Thunk

Swish

Thunk

Swish

Thunk

Swish

A repetitive pattern of noise filled the still, evening air. A swish and then a thunk. Over and over, these two noises switched back and forth.

Finally, the noise stopped.

“Sigh.” Dorian flicked out his hands, washing away any stray dirt or grass. He then rubbed his forehead and eyes, feeling tired as he looked around. His black skinned Ifrit form had a set of clawed fingers and was suited for the task at hand.

He was currently standing in a large grassy meadow. Behind him, a small forest of oak trees could be seen, spaced intermittently. A long dirt path led through the forest and continued onward, a lonely road that meandered about the meadow and on to a large plain.

Dorian shook his head, returning his focus downward, towards a large hole he had just finished digging in the ground. A large rock, shaped roughly like a rectangle, was set in the ground just above the hole.

With a smooth flip of his wrist, Dorian pulled out a small woolen bag from his Spatial Ring. The bag was tied shut, made of a fine material. Its brown covering moved slowly as a breeze swept through the meadow.

Burnt onto the bag was a small letter ‘A.’

Dorian sighed for a second time.

He put the bag in the ground, setting it down carefully. Then, slowly, he began to cover the hole up, kneeling down as he dragged the nearby dirt to cover it.

In no time at all, the bag was completely covered, not a trace of it visible.

Dorian patted the earth lightly, smoothing out the edges. He pushed some of the torn up grass over the spot, making it blend in.

He then raised his right hand, resting it on the rectangular piece of rock from above the hole. He trailed a finger onto it.

“Ability, activate. Flaming Claws.” Dorian activated one of his Abilities.

Immediately, his right hand’s claws became superheated, turning a bright red. His Ifrit body handled the heat well, with complete ease as he began to trace out several words onto the piece of stone.

After a moment of writing, he stepped back, looking at his handiwork. The energy from the Law of Wrath faded, vanishing away.

‘Here rests the ashes of one whom Fate dealt a hand no being would desire. Her life was hard and the choices she had to make harder. Let it be said, however, that when everything came to a head, she stayed true to her spirit. She did what she believed was right, even in death.’

‘She may no longer walk these lands, but she will not be forgotten.’

‘Here lies the grave of Arial V’ich, a Lightsworn Fox.’

Dorian took another step back, taking a deep breath. He bowed his head silently, in gratitude and in respect. Arial had saved his, Helena, and Trajan’s life, as well as Will and Probus. She had betrayed him, but she had also saved him.

The least he could do was honor her memory.

As he looked at the grave he’d made for her, he decided to say a few words.

“There is a legend in this universe, Arial. That life itself is part of a Great Cycle. The Cycle of Reincarnation, of the Heavens, of Life. Your time in this life has ended, but there will always be the next.” He bowed his head again,

“I think you and I could have been friends, in another life.” He sighed.

Another quiet breeze swept through the valley as Dorian stood looking at her grave, his spirit somber. The dying light of the evening landed on her gravestone, causing it to shimmer slightly, almost as if it were crying.

“Go in peace.” Dorian nodded his head sharply and turned around, taking a deep breath. He steeled his heart. He hadn’t known Arial for a long time, and for most of that he had hated the fox. But she had redeemed herself in the end, and for that, he would grieve.

He would’ve given her a second chance if possible. Everyone deserved one.

Dorian walked away from the grave, his eyes calm. His movements were sure as he left the center of the meadow, headed towards the nearby oak forest.

After a few minutes of walking, he came upon a small, makeshift campsite. A very large oak tree had several two meter wide branches several meters above ground level. On it, the pale figure of a vampire could be seen, resting quietly. She was wrapped up in a cloak, using it as a blanket, with a few sets of clothes lying under her head as a pillow.

“Helena…” Dorian looked at the sleeping figure, her face covered in a sheen of sweat, with concern.

Slowly, Helena’s eyes opened. Dorian felt like he was looking into an entire world of depth and emotion as he looked back.

“Did you bury her?” Helena whispered, her voice frail and quiet. Her entire body seemed to be sickly and ill.

“Yes.” Dorian’s response was quiet as he walked forward. His body transformed, going to his Wrath Vampire form. He jumped up onto the side of the tree and then flipped over to an unoccupied spot on a nearby branch.

Helena, even as deathly ill as she was, blushed slightly at the handsome appearance Dorian now bore.

