I will never forget that day.

The armies of the one they call Dragon Emperor has conquered the neighboring city-state, Albandirr. We fear that they are coming for us next. The duke stood resolute in resisting this emerging power that was styling himself as emperor. He ordered the walls fortified. Every able-bodied man was called to duty. Towers were brislting with cannons, ballista, and all sort of mage weaponry. I donned my armor and sheathed my sword, ready to die for my city.

That day, we expected a legion of golems to appear before the city walls leading tens of thousands of the followers of the invader. However, the green grass of the plains before our city still swayed in the wind, no army marched to trample it. There was no enemy in sight. Joy started to swell in our hearts; hope was growing that our city would be spared.

We were wrong. A gigantic shadow was cast over the city. Winds buffeted the warriors on the walls. The horns of battle were sounded. Gongs echoed to signal the city. The enemy was upon us.

A dragon of incredible proportions was hovering over the city walls. The commander ordered us to throw everything that we have. Ballista armed with magical bolts, cannons firing metal projectiles, enchanted arrows and spears, the mages cast everything they have at their disposal- the dragon shrugged everything off. It stood unfazed at the hail of destruction that rained on its enormous body. I have no doubt in my heart that it could easily destroy us if it wanted to.

With one swipe of its claws, the shields shattered easily like a hair’s width of glass. I thought it was the last day of my life. Instead, the dragon flew over the castle of the duke. It towered over the abode of our beloved ruler. Four wings unfurled their length. The dragon stood on its hind legs and stretched its claws as if to gesture a greeting.

A though appeared in the minds of every man, woman, and child in the city.

“There is no need to fear. I have come to negotiate.”

Diary of Mellos Luther, resident of Brachtall

(Imperial Records on Accounts of the Unification Wars)

“I will never get used to your armor.”

Two people were inside a pavilion a small island in the middle of lake. Its waters were calm as the sound of silence, no hint of a single ripple can be seen. The blue sky was perfectly reflected on the surface of the lake, giving the illusion that the island was floating in the heavens. The pavilion was pure white and open on all sides, letting in a breeze so gentle that it doesn’t even disturb the pristine lake.

In the middle of the pavilion were a table and a chair. One person sat on the chair, her long azure locks flowing down the backrest of the chair like cascading waterfalls. The skies mirrored off the lake seemed to have been captured inside her crystalline eyes; which gave off a sparkle that no sapphire can match.

She gingerly sipped her cup of tea before turning to the person she was talking to. “Why does your armor not have a head? Where are you supposed to place your head?”

“Your highness, my body is protected inside a dimensional space. I am not wearing this armor in the strict sense of the word. Thus, it does not need a headpiece,” a voice said in the head of the princess. "Moreover, the originals did not have a headpiece, the engynares thought it fit to keep it that way."

Not a gigantic suit of armor, neither a golem that is fully automated. The Devastator Knight stood at the pinnacle of Krysperia’s magi engynaretech. The remains of the Devastator Legion of Isaac Gaomant were retrofitted to be golems that are fully in synch with a human controller. Its controller resided in a dimensional space generated inside the golem, protected from all conceivable harm, unless the enemy could destroy the golem. Its protection and defence were levels above what the Powercore Armor could provide.

The dimensional space was actually a distorted pocket of the material plane and thus maintains connections to this world in a one way direction. Consequently, the controller could use his skills and make them manifest even if he was not actually physically present in the ordinary sense. The design was made by the Gaomant House from recovered blueprints of their great ancestor.

“I still don’t like talking to a headless armor set. You’re also very large. You’re already scraping the ceiling of this pavilion with your…neck.” The princess wrinkled her nose at the thought. “Couldn’t you just take off your armor. I’m sure you can protect me just as well without it?”

The black metal goliath beside the princess stooped his massive frame in apology. “I apologize, your highness, but I need to be prepared for all eventualities. Using this armor increases by combat ability several fold.”

