Spear Town in Jegonee City was different from what Kiich-ten had expected. It was quiet, almost eerily so. Kiich-ten wasn't sure where or how to find Elmael, one of the legendary constructors of the palace and city. He imagined Elmael would be a very old man by now. Despite his status as the prince of Jegonee City, the townspeople barely acknowledged him. It seemed they didn't support the royal family.
Kiich-ten approached a man engaged in conversation with his friends. The man looked at him with disdain.
"You're looking for someone who's ready to kill you," the man said. "Elmael is the head of this town. He lives in the tallest building in the Arc section. You should bow, even if you are a royal. The royal family will pay for what you did to us; we're just waiting for the right time."
Kiich-ten was taken aback. He didn't understand what the man meant, but it was clear there was more going on between the royals and the townsfolk than he knew. Determined, he made his way to the tallest building in the Arc section, his heart pounding with a mix of nervousness and determination.
Inside the building, Kiich-ten wandered the corridors until Elmael approached him from behind. The old man recognized him immediately from his attire—one of the royals, probably King Leo's son.
"You're not supposed to be here. The royals aren't welcome," Elmael said gruffly. Kiich-ten started to bow, but Elmael stopped him. "I'm too old for that now. They must have told you to bow, but what brings you here, titan? You must be brave to seek me out."
"Thank you. First, I want to know why there's a conflict between Spear Town and the royals. I hadn't heard anything about it," Kiich-ten said.
"You wouldn't know if your father had a conflict with the entire nation because you all stay behind the palace walls. Your father executed eighteen families in Spear Town who had emblems of the Magus Titans. The king said they were used to spy on the land. But we believe they were innocent. King Leo wiped out entire families, parents, and children," Elmael explained.
"I'm sorry for what happened. I wasn't even born at that time," Kiich-ten replied.
"It's too late to be sorry. That was decades ago. So what brings you here?" Elmael asked.
"You were one of the constructors of the palace. I want to know which part of it is called the root. It seems to be linked to the dark instinct," Kiich-ten said.
"How do you know about this?" Elmael asked, surprised.
"My mother was discussing it with someone who could control the dark instinct. He said he wanted to awaken the tree, and the roots could be all over the palace. She's planning something," Kiich-ten explained.
"The secret of the roots was between the constructors and the Dark Acres. The Dark Acres were once a powerful clan in Jegonee City. Their titans were huge and strong. If they had continued to grow, they'd have become the most powerful titans in the lands. The Magus Titans eliminated them all, or so we thought. If they are here to awaken the dark tree, the Dark Acres will rise again," Elmael warned.
"What can we do to stop it?" Kiich-ten asked.
"You must find the center of the root before they find what they call the red blood. It requires a powerful instinct to shut it down. You can't do it alone; you'll need a strong team and be prepared to fight," Elmael advised.
"I haven't perfected my instinct yet. How do Vegian and I stop this?" Kiich-ten wondered.
"Wait for your fortune," Elmael replied.
"I remember the sacred trees of great fortunes. They showed me a tree. Maybe that's what they were telling me. I think I need to go to the main tree," Kiich-ten said.
"You should know those sacred trees show both good and bad fortunes," Elmael cautioned.
Meanwhile, Vegian was under the influence of the dark instinct. She didn't know what she was doing until she finally came to her senses. She found herself as if she had been reading a book in her chamber, confused about what had happened. Realizing she had been under an influence, she quickly got up and continued her search. She ran around the palace, her mind racing, looking for the strange man using dark instinct.
In the enchanted forest, Vegian spotted a figure among the trees. She hurried to her chambers, grabbing her two chain spike whips infused with Jegonee instinct powers. Then she ran into the forest to confront the man. Lurock, the last descendant of the Dark Acres priest, was in the enchanted forest, trying to awaken the extended roots of the tree.
The glowing trees were being corrupted by the dark instinct, threatening to awaken the roots. Vegian's sudden appearance disrupted Lurock's concentration. He turned, glaring at her in anger.
"Why won't you stop following me? You can't stop this. It's the resurrection of the Dark Acres. If you don't want to be killed, stay out of the way," Lurock warned, his voice filled with fury.
"You should stay out of this. The Dark Acres were meant to die, and they are already dead," Vegian said, her voice shaking but determined.
"Curse the mouth you used to say that," Lurock snarled, unleashing the dark instinct, a black dust swirling around him.
Vegian stood her ground, brandishing her weapon filled with Jegonee instinct powers. Lurock attacked first, shooting the dark instinct with a sharp force. Vegian dodged, moving sideways just in time. She retaliated with her whip, sending invisible sharp forces towards him. Lurock blocked the attack and countered with a powerful shot of dark instinct.
Caught off guard, Vegian barely managed to block with her whip. The force of the blow pushed her backward, her whips slipping from her grasp. With nothing left to fight with, she resorted to her final weapon. Sucking in a deep breath, she released an enormous echo sound that destroyed everything in front of her, hoping to catch Lurock.
But Lurock was quicker than she expected. He appeared at her side, clamping a hand over her mouth and striking her hard on the head. She fell to the ground, unconscious.
"You'll stay out of this once I'm done with you," Lurock muttered.
When Vegian awoke, she found herself bound by large tree roots, surrounded by darkness except for the faint blue glow from the roots and a huge blue glowing orb in the distance. The roots seemed endless, stretching out across Jegonee City.
"Kiich-ten, where are you?" Vegian murmured, her voice echoing in the vast darkness.
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