The news of the sudden appearance of two dragons spread far and wide at the speed of light. In addition, for Kamil specifically, the news of Karsten being lethally poisoned was quickly delivered. And there was something more. The deadland was rapidly expanding according to airship scouts. At the very moment, Fadin and Dido were in danger of being swallowed. But the most important news was that Staidone, the former Siwen capital, was completely destroyed along with the majority of its population. Only very few refugees were found. Because the event was so sudden and the dragon was very powerful, not many escaped. If rumors were to be believed, less than a thousand managed to escape the burning capital. Its adjacent villages, Sluple and Baris, were rumored to have been wiped out as well. On the other side of the world, Estana also experienced a dragon in Deltalago. In their catastrophe, however, the casualty was far less in comparison. It was due to the fact that Deltalago was a city that was spread out instead of confined within walls like Staidone. This was due to the difference in weather. Staidone was situated in a freezing climate where shorter distances meant less heat loss. In contrast, Deltalago was in the middle of the deserts. It was hot and dry, thus the city was spread out. Regardless, it was too early to determine the true scale of damages.

“...........”

Kamil had his upper body leaned against the balcony rail of the manor and was observing a large influx of refugees from afar. Most of them were from Fadin. They didn’t specifically choose to come here. Instead, they were redirected. Many settlements had been taking refugees from Gonne for the past several years, and they were at their maximum capacity. They no longer had the leeway to provide shelter for Fadin refugees. In their attempts to loosen the load, they had been redirecting refugees to Ceres which still had the capacity to provide food for people. However, according to Cezary, this wasn’t good news for them, either.

“If this is the beginning of the Age of Darkness, then surface farming will be hindered soon,” said Cezary who was standing a short distance away from him on the balcony. “The sky will be clouded soon, blocking the sunlight. We will no longer have the capacity to support our increasing population.”

This was something they learned while translating the ancient texts from Tantan. Clouded skies, causing a reduction in sunlight, seemed to be a feature of the Age of Darkness. Meanwhile, Kamil wasn’t exactly listening to him at the moment. He was thinking about Karsten. He didn’t know why he couldn’t be cured of his poison by magic. If he couldn’t be cured, it meant that some strange poison must have been used.

I swore to kill him when I was reincarnated. And what is this? He’s going to die on his own? What kind of fuckery is this?

Granted, he didn’t really push his agenda hard enough, but seeing him die like this didn’t feel right. If he couldn’t kill him with his own hands, he at least wanted to get him indirectly. He wanted to be the cause of his downfall at least.

“Duke, are you listening?”

Blinking his eyes and snapping out of his thoughts, he cleared his throat. “I wasn’t listening, sorry.”

“What concerns you?”

He hesitated momentarily but replied, “It’s … Karsten.”

“You are not his vassal anymore, and I don’t believe he treated you fairly. Why are you worried about his well being?”

It was the other way around. He wanted to be one who’d kill him.

“Where is he right now?”

“He is reported to be resting in Elsos. Whatever poison it is, it looks like it’s slow-acting. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have lasted this long.”

“Is there such a thing as a poison incurable by magic?”

Cezary paused and mulled over.

“The royal water mage they have must be at least level 8 in water affinity. Theoretically, there shouldn’t be anything he can’t cure. Now, I haven’t verified this myself, but there is a monster called basilisk further up north in the frozen land. If legends are to be believed, its icy poison can’t be cured by magic as well. It actually doesn’t kill its victim. Rather, it freezes its victim to death.”

He had never heard of basilisk but noticed something.

“It freezes its victim to death? By that logic, as long as poison does not directly kill its victim, it cannot be cured by magic?”

“Come again?” 

“I feel like the water spell, antidote, is meant to remove poisons that are meant to harm its victim directly. If a poison is not meant to kill its victim but kills him anyway by indirect means, I don’t think the spell is going to work.”

Furrowing eyebrows, Cezary had his fingers on his chin and walked around in a circle slowly.

“Duke, I do feel like you have a point there.”

“It is my opinion that he can be cured, but the water mage will need a different incantation.”

