Kyllian looked around him, many of the Arachaes had retreated into their burrows due to the light of the flames. The queen herself had taken a step back. Taking his chance, he ran towards her as fast as he could. Finally snapping out of it, She tried sweeping him off the ground but he jumped over it. While in the air he focused harder on his right hand and clenched his jaw. " This hurts but I need to hit her hard ! ". The light from his right hand blinded her enough that she missed him again, flailings her legs in every directions. Finally he reached her and prepared for an uppercut, screaming through the pain, he punched up and connected with her head, sending her backwards to the point that her back legs were over the edge of the pit. Realising this, he followed up with a sprint aiming right at her eyes. With an impressive speed she raised her head and opened up her mouth, swallowing his whole arm.

  " LET ! ME ! GOOOOO ! "

  He intensified the flames on his hand inside her mouth which forced her to open it. Suddenly, an idea popped inside his head. " I need to be sure she is going to die and flooding the place may not get her, so I'll use this.". He began by running away from her to bait her towards the sealed tunnel. To make himself less threatening he completely put out his flames. The queen, noticing the lack of light, started rushing after him. " It worked ! ". Kyllian grabbed the explosive paste at his waist and looked behind him to be sure his timing would be right.Meanwhile, Mika had grabbed his father and moved him away from the main fight. When Kyllian reached the sealed tunnel he took a step on one of the rocks and jumped as high as he could over the queen. Unable to stop with the speed she had accumulated, she crashed into into the wall with an impact strong enough to make the whole nest shake. She was stunned by the shock which gave Kyllian enough time to come up to her head.

  " Eat this ! "

  He then threw the explosive paste in her mouth and lit his right hand on fire at the same time, the paste started to ignite as it was making its way down her throat. With his plan, Kyllian managed to hit two birds with one stone. Not only was the queen about to explode, but she had created a breach in the wall by crashing into it, and water had begun slowly pouring inside of the nest. Realising this, Kyllian ran towards Mika who was completely in shock of what he had witnessed, the captain was still inconscious beside him.

  "Yo - You are .. a mage ? "

  " I told you to keep your eyes shut! Can you walk? "

  " I-I what ? "

  " Can you walk ?! I'll carry Tsirek. "

  " Yeah I can. "

  " Then fucking walk! "

  Kyllian lifted Tsirek and began carrying him away from the queen, behind them the Arachaes queen was releasing ear piercing screeches and banging her head on every wall. Kyllian began realising that not only were the other Arachaes not attacking, some of them were beginning to fall off the walls while twisting themselves in pain " Are they all connected by an invisible link of some sort? ". His thoughts were interrupted by heavy tapping sounds coming from behind him, in a final raging attempt, the queen whose insides were now bubbling and almost ready to explode rushed towards the three survivors. Kyllian took a deep breath and gave Tsirek to Mika.

  "Here ! Take him, run away and don't turn back! I know you will find your way out. "

  " What about you ?! "

  " We don't have time ! Go ! "

  Mika took Tsirek and entered the dark tunnel, Kyllian looked at the queen with annoyance as she was still advancing, he lit up his hands and took a deep breath.

  " Can't you just die already ?! "

  He began running at full speed towards the queen. Trying to squish him, she lifted all of her front legs up. Taking advantage of it, he leaped forward and aimed straight at the part that connected her thorax to her abdomen. Thanks to his flames, his fist went straight through her skin and he could feel her insides melt and explode. With the strength of his blow, he sent her backwards to hit the sealed tunnel

  " Goodbye your majesty. "

