Moltencore Bloodline

The Moltencore bloodline can only manifest among male descendants. The bloodline has been known to skip several generations only to surface long after a family has long forgotten that they had an ancestor that wielded the Moltencore. All incidents of manifestation suggest that only a firstborn son has the chance of inheriting this bloodline from a carrier ancestor.

Given this erratic streak of manifestations, extensive genealogical records of families that have a Moltencore ancestor are kept by countries in the hopes that one day, a firstborn son of this families will be blessed with this wonderful gift from Paximillon. Every male firstborn descendant of a Moltencore holder is assessed at childhood to check if they possess this gift.

The Moltencore bloodline allows its wielder to become fire mages of the highest caliber, extracting fire essences of such purity that can rival those extracted by fire spirits. They are also capable of coating their body with an enchanted molten armor, having appearances akin to the Molten Golems, increasing their strength and defense, opening the option of becoming warriors.

The exact powers and abilities of the wielders of the Moltencore are kept secret by kingdoms to increase the military value of an exceedingly rare manifestation.

A Compendium of the Bloodlines of Krysperia (4th Edition)

“Time to see if there are any of them left inside this thing.”

Aya’s fingers merged together, forming three digits; they were elongated and multi-jointed. His hands began to sprout glowing feathers. Upon closer examinations, the feathers were an aggregation of crystals but they were very soft, waving and rippling even if there was no wind blowing.

Three claws reached for the Dragon’s Heart that he spat out yesterday. It was fortunate that he remembered to spit out the orb before eating dinner last night.

When he returned to the villa rented by the Dolsworth students, Orvin excitedly told him that he has signed up for the beast-taming competition. He also wanted an extended lesson that night so that he will feel prepared. The last batch of the competition would be held simultaneously with the fights in the arena. It was good that his student was taking the initiative to ask for more learning opportunities but he could have chosen some other time. He just came from a theatrical performance that ended with a jump from a height of more than two hundred meters.

Nevertheless, Aya agreed for having an extra session since it was his fault planting the idea in Orvin’s head to join that competition. He thought that a nice display of Orvin’s skill during the event would give him plus points when he tries to apply for Milla Lyceum, whatever that institution was. Sounds like it was some school for higher studies with a chance to get into government service. Military perhaps? Based on what Emelie told him, this Milla Lyceum was only accepting strong people or someone who had extraordinary achievements.

Rebecca of the Dragon’s Chosen, back when he first fought with her, told him that elemental spirits are attracted to powerful people possessing large amounts of mana; the more powerful the spirit you want to summon the more mana you need even to just make it notice you. This makes Orvin very exceptional. Orvin certainly has a talent in having connections with elemental spirits. It was a very rare talent allowing him to summon spirits without having enough mana to support them for long periods of time.

While that meant that he could probably easily contract with a powerful elemental spirit, it would be for naught if he couldn’t support it anyway.

Aya suspected that Orvin could probably attract the attention of very rare and elusive types of elemental spirits; the types that could make even seasoned mages drool with envy. It was just the case that he probably does not have enough mana to materialize even an inch of these legendary spirits. This was the reason why Aya directed his student to focus on summoning the weakest fire spirits but using them unconventionally.

His student could be stronger given time.

Low mana pool was a relatively easy problem to remedy. He could have intensive training to increase his mana pool, rituals, items, he could even tattoo seals on his body, embed mana crystals on his body; there were a lot of options that he could use to increase his joke of a mana pool. It wasn’t really that pitiful, it just feels like a joke when he summons a scary spirit that can’t even stay around for a few seconds.

If he had a couple of years, Orvin could come back riding a named salamanticore fire spirit. Perhaps that would be too much of an expectation, but Aya believes that Orvin has the potential to be a renowned elemental spirit summoner given time.

Which they don’t have.

While options in increasing mana abound, they cannot choose any because it would take a year at the least to have significant results. Items that increase mana were out of the question, furthermore, it would be bad to rely on items alone.

Orvin losing the fight in the arena in his first round, which wasn’t really his fault since he had the bad luck of meeting the BasketSlayer, limited his possibilities in gaining fame and recognition that would merit his entrance into Milla Lyceum.

