Oh, great mother, Mistress of all. Befall us your wisdom - How do we kill our lord?
We are in a Cave—a large, cold, misty cave, with walls that seem to be damaged, with cracks spreading through every nook and cranny of the room.
Unlike the other cave, light from any of the three suns or the seven moons was forbidden, so suspended ambers of bright blue flames illuminated the cave.
The ceiling couldn't be seen, just thick darkness hiding it.
We have been in frightening, cold places with terrifying inhabitants, but the habitat of this coven is beyond fear - it's dread, and the fleeting feeling of hope.
Between two large flames was a large sculpture of a dragon skull carved into a wall. The tongue resembled a seat, with the person, or thing, sitting on the supposed throne, was ugly, horrible, and dreadful.
The creature bore no semblance of a human, but perhaps... a demon?
It was gargantuan; 84 craters in height. Its skin was scarlet red, with 6 yellow eyes with bloodshot pupils, with a bigger one on the forehead, but with a cross symbol replacing the pupil.
The mouth was occupied by 2 tusks, with its long, red hair, which didn't look to be taken care of. The creature appears to be dressed in a red robe, with blue trimmings, yellow bangs decorating the sleeves, purple sashes, and black bracelets to top it all off.
The creature radiated nothing but dread. The Dragon's throne looked realistic, so that it could instill the fear of being eaten by it.
Who dares to stand up to this beast? Who will be mad enough to face this abomination?
Something that counters the fear of death is the greed of man.
A human was there, far below the dragon's throne, and standing patiently on the bare ground of the cave. The human looked nothing special.
Blood was splattered everywhere, but none was on the man. He stood between an entire fleet of dead soldiers, who looked like smaller versions of the giant demon.
The human stood brave, with valour in his eyes. I wish not to describe his physical attributes, but he was adorned with a long black robe with gold trimmings to combat the cold, but I wasn't sure which was colder;
An entire cave shrouded with freezing mist that can kill a normal living thing.
Or.
The human standing in his triumph over dead soldiers while maintaining a fashionable taste with a stare as hard as steel.
State your name, the demon bellowed. You wretched animal. The giant demon's voice was so loud, but so hollow.
The human looked at his side, studying something that wasn't there, like an invisible menu of food.
Baarak, the great devourer, the human murmured. That is your name, right? Now tell me, are you the demon king? The Man's voice was calm and polished, and his statement brought a shock to Baarak's face.
You insolent fool, how do you know my name? Baarak asked. I have been shrouded in darkness for centuries. How can a pest like you call on my mighty name?
The man didn't seem to pay attention because he was busy studying the same invisible menu, and he began to murmur to himself.
50,000 xp, and 18 extra stat points. The man chuckled. This battle is going to test my limits. Baarak isn't the demon king? That explains why his abode skinks.
The insult of the human depleted Baarak's patience.
You foul animal, Baarak roared. It smells because you have decided to plaster my walls with the blood of my legion. Baarak was furious, but hesitant. A plain-looking human defeating his army, how possible is that?
I should check his power, Baarak thought inwardly.
His forehead eye glowed deep crimson, with the cross projecting itself in a dim blood color. Baarak's face was flushed with color.
His grace is little, Baarak siloqiuzed. Who is this human? He reminds me of...
The blinding light of a sword flashed in his memory, and a shiver ran down his spine. He remembered the only human who ended his reign a long time ago and forced him to live in the shadows.
Millennials of tyranny ended with the blade of a masked human, with a sword that glows green. Baarak's entire glory and ego were stripped, with most of his army terminated. Now, another human aims to kill him. Humans... the race that feeds their greed by taking from others.
Well, I guess I have no choice. The man then turned to Baarak. Uh, can you please not kill me as I kill you? I promise it will be painless.
Baarak stood up from his throne and jumped down to meet the human. The sound of the landing was deafening, and the shockwave was deadly, but the Man wasn't fazed. Who is this man, you might ask?
He came from nowhere and claimed he was lost and that he was from another world. What a joke.
The man freed his hand from under his robe, and a dagger appeared in his hand. The dagger had a purple rose hilt, with a crooked, blue blade, with the edges glinting under the light of the blue ambers.
Baraak also freed his hands and brought out a shield. The shield was 10 times of a human, constructed out of bones and beating organs, with strange markings and drawings.
You humans think you are very powerful, Baarak grinned. If you want to kill me, you have to do it while I try to kill you. Doesn't it make it more fun?
Baraak roared, and the warm, blue amber flames turned into scorching red flames. The room temperature rose by 500 degrees Malcey.
Sweat trickled from the human's skin, but he grinned. He took his stance, and his eyes glowed bright purple. You are right, it is more fun.
The human grabbed his dagger fiercely and rushed to his opponent.
Time to survive, the human whispered. Bane by blood
The human attacked Baarak, and three giant stone spears appeared above him.
