Chương 36: Crossroads (End of Arc 3)

Interlude: Fate Crackling campfire warmed the air, accompanied by a mouth-watering aroma of baked marshmallows. No one would expect such a sight to exist in the middle of a battlefield, but this was how things turned out after Kayzen and the rest had defeated the Archwolf. The army who had halfway retreated towards the Ironheart town was in an awkward spot. They could neither resume their retreat nor make another campsite now that they had fled from the original area. Thus, they decided to do both.

A large portion retreated to the Ironheart town while the remaining chose to build a temporary camp in this location. Those who were willing could come and go as they pleased. While there wouldn't be any new missions coming out, the mercenaries, adventurers, and even people from the Ironheart town could use this place as a market and supply point. Nonetheless, all of these had nothing to do with those who had fought against the Arachne.

Kayzen, Vasser, and the rest of the Zephyr mercenaries sat around the bonfire and recuperated from the battle.

"So, you are telling me that your name is Zephyr?" Kayzen looked at the man who seemed to glow before the bonfire.

"Indeed so."

"That's awfully narcissistic." Vasser added in. Really, who would name an entire mercenary group after their own name?

"Well, I am an elf. Albeit a half one." Kayzen and Vasser couldn't help but chuckle at Zephyr's response. If there was ever a competition of being narcissistic, then the elf race would undoubtedly take all of the top spots. It was hard to beat them who lived long lives and pursued beauty as if it was the most natural thing in the world. The trio had been chatting for a good hour and now they were well aware of each other's circumstances.

As they talked about various topics, Kayzen and Vasser also learned an unexpected truth. It turned out that the attack of the Archwolf leader was partially related to the Zephyr mercenary group. The Archwolves, for some unknown reason, were moving towards the mines. And that place also happened to be the target of the Zephyr mercenary group. The two clashed over and over, resulting in the Archwolves' failure to go towards their target.

Thus, in a fit of fury the Archwolf leader attacked the campsite instead of going towards the mine. It was hard to judge the reasoning behind it, but the fact didn't change that there was something unusual in the mines.

"So, what are your plans next?" Zephyr asked.

"We are going to go to the mines of course. It doesn't matter that the army has taken back their missions. We still owe it to Baron Huiyan."

"Oh, I know him. A pretty shrewd fellow."

"Well, everyone seems to agree on that point." Just as the group were chatting, a sudden surge of Ether interrupted their conversation. The source of it was none other than the back of Kayzen's hands.

"Is your sigil now complete?" Vasser asked as she took his palm in her hand. Engraved there was a sigil that resembled a patterned web, as well as a bunch of celestial objects. It was hard to make out exactly what it represented. There was the sun, moon, and the stars; all caught within dark purple webs. It was a beautiful yet strange pattern to look at. Kayzen didn't waste any time and immediately focused his attention towards understanding which authority he had gained.

A normal warlock would only have a single authority throughout their life, but just like the Crusaders and Templars were able to wield divine laws, the warlocks also had the ability to use certain world laws. And these world laws were evolved from their authorities. So, in a sense, what Kayzen had acquired right now were two seeds of world laws. Under the anticipating eyes of the other two he channeled Ether into his sigil.

Nothing happened for a few seconds as he first read his own records to realize what had changed, and then, Kayzen raised his hand and pointed at the bonfire. Vasser and Zephyr flinched as the flame split in half. Not just that, even the burning wood and the soil below were parted in two, as if it was sliced by a sharp sword. The strangest thing was that they didn't feel the slightest Ether fluctuation.

"Ruzgar's boots! Assassins would kill for that authority!" Zephyr whistled. Kayzen grinned at the two and mentioned what his authority was, "I can imbue some of my attacks with the properties of slicing space. This is just a very primary form of this authority, but I'm sure one day it will grow into a powerful world law." The trio excitedly chatted about a bit more on the path they were going to walk on.

It was hard to find like-minded people since all three of them were at the peak of their generation when it came to talent. It was due to this that they shared their skills without hesitation and learned from the others. In the end they parted ways after the fire died out. Kayzen and Vasser would be going towards the mine, but before that, there was one more thing to accomplish. It was time to recruit the third member of the Cursed Dawn.