Emelie emphasized that her brother needed something that would make him more noticeable and stand out from the other applicants. She seemed to be confident in her own talent and only worried about her younger brother.

Joining the beast-taming competition was the suggestion of Aya. Taking down a high ranking beast is already considered an achievement. Making it bow down before you? Even more so!

Surprisingly, Emelie agreed to his idea. So she was just going to let her brother tame dangerous beasts? He thought that she was a rather protective sibling, but apparently, she really wants her brother to enter Milla Lyceum.

Aya has not watched any of the beast-taming events but he heard that the remaining monsters were all high B rank to A rank. All of the pipsqueak monsters were featured in the main arena at the same time the preliminaries of the fights were held. So now the ones left were the big and bad beasts. Letting Orvin face one of them doesn’t seem a good idea now. But apparently, you can choose which monster to face. He’ll take a look at the list and devise some plan so that Orvin would win.

Emelie cooked a delicious dinner for them yesterday evening. It was to show her appreciation for all the efforts of Aya in helping Orvin. She also invited the other students in the villa to join them. All of them were focused on their own training and rarely saw each other so Emelie thought that it was a nice idea that they ate dinner together. Orvin said that her sister was a great cook, making Aya’s stomach growl in anticipation.

It was probably just a reflex of his stomach since he does not get hungry given that his body has the fortitude of a dragon.

Before eating, he went to his room to take out the Dragon’s Heart. Then a problem presented itself.

The orb was glowing and emitting a faint trace of elemental energy. Since the orb was already outside his body, the curse afflicting him that was suppressing every external manifestation of energy he emitted no longer affected it.

While Aya can’t feel the actual flow of elemental essence, he knew that it could be traced. The church has probably sent out a team to find the orb. He planned to spend all night weaving a suppression spell around it using his draconic powers, he also wanted to setup enchantments around the room to conceal what he planned to do there.

However, Emelie was already calling him for dinner. She will probably sense the orb after a few seconds.

A big problem.

He can’t pass up free dinner.

He also needs space around his stomach for the dinner.

Using his quick wits he transformed his left hand into a dragon claw that suppresses magical energy, it was the type he used to pierce the defensive shield around the orb when he stole it. He grabbed the fist-sized orb, hid it beneath his robes and went out to eat the glorious fish steak dinner that Emelie cooked for them.

Aya can’t help but smile when he remembered how silent the table was when they ate. A big question mark was floating in the air during the entire meal. Emelie, Orvin, and the other students who ate with him were obviously wondering about the bulge Aya was grasping beneath his robes. He was only using his right hand to eat.

He did not mind their awkward attempts to initiate conversation with him. They also kept looking at each other. Aya just kept on eating since he only just wanted to enjoy the meal.

Haven’t they seen a man enjoying fish steak before? So what if said man enjoying the fish steak has a bulge hidden beneath his robes? He had the same right as everyone to enjoy the fish steak. How times have changed.

Can’t a person hide a religious artefact beneath his robes and suppress its energy with a dragon hand while eating?

“It was a nice fish. I have to ask Emelie what kind of fish that was.” Aya said while wiggling his clawed feathery hand.

The claws entered the orb without any resistance, it was as if the claws were dipping into water, and there were ripples on the points where the claws made contact.

“Huh, this thing feels pretty empty. The weak ones should still be here. Did all of them escape?” He buried his hand further into the orb. “Five hundred years have passed; it won’t be a surprise if all of them escaped. Did my efforts go to waste?

After a few more seconds of searching, he exclaimed, “Oh wait…got one!”

He pulled out a tiny black blob that looked like solidified smoke from the Dragon’s Heart. “I wonder which one this is,” he said, then threw the blob into the air. “Looks weak. Did I catch this thing? Or was it from the time Rebecca still used the Orb of Perdition?”

Cold wind circled the room even though the window was tightly shut. Sunlight sifting into the room gradually dimmed as if someone covered the window with heavy curtains. The sound of maniacal laughter echoed through the room while the blob convulsed in the air. Smoke seeped out from the shapeless black matter and began to form into something more concrete.

