Antares and Return

Caera POV

I was just walking around the area when I saw Grey basically teleport from platform to platform. I would be lying if I say I wasn't jealous. Imagine the times I could run away from my parent's lectures if I had that ability. I watched as he trained, aimlessly teleport at the platforms three steps had set up and then I saw him train how they could manifest those aether claws as Grey told me. I kept on my walk through the village after watching him for a while.

At some point, I was playing with some of the young shadow claws. It was getting late so I went back to my hut and cleaned my armor and sword as I was cleaning Grey entered the room and as usual, without any greeting went to his bed and meditate.

"Could've at least asked how was my day?" I said out loud

"How was your day?" He suddenly said

As I felt my face heat up.

"We.. weren't you meditating?" I asked

"I was about to" He replied

I sighed but answered anyway

"It was good I played with some of the young ones and continued on my training" I replied

"Well you seem to like it here" He replied

"Yes I do honestly I would also love if I could live like this forever far away from my so call normal life of being tortured daily by my adoptive parents bickering or trying to arrange a marriage for me," I said frustrated

Grey opened his eyes as he didn't continue meditating and sat on the edge of his bed.

"You sure have it rough," He said but the tone he used wasn't provoking more like concerned

"You have no idea" I simply replied

But when I turned to him he didn't reply but was lost in thought as I realized what I said, I barely know anything about him and I answered that he has no idea how crappy my life was, what if his life is more crappy. What have I done?

"Grey I'm sorry I just said that out of frustration," I said

"Oh no don't worry I'm just thinking," He said with a solemn smile which made me even more guilty

The rest of the night was awkward, to say the least as Arthur started to meditate while I can't forget that smile he just showed

"It was a smile yet it reflected pain," I thought as I regretted my words

"I'm sorry," I said to myself

I went out of the hut for some fresh air as I saw the shadow claw were all inside their hut sleeping and some were patrolling the village. When I came here with Grey I have nearly forgotten my life outside and I felt comfortable with this life it didn't matter if I was here for less than a month it was good to live like this.

If only I could escape my life and come here but that's not possible because people will find this place eventually. I entered back at the hut mesmerized by Grey's red mana covering him even if it had malice and destructive nature it was rather beautiful if you look at it.

I walked towards him and touched the mana but I was greeted by a voice an evil voice that wanted me to let it in to take control, it said it would grant my desires, it would make me stronger. I pulled my hand away from the mana immediately before the voice could continue.

"What was that?" I asked myself

I kept on observing Grey's mana while he meditated as the mana seemed to have the same effect on Grey as I saw his occasional twitch. As our faces were only separated by a few inches as I kept observing his red mana. Suddenly he shot his eyes opened and I jerked my body back falling on my back as I watched Grey gasp for air his breath ragged.

"What happened?" I asked

"Nothing just over pushed myself a little too much" He replied still gasping for air

"That didn't seem like nothing," I thought

When my gaze really focused on his face my eyes widened as I pointed a finger at his face

"G- Grey your eye," I said

"Huh?" He was confused

I took out a mirror from my ring and faced it at him. His right eye glowing blood red.

"What the "

Before he could finish his hand went to his red eye as he screamed in pain. I stood up and instinctively got out a healing vial but before I could give it to him the red mana around him appeared once more but it had a figure now, a figure of a dragon's head.

Arthur POV

When Caera showed me the mirror I was surprised to see my right eye glowing blood-red but the surprise didn't last long as I felt a surge of pain resonating through me and focused on my right eye. It felt as my eye was going to explode from the inside as I saw red mana more thick coming out of my body.

"Caera run" I managed to say before everything turned dark

I woke up in an infinite darkness when I turned to look around an eye bigger than me shot open. The same blood-red glowing eyes stared back at me.

"It seems like you've had a lot of exposure and interaction with my mana if you are brought here," It said as it stood up to reveal a dragon as tall as a mountain

"Who are you?" I asked with a little bit of fear

"I was once a Monarch before I fell in this pathetic state. I was the Monarch Of Destruction The King Of Dragons" It said

"But I guess titles aside I had a name it was Antares" he continued

"Impossible Antares is with Jin-Woo" I replied

The dragon showed anger at the mention of Jin-Woo's name as it roared in anger but he soon just slumped back down on the floor.

"It seems like he did manage to take away my main soul," He said

"Then what are you?" I asked

"A fragment I left behind if I ever needed someone to inherit my powers to" He replied

"Although I was separated long ago but when my main soul was still alive our minds were linked and the last thing I saw was the aftermath of my fight with Jin-Woo or more like I tried to self destruct before letting him get my main soul but it seems from what you explained to me it seems like it failed and he got it" He continued

"What are you both," I asked

"We were Monarchs beings that were created from darkness and our sole purpose was for destruction, we were created as weapons to point at our creator's enemies until we had enough we rebelled back. We managed to kill a Ruler which are our opposite if we were created from the darkness they were created from light. If we were created to destroy they were created to protect" He said

"How strong are they?" I asked

"We were stronger at the day we managed to kill The Greatest Fragment of Brilliant Light," He said

"Which turned out bad for both sides as we gave birth to a dangerous entity which was now called Shadow Monarch but he had a more famous name King Of The Dead. His name was Ashborn" He continued

My eyes widened at the mention of Ashborn as when I first met him he did have the smell of death but for him to be a being that even this dragon feared meant that the title Shadow Monarch seemed to be the most powerful beings because of their control over death.

