In the reflection of the river water I see someone, that I can hardly recognize. There no longer is a big red and black scar on face in the reflection, but the person in reflection is someone much older, with countless wrinkles throughout his whole face.

Maybe thick stubble and head full of grey hair make it worse.

Finishing drinking the crystal clear water flowing down the river, I stand up and start walking back to the caravan, and my party. I ended up joining the party of the catwoman, the one who sat at my table more than two weeks ago. The party consists of Lekana, the catwoman with black hair and fur, Tagaro and Nagoro, the twin dog demi-humans, with dark brown fur, and lastly me. The decision was based on the fact that it was better to stick to someone who has more information than I do, at least for now.

Since then, I have learned quite a bit.

The reason for the throughout check of every ship that arrives in the current kingdom, is epidemic of 'possessed'. As far as I was described the cases, and what 'possessed' did, to me, it looked very similar to what happens when you swallow demon pill, but there are two major differences.

First of all the 'possessed' turn randomly, some turn during sleep, killing their loved ones lying with them in the same bed, some during random walks and meals. The core problem is that no one know what is the reason, and how to stop it. The epidemic affects everyone, old and young, men and women, all races and species. The only trace people were able to find is that, before the 'event', mana purity of the victims starts rising rapidly.

Second, and the one which is much more alarming, is that the 'possessed' fall into enraged state and start firing magic spells as if skilled mage with decades of experience. I was thinking it was some kind of advanced form of devil pills, which is simply mixed with water and triggers randomly, as it would fully explain all the symptoms and behaviors, but there is something that crumbled that theory to the ground. The magic and spells 'possessed' start using, belongs to all groups of elemental and arcane pillars.

This makes no sense.

Rage pills are one thing, with the destructive flow of internal mana they cause, which sends user into a form of berserk mode, but a much watered down version. They are not that hard to make, as a skilled pharmacist can easily create simple ones out of wide range of dangerous, but widely available chemicals.

Demon pills, on the other hand, work in a bit different way, as they are simply concentrated amount of dark mana, which on contact with the internal mana of any living being, corrupt and bend their will, opening their gates to dark forces, and making them into puppet of dark spirit, commonly refereed as 'demon'.

The funny thing is that I think that those demons and the common spirits are not that different.

Demon pills are a bit harder to make, but still quite easy for those in power, as you just need innocent lives, suffering and a lot of blood. The nobles in Dead Desert were doing just that. Image of huge bath full to the brim with blood of children, with several tiny skulls floating in it, their screaming and begging for help fills my mind, and I try to breath deeper, and not lose it.

Not yet.

Not yet.

I have seen a lot in my life, things that common men would laugh about, creatures that old people tell children stories about, in hopes of keeping them safe. I have seen mindless violence of common men, arrogance that knows no bounds, selfishness that borders absolute disregard to anything but own personal gain, darkness of soul that should not be possible, madness of-

I have seen some things....

But I have never seen or heard heard about Fire or Water element pills on the level of Devil pills. I mean yes, there are similar things, elixirs that improve the attunement with specific elements or pillar, but they are not the same thing. They could never corrupt, turn the mage into empty husk of carnage and destruction, or at least I have not seen yet.

The way people 'awaken' also bothers me, I can understand if devil pills would be crushed, and mixed with water, food or air, causing mass hysteria as in the age of corrupted, but the spells issue...

Doesn't matter, not my problem, I should think too much about it.

And to the subject of the important business, as I recently learned, there will be organized some kind of 'Tournament' by Endless Empire, which is actually the four large islands north of this continent. I have seen them several times on the map, but didn't think too much about it, just another region, nothing more. But my new party explained to me that it is the most advanced and powerful kingdom that exist, and all the countries on the continents are very loyal to them.

Essentially, if you digest and rephrase what my party said, every single country's leaders in the 'world' are simply vassals appointed, or controlled by Endless Empire.

Anyway, returning to the subject, as far as I understood the 'Tournament' is organized in order to find the most promising candidates. There are prizes and titles for the winners, but that is not important, what is important is that after the tournament, many are approached with proposition. Those propositions may come from different kingdoms, nobles and even royalty, and they range from job offer to even marriage proposal.

For the past several years Amazons have co-hosted the event, with their own prizes, given by their own 'criteria'. The past year's the gift was so lavish, that they even exceeded anything the Endless Empire offered, and some even started calling it 'Amazon Tournament' to great dissatisfaction of Empire.

If those Amazons are truly the Amazons I know, and they will actually be present during the tournament, this means that they were somehow able to cross the Endless Ocean, and get here.

There is big part of me that does not believe that it is coincidence that the Empire and the Ocean have the 'Endless' in their names. Oh and the people here also call the ocean "Endless Ocean", but for a bit different reason. The ocean 'belongs' to Empire, and anyone who desires to travel through it should receive permit given by a high ranking official from Endless Empire.

What is the chance that people on different continents decided to call the same ocean with the same name?

Was it decided before the hemispheres lost each other, and they simply kept the name?

Or maybe there is more to it...

Anyway.

There is an option of simply taking a ship and following them, but if that would be so simple, the location of Amazon island would be publicly known long time ago. Therefore the only other way I currently see, is to somehow hide inside of their ship, which by definition should be able to cross the Ancient Ocean.

With my body, which does not produce ambient mana, this should not be an issue.

There are several ideas on where and how to begin the infiltration, but before I attempt to test or look into any of that I need to verify the identity of those Amazons. I am about ninety nine percent sure that my theory, about where I am, is right, as it would explain a lot of stuff, like language, races, and more.

If on that altar, on the south pole, where I somehow ended up, I would travel the opposite direction, would I already have been on the south twin continents?

[If the idea with Amazons won't work out, we can always try to return back by crossing through the south pole.]

This option is closer, maybe harder, but closer.

[Of course.]

[And it is not in any way connected to the fact that the Amazons have significant dept that they are due.]

[I mean what are the chances that even in this situation, that we somehow ended up in, we would take a great risk to pay back to group, to whom we have held grudge for many years.]

[What coincidence that would be, right?]

When I finally return back to caravan, the official guards, which were sent with the caravan by kingdom's orders, glare at me hatefully, but the moment I turn my eyes in their direction, to meet their gaze, they turn away.

About a week ago, the caravan guides made a mistake, and we ended up going through a very rocky terrain, where water was scarce, the kingdom's guards shared their supplies a little with everyone, as by their words "It is natural for the kingdom to take care of their citizen". But when it got to me they outright refused, clamming that the foreign abomination of a cripple is worthless to the caravan and to the kingdom, and water would be simply wasted on me.

Spending several days without water was not and issue, I have been in much worse scenarios.

In past, all the interaction I had with people was as a Blood Brother, and I got used to the hate, fear and scorn, as it became a normal part of my life. But this is the first time I was called 'abomination' by fellow humans not because of the group I belong to. Hate between interspecies is a common thing, it is hard to find a place in the world where the such thing doesn't happen, or wasn't in a very tense state.

Is it because I am a bit taller? Or maybe it is because of my skin and hair color?

The feeling is kind of strange, there is a bias against me, but it is not because I belong to the Blood Brotherhood. Should I be happy about this?

When the caravan found this river few days ago, it was quickly decided that we would camp here. But just as we finished setting up tents and started preparing food, a big drake attacked out of nowhere. The drake took lives of several guards and injured many more, and continued nearly unhindered as no one could stop it, even advanced spells from powerful mages simply bounced off the creatures thick scales. The kingdom's guardsmen leader ordered a retreat, only for the command to be canceled few minutes later, as the drake was lying dead, with my sword plunged through it's eye socket.

