A Crooked Bunch.

—17 September 2023—

"Quick, Finn, Pack your bags!" Blake's voice boomed like the aftershock of a distant thunder, prompting his son to get ready at a moment's notice. The beads of sweat that lined his forehead glistened like diamonds over his pale skin underneath the bright lighting, a morbid sensation welling up in the pits of his stomach. 

Finn, however, had his eyes cast down as he merely nodded and moved towards his room. Picking his bag up, he started to throw in the bare minimum—a few clothes, a brush and a comb—into it and then quickly picked it up before flinging it around his shoulder. 

"Hurry- Hurry up! We ought to leave for Fjellborg Castle pronto. There is an emergency meeting." His father's voice rose once again as he turned around, "You only got five minutes. No dilly-dallying, alright?" His tone mellowed out before straightening the crease over shirt. "Don't make me wait." 

Finn nodded as Blake vanished from his sight. Following right after, he walked over to the main door that led outside. Letting out a deep breath, Finn took his phone out. Tapping a few times over it, he took a key out of his pocket. 'His family should be alright- I guess. I don't think we will be returning here anyways.'

As Finn was about to leave, his gaze drifted to the left, drawn irresistibly to something nestled beside the landline on the small table. 

A single photograph, suspended delicately by a thread affixed to the wall, captured his attention. Laying a gentle hand upon it, he removed the thin layer of dirt that had accumulated over it. Finn's lips curved upward in a subdued, meek smile.

"Sometimes," he murmured softly to himself, his voice a mere whisper against the quiet of the now empty house, "I am happy you don't have to bear with him anymore." With a gentle exhale, Finn's teeth dug into his trembling lower lip. 

With a final, wistful glance, Finn reluctantly tore himself away, his fingers trailing reluctantly over the photograph's surface. With a heavy heart, he closed the door behind him, leaving behind a silent echo.

"Hurry up!" Blake impatiently prompted. 

Crouching down, Finn placed the key underneath the furry mat before bolting towards his father. The sound of a helicopter's blades moving and the strong winds blowing filled the courtyard as Finn ran towards it and hopped onto it. 

As soon as Finn was inside, Blake motioned with a thumbs up to the driver and the helicopter started to take off. 

"Dad-" Finn spoke, putting the aviation headsets over his ears. "-can you at least explain what is happening?"

"The fuck would I know?" Blake snapped back. Evening out the deep frown on his forehead, he let out a frustrated groan. "-there's something wrong, that is all I know." He spoke, looking down at the wide area that their house covered. "All over the world-no, not exactly all over. Specifically targeting Arcanum users, there are appearances of either pre-historic things—animals— and monsters." 

"But nothing happened to you." Finn replied. "Or around you."

"Guess it was only around those with weak Arcanum signatures." Blake spoke with a shrug, the hastiness and subtle, morbid fear washing out of his pale face. 

"Does that mean… even Mich–"

"Yeah, everyone." Blake replied, slipping back into his seat. 

Finn swallowed back a dry lump of saliva. "What about them? Is Michael ok? Dotun-"

Blake shifted. "Don't worry yourself about Michael." He said as he straightened his back again and sat straight into his seat. "It was a one sided massacre for him." Blake spoke with a scoff. "That boy has a few screws loose anyways. Proper crackhead."

A smile crept up on Finn's lips. Heaving out a relieved breath, Finn spoke. "That's Michael alright." As he said that, his own mind wandered off to someone else. "Err- What about those Olvasens?"

Clicking his tongue, Blake looked the other way. "He survived." He spoke, his moods undulating like the turbulent winds blowing that made the helicopter move in a rather zig-zag way. "Although, even though they won, in their battle, a big chunk of the city was flattened." A smirk formed on his face. "It might be a show of power, but their main city of residence has suffered such a huge blow. They will be vulnerable now."

Finn narrowed his eyes. "I might be wrong but…" He paused, thinking over his words. "...since it seems this whole thing has some sort of connection to Eden, shouldn't we stay together? United, I mean?"

Blake looked at Finn in his eyes. "You are still a kid. But since things are changing I will let you know." A rather ominous chill ran down Finn's spine. "Hear this, loud and clear. Despite the Whites clearly holding the most strength, why do you think they have never tried to monopolise what the Olvasens have, just like how they did with others?"

"Is it because they are equally strong?"

"That, yes, but strength isn't the only answer." Blake corrected. "They are overwhelmingly evil. The Whites don't come close to the pure deviousness they have shown underneath their facade of neutrality." The words were accentuated further by the thundering clouds in the distance. "They probably flattened out their own city to send a statement to others. To us, not the ones on the other side." The stormy clouds started to cast dark shadows that extended eerily due to the angle at which it was flying. "But… something about all of this tells me they didn't do it this time."

"Aren't you contradicting yourself?"

"That is the point. Because they are known for how evil they are, especially the recent 2 generations, there is a natural inclination for everyone to think it was their handiwork. But- what if they actually had a hard time? They might be getting weak."

Finn frowned. "I understand you hate their guts, or maybe almost everyone does, but why would we attack them? I am sure they still have combat prowess." 

"It's often necessary to nip the evil in the bud." Blake replied and shrunk back. "If this world becomes lawless, and the Whites and Olvasens fight each other at their full strength with no restraint on the amount of Arcanum available… only the Gods can help us then. That is exactly why we need to take one of them out of the equation." 

"Dad, I don't think it is a good idea. I don't get along with Arthur, yes, and I sometimes hate his overly cocky demeanour, but I somehow have a bad feeling about this."

Blake tilted his head. Seeing his son complain so steadfastly again and again made him rethink it. "Nothing is decided yet. This is yet another course of action we have been discussing with the Whites and Olaniyans for a very long time now."