  With a final roar, the queen exploded with enough force to dislodge the rocks holding back the water. All the Arachaes began falling all around him, some still squirming, others instantly dead. The water coming from the tunnel pushed the queen corpse and sent it back to the deepest part of the pit. Exhausted and feeling safer, Kyllian sat down to breathe as the water was flowing from the hole inside of the nest. He looked to his left and the tunnel Mika had just gone through had collapsed. His arms were killing him, his adrenaline was going down and he was feeling dizzy. " I used it too much, shit, I lost more skin I think, I'm gonna pass out. " He suddenly remembered something. " Oh, I have to find the stone. And I need to hurry.". He painfully stood up and began thinking about where he could find the saradane or how he would get out of the nest. The water flowing from the sealed tunnel was now flowing like a gentle river, " It won't hurt to try this way I guess. ". He slowly walked up to the now opened tunnel and he could see some lights at the end of it. " This can't be outside yet, so why is there light ? ". He took a step forward and stumbled on some rock, he needed to hurry out of this place before it was too late. He walked towards the strange light for what seemed an eternity. This part of the mine had not been touched by the Arachaes and the walls were made of cold stone and various ores. With one arm on the wall, Kyllian made his way through the darkness hoping that this mysterious light would be his salvation. After minutes of navigating through the dark, he emerged into a small cave and discovered the source of the light. Gemstones all around had been growing and were reflecting light coming from a hole in the ceiling, his senses were overwhelmed by the amount of colors he was seeing, his eyes focused on a blueish gem on the other side of the room. " This must be it. " . Slowly walking, almost limping, he made his way to the stone and observed it. It did fit Alyssar's description of the saradane. Up close this chunk was way bigger than it seemed, taking a deep breath, he kicked the base of the gemstone which shattered into multiple pieces. He grabbed multiple smaller pieces and put them in his pocket. He took a deep breath and focused on his senses, the smell of wet dirt, the humidity in the air and he could feel a breeze. " If there is wind, there is an exit. ". He began following the breeze he felt, hoping to soon see the sun.

  Fifteen minutes had passed and he was still walking in the dark and humid tunnels. Thirty minutes passed, then an hour. He could not tell if it was dark because there was no light or because his eyes were closing. To add to this, the tunnel was getting progressively smaller and he needed to be hunched over to maneuver through it. The pain of his still burned hand was helping him to remain conscious. Another hour passed, now he had water at waist level making it more difficult for him to move around. At this point, going forward was the only option" what if it's a dead end, what if I just die here, what if I need to go underwater ?". Tons of fears and interrogations were going through his mind, each time he wanted to stop, he would grit his teeth and think of Dag. He not have known this man for long but he couldn't let him down, he had to keep going. He ended up finding what he feared, he had to go underwater to keep going. Now was not the time to panic. He took a deep breath and submerged himself. He swam as fast as he could, hoping the end was there, he started to see light and this time he was sure it was the outside. His enthusiasm was suddenly crushed when he realised the light he could see was a ray of light piercing through stones blocking the way, he was about to run out of air and there was no way to turn back. He had to move those stones. With as much strength as he could gather, he started pulling on one of the rocks blocking the passage. Each seconds that passed were bringing him closer to his end. Pression was starting to build in his lungs, his chest felt tighter and tighter. One rock finally moved and he realised he had no more time left, he decided to squeeze himself in the tight space. He could see the outside, but he had reached his limit, despite his body still moving, water started entering through his mouth and into his lungs. His arms were still desperatly reaching forward, his vision grew darker and his consciousness began to slip out. The last thing he remembered before passing out is the sensation of the fresh air on the only hand he managed to put out of the water.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  The woman in the cold was standing on her balcony. Looking down at her eternal city.

  " All these vile, nasty and malicious creatures daring to enter my home. Why can't they simply leave me alone? I decided to spare them, yet they come here, why? What did I ever do to you humans that you despise me so much? You already took so much from me. Maybe I should ask the next maggot who makes his way in here. I've been feeling a familiar presence recently, I don't know how far it is or who it is, but it recently started to pulse with more intensity, something tells me, I'll get to meet them soon. "

  Kyllian woke up in a panicked state, he was breathing heavily and touched his face to make sure he was not dreaming.

