Chapter 18

    Cyrus 1.6

    The night swallow Valleyfall and the twins bright light disperse the heavy clouds of the day. Cyrus came to learn a lot today. He came to know who Cassandra Kylong is, he came to learn about her decisiveness, her straightforwardness, her charms and attitude. As they came to pass the whole day together, they came to learn a lot from one another. She talked to him about some cultural customs, about some common knowledge from the Martial Way and some politics about these lands Households. Not long after their conversation it went to political affairs as she told him something that got him off guard. It was a proposal. Her proposal was completely out of nowhere. She told him about the arrangements of both households and that they will be together soon enough. Cyrus wasn't prepared but he will lied if he wasn't excited. It was only one day but he came to like her, he liked her a lot not only for her beauty but more than that was the power she was hiding.

    Cyrus could feel it, he wanted to bite at it and drink it all. But he got scared at the last moment, it was because of what happened to Blair. That little girl change completely but he wasn’t sure if it was for the good or not. With Belia he didn't have to worry about any of these. They enjoyed each other's company and he will never change that, not even if he was tempted with the knowledge of the world. Belia was his first and will be his number one, he will not let anyone stand in between them.

    But after knowing how this world is run by politics and how the major Household rule independent lands while submitting to an overlord above he came to understand what position the family that adopted him stand. She persuade him about their families arrangements and how the families already decided at how this union was going to be. He wanted to understand the humans more, he wants to fit in but till now he doesn't have any attachments nor much understanding towards them. If marrying a woman that could give him the feelings he desire is the most appropriate for the situation, then so be it. 

These arrangements were mainly plan by the Noble Household and the Royal Family. And as Cyrus was one of the Ashcolds then he will follow the laws of the family and help in this union. Later in his life he was planning to get married and try to have kids and a household of his own, his first candidate was doing all of this with Belia and all but it seems that would not be the case. Like he once said, all this was to satisfy his own curious mind. He wanted to experience a human life to the fullest and he will do all of this sooner or later, now in this case he got it sooner, way sooner than he expected.

     It wasn't only that, he also came to realize that humans weren't as easy to read as he always thought. What Cassandra taught him about Battle Consciousness was something he has never heard and it was an incredibly interested concept. This was also another reason he came to like her. She was an intelligent woman who knows a lot of things he couldn't figure out on his own. The Battle Consciousness was the state of accumulated experience through battle, something that couldn't be gauge nor see by just sensing the Aura of the individual. 

    Cyrus was walking up to the base of the Broken Mountains with a happy grin on his face. His knowledge on things were pretty limited and what he yearn for is to know more about the things of this world. 

    No matter if that includes Humans or Monsters, even Beasts and those subterranean species were on his list for learning. His life has been pretty bleak up until now, he only had Belia in his dark world but now after coming out he came to know Cassandra. He interact more with Stan and Lanier, he got to see more Humans than ever before and he learn about other Cultivation paths, Knighthood was one.

   He learns about the Ancient Beasts Race that lived in the depths of the Icy Plains. About the mysterious connection they have with his blood, he came to discover that he had the ability to gift them a Physique. Something that he still doesn’t understand.

    It all started with that voice in his head, it guided him on how to do these things. It told him what he needed to put for the abnormal phenomenon to occur. It always spoke sweet words to him, that it was all the things he was born to do, that it wasn't strange for him to be able to do all these things…

    Cyrus went into the cave mouth and enter its depths, traversing the curved slope of the cave as he reach the mountain belly. Now the chamber had different paths on its walls at the sides that fork into the other mountains beside his own, they lead to other chambers were the Ancient Beasts reside.

    The moment he entered the cavern a Frost like breath hit his face. In the middle of the now half frozen lake stood a Giant that was chest deep into the lake. Cyrus eyes open up behind his cloth and those diabolical glow illuminate his face. 

    The moment he reaches the cavern his self proclaimed guards reach in front of him and knelt with their heads bow down looking at the floor. Devour, Frozenfire and Stonequake said in unison, "Young Lord!" These were the creatures who had the densest Bloodline of their race. Cyrus didn't look at them but stare at that Frozen Giant that had a circlet of Ice on its forehead.

    Five sharp Ice Spikes aim towards the ceiling, sat above it's head with stone, blue like crystals embedded underneath every spike. It's head was filled with ice, threads like white hair that fell to its shoulder. Cyrus look at his torso that had something like dark blue leathery skin that was covered in symbols like mark. They curve and hook, traveling around it's face and down his neck, while hooking each line and making an overall system of lines around its body. But what was weird for Cyrus was that these symbols that seems to cover it's entire body were as if they were burn scars. They look paler than the leathery dark blue skin and they protrude slightly off the skin just like how a Burn Mark will be left on a slave.