As the one who killed the monster I had full rights on the body, and what to do with it. In the end I decided to sell the salvageable parts to anyone willing to pay, and by results it looks like there are many parts of drake which cost quite a fortune. There was even a small fuss about who will get the claws, and out of spite for these greedy creatures, I organized a small auction, where they feverishly battled each other for every single claws. Needless to say I gathered a small fortune.

I shared all the meat that was left with everyone in the caravan, as there was no way for me to eat the whole thing, so people quickly organized a huge barbecue.

Well everyone expect the guards.

The leader of kingdom's guards was in a hard situation, but maybe because of pride, maybe because of other reasons, he did not try to smooth out the situation. The caravan leader, a fat man in his early fifties, pleaded me to share some of the meat with the kingdom's guards, as by his words "It would greatly increase the chances of the caravan to make it to destination safe". He also threw few words of camaraderie and friendship, but a week ago, even after I was denied the water, he did not try to 'help' a cripple. Even more, his henchmen approached my party members several time, encouraging them not to share their supply of 'precious water', as it could 'greatly displease' the guard leader.

These sleazy guys are the same wherever you go. The concept of "camaraderie" and "friendship" is foreign to them, and he didn't even care about people or guards whatsoever, he was simply attempting to get on the good side of the guardsmen leader, as in future he could use this dept as a leverage for something else.

My only answer was nearly exactly the same words, which were said few days ago.

"They are worthless to the caravan and to the kingdom, and meat will be simply wasted on them."

And with that statement, the guards leader's face turned deep purple with hate, but he did not dare to do anything. After the 'fight' with oversized lizard, not only the guards and caravan travelers, but even my party became cautious of me. The two idiots, Tagaro and Tagoro, which are constantly attached to Lekana, stopped glaring at me, and started flinching every time I came close to them.

That change was expected, as same thing happened before many times, in different regions and tribes.

But strangely, there is a new... exception, and I am not sure I like that.

"... and so since that mistake I am very careful with the spices I use to cook the fish with." finishes Lekana another monologue of the best ways to cook her favorite meals.

I breathe out deeply, only to regret it instantly, as Lekana turns back to me.

"What about you? Does your homeland have any famous special recipes? Where were you actually born? Was it a city or a village? Is it sunny there?"

This is one of the rare cases that I sorely misjudged the character of the person, as someone like her, who spends half of the day with open mouth, could never be an information broker.

I do not answer, as she continues to look at me and await my answer, with very curious and enthusiastic expression, while the drake meat is slowly being cooked on the fire. I do not know what to do here, should I continue ignoring her, or strictly say no? Is there even a good option here?

"I mean, you look really interesting, with your size and strength, so your tribe or kingdom should have very unique and amazing food. You must have been a great warrior there too. After you easily ripped out the arm of that orc in the guild, I knew that you are very strong, but after seeing you kill that huge drake so easily I now know for sure that you from a very strong tribe."

After a short pause she continues with wide open eyes.

"Oh wait! Is it possible that you have run away from your homeland and don't want to talk about it at all?"

What?

"If so, I am very sorry that I have been pestering you for so long about something you don't want to remember about. But rest assured I will help you find a new homeland, and after that you will share your homeland cuisine with me!"

I slowly look at the twins expecting them to interfere and do something, but they simply look away, as if they want to have nothing with the situation. Lekana not noticing any of that continues talking, with a much more enthusiastic voice.

"Maybe if I listed local cuisine of every place I know, it would be easier to find the place you would like to live in future! So in south east there is this strange kingdom of Mach, which belong to Nurak coalition, they have a famous traditional soup made out of rotten fish! Can you believe it? I though-"

Right now I am debating whenever I should go and sit together with the guardsmen, and share my food with them.

In the best case scenario I will be finally able to sit in silence, awkward and tense silence, but still, silence. In the worst case scenario this chatterbox will make sure that not only I will have a headache.

And in case of guardsmen themselves, they will either die out of shame, because a cripple took a pity on them, or suffer this 'thing' together with me.

Sounds like a good plan...

...

"They didn't pay extra even after you shared that huge amount of drake meat with guards! What misers!"

Lekana huff with disgust.

"They even sat and glared at you with their red eyes as if you were the bad guy there. What the hell was their problem? Did they not get enough sleep?"

She huffs again and continues without missing a beat.

"The barbecue out of the drake was a bit too chewy for my taste, but still tasty nonetheless. The soup you made later though was divine, if we every find another big drake it would be great if you could make that soup again."

I look at the twins and they respond the same way they have before, turning away, and feinting as if they don't notice the situation. The most ridiculous part of it is that Lekana is not always like that, only when the subject gets to food. And somehow it is nearly always on that, the only periods she isn't is when we are fighting or sleeping, and even that is not fully true, as during the late nights she mumbles some kind of recipes, albeit being deeply asleep.

The only few redeemable qualities I found it that she is not hopeless with her sword, not a sword-master but still very skilled nonetheless, and while chattering another recipe from some foreign kingdom, she may drop few pieces of important information about the region.

I look at the crystal ball again, which is actually guild card, as now it has changed it's color from pale yellow to green. As I learned, there should have been a color between them, orange one, but because I killed drake I was quickly promoted to the the third level adventurer. What class it corresponds to in guild in 'new land' I do not know.

At some point I started calling this region the 'old land', and the other side of planet, where I am originally from, the 'new land'. It kind of wrong from from one perspective, as this land is 'new' to me, but this is the 'old' land, where humanity came from.

Right?

So much of what I have know can no longer be believed, that there is nothing that I can be sure of anymore.

Opening the map, I start looking through it again, and planing the path north, but there is so much that I don't know, so much unknown, that the plan can change any moment, but for now I should stick to the original one. The tournament will be held on west island of Endless Empire, and there are limited number of ways to get there as far as I understood. There were many cities, borders and regions that Lekana spoke of, but I simply do not care, their past, their present, their future is not important to me.

[Everything was and will be but a pebble on the road, nothing more. Do not forget that.]

The healing is progressing, but much slower than before, though there is a specific reason for that. As an additional task I started experimenting with healing my toes while walking, and not focusing on it directly. In future, I will not have luxury of asking anyone for few hours of rest so I could heal. With Brotherhood there was always either a healer or potions, and you were never truly alone, so there would always few moments to catch your breath. That is no longer true, as they all are dead.

I am alone, and no one will come.

There will be no help.

Face of a young guard which was part of the last caravan flashes across my mind. His eyes when he found me cutting my toes, and the horror that was plastered across his face throughout the whole travel.

It was the first time someone found me experimenting, and I expected a reaction, but not as extreme. I am pretty sure that it is not common to find someone behind a huge rock, who is sitting alone and cutting his toes, but his eyes told me a totally different story.

I have been more careful since, there is no need to attract attention right now.

Nonetheless there are pretty good news, as I can already feel the difference, not only in general healing speed, but strength of muscles and bones. The speed and agility also increased, and the way I killed that drake is a good proof of that. The fact that I did it with only one arm is a very good sign, with two I could do even more.

[Why did you stop? Please continue.]

[We have killed the greatest beast that has inhabited this land. It was full fifteen meters long!]

[Fifteen! That size is something out of ancient legends!]

[And it jaws had a nearly half a meter long fangs! Those jaws could swallow a pony in one bite!]

[We are truly the mightiest of warriors that ever existed! People will surely write ballads of that battle, and soon after they will become legends that will go down in history of the whole world!]

[Kings would gather around to hear the story and to give you a handshake! Children would jump out of crowd just to see our face! Women would stand in line just for the opportunity to suck your cock!]