The duo walked towards one of the counters that was set up for exchanging materials. It was noticeably empty unlike before, however, the one-armed man behind the old wooden table was still the same.

"How is it going?" Kayzen asked. He had already given him the shard, but it looked like Derrick hadn't had the time to use it yet.

"As good as it could be in this situation. Fortunately, we were able to mitigate most of the damage," Derrick shrugged in response and asked, "Do you want to exchange for some materials?"

"Well, yes and no," Vasser stepped forward.

"We do want to exchange for some materials, but that's not exactly why we are here. Would you like to join us?" She was, as always, straightforward.

"Join you for what?"

"Join our adventuring group, The Cursed Dawn."

"You guys have an adventurer group?" Derrick was more confused than surprised.

"Yes, and it's just the two of us." Vasser pointed at herself and then at Kayzen, who was standing beside her. Others might have thought this a joke, but Derrick didn't. He knew better than anyone how strong the duo were, as well as the power behind their identity. If they weren't qualified to form an adventurer team, then no one was. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

And in all honesty, he was excited that he was offered the chance to become the third member. He, who at this moment, was a crippled nobody.

"Why me?" Derrick couldn't help but ask.

"No particular reason. We believe you're good at handling these sorts of tasks, and for now, that's what we need." Vasser's words were brutal but honest. They didn't want Derrick for his fighting prowess or anything of the sort. The man was good at logistical stuff, and that's what they needed. They would be fighting a lot of monsters, and in return, they would also have to handle their remains and other post battle things.

This wasn't that big of a deal now since they were operating on a smaller scale, but things would be getting hectic on large-scale fights, such as the one before. Just how many Archwolf corpses were there in the forest? Collecting them, extracting useful materials, and then selling them at the optimum price; none of these were easy things. Tasks like these were time-consuming, and this was an inefficient process for someone like Vasser and Kayzen.

Their time was better spent in getting stronger so they could hunt more in the future. Seeing Derrick hesitate, Kayzen added more to the offer.

"You don't have to focus on just logistics either. I'll be making a lot of new shards, like the arm one I gave you before. I won't guarantee that you will be as strong as the main fighting power of the Cursed Dawn, but I assure you that you will become one of the strongest non-combat personnel there is." Derrick shook his head and laughed, a laugh filled with relief.

"You misunderstood. I wasn't hesitating because the offer wasn't enough; it was quite the opposite. I don't have a family to take care of anymore, and I thought this is it for my life. Now, you've made me stand on the crossroads that can change my fate. So yeah, I agree."

"Welcome aboard, then." Kayzen and Vasser reached out their fists, and Derrick did the same. Thus, the Cursed Dawn now had a third member. And his first task was getting a carriage to transfer all the monster remains, as well as collecting intel on what was going on in the Algasia Empire. … At a place a hundred kilometers from the ruined Greenford town. Here, the people who fled on that fateful day were gathered, some of them at least.

After that Ravager class ape had destroyed the town, the people didn't know what to do and where to go. They ran from the forest, they ran from the rivers, and now all that was left were the farmlands. There was enough food to eat and relatively weak monsters to handle. That is, before the rift appeared where they were travelling. Aliens poured in and the people had no choice but to fight. The cycle of escape and resistance continued before finally they had the courage to build a new settlement.

Nothing like Greenford, just a small gathering of less than a thousand people. What mattered though was that people finally had somewhere they could call home. Now it had been almost a month since this small settlement had resisted wave after wave of alien attacks. They had their own town guards, a training ground, hospital, and a budding new marketplace. Things were looking good for the ex-residents of Greenford. Unfortunately, not all were able to do this.

Some were dead, and others were unable to move on from the grief. The haggard man kneeling before five graves was one such example. The people in this settlement didn't know his name. Since the day this graveyard was erected, he had been kneeling in the same position for days on end. This wasn't something special since many were unable to move on, but this man was broken. He didn't move, he didn't eat, he didn't even sleep.

All day and every night, he knelt before the graves without a single tear or a single howl of grief. All he did was look at the tombstones with his dead eyes. At first people were worried that he might die of starvation, but after a week, no-one bothered. None spared their time when they had a mountain of things to worry about. The man was none other than Bran. The man who had lost everything. His home, his mother, his siblings… the very reason for his existence. He had seen his life crumble step by step.

