Several hours later…
Dorian sat down next to Helena's bed as she rested, looking at her with only a small hint of worry. The reassurances he'd received from the Shade King that she would wake soon had calmed him, but he couldn't help how he felt.
He sighed, rubbing his forehead slightly.
"We've got a lot to do, smalls." He muttered, looking at her wryly.
He had successfully managed to convince the Shade King to at least attempt a ceasefire using the two of them.
After his attempt at convincing the Shade King succeeded, the powerful ruler had finally explained to Dorian why everything was happening. It had to do with a core secret that very, very few people were aware of.
It had to do with the origins of the Shade Race.
The Shades were the descendants of an ancient race known as the Shadoir. The Shadoir were far more attributed to darkness and shadow, creatures that could slip into a distorted Realm of Shadow to move about, hiding from the real world.
Their ability was kind of similar to that of Fifteen's Grey Mantor form, except that the Realm of Shadow they traversed was still part of the 30,000 Worlds, and therefore detectable.
The Shadoir were extremely strong. They lived as rulers back in the ancient times when the Dragon Race reigned supreme and the Demon Race was only starting to come active, many tens of thousands of years ago.
The number of Shadoir dwindled as time went on. Not from dangerous wars or traitors attacking their kind, however.
They were a reclusive race that fiercely defended their territory, but also stayed to themselves, refusing to travel or even talk with other Shadoir. As a result, their numbers dwindled simply because very few Shadoir ever came into existence.
As their population fell, it became apparent that the Shadoir Race was likely to disappear from this world. Their numbers were simply too few to be sustainable for longer than a few thousand years.
One of the leaders of the Shadoir, the Wiseman Shanoa, came up with an idea to address this.
Even if the Shadoir were to fall, their descendants must flourish. It was impossible to change the nature of the Shadoir and even if they could, it was likely too late.
Instead, he came up with the genius plan to create an entire species of descendants, directly related to them. He decided that the descendants must be populous and widespread, unlike the solitary nature of Shadoir that had doomed their kind.
Their descendants would carry on the glory of the Shadoir, bearing their strength and affinity for darkness and shadow.
As a result, eventually, the Shade Race was born, from the meticulous work of the greatest Wizards and researchers of the Shadoir Race.
However… The Shadoir, again, were naturally reclusive. Their trust for even each other was low, and their trust for other Races was non-existent.
The Shade Race was destined to overwhelm them in numbers. What if they eventually turned on their creators?
The thought, itself, might be seen as a foolish or pointless one to those looking from afar, especially considering that the Shadoir Race was already dying, but to the arrogant and reclusive Shadoir, it was a serious concern.
Even with their dying grasp, they would refuse to release the reins and grant their descendants free control of their destinies.
Thus, the Wizards included a failsafe. A way to control the Shade Race, should it ever be necessary. They figured that if it was never needed, then it would go forever unused. If the Shadoir died out before anything happened, then the failsafe would never be necessary and their descendants would be fine.
This failsafe was known as the Desecration Curse.
The Shadoir's Wizardry, when it came to Shadow and Darkness Magic, was incredibly complex. The Desecration Curse arose from this, a built-in defect that, when activated, slowly transformed a Shade's Soul into that of a Shadowmonger.
A Shadowmonger was a type of being that lived in the Realm of Shadow. They could not exist outside of the Realm of Shadow. They were instinctual creatures that had little intelligence and very short life spans. They would die after only a few years, while new Shadowmongers were magically created by the Laws of the Universe shortly after.
If a Shade's soul fully transformed into that of a Shadowmonger… unless they moved into the Realm of Shadow, their body and soul would degenerate. Their bones would grow brittle while their muscles and skin grew rough and stone-like. Even their organs would harden as their soul rejected life in the 30,000 Worlds proper.
Within months to years, depending on how powerful the original Shade had been, their body would seal itself completely. Their soul would leave and their body would turn to stone, killing them.
The Desecration Curse was the ultimate fail-safe left behind by the Shadoir Race. It was never intended to activate on its own.
And yet… apparently, it had, for reasons even the Shades were unaware of. It was postulated by some to have activated automatically due to various errors that accumulated over time as the Shade Race flourished. Some thought it might be a vindictive Shadoir or someone that found out how to activate the curse, trying to wipe out the Shades.
The exact how wasn't known, but more than 100 years ago, it was discovered that several Shades had suffered from the Desecration Curse. At first, the incidents happened to only a few. They gradually increased in number as time went on until the relatively newly formed Church of Light stepped in, alongside the Shade Monarchy.