[The beast was so fierce that there would be separate legends about it! Did you see it's bone thin limbs? It surely was in full strength! Just remembering as run around with the speed of the fastest duck and dragged around it's limp leg gives me goosebumps!]

[Please tell me more about the epic battle, as I passed out half-way through because of sheer awesomeness of the whole thing.]

[What wrong? Please continue.]

[Worm.]

[Don't forget why we are here.]

I won't.

...

Another caravan, another road.

This time it is through an endless forest.

The group is much smaller this time, less than few dozen people, with no kingdom guardsmen in sight. One of the reasons for that may be, because we are crossing border to another country, and task of guardsmen generally does not include the protection of it's citizen on the borders. See a foreign army, report to higher ups. Which results a haven for bandits and fugitives all around the world. Those that decide to cross the borders are generally more careful, as they know exactly what to expect.

As if to prove the point, a huge animal leaped at us from the tree top, landing on Nagoro's back, toppling him down. His twin brother, Tagaro, instantly reacted and screamed at the creature, which leaped away at a tree, about fifty centimeters in diameter, when it saw the brandished sword. After the landing the creature, screeches at us showing it's rows of razor sharp teeth, on it's oversized head, which looks like a two meters long mix of a bear and a squirrel. A moment later my sword separated it in half, cutting very deep into the tree it was on, sending rain of blood and wooden chips flying around.

Slowly the tree creaks and finally falls down quite loudly, announcing to everyone in the forest, that something happened here. Looking around one more time to check that there were no other enemies I turn around and find everyone staring at me with huge eyes and open mouths.

A second later a person exploded in rage.

"WHY DID YOU KILL THE MEPAK?!!"

Another voice continued

"It was just playing!!"

"What if the forest spirits attack us for that?!"

After several minutes of cursing, I was explained that the creature, 'mepak', with razor sharp teeth, was herbivore and very playful, that it is a sort of guardian of the forest, that they quite often play with adventurers and do not mean any harm, and the most they could do is steal a piece of equipment or food.

Herbivore with teeth like that?

After brief talk, the group decided to hastily leave the area so that 'forest spirits' would not find us, and punish everyone for what I did.

As soon as we started walking people quickly calmed down, and in near utter silence we continued to travel through the forest. Well silence was quickly broken by Lekana, who started asking me how I never have seen a mepak, and didn't my homeland have them. The fact that people became so scared and agitated, made me tense up a bit.

Are the mepak something like roots of Livae or eyes of Nhlar?

If the oversized rodent is an 'eye' to something like Nhlar, then I should expect an ancient local creature to awaken and start hunting me, maybe I should prepare for the night.

Thankfully those bear-squirrels are not connected to Livae, that's not likely at all, because if they would be, we all would be dead the moment I try to attack it.

Fucking Livae, I still remember how after one of my brothers shot down a small bird with arrow, the whole forest came alive, and merged into a single enormous treant, which could easily tower over mountains. Thankfully we had several powerful fire wizards with us.

Fucking Livae.

Anyway after several more questions I calmed down, as all the information, fear, and 'forest spirits' stuff is based on local religious beliefs. My direct question on 'how forest spirits look like" was answered with 'No one knows for sure, not many have seen them'. By habit I started analyzing what little was known about the creature, going through the usual questions, like 'how can I find it', 'using what can I bait it out', 'what can it's weaknesses be', and many, many more.

But I stop the though process. I am not Blood Brother anymore, and I am not here to hunt it down.

There is no reason to even hunt it.

Habits that have been burned into you for years of life and death experience, are hard to remove, and there is no one to blame. Forest was always my battle ground, and because of that, whenever I enter one, I instantly flip into this state, even after so many years.

Cults and corrupted creatures like to hide in forests and rural areas, close enough to civilization to hunt their prey, but far enough to be able to hide from guards and serious hunters.

If I encounter a local cult...

Their existence will help me reach my goals, they will create chaos and panic, and make my targets vulnerable, unfocused and easy to hunt down.

'The enemy of my enemy is my friend.'

Ha.

[We can use them.]

[Do not dismiss the idea.]

[Yes they are evil, and they should be killed, but there is more to world than black and white.]

[COME TO YOUR SENSES, WE CAN KILL THEM LATER!]

[There is no need to make the whole world your enemy right now!]

[COME TO YOUR SENSES!!!]

No.

They must be erased from face of earth.

...

Everyone is sitting in a half circle around the camp fire, trying to keep themselves warm, while the freezing cold wind blows through the dark forest. Even the area that we are currently in, which is surrounded by huge stones, does not protect us from the wind. Few are sitting bundled together around the fire, few are in the corners, under several cloaks trying to keep themselves warm.

"Why are you not cold at all?!" squeezes Lekana through her chattering teeth. "There are barely any clothes on you, and you sit calm as if it is summer day!"

She squints her eyes for a very long minute after which she moves closer and stretches her fingers to my neck. The moment her cold fingers touched my skin her eyes shot wide open.

"By the spirits, you are so warm! It is as if you are burning with fire!"

She quickly put both of her hands on neck and closes her eyes in content. I slowly turn my face at her in confusion, but the next instant she jumps into my lap and nuzzles into my chest, covering herself with the cloak I currently wear.

In shock I turn to the twins which look back at me with nearly the same shocked expression. Our eyes meet for few long seconds, but a moment later my eye twitches, as the twins react the same way they have before, by simply turning their gaze away, as if telling me that it is not their problem.

The fuck? She is your problem not mine.

Turning my head down I look at Lekana's face which is stuck in state of pure bliss, with her eyes closed tight. What the hell is wrong with this woman? Is she really that cold? Or maybe this behavior is common in this area? But is not likely, as nearly everyone in the whole group is looking at us with very strange gaze.

Less than a minute later Lekana falls down on the ground and curses loudly.

"HEY! If you didn't like it you could have just said!"

But I am not looking at her as my sword is already in my hand, and my eyes are directed at the area away from the camp.

"Show yourself." I growl at the darkness.

Few seconds later a small group of about half a dozen people appears from out of the said darkness.

"We are very sorry. We saw the campfire and thought that... maybe we could take cover from the cold..."

After a brief discussion it was decided to let them stay, as it is not by 'adventurer' spirit to send people away when they are in need.

The new group started telling their story, about how they are from Mach, which is south-east region as far as I remember. They also told us that they are traveling north to better lands in Nurak Coalition, which is, as I recently learned, a set of over a dozen smaller kingdoms, which banded together.

The new group didn't look as strange as Lekana was telling before so a question came out involuntary.

"Do you really eat rotten fish?"

The people from the new group started smiling and laughing.

"Not really. We have this one region which has a special local dish with fermented fish, but not many eat it, but it somehow became famous form of entertainment for foreigner to see if they can eat it and not puke. The rumors grew so much more, that nowadays we don't even try to prove them wrong."

"We actually don't like fish that much." adds another person

Lekana looked at me in with huge eyes and mumbled quietly.

"You listened..."

She quietly moved closer, and sits near me with sheepishly smiled.

I looked at the twins again but their eyes were fixed on Lekana with tender smile on their face. There must be something in their past to explain her behavior and weird actions, but I don't want to think or look into it.

Because there are other things, much more important, to do and think about.

I continue staring at the camp fire and cycle the mana around the body, experimenting and trying to make all the bones and muscles in my body denser and stronger.

The camp fire dances under the wind, and somehow my mind starts seeing faces of uncountable number of people who's life I have ended. It would have been much easier if the faces belonged to the countless scums I have killed, but sadly the faces do not belong to them. My mind does not remember the faces of all the dark creatures I have killed, all the evil, all the corrupted, they all merge into blank white mask of corruption which never truly takes a specific form.

