The Desolate Mountains (The Divine Elements Book 2) (23 page)

Avi has been wounded!

The moment Calron heard those words, a stream of rage rushed into his brain and he instantly triggered the Divine Perception technique. Even the rapidly spreading grey tint within his sight could not dispel the reddening of his eyes from sheer fury.

Through these past months, Calron had developed a close bond with the little wolf pup and the fact that she had no family in this world, like him, only made him want to cherish and protect her even more. His hope was to introduce the baby beasts and the golden jaguar to Avi, so she would never feel lonely and alone in her life again.

Avi was probably only a few months old and had not even learned to form proper words beside her own name. The more he thought of the innocent pup being hurt, the more his rage turmoiled within his heart.

Swiftly scanning the entire perimeter of the forest, Calron ignored the lightning signatures of the other beasts until he finally located Rebran and Avi, who were currently surrounded by five other figures.

Calron mentally cursed himself when he discovered that he had been initially flying towards the exact opposite direction of from where those two had headed. Immediately utilizing the new movement ability that he learned earlier today, Calron sped towards them while his golden wings emitted a bright glow.

I will destroy you.

Calron swore an oath as he thought about those five figures, and sparks of azure lightning began to slowly creep up around the edges of his eyes.

………………………….

“Orpen, will you still try to stop me?”

Xardoth asked quietly, but a seething anger could be detected within the Griffon King’s voice.

His scouts had still not found any traces of Rebran’s location and the only clue they had was that a young lion was seen buying a small inflated ball from a shopkeeper. After discreetly questioning the toy vendor, the scouts could only sigh in frustration when no further clues of their young master were found.

“I said that I’ll follow you if the young master was not back by this morning, and I stand by my word. Give the order and we shall prepare for war, your highness.”

The slender griffon stated calmly, as he knelt on one knee.

“Good. Let us march for war!”

Xardoth bellowed with a crazy bloodlust. The king had not been able to sleep the whole night, wondering whether or not his son was safe , and how he would convey this news to his wife if Rebran truly never returned.

“Wait for me, Weir… I know it was you that kidnapped my son.”

Xardoth growled, as he flapped his enormous wings and leapt into the sky.

The elite group of griffons lead by Orpen quickly followed behind their king, while the other beast troops marched steadily on the ground.

It was time for war.

………………………..

“No… No, no, NOOO!”

Calron yelled with urgency when he saw through the Divine Perception technique that some strange energy waves began to spiral around Avi. These waves emitted a deathly aura and gave off the feeling of utter darkness.

Relax, Calron. That is an ability derived from a special bloodline, so it’s probably Avi’s reflexive reaction to pain. Each of the special bloodlines that exist in this realm are all unique, and they can sometimes be triggered under extreme duress, even when one hasn’t awakened to an element yet. Calm your mind, kid, you cannot be hasty in this matter. Those are five Vajra stage experts!

Ezkael attempted to mollify his student’s rage, but it seemed to be having no affect as torrents of azure lightning kept bursting forth from his body. However, the knowledge that the dark waves of energy were actually protecting Avi appeared to have momentarily eased his mind.

With the azure lightning, Calron was more than capable of defeating the five experts. However, Ezkael’s worry was that if one of them escaped, then news of his student’s special ability will be leaked to the world.

Just make sure that you let none of them live after seeing your lightning.

The Voice sighed in resignation.

Don’t worry Teacher, I promise to give them an excruciating death.

Calron stated in a chilly tone.

So, he’s not completely useless after all…

Calron whispered to himself when he continued to watch the distant scene through the Divine Perception, and saw that Rebran had been preparing to fight back for Avi.

Feeling slightly curious, Calron gently touched the young lion’s conscious with his mind.

Shock! Then sadness, and finally, understanding.

Within those brief few seconds, Calron learnt a bit about the past of this immature lion and he finally understood why Rebran behaved like he did, as well as his deepest yearnings in life. This was the first time that Calron’s mental probing had been successful and did not result in an agonizing jolt of pain.

However, Calron quickly recollected his thoughts as, in the next few seconds, he would arrive at Avi’s location.

*SCREEEEEEEEE*

Calron let out an awe-inspiring screech when he noticed the five reptilians below and immediately charged at them from the sky. Sparks of azure lightning sinisterly darted around him, excited with the opportunity to be finally unleashed out in the open after a long time. His grey eyes gradually withdrew and were replaced by a bright azure glow.

The ball of fury within Calron re-ignited itself when he saw the pitiful face of the wolf pup and traces of tears around her tightly-shut eyes.

“You should not have done that.”

Calron’s voice reverberated in the forest, as his body started to rapidly twist until he resumed his human form whilst still mid-air.

