Chapter 4

 There are many ways to use a sword. You can use it to kill or defend, you can use it in service to someone or for your own ends. Just like a sword essence can be used many ways. It can be used to heal, and it can be used to harm. Your use of something can give it a new meaning. How will you use what has been given to you?

 --Elizabeth's Pov--

 "It's happening, Elizabeth get ready. They might sense his awakening if a member of the order is nearby." Ignis looked at me and said, "I will go out and patrol the valley edges. I might be able to convince them that I am handling it if I find them first." Before I could say a word, he left to patrol the valley. 

 This valley had once been a blooming town before the incident that created the deadlands. During Ignis' travels patrolling the deadlands he had come across this valley. It is nestled right on the boarder of a tier 3 and 4 zone but is a tierless zone at the bottom of the valley. In all out time here, there has never been a case of an undead above tier 1 trying to get into this valley.

 When we had to flee from the order due to Therion's birth, this is where we decided to raise him. The valley has everything we need to survive. During the first few months of staying here, we looted the village, took stock of what we had, and knocked down all the non-essential buildings. The only building we kept was the mayor's house, which was in need of repairs. After fixing it up with the materials from the knocked down houses, we established everything we would need to survive without going to a village. 

 The valley had changed a lot over the years and is now unrecognizable from how it started. We have made a lot of good memories here, if things go bad this might be the last time I see it. The large farm that has its irrigation system connected to the east side of the river was my son's favorite spot to rest at. To the west side we have our mansion, storage, smoker and training arena where we taught him how to survive in the wilderness. In the north part of the valley is the watch tower, where my husband probably is staying, we would sometimes stay there to watch the sunset. To the south is a mountain with a large gouge in it that the river disappears into, Therion would always come with me to harvest the herbs and explore the caves.

 Currently I am heading to the graveyard to check on what is possibly my last resort. I need to make sure that everything is in place. Even though my core cards are mostly sealed, over the years I have still slowly managed to progress and gather everything that Therion might need. Last month I managed to get back to the fourth tier and can use about half of the power expected from a fourth tier. If the order finds Therion they will try to kill him just for his affinity and the power I have gathered will not be enough to fight them off without sacrifice and luck.

 Hours go by as Therion is meditating before something happens, a black pillar shoots hundreds of feet into the sky. Looking at it I knew the best and worst possibility had happened. Therion is awakening a trait along with his core cards and from what it looks like it will be a trait focused on gathering essence. The problem with that is that the spike in death essence or what seems to be a variant of it will be able to be sensed for hundreds of miles as long as that creature or person has a sharp enough essence sense. A few hours later the worst happens, a member of the order has shown up.

 --Ignis' Pov--

 At the entrance of the valley stands a man I had once known well, Darius. He was my second in command before I left the Order's Fire Legion. "I didn't expect to see you here, Ignis. I haven't seen you sense you left to take care of your family. Are you here to purge the darkness from this valley?" Darius had always taken the doctrine of the order to heart. He never stopped to think about what he was doing and followed their orders to the letter. There is no way to talk him out of trying to "cleanse" my son. "Darius, you always run too fast." A young woman came running down the valley panting and practically collapsed beside Darius. 

 Darius glanced at her before saying, "If you had completed my tests without so much waste of your essence you would have been able to keep up longer." After scolding her she caught sight of me and jumped up off the ground and ran behind Darius. He sighed seeing the antics of what could only be a new trainee of the order. "This is Cynthia, my apprentice. When she completes my training, she will be a high priestess candidate." He said glancing back at me. After a long silence he asked again, "For what reason are you standing in my path?"

 Drawing my sword from my storage and equipping everything except my helmet, I responded. "Defending My family." That was the only warning he had before I equipped my helmet, started to activate my ability cards, and lunge at him. As my sword was about to pierce his throat a spear was thrust at my chest. Seeing no outcome except for retreat I shifted my weight to the side before rolling out of the way. I was sure that should have hit him before he retaliated, but he was still standing. As our surroundings started to heat up, we stood staring at each other. "So, after all the order has done for you, betrayal is what you give it?" He growled, "If you stay out of my way, I will let you live out of respect for what you were, Volcanic Knight Ignis. The Order might even let you come back." 

