Zedd ran through the Canyons, following the directions his Fairies had given him. Cane was critically injured and it was because of him. ‘I won’t let you die friend, not like that,’ he thought as he ran as fast as his legs could take him.

“Red,” he shouted once the red haired man came into view. “Don’t run! I can easily catch you!”

The man with red hair turned around to see Black eyes materialize in front of him. He hadn’t used any teleportation spell. His running speed was supernatural. He managed to cross the gap between him and Red in seconds.

“Listen Black Eyes,” Red started. “I didn’t want to steal that sword from you I swear.” The man’s face was pale. Fear gripped his heart. Red took the rumors he read on the news to heart. He’d been following the story of the Devil with black eyes since it first appeared out in the east. The moment the man relaxing under a tree opened his eyes, Red realized he was doomed.

“What’s done is done,” Zedd said.

“Please Black Eyes,” Red pleaded. “It was Vyk’s idea, it’s him you want. I can deliver him to you!”

“Stop talking Red Hair!” Zedd barked the order. “You’re a mage aren’t you?” he asked after Red finally stopped throwing excuses.

“Y-yes!” he answered.

“I need you to open a portal to the Four Seasons,” Zedd told him.

“We’re in Ulmir’s domain Black Eyes. The portal will be unstable. You might not survive it.”

“True,” Zedd confessed.

“I don’t even know how to get there. I’ve never seen the Four Seasons.” Red looked at Zedd with eyes that spoke countless pleas.

“I’ll show you where you need to go. I’ll project the route to you. Will that be enough?” Black Eyes asked.

“Even if you do, the portal won’t hold. This realm is too unstable to create a portal within it.”

“Then I have no need of you.” Zedd drew his sword and shouted “Zeus!” Electricity crackled as it enveloped the sword.

“Take me with you,” Red pleaded. “I can stabilize the portal while we’re travelling through it.”

“What are the chances of success?” Zedd asked.

“Dim, but it’s better than stabilizing it from here.” Red lied. Zedd knew it. He also knew his odds of reaching the Four Seasons were close to null. But he had to try. He couldn’t let his friend die because of his stupid decision.

“Silver, show him the way!” Zedd ordered his Alfa Fairy.

A butterfly-like creature approached Red. Its transparent wings and the luminescence of its body left him in awe. The Alfa Fairy landed on Red’s head then projected the trajectory into his mind.

“Get to work red hair!” Zedd ordered.

“We won’t have enough Essence to reach the place Black Eyes,” Red announced.

“I’ll provide support. Just get focus on stabilizing the portal!” Zedd barked at him.

Red drew circles, hexagons and octagons in the air while he recited a spell in the Ancient Language. Soon enough a dark hole appeared out of thin air. The hole rotated and expanded until it could accommodate a human inside. As soon as the portal appeared, Zedd held Red from the arm then jumped forward, into the unknown. ‘Oh Luck! I know you hate me,’ Zedd muttered a silent prayer. ‘But for once in my lifetime, make it right!’

Zedd felt his lungs compress. His body was being crushed by the invisible force of the Void. In complete darkness, he willed his body to move then squeeze Red’s arm. As soon as he confirmed the mage was still beside him, Zedd started supplementing him with Essence. A few heartbeats later, the two landed heavily on the rocky ground of the Four Seasons. The dark hole rotated faster as it shrunk. Soon enough, it disappeared without a trace.

Cane was lying down unconscious. The Fairies tried to stabilize him, but their role wasn’t to heal, just to provide support. If Zedd hadn’t reached him when he did, Cane could’ve lost his life.

“A friend?” Red asked.

Zedd approached the unconscious big bear, took out a cleansing phial then injected him with it.

“Protect him with your lives,” he told the little Fairies that flew above the unconscious man.

In the meantime, Red was observing the scene. “It looks like there was a fight,” he announced to Zedd. “Your friend had a tough one to fight. I recognize this mask.”

Black eyes approached the charred corpse. “Who’s that?” he asked.

“They call her the Hyena,” Red answered. “By the looks of it, your friend was fighting against two.” Red hair pointed towards Gedel who was a few paces away from them.

“What could’ve burnt her skin like that?” Red stroked his clean shaven chin.

Zedd looked for the sword then, after locating it, walked towards it. “And it looks like your friend was hit by the same attack that killed her,” Red went on with his analysis.

Black Eyes picked the sword up then inspected it. Red observed the man as he rotated the sword from left to right. The sword shone in a clear sky-blue color. It finally recognized its rightful owner.

