The weather had worsened…
The wind howled through the broken streets, pulling loose slabs of stone from the walls and sending them spinning into the black sky. Rain fell sideways, driven by violent roars that rattled what remained of the bridges and platforms that connected the city blocks to each other.
Rotell pressed forward through the storm, her cloak torn and her hair clinging to her face.
For a princess, it was rather seductive.
Each step sent waves of black water splashing against her thighs, as she forced her way through the flooded streets and moved with precision.
"Keep formation!" someone shouted.
The voice broke through the sound of the wind.
Her soldiers, those that had come from the empire, were already struggling to stand from the exhaustion alone. They had been fighting for weeks, with breaks that only lasted a few hours at a time.
They angled their shields against the wind to keep from being blown away.
The rain was so thick that even their lanterns and rune lights were nearly invisible in the haze.
The only constant was the vibration of the ground beneath their feet, and the steady groan of the tower city shifting within the storm.
For a normal person, this was just as bad as the initial upheaval of the western region.
Rotell's rapier flashed.
The blade was long and thin, almost needle-like, with extremely fine runes carved along the blade that flowed faintly with silver light. Each time she moved, the light followed, tracing quick, sharp arcs through the storm before snapping back into a silent stillness.
She was like a fairy in the dark.
Rotell was a swordsman, and this included most weapons, everything from a great sword to the rapier she was using now. She wasn't swinging like a swordsman, she was slicing through the air and cutting down the very shadows that stretched.
A Dusk Dweller lunged from the dark, its long-branched fingers reaching through the wall of wind.
Rotell pivoted, stepped once, and thrust in a spear-like motion.
Swish!
The rapier pierced straight through its skull, or what could be considered its skull, and the creature's body froze mid-lunge, then dissolved into mist.
She flicked her wrist, shaking the black residue from her blade.
"Advance!"
They moved slowly…
-
The sound of the wind swallowed everything, even their voices came out broken and diluted by the sound of the storm. Performing an evacuation in this weather was very difficult, and the city around them was almost unrecognizable, just making it worse.
The runes carved along the walls flickered violently, struggling to hold their charge.
The bridge below shook with their heavy footsteps, as bursts of spiritual energy flared and vanished with the rain that crashed against the floor. Loose debris swept through the streets like thrown knives, and the smaller towers shook side to side under the combined pressure of the storm and the constant magic attacks.
Rotell stopped for a moment, scanning the shadows with her blue eyes.
Her hair whipped across her face.
Whoosh!
A sudden gust nearly knocked her over, and she dug her rapier into the ground to keep her balance.
Her soldiers closed around a small group of civilians, an elderly man, a young mother, and a few children, all of them caught by an upper bridge that had collapsed.
They blocked the wind.
Hoooong!
Rumble!
Boom!
At that moment, a large earthquake rocked the city. Dust and debris fell, while the outer blocks of the city just straight up collapsed and disappeared into the swamp below.
"Hold!" someone shouted.
Another wave of Dusk Dwellers came…
They fell from above like broken dolls, crashing into the flooded streets and splashing black water across the knights. Their limbs cracked at wrong angles, but they still crawled forward, mouths open in silent screams, and bodies enveloped in a cloud of black dust.
Swhoosh!
Rotell lunged.
Her rapier cut through the air with such speed that the sound came a split second later.
Silver arcs flared through the rain, each one clean and precise. She moved like lightning, fast, efficient, unhesitating, one, two, three, each thrust ended with a creature dissolving into dust and rain.
Rotell exhaled, eyes narrowing as she scanned the surroundings.
A loud crack echoed above.
Kakakah!
From above, one of the bridges connecting two of the city blocks cracked in half and came crashing down. Swoosh! It smashed the swampland below, sending shock waves through the bridge that Rotell was on, and nearly knocked her and her men off the tower.
Rotell grabbed the nearest railing, her rapier flashing out to impale a creature mid-fall before pulling herself back up. Her voice came through the wind, hoarse but commanding. "Get those people across quickly! Use the other path!"
The soldiers obeyed instantly, guiding the civilians across the bridge, making sure to look up for any more falling debris, and for a moment, there was silence, only the rain, the wind, and the distant rumble of thunder rolling endlessly above their heads.
