‘’Calm your heart, steady, steady! Just like that!’’ His father’s rough pair of hands tightly gripped onto his fingers. String pulled full, arrow’s tip shining like a uneasy fire, wood base of bow cracking under intense force, Ubel let out a deep breath. ‘’Like...this?’’ He moved the bow a bit lower and aimed for the small boar down the terrain. Bushes and branches in front of him didn’t stand a chance at intercepting his sight.

‘’Good! Now hold your breath. It is essential to control your trembling before shooting. Just a small breeze or a tiny movement can change its trajectory. These boars have pretty thick skins. So don’t let it suffer. Just take out its heart and it will be done.’’ How could he sound so warm and happy in an instance of murder, Ubel thought. Was this an aspect of being a parent? Were all people fine with killing animals without remorse?

‘’I’ve got this, I’ve got this....alright. Okay.’’ It seemed hard to force his conscience to shut up. Meanwhile, boar down the tree continued to search for a prey, or perhaps a lodging to pass the incoming thunderstorm and flood; evident from the gathering of dark clouds and crackling sounds of faraway lightning. Then it heard a small whistle. A really, really loud yet small whistle. Instantly, boar turned around to face Ubel, who fired a shot that instantly pierced through the eyelids, then into the skull, of the poor creature.

It howled for an instant, just for a time shorter than a second, and fell down limp. Yet that anguished voice reverberated inside Ubel’s head, constantly, relentless, and continued to as his father jumped down the tree, stumbling along the way because of his bad health and balance, while proceeding to strike down a dagger into the throat of already dead.

‘’Just to be sure,’’ He answered the unspoken question, ‘’Some have learned to act dead. Even more so after years. Maybe they are getting more intellectual gradually.’’ Then he sighed. Although he swished the sleeve of his cloth to wipe away beads of sweat on his forehead, while successfully getting rid of them, more blood than those drops spread on his tanned skin. Partially grey, short hair of his never seemed this creepy to Ubel.

‘’Shall I-’’

‘’No,’’ his father instantly replied, ‘’No need dear. You seem to be tired, too. I can carry over it, your dad is not that weak.’’ Then he smiled to Ubel. ‘’Though you can go ahead first. Maybe ask your grandma to prepare the spices. We can eat a good meat tonight.’’ Mention of spiced meat brightened the eyes of the seven year old boy. Though he put up with the negative emotions, for the sake of not to worry his already sickened father and the taste of a good meal, they were not hidden deep down. In the darkness he called mind, or soul as his grandma said, he kept them together with a painful memory.

A fatal mistake.

*********

‘’This soon? I thought you had plenty of time left.’’

‘’Yeah...sorry.’’ Ubel slightly bowed down to Alim.

‘’Sorry for what?’’ Alim furrowed his brows. ‘’I said so earlier, didn’t I? Just tell me before you go and its all fine and good.’’ Ubel nodded, his face a bit pale and cheeks red. Veins and slight cracks on his face was eye catching to an amazing extent.

‘’Hey,’’ Alim patted Ubel’s shoulder and beckoned a co-worker to take up his place for a moment. His friend slightly smiled, waving his hand, and pushed Alim a little as to get him out. ‘’Let’s talk a bit outside.’’

They left the Star Library and proceeded to climb up the mountain. Near the entrance of first borough, atop a brown and grey stairs they stopped. These stairs were wide enough for five men, shoulder to shoulder, pass together easily, so their presence did not trouble the scarce amount of disciples or servants climbing up to top; either from the lack of flying equipment and mount, or from the plain pleasure of greeting the felicific scenery of the mountain and the sea.

‘’Why do you seem so bad though?’’ Alim said, ‘’I will admit, these veins and cracks makes you look better. But, that is not why they are there, aren’t they?’’

‘’Just a bad nightmare,’’ Ubel replied,’’ That’s all. Family matters, you can say.’’

‘’Oh, right.’’ Alim rested his chin on his hand. ‘’About your mother, or father?’’

‘’Both.’’

‘’If it won’t make you feel worse,’’ Alim offered, ‘’would you care to mention the details?’’

Ubel let out a sigh and started to talk. ‘’I saw myself with my dad in the woods...’’

