Great. Just great. Xion wanted to travel fast, took rest only if necessary, but now? He had to scrap those plans.
He felt like he’s walking with a band of weird people. Two underage kids, his weird friend, and one woman with temper issues. The next day, they departed right away to the state and he firmly stated, “Follow us both closely. If you were left behind,” then he made sure to stare at Sierra and Leon, “We don’t give a damn, alright?”
In his side, Keith nudged him strongly, “Man, that’s harsh.”
“Shut up.”
Sierra rolled her eyes lazily, her bow on her back and she ready to go. Gray and Leon couldn’t hide their excitement as this was their first time to travel to the State of Etherna. They took off early in the morning, with steady pace on this ‘great mission’ of the mercenaries.
In the woods, Leon asked the men, “How long we’re going on foot?”
It was already night, so the castle was pretty much empty; only the guards who stood still in front of the doors. Now, all of them stood in front of the main door before they met the president. Sierra took a deep breath as she talked with the group lowly, โSo, should we just tell the truth or what? Can we trust him?โโHim? The president, you mean?โ Xion unconsciously showed his tone of disbelief. โOf course, we tell him the truth. Heโs the president.โโBeing a president doesnโt mean that heโs trusted with this soon-to-be war situation,โ Sierra narrowed her eyes. Xion was already opening his mouth when Gray walked to their middle, โOkay! Guys, calm down.โHe turned his head to look at the lady, โSierra, Iโm sorry, but this time, I think we have to agree with Xion. Itโs best to speak about the truth.โSierra could swear that she saw that manโs lips curved a lot for one second before he changed his expression back. โFine,โ she gritted her teeth. After that, with Keith in the front, they
Leon expected that the president was going to be an old, fat, bald man, but turned out he was pretty much in shape, like a retired soldier. Gray also couldnโt hide his curious stares to the man.โState your business with Lord Adam.โ The woman right next to the president, which Sierra assumed as Xionโs friend, stared at them nicely.โGreetings, Lord Adam,โ Xion took a step as he placed his fist on his heart. โAs we have mentioned before in the letter, we afraid a war is going to happen soon between the State of Etherna and Kingdom of Bealaris.โSierra closely watched the president; he was definitely pissed at the news. And she was right; the next moment, Adam slammed his fist to his royal chair and spoke loudly, โHow dare that poor country killed my people, ignoring the peace treaty that our ancestors signed!โThen he proceeded to curse at the country until the assistant reminded him with a small cough. โSo, whoโs the leader of the army?โ That man asked.โWe believe itโs Prince Heath h
โWhat do you want to know, then?โ Sierra raised her eyebrows. Surely, this man didnโt come only to praise her amazing works.โWhy did you do it?โโWhy? To protect the boys,โMalcolm gulped down hardly as he stuttered, โD- do you have to burn them like that?โSierra snorted, โSorry, fire isnโt exactly filled with mercy.โMalcolm grunted as he had heard about this type of blessing. Fire, the fiercest of all. If the bearer didnโt have strong mind, it would burn down everything around. In his army, only two soldiers that bear the fire blessing. Often, they would accidentally burn their own comrades.However, he saw Sierraโs remnants. It was a perfect circle, and it meant she was a master. He never saw anyone who could control fire thatโฆ beautifully and terrifyingly. Of course, as a soldier he couldnโt waste this chance.โIf thereโs war comingโฆโ He started, trying not to sound too eager, โI want you to join us.โโAh,โ Sierra opened her mouth, clearly unimpressed by this sudden invitation t
โSo, howโs the enemy doing?โ Keith asked with his mouth full of rice. He sat down alone in the dining table, as he stuffed his stomach. It had been a couple of weeks after the presidentโs order was declared. Since the security was tighten in the whole country, the group decided to rest first, by renting a small house outside of the capital area.Xion just came back from running a small errand in the town, and he looked around the house before answering his friend, โBad. Theyโre attacking full-charge at every town in the northern area. Adam has closed the gate, no one is allowed to enter here. Theyโre just-โโWaiting to be butchered,โ Sierra cut him with her cold voice. Xion glanced at her who stood still at the kitchen and nodded bitterly, โYeah. Heโs crazyโฆ Adam, I mean. And, based from what Iโve heard, some still managed to pass through with various ways.โโLet me guess; bribing the soldiers!โ Keith spoke with apparent disgust by the thought that soldiers took advantage on the poor