First, his mother died when the monsters attacked. They lived in a poor house to save money for the children's future, and that had taken her life. The beam collapsed under the fiend's attack and trapped his mother beneath. He would never forget the sight of her smiling as she told him to run away, to keep his siblings safe. She was a kind woman who took care of orphans like them. She didn't deserve to die like that. Bran was broken with grief and sorrow, yet the thought of saving the children kept him moving.

Then they too fell one by one. The youngest died during the escape. He was overcome with sickness and there was no proper medicine. With trembling arms he buried the child with tears of blood, the child who begged for sweets every time he came home, the one whose laughter brought life to their cramped home. But now, he was gone. Bran suppressed his sorrow and hardened his heart. Two of his siblings still remained; a brother and a sister. He led the two of them and moved along with the group.

But it was as if fate was playing a cruel prank on him. A new rift on their path, a sudden alien attack from a grasshopper-like monster, and the siblings died at the same time. Now, only he was left. A man without anything. A man who had nothing left to live for... except Vengeance. The suns went below the horizon once again and the cold wind permeated the graveyard. None but him remained in this place. Why was he kneeling here? He himself didn't know the answer.

He wanted vengeance but he wasn't willing to let go just yet. The memories of those who had been taken from him, the pain, the sorrow, the anguish... All of that was too much to just let go. As much as he wanted nothing more than to go out there and kill every monster across the entire realm, he just couldn't lift his legs. Today, however, something changed.

From beneath the trees, from the shadows of the mountain, from a place far darker than anything else, a black torrent surged in front of the kneeling Bran and manifested into a crooked figure. A figure lifting a curved scythe over their shoulders. Finally, Bran lifted his swollen eyes and looked at the thing in front of him. He wasn't afraid, nor was he surprised. He didn't feel anything for he had lost those sensations a long time ago. He just stared at the thing with his dead eyes.

"What a pathetic, little thing. On one end you wallow in despair, yet subconsciously you refuse to die. A will strong enough to survive by drawing in Ether, yet at the same time, a mind too weak to even lift your legs."

"…" The amalgamation of darkness looked at the man before them who still showed no reaction. The more they looked, the more pleased they became.

"Do you seek vengeance?" For the first time, Bran looked into the eyes of the thing in front of him. Rather than pupils, what existed there was a deep abyss that seemed to swallow all existence. But he didn't care.

"Yes." A hoarse, unfamiliar voice escaped from his throat.

"Kekeke…Interesting. On whom? On the aliens that killed your family? On the humans who failed to protect you? On the seven? Or…the one who could have saved you, but didn't?" The last sentence caused Bran to flinch. Kayzen Ashbourne. The one he considered a friend…at least he thought so.

"Not innocents…I won't become what I swore to destroy. However, I have no plans to aid them either. Neither now, nor ever." Every word that came out of Bran's mouth was filled with conviction…and madness. Madness that was about to be unleashed.

"What about the rest? The ones who are not innocent? The ones you can't judge?"

"Kill." The figure paused for a moment, and then they broke into a wide grin.

"Very well then. Show me, child. Let the darkness feel how deep your desire for vengeance is." A withered palm appeared above the head of Bran. Then, a torrent of Ether descended from the sky and flooded the whole graveyard. It wasn't a form of manipulating Ether, but rather, a sheer and primal suppression. As if the reality itself was changing. As if the Ether was meant to fall and seep into every pore of Bran's body.

His muscles became tougher, his eyes became pitch-black, and a ten feet long scythe appeared in his hand. At the same time, a lot of knowledge was transmitted in his mind. How to wield this weapon, how to wield Ether, how to kill everything that walked in this realm. The scythe didn't care about reasons, morals, justice, or vengeance. As long as life existed, it was its authority to reap it. All of that assimilated into his brain as if it was the most natural thing in this world.

Even the records had no choice but to obey. Finally, Bran broke out from his grief. He looked ahead, but there was nothing. Only five graves remained in front of his eyes. For the final time, he bowed towards the graves and left the settlement without looking back. He felt the ether flooding in his veins and the vengeance burning deep within his heart. Bran was dead. Now, his life had but a sole purpose: To kill. None but the dark night witnessed his receding steps.

After a whole millennium, the chosen of Umbra once again walked this realm.