“Good. She was not a friend… but she deserved a warrior’s burial.” Helena nodded firmly before closing her eyes.

“Do you feel any better? Are the Pills helping?” Dorian asked, rubbing his chin.

“They have helped somewhat. I can move my arms and legs slightly.” Helena’s voice was full of cheer as she waved at Dorian lamely, her right arm flopping vigorously like a limp, but passionate, noodle.

Dorian couldn’t help but snort at the ridiculous sight. Helena burst out laughing with him, her voice a melody in the air. Immediately after, however, her face seemed to grow paler, as if in exertion.

“Keep resting, Helena. Focus on recovery. I’ll keep guard.” Dorian patted her head comfortingly, something Helena glared at him for, before he jumped down to sit on the ground next to the tree.

“Fine…” Helena whispered as she closed her eyes, quickly falling asleep.

Dorian listened to her breathing as she calmly lost consciousness, her body focused on recovering.

He sighed.

“How did it end up like this…?” He muttered, rubbing his eyes, his mind flashing back.

When Helena had activated her ancient Inheritance Artifact, she had intended for them to escape off to Tomo City. The Ascension Ruins seemed to be collapsing around them and were definitely not a safe place to be at, especially with the murderous Scythe Master of the Blazing King attacking and trying to capture them.

The Artifact had managed to grab Dorian and Helena, but had failed to snag Will. Thankfully, another figure had appeared, a monkey, of all things, and rescued Will, vanishing with him.

According to Helena, that monkey was none other than the Almighty Ruler of the Graal Alliance. Sun Wukong. One of the Five Great Heroes of the Third Demon War.

And one of Yukeli’s comrades.

Dorian had no idea what the monkey wanted with Will and had no chance to stop him. The pent-up frustration he felt was only mitigated by the fact that at least Will was alive again.

After that, Helena and Dorian had vanished, blasting off away.

However, something went wrong. Instead of appearing in Tomo City like Helena had planned, they appeared in some type of mysterious place, full of chaotic, flashing lights and bolts of rippling energy.

Unbeknownst to them, they had entered a spatial fracture and were moving through Chaotic Space.

The duo was protected by the power of Helena’s Artifact for a time as they sailed through Chaotic Space. The Inheritance Treasure was truly a powerful one, worthy of its age and stature.

Eventually, however, that protection wore off, with no end in sight.

Helena and Dorian were acutely aware of their surroundings as they were transported. The instant that protection faded, both were aware that their physical forms would be obliterated by the Chaotic Space environment. Rippling Spatial Storms, bolts of energy, spatial fractures… the list went on.

Thus, Helena activated the Artifact a second time.

This time, however, her bracelet seemed to shiver. It was not an Artifact that could last forever. With this final use, the Artifact broke, several points around the bracelet cracking irreparably. It could not be used again.

Still, the protection it offered shielded them as they blazed forward, moving in the same direction at an incredibly fast speed.

They passed a myriad of shapes and types of light. Mighty explosions of energy, giant orbs of red fire, mysterious circles of black darkness. The Chaotic Space around them was a wonderland of both beauty and danger.

Eventually, their protection was about to run dry once more. With the energy stores of the Artifact depleted, Helena did the only thing she could.

She fueled it using the energy of her Soul Spell Matrix.

At first, it went perfectly well. Helena had recently broken into King Class and had a plethora of energy. Eventually, however, her energy stores began to run dry. The energy the broken Artifact demanded to protect them was enormous and not something she could give off infinitely.

Dorian could sense all of this as it took place. Helena’s soul writhed as energy flooded out of it. Her soul itself actually began to take damage, starting to wither. The wounds Helena was sustaining weren’t permanent, not yet, but if they grew worse, she would inevitably become crippled and die.

‘No!’ Dorian had thought and instantly jumped forward as he felt Helena waver. He did everything he could to help her, trying to will the energy of his soul to power the Artifact, drawing upon the Laws of Valor and Wrath as much as possible.

In terms of raw energy, Dorian couldn’t match the output of Helena’s King Class Soul Spell Matrix. It was true that he had studied two Laws to the point where he could draw from them, but that wasn’t enough.

As Dorian felt Helena waver, their bodies still shooting through the cosmos, he tried something he was unsure would work and tapped into the Growth Energy of his soul, trying to use that as fuel.

To his surprise, the Growth Energy worked. Dorian still had several million points of it saved up. By drawing upon that massive store of energy, Dorian was able to functionally power the Artifact.