Although the town was filled with guards, Sierra and Gray managed to sneak around skilfully. They walked further inside the town and then met with a dead end. โHuh?โ Gray stopped as he stared at the high wall.โWhat should we do, Sierra? Should we climb the wall?โ He asked the woman behind who looked at him thoughtfully.โOf course not, idiot,โ She snorted, โListen again to the voice that called you.โGray nodded as he closed his eyes. Feeling something that called for him for days.Sonโฆ Comeโฆ Iโm waitingโฆAs he opened his eyes, Gray looked at Sierra with sparkling eyes, โWow!! Itโs below us!โSierra smirked as she approved the kid, โDonโt forget this. You canโt just go charging around aimlessly, but you also have to feel every power near you.โThen, both of them looked around the alley to find the path to go down. โOh! Sierra, itโs here!โ Gray called for her. โItโsโฆ a sewer,โ Sierra crossed her arms, her face clearly stated a disgust. The boy knew how Sierra was uncomfortable with it
Xionโs lips parted as he questioned the lady, โYouโre kidding, right? True Blessing is a myth.โ Sierra glared at him and tiredly answered, โItโs not. Itโs right in front of your eyes, Xion.โGray looked up at the two people who glared at each other for the hundredth times already. โG-guys, whatโs a True Blessing?โ His question did work as Sierra averted her focus to the kid. Her eyes clearly showed uneasiness and complicated things that she hadnโt share.Gray waited for the explanation, but no words came out from her. Instead, Sierra turned her back to stand in front of the light as if she wanted to pry it opened. Xion decided to take over as he rubbed his neck tiredly, โIโm not sure, kid. Itโs a legend; long ago, back in the earliest civilization that was written in the history. I donโt believe it though. Legend said, True Blessing was a destructive power that shaped the earth.โโItโs more than that,โ Sierra added. With a long breath, she started to explain the history.โLong time ag
After Gray touched the light, for about five seconds, nothing happened. Then, suddenly a burst of light shot up, blinding Sierra and Xionโs eyes. When they opened their eyes, Gray laid down unconsciously, with light all over his body.โWhat the hell?โ Xion murmured nervously and he nudged at Sierra for a clue. She said, โDonโt worry. It wonโt hurt him; it probably speaks bullshits.โXion nodded and then the tensions were removed from his body. He glanced at Sierra again, like he wanted to speak something, but realized it probably ended in fights.โโฆ Speak already,โ Sierra glared at him; she was also relaxed, with her arms crossed in front of her chest. Xion figured, while waiting the kid to wake up, it might be better if he just spoke with the woman.โSoโฆ youโre having the Sunโs blessing?โ He started the conversation awkwardly.โHm.โ โThereโs no records about that kind of blessing too,โ Xion pondered; really, the woman beside him was just full with mysteries. โYeah, I always good at
Itโs been a couple of months again after Gray obtained his True Blessing. Now, he could control his power better than before. If Leon was knocked down by the clash, he would summon a soft barrier beneath his friend.โItโs crazy outside at the border.โXion and Ketih just came back from scouting the area. Lately they kept doing that, so that when the time came, when the enemy came, they were prepared and could easily leave the city.The five of them sat down in their small, shared house. They were about to make their next moves. โThe north towns are already occupied by the enemy. Thousands of soldiers are matching towards the gate at this moment, so freaking near.โ Keith added grimly.โFrom what weโve heard, Adam already dispatched almost his entire army to protect the gate. Probably hundreds of thousand,โ Xion explained.โWhy theyโre focusing too much on the north gate?โ Leon questioned them curiously. โIsnโt that too much risks to take? What about the south border or the east one?โโ