 "So, you have gotten to the fifth tier." I spoke. To get a little more time I glanced over his shoulder, stared directly at the trembling girl, and said, "Your apprentice won't survive our clash even if you tiered up recently. Surrender now and I will let her go unharmed." He glanced at me and smiled, "Don't worry I can put you down before she succumbs to your domain." As I looked at Darius I smirked. "If I was the same as I was ten years ago, that would be true." Giving him no time to prepare, I started to funnel the essence inside my core into the cards that would make the area around me a molten inferno. As ground around me started to liquify, Darius charged at me yelling, "Don't you dare!" Before he could even get halfway to me the ground beneath us burst upwards in a volcanic eruption. Hopefully I would be able to give Elizabeth enough time to prepare her failsafe.

 --Elizabeth's Pov--

 Off in the distance I could see it, my husband's signature ability, I watched as the molten giant finished freeing itself from the ground and drew its blade from the molten pool it emerged from. That ability was a clever use of his trait he figured out 4 years ago during one of his hunting trips. The night he came back he told me that if he ever uses it to fight a foe, it means that he is going all out and will need back up. Despair filled my heart as I could see how this would play out, but if Therion survives it will be worth it. That ability of his is the start of what would be a future racial transformation as it is now, it is meant to be his finisher or siege ability. The fact that he is using it now without preparing the area around him means he is trying to defeat his foe as fast as possible. Just as I started to turn to enter into the graveyard an explosion shook the ground and a flash of light split the sky. 

 As I looked back, I could see a large gash in the ground and Ignis' avatar falling in two pieces. My heart nearly broke at that sight, but I had to get to the center of the graveyard before he found me. I had activated a ward placed over the house that would keep anyone tier 5 or below from entering as long as I live. Whoever had defeated my husband, a knight who most people on this continent would rather avoid, would know where I am as soon as they examined my barrier. It would cost me everything, but I could defeat them unless they are aware of the formation and warriors I had developed. Just as I got to the center of the formation in the graveyard, I heard a familiar voice behind me. "Look who we have here, the witch that corrupted one of the Order's best men." I turned towards him. Snarling he continued, "After that incident you should have been killed, but you somehow controlled Ignis to take most of the blame. The elders should have executed you instead of just sealing your affinity and core." 

 If I could keep him talking for just a minute more, I would win and Therion would survive this. He would not escape the trap he had stepped into, especially with how he is now. So, I tried to keep Darius talking. "You always hated me, even before the deadland were formed, so many people died to save us. Don't you dare defame Ignis' master just because he gave up his life to save me." That had done it, I could tell he was about to explode in anger at what I had just said. Ignis' master was one of the Order's best leaders and an idol that Darius had looked up to in his youth. In the fight to defeat the tier 6 Bone Colossus he had given up his life to save me before the undead consumed me for my potent death affinity. "Master get out of there! She is doing something!" While he was speaking a young girl had run up to the edge of the graveyard. She looked better than Darius, who had visible burns on his body where his armor had failed him, but her clothes are covered in soot and she had some minor burns. 

 Darius scoffed and looked at his apprentice, "There is nothing she can do to kill me, even with how I am now. She is a sealed tier 3, relax this will be easy. She is just trying to prolong her death." A second after he said that the graveyard array activated. The statue in the center of the graveyard lit up with runes covering its surface, while that happened the I shattered my seal and ingested the tonic I had prepared a few months ago. Everything is in place, the graveyard is the conduit, I am the core, and the graves hold the soldiers. All at once the forty-two graves around me burst open and the undead I had cultivated over the years stepped out. Darius seeing what is happening started to rush toward me in order to interrupt what I am doing. All the arrogance was gone from his face, he could feel it inside the graveyard his tier had been repressed. Before he could get to me my undead acted, in eerily silent manner they formed up around me and started the attack. 

 Darius was a whirlwind of blades, none of my undead could get to him even with most of his power sealed. No matter what he did he couldn't break through their formation. Whenever he cut one down it would get back up. A minute passed before he backed off and stared at me. The undead that he had cut down were standing as though it never happened. "This is a domain isn't it." he stated during the stare down. Outside of the graveyard and the barrier surrounding it his apprentice was throwing everything she had at it. "You broke your core to form this and made yourself the focal point of the array." He glanced at his hand, at least what is left of it and sighed. "I never thought it would come to this, dying just like Ignis's master did." That was the only warning he gave before he detonated his core.