They have continued to talk under the intense gaze of the bright sun and above the seemingly safe yet threateningly terrorizing waves of the sea. Time didn’t pass as fast as it was when Ubel was together with Boris, or as slow as the time he interacted with his neighbour. It also reminded him the effect of people on him and the time he had. Which one was more acceptable? He didn’t dare to decide.

‘’Her face was also like...yours?’’ Alim raised his brows. ‘’You mean like-’’

‘’Like a bloody lily. Even her arms and feet, eyes, and ears were like it. I also saw a huge beast, like bigger than Star Library behind her. But her shadow was covering everything. So, I don’t know what it looked like.’’

‘’Strange enough,’’ Alim smiled,’’ Dreams can be prophecies sometimes. Just pray that that beast isn’t your enemy.’’

‘’Why so?’’ Ubel asked, a questioning glint in his eye.’’

‘’You said it was bigger than the library, right?’’ Ubel nodded. ‘’Then it should be as powerful as a Path Opening expert.’’

‘’Huh?’’

‘’Don’t be confused but generally, size of a beast indicates its level of power. Didn’t you read the Kaiserri And Osbour in Senior Master Quan’s lessons?’’

‘’Oh yes!’’ Ubel exclaimed. ‘’The Osbour was as big as a mountain and could eat something of equal size in one sweep. But Isn’t that a legend?’’

‘’Well, perhaps.’’ Alim was also not sure. ‘’That kind of strength is unseen in our civilization. But it is also a evidence to the size is equal to strength thing.’’

Ubel wondered, how big would Elder Snow be if he turned into a beast? He would definitely be bigger than mother’s beast. ‘’Well, you still have people to talk, don’t you?’’

‘’Actually, I left you to the last...’’ Ubel grinned a bit.

‘’Ugh, I hate you.’’ Alim just slapped Ubel’s back and stood up. ‘’You are leaving tomorrow then. At least Gaobun is also coming with you. He is just slightly worse than Senior Master Quan so you should be safe. Two star kingdom’s are not that weak anyway.’’

‘’Yeah...’’ Ubel also stood up and escorted Alim all the way back to Star Library. After bidding farewell to each other, Ubel returned back to his now empty residence. Daylight was still abundant. Clouds were cleared away by the winds that brought fresh air and Qi. And Ubel finally locked up his door after hesitating for a good while.

He already talked with his neighbour, or senior sister Agatha the first he came out this dawn. She also had some matters to attend to, so their talk was pretty smooth and quick. For Boris, Ubel couldn’t find him anywhere in the sect. Even after he asked senior sister Yen, he couldn’t get an answer. It seemed like he disappeared somewhere else without any notice. Even his master, Elder Windblade, who accepted him just a year ago, didn’t seem to be available.

So he just had nothing left to do.

*********

‘’Is this what we are seeking for, master?’’

Boris followed the deep brown eyes of his master through the dead terrain, the light blue waves of the sea above them still shallow enough to let light pierce through the surface and lighten up their surroundings. They hid behind a huge pillar, made of the spines of the old Deep Sea Kings. Deep red marrow remnants and golden brilliance of the ancient creatures’ bones reminded him of the murals they saw a while back.

Elder Windblade just made a ‘’Shush’’ sign and continued to stare in front. Then, something caught his attention and his eyes widened. With a swish of his sleeve, Windblade released a sound barrier to contain sound waves. Yet, he didn’t dare to speak aloud again and sent a transmission.

‘’This is Altar Of Sovereign. This is what we have been searching for. Holiness herself only knows how long it was!’’ Boris couldn’t understand the excitement and wariness in his master’s voice. ‘’Elder Cinder said it was used to communicate with Four Sovereigns. Even sometimes for sacrifice. With this...we can stop the threat of the forsakens.’’

‘’Forsakens!? Master don’t tell me you are humoring me right now!’’ Boris felt bolts of lightning striking to his heart. Forsakens they were! God damn forsakens! None could stand in their way in the past, nor in the present. ‘’But what can we do with the altar? Are we going to use it for sacrifice as the late generation had done?’’

‘’That is not for us to decide,’’ Windblade said and slowly condensed his power, or Path in his palm. ‘’Our first priority is to get this thing out as soon as possible. Then we can contact the sect.’’ His gaze hardened and with a boom, a huge stream of Qi erupted from his feet. Ground of the Deep Sea Tomb shook like none it experienced for seven thousand years as Windblade struck.