While Gray and Zed had their sudden meeting with the strategist, Sierra purposefully stood outside the castle to wait for Xion. She was embarrassed, but somehow, she felt that she was supposed to do this and comfort the man. And she didnโt regret it. The moment she saw Xion, the otherโs face beamed with relief and happiness. They hugged and kissed for a short time as Sierra rubbed his back. โYou thought I was dead?โ She tried to lighten up the situation a little. Xion snorted, โYeahโฆโ He paused as he stared at Sierraโs face, โBut I think Iโm stupid to think about it. Youโre probably the strongest being ever, you know that, right?โ His expression was tired, definitely lack of sleep, but his smile was bright; his voice showed a clear proudness. Sierra didnโt want to imagine what happened with this man while sheโs gone for a moment. They talked for a moment while holding hands. Xion cleared his throat, โHey, Sierra. I need to talk to you.โ She titled her head, confusion was appeared o
โGray!โ Sierra grabbed Grayโs shoulder and squeezed it gently. The soldiers already started scattered around and broke the formations; even the mages couldnโt protect them from the monsters below.โArgh!โ Someone got sucked below, and Sierra knew that person had already gone. Amidst the chaos, Sierra could feel a familiar power around them; just like the last time when she felt Grayโs True Blessing on the underground. And she finally understood, why the barrier around, that was summoned almost perfectly didnโt work.โItโs a True Blessing!โ Sierra yelled as she kicked her leg from monsterโs grab. โWhat?โ Gray was confused. โItโs an Earth True Blessing. Thatโs why the barrier wonโt work. It could pierce anything! We have to fall back!โGray quickly understood and he screamed, โFall back to the north gate!โ The soldiers were relying the message to each other. Those who cherished their lives quickly abandoned the formation and ran. The earth kept trembling and people started to sway and f
โThat idiot!โ Sierra snapped at the news. โI canโt believe he reject it. I wonder what his mother said to him!โNevertheless, the next day, they marched to the gate to retake the capital. It wasnโt a hard fight because for the first time ever, they won by numbers. The enemy also lacked their leaders so it was pretty easy to break into their defence and controlled the castle. Many of the soldiers were surrendering as they wanted to trade it with their lives.Gray nodded appreciatively as they surrendered. โItโs nice not to kill someone,โ He grinned to Sierra at the main room.From that day, the they took back State of Ethernaโs freedom. People in the capital were cheering as they were freed from the oppressions. However, Grayโs liberation army still couldnโt relax at all. They still had the north area to retake and Kingdom of Bealaris to attack. The north gate was still shut tight.Then, Walter advised that they took a break after the long, continues fights. They also had to reunite wi
โHowโs the kid?โ Sierra crossed her arms impatiently in front Grayโs bedroom. A healer just came out, and he nodded his head in delight. โLady Sierra, you donโt have to worry about anything. Thanks to his Blessing, the explosion didnโt do much damage to his body. Right now, heโs just sleeping.โHearing the news, Sierra huffed a relief breath. Then, she decided to let the kid rest and find Xion. Frankly speaking, she didnโt do much at this fight because her main task was to defend the fortress. Thatโs why, she was in a good condition and everyone relied on her more because she was the only general who still alive and in perfect condition.As far as she knew, Keith was passed out from massive blood loss. Thatโs why, she moved to find the other one. Thankfully, Xion didnโt hurt that bad. He was wrapped in bandages, but he was practically fine.Seeing Sierraโs presence in the yard made his cold face cracked into a warm expression. He waved at her, and Sierra also smiled softly. โHowโs you
Everyone became aware how dangerous the situation was. Gray frowned and cold sweats already dripped down from his forehead. Sierra quickly took control, โOkay, kid. Donโt force yourself. You still have to fight at the frontline. Let us handle it.โGray bit his bottom lip; but then he nodded. The mages were ready as they chanted the spell. โOn three, just let your power go.โโOneโฆโโTwoโฆโโThree!โGrayโs let go of his Blessing, but the lightnings were still under control. โSee? Weโre good at what weโre doing.โ Sierra smiled. Since the first wall of protection had fell, Gray quickly moved to join his own troops.โLady Sierra,โ Walter appeared behind her, nodding appreciatively, โYou really level up your troops abilities.โSierra snorted at the words, and she grabbed her bow. This time, she didnโt bother to hide the exquisite design of it, making the archers stared with envy. โItโs family heirloom,โ She added awkwardly.โArchers! Prepare your arrow!โThousand of arrows were prepared, poi
