(Author: I planned to write a chapter for Jade Immortal but it was bad so I didn't post it. Anyway, Elgar takes the entrance exams to attend the Tyrannical Dragon Academy, his main reason being the location of the Chasm of Chaos being at the school border. The three spies also follow Elgar to the academy to investigate him. Meanwhile, forces behind the scene converge in Ilgar, the largest trading city in the world, in response to one thing: what caused the global tremor? Hidden forces will make their moves, the public ignorant of the effects of the world tremor. Note: tables will be shown but will look different than the one in chapter 2. Enjoy.)

Chapter 9: Hidden Forces

Nine men dressed in black sit in front of a green bonfire in the slums of Ilgar. They and their men traveled all over the nine other continents over the past two years ever since the whole world shook. They discovered nothing and decided to meet in Ilgar and discover any information there.

"Did you find out anything 2nd Elder?" the only man in black with a silver mask asked,

"The epicenter of the quake originated in the capital city of the Ganora Kingdom," another answered. "Do you think they used a hero summoning?"

"No. The whole world didn't shake the last time a hero summoning happened. 3rd Elder, did you find the heroes who were summoned?" the silver masked man asked.

"Three of the five heroes appeared in the summoning circle thirteen years ago in this empire. They retained their original bodies, only aging back to infancy and losing their powers. Apparently this empire wanted to increase its strength as it was only a threat through its connections and had little power of its own," a thin man answered. "My spies have been trailing them ever since. However, the other two didn't appear. It is my belief that either the ritual failed or the other two had bodies too powerful for the summoning and were forced to be reincarnated in weaker bodies. This doesn't mean their soul is weaker though. 4th Elder? How goes your assignment?"

"I have spent the last twenty years Vessels who have betrayed our cause. The female dragon that escaped us by sealing her own form was killed over thirteen years ago. My spies killed her, but failed to kill her husband and new born son. Apparently, she escaped our radar by selling herself as a slave. You know slave markets are elusive," a short man answered. "They never found out my assassins killed her but I lost a few assassins killing her and her bodyguards due to a rank 7 mage, Tristan Jacks. He recently became a rank 8 mage, but he is no threat to us. With the dragon's death, another potential Vessel is dead. 7th Elder, Have the other Vessels shown signs of communing with our Her?"

"My daughter is dead...." a burly man muttered.

"7th Elder?" the silver masked man said in a low voice.

"Ah, apologies Elder One," the man inclined. "None of the vessels have shown signs since the world tremor. They said that She contacted them to find the Demon King."

"A Demon King descended from the Immortal Realms?" the 2nd Elder cried, his face turning pale beneath his hood.

"It's not possible," the Elder One said. "The sky would crack and day would turn into night if an King ranked dragon, demon, human, beast kin, or magical beast descended. What did She tell them?"

"The Goddess said to accelerate our plans. The Vessels can only receive a fragment of Her powers, but they are too weak. The world tremor released by the Demon King's might have broken a shackle, but the rest remain. Her enemies will know a shackle had been broken and discover that She is being freed," the 7th Elder said. "The quake saved us some effort, but now we must take more precautions."

"For now we find more Vessels and bring them to our cause," the Elder One said. "8th and 6th Elders, go to the Kingdom of Ganora and find out why and where the Demon King's power appeared. 9th Elder, assist the 4th Elder in finding the heroes. 5th Elder, you will continue recruiting fellow Chosen Ones identified by the Vessels. Dismissed."

The other eight hooded men except the 7th Elder bowed and left the room. The Elder One stared at the green bonfire once before teleporting, space cracking as he disappeared. The 7th Elder's hood fell as he tried to stop his tears. His face was of a middle aged man with crimson hair and golden horns. His golden eyes blurred as tears fell.

"Oh Isabelle! Forgive me. I should not have brought you to follow Her. I should have hidden you away. You even sold sealed your true from and sold yourself to slavery to escape," the man cried, his sorrow immense. "I didn't see you get married and become a free woman. Does your child have our eyes? Does he look like you or me? Forgive your worthless father. I was blind. I was blind."

The man kept crying as he walked into the bonfire, the fire unable to burn him as he was a pure blooded dragon. He shouted in anguish at the heavens and teleported, the cracks in space obliterating the green bonfire.

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"Your Holiness! Your Holiness!" a young man in a white garb wearing a gold sun and silver moon emblazed sash shouted as he ran into a white chamber. "Terrible news! The reports confirm that the world tremor was caused by the power of a Demon King. The world tremor was broken a shackle o, of all g, gods it was Her! Not only that, reports have come in saying that a few other shackles were broken longer than two years ago"

"NO!" an elder man in priestly garments roared, his spirit energy so powerful it blasted the page out of the chamber. "IT CANNOT BE! Of all gods, it was Her shackles. Of all evil gods sealed away it was Her!"

"Your Holiness," one man to his right asked, unaffected by the surge of spirit energy.

"Recall all the rank 8 and 9 mages and warriors! Someone plans to free Her! Luckily that world tremor came or we might not have known! We must make preparations and protect the seal!" the elder said. The elder man could not relax as the other man left the room. Who would be dumb enough to free Her. Didn't they know what She was? What She did? What She failed to do?