Shoosh!
Rotell's eyes widened as something cut through the static.
Her head snapped to the back, and to her shock, a massive chunk of rock was hurdling at her like a small meteorite! Shit! It was too big to block with a rapier!
She gritted her teeth and raised an arm, quickly deciding to take it with her body.
Swoosh---BOOM!
Just as the swirling shield-sized boulder was about to crash into her, something flashed.
Zeeeeeeeeeeeer!
Rotell froze as a streak of compressed spiritual energy streaked across the air and split the boulder with a radiant light. There was a pause… Cold sweat ran down her forehead, not just from the close call, but also the realization that she wouldn't have been able to dodge that light.
Slowly, she turned to the source of the light.
Footsteps…
Tock, tock, tock. They cut through the rain…
Through the downpour, a golden light flickered faintly in the dark.
Arthur stepped out from the shadows of the collapsing walkway, his cloak soaked, and his eyes calm. He hopped from building to building, slowly making his way down. The wind tore at him, but it never seemed to reach him. Runes flashed across his forearms, and faint patterns from his bracers reflected the storm.
Rotell's eyes widened slightly. "Arthur?"
He landed, somewhat awkwardly, and gave a small nod. He wasn't the athletic type. After stepping past a shattered pillar, he commented, "You look worse than the city." He smiled and adjusted his goggles.
"Thanks," she said flatly, half smiling despite her failure.
Lightning flashed behind him, illuminating the city.
Arthur's gaze drifted over to her people, then towards the deeper part of the city.
"What are you here for, to help?" Rotell asked, spinning her rapier, and resting it against her shoulder in an inelegant movement. "The city's falling apart faster than we can save people. Do you have time to be helping small fries like me?"
Arthur's eyes flickered gold again.
He just smiled, mumbled 'idiot', then followed her forward.
* * *
Upper City, Observation Hall.
The observation hall, previously filled with discussion and strategy, had now turned cold. The long tables were pushed to the side, and the staff had been evacuated.
It was barren.
All that remained were two opposing forces, standing on opposite sides of the room.
On one side stood the Tibon Family, led by Kareth himself.
They stood, backs against the enormous observation window, their silhouettes illuminated by the lightning. Their figures each radiated an ominous aura. Silver runes flickered faintly along the walls of the inner chamber, illuminating their silhouettes, and stretching them into terrifying black shadows that spilled across the floor. Each guard stood silent, motionless, their faces blank and expressionless, trained to be soullessly loyal.
On the other side stood the Black Tower, with Hitrit at the front, his coat soaked from the storm, and his expression grim. Behind him were a dozen Tower Teachers and several hundred Tower Mages, their wands glowing faintly in the darkness.
Beside him stood Pot, her face pale and her hands trembling.
They had already gone through one round of confrontation, with multiple bodies scattered across the room from both sides.
The air was sharp, and heavy with an unspoken hostility.
Ka-Ka-Kacha-BOOM! Lightning flashed, and thunder boomed…
Kareth spoke, his cold and emotionless voice far hollower than it was when he was commanding the United Army. "So little? Did the Tower Master not approve of your actions?"
Hitrit didn't respond, instead…
"Return my student," he said, his tone sharp and direct. He didn't want to play games. There was a reason this man was called the 'Whispering Serpent'.
Across the room, Kareth didn't move.
His arms were crossed behind his back, and his eyes were fixed on the Black Tower's 'delegation' with calm, steady contempt. No, there was also a hint of pity…
"Your student?" Kareth said slowly, as if testing the words. "Hm, you mean my property? Surely not?" The silence that followed was colder than any rain. "Pen Tibon is a member of the Tibon Family by blood," Kareth continued. "That hasn't changed, no matter how many tricks the Black Tower wants to use..."
Hitrit's eyes darkened. "You won't return him?"
Kareth's faint smile deepened, but it didn't reach his eyes. "You misunderstand. The boy was returned to where he belongs, that's all. It was never a matter of returning him or not."
He then turned his gaze towards Pot, who had been hiding behind Hitrit.