"I see…" Finn's voice was drowned out by the exploding sound of lightning falling somewhere below, igniting a small spark into the lush green pelt below. 

—A day ago—

—Bergen - 16 September 2023 - 19:00— 

"Rock to climb, sun's aglow, Uppsie lupsie, in a row! With every step, our spirits grow, Uppsie lupsie, off we throw!" Astrid hummed happily, walking up a steep mountain. 

"The sun has been down for ages now." Arthur complained as he walked ahead of her, a huge, human sized bag strapped to his shoulders. The bag was filled completely, evident from the multiple objects poking from every corner of the tightly packed hiking bag. 

"Aww, come on!" Astrid complained. "Don't be such a downer. I am trying to cheer you up." 

"It's working." Arthur replied dismissively, obvious disdain in his voice. 

"Hey, don't sound so grumpy. It was your idea to visit Ulriken." She stated as a matter-of-factly. "For whatever odd reason that might be though. I thought you hated hordes of people flocking around you." 

Arthur turned his head sideways, his brownish blonde hair frolicking by the sudden gust of wind that slapped his face. "It's one of the most rainy times here." He replied as he walked in a straight line on the steep, rocky path. "Hence it means that there would be next to no visitors here." He explained as ran his fingers through his hair. "Foreigners at least. Something like this won't stop the locals."

A laugh escaped Astrid's lips. "Haha! Yep. If anything, bad weather would call more locals out here–" Astrid paused, looking up. Something- something odd clicked in her mind. Something she couldn't really make sense of, nor could think of any plausible, even implausible, to explain whatever she had just thought of. "Wait- Arthur. Didn't you say it is the time when it rains the most?"

"Uhh, yeah…?" 

"The clouds are there, but it's not raining."

"Lucky us." Arthur replied with an exaggerated shrug of his shoulders. 

"Hmmm." Astrid hummed. "Very sus."

"Sus?" Arthur didn't stop to look back but the odd word made him slow his speed down as he pondered over it. 

"Suspicious, duh-" Rolling her eyes, she replied, as it was the most obvious thing. "But I still don't get it. Why the Ulriken mountain in specific? I mean, I still like that I get to visit some good places, but, you know, I just want to hear it out."

"Ulriken mountain is a good choice for first timers into Bergen due to its stunning views, diverse hiking trails, and adventure activities available. It offers a unique opportunity to connect with nature and explore the beauty of Bergen's surroundings making any visit extremely enjoyable and memorable. Also because it is the tallest out of the seven mountains here in Bergen." 

"Huuuuuhhhhhh!?" Letting out a loud voice that echoed back, she squinted her eyes. "That seems like reading straight out of a blog written with an AI."

Arthur's body froze. The sudden stoppage made Astrid bump into his back—the bag—her head hitting against something hard inside the bag. Coming to a sudden, abrupt halt, her weight shifted backwards. Flailing her hands around, her middle section moved back and forth like a wobbling jellyfish before pulling on the bag strapped to his back. 

"Whew, that was close…" Wiping the beads of sweat with an exaggerated gesture, she spoke, looking to the side of the track as a few pebbles fell down the edge and the voice of their falling—hitting something—reverberated after a solid six seconds. "Yeah- totally wasn't living that…"

"Watch where you are going."

"Don't talk like it wasn't your fault!" She pointed her finger at him, however, he was already gone, running upwards at top speed. 

"Try not to fall too far behind." 

"Urgh– Aaaaarthurrrr- uuuu.. don't leave me alone." She complained, whining out loud as she ran to the best of her ability after him, tears already forming in the corner of her eyes. "You know I am scared of being alone…" she mumbled the last part under her breath, her words carried away by the wind. 

—-------------

Huddled along the rocky face of the mountain, a natural platform jutted out from the rugged terrain. Its surface was weathered by the changing seasons, although it was still solid enough to provide a solid foundation to step foot on. The rocky platform was on the opposite side of the mountain, a place where not many visitors step foot. 

Despite the eerie atmosphere, this small outcrop of rock, devoid of any man-made structure, possessed an undeniable raw beauty. With enough space to accommodate a handful of people, the stone platform that seemingly just levitated in the air while barely being attached to the main body of the mountain, it offered an intimate setting.

Perched high above the valley below, the platform afforded an unparalleled view of the surrounding wilderness. Though darkness cloaked the nearby lake, its presence was felt in the gentle rustle of the wind and the distant murmur of unseen waters.

Facing away from the city and the nearest tourists' inn, the platform offered a sense of isolation.

The rocky surface of the platform was littered with scattered pine needles and fallen leaves.

*huff huff* Huffing out loud, Astrid's chest heaved with exertion as she took in deep breaths, her lungs burning from the strain of the climb. 

Each heavy breath that she took carried the crisp scent of pine and damp earth, as her exhales came out in wisps of mist that formed a lofty cloud and then dissipated like smoke into the air. 

She leaned against a nearby boulder, feeling the rough texture against her sweaty palms, the coolness a welcome relief against her flushed skin despite the sudden, frigid fall in the temperature.

Arthur stood a few feet away, his gaze fixed on the small lake that was just beneath them. His figure was silhouetted against the fading light of the torch in Astrid's hand, like a solitary figure amidst the rugged landscape. Despite the distance between them, Astrid felt a chill run down her spine as she observed the look in his eye, equally horrifying and serene at the same time. As if he was reliving a bad dream. 

"Arthur," she called out between breaths, her voice barely above a whisper.

He turned to look at her, his expression unreadable. "What is it?"

She hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to approach him. His detachment, while being a natural thing to her, was unnerving in the current moment, his presence like a shadow looming over her. She couldn't quite understand it. It was his idea. And now that he was acting like this, she couldn't quite grasp anything. 

