Before the order between kingdoms of Calyndria was established, everyone rushed to expand their territory. Bigger lands equals more power and authority--the logic of the old never really made sense to anyone who claims to be modern.
A great battle had occurred as a result of this. The more it raged on, the more it evolved.
from a free for all to organized groups, the war changed before eventually turning into a team deathmatch. Using light words like this are understatements compared to how it truly was back then.
Allies, joined together with one goal in mind. How they formed? a mystery even they found themselves unable to solve, but one after the other, they found their goals aligning. Those who couldn't ally themselves with one side chose the other, and eventually 'Calyndria's great war' begun.
An entire year was how long it lasted. Each side suffering heavy damages but choosing to power themselves with their pride instead of their minds, as a result, those who couldn't sit by and watch it all occur finally stood and made a move.
The great Elven king, or perhaps 'Death's great shadow' as many might now call him while narrating his great tale.
He'd been disregarded, a king who sought nothing but a kingdom in his forest. One who wished for no one to cause harm to it.
'Weak' those who aimed for dominion called him. Yet after that day, no one dared whiff the forest's air itself.
The chaos had made its way to his dominion, the casualty being a mere tree. One which his daughter is said to have been resting on as she watched the chaos ensue. A haywire spell turned it and her to ashes.
His throne room which was once filled with his wise men and loving wife was left empty that day--and his image as he sat on his throne was like that of a once resting dragon now awakened from its slumber.
They say his voice could be heard across all of Calyndria and that the tremors the grounds released were like cries of help, the world around the forested kingdom attempting to run from the rage that had just been awakened.
The battlefield felt like it had been elevated enough to feel the sun's scorching heat as an orb of light blinded them right at the middle of it all.
Then, without warning, a blast echoed.
The rumble could be felt across all lands and the sight was visible to anyone who had eyes. Some say even the Architect of wisdom witnessed it half-way back from his journey to Calyndria.
The words he let out that day were etched into everyone's minds--or more specifically, those who were alive to hear it.
"Doom flare"
With those words came the end of a seemingly never-ending war that never again dared to spark up. Any conflict being handled politically in fear that the Elven king--even in death, could send his cursed devastating attack again. The spell itself burned into history books, only used by high leveled hunters in dire situations. All incapable of using it at the same level of its original caster.
Aeron's mother once narrated this story to him, herself hearing it from her father who heard it from his father. Which is why I chose to use it.
A one hit spell, capable of stupid levels of destruction that could stop a war with a single activation. It was clear why I had a mere 2% hope of surviving it.
What happened after its activation were a blur to me.
Last I remember, a beam of light shot out of the space between my fingers, tearing straight into the staggered beast.
Then, the light brightened within the beast--filled the area, before a superheated gust of wind blew past me several times. And finally...
BANG!
Last I saw, my body was flying through wall after wall, the taurus itself reduced to nothing as the world around me got consumed by darkness.
Feminine voices were what I woke up to. Audible enough for me to discern what it was but barely intelligible enough for me to understand what was being said. My vision was blurred for a moment, everything running in twos and threes before coming together and finally forming a single image.
I seemed to be in some sort of infirmary?
It sure as hell was no hospital I was used to, but was big enough to be mistaken for a medical ward. Only difference being there were no medical equipment, just a bed and some decorative pieces.
"He's awake now, sir." A female voice let out, the gowned figure moving past my view--disappearing into a corner I couldn't see past.
The sound of footsteps approaching me was all I was left with, a lightly armored figure finally appearing in my view.
"Lance?"
"Load runner," He responded, making his way to an empty seat carefully placed beside my bed, "Or would you rather I refer to you as 'prince' instead."
"I have a name, you know?" I responded, gathering enough strength to sit upright, "glad to see we aren't in that hell hole anymore."
My head hurt, chest felt like it had seen better days, waist definitely needed some work...but I was glad I'd lived past that hellish encounter.
Fighting a hundred of the normal Taurus' would have been a better alternative to that singular being.
"Well, I have you to thank for that." He responded, a cold hint in his tone, "though, I'm beginning to question whether I really do."
Swiftly, he reached into his pockets before resurfacing his hand with a shiny object in his hands. The glint it let out had me squinting my eyes for a second before my eyes finally adjusted to the sudden light.
A golden shield with two swords behind it, all surrounded by a laurel wreath with the words "Sancti Milites" engraved above it all.
Well screw me...what the hell kind of sin did I commit to have a member of the holy knights flashing the church's iconic emblem at me?
"You're a holy knight?"
"The hundredth selected holy knight from the southern church." He calmly responded, returning his badge, "I believe you already know what we holy knights stand for."
An order created not long after the end of Calyndria's great war. Its motives and goals were simple; investigate suspicious activities between kingdoms to stop any evil, control new dungeon openings to stop anything from the inside coming out and bringing anyone who poses a threat to the balance of peace to justice.