She flinched.
She could feel a serpentine gaze crawl across her body. It was almost as if she had been stripped naked and inspected by an auctioneer as a slave.
Then Kareth looked away, seemingly uninterested, but they all missed the slight twitch of his lip.
"You've done well to bring them back to the western region," Kareth said kindly. "Even if it wasn't your intention, I truly do appreciate it."
The surrounding walls creaked violently with the pressure of the storm.
Hitrit stepped forward. "Enough!" he said. "You don't own people, Kareth. You've crossed the line by taking people from the Black Tower. Release him, or I'll make you. You can't seriously want a war, right!?"
Kareth tilted his head slightly, his expression unreadable.
"You think you can? Even if you could, would you really put yourself above the future of the Western Region? Don't forget, I'm the current commander of the United Army. If I disappear, who knows how many will suffer? Ah, I can just imagine such a tragic thing… Tsk-tsk-tsk!"
Hitrit didn't answer with words...
The storm outside flashed.
Ka-Ka-Kacha…
The tension was ready to snap, and for a single heartbeat, there was only silence, then… the room exploded into a violent storm of spiritual energy.
Ka-Ka-Kacha-BOOM!
FLASH!!
A shockwave tore through the chamber, glass exploded outwards, and rain and wind spilled in through the shattered windows.
Both sides unleashed their power simultaneously.
BOOM!
Hitrit, as an Alchemist, followed an unorthodox path. A spiraling wave of gravitational force stretched out, collided with Kareth's defensive barrier, and shattered the surrounding stone in an explosive wave of condensed force.
BOOM!
The impact shook the entire tower.
Dozens of mages from both sides were thrown backwards, crashing into the walls and breaking bones.
"Protect the Patriarch!" someone shouted.
Spells rolled down, forming chains of lightning, flaming meteorites, compressed wind blades, all kinds of different spells struck out from both sides and collided.
Within moments, the chamber became a warzone.
* * *
BOOM!
When the outer walls collapsed, the fight spilled into the outer city and adjoining walkways, quickly becoming a large-scale battle, where the hidden pieces of both sides rose into action.
The flash of runes illuminated the city through the rain.
A fight between hundreds evolved into a fight between thousands. Those too far away could only watch, while those from the United Army sensed the fight from the distance.
As time passed, things continued to escalate.
Ka-Ka-Kacha-BOOM!
Lightning and thunder shook the sky. The wind roared like a beast, and the rain fell like the sea. Human blood quickly began to fill the city, slowly pooling and spilling down the tall towers.
The thousands of mages advanced, conjuring spell circles.
It was a chaotic clash of swords and shields, magic and curses, medicine and poison, everything. The sound of their battle roared through the entire city of Darkwell, sending shockwaves rippling out, and damaging the already weak foundation of the city.
Despite the damage done, the Black Tower didn't stop.
The Price of the Towers was in match, and what the Tibon Family had done was unforgivable, even in the face of the calamity.
-
Somewhere hidden amongst the battle, Pot stumbled through the chaos. Her ears rang from the explosions, her black robe was torn, and her breathing was quick.
Ka-Ka-Kacha-BOOM!
Her small body was scooped up by an explosion, timed with the lightning, and thrown across the city.
Bang!
After pushing herself up, her vision was blurry, and her body was weak.
On trembling legs, she stepped forward.
Pen moved without thinking.
She was a naturally weak and sickly girl, but the last few months had completely changed the way she viewed the world. In her mind, she didn't understand how her life had gone from that of a mere scavenger to becoming the trigger of a war between top forces.
Was this the power of position?
Was this the weight of a bloodline?
Her mind spun.
She wondered if they had been wrong…
Would it have been better for her and her brother to have stayed in the Solarin Slums? Tears flowed down her face, but they were concealed by the black rain that soaked her body.
Where had it all gone wrong?
She didn't know…
Pot moved through the chaos. She tried and failed, occasionally being grazed by an uncontrolled spell or untamed blade. Blood and death surrounded her.
Everything was red.
She felt her chest tighten as her heart started to beat uncontrollably.
What was this?
Was this… hell?
She was scared and weak.
