Volume I Chapter 4 Part II: Seeds of Disgrace (II)

Velika, Northwest District.

Like every other winter, clouds obscured the skies over Velika, weakly raining while a cold breeze prowled every corner of the land, including the most recondite corners of the city...

It was past midday when a loud, violent explosion erupted within Velika, alarming several patrol units within Velika nearby the source.

Multiple Castanic and Elin units mobilized promptly towards the origin of the explosion the second after it happened, and when they arrived…

There was a whole ten-meter building set on fire, as the firsts units coming could hear the screams of agony of the people trapped inside being consumed by the wild flames.

“Ahhhh!”

*SCRASH*

The building’s windows exploded due to the high temperatures as the flames continued spreading within the building.

To the place arrived around 13 Elins and 17 Castanics, aside from the many citizens spectating the sudden inexplicable flames from afar while others were trying to douse the flames.

All of them were away from the flames at a safe distance, as suddenly…

“All of you, retreat!” Wearing her usual light ebony armor, Zekka, a female Castanic, shouted loudly to a few civilians which approached to the building, trying to combat the fire.

Turning their heads to the voice, the remaining civilians see a red-skinned Castanic wearing a revealing black armor highlighting her slim, attractive build while revealing and accentuating her small chest beside exposing her upper thighs and portions of her stomach.

Even so, the civilians did not heed her words and continued their efforts to douse the violent flames.

Upon seeing the civilians ignore her words…

“Get them out of there.” Zekka turned her head back and ordered to the four Castanics sentinels behind her; they nodded and then immediately ran the to escort the civilians out the crime scene, while Zekka watched the Elin units preparing their magic sequences.

The Elins surrounded the burning building a few meters away, preparing their anti-fire spells to contain the flames before it spreads to the nearby buildings.

After a minute, while Zekka observed the Elin magicians surrounding the building containing the chaos, an Elin approached her, while her heavy armor clanked with each swift steps.

“You are Sergeant Zekka, aren’t you?”

Zekka heard the Elin’s firm, feminine, yet serious voice.

“That’s me. Can I help you?” Zekka replied back, turning to see a short black-haired Elin wearing a white-black hauberk, black gauntlets, and boots next to her, as the Elin fixed her teal eyes on Zekka.

“My name is Captain Emilia. Your men informed me that you are their commander. Did you witness what caused the explosion?” Emilia introduced herself along with an inquiry; while fixing her gaze back to the building.

Zekka felt Emilia’s stern words. Despite the jolly nature the Elins always displayed, they were courageous allies and fierce warriors in the battlefield.

As an old Amani friend once said to Zekka: 'These are people you want at your back, not facing you on the field of battle.'

‘Just like old times, huh?’ Zekka thought to herself while slightly smiling, remembering her younger days fighting with the Elins side by side during the Argon War.

“I did not, but I can say that this was no accident. No mere accident can cause this much damage this fast. I would like to take a closer look when the flames die out.” Zekka then replied thoughtfully.

“Indeed, I can perceive ‘spent’ mana traces within the building, but to cause this mess…it was definitely a spell from a well-trained magician. Although…*sniff*sniff*…should you be up with your…injuries?” Emilia exclaimed as her sensitive eyes could see faint blue ‘figments’ floating within the fire while her nose sniffed…dried blood and bandages under Zekka’s armor.

“...Hahaha, you Elins and your sharp noses…How can I sit by worrying my men will screw up without me.” Zekka replied as Emilia looked at her upon hearing her careless response over herself.

“Hahaha…also, I cannot be resting on a bed with all this going on, you know? ” Zekka added with a defeated chuckle.

“You Castanics…haven't changed at all,” Emilia murmured, as she knows the Castanics since the Argon War, where she participated as a low-range officer.

“Eh? Well, that’s how we are.” Zekka replied casually.

“I know, I am just curious where all that natural recklessness comes from. Haha.” Emilia exclaimed and then focused back to the flames, slowly inspecting her surroundings.

Not every Elin possessed sensitive eyes or any improved sense, yet all of them had a smell sense over the average in comparison with the other races; besides some had one or two unique gifts, most of the time deduced from their visible animalistic traits.

Even so, all the Elins were pure spirits given flesh, and all of them could see, feel, or sense certain things the other races cannot.

In this case, Emilia had above-average sensitive eyes among her peers, which allowed her to see traces of magic left behind when used to cast spells or other mana related skills.

‘This magic signature…I’m sure that I’ve seen it before…but when? Where?’ Emilia thought to herself and then she shouted.