The laughter continued, it sounded as if a choir of people, were laughing together, men, women, children, elderly; there were even some that didn’t sound human.

A floating black head appeared in front of Aya.

Its teeth were chattering while the chorus of laughter spilled out of its mouth. The upper half of its head was simply not there! Everything above its nose looked like it had been sliced off by a jagged blade. Black flames danced where the rest of its head should be. The black flames rose and birthed a thick black smoke plumage, tickling the ceiling.

“You have my gratitude for releasing me, human. Let it be known that you have committed the gravest mistake of your life! I, Malkhar Immuran Shorgattho Amontekhhar, will claim your body as mine. Know despair, foolish mortal! I will repay your kindness by feasting on your soul.” The ethereal head opened its mouth, stretching its jaws up to its ears and laughed louder.

“Can you stop that weird laughter,” Aya said while sticking a finger in his ear. “It’s really annoying. Did you know that I spent all night putting up enchantments using my very much diminished power so that no one will discover what I’m doing here? Tone it down. I'm just suppressing aura here, stop making too much noise.”

“Pathetic mortal. You still cannot recognize your inevitable demise. Mallkhar Immuran Shorgattho Amontekhar will be your end, and you will be my beginning!”

“Huh. What did I name you again? I’m sure you’re one of my catches. Number Five? Or Six. I’m quite sure it’s Five.”

The floating head instantly fell silent.

The black flames dancing on its head shrunk back leaving tiny wisps of black smoke. It then tried to dive back into the orb. Fortunately, Aya’s hand was quicker; his three draconic fingers grabbed the base of the head.

“You must be angry at me for not remembering your name, but in my defense, there were just so many of you.”

The wailing of a hundred voices proceeded from the lips of the demon head. “Forgive me, master! Your servant, Number Five, was at fault for not recognizing master! But I have remained loyal! I knew master would return. I alone waited for master inside the orb!”

“Yeah, right. Even I did not know that I would return. And you were probably too weak to escape from this chunk of the Orb of Perdition.” Aya threw the head into the air and grabbed the orb so that it would not try to hide again. “I really do apologize for not remembering your actual name. I caught hundreds of you thingies. I just named you in the order of catching you. Honestly, I doubt that I would have remembered your number, it’s just that you were the one with the annoying voice, and you’re only a head; the others usually have bodies.”

“I am a lowly creature that does not warrant master’s memory.” The head tried to do a bow mid-air. “I never doubted that master will return.”

“I’ll call you ‘Five’; I don’t want to remember your cumbersome demon name. You don’t need to call me master, Five.”

The black head, with the top part blown off, floated lower to the floor, almost kissing it, while doing its awkward attempt to bow without a neck. “Yes, my name is ‘Five’, master. Five hears and obeys.”

“Calling me master implies you’re my servant or something. I just kept all of you in the Orb of Perdition until that final day. I don’t order you around.”

“Master has the authority over us, master punishes us, makes us see the error of our ways. Keeps us in the Orb for punishment. Master is master.”

Aya sighed, irritated by the rumblings of the demon. “Punish you for what? For eating souls and life essences of other beings?”

The demon attempted to bang its head on the floor but it did not connect with the hard surface. Instead, it passed straight through the floor looking like it was bobbing in the water. “Master, I ask for your forgiveness! I have contemplated on the terrible transgressions that I have committed and ask for your mercy!”

“Hey! Stop that! My enchantments subduing your demon aura only affects things inside this room,” Aya picked up the demon using his claws, which also passed through the floor. “There’s a basement down there. What if there are people below? How am I going to explain a demon spirit head peeking on them? If you try to escape I’ll catch you, put you back in the orb and throw it in a volcano. Try possessing someone after that. It’s going to be boring being inside the orb, alone, for the next thousand years or so… I don’t know how often a volcano erupts.”

“I am punishing myself by banging my head, but, alas, I cannot make contact with the material plane. Master, I once again ask for forgiveness for the souls that I have eaten,” Five said while being held by the feathered hand of Aya.

Aya threw the head in the air and caught it. He then tossed it to his other hand, at the same time transforming that hand into an Immateyrian dragon claw while turning the other back to normal. “I’m not angry at you for eating souls, I’m not angry at any corrupted spirit for having that kind of predisposition. It’s not your fault that you came into being in the first place. Well…for some demon spirits, it’s kind of their fault for becoming like that.”