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Elgar Maltos didn't know that what he did actually affected the world to such an extent. After all, only a fool would ignore power if it was there for the taking. Elgar heard excited gossip as he walked toward a large, fifteen foot high black wall. He smirked as he heard about how three young babies were found in a summoning circle. They had the body and souls as powerful as the immortals themselves. They also talked in hushed voice of how the ritual failed and how two heroes were either dead or reincarnated. As expected of a major trading city, even the rumors spoke of national secrets. Too bad they didn't know why someone used the hero summoning.

"I heard they are all attending Blood Rain Academy," a woman whispered.

"They don't even need to attend with such power," another whispered.

"If only I was thirty years younger," another sighed.

"We have arrived master," Magmar said, chuckling as it knew its master was one of the two missing heroes. "Will you reveal that you are a hero on your status card?"

"No. Now is not the time to reveal it. Anything on the card can be manipulated, even the name and profession," Elgar said. "Am I still being followed?"

"Yes master. It seems House Dune was offended. Thanks to being a fusion elemental type minion, I have a connection to spirit energy like no creature save for another elemental or spirits. Two of them seem to have light element qi similar to the knights who attacked you. Even if they didn't use their qi against you, the signature should be the same if they practice the same techniques," Magmar said. "The third seems to have mana, but closely travels with the other two. I believe that they must be children as it would be too suspicious to follow you to the academy."

"As expected of an elemental. Wait, seven elementals fused into a singular being. How does that work anyway? I never got the chance to talk with one in my former life as their masters were easier to kill," Elgar asked.

"It cannot be explained really. Elementals and spirits are mutations of spirit energy. We are literally spirit energy coming to life and becoming a separate entity, yet the connections remains," Magmar answered.

Elgar sighed as he stood in line of dozens of other children accompanied by adults. They seemed to talk in hushed tones and some nobles laughed as they saw a teen in a tattered, crimson cloak. The applicants would accept a blank card from the judge while presenting a bag of thirty gold coins and the token they received from the recruiter. The applicants would then proceed to put mana into the card and it would become their personal status card to keep, even if they failed. After a few minutes, it was Elgar's turn and he gave one of the judges the token and thirty gold.

"Pets are not allowed," the judge said as it saw Magmar enlarge to its full size. "Wait, is that a fusion type elemental minion? You a necromancer boy?"

"No sir," Elgar lied as he looked at the blank white card, realizing it was made of a holy wood. "A rank 8 mage necromancer created him for me as a bodyguard of sorts as the son of his employer."

Elgar's left hand swirled with spirit energy as he imbued black mana into the white card. It shined with a black glow and became a status card.

NameElgar MaltosRaceDemi-humanProfessionElementalistElemental AffinitiesLightning

Plant

Water

DarknessMage Rank 2Adept Mage

However his real status card was visible only to him.

NameElgar MaltosRaceDemi-humanProfessionNecromancerElemental AffinitiesLightning

Plant

Water

Darkness

Poison

Bone

Arcane (Summoning Attribute)Mage Rank 4Sorceror

"Hmm. Plant magic affinity. What classes do you want to take once you pass? Do note that the academy does not give items, weapons, or armor made of holy metal. If you desire one, enter the Chaos of Chasm when you are stronger," the judge said. "If you choose to be both a mage and warrior, you must already have used a method to use both qi and mana. Choose wisely."

"I don't need to learn dark magic as I am part demon and demon magic has the most powerful and useful dark magic spells. I also don't need to learn plant magic as I learned it from a rank 8 mage," Elgar said to the judge, pretending to make a decision. "I will take classes on lightning and water magic. I also use a sword so I'll take combat classes. Is there any way I can learn dragon magic? My mother died before teaching me any."

Elgar lost all his powers when he reincarnated. Dragons only learned their unique magic from their elders. This was why dragon hatchlings were easier to kill as they had no magic and were a novice if they did learn a spell or two.

"The only way is to go the Chasm of Chaos and beat a dragon and make it teach you," the judge said, answering only because Elgar said Magmar was given to him by a rank 8 mage. "You will be given half the token back upon becoming a student. The status card is yours to keep. Good luck."

Elgar ordered Magmar to shrink back into the size of a fist and rest on his shoulders, looking behind him as he walked into the academy. Using his connection as its master, he could see two boys and a girl through Magmar's eyes. One boy was tall and muscular and the two others looked like cousins, seeing their brown hair and blue eyes. Elgar memorized their faces as they approached the judge and handed their fees and tokens.

"What do you want to do with them master?" Magmar asked as Elgar followed the road markers to the testing area.

"For now I'll observe them. It seems they were sent to spy on me. If they try to attack me as I take the test or as a fellow student, they'll suffer an 'unfortunate accident' in the future. Let the insects fly. My concern is what to eat first when I am allowed into the Chasm of Chaos, " Elgar answered and joined the other applicants waiting up ahead.

Chapter 8: Friends and Enemies Main Page Chapter 10: Letting Loose