Hunted by Many, The Speaker of Wonders

Within the outskirts of an ancient forest, far away from the lands of the Syndona Empire. A group of well-armored individuals was currently making their way towards the depths of the forest grounds, their equipment in good shape, wearing white garments with chainmail underneath while their weapons were of high-grade caliber. As their group marched onwards, they would leave behind a series of deep footprints, creating a trail of soil in this ancient earth along with a few clouds of dust.

A few of them were engaged in idle banter as the majority continued to walk forward with a look of confidence in their eyes. One of the men who was chatting away spoke frivolously, "Hey-hey! Not to mention one of this guy, even a million of him couldn't compare to our beloved group captain now, could he? I bet that if one of us manages to take him down, we may have a shot at getting invited to her private tent."

He said while winking towards one of the men on his right, the man seeing also made a knowing smile, but soon both their faces froze.

"Hmph!" A gentle but powerful snort sounded throughout the quiet outskirts as a blond-haired beautiful woman dressed in fine armor walked forwards. Her chest plate had an engraving of a cross that gave of a holy presence as her braided hair gracefully fell to her sides. A beauty spot placed at the corner of her lips, added an elegant feature to her already exquisitely crafted face with a sharp nose, as her slender blue eyes looked at the duo before her with a bright light.

"You are the Holy Knights of God's Army! You'd do best remember your positions and what it means to wear that symbol on your chests!" The beautiful female said as she gripped the sword by her waist side and walked forwards to the very forefront of the group.

"Whew! That was close..." One of the admonished the men said as he wiped the sweat running down from his forehead.

"Idiot," A voice from a distant corner of the group said.

The man who just wiped his sweat upon hearing this grew angry, but upon seeing the individual who mocked him, he lowered his head and remained silent while complaining in his thoughts, 'Damn! First being told off by the Goddess Ferra and now this legendary vagabond Bryon.'

"Oh, an idiot that knows its place," Bryon replied casually, he was a tall man with a sturdy physique carrying a massive broadsword on his back, that dressed differently from the men in uniformed armor-wearing 'God's Crest' on their chest plates.

He had messy black hair that fell to his shoulders with a keen and cunning face that showed his vast experience of the world's trials, filled with scars from left and right. A piece of grass was within his mouth, which he chewed as he played with it casually.

As the group moved deeper into the forest, they soon began to find similar groups who were scouting the area carefully as if seeking for some precious thing, Bryon and Ferra seeing this frowned.

"To think so many adventure squads, private armies and special forces would make their way over to these distant woods because of this rumor," Ferra said in a tone filled with surprise.

"If it were merely a rumor, so many kingdoms and unions wouldn't have gone this far to make such a move. If things are as I suspect, then the days of the future will become quite lively," Bryon said with a smirk on his face that gave off a dense amount of battle-lust.

Ferra frowned at his manner as she thought to herself, 'Such an uncouth brute! What is the Holy Father thinking of sending my unit with him on this journey?'

"The keeper who left his grave... now isn't this worthy of a spectacle seeing at first hand? I only wonder, how many ancient treasures are in his possession or better yet, that grave he left behind. Hehe, those foolish Red Snake Adventures did nothing but die a foolish death..." Bryon muttered to himself as he continued to walk at a brisk pace.

A reasonable distance away from their group, at the farthest end of these ancient woods. The silhouette of a green-haired man was currently making his way to the outskirts of the ancient forest, as he walked, he would look around at the environment with interest like a new-born baby or curious tourists.

The dangerous monsters of this forbidden-level area, for some reason ignoring his presence or rather avoiding his path. With each step taken forward, he would unconsciously reveal a strange kind of force energy that would disperse amongst the land acting as a sort of warning to all in his range.

'I've traveled quite the distance in these few days, and while most of these beasts are fairly threatening. I sense that there are quite a few breaths that can invoke a slight notion of danger to my existence,' The green-haired man pondered while eyeing a vague light of energies coming from different sections of the surrounding woods.

'Hmph, since they've have chosen to remain hidden, then I need not regard them as my enemies. I'm rather curious as to where this place is, maybe it could be a clue leading to my memories,' The green-haired man thought with a curious light in his eyes as he continued to walk on his path outside of the forest.

Eventually, he arrived at a wide-open field close to the exit of this boundless forestry with beams of sunlight whose rays shone through the trees, leaving spots of lights onto the grassy grounds. A few sprites were flying around this region with leaves and flowers floating about creating a unique and lively sensation.

The green-haired man upon arriving here paused his steps as a slightly solemn expression came over his face, he looked towards the corner of this open field and noticed an old woman who sat calmly within his range. A small carpet rested before her, and if one looked closely, they would see a myriad of trinkets arranged in an orderly fashion.

