《Falling Star of Evolution》V3 Chapter 2: Song of Death
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Sorry it's a bit late, had to rewrite the chappy since I made a big error hehe. Enjoy.
On a side note: Riddle me this, Riddle me that, what do you call getting in to the top 5 after posting two chapters.
Win. :P
Wild Forests, Road to the Kingdom of Nar.
The bright suns shone down on a particular moving unit, revealing quite a few armored soldiers led by a peculiar young man who had a slight devilish grin on his face. He wore a large black mantle, with the symbol of serpent engraved on it's back, a cane with a golden serpent head and a body armor of white scales, that gave off a bone-chilling aura. He wore a single earring on his left ear, and golden bangles on both wrists.
This was undoubtedly Sol and the armies of the four kingdoms.
As the mana density in the area was quite low, Sol didn't need to worry about any powerful beasts and just followed behind Narcissus; who led the way forward since he was quite familiar with it.
Sol had been traveling through the wild forests for just about over a day now towards the Kingdom of Nar, seemingly not too far away. After leaving Earthernvale he had become quite bored and rode on Nightmare's back yawning all the way.
The black horse, Nightmare, wasn't a normal horse and didn't need to rest and as such Sol never got off it's back at any point in time. It hadn't seen him in quite some time and Sol didn't weigh much, so it felt completely unhindered and proudly move forward. With a snort through it's nostrils, it released a stream of smoke and continued onward.
The four armies who were directly behind him, all had unsightly faces as they vigilantly stared at their surroundings. The army was quite big, a couple thousand men and as such a few of them at the back would be picked off by weaker wild beasts, poisonous insects and even from some plants; naturally quite a few casualties had piled up. Throughout all of this, Sol hadn't been attacked a single time and was having quite a leisurely ride.
Any S-Rank beasts they came across, once they spotted Sol; would turn and flee immediately as the scent of poison was something they were quite familiar with. The density of poison surrounding Sol, was so thick; they wouldn't dare go near. Sol was worried Nightmare would be poisoned by his aura and as such had fed the horse a decent quantity of his blood so as to protect it from his aura.
While he fed Nightmare his blood, he approached Narcissus and without telling him anything, he proceeded to directly feed some to him. Narcissus had no idea what to think, but he drank it anyway as he thought it may have been one of Sol's quirks and wanted to prove his loyalty.
Nightmare, as well as Narcissus who consumed the blood didn't show any immediate deviations aside from Nightmare moving up a 9th Order beast. Sol figured that the incubation period was different for everyone and didn't become frustrated as they both had yet to awaken anything from his blood.
Sol, feeling bored suddenly remembered something and his Runic Ring flashed as he produced the "Wind-horn" he had created in Serpent Falls. It had been a long time since he had played it, and after giving it a quick blow to clear it from any dust, he placed it to his lips.
*Whistle* *Whistle*
The sound was a bit dark, a bit happy at times and seemed to carry subtle hints of aggression. There was something about it that made it completely unique, and the human soldiers had never heard such a sound as they gazed at Sol in awe.
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Although Hydrian and Hydreas enjoyed it, it sent shivers down the spines of the soldiers who heard it. To humans, this sound had seemed a bit foreboding as opposed to the serpents who could fall asleep to it. However; when this sound played throughout the forests and echoed among the trees and permeated the air, not a single creature approached near the army.
The most frightening thing about this song, was Sol's killing intent that unnaturally flew to the sky as his poisonous aura unknowingly gushed forth and enveloped the entire surroundings.
*Whistle* *Whistle*
The song seemed to carry a story with emotions, that was impossible for humans to understand and decipher. This was the song of Serpent Falls.
*Whistle* *Whistle*
Sol seemed to ignore everything, and slowly lost himself in the malevolence of this music.
Suddenly a voice caught his attention, which slightly annoyed him as it disrupted him. He stopped playing and noticed it was his very first subordinate.
"M-Master" Narcissus called to Sol, his voice noticeably trembling in fear which did not go unnoticed.
"Narcissus? What's wrong?" Sol couldn't help but be annoyed, however as he turned to look behind him-
Sol had seen something, he would never ever be able to forget.
The entire army following him, along with the other two kings......were dead!
Their corpses, laid down on the floor quietly and all had the same strange look. Their faces were distorted in a strange happy smile, a scent of sweet honey permeated the air as a stream of blood leaked from their eyes, ears and nostrils.
