Chapter 12, Vessel

There was once a family in Aria, standing between wealthy and low.

The father was a carpenter, and the mother was a weaver. The son is an alchemist and a humble apprentice. Though average in living, their resolve is admiring. They stayed in places devoid of the graces, yet they always succeeded...

Until one day...

The mother was crying in pain. Her second son was about to be born, but it was different. She's enduring both the agony of labor and a unique occurrence, an occurrence that makes her writhe in pain. A surge flows into her veins, causing them to throb, making her feel about to burst.

She thought even death might be a lighter fate...

But when her veins started glowing, it alarmed the father. He started calling for help, and luckily an alchemist was nearby. It was a young lady, their first son's acquaintance. The young lady is proficient in alchemy and a mentor to many.

But she knows what they are experiencing is an instance happening once every few decades, and she is here to witness the majestic birth of one of "the few..."

-------------

In Dea, a month has passed since Salvino left. The residents were shaken by Atalantas' method of pursuing a young boy. It was no doubt that Adira was trying to kill Salvino. The captain of the royal guard, Maria, is tasked to silence the people who had witnessed the commotion.

But the rumors were already spread out. Only time will tell if the merchants of Dea will soon find it unpleasant to welcome the blades of Atalantas. Dea cannot afford to lose the aid of one of the strongest kingdoms in Arnon.

Though in secret, Dea conceals Edos, they have nothing against the might of the blades of Atalantas...

In a garden of Benedict's mansion, Henry and Maria are sparing toe to toe. They are both equally agile, able to dodge every attack. Henry uses a spear, while Maria uses a two-handed blade, and both are weapons from Tervanas.

Though Henry has a significant advantage over manas, Maria has an overwhelming advantage over alchemy. Every time their weapons clash, a shockwave appears. The weight of their mastery is recognizable even among the blades of Atalantas.

"What's your apprentice like?" ~Maria

Maria cuts and Henry dodges.

"He's excellent. His potential is comparable to Allec." ~Henry

Henry pierces, and Maria blocks.

"Were you aware of that incident?" ~Maria

"Yes. I'm aware." ~Henry

Maria raises earth spikes. Henry jumps and shoots a fire blast. She deflects it using her sword, infused with alchemy, toward henry's direction.

"Aren't you worried?" ~Maria

"Perhaps, but knowing the boy, he'll be fine." ~Henry

Henry removes the fire blast using Kedarinus, but as it disappears, Maria is already behind, so he immediately blocks her cut using his spear.

"Betty is planning to go to Regis..." ~Maria

"To follow the boy?" ~Henry chuckles

When Henry infuses his spear with wind magic and pierces Maria to blow her away, Maria blocks it using alchemy, pushing him back instead. But Henry saw this as a chance to take advantage of the distance.

He shoots fireballs and controls them with Kedarinus. As Maria tries to dodge them, it follows her and explodes upon contact, but she appears unscathed. She had deflected the fireballs one by one.

Maria sighs. "She claims she wants to sell her devices there." ~Maria

"Coincidentally, my apprentice planned to go there as well." ~Henry chuckles

Maria then plunged her sword into the ground then crystal spikes appeared upwards. One by one, Henry dodged them. Until Henry noticed that Maria was creating a wall of crystals to trap him inside.

Such crystals cannot be easily destroyed, so he burnt the tip of his spear and pierced through the wall toward Maria.

"You know how stubborn Betty can be. I warned her, but..." ~Maria

Maria parries Henry's last attack. They decided that it was enough...

"So, what's your plan?" ~Henry

"I'll leave the royal guard temporarily." ~Maria

"Who's going to replace you?" ~Henry

"The vice-captain, please oversee him while I'm gone." ~Maria

"I'm a mere house guard, ma'am." ~Henry

"Just prevent him from causing trouble." ~Maria

Henry sighs...

In Henry's mind, will Dea be alright? Since Raven and Salvino left Dea, his work has become tiring. His job was to guard and manage the mansion, but now, he had to oversee the Edos every once in a while, and soon one more troublesome person.

He was already bothered by the recent events and how Atalantas acted. How could such a righteous woman fall so low to attack a young man? He guessed that the leader of Atalantas' council was planning something exceptional, and it involved the boy playing a huge part...

In a desert between Dea and Regis.

It has been a month since Salvino entered the desert. He had seen nothing new, but now they were in the middle of the most desolate part of the desert. Only the most resilient creatures dare to set foot on these barren lands, which proves to be troublesome for both Salvino and Amira.

They can no longer count by fingers how they've been bothered while taking a break. Desert beasts that burrow themselves in the sand are becoming more common. Every single day they do not fail to surprise Salvino...

One day, Salvino sets up a campfire and a crock pot with their food inside. Excited that they finally found their peaceful time, they sat to chat, waiting for their meal to cook.

"So, where are you from?" ~Salvino

"Atalantas." ~Amira

"Really? I'm from Aria. How was life there?" ~Salvino

Amira answers after a brief pause.

"It was okay." ~Amira

Salvino checked the crock pot to see if it was almost done.

"So, what were you doing out here?" ~Salvino

Amira was silenced. She doesn't know where to start and doesn't want to remember. Every moment of that tragedy feels like forever, and it acts as a wall for her not to discuss the matter. But in the little time they were together, she has grown affection for her savior.

She didn't want to ignore him but wanted to forget the cruelty she had experienced...

Salvino noticed teary eyes of Amira as if under another painful nightmare. He sought human warmth, and he believed Amira needed it more. So once again, he hugged Amira, and her tears started flowing.

In her mind, she asked. Why? Is it so wrong to live the life you want? What did she do wrong? She has lived honestly. All she wanted was to live an adventurous life. Then she faced her savior and thought she would've lived a different life if she had met him sooner. She regretted everything, even the things she did nothing wrong about.

But her savior can only say.

"Don't worry. I'm here." ~Salvino

And she can only answer.

"Thank you." ~Amira

Salvino decided never to ask the question again...

After a while, Salvino asked Amon if he could do something about the shackles Amira was wearing. If ever comes a need for her to protect herself, she won't be able to because the restraints are stopping her manas.

Amon suggested that the sword could cut it with ease. The alchemy used in the shackles is of low class, and it explains the many gems embedded in its metal. Amon also confidently assures that even in high grade, no alchemy can match the blade he created.

But Salvino doesn't want to make her touch the blade again. He was afraid of what may happen to the poor woman.

Amon then sighed...

"Lend me your body." ~Amon

Suddenly the young man's posture changed, his eyes became red, and he emitted an aura that could send creatures nearby kneeling and shaking in fear. The woman was the same...

"What are you?" ~Amira

Amira knows that something is wrong because this presence is not of her savior but of something else terrifying.

"What have you done to Salvino?" ~Amira

Amon ignored the woman and snapped his fingers. All the shackles became sand...

She was speechless. She had witnessed a power that exceeded the mortals, and with one wrong move, she could've vanished like sand...

Salvino then went to normal and approached the woman as if nothing had happened. But the woman was still frightened of what she had experienced.

"What are you?" ~Amira

Salvino doesn't know what to say...

Finally, after walking for countless days, the first tracks of Regis appeared. A sandstone watch tower is visible from a distance, meaning Regis is near. But even so, there are still a few more days to reach the capital. It was getting windy, hinting at an imminent sandstorm.

They had to reach Regis before then, or they would lose their way in the middle of the desert storm. If only they had a ride, they were already at Regis. Luckily for them, a colossal desert cobra appeared, a giant snake that can move in distances at exceptional speeds, and Amon had a brilliant idea...