Chapter 12: Intertwined by Light

Marron laid the basics of the world for Theo. Warrod taught the child for a month without any difficulty. Theo can now be claimed as a civilized person.

Aside from teaching Theo about human society, Warrod also tried teaching magic. He was glad that the child learned so fast.

Unbeknownst to him however, the child already knew how to use magic back from the forest. Theo wouldn't say it, as his father said that he needs to hide his power as much as he can. Whatever the reason of his father, he knew that it's for his own good.

"You're a great treasure Theo! You learn so fast!", Warrod said.

Theo can only fake his smile.

'Yeah, let's put it that way', Theo thought.

"By the way, you want to see many more people right?", Warrod asked.

"Yes! Where are they?"

"Calm down hahaha, you look so excited. Tomorrow I will take you somewhere great"

Theo smiled at Warrod. His journey was not in vain afterall. He will see even more of the surface. His life as a human turned out great.

The morning soon arrived. Theo was already prepared while Warrod was half asleep. His excitement released a golden light felt by many people.

"Warrod, you're awake?"

"Ohh Theo, you're ready?"

"Yes, but I thought you will wake up later"

"Yeah, I suddenly felt energized somehow"

"Wait, I'll prepare some food", Theo offered.

"No need. I'm not hungry. Let's just go, so that you can see the capital sooner"

After some preparation, Warrod led the way to the kingdom capital. Along the way, Warrod noticed something unusual. The path was slightly altered in some way.

Warrod looked at Theo and was relieved that the child is okay. He gripped his sword, anticipating potential dangers.

"Warrod? Why did you stop?"

"Stay still Theo. Someone must be tricking us"

Theo looked around and saw nothing unusual. He was confused by Warrod's actions.

'What's going on? There's no danger at all. Warrod is acting strange. Is there something I missed?'

"This is strange. I feel nothing dangerous. Hmmm", Warrod said.

Warrod looked around carefully, thinking he missed something. He touched some grasses and was surprised.

"What? This is real! How!? This is not like this yesterday!", Warrod said.

"Warrod, what do you mean? I'm confused"

"Ohh, my apologies. You see, these grasses, even those from afar, they grew. This is impossible. I thought it was an illusion"

Warrod saw that the child was still confused. He realized that he didn't explain enough.

"Forget it. Maybe I'm mistaken. Let's just go", Warrod said.

Theo dismissed his confusion. He thought that if Warrod said so, he will just accept it. Besides, he sensed that there's totally no danger around.

'What's going on? How did these grasses grew this fast? What happened here? Should I report it to the king? I can't just leave this matter. I hope this doesn't imply any future dangers', Warrod thought.

Once again, Theo unknowingly made an unusual phenomenon. His golden light, which he is not aware of, became the cause of many uncertainties. The kingdom of Alvaria became the first victim.

The golden light was seen by the people of Alvaria. The people have no idea what to make of it. When the light passed through them, they felt strengthened. There's so much confusion inside the kingdom.

"What was that?", the king asked.

"It's unknown, my king. It was so fast that no one knew where it came from", the intelligence head said.

"What about the people?"

"Fortunately, no one got hurt"

The king felt that the golden light raised his energy. He felt that maybe, he was worrying too much.

"This is certainly magic, my king", the intelligence head said.

"You're right. But why? This is too sudden. Is this a sign of another unusual phenomenon? We have no defenses against this kind of things"

"Don't worry, my king. We will do everything we can to assess the situation"

"Please do"

The golden light travelled quickly across the lands. It managed to reach the kingdom of Catherina. Ionis and his troops made a barrier against the golden light.

The barrier didn't work but it didn't break either. The golden light passed through like there's no barrier created. The people felt their energy rising and became confused as to what's happening.

"What happened Ionis?", the king asked.

"The barrier didn't work, my king"

"Huh!? Are the people okay?"

"No one got hurt, my king. Rather, the light appeared to be strengthening anyone that touched it"

The king became confused but his worries didn't disappear. Years already passed since the isolated forest incident but the king still remembered. He felt that the light could possibly be connected to the isolated forest incident.

