“Allow me to lead you to the Jade Pavilion,” Dom said with a sideways glance at Sebastion. I nodded as I watched the father and son give death stares at one another. The two had never gotten along in the past but it was far worse now. My death at Sebastion's hands probably had a lot to do with the tension.
Dom had grown old and tired of war, but once upon a time, he had served under me in the Thirteenth Division. He had always been a fiercely loyal man and one of the few I trusted completely. Even in retirement, he was the only one I could count on to manage Bellator. A betrayal from his own son was not something he would forgive easily.
Dom looked towards the back of the tavern as he shouted. “Tia, I know you are listening. You come as well. It is time I taught you the duties of our family.”
The young girl that welcomed us before stepped out from behind the door with a slight blush. “Dad, who are these people?”
Dom made a grand gesture in my direction. “This is the one I have told you about, the immortal Aurielle, reborn once again.” Dom paused and it seemed as if he was purposefully avoiding looking at Sebastion now. “As for the others here, I do not know them.”
Sebastion’s face was dark but he did not speak up to defend himself. Meanwhile, the girl, Tia, looked at me with pure open-jawed amazement.
“Dad has told me so many stories about you! Is it true you once singlehandedly slew a Demonkin bigger than a mountain?”
I chuckled in embarrassment at the girl’s open adoration of me. It reminded me of Sebastion when he was young. “It seems your father still likes to tell exaggerations of my adventures. While it is true I once fought a creature of that size, I did not do so alone. I rarely went anywhere without an army of undead at my back.”
“But that is just your innate talent, right? I knew it was true! The others always say Dad is a liar. Now, I get to rub it in all their faces.”
Dom cleared his throat to get his daughter’s attention. “Telling others that Aurielle is here is strictly against the rules.”
“What? Why?”
“To preserve the peace of this land. Not everyone stays in the valley forever. If the outside world learned Aurielle was here, that peace would be destroyed. It is the duty of our family to preserve this land as it is. Do you understand?” Dom explained to the now downcast girl.
“Yes, Dad,”
“Good, now, go to my room. Bring me the small green stone on the mantle there.”
The girl nodded and ran off as quickly as she could, as if worried I might disappear in the few moments she would be gone. Sebastion watched her go with a complicated expression on her face.
“She is… your daughter?” he asked hesitantly.
“Yes,” Dom replied firmly.
“Who… Who is her mother?”
“Does it matter?” Dom asked with a sigh, “I loved your mother with all of my heart but she died over sixty years ago. I miss her dearly but I will not drown myself in grief. I have seen far too much for that.”
“And in all these years you did not think it was important to tell me I had a sister?” Sebastion replied with an accusatory glare.
“I only have one child,” Dom said coldly.
Sebastion fell silent as his eyes hardened. A few seconds later, Tia returned. Running down the stairs with a small green stone in her hand.
“Good, now let us go to the Jade Pavilion,” Dom said with a loud voice and a clearly forced smile.
“What is the Jade Pavilion? Why have I never heard of it before?” Tia asked curiously.
“It is just a fancy name for my house,” I answered simply.
“Oh, is it the old house by the waterfall? Everyone says it's haunted and that we are not supposed to go there.”
“They are not wrong. It is haunted, just not by ghosts,” I said with a grin.
I followed Dom out of the Tavern. He led our group out of the town, following the river. It did not take long before we found ourselves back in the forest of flowering trees. After a few minutes of walking the sound of roaring water could be heard. The trees faded away to reveal a small house built up against a cliff. Not even twenty steps from the front door was a pool of water fed by a small waterfall. Even though nobody had lived in the building for fifty years, the dark jade-colored paint on the walls still looked as fresh as it did the day it was painted.
I felt a wave of emotions wash over me as I laid eyes on the old house once more. It was here that I trained Lucia and Sebastion. Seeing it after all this time left my chest hurting as I remembered those days.
I faltered slightly as I approached. Taking a deep breath continued walking forward. The small stone in Dom’s hand started glowing as we approached. With every step we took, it glowed brighter and brighter. Ten steps from the house, it flew out of his hand as if attracted by a magnet and slotted itself into a small groove above the door. With a slight creak, the door began to open of its own accord and revealed a well-lit interior.
Inside the house was small with only two doors off to the side that led to the bedrooms. The furniture was well made but very simple. There was not much in the way of decorations or comforts but it was immaculately clean. There was not even a single speck of dust visible anywhere in the house.
