An: There is a hidden message in the name, and I hope someone finds it, but Hope you guys enjoy the chapter, its a bit of a slow burn to the big battle but I believe it will be worth it, see you all soon.

Chapter 25

The journey towards Eryuentiu was off to an extremely boring start, then again most things in life were these recent years. While the Elf king had spent the first few hours observing the countryside as they rode towards his capital it had turned to idle sightseeing of the same foliage and trees and he found no enjoyment in not being in his royal carriage during all this.

Riding like this was for commoners, it was tedious and not fitting someone of his status but he dealt with it, such was required for the situation, he had nonetheless taken a bit of interest in his so-called 'companion' and determined he would make his fun by picking them apart, bit by little bit.

Maeneas Nod Morion was old, and thus was not so easily deceived, yet for whatever reason he could no place who this human was, and It didn't really matter, the Theocracy was doing much to keep from revealing whatever information was related to this being, but he knew she was female and he knew she was at least relatively powerful, these two factors alone made this entire venture somewhat more bearable, knowing he could have a fight or… more, within arm's reach, if he truly felt the need.

'Perhaps she could be my child'

While a part of him had always hoped the child he fathered with the former Captain was a male, a woman would not be too bad either, all he cared about was power, all he knew was power, and it was his birthright to lead the most powerful group in this world, to recall the time of his people and he would make sure it to happen.

The road to the capital had been relatively clear, and their journey quick. Their path had been predetermined and he had sent a few of his faster servants the night he had conspired with the Theocracy children to go ahead and set fresh horses and supplies along the route they would take. When the initial party reached the capital they were to inform the other useless citizens of his return and send advanced notice to all the villages along their line of travel to set more fresh supplies to make their journey towards the desert as quick as possible.

They would be traveling for quite a long time overall and while Maeneas was sure of his own stamina and abilities, the same could not be said of his companion, this Theocracy brat might not last as long, and he was not in the mood to allow that to slow him down. If she did fail then he could leave her behind and carry on himself, he would continue relentlessly, the faster this asinine venture was over, the better.

The quicker he could have access to all the females within the domain of the Sorcerer King the ever more to his liking. Then he could take his time determining which was powerful, and which was worthless, but he had some semblance of an idea for who would belong to which criteria.

'That winged woman and the elves'

Of the options he had surveyed in E-Rantel, he had been immediately smitten with the winged woman at the side of the Sorcerer King and was absolutely sure he would add her to his harem even if she was not very strong, her beauty alone was sufficient enough for him to crave her. She, like the elves, would be a welcomed addition to his collection, and my what he would do to those pretty black wings of hers.

Maeneas was excited in a myriad of ways for the future to come, he would have ample opportunity to copulate with women of different sorts and he was curious what sorts of children would be sired from their unions.

However one thing he was disappointed in was that he could not procreate with the undead, as that vampire was apparently strong, enough that she could pose a threat to the members of the Black Scripture and he had taken an interest in her when the other useless creatures in the summit had spoken about her apparent power.

'If she is capable of battling that lizard, then perhaps she could have sired some powerful children'

Another notable feature about her was her odd appearance, while he had no qualms mating with any being having such a petite figure, her overall allure did not seem to correspond well with her childlike frame, and her bosom was full enough to enthrall many with an appetite for such things. She was strangely enticing to him but alas it did not seem that would be possible. At the very least, for now, he could comfort himself with the thought of what would come of his mating with the others, in particular, the little elves left him wanting.

While it was true they were children, for now, that would not always be the case, Maeneas had lived a long time and he knew in time they would eventually come of age. All he had to do was be patient and keep them in line, perhaps once if grew under his care, they would even come to like their positions as his concubines, and mothers to the rebirth of his race.

The Elf children had instilled in him a rather complicated mix of feelings, on one hand, they filled him with hope for the completion of his longtime goals. They being Elves made them extremely suitable for him, they seemed to have an air of power to them which was exhilarating. Yet their innocence reminded him in some capacity of his own childhood, this feeling only being further exasperated by talk of beings from other worlds, made worse still by having to be around that damned undead.

'I will personally be the one to put down that filthy creature'

Maeneas had immediately hated the Sorcerer King when he discovered he had whatever connection to the Eight Kings of Avarice, disregarding his simple mind, altruistic intentions, his stupid calls for peace, and even his blatant disregard of his own power, the most hateful component about that infernal creature was that it was in some ways similar to those eight, to those murders.

Very quickly hatred filled his spirit as he rode on in silent contemplation and he found himself harking on vestiges of a past he could never hope to forget, of raging fires and burning flesh, of the world he loved being rendered apart and all because they were not strong.

Unfortunately, a component of being so old, so hateful, was that he would not forget, could never hope to forget, his reasons for being, his mission in this life.