Using incredible Magic and expensive Artifacts created by a crack team of the most elite Shade Wizards, a way to temporarily stave off the Desecration Curse was discovered. A huge, massive Magic Spell that encompassed the entire race, forcibly stopping the spread of the curse.
This Spell lasted dozens of years. In that time, King Hasith broke into the Angelic Class, training like a maniac as he did everything he could to ensure the survival of his race. Huge teams of hundreds of thousands of Shades worked on various solutions, all trying to crack the puzzle that was the Desecration Curse.
Eventually, after years and years and years of effort... a lead was found.
An 'Origin Point' for the Desecration Curse.
An area that held some type of key clue to stopping the Desecration Curse.
And that Origin Point was discovered to be located on none other than the World of Eternal Evening, Evonon, the Headquarters of the Aurelius Family.
The Shades and the Aurelius Family were already on poor terms. There was no feasible way they could see to convince the Aurelius Family to give up on their most secure homeworld, nor was there a chance of them letting the hundreds of thousands of Shade Wizards set up shop and get to researching on the planet.
Telling the Vampires about the Desecration Curse was also a non-option. Even the various researchers working on the curse were not aware of the big picture, 99% believing it to be a rather dangerous type of disease that they were working to quash instead of a sure-fire apocalyptic killer. Even the Shadow Dukes were unaware of the truth.
The Shades had done a great job disguising the full truth, even among their own kind. Some Shades certainly found the large manpower put towards defeating the curse unusual, but with the altruistic Church of Light at the helm, it was generally accepted and not an issue.
Thus… the Shades were left with few options. Their only real one was to invade.
And so, the various wars between the Shades and the Vampires took place.
When Dorian learned all of this, he had felt overwhelmed. He now understood why the Shade King had been so reluctant to tell him anything or give him any responsibility.
This was a secret that related to the survival of trillions of innocent beings. The survival of the entire Shade Race.
He could see why the King had trouble trusting him with it.
He took a deep breath and then let out. He then stood up and walked over to a comfortable looking chair.
They were at a new Inn, the Golden Sheath Inn, an expensive and fancy establishment. After the long conversation with the Shade King, where Dorian successfully won him over, he and Helena had returned to the city proper.
The room they were staying in was luxurious, with a large, comfortable looking bed that Helena was resting on, silken curtains that blocked the windows, and a large couch and table in a living room like-area. Picturesque natural paintings decorated the walls, giving the place a very homey feel.
The Moria Liberation Force had been reunited with him and moved over to the new inn, the previous inn suffering far too significant damages to be habitable. All fighting had ceased, including the mysterious battle that had been taking place overhead.
He picked up a small golden necklace, pulling it from his Spatial Ring.
The Shade King had given it to him. By using it, he could contact King Hasith himself. He was only to do so when he successfully found a way to negotiate and secure the survival of the Shade Race.
'All I need to do now is convince the leadership of the Aurelius Family to give up on their homeworld, or at least, agree to share it…' He sighed again. It was bound to be a difficult task, even more so considering Kaladin had already left.
The Great Hero had told Dorian he needed to prepare to fight against Yukeli now that he had returned and couldn't afford to wait any longer. He had set off almost immediately, vanishing just a few minutes after King Hasith left.
After several hours of rest and meditation, Dorian felt a thousand times better. His energy stores had been partially rejuvenated and the grueling exhaustion that had besieged him was nowhere to be found. The 5-6 hours of rest were more than enough, when combined with his excess Growth Energy, to get him back into fighting form.
'Speaking of Growth Energy… I have so many new Bloodlines to experiment with. Tons of Demonic ones… what will happen if I grow them all and combine them with my Balance Demon form?' A small bead of excitement formed in his heart. After all, the stronger he grew, the more influential he would become.
Several more minutes passed in silence. It was dark outside, well into the night and on the way to early morning. Dorian split his focus between examining his new Bloodlines and focusing on his new Laws. He needed to gain a better foothold on each one, especially the big one, the Law of Original Sin.
'If I merge enough Bloodlines that are Demonic, I feel like I might be able to make a form that can have an easier time studying the Demonic Laws.' He rubbed his chin at the thought. His Balance Demon form was already uniquely suited to studying Laws in general, its powerful Balanced State from its Body of Balance and Soul of Balance lending it great capabilities.
As he was in the midst of planning, a light groan caught his attention.
