Volume 2 - Chapter 2: A new beginning

...

‘What happened...’

‘It’s so...lonely...’

‘Wher...e..am...I….’

…

…

…

The army had finished their looting process and the commander halted them before they left.

“Men, we must find the inhabitants of these villages. They must’ve known we were coming and they have the Malveric grass….We had lost the merchant that sold the damn weed but the good thing is that we know he came from here...Before this place burns all the way down find me some god damn clues dammit!”

The mages of the army were continuously arguing with each other to even notice the command their leader gave…

“Alsei, I told you I had him trapped under a shadow pool, why the hell did you cast lightning!”

“The commander told me to! Dammit Alrei always blaming me for dumb shit….”

The two continued to argue then the commander bellowed at the two..

“You shitheads hurry and find something in this town before I personally execute you two brothers right here!!”

The mages and the rest of the soldiers scurried off into the burning houses to locate some clues and a particular green-haired female mercenary was secretly leaving the village…

‘Oh no, I am not going to die in this place….the flames nearly burnt my hair!’

The female was scurrying towards the eastern gate when she found a parchment letter on the ground next to some barrels…

‘Hmm..this is a letter...should I give it...nahh...that commander barely paid me and the sexual harassment.....forget it...I’ll just leave...’

The green-haired female already exited the eastern gate when one of the soldiers spotted her.

“Oh nooo...better run!”

“COMMANDER! We got a deserter! Halt! Deserter!”

The commander hearing the alert immediately commanded a unit in his army to give chase to the mercenary female. The female merc already ran about 10 feet when it happened…

The army was unaware of the situation that was undergoing. The soldiers were too focused on the present matter of finding clues and catching the deserter. They did not notice that from above a voice was heard calling towards the ground in an ominous tone…

….

Columna….Lucis….

….

Those words didn’t seem to affect anyone since they were too focused on the present matters to even pay attention but then…

The ground shook violently and the darkened sky finally cleared revealing a bright colored sky with twin suns etching the entire planet in rays of light. From the midst of heaven there was a young man above the clouds unconscious, but his entire body floated above everything effortlessly…

A blinding beam of light struck the entire village and encased the entire army in light. The light obliterated the entire village leaving nothing but emptiness. The light had consumed everything in it’s wake and etched a giant crater matching the village’s perimeters.

If Light was the embodiment of peace and tranquility then the beam of light was it’s mantle. It left absolutely nothing, a white slate to erase anything from existence. From this day, this event will be charted as an Act of God. An entire village was erased from the world and people will wonder from today what the beam of light meant...

The Light consumed the army and left nothing in its wake except for a certain green-haired female...The female was thrown 20 feet forward from the impact and a man was seen falling down…

The female noticed the man falling down to the empty crater that formed from the Light. She could’ve sworn that the young man had a pair of golden wings but she was a bit far to even notice it directly.

She holstered herself after the impact and quickly got up.

“What the...what just happened...where did the army go….” She spoke to herself in a daze watching the entire village vanish...

The female noticed a few straggling horses and managed to knot one of the horse’s legs to prevent him from escaping. She began to explore the remains of what seems to be the village but there was nothing remaining.

The female continued to look around but all that was left was a giant crater and smokes of light seeping out of the ground from the impact. The female approached cautiously at the crater. She did not want another beam of light to strike down and kill her like it did with the army...

The female was actually glad the army disappeared. They always sexually harassed her whenever they got the chance to and she easily defended herself. Good thing she was a trained mercenary that would easily equal their Commander but she was chosen as a representative for the mercenaries to join the army instead of risking the chance of her small small outside of the kingdom to be overthrown in refusal...

“Finally...I don’t have to worry about the kingdom looking for me since everything disappeared...I should go home…” The female continued to speak to herself and as she was turning around, she noticed a young man dead center in the crater.

The man had a mature look to his face with Golden hair stretching down past his shoulders. His golden hair was thick, full of vitality and looked similar to bed hair. His features were quite handsome and he had a little mustache growing with his golden hair etching the outlines of his upper lip. The man had no clothes except for a pair of black pants that were torn from what seems to be the after effect of the Light. His chest laid bare which had a rough texture with muscles bulging from the impact of the hard ground. Several scratches appeared on the chest and several lines of blood appeared on the man.