She was a strange woman, one filled with the wrinkles of time, beautiful but waned as her curly greyish gold hair flowed down to her shoulders, and bright green eyes shone with a profound level of wisdom like none seen before. She wore a hooded robe decorated with lines stitched in a '/\/\/' design around its edges, covering a majority of her face, including her long-pointed ears signifying her being of the elven race.

Swoosh! A cool breeze blew between the trees spreading out across the open field, causing the robes of this woman and the hair of the green-haired man to dance in the winds for a short moment as only their silence reigned supreme.

Nevertheless, their silence soon ended, the mysterious old woman looked towards the green-haired man with a bright gleam in her eyes before smiling and speaking, "What brings you here, traveler? What do you seek?"

Her enchanting voice filled the area with an odd 'will' capable of soothing one's soul, a strange, compelling force capable of lowering once defenses on a large scale.

Hearing the strange old woman's words, the green-haired man paused for a moment; he scrutinized the woman before his eyes with curiosity as he asked, "You are of Elven Kind. To appear before my existence as if awaiting my arrival, elf, tell me who you are?"

The woman upon hearing his response smiled in an even brighter fashion as she spoke, "I am the speaker of speakers, guider of lost souls, a traveler to travelers who seek my wisdom. I am one who speaks of tales, from hither to yonder, called by many, as the Speaker of Wonders."

"A speaker...? Hmm," The green-haired man replied, he closed his eyes for a second, but seeing no memories came back to him.

He once more opened his eyes with a steady light as he looked at the strange old lady and spoke, "Fine, then tell me, Speaker, I seek the answers to my past, the riddles of my forgotten memories."

"Interesting, the past, you say? Traveler, since you seek the unknown, you must first travel with acquired knowledge," As the Speaker of Wonders said this, a strange power flowed into the area.

It was as if it belonged to the pinnacle of life, as newly born seeds blossomed into new plants while fresh fruits grew from the enriched trees.

The abundant life energy swept over the green-haired man's form who remained standing peacefully, with an in-depth look in his eyes as he observed the environments changes.

After a short moment, the life energies faded, returning the open field to its previous state. As this happened, the glowing eyes of the Speaker of Wonders returned to normal, revealing a series of complicated runic marks that seemed to be able to see through the depths of all things.

Soon, her eyes revealed a trace of astonishment as she now glanced towards the figure of the green-haired man with hints of reminiscence. She then spoke with a voice that seemed to have traveled from the ancient ages of time itself, "The dragon who lost his tail, the warrior missing his light, now a traveler cursed to reclaim his yore. The wheels of fate are forever changing, and your path relies solely on the choices you make. You must travel to the Chaos Realms, venture to the shrines of old; only there you may find the answers you seek."

As she said this, she soon after closed her eyes no longer looking at the figure of the now meditating green-haired man. After a short moment, he opened his eyes that reflected with a new light as he looked towards the woman. Soon, he took a step forward, making his way to the outskirts of the forest.

While walking, he spoke with a voice that soon after faded along with his figure, "I thank the Speaker for her guidance..."

The Speaker of Wonders hearing his words chuckled as she responded, "A fascinating feeling it is, to be thanked by such a figure belonging to that kind,"

As she said this, she then paused for a moment before moving her gaze towards the green-haired man's previous position.

"Well? How long are you going to shroud your presence, Wizard of Time?" She asked in a curious tone.

Buzz! Tick-tick! Following a buzzing sound and two sounds similar to the movements of the hands of a clock, a dark-robed figure wearing an unusually large mage hat soon after appeared. He looked towards the Speaker of Wonders with pure silence.

"Chronos, what brings you here? What do you seek?" The Speaker of Wonders asked.

"I seek the end of my journey, but even that remains forever as a mystery," Chronos said, in a bleak tone devoid of all forms of emotions.

The Speaker of Wonders hearing this responded calmly, "Chronos, your answer will only be found at one place..."

"Then, tell me, Speaker? Where can I find the answer?" Chronos inquired in a slightly curious manner.

"Huhu… Chronos, your answers rest at the place where time truly ends," As she said this, her figure began to blur shortly after vanishing into nothingness as if her sole purpose here was fulfilled.

Chronos, who stood silently, looked at the scene with indifferent eyes as he spoke to himself, "The place where time ends... hmm, then I shall continue on this travel to witness this one's journey."

He then vanished upon finishing his statement, as only the sound of the rustling trees and bushes remained in the once occupied open field.

The green-haired man had embarked on a path with a clear direction in mind, striving to achieve his purpose. However, it was also currently that within the distant lands of the Syndona Empire. The bloody trials had entered an entirely new phase.