"Why did you bring me here?" she finally asked, her voice tinged with a hint of apprehension. "Why this place in particular?" Her gaze softened. "You don't seem to like this place."

"Like and dislike." Suppressing a chuckle, he flicked his head, removing his curtains from his eyes. "You should know by now I do not attach significance to fleeting sensations." He replied and then thought over something. "God I sound really edgy."

"Hehe." A giggle escaped her lips. She stayed silent for a while, pondering over something, deep in thought. "And I know. I know well that you don't dwell on such things." She paused, letting her words settle in. Settle in on herself rather than someone else. "But since it's not trivial… perhaps, is this place somewhat important to you? You came back to this place afterall." 

Arthur's lips quirked up in a faint smile, a glint of amusement dancing in his eyes. "It's a special place, yes." he replied cryptically, his tone devoid of an outward expression, yet his gaze had a look of unwanted nostalgia in it. "That is why I wanted to come back here at least once with someone special as well."

A troubling sense of mixed feelings settled in the pit of her stomach. There was something about Arthur's demeanour that set her on edge.

Something that had bothered her for three years, since the day he found—saved her. A feeling that he was hiding something beneath his normal exterior. "Good to know you hold something close to yourself." She spoke, hugging her knees. She pouted but her expression was overshadowed by the looming shadow above, casting a veil over her features. 'Special…' She thought.

Arthur's smile widened, his gaze drifting back to the lake below. "Oh, don't get me wrong. I hate this place." The warm smile coupled with his words made it sound really unsettling. As he traced his finger along the rough texture of the ground, he plopped down. Facing Astrid, he spoke again. "This is where I found out I was not normal." 

Astrid's brow furrowed in confusion, unsure of how to interpret his words. There was a darkness lurking behind Arthur's facade, a sense of danger that made her instinctively wary of him. And yet, despite her misgivings, she couldn't deny the strange pull she felt. Like a moth to a flame. 

"I don't get it… you say you hate it but you still came back."

"Hmmm. Well obviously you won't understand. No one other than my parents knows about this." He started explaining. "You know how everyone is either born with an Arcane Art or manifests it over time when conditions are just right, yes?" 

That totally has nothing to do with what I asked… "Yep. I know that much. And also the fact that you and your family, for some reason, can't manifest unique types."

"Yeah." Arthur nodded. "However, it is not the same for me. My siblings left me alone here…" Arthur motioned with his head to the back, where the lake was. "...for a few days when I was a kid. And this is the place that I took refuge in. It was the strong outburst of emotions that forcefully manifested my Arcane Arts."

"Siblings?" 

"Brother, I mean."Arthur smiled once again as he scooted closer to her. 

"And wait, Arts? Plural?" 

Astrid stared at him for a while, her eyes reminiscent of a clear sky. 

"I will leave some things hanging in the air for your imagination to fill."

"...I see." She could only mumble those words, the close proximity making a slow, rising wave of heat rush up to her face. Looking away and creating some distance, she managed to get hold of her confident demeanour. "Ehm, so, err, why me?"

She was happy, to say the least, that he had finally shared something on his own accord. But her mind could not muster up any question other than this, blurting it out. 

Not having enough, Arthur moved closer and pressed his hand against the boulder on which she was leaning against, pinning her in place. A few strands of her hair came loose from the hold, sprawling over her face. Her lips quivered as she looked up at him, his dishevelled hair casting dark shadows over his face. Astrid's face flushed, unable to say or do anything. 

"What- What the hell? What are you doing?"

The answer she was hoping, any little whisper she had hoped for never came. 

"Arthur- Hey! What are you doing?!" She squirmed, as she saw his face grow closer and closer to her. There was a personal space that Arthur had always maintained. To see him so close, in this way, was something she was experiencing for the first time. Don't tell me this is why he brought me to this isolated place… 

Placing his hand near her waist, his arm touched it as it sent a shiver down her spine. 

"This is a pretty big cockroach." Arthur spoke as he pulled it from behind her. 

"What are you talkin–KYAAAA!" Jumping to her feet, she ran off before stopping just before she was about to fall off the hidden platform they were on. 

Grabbing her by the scruff of her sweater, Arthur pulled her back before throwing the cockroach off the platform. Once she looked over her shoulder and confirmed to herself that it was gone, she fell to the ground with a resigned sigh. 

"God- please, don't scare me like that."

"It was the cockroach that scared you. Not me."

Snapping her eyes back at him, she huffed. "That is not what I meant, but that as well!" Folding her hands beneath her chest, she looked the other way. The air was cold. She wrapped her arms around herself, but refused to look back at him. 

Meanwhile Arthur had his hand on his lips, amused, but refused to show it. For some reason watching Astrid get flustered in this way was oddly enjoyable. As she was still facing the other way, Arthur walked in front of her and crouched down. 

"Sorry." He apologised, simply. There was no haunting premonition behind his words this time. Just a genuine apology. Yet, Astrid continued to look away, squirming uncomfortably. 

"You know I am scared of bugs. Don't joke about them again, please."

He can see my face… it's definitely red…

Arthur crossed his legs and sat in front of her. Pointing his hand to the side, a small spark ignited the pine, forming a small blue flamed campfire. Astrid was about to turn her head towards it, however, Arthur's words stopped her from doing so. 

"It's like we are on the edge of a cliff. Waiting to fall." He spoke as he massaged the inside of his palm with his thumb. 

"I mean, we literally are. Although this isn't exactly a cliff…" Astrid's voice trailed off as she saw Arthur hang his head low enough that his hair completely covered his features. "...what do you mean by that, Arthur?" 

Sighing out loud, he leaned backwards. "It sucks, honestly." Astrid blankly stared at him, his cryptic way of talking and leaving out any details always leaving her half-guessing about every matter. "I loved spending time with you."