He could claim this because he knew first hand how magic and its effects could differ depending on how he asked the elementals. He also knew that mages followed a strict guideline in how they cast their magic. When a water mage cast an antidote, the user meant to cure someone of a harmful effect that would take its victim’s life. A mage would need to cast a spell that was specifically catered to Karsten’s condition. At least, that was what he believed.

“I may be mistaken, but do you intend to cure the king?”

Kamil froze and hesitated to answer. If he did nothing, Karsten would have no chance. Even if he chose to give his advice, there was no guarantee that he’d survive, either. He would need to visit him in person to find out whether he could be cured. Regardless, the big question was whether he wanted him to live or die.

I feel stupid for even asking that question.

He did want Karsten to die.

But not like this. If he were to die, it should have been by my hands. Say that I could save him. Then what? Do I save him? What would that make me? I was reborn to exact my revenge. Seriously, what does saving him make me?

He tried to recall Fionara’s face along with the faces of the villagers. Sadly, he could not recall the faces of the villagers at all. Even Fionara’s face was hazed.

“Do I intend to save him?” He repeated Cezary’s question. “I don’t know,” and he answered earnestly. “Do you think he deserves to die?”

“Yes,” Cezary replied firmly. “Tens of thousands of people perished under his agenda.”

“Would you stop me if I were to save him?”

He leaned forward slightly with a palm on his chest. “You are my lord, and your decision will ultimately be mine. I will not stand against your decision. My job is simply to tell you what I think so that you could make an informed decision. It is my opinion that he deserves to die. I do believe this is karma in action.”

Essentially, Cezary was not choosing to answer and was putting all responsibilities on Kamil.

Ugh, you can be a real snake if you want, Waszak.

As much as he wanted time to think it over, there was no time to waste. If Karsten was to be saved, time really was of essence.

If he is going to die, then I want to see him for the last time either way.

Having made up his mind that he’d see him at least, he called Nestor to prepare an airship in haste and departed for Elsos at once. His bodyguard was Lara as per usual. While aboard the airship, there was more than one occasion where he wanted to turn back. The whirlpool of emotions left him unsettled; he never thought that he'd be going to see Karsten with a possibility of saving him instead of dealing the final blow.

 

Elsos was a city of an unconventional layout, to Kamil at least. There was a small keep in the middle of the city, and the houses were spread out from there. There were no outer walls protecting the city. Due to the keep not having sufficient empty space for his airship to land, he was forced to cast levitation and descend down alone, which he actually preferred. If the situation deteriorated, he could escape alone much easier. Isaac Knell was waiting when he landed atop. He was flanked by a pair of guards. Mount Siwen wasn’t far from this location, and he could see the volcano erupting occasionally, releasing lava. The rumored dragon was nowhere to be seen, however. Perhaps, the distance was simply too far. The dot he saw back in Ceres, it became clear that it was gray clouds circling atop of Mount Siwen. It looked to be expanding ever so slightly, blocking sunlight from reaching the ground. It hadn’t reached Elsos yet, but it was only a matter of time. Finally, there was nothing where Staidone should have been. The land up North was very much like the deadland.

“I apologize for being blunt. Why are you here?” He shot a stern gaze.

“I’ve come to see the king,” Kamil said just as the tip of his foot touched the stone floor.

“For what reason?”

“He could be saved.”

Isaac immediately grimaced. Kamil was well aware of the fact that he wished him to die, and so did he.

“The nation needs a leader right now.” He made up an excuse and he wasn’t wrong. If Karsten succumbed to the poison and his son took over, there was no guarantee that the vassals would follow him. A civil war was very much on the card. The timing couldn’t be worse also. The Age of Darkness had descended upon humanity. The last thing they needed was an internal conflict. Love or hate him, he was a capable leader. That was an indisputable fact. Isaac heaved a long sigh because he couldn’t launch an argument. The nation needed a leader.

“Will you grant me an audience?”

Not pleased with the turn of events but having no other options, Isaac guided Kamil through a series of narrow hallways until they reached an iron door. A maid was waiting outside, and she had a sword on her belt.

