Volume I Scions of Destiny - Chapter 1 Part I: The Beginning

Castanica.

A city shaped from the strong desire for freedom; built through the efforts of its people and protected with blood. This is where many great magic engineers, fierce warriors, and skillful magicians were born and raised, as its people were known as Castanics, of the Master Clan Castanic.

The vast majorities were friendly, possessing a strong sense of brotherhood among them. But when dealing with other races, they always kept alert, with suspicion; but that was only until individually, one by one, they slowly began to trust each other and learn from other races, but always with a caution in their true nature almost instinctively.

Castanica.

A city was built in a valley surrounded by large mountains providing natural cover and protection, but as if they were not enough, the city had fortified walls built all around it to further safeguard the city from foreign dangers around five meters height.

Most of the buildings had a Gothic look, usually of a black tone, almost as coal; from their windows and roofs glowed dim lights of varying shades of red, painting an interesting environment to the city.

Precisely at this time, hostile creatures were recently repelled from Castanica, while the valiant defenders were beginning to regroup, but instead others stopped to look at their fallen comrades on the ground and then they kept walking, others crouched and took the hands of the injured agonizing on the floor and tried to live their last moments with them.

Other more courageous, or perhaps more raw, seeing that their comrades were suffering and agonizing in a slow painful death; helped them to sit down and then these with their own shaky hands having little to no strength, with difficulty took their weapons and positioned themselves the tip of their blade to their stomachs.

Then with the help of their comrades they extinguished their last painful breath swiftly with their swords, the same blades used to extinguish the life of their enemies was now used to end their own lives, in an act of compassion of their surviving comrades.

None could see their comrades’ eyes while they regrouped, looking down, and feeling for some reason, shame and repugnance of their deeds.

The General Scatter was sitting on the highest rung of the nearby staircase.

He had a burly body under his armor, his skin was reddish pink like almost every other Castanic; he had light gray hair, almost white, penetrating hazel eyes on his serious expression demonstrating his vast experience almost by itself.

Right now he was wearing a metallic bluish gray armor with two medium-sized pads with a horn protruding from each of them, the armor had many fine details in the part of the chest, making the shape of a cross, while some parts had little blue rocks glistening.

His gauntlets were large and imposing making his hands seem larger than normal, plating his hands in armor even up to his fingers; his armor had several scratches on his chest and boots as if something would have tried to attack him with its own nails or claws.

On the other hand, his weapon was a great sword almost completely red, which was quite intimidating as the red color sometimes camouflages the blood staining the blade.

Anyone who fixed their eyes on him would compare him to a walking battleship with an overwhelming sense of superiority.

In front of him, was the numerous makeshift response battalion members regrouping and sitting on the road as they waited for Scatter’s command.

Most of the soldiers comprising this battalion were Castanics, alongside others races like Humans, Poporis, and Amans, determined to defend the city and repelled the creatures.

All of them were at Castanica when those creatures assaulted the city, they took their weapons and then quickly tried to regroup as they killed several creatures in retaliation, as General Scatter skillfully lead them to a short victory, which gave them time to breathe for now.

Scatter was assigned to Castanica after he was unexpectedly promoted from Sergeant to General a few months ago before all began.

In that very moment he hesitated distrustfully but then he accepted it; even so, there was still something inside him that made him distrust Alliance’s high-command.

Scatter’s experience was indisputable, as a veteran of the War of the 10 Shrouded Rose, as the ex-leader of the main Clan, the Val Uskhal’s Clan; controllers of the whole Master Clan Castanic, and as a veteran of the Argon War. However, that promotion was still quite undeserved for someone like him, but for some reason within him, he accepted it without question.

He feels somewhere within him that there is something off with this sudden promotion, but he couldn't think of anything that can support his omen and there is no time for him to contemplate this further.

From the mid height where he was, the General Scatter could clearly see the soldiers that survived the first assault, many of their faces gaunt due to many of them being rookies who had never seen death and such violent creatures before their eyes.