The female went towards the man and began to shake him..

“Helllooooo? Are you aliveee??” The female gently yelled into the young man’s ear, trying to wake him up.

However nothing had happened but slight breathing movements appeared on the man’s chest which suggested that he was still alive. She slapped him a few more times to see if he was sleeping but nothing happened. The man was unconscious and she couldn’t just leave the man there…

“Oh man...I don’t want to drag you home...but..you look so...nice..no no no...I-it’s not like I’m looking for a h-husband or anything!...It’s just...you know...saving people is good and and...yeah…” She spoke with nervousness preparing for the worst if the man woke up suddenly but he clearly was knocked out.

She holstered the man’s right arm over her left shoulder and began to drag him steadily towards the struggling horse that was tied down on the ground. She untied the horse and surprisingly the horse did not run away. I think he found it useless as the horse would’ve been caught all over again…

For a woman like her, she was quite strong. This is no exaggeration considering she is one of the commanders of the mercenary groups back at her small city. She picked up the man with a strong force but she barely managed to place the man on his stomach on the back of the horse. She tied the man tightly to the saddle and wrapped part of the rope to her waist to help support him as she rode off towards her small city…

Back at the forest of beasts…

The guards were active all the time watching for any sudden movements in the forest but there was completely nothing. They wondered what was going on but he noticed that every guard captain had a pole with a dead demonic wolf’s head pierced at the tip. Souma had given them instructions to lead their groups with this item. It would simply “ward” the beasts from them since he had already usurped the power struggle in the forest with obliterating the pack of demonic wolves. The guard captains wondered how Souma killed a Rank A beast that prowled the forests. They wouldn’t question anything about Souma anymore after witnessing the incident earlier with the lightning striking down on the village… Everyone had assumed Souma had risked his life for a village her barely knew but while everyone was depressed, the ground shook violently…

Everyone began to stumble and look around for anything until someone pointed towards the village and noticed a beam of light descend on their village… Everyone had mixed feelings about the sudden light encasing their village…

“Souma….”

“My goods…”

“My house….”

“I hope that boy is alright…”

Similar thoughts trailed across each group and people wondered what had become of the young man they knew as Souma. The girls including Alveani watched the spectacle that occurred and wanted to return back to Souma but Leo and the other guards stopped their tracks.

“No...Souma promised us he will return and I will not have you girls risking your lives when Souma can take of his! Please...Don’t make Souma sad...Even I want to go and save my son but I can’t...We have to believe in him and trust him...He loves you all and he would kill me if any of you girls risked your life...so don’t…” Leo pleaded to the girls and that eventually calmed them down.

Aerylith sat with the group of girls and began to explain some things…

“Girls I know you are worried about Souma but he’s very strong...he won’t break your promise...I will personally beat him if he does...and I have someone to introduce…” Aerylith grasped the hands of the Elder’s daughter, Alveani and began to speak again…

“Girls...well here’s a new introduction to your group...This is Alveani...Her father had engaged Souma to her and from what you can tell from her frantic expressions of the village...she loves Souma too even though she doesn’t want to admit it…” After Aerylith spoke, Alveani began to blush and pouted a bit with her elf ears drooping a little.

“I-it’s not like I l-love him...I-it’s just…” Before she finished the girls interrupted her..

“Ahem...don’t make any excuses...if you are engaged to him then you are one of us but if you don’t love him please don’t make any excuses...as for me, I love my Onii-chan! and I would do anything for him!” Amelia spoke confidently raising her chest and Akane began to speak next.

“Nyaa~ I love goushujin-sama because he cares for me...I want to be useful to him and I will love him unconditionally!” Akane let out a purr to show her dominance and Tifania finally spoke after being in a depressed mood…

“P-pyon...I...really miss Souma...and I love him...Nh!” Tifania spoke with such force that it shocked the group of girls since she was depressed majority of the time leaving Souma behind.

The girls turned towards Alveani and waited for an answer from her then she spoke…

“I-i...I do…” Alveani nervously spoke..

