Realm Wars

Empire of Azura (Pic)

Leaders and the most powerful mortals congregated around the metal table in the large meeting hall inside the Azura Palace.

"I see that you've got punished again? Was it my granddaughter?" Drago asked, laughing. (Pic)

Lucian suppressed the urge to rub his swollen cheeks. The moment he returned, it was not warm welcomes and hugs that greeted him but the iron fist of his sickly father.

Lucian sighed. "I'm used to it."

Since a child, Lucian was protected because he was the only heir of the Azura bloodline. The Azura line will end with him if he dies since their lineage could only produce one offspring.

His father and grandfather could no longer produce children no matter what they do. It was like a curse in exchange for power.

Drago laughed, his brown sprinkled with white beard shaking, and he smacked Lucian in the back that Lucian's handsome face almost skidded against the metal table. Drago was big, enormous, so a slap from him was like being slap with a mountain.

"Ahahahaha! I told you. For your father and grandfather to lose their hold on you is to secure your heir! I don't mind if you want to marry my granddaughters."

Lucian swallowed his groan. "As I said, Cecily and I are just childhood friends, and I don't think that she and I love each other that way."

Drago wiggled his bushy brow. "How about Catarina then? She's also a beauty, that eldest granddaughter of mine."

Lucian's lips pressed in one line. Catarina, Cecily's older sister, loves women. Everybody knows that. Drago was just in a state of denial.

"Drag, stop playing cupid. It doesn't suit you," said Marga Ruk. Her voice soft and soothing and her face. .. Her face was ageless, contending with the beauties in the realms even though she was already the same age as the other legendary heroes.

(Pic)

Both Drago and Marga were Lucian's teachers, so he was close to them both and their grandchildren, Cecily and Rosa. They were the same age, so they'd get along well.

Marga leaned and nudged Lucian's shoulder. "Rosa is your childhood friend too. And the both of you are single."

Lucian groaned. This again.

"You, sneaky witch," Drago spat.

"And you're a daft ugly Orc," Marga countered.

Lucian only sighed. The only one who could insult a legendary hero and live to tell the tale where their own. He then peeked at the bulky man at the side, Poppi. He was also one of the five heroes and the biggest, made of muscles and fats. He was a quiet fellow, and Lucian didn't know what kind of person he was since he was mostly away –– probably doing HPFU stuff since he's the leader.

(Pic)

There were others too. The vice leader of the HPFU, the captain of the royal guard. Some important researchers and scholars, and nobles.

Drago and Marga continued their bickering. None dared to break them off, and everyone pretended that it was an everyday occurrence.

The two of them were the heroes who saved the mortal realm after all. If they wanted to paint the throne hall pink, no one would voice their complaint.

"I appreciate it if you two don't pressure my grandson too much."

At the rasp, resounding voice came the leader of the five heroes, Lionell Azura. Though old he might be, his aura and countenance was enough to fill the room with silent oppression.

Lionell was in his sixties, but he looked like he was still in the time of his prime. Long white hair and well-defined cheekbones carving the handsome contours of his face. He sat on the center chair and greeted everyone.

(Pic)

"I see your father is still ill, ey?" Drago inquired Lucian in a low voice.

Lucian didn't respond. His father became ill ever since he came into this world. No healers, alchemists, angels nor any being could heal him, and no one knew why he was deteriorating. This few months, his father was mostly bedridden.

Lionell's face turned serious, and the hard contours of his face twitch. "I will get straight to the point why I called you here, the backbone of our mortal realm."

He then turned to Marga and nodded.

Marga went up from her chair and went into the gigantic board displaying the Septverden map.

"As you may all know, the foreign races ran rampant in our realms have increased throughout the moons. We've investigated and done our research and found that the gaps between barriers of each realm from borders to borders created distorting forces from the opposing arrays."

(Pic)

"In turn, this distorting forces accumulated over time and cause a rift in the barriers."

Buzz

Buzz

"A rift?"

"Does that mean that the other races could enter now?!"

"What are we going to do?"

"Isn't that dangerous?"

"Is that why Dozla and Murok died because a high-rank demon entered our land?"

"Silence." At Lionell's voice, everyone clamped their mouth shut. Even their breathing stopped.

Marga chuckled. "Allow me to finish first. We've extracted the last memory of Dozla and Murok and found that those demons were just Rank-B at most. Else, Cecily would have been captured. However, they claimed that their Lord could break the barriers. That is not true. The barriers still repelled high-level beings. The proof is no higher beings have been sighted and reported."

The others breathed easy.

"Currently, there is good news and bad news to this discovery. The bad news is. .. Like everyone deducted, other races could now enter the mortal realm, undetected."

The other gasped, and Marga raised her hand before they would cause a riot.

"But be at ease," Marga said, voice soft as feathers. Her tone seemed to be laced in a spell since everyone's heart calmed down. "Though this is indeed a rift, only low ranking beings could enter, and besides that, the rift is just temporary, and it closes after it repaired itself. Usually a day or two."

Sighs of relief circulated.

Marga tapped her red-stained lips. "Unit another distortion occurred in that area that is."

"Is that means we are not entirely safe?"

Marga nodded though her face was anything but serious. "True. As of now, we have our mages repair these rifts and have the guards stationed in borders to report any anomalies."

"Can't we do something about it? To repair it permanently?" another questioned.

Marga shook her head. "As long as we placed the arrays near the barriers of the other realms, this fluctuation is unavoidable."

"Can't you do something about it?"

Marga's eyes constricted, and the others found themselves catching theirs breathes.

"Marga. .. ," Lionell warned.

Marga blinked, and a sweet smile appeared on her lips as the air went back into the room once more.

"We are doing the best we can to find a solution." Marga smiled that didn't reach her eyes. "Rest assured, we four will continue to protect humanity. If we die, there are still our predecessors."

Everyone sighed, and Lucian saw that his grandfather's face darkened. Lionell always hated the weak, and the humans had gone complacent throughout the years of peace.

But wasn't it why they fought in the first place? For peace? Lucian thought.

The vice leader of HPFU, Issin, raised his hand. "If there is a barrier rift in our realm, does it also mean that the other realms are the same?"

.. .

.. .

Marga's smile stretched.

Drago's face tensed.

Lionell was expressionless, and Lucian's mouth was gaping.

Does that mean. . .

"Yes," Marga confirmed. "The good news is, Our Rank A and below mercs can now enter the other realms."

"Rank A and below. . ." The others looked at Lucian. If compared to the mercenaries, then Lucian, Cecily, Rosa and the others could enter, undetected. Their magic and physical attack were comparable to Rank-A mercs.

Lionell stood from his seat. "This is why you are all here. This will be the most important mission that I will discuss with you."

Lionell looked everyone in the eyes before he said in all seriousness, "The Queen of Beast is dying."

Everyone gasped, and their heart thudded hard against their chest.

The Queen of Beast. .. the most powerful being in the entire realm. .. is dying?!

For the first time in many moons, Lionell smiled. A smile that sent chills to everyone's skin.

"I want you to gather the best fighter and mages and storm the beast realm. It's time for war!"

End of ARC 1

----

A/N

So my runny nose and sore throat turned into a fever T_T

I'll be taking a rest first.

ARC 2 will resume next week. Please wait for me to get better guys and continue to vote and comment.

Stay safe and happy reading :)