Pot was, at the end of the day, just a little girl. She didn't understand what she had done wrong, why this was happening, why her life was crumbling around her...
Ka-Ka-Kacha-BOOM!
She screamed in her heart for help!
She knew that things were bad.
The anxiety that built up in her chest was practically overflowing.
'Please!'
Then---
A light flashed in the distance…
No, to call it a light was inaccurate. It was something unseen, a kind of force that pulled her through the crowd and towards the unknown.
It was… a choice, one offered by the shadow.
Woosh!
Her boots splashed against the bloody water as she turned a corner and nearly ran into a familiar figure.
She tripped, landing face-first into the mud.
When she pushed herself up, her tear-stained face looked up to meet a familiar figure.
"Elena!" She cried.
Elena was standing above her.
She had just arrived, and this little girl had immediately bumped into her.
The reason she was late was because she had run into a problem that delayed her from returning to the Observation Hall after hearing the commotion.
Wait…?
Elena looked down at Pots' face and actually recognised her.
She remembered helping this young girl's brother while she was running about and making preparations for the future calamities. It was Pen, the future Alchemy God. As for this little girl, Pot, she was destined to die early and become the spark that drove Pen to his ninth-tier throne.
If she remembered correctly, she should already be dead…
Why was she here, no, wait—
That's not the problem…
Pot pushed herself up, nearly collapsed, and gripped the wall for balance.
With red eyes, "P-please," she said, breathlessly, "Y-y-you have t-to 'sniff!' h-help…! K-kareth, the Tibon Family…! 'Sniff, sniff!' h-has my b-b-brother! They've d-done something to him! I-I-I d-don't know, 'sniff!' I don't know anymore… p-please!"
Elena's eyes flickered.
She could tell that there was something wrong with this girl, but the plea was sincere.
"I know," she said quietly, placing a hand on the trembling shoulder…
"He's still alive, I'll go get him. So, don't cry."
Pot's eyes widened. 'sniff!' "T-then please—"
"I'll find him," Elena said, already turning away. "But you can't follow me. Go find a safe place to hide. If your brother is really targeted by the Tibon Family, then you need to run away as quickly as possible."
"B-but—"
Elena raised a hand, "You'll only slow me down," Elena said. "Trust me, I'll help your brother."
Then, with a woosh, she was gone.
Pot stood frozen for a few seconds, shaking, then turned away, slowly slinking her weakened body through the collapsing city. She took a deep breath, steadied her trembling legs, and ran as fast as she could.
The walls cracked again as the tower groaned under the strain of the fight from behind.
At the same time, another earthquake rolled through the city.
Ka-Ka-Kacha-BOOM!
The runes carved along the foundations of Darkwell flared and dimmed, and several towers began to tilt, then collapse. Boom! The sound of shattering glass and crumbling stone drowned even the thunder. But for Pot, all of this was nothing more than background noise.
* * *
From the highest rooftop, Petra sat at a small table she had 'found' in one of the collapsed buildings to look cool. The surrounding home had been destroyed, and the wall had collapsed, providing a full view of the fire.
She had a cup of tea in her hand and a small plate of local pastries beside her.
Below, the city burned.
The Tibon Family and the Black Tower were tearing each other apart, their spells lighting up the storm like faint fireworks.
"Ahyaaa~" Petra murmured, taking a slow sip with both her hands wrapped around the cup. "This story is so exhausting. Not only is it poorly written, but it's also very predictable."
Petra made a cute snort.
Her gaze drifted down, following the movement of a small figure running through the flooded streets. It was Pot, frantically stumbling towards a blond-haired woman.
"Elena," Petra muttered. "Oh, I see… so that's the twist? Ah~ya~ya, that's not too bad, not too bad..." Sip—! Hm? Before she could take another sip, someone suddenly sat across from her.
Petra: "…"
Random Grandpa: "…"
He was an old man cloaked in heavy robes, wilt rain still dripping from his sleeves. His presence was thin, almost too thin, and the air around him felt ancient and oppressive, yet restrained and refined.
Petra blinked. "Gramps? You are…? Er, do I know you?"
