The silly farmer

There are no birds, no animals, not even a trace of life in a ten miles radius around myself. They all ran away the moment my presence made itself felt. To be honest, I don't mind this feeling of solitude. When I'm in my master's presence I feel like a small bunny standing near a monstrous python. Even though master can perfectly control his presence to the point where sometimes even I forget that he is beside me, every time I take a single glance at him my heart trembles a little. But here, flying alone through the clouds, I feel like an overlord that the world has the duty to kneel and worship.

As my huge crimson frame leaves it's shadow upon the ground, the scenery starts changing. Soon there are no more mountains only small hills. A few moments latter even those hills are gone and everything becomes flat. Despite the fact that the great planes of Har'Etrin covers an huge chunk of this continent, there is no civilisation willing to live upon them.

It is said that a long time ago the Primordial Life Dragon Har'Etrin and the Ice Phoenix Shalduab el Abrah fought a fierce battle that levelled everything in their path. At the end Har'Etrin sacrificed his life to seal Shalduab el Abrah transforming in the same time the former devastated battlefield into this beautiful scenery filled with grass and flowers.

But, despite the fact that Shalduab el Abrah was sealed, he still refused to allow Har'Etrin to transform the surface of his prison into a paradise for lesser beings so he started emanating an Ice Pulse that is almost impossible to be sensed in normal circumstances but, in the same time, not even someone like my master could survive it if he were to be exposed for longer periods of time.

For each second that you spend in this place, a little amount of Ice Energy is infused into your body and when a limit is reached all that Ice Energy erupts all at once trying to steal your very own soul. As your soul is extracted from your body it is said that the pain you have to experience surpasses anything that you might encounter in ten lifetimes. After that your soul is trapped in the eternal prison created by Har'Etrin and used by Shalduab el Abrah to nourish himself.

I remember that master said that ten thousand years ago this place had over three times less Ice Energy than it has now. This shows that Shalduab el Abrah is getting stronger and stronger and maybe in another ten thousand years or so he might emerge to lay waste to this world once more.

Of course a few hours or days are not threatening but a month or more is not something to joke around with. Even for our Ancestral Dragon Clan the Great Planes of Har'Etrin are a forbidden ground where although you are allowed to enter, you are forbidden to remain over night.

Well, I could go around this God forsaken place but that would take way to long.

'Swiiiish'

With a powerful movement of my wings my speed almost doubles. Soon, the edge of Har'Etrin's Great Planes can be seen: the River of Salvation. Despite this grand name, it's nothing more than a small river that signifies the end of Shalduab el Abrah's prison.

'Hmph!?'

In the distance, on the other side of the small river, a tiny building can be seen. Based on the architecture it looks like a standard farm: small wooden frame, tilted roof and a little garden where animals and vegetables are usually kept.

Normally encountering a farm is nothing special but in this case is beyond unbelievable. In the first place let me mention that last year I also used this route and there was no farm here. This means that it has been built recently, most likely during the winter considering that a few vegetables can already be seen growing within the space created by the wooden fence. Now you have to wonder: what kind of lesser life being would decide to build a farm during the winter. It could be an Awakened but that is even less probable as, if that were to be the case, the farm would have been far bigger and not something of that size.

But the main issue is the position. Despite the fact that the River of Salvation is said to perfectly isolate Shalduab el Abrah's Ice Pulse, who is willing to risk his life by building a farm less than a hundred metres from one of the most terrifying Forbidden Grounds in the Blood Continent?

With my speed, the distance has already been halved so an even more peculiar sight appears before my eyes. On the edge of the river a small figure can be seen standing lonely while making some weird postures.

"Oh? Interesting!"

I don't know what he is doing but, from the distance at least, it looks quite fascinating. The postures are quite complex with hands waving slowly through the air while his body is moving seemingly random but with a strange cadence.

"Illusion of Myriad Fire Lotuses!"

With a thought the special technique tailor made by my master specially for me takes effect surrounding my huge frames and making my self almost invisible. A few seconds latter I am at the perfect distance to watch the strange lesser life being that now I can acknowledge as an Unawakened human making those strange postures while talking to himself.