  " I'm alive ... "

  He looked around and realised he was back at count Amor's mansion. He was only wearing leather trousers and his bandages were nowhere to be found, he looked at his hands and arms for a few seconds. " New burns, I won't be using it for a while I guess.". His arms felt sore just as each time he was using his fire. On a small table was a set of fresh clothes and some bandages for his arms. He sat on his bed and took a few seconds to stand up. His whole body was aching in pain. He took the clothes and took a few minutes to wrap his arms again. His stomach was growling so he exited his room and limped more than he walked towards the hall hoping he could find a maid to bring him something to eat. He entered the hall and stumbled upon Yordan, Tsirek and Stowe having a drink. When they saw him, all their faces lit up. Without realising, he was smiling too. Stowe was the first one to come up to him and give him a warm embrace.

  " Glad to see you back to the world of the living young man ! "

  " Was I gone for a long time ? "

  " Well, young Mika started a search party for you as soon as he was out of the cave with the captain. Luckily the maps had included the origin of the water within the mine and they hoped you had followed it and they were right. Young Mika brought you back but you remained unconscious even without the water in your lungs. You slept the whole day. "

  " Great, he'll probably boast about how I owe him and shit. "

  " A small price to pay young man, come sit with us, we were about to eat. "

  Kyllian followed Stowe to the table and gave a simple hand sign to Yordan and Tsirek, the captain of the guard had his left arm in a cast.

  " So this little shit survived. "

  " I thought you were done for old man. "

  " It takes more than a dislocated shoulder to get rid of me, I can probably still put you on your ass with only one arm. "

  " I'm too tired to prove you wrong but you're wrong. "

  Kyllian then turned to Yordan.

  " How are you doing ? "

  " Better now that I see you breathing. "

  " How is Dag ? "

  " Well, we don't know, they started the ritual as soon as Alyssar could have her hands on the saradane. They put him in a sort of cocoon, I don't really get these things but she basically said he would come out of it on his own once his body was healed. "

  " And how long is that supposed to be ? "

  " We don't know. "

  Tsirek took a sip of his wine.

  " Kyllian, Mika was also poisoned. During our escape he took on a group of fleeing Arachaes and one of them got him. So he is in treatment too but he did not have a diluted dose of poison like your friend so his treatment may take longer. "

  " I see, sorry to hear this. "

  " It's nothing, at least you saved our lives, I sent some men to do some recon around the nest, they are assured that no Arachae made it out alive. "

  " Great. "

  " But enough talk, let's eat ! "

  Three weeks had passed since the raid on the Arachae's nest. The group could not resume their travel as long as Dag was not out of the cocoon. During this period, Kyllian started to train in the art of the sword with the guards which he had bonded with under Tsirek supervision. Meanwhile, Yordan was getting to know Alyssar better and understand the intricacies of magic. Never before had he met someone that could understand him or have the same interests. It was exciting but also scary. As their friendship grew, feelings began brewing inside of him. One night, as he was reading on the necessary plants for basic healing, he heard footsteps coming towards him. He raised his head from his book and saw Alyssar looking at him. She was wearing a heavy green tunic but was walking barefooted.

  " Evening Yor. "

  " Evening Aly, do you need anything? "

  " Not really, I was just humm wondering what you were up to. "

  " Well as usual, I'm waiting to see if dag wakes up and in the meantime I just read. And you, what have you been doing today ? "

  " Oh you know, checking up on my patients, preparing different medicines, thinking.. "

  " Thinking ? "

  " What ? Are you surprised that I can think? "

  " No no no! Absolutely not, I was just wondering about what.. "

  She had a slight smirk and stretched her arms out while yawning. She began to twirl some of her hair with her finger. At this instant, Yor could only admire her, she was probably the most beautiful and the most intelligent woman he had ever had the honor to speak to. Despite her skin tone being slightly tanned, he could see her blush a little bit. She approached and sat next to him. She then rested her head on his shoulder.

  " I've been thinking about .. you. "

  " Me? Did I do something wrong ?! "

  " No absolutely not ! I was just thinking at how peculiar you are. "

  " I'm not that special, I'm just a librarian. "

  She turned around and looked him in the eyes, her face closer than ever to his.

