
Alex went to help Rio fight King Elkarl. Leina just stood by, not hindering Alex. Perhaps Leina was confident that her husband could handle the kids.
It was now 3 vs 1 here.
"You'll regret coming here to block us," Althair said with sharp eyes, his gray irises glowing. "I'll kill you brutally, you bitch."
Hearing that vulgar word, Leina's jaw tightened and she said, "I will crush that arrogant face of yours."
I feel like Althair is more emotional than usual. I'm sure the news about the north has shaken him to his core, Clara monologued. And I'm not going to comment on it. Let Althair release his emotions.
The situation with King Elkarl vs. Rio & Alex
Rio and King Elkarl were still exchanging slashes. Rio had several scratches on his body, and blood was coming from the wounds. Rio and King Elkarl separated by a few meters, a sign they were about to use their respective techniques.
With his senses, Rio realized someone was coming. He used the technique 'Ground Lightning'. The ground beneath Rio and King Elkarl was filled with electricity, which had a stunning effect on the King. Even though the stun effect was only for one second, for a swordsman, that was everything. Alex arrived and slashed horizontally at King Elkarl's back.
King Elkarl's body was split in two, but his body immediately turned into a tree trunk, a sign that they had been tricked.
"Damn it," Alex cursed.
"Hey, you filthy slob, what about the others?" Rio asked.
"They're safe. Althair is with them, after all. Focus on our enemy, you twig," Alex replied.
As they were talking, King Elkarl emerged from the large trees, but there was something different about his appearance. He was wearing full armor from head to toe.
And it must be dwarven-made armor, Rio monologued.
"Shall we begin round two?" King Elkarl said with a smile on his face.
To be continued..
Information: King Elkarl is 400 years old, while Queen Leina is 350. They are much older than Althair and his friends, but that doesn't mean their power levels are that far apart. In this world, humans are more "genius" than other races. For example, to defeat an S-rank monster, elves usually can only do so after the age of 300+, whereas humans only need to become a Sage to defeat one, which most humans achieve after the age of 36. Each character has their own strengths and weaknesses. Humans have a higher speed in terms of gaining power compared to other races, while other races are slower in achieving power. But humans have short lifespans, while other races can live for thousands of years.
Note: Dragons, wolves, or other animals are not included in the 'monster' category. Monsters here are abnormal creatures, their bodies very strange, like a combination of many creatures.