“Huuuh? You do what?? I caaaan’t hear you” Amelia spoke in a mocking tone towards Alveani then Alveani raised her voice this time…

“I LOOOOVE HIM!! AND I MISS HIM!! I WANT TO SEE HIM NOW!! WHY….why...why is he gone…*sniffle*” Alveani screamed and tears fell down her face and from the front of the entire group, the Elder finally smiled after being distraught from leaving Souma behind…

The girls gathered around Alveani and hugged her.

“Finally...you said it...Don’t worry...once our husband returns.. you can hit him for the times he made you cry…”

The group of girls cried for a few minutes then they finally wiped their tears and began to swear an oath to each other…

“We will wait for Souma no matter how long it takes...Even if we love him now, we will continue to love him until he returns….” Amelia spoke with a serious tone and the girls nodded in acceptance. They faced forward and continued walking with the group.

Leo and Aerylith smiled at the girls and they said to each other that they would give Souma hell once he returned..

The groups advanced quickly through the forest of beasts and nothing attacked them while they traveled through the forest. Only at various times, the guards would tense up after seeing a pair of eyes in the dark shrubbery but the creatures would leave after noticing the Demonic Wolfhead plastered on the wooden pole. The travel was indeed peaceful and they spent four days in the forest where they finally exited the forest of beasts.

Akane quickly told the guards to rest here as they came upon the area where Souma landed from the sky. Tamago-chan shook heavily in Akane’s arms and Akane rubbed the cracked shell of Tamago to reassure her that they arrived at the place. The groups found a campsite area with a nearby river and a miniature crater formed on the center of the campsite.

Everyone finally rested ever since they began their journey. It was surprising that the females made it this far but as long as they weren’t in the forest of beasts, they would be safe to rest here. The men prepared the campfire for their groups and the females catered to the food after letting the children sleep. The time dilation field was still active and it didn’t hurt anyone or anything. All it did was accelerate the movements of the groups and everyone was resting peacefully at the camps. The food was made from the essential items that Souma told them to bring as luggage to lessen the weight on everyone. The village people ate peacefully but they didn’t utter a word since all they had on their mind was their village and a certain boy that helped them. Everyone finally slept and the guards changed shifts every 2 hours to make sure everyone was rested equally…

Progress until destination: 40%

Time spent traveling: 4 days.

Time rested: 1 day and 8 hours.

Five days had passed…

A certain horse with a female riding and a man strapped to the end was seen approaching the city walls of Evercliff that was located near the Kingdom of Algarun. The city was on the edge of a cliff with a waterfall that ran past the cliff and descended to a lower area that was completely subdued under a blanket of fog. No one knows what is underneath the fog but nobody would dare to find out. Even the Kingdom of Algarun attempted an expedition to the depths and there were no survivors. The kingdom placed a no entry to the depths and the city had been secluded from the kingdom. Reason being was that the city was on a cliff that resided over the fog and the kingdom did not want to be responsible for any damages that may occur.

The female did not know who the man was, but she brought him along as she couldn’t leave her potential husband….well she’s a kind-hearted person and she wouldn’t leave a person all alone after that event that occurred recently with the army disappearing into thin air along with the village…

She arrived within the city after five days of constant travel and noticed the mercenary guards saluting her. After she reported her travels and told the mercs to schedule a meeting with the mercenaries within the city, she finally trotted towards her house which was located on the northern side of the city that sat upon a makeshift hill made of earth magic. Her house was a two-story house with windows plastered on both floors and the lights were on. The house was bustling with voices of females rummaging around trying to fix something that apparently broke. The female finally tied the horse to a tree and dragged the man using her shoulder as support and opened the door.

Within the lovely abode stood four women of similar ages. To the left, there was a blue-haired girl that had turquoise-colored eyes and a wonderful smile that matched her personality. Her hair easily rested on her shoulders and it shone bright under the light. Her body figure was petite with a blue dress that was matched accordingly to her hair and a height of 5’5”. This woman was around the age of 18 and her personality matched the ocean which resembled tranquility and calmness.