“This is where you used to live?” Donte asked, somewhat disappointed as he looked around the simple interior, “Why did we come here?”
“Not everything is always as it appears,” I said with a grin as I stepped into the house. In the back corner of the wall, I spotted a single spider waving its arms threateningly. Its green eyes watched my every movement. With a thought, I reached out with my mind and connected with the flames inside its body. From its web, the spider bowed and before falling still.
I walked under the spider web and placed my hand on the wall. Green flames flared to life and like paper, the entire back wall burned away in a flash to reveal a huge open chamber. Similar to the hidden underground of Nebula Tower, this chamber stretched for as far as the eye could see. Unfortunately, the chamber had been emptied of any undead during Envy’s previous invasion but there were still a few things here of some value.
Everyone except Dom and Sebastion was surprised by the sudden revelation of the massive chamber. They looked around in amazement but other than giant stone columns there was little to see here. I led them deeper into the chamber where a great many hallways began to split off into depths unknown.
I stopped at one of these hallways and followed it to a new room. This room was filled from floor to ceiling with various weapons, armor, and all manner of random accessories. Each piece was unique with no two alike.
I turned to my dad who was looking around the armory with eyes that practically sparkled. “You broke your sword in our clash with the Demons the other day. Pick whatever you want from here. I can guarantee their quality.”
Dad moved forward like a kid in a candy store as he immediately moved towards the rows of swords against one wall. “Where did all of this come from?”
“Fallen enemies mostly,” I replied with a dismissive wave, “Unfortunately, I donated the best stuff to the Thirteenth Division. Most of these are just… trophies, but they should still be at least comparable to the blade you had before.”
As I spoke, the dragon, Vissna had moved to a nearby cabinet full of jewelry. Her eyes shone with greed as she looked at the rare stones and gold.
“If you are interested in something Vissna, I am willing to trade,” I said with a grin.
Vissna’s eyes narrowed as she looked up from the jewelry. “And what is stopping me from simply taking what I want?”
Sebastion openly started laughing as he backed out of the room. Dom and Tia both stepped back as well. There was pity in their gaze as they looked at the woman.
I shook my head and snapped my fingers. Before the dragon could react, ethereal golden chains appeared from the ground. The dragon wanted to use her domain to fight back but it was as if all her energy suddenly disappeared.
The chains wrapped around the dragon and pulled her down to the ground. She roared loudly and struggled as more ethereal chains appeared. I was not concerned though, even if she turned back into her true form, the dragon’s might would not be enough to break the bindings holding her down any time soon.
I knelt down in front of Vissna with a smile. “I did not choose this valley as my home just because of the scenery. You need to stop pretending that you are the strongest simply because of what you are. Nobody can threaten the peace of this land.”
Vissna stopped struggling and fell still. “I did not expect a Guardian’s spirit to be protecting this land. I concede.”
I nodded and snapped my fingers again. The chains started to recede and freed the dragon. “You can cause trouble anywhere else but not here. Even I am no exception to that law.”
Vissna stood up as she watched the chains recede. “What tragedy happened here for such a strong will to remain in the land itself?”
I shrugged. “Whatever it was, happened long before my time.”
“That was amazing!” Donte shouted as he ran up to me, “What are those chains? Can we use them to fight Envy?”
I shook my head in response to Donte’s excitement. “They do not leave the valley and any attempt to bring an enemy here will only end in you getting thrown out by the chains. They represent the will of an incredibly powerful being from long ago, an innate talent of some kind, still functioning after a thousand years. The chains enforce the law of this land but they are far from absolute. Even Vissna could have broken free if I gave her a few hours, let alone Envy and his army.”
After explaining the details of the laws and how the chains would react, I helped everyone pick out various items from the armory. While everything here might not have been up to my standard when I ruled the continent, that did not mean they were weak.
Dad picked out two new swords, one long and the other short. Both released as frigid air that felt as if they would freeze anything they touched. For Mom, I picked out a necklace. It looked like simple silver but it had a very special effect. The necklace could block any life-threatening attack once, so long as it was not a being as strong as Envy. It would immediately shatter afterwards but at least it would help her somewhat if something happened when she was away from Dragon’s Nest. Charly found a pair of spectacles that allowed him to see objects at great distances, much like a spyglass, as well as a few other functions like seeing in the dark. Donte was drawn to a pair of shoes that created small bursts of wind when he ran, increasing his speed greatly. Only Svend, Cyra, and Sebastion did not pick anything out. Their own gear and abilities were better than anything in here.
