Return

Once the dust finally settled from the explosion, the only things were left behind was a golden key and a large black Soul Orb…

Grim spared no time in getting to the key and the orb, grinning to himself while Reyes and Leezy watched on scowling.

"At last I will be able to ascend!"

Taking the key for himself and putting it away, he started to reach for the Orb but was interrupted by Leezy who grabbed his arm and locked eyes.

"So you mean to tell me you get to reap all the rewards like my brother and I didn't just do most of the work?"

"I would have been able to handle the entire situation myself had you two not gotten in my way. As a matter of fact your brother was the main reason my power was exhausted in the first place..."

"You say that and yet your ass barely managed to leave a scratch on the Hydra's scales before Reyes used those fancy gauntlets of his."

Grim could only answer with a cough followed with silence knowing that Leezy had a valid point.

Stepping between the two, Reyes karate chopped his brother's wrist forcing him to let go while turning toward Grim.

"I believe you owe us a trip and a bit extra on the side after what we had to deal with if you ask me. What do you think Leezy?"

"I think we should give him one of those personalized old school ass whoppings. Im talking about the type that would make Solomon come out of retirement just to join in."

Leezy looked Grim up and down while cracking his kneck loudly, prompting him to shake his head.

"Fine…I'll go back with the both of you now that I have what I need."

Pulling out a mana drenched scroll and unfurling it, he placed it on the ground across from him so the brothers could see that it was lined with Japanese katakana which left them completely stumped as they had no experience with the language.

Being around such ignorant people annoyed him but rather than say anything, he just sighed and signaled for the pair to come closer.

With the brothers at his side, Grim uttered a subtle chant that caused a circle of mana to form on the ground around them accompanied by glowing katakana that danced around in the air above it. A bright flash and a moment later, they found themselves standing in the lobby of the Thousand Eyes HQ.

…

Loud clangs echoed through the training yard as a group of recruits sparred in the field before Horus and the other captains in preparation for the coming attack.

About a week and a half had passed since he had sent Leezy and Reyes out to find Grim. Lost in the thought of how their search was going, Horus didn't hear the voice of his captain speaking to him.

"Boss? Boss!!"

"Oh…yes sorry, what were you saying?"

"I asked if you think the training we have been pushing the new recruits through for the past week will suffice…sir."

"It is better than doing nothing, although i doubt anything will be able to prepare these men for the horrors they will have to face once Azel reaches the city."

"I have heard tales about how strong that dragon is…is there any chance those stories were stretched a bit?"

"I can tell you right now they aren't exaggerated at all. I know because my great grandfather served as a witness to the sealing. Hundreds of heroes died in their attempt to merely weaken Azel enough to seal."

The captain gulped a bit upon hearing that. Most of the stories that were told when he was a kid he had thought were shrouded in a bit of truth. In fact, he had joined Thousand Eyes in search of the truth behind those stories but never could he have imagined he would be training to fight a creature straight out of a legend.

'Just how powerful is this thing?'

As if reading his mind, Horus continued on.

"As you know, all Dragons grow stronger with age. We have no way of knowing how old Azel truly is, as rumor has it that he fought amongst the old gods. The most frightening thing about the creature isn't the elemental flames it breathes or it's raw strength, it apparently has innate mastery over the all the primary elements along with summoning magic to boot."

"So you mean…"

"Yeah…this thing not only can minipulate water, earth, air and fire as easily as we breathe but it can also summon a variety of creatures during battle."

A visible shudder could be seen going through every captain's spine within an earshot of that statement.

Dragons were commonly born with a single element while the rarer ones were born with more, only gaining access to them once they were fully grown.

Adult dragons could become elder dragons if they devoured enough hearts from their own kind or if they managed to survive long enough on their own with the passage of time.

Elder dragons growth was then based on the difficulty of their battles alongside the quality and amount of prey they managed to consume, giving them access to brand new abilities and powers.

For a long time they were believed to be the highest form a dragon could obtain…until the discovery of primordial dragons, a special geade of elder dragon achieved through methods unknown.

Once discovered, the gods declared a universal law that required every primordial dragon to be documented due to the threat they presnted not only to humankind but to the gods themselves. The small amount of research information that was complied as a result of this law is what ultimately propelled the Thousand Eye faction to become what they were in the present time.

That information became common knowledge in the world. It became common knowledge that not only could they verbally speak which gave them the ability to cast spells, they also passively absorbed mana and could negate spiritual based attacks rendering them virtually useless.

With every primordial dragon being completely different in terms of individual abilities and raw power, the one unique thing they all seemed to have in common was that they could switch between their true form and a humanoid form whenever they pleased…

The soldiers around could all be seen trembling a bit, but before they could say anything further three familiar faces stepped into the training area.

"Well i'll be damned, if it isn't general grim!"

No time was spared in greeting the newcomers. The excitment that spread through the soldiers only subsided when Horus walked up and gave Grim a long hug.

"It is very good to see you…my friend."

"As it is good to see you."

"Have you succeeded?"

With a nod, Grim smiled and shook Horus's hand.

"I see you haven't wasted any time training the new blood around here. They will need it for what is to come."

"Aye, if you have the time could you help train them now that you have returned?"

"Of course."

With a low cough, Reyes interruped their reunion.

"And what of that reward you promised us?"

Stepping to the side, Horus walked up to him and offered his hand. Shaking it, Reyes smiled and recieved thanks for bringing Grim back as promised.

"Come this way and follow me to the archives..."