Eron, the last Collector, covered his ears as the earth heaved and shook as if in great agony. This explosion was too loud, even with the wards set on his ears. His wards explicitly filtered out loud sounds like explosions. He was an expert at sound-based blending. Of course, even wards couldn’t handle everything. Tapping and blending weren’t all-powerful art. The war this time was one of the worst. No one had seen it’s like for thousands of years. And the explosions that not even his wards could handle seemed to reflect the ferocity of this war. Of course, no one had fought against the dragons in known history. They were like gods to men, and in some ways, they were. But soon he would be the one to become a god. He crept forward, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible towards the frontline where the battle was most ferocious, and as he did so–he collected as much Drogen as he could, filling himself to the brim. With the amount of power he was holding right now, he could sunder a

Edwin opened the door of the smithy and went towards the room where his twin brother worked and practised his blacksmithing skills. He opened the door of his brother’s forcing room. Ignoring everything else, he did not even notice Chris who has following right behind him. The wave of heat from the forge struck him. He ignored the anvil, forges, barrels of oil, and the other solution and forging tools that were around the room. His eyes were fixed on his bastard of a father and the most valuable person in the world—his twin brother. He heard someone gasp behind him. Edwin ignored that, too. His blood was boiling. He wanted nothing more than to twist that thick neck of his father when he saw the condition his brother was in. His brother lay there sprawled, his right hand twisted at an unnatural angle. He could see the bone protruding out of his broken arm, slick with blood. He had a blunt wound on his head, and his lower lips had split open. And worst of all, there was a pool of blood

Once Chris stopped laughing, she looked at Edwin, her lips still twitched now and then, probably with laughter she was trying to control.“One good thing about being the hair of the tribe is that you can know things, learn things. The Aether tribe is real, Edwin.” “It Is?” Edwin said.“Yes, and from what I know, the Aether tribe is not the only strongest tribe on the continent. Two more tribes rival the Aether tribe in strength, though I do not know their name.”“If they are real, why don’t we know about them?” Edwin said, apprehensively. He still did not believe in the Aether tribe. “Why is it just a rumour?”“Of course, it’s just a rumour,” Chris said in an exasperated tone.“The world is too dangerous. Even though there are hundreds if not thousands of tribes out there, we only have contact with four other tribes. The other tribes are either too far or too dangerous to travel to. The rumour flies, however, during the trade with those other four tribes. However, my father quickly su

[More Than a Week Ago][Vancorg Tribe][Edwin’s and Jimmy’s Birthday][Midnight]***Jimmy was being carried strapped to a woman’s chest. Even as the woman ran from the unknown danger, she brushed his hair, all the while murmuring, “It’s going to be alright, Gav. I’ll protect you. I’ll keep you safe.”A sudden force struck them, and Gav—or was he Jimmy, felt a burning pain in his head. The world spun around him. Jimmy could feel his mind slipping away. Something… shifted. Jimmy-Gav found himself sprawled on the ground, his head throbbing, barely conscious. A woman with blonde hair and red eyes placed a red spherical stone the size of a thumbnail in his chest and backed away.There was a flash of red and a roaring sound. Jimmy fell into the world of shearing pain as if thousands of burning needles were pressing against his skin—every part of his skin. The pain kept on rising and rising and rising. The sharp burning pain seeped into his sinew, his bones, and the marrow till it ripped his

Edwin’s eyes popped open. The worried face of Chris greeted him.“Oh! Thank god you are alright,” Chris said, sighing in relief. “You are alright. Right?”Edwin just looked at her mesmerizing face before answering. “O-yeah, yeah, I’m good. I’m alright. I can dance a jig if you want proof.”Chris cryishly laughed, wiping the drop of tears from her eyes. “There is no need for that. You are a disaster when you dance.”Edwin just grinned at her. His radiant face fell when he remembered his brother dropping like a sack of potatoes after emitting a flash of red from his body.“Chris, how is Jimmy? Where is he?”Edwin looked around, frantic. He was inside a tent, lit by an oil lantern. There was no sign of Jimmy.“He is fine, Edwin. A few drops of my blood did the trick.”It was Edwin’s turn to sigh in relief.“I think..” Chris hesitated just a tad before continuing on. “I think your brother is going mad. That red