The outcome would have been way different if the finest soldiers of the ten Clans, universally known as Master Clan Castanic, were sent; known as the ‘Shrouded Rose Sentinels’, but the majority left to Velika a few months ago with the actual Clan leader, as his own private bodyguards.

Men and women who were a part of the makeshift response battalion gathered at the intersection of 3 roads of the city.

They were all expecting the words of their leader, the General Scatter; but he was just looking at them, inspecting them, one by one, with a cold, penetrating scrutiny and a serious face.

He knew that many of them would not survive in the following enemy waves, it wasn't his fault, he knew it well, but: How could these creatures know once as Argons managed to come back? How no one noticed them before? There were many coincidences, too many for his liking.

Their enemies would soon come from all directions, and the worst is that they have no means of communications because the device designed for long-range communication was damaged during the battle and now no longer served.

Abandoned was the best word to describe their situation, everybody knew it within their minds, but nobody had the courage or desire to say it out their mouths as they would rather die with their honor in belief of defending their critical post than to have the thought that they were discarded even passed in their minds.

“Leaving the city is not an option; because it means that the enemy would consume everything in their path and reach Velika in a few days to slaughter our people, who many today had fallen trying to defend them…” The General Scatter murmured to himself as he got up and everyone looked at him.

“Well…it is already decided!” Scatter moved his shoulders.

“We will stay here and defend this position no matter the cost…we cannot fall back now…but first of all…I will tell you all this! I will not force you all to stay and defend this post against your will, so if you wish to leave, do so now as you will no longer have another chance from this point on!” The General Scatter strongly declared.

All looked at each other, but nobody moved. They already made their choice at the very moment they fought back the assault on Castanica.

The General Scatter looked at them with pride and shock and then exclaimed his response seeing their choice.

“Ehhh…ha-ha! Good s***…then stand here and relax when you still can while I tell you a little story…” Everyone kept looking at him with a confused face as he started with an introduction.

“It all began on a hot and humid day, a day in which we all remember, a day refreshed with a breeze of freedom after long wars...”

A calm, soft and unfamiliar female voice echoed in his mind for a few seconds while he was riding his armored warhorse heading to Fort Tulufan.

"No matter what happens, always follow the light in your heart ... never change ..." He felt a slight headache for a second.

“You…w… …one…”—“… never give up…”

‘Uh… what the…?’ Bready asked himself in his mind. ’Must be just my imagination…’

He quickly convinced himself and then turned his head forward to the task at hand.

The heat was scorching, but to Bready, even the weakest breeze was enough to make the harsh typical desert climate a little more bearable despite his light silver armor stifling him.

There was not even a single form of vegetation several kilometers around leaving only a barren sandy wasteland, very different from his beloved city Popolion, or Pora Elinu’s sacred environment.

The only things around him were the yellowish sand and large rocks of a dark brown color, stacked in large clusters as far as his eyes can see.

He was about to reach the only natural entrance known as ‘The Gates of Hell’, which led to the fort.

Suddenly, his gaze was diverted instinctively toward the top of the cluster of rocks, and saw for a few seconds a humanoid silhouette with female features of a ghostly light blue, but before he could lock his gaze on the figure, it disappeared.

“Uh?... I think it’s true that the heat makes you see illusions... I better hurry” Bready said aloud like he was speaking to his horse.

Bready was a renowned soldier in the Free Traders ranks; but he never got promoted, even after demonstrating his archery skills to be better than average, and better than some high-rank officers.

However, as a normal Popori, his body was pudgy like many others of his entire race; his body was humanoid mixed with panda fur. He shared the height of an average human of ten years old, which was even shorter than an Elin which their average height is 4’92’’.

Even so, he had more skills and strength than many others with way better natural advantages, but his superior officers never could accept it as it would have been similar to slapping an insult to their own faces. As an additional data, Bready height was 4’27’’, which means that was a way less the half of an average Aman’s, and also his eyes were of a deep black color.

*** *** *** ***

Memories of hard fought battles played within the corners of his mind while Bready breathed a sigh of relief upon reaching his destination.