“I do not understand,” Dad said as he swung his new swords. Small trails of ice and snow were left behind with every swing. “There are no glyphs. How do these items have powers like this?”
“When you become skilled enough in manipulating your domain, you can leave a piece of it behind in objects. It can take years to create a sword like the two you are holding but eventually, objects will take on the traits of your domain. We call these objects armaments. Glyphs are definitely more convenient and easier to mass-produce but an armament of your own can grow stronger the more time you invest into it. Even the most ordinary everyday item can become extraordinary if you are willing to invest enough effort.” I explained as I picked up a small chain bracelet from a pedestal at the back of the room. The dull gold reacted to my touch like a living thing and wrapped around the wrist not currently occupied by Naga.
Dad looked down at his swords in contemplation as his own domain spread to cover them. After a few moments, he sighed and shook his head. “I am not sure I understand. I don’t think my domain is strong enough to do something like that.”
I smiled and patted his arm. “Don’t worry, if you could suddenly recreate that based on such a simple explanation, you would be considered a prodigy that all the factions would fight for. Most advanced ways to manipulate your domain can take years or decades to learn. For now, just focus on improving your domain armor. So long as you survive, everything else can be learned in time.”
Dad nodded and sheathed his new swords. leaving the armory, I stopped at a few other rooms but I did not let my family enter these ones. They looked at me curiously as I entered alone but did not complain since they had already getten the best I could offer them I made sure to keep what I picked up from the other rooms conceiled it a small sack. Mostly because I did not trust Vissna And Sebastion with any of my real sectrets. After we all picked out what we wanted, I led everyone back to the simple house. After we left, the small spider in the corner began to spin a mountain of vibrant colored thread. Within just a few minutes, a new wall was formed by the spider, hiding the catacombs once again. After my family’s amazement passed, we stepped out of the house where three villagers waited expectantly.
Marcus_Breeze
As a special note, the spider’s name is Charlotte and she protects and cleans the house. She will not be joining the group but I thought it was a fun inclusion to have her there. I wanted to write more for this chapter but it is already late and the chapter is running long so the rest will just have to be in the next one.
As always, if you are enjoying the story, consider supporting it on patreon for bonus content and early chapter releases.
“Allow me to lead you to the Jade Pavilion,” Dom said with a sideways glance at Sebastion. I nodded as I watched the father and son give death stares at one another. The two had never gotten along in the past but it was far worse now. My death at Sebastion's hands probably had a lot to do with the tension.
Dom had grown old and tired of war, but once upon a time, he had served under me in the Thirteenth Division. He had always been a fiercely loyal man and one of the few I trusted completely. Even in retirement, he was the only one I could count on to manage Bellator. A betrayal from his own son was not something he would forgive easily.
Dom looked towards the back of the tavern as he shouted. “Tia, I know you are listening. You come as well. It is time I taught you the duties of our family.”
The young girl that welcomed us before stepped out from behind the door with a slight blush. “Dad, who are these people?”
Dom made a grand gesture in my direction. “This is the one I have told you about, the immortal Aurielle, reborn once again.” Dom paused and it seemed as if he was purposefully avoiding looking at Sebastion now. “As for the others here, I do not know them.”
Sebastion’s face was dark but he did not speak up to defend himself. Meanwhile, the girl, Tia, looked at me with pure open-jawed amazement.
“Dad has told me so many stories about you! Is it true you once singlehandedly slew a Demonkin bigger than a mountain?”
I chuckled in embarrassment at the girl’s open adoration of me. It reminded me of Sebastion when he was young. “It seems your father still likes to tell exaggerations of my adventures. While it is true I once fought a creature of that size, I did not do so alone. I rarely went anywhere without an army of undead at my back.”
“But that is just your innate talent, right? I knew it was true! The others always say Dad is a liar. Now, I get to rub it in all their faces.”
Dom cleared his throat to get his daughter’s attention. “Telling others that Aurielle is here is strictly against the rules.”
“What? Why?”
“To preserve the peace of this land. Not everyone stays in the valley forever. If the outside world learned Aurielle was here, that peace would be destroyed. It is the duty of our family to preserve this land as it is. Do you understand?” Dom explained to the now downcast girl.
“Yes, Dad,”
“Good, now, go to my room. Bring me the small green stone on the mantle there.”
The girl nodded and ran off as quickly as she could, as if worried I might disappear in the few moments she would be gone. Sebastion watched her go with a complicated expression on her face.
