HOLY INFERNO (I)

Lynne was standing silently atop a small mountain, looking over the distant city. For the first time in over a year, he had reverted back to his original appearance. His brown, shoulder-length hair fluttered in the gentle breeze, with a single lock of azure-colored one weaving over his forehead. His eyes were shimmering slightly, deeply cyan in hue, his eyebrows straight like swords, jaw slightly triangular. He had aged slightly, making his face appear more mature and refined.

He wore a clear, white robe, slightly parted at the neckline, with a medallion dangling over his neck beneath it – a medallion that Headmaster had given him the day Edgemaw fell into flames. Today was the day of the execution, rebellion and the day the world will finally learn that not all of the Edgemaw had fallen…

Even from the distance, he could spot hundreds of people wobbling in groups, moving towards the custom-made Central Plaza. The square was huge, nearly five kilometers in circumference, but it still appeared completely packed even this early on. In addition, there were thousands of seats floating up in the air, overlooking the centermost place on the square: small, elevated platform with a guillotine on it.

Lynne had spent past two days going over Elynal’s plan, and was finally ready. He saw a glimmer of hope, a chance that, perhaps, his father can still be saved. However thin it was, he grabbed on it completely, and held a heart full of desire.

Paying the distant city – one soon to be wreathed in flames – one, final glance, he left the small mountain and covertly moved through the underground tunnels leading towards the outskirts of the Plaza. The tunnels were narrow and humid, but he paid them little heed. The monkey and the bird hadn’t arrived yet, but Lynne had heard from them, and knew that they would be arriving today. Everything was set… and it was all matter of letting it play out now.

The end of the tunnel led to a tall tower overlooking the entire Plaza. The tower was guarded by Elynal’s men so he was quickly let in and led to the top, next to a window, overlooking the massive square. Thousands of people were already here, young and old alike, from all corners of the world.

It finally dawned on him how insane Elynal’s plan was, but he still didn’t care. It was the only shot he had, and he knew he won’t have regrets regardless of what happens. After a quick scan, he noticed the topmost spot of the hovering seats; seven throne-like chairs floated next to one another, each more adorned than the last, with one in the center even fuming flames backwardly.

It didn’t take him long to realize that King and his closest associates would be seated there, but he quickly looked away, as that was not his battle. His eyes were focused on the raised platform with the gaze of fury, and he clenched his fists so tightly cracking sounds could be heard.

The execution was scheduled for the midday sharp, and there was still an hour left before the start. He sat loftily onto a small sofa nearby, meditating to calm his mind.

**

Elynal was staring at the weapon rack, with dozens and more swords, axes, hammers and whatnot dangling off it. Next to him was his Third Uncle, looking calmly at the youth before him, a tinge of pride swelling on his face.

“Everything is ready.” the old man said.

“Good,” Elynal took in a deep breath, forcibly calming his nerves. “Today… will change everything.”

“Oh, right, why did you change the rescue plan in the last minute?” the old man asked, interested.

“An associate of mine decided to help me.”

“Will he be able to do it?”

“He will,” Elynal brimmed with confidence as he spoke. “He’s the least of our worries for today. I’ve heard the news that there are currently four Celestial Mages – aside from my father – stationed in the city. We only have three ourselves, so how do you propose we deal with the other two if grouping against them doesn’t work?”

“It doesn’t matter how many Celestial Mages they have as long as we strike first. We’ll simply aim for the weakest ones first and take them out before beginning the true battle.”

“Alright,” Elynal nodded. “I’ve also prepared a hundred Stone Golems, but we should refrain from using them unless absolutely necessary. Each can function up to ten minutes at most, so we best use that time properly.”

“If all goes according to the plan, we won’t have to use them at all,” the old man said confidently. “It’s almost time. I’ll regroup with Brother Si and get into our positions.”

“Yeah. Good luck Uncle.”

“I’m proud of you Ely,” the old man ruffled Elynal’s hair gently as he smiled. “Although it arrived late, things are finally the way they were supposed to be. No one is more suited to lead our Kingdom than you.”

“Thanks,” Elynal smiled bitterly as he looked at the table nearby and the map of the Holy Paradise on it. “But, it’s only the beginning.”

“Indeed. Let me know if anything goes wrong,” the old man said as he turned around. “Even if I’m battling my brother, my first priority is still you. If anything happens to you, after all, whether we win or lose won’t matter.”

“…”

The old man left, leaving Elynal alone underneath the light of the torches. As he looked at the map, his gaze fixated at the square plaza and a red marker on it, indicating the raised platform. He sighed lowly as he shook his head, rolling the map up and turning around to leave himself.

“Lynne is probably stronger than me by now,” he muttered. “He can handle himself.”

**

Atop the Holy Paradise, within the massive Palace, things were extremely silent. Servants were scarce and hallways dimmed, and even guards were few. Deeply underground, within a secret bunker, in a small, square room, twelve people were sitting around the round table. At the topmost position sat a middle-aged man with sunken face and dried up hair, hanging gently down to his shoulders. Atop it was a golden crown, with countless jewels adorning it, and he wore a flamboyant, furred robes. This man was the current King and Emperor of Elvernheimn, as well as Elynal’s father: Emperor Eylnor the Third.

Next to him was a short, plump man whose face was hidden underneath the hood, while on the other side was a woman, seemingly in her thirties, with long, golden hair freely let go. She wore rather revealing clothes, and was currently playing with her fingers. Next to her was a boyish looking man, wearing simple, leather clothes, with each of his fingers adorning a differently colored rings. Next to the short, plump man was a muscular, bare-chested tower with extremely tanned skin and completely black eyes.