Dorian reacted almost instantaneously, his heart pounding as adrenaline pumped through him.
On the bed in the back of the room, Helena's body slowly shifted as she came awake.
"Helena!" He whispered quietly, his eyes ecstatic as he rushed over.
"D-D-Dori-Inigo?" Helena caught herself mid-sentence as she looked at him groggily.
"Yes! It's me!" Without hesitation, Dorian carefully gathered her up in a huge hug, a few tears trailing from his eyes as a massive feeling of relief swept through him.
"You're okay! Hahaha! That's great!" He laughed out loud as he ignored those tears, hugging her tightly.
Helena seemed to freeze up for a moment before softly returning his hug.
"What happened?" She whispered quietly.
Dorian let go and cleared his throat, giving her a smile.
"Well… Quite a bit, actually…"
Almost half an hour later, Dorian finished explaining almost everything, though only after checking to make sure they weren't being spied on and covering them up in a layer of energy to block out sound. He told her about Moria and the expedition there, how he cleansed it and became a secretive member of the Demonic Council, about Kaladin, about Fifteen, about Leader, about being a Turkey, and about the problem with the Shades. He hid almost nothing.
He embellished the story a little, avoiding talking about the times where he was close to death, making it seem much safer than it was.
Still, Helena was suitably impressed. She gasped when she heard about the Demonic Councilmembers, oohed and ahhed as she heard him describe the fight with Fifteen, laughed in delight when she heard about his Warping Turkey antics, and gained a serious look in her eyes when she heard about the plight of the Shades.
As a Vampire, especially one that had seen a great deal of suffering due to the war with the Shades, Helena naturally felt a certain level of animosity. When she heard that more than 1 trillion innocent beings had their lives at stake, however, that look in her eyes changed.
Helena had been willing to risk her life to save a city that only had a small number of Vampires in it and was mostly humans and other humanoids, back on Taprisha. Of everyone that Dorian knew, she was the one most likely to be able to put aside her differences to protect the innocent, regardless of the cost to herself. It was just who she was.
"That… that is a serious problem. And you said he trusted you… or rather, us, to resolve this entire war?" Her voice contained a hint of helplessness as she spoke, as if the task was impossible.
"Yes. I know, especially with the injury to your soul, it seems daunting but I'm confident that I c" Abruptly, Dorian cut himself off, his eyes widened as an Aura gradually formed in the air in front of him.
An Aura of Might, rising from Helena.
"What?! You can access the Laws?!" He stared at her in shock. Her face was pale, but there was no sign of pain or stress, as if she wasn't injured at all.
"My soul… my soul has been treated with some type of amazing medicine! The injuries on it are already close to healing! I should be fully healed in just a few days!" Helena's voice was full of cheer as she spoke, her body rippling with power.
"But… what?! It must've been King Hasith!" Dorian's eyes widened as he realized what had happened, a sense of gratefulness filling him.
When the Shade King treated Helena, he must've gone all out, greatly healing the injuries in her soul. As a powerful and rich ruler of a multi-planet nation, something like a Soul Reborn Pill or Soul Cleansing Pill, or any other high-level Pill that could treat injuries to the soul, was likely chump change to him.
'I don't have to use the treasures the Moria Liberation Force gained and set aside for me on Moria!' He had been fully prepared to spend all of them to gain her either of the Pills she could use to heal her injured soul at the Golden Moon Auction House.
His net worth immediately jumped a huge amount, opening up a large host of options he could spend it on, including treasures to enhance his Law comprehension speed and more.
"That's great news! With that in mind, we can just direc-!" Dorian cut himself off as his senses tingled, a feeling of danger appearing.
'Perfect Body! Laws!' Immediately, energy flooded his body as he spun around, a layer of defensive light covered his hands.
SHKK
Not a moment later, a beam of black energy slammed into his waiting palms. The beam immediately dissipated, but not before shocking his hands, setting them numb. Dorian's eyes widened as he felt this.
He was in his Perfect Body mode, with a layer of defensive energy up and his always active Mystic Armored Body live. In terms of physical defense, very few attacks that weren't overwhelming in scale or potency could do too much to him.
For such a low-key strike to able to numb his arms… it meant that whoever was attacking was a powerful King Class expert, at the bare minimum.
"Show yourself!" Dorian's voice boomed out loud, his fists clenched as he stood protectively in front of Helena.