“She will guide you inside,” he said and quickly added. “Duke, prepare yourself.”

He had no idea what Isaac meant at the moment. As soon as he was guided into the chamber where Karsten was staying, he was struck by a foul odor. It smelled like decomposing flesh and knocked his nose off so hard that he had to grimace and cover his nose. The maid, who was guiding him in, seemed to have gotten used to the foul odor although she, too, was grimacing subtly. For him, his eyes were even watering up. Karsten was laid down on a king-sized bed, and his upper body as well as hands were exposed. The bed sheet was a mess with blood strains and bits of decomposed flesh. It was not a pretty sight. Thankfully, the chamber was dimly lit, and its windows were all shut as if they were trying to prevent sunlight from reaching him at all.

The fuck -

His skin was a mix of dark green and purple, but that wasn’t what shocked him because he could sense a cloud of bright pale-yellowish mist around him.

“What’s the mist?”

“I beg your pardon?” The maid looked confused as if she couldn’t see it.

Realizing that it was only him who was seeing it came to a conclusion quickly that it was probably the source of the poison.

Elementals, pray tell. What am I looking at?

As soon as he asked, a wind elemental appeared out of thin air which startled the maid while Isaac laid curious eyes on the elemental.

‘The power of the light. Humans call it holy power.’

And the holy power is slowly killing him?

‘Light and darkness are the same. Pure mortals, such as flesh-bound humans, should not be exposed to such power. It’s simply too pure and concentrated.’

He understood what Ludwig was saying. Mortals such as himself were incapable of wielding the power of Gods, even a small fraction of it was so pure that it was acting like a poison.

So…, he is not dying of poison. Rather…, he is rotting because of the holy power?

‘You could say that.’

Anything I can do?

‘You could absorb it. As a betrayer of the wheel, I do believe you could absorb it and not die. We are here to assist you also.’

That doesn’t make sense to me. What does being a betrayer of the wheel have anything to do with being able to absorb a faction of a God’s power?

‘The mere fact that you survived the judgment with your memories intact means the vassal that contains your soul has hardened because you have essentially two lives in one vessel. You are a mortal, yes, but no longer a pure one. You are closer to us than humans in fact.’

I am closer to elementals?

‘Yes, because we, elementals, retain a portion of our past memories. You do have your past memories, do you not?’

He did not respond and remained still, unsure of what the next step should be.

‘I do warn you that, by absorbing the light, you will get closer to us.’

What does that even mean?

‘You may start to lose qualities as a mortal being.’

I still don’t get what you are saying.

‘A mortal being has qualities which we, elementals, do not have. Such as being able to procreate - You may lose it. Not right away, but you may eventually lose it. You may also have your lifespan extended. I do not know what will happen to you for certain, but it will change you in ways you don’t expect.’

Glancing back where Isaac and the guards were observing him with a mix of concern and curiosity, he was about to inform them that their king may be saved. It was at this point that he noticed two more people. He could recognize one of them, it was Lillian. The other was a young man who he presumed to be a prince who was probably supposed to take over, should Karsten perish. He did share the resemblance.

“I believe he could be saved. I am uncertain whether he can make a full recovery but he could make a recovery.”

Lillian’s face brightened up at once although the same couldn’t be said for Isaac and the young man. For the ex-princess, she needed her father probably for protection. There was a good chance that she didn’t get along with her brothers, given her character.

God…, humans never change, do they.

‘Indeed.’

Beckoning the maid to leave the room and wait outside, he approached Karsten whose breath was so shallow that he could easily be mistaken as dead.

“Karsten Egra, do you hear my voice?”

It was extremely rude of him to call out a king’s name in full, and those who were waiting right outside knew also. But he was also there to save his life.

“Karsten, do you hear my voice?” He repeated with a louder voice.

Moaning weakly, Karsten opened his eyes slowly. His eyes looked dull; He may have gone blind at this point.

“You…” With a labored breath, he barely managed to speak a word.

“I am here to make an attempt to heal you.”

“You…” After a moment, he continued, “Why…” He was clearly laboring even to speak a word.