A streak of chilling sensation pierced her chest. Like an icy claw, slowly prickling away at the flesh. She kept her ears open, determined to not leave a single detail- any single sound out. 

Pointing his finger upwards, Arthur's eyes softened. "The universe has been telling me… brace for impact. A message for you and me. Us." He spoke, his voice getting heavy. "I don't like responsibilities. I just wanted to spend some more time, like a normal human being, before- I guess it doesn't matter. Not anymore." 

"Wait, wait, wait… Arthur. This all isn't making sense. I am still here. I am not going anywhe-" A realisation, or rather, a thought that she had conjured herself popped in her mind like a kernel. "Are you- are you thinking of abandoning me now?" She asked. All she wanted to do at the moment was to cover her ears, for time crawled like a bug for her. 

"I would never do that." Looking upwards, the breeze blew his hair backwards. "Even if hell froze over. But I think our time together might start shrinking." He said as he leaned forward and placed his hand over Astrid's head, his palm towards the sky. 

A single drop of rain fell in it, followed by the sound of sizzle as another drop dissipated mid-air from the sheer heat of the fire. 

"Arthur…" 

"It's going to start raining soon. And I think that is starting as well." As he spoke, he pulled Astrid back to her feet. Taking his jacket out, he wrapped it around her shoulder. "Whatever happens, do not take it off. And one more thing."

"Are we going back? Huh? What happened all of a sudden? What is the meaning of all this?"

He suddenly scooped her face into his palms and squeezed it until she was pouting so hard that she couldn't talk. "I want you to run as fast as you can. I didn't think it would arrive so soon, but whatever. Just keep repeating my name in your head." As soon as he said that, Astrid felt as if someone had poked an extremely sleek, wet finger into her ear, and worked its way upwards until she felt a tether inside her brain. 

"Your name… why? What's wro—" 

Before she could finish her sentence, Arthur pulled her into a hug and then lowered down before a projectile zipped through the air like a missile and then exploded right behind him. The entire platform juddered, a crack running through the thin lining that connected it to the mountain's main body and the jagged rocks that connected back to the main trekking track. 

As Arthur moved from above Astrid, their eyes flicked upwards. On the summit, there were four people, standing with a few mediaeval weapons in their hands. Their silhouettes were dark, but even though the lighting was poor, there was something very- very wrong about them. 

"Arthur- They don't… they don't feel… human?" Astrid seemed to be in a shocked trance, her lithe frame trembling in Arthur's arms. 

Leaning a bit down, his lips touched the tip of her ears as he whispered. "Don't make a noise. Run."

Astrid was about to talk, but she bit her lip. Whatever it was, she definitely could not be of any help. She was self-aware. And she knew that she would be putting Arthur's life, potentially, on the line if she didn't listen to him. After all, he had not once said the wrong thing. Her trust in him was ironclad.

"Oya, oya. What is this? Dwarves on a mountain?" A shrill voice cut through the air that sent a chill down Astrid's spine. 

So much Arcanum… it's even more than Arthur…

"Nonsense. Those can't be dwarves. Forget about the man, even that woman is taller than you!" Another voice, much more… rasp yet feminine this time, spoke up as Astrid subtly shifted, trying to make her way to the nearest support that would lead back to the main trekking track. 

"Ehh? Now that you talk about it, their ears are a bit- wait, Elara. Aren't their ears a bit…strange?"

The sound of heavy rain making its first impact with the ground resonated as Arthur let go of Astrid's hand. Her gaze flicked between them and Arthur as with every passing moment their hostility started to manifest like a dome around them, the mere presence of their animosity making her guts flip out. She could feel the bitter taste of bile pushing against the back of her throat. 

"Perhaps a mix-breed? Still they look a bit—" The woman in question—Elara—spoke and then suddenly flicked her head towards Astrid. "Stop right there." She commanded, the echo of her voice subdued by the ever increasing rain and howling winds. "Thelesa. Go and confirm her identity."

The clouds swirled overhead, and with a cracking sound, the first flash of lighting drowned out the ever increasing darkness. It was only one look. But Arthur could tell they were not human. 

The woman who was ordered to check Astrid—Thelesa—had pale skin and long, spear-like ears. Wet jade coloured hair stuck to her shoulders. She was holding a huge bow in her hand and a quiver was strapped to her hip, carrying a few arrows. 

The woman—Elara—who had given the order had a dark-chocolate-like, brown skin, same spear-shaped ears and a glowing- literally glowing shade of white hair. Her golden eyes were visible even after the flash of lightning yielded its short-lived reign over light to the darkness, peering down at Arthur, her fingers slightly firming its grip on the spear in her hand. 

Astrid was petrified in her path. While she had not taken in the features of all four of them, she could tell exactly that her hypothesis was accurate. Since she had the ability to use and perceive Arcanum, she could differentiate between the specific signatures that differentiated humans—herself and Arthur—from them. 

And the flash of lightning only served to solidify the notion she had been reluctantly entertaining, which she was dismissing as mere whimsy of her mind. Another flash of lightning split the sky into half, followed by a low rumble of the thunder as the figure in the back focused his eyes on Arthur. 

"This isn't Silverglade…" An utterance—despite how aged and brittle the timber was—sliced the air. It was the old man that was standing in the rear of the four people group, his eyes wide. His cropped jade-white hair was wet, and the creased skin around his green eyes crinkled even further. "This isn't Eden. This is… They are… Humans…!"

The whole world came to a sudden standstill. No one moved an inch, each muscle fibre suspended mid-twitch. The sound of his own exhaling flooded Arthur's ears, and then suddenly the voice was drowned out by the ear splitting cacophony of something exploding underneath and to his left. 