But the faces continue to appear, as I slowly remember one by one the innocent lives I have taken, the people I could not save, those that disappeared into nothingness.

I do not dare to look.

I have no right to do that.

Never had the right, and never will.

...

Mikraz is an ancient city whatever way you look at it. What looks like ancient ruins litter through out the whole walk to the city gates, as the number of crumbled pillars increases, notifying everyone how big and majestic the city was, and what history these stones could tell. As I continue to walk I counted at least three layers of walls that crumbled.

Just how big was the city before?

The group that merged with ours during that cold night is still with us, they became friends with everyone quite fast, maybe because they joked a lot, maybe because they cooked several tasty meals and shared them with everyone.

When we finally arrived to the city's gates, the queue of people, who wanted to enter, stretched at least for several hundred meters. The day passed very slowly, and as the noon sun continued to shine brightly upon us the queue moved slowly, centimeter by centimeter. Several hours later it finally became our turn, but the moment I saw an old man with bright white eyes looking at one person after another, hair on my back stood up.

Seer.

Not good, I always had problems with them.

Looking around I start thinking of any possible option if things go bad. The guards are not attentive, only one is standing near the seer, everyone else is either playing a card game or talking between themselves. I can always simply skip this city, even if the travel to that island alone would become much harder and much more dangerous, it would still be possible.

The eyes of the old seer continued scanning one person after another in our group, and his hoarse voice dismissively announced that they are okay. But when his eyes stopped on me, the old man froze as if a block of ice. A very long minute passed as the seer stared at me with his huge unblinking eyes in which I for a second saw pure horror. It took a lot of concentration not to look away or simply rush through into the city. But when the guards around reacted and put their hands on the pommels of their sword, I was already prepared to end them, only to be stopped by old man voice.

"E-Everything is okay! He just... reminded me of someone I knew, nothing more."

The guards relaxed, most of them returned to their previous tasks, few glared at me and sear, but in general the whole thing deescalated as fast as it started, and somehow the procession resumed, but as I was passing the old seer, I heard something like a faint whisper.

'...beg you spare us...'.

I turned to look who said that, but found no one, and the closest person to me, the seer, was already looking at the next person, with the same neutral expression. I looked at him for another long second, but could not confirm that it was the seer.

Hearing things...

Am I loosing my mind now?

[You just found out?]

As I walk into the city, I find a huge bursting mass of people, running around throughout the whole street. Merchants are shouting something about their products, trying to make sure that everyone in the noisy crowd hears them. It takes some effort to break through the crowd, but with my height it is not as hard, as I stand nearly head taller that everyone else. The whole group continues after me, as if I am a huge ship breaking through ice, and making path for smaller ones. I buy a small piece of meat and ask the seller for the path to guild hall. The old man, the seller of meat screwer, looks at the coin for several seconds, flipping it from one side to another, and after biting it to check that it is real dismissively points in a specific direction and says apathetically "center".

It took some time to break through the crowd and arrive at the guild building, and after a brief report, my party receive a gold coin each, with some kind of face print on it, for escorting the group. Trying not to waste even a single day, I ask about the soonest caravan going north. After brief look into the catalog the young receptionist told me that big caravan is actually planned, but it is going to depart only in several days, and we need to apply beforehand as there are many adventurers planing to join, but a very small number guard slots. It didn't take long to apply for the quest and receive the instruction to meet the leader of caravan on the specified date in front of the northern gates.

Exiting, the guild we started looking for an inn to stay, and by recommendation of the receptionist, together with my party I arrived at one, which is quite close to the north gates, called the 'Dancing Bear'. The owner of the inn, which could be easily mistaken for an actual bear, quickly booked us and gave us keys to our rooms.

After looking at the rooms we went down to the first floor and ordered today's special. The 'special' in nothing special, soup with a lot of vegetables and a small piece of meat with bone, bread and a an alcoholic drink. While we were eating, Lekana continued to steal glances at me, which brought a small smile to the twin's faces.

[Are we going to continue to play an idiot?]

[Aren't you going to say anything?]

[Maybe it could-]

Enough.

Get real. We both know that IT will never happen.

Do you really think that there is someone who would genuinely want to be with us?

Do you really think that there is someone who would enjoy our company?

Do you really think that there is someone who would voluntary spend their time with us?

Why are you quite?

Answer me? Do you truly believe that?

Get real.

You were telling me the same thing some time ago, and now the roles somehow reversed. Ironic isn't it?

It will always be the same, nothing changes.

They all show their true colors sooner or later, and by the amount of time they already wasted, quite soon they will either openly make a request, or drag us into something.

Do not forget what we are, and what we will never be.

Do not dream of something that will never happen.

[Deep down we both would want you to be wrong.]

...

While Lekana and the twins spent all their free time looking around, and trying local dishes, I was very busy, and it looks like I am at the very last item on my list of tasks.

"Wow. You know, I am the biggest information broker in the city, but I think your expectation of me are a bit overestimated."

"Is it a problem of money?"

"Sadly, no. But I will say this, if you somehow find a way, or learn a piece of information about a way to reach the Amazon island, I will pay a hefty sum for that myself."

I sigh, and throw a gold coin on the table.

"And what would that payment be for dear customer?" says the bone thin man in his late forties.

"You know yourself." I say glaring at him.

"Oh." he replies with huge grin "It is always a pleasure to deal with an experienced customer."

I stand up but continue looking at him in silence.

"No one came to me today, and no one asked any questions."

I nod and walk outside of the room, and instantly am followed by a guard, which guides me to exit into back alleys, in the middle of nowhere, and the door closes quietly behind me.

I sigh deeply and curse at the useless attempt. I thought that maybe in a bigger cities, someone would know anything, but I learned nothing, and money simply was wasted. There was a part of me saying that it will be a waste of money to buy his silence, but nonetheless I should not leave a trail behind. That always results a great regret in future.

Regret huh.

I start walking back to the inn briefly glancing at the people around, and what they do. Their culture is unexpectedly similar to the one in the Blood Empire.

No, it is called the Sun Empire now, and I should not forget that.

Anyway, even though there should have been no contact between the two sides, everything looks so similar that you could mistaken it for the same thing, but of course there are several things that are a sure giveaway that this is other region. There are no dwarf or elves, and humans have a bit different feature, but one way or another they are all the same.

Same brothels.

Same bar fights.

Same people.

For the past few minutes I have seen three pickpocketers stealing from naive onlookers, several small scuffle between what I assume are adventurers, and hundred upon hundred fake smiles of merchants which are trying to swindle youngsters and old people whatever way they can.

There should have been several thousands of years of no interaction, but this side of life is the same on both sides. Is it that way because this is our core, and it will appear naturally, or is it simply what society eventually grows into?

I feel a presence behind me and slowly turn around, only to meet face to face with Lekana, who has a hand extended as if about to tap me on my back.

"Oh. You felt me in this crowd?" she says in astonishment, but her words are barely heard because of the noisy crowd around.

My eyes trail behind her, and find the twins in the same location they always are, behind her as if her shadow. They nod their head in greeting, and I nod my head in reply.

"Did you finish your stuff? Will you join us on the path back to inn?" she says smiling.

I silently nod again, to which she react by smiling even wider.

As we walk she continues to talk about something, but more than half of what she says is lost under the thundering noise of moving crowd. We continue walking, and quite soon we exit the market area and the crowd get quieter. Lekana continues talking, and I finally understand the subject she has been chattering for the past ten minutes. Sea food, fish, clams, octopuses and more.

There should be a limit to gluttony...

We finally arrive into the inn and order a lunch, which quickly arrives to our table. Lekana starts devouring the dish as if starving, twins on the other hand eat it slowly, as if savoring every bite. In contract to them, and everyone around, my jaws move monotone, as I don't even try to taste the dish, because all my thoughts are still stuck on the way to find any more information before reaching the island.