“Because…”

God damn it. Motherfucking bullshit! I was reborn to specifically kill you!

“Because people need you, Karsten. Time calls for a solid leader, and you are one. The Age of Darkness is upon us. You will wage wars but against monsters. You are good at it, eh?”

He was speaking sarcastically but he was also feeling progressively depressed to a point that he choked on his own internal tears. He gulped a few times to suppress his surge of emotions from inside. It looked like Karsten wanted to say something but only a faint hissing was heard. He was really close to death. Taking a deep breath eventually, he said the words.

“Elementals, save this motherfucker.” He choked in his tears right after and closed his eyes.

Sorry, Fio. Sorry, everyone. I feel like I am betraying everyone right now. But … the past is the past. I’ve chosen to save those who are alive right now. My … My deepest and sincere apologies…

Countless green translucent butterflies appeared and filled the chamber. Likewise, many bright orange translucent salamanders appeared on walls and the floor - All at once.

“What -” Lillan exclaimed in shock but managed to cover her agape mouth. Isaac and others could only watch the ever brightening room. They could barely watch what was happening inside.

‘Our elemental king,’ The green butterflies spoke in unison in his mind.

“We’ve heard your cry,” said the salamanders. This, everyone heard. 

“Elementals of water and earth, we demand your presence,” said the wind elementals. Their voices could be heard by anyone at this point.

“Hear the cry of a mortal who has transcended planes,” said the salamanders. “Hear the mortal who has chosen to embrace his darkness.”

“Light and darkness are the same. It all depends on who wields it,” said a certain butterfly, Ludwig. “He will embrace darkness to fight light.”

Small rocky golems began to emerge from the floor. They were about the size of a fist. At the same time, small eel-like translucent creatures began appearing in midair.

“We are here,” said a mix of voices. “We are here to fight the God.”

The room became brighter and brighter, and each elemental was sucking away the pale yellowish mist. Strangely, Kamil was feeling fuller and fuller and he felt like he was floating midair; He wasn’t wrong.

“Let go,” said Ludwig. “Embrace it.”

He was surrounded by orbiting lights of various colors in midair. He felt like he was in a warm bath and loosened his body.

……………..

………….

………

A half-naked muscular brute, wielding a giant two-handed sword and wearing a viking-esque helmet with a horn on each side, was dashing toward a lava dragon. It looked exactly the same as the dragon which recently appeared above Mount Siwen. Letting out a powerful cry, he slashed his blade which was taller than himself. The dragon made an attempt to evade, but one of his wings was severed clean. However, the dragon didn’t seem too fazed, and it was bleeding lava instead of blood.

“Impressive, mortal. Speak your name.” It was a very low and husky voice.

“Florent Mazet! We are going to end you here today!”

He was accompanied by four more people who were a distance behind him.

“Wrong, I cannot be killed, for I am not a creature to begin with. I am but a mere imagination of the God of Life.”

Florent retorted, “I don’t fucking care! We are ending you here today, and that is it! My people will not last another month!”

The dragon turned his head to have a look at his severed wing.

“I am impressed with your command of Earth, a betrayer of the wheel.”

Florent took a step back in shock, and the dragon continued, “Our battle will indeed end today, and the Age of Darkness will be concluded in one way or another because it looks like Death has been defeated already.”

“Death? Does that make you Life?”

“Indeed.”

“Don’t make me fucking laugh! You took hundreds of thousands of lives, and you call yourself Life?!”

“What makes you believe that I’ve killed them?”

Veins popping on his forehead, he swung his blade in the air out of anger. “Are you freaking stupid?!”

“I’ve sent them to the judgment table. That is all, human. You’ve been there, have you not?”

Florent shook his head. “Whatever, we are ending this today.”

The dragon lost its ability to fly, meaning it could no longer escape even if it wanted. The battle would end one way or another indeed.

……………..

………….

………

Florent was looking down on the severed head of the dragon. Even though its head was no longer attached to its body, its eyes were still crystal clear and could still even speak.