Wobbling to the side, Arthur brought his hand up just in time as he caught an arrow that whistled to his right, just a centimetre away from blowing a hole into Astrid's head. 

The slowed perception of time returned back to normal as Arthur's eyes glowed in a pallid shade of grey. Multiple cracks resonated and the platform that Arthur and Astrid were using to stay on for a while broke down. 

Reacting in a flash, Arthur exploded towards Astrid before wrapping her in his arms and tucking her head inwards—against his chest—followed by his own as he placed his temple over her head right before another arrow whistled past them. Astrid's hair fluttered wildly in the air for a moment, before Arthur threw her back on the main path. 

"Go. Now." Without looking at her, he spoke, his voice raising just above the normal volume that he used to talk in. Standing up quickly, she started to run, kicking up dirt as she did. 

Spinning on his heel, Arthur extended his arm to the side as Thelesa narrowly bent her back. However, the speed at which Arthur had reacted to her dash towards Astrid was too fast, evident from how she was unable to dodge it and his arm made contact with her neck. 

The forward momentum and the force of his blow made her feet leave the ground before flipping backwards as she was thrown to the ground. Pointed stones that were scattered all over the mountain dug into the exposed back skin, making a yelp escape her lips. 

"Thelesa!" Elara cried out. Faster than which Arthur could react, an arrow—as bright as a bulb—made its way towards him. The arrow grazed his cheek and then closely nipped away at the tip of his ear, tearing the cartilage. 

He registered the searing sensation of a small portion of his ear blowing away a second later after Thelesa spun her spear in a full 360 while still laying on the ground. 

Clenching his jaw, Arthur folded his leg and plunged his knee into Thelesa's ribs. The arrow that was fired a moment ago homed back, like a boomerang. Thelesa rolled to the side and narrowly dodged the attack. Arthur's knee sunk into the rough surface of the mountain, and a crack ran all along the place and extended upwards towards the tip of the mountain. 

"Gah-" A yelp escaped his lips as the homing arrow grazed his hip and then stuck into his calf, making him fall on one knee. Capitalising on the small opening, Thelesa stood up and jumped towards Arthur. Spinning the spear in her hand, she spun around her heel and then made a horizontal slash with it, aimed right at Arthur's neck. 

To hell with it…

「Phase 1 」

The tip of Thelesa's weapon bent backwards before exploding on itself. The shrapnel from the exploded metallic tip flew in every direction, except for Arthur's. Caught off-guard, she jumped backward, trying to create some distance. 

Elara pulled the bowstring and another bright arrow formed from thin air, extending from between her pinched thumb and index finger. Not giving Arthur any time to relax, she fired it. 

Arthur put his hand in front of himself. A translucent, almost invisible force field manifested as it formed an oval shaped dome that bent the individual particles of the light before dissipating it into a swirling mix of photons. The little motes of white were trapped in a small vortex, gradually dimming out before totally being snuffed out. 

"Impossible!"

"Who is this bastard…?!"

Thelesa and Elara grunted as Arthur took a deep breath and jumped back. The rain was increasing, growing more heavy with every passing second. And despite the rain drenching him, cold sweat rolled down his forehead. Blood streamed down his ear, the thick stream diluted with the rain water as it formed crimson trails over his neck and soaked the scruff of his high neck. 

'They attacked as soon as the old man said I was a human… haaah… guess there is no other option than to fight…'

Shaking his head, Arthur got rid of the dizziness that was approaching him due to the loss of blood, the edges of his consciousness slowly turning black. 

"Thelesa. Elara." The same old voice spoke, making the two girls look back. Squinting his eyes, Arthur focused on them. Despite the murky dark ambiance around them, now that Arcanum flowed freely inside every inch of his body, Arthur could see everything. The old man, despite having his chest puffed, was quivering, his lips trembling uncontrollably.

Despite wearing a loose tunic that fully covered his body, Arthur could see the inscribed writings in a foreign language all over his body that were visible every time the wind made his clothes flutter. The entirety of his skin was extremely loose, dangling down like a pendulum in an old clock. 

He doesn't seem to be shivering from cold or old age… It's fear, there's no doubt in that. But fear of what?

"Keep a level head. This little Mudwalker is that— that man's descendent!" He spoke, his voice creaking, losing any semblance of power and authority it held. The old man was gazing right into Arthur's eyes, his mind racing to events. Events that made the very cells inside his body tremble in fear. "That bastard Adam… you are his descendent!"

"Adam? You mean that Adam, grandpa?" Elara asked, her eyes wide as she alternated her gaze between her grandpa and Arthur. 

The old man looked down at Arthur. "Elara, Thelesa. Fall back into support." He said as the final figure standing there stepped up. "Let Frosti deal with him."

Getting his cue, Frosti stood a few steps away from Arthur. Standing at well above 2 metres, he towered over Arthur. Arthur looked up at him, and gulped down a dry lump of saliva. Broad shoulders, thick limbs, veins that seemed like the roots of an eldritch tree and extremely well defined blue-grey muscles. The blue skin was complimented with his white beard that reached until his pecs which were completely made out of pure ice.

"Frost giant." Arthur mouthed. 

"You know about us." Frosti spoke back. His irises were so light coloured that they seemed to almost not exist in the sclera, getting totally camouflaged into it. 

"I have read a few books." Arthur admitted and then looked up. "Eve was said to—"

Arthur's provocation was stopped midway as a vein popped on Frosti's temple just from the mere mention of Adam's wife's—Eve's—name. The next moment his mouth opened and a glittering breath rushed towards Arthur. With his hands dangling loosely to the side, Arthur kicked the ground beneath him. The small area of the mountain gave away underneath the sheer force of the Arcanum infused kick, kicking up huge chunks of land. 