Maeneas knew well his reputation to the outside world, it was something he spent many long years building, it was advantageous to him for many presumed him to be nothing more than a simple brute, bent of taking women and fathering children, they did not take the time to consider his intellect, nor his reasons. With no one to question his motivations his quiet experiments could continue, no one would take notice, no one would ask questions, no one would interfere. There was a reason he had lived so long, reasons he strived to ensure something powerful lived on, and most importantly reasons his siblings had not, and he knew he would not fail his charge to their memory.

In the mind of this olden king, memories solidified as he found himself witness to a bygone age.

Maeneas was a testament to time long past, he was a High Elf, a particular subspecies of the elven race which predated most of the common variants now known to the world. They were a powerful, cultured civilization which was concentrated in a single local, where they had made their peace, likewise where they had met their doom.

High Elves had long established themselves as a dominant power in the old world, they were first born descendants of a long forgotten God and while they were not as powerful as the ancient dragonlords. Who ruled the old world and lived almost forever, growing stronger with each year, they commanded their own respect from all corners of life.

High Elves had their own attributes which gave them the advantage over others and allowed them to rule their own sections of the world, notably they could live much longer than any other type of Elf, they were extremely adept at physical combat with bodies which could withstand terrible punishment, they had high magic resistance, and lastly all had a very notable distinguishing feature, heterochromatic eyes.

It was in this time that Meanaes found himself, a young elf again, vibrant and happy, his heterochromatic eyes full of wonder and naive stupidity.

He hated the boy he was, ignorant to the world, cradled in the arms of his protective older brother, his siblings' plenty and his parents always within reach.

The thought was pleasant yes, it was pleasant and enraging, the feeling of a beat to his cold heart sparking further hate and before that feeling turned to a simmering rage and he found himself remembering the wrath with which had taken his family from him, of those damned Kings and their overwhelming power.

While many had known of the dragon's massacre at the hands of The Eight Kings of Avarice, not many took the time to think of all the smaller incidences of cruelty they exacted, of the destruction they left in their wake, but he did. He remembered each and every detail, every single moment and movement, all their alien features and weapons, and it would be this which was his fuel, his drive.

In the past his people lived near the land which the Kings would later first claim as their own, his father had always blessed them with stories and tales of their ancestors, of the Elven Gods that had descended and fathered his race but Maeneas was a late bloomer, having already reached the age of 80 and not yet manifesting his power.

His brother, however, had grown to become a strong leader, with a powerful body he was next in line to be king among his people, Maeneas had always looked up to his elder, wishing to emulate and worship him. His brother was powerful, full of life and compassionate, he longed to ensure everyone was taken care of and would expend himself to ensure all felt safe. But that altruism was his downfall, his kindness what brought ruin to everything.

Maeneas remembered with growing agitation of the world when the King's made their debut,

The majority of the nations at the time knew nothing, no one really cared, but the elves were first to witness the floating city appear, and first to venture as to what manner of phenomena caused such a thing.

They marshaled a small force and sent them to investigate, when none of their scouts returned his brother sent more, hoping to establish some contact with whatever mysterious entities may have come with the Castle. Time after time, no one returned, until one day, something did, and the eight of them set about the complete extermination of the high elves of old.

In a decisive strike, they crippled the elven leadership immediately, having tortured information from the scouts they knew who to find and who first to kill. Maeneas was nothing but a spectator as they tore through his lands, his people killed off bit by bit, their homes put to fire and destruction the likes of which the world had never seen.

In the span of a single day the world he knew, the brother he loved, the parents who cared for him and the people he believed to be strong, all of them brutalized, torn asunder, tortured for sport before being killed like rats. The Kings laughing all the while, mocking them for being so weak, for being so defenseless, and as his brother stood before them, bleeding and pleading for the lives of his people, Maeneas was hidden away, fear gripping his soul and in that fear and panic his power finally awoke.

In his joy at the surge, he rushed forward and attempted to retaliate and was almost laughably subdued, one of the hulking figures towering over him, its boot firmly holding him down,

"Look at that, hahahaha maybe this one will be able to do something"

"Didn't the Romans always leave one victim alive to see what happened?"

"Dude your history is all fucked up, but look at it, these things are practically worse than a noob, whats the level around here dude?"

"Whatever, where to next?"

"I don't really care, but I heard there are dragons around, let's find them,"

"ooohhh, that could be fun,"

"Right, let's go, I wanna try to see if we have a new level cap"

"I've gotta hand it to the dev's this update is awesome, everything seems so real…"

They mocked as they left, and joking as if none of the destruction they caused mattered, and why should it, they were strong, such was their right. The powerful were entitled the world, the powerful were entitled everything.

When the Kings finally destroyed themselves, Maeneas finally returned to the land of his people, the desert it now was, and decided he would create a race of only the powerful, he would lead a family which would never again be subject to such humiliation, such pain, such disgrace ever again.

