The time for departure arrived quickly, and the convoy of the lesser important characters left the Free City, although some mercenaries decided to stay behind. Three days had passed since that time and Ira had come to realize a few things. The young man with the shadow abilities was called Casper, and he had always found his work in the criminal underworld, but the Golden Aurora improved his abilities dramatically. After signing a Soul Contract, one that was of his own insistence, he would bring Ira information on potential enemies. The agreement was that as long as he could prove his worth, Ira wouldn’t kill him. Since he was confident in his skills he had no doubts about it until the ominous black strand flew into his chest and disappeared.

At the moment, Ira and Avery silently rode in the carriage. Ira was reading the Black Book while Avery was polishing their weapons.

“Can you hear them?” Avery suddenly asked.

“Hear what? The whispering?” Ira responded as he continued to watch the series of nonsensical symbols spin and shift.

“Yes.”

“Not since the first time I started reading it. Is it bothering you?”

“It's nothing more than an annoyance as of now,” Avery replied.

She was referring to the unintelligible choir of hushed voices attempting to worm their way into her mind. Just being around the book was dangerous for most people since the knowledge itself had a way of warping minds.

“I’ll read it somewhere else.” Ira shut the book and stored it away immediately. Even if the Valkyries had a stronger will than most, the longer one was exposed to the book the quicker their mental defenses would degrade.

Avery didn’t attempt to reassure Ira because she wasn’t confident that she would continue to be unbothered by the book.

“I should just use my primary transformation and take you back,” Ira said with a sigh.

“Are you forgetting about my wings?”

“Huh, I guess I did.”

“If you want to use your transformation don’t let me stop you.”

“I’ll do it later, I’d rather practice manipulating space without a medium first,” Ira said as he shifted his body in the carriage.

“Then that’s all the more reason you should find somewhere you can concentrate. I’ll protect that Prince while you’re gone,” Avery insisted before continuing, “You can catch up by the scent can’t you?”

“Yeah…” Ira weighed his options before he decided to follow Avery’s words.

Avery handed over his sword which he placed in the scabbard before fastening it to his waist. Ira opened the door to the carriage while it was moving and leaped out toward a tree. Since the Fourth Prince didn’t have many people in his retinue, no one was close enough to notice his departure, save one young man eager to prove his worth.

Ira sat on a tree branch before looking a the shadow that appeared next to him, “What?”

“Should I keep an eye on the Prince or for your wife?” Casper asked.

Ira laughed as he looked at the shadow, “The Prince. If you value your eyes you wouldn’t bother Avery.”

“...I understand,” Casper said grimly. He couldn’t tell if that was a personal threat or Ira’s warning to avoid upsetting Avery, either way, was dangerous for him.

“I’m sure you do,” Ira grinned before he leaped away toward the deeper part of the woodlands.

…

Deep within a cavern filled with mana crystals, a fight was happening between humans and something else.

Harper’s chain scythe shined with an ominous blue glow as she swung it at a Minotaur. It tore through the Minotaur’s thick hide and caused it to roar in pain. Amy approached its side and stabbed her spear into its leg before twisting it, the Minotaur swung but Amy rolled away before shooting a ball of green fire at it which burned its hair. Aldis rushed up behind it with and drove two swords into its back.

“Now!” Aldis shouted as he held on to the Minotaur that was enraged.

Harper conjured her phantom halfway out of the ground before making it grab onto the Minotaur’s legs. The Minotaur tripped and fell and Harper took that time to wrap the bone scythe around its neck and pull tightly. The Minotaur foamed at the mouth as it tore at the chain, but it couldn’t free itself and ended up dying.

Aldis and Amy exhaled before sitting down on the spot while Harper recalled the bone scythe and broke off one of the horns and tied it to her waist.

“Fifth one today,” Harper said with satisfaction.

“There’s probably a herd somewhere, the Chief should be somewhere close by,” Aldis huffed. He was the only in their group without some sort of a power so his endurance wouldn’t be at Harper’s level.

“Then let’s go, Amy hurry up,” Harper ordered.

“Right,” Amy said as she approached the Minotaur in a practiced manner raising her metal arm as her Demon Flame covered the body of the Minotaur burning its flesh away.

As soon as she was finished, Harper went up to it and converted its bones into armor. The pieces of bone that were left over floated toward Aldis and Amy before covering them. Although they weren’t as thoroughly defended as Harper the extra reinforcement didn’t hurt.

The trio traveled deeper into the caverns in search of the Minotaur with Harper at the forefront. The path was lit by a glowing spectral ball that Harper created. With Harper’s abilities, she should’ve been able to locate the minotaur, but she couldn’t pick up on any traces of it. While her senses weren’t as good as Ira’s but it shouldn’t have been a problem for her to find it.

“Hmm…” Harper made a strange face as they came to what looked to be burrow. There were crude stone tools all around, but they seemed as if they weren’t used for weeks.

“Something wrong?” Aldis asked.