‘’Master what are yo-’’ Even before Boris could intervene, Windblade appeared right above the altar and slashed right at its center, screamings of blades of wind and storms erupted. Then a bloodcurdling scream followed, right after the appearance of a hideous and furious looking creature. Its wide chest was completely chopped into two pieces while its rainbow colored hair strands turned half gray.

‘’Rainbow phantom?’’ Boris looked in amazement and weariness, either from the huge burden of expanding Qi storm, or from the extreme pressure of the augury technique he used to find this place. ‘’Vile monster!’’ Windblade shouted and dived down like a valkyrie, two shields of wind appearing in his hands.

‘’ISGAL, ISGAL’’ Screamed rainbow phantom, the language none of them understood at the moment seemed to fill its body with a mysterious force. Yet Windblade didn’t let him rejuvenate. ‘’HAH!’’ He slammed both shields diagonally on top of the phantom’s head. Flood of matters of brain and of blood ensued with the cracking of the Ihlas metal ground. The creature turned into a meat paste in a moment and Windblade let out a huge sigh. Dispersing the wind shields, he sent another surge of violent tempest to clean up the corpse. He well knew how troublesome these corpses would be with environments filled with death and misery, like Deep Sea Tomb and such.

‘’That was a real Rainbow Phantom?’’ Boris finally got a hold of himself. His legs had gone weak from the randy waves of power from the momentous clash. Windblade himself also seemed both troubled and tired as well. Even master is...

‘’Let’s get this thing out first,’’ Windblade urged,’’ Take this meanwhile.’’ Windblade put a small bead in his hand, the mark of a fiery bird embed upon it. A medicinal pill it was, a quite strong one at that. Boris swallowed down the bead without showing gratitude, nor did Windblade wanted to see one; His interests didn’t lay on the well being of his third disciple at this moment as well.

After getting close up, Windblade stopped and started to inspect the altar. He opened his third eye and tried to dig into the inner structure of the altar but to no avail, even today’s civilization knew how to keep the third eye away from the matters as buildings and equipment. That wasn’t even enough to make him feel bad, however. He walked on top of the altar and started to touch its texture, from ground to the handles at its square corners. Still no clue.

Enforcing Qi inside it didn’t work nor did force even trembledit. Even though the ground under it sunk after the battle, no effort on his part was enough to move this thing. Yet, Windblade didn’t stop. He continued try new ways to somehow move away the altar, or find a way to activate it perhaps.

Boris didn’t sit idle either. He sat down cross legged in front of the altar and started to use his augury technique. It was this ability that led him and his master to this place, to the tomb of once greatest race of all four continents that no man have ever stepped upon in thousands of years. So maybe he could do something, even if it was little, to solve the puzzle in front of them.

They spent days, then weeks in the place. Whatever Windblade have tried, what kind of a solution he thought had no effect. Yet, Boris somehow managed to find something.

For the past few days he seemed to be stuck on a part of his spell. Whenever he tried to focus on the altar’s top, something automatically, or maybe intentionally, canceled it. Backlash was hard to resist and he got himself wounded a dozen times at least. Yet, with each try he could see, he could feel something resonating with his blood.

Another week had passed and Boris finally managed to succeed. He stood up immediately and walked on top of the altar, right at its center and raised his hand. His stream of Qi flowed towards the center of his palms, to his glabella, and to his heart. Four different circles of light brightened the dark and mossy surroundings of the Tomb as they floated. Together, they came up to be like a four leaf clover, with a single strand of light above them coming down as a root.

‘’This is...constellation?’’ Windblade curiously looked towards the patterns and ever revolving inner circles of the augury spell. Boris’s face already got flushed with red and his Qi reserves was depleting tremendously fast. So Windblade tried to process everything as fast as possible.

‘’I found it! It is not constellation, it is formation! It is a formation of instructions about how to activate the altar.’’ Windblade exclaimed, ‘’Good job Boris! You can stop now, I will get this thing to work.’’

‘’Don’t tire yourself, esteemed sir.’’ A voice creeped behind them. ‘’I can work on it as you gentlemen rest.’’

Both master and disciple turned around at the same time and greeted the glinting head of the spear with their throats. Then their blood screamed in ecstasy, ‘’We are free from this filthy mortal coil!’’