After a moment of processing everything, Asher frowned deeply.
“But the current rulers of the High Plains are the Galvia Empire and the Sacred Flame Empire. The Eternal Immortal Empire was destroyed centuries ago, yet you’re saying they’ve existed for thousands of years, not hundreds?”
Lord Winter chuckled softly. “After the death of the brothers, the next age began—the Glorious Age. After the brothers, I Am realized that retrieving talents from mankind alone would never give them a chance to repair the world, so he sent another messenger: the Soul Scroll.”
“Divine abilities like those of the four brothers were never seen again, but the Soul Scroll reshaped the flow of energy, which marked the beginning of the split in talents. In the First Age, a man could move mountains with his body alone. Now, Battle Force has reduced such power to mere gifts—like the ability to turn your arms into stone.”
Lord Winter rose up to his feet, his expression grave.
“The funny thing is that the Glorious Era also ended because all the races once again fought for the right to sovereignty, forgetting that they weren’t the world’s creator. This time it destabilized the Magi force, splitting the mana into three, Battle Force, Magi Force and Abyss Force, which brought the fall of the mages and the rise of the Dark Age in the year 2300.”
Lord Winter sighed weakly, his voice heavy with regret.
“It was in that Age that the vessels of the First Men took the stage once again, resurrecting the ancient empires. But Kryos… Kryos never rose.”
Asher frowned, his thoughts churning.
Lord Winter met Asher’s gaze with burning intensity. “The entire north knows of Lord Kryos because he and his vessels were their rulers but during the twilight of the Dark Age, Lord Athanatos massacred the White Noble clan, destroying Lord Kryos’ lineage. You were never meant to be the next Kryos and strangely, you have already met the current vessel of Athanatos.”
The moment Lord Winter said that Asher’s eyes widened because the image of Prince Aaron Nethaneel flashed in his mind.
His eyes narrowed.
“I see you know him,” Lord Winter said. “How was it, meeting your brother, the one who ensured that you were unable to appear for several centuries?”
Asher felt a stir in his spirit, a shadow of anguish flickering across his face. “Painful.”
He said with a deep tone.
Looking into his eyes, in that split second Lord Winter saw Kryos.
Asher lifted his hand and wiped his eyes although there were no tears and rose to his feet.
“Thank you. I now know that my fight has just begun.”
Lord Winter smiled faintly as he watched Asher walk away. “He might end up surpassing Kryos because of that strange body of his. Ah, I forgot to tell him about the beasts given to him and his brothers by God. Well…”
Winter chuckled to himself.
“…I’m sure he’ll find out soon enough.”
After muttering to himself, Winter began to walk toward the door when Isaac walked into the compound.
“Why didn’t you tell him that other than talents, there were weapons of god-like powers—like the staff in your hands,” Isaac asked, his tone sharp.
Winter’s smile deepened, his wrinkles multiplying.
“What use would that be of? Such things are only for believers.”
Isaac turned his head to the temple’s exit. “But he’s chosen by I Am to bear the powers of Kryos. Isn’t he of a higher position than mere believers?”
“We aren’t mere believers, Isaac,” Winter said evenly. “Only a few of us still maintain temples where we can commune with the creator. Things that are rare are precious.”
Isaac’s brows furrowed. “Something has been disturbing me… I know Asher has been chosen by the creator to be Kryos’ vessel, but is that the right choice? His force is too…”
Lord Winter’s eyes sharpened. “You fear he will turn against us?”
“Will? I fear his heart is already lost in a path I dread. He might end up worse than Kryos himself.” Isaac admitted with a sigh.
Lord Winter looked at the sky, his voice soft but somber. “I pray it will not come to that. If it does… it could mean the end of the New Age.”
The old man’s thoughts wandered as the stars shimmered above. ‘Four Ages have passed. The age that might come after this one is unknown… and that terrifies me.’
…
Three days passed in the blink of an eye and Asher returned to the camp as the next phase of the training began. Each day, a hundred men carried ice boulders, much bigger than themselves and marched into the forest and back in grueling repetition.
Levi grunted as beads of sweat beads trickled down his forehead to his chin. He held the thick ropes used to strap the large ice boulder to his back. The chill from the boulder drilled into his back like a thousand needles, making his bottom feel numb.
‘I’m going to die.’
High above, from the top of a cliff, Asher watched them. The sight of the hundred basic paladins struggling with enormous blue crystal boulders and taking each step with great effort brought a faint smile to his lips. empire
While this ordeal was unfolding in the forest, several kilometers away, at the heart of Edom, a black rat nearly seven feet tall sat behind a wooden table.
Behind him stood an imposing set of armor, its surface gleaming as a female rat clad in a garment meticulously cleaned it with a white cloth.
The rat’s breathing was deep, like the growl of a predator, making the female rat tremble.
Knock! Knock!
“Commander Ivar, you have a letter from the main clan.”
Ivar, the towering black rat, lifted its head. “Come in.”
The wooden door creaked open, revealing a rat clad in black armor. In his hands was a rolled-up piece of animal skin, sealed with the emblem of a noble rat.
“In whose name was this sent?” Ivar queried, his whiskers twitching with curiosity.
“General Aldritch, my lord.”
Upon hearing the name, Ivar hurriedly opened the letter and when he read the contents, he frowned and his already black face darkened.
“There is a new human settlement attacking our convoy? How audacious!” His eyes narrowed as a sharp gleam flew past them and a low growl escaped his throat.
“Gather 500 men. I’ll draft a letter to send to the Queen Mage requesting 10 noble rats to aid our cause.”
As Ivar spoke, the female rat quickly placed an animal skin, ink and a quill before him.
Ivar’s claws scraped against the table as he wrote, his voice cold with disdain and coldness.
“Humans… that pathetic race are truly stubborn. It seems like we’ve been dormant for too long.”