“She is… your daughter?” he asked hesitantly.
“Yes,” Dom replied firmly.
“Who… Who is her mother?”
“Does it matter?” Dom asked with a sigh, “I loved your mother with all of my heart but she died over sixty years ago. I miss her dearly but I will not drown myself in grief. I have seen far too much for that.”
“And in all these years you did not think it was important to tell me I had a sister?” Sebastion replied with an accusatory glare.
“I only have one child,” Dom said coldly.
Sebastion fell silent as his eyes hardened. A few seconds later, Tia returned. Running down the stairs with a small green stone in her hand.
“Good, now let us go to the Jade Pavilion,” Dom said with a loud voice and a clearly forced smile.
“What is the Jade Pavilion? Why have I never heard of it before?” Tia asked curiously.
“It is just a fancy name for my house,” I answered simply.
“Oh, is it the old house by the waterfall? Everyone says it's haunted and that we are not supposed to go there.”
“They are not wrong. It is haunted, just not by ghosts,” I said with a grin.
I followed Dom out of the Tavern. He led our group out of the town, following the river. It did not take long before we found ourselves back in the forest of flowering trees. After a few minutes of walking the sound of roaring water could be heard. The trees faded away to reveal a small house built up against a cliff. Not even twenty steps from the front door was a pool of water fed by a small waterfall. Even though nobody had lived in the building for fifty years, the dark jade-colored paint on the walls still looked as fresh as it did the day it was painted.
I felt a wave of emotions wash over me as I laid eyes on the old house once more. It was here that I trained Lucia and Sebastion. Seeing it after all this time left my chest hurting as I remembered those days.
I faltered slightly as I approached. Taking a deep breath continued walking forward. The small stone in Dom’s hand started glowing as we approached. With every step we took, it glowed brighter and brighter. Ten steps from the house, it flew out of his hand as if attracted by a magnet and slotted itself into a small groove above the door. With a slight creak, the door began to open of its own accord and revealed a well-lit interior.
Inside the house was small with only two doors off to the side that led to the bedrooms. The furniture was well made but very simple. There was not much in the way of decorations or comforts but it was immaculately clean. There was not even a single speck of dust visible anywhere in the house.
“This is where you used to live?” Donte asked, somewhat disappointed as he looked around the simple interior, “Why did we come here?”
“Not everything is always as it appears,” I said with a grin as I stepped into the house. In the back corner of the wall, I spotted a single spider waving its arms threateningly. Its green eyes watched my every movement. With a thought, I reached out with my mind and connected with the flames inside its body. From its web, the spider bowed and before falling still.
I walked under the spider web and placed my hand on the wall. Green flames flared to life and like paper, the entire back wall burned away in a flash to reveal a huge open chamber. Similar to the hidden underground of Nebula Tower, this chamber stretched for as far as the eye could see. Unfortunately, the chamber had been emptied of any undead during Envy’s previous invasion but there were still a few things here of some value.
Everyone except Dom and Sebastion was surprised by the sudden revelation of the massive chamber. They looked around in amazement but other than giant stone columns there was little to see here. I led them deeper into the chamber where a great many hallways began to split off into depths unknown.
I stopped at one of these hallways and followed it to a new room. This room was filled from floor to ceiling with various weapons, armor, and all manner of random accessories. Each piece was unique with no two alike.
I turned to my dad who was looking around the armory with eyes that practically sparkled. “You broke your sword in our clash with the Demons the other day. Pick whatever you want from here. I can guarantee their quality.”
Dad moved forward like a kid in a candy store as he immediately moved towards the rows of swords against one wall. “Where did all of this come from?”
“Fallen enemies mostly,” I replied with a dismissive wave, “Unfortunately, I donated the best stuff to the Thirteenth Division. Most of these are just… trophies, but they should still be at least comparable to the blade you had before.”
As I spoke, the dragon, Vissna had moved to a nearby cabinet full of jewelry. Her eyes shone with greed as she looked at the rare stones and gold.
“If you are interested in something Vissna, I am willing to trade,” I said with a grin.
Vissna’s eyes narrowed as she looked up from the jewelry. “And what is stopping me from simply taking what I want?”
Sebastion openly started laughing as he backed out of the room. Dom and Tia both stepped back as well. There was pity in their gaze as they looked at the woman.
I shook my head and snapped my fingers. Before the dragon could react, ethereal golden chains appeared from the ground. The dragon wanted to use her domain to fight back but it was as if all her energy suddenly disappeared.