"It's no use asking for help, kiddo, I've sealed off any sound from this room. Step away from the- oh. Huh. You stopped my attack?" From seemingly nowhere, a lithe and muscular humanoid appeared, dressed in a long, black suit. He was handsome, with bright red hair and beguiling red eyes.
The moment Dorian saw him, he felt a very real sense of danger.
-
Species: Vampire
Class - King Class (Pseudo-Angelic)
Maximum Energy Level: 4,312,882
-
'Oh damn. He's Pseudo-Angelic?! Wait, he's a Vampire!' These thoughts raced through his head in an instant as he blinked, staring at the figure.
WHOOSH
The red haired Vampire's hands twitched as energy gathered around them. In an instant, a cursing Aura slammed into Dorian, trying to knock him unconscious.
This powerful Aura hit Dorian's soul and then washed right off.
'My soul is much tougher, even if my Energy Level is significantly lower… Pseudo-Angelic figures can't overwhelm me in terms of raw Aura anymore!' Dorian realized in a heartbeat.
"Stop!" Dorian twitched as he heard a strong, feminine voice echo out behind him. He kept his guard up as he continued to face the Vampire, letting Helena speak.
Helena's eyes were filled with strength and determination as she spoke.
"Don't hurt him, Uncle Balbinus. He's on our side!" Her voice softened as she went on, genuine warmth filling it.
"Uh..? This… Shade… is on your side? Our side? Are you alright, girl?" The elite Vampire scratched his head in confusion, lowering his hands slightly. The monstrous Aura he was giving off lessened in strength.
'Uncle Balbinus?' The moment Dorian heard this, his eyes widened. An incredibly strong Vampire named Balbinus that Helena called uncle?
This had to be Family General Balbinus of the Aurelius Vampires!
"Be that as it may, Helena, I am here to help you escape. Highlord Marcus sent me." The Vampire continued, shrugging.
"I'm going to have to knock him unconscious to be safe. I won't risk bringing him with us, not when I'm behind enemy lines."
'This is perfect… this is the opportunity I need! Fate is helping me!' Dorian, in the meanwhile, had his mind racing, plans rapidly forming as he took the situation in.
General Balbinus was one of the 3 Family Generals in the Aurelius Family and extremely influential. He could act as a liaison and representative of the Aurelius Family for almost certain, especially since he was sent here by Highlord Marcus himself, per his own words.
'This is it! I can fix this right now!' The energy in his soul fluctuated.
'All I need to do is convince the Family General, with Helena here to help me! King Hasith is already convinced, with him here, we can actually get this all to work!' Dorian eyed the Family General. As he did so, his soul twitched and he concentrating, feeling the strands of Fate seem to warp around him.
'I will end this war, here and now.' His hand clenched onto the Artifact King Hasith had given him.
"Actually, General Balbinus… Helena and I would like to have a discussion with you about stopping the war between our races, if you wouldn't mind listening to us…" As he spoke, he commanded Fate to bow to his will…
.. .. .. .. .. ..
On a planet dominated by an enormous, gargantuan tree.
"Let's go, a journey, a journey to the west!"
"It will be fun, it's definitely, definitely for the best!"
"Who knows what friends will meet along the way?"
"A journey's start shall begin with us this day!"
An eager voice echoed in the air, the speaker's words echoing out in an odd, rhyming cadence.
Will smiled as he looked at the Eleventhborn, laughing out loud. The Anomaly had taken on a humanoid appearance, with light red skin and a mostly human body and face. He had thin red lips, a sharp nose, and a set of red-colored pupils that felt faintly Draconian.
He was wearing a set of black leather hides, with a large battle-axe strapped to his back. The axe was mostly just for looks, Number 11 had no idea how to actually use it.
"You aren't wrong, Number 11. We've been cooped up so long with Sun Wukong, it's nice to finally be free." Will shook out his long, brown hair, tying it up in a bun. His blue eyes gleamed as he looked at the flying ship that was in front of them.
The duo were standing on the edge of a large, brown root, one of the many that grew off the World Tree behind them.
Will rubbed his chin, feeling the stubble that was growing. His body was lean and muscular, the result of intense training with Sun Wukong, both physical and magical. The monkey was an incredible tutor, able to predict and correct many of his mistakes.
The changes were so notable from his previous self, it seemed impossible that only a few weeks had passed.
And, for Will, it actually had been more than a year, instead of just a few weeks.
Sun Wukong had led them to a secretive and Magically enhanced room, a place carved inside the World Tree, where time itself operated at a faster rate. Will had gone inside the room multiple times to train, vastly increasing the speed he gained strength and a better understanding of the Law of Light.