"Did it come from the forest?", the king asked.

"There's no confirmation yet my king", Ionis said.

"Okay then, investigate it at once"

"As you wish"

Ionis hurried to investigate the situation, but something happened before he can do anything. The 'Fang of the White Snake' released a blinding light.

"What's happening!?", the king asked.

"My king, please retreat! The sword…"

Seeing Ionis's struggle, the king refused to retreat. He wanted to help the struggling warrior. Ionis is holding the sword with all his might but the sword refuses to stay still.

[Objec-

Before the king was able to cast 'Object Bind', the sword became even more violent. White lights in the form of snakes spread throughout the castle. Ionis was struck by one of the lights knocking him unconscious.

The powerful lights damaged multiple parts of the castle. The explosions were heard by the people outside. A single worried voice of one of the kingdom's citizens sparked chaos all over Catherina.

The sword slipped from Ionis's hands. The king witnessed the sword fly away. He fell to his knees, unable to secure the treasured sword.

The day when the sword went away became the worst day of Catherina's history. The symbol of power of the hero kingdom disappeared. The king gets up and sits to his throne.

The king looked at the unconscious warrior. He showed a bitter smile, thinking about the future.

'If the other hero kingdoms knew about this, I don't know what will happen. I can't risk it, this must be kept a secret'

He looked at the surroundings. He then looked at the guards that are unconscious due to the powerful lights. Ionis interrupted the king's assessment of the situation.

Ionis woke up. He touched his head and looked around the castle. He saw the unconscious guards and the destruction around.

"Ionis, you're awake", the king said.

"My king! The swo-"

"Shhhh, don't say anything. I'm sorry. I failed"

Ionis tried to say that it's his fault but the king raised his hand. He can't say anything anymore. He bow his head and closed his eyes.

"Raise your head. Are the guards still unconscious?"

"Yes, my king"

"Good. Listen, before the other guards arrive. The sword is with me. Keep in mind, the sword is with me"

"As you wish, my king. The sword is with you"

The king nodded and looked at the guards rushing to his side. The king ordered the guards to handle the situation. Ionis left the castle as ordered by the king.

The golden light didn't stop traveling throughout the land. The kingdom of Idgerad was reached. Like the kingdom of Catherina, Idgerad created a barrier which didn't work.

The king of Idgerad summoned Bernard to the castle. The light felt great for everyone but the king still have his worries.

"Bernard, what's the situation?", the king said.

"There's nothing to be worried about. The light passed through without causing any problems", Bernard said.

"Are you certain?"

"My troops are trying to calm the situation. The people I sent will investigate. For now, we can only wait"

The king was relieved. Bernard's words were strong and determined. There's no use worrying over something he can't control.

The commands went smoothly afterwards but then, Bernard felt some tremors. He didn't hesitate to do what he thought he must do.

[Object Bind]

Bernard used the 'Earth Breaker' for so long so he knew what's happening. He's right. The tremors were caused by the treasured weapon.

He monitored the double-headed axe since the start of its unusual behavior. His efforts paid off, securing the treasured weapon in place.

"The 'Earth Breaker' reacted again", Bernard said.

"Bernard, are you saying…"

"There's only that possibility"

"That monster tried to take our treasure again!"

"Calm down. I assure you, I won't let him", Bernard declared.

"I'm thankful that I chose you", the king said.

Bernard nodded.

The small kingdoms that the light reached weren't affected as much. The effect of the light was enough to subside the worries of the kingdoms. It's a pleasant magic, they've never experienced such blessing before.

Meanwhile, there's someone walking inside the isolated forest. He's covered in a black cloak murmuring something.

"he's not here…"

The cloaked person looked at the sky. He imagined someone, a being he wanted to find. Then, he imagined another person that he felt betrayed him.

"you bastard… I'll punch you when I get there"

As he was being frustrated with the person he's imagining, a golden light passed through him. He felt his energy rising, perhaps the reason he smiled.

"I see… I guess I should continue forward"