THE LOST OF DESTINY'S SON II
"It can't possibly be true; all the Vurhans who managed to get into the Independent states were killed."
"And who's to say they all died; maybe some lived beyond the confines. Defectors State is closer to Free State; in practice, this town is just a few miles from the Free State Walls. You're right in front of the wall after a night's journey through the forest you went through on the way here."
"So, you think a Vurhan has broken through the wall and is hiding in the woods?"
"They've done it before, so they may as well try it again. That is the story going around, and it is a heavy one at that. We can't just ignore it if we're in our right minds. So, if I were you, I'd be wary about wandering around late at night. Anyway, I don't want to scare you or anything, I just want you to be safe out there."
Mrs. Hannah cleaned up the bowls and relocated them to the kitchen after Alicia finished her dinner. When she returned for her cup of tea, she declared her retirement to bed and told Alicia to do the same; of course, she wanted it more than Hannah. Everything one might think of after a long day at work was covering themselves in a warm blanket.
Alicia thought, as she lay in her bed, if a vurhan might be lurking somewhere deep in the trees, terrorizing this little village. If this was the case, it needed to be addressed so any harm could not be done any further. She hadn't forgotten why she'd come to Defectors State, but she knew that avoiding the situation in that village would haunt her for the rest of her life.
"Okay, then, I'll go to the headquarters tomorrow and file the report. This needs to come to an end."
Until collapsing onto the bunk, Alicia murmured something to herself. She had underestimated how close the inn was to the trees. In the trees, she could hear the faint wails of nocturnal foxes. Their noises only served to pique her interest. Is it a Vurhan? It's a long way out here! One eventually appears in Defectors State after six years of rumored extinction.
That night, she entertained the idea of the Vurhans, filthy, terrifying creatures bred from hatred. Their very existence demonstrated the villainous side of creation's power, a concrete showing of what happens when an all-powerful being turns nefarious. It was upsetting because if you met one of those heinous beings, you'd never forget them. They had dark green pale skin and rough scales, and others were known to hide their slime-covered skin by shading their exoskeletons. Their primary diet consisted of meat and blood from every living being, but they appeared to have a special fondness for human flesh. They had big mouths that engulfed half of their faces, and they were quadrupedal, but could switch to bipedal gait will, particularly when attacking.
Alicia had never seen one in person despite reading a lot about them. She just had images and drawings, but that didn't matter. They never had a chance to break the Royal Republic's walls since the king expelled them long before they entered North Angus. It was a display of great strength, a demonstration of what Shai magic was capable of, but it came at a high price.
The king's lifespan was drastically shortened. That is why after the war, he fell greatly I'll, it forced the current dark bender at that time to conduct the dark bender ritual so early, passing down the responsibility to two young boys who weren't even ready for it. That was what caused the imbalance in the kingdom and forced Drom to become the king at such a young age. She knew this mission was a big deal. That is why she had to accomplish it.
The king's life expectancy was cut in half. As a result, he suffered tremendously during the battle. It compelled the current dark bender at the time to perform the dark bender ritual too early, entrusting the task to two young boys who weren't even ready. That was what created the kingdom's imbalance, forcing Drom to become king at such a young age. She was well aware that this task was crucial. That is why she wanted to excel.
Dawn came quickly, ushering in a flood of light into Alicia's room and pulling the sleep from her eyes. She eventually broke out of the bed's shackles and crossed over to splash some water on her face after a few tentative tosses and turns. Outside her house, she could hear the squeaking wooden tires of trollies and carriages driving by, along with the noisy chatter of people. For the first time since she arrived, she saw the streets of the town bustling with people as she draped the curtains and peered outside. She could also hear footsteps below in the inn.
She descended downstairs and met Mrs. Hannah at the reception a few moments later, after making herself dressed for the day. She approached her and expressed her appreciation for her friendly hospitality.
"Mrs. Hannah, thank you very much. Thank you for having me stay with you."