The unprepared die first.

It simply can not be that no one knows of a way to reach the damn island, but with the last probe, I confirmed that if anyone has that information, it may be only the top brass, and if that is true, it seem that they do not want to share it. And that means that I will either have to force the answer out of someone high ranking, or continue with the plan of hitchhiking my way back.

There must be other ways.

[And there is, through the south pole, back the way we came.]

Several loud screams explode somewhere outside, far away, and slowly the whole inn grows quieter. Some start whispering between themselves, others are looking in the direction where the scream came from. Screams grow more and more, and soon people start standing up and walking outside to see what is going on.

Another bar fight? People will always find a reason to fight, and if they can't find it they will create one.

Looking over the heads of the crowd of the inn I see groups of people trampling over a standing group, as if running from something in horror. The two groups merge into some kind of blend of flesh and mindless violence. Several seconds later a much bigger crowd start pouring out of street, which leads to city center, trampling over the crowd which was trying to run away. Everyone is looking at the whole thing with wide eyes, not understanding what is happening.

"POSSESSED!!!" someone screams out of running crowd, and nearly instantly people start running around, gathering their stuff, taking their weapons out, as if preparing for war, but I just stand apathetically.

What the hell is wrong with them? Are 'possessed' really that dangerous? Few loose magicians should not be an issue.

Less that a minute later a crowd several times bigger, behaving like hungry animals crashes into everyone. They start ripping people apart into shower of blood and gore as everyone around me screams in horror at the display.

But I continue to stand looking at the scene, petrified, as the scene before me distorts, showing me the picture of the same scene, but with all the building destroyed, colored red with blood and body parts of men women and children, next instant it distorts back to the scene before me. The distortions happen several more times, flipping back and forth, until it finally stops with the image from my past, the period of time that I deemed the darkest in my life, the period when I had to personally give orders to give to the blood one city after another, time when I truly earned my accursed title.

'Possessed' meant....

My body start trembling as I remember my hands killing one human after another, one child after another, as their eyes stare back at me accusingly.

My eyes notice a single figure standing behind the feral group laughing, as people are are ripped apart. The figure's head turns in my direction, and his face comes into full view, a pale white face with bright red and yellow veins throughout the whole skins.

With inhuman roar explodes somewhere near me, but I do not understand where exactly, and my body starts moving with colossal speed, in less than dozen heartbeats later I appear before the figure as it looks at me in astonishment. The creature wanted to scream something, but it does not get the chance as his body is vertically split in half by my sword.

"B192 secure the position! D52 look for the next target! B115 help B192! A399 cover me!" I scream as I sit on my knee and start examining the body of creature, looking for proof that I am wrong, that it is not what I think it is. My eyes scan the internal organs of the body again and again, looking more into the guts and stomach of the body for a pill, or at least something that looks like it, but there is nothing.

With mechanical movements I stand and say with cold voice.

"Corrupted Shepherd found. Give the city to blood." I announce the result of analysis and the same order as I have done more than dozen times before.

Before I know it several dozen feral creatures try to bury me under their mass, and only through pure strength I throw them of and start cutting the corrupted down one after another.

"D52 status!"

As I rip apart several more feral I repeat my order.

"D52 I SAID STATUS!!!"

A huge crowd of feral jump on me and bury myself over their pure mass once again. My chest is slowly being crushed under sheer weight of bodies over me, but I preserve, and the mana starts boiling in my veins. Strength slowly fills my body as I slither through the bodies, and finally get out of the mass grave. Not wasting even a second, I command mana to start flowing into the hand which hold the sword, and in response it moves with colossal speed and strength, ripping more and more of feral, as they try again and again to surround me. I do not know how long passes, but I finally stand on the mountain of dead feral and their body parts.

"A399 I SAID FUCKING COVER ME!! D52 ARE YOU DEAF?! WHERE IS THE DAMN STATUS?!!"

I turn around and find the area empty except the hundreds upon hundreds of dead bodies, and a small crowd standing far away, with their weapons drawn out, staring at me petrified. I continue looking around for my brothers, until I stop as if a stone statue. My memories start returning, as if cold knife slowly cutting through my chest, bringing clarity to my mind.

They are not here.

They were never here.

They died a very long time ago.

What was I even doing? What happened?

More screams explode throughout the whole city as corrupted and feral fill the whole city, and everyone starts fighting for their life. Screams of horror slowly fill the whole city, as people attempt to run away from the carnage and leave the city.

But there is no 'leaving' anymore.

Flock always follows the shepherd.

The city is lost.

To blood.

I notice as a person appears to side of me, and moving my head slightly I recognize Lekana few meters away from me, with the twins as always behind her, looking with horrified eyes at me.

"W-We should leave the city!" she stammers quickly.

With her trembling hand she reaches and takes mine, gripping my hand harder she tries to pull it, but I stand solid not moving even and inch. Her scared eyes look into mine searching for a reason, but I continue staring at her thinking deeply about what I am about to do.

"W-What's wrong?" she whispers.

A moment later she releasing my hand and takes several steps away, as if sensing that something is very wrong.

[She is tainted.]

There are no symptoms yet, I can't confirm.

[Hypocrite.]

No.

[Symptoms do not show in the beginning of emergence.]

[One person more, one person less, they are all doomed one way or another, the chance that they know how to purge the corruption from the body and block the mental attack is minuscule.]

I will not kill the non-corrupted.

[Waiting once again huh?]

[That is why our brothers are dead. But this time there will be no one to sacrifice their lives to save ours.]

[Why stop there? Why not leave the city itself? Who knows, maybe it will magically survive tis experience.]

The corrupted are HIS minions, they must be erased from face of earth.

[Good, at least on something we can agree.]

To[To] Blood[Blood]

I grip the handle of sword harder and start sending mana all around the body in a specific way, that I have been taught long time ago, the way to maintain the mind when shepherd is near. Looking at Lekana one last time I start walking through the fleeing crowd of people and mountains of dead bodies littering throughout all the streets in the direction of city center.

Strangely I do not encounter any feral at all, as if they disappeared all together. But I know better as shepherd are never alone, and there has not been a city that survived the emergence even once. This means the worst possible case for me, which is that they have gathered together and are planning to attack as a single body, and I will have to purge them all together, at once, alone.

I finally arrive in the city center and look at the view that is standing before me. The square with fountains which has all of it's water colored deep red with blood, thousands upon thousands of feral corrupted fighting, what looks like a small group of about half a dozen people, whose aura is visible even to naked eye. Behind the uncountable number of citizen, turned corrupted, are at least hundred shepherds, who are giving orders, launching catastrophic spells. Each of the spells is so powerful that every single one of them upon hitting a building, destroys and rips it apart as if it is made out of paper.

Suddenly all of the shepherds, as if puppet on strings, simultaneously turn their heads in my direction. For few long seconds they quietly stare at me, until they all together, simultaneously point their fingers at me and screech as if enraged gargoyles. Nearly instantly all the feral stop their attack on the small group, and turn into my direction. With a blood chilling howl the whole square explodes into action, as thousands upon thousands of feral, as if enraged animals leap into my direction, and start running on all four.

Mana start circulation with much more strength than it has ever before, as this body is stronger and more durable. The closer the wave of mindless hate and destruction comes, the more intense mana starts flowing. With each breath the temperature in my body start rising, the blood pressure increases, vision becomes tunneled, until the high pitched whistling buries all the sound in the world. With a voiceless roar I leap at the enemy mass, my arm moves with colossal speed, and I feel with my very flesh as the sword cuts through the air, until it meets flesh, sending body parts and organs across the walls of the buildings and stone floor of the central square.

