《The Zodians - Book 1: The Outlander》The Return of Warriors - Chapter 1: Raindrops of Death
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Lapunta year 1258, 2024 years before the birth of Prince Augustus, Lapunta dynasty.
The island of Irene, not on the map of Arglohandre.
A flash of lightning tore across the already dark sky. Suddenly, that blinding light flashed, clearly visible in the sky like the teeth of the devil. Each dark cloud billowed as if it swallowed the weak rays of sunlight that were trying to squeeze through each gap. Once more, the earth shook. The clouds curled up, leaving a hole in the center. It is said to be the eye of the devil. Scary, evil things poured down through that eye. Witchcraft, temptations, things that can wear down people's minds. Then from that height, infinitely deep, poured down so many raindrops of mourning. Raindrops of death.
Herone Volrock reached out and took the first raindrops into her palm. She raised her face, letting them soak the skin that had already bathed so many drops of blood, hoping to wash them away, but somehow her nose still had the salty taste of fresh blood, and they were like penetrate deeper. Herone turned to look at the frowning Phalanx Torricks, then turned eyes to her twelve comrades, all of whom had the same expression. Their expressions were both worried and expecting something on their faces.
"What do you think of me?" Herone asked shyly.
Phalanx was surprised. He looked at her, then sideways to make sure he was the one she was talking about. Then the Phalanx said:
“Why do you ask that? Right now?"
"I need to know. Who knows if we'll survive this battle?", Herone laughed.
“Well…”, Phalanx was a little embarrassed. He rolled his eyes thoughtfully for a moment, unable to help but turn to look at her for a moment. It took a few moments for Phalanx to open his mouth to answer. “You are still very beautiful… Strong, determined…”
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"So do you like me?", Herone cut him off without hesitation.
"What?", Phalanx was surprised again by her. He understood what she said, but it surprised him so suddenly.
“I wanted to have something to hold onto, a hope so that I wouldn't give up my life at Lapunta's hands. Furthermore…”, Herone paused. She turned to look at Phalanx, at the same time catching his gaze on her as well. “I have been alone for forty-six years…”
Phalanx looked at Herone silently. That woman was also forty-six years old this year, but whenever she looked at Herone, she still kept the youthful appearance of a girl back then. He also missed her for fifty-two years, will he miss her again this time? Is this the last time to hold that silhouette?
"I still love you, haven't changed," Phalanx gently answered Herone's question in a calm and slow voice. His voice radiated a feeling that was both gentle and intense. He only knew that Herone did not reply when she heard it, but the smile on her lips was as bright as the sun on a new day. “I say this not to give you support to cling to. Besides… I've been alone for fifty-two years, haven't I?"
The rain was still heavy and seemed to have no intention of stopping, and they were also steadfast against it, putting their faith in something that seemed impossible. Lightning continued to rumble, ripping through the blackened sky. The wind howled, the trees tilted, trying to cling to the ground so as not to be swept away. The sea surface is turbulent with fierce currents. Deep whirlpools like devil's mouths are waiting for teeth full of iron fangs to gnaw into two unlucky prey.
Arglohandre is now a dead land. It is itself a fertile continent, with green grasslands, misty valleys, winding rivers, endless hills and mysterious animals. Now what is left? Arglohandre is broken in two at the hands of Lapunta, a great villain who spreads death. He made a deal with a dark force in exchange for unimaginable power, and then conquered every inch of the land here, establishing his kingdom as Solpronos once was, calling himself Sovereign Emperor. He mercilessly kills all those who disobey him, and then turns them into his army of the undead – mortals ready to rush to serve Lapunta's crimes. Many armies were defeated by his bloody hands. He will kill until no one stubbornly opposes him, even if he is the king of the ashes, he will not hesitate.
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Perhaps, on this mourning Arglohandre, only the group of them - those standing in the rain here, were the last to remain unyielding. They once stood up against Lapunta, however they were clearly not his opponent. In the last moment before Lapunta completely finished everything, the gods appeared. For the first time in history, this divine force decided to intervene to change destiny. The remaining warriors in that desolate battle, including the thirteen of them, were transferred to an island that had no name on this map. Here, they built up forces waiting for the day to return to the mainland. But how do they know, eight years on that island, Lapunta and Arglohandre have survived for nearly a hundred more years!
The thirteen of them will still fight endlessly, even if they die, they will still destroy Lapunta. It took them eight years to build an army, and this moment would be the moment when they would begin a great revolt. Will they live then? Or will they die? But if you die, die when the chains on the neck are broken.
“The past is written by the future. The Emperor will be destroyed by the thirteen treasures of thirteen unborn humans.”
That was the prophecy they always believed, as the foundation for their uprising. The eight years they spent building the army, the same eight years they waited for that prophecy to come true. And they are looking at it here! In just a few moments, they will know if their time has been wasted.
All hope was focused on the child sitting on the rock in front of him. The whole group of adults waited impatiently for little Jon. He is the son of Reind Domingo and Victoria. This Resistance Army is led by Reind. The boy came to them as a gift from the gods. In this battle, it was the key to success, or at least that was what they believed in.
The boy is somehow spiritually capable. It could link minds with anyone, but most importantly, it gave them the Thirteen Sacred Treasures. No one knows what their origin is, it is clear that these treasures give them an immeasurable power.
Jon is quietly doing his job. The group of people held their weapons firmly in their hands, with their hearts racing wildly with fresh blood. Then a flash of lightning tore through the sky, and the boy's eyes suddenly opened. The color of his eyes is as blue as the bottomless sea. He sighed, then turned his head to look at them. Jon hesitated for a moment, then began to declare:
“It's time… We can gather everyone!”
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