There was no answer for a long time…
Petra: "…"
Random Grandpa: "…"
Suddenly, he let out a low chuckle. "I came to see you, I couldn't resist, after all, you're an interesting one…. all three of you." He spoke in the language of the insect clan.
Petra: "…"
Petra was genuinely curious why this big shot would come to her personally.
The old man narrowed his eyes, then hummed and hawed for a moment, before saying, "A simple exchange," he said. "Leave my 'daughter' alone, and I'll tell you where my 'secret stash' is hidden."
Petra: "…??"
What the hell was he talking about, was this old man senile?
Petra tilted her head, asking curiously. "Your daughter?"
He didn't answer, no, he didn't even look at Petra. The whole time, his head was down, facing the floor. Petra had the feeling that this old man knew that she was just a puppet, and he had no interest in the ant, only the one behind it.
She just shrugged. "Fine, it's a deal old grandpa."
Petra didn't know who his daughter was, but she was much more interested in the treasure.
-
After a quick talk, when she looked up again, he was already gone.
* * *
Ka-Ka-Kacha-BOOM!
Rain hammered the rooftop like heavy hail.
Lightning split the sky, and for a single, blinding moment, the world turned white. In that flash, the bloody scene was revealed.
Piles of bodies, all dismembered and scattered around the roof.
Dozens of them, twisted, crushed, and painted with blood. Water streamed over their bodies, ran along the tiles, and spilled from the edge of the roof in roaring rivers of red.
Through the storm, Kareth walked forward slowly. His steps were sharp, and the sound of his boots cut through the rain like a blade, with each tap echoing with an unnatural weight.
Tap… tap… tap… Dong!
Hitrit gritted his teeth.
He lay sprawled across the crimson stone, body broken, limbs shattered, and his cultivation crippled.
Every breath was like a wave of pins.
With great difficulty, he craned his neck.
His eyes were bloodshot, and filled with hatred—! "How… how can a fourth-order necromancer be this strong…!" he trembled.
Kareth chuckled, the sound hollow, empty of everything that made one human.
"There's no need to be shocked," he said, his voice crisp through the rain. "There's always a cost for power. Mine is simply… paid by others, that's all."
Ka-Ka-Kacha-BOOM!
The rooftop shook.
Boom!
An invisible wave of devastating energy rippled outwards from Kareth's feet, turning the remaining corpses into meat paste. Flesh, blood, and bones were torn to shreds.
Kareth's eyes glowed with a sickly green light.
"Tell me," he murmured, stepping closer, "did you really think you had a chance? Did you think you could win?"
Ka-Ka-Kacha-BOOM! The world flashed, casting the man's face in a deep shadow.
Hitrit spat blood as his lips twisted into a sneer.
Kareth tilted his head.
"Not talking? Oh..." He shrugged. "Let me guess… you think that spy of yours is going to save him for you, isn't that it?"
Hitrit's eyes widened.
Kareth laughed coldly. "A spy infiltrating our family? Impossible! Truly, cousin… why even bother? Although it was a good try, I must say, you truly do underestimate our family's foundation."
Hitrit roared through broken teeth, blood spilling with every word. "WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?! He's just a child! He has no value to you!"
Kareth chuckled.
"You're right," he spat. "He doesn't have value, none at all."
Hitrit froze, and then his face drained of all color.
Kareth gave an empty smile, seeing his realization. He crouched beside the bleeding man and leaned closer, whispering into Hitrit's ear…
"The father of those children…" —Ka-Ka-Kacha-BOOM!
-
Kareth's hand snapped around Hitrit's throat, lifting him effortlessly off the stone roof. Rain streamed down Hitrit's face, mixing with the tears of blood that rolled from his eyes.
"It's far too late for regrets," Kareth said coldly.
"Goodbye… dear cousin."
He let go—
Hitrit's body fell.
He fell backward over the edge of the roof, swallowed immediately by the roaring darkness below. The tower city's foundation had been split open, the earth torn apart, and swamp water cascaded downwards into a spiraling abyss. Hitrit fell past the city, past the swamp, past the last light of the storm, and disappeared into the chasm that was slowly opening beneath the city.
Never to be seen again…
* * *