UNDER THE ARMS OF THE UNDONE

Welcome to the Second arc !

SHADOWS OF A BRIGHTER PAST

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༺SOUTH ANGUS༻

He descended from the shrine built into the temple, with a pitcher of oil at hand. The other monks plunged to their knees tucking their gowns in respect. In front of him, three novices knelt awaiting his arrival.

He slowly walked over to them, not a single soul lifted a look, or moved for that matter. He popped open the lid of the pitcher and the confectionary fragrance of perfumed oil initiated its assault on their innocent nostrils.

"Tis by the grace and mercy of the elder brother gods that you have been granted this blessing. From now on you must live to serve their existence, and glorify their workings. From now on, the ministry acknowledges the three of you as FLAMES OF THE TEMPLE.

From now henceforth your fists will not do the bidding of chaos, they shall be weapons for the works of the elder brother gods...rise young flames. Your embers are young and colorful."

He poured an ounce of the oil into his fingertips, running it across their foreheads. The three arose to the applause of the monastery among them stood Carrs Amani.

"Come...let us walk into the shrine for your first ascent prayer." The head monk whisked them away, into the holiest of places in the temples.

༺BORDERS OF DISTRICT DARK༻

" Okay, my friend... Today is the day I finally ask her."

"You've been saying that for the last two years!!"

"I know... But today I feel it... Today is..."

"...Today is no different compared to the countless others that you said felt special."

Reene shrugged off Valmon's words. He altered his gaze from its focus on Valmon's serious expression and aimed it towards the image ahead. Dressed in a tight-fitting armor with harsh blades strapped over her back. Her trusted Nephilim sword was at hand, her right hand to be precise. Her left hand swung upwards and her fingers danced cheerily...a signal.

"She found the Vurhanil hive. Okay, Reene.. Get ready." Valmon said, tapping on his shoulder.

"Hey! Get your head out of the clouds you lovebird!!" He added on.

Reene clumsily knocked down his shield as Valmon's touch alarmed him. The shield loudly hit a rock, attracting nasty glares from the other soldiers. She looked back at him, placing her index finger over her pink lips. Reene swallowed nervously, picking his sword back up. She beckoned the others to draw near her, waving her fingers. The soldiers crawled to the top of the boulder. Looking down below they saw the gaping holes made by the burrowing vurhans. They were numerous. Spreading across the field.

"I'll draw them out... Get ready!" She said, twisting the handle of her sword. The blade split vertically into two halves and one of the parts slid over the other, edging towards the tip of the sword elongating the blade. The sword clicked and clattered and finally morphed into a spear. She hoisted it over her shoulder and took aim at the void centered on the field. She took a deep breath, tightened her grip and launched the spear towards the gape. It escaped her hand in bright flashes of blue blinding light and zipped towards the hole.

For a second or two the air around them shoved the soldiers towards the hole as it sucked it in. Light bent towards it until all the force building up imploded and burst through the other holes. Vurhans shot out from the ground and the soldiers charged towards them, coughing their lungs out as they phased through the falling debris.

It didn't take long for the soldiers to turn into an audience. They took turns slaying one vurhan or two until they turned back and watched as she effortlessly decapitated five vurhans with one blasting shot from her palms. At one point they just stood there, others placing down their weapons. She glided over the overturned soil thundering through the troops of vurhans all on her own. Her dark hair glowed blue and she left traces of burning blue embers whenever her body relocated.

A few minutes later the ground was host to over fifty dead vurhans. She wiped off stains of the gooey blood of the creatures before summoning her sword. It shot out from the ground and transformed from a slender lance back to a sword while on it's way to her grasp.

She walked back to the other soldiers.

"Anyone hurt!?"

They stared back, no one answered. She ignored their blank gazes and sheathed her sword.

"Let's head back to headquarters. The scouting brigade should have arrived with a report on the walls... Meanwhile, take some time off and do some maintenance on your equipment"

The soldiers yelled back a salute. Their revered commander had spoken. As she vanished into the trees before they started following her like ducklings Valmon turned to a shaken Reene and rested an arm over his shoulder.

"Are you still going forward with this!?"

Resilient, he swallowed hard and fastened his fists, "This time I'm not backing down Valmon... I'm going to ask Alicia out on a date!"

" Correction, you mean commander Iko, who also happens to be the dark bender, who also happens to be way out of your reach...who also..."

"Okay, would you just shut up! I'm going to do this okay?! And there is no way you are talking me out of this!"

Valmon raised his hands and waved him towards Alicia's direction, with a childish grin on his face.

༺SALS VILLAGE༻

Salron arched his back in anguish.

"Get on with it!" A sweaty man shouted at him then turned back to his oxes.

"I'm a royal crested member of the Portriese family how dare!!"

"Royal my arse! If you want to eat you better start digging harder. These seeds are not going to plant themselves you know!!"

Salron wiped off trickles of sweat running down his forehead with what was left of his once exotic scarf.

"How in the hell does Robert Townsdy get to be captain of the scouting brigade and I end up with farm duties!!! This is in no way fair!"

The grumpy farmer paused his whistling to give him a reply "Well if you had spent more time training rather than flaunting your family's fallen name maybe you would've been with him scouting the walls. But you are stuck with us now. The soldiers are on their way and they will arrive soon enough. So I suggest you get to working and finish this before lady iron heart arrives. And you of all people know what she is like when she finds things unfinished."

Salron winced before picking up his pitchfork. He adjusted his sleeves and continued scraping the ground. The searing sun didn't make it any easier.

Whatever was left of North Angus fled from the wrath of the vurhans and the undead army lead by Lazdgery Tyndale during the invasion five years ago. They settled in District Dark. Tyndale's army managed to conquer every other state from then on, every state except District Dark and South Angus. Alicia Iko, the new dark bender took charge of whatever was left of the independent states that didn't fall to Tyndale.

Five years later she was still struggling to rebuild the army to fight back the tyrant who had reigned for five years. The former Dark bender disappeared five years ago and was never heard from since. The former king also dissapeared and even though pronounced dead his body was never found.

The infamous group known as the heads have never been heard of ever since the invasion. The deity guarding the walls escaped from Slejj's body and returned to guard the walls making entry and exit into and out of the independent states impossible.

After five long years the army was back on it's feet. And Alicia was planning to reclaim the capital. And so her journey began. To rise from defeat and back on the arms of the undone

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