He tossed the demon head from one hand to the other, alternating the draconic transformation of his hands. “That’s your nature to eat souls, human souls included. Who am I to judge since I myself drink the blood of other creatures?”

Five tried to speak while Aya was tossing him. “Master…master can do whatever he wants. Master…is master. He can rip…all of us…because we did the same to human souls.”

Aya laughed. He realized what a bizarre situation he was in. Sitting in a room while playing with a demon head. Half a demon head, he corrected himself. “Ah, you don’t understand. I bear no grudge against corrupted souls even if they eat human souls, just like I have no problem with man-eating creatures; that is their nature, I do not hate them.

“Of course, I will step in to save human lives, but that is because I am human. If I was a corrupted spirit, then I will go my way eating human souls as well. Like I said, I drink the blood of powerful beasts. ”

A strange feeling subtly formed inside him while talking to the demon spirit.

“Of course, some of these beasts are even more intelligent than humans. And I consume their blood for power. Your kind, on the other hand, consumes souls for sustenance. Admittedly, some demon spirits increase their consumption since it will have a direct impact on their strength…but I am hardly in any position to judge that,” Aya continued on talking.

Loneliness? Even when he founded and ruled Krysperia he was lonely. Before he became the emperor, he was lonely. Before he became powerful he was lonely. He stood alone and was lonely. Although both concepts do not necessarily imply each other. Something else…

He snorted, causing the demon head to tense up, the black fumes consisting the upper part of its head slowly died down in fear. Aya held up the demon head in front of his face. “Such a long time…I guess don’t really feel that five hundred years passed,” Aya said softly, not really talking to the demon head. "I only captured all of you because I have a need for legions of corrupted souls. You know that," he explained to Five. Hopefully, the demon would understand and stop apologizing because it feared that Aya will rip it apart.

“Master drinks the blood of dragons, almighty and powerful! I never doubted that master would return. My faith never wavered for five hundred years!”

“I’m mighty all right. Still not mighty enough to save everyone from the Blight.” Aya sighed while looking at the grotesque demon head.

His first conversation with someone, or something, from the time he walked the land as an emperor, was with a corrupted spirit that’s so afraid of him it doesn’t complain even if he tosses it around. At least, he was able to talk with someone from his past. Someone who knows who he really was. He pitched the smoking head back into the air while pausing to collect himself.

The empire of Krysperia has stood the test of time. Five hundred years. It has maintained control of the mana node, the most powerful source of energy in the whole of the continent of Forkspear. Five hundred years. It consolidated its strength, drove back the remnants of the Blight, prospered civilization in a myriad of ways. All of these are a testament of the worth of the sacrifices that they have made in the past, during the war against the Blight.

It seemed so distant.

.

“Hey Five.”

Five wobbled a bit in the air before answering. “Yes master. Five is ready to serve.”

“Did I win?”

“Master? I do not understand.”

Aya was not quite sure how to ask the question that had been bugging him. “What happened afterward? When the dust settled, what happened next? How did you get here? What did you sense from inside the shard of the Orb of Perdition?”

“After the Orb exploded, I could only sense master performing his powerful spell. After that…nothing. Your most humble servant, Five, was not aware of what happened during the aftermath of the war against the Blight. The shard that contained your servant Five, along with several others was simply left there among the Blighted lands. We were recovered after several months by warriors from your most noble army.”

“So that’s it? It ended like that?”

Five vigorously wagged its head. Its diminished smoky plumes whipped back and forth.

"Tch." Aya shook his head and sighed. He stood up to gaze out the window. Turning back to Five, he asked, "Do you know what that spell of mine does? The one I used after I sacrificed your fellow corrupted spirits?"

"I apologize. Five does not know about the unfathomable power of master."

"If I was really that strong as you say then I wouldn't have resorted to that spell." Aya paused a bit while examining the city flourishing outside the window.

Five floated nearer the former emperor.

"What do you see, Five?" Aya nodded his head towards the window.

"Your most noble capital, my master."