The princess pouted at him and inflated her rosy cheeks. “I know you can teleport out of your armor and still control it. You just don’t want to.”

“Please, your highness. I’m just doing my duty.”

“Are you bored here, Elverius?” The princess went back to staring at the lake. “I always ask for you to guard me. You must be quite bored just standing there.”

“Of course not, my princess. I am always happy to be of service.”

“It’s quite unnerving that you’re speaking directly into my head.” She stood up and did a little twirl, her long white dress flowing around her. “Can you read my mind? I hear that Devastator Knights are gifted with many new senses that a normal mind can’t comprehend.”

“Mind reading is not one of them, your highness,” Devastator Knight Elverius assured her.

The princess stepped outside the pavilion and walked by the water’s edge. She turned to look back at Elverius who followed her. Despite the large size of the Devastator Knight, his footsteps were light and did not even leave any prints on the soft ground. “Elverius, if you please.” The princess tilted her head towards the lake.

Elverius waved his massive hand. Water rose from the lake, forming into a bridge, beginning from where the princess stood. It slowly froze over and became a crystal-like arc over the lake. The bridge of ice even had railings with intricate designs of flowers and vines.

“How sweet,” the princess said. She walked over the frozen path with such grace that she seemed to be gliding over it. Her feet placed themselves one in front of the other with no hint of slipping over the icy surface.

Always the dutiful guardian, Elverius followed her. The delicate construct did not even strained or cracked when he placed his massive feet on it. The princess turned around and walked backwards.

“It's quite near…”

“I’m sure you’ll do fine, my princess”

“Really? You should come. There’s going to be one of you assigned at the ceremony. I’m going to choose you.”

“Why me your highness?” Elverius asked.

The princess just shrugged her bare milky white shoulders. “Why is there only one of you at any given time? Other kingdoms have thousands of guards surrounding their royalty. Are you really that powerful? How many are all of you in total?”

He bowed once again. “I am not at liberty to discuss our number. Only the emperor knows besides ourselves. However, I assure you that I can give more than an adequate protection.”

“Oh really?” The princess playfully punched him. “I bet if I transform into a dragon I can defeat you.”

“I highly doubt that your majesty.”

She patted his armor and said, “I was just jesting. While I do have a draconic form, I am not strong.” Looking at her hands, her face fell. “I don’t really think I can do it in front of all those people. I mean I can do it… it’s just that…I don’t know.”

Elverius started to reach out to comfort her and stopped as he remembered his position. He stuck his hands by his side, thinking if it was his place to give advice.

Quickly composing herself as she realized the awkward position she placed Elverius in, she smiled apologetically at him. “I’m sorry about that. I’m just feeling the pressure.”

“I can understand that princess. An enormous burden is placed among the descendants of Fahllyr to become powerful so that we can protect the bloodline of Emperor Krystfallen. I am sure that the burden placed on your shoulders, to show the people that the Dragon Emperor is with them through his descendants, is even greater.”

The princess stared at him with a loving smile and tilted her head. “Your youngest sibling is about to finish her duty at the temple, right? I’ve always wondered why your family guards that place.”

Elverius has been asked that question many times in the past. He himself asked that question. “It is tradition, your highness. Our ancestor has guarded that place when it was still the castle of the First Emperor. All of his descendants will guard it as a reminder of our duty to him. As for my sister, she will finish her duty in a couple of months. I am quite proud that she did not run away from duty. I imagine that she is rather bored there.”

The princess placed a hand on her mouth to hide a small chuckle. “She sounds like a quite a restless person. She seems to be your opposite. Anyway, don’t forget that you will be my guard in the coming of age ceremony.”

“I’ll be there, your majesty,” Elverius said.

“I can’t help but feel anxious about the ceremony.”

“Do not worry about it, your highness. I’m sure you’ll do fine.”

