novelraw Chapter 554 - 553 - War?
Chapter 554 - 553 - War?
The forest quickly gave way to a paved road with grasslands on either side. Lind noticed the grass was not only green as swathes of Qi enriched blades could be crimson, gold, and so forth of each pure element.
He did not see it as an herb but he wanted to study it nonetheless. He used a weaving to float alongside the carriage which the 2 men, Gravis and Simon, found odd but he assured them he had complete control of his weaving skill.
Along the way he tested his Forging and elixir creation to find both were also well within his control. It only took him a moment to figure out why. He was in grade 6! He already knew how to safely control those processes!
They were only partway down the road when the sky began to darken. Lind looked up but there were no stars in the sky, yet he saw flashes of Qi!
They were like shooting stars but very dim to World or Sky Realm cultivators. He did see something surprising, however, it was a moon!
Or at least, he thought it was a moon until his Heaven Eyes saw it was actually a school of flying fish! They glowed silver through the sky in a pattern until they spilt apart randomly before coming back together.
Something attacked them in the sky!
The fish looked like a mixture between eels and swordfish as they had long sharp horns coming out the front of their heads. The finely thin tails had air and light Qi flow off of them to make the moon effect.
"Ah, we got a full school of Silver Eels!" Simon suddenly spoke up and Lind could see why. After his initial outburst, the little boy had pulled back in and become silent.
His little head looked up but no spark of wonder crossed his face, only more tears.
Gravis sighed but there was little they could do.
Grief could destroy a Dao heart and the boy was so young. It would not be unreasonable that the boy gave up entirely after all his family was wiped out. It was a cruel world but that was reality.
Lind saw the boy's face and could not do anything either. He had no answers nor useful suggestions that could resolve the battle in the boy's heart.
Still, he felt compelled to speak.
"They saved you. It was their only thought and they did all they could to save you. Never forget that. Their wish was for you to live." His voice was gentle and his face clearly showed empathy that finally cracked the boy's bleak outlook.
He leapt into Lind who nearly crushed him! He slowed down his arms and very carefully hugged the boy as he wailed. It was getting easier slowly for the simple things but he really needed something that could withstand his full strength to begin to curtail it.
The rest of the trip was silent save the weeping and later the soft snores of the boy.
"You are a father?" Lind shook his head at Gravis' question.
"I simply had a large Clan that took the place of mine and when I was in a very dark place reminded me of all the good I had." He kept it vague but all cultivators had heart demons to face in their journey.
Both men nodded sagely.
"We are there." Lind looked up to see a small fort just off the main road. It was made of a stone he was not familiar with right away but as they got closer he recognized it from his time in the Skinwalker Inheritance.
"Lighting granite, a good choice." It was granite that had been blended with fire and light Qi to literally become resilient to lightning. To use that to make a fortress was a very good choice in the Heaven Realm as few Arts or conjurings could break it right away.
If it was inscribed with the right arrays, it would become a very difficult nut to crack.
"It is not much, but it is home for the next 7 years still." Lind nodded as a tour of duty was set and these men were nearing the end of it.
"Is it just you 2?" The both shook their heads.
"We have 5 people assigned at a time but only 1 is left at the moment. The other 2 are out on patrol of the Hinterlands for another 2 days. They should be fine as they were looking into some bandit reports." Simon volunteered the information but it hardly helped Lind.
"It is not bad but does the war ever reach here?" Lind asked what he thought would be a relatively normal question but both Gravis and Simon looked surprised.
"Has the Karridan Empire come under war? From Perot in the south or Hilden in the north?" Gravis seemed serious but it was now Lind who was confused.
"The Fiends are what I meant, the war with the Fiends." Both men pause to look at each other before laughing in relief.
"You had us going there senior Soulmancer. Those dark legends are from a long time ago. The Fiends were likely driven out by the Immortals and long dead." Lind narrowed his eyes as shock settled in him.
He now knew Soulmancers were from Karridan Empire, or at least they assumed he was from such a place, but without a map, he had no idea where he was. Worse for him, however, was not only did they not know about the war, they felt the Fiends were defeated legends from long ago?
Dark thoughts swirled but Fiends would not simply let people live peacefully. They would farm them as they were in that mortal realm.
So where was he? Had he come out so far from the front that they did not even know about the war at all?!
The Qi was getting much denser and the 2 soldiers had correctly identified his tier so Moon Tiers were around. What was going on?
They came to the fortress and a young woman in the same dark robes of the other 2 greeted them. She frowned at Lind but then looked pale at the young boy in his arms.
"Keke!" She rushed out with a lantern on a pole before gently taking the boy from Lind. Tears were in her eyes as she looked to Gravis and Simon who could only look down silently.
"No, please no!" Lind looked up confused as her grief seemed more than just sympathy.
"Melody was once part of that caravan. She joined our forces to ensure the safety of her family along this trade route." Gravis spoke softly and Lind looked sadly at the girl as she cradled the boy he now knew to be Keke.
"My deepest condolences." Lind cupped his hands and bowed low. Melody hardly heard him but narrowed her eyes as Gravis unloaded the disheveled Reeves. His injuries and empty look told it all to her.
"You greedy bastard!" Her sword was suddenly in her hand as she let go of the lantern. Simon quickly stopped her but tears streaked down her face.
"Calm down." Lind's voice washed over them all and they felt his power. Melody suddenly paled as she realized a Moon Tier was in front of her!
"He will face justice for his crimes, but that boy needs family. Please, think of him." Melody brushed back her reddish hair and looked at the passed out little boy once more. She nodded and took him inside.
Both soldiers bowed to Lind but he waved it off.
"I need a place to get a better grip on my strength. Do you know of anything?" They shook their heads but then Simon seemed to think of something.
"Since your a Soulmancer, you could go to the guild in the nearest town. They should have a training facility all good to go for you." Lind frowned and Gravis got why.
"Honestly, the Hinterlands is not a bad place to let loose. There a few Moon Tier beasts that might be happy for a fight." Lind looked back at the place he had just left and sighed.
"I will return then when I can at least be in polite company." He then tried to picture the perfect arc before he shot into the air and left 2 shocked men behind.
"He can fly?!" Simon was floored and even Gravis, who had mostly been unbothered on the trip back, had his mouth hanging open.
"Still, can you believe how he used his soul circles?" Simon asked the question he had been afraid to before. Soulmancers could be touchy about their craft.
"I have heard some of them have the capacity to bind their own soul without the need of others. It means Reeves here was lucky or he may have been used as resources before the trial." Neither man seemed bothered by the concept they were openly discussing.
It was as if the thought of using other souls to fuel weavings was quite normal. If Lind had been there his hair would have stood on end.
"What do you think he meant about the war with the Fiends? I mean that old folk tale is what, at least a million years old when the last Immortal died?" Simon brought up the other issue Lind had asked about but Gravis shook his head there.
"I don't know, he seemed shocked we did not know. Maybe he is far older than he looked?" Both men shivered as Soulmancers could do exactly that.
"Best not to bother him when he comes back. Still, glad I don't have to tell Melody that her baby brother was comforted by a Soulmancer. She would die of shock!" Both men had been surprised at the gentle nature Lind had shown the boy.
The world was a wide place and maybe the overlords of the world had some kind ones in their rank and file. All the Empires obeyed the Soulmancers after all. The Heaven Realm was all theirs.