It had been six months since Don departed from the fortress. The good news was he never failed to bring back victories. And the bad news? Thereโre so much things going on inside the fortress; refugees, soldiers, volunteers, travellers, even merchants, all came to them since Sierra had lifted her maze spell.Now, the fortress became really lively with crowds. Sierra could only shake her heads from the noise. โYou really hate people, huh?โ Xion chuckled as they stood at the third floor, staring at the yard.Both of them just got back from separate missions and now, they decided to rest together. Hearing the statement, Sierra couldnโt help, but smile softly, โNo, itโs not like that. This view somehow reminds me the last time Iโm here.โShe paused and her eyes wondered longingly. Xion just stared at her, savouring the beauty. โThis place used to be like this too. Buzzling with merchants, and peopleโฆ I just hope this will last; now that weโve made our location known.โXion smiled too; thes
โBring it on!!โ Gray roared as he braced himself from the destruction. Leon grinned wickedly; he was waiting for this moment of showdown. The wind was growing stronger around them and the woods around started to be plucked up by the whirls.โDamn it!โ Sierra cursed under her breath. It was getting harder to breath and open her eyes widely. โGray!! Donโt!!โ She could hear herself screaming at the kid. However, it was unclear whether the kid heard her or not.Thus, in that split second; when Leon unleashed his enhanced power, Sierra decided to call upon her own. She spread her arms wide and felt her fire brought to life. The wind still went strong, and now with the addition of big flames around.Gray sensed the power and then looked at her. Once again, Gray couldnโt help, but awe at the magnificent sight. No matter how many times he saw that big wrath of flame, he always amazed by her. Now, the snow was truly disappeared, melted down from the extreme heat.Sierra gritted her teeth; itโs
โSierra, you still look as pretty as ever,โ Leon gazed at the woman and smiled tenderly. However, it couldnโt fool her. Leon had changed. Totally. Whether the compliment was sincere or not, she didnโt want to think about that.โLeon! Come with us! Quick!โโGray, wait!โ Sierra tried to snatch his collar, but heโs already running towards his โfriendโ. Gosh, she could see the way Grayโs eyes sparkled with excitements. This fool literary forgot everything they had taught him about awareness.But who could blame the kid? Itโs been two years; not being able to see his childhood friend, with so many questions on his head about why were the reasons Leon left them that night.With only three, maybe two steps from Leon, suddenly a big wave of wind came around them and managed to knock Gray back until he hit the nearest tree. He was caught off guard; never in his life, he would imagine that Leon would hurt him with the intent to kill.โStupid kid!โ Xion cursed under his breath; with Don who pass
โWhatโs with this early meeting on snowy days?โ Keith yawned as he sat down in the meeting room. Gray rubbed his eyes tiredly, โDonโt know. Walter just sent the servants to each of us.โSierra, who wrapped in thick clothes commented too, โJudging that itโs only the four of us, I think he has special mission.โโSharp as always, Lady Sierra!โ Walter came in into the room right at the moment, while bringing a warm cup of coffee.โYou look horrible,โ Xion said to the strategist. The bags under Walterโs eyes were horribly dark and big; anyone would know that he didnโt get sleep. โYeah, itโs winter time. I have to think further to spring, you know.โโRight, now tell us whatโs with this morning arrangement?โ Sierra cut to the chase.โOkay, apparently. I just found out that a strong warrior was captured months ago by Bealaris.โ He started to explain, โHere. This town, West Land.โโWhoโs the warrior?โ Keith asked curiously; he might know one or two martial arts experts in this land.โHis name