"It was all my pleasure, young lady; are you certain you don't mind staying another day?"
"Thank you for the invitation," she says, "but the job is important, and I just have a limited amount of time left, so I must be on the move."
"Well, I hope The Elder Brother gods are with you on your journey."
"Thank you, Mrs. Hannah, and with regards to the disappearances, I'll make sure to file a complaint as soon as I return to North Angus, and a squadron will be sent directly to deal with the situation. Just make sure you remain safe at the period to prevent someone else from being abducted."
"Thank you very much, young lady,"
Mrs.Hannah replied, appreciatively.
Alicia plotted her exit from the inn and began her quest for the Blacksmith.
She pondered all night, devising a strategy to assist her in finding the blacksmith. She had to first locate the notorious Black market.
Her scheme was straightforward: she would trick a criminal into taking her luggage, then hunt him down so there was only one place he could sell it: the Black Market. According to the information she collected from her experiences with the town's vendors and inhabitants, a market deep in the valley at the edge of the forest was mentioned more than the others as a thief haven. It was her next stop.
She arrived at the market after about a half-day of trekking. It was a bustling market, with stalls and people crowding every street, making it ideal for criminals.
Her baggage would serve as a ticket to the black market, and her sword would serve as a ticket to the blacksmith. She stepped into a cafe she had chosen. When she got to the register, she took a stool from underneath and posted an order. Two tables were occupied by a party of children behind her. A grown-up sat among them. They began bothering him.
"You said you'd tell us the story, so please do."
"Yes, indeed! Please, please, please! ".
They badgered the adult until he caved into their requests and agreed to tell them the story they so desperately wanted to hear.
The story had been told to Alicia several times before. She learned it from her parents when she was a child, and she was also taught it in religious classes at Noble School. And after hearing the story several times, it never grew old.
"A long time back." There were three brother gods, AREKIN the oldest, ARNI, and TOMASA, who lived before anything existed. AREKIN possessed the ability to create life, ARNI the ability to create nature, and TOMASA the ability to nullify life. These brothers started to build everything around us, including the eyes, nose, and ears (tickling a child beside him) (the kid laughs amusingly trying to resist.)
ARNI, the second god, began to use more of his influence... he began to build the gifted (the children exclaim in unison.) TOMASA, as you can see, was not happy. TOMASA was a devilish being who thrived on the misery and sorrow of others. He relished his role as the God of Retribution.
He, above all gods, uncovered the creation's dark secret. As a soul was created in the Earth Dimension, he found that destructive energy was also created in the Null Realm to complement the soul... SHAI!!! (The kids react.) TOMASA went on a spree because he hated gifted people, so he created VURHANS to do his bidding to satisfy his need for chaos and death. However, the vurhans were heartless and ruthless, murdering everyone and everything, including humans and gifted people. When ARNI and AREKIN realized their brother had gone too far, they fought him, but they were unable to defeat him and imprison him.
They couldn't work out how he kept getting stronger until one human came in and proposed a solution. He seemed to have witnessed TOMASA descend and feed on the SHAI of the dead. He then suggested that he sacrifice his soul in order to store all of the SHAI and prevent TOMASA from feeding on it. The gods warned him that he would die as a result of the Shai's negative energies. It would taint his spirit, which would then taint his mind. But what if he didn't have a soul? (the children exclaim once more).
The human offered his soul to the gods. Arni and Arekin accepted the human's noble act and took his soul, replacing it with all the Shai present in the world. By doing this they were able to weaken Tomasa and imprison him in a pocket dimension in the Null Realm.
The valiant human's sacrifice was acknowledged, and he was proclaimed king. He was then given free entrance into the afterlife, as well as the right to rule over the people through his lineage. To aid the king, ARNI invented the position of the DARKBENDER, who was granted the ability to bend the powers of the Null Realm, allowing him to stop the king anytime he went haywire..."