Yet throughout his entire life, though his efforts were many, he found that all his children were failures, none of them could awaken their own blood, they could not live up to his expectations. But he had time, and now with the advent of beings from this other world, he not only had the opportunity to seek his revenge but to take women who would provide him with powerful spawn.

As they rode on a rough patch of trees came into sight, the camouflage looking rather unattended to his eyes, they quickly passed and a grove of massive trees encircling a single earthly palace came into view. As he looked on towards the capital, a cold determination met his eyes, everything was just within reach. Those fools in the Theocracy believed they would be victorious over the undead, he would aid them, none of that matter, the small creatures would die off fighting one another, or he would end them when the time came.

Soon the dawn of the High Elves would be upon this world, with the Dragonlords gone or in hiding nothing would stand in his way when he reared children who would exact his will. This world would be his, his people's once again and he would not be detracted from getting everything he had worked so hard to acquire.

The Elf King had a muted bloodlust enter his eyes as he peered at the masked Theocracy agent,

'Nothing'

Zesshi was enamored with the elven capital, The streets were branches interconnecting throughout the tops of massive trees, entire homes built completely within the trunks of these same behemoths.

It was beautiful, not in the same manner as the Sorcerer Kings home but beautiful nonetheless, she could feel nature's energy pulsating throughout the area and there was a holy earthly beauty to it.

In the past, while he had missions taking her to forested areas though she never spent much time thinking about her surroundings, it seemed her elven half was finally calling and she had to admit a certain love for nature and there seemed to be something within this realm that just reached out to her.

It was for these reasons that she made sure to not spend too much time around the other elves, she sensed in herself the want to explore and know, and as tempting as it all seemed she did not need any slip-ups.

She kept to herself and looked on as they were resupplied and preparation work made for their return on the road.

The horses they had used to travel here were good, they had been push past the point of exhaustion and it seemed they were going to faint and keel over when they had arrived, but from here on they would be riding Sleipnir. Zesshi had seen and ridden some of the powerful eight-legged steeds in the past and knew of the many advantages they had over lesser horses. It only made sense to have the near tireless mounts, traversing over the hot dry desert would be troublesome with a myriad of dangerous creatures roaming about or hiding within the sands, being able to run when needed was important, but running fast enough to escape was even better.

Considering the power and stamina the Sleipnir possessed she guessed the trip to Eryuentiu should take little more than a hard day's ride or a day and a half at a more conservative pace, and with the desert no more than a few hours from here they would be able to camp once before finishing their journey there, unfortunately there was a problem now.

Immediately after they had arrived the Elf King had retired to his palace for whatever he wished and Zesshi could guess a list of things he was doing, and whom he was doing them to, and the hold up in leaving was entirely due to his,.. desires.

The thought sickened her and she decided to approach the stable boy preparing their equipment to distract herself from further thought.

As he saw her coming, he instinctively lowered himself, as if cowering before a whip, the feeling of being stronger was natural, she knew she was better than most people from experience, but seeing it from this little child was a touch saddening, she decided to be a touch less cold.

"What's your name?" she asked in an even tone,

"I.. I am Vorgne, a horse keeper" he looked up momentarily before again darting his eyes down.

"How old are you Vorgne?"

"I will be turning sixty-eight soon,"

Again he stole a quick glance, and Zesshi was tiring of this behind her mask,

"That's quite young by your standards is it not?"

".. Yes. Yes it is, though I have some time before I reach adulthood,"

"Do you intend to remain a horse keeper then as well,"

Her voice sounded jeering, a mistake she bit her self for,

"uh... no, I will be joining the military corp soon, so... I am expected to be strong,"

Zesshi was eyeing the boy curiously, he had a low profile, no distinguishable muscle mass or feel of power. His skin was darkened somewhat as a result of the work he did, the dirt clinging to him as a moth would a flame. But his ears were still affixed, a rare sight for the elves she had seen, all of these and his slender frame gave the impression he might be a woman from a glance.

"What do your parents make of this?"

The boy finally made to look up for more than a single second, something resembling grief evident in his eyes, and Zesshi could guess his next comment,

"They will not think much, my mother died two years ago during the war,"

"Ahh... I see... your father?"

"... He,... Cares not for his sons, not any of us anyway,"

She puzzled over the comment for a brief second before realization dawned upon her,

'Wait, am I talking to my half brother?'

Zesshi had always heard of how the Elf King made to procreate with almost anything that moved, but seeing an offspring, speaking to someone she could consider family in a biological sense, was…. unnerving.

She was unsettled, to say the least, and she did not know how to proceed, but a curious thought came to her.

"How.. how many of you are his children?"

The boy looked contemplative for a few moments,

"From the population, perhaps over thirty-five percent of us are his by blood,"

The number was astounding, and it left her feeling almost… normal, but as he went on she quickly realized that was not the case,

"That's just how many I think are still alive, we get sent to the front lines often, to try and awaken our 'inner power' the King doesn't truly care for anything or any of us,"

"As anyone awakened so far?"