“Don’t tell me you’ve lent your magical sword to your friend,” Red spoke. His eyes were wide, a look of shock and horror in his face.

“What of it?” Zedd asked.

“That sword must have your own imprint. Did you bother changing it when you handed it over to that big bear?”

“He can’t use magic. His conduits are still locked,” Zedd answered.

“Then how did he activate it?” the mage asked. There was a hint of mockery to his tone.

“There’s an emerald in the sword pommel,” Zedd replied. He threw the sword at Red. The latter jumped back the moment the sword lodged itself in the ground. “See that? The precious stone in the pommel can store Essence. I’ve left my friend here with a lifesaving treasure.”

“And he used it to save his life, yet it nearly killed him,” Red retorted. “For such a knowledgeable man, you’ve made a horrible mistake Black Eyes.”

“Don’t start!” Zedd warned. His eyes were fixated on Red. His arm was aimed at the sword. One move from the mage and Zedd would activate the lightning element in Hum. The sword was indeed connected to its owner. Zedd knew he’d made a mistake, but his ego wouldn’t allow another to point it out to him.

“Tsk!” Red said as he looked the other way.

The action happened fast. As soon as Red uttered that hateful word, Zedd impulsively struck. His sword cut the mage’s head. Zedd held the head from its long red hair, threw it in the air then kicked it. The head was sent high in the air before it landed and tumbled down the hill. “I hate that word!” Zedd shouted at the rolling head.

Black Eyes went back next to his friend then sat cross legged. There wasn’t much he could do at that moment. He needed to wait for his friend to recover before making his next move. “Silver,” he called. “Look for those imperials for me. They’re here somewhere. Soon as you find them, notify me. I have to blow off some steam.”

Zedd closed his eyes then stabilized his Essence Flow. Memories from his past started flowing back. He saw himself in a realm where giant whales flew in the sky. The tree of life towered above every living being, even above the Everlasting Dragon. He was sitting by a lake made of lightning, motioning his arms in different directions.

He was manipulating the alloy he inserted in the lake using magic. Every time he turned and shaped the piece of metal, he’d hear a “Tsk!” behind him.

An old man, in golden shining armor, sat on a rock behind Black Eyes. He watched him shape and beat that metal into submission for days. Every time he’d infuse the weapon with lightning, he’d hear it.

“Tsk!”

For days, “Tsk!” was the only sound Zedd heard besides the crackling of lightning bolts. Every time he managed to will the metal to bend to his will. He’d celebrate with an innocent smile on his face. The he’d hear it.

“Tsk!”

He thought long and hard about the shape of the weapon he wanted to make. He had to picture the sword in his mind. Every detail counted. It took him countless sleepless nights of studying swords, axes, spears. He wanted to make the perfect weapon.

He studied and memorized in order to create his perfect sword. Then he finally did it. He managed to give the sword its final shape. He raised the weapon in the air to admire its perfect color. Then he heard it.

“Tsk!”

He grew tired of it. It irritated him to a fault. He’d been warned about the man in golden armor. He was not to interfere with him or attack him. “If you value your life, don’t let that bold, old geezer get under your skin,” his master warned.

He ventured into the Goblin’s Lair to find the precious stones. He came back unscathed, with two abnormal stones in his hands. He triumphant smile and his master’s praises stopped with they heard it.

“Tsk!”

After six months of hard work, Zedd had finally managed to create two incredible swords, Usurper and Hum. After six months of constant “Tsk!” the man in golden armor spoke to Zedd for the first time. “Hollow swords befitting a hollow Idea!”

“Shut your trap!” Zedd had had enough. He had to give that old man a piece of his mind.

The old man only chuckled. He looked at the man with black eyes then said. “Fine, I’ll shut it. But don’t say I didn’t warn you. You’ll kill your friends with those swords, greenhorn.”

An image of a spherical Mobeel reached Zedd’s mind, snatching him away from his reveries. ‘Delay them for a while,’ he mentally ordered his Fairy, Silver. ‘I’ll send the Leons to lend you a hand!’

Zedd stood up, approached his injured friend then started a long, complex incantation. “I can’t heal you with magic yet friend. Your body won’t take it. But I can burry you so they won’t find you,” he said after he hid Cane underneath the earth. Zedd left half his support Fairies to look after the big bear as he descended the hill.