    The lake closest around the Giant body was already frozen solid and Cyrus calmly walk on top of the lake water to reach the frozen area. Frozenfire was behind him and when they reach the frozen part of the lake he lift and whip his finger in the air and a chair was created from ice. It rose behind Cyrus and look like an ice throne. Cyrus sat down and laid his arm on the armrest.

    "Hi, my name is Cyrus nice to meet you!" He started to introduce himself as he first wanted to communicate with the creature that was more than ten meters tall and fill with boulder like muscles. Only more than four meters were outside the water but it was still a giant creature to Cyrus, and even to Frozenfire who was over two meters tall. 

    Chains pierce through its flesh with constant blood dripping towards the water, it's arms were open in a crucified position with coiling chains piercing it's bones. The blood that was traveling through the black steel chain was silver in color with a hint of deep blue within. These chains were tied to the rocky walls and not even the Frost Giant King could shake them off. 

    The moment the creature opened its eyes they were entirely red, with no pupils just like the supposed Demons. It opens its mouth and what came out was a language that Cyrus had never heard of before. It sounded like scraping ice against metal. Sounding ear piercing and heavy. Mist came out of its mouth and nose, covering Cyrus and Frozenfire within. The ball of flame in between Frozenfire horns lit up and release a heat wave that disperse the cold mist.

    But what left Cyrus with a gaped mouth was that he understood what it says. Even though his ears were hurting and he has never heard that strange language before, he understood what it meant.

    "Demon! Our ruler has awaken and soon will descend into being. Your power is impressive for a youngling but when our ruler comes down it will turn this land as how it was in the Ancient past!”

    Did he just calm me a demon? Cyrus couldn't help but think. "How long have your so call ruler been awake? How comes he hasn't descended yet?" Again that same disturbing noise escape it's mouth and Cyrus still understood it clearly, "We came to feel it's calling twenty-five year ago. It's body hasn't appear in front of us Kings but it did unseal us from our hibernation earlier than expected. It took us all this time to actually detach ourselves from the Timeless Mountain." Cyrus eyes have been glowing that diabolical red of his and it has been captured by the red eyes of the Frost Giant.

    This was one of the tricks Cyrus came to learn about himself. He could make anyone that stare for long at his eyes follow his will. He has always used on beasts, especially those of the subterranean species but he realized that now it can work on the Frost Giant.

    "So it hasn't physically appear in the Land of Always Winter?" The voice echoed once again but this time the frozen water broke. It was too piercing and the vibration could cause a normal human to cough blood. "Not that this King know off." Cyrus left finger tap on the frozen armrest and his face rested on his close up right fist. With a tilted head he took the information that the Frost Giant King say seriously.

    The thing that rules over the Frost Giant race is an Emperor with a higher Bloodline than the Kings. For millennials the Frost Giants have appear in human history but the humans only hold records of what happened a thousand years ago. They don't have any record on this Frost Giant Emperor that has disappeared for almost ten thousand years.

    How Cyrus came to learn so much about the Frost Giants was thanks to the Monoliths that were spread around the Catacombs. Cyrus was actually lucky to find these stone walls inscribed with knowledge of the Ancient World. It was how he learns that the Beasts tribes living in the icy plains were actually Ancient Beasts of the past world.

    Cyrus Bloodline may be special and he gets inherent memories in the form of visions from time to time but they were mostly cryptic in nature and Cyrus needs to meditate on them to understand their meaning, something that will make him wasted time. That's why the other part he loved in the Catacombs beside tempering his body through fighting was finding those Monoliths and learning about the past Ancient World.

    It was also the reason why he was so excited to go into the Gate because beside knowing that the Strange Monsters were creatures stronger than beasts if ones compare them at the same level, they have something else that Belia and the others didn't seem to know. Transformation!

    The way the Strange Monsters were classified in the Ancient World was on how many transforming they can do in a single battle. If the Monsters that attack the Gate can't and haven't ever transform, that would mean that the true strong ones are in the depths of that land. Cyrus lust for battle sometimes look even stronger than his lust for blood.

    It just the same with the Frost Giants, Cyrus can admit that he is scared of the Frost Giant Emperor. But that doesn't mean he wouldn't fight him, he knows that his power is in constant raise and he knows that sooner or later his power will be enough to go against these terrifying creatures of nature. And the thought of that made him indulge in fantasies of massive battles against such beings.