"....What did this?" Sol looked at Narcissus, his eyes wide not being able to understand. The words slowly left his mouth as his intelligent and bewitching eyes seemed to be calculating with a pondering gaze.
"Master.....it was you"
"L-Lord...I've been calling you for roughly 15 minutes"
Narcissus' body was uncontrollably trembling, his face was lowered as he dared not meet Sol's eyes. After having sired Narcissus, Sol knew he could not lie to him.
Sol's face distorted for a second, he closed his eyes; took a deep breathe and using his heels, he urged Nightmare forward no longer sparing a glance at the corpses.
"Narcissus....never speak of this, Hydreas burn them" Sol commanded as he moved forward. Hydreas' dragon-like head appeared from Sol's arm and shortly covered the bodies in a sea of flames.
"It is as you say Lord" The war veteran who had faced countless battles, had to change his clothes because his lower parts were soaked in a yellow liquid.
'What was that crowned skeleton king?...How could something look so terrifying?...Why did it hover above master?' Narcissus had very clearly remembered what he had seen.
A phantom like skeleton, wearing a black robe with jeweled rings on each of its fingers, a crown made of bone with a soul green gem embedded in it's forehead. It smiled wretchedly as it stood in the sky above Sol, there seemed to be thousands of pale green strings attached to it's fingers.
These thin, pale green strings were connected to all of the soldiers, as well as the two kings and it made them seem as though they were puppets tied to it's fingers.
As Narcissus remembered the sight, he had yet to calm himself and quietly followed behind Sol. There was also something else that disturbed Narcissus, when the song played; his blood had begun to boil and he could feel something awakening inside him.
When he had seen the soldiers and Kings fall to the floor, he could faintly remember smiling as he gazed at the sight and something animalistic had begun urging him to slaughter.
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***
Moving with just himself and Narcissus, Sol's traveling speed greatly increased and arrived at a small city called "Ingris"just before the Kingdom of Nar in a few hours.
Sol was curious as he had never seen another human dwelling aside from Earthernvale, and decided to stop in and see a bit of the local culture. Narcissus once more lead the way as he told Sol a few things about the place since he was bit familiar with it.
The only reason such a small city could exist here was because of the low mana density, and the area around it seemed quite barren. Naturally because of this, his soul beasts as well as Lilith all preferred to remain inside Sol's soul and did not come out.
They were quite happy with Sol's specific traits, as his body constantly drew mana from the surroundings and supplied them with a rich meal.
With a quick thought, Sol's double pupils changed to a single one of golden color and his hair also changed to a golden color. His enlarged canines were already drawn in as he got accustomed to them, and now they felt quite natural.
***
Upon arriving at the gates of Ingris, Sol didn't really have much of a first impression. The gates were a bit rusted, and covered in vines so as to hide it's exterior from any powerful creatures that may have accidentally wandered around.
In front of the gate were a few guards who held spears and were dressed in a shoddy leather armor. They were nothing special and only possessed the aura of the 4th Order, except one who was of the 5th Order.
Upon seeing people approaching, they clenched their spears and vigilantly watched the approaching young man and his black-masked companion. However as they noticed, the black masked man was Narcissus the tight grips on their spears lessened and the tension in their eyes faded and was replaced with a bit of happiness.
They knew Narcissus was a king who was of the Saint Rank and had an army, he was quite powerful in their eyes and it was no joke that they seemed to revere them. They threw a glance at Sol mainly because of his strange appearance, but upon realizing he was only at the 2nd Order they relaxed, and a few of them even showed a bit of disdain.
"Lord Narcissus, you are visiting again?" one of the guards walked forward to greet him as he took a bow. His right arm had a black band with the symbol of a tree stitched onto it, Sol figured he was probably a captain of the guard and no longer spared a glance at it.
"Indeed, open the gates" Narcissus commanded and shortly afterward chains could be heard moving around as the gates slowly opened.
Although the Captain Guard wanted to ask about the army Narcissus had came with, it was not his place and courteously bowed to allow him forward. However, what he did not expect was that the young man seated directly beside him would enter first and seemed to be displeased.
Nightmare was extremely intelligent, and upon noticing the hostility. It gazed down upon the Captain Guard and let out the overpowering aura of a 9th Order beast scaring the man senseless. It snorted coldly and seemed to want to ground the weak human to dust, were it not for Sol heeling him it would have certainly done so.
"Master, let me show you to the best restaurant this small town has. Although it may be small, it has certain delicacies that can't be found anywhere else!" Narcissus confidently puffed his chest and walked forward.