“What the hell are you?” Florent demanded, amused that the dragon wasn’t dying. Its head was still at least vastly larger than himself.

“I am God’s creation. As I told you before, I do not die. I simply go back.”

“Back to where?”

“To memories. Heed my advice, mortal. Tell your followers to keep eyes on my bones, for I will come back. My return can be prevented easily as long as your descendents keep vigilant eyes on me. If not, then, well, good luck to your children.”

Snorting, he replied, “I won’t tell them. I don’t care. I’ve done my part.”

“So be it. Each to their own.”

At this point, the flesh of the dragon began to evaporate slowly, and the ground began shaking.

“Florent! The ground is sinking! Let’s get out of here!” One of his followers shouted to get his attention. Taking a look at the evaporating dragon for the last time, his attention turned to its claw. Dashing toward it, he cracked one of its talons with a powerful slash and grabbed it.

“A war trophy,” he said to himself proudly. Then he turned around and left the scene with his followers. This piece would eventually turn into a liquid form and would become “the eternal poison”.

……………..

………….

………

All others saw at the doorstep was a bright flashing light. Once it died off, Kamil and Karsten were seen inside. Nothing seemed to have changed for the former, but the latter looked to have regained his skin tone. His cheeks were sunken heavily as if he had lost a substantial amount of weight, but a healthy color returned to him. Perhaps more importantly, the foul odor was no more. In fact, it had vanished completely. His hair was also completely white as if he had aged ten or even twenty years.

“Father!” Lillan dashed inside. She grabbed his hand and caressed it against her cheek where her tears had soaked. Karsten opened his eyes slowly. Unfortunately, it looked like one of his eyes had gone blind completely because it was still looking dull.

“Kamil Fenchel…,” he labored to speak. “.... Duke.”

“You’ve made a recovery. I have done what I can for you,” said Kamil stoically. He really couldn’t care less about his health.

“I … thank you.”

“You are welcome. Do not send assassins after me anymore.” As much as he wanted to beam a smile, or a grin even, he just couldn’t. His face was stoic as ever. Meanwhile, the king beamed a weak grin as an acknowledgement and then began to pat Lillian’s head affectionately. Just as Kamil turned around to leave, Lillian called him out.

“Thank you.”

She got on her knees and lowered her head to a point that her forehead touched the carpet floor. He did not turn around and simply stood still.

“Thank you,” she repeated sincerely.

Even a person like him … has people who care about…

He gulped a few times to control the swirling emotions within.

Did I make the right choice? It doesn’t matter now, does it. The deed is done. The deed is fucking done. I saved him. I saved the very person who I swore to kill. I don’t know what is going on anymore. Fuck this.

Isaac followed him all the way to the top of the keep. He was no longer accompanied by the guards. It was just the two of them.

“You saved him. You really saved him,” Isaac lamented eventually along the way.

“I know what I did.”

Do I? I am not even sure.

He added quickly, “The nation does need a leader.”

“You aren’t wrong. There could have been a civil war if the crown prince took over.”

“Is he that bad? It was the guy at the doorstep, wasn’t it.”

“Yes, that was him. The king reaffirmed that he was the crown prince on what was once his deathbed. It’s not that he is bad. It’s just that he is inexperienced and doesn’t command respect like his father does.”

Karsten experienced numerous wars and mostly came out victorious. As much as there were a considerable number of people who didn’t side with him, it didn’t alter the fact that he was good at what he did. If he was anyone weaker, there would have been a civil war already.

“How is the situation overall? I didn’t see the rumored dragon flying about.”

“Oh, it’s here. I think it has gone back to its lair atop of the mountain.”

“Is Staidone really gone?”

“It is. Nothing remains, not even debris. It’s gone, just like the deadland.”

Both men grimaced upon the mention of the deadland. It is another matter they would need to deal with in addition to the dragons. 

I am getting a headache. Just how many perished along with the city? Tens of thousands?

When they arrived at the top, the airship that was circling around stopped, waiting for Kamil to arrive.

“Lord Knell, what will you do now? I ruined your plan.”