"No one considerable, and not in any manner which was satisfactory to the King, most are dead now."

Zesshi thought on it for a while and considered what an army of powerful elves would do to the balance of power, and for a very brief second she was impressed, even a touch proud of her father.

'Seems we share something at least'

"What about you, will you be strong?"

The boy looked at her with a puzzled expression, before depression seemed to take his eyes.

"I will be what I am to be, we don't get a choice, he keeps us here and we are powerless to seek anything else, that is life, whether I awaken some power or not, becoming someone of note or not, my life is set, there is no changing that,"

She was moved by the sense of absolution in his voice, and she thought of the life she herself has led under the Theocracy, of how she now felt like a bird realizing it was trapped, and how easily that could lead to how this boy was now.

Zesshi promised herself she would not be bound by the strings of a fate she did not choose. Once this fight was done, she would seek out something she enjoyed, find her corner of this world the Sorcerer King wished to make, and hope he would allow her that much.

She looked once more at the boy as she turned to leave, his face plainly showing everything she might have been inside, a mirror to what she could have become, just another slave to some else's whims.

She whispered under breath "Thank you brother," and left the elf in her past.

They didn't idle too long after the Elk King had finished his 'business',

The ride out was unceremonious and Zesshi took point as they left the forested capital and began the ride towards the desert.

The original plan was to make it there just before sundown, rest briefly and begin crossing under the cool of the night when it would not be too hot and after the denizens of the desert had become dormant. But their stop in the capital had lasted much longer, a specific someone detract them almost half a day and the sun would be high in the sky when they reached their destination, meaning the plan was scuffled.

"We'll camp by the edge of the forest and move out towards later in the day once the heat dies down" she heard him speak behind her.

She nodded approvingly,

This was new territory and she had no time to be picky about what she wanted to do, and besides, she figured she would not be getting too much cooperation from the Elf King if she chose to be pushy right now.

The ride was brief, the famed horses held fast to their reputation, they were ungodly fast, within the span of short hours they reached fewer and fewer trees, the dense foliage quickly becoming shorter and more sparse, the environment was changing and with it the creatures which they would encounter.

Nothing along the way had been adventurous enough or dangerous enough to try and hinder their progress, nothing large would live in such a place but as they entered more open spaces, Zesshi felt an increase in the eyes around them, though many were nothing more than walking snacks to her.

Zesshi wasn't too afraid of what would come, she was confident they would be able to handle any monster which decided to rear its head, but the problem would be the time, she also had no intention of revealing her true strength yet. Thus a difficult monster requiring more effort would just eat up more and more of their timeline.

As the desert finally came into view she slowed down and flagged to him to halt, the horses were responsive and his royal douche was silent about the matter.

It was mid-day and there was a certain beauty to the sight of the sea of sand, Zesshi took the time to appreciate how the gold flakes seemed alive swirling about with the breeze. Every now and again she would catch the hint of a tornado about to begin before it grounded and died away.

The heat, however, was something else, the air was arid and the very sky seemed to want to bake anything under its domain. Not much could withstand this type of climate, and nothing weak would survive the environment, nonetheless, she smiled at the change from the winters she was used to towards the northern regions.

"I still don't see the problem in crossing now, we can still have the advantage,"

The annoyance in his voice was evident and Zesshi rolled her eye knowing he knew exactly why they would not be crossing yet.

"Do you ever stop complaining?"

She retorted,

"Mind yourself brat, you are speaking to a King"

She cocked her head to one side and responded

"I've killed many a king in the past,"

He looked serious for a moment before laughing

"You're funny for a human, you may be strong but when this is all over and this skeleton put down, how about I show you what true power is,"

"I'll look forward to seeing you beg for mercy again"

That seemed to jeer him and Zesshi let off a radiant smile as he turned and went about setting himself up.

'We only have a few hours before night falls, we'll move out once the sun descends over the hills and follow it west,"

He grunted in response as he went about his own devices and she went about fishing for a small collection of items to eat.

Time went by relatively slowly and a fire wasn't necessary as they waited for the cool cover of dark, she kept herself busy to avoid the mad creature and repeated tasks to kill the time, often ensuring the horses were properly watered or her beloved scythe cleaned, ready for the reaping of lives. Sure enough, after some time, the sun began to rescind its tyrannical rule and in response to the newly granted freedom, the air cooled, inviting life to resume.

The Elf King was quick to ready himself and drew his body atop his Sleipnir,

"If you're quite done, I am ready to leave"

She ignored the comment and reigned her harness,

She started out towards the dying light, and imagined all the creatures which would be soon falling asleep below,

"Let's go!"

She pulled the reins and the horse raced off into the sands.