The chains wrapped around the dragon and pulled her down to the ground. She roared loudly and struggled as more ethereal chains appeared. I was not concerned though, even if she turned back into her true form, the dragon’s might would not be enough to break the bindings holding her down any time soon.
I knelt down in front of Vissna with a smile. “I did not choose this valley as my home just because of the scenery. You need to stop pretending that you are the strongest simply because of what you are. Nobody can threaten the peace of this land.”
Vissna stopped struggling and fell still. “I did not expect a Guardian’s spirit to be protecting this land. I concede.”
I nodded and snapped my fingers again. The chains started to recede and freed the dragon. “You can cause trouble anywhere else but not here. Even I am no exception to that law.”
Vissna stood up as she watched the chains recede. “What tragedy happened here for such a strong will to remain in the land itself?”
I shrugged. “Whatever it was, happened long before my time.”
“That was amazing!” Donte shouted as he ran up to me, “What are those chains? Can we use them to fight Envy?”
I shook my head in response to Donte’s excitement. “They do not leave the valley and any attempt to bring an enemy here will only end in you getting thrown out by the chains. They represent the will of an incredibly powerful being from long ago, an innate talent of some kind, still functioning after a thousand years. The chains enforce the law of this land but they are far from absolute. Even Vissna could have broken free if I gave her a few hours, let alone Envy and his army.”
After explaining the details of the laws and how the chains would react, I helped everyone pick out various items from the armory. While everything here might not have been up to my standard when I ruled the continent, that did not mean they were weak.
Dad picked out two new swords, one long and the other short. Both released as frigid air that felt as if they would freeze anything they touched. For Mom, I picked out a necklace. It looked like simple silver but it had a very special effect. The necklace could block any life-threatening attack once, so long as it was not a being as strong as Envy. It would immediately shatter afterwards but at least it would help her somewhat if something happened when she was away from Dragon’s Nest. Charly found a pair of spectacles that allowed him to see objects at great distances, much like a spyglass, as well as a few other functions like seeing in the dark. Donte was drawn to a pair of shoes that created small bursts of wind when he ran, increasing his speed greatly. Only Svend, Cyra, and Sebastion did not pick anything out. Their own gear and abilities were better than anything in here.
“I do not understand,” Dad said as he swung his new swords. Small trails of ice and snow were left behind with every swing. “There are no glyphs. How do these items have powers like this?”
“When you become skilled enough in manipulating your domain, you can leave a piece of it behind in objects. It can take years to create a sword like the two you are holding but eventually, objects will take on the traits of your domain. We call these objects armaments. Glyphs are definitely more convenient and easier to mass-produce but an armament of your own can grow stronger the more time you invest into it. Even the most ordinary everyday item can become extraordinary if you are willing to invest enough effort.” I explained as I picked up a small chain bracelet from a pedestal at the back of the room. The dull gold reacted to my touch like a living thing and wrapped around the wrist not currently occupied by Naga.
Dad looked down at his swords in contemplation as his own domain spread to cover them. After a few moments, he sighed and shook his head. “I am not sure I understand. I don’t think my domain is strong enough to do something like that.”
I smiled and patted his arm. “Don’t worry, if you could suddenly recreate that based on such a simple explanation, you would be considered a prodigy that all the factions would fight for. Most advanced ways to manipulate your domain can take years or decades to learn. For now, just focus on improving your domain armor. So long as you survive, everything else can be learned in time.”
Dad nodded and sheathed his new swords. leaving the armory, I stopped at a few other rooms but I did not let my family enter these ones. They looked at me curiously as I entered alone but did not complain since they had already getten the best I could offer them I made sure to keep what I picked up from the other rooms conceiled it a small sack. Mostly because I did not trust Vissna And Sebastion with any of my real sectrets. After we all picked out what we wanted, I led everyone back to the simple house. After we left, the small spider in the corner began to spin a mountain of vibrant colored thread. Within just a few minutes, a new wall was formed by the spider, hiding the catacombs once again. After my family’s amazement passed, we stepped out of the house where three villagers waited expectantly.
Marcus_Breeze
As a special note, the spider’s name is Charlotte and she protects and cleans the house. She will not be joining the group but I thought it was a fun inclusion to have her there. I wanted to write more for this chapter but it is already late and the chapter is running long so the rest will just have to be in the next one.
As always, if you are enjoying the story, consider supporting it on patreon for bonus content and early chapter releases.