  " And yet here you are, far away from your home, in a country you have no knowledge about, on an adventure. Not every man does this. "

  " Maybe it's not a good thing.. "

  " Maybe " Without realising, Yor had started to lean towards her " But .. sometimes, things being different and not great for a time, can lead to something greater. "

  And with that said, they exchanged a quick yet intimate kiss. During this instant, he forgot about everything he was worried about. He was not worried about never seeing his family again. He was not worried about not having a roof over his head the next day. He was not worried of possibly dying to some unknown forces. At this moment, he had a connection, he had someone who understood him probably better than he could understand himself. For a second, they stopped and kept their eyes locked onto each other. Alyssar let out a nervous laugh and leaned against him more, still new to this, Yor laughed too and gently rubbed her shoulder. She raised her head and looked at him again. Before they could kiss again, they heard someone barging into the library. They rapidly reajusted themselves and made it seem like nothing had happened. A few seconds later, a young maid came around the corner.

  " Miss Alyssar ! Miss Alyssar ! "

  " Yes, what is it Lena ? "

  " The cocoon is moving ! "

  Alyssar's eyes widened and she looked at Yordan who was as surprised as her.

  " Lena, go get mister Yordan's other friend and if he is not busy get the count. "

  " Yes maam ! "

  The maid ran out of the room and exited as fast as she entered, Aly turned towards Yordan and gently caressed his cheek.

  " We will resume what we started later, I mean .. if you hmm .. are willing to.. "

  Yordan took both of her hands in his and kissed them.

  " Nothing in the world would bring me more joy than to be connected with you like I was just a minute ago. Of course I am willing. "

  Alyssar smiled like never before and gave him a quick kiss before standing up and leading him outside of the room towards the room where they had performed the ritual.

  Kyllian was following the maid while dragging his feet.

  " This better be worth it, I was about to fall asleep. Are you sure it moved ? "

  " Yes I can assure you I saw it with my own two eyes ! "

  " Ok ok. "

  They arrived at one of the rooms only a few doors away from Alyssar's laboratory. When he entered, Kyllian observed the room in detail. The ground was marked with different symbols made with chalk, the room smelled like mud but also different flowers. At the center of the room was the cocoon in which Dag had been submerged for the past few weeks and as the maid said, it was indeed moving. The brown outer layer seemed tough while the inside was emiting a slight green and sometimes blue light. Inside of it could be seen the shape of a human being in a fetal position. Yordan and Alyssar were already in the room, waiting for their friend to come out of this shell. Kyllian approached them with his arms crossed.

  " So, I remember you saying that there could be side effects, now that were are on the verge of getting him back, what are they ? "

  " I don't know. "

  " Excuse me ? You don't know ?! "

  " I have never performed this ritual before. "

  " Let's hope it's not a strange mutation like a third eye or extra limbs. "

  The cocoon was slowly but surely getting more and more distorted, at last, after minutes of waiting, some blue liquid slowly started to pour from it as if it had been pierced. A few seconds later, they could see a hand emerge from the cocoon but as soon as he saw it, Kyllian squinted.

  " What the f .. "

  Dag emerged from the cocoon and looked at his friends.

  " Hey. Why are you looking at me like that ? "

  Yordan was shocked by what he was seeing, just like Kyllian and Alyssar were .

  " Hum ... Dag ? Is that.. is that you ? "

  " Yeah why ? "

  " You look .. different. "

  " What do you mean ? Isn't my hair longer? And why does my voice sound so high now? "

  " You may want to look in the mirror. "

  Completely naked and still covered in the blue liquid, Dag walked over to the mirror. The person he saw in there, was not the face he was used to for the last forty years. In the mirror was standing a young woman with green eyes and light brown hair. He touched his face to be sure it was him. He then turned around to look at his friends and looked down, his whole body had been transformed. With a look of panic and shaky voice he raised his head.

  " What happened to me ?! "