The breath collided with the debris, freezing them in the air. As Arthur took in a breath, he felt as if a hot knife was poked into his lungs.

Powder snow. The breath freezes the target and then secretes powdered snow. He reached to a quick conclusion.

More Arcanum slipped out of his body as Arthur kicked the frozen objects back at Frosti. 

A shimmering arrow of light zipped from his side and exploded the incoming debris as Thelasa let out a loud battle cry, her spear still in hand. Landing beside Arthur, she raised it over her head before flinging it down like a club. Arthur raised his arm, and blocked it. The force from the blow made his feet sink into the ground. 

His calf which had an arrow pierced it a while ago screamed in agony as the force doubled. 

"I have no idea what you used a while ago, but you will pay for harming my family's prized weapon."

"It either wasn't worthy of being a prized weapon or your family just gave you a fake because you are not worthy." Arthur flicked his gaze towards her as another rush of freezing breath made its way towards him. 

"Filthy mudwalker!" Thelasa screamed as Arthur ducked underneath her overhead slash before crashing his shoulder into her midsection, immobilising any further movement. Her body caved inwards as she spat from the force of the blow. The next instant, Arthur elbowed her throat making her fall to the ground. 

'Is she young? She's a dark elf, right? Why is she not using her Arcane Arts…?! Or was it because she underestimated me? Hmm- Should I keep her alive? I want to see her Arcane Arts in action.'

*cough cough*

Spitting up saliva tinged with lots of blood, she fell to the ground with a muffled thud. As Arthur was about to brab her by her hair, an icy claw gripped his face. The sheer coldness of the touch created a burning sensation against his skin. 

Frosti held him by his face and raised him above the ground before smashing his head back into the ground. The pebbly ground started to become more and more unstable and the rocks that formed its foundation finally gave away. 

Crashing Arthur's head into the ground once again, Frosti and Arthur were thrown down along with a landslide. 

Elara ran after Thelasa who was still panting from the blow she had received. 

"Thelasa? Thelasa! Are you ok… what happened to you?" Elara spoke with concern, placing her head in her lap. 

Her eyes almost rolled to the back of her head. "El…"

"Shush- I will h-heal you. Don't talk…" Elara reassured her. She didn't want to lose her friend in this way. Her throat bulge was crushed and her vocal chords seemed to have stuck out of somewhere else. A boiling fury whipped up inside Elara as her hand glowed in a bright golden light, trying to heal her up. "Grandpa… she will be fine, right?" She asked her grandpa who was sitting right beside them. 

"She will live." He replied, his tone grim. "But she won't be able to talk." He continued as he gripped his staff so tightly that his fingers turned pale. "If she's lucky. Leave this to Frosti. He is able to open Phase 2 of his capabilities. He won't lose."

"But grandpa, you just saw what he did to Thelasa. I have to go as well. I have to take revenge."

"It's not a matter of magic, child." He spoke, rubbing the bride of his nose. "That mudwalker—human -- was just a better fighter. I hate to admit it but… if he wasn't curious about something that Thelasa possessed, he would've killed her right at the start." He paused, letting his words sink in. "However, humans don't have access to much ambient Arcanum. Not as much as we do. Handling a 600 year old Frost Giant who can unlock Phase 2 is impossible for any human to accomplish. Even if it's that wretched bastard's descendent." He spoke as a grin formed on his face. "And interested or not, that human was hesitant in landing the killing blow. He's not used to killing others."

"Frosti is only 600?" Elara was dumbfounded. "Grandpa, he is too young. He doesn't have any real experience as well."

"He is a human with very low magic. He will die soon enough." The old man reassured. "Leave Thelasa to me. You go after that silver haired human girl." Despite how the old elf downplayed Arthur, a memory– ingrained in his soul made his whole body, no it wasn't just his body. It was as if his cells were screaming at him to run away. He's not him. He's not him. He's not him. He kept reminding himself. 

Reluctantly, Elara looked down at Thelasa before nodding and running away. 

As the old man looked down, heaps of dust, stone, gravel and trees were thrown into the air in a faraway distance where multiple lights were shining. The fight was being dragged towards the main city. The old man shakingly stood up from his place and looked over the vast expanse. 

"So this is Earth… But we were going towards Silverglade's mountain until now. How?" With the question repeating like a broken record inside his mind, he squinted his eyes, trying to focus on Arthur and Frosti's fight. 

The trees lining the boundary of the mountain's premises that let a few glimmers of light intrude through them were blasted into the air as Arthur was thrown like a comet into a car. The impact made the vehicle totally cave in, followed by both the car and Arthur crashing into a small building on the other side. 

Screams erupted from everywhere as Frosti's giant form appeared from the other side of the tree-lined avenue. Translucent mist flowed out of his icy hair?, dropping the temperature of the surrounding air with every step that he took. 

Shaking his head a few times, Arthur rose to his feet. Blood streamed down from his hairline down to the right half of his face, the crimson hue spreading inside the white lake of his eye. His eyes flickered between a hollow grey to a brighter hue as he struggled to maintain his consciousness. 

Frosti looked around, his composure breaking. His almost invisible irises flicked in every direction, looking at everything with either a sense of surprise or meek fear. "This isn't Eden." He spoke out loud, his voice sending a chilly sensation down everyone's spine. 

This part of the city was usually vacated, with not many people living here. However, that didn't mean there was no one. Around 30 similar looking buildings lined both sides of the cobblestone road with multiple small cafes and grocery stores opened at the ground floor of these buildings. 

Arthur looked back at the car in which he had crashed in. A long metallic shard was lodged inside the driver's solar plexus, his eyes closed. Looking away from him, Arthur tried to redirect his attention to the matter at hand. 

"So you have no intention of talking." Frosti continued. 