All those hard fought days during the ‘Alliance Conflict’ were successful and worth the cost after one year when finally the Alliance Conflict came to an intermission after his alliance and the Enlighten Union joined forces and weakened the expansionist Iron Order, forcing them to fall back to their lands.

Yet, the diplomatic environments were tense and unknown by many. Those many could see and feel an ideal freedom within their grasp, but the truth was that the delicate situation was hanging by a thread.

However, the populace were so blinded by their hopes of peace, that it didn’t allow them to detect the fragility of such peace, as it slowly breaks apart more and more, as time passes; but none could see the truth of their current situation, not even the high commands of the several factions could, much less Bready.

For Bready, it was sufficient to know that the combined efforts of him and his comrades gave birth to a greater alliance, the Free Traders Collective.

He was surrounded by warriors of great honor and strength on all sides, cunning magicians with abundant elemental power, and a whole host of new recruits ready to defend their executor to their last breath.

When he arrived at the Fort Tulufan, the main settlement of the Free Traders Collective, he saw a few idle recruits at the Fortress’ main gate, and quickly sent them with a small order; Bready ordered a few basilisks’ membranes for the new recruits and they swiftly marched away after his orders.

Then, Bready lost his gaze in the beautiful blue sky above after dismounting and tying his horse onto a nearby barn, recalling the great comrades lost in battle during the retreat of the ‘Gates of the Hell’, as they covered Bready so he could get out safely, while they were executed in cold blood by a soldier of the overwhelming Iron Order.

Bready also reminded another scene on his mind, when many died honorably while defending their allies’ retreat, but then when their time to retreat came, they had no strength to run and they could only look backward as the enemies behind overtook them and then heavily executed them.

In moments like these, he remembered when everyone was running, retreating while he stopped for a moment and realized that none of those saved by his great comrades looked back, and neither did he.

Not even one person even looked back, perhaps by guilt or shame. Even so, that was the only thing he regretted, not had looked back.

Bready didn't have any hard feeling against any of his soldier companions nor did he blame them; his mind was unable to allow such thoughts in his mind as his soul was born from pure light and optimism, but that day he promised himself, to never let anyone behind again.

Bready continued reminiscing his past until he heard a hard, serious, deep and quite clear voice.

“Bready, the Executor is looking for you.” A soldier said while he was moving some boxes at his side, stacking them near the barn.

“Huh...? Oh, I see, got it.” Bready was a little caught off guard when the soldier spoke; he awkwardly responded and walked away.

He went through several various peripheral buildings and camps inside the busy Fortress, with a lot of traffic of supplies shipped in as many recruits walked about. It was so crowded and bustling, that even merchants were permitted to set up their stalls with weapons and food.

Bready just looked at his surroundings while he walked on the sand, as he felt that everything was going from good to better.

Every building was made of yellowish like sand concrete with the FTC flag and symbol above their main doors, while the recruits around the fortress adorned in Alliance’s armors performing their duties.

After a few minutes, he reached the main building in the center of Fort Tulufan and entered through a pair of huge metal doors semi-opened, the building which Bready entered was the Free Traders Collective’s war room.

“My Executor, Adiar.” Bready slightly bowed as he exclaimed to the Executor sat at the end of the room on a high-detailed blackish throne behind a large dark brown table.

The Executor Adiar was the Leader of the Free Traders Collective and he managed internal affairs within the alliance.

He was a human of about 6’03’’ height, brown eyes, and black short hair, always donned in heavy armor with an Alliance’s symbol engraved on its chest; at his back he always had a blue cloak.

...The Humans, they were the last race created on the realm centuries ago, making the younger race between the others, but this never stopped them from demonstrating their worth as they quickly learned every culture they could from the other races and then forged their own as they built up Velika with the help of the other races, the actual Capital city of the Free Traders Collective Alliance.

And in a blink of an eye, the Humans became the most populated race on the realm; many of them were great leaders and warriors, always looking at every situation with optimism, bringing hope when it was needed.

