As Sylph and Celes engaged the bigger Wyrm, Aldon sat beside Kesha, running his mind on full speed, trying to come up with a plan to deal with the Wyrm. Be however much he thought, he couldn’t come up with any feasible plan to defeat the Wyrm without outside help. His hands hovered above his storage bag, seemingly unable to decide whether or not to use the jet-black dagger handed over to him by Haldir.
Just when he was about to stop hesitating and draw the dagger from the storage bag, Aldon felt Alastair tremble slightly. He absentmindedly poured some of his mana into it, intending to soothe it. Surprisingly though, due to his infused mana, Alastair glowed lightly as information for a particular Spell was constructed inside Aldon’s mind.
Looking over the effects and power of the new Spell, Aldon laughed in relief. The new Spell was more than capable of erasing the bigger Wyrm from existence. The only drawback was that his body would be extensively worn out as he was not yet powerful or had a capable body to withstand its full power.
After mulling over whether to take a risk and cast the Spell or depend on the black dagger, Aldon finally reached a decision. He decided to take the risk and cast the Spell as he didn’t want to break his promise with Haldir.
Aldon quickly stood up and infused some of his mana into the silver band on his left wrist. Alastair’s restraints were released, and it turned into a sleek silver longbow. Aldon knew that he could only maintain Alastair’s true form for a minute as he pulled its bowstring to a full moon and shouted to Sylph and Celes, “Contain the Wyrm for at least a minute. I’ve got a Spell that will eliminate it with absolute certainty.”
After shouting, Aldon began to cast the new Spell that had appeared inside his mind. Since the mana required by the Spell was monumental, he raised the intensity of the unnamed Technique. The eerie black whirlpool in front of his chest began to slowly grow in size as it devoured mana crazily and provided the Spell with the required amount of mana.
An arrow slowly began to materialize between the riser and the bowstring of Alastair. Sylph and Celes noticed this, and trusting Aldon, began to fight without any regard to their wellbeing. They had only one thing in mind: To contain the Wyrm for a minute. Though this reckless fighting attitude was admirable, they had lost their cool rationale and began to be injured more frequently.
Noticing all this, a burly elf within the ranks of the Kingdom’s troops who were on the frontline, battling the two smaller Wyrms laughed loudly as he exclaimed, “Third Prince Orym, it would be bad for the Kingdom’s prestige if we just sit back and enjoy the results of the Empire’s hard work without contributing anything! I volunteer myself to be the sacrificial lamb and go out in glory. Would you please permit me?”
Orym had a conflicted look on his face as he replied, “But General Zane, your family...” The burly elf, Zane, interjected, “I don’t worry about my family, Third Prince! I know that my squadron and the Kingdom will look after them and provide them with a comfortable life. Probably even more than I ever could! I’ve always strived to bring recognition to the Kingdom that birthed me! It’s time that the world acknowledges the prowess of the Kingdom of Anae! I implore Your Royal Highness to permit me to bring renown for the Kingdom!”
Orym acquiesced with a sad look, “Alright, General Zane. You’re permitted to do as you please! Let the world know your valiance and bravery! The Kingdom is immensely proud to have a General like you in its service!”
Zane laughed wildly, and as memories of his wife and children flashed in his eyes, he took a deep breath and started to burn his life force. The process of burning his life force appeared to be painful as his facial features contorted in intense pain. Even so, he persevered and raised his prowess from the peak of Realm 5 to almost the late stages of Realm 6. A red mist began to rise from his skin, indicating that his blood had begun boiling from the burden of containing the power of a Realm 6 Mage in his untrained and unprepared body.
With this newfound strength, Zane single-handedly subdued the two smaller Wyrms. Though he was able to assert his dominance on the Wyrms, his artificially obtained prowess couldn't be compared to the original prowess of a Realm 6 Mage. Hence, he struggled to eliminate the two Wyrms.
Burning more of his life force, Zane cast a Realm 6 Earth-attributed Spell, ‘Piercing Blades’ on the Wyrms. The ground around him started to crumble and rise due to the Spell. It created numerous blades with very sharp edges and shot them with blinding speed towards the target. The Spell bombarded the Wyrms and easily penetrated their tough defenses. Even after being pierced by numerous of these extremely sharp blades, the Wyrms were still alive and writhing in pain.
Noticing this, Zane flash-casted a Realm 5 Earth-attributed Spell, ‘Gauntlets of Gaia’ on himself. This Spell once again crumbled the ground surrounding him and formed a pair of nigh unbreakable gauntlets in front of him. Equipping the Gauntlets of Gaia, Zane proceeded to thrash the Wyrms to death. The fight ended within ten seconds from the time of Aldon’s shout.
After finishing the messy fight, Zane looked in the direction of Aldon. He noticed that the arrow was becoming more and more tangible and sighed in relief. Somehow, seeing the arrow materialize generated a sense of confidence in him. He instantly believed that the arrow could completely annihilate the remaining Wyrm.
Satisfied by the prowess of Aldon’s Spell, Zane looked in the direction of the remaining Wyrm, curious to see how the two elves from the Empire were faring against it. He discovered that though they were trying their best to contain the Beast, the difference in prowess between them was insurmountable and could barely keep up with it. They were bleeding heavily from external wounds, and the Healing provided by Kesha was not able to keep up with the intensity of their injures. They were at their limits, and the situation looked dire.
Seeing this, Zane thought to himself, ‘Impressive! The Healer and the two feisty elves from the Empire sure have skills! To keep up with an enraged Wyrm that is almost seven meters in height is no small accomplishment! Their potential is amazing! As an elder, it is my duty to protect these young-uns!’
Perceiving that Sylph and Celes couldn’t hold on much longer, Zane moved into action and quickly appeared in front of them. He began to pummel the Wyrm with his still active Gauntlets of Gaia and spoke with a chuckle, “Leave this to me! I’ve already started to burn my life force, so I’m an expendable commodity right now! You two get back and be on the lookout for any other disturbances. No one can predict what this motherfucking jungle will throw at us!”
Sylph and Celes had realized that they were at their limits and were relieved to see Zane’s appearance. Though they felt conflicted about leaving the fight to him, they followed his advice and retreated, keeping a watch on their surroundings.
While being healed by Kesha, they observed Aldon keenly, curious about the Spell that he was casting. Though they tried hard to figure out what made him absolutely certain that the Spell would be enough to deal with the Wyrm, they regretfully came up empty-handed.
The voice inside Sylph’s mind seemed to understand some of the mysteries behind the Spell as it chuckled and speculated, “Ah! I wonder how he obtained that Spell! You have to at least be in the Realm of Comprehension to understand even the basics of this Spell! Even I am struggling to comprehend it in its entirety!’ Casting a glance at Aldon's exquisite silver longbow, the voice continued with a noticeable increase in its curiosity, ‘I wonder what secrets are hiding inside that bow!”
Sylph silently hushed the voice as Celes became engrossed with Aldon’s facial expressions. He had a calm and focused face, completely concentrating on the Spell. It even appeared as if he was disconnected from reality, entirely unaware of his surroundings.
Celes quickly snapped back to her senses as she noticed the eerie black whirlpool grow bigger with each passing second. Nearly half a minute had passed since Aldon had released Alastair’s restraints, and the black whirlpool had grown to such an extent that the entirety of Aldon’s chest was hidden by it.
After a few seconds, the growth of the black whirlpool seemed to come to a halt as it began to suck the atmospheric Mana with even more vigor than before. Mana was being sucked from the atmosphere at an unbelievable rate, and it was being supplied to the Spell continuously. Aldon’s body was mildly quivering as he could barely withstand the immense flow of Mana through him.
A loud shout resounded within the jungle, and everyone except Aldon looked at its source. It came from Zane. Though he was also struggling with containing the Wyrm, the fight was not so one-sided as it was with Sylph and Celes. Zane and the Wyrm fought fiercely, and their every strike was countered with an even more powerful one.
The crowd of elves was mesmerized by this display of strength. The back and forth between Zane and the Wyrm occurred for another ten seconds. During this time, the arrow forming in front of Aldon began to materialize more solidly and began to exude a mighty aura.
Noticing this, the Wyrm began to panic and tried to escape from the bow’s range. This further cemented Zane’s confidence regarding Aldon’s Spell, and he laughed wildly.
Not wanting to let the Wyrm escape the bow’s range, Zane gritted his teeth and cast his incomplete Unique Spell, ‘Thousand Hands of Death’. A yellow aura enveloped Zane as tens of mud arms rose from the ground beneath him and gripped the Wyrm tightly, not letting it escape. If Zane had completed his Unique Spell, it would have created a thousand copies of mud arms rising from the ground beneath him. The yellow aura and the red mist around Zane blended together to form a pale shade of orange. It was almost the shade of sunset, and the onlookers felt a melancholic feeling rise from their hearts watching this. Zane was sacrificing his life to protect them!
Unable to witness the tragic scene further, Sylph tried to look away. But the voice within her admonished her, “Why are you averting your eyes? The elf up there restraining the Wyrm is sacrificing his everything without hesitation. He may not be very powerful, but the least you can do is watch his bravery through to the end. Show some respect!”
Tears began to form in her eyes as Sylph forced herself to witness the last moments of the brave elf.
Terrified out of its mind, the Wyrm started to struggle wildly, trying to break free. Zane, in response, shouted loudly as he burnt through the majority of his life force and strengthened his Unique Spell. As a result, Zane began to noticeably age as wrinkles started to form rapidly on his face. Due to the strengthening, the mud arms became more muscular, and they exerted immense pressure on the Wyrm and almost threatened to crush it.
After a few seconds, Aldon opened his eyes after his Spell had finished casting. A deep magenta arrow was docked in Alastair and was ready to be released. He quickly located the Wyrm and aimed the arrow at it. Just when he was about to let loose the arrow, the figure of Zane caught his eyes.
Zane was atop the Wyrm and had completely restricted its movements. If he moved even slightly, the Wyrm could create an opening and escape beyond the bow’s range. He was directly inside the damage range of the Spell. That meant that if Aldon let the arrow loose, Zane would, without a doubt, be collateral damage.
Aldon hesitated slightly, never having killed anyone in this life voluntarily nor involuntarily. With only ten seconds remaining before Alastair reverted back to a staff, Aldon’s hesitation was immensely problematic!
Noticing this, Zane shouted, “Hey, lad! Don’t hesitate! I’ve voluntarily made this choice! Even if I survive the damage from your Spell, which is highly unlikely, I probably don’t have much time left to live!” Pausing for a second, he continued, “If you would be kind to honor this old elf’s last wish, I’d be immensely grateful to you! I’d prefer to know the name of the Spell that’ll kill me! What is the name of that beautiful Spell you have cast?”
Aldon's face contorted slightly as he heard Zane’s words. Taking a deep breath, he steadied himself and spoke, albeit with a hoarse voice, “Mana Arrow: Harmony of Fire and Lightning.” and released the arrow towards the Wyrm. Zane muttered the name of the Spell repeatedly as he invited death with a smile.
The second after the magenta arrow was let loose, Alastair returned to its staff form, and Aldon began to bleed all over. His body was taxed beyond its limits and was damaged quite intensively. Even as Kesha rushed to heal him, his eyes didn’t leave the arrow.
The arrow flew almost sickeningly slow and pierced straight at the Wyrm’s incompletely formed deep-green dot between the horns. It pierced through the Wyrm with frightening ease and simultaneously penetrated Zane’s chest.
Everyone looked on with their breaths held anxiously as they wondered what would happen. The magenta arrow started to bubble and began to form a sphere. The magenta sphere slowly increased in size and eventually consumed the Wyrm and Zane completely.
Flashes of fire and lightning could be perceived within the magenta sphere. As the elves waited for something flamboyant to happen, they were taken aback by the anticlimactic end.
Just when they thought that, the sphere disappeared instantly. Before the elves could wonder what was happening, a blast of fiery hot and electrically-charged winds blew from the previous location of the sphere.
It took everyone by surprise, and they were sent flying from the force of the wind. Fortunately, the winds didn’t appear to be too powerful as the elves regained their bearings after a while. Other than some singed hairs and experiencing slight electric shocks, they were practically unharmed by it.
The elves looked at where the magenta sphere was previously located and drew a cold breath. There was no trace of Zane or the Wyrm! They were completely annihilated, and the ground enveloped by the sphere had formed a crater with a depth of about a meter. Noticing a pile of ashes inside the crater, they realized that it was the remnants of the brave general since the Dungeon Beasts never left any remains behind.
Against the advice of Kesha, Aldon, who had slightly recovered due to her healing, staggered towards the pile of ashes.
After reaching it, Aldon bowed deeply, showing respect for the general’s sacrifice and bravery. Soon, all the other elves followed suit and bowed to the remains of the brave soldier. Some of the Kingdom’s soldiers, who were close friends of Zane, even began to shed tears.
Exhausted by the continuous battle and the toll it took on his body, Aldon lost consciousness while bowing and slumped to his left side. As he fell heavily on the ground, Sylph, Celes, and Kesha rushed towards him in concern.
Just before they reached Aldon, a gentle gust of wind blew in their surroundings. It brushed lightly against the pile of ashes, and several sparkling particles arose from it. One such particle lightly grazed Aldon.
***
Time appeared to have come to a standstill as Aldon was forcefully awakened. Waking up, he looked around in confusion, not recognizing his surroundings. All he could see was a desolate, grey dimension that stretched forever.
Something flashed in his mind as Aldon raised his neck and looked above him. As expected, a ball of White Light was floating above his head. Aldon instantly realized that he was inside the Plane of Ascension. Similar to his experience beforehand, he was seated in a chair and was rendered immobile.
Before he could open his mouth and speak, Aldon felt his head spinning uncontrollably. After a while, he felt his vision clear and was once again surprised by the change in his surroundings.
Though he was still immobile in a chair, and a ball of White Light floated above him, the previously grey dimension was nowhere to be found! He appeared to be located near a rural countryside of some Kingdom. Specifically, he appeared to be located in the middle of a trail up a mountain. Tall trees were abundant as they provided wonderful foliage that was stunning to look at. Furthermore, cicadas chirped in the background, depicting a beautiful summer environment.
In the midst of all this, an elf seemed to be joyously walking down the trail, hauling a wild boar that he had successfully hunted. Aldon was shaken to his core as he recognized the elf! It was the brave general, Zane, who had sacrificed himself in the battle with the Wyrm! Though he was visibly younger than when Aldon saw him, he recognized him immediately.
Aldon’s mind was a chaotic mess as he didn't understand what was happening. Regret filled his heart as he felt bitter, for he had slain the brave soldier with his own two hands.
The young Zane didn’t seem to notice Aldon as he passed beside him. Just before he could utter a single word to Zane, a chirpy, cheerful shout resounded within the mountain, “Dad!”
The ball of White Light rotated Aldon’s chair, and his sight fell onto a young girl around the age of four or five, tightly hugging Zane, welcoming him with a cute smile.
Witnessed this scene, Aldon felt as if someone had punched him hard as he struggled to breathe.
*********(AUTHOR'S NOTE)*********
An additional TWO (2) Chapters are available on my Patreon.