Growth Energy could be absorbed from Artifacts and, functionally, that energy could be returned as well.

WHOOSH

Energy drained from Dorian’s soul at a huge rate. The strain Helena felt, however, was greatly lessened. Her soul was still being drawn upon, as the controller of the Artifact, but she was no longer forced to bear a burden that would kill her.

Time moved on and so did they. They continued to travel through space at an impossibly fast speed.

Eventually, just as Dorian was starting to worry that they would never stop, a massive flash of white light had blinded him.

A millisecond later, Dorian had found himself falling towards the ground from a thousand meters high in the air, right above a small forest and a large, sweeping grass plain.

His head was in a stupor from the long travel through Chaotic Space. However, he managed to keep enough of his sensibilities about him to notice that Helena was falling right next to him. And unlike him, Helena appeared to be unconscious.

‘Black Scaled Rage Dragon! Go!’ Dorian instantly had transformed, scooping up Helena and protecting her. He held her body delicately as he half fell-half glided towards the ground, his mind still in a confused haze.

BOOM

Dorian had landed roughly, knocking over several large oak trees. His body felt numb, blocking out the impacts as he crashed.

He held Helena protectively the entire time, shielding her from everything as he took the brunt of the blow.

After that, he curled up and passed out.

Several hours had passed before Dorian came to.

Dorian’s body had automatically repaired itself, the energy in his soul healing him, as well as his own powerful regenerative properties. It was then that he’d noticed his surroundings and Helena’s situation.

He was in a forest of some type, a normal one, unlike the fiery world of Magmor. They had been transported off-planet.

Helena was unconscious and sickly, sweat covering her body. Dorian had immediately set about tending to her, trying to aid her. He’d fed her almost every Pill he had, filling her body with energy.

According to Ausra, Helena’s soul was damaged. It had undergone a type of withering, overdrawing upon her life force to power an Artifact. As a result, her physical body withered with her.

However, given time and careful aid, it was possible that she could fully recover. As a True Vampire, Helena’s regenerative properties were powerful. Her soul was badly damaged, but as a King Class Wizard, she could draw upon her Law of Might to imbue her soul with energy, slowly restoring it. Her withered body would recover alongside that.

All she needed was time.

His Pills and efforts seemed to have helped speed up the process. If he could get higher quality Pills, or perhaps a Wizard that was specialized in damage to the soul or Healing Magic, it would increase further.

As of right now… according to Ausra, at the rate Helena was currently healing, it would take her several months to recover half her strength. It would take nearly a year before she recovered 80% of her strength.

“Still…” Dorian muttered, his voice full of relief and gratefulness,

“You’re alive, and that is all that matters.”

KEEEEEE

In the background, a monstrous beast roared, an echoing sound that rang through the forest, full of threat.

Dorian’s eyes narrowed as he heard this, an indescribable feeling of fierceness appearing.

“And not a single creature will harm a hair on your body, not when I am here to protect you.” Indescribable Valor filled Dorian’s heart as he spoke, the air near him trembling.

His eyes flashed. Power. He needed power. And he needed it immediately.

The teleportation and soaring through Chaotic Space had sapped some of his Growth Energy…

But not all of it. He still had an enormous amount left, more than 1,000,000 points.

It was time to make use of that and Evolve.

.. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..

The Shade Commune was a force that controlled more than 2,000 worlds, the ‘eastern’ side of the 30,000 Worlds. The Commune was ruled by the Shade King, and while he was a figure of significant might, his rule was not absolute.

Under the King were the six Dukes of Shadow, as well as the Church of Light.

Each Duke controlled 100-300 individual worlds of that 2,000, using their own physical might or Wizardry to consolidate their rule, alongside their own private Shadow Armies. The Dukes were unified in their opposition to the Shade King’s absolute rule, eventually leading to a tenuous truce.

The Shade King commanded their race and the Dukes would aid the King in war, but they had relative sovereignty in their own territories.

The Church of Light had no say in that, though had considerable influence within each Duchy as well.

At the very easternmost portion of the 30,000 Worlds, a cluster of 160 separate Worlds was ruled over by Duke Orbit, one of the Six Dukes of Shadow.

Duke Orbit ruled from the Exotic World of Shadowdale, a unique World that was very similar to normal worlds, in size and scale. What made it exotic was that instead of rain or hail, the weather on Shadowdale was made up of Shadow Energy and Darkness Energy. This energy was calm and welcoming, however, transforming the World into a paradise for Shadow or Darkness Aspected beings as well as Wizards that studied either branch.