"It stands?"

"Yes, it still stands. For five hundred years. Master's empire has grown strong."

"It was a sacrificial spell, "Aya finally said after a long pause. "It was one of my backup plans. I used thousands of corrupted soul just to distract that thing while I set up my most powerful creation. The deletion of my existence across all planes, as payment. . . for deleting another existence of my choice."

"Five does not understa-"

"I shouldn't be alive."

He has reached the West System, although the last couple of days have been a blur. He left Krsyperium, accompanied by soldiers and other young manaforgers, eager to make something out of themselves when they reached the West System.

Trance alone reached their intended destination. All the others...

His head was still swimming in fear even though he was already in one of the most powerful citadels of the empire, reliving the night when it rained black spikes and death. The faces of the town guards, the faces of the people, the face of the monster made up of the bodies of the soldiers he travelled with, the face of the man on top of the monster.

The defiant face of the boy named Timothy. The face of his brother also surfaced in his thoughts, he had to remind himself that his brother and grandmother was safe in Krysperium. Yes, no one would dare attack the capital. But then again, no one thought that a Blight creature would get past the West System.

No one told him that it was a Blighted, but he knew.

He knew that the threat of the Blight, a threat that seemed so far away, has now stepped on Krysperian soil.

On the day he arrived at the West System he could see that the fortress wall was alive with activity. Drills were conducted, dozens of patrols, mages flying through the air. Once in a while a group of griffon riders would fly in or leave.

There were also many scryers walking in the open; standing, observing, inspecting the whole line of walls.

Looking out the window, he could see engynares with their constructs scaling the walls and towers of the defensive line, the clawed grips of their machines latching on to different parts of the wall while their controllers examine different segments of the fortifications.

Obviously, there was something out of place. Why were engynares crawling around? The layers of walls have been finished for more than a hundred years. It looked like too much manpower for a simple maintenance check.

Trance has visited West System for the first time of his life, he didn’t know how things normally go here, but he can feel that there was a strange tension in the air. All of the soldiers were on alert, even the ones in the wall farthest from the gray dessert that the Blighted creatures have to cross to reach Krysperia.

A colossal monster attacked a town near the wall. Considering that there were no dangerous forests or caverns where gigantic murdering beasts of that level dwell, the creature could have only come from the other side of the West System.

The increased security measures taken by the West System confirmed his suspicions that it was something that came from outside Krysperia.

How about that man? The one who commanded the Blight creature?

Was he the one who snuck the abomination past the West System?

When morning came, after the night of the attack, he regained some semblance of sanity. He realized the dangerous situation he was in.

He was the only survivor of an attack by a mysterious monster.

Surrounded by dead persons, the first thing he thought about was himself. He walked by Timothy’s small body, leaning over his father. He could not spare a single drop of tear for him. He only felt fear and apprehension.

What if the authorities suspected that he had something to do with the carnage that happened? Everyone else was dead, even the ones that were able to leave the town. All the soldiers, the beastmasters, even the mages were dead. His fellow forgers most assuredly died. He did not even try looking for their bodies.

They fought and he did not.

But he was alive. And they are not.

To make matters worse, the black spikes were still alive, in some sense of that word. He could see some of them were still wriggling and desperately trying to suck the life out of everything they can reach. Timothy’s body was covered by layers of black tendrils, as if he was buried under the roots of a tree.

They even reached for the house that he was hiding in. Clearly, they were some sort of parasite that the giant monster was fostering inside the bulbs lining his back.

Did they spread some disease or infection? Some kind of curse? Trance did not dare to find out. At that time, he still wasn’t aware that the Blight have passed over Liftersville. But he knew enough from talking with adventurers that he should be very careful when dealing with magical parasites. If they spread kind of magical disease then he wouldn’t want to catch it. He already survived a night of hell, he didn’t want to die in the end because he was touched by those black things due to his inadvertence.

He took off his shirt and tried to examine his body. No blemishes that would indicate that he was infected by something.

That momentarily calmed him down.

What should he do next? He might not have the Blight but there’s no telling what the military would do. They might choose to eliminate him to minimize the risk of the Blight infecting anyone else. He started walking around in circles while slugging his shield. He looked at the skies for answers.

