Lymar Village,

7.45 a.m. 18th Banem 1092.

Gloomy dark clouds hung over the quiet village. Heavy rain drenched the surviving centaurs, who were gathered at the mountaintop, staring at the frozen monster army. The beasts' presence caused a strange atmosphere to hang over the town, as they could not decide whether to celebrate their victory or prepare for war.

A brave centaur had attempted to cut down a monster earlier, but it instantly broke out of its 'trance' and defended itself. Even scarier, its cry seemed to awaken the others around it, but luckily, the centaur and his squad were able to kill it off before it completely roused its kin.

This led to the current standoff. The centaurs did not dare attack for fear of bringing about a disaster upon themselves. However, on the other end, they could not celebrate in good faith with hundreds of enemies at their doorstep.

Balasius stood at the forefront of the centaurs with the other generals, their expression as gray as the somber clouds. He hated this feeling. They had won, managed to survive, so what was this conclusion? Why were they forced with this twisted reality? Were they gods playing a practical joke on the centaur clan!?

Balasius was on the verge of letting out a loud roar, but Casetes suddenly patted his shoulder and then said as he pointed to the forests, "Hey Balasius, do you see that?"

Balasius, started, his heart quickening in fear. He prayed as he peered in the direction Casetes pointed. "Don't tell me it's more enemies. If they agitate these guys..."

"Don't think so," Casetes assured. "There's only one horse." The young general gave Balasius a snarky smirk, "You're getting old, Old Bal, you need to get your eyes checked."

"Shut it, kid. You may be a general now, but this old man can still tan your hide," chided the old general with a snort as he channeled ki into his eyes.

Casetes turned pink with embarrassment as Anatolia hid her chuckle behind her right hand. Casetes grumbled and then turned his attention to the approaching horse to hide his apparent shame.

"What!?" exclaimed Casetes, eyes shaking as he realized the horse had already reached the base of the hill. "How fast is that horse!?"

The centaur received his answer, as Drixlia charged up the mountain within seconds and arrived at the rear of the monster army.

Balasius' gaze shifted when he noticed the horse's path. "Wait! Sto—" the general started to shout, but the warning froze in his mouth when the most inexplicable thing happened.

The monsters which had remained frozen the entire time suddenly parted ways and dropped to the ground, laying their heads low in submission.

Balasius barely had time to process his shock when Drixlia suddenly arrived in front of him in a frantic gust of wind.

"Where are the shamans, Balasius-san!?" Shadow shouted, too agitated to care about courtesy. "Kashi needs their help!"

Balasius' heart skipped a beat as he stared at the daeben. He thought of the monsters' strange actions and dared to hazard a guess. "The enemy stro—"

"Taken care of," Shadow hastily interrupted. "Please Balasius-san, there's no time to waste!"

As if on cue, Kashi suddenly coughed up blood, and he began to spasm violently. Balasius' expression turned grave as he finally realized the severity of the situation. "This way!" the general shouted and galloped into the village with Drixlia in tow.

The general approached a heavily guarded, barn-like building near the village center. The soldiers on duty recognized Balasius, and after a quick word, allowed him into the building with Shadow and Drixlia.

The building's interior did not house much except for a few tables and paintings on the wall. Ten centaurs of advanced age stood around a long, rectangular table discussing the ongoing battle and its implications for their tribes.

These nine centaurs comprised of the chief and shaman of five of the six centaur villages. There were five shamans, evident by the bone staffs they held, and four chiefs. Agamios, who was still on his way back from the enemy stronghold was not present.

The council of elders looked to the entrance as Balasius walked in with Drixlia. The elders were about to greet the general when a shaman suddenly exclaimed, "Him! That boy! Bring him here now!"

Surprisingly, that shout was echoed by the other shamans who ignored Balasius and pointed at Kashi with heated gazes. The chiefs turned to look at the shamans in shock, wondering what had gotten hem so riled up.

Shadow's eyes grew frosty as he glared at the shamans. His right hand rested on the hilt of his dagger as he said, "My guild leader got sick while dealing with the source of the blight. Can you help him?"

"Help him!?" cried a shaman in disbelief. "That daeben has the blight source in him. If we just destroy him, the blight will end for good. You want us to help him?" the shaman glared at Shadow and then ordered Balasius, "Grab the daeben. He must be purged at once!"

Balasius suddenly felt a cold chill rush down his spine. He looked to his left and met the assassin's cold, unfeeling eyes. The general had no doubt that head would roll if he attempted to carry out that order.

The general had seen enough bloodshed for one night. He did not wish to see any more blood, especially when it was unnecessary. Balasius took a step forward and pleaded, "Exalted Chiefs, Great Shamans, this young man has risked life and limb for us this past day and night. He journeyed far to our villages and fought a battle that was not his own for our sakes. Even now, he has almost paid the ultimate sacrifice to ensure our continued survival. Please reconsider your choice."