The biggest city on Shadowdale was the City of Mapire, where Orbit ruled from. It was a huge city, stretching for miles and miles, with a population exceeding 10,000,000.

In the center of this city, a large black mansion jutted from the ground, surrounded by red and green trees, at odds with the much darker Shadow or Darkness aspected trees that made up most of the flora on Shadowdale.

In a room in this mansion, a heavyset Shade could be seen, reclining comfortably on a large couch. The Shade was fat, but also muscular, giving him a rather large stature. He wore a set of purple robes and languished slothfully on the couch, eating a few grapes that were offered to him by a pale-faced woman sitting next to him.

The room was decorated lavishly and appeared to be a study of sorts. A fireplace burned comfortably not far from the couch, while various bookcases lined the walls. A table sat in front of the couch, decorated in gold and studded with jewels. Various paintings hung on the walls, of previous Shade Dukes or other members of Duke Orbit’s family.

Sitting on a wooden chair, looking intently at the languishing man, was a weaselly-looking Shade attendant wearing a set of black robes, reading from a sheaf of papers.

“Ah, Tarvon, so the war efforts have gone well for His Highness thus far?” The overweight Shade said, popping another grape into his mouth. His words were jovial and relaxed, as if he was worried about nothing at all. Beneath the friendly exterior and easy-going nature, however, a tone of firm steel existed, unbending.

“Yes, Duke Orbit.” Tarvon responded, his voice slightly nasal.

“His Highness is currently engaged with all three Vampire Families. The Nobles have provided stiff resistance, but His Highness has made progress. 6 worlds have been captured: 4 from the Augustus Family and 2 from the Aurelius Family, while none were captured from the Caesar Family. His Highness has also suffered substantial losses, stalling the efforts slightly.”

Orbit nodded as he heard the news, his face calm.

“Good, good. It seems the taxes I’m sending to His Highness are not being wasted. If His Highness were to act directly, he could surely break the stalemate. But the Three Vampire Highlords and their private elites are no joke, taking it slow is probably for the best, even if they are the weakest Major Power.” He rubbed his chin.

Tarvon nodded and continued,

“In respect of the war efforts, we have captured all True Vampires and related subspecies discovered within the Duchy, totaling several hundred across all Worlds. Several of the captured prisoners have provided excellent information on the inner goings-on of the affairs of the Augustus and Aurelius Families.” Almost all Humanoids within the Shade Commune were members of the Shade Race. The Shades were very exclusive to their own kind, often viewing foreigners with distrust.

As a result, extremely few members of other Races would choose to settle within the Shade Commune. Considering that Orbit oversaw 160 entire Worlds full of people, several hundred True Vampires was therefore not a large number at all.

“Good. Send the intelligence to His Highness and keep them imprisoned. If any resist, execute them. For those that don’t, they are to be held until the war is over. I will not risk spies of any sort ruining the war effort.” Orbit’s words were stern. While he didn’t necessarily support all of the King’s actions, at the end of the day, they were still part of the same Race. It wouldn’t do for His Highness to lose the war.

Just as he was about to continue, Orbit froze, his eyes widening in surprise. A flash of white energy appeared and vanished in his eyes as the look of shock on his face vanished.

“Ailya. Leave.” Orbit’s entire demeanor seemed to change as he turned to look at the female attendant that was feeding him grapes.

Immediately the female Shade got up and left, her face demure as she exited the study.

“Duke Orbit?” Tarvon looked at the man questioningly, shifting the sheaves of paper in his hand about nervously.

Orbit turned to look at his attendant. As he did so, a hint of a unique Aura burst out around him. An Aura that was full of slow, lazy power, building up to a mighty force that seemed as if it could blow away mountains with ease.

This Aura vanished an instant later.

“Tarvon. I need you to send a message to the Council. For the briefest moment, I felt a presence traveling at great speed, headed towards one of the easternmost Worlds under my reign, through Chaotic Space of all things.” A smile appeared on Orbit’s face.

Orbit was powerful, but he was not a God. He could not detect the presence of random beings from so far away.

He could only sense a being from such distance if that creature resonated with him in some powerful, unique way, as if that creature was expending a huge amount of energy that he could detect.

“An Inheritor of Wrath has finally reappeared.”