Amongst others currently sitting around the table were the Second Prince Irey, Lady Fen’er, and other King’s close associates.

“Good,” Emperor Eylnor spoke in a low, grim tone, his brows furrowed. “We’re all here. I’d first like to thank our special guests: Lady Poraltol, Sir Reen and Sir Hyolr for agreeing to be here today.”

“No problem, my King,” Lady Poraltol was the only woman Celestial Magus, and was the one sitting next to the Emperor himself, wearing revealing clothes. “It will be my honor to witness Median’s death up-close. I’m sure Hyolr feels the same.”

“I do.” the tall, tanned man replied simply, his face distorting lightly.

“All in a day’s work.” the boyish man added, his face covered in a smile of innocence. He was the leader of the small, assassin guild called Reapers, Reaper Reen.

“I’ve summoned you here to express my concerns,” the Emperor added. “Although this is a day of glory, not all who will be present will think so. I was unable to gather more forces here due to other threats, but I believe we can make due with what we have. I expect there will be roughly half a million people present today, in and out of the city. With that said, I’m giving you all a free pass; on the first signs of major trouble, don’t bother asking. End it. Upon sight.”

“Yes, My King.” voices replied in unison.

“Lady Fen’er,” he then turned to the other side of the table, looking at the young, beautiful woman with cold face. “Although I am saddened that your father and uncle couldn’t attend the execution, you don’t have to worry. Simply witness the progress we’re making.”

“Of course, my King.” Lady Fen’er bowed respectfully as she spoke in a flat tone.

“Good,” the King nodded satisfyingly. “Lastly, I’ve received some news from our friends up in the North. Their mission is still ongoing and they can’t be delayed, so they won’t be coming back. In addition, most others who were staying in the city have left – save for one who will make sure that Median dies today. Luur, what is the status of Rolyhard?” he turned towards a skinny man towards the back and asked.

“They barred all the entrances to the Capital and have officially declared war on us, my King.” the skinny man replied as he stood up.

“Those fools!! I’ve treated them with respect, and they turned their back on us because they couldn’t afford to sacrifice their third-rate child for our cause? Ugh, I’ll deal with them later. Make sure you always have eyes on their movement and keep me informed.”

“Yes, my King.”

“Good, everything’s set then. We have to make sure today goes on without a hitch; whoever makes even the slightest of mistakes, execute them on the spot. Dismissed.”

“Yes, my King!”

**

Good ways off from the city, deep in the clouds, a gigantic turtle was floating slowly. Atop it was a large island, covered entirely in herbs and flowers, with a massive waterfall filling up the flowing river. Just next to it was a small, wooden cabin with a porch, atop which two women were currently sitting and eating. One of them was Thalia, who was wearing nothing but her undergarments, while the other was a thirty-something appearing, beautiful woman with expressionless face. If Lynne was by any chance here, he’d have recognized her immediately, as it was Lady Ella.

“Master,” Thalia spoke after she finished her bowl of soup. “I didn’t think you’d be interested in this.”

“It’s a favor for an old friend,” the woman replied, smiling lightly. “Besides, we won’t be joining unless absolutely necessary. Have you been able to locate your friend?” her last words caused a slight frown to appear on her face.

“Lynne? Ugh, no,” Thalia grunted in a low voice. “What the hell was he thinking?! Even if he’s aware of Origin Laws, he’ll just be rotting in mediocrity if he studies them blindly!”

“It’s strange,” the woman added. “The first time I met him, I didn’t recognize he was studying Origin Laws.”

“Wait, you met him before?” Thalia asked, surprised.

“Hm,” Lady Ella nodded. “You do remember that I sometimes mingle with the crowd down there, right?”

“Yeah.”

“I participated in your sect’s last tournament to find a good seedling--”

“He’s the guy who professed his love to you.”

“… how did you know?”

“… it’s Lynne. Definitely Lynne. Don’t worry Master, I’ll castrate him clean once I find him.”

“Did you manage to learn anything about him?” Lady Ella asked.

“No…” Thalia shook her head, sighing lightly. “I even threatened Principal with your name, and he still didn’t say anything. You were right Master. He isn’t as simple as he seems.”

“Indeed. However, there’s a good chance he’ll come here. After all, he is Ely’s friend.”

“… that idiot is absolutely insane. Why does he want to rebel anyway?” Thalia grunted, shaking her head again. “Why are all the men I know complete morons?”

“Ha ha,” Lady Ella laughed lightly as she looked at her disgruntled disciple. “You became my disciple when you were five, Thalia. However, they grew up in the world beneath. You, on the other hand, had only seen small bits and pieces of it. Ely is simply trying to put it back on the right track. You know yourself that the war is coming, and it’d be for the best if Elynal becomes the Emperor instead of that old sack of bones. Still, in the end, the key is Median. We can’t let anything happen to him.”

“Do you think his son will show up if he’s alive?” Thalia asked.

“I can’t tell. However, there’s no doubt someone from the Hyord Clan will be in the city, overseeing the execution. To them, it’s paramount that Median dies today. He’s like a lingering shame to them, a reminder that their bloodline was diluted by an ordinary mortal. Luckily, my Master and others are holding the Main Branch back. Otherwise… this small realm would have long since been burned to ashes.”

“Looks like we’ll just have to wait and see what happens.”

“Indeed.”

Several relatively similar conversations were occuring throughout the small, secretive places around the Holy Paradise. Nearly all eyes on the continent were pointed at that small, speck of stone near an ocean. Soon, the bell chimed, resounding against the walls and through them, alarming each and every listening soul… that the midday has come, and the execution was about to begin.