A Forgotten Era I

*Boom!*

The explosion was a lot smaller than any of them anticipated and it didn't even reach the crowd of people. However, a bunch of small sharp objects flew out of it when it exploded, hitting both the crowd and the soldiers who were well away from the explosion.

It almost hit Kies as well but it stopped just short of his foot but an inch. Kies kneeled down and took a close look at what it was.

A needle. It was coated in some sort of substance. The color... It couldn't be...

"Everyone-" Kies didn't get the chance to tell the soldiers and the two royal guards about the needles as a sword pierced through his stomach.

Kies slowly turned his head around and saw a familiar face snickering. "Sorry, but I can't have you telling them that. I can't have my plans ruined after all..." he smiled. It was Ayrete. As expected, he was the reason why none of them could use magic.

"You think this is enough to kill me?" Kies grabbed the sword and began to push it out of his body. It didn't hit his core so it was fine. He had gone too soft on the man the first time. He needed to teach him a lesson that he won't forget.

"Ooh... Strong, aren't you? However, I have countermeasures this time."

A surge of electricity rushed through Kies' body, paralyzing him. The magic flow of his veins stopped completely and he found himself unable to move or talk.

"Like I said, not so tough are you now? Without your magic, you're nothing." Ayrete pulled the sword out and Kies toppled onto the floor, motionless.

"And oh, I will be sure to send some other people along with you," he said, eyeing a certain person among the soldiers.

***

Black. Everything was pitch black. Kies found himself drifting around in the darkness with no destination in sight. This lasted for what felt like months until he came across something.

Admits all the emptiness was a single spark of light. Without thinking, he swam over to it and tried to grab it with his hand.

Suddenly, the world turned white. Colors flooded the room until all the darkness was driven away, and Kies was introduced to a new world. A small pond sat in front of him. Surrounding it were several black tables with black benches. The decoration didn't match the theme of the pond but Kies didn't question the tastes of the person who put it there.

This wasn't his first time here, and he was pretty sure that it wouldn't be his last either. Every single time he came here, it would be because of one reason and that was if he lost consciousness due to a fatal injury.

Kies went over to one of the benches and sat down. It was a cold day and the wind was quite strong. A couple of trees stood near the benches. None of them were more than a few meters in height. The branches were bare with few leaves on them. It made sense considering how windy it was.

Kies waited patiently for what was to happen, to happen.

"Again?" a voice finally said. Kies looked up to see a faceless person standing before him. He was wearing a black cloak, the same one that he had.

"You won't be able to fulfill your promise at this rate..." the faceless person shook his head disappointedly.

Kies didn't say anything. There was no need. He had no excuses. An opponent that could nullify magic. Ayrete might be his worst opponent but he should have been more careful nevertheless. It was his fault for not paying attention.

Kies waited for the faceless person to do his thing. After reminding Kies of what he needed to do, the faceless person would allow him to go back to his body.

That was what he thought, but this time it was a little bit different. The faceless person used his magic to bring another bench over to the table and seated himself directly in front of Kies.

"What is it?" Kies asked, curious about this strange development.

"This is the last time..." the faceless person said in a monotone voice. Since it was impossible to read his expression, Kies had to guess his mood based on verbal cues.

"Last time?" Kies repeated what the faceless man said, asking him to explain what he meant.

"This is the last time that I can help you," the faceless person said.

"...And why is that?"

"My power is not limitless. I only placed my consciousness in the fragments so that I can watch even after I'm gone. I shouldn't be interfering like this..."

Kies sat there quietly. Sitting in front of him was the Stormcaller himself, or at least, a part of his consciousness from when he was still alive. The first time that they met, he had been speechless. He didn't know what to say or ask. He wasn't sure whether or not to think of the Stormcaller as his father or as himself since he is technically a clone of him. But after meeting him some more times, Kies grew more accustomed to his presence.

"Say..." Kies closed his eyes and took a deep breath, not that it did anything. It was a habit from his time living as a human. "Is there really a point in doing all of this?" he asked the Stormcaller.

Kies was tired. This responsibility of "saving the world." He didn't want to do it anymore. All this time, he forced himself to travel the lands and collect the scattered fragments. But what for? The Stormcaller didn't tell him anything. Just what was he doing this all for?

Kies was lost. "The demons... They did nothing wrong. The humans were the aggressors. But instead of choosing the side of the right, you told me to choose the neutral ground," he said, simplifying everything that the Stormcaller had him do.

"You even took away my memories... My emotions... You told me to think logically, to look at the big picture..." he continued. "But... Why must I be the one to burden all of this?" Why wasn't it the demons and the humans? The ones who were responsible for this. Kies didn't understand it at all.

Neither Kies nor the Stormcaller said anything. Leaves fell off the trees and were swept away by the winds before they could touch the ground. Their final resting place will not be the soil here. They will be taken on a journey far away to see new lands. A reward for their hard work of keeping the trees alive.

Finally, after a long pause, the Stormcaller spoke. It was another question rather than an answer. "Why are you holding back?" he asked Kies.

"Sorry?"

"You could have easily killed that monster. You could have easily killed that man with the red scarf. You could have ignored it all and wiped out the kingdom if you wanted to... You have the power to, but you chose to not use any of it. Why is that?"

None of it was a lie. Kies kept telling himself that he had the power to wipe out the city, and it wasn't him being full of himself. He indeed could. He is the descendant of the Stormcaller, a being capable of turning entire civilizations into dust. Although he was nowhere close to the Stormcaller's full power, taking Otane off the map was as simple to him as a child destroying a bug nest.

"Why do you choose to act weak?" the Stormcaller asked again.

"I... I don't know..." Kies admitted. He didn't know if it was on purpose or not, but he always held back even when he told himself that he wouldn't.

However, the Stormcaller insisted that he did. "You do! If anyone else had the abilities that you have, they would go around and do as they please. They would proclaim themselves as a God or Goddess, but you didn't do that."

"..."

"It's because you have a sense of responsibility even though you try to deny it." The Stormcaller got up from the bench and walked to the pond. It was empty. There were no fish in it. There was no vegetation either. The pond was just there. There was no reason for it. The Stormcaller told Kies this the first time they met.

"Just like this pond, you think there's no point in what you're doing. Then just make a reason." The Stormcaller summoned the winds to pick up the water from the pond in small scoops and poured them onto the soil of the trees. Like magic, the leaves grew instantly on the trees, filling up their branches until they were no longer naked.

But Kies wasn't amused by this little magic trick. His question still stands. "So, why do you want me to do this?" Stop the war. Stop the needless killing. These were bullsh*t reasons that made no sense. Animals killed each other all the time, regardless of if it were for food, sport, or for the sake of it. Was it that much different when it came to humans and demons?

"I see that you're still not convinced. Well then, let me tell you a story. A story of the past. It's up to you to decide after hearing if you want to continue going down this path or not," the Stormcaller said. He sat back down on the same bench and began.

Kies wasn't really interested in it but he listened anyway. It wasn't like he could do anything else.

"This is a tale that has long been forgotten. The legend of a calamity capable of destroying the world."

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