The guards upon hearing Narcissus call Sol "Master" all had weird looks. Sol just smiled casually and entered the city, he was not at all aware of the looks of the soldiers. They were too weak to be even registered in his brain and were like tiny ants, in fact, he was quite delighted that they only sensed the aura of the 2nd Order as he was trying to suppress his aura as much as possible.
In the future he would enter much bigger cities and he didn't want to be disturbed and enjoyed casually moving round.
The first thing he noticed as he entered the city, was the buildings that were shaped differently from Earthernvale. They were all short, and were rather longer and wider than taller. Sol could understand this as they did not have a geographical location as good as Earthernvale.
There was also tall trees planted ever so often in the middle of buildings that made the entire city look no different than a forest from the outside. It would seem that this type of setting was this particular city's way of concealing itself.
'Someday, I want a city of my own. One that does not need to hide from anyone. A grand and towering city that cannot be looked down upon, one that cannot be invaded nor destroyed. One that will forever be remembered in the annals of time.A city even Gods would fawn upon'
Sol thought this, as an emerald glint flickered in his eyes.
This was merely a thought that he had yet to understand its true meaning, but it was this single thought that led to the most overpowering and city in Magnolia being born, the introduction of this city was akin to the Roman Empire of Earth in it's glorious days. A city of untold power which had become the focal of all of humanity.
Sol moved through the streets with his retainer, garnering the curious gazes of the locals who seemed to be enthralled by his golden-hair and eyes that fit his handsome face.
***
Narcissus showed Sol directly towards the restaurant, and upon entering they were greeted by a shapely woman with black hair, who seemed to be it's waiter. She was dressed in a simple black dress, and looked quite pleasing to one's eyes.
"Please Lords, right this way" the shapely waitress led them up two flights of stairs which was considered the highest and most elegant area with an all around view that was quite beautiful as they could see the entire surrounding area.
The lady had recognized Narcissus and knew his reputation, so as to avoid offending him she directly offered the most magnificent room. After casting a few glances at Sol, she also understood he wasn't someone normal because of Narcissus' attitude towards him.
Narcissus and Sol, sat down together and were handed a menu by the waitress-
"No need, please bring us two of the Diamond-Clammed Specials" Narcissus' eyes lit up as he seemed to be quite a fan of the particular dish.
"Understood, I will be back shortly" The lady respectfully bowed and after waiting a few minutes she had quickly returned with two shells the size of a huge bowl, that glistened like diamonds.
The scent was incredibly wondrous and Sol couldn't help but sniff at the air a few times. The dish in front of Sol, gave off a particular aroma he had never smelled before; there was a slight hint of wine in it that also drew his attention as he quite liked wine.
Narcissus didn't stand on ceremony and immediately started eating with his hands, Sol followed suit and also tried it.
"Amazing! There really was wine!" Sol smiled radiantly as he ordered a few more for himself and his retainer.
After eating a hearty meal, they ordered jugs of wine and the two had begun drinking in a unrestrained manner. Narcissus had many questions he wanted to ask his master, Sol having sired him; didn't need to hide anything and answered whatever he wished and also asked a few questions of his own as he wanted to know Narcissus' history as well as many other things about Magnolia.
The two were having an incredibly good time, rather than master and servant; they seemed to be more like old buddies that shared stories.
This didn't last for long as an angered voice soured their mood.
"You dare give me this table! I demand the top floor! Is this how you treat a long-standing guest that has brought much business to your establishment? Hmph! I want to see who will stop me!" An angry voice permeated the atmosphere disturbing the meals of all people present on all floors.
*Slap*
A slap resounded, following a woman's cry. Sol was quite sure it was the beautiful waitress from before.
The sound of armor clattering resounded as men made their way up the stairs, Sol's eyes narrowed as his face showed his displeasure. He didn't have to wait long to put a face to the voice, and a man in his 40s who was bald with eagle eyes made his way up the stairs. His chest heaving in anger, when his eyes laid on Narcissus he furrowed his brows.
"It's..you!" Narcissus recognized the man, and was shocked.
"I'm guessing...since your army isn't here, you all failed to acquire the elixir!" The bald man plainly said as he cast a look of disdain towards him. A killing intent that wasn't hidden at all permeated the area.
"That...is none of your damned business! The fact that you showed up here means, you were sent to collect this "Elixir" right?" Narcissus said in disgust. He then turned to Sol and whispered something in his ear.
"Commander of the Kingdom of Nar, Relias Sarivan...." Sol slowly said the name as a weird smile came upon his face.