"Any opportunity to talk it out was already thrown out of the window when you attacked me as soon as you heard I was a human." Arthur replied, wiping the blood from around his eyes. Frosti glared at him. "However, it is a shame, really." Cocking his head, Arthur brought his hands up. Now that they were inside civilization, Arthur could see him more clearly. He was clearly well above 2.1 metres, around 14 inches taller than Arthur. "I would've loved to learn more about your Arcane Arts."

The ground underneath Frosti's feet froze into solid ice as he kicked it. Breaking into many pieces, he hurtled it towards Arthur. The huge slab of ice broke into a million different pieces, reducing to powdered dust. The dust formed a small cyclone around Arthur, slowly closing in on him. His jacket started to tear open, bits of fabrics flying upwards. 

Arthur let out a deep breath which felt like his lungs were getting punctured. 

Again… an invisible force field manifested from the small region between Arthur and the closing powdered dust and then expanded outwards like a dome. Swirling in an opposite direction than the powdered dust, it completely dissipated it. 

Frosti narrowed his eyes. The next moment, lightning crackled around Arthur and a deafening explosion reverberated as he closed the distance in the blink of an eye. 

"He's faster now..." 

The thought barely registered inside his mind before Arthur's fist crashed into Frosti's jaw with bone-jarring force. 

A sickening crack echoed through the chaos as Frosti's body hurtled through the air like a rag-doll, slamming into the nearby building with a deafening crash. 

The structure groaned in protest, collapsing under the sheer force of the collision as it sent shockwaves of panic rippling through the crowd.

Frosti clawed his way from the wreckage. The cobblestone quivered beneath his touch, fracturing like fragile glass. As he looked up, a smirk formed on his face. 

With a snarl, he punched the ground beneath him. 

Multiple fissures tore through it, splitting the road like the jagged maw of a monstrous creature. 

With each passing second, the cracks widened. Before long, jagged spikes of ice erupted from these crevices, jutting outwards towards Arthur. As the road splintered and the parked cars were impaled by the onslaught of ice spikes, Arthur flicked his wrist. 

The cars that were trapped into the coming spikes started to cave in. As if being crushed by an invisible hand, the cars were crushed into little balls, breaking the ice spikes in a near instant. As Arthur stood there with his hands loosely dangling to the side, only a small shard of ice reached him that harmlessly bounced off his chest and clattered on the ground. 

Frosti's expression turned grim for a second, his immaculate, icy features scrunching into a frown. A certain sense of weirdness, or rather something more fundamental gnawed at his mind and heart. He could not comprehend anything. Although being significantly stronger physically and having the advantage of being many times his age, he just could not shake this… unsettling sensation that continued to loom ominously into the air like a thick fog. 

There were a lot of unknowns. Many things about Arthur's powers that he did not understand. The fact that Arthur was standing alive at this moment despite having his ear blown and calf pierced by a light arrow which still festered like an infected wound was enough indication that he was not an opponent to be taken lightly.

"No wonder you filthy humans were driven out." Frosti spoke, cloudy mist escaping his lips. "Wretched sorcery. Just like your foul Arcane Arts, you humans are unworthy of living." He spoke with a sneer. 

"Driven out?" Arthur's tone was laced with mockery. "It was a Holocaust. A genocide." His tone grew grim, like rumbling thunder. Limping a little to the side. "Just admit that you can't understand complex things." He spoke as the metal objects in his vicinity started to shake violently, as if the molecules themselves were excited. "And that scares the hell out of you." 

Frosti straightened his back even more, raising his nose towards the sky and looked down at Arthur. "You have the nerve to talk in my presence after everything your ancestors did to my ancestors. You mudwalkers have no shame."

Arthur tilted his head sideways. "I am not sure what lies have been fed to you. However…" He lowered down. "...if your ancestors were killed by us-humans, then it's just their fault for being so weak." He spoke as the entire vicinity started to shake, quaking as if struck by an earthquake. "Don't tell me you expected the humans to let you slaughter them without fighting back."

"Bastard!" 

Mist spilled out of his body and then flowed towards his hands before materialising into a long handle. The handle continued to grow upwards until it formed a sleek, round ball. Immediately afterwards, multiple spikes protruded from inside the ball, turning into a morningstar. 

Pushing the ground, Frosti propelled towards Arthur like an arrow from a bow. 

「Phase 1 — Forge」

Arthur extended his hand towards the sky. A huge utility pole—that was just behind Arthur—got uprooted and was split into half before forging into a sleek claymore. Gripping it by its crude handle, Arthur swung, his eyes getting lit up again, his golden aura flaring like a whip. 

Arcanum spilt outwards from his pores and coated the weapon in his hand. As the two weapons collided, a shockwave was produced, followed by the wind that scooped shards of glass laying on the broken road beneath and blew them away. 

The next moment both of them started to swing their weapons, with the sole intent to kill. Gripping his claymore with both hands, Arthur swung it in a horizontal slash, aiming for his torso. Using a single hand and taking advantage of his longer reach, Frosti swatted the incoming slash with full force. The grating sound of metal clashing against dense ice reverberated in the whole block, the shockwaves breaking windows' glasses everywhere. 

The claymore and the morningstar became a blur, coated in golden and blue auras as they exchanged hundreds of strikes in the matter of a few seconds. The road beneath, the lamp posts and the buildings… everything was being lined with slashes from their Arcanum whipping like a sentient vine in every direction. 

Arthur flicked his wrist and the utility pole that Arthur had split in half to make a sword from, the other half shot forward towards Frosti. His eyes widened as he pushed Arthur back and brought his morningstar upwards to block it. Arthur boxed in, and slashed at his torso. 