But their golden age gloomed when their own leaders couldn't live up to their goals, leading them to fight among themselves and then destroyed their own unity as a race, thus the humans left and spread throughout all the realm, shattering their own future as a species and joined others.

Although Velika is still in the Humans’ territory, it did not become as great as they dreamed...

Adiar’s personality was friendly; he always wore a serious expression on his face as his watchful gaze was always inspecting everything. He looked at Bready for a few seconds, who was walking and positioned himself at one side of the table, and then he spoke.

“How’s the report on our territory, something important I must know?” The Executor said while shrugging his left shoulder and then rested his hands on the table lacing his fingers.

“Yes my lord…something very important, five IO’s soldiers are in our territory, just at the entrance of the Hazard Zone. I do not think they have more than that there, but...” Bready informed as he put some of his opinions on the report as he suddenly saw something which stopped his own words on the second floor of the room.

The room was huge with two corridors at the sides in a second floor. Although the whole room had a wooden floor, it was made carefully and in detail as it was varnished. The room had enough light coming from the numerous windows, allowing Bready to see anything without losing a detail.

His words were cut when the Princess Cauterize appeared before Bready's view as she calmly walked along the left corridor of the second floor as her amber wolf ears startled upon hearing their conversation.

While at her back, her amber wolf tail wagged once, but Bready didn't manage to notice her...invasiveness.

Since Bready was astonished by Princess Caut’s beauty which came from her pampered youth bestowed by her creator.

Her perfect pink pale skin which seemed like porcelain, her precious long orange hair, those lovely blue eyes and her simple but elegant white riddling light armor matched every detail of her beauty and fit perfectly to her angelical and apparently fragile body as she walked.

...The Elins, the third creation which came to this world but remained hidden till their own Creator and Goddess, Elinu, entered in her deathlike eternal sleep.

The Goddess Elinu created them giving tiny pieces of her own eternal soul and from them formed their physical bodies resembling her desires, eternal beautiful youth with some animalistic traits and peace, although the last of the three was impossible to achieve.

Their child-like appearances were Elinu’s mere concept of ideal beauty, which caused all the others races to underestimate them upon first sight, but they ended up noticing that they weren't just jolly faces with childlike measures.

And despite their childlike appearances, the Elins ended up being more mature than most of the other races in terms of wisdom and diplomatic prowess.

Elinu created them with one sole task: to protect the Nature of the realm, be it a forest or a dessert, every natural environment was the same in their eyes and they defend it till their last breath, although their lifespan is around 800 years, their spirit is eternal.

But their Divine Task many times led them to many problems, even on their first day when their Goddess Elinu entered her eternal sleep and revealed them to the rest of the world...

“And?” Adiar asked as Bready’s words suddenly stopped.

“Oh...oh...sorry. As I was saying...there is a group of five IO’s soldiers at the Hazard Zone, and I think that we should send our Elite Forces, to eliminate the threat now before it's too late and they kill some of our recruits.”

Bready finished his report while the Princess Caut’s figure disappeared behind some yellowish walls after the corridor ended, but she didn't keep walking, instead she leaned her back on the wall as she completely extended her wolf ears to listen.

The Princess was intently hearing Adiar and Bready’s words, each and every single one of it, thanks to her superior senses from her animalistic traits.

“I see…” Adiar said while staring at Bready. “...but that is a little impossible right now. The Elite forces are deployed to other territories accomplishing their duties. So I can't send them to eliminate that threat. We must handle it by ourselves for now” Adiar explained with a serious expression.

“But...my Executor…” Bready tried to insist but Adiar interrupted him.

“Look, we can treat this like real combat training, and you said that they are just five, they aren't a big deal then. Take five of our best recruits and defeat the enemy, it cannot be that that hard.” Adiar said with a hint of carelessness.

Bready hesitated, but then it disappeared when he heard Adiar’s severe voice. “It is an order, soldier!”

“Yes, my Executor!” Bready quickly answered, turned and then left the FTC’s war room.