“Extinguish the flames!” Emilia ordered her subordinates after inspecting the building magic traces carefully from afar with her sensitive teal eyes; while her subordinates had t already had the fire controlled

Hearing Emilia’s orders, the Elins switched from fire-control to fire-combat magic spells, as many yellow arcane triangles, designed to extinguish flames by recreating limited amounts of water, appeared around the building and doused the wild flames with ease.

After their sequences switch was done, the Elins slowly pushed the yellow arcane triangles towards the flames…

Upon the contact between the anti-fire magic and the fire, an extensive humid-wet steam erupted around the street as after a few minutes the fire nearly died out within the building.

“Haha, awesome,” Zekka exclaimed as the Elins’ prowess kept surprising her.

“You can now go in, sergeant; I’ll accompany you,” Emilia exclaimed as Zekka nodded, although Emilia already seemed slightly overwhelmed by the congregated stench from the charred bodies within the building.

“Are you sure?” Zekka asked, taking in consideration that detail.

“Yes, don’t worry about me,” Emilia replied back,

Meanwhile, the building’s front was charred carbon black, as its interior was carbonized, exposing debris scattered all around the seared floor.

Seeing the structure was still stable due to its sturdy pillars, Zekka entered the building’s doorless open entrance without thinking twice. Then…

*Clank!*

Zekka stumbled on something metallic, although it wasn't enough to knock her off balance.

Looking down, she sees a soot-covered metallic board under her left boot.

“Uhm?”

Curious of the object, Zekka then brushed the soot off its surface her boot, revealing the word ‘Desire’ and then a few meters ahead…a clean and untouched white circle.

“Do you see that?” Zekka pointed slowly ahead of her, to not open her still-healing wounds.

“Yes, what’s wrong with that?” Emilia asked unable to understand Zekka and the importance of that clean circle in the middle of the carbonized aftermath.

“Only A class magicians can do that, and there is not many of them,” Zekka replied without hesitation, as Emilia looked at her with a serious gaze.

‘It cannot be…’ Emilia thought for herself.

“I must report this immediately,” Emilia exclaimed without hesitation.

Somewhere within northern side of the Oblivion Woods, Arcadia province.

Blackness…pure blackness.

That was the only thing that Findley can see after Ralu teleported him out of ‘Desire’; while feeling a cold metallic feeling around his hauberk and back, as well around his wrists and ankle.

Oblivious of his current condition and the immobilization spells entrapping him, rendering him unable to hear and see anything.

“Uh? What the…” Findley uttered, noticing his imprisonment, shackled to what seemed a metallic operating table from his wrists and ankles.

“Aggh…ahh!” Findley pulled his arms and legs up to free himself, but it was to no avail, as the metal shackles effortlessly held him in place.

“Ahhh! Ralu, what does this mean?! Show yourself!” Findley shouted with fury.

*TUM-TUM*

“Agh!” Findley closed his eyes as these were suddenly overwhelmed by the room’s light sources, blinding his eyes for a few seconds.

Although what actually happened, is that Ralu canceled her magic sequence upon hearing Findley’s request.

After a few seconds, his eyes got used to the room’s artificial illumination; but he was unable to recognize his surroundings…as he seemed to be within a laboratory, surrounded by clean white walls, unable to tell if the installation was underground or not.

Additionally, Findley noticed at his right a metallic gray crash cart with several modern surgical instruments; various types of syringes along other tools and a bottle containing black, viscous liquid.

On the other hand, there were large lab tables all around the room, with test tubes filled with the same unknown black liquid within them, flasks, pipettes and others material around, although he saw no other scientific or medics around more than Ralu.

She was before him; albeit most of Ralu’s face was completely covered with a black breathing mask with two bright-blue lens visor.

“Hehehe…hai hai!” Ralu greeted with her usual cheerful personality and tone, though her voice was slightly muffled by the mask this time.

“Ugh! What does this mean?!” Findley shouted, demanding answers to his predicament.

“Aynn…hahaha…well, I said I was going to give you an opportunity to kill Adiar, right? Well, that’s what I am going to do.” Ralu explained vaguely while Findley can dimly hear her breathing through her mask with each word.

“Eh? What are you talking about?! Release me, Ralu!” Findley shouted back upon hearing her ambiguous response.

“Ralu, end with this already, I must leave soon.” Findley heard another muffled female, yet unknown voice behind him. But Findley was unable to see the other female, as he cannot turn his head to see the other person due to his entrapment.

“Roger that, Master!” Ralu said energetically and walked towards the crash cart next to the operation table where Findley was lying on.

“Goddammit, Ralu!” Findley yelled, seeing how upon being near the cart, took a syringe and the bottle, slowly drawing the viscous black liquid into the syringe.