More and more mist started to leak out of Frosti as he kicked towards Arthur in an act of desperation and braced for impact against the incoming pole. Using his right hand to swat the kick to the side, Arthur closed the distance even more, and thrust the claymore towards his solar plexus. 

A huge disc made of ice formed on his torso as the pole made contact with his raised arms. His icy arms cracked under the impact, his feet digging deeper into the road and a spider-web of cracks ran beneath him. There were visible gaps in his arms, slowly falling apart. As he looked down, he saw Arthur was now behind him. 

"Simple minded." With those words, his claymore dug deep into Frosti's back and impaled his heart. The sound of glass shattering drowned out the continuously blaring alarms of security systems in the car and screams of people as dark blue fluid spilled out of Frosti's lips.

"H-How…?" He managed to speak, pushing the pain away. "...how did you know I was going to-"

"Perception. Feeling. Emotions. Thoughts." Arthur spoke in a low tone as he gripped the handle of his sword more tightly. "In the end they are just waves. Laying somewhere on the spectrum." He paused, plunging the sword deeper into Frosti's heart as he succumbed to his feet. "But you don't have to think much about it." As he said that, Arthur twisted his sword and with one last Arcanum augmented swing, he tore open his chest by slicing to the right, severing Frosti's heart and destroying the "Node" that stored his Arcanum. 

A small implosion in Frostis'chest caused a sudden outburst of his lifeblood to spill outwards of the gaping hole that Arthur's claymore had formed. 

Without wasting a second, he pulled the sword out of his chest and closed his eyes, focusing his mind. 

What the actual hell! Those were elves, were they not? And a flipping Frost Giant? I thought they were just American movies! What's next? Arthur pulling out Excalibur? Huh!? I swear to every God, I will have Arthur answer everything to me! It's my fault for not asking anything from him beforeha– 

Arthur flinched, opening his eyes. 

'A woman's mind is a scary place.' He thought to himself.

In the distance, the old elf trembled as he saw Arthur stand on Frosti's corpse, a tangible yet invisible veil surrounding him. 

"It's just like the Gods prophesized…" A bitter taste pressed against the back of his throat as a tear escaped his eye. "...as soon as we capture that girl, we will find a way back. I am sure. Frosti's sacrifice won't be in vain." He spoke to himself. "I am sure there must be a rift that caused the connection between Eden and Earth before the Great Merger. I just need to find it…"

"Too bad, that won't be happening." A voice spoke from behind. 

Light brown hair and green eyes. Aksel Olvasen. 

As he stepped forward, the old man's hair stood on the edge. The confidence he had against humans vanished almost instantly. 

In the blink of an eye, multiple swords of pure light formed all around him. However, the swords dissipated as soon as they had manifested as a huge magic circle extended from underneath Aksel and enveloped the entire region. 

At that moment, a memory from deep within the old elf's mind resurfaced. The sight of a man… a lone man. A man capable of mass slaughter in a few seconds. His cells themselves trembled as he saw Aksel perform the height of what any Arcanum user dreamed of. 

It was a mistake to underestimate them… The realisation came far too late. 

"Technique Deployment." Aksel mumbled under his breath. "Thunderforge Coffin."

It was only for a tenth of a second, but the only thing that remained after his utterance was a giant crater and charred skeleton of the old man, still standing in his place, like a worn down lightning rod. As he glanced down, a spark of electricity flashed inside his Olive Irises. His eyes widened as he saw Arthur who had just defeated a Frost Giant and was now making his way back to the main residence. 

"Hahh- He has grown." He spoke to himself in a bittersweet tone. "So much that it worries me." As he said that, he bent down and scooped Thelasa up. "I pity the one that went after the girl."

—----------------------

Astrid was out of breath. 

Her destination was just in sight. 

As she reached out for the huge door of the main residence, she saw a woman standing there. 

She was short and she seemed so delicate. Fragile even. 

Astrid's first instinct upon seeing her was to protect her automatically. Despite not fully knowing who it was. 

"Uhh, excuse me. But Arthur- He sent me. You should go inside. I felt like someone was following m–"

The woman in question placed her finger on Astrid's lips. "Shut up before I pull your tongue out." She spoke with a bright smile, making a shiver run down Astrid's spine. She didn't dare to say another word. She could already feel it. The overwhelming Arcanum that the small, petite, blonde woman possessed. 

As Elara blipped in front of them with a bright flash, the woman—Sif looked at her. 

It was only one look, but Elara's mind was immediately overwhelmed by an unfamiliar sensation, like a heavy weight pressing down on her thoughts. Panic surged as she struggled to make sense of the overwhelming force crashing against her senses.

With each passing moment, it seemed as if invisible hands were tearing through the fragile fabric of her consciousness, sending sharp jolts of pain through her mind. Desperation clawed at her as she fought to hold onto her sense of self, but it was slipping away, bit by bit.

And then, when Elara met Sif's empty voids, it felt like staring into the depths of her own fears. A shiver ran down her spine. 

A cry escaped Elara's lips as she crumpled to the ground, her body wracked with sobs of agony. Tears streamed down her face as she clutched her head, trying to block out the overwhelming onslaught of memories and emotions—her own and even those which she had never experienced.

"Weak." She commented with a nonchalant look. "Eric dear~ Capture her~"

"Yes, mom." Eric walked up to them. Glancing to the side, he let out an awkward chuckle. "Oh, hey… uhhh, Anna!"

"Astrid."

"Ah yeah, Astrid. Hello." As he looked at his mother glaring at him, he coughed awkwardly. "Ehm, don't mind me. Go inside. I can feel Arthur coming." Saying that, he trudged towards Elara's unconscious body. "And he doesn't seem to be in a good mood." He added, pointing at the huge congregation of clouds overcast. 

They're all psychopaths… WHAT THE HELL!????