Beckoned by the enormous space, Fenrir was in awe.
Caesar was worried about Izobel because he knew she would have problems with Aurelia, but he was confident in Chalybe and Zeus.
The stairs that took Caesar and Fenrir to the Juhnzu faction seemed to move from door to door, and the stairs picked the room with available space. As Caesar tried to walk into the room, they began to float.
They were aware of the bizarre conditions of their room, but the aesthetic was still breathtaking. The room was massive, according to Fenrir's intuition.
Bunk beds were stationed at the circumference of several platinum colored metal pillars, each bed floating and slowly completing rotations around each bar.
The interior of the Juhnzu faction was impressive, with the walls plastered with several murals and graffiti, some indicating: an armored samurai with its armour being pitch black, self-portraits of former Junzu pupils, famous knights, and initials.
At the far east of the hall, there was a hand-painted picture of a beast with a large golden mane, bright blue skin, six powerful legs with sharp claws, and an open jaw housing deadly canines, while chasing some prey. It was The Juhnzu - the legendary king of the forest, the only one.
Suspiciously, some areas seemed covered in white powder to erase some drawings, and it got filled with portraits.
The large room had no ceiling, just a large plane of glass with gloydon trimmings and reinforcement, welcoming light from the three suns in the morning, and the seven moons in the night.
Inside the wide diameter of the pillars were wardrobes that were filled with students' personal belongings that were posted to the school a few days before the resumption day.
Isn't that Caesar, a girl whispered. He is so cute.
I wonder what he is thinking. Another girl stroked her hair. And Fenrir is also very muscular and powerful. Do they struggle with anything?
Caesar waved at the girl, and they joyfully waved back. The other students threw glances at Caesar and Fenrir, and they both greeted them warmly.
Caesar and Fenrir recognised most of them, some from nursery, playdates, family functions, ot even arranged outings.
Whoa, I see Rebecca, Fenrir said. And Jaxon, Julius, Colby, Farah... they are all here.
The diversity of the room was spectacular.
Humans, ghouls, titans, neptunians, hoggoth, frosters, skylanders, and even the legendary dwarves were all present in the large room.
As Caesar arrived at his bed, he felt a chilling presence. Students immediately stopped talking, and time seemed to slow down.
G...g...good to see you, the voice stuttered. B...b..rother Ca...esar.
Caesar slowly turned around to see a mischievous grin addressing him.
The sound of bullets rang in his ears, the smell of gunpowder blocked his nose, and the heat of machinery scorched his skin- all the unpleasant memories of the trials flooded back into Caesar's head.
In the entry trials of Black Meadows, as Chalybe battled Fenrir, Caesar battled another powerful opponent.
The battles are well known for being intense. The intensity was so unbearable that it has been recorded that children have died of three things: killed by the contestant, killed by overusing their divinity, or killed by just pure stress and shock.
Caesar was sure he stared into the cold face of death on that day, as he stared at the boy who almost took his life.
His name - Jacques Loius Valeur IX, the son of Henri Pierre Valeur IV, the fleet admiral in charge of the Zion kingdom's Navy.
In another domain in the institution, there was a secluded room filled with monitors and rows of employees. The employees intently studied the students' behaviour and well-being, while skillfully documenting their observations.
In the middle of the room, on a raised platform, there stood a man hidden in the shadows. He watched on a larger monitor, spectating the current confrontation of Caesar, Fenrir, and Jacques in silence.
Good work, Jermiah, for the opening speech, a male employee said. That was a hard announcement. I don't know how you do it.
Jeremiah stared at the screen was untouched concentration, his face blank with emotions.
Well, a female employee smiled. What a wonderful start to term, don't you think, Jeremiah?
Jeremiah ignored the woman's gesture.
As the employees returned to their work, a low voice said, Interesting.
All the workers turned to Jeremiah, showing a glint of interest.
What is? The male employee asked.
Jeremiah studied Caesar's facial expression, understanding his fear.
We have three prodigies together, Jeremiah murmured. Isn't that interesting?
The workers looked at themselves in confusion.
But all Students are special, the female worker gulped. Aren't prodigies and geniuses the same...
Wrong!!, Jeremiah interrupted her, and the employees gasped.
Prodigies and Geniuses are different, Jeremiah said. Let's look at geniuses, which makes up 97.66% of the current school population.
A genius is someone who has learned to use their divinity almost perfectly. These are fast learners who embody pure hard work and determination to thrive.
Jeremiah's eyes were filled with greed. They are those who are gifted with intelligence to be the standard building block of a society structured in power.
But we have Prodigies, Jeremiah said with disgust. I still remember the one that scarred me.
All employees looked at each other, not with confusion but fear.
What is wrong with a Prodigy? The female asked.
Jeremiah's eyes were tainted with rage. People like Caesar, Fenrir, and Jacques...They are just curses.