The numerous hanged, beheaded and imprisoned 'heretics' were clear examples of how they brought justice to those who proved to be a threat of the worldly peace. Aeron had seen enough to fill my memory with gruesome images.
The holy churches were a ray of justice and hope, the knights being its way of spreading it across the world. They're known to remain hidden unless facing a foe who needs to be brought forth to the church or--when they're about to apprehend a suspect. Why the hell was Lance making himself known to me despite me literally busting my ass off to save our lives.
"I'm familiar," I calmly responded, "what I don't understand is why a holy knight is making himself known to me."
"On the third day of this month, I was tasked to keep an eye out on Darius Thorn." He begun, slowly getting out of his seat before pacing around the room.
"He was a vile man, tied to several cults and rebellions that were planning on rebelling against the church."
Darius? The name sounded familiar but didn't really click until a few moments passed. That was our group leader's name...and my ass had to end up joining a party with a crazed rebel and an incognito agent. Lady luck sure does love holding back when it comes to blessing me.
"I never knew the guy, I only joined your party because of your superbly low requirements."
"That is true." He responded, making a stop at the foot of my bed before then continuing his random pacing, "but that is not why I chose to reveal my identity to you."
"Then why the hell am I in the sights of a holy knight?"
A short silence was shared between us before Lance finally turned to face me, a cold look pasted on his face with his eyes narrowed.
"Explain this to me, Prince Aeron Tylvannis, how the dungeon suddenly activates its fail safe feature on the same day you join our party."
"Coincidence?" I nervously mumbled out, forcing a calmed expression on my face.
"Coincidence? Hah..." He let out a slight chuckle before going back to his cold stare, "Was it also a coincidence that the boss of the very same dungeon chose to hunt you instead of me?"
"Bad luck, maybe?"
"Is it also a coincidence that a magicless prince was capable of not only casting a spell, but also using a devastating high grade spell?"
"Guess I'm just blessed?"
Swiftly, Lance drew out his holstered blade and pointed it at me, its cold apex touching the skin of my neck--forcing me to stiffen up.
"Worst of all, a beast that was never meant to communicate, not only did that..." He let out, his voice almost a low growl as he leaned closer, "...but also communicated directly--and only to you."
Hearing all that, I was for sure screwed. Now that I saw it in his lens, I understood what it meant.
It would have been a coincidence if the dungeon activated the fail safe and we ended up beating the boss without it both talking and without me casting a spell. Perhaps I should have heeded the messenger's warning. For some reason, I could see her sneering at me as she mumbled out 'i told you' whilst comfortably enjoying her stay in my mind.
Damn her and those Architects.
"That being said..." Lance continued, pulling back and holstering his blade with a much more calmed expression on his face, "the only reason why I haven't handed you over to the church is because of the very words the beast said."
"They warned me about you..." Lance repeated, his words sending a specific memory flashing in my mind as he worded out the beast's own words, "you were clearly a threat to it, not an ally. For that alone I've chosen to investigate you personally."
A sigh of relief escaped me with his words coming to an end. Perhaps Lady luck has some luck stored for me.
What he said made sense. I knew nothing about it, but it was clear the beast knew a lot more about me. They'd even gone out of their way to warn it about me, was there someone who knew I was sent by the architects?
That was the only explanation--someone, somewhere had sent that beast as a mercenary to take care of a threat to them.
"An update to my quest, Mes?" I questioned inwardly.
"It sounds like it, master." She responded, her words lingering on for a moment before the golden text quickly shifted, "Did you just call me Mes, master?"
"What? you expect me to be calling you 'messenger' for the rest of my life? From now on you're 'Mes' deal with it."
"As you wish, master."
Everything made sense though, it was weird how it all lined up though. The very same day I enter a neighboring kingdom and dive into my first dungeon, I end up meeting opposing forces that knew of my existence before I knew theirs.
"Seeing that confused look answers enough questions for me..." Lance carried on, a frustrated sigh escaping him afterwards as he crossed his arms and reclined on his seat.
"Someone, or something--wants you dead. To the point where they'd use a dungeon boss, give it magic and intelligence to simply have the deed done for them."
Lance's brows furrowed, his frustration clearly growing for a moment before he quickly shook off his thoughts and turned to me with a determined look on his face.
"That being said, my suspicion on you isn't cleared up completely." He calmly let out, pulling the bedside drawer beside me open and pulling out a faintly brown piece of paper out of it, along with a feathered quill and a container filled with its ink.
"The hell is this?"
"Sign it, Aeron." He simply barked out as a response, his eyes glued to me with a cold stare on his face.
The contents were clear enough--a party registration paper.
The party leader? Lance Evergreen, an apex C rank hunter about to be promoted to B.
First member of the party? The text had been clearly freshly written, probably a few minutes before I came to, I could still smell the ink too--Aeron Tylvannis. Beside my name was an empty section, beneath it labelled 'confirmation signature'. With this, I finally understood why he'd given it to me.