“What are you going to do?” Findley asked as despair slowly bloomed in his heart.

“Hehehe…I am going to give you the strength to kill Adiar; I think…you are my first test subject with…uhmm… ‘my’ virus…hahaha.” Ralu exclaimed as she turned, holding the syringe upwards in her right hand.

Then, she approached to Findley…as his panicking eyes could just helplessly watch as she stabbed the syringe into his right shoulder, and injected the dubious liquid into him.

Then…Findley's unbearable suffering had begun.

“Aghh…ahhh…ahhhhh!” Findley yelled loudly while his face twisted in pain, feeling a foreign substance violently forcing itself throughout every fiber of his being through his veins.

Moments later; Findley, now crying in agonizing pain, started to convulse violently atop the operating table as the shackles clanked and rattled yet still holding him, while Ralu kept looking at his torment unfazed.

“Hraaaooooggghhh!” Findley’s suddenly roared spitting a black liquid mixed with blood forward, as his eyes were slowly turned completely black, leaving blue iris and blue ‘veins’ spreading nearby his eyes.

Furthermore, Findley’s body abruptly deformed while his body was gradually turning black, starting from his chest to the rest of his body.

“Hehehehe…incredible…wonderful!” Ralu exclaimed excited of her virus' results, spreading a concealed warped smile under her mask.

*Squelch*Crack*

Suddenly, blood splattered on her breathing mask along hearing his flesh contort and his bones cracking as Findley kept crying in pain.

“Hehehehe…it is all a success, master!” Ralu exclaimed happily, witnessing the results of her virus right in front of her.

“Good, make sure to deploy him at the preassigned destination.” The muffled female voice ordered as then her soft footsteps echoed within the lab, gradually fading away till Ralu’s master left.

“Yes, master!” Ralu answered back devotedly with a warped determination and then waved her hands to her master.

Then, Ralu turned towards the cart and took another syringe.

“Ayyy…I can’t wait! But first, I must acquire more samples!” Ralu exclaimed her thoughts aloud while preparing a new empty syringe in her right hand.

Unknown location.

*Zum-Zum-Zum*

*Criiiih!*

Multiple archers were stationed atop a hill between green-leafed trees; one after another shooting arrows downward, thus covering the front line down at the foothills.

“Keep firing!” A brown human archer wearing a light platinum armor shouted to his comrades while he kept summoning magic arrows in his left hand, swiftly pulled his bowstring and aimed, and fired his bow with precision.

With a slight delay, the arrow rapidly soared through the air and pierced through one of the advancing humanoid monsters’ skull, knocking it back as it collapsed dead on the floor.

“Fall back; we've been cut off!” One of his High Elf comrades next to his left exclaimed upon seeing their frontline being swarmed by the black-bluish monsters, starting to fall back from fear.

Immediately, the human turned his head to his comrades, outstretching his hand forward as he shouted back at in response.

“Belay that order, keep firing!”

*Fon-Fon-Fon*

Numerous of the archers within the backline, including the High Elf, were impaled by short black spikes, killing them instantly as the spikes took root within their victims.

“Crap!” The human cursed upon noticing the same spikes fired at him, forcefully throwing himself to the floor and avoided the projectiles.

At the same time, the creatures broke through the vanguard, ravaging everything they see spreading a festival of gore and disease; engulfing the battlefield in desperate cries of pain and bloodshed as the monsters feast on their victims, turning them into one of them adding their numbers in the process.

*Ahh-ahhhhhh!*

“Agh…” The human archer turned on the floor, and when he was about to push himself up…

*Krihhh!*

One of the monsters jumped on him, as it prowled onto the hill undetected by the soldiers long ago.

The human saw its bright blue vein eyes as it leapt, its claws aiming for his chest.

*Rahhh!*

-!-

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!” A female shouted while she was lying on the bed.

“Mech?! Mech?! Are you alright?!” Korah exclaimed as he barged into the room towards Mech, while Mech sprang up frantically, still covered with a simple but warm, white sheet.

Korah was within Mech’s room, it had plenty of space for one person, even more for an Elin; despite Mech’s slumber, the window curtain was left open, allowing the past midday sunlight to illuminate the room.

The concrete walls were light green while a white synthetic carpet layered over the entire floor; on the other hand, only a bed, a large dresser, a mirror next to it and a wooden chair at the left side of her bed decorated the room.

*Gasp-Gasp-Gasp-Gasp*

Mech’s eyes were completely widened and breathing irregularly; her eyes opaque and shaking, looking down at her hands as cold sweat trickled down her forehead

“Mech? What happened? Is everything alright?! Tell me what happened?!” Korah exclaimed worriedly, lowering his gaze to notice Mech squeezing the white sheet while her hands were lightly trembling.