A shaman shook her head. "The daeben did not assist us for free. It was a fair trade. He need us to improve his horse's bloodline, and thus saved us. We will fulfill our end of the bargain as promised, but this and that are completely different things. The blight concerns not only our people but the entire forest. We cannot jeopardize the safety of our sacred land for this man."

Shadow snorted. "Since you refuse to help, I will be on my way. You are hardly the only shamans the Maggots are acquainted with."

"You can't leave with him," another shaman interrupted. "We finally have a chance to rid the world of the blight. We will not waste it. Besides, I have heard that you Summoned do not truly die. This should not be a—"

"Do not speak lightly of death," Shadow coldly interrupted. The room's temperature suddenly plunged as the assassin enveloped the room with the thick aura of death. "You do not understand what death is. Touch him, and I will show you what it means to die."

Balasius, who stood in front of Shadow, suffered the brunt of the assassin's murderous aura. Sweat poured down his chest in droves as he pondered if this would be his last moments on the earth.

"Wait." However, at this moment, Mando Alshmeer, chief of the Lymar tribe, suddenly spoke, his voice cutting through the tension. He looked at Shadow with concern in his eyes and said, "Young man, did you happen to see what Kashi fought to get like this?"

"No," replied Shadow. "There was a large pit which had nasty aura pouring out of it. Kashi jumped into the pit and fought something in there. By the time he came out, he was like this, and the aura was gone."

Mando scratched his chin as a thought surfaced in his mind. "Can you bring him here? Let me examine him." At Shadow's resultant, suspicious gaze, the old centaur laughed and assured the assassin, "Do not worry. I do not intend your friend any harm. In fact, if my guess is correct, this could be an opportunity for both him and us."

"What!? What are you talking about!?" the shamans shouted in protest.

Mando raised his hand, prompting the shamans to lower their voices and hear his case. "Wise shamans, perhaps because of recent events, you are much more sensitive to the blight than the rest of us. That has indeed helped our people to survive in these trying times, but right now, it also almost caused a disaster we would have regretted for millennia to come."

"Speak clearly Mando," Gelarios, chief of Dora tribe reprimanded with a light chuckle. "You're not speaking to juniors here. We can do without the roundabout."

Mando chuckled as he shook his head. "Apologies. Old habits die hard." The chief took a moment to collect himself and then said, "Shamans, if you would please attempt to sense the boy's aura once again. Not just the overwhelming blight, but the other aura that is locked in fierce combat with it. Your judgment should be better than mine on the matter."

The shamans looked at each other, and then closed their eyes and reached out to the daeben in their mind's eyes. Just like before, their senses were assaulted by a heavy dose of negative, dark aura. Previously, they instantly retreated as a result of the repugnant aura, but this time, they stood their grounds and further investigated.

Whoo~

That was when they sensed it.

The shamans gaped in disbelief as a warm, breeze blew over them, clearing away the dark aura. They had never felt something so full of life, so inviting. They could feel themselves getting younger the longer they stayed in its presence. This was life in its purest form, as it was meant to be at the beginning of creation. The shamans wished they could stay within the presence of this aura for all eternity.

Dum-dum...

However, it was at this time they became aware of the presence of another aura. This aura was strong, powerful and forceful in nature. But it wasn't tyrannical. It seemed willing to live in harmony with the life energy and coexisted alongside it, but it also possessed a will of its own which would not easily be challenged.

"It can't be!" The shamas cried as they felt this aura brush past them. They could not believe their senses even after confirming it numerous times. They recognized this aura. It was the aura of their god! How could they not recognize it!?

A shaman broke out of the trance, glared at Shadow with anger and disbelief and then shouted, "What is our god doing in that man!? What did he do!?"

"God?

"He has our god?"

"What does that mean?"

"Can a hume even hold a god?"

The centaur chiefs murmured among themselves, confused by the shamans' words. They could not fathom what the shamans meant by their god being in Kashi's body. It made absolutely no sense.

"A god?" Even Shadow was stunned by that revelation. He looked at Kashi and frowned. "What the hell did you do?"

The shamans meanwhile, quickly approached Shadow and Kashi. They repeatedly assured the reluctant assassin, and then, with his permission, lifted the daeben and placed him on the table.

One of the shamans murmured a spell then placed his hand on Kashi's chest. The centaur's brows furrowed as he examined the daeben's body for further clues. Boom! The centaur coughed blood as his hand was blasted away by an unseen force.

The other shamans quickly came to his aid and grabbed his arms, holding him up for support. "What did you see?"

"A world," the shaman replied, gaze filled with awe and reverence as he stared at the daeben. Considering the urgency of the situation, the shaman looked at the chiefs and said, "We need The Spear."

The expressions of the chiefs instantly turned grave...

SPECIAL THANKS TO MY PATREON STARS:

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Warriors: Caleb Ian Melton, Ragnaf, Cullen M Brewer,

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