It was only then the bald man, Relias, had noticed who was sitting beside Narcissus. His eyes opened wide, as he suddenly produced a letter from his Runic Ring.
'Golden-hair, golden-eyes, a boy about 16 years old...This is him!! It seems I won't need to make the journey! He delivered himself right to me! Hahaha, I will be rewarded highly for completing my mission so quickly! Hmm, the report said he wasn't able to condense mana...but he's at the second Order. Well no matter! It's only the second' the bald man smiled happily, he seemed as though he had won a free bag of gold coins as he gazed at Sol.
"You must be Sol'ixus Hyperius! Come with me! Don't resist!" As the bald man spoke, he released the aura of Mid S-rank and the threat in his voice wasn't hidden.
Sol was instantly shocked as he gazed at the man, before he turned to face his table.
"Sorry, I like women...Not to mention, you didn't even offer me a drink first" Sol calmly said and returned to eating his Diamond-Clam Special and took a few gulps of wine, ignoring the man.
Seeing this, Narcissus couldn't help but laugh out loud as the wine had by now taken a bit of effect on him. The bald man's face instantly became increasingly cold. What's more he was sure one of his guards laughed at him.
"Master..do you want me to-" Narcissus stood up and was about to offer his services when Sol casually waved his hand telling him to remain seated.
"Hydreas, you haven't eaten anything in days. This is a good test for your Light Compression training, eat these men without becoming big enough to destroy the place. The use of fire is forbidden, making a mess is also forbidden. Otherwise no hunting in the wild for a month" Sol sternly said before a light erupted on his arm revealing a tiny white-golden silhouette with emerald lines on it's body curled in a ball.
This curled tiny serpent seemed very angry, naturally this was Hydreas and because of this bald man's appearance, she nearly had to lose out on hunting. Thinking up to this point, this was already an inviolable offense that could not be tolerated.
Hydreas appeared before the bald-headed man could utter another word and it's head alone expanded to it's original form and directly swallow the man whole. No one could tell where the body of the bald headed man went, and how exactly it fit inside the tiny mouth that was contentedly chewing.
A few drops of blood leaked from Hydreas' mouth as she went pale with fright and casted subtle glances at Sol who was mischievously looking at her.
*Crunch Crunch*
The sound of armor, mixed with bones being chewed together made the soldiers behind go pale. They immediately tried to turn around and fled! Hydreas decided to try a next method in fear that she would make an even bigger mess.
Her silhouette flickered and appeared around the neck of a soldier and with "Pop" sound, his neck was broken. This result seemed to have pleased her, and several other "Pop" sounds were heard among screams throughout the entire restaurant.
Hearing the frightening sounds, Narcissus only smiled. He knew all to well, the way they were killed could only be considered merciful as he knew Sol's Soul Beasts had other more gruesome ways to end a man and that they were certainly make use of those means as they were very vengeful to anyone who would offend their master.
All of the bodies were consumed afterward, Hydreas returned back to Sol with a "Hehe, look at me now" look that made Sol laugh in pleasure.
"Good Good! Well done! Seems I need to make your next test a bit harder" Sol's next words made her droop her head.
"I'm joking...come here" Sol nestled the little mischievous one, gave her a kiss on her little head and placed her back in his Soul Realm before finishing his drinks with Narcissus.
"Let's get going...This King of Nar seems to be quite intelligent. I'd really like to see the brain behind the plot" Sol mused as he thought of the man's methods.
Before leaving, he had noticed the beautiful made who had served him before. Lay on the floor, her face had a deep gash and her beauty had become disfigured.
Sol approached her, gave a warm smile and placed his hand on her face. With a flash of light, he stimulated his Light Energy and directly healed the wound in a few moments. He knew she tried to stop the bald man from coming to disturb him and had done her job as a waiter.
"You are a minor figure, next time do not get involved and expose yourself to danger. Let arrogant men deal with arrogant men. Prioritize your own safety first, otherwise next time it may not just be a slap" Sol warned her as gave her a hundred golden coins secretly and departed from the city with his retainer.
The waitress seemed in a daze as she clenched her face and burst into tears, she did not care about her appearance as she already had a hard life and the only reason she had gotten this job was precisely because of her face.
In a small city, she was considered extremely beautiful among the rest of girls and had she lost this quality she would no longer have a job to take care of her family. Her eyes reflected her gratitude as she got up and left the restaurant, shortly afterward; never to return to it. She firmly engraved Sol's parting words in her heart.
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