Isaac beamed a bitter smile. “You did indeed. Well, I don’t know. Let’s see how the king reacts after being brought back from the brink of death.”

“He didn’t make a full recovery. To be honest with you, he may not be able to get back to how he was.”

“I am more curious about what you did and what happened in the chamber. What did you do?”

“There are some parts I cannot disclose. The gist is that he was poisoned by a relic of the past. I’ve simply transferred it to me instead.”

“To you? Within you? You are poisoned in his place then?”

“You could put it that way except the poison won’t harm me.”

Isaac fired a mix of curious and doubtful look as if he believed Kamil in some parts but didn’t in some other parts.

“Regardless, it’s my problem now,” Kamil said, trying to conclude the discussion. “I would like to take my leave.”

“I have no reason to stop you. Take care of yourself, Duke.”

“Likewise, Lord Knell.”

When he cast levitation, something interesting occurred. Instead of flying, he was teleported directly into the airship, appearing right next to Lara who was waiting for him to arrive by the open hatch.

“WOAH, HOLY MOTHER OF -” She screamed at his sudden appearance. Likewise, he, too, was shocked by the sudden teleportation.

What’s going on here? 

Ludwig’s voice sounded in his head, ‘The power you’ve absorbed is having an effect on your magic. You are going to need to release it soon.’

I have to release it? Hasn’t it made me more powerful?

‘Right now, yes, but it is going to affect you negatively the longer you hang onto it. It is a fraction of a God’s power after all. We are shielding it from harming you but not for long. Even we will be harmed by it.’

“Sorry, Lara, can we get going? I need to think for a sec.”

She looked pissed. “Sure, sure, I am just a gal you order around. Sure, sure.” With a visible pout, she closed the hatch and barked at the pilot to depart. Unfortunately for Kamil, he had no leeway to deal with her at the moment. Once he secured himself in a small room, he sat down on a bed and folded his arms.

Can’t I just release it?

‘You could, but it’d be a waste. You should spend it in a more meaningful way.’

Ludwig had a point. It was definitely a once in a lifetime opportunity to wield a God’s power albeit a fraction of it. 

Maybe I could heal the deadland with this power … or I could perhaps rush the labyrinth with it…

He was exploring the labyrinth in search of knowledge to cure the deadland. In that sense, he felt it was better to use the power to attempt to heal the deadland than rushing to finish the dungeon. However, if it didn’t work out, he’d be wasting an opportunity. At the same time, clearing the dungeon didn’t also guarantee anything. The voice did tell him that he’d get an answer but failed to elaborate further after all.

I did promise the crown prince to clear the dungeon ASAP… But would that matter now? The Age of Darkness is upon us.

He did not have command of elemental water and earth. They had to be forcefully called upon in the spur of the moment by other elementals. He wondered what kind of “answer” he would get for clearing the dungeon. Would he really get an answer he needed?

Everything is so unclear that it’s bugging me out. No choice seems like a good one. And now there are two dragons to deal with…

Sighing, he folded his arms and slowly laid down on the bed.

I was under the impression that the Age of Darkness was a world-ending event, but it looks to be slow-burning… What in the world is happening…

He pillowed his arms and heaved a long sigh.

“I saved Karsten. I cannot still believe that I saved him,” he lamented. “What the hell was I thinking?”

Then he recalled Lillian’s reaction. It was shocking because, to him, she was the embodiment of arrogance. Such a woman got on her knees and bowed so hard that her forehead touched the floor. She wasn’t acting.

“It’s …” He chuckled. “It’s never simple in real life, is it. Either way.., what do I do now?”

He sighed deeply once more, reminding himself that he was reborn to kill Karsten. Now that he saved him, the reason for his reincarnation was moot.

“Did the Gods foresee this?” he wondered aloud. “Probably, not.”

I guess … I should finish what Tom couldn’t … Protect my wife and children.

Tom was a mere hunter in a small village. He neither had power nor status to protect anyone. Kamil had both now. It was within the realm of possibility that he could protect Ceres and survive the Age of Darkness. Amid numerous thoughts crossing his mind, he eventually began to snore quietly as he fell asleep.