On the other part, the Princess Caut who was hearing the conversation also left the room, as she slightly doubted Adiar’s words deep inside her. ‘Why he is so slovenly?’ She thought for a second as she left the room.

Upon leaving, Bready then stood there and pondered outside as all the movement of outside yet didn't end, wondering how he would carry out Adiar’s order as he also remembered Princess Caut’s figure and countenance as he thought.

‘I am sure she is the one who brought me to this world, I am sure of it, I still remember her face...the very first face I saw... when I was awakened.’ Bready thought for himself for a few seconds and then carried out Adiar’s order.

After 2 hours, Bready gathered what he deemed to be the FTC’s five most promising recruits for the sole purpose of eliminating what was known as ‘The Hazard Zone Threat’ from rumors spread by recruits.

All of the 5 recruits were confident, with every one of them claiming that they were ready for battle, but in reality, this was their first taste of the long alliance conflict.

Bready was reluctant to go, but it was a direct order of the Executor. It was a good time to engage in combat, due to the IO soldiers being unaccustomed to the harsh climate here.

The sun shone above, as the 6 man team rode towards the enemy with Bready’s warhorse on the lead.

Upon arrival nearby the Hazard zone, Bready ordered everyone to dismount and travel on foot, which annoyed the new recruits.

Bready knew that patience and strategy were important so he tried to create a plan before arriving at the target location since that was what experience taught him. However, the recruits didn't like that either and walked towards the target.

He couldn't stop them, better said, he didn't even try it. Bready just followed them as his skills as a leader were not that great at all, as he prefers to follow orders, but he knew that this was wrong as it did not improve his situation at all.

Bready noticed the enemy, all of them Humans wearing the Iron Order symbol on their armors, resting by a campfire; but before he could even start to formulate a plan or tactic, the recruits hastily charged in without even thinking.

Their sudden action left Bready no choice, he forgot about forming a sound plan beforehand and run in after them in desperation as he knew that if he didn't help, they wouldn't stand a chance at all.

However, it was to no avail, as one by one, the recruits fell easily into enemy hands. Bready felt heavy-hearted: this feeling reminiscent of when he saw his honorable comrades’ death in front of his eyes.

And before he could notice, he was trapped; surrounded and cornered by the Iron Order soldiers.

He tried to rush to the only available escape route and fired several arrows aiming for the enemies to cover his retreat but his efforts were futile.

One of the IO’s soldier immobilized Bready with magic and forced him down on the ground.

Meanwhile, another IO’s soldier, from afar fired a restraining arrow from her bow right at his right foot, immobilizing him completely.

While Bready was on the floor, the IO’s soldiers stood near him and laughed condescendingly.

“What happened? You look helpless!” His enemies laughed together. “Hahahahaha... So, this is the so-called ‘Hero of FTC’ that everyone talks about?”

Bready doesn’t answer while he tried to stand the pain of the arrow pierced on his foot.

“Answer him, you rookie! You thought that you were a Hero coming in here and rushing like an enraged Mugato? Hah!” His enemies laughed together again. “…but look at you now…You are nothing more than a hunk of trash.”

Bready remained in silent, while he watched them.

“Answer! You sh***y Popori!” One of the soldiers started stomping Bready’s stomach. Still, he said nothing, they just only could hear Bready’s random weak moans of pain.

“Answer!” One of them repeated, instead of an answer, Bready spat on the infiltrator’s boot.

“How foolish! You will pay for that!” The soldier angrily roared as he looked at his boot.

Bready for a moment he thought, about escaping, but then realized he couldn’t escape from here even if he tried. Knowing this, he set his wandering gaze into in the infinite blue sky, waiting for his end.

But suddenly he heard an unfamiliar female voice in his mind once again.

“…Never give up…”

At that moment, Bready somehow realized that it wasn’t his time yet, and his mind started to think of all his possibilities.

‘What I can do? What? Something… Please! Someone help me! WHAT CAN I DO?!!!’ He said in his mind in despair while the same soldier kept stomping him angrily.

“Help!” Bready shouted with what little strength he had left.

Credits to I4MD34TH for editing!