Less than dozen seconds and hundred bodies later, the sword in my hand starts breaking apart, as bits and piece of metal fall off, until what is left in my hand is handle and less than a third of the blade. Instincts scream and I leap aside, as the place I was a second ago explodes apart in blazing flames, after being hit by several fire spells. Looking at the origin of spells I find the shepherd glaring hatefully at me.

More blood.

I throw away the useless thing and switch to the only thing I have left, my body. I start ripping apart the endless waves of flesh with my bare hand, stomping their bodies into blood paste, evading each and every spell that I can, or throwing the closest feral body at the spell if I can't. Even though I have only one hand right now, this does not hinder me at all, as in past I have been missing more limbs, and still continued to fight.

More destruction.

More[More]

MORE[MORE]

MORE[MORE]!!!

I stare back at the corrupted, which number has dwindled by at least a third, because of me, the fire spells, and the group with huge aura still fighting them, even though the target of every corrupted became solely me.

The corrupted were always in some fucked up way rational, or even to better put it chaotically directed into senseless violence, with a final goal of destruction of the target, but this is a totally different level. They 'see' me, they 'perceive' me, and they want me dead.

This is no coincidence.

Is it YOU?

Are YOU there fucker?

I am coming for YOU.

The still moving corrupted is trying to breath free, screaming, thrashing around, as her long hair is moving around. She continues to struggle and screech in absolute hatred, only for my jaws to clutch stronger and crush her neck as audible crack resounds across the area, silencing the creature, as her body stops moving. Her neck starts slowly stretching under the weight of her head, until what is left of the neck is no longer able to hold it, and the head rips away and falls down, rolling several times.

The corrupted stare back at me as they bundle together, trying to construct a protection shield around the shepherd.

What's wrong?

Why did you stop?

Come, meet your end.

A bone chilling screech descends upon the whole area, as I start hearing loud flaps of huge wings coming closer and closer. Looking in the direction where I believe the sound is coming, I curse as wyvern with at least hundred meters wide wingspan flies quickly approaching the huge square.

Elder wyvern.

What the fuck did this shit forget here?

Wyvern does several circles around the square and with a loud crash lands on one of the tall building, nearly destroying it, as pieces of stone tower fall down on the ground. It's huge eyes, scan the area for several long seconds in nearly absolute silence, until the eyes stop on me and the huge lizard screeches once again, nearly rupturing my ear drums in the process. During the whole moment I did not move even a bit, as my eyes were glued to wyvern, or more precisely the body of wyvern, and the yellow and red veins throughout the whole body of the huge of the accursed thing.

Corrupted elder wyvern.

Is this YOUR answer?

FUCK YOU.

The wyvern's lungs start rapidly inflating, as it's eyes shine brightly, and smokes of fire escape it's massive jaws. I curse and start running away from the square as fast as I can. Few moments later the group with brightly shining aura follow me, only for the endless wave of corrupted jump on our heels as if pack of starved animals.

I hear an enormous explosion and not wasting even I second I leap into the closes alley, which is barely more than a meter and a half wide. The moment I step inside I make a sharp hundred and eighty degrees turn around and I see the group with huge aura follow me just a second later. The run past me, deeper into the alley, while I continue to stare outside at the main road.

A moment later an endless mass of corrupted feral appeared, trying to follow us into the alley, only to be choked in this narrow path. As I hold down at least three stories of feral, which are climbing over each other trying to reach me, only to be ripped apart or thrown away by me. The whole attempt to break through into the alley took less than few seconds, but that was enough as fire hell consumed them in blazing inferno. The corrupted continued to try and break through, and many burning and melting creatures leaped out of the blazing inferno, trying to reach me, only to fall down and crumble into small charred pieces.

The blazing inferno continued to eat away the building as their walls slowly turned red and melted away. I take several steps back until I hit with my back at one of the members of the group with the huge aura. He jumped away and looked at me terrified, as if he saw a monster, and pointed his weapon at me.

You are the one with the huge aura, not me. I but flesh and bones.

Slowly the fire subdues and my legs start moving me into the still burning inferno. As I walk outside, I am hit by bright red-white light coming from the melting stone walls and coble-stoned ground. The very feeling reminds me as if I am in the deepest part of volcano with magma flowing few meters away from me. I can not stand still, I need to move or the damned creature will corner me, and that will be the end.

Not yet.

As I make several steps furtherer, trying to walk on top of the black smoking stones, rather than the ones shining with bright red-white light, my shoes start sizzling and melting away. My eyes quickly scan the area and find what I was looking for, under very melted body. I start walking quickly, trying not to stand on one foot for too long, but this does not help as the shoes continue to sizzle even after they leave the ground.

I throw over the body and try to retrieve the sword still clutched into the hands of half-melted of mass, that looked human less than a minute ago. I finally rip out the blade out of the mass and grip handle of the sword with blade shining bright red from the heat. The moment my hand touched the handle, it exploded with pain, as skin on my palm started sizzling against the handle. With an strong impulse I numb away all the feeling in my hand, but the smell of burning skin and flesh continues reaching me.

Instincts scream and I leap away as the place I was standing few moments ago explodes with burning heat. I turn in the direction where the instincts were screaming at, and see several dozen shepherd leaping at me with spells and weapons draws out and ready to take my life. I grip the sword harder and leap at the enemy evading whatever spell I can, but nonetheless several of them hit me, even after I used other shepherd as shield, and sparks of pain shoot throughout my body and I simply command the body to numb the pain.

Something happens that I did not expect they all leap at me at the same time, but instead of attacking me, they clutch with death-grip not trying to kill me or make me bleed. One by one more and more of them death-grip me, weighting me down, as if animal caught into rope.

A much louder instinct screams at me and as I turn back I find the huge wyvern lunging at me with enormous speed, and it's huge jaws wide open trying to swallow me. Abandoning everything I send all the mana in my body into my legs, and demand the move, and they do. My legs explode with colossal strength, carrying me, and several corrupted, which are still clutched to me at least fifteen meters up into the air, as huge jaws of the wyvern clamp ground where I was just a second ago. But the gravity and weight overpowers the momentum, and I start falling down. I try to command my legs to move, but they do not respond at all, as only now I feel, that too many muscles in my legs are ripped apart to do anything more than slight movement.

The gravity finally wins and I crash against the back of the massive creature, tumbling several times as the bodies of corrupted gripping to me acted as cushion and ended up ripped apart against the razor sharp spikes on the wyvern's back. As soon as I finally break free I try to let the sword go to clutch at the spike but to my horror, the handle fused together with the flesh on my palm, and got stuck to it as if glued together. Cursing I plunge my sword into the body, hoping for it to find a crack, and it does as the sword pierces through a crack, making my body stop incredibly sharply. The momentum was so high that it nearly ripped my shoulder from the torso, but in the end it somehow stayed together.

The damn creature, as if feeling that I am on it's back starts thrashing and jumping around, trying to throw me off, as I clutch for life with my hand gripping the sword as much as I can, and hugging the back of the wyvern with my own body, trying to hold on. After about a minute of the fruitless attempts, the fucker, runs into the one building after another, sending building pieces into the air, as dust fills the whole area and hits my face. But still nonetheless I somehow held onto it, because, if I would slip off it's back, I would end up burried under the rubble forever.

I held onto the creature with all my might as it started thrashed around more, rolling over it's back trying to throw me off. Closing my eyes I continue holding for my life as the damn creature jumps through another dust cloud. The whole thing has lasted for about two or three minutes, but for me, it felt as if much more time has passed.