    "How many Frost Giant kings does your race hold now?" Before it continues talking Frozenfire release a blue light from his fingertips and the crevices that were splitting were patched up by ice. "We will always have seventy two kings at the same time. If one is killed, in a period of time another king will be born and take its place." The movement of his cloth show that Cyrus eyebrows were raised in surprise. That got him off guard, he didn't know about this as this wasn't mentioned on those Monoliths.

    That will mean that the one he killed will just get replaced by another? Isn't that cheating! "Then how many Frost Giants roamed the Lands of Always Winter?" By now the emotions that were showing on the Giant face was made up of pain with fear birthing in the depths of its eyes. But nevertheless it still answer Cyrus voice, "we all were awaken this year and only more than a thousand are roaming on our dominion but hundreds of thousands of Frost Giants are still seal in the Timeless Mountain. Slowly being awaken." Cyrus got a shiver when he heard that, his body straighten up and he was astonished.

    Hundreds of thousands of Frost Giants? If that kind of force descend towards the human lands then the humans will be completely annihilated without a doubt.

    Cyrus care only for the Ashcolds as for anyone else could die for all he cares but he just now found out how interesting the humans were. How could he let them die like that? When he wanted to ask more the Frost Giant King started to shake it's head and later fainted with its head hanging low.

    Cyrus stood up from the ice chair and turn back to walk out. "Grab something to hide your appearance. All the other beasts should have been put in hibernation, right." Frozenfire that was closest to him said, "young Lord all the preparation have been made as you have planned. The caves were made exactly as you instructed and the Beast are sleeping inside."

    Cyrus made preparation for the Ancient Beasts races. Their tribes were mostly annihilated and their numbers diminish pitifully. Cyrus decided to put them in hibernation because he wants to nurture them for a complete transformation. So he will use this Mountains of Wonder to help them adapt to the change.

    "Heehe we are finally going out to the outside!” Stonequake loud mouth sounded especially happy. Out of all his guards only this big, fat one was filled with battle lust. He has never met a human before but he knows a lot about them thanks to its inherent memories. Not only him but Frozenfire and Devour were the same.

    Cyrus didn't taught them anything about humans but they dream about them every time they close their eyes. Since months ago Cyrus has promise to let them start their mission on guarding him but for the time he has prohibit them to get close to any human settlements. As such they haven't started their life goal as of yet.

    That will expose their identities and Cyrus didn't want that. Now that he wanted to start his development then he will need to start with bringing them out and experience the world together with him. Even the cold and aloof Frozenfire couldn't hide that smirk off his handsome face.

    Frozenfire was the most intelligent out of the three and the always calm one. His emotions didn't show much on his face but he couldn't hide them from Cyrus, his master. The most silent and indifferent one was Devour, he looks like a middle age man with tons of life experience with those scars that cover his brows and neck.

    Cyrus now came to realize that he had a mix bag of guards, none of them were normal in the common way. Stonequake was impatient and loud, Frozenfire was aloof and calm and Devour was Indifferent to all. Not only that but there was also Nightshade that was as he name her, mysterious and dark.

    After speaking for a while with the Frost Giant King Cyrus came to realize that Nightshade manage to hide from their connection. It wasn't like they were disconnect but that for a moment he didn't feel her presence and she disappeared from his Consciousness.

    But at the back of his mind he knew that she was inside, quietly watching from the shadow and revolving her blood preparing for a blow towards the Frost Giant King. If she didn't start revolving her Blood and activate that Innate Ability of hers he would not have been able to listen to her strong resounding heartbeat and he will not know in what corner of the cave she was. The more he try to gauge her abilities the more shrouded in darkness she becomes.

    Cyrus only had that to describe her and now, he didn't know why but he felt that he was completed with the four of them by his side, feeling secure with them by his side. Something he never felt in all his life, since his early memories to now walking out of the Catacombs. He always strive for power and survival, it was all guided by an Instinct that he couldn't control. But now with this four guards by his side he will aim for what he wants, he will not dwell on the search for raw power. He will leave his life on their hands as they are his Four Monstrous Guardians.

    Cyrus look at a corner and found Nightshade wrap in the same coat she had last night. "Come, let's go and meet the humans you so much love." Her eyes sparkle in that deep azure blue color and a cunning, vicious smile crept up the corner of her lips. A darkness that was similar to Cyrus coil the whites of her eyes and a savagery breath escape her body. Stepping out of the shadow Nightshade and Cyrus with the others walk off the cave...