There were several specks among the clouds, flying fast towards the town. More monsters?

He took a couple of steps back and squinted his eyes. They seem to be flapping wings, overgrown birds really. Griffons?

From the West System.

Too many of them for a mere patrol.

What should he do? What could he do? Will they believe his story that he had nothing to do with what happened? How can he explain the fact that he was the only survivor?

He hurriedly went back inside the house that sheltered him for the night.

A voice suddenly spoke inside his head. It was not actual speech like having conversations in your mind; it was comparable to having thoughts and ideas directly planted in your head.

“Well, well, well. What do we have here?” A large shadow loomed from behind him.

Metallic footsteps snapped him out of his reverie. Armored soldiers with halberds flying a black and gold banner with a symbol he has not seen before barged into his room; there was no knocking whatsoever.

Trance did not get angry or protested the sudden intrusion. He was already grateful to have been provided a room to rest in. He expected that he would be imprisoned at the least, or placed in some container for isolation.

When the soldiers burned the town, he also felt fear that he would be cast amongst the flames. He had spent an entire night staying in a corrupted town. If Trance was one of the soldiers, he would have no qualms in burning anyone who could potentially spread some dangerous kind of disease. Fortunately, they treated him as a survivor, not as a potential plague carrier.

Yet, he could tell that they were suspicious of him. The eyes of the soldiers and the healers reflect distrust.

“Your presence has been requested,” one of the soldiers who entered his room said. There was a heavy emphasis on the word requested. “Make haste. We do not want to make the Lordship wait.”

He obediently followed the soldiers. No cuffs or chains or magical restraints, however, the soldiers boxed him in. Trance was surprised at how close they were to him. Did they not fear that they might catch the Blight? He was sure that he was not corrupted but everyone that he met after that night seem to assume that he was tainted and kept their distance.

These soldiers did not wear the black armor of the West System. Their armor had a metallic blue tinge. Trance tried to look discreetly for any identifying crest or insignia but found none. Who were they? Some Lord wants to meet him? Were they his personal guard?

He was led into a luxurious room, quite out of place to be located inside a fortress. A black cabinet, gilded in gold, accented with crystals, stood at one side. There were several potted plants of the variety that he was yet to encounter. He was sure that each one of them was valuable because they were encased in a transparent bubble; the pot seems to provide a different environment for each plant. The chairs and table inside were carved with lifelike dragon claws and covered with gold flakes arranged to look like scales.

The person who summoned him surely has a high rank. Very high rank. What did they need from him? He already answered many questions from dozens of interrogators.

Trance inhaled deeply and set his jaw. He had nothing to hide and nothing more to say.

The soldiers bowed out of the room and left him standing in the middle of the thickly carpeted floors.

“Um, hello?” He was at a loss on what he should do next. “I'll just wait here,” he called out.

He did not dare move from where he stood for fear that he would somehow damage the expensive furniture inside the room. Where was this Lord that he was supposed to meet?

A complex glass flowering construct floated a few inches below the ceiling. He supposed that it contained a light orb, really extravagant considering that they are far away from the mana node of Krysperium.

“I have always been fond of that chandelier. It was a gift from a colleague of mine,” a sweet voice that seemed as calm as the surface of a frozen lake touched the ears of Trance. A voice laced with flowering vines; it seemed to rival the melody of stirred wind chimes.

His heart skipped a beat. Feelings of tension were instantly erased; the entire room seemed brighter, more jolly. It must have been just the imagination of Trance but he could have sworn that he was transported to another room because of the abrupt change in the atmosphere.

A woman with flowing platinum hair that almost reached the floor stood in front of him.

How could he have missed such a beauty? Was she there all along?

A painting of the gods, a flawless creation. Her calm and gentle face, cream-colored and glowing, struck the heart of Trance. A fabric woven from the different colors of the sea hugged her body and traced its curves, cascading to the ground and forming waves around her. Her unearthly golden eyes stared at him, seemingly paralyzing his body from their eerie beauty.

He did not know what to say. All the words retreated from his mouth. His entire body decided to just admire the goddess in front of him.

“We meet again, young manaforger.”