His right hand is moving slowly in the right direction in a circular pattern while his left hand stands still pointing towards the skies. His legs are close together and his posture is firm and straight like a candle.

"Through the endless time all is forgotten

A thought may be lost

Words that never have been spoken

But what I desire the most

Is for a second to last eternal!

Time Warp"

At this point his right stopped moving right when it was on top of his left one pointing towards the skies. If I'm not mistaken this movement should represent the movements of a clock. As for those strange and extremely embarrassing lyrics, they sound like an unfinished, pathetic excuse for an incantation or technique. The truth is that, for a second, I thought that he might actually be an Awakened that is training. Or at the very least a Half-Awakened. But there is no energy upon his body and the so called technique that he performed had no effect and didn't even activate.

"Blood flows through my veins

A crimson world filled with hate and fear

…"

With a new posture, a new incantation can be heard. From what I've observed so far this young human being is most likely the insane farmer that build his farm in such a peculiar place. As for his strange actions right now, they can be easily explained by him finding or obtaining somehow an incomplete Tome. Unfortunately he doesn't have any kind of inner power or Awakened element which means that it's impossible for him to actually cultivate any of the techniques described within.

Anyway he looks like an interesting person. The Spilled Blood Auction is going to be held in seven days which means that I have more than enough time to spare. In this conditions I should approach the little human. His actions are quite silly but, in the same time, for a less than 20 years old human to make his own farm during the winter in such a dangerous place, he is definitely not your average human. At the very least he is slightly interesting.

"Thump!"

It looks like he got a little flustered as he stopped and hit the ground with his right leg.

"It looks like this doesn't work either. Away from the first one nothing worked. Well, there is one more to try I guess!"

"Huh? The first one?"

Wait… Does that mean that he actually managed to make one of those techniques work? But there is no energy that can be felt from his body. This means that he is either Unawakened or his power far exceeds mine. The second possibility is basically null which means that he should be Awakened, which he clearly is not.

"Another one?"

For a second there I thought he gave up but he is at it again. Both his arms are straight with a small gap between his palms. There is a solemn look upon his face that makes him look more like a true Awakened than a silly farmer.

"Maybe!?"

Is it really possible for this Unawakened human to have cultivated a technique? But that would be revolutionary. There aren't many Unawakened being in this world but when it comes to Half-Awakened they represent over 99.9% of the realm's population. If an mere Unawakened could cultivate a techniques, even if that certain techniques is at the lowest tier, it would still be revolutionary. It's a known rule that normal Half-Awakened can't control their power so it's basically impossible for them to cultivate any kind of ability or techniques. But this Unawakened person that shouldn't even possess any kind of power whatsoever can actually use energy to manipulate the world.

"A world within a world,

A world for all to see

Forbidden Realm of Pandora

I summon Thee!"

Following the strange incantation that sound even more pathetic than the others, a small disturbance can be seen in the air where his palms are pointing.

"No. Freaking. Way!"

My mouth is close to hit the floor and my eyes are bulging. To think that I would encounter a Unawakened that can actually use a technique, this is way to great of a shock even for someone like my royal self to bear.

Soon the disturbance turns into a vortex made out of pure energy. It can barely be seen but it's definitely there.

"This is a miracle!"

The vortex lasts for a few more seconds and the air goes back to its former state. The human drops his hands with a deadpan look on his face and with a 'thump' his back hits the ground.

Following the unbelievable scene I had the opportunity to witness even my concealment technique has been undone. At the beginning I wanted to use this technique to observe him and use my Metamorphosis Form to not scare him to much, but in my shock and disbelief my huge crimson body has already started flying towards the the little human in the distance.

"Well I should go and explore this world now. It's not like the civilisation will come to me, right?"

Despite the fact that I heard those words, I did not react whatsoever. Hey! Don't blame me. I just witnessed an impossible event!

'THUMP'

With a loud sound and a small tremble of the ground my wings stops moving and I appear next to the laying human.

"Well, look at that!"

His eyes fall upon my huge frame but there is no shock to be seen only joy. Human who the hell are you!? What are you!? I thought that at the very least you would twitch a little upon laying your eyes on my true self, but you look so happy with that foolish smile on your face. I… I should be careful. It looks like the silly farmer that I've found might not be as silly as he looks to be!