The princess looked up to Elverius’ chest, given that he the body he was using had no head. Her eyes were full of relief. She brushed her wavy blue hair from her eyes and said, “You really think so? Yes, you’re right. I don’t need to fight any monsters in my dragon form anyway. I just need to show the people that I can transform and use some dragon powers by burning a Nemir hog.”

“There have been great rulers of Krysperia that do not have powerful dragon transformations.”

“My father’s transformation is powerful though,” she said, looking down. She then breathed in deeply and exhaled with a heave of her delicate shoulders. “I shouldn’t think like that. Transform. Breathe fire. Get it done.”

“Yes your Highness, Princess Adelind Melusine, the coming of age ceremony is simply a matter of roasting pigs.”

“It’s nice to be here with the twelve of you.”

High above the bustling crowds, going to and fro with their lives, oblivious to the dimming sky, a black robed man was sitting cross legged with a basket, filled with all kinds of chocolates and candies, on his lap. He was enjoying the air cooling down as the sun takes its rest after a journey through the sky. Like blooming flowers, the light orbs lining the streets slowly shared their warmth and light to the people of Krysperium. The black robed man was busy indulging his sweet tooth while tucked away beneath one of the many decorative arches of one of the spires of Dragonyxum Basilica.

“I should really get a new wardrobe, I look like a mage,” he muttered, looking at his black robe. Perhaps he should get some stylish leather armor?

Looking for a peaceful place to think and meditate about many questions, he remembered the towering spires of the church. Emelie had mentioned to him that the statue of the Dragon Emperor and his Chosen stood on top of each spire. It would be funny to see how to see how they were depicted, he told himself.

He admired how they carved Rebecca’s features and gave her a goddess’s beauty. She wasn’t as beautiful as that. Most of the time her hair was unkempt and her face was sallow from all the sleepless nights of magical experimentation. If Rebecca was still alive she would have found the statue amusing.

He nearly busted his gut when he came to Wolfrik’s statue. The artisans were probably imagining a werewolf when they were carving the beastman’s face. It looked like they stuck a wolf’s head on a muscular man. Wolfrik apparently became the beast king, Aya reminded himself. Good for him. He always wanted to unite the beastmen and prosper their race.

Clement’s statue was what one would expect it to be. An aged man with long, flowing beard, eyes filled with knowledge and power, bony arms raised to cast a spell. Aya poked at the statue while thinking where the oldest void mage could possibly be. Surely this old guy couldn’t have died. He was already three hundred years old when Aya met him! Who knows, he might be also sleeping somewhere all this time, like Aya.

After going around the statues, he hid himself in one of the arches under the Crazy Alchemist Bartolomeo.

He removed his robe; underneath he wore a black, short-sleeved, tunic with leather trimmings. Stretching his bare arms before him, he slowly began to open the gate to the void and channeled the energy into his body. The writhing blood runes arose from beneath his skin.

Scrunching up his nose, he squinted his eyes and concentrated on drawing reverse seals on top of the runes on his skin. It is one of the most advanced ways in dispelling a seal; superimposing a seal that would completely nullify the target rune. Each rune of the target seal would be neutralized by a counter seal. After that, it would be a simple matter of purging the defused magic formation.

Several purple points of light appeared in the air writing complex runes; the void runes shimmered in and out of existence, as if bobbing in and out of the sea. The runes flitted downward and arranged themselves into complex circular designs, each seal hovering over its counterpart on Aya’s skin.

“No not that one,” he said, “this one.” More and more runes were drawn in the air, some replaced others in the seal formation, and others moved and changed designs. Other designs he replicated, others he tweaked, yet others more he completely erased and built up again from scratch. Satisfied with his army of counter seals he moved on to the next step.

The purple seals descended and merged with the red seals on his skin, each void seal corresponding to one rune; one neutralizing the other. It turned to black, and like ashes in blown by the wind, it slowly disintegrated, leaving behind an unblemished patch of skin.