“A-Argons? How…? I-It is impossible…” Mech spoke with a trembling voice, unable to take in her uncontrollable visions.

These were the visions, or better said, nightmares which Sayune, Mech’s mother, passed on to her months ago; tormenting her mind every time she closed her eyes and drifted into her slumber.

‘Argons? And what’s that odd magic frequency?’ Korah thought for a second, confused about the actual Mech’s sight and situation.

“Mech? What are you talking about?” Korah murmured, concerned of Mech’s actual mental condition while he softly placed his warm hand over Mech’s left hand.

Upon doing that, Korah felt Mech’s hands…determining them as cold as ice.

“Eh?” Mech shook her head once, dropped the sheets, and backed her hands to her chest, pushing away Korah’s hand.

Korah by his side, limited himself to look only at her eyes seeing them filled with an inexplicable fear, was concerned about her difficult condition.

Then, to help calm herself down, Mech slapped her cheeks once with both her hands, as the light of her eyes returned.

“Haha…I am sorry you saw that…I still have some nightmares from the Argon War back in the days…haha…” Mech said with a forced carelessness and soft smile.

‘I have never been able to understand her to be honest…but that’s what I like about her…’ Korah thought in his head while looking at Mech, baffled by her sudden change.

“Uhm?” Mech turned her head, gazing at Korah and then cocked her head to the right.

“…” Mech then looked down, noticing her simple one-piece dress pajama; and then quickly blushed, making her face look similar to an apple.

“Hahahaha…*Puff* …” Korah laughed calmly, but then a soft, pleasant scented pillow landed on his face.

“Why did you enter my room without knocking?!” Mech demanded answer while completely covering herself with her bedsheets.

“Haha…I just came here to remind you about the Allied Forces’ scheduled meeting. You always forget about your appointments, you forgetful midget.” Korah replied back mockingly.

“What?! It is not my fault for being a midget! Elins can’t grow more than a meter and a half!” Mech retorted while she threw another pillow at Korah.

“You should be worrying more about the meeting; it will start in 30 minutes more…” Korah said giggling, as Mech’s personality was funny and soothing for him. Talking with her helps him forget all the atrocities he did and saw during the several wars he had been.

Despite Korah being a High Elf, Mech was ironically his unique oasis of freedom, where he can be his friendly self, displaying his wounded soul by the war.

“30 minutes?! I am late already! Why didn't you say that first?!” Mech exclaimed loudly as she jumped off the bed in a second without the slightest shame and rushed towards the bathroom to prepare herself for the meeting with the Allied Forces’ leaders.

“Hahaha...I am sorry! I tried to say it but-…” Korah shouted back, slowly seating himself on the bed and relaxed, as Mech’s soft and sweet smell emanating from her bed.

“And don't even think about laying on my bed! Sit somewhere else!” Mech interrupted, shouting from the bathroom.

“Hah? That’s cheating…Okay okay…” Korah murmured, as Mech probably used her sharp Elin senses to ‘spot’ him right away.

After that, Korah slowly stood up off Mech’s bed and walked towards the wooden chair at its left.

“Uh?” Korah vocalized surprised upon seeing a yellow outfit with a gray mask over the costume; the mask had sorrowful eyes and a cheery smile.

Upon seeing this, Korah’s curiosity overwhelmed him, and without thinking it twice, he took the mask and tried to fit it on his face, noticing it was too small for him.

“Uhmm…” Korah noticed some words inside the mask and inspected it carefully…

‘Archangel…Archangel Project?’ Korah read some words inscribed on the inner mask surface.

‘What is that?’ Korah asked himself, puzzled of the words he just read.

“Drop it, right now.” Suddenly, Korah heard Mech’s serious tone behind him, as she probably noticed his intrusion from the bathroom.

“Uh…uh, sorry…” Korah left the mask right where he found it after hearing Mech’s voice.

“Leave my room. Now.” Mech added, and right after Korah turned and looked at her, seeing a white cloth towel wrapped around her body, revealing only her soft, bare shoulders while the rest were covered by the white cloth.

“But…Mech-” Korah tried to explain himself, but…

“Leave,” Mech repeated in abrupt interruption, as she wore a severe expression on her face and then turned around and walked towards the bathroom to finish her shower.

On the other hand, Korah walked towards the room door unable to understand the course of events, and then left Mech’s room in silence, confused by Mech’s sudden change of mood.

“If you would know what I did and what I am…” Mech murmured, leaning her back on the bathroom door after hearing Korah leaving.

Credits to I4MD347H for editing. Thanks a lot!