The creature started thrashing around more, but in a bit more different way, and when I notice that the sound of burning city becomes quite, and the only thing I hear is the angry screeches of wyvern and sound of strong wind I open my eyes. Looking around I curse once again as I am already at height of at least several hundred meters, with the city down bellow growing smaller and smaller very rapidly. As if that was not enough, after reaching a specific height, the accursed creature started going rapid turns and barrel rolls, trying to throw me off, while I clutched for life and my body grew colder because of the freezing wind.

The creature, as if finally calming down, started gaining more height, but with every second I felt as if it's body grew hotter and hotter, until I started hearing as my bare skin sizzled against it's burning hot scales. Looking up I finally realized what it is trying to do, but it was too late to do anything to stop it, as the wyvern already breathed out and enormous cloud of fire and rotated it's back against it.

I WILL NOT DIE

Screaming at my body to move, I somehow found strength and leaped to the side, away from the center of fire cloud, while the strong wind nearly glued my body to wyvern's back. My body hit against something, and by pure instinct I plunged the sword into it, and together with my momentum it slided deeper into some kind of flesh. The fucker screeched as we dive into the cloud of fire, and nearly instantly my body screamed as I feel the whole body burning and melting at the same time, without possibility to make it stop.

As we finally broke through the cloud of fire hell, my lungs sucked in freezing cold air, but it does not make it any better as my lungs are so burned that they barely function. Demanding my fingers to grip stronger around the pommel of the sword I felt as my bones creaked under pressure. Switching to my legs, I command them to move, and slowly, trembling they obey, as I stand on my knees upon the wyvern's wing.

Lets see who dies first fucker.

Sending mana into my hand and knees I find balance and start cutting deeper into the leathery flesh of the webbed on the wings of the oversized cave lizard. The creature screeched in absolute horror and hatred, but when it turned to look at me I felt desperation in it's eyes, and as if a trigger it causes me to redouble the effort with even more determination. The huge reptile continues thrashing around, making one maneuver after another, trying to throw me off, and it succeeded, but only in making it worse as the blade cut deeper and deeper into it's wing as the wound grew bigger and bigger, until the blade of the sword cut through the whole wing, and I am throw away.

Falling down as whistling of the strong wing consumes nearly all the sound around me, I somehow reorient myself in the air and look around, until my eyes find myself in the middle of absolutely blue sky. I would say that the view before me is one of the most beautiful that I have ever seen, but there is something that destroys the whole scenery, which is an oversized lizard bat, falling down not far from me, screeching in confusion and hatred.

I WILL KILL YOU.

Somehow finding strength in my body, I reorient myself once again at direct myself at the wyvern, which is falling down, and trying to fly, but it fails again and again, as it continues screeching in confusion. After about a minute of non stop failures in attempt to stabilize itself and fly, the eyes of the accursed creature somehow turn in my direction, and absolute hatred reflects upon them. The hatred consumed the whole creature, as it somehow finds strength in itself and directs itself at me. The corrupted thing starts quickly approaching closer with it's jaws open wide as if trying to swallow me whole.

YOU [YOU] WILL [WILL] DIE [DIE]!!!

Reorienting myself in the air once again I evaded the wyvern's dive, and after several seconds of fumbling in air, my body turns back in the direction of the creature, which once again tumbles around and tries to fly with it's only healthy wing, but fails.

Temperature of my body starts increasing once again, as I make the mana flow faster and faster, and my vision becomes tunneled once again. With my vision slowly turning red and black I dive at the creature with my sword in front of me as if arrow fired, as I am about to hit it, a strong wind redirect me slightly, and I miss the creature by just a few meters. I tumble around once again and finding balance performed the action again and again, as if possessed, with a single goal in my mind, while the creature screeched in horror, as if understanding what I am trying to do.

After several more failed attempts, my sword finally finds it's target and plunged through the only healthy wing of the corrupted lizard. It screeched in horror and hatred once again, thrashing around, trying to throw me off, only for the sword to cut deeper as it has on the other wing before. Sending more mana into my legs, the knees start pushing against it's wing with much more force, as the sword slowly sliding across the flesh, cutting deeper and deeper, until it cuts through and I am once again sent tumbling through air.

My hatred does not calm down, as once again I reorient myself in the air and look back at the falling wyvern, only to find horrified lizard screeches with a very high pitch. But the next instant it's eyes shine once again and it suddenly calms down and looks at me with absolute hatred not losing mine even a bit. Not losing even a moment it somehow reorients it's limbs and lunges in my direction as if feral. Using my sword and barely moving body I reorient myself and evade the attack. The creature attempts the attack once more, but that does not change the result, as I am much smaller and harder to hit. The wyvern is about to make a third attempt, but it looks down and the hatred disappears from it's eyes, as screeches in horror. Following the creatures gaze, hair on all my body stands up as the city bellow is quickly growing bigger and bigger, as there is less than dozen seconds until we hit it.

I will not survive the fall.

[No]

[NO]

[NOT YET!]

With my whole body nearly turning ice frozen at what I am about to do I demand it's absolute obedience and my body turns in direction of the wyvern. Diving in the direction of the wyvern I find it flailing around, until it's eyes meet mine and the blazing hatred returns to them. Opening it's jaws wide open in lunged back at me, trying to take the life of it's killer. As the jaws rapidly approach closer I do not even try to evade them, but on the contrary direct myself right into it's mouth.

A fraction of a second later the world turns black and I hear sound of two mountains crashing against each other. The sound quiets down only for it to be replaced by other one, which is as if several huge earthquake hit at the same time.

The pain and feeling starts disappearing, as my mind drift away.

No.

NO!

NOT YET!

NOT [NOT] YET [YET]!!

...

"Please, spare them!" screams a older man in early forties clutching two children to his chest "Take my life, but leave my children alive! Please, I beg you!"

The man tries to say something more, but he and two of his children are split in half by my sword, and their bodies crumble into a pool of blood and flesh.

A young man in late teens wearing black and red armor, with tears in his eyes leaps at me with his sword aiming at my neck, but I easily swat the attack away and crush his ankle, as his scream resounds throughout the area. My sword instantly moves to his neck.

"B117, Brother, Sir, please, he is young brother, he does not understand! He-" says my brother, A98, but stops sharply as he remembers that the young man is just few years younger than I am.

I take a glance at my brother, A98, and turn back to the young one in my legs, which is looking at me with hatred in his eyes.

"Bring me a 'late' one." I growl.

Less than a minute later a child with light brown long hair and hazel eyes is brought, less than ten years old, which is trembling and looking around, at me and several dozen of my brothers standing around.

"B34 look at me." I say to the young brother near my feet.

His eyes start jumping between me and the child and he squeezes.

"No. Don't touch her you monster."

"I won't."

By my command child is cuffed by leg to chain which is fixed to ground, as she starts wailing loudly expecting us to torture her.

"Heal him." I command and nearly instantly a healer casts a healing spell at him, after which B34 jump up and away from me.

I take out a short dagger and throw it to him, which he promptly catches still glaring at me. He positions himself between the child and me, as if protecting her from me.

"You won't kill her." he growls back

"I will not."

B34 continues glaring at me until a creature leaps at his back and bites deep into his neck. Screaming he plunges dagger at whatever is clutched into his back several times, and several seconds later he breaks free and leaps away. In mid air he rotates and looks at what attacked him.

In shock my young brother stares at the corrupted child, with blood dripping out of her eye socket and neck, which growls and tries to leap at him, but fails as the chain is holding her in place. My brother looks at his dagger which has fresh blood of the child on it.

"I will not. You will."

B34 looks at me, then back at the child, as the chain that holds her, continue to rattle.

"No." he whispers. "We can... we can save her, there must..."