“Void runes, easy as pie.” He looked at his basket. “I should have brought some pie. Why did I fill that up with sweets? Gets really boring after a while.” He exhaled and took a mental note not to fill his basket with candy.

Although his counter seals were successful in eliminating the runes he can recognize, about half of their number remained on his skin. The purged runes slowly reappeared, resembling blood seeping through a piece of cloth.

“As expected.” He closed the gate to the void and the runes obediently slithered back to his core.

A cloudless night sky gave an unobstructed view of the blanket of stars covering the heavens. There was no hint that any shield was covering the city, but he knew that it was there. Peace for five hundred years. The city that he built was untouched by any hostile force. He just stared out into the sky and thought about his current predicament.

He took a deep breath and exclaimed, “Okay, I expected this to happen, but how the groofshit did that happen?” Stretching his arms, he fell to his back with his basket beside his head. He reached out for some chocolate and chewed in silence.

The opening of the arch gave the view of the spire of Clement and Rebecca. Even two of the most powerful mages were not able to pull this off. Well, three, including himself. This is impossible.

It turned out that Jel’s observation was correct. There were high-level elemental runes mixed in the restraints that were placed on him. It was a spark of good luck that he met with a knowledgeable elemental sealcaster. He had no idea about elemental runes. Well he did, just basic ones, though; the ones he knew about seemed like child’s play compared to the elemental runes binding him. Jel only recognized some of them. This meant the other elemental runes are probably on par with the level of the most powerful void runes binding him. It would need an elemental mage at least on the Adept level to remove them.

But only if it was as simple as that. There were both elemental and void runes used in a single seal. That would mean both types of mana were circulating and coexisting within the same magic formation! How in the name of Paximillon and Negatorium did that happen?

Slowly tightening his fists, he began thinking about the implications of such situation.

A void mage can only use void magic. An elemental mage can use elemental magic. Those two are exclusive to each other. But what about the curse placed on him?

A being capable of using elemental and void magic. Well, he can also use both, but that was due to his unique circumstances. He’s not really an exception to the rule. This situation was very different. Not using them separately but actually combining them. Even the divine beasts were cannot unite two diametrically opposing energies. There can only be one, for the other would devour one, and one the other.

So, who did this to him? And why?

“Let’s see. Some dimwad who can combine elemental and void magic, someone who can go against the laws of the realm, cast some seal on me,” he said. “Well, I don’t really know how to proceed from this point.”

Even if he found an Adept elemental mage who will help him, it would still be no use since whatever they do would amount to just erasing the external manifestation of the curse. Void mages control void seals. Elemental mages control elemental seals. It would follow that a seal made out of void and elemental runes, along with some other weird hybrid runes, would need someone who could actually combine those two. Someone who can do the impossible.

Picking up a piece of toffee, he decided to try something different.

Cracks formed all over his skin, his fingers elongated and his nails sharpened. The cracks began to outline scales, and the scales solidified, a rippling wave of change through his skin. The fingers that were holding the toffee turned into curved claws. His hands grew to nearly four times its original size.

“Seems like I can push the restraints a bit this way, more success compared to when I use the void gate; I feel like it's draining more in that case.” He examined his reptilian hand for a few seconds before popping the toffee into his mouth.

“Hehe, I look like a Surgan lizardman,” he said while chuckling. “I could pretend to be a Surgan next!”

Scratching his chin with his claw, his thoughts wandered back to his battle with the weird demon possessed guy. Good thing the restraints held when he semi-transformed his hand into a claw. He had the feeling that the restraints were directed more towards his void power, specifically the draining part. The demon needed to be exorcised or else it would destroy the mind of the body it possessed. Who will he question if that happened? And he couldn’t let the army get to the demon because they will most likely kill it rather than try to save the possessed body given the late stage of possession.

There was something that Sicarius said that gnawed at his mind. That pscyho said they were going after children with void affinity and using them as bait for the void mages to save.

“Hmm, so there are void mages left. The ones who still practice voidcraft. Some sort of resistance force I guess?” Aya said. “But what about the matter of the children?”