After the blue-haired woman came the orange-haired woman that smiled brightly. Her eyes matched perfectly and around her cheeks were soft spots of freckles that made her sunny in a way. Her body figure was quite the figure as she had features that weren’t perfect but any man would love her. She had a robust chest that bolted easily out of her red orange shirt and her height was roughly around 5’9”. This sunny, cheeky woman was around the age of 17 and her personality matched the orange sun that shone brightly with a wonderful radiance that burst with vitality.

Following the order, next came a purple-haired woman that had a mysterious aura around her. She had a straight face which lacked emotion but her eyes reflected her personality. Her eyes shone brightly violet after noticing her sister had returned home. This woman was quite short but her body didn’t lose out in the rest. Her height was around 5’3” but her body was similar to the blue-haired woman but her figure was perfect for her age. Her hips easily curved and had a perfect size making it easily bearable for having children. This somewhat glum and mysterious woman was around the age of 17 and her personality matched the purple tulips that enhanced her charm and mysterious aura.

The final woman in the list was a silver-haired beauty that had an elegant aura that people would easily admire. Her face was stern that had composure and readiness at all time. The woman was a Princess and her beauty rivaled no one. Her features radiated her charms wherever she went and her eyes were a dark silver which matched her beauty. Her hair easily past her shoulders and draped over her back. It was long, beautiful silver hair that shined in the light and would illuminate the darkness. Her body figure was a perfect hourglass with a bust that was perfectly proportioned with her buttocks. Her height was 5’8” and her personality matched the silver crown which reigned her personality from royalty. She was an upstuck ojou-sama and the rest of the girls sighed as she stood confidently in front of the rest of the group as the green-haired woman stepped in through the door.

Seeing the pot on the floor, the green-haired female sighed and finally began to speak...

After she told them the news about the expedition and how the army vanished, they were left with their mouths open. The green-haired woman explained how she came upon this young man and they agreed reluctantly to let the boy rest at their homes until he woke up. Once he woke up, they would decide their course of action so they let him sleep.

The green-haired woman dragged him into a guest bedroom that was on the 2nd floor at the end of the hallway and laid the young man to sleep. She stared extra long at the young man’s face and finally left him to sleep...

Within the boy’s mind, a voice called out to him…

One day you’ll understand….

* * * *

The consequences of our kind….

* * * *

The reason….Why I became a god…

* * * *

And the reason why you...are..me…

The voice receded into the boy’s mind and finally he rested in peace. Two weeks had passed and the boy was finally starting to wake up. His eyes were beginning to open and suddenly he was in a room unknown to him…

‘Where am I….’

‘What is this place….?’

The green-haired female noticed him wake up and began to talk..

“Umm..hello welcome to my home..what is your name?”

The boy turned to the female that spoke to him and he understood everything but he did not know what to reply when…..He didn’t even know who he was…

“N...name?” The boy responded in a vague tone and his expression was confused...

The woman looked confused at the boy and wondered…

‘Does he not remember...I mean it was pretty weird for a man to appear in that crater after the beam of light...I thought everyone died from that attack….I guess...it’s memory loss...’

“Your name...do you not remember it?” The woman spoke to young man to confirm if he does remember anything or not.

“I...don’t know…” Replied the boy and suddenly the woman stood up from her chair and walked towards him and leaned towards his face…

“Well….how about I give you a name…? Would you like that?”

The young man nodded at her agreeing to everything and thus she bestowed him a new name…

“Your name is now...Rain Landers...the same last name as me, Neiru Landers :3 It’s like we’re married hehe...but now you are Rain okay? I will explain everything later but we must talk to the eavesdropping women at our door” The woman spoke as she turned towards the direction of the door.

After she spoke, the door broke from the weight of the 4 girls and they fell forward. The girls were embarrassed but they wanted to hear what happened with the boy. However they were quite shocked to hear that he did not remember his name...meaning he probably didn’t know where he was…

The green-haired woman looking at the debacle that had broke Rain’s door finally clapped her hands and turned towards Rain…

“Well, welcome to the City of Evercliff….”

Author's note:

Sorry guys, I would have posted this chapter sooner but I have to deal with a Super typhoon heading to mainland Japan. Hopefully, I'll be able to think of new ideas as the story progresses and I hope you enjoyed this new chapter. Thanks for reading and I'll try to write more as the Typhoon Vongfong approaches

:grin:

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