Nodding at the chain, I tell my other brother what to do, which he carries out nearly instantly. The child no longer held back by the chain once again leaps at B34 as he tries to wrestle against her, until the dagger in his hand plunges through the heart of the corrupted child, and she crumbles to ground.

B34 start breathing deeply until he falls on his knees and start crying, touching the child, and tenderly clutching her body to his chest.

"No" he whispers quietly.

"Survive." I growl.

"No"

"For the living." I continue.

"No" he repeats

"We need you-"

I stop when I notice his eyes turn half-dead. A moment later dark aura starts escaping him.

Clenching my jaws together I hear as teeth grind against each other. Walking to B34 I take out another dagger from my hip.

"B117, brother, let me do it. I brought him, I must release him back to father myself." says A98.

"No brother." I state shortly "I bear full responsibility for this, and I will not allow this to consume you. Direct you hatred at me, no one else."

I silently plunge the dagger into the heart of my young brother, after which the body of B34 falls down loudly, with his weapons and gear rattling against the ground.

I look at me brothers one by one, after which I look back at the dead body of B34. By tradition we should recite a verse, but this will not happen, as no matter how many times we try, those words will feel empty.

We lost another brother.

How many more do we need to lose for this world?

How many more will it take?

...

An eternity later physical pain returns, as presence of the damned and dead slowly fade out of my mind, while their torrent of screams of pain and hatred quiets down in my head, and silence returns to it, but only for a very short time.

A single eye slowly opens, as bright light assaults me, and my eye shuts down, only for me to force it to open once again several seconds later. This time my eyes open together much slower, as they try to take in what is before me. I see a tiny light far away, so far that it feels nearly non-existent.

But it is there.

There is light and there is pain.

It is not the end.

Not yet.

I slowly move my hand to my face, and try to remove whatever caked around my eyes but fail, and feel only something very wet and hard touching my face. Very dark idea start appearing in my head. After at least a dozen minutes my eyes finally regenerate enough for me to start seeing what is around. Turning my eyes to my left, I finally see my hand, or at least what is left of it, a single white and black bone sticking out of burned flesh.

This will take a while to heal.

Very quickly feeling begins returning to all my body, and I start feeling extreme burning sensation below my waist. Using what is left of my only hand I turn my upper torso and neck around, and strong acidic smell hits me before I even can see what is wrong. It takes several seconds of looking for me to understand what is that I am looking at, until I notice white objects, bones, sticking out of the amalgamation that should have been my legs.

Meat stump cripple once again.

Trying to piece together what I remember last, brings a very nasty theory. Stomach of elder wyvern. Well, at least I am alive.

But that is not enough.

Growling I command whatever is left of my limbs to move, as I do not want to melts away in the stomach of the damn creature. My torso and the stump on my left arm start moving, carrying me centimeter, by centimeter closer towards the light at the end of the meat tunnel.

I will not die.

Eternity later I crawl closer to the source of the light, and find razor sharp white protrusion blocking the path.

Teeth, mouth, an exit, just a bit more.

Looking around I find an area with several broken fangs, which creates a wide enough path for me. I start crawling to it until I finally reach the exit, and as if slug fall into world of white light and random noises.

I hit the ground and air escapes my lungs, but I do not get an opportunity to take the sweat air in, as something in me screams that there is danger near me. Looking around I try find the origin of the danger, but the whole whole world is a blur of colors and shades. It takes few seconds until a smudge half a dozen meters away takes more crisp form, and I notice a short, sharp object in it's hand. As the the image of the figure becomes clearer I see yellow and red veins throughout it's pale face.

Corrupted shepherd.

The figure starts screaming something and pointing at me with the dagger in it's hands, then the dagger returns to area near his chest, where my eyes notices another silhouette. The view of the silhouette becomes clearer, and the seething hatred starts burning in me again, as the tiny silhouette is a young girl barely over twelve, a child, whimpering with tears in her eyes.

Images of thousands of similar situation flash across my eyes, all ending with the body of innocent child in pool of it's blood. As if telling me the future that awaits the child, the mind demands action, and in response my blood starts boiling once again as pressure in my skulls starts increasing rapidly, with the whistling in my ears replacing all the sound in the world.

I do not know how, or even where the strength came from, but the stumps of my legs twist and explode with enormous force, carrying me at the accursed creature, and in response the eyes of creature flip from absolute horror into blazing hatred. Throwing away the child the creature thrusts it's dagger at me with burning eyes, and I feel as the cold blade plunges through my chest, but this does not stop me, as the pure momentum of my body carries me further toppling down the corrupted.

Falling down on the creature we come face to face, as my eyes meet the corrupted one's, and pure hatred reflects upon them. The ugly face riddled with yellow and red veins twists in rage upon looking back at me.

I need to destroy the creature, kill it, erase it from the face of Earth.

My jaws close upon the neck of the accursed being under me, as nearly instantly audible crunch resounds across the area.

Somehow twisting my body I rip out a huge chunk of flesh from the neck of abomination under me, and thick blood starts dripping down my jaws. Spitting away the flesh I start breathing heavily, but only choke as there is still something huge stuck in my lungs, stopping me from sucking in the sweet air, that my body demands. I try to stand up by fail, as I am quickly reminded that both feet are missing, and the only thing left of my hands is a single arm with bone sticking out of it. Rolling around on my back, I look down and see the dagger still embedded in my chest. Stretching my left hand I try to get it out but fail again and again, as there are no fingers to grasp the pommel.

I hear as series of rapid footstep, and a silhouette appears and bends near me, quickly plugging out the dagger from my chest. Nearly instantly I feel a weight of two hands push against the area on my chest where the dagger was stuck, as if trying to the bleeding.

Moving my eyes at the face of silhouette, it takes several long seconds for the image to become crisp, and I recognize the familiar white face with black ears and hair. The only difference is that Lekana's face is filled with tears as she is crying and screaming something, but I do not understand what it is.

Closing my eyes I try to breath deeper and reassess the damage to the body this time, and start healing immediately. But suddenly I feel an incredibly warmth cover the whole body, as if submerged into hot bath in freezing winter, and very quickly clarity return to my sight and hearing. Not understanding I open my eyes and blink several times, as strength returns to me. It takes several more seconds to recognize the familiar feeling, which I have been so used, but was left without, for a very long time.

Healing.

Nearly instantly I jump up, feeling hale and healthy as if I had months of time to heal my injuries. Looking down at myself I find my feet and left hand there, as if the events of past hour did not happen. But there is another feeling that I nearly forgot, and slowly my right arm comes into view, with the palm and finger clenching and unclenching on the end of it.

Looking to the side I find a group with a huge, visible aura around them, and a young woman in early twenties in white standing close to me with round eyes.

"Pam did you level up your healing skills? I have never seen such a fast effect!" says someone behind her.

"No..." she whispers nearly inaudible.

The next instantly someone clutches to my chest and start crying and cursing me in the process. Looking to down I find crying Lekana clutching to me and burring her face in my chest.

My eyes returns back to the group with visible aura, and looking closer find very strange facial feature, the ones I have not seen before in this region, but have seen back at the Empire.

Such features, aura, and unbelievable level of healing...

Heroes.

As if a dam open open wide, an unstoppable torrent of questions fills my mind.

How?

Here?

Why?

A voice deep inside of me screaming is that there is something very wrong here.

Suddenly a question randomly pops up in my head.

Why were they here?

Getting healed right now would be the best moment possible for me.

And best moments do not happen.

Except if they were scripted.

By someone.

The god damn theater play is not over.

But who is the puppeteer?

HE would not want this.

HE tried to kill me.

It could not be HIM.

Someone else...