"Do not mistake him as the most powerful because even he failed multiple times but what makes the Shadow Monarch strong isn't its powers over the dead or his control over the shadows but their nature to get back up after being pummeled to the ground as they could raise their own shadow back to life no matter how hard you pummel them they'll only come back," He sighed

"So how did the war continue did both sides have to fight the Shadow Monarch ?" I asked

"No, the Shadow Monarch joined the monarch's side as because the Rulers murdered our creator the Absolute Being as an act of rebellion. Ashborn, He was almost blindly loyal to the Absolute Being and continued to fight on his behalf even after learning the truth behind his existence. But when the Absolute Being was killed he went to our side for the sake of revenge." He replied

"What was the Absolute Being like?" I asked

"He was a cruel and self-centered individual who cared very little for his creations and saw them only as tools for his own purposes. He was also careless, as he clearly never considered the possibility that the would rebel against him and only ever implanted a fail-safe inside , which ultimately failed to accomplish its intended purpose." He replied

"So how did Jin-Woo come to this world?" I asked

"I know how he did it but I also know of why he did it" He replied

"So how?" I asked

"We have the power to travel around universes as we please" He replied

"And the why?" I asked

He didn't reply at first but instead, his eyes glowed and our surroundings changed revealing a ruined planet that cracks could be seen from space and when he zoomed in it was like an aftermath of an apocalypse as seas of flames danced and mountains of corpses towering. Buildings were destroyed and the ground had several cracks on it some even deep enough that the planet's core could be seen.

"This was the aftermath of our fight against the Shadow Monarch," He said

"Our?" I asked

"There are seven other monarchs other than us they are The Monarch of White Flames, the King of Demons; The Beast Monarch, The King of Beasts; The Frost Monarch, The King of Snow Folk; The Iron Body Monarch, The King of Monstrous Humanoids, The Monarch of the Beginning, the King of Giants; The Monarch of Plagues, the Queen of Insects; The Monarch of Transfiguration, the King of Demonic Spectres" He replied

"But didn't you say he was on your side?" I asked

He sighed "Ashborn cared greatly about life and had a benevolent attitude towards humanity. He also had a profound desire for peace and was tired of the endless war between the Monarchs and the Rulers, leading him to eventually entrust both his ambitions and his powers to a human in hopes of putting an end to the bloodshed once and for all. The human took The Rulers side because of this" He said

"So what am I here for?" I asked

"My powers" He replied as the world turned into a void again

"You'll inherit my powers" He repeated

"But as for how long and far you could grow my powers solely depends on you," He said

"If you do not be careful my mana would eat you alive but if you succeed it will give you power but again it will keep trying to take control over your body" He continued

"How were you able to control it?" I asked

"I never controlled it I co-existed with it because the nature of my powers and my personality were compatible" He replied

The world suddenly shook as the room slowly crumble.

"It seems like our time is up now boy use my powers well and don't disgrace my name from now on you are my successor you will be the next Monarch Of Destruction, the last thing I could give you now is the Dragon's heart" He said before I opened my eyes to the familiar ceiling of my hut

I turned around and found Caera once again sleeping on the edge of my bed her drool all over the place. Which gave me Deja vu. I shook her shoulder as she softly let out a moan and stretch her body backwards highlighted her front which I quickly averted my gaze away.

"You sure drool a lot," I said

Her eyes widened as she darted her gaze towards the edge of my bed. Her face got redder as she tried to clean her cheek where her drool was and eventually bent her head down not wanting to meet my gaze.

"What happened?" I asked

"You kept shouting all night in pain but the red mana suddenly focused on where your heart was at." She replied

"What do you mean where my heart was at?" I asked

She pointed at where my heart was and described it like the destructive mana were all gathering and focusing there, as I closed my eyes to feel I could feel my heart pumping out and circulating destruction mana.

My eyes widened by this as it did the same thing a mana core would do. But it did more than what a mana core can, it could create its own mana.

I quickly got up and started to meditate as I was meditating a surge of destructive power came out and started to scream at me, I left my meditation state gasping for air as I felt the mana more violent than before, more uncontrollable.

"What was that?" Caera asked her eyes filled with curiosity

"A new technique" I replied

I got up and went on with my day as we all prepared to take the last portal piece but on this expedition, the shadow claw wanted to come at least their warriors wanted to come while they left behind their children and women back at a bunker. Three steps explained that the Spear Beaks and Shadow Claw had some personal problems to solve as she showed me her memories of spear beaks killing their young ones. I just nodded in agreement letting them come with us to the Spear Beak village.

Two days had passed as we all began to teleport near the village.

"Don't you dare touch anywhere else" Caera glared at me

I picked her up to a princess carry as we all prepared to teleport and we treated it as a race. When a rock touched the ground we all teleported towards the location we agreed on. Three steps and a few experienced warriors arrive first as I arrived fifth, and the others came one by one soon after. We all walked slowly towards their walls as we got ready I charged up an aetheric blast and blasted the wall revealing a village of Spear Beaks. They were surprised but it didn't last long as the Shadow Claws teleported towards them slitting their necks with fast speed and Godly precision. The spear beaks retreated deeper in their village as some warriors came out charging towards us.

We fought for a solid ten minutes as the spear beaks could barely scratch the warriors. And I was being generous as they only managed to touch the warrior's outer armor. We fought and fought as we advanced deeper sparing the Spear Beaks that surrendered until we arrived at a hut with relics all over and the last portal piece.

I took the portal piece while Caera had her eyes on a relic for a while.

"Just take what you want Caera I'm sure they won't mind," I said

She nodded and took a relic and placed it inside her ring. Soon after we raided the Spear Beaks we went back to the village to celebrate and as a memorial as we would part ways tomorrow. I could see Caera feel down and her urge to stay but she couldn't. We solely focused on eating and drinking that day.

The day finally came as me and Caera had said our goodbyes to the Shadow Clan we walked towards the ruined portal. When we got there I repaired it and it was fixed when we entered we were greeted by a lot of people as we arrived at the place where the kingdom officials were and voices I haven't heard for a long time.