He had not yet mastered the way of fighting as a beast, so Calron did not want to take any chances today and took on the form in which he had the most combative experience.

BOOOOOOM!

With an explosive sound, Calron landed right in front of Avi’s small curled-up body and stood there glaring at the reptilians. Shock and fear covered their faces, as the only beast who was able to transform completely into a human was one who had broken into the Heavenly stage!

If the reptilians had not been so frightened by the power of the azure lightning, then they would have realized that Calron’s core was still that of the Vajra stage.

“ruff?”

A weak voice sounded out from behind Calron, causing him to quickly glance back.

Avi had heard the first screech of the bird, but she did not believe that Calron was truly here until he had dropped down from the sky and landed next to her. Leaning forward to sniff him, the little wolf pup confirmed that the person in front of her was indeed Calron, and quickly rushed up to him and tightly hugged his leg with her tiny paws glued around it. Tears flowed down her furry cheeks, as she snuggled her head against his leg.

Seeing the always cheery and playful beast now in tears, Calron slowly bent down and petted her head while softly whispering words of comfort.

None of the reptilians dared to move while Calron was talking to Avi.

“Just sit here for a while, and I will be back after I deal with the ones who hurt you.”

Calron said gently, as he scratched the pup’s chin.

Avi looked up with misty eyes when Calron mentioned leaving, but soon a hint of anger could be seen within her purple irises when she glanced at the group of reptilians behind him. She gave a quick nod and obediently sat down on the ground while staring daggers at the male reptilian who had previously impaled her with his claws.

What they both had not realized yet, was that the wounds on Avi’s body had already vanished and not even a scar was left behind.

“Wait, we ssshal tell you what isss going on in the city and your king!”

One of the reptilians hurriedly shouted when he saw Calron standing back up and calmly walking towards them with lightning discharging from his fingertips.

“I do not care, and he is not my king.”

Calron replied with a cold smile, as he instantly dashed ahead and pierced his arm straight into the reptilian’s brain.

One second.

Calron had killed a Vajra stage expert within a single second before any of them could even react.

“GO!”

Without giving them a chance to think, Calron’s arm suddenly started to transform as golden scales swiftly shot across and covered the entire length of his limb. It was the technique that he had learned from his inherited memories, one which he had started to gain insights during his last battle with the goblin variant.

Shrapnels of broken rocks quickly rose up from the ground with flashes of azure lightning covering them, and within the blink of an eye, struck two of the remaining reptilians. One had shards of rock embedded into his eyeball , thigh and chest, while the other reptilian had multiple shards all circling around her midsection. Both had died an instant death without even having the chance to scream.

The other two reptilians stared in horror at the azure lightning and the mad human, who had single handedly killed three of their members over the span of a few seconds.

“Quickly warn the lord that there isss another Beast Emperor hiding within this ssity!”

One of the reptilian shouted frantically as he patted his cloak to retrieve a crystal.

“Too late, you are already dead.”

Calron spoke softly into the ear of the reptilian who had just shouted, as his scaly arm burst out of the figure’s chest.

“ARRRGGGHH!”

The reptilian howled a gut-wrenching cry, the crystal slipping out of his claws and his body slowly toppling onto the ground as it stained the grass with a dark black blood.

If the reptilians had known that Calron was not actually a Beast Emperor, then they would have at least attempted to run, but who would dare to run away from a Heavenly stage expert?

“If you let me live, I will swear an oath of fealty to you and tell you about our lord. She is also a Beast Emp-“

“You talk too much.”

Calron stated frostily, as he grabbed the last remaining reptilian’s skull with his scaly arm and crushed it into a pulp without letting the beast finish its sentence.

“I already said that I do not care.”

Calron muttered as he flung away the mass of flesh from his scaly arm.

If Calron had paid more attention, then maybe he would have realized the impact of what the information that the reptilian was about to reveal.

This is a mess… bury their bodies before the smell of blood attracts the other beasts.

Ezkael interjected once all the reptilians were dead and bleeding onto the ground.

I have a better idea.

Calron responded, as thick bolts of lightning spread from his scale-covered arm and charged directly towards the two closest corpses in front of him.

The smell of charred meat wafted into the air, as the azure lightning rapidly disintegrated the flesh of the corpses until not even the bones were left remaining. Calron proceeded to burn the rest of the bodies, and finally walked back to Avi.

You know, maybe we should have checked their clothes and try to find any clues of who they were. This is clearly an isolated forest, so they must have come here for a specific purpose.

Ezkael murmured within Calron’s mind.

Calron stopped momentarily when he heard his Teacher’s words.

Why do you always tell me this stuff after I’ve already done it, and can’t reverse the situation anymore.