He decided to hop over to the statue of Clement to do some more thinking. Perhaps the statue of a wise Venerable Void Archmagus would help him ponder. The statue was three times taller than he was. Sitting at its base, he leaned back and rested on its feet.

“The children…there’s something funny here,” he said. “People with void affinity usually open their void gate in their teens. It’s very rare for a child to be able to open a void gate. So how do they detect those children? To know if a child has void affinity, extensive tests must be conducted. They couldn’t possibly test every child in the empire!”

He rapped the statue. “Hey, Clement! How can you find void kids among millions of people?”

No answer. It was worth a try. Who knows, Clement was probably hidden inside the statue. Lots of possibilities on where he could be right now. The only scenario that was impossible was Clement being dead.

While he was unwrapping his next piece of candy, he thought about the differences between normal people and those with the void affinity. Most of the people with void affinity have abysmally low mana pools and suck at attracting elemental essences. Actually, when their void gate opens, they cannot attract elemental essences anymore.

He remembered when he was young; he had way below pitiful aptitude on becoming an elemental mage. He couldn’t even aspire to be a warrior since they also use mana and extract other kinds of essences from nature for their buffs and all that. Good thing he had a master that taught him how to make the best out of his situation. That was before his void gate opened.

“I wonder where she is now. She has a special bloodline, I think. It’s not normal to have a silver hair. I wonder if it was one of those that give longevity. Anyhow, she would probably beat up Death if he came for her,” Aya said.

But it doesn’t mean that all kids who have no future being an elemental mage would become a void mage. Void mages are relatively rarer than elemental mages. Most of them were descendants of Void Houses. It seemed that having parents who were both void mages increase the chances of their offspring inheriting that power. Still, most children of the Void Houses are just normal kids and end up being servants to the ones who become void mages. The Void Houses awee not really nice at all, but that does not warrant their extermination.

Children with void affinity were also born by sheer chance to parents who were not void mages. However, that occurrence was exceedingly rare. Most void children would be misunderstood and shunned by their families and society because they feel…different. Someone told him before that they just felt wrong, that they somehow were out of place. The likely future for void children would just be misery, unless by some stroke of luck, after they have opened their void gate, they were found by a void mage who was willing to take them as an apprentice.

Notwithstanding this, that Sicarius guy seemed like he was hunting void children. The void mages who were in hiding were probably tracking him to find out about the children, or they had their own method of finding the children. Either way, there was a method to find void children without testing every kid in the whole of Krysperia.

“Hmm, even scyers can’t find them if they have not opened their void gate," he said. "I should probably get moving."

He wore his robe and retracted his scaly hand. He then jumped from spire to spire and finally down the plaza in front of the church.

Two men, one was long haired and the other skinny, gaped open as they saw a black robed man drop in front of them from the skies while carrying the basket.

Aya looked at the massive doors of the church. "The bishop is the key," he muttered. "Well, not him, but the orb on top of his staff. I have seen something like that before. I wonder where they keep that thing. Probably not in this church"

He swished around his robe, turned and gave a dramatic pose in front of the two awestruck men. "Greetings from the BasketSlayer, my good men."

"It-it's him!" the skinny man exclaimed. His shout attracted the look of several people.

"Really? Really? Woaa-" the long haired man began frantically combing his hair with his fingers. People began crowding around, eager to see what the commotion was all about.

"It's the BasketSlayer!"

"He has food in his basket!"

"I also have a basket! Look! Look!"

"Aw, I don't have food in my basket. I'm going to buy some."

The long haired man grabbed his friend by the shoulders and shook him from his daze. "Hey, hey man. You should do it. Do it now!"

His friend slowly approached the black robed man. The crowds made way for him, looking intently at what he was going to do.

He knelt before the BasketSlayer and raised his hands carrying a basket. "Mr. BasketSlayer, can you sign my basket?"