“If it weren’t for your injury, I wouldn’t have the chance to execute these soldiers here and now,” he spoke to an imaginary version of Cane that walked beside him. Zedd was a lonely man after all. He didn’t care for many people. But the ones he cared about were untouchable. And he’d gone and put his friend in perilous danger. He felt deeply responsible for what happened.

“You won’t die!” he kept repeating as he ran towards the imperials.

Gavin and his friends were in a dire situation. Zedd’s reconnaissance Fairies, the Leons, attracted a hideous monster’s attention towards the imperials. The beast called Ayala was vicious, struck when the enemy least expected it. She loved fluorescent Photons and followed them everywhere they travelled. The Leons imitated the Photons and brought the beast to the Mobeel’s location.

The rolling spherical object hit the monster in the leg. The beast looked down at them then let out a deafening scream. The Fairies disappeared. The beast looked around for her beloved Photons but couldn’t see them anywhere. Ayala was furious.

“What’s this?” one of the imperials asked.

“Brahms would’ve known,” another answered.

“There’s no time for this, turn the Mobeel around Gavin. Flavious warned us about this place. Let’s leave!”

“Coward!” Gavin shouted. “It’s because of you that we lost Brahms, Sergeant Drevo!”

“Me?” Drevo retorted. But before the Sergeant could go on, the team felt their Mobeel being lifted off the ground.

“What’s this?” Gavin exclaimed. The pilot ran to his station then monitored the glass screen. A second later, a shot was fired and their Mobeel fell to the ground. Every one inside the machine was disoriented. The sphere tumbled to the ground as another deafening scream filled the lush forest.

“Men!” Gavin shouted at his comrades. “Prepare to attack. Deploy, now!”

The men obeyed and left the safety of their rolling structure. They all had drawn their weapons, ready to teach the beast outside a lesson. Ayala looked at them with large compound eyes. Like a fly, Ayala had thousands of visual receptors inside its eyes. “This beast won’t be easy to surround,” Gavin shouted at the men. “Blitz!”

The five warriors took up arms and started their attacks at once. Bowguns were fired and lances were hurled at the beast’s eyes. Gavin shot the beast once more using the cannon attached to the Mobeel. Before any hit connected, the beast had already vanished from sight. It jumped high above the trees to avoid all the attacks.

Gavin shot once more. The projectile hit the beast and exploded into countless fire bombs. Like Fireworks, each explosion echoed through the forest. The beast took all explosions to the face and chest, but landed unharmed nonetheless.

“Shit!” Gavin cursed. “Cut her legs!” he shouted at the others while he changed Cruces in the cannon. “I need ten seconds,” he told them. “Hold her for ten seconds then I’ll take care of the rest.”

The imperials were well equipped for the Hunt. Rimbaldi wanted them to locate a vein and extract its Essence. In Virgin realms like Ulmir’s Domain, the energy stored in the vein was purer than in Hera. He needed that energy for his new flying ships. Hera was corrupted with greed, war and countless bloodshed.

Man killed man. Man slaughtered animals and hunted beasts for sports. All those negative vibes that plagued the planet corrupted the Essence in the veins. In a realm where beasts lived in harmony, except for a week every year, the Essence stored was purer, devoid of man’s corruption and ambition.

Rimbaldi needed that purity for his flying ships. Corruption could lead to malfunction. Malfunction would lead to death. The scientist wouldn’t leave anything to chance. He wasn’t that kind of man.

The imperials fought Ayala while Gavin changed the Crux in the cannon. Ten seconds later, he shouted “Duck!” then shot the projectile. A gray sphere was launched towards Ayala then exploded midair. The resulting shockwave cut all the trees in a two miles radius in half. Tree barks, branches and different types of nuts and fruits fell to the ground, resulting in tumultuous reverberations.

“Is it dead?” Gavin asked. The soldiers outside the Mobeel slowly stood. Chaos surrounded them. In front of them, Ayala was still standing. Its fangs protruded from the horizontal split she had for a mouth. It opened it, sinew and sticky substances were attached to each end of the opening.

The monster had covered herself with multiple protective layers of wood. “She’s an elemental beast,” Sergeant Drevo announced.

“She’s got wood!” a merry voice told the unsuspecting soldiers.

“Discord!”

A black aura filled the clearing. The beast was cut clean. Its upper half flew upwards, rolling in the air. Green blood showered the distressed soldiers.

“Who goes there?” Gavin shouted.

“Your worst nightmare!” Zedd answered.