Calron shook his head, but continued walking. Even if his Teacher had told him that before, he was not sure whether or not he would have had the patience to interrogate them. The only thing on his mind earlier was to kill them as fast as possible.

“You have nothing to say?”

Calron asked out loud while picking up Avi from the ground and tilting his head to the side.

“Y-you’re really a human?”

Rebran stuttered as he fell flat on his back.

The only race that his father hated more than dragons were the detestable humans. They were the ones who had forced the beasts to be locked up in the Desolate Mountains. Furthermore, according to his father’s words, humans liked to enslave beasts like him.

“I am a human. However, I am also a beast just like you.”

Calron explained without turning his head, as he checked Avi’s fur to locate the open wounds and treat them before they became infected.

Her wounds closed up already?

A brief expression of surprise flickered across his face when he noticed that not even a scar was left behind from the previous punctures in Avi’s skin.

Meanwhile, Avi snuggled up in Calron’s embrace and playfully licked his hand. It appeared as if she had already forgotten about the whole kidnapping ordeal upon Calron’s arrival.

“Are you a Beast Emperor then?”

Rebran inquired, as he slowly stood back on his feet.

He did not know why, but he felt like he could trust this person in front of him. The way he cared for the little wolf pup and the fury he exuded when she was hurt, all showed that he was definitely not evil. Dangerous, yes, but not evil.

“Haha, I’m not a Heavenly stage expert. Enough with these questions! Now tell me, who are you and what are you doing here?”

Although Calron did not know why the reptilians were here, he had a feeling that it had something to do with the young white lion in front of him.

“Umm, I’m Rebran?”

“Not your name, idiot. I mean where do you come from and what is your purpose in this city?”

Calron explained, as he began spreading the burnt ashes of the reptilians around so it did not pile up in one place.

“I actually come from the neighboring city, and I’m the son of a Beast King! Hehe~”

Rebran proudly gloated as he puffed up his chest.

“A king? That makes sense…”

Calron quietly muttered to himself while thinking of the images he had previously seen in Rebran’s mind.

“Whatever kid, let’s go back. I can sense a few predators starting to approach our area. You can tell me about what you were doing in this forest while we are moving.”

Calron hurriedly declared, and a hint of crimson smoke began to emit from his skin, a distinct sign of the Blood Mist Step activating.

“I was actually here with my ball, but you see, I lost it while I was flying and then you- Hey!”

Rebran abruptly let out a scream when Calron grabbed hold of his neck and effortlessly picked him up from the ground. In the next instant, Rebran saw that he was already a few yards away from his previous location.

“Ugh, can we walk? I think I’m getting sick.”

The young lion groaned, the disorientation from the Blood Mist Step churning his stomach. Meanwhile, Avi stuck out her tongue and teased Rebran as if calling him a ‘baby’.

You were like that when we first flew up in the sky, Avi…

A slight smirk escaped Calron’s lips.

“Hang on tight, and if you dare to puke all over me, then I swear I’ll feed you to the next beast I come across.”

Calron threatened, as the three figures once again disappeared in a cloud of crimson mist. The resounding pitiful cry of a beast echoed in the vicinity, and then there was only silence.

……………………………..

“Have you found out anything?”

A deep voice inquired, as he remained seated next to a lake with a fishing pole in his grasp.

“Master said to leave him alone for the moment and to focus on the city.”

Laris replied, treading towards the lake and sitting next to Weir.

“More trouble?”

She asked, seeing the distant look on her friend’s face.

“Yes… Xardoth has decided to finally make a move.”

Weir sighed, gazing down at the water. Within the clear lake, not a single trace of a fish could be seen, but Weir sat there with his fishing pole.

“Something’s not right. Even Xardoth would not declare war against us, especially after the previous incident. Unless… the situation has changed…”

Laris spoke, while gently trailing her fingers into the mesmerizing water.

“I do not know what happened, but this is worrying. It feels like someone is orchestrating these events from the shadows. By the way Laris, I forgot to mention it, but Jarken is back!”

A bright smile quickly spread on Laris’s face, as she loudly exclaimed.

“That bastard always leaves without telling us, but you have to admit, he comes back at the perfect time!”

“Do remember in the past when we three used to meet at a lake similar to this one?”

Weir asked with a grin, as he turned to face Laris.

“Haha, for years  both of you would come to the lake everyday until I finally overcame my fear of walking on land.”

Laris laughed, while smacking Weir on the shoulder.

For the first time in a while, Weir felt content. Staring at the beautiful face of his general, and hearing her sweet laugh, he thought of what life would have been like if he had never decided to become a Beast King.

“Your highness! Grave news!”

A servant frantically ran towards them, yelling at the top of his lungs.

There goes my brief period of peace…

Weir sighed, as he slowly stood up.