“It’s not here,” Harper said as she activated her spectral vision. The rock walls were too thick for her to see through and the only thing she confirmed was that there weren't any hidden enemies in the immediate vicinity.

“So should we keep going?” Amy asked without fear. Over the course of the extermination job, her flames had grown at a rapid pace.

Harper narrowed her eyes as she nodded, she proceeded on with a visible caution as they advanced forward. Eventually, they came upon a tunnel that was recently made judging by the claw marks.

Harper’s ears twitched as the faint sound of a battle echoed in her ears, without a word she sprinted forward and left a phantom blue trail behind her.

“Harper!” Aldis called out as he and Amy gave chase.

…

Clark and Randolph were lost. That was the easiest way to describe their situation. Neither one of them could use magic so their only source of light was a torch of the mana crystals embedded in the walls.

“We’re lost,” Clark said.

“We’re not lost...we’re just a little mixed up,” Randolph said with a dry laugh as he tightened his grip on the sword in his hands.

“Lost, Randolph,” Clark found it out that he could remain so calm. It was most likely due to the fact he had faith in Randolph’s strength and he had his own abilities.

“Fine, we’re lost,” Randolph huffed.

“Wait,” Clark squinted his eyes at the source of light in the distance, “I think...I think someone’s up there.”

“Really?” Randolph narrowed his eyes toward the source of light that was moving closer, “Oh, it really is someone. Looks like...Three people.”

As the trio approached them the figures of the strangers finally became clear. A trio composed of one male and two females stopped in front of them.

“Hey, are you lost too?” Randolph asked, “Oh, my name is Randolph and this is Clark.”

The young man at the head of the trio was the first to speak, “I’m Lance, this is Sarah and Valerie. To answer your question, yes, we are lost. We got mixed up in some tunnels.”

“...Nice to meet you,” Clark said in a polite tone. He took notice of how their expressions lacked any hint of joy or excitement. The trio appeared to be very battle hardened and capable.

“There’s a split not too far from here since you came from that way we should just backtrack,” Randolph said.

Lance briefly contemplated before looking to Valerie and Sarah who nodded, “If you can’t trust us we’ll lead the way.”

“No need, with Clark watching my back I don’t have anything to be afraid of,” Randolph said with confidence. If he was around to witness Clark ineptness during someone else’s time of need he probably wouldn’t be able to feel the same way.

Lance raised his eyebrow and looked at Clark before gesturing for them to lead on.

The duo turned into a group of five, Lance’s expression turned dull as he remembered his two friends. Although Ira said he would try to bring them back, they hadn’t heard from him for a while and it wasn’t surprising that they began to lose faith. Still, none of them would admit out of fear of upsetting each other and breaking the only thing keeping them together.

“So, how long have you three been together? Or are you just temporary partners?” Randolph tried to make small talk as they moved onward.

Sarah noticed that neither Lance nor Valerie wanted to answer so she spoke up, “...For a few years.”

“Wow, I’ve only known Clark for a few months,” Randolph replied, not picking up on the reluctant mood of the trio.

“It feels like it's been longer,” Clark smiled wryly.

“How long have you known Yellow-Eyes?” Randolph asked.

“I told you not to call him that, and I’ve known Ira for almost a year, probably the same as everyone else,” Clark said as he thought back to the first time he met Ira. The memory quickly became sour as he realized it was the day Benjamin died.

“What did you just say?” Lance shouted.

“Y-Yellow-Eyes? Clark’s a friend of his,” Randolph said.

“Have you seen, Ira?” Lance grabbed Clark.

“Hey!” Randolph pushed Lance away and due to his lack of restraint, Lance flew backward and tumbled onto the ground.

Sarah knocked an arrow and several icicles manifested around Valerie as they prepared for a fight.

“Hold on,” Lance said as he stood up and dusted himself off, “We’re...friends of Ira’s. I’m sorry I was too aggressive, but Ira agreed to help us and has been gone ever since.”

Clark exhaled a sigh of relief while Randolph eased up.

“I’m sorry too,” Randolph scratched his head awkwardly.

“Uh, I haven’t seen Ira since those weird monsters attacked the Capital,” Clark confessed.

Lance, Sarah, and Valerie all made disappointed expressions.

“That’s unfortunate,” Valerie said.

“...Let’s continue.” Lance’s expression darkened.

“R-Right,” Clark agreed.

A strange silence filled the air as everyone seemed preoccupied with their own thoughts. That’s was why they didn’t notice the pattern of cracks that resembled claw marks that appeared every ten feet.

…

Within a wooded area, Ira opened his eyes and held out his palm. A small bubble of air rippled above his palm. It wasn’t wind magic, but rather him bending space into the shape of a bubble. He waved his hand and the small bubble slowly traveled forward, it hit a tree and dug a few inches into it before dissipating. Although the power was far from lethal, Ira still smiled, and that was because he could manipulate space without a medium. It might’ve become more powerful if Ira used his sword, but he didn’t care. The concept of bending space became a little bit clearer to him. He took a big step in his comprehension and set his next goal to teleporting over large distances. After that? He wanted to imbue the power of the Void into it, but that was still too far away to think about.

Ira stood up and gave a satisfied stretch. While he wasn’t content with such a small of practice he knew it wouldn’t all come at once.

He looked around before pulling the black book out of thin air and plopped back down on a rock to read it. He planned on finding something that dealt with the solar force, but that was easier said than done. Ira never looked for anything specific in the book, up until now, he had let it guide him so to speak.

Ira concentrated on what he was looking for and it seemed that the book responded to him. The symbols spun faster and faster until he found himself in a trance. Unknowingly, black liquid began to fill up Ira’s eyes until nothing could be seen. He didn’t even seem to be aware as he mumbled a series of incoherent words.

…

A bloodied man with golden hair and a regal bearing sat atop a burning throne centered on a landscape filled with broken marble. Bodies of celestial beings littered the ground around him and the only other living creature was a black haired man that slowly approached him.

“Are you satisfied, mutt? You’ve destroyed everything and for what? Your kind was destined to suffer a miserable fate, but your meddling caused it to arrive sooner. The others will be here soon.” The man’s voice was full of strength even though he was heavily wounded.

“Helion…” The man growled before speaking in an emotionless voice, “I ate your people, I ripped apart your bastards, I devoured your wives...I’ll consume you until nothing is left...you won’t reincarnate and you won’t be reborn.”

“What are talking about, dog?” Helion clenched his fist and a trident made of fire appeared, “You can’t kill a God without having divinity of your own and even then they can return.”

The silhouette grinned widely, “Kill? No, It’s much worse, once I devour you, you’ll be cut off from your divinity.”

“You’re lying, you filthy dog!” Helion stood up and slammed the trident down, sending massive pillars of flames falling from the sky.

The black-haired man suddenly teleported away before reappearing as a giant wolf that towered over Helion. It opened its jaws and clamped down on Helion’s body before lifting him into the air.

Helion’s golden armor creaked under the massive white fangs that held him in place. “Release me, you filthy mutt!” Helion raised his hand and a miniature red sun that burned with a divine fury appeared behind him.

The Wolf paid it no mind as it leaped backward before teleporting away. The two vanished, and Helion’s absence caused the miniature sun to continuously grow, burning everything in its vicinity, until it collapsed on itself and exploded. The release of energy burned away all organic matter and even vaporized the stone, leaving nothing more than ash.

…

Ira’s body trembled as he dropped the book.

“Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” He cursed as he clutched his head, it was one of the rare moments that he felt a pain great enough for him to react. Ira roared in pain as he failed to contain his strength and destroyed the ground under him. He stomped and punched the ground and when it didn’t get rid of the pain, he began to slam his head into a rock and instantly crushed it. The feeling failed to subside so Ira continued to slam his head into the ground until it became a bloody mess. The faint yet loud humming of trumpets rang out in both his ears and they began to bleed.

“Shut the fuck up!” Ira tore at his skin and clenched his teeth so hard they cracked, the veins in his eyes even burst. His entire body seemed to be slowly unraveling under the force he exerted on himself.

Ira wasn’t aware, but his suffering was due to two reasons. One was the price of using the book. The other was due to him bringing divinity into the Mortal Realm. Even if it wasn’t physically present, just having a cohesive thought was enough to warrant some type of recoil, let alone an entire memory. The main reason was its unnaturalness. Usually, a God would send a blessing through their respective force to affect some mortal.

The Gods had a set of laws they had to abide by and the same applied to mortals. Whenever a law was broken or dangerously close to being broken, a punishment would occur. Ira was experiencing the most minor called The Trumpets Of Punishment which was an attack that could penetrate the core of one's being. It was an automatic response to his activities, even though he didn’t break any particular laws. If he had broken a law then the Gods would be notified of it immediately. The reason for the Collapse was due to King Dietrich attempting to grant immortality on a massive scale.

Ira was unaware of everything and could only suffer through the pain. He opened his mouth and bit into his own flesh before tearing it off and repeating the same thing over and over. Hours passed and Ira mutilated his body the entire time until the sound of trumpets came to an end.

What was left in the aftermath was a heavily breathing body with its organs and muscles exposed. Ira weakly crawled toward the black book and stored it away while leaving a trail of blood and viscera behind him. Just moving a few feet exhausted him and he turned onto his back while taking huge breaths. He needed time to regenerate from his wounds so he didn’t plan on moving anymore. Ira was lucky to have regeneration because any other person, be it Higher Races or Lower Races, would’ve died. In fact, their minds would’ve shattered, killing them before they could even get to that point.

“That’s one for Avery...just a few more to go.” It was hard to see because of the missing chunks of flesh, but it seemed like Ira had a wide smile on his face and something in his eye that could only be described as madness.