And now… in terms of understanding, he had already reached the King Class and progressed well into it.
'The Inheritance I gained is the only reason why my progress was so fast. I will never forget the favor you did for me, old man.' Will clenched his fists and nodded sharply, his entire body glowing slightly.
"After we go pay back a debt I owe, we can both go searching for our mutual friend. I'm sure Dorian is doing well." That Anomaly, and friend of his, was so incredibly capable, Will couldn't see him being anything other than fantastic. According to Sun Wukong, Dorian was located within the reach of the Shade Commune currently.
"Agreeable, agreeable! That sounds very much agreeable!"
"We shall travel the worlds, to find a friend to see-able, cough."
At the end of his rhyming reply, the Eleventhborn glanced around furtively, as if recognizing his rhyme didn't quite make it.
Will grinned as he saw that, but chose not to comment. He had formed a friendship with the Eleventhborn, and the several other Anomalies that were all saved by Sun Wukong.
The odd monkey had formed a type of sanctuary here, filled with various Anomalies that fought against their nature. Most of them were reclusive, but Will had spoken to and developed friendships with several of them. The Eleventhborn was one of the most social ones.
"Sun Wukong said he was off to visit an old friend he hadn't seen in a very long time, so we should have at least a few days or weeks." Will continued.
"Ah, one more friend is on his way to the ship, and is set to join our team!"
"Quetzy got a human form, he's healed like a puddle into a stream!"
Will chose not to question the logic of Number 11's phrases, simply shrugging in response.
"Oh? Quetzy is coming with us?" Quetzy, or Number 4, or the Fourthborn, was an enormous serpent-beast that was massively powerful. Having him alongside them would be a huge boon and practically guarantee their safety.
Number 11 nodded back cheerfully.
"Well then! We'll wait for him here, but after that…" Will smiled,
"We set sail for the Elector Empire!"
.. .. .. .. .. ..
On a planet far away, in the lands controlled by the Draconic Tribes…
A large, underground cavern existed. This cavern was wide and tall, with a roof that stretched more than 100 meters tall and sides that stood even farther apart. It was gloomily lit by glowing moss and mushrooms, giving the area an eerie appearance.
A man with golden hair could be seen sitting at the center of this cavern, meditating quietly. A relaxing Aura covered this man, one that glowed faintly with white light.
WHOOSH
From out of nowhere, a bright, portal of blue light ripped a hole in space, just a few dozen meters away from this man.
The portal appeared and vanished in an instant, leaving behind the figure of another man.
This man had short, greying hair, and a well-maintained black beard that had streaks of grey appearing in it. His violet eyes gleamed, while his strong jaw and small nose gave him a masculine, handsome appearance. A long, red scar ran down the length of his right cheek onto his neck, leading down to a set of muscular shoulders.
The man wore a loose, white vest and a pair of white pants. He sighed as he looked around the cave, turning his attention to the man with golden hair.
"Ah, you must be the being that calls himself Zero." The man with short, grey hair spoke aloud, slipping his hands inside his vest as he took a few steps forward. His voice was confident but contained a faintly friendly air.
Finally, the golden-haired man reacted. He blinked as he exited his meditation, turning to gaze upon the interloper.
"That is I." The air quaked despite the soft tone of his voice as he replied, his eyes flashing with bright gold light. A powerful Aura began to flood out from the man, simply from his force of presence.
"And who might you be, Wizard? Or are you another failed Drake, here to challenge me and die." Zero shrugged as his eyes flicked to the left and right, taking in the rest of the cave and missing nothing.
"To face me alone, you have earned my respect." Zero slowly stood up, his attention fully focused on the other man.
"My name is Arthur." The man replied, smiling warmly with a smile that did not reach his eyes.
"Arthur Telmon." The Wizard King took a few more steps forward, till he was only a few meters away from Zero. He then spoke two more lines, each one sounding off in the large chamber, full of calm intent.
"Hello, old friend."
"I am here to kill you again."
.
.
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End of Volume:
No stats for now :p will post them later.
This volume was a long one, woo! But it's done, on to the next :)
As some of you know, my releases slowed down a bit due to me being busy IRL.
With the end of this volume, I am going to take a roughly ~5-7 days break to refresh myself and finish a lot of that IRL stuff, and then go into the next volume with all the renewed vigor I can muster! Thank you so much for enjoying my story, I can't wait to keep writing it :)
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