Corty

Another Extra chapter as I promised! This is a thank you from me to you, dear readers, for making the book reach trending once again! Also, this and the previous extra chapter is exclusive, only to be posted here!

It was the middle of summer. The sky was clear, blue, and free of clouds. The sun was at its highest point, and most of the animals were looking for a shade to lie down under. The extreme heat was unbearable as farmers on the fields and merchants on their wagons all were wiping their bodies with towels, trying to dry them up from the ungodly amount of sweat.

On a simple plain, where it should be the hottest at that moment, a 200,000-strong army was marching forward. It was not just rows of soldiers with tower shields, pikemen, and archers but also multiple platoons of horsemen, all ready to engage in battle. Their general was a man named the Lord of Fire, the only cultivator present amongst them and the only cultivator in their whole Kingdom.

He was already 90 years old, yet looked like someone who had just passed 30. He had short, black hair and an overly muscular body, which was decorated with many wounds and ‘battle trophies.’ His dark, brown eyes scanned the army behind him before turning forward, breathing out a thick, white cloud. He was sitting on his warhorse, trying to hold back his chattering teeth, fixing the thick winter clothing that he was wearing on his body.

Yes. Winter clothing. On one of the hottest days of the year. It was not just him, but the whole army was dressed up just the same, including the horses. Even though the sun was shining down on them, the field they stood on was frozen over completely. The grass was encased in a thin layer of blue ice, making it sound like the army was stepping on the glass as they advanced forward. The Lord of Fire was cursing constantly under his breath. He knew that this was probably the most dangerous thing he ever did… But it couldn’t go on any longer.

It all started a few years ago. A strange man arrived in the Kingdom of Muhan one day. Nobody knew where he came from or why he chose Muhan as his new home, as nobody managed to exchange any words with him. At first, it was just weird instances. Places in the countryside, frozen over completely, encased in ice that only melted away after many months. People are found frozen in ice sculptures, still wearing their last expressions. Yet when they were melted, they turned into a pool of water without leaving a body behind.

It was gradually getting worse and worse. One day, the news reached the royal family that one of their cities had been destroyed. The Lord of Fire was their national symbol. The eternal general has been serving the royal family for two generations now. He was sent to follow up on the horrible news. Sadly, what he found was the truth. Their 4th biggest city, Duvahn, was truly destroyed. There were no survivors of the 70,000 people living there, only their bodies encased in ice, the same as all of the buildings. It became not just frozen in time but in reality, too.

It took him many months to follow up on the clues and rumors, even though he did not want to. The people believed that he could stand up to this other, clearly strong cultivator. Yet nobody believed him when he said that he could not! He was the Lord of Fire! He surely could melt the evil, Lord of Ice!

“I want to go home…” He murmured, wanting to cry, but his tears would freeze into icicles as soon as they appeared.

“Then go.” A voice echoed through the frozen field, stopping the 200,000 men at once.

The Lord of Fire had no choice but to stop in his tracks and look up, looking for the source of the voice. Finally, after straining his eyes, he could see him. A lone individual, wearing nothing but white, walks towards them. He had long, white hair held in a loose ponytail. He had dark, red eyes that were devoid of all emotions, the same with his face. He was far away, yet the Lord of Fire felt that he was nothing before this man. He wasn’t a cultivator… not anymore.

“If you want to die, then step forward.” His voice traveled through the lines of the army once again. It carried no real emotion behind it. It was neither angry nor bored. He was simply stating the facts. “Choose.” He said again.

“I…” The Lord of Fire stuttered, but before he could speak, the icy voice came forward once again.

“So you chose death.”

“?!” The general trembled, looking over his shoulders, seeing that some of his people were simply getting into formation and, by doing that, taking a step forward.

He had no time to react. No time to summon his powers and encase his body in fire. The awe of many people, the affinity that he derived his title from. It was over before any of the 200,000 men realized. Their bodies, along with their equipment, were frozen solid. The Lord of Fire was still looking backward on his horse as he turned into nothing but an ice sculpture. The owner of the voice was none other than Athos. He was now standing amongst the already dead mortals, not even looking at them. He was just walking along their unmoving bodies without any real aim.

He didn’t remember how it all happened. Or when it all went so horribly wrong. He just knew that he had to drain everything from its energy, from its heat, if he wanted to feed his Demigod Crystal in his chest. The struggle simply never wanted to end. No matter what he tried, he just couldn’t fill it up. He was so, so near, always at that damned threshold. He always needed just a little bit more…

By now, he was constantly emitting a cold aura, sapping everything from its energy and heat, leaving behind nothing but a frozen wasteland. It was not just the land that was encased in ice, but Athos himself, too. His mind and his feelings. By now, he was nothing but an automaton focused only on cultivation. He had no emotions or desires, at least not besides forming a perfect core by filling his Demigod Crystal. He forgot how it feels… to feel. It was a foreign thought for him.

He was just about to leave when suddenly he stopped. Looking around the bodies, in his mind, new calculations were taking place. A new idea was forming. He turned, looking at the frozen Lord of Fire, tilting his head to the right a little.

“I can’t fill my core. Because my body consumes energy by simply functioning.” He said to nobody in particular. “I see.” He nodded.

The realization came to him simply because the Lord of Fire was still alive. Under the ice, he was trying to cling to his life. His fire was trying to burn as bright as possible in his own body. Of course, it was a futile attempt. He was simply prolonging his unavoidable death for a few seconds. Yet, it also was what made Athos realize something.

“Then I don’t need this body.” He said, his voice completely calm about what he was going to do. Right there and then.

He raised his hand, stabbing it straight into his own chest, impaling it with one swift move. He picked out his core, which was half blue and half red. One part was frozen solid, and another part was covered in flames. Before he would die, he just flicked it into the air, letting it spin above him. It was activating with its full force, not just melting the ice and the frozen bodies, including the Lord of Fire’s, but also collecting all of the energy around it. Be it in the bodies, in the land, or in the air. Everything was filling it up, finally reaching its maximum capacity.

Athos was already dead, his body still standing there, looking at his own Demigod Crystal. As his soul was appearing from it, he just flew into his Demigod Crystal, occupying it before reincarnation could kick in. He finally was free. He finally knew what he had to do. As soon as his soul occupied his core, a body was forming around it. It used the melted figures of 200,000 men to reconstruct his own, looking just like his previous body, which now had a hole in his chest. When he was done, a loud, primal roar came out of his mouth. It had such a raw and wild strength that it was heard all around the realm.

“Finally!” He laughed and cried at the same time.

Falling to the ground, he was completely naked as he curled up into a ball, crying loudly. He couldn’t help it. He already forgot what it felt like to be… alive. To feel. It was simply overwhelming him. At one time, he was shouting and cursing; at another, he was laughing hysterically. He couldn’t tell how long he was doing it before finally standing up, grabbing onto his own old body, and starting to hit it, kick it, headbutt it, and throw it to the ground.

“I fucking hate you! I hate you! Why were you even born?! You damned monster!” He was shouting at himself until he was finally out of breath.

He just sat there. Being dirty. Muddied up. Confused. He simply didn’t know what to do now. What is he now? Is this even real, or did he die? Was he truly feeling things? Or was this all his imagination? The world after death? He couldn’t tell… but he knew his core was finally whole. There was no energy leaking from it, and he couldn’t draw energy from the world into it. It became its own entity. No matter how many times he tried using it, it never failed him, and he never felt like running out of energy. Everything was… perfect.

…
….
…..

What he didn’t know was that four pairs of eyes were watching him. Hidden from his senses. At least for now.

“I can’t believe it…” Skoorn murmured. “He became a God… by himself.”

“Yeah…” Nilier nodded, biting into her lips. “Without a Master… without… help. He did it by himself. How…?”

“Luck.” Alfina said, holding Oynega’s hand.

“We should’ve intervened. Now it is too late.” Oynega looked at the two. “Now we have a fifth.”

“...” None of them answered. They never took Athos seriously.

Yes, Athos was the only individual amongst the mortals who managed to get close to the realm of Gods. He was there for the past 1000 years. He only needed to take the last step. They knew what it was. They knew what needed to be done. Yet they ignored him. He would eventually fail and die. As many did before him. Even those who came to the same conclusion once in the past… none of them managed to do it. Or survive it. They always faltered at the last step. Tearing out your own core was nothing but suicide. Everybody would have fears and doubts about their success. It was a self-fulfilling prophecy. Doing it with the faintest doubt would result in failure. Yet here was Athos. He finally realized what he had to do, and without thinking, he just did it. No hesitation, no doubts whatsoever. It shouldn’t be possible, yet they were now watching the realm’s fifth God. Born as a mortal, ascending into a Godhood, all by himself…

“What now?” Nilier asked, looking at them.

“Let me kill him,” Skoorn said, reaching towards his sword.

“Can we kill him?” Alfina and Oynega asked at the same time, making him flinch. “We couldn’t kill HIM either. Sealing away his core was the only solution we had…”

“He is still weak. It is now or never.” Skoorn said, but his voice was unsure.

“HE was even weaker when we ambushed him; did you forget?” Nilier crossed her arms. As she said those words, she was watching Athos, who was slowly getting up, dragging his other, lifeless body away with himself. He was still dazed, sometimes crying, sometimes laughing, making her feel sorry for him as she was watching him from the sky.

“...” None of them could say anything until the twins sighed.

“Let’s see what will happen… It is already too late! If nothing else, we need time to set up a prison for him, too.”

“Mmh. Let’s do that. As soon as the prison is ready, we can seal him away just the same.” Skoorn said as he was the first to leave.

“Nilier,” Oynega said.

“Hm?” She blinked her blue eyes, looking away from Athos’s figure.

“Keep an eye on him,” Alfina added before the two were gone too, leaving her there.

“Sure…” She sighed, rolling her eyes, following Athos for the next hundred years. She was watching him finally regaining his humanity and, one day, hearing him vow to himself;

“I will never let my feelings be repressed… I am going to live the way I want. Love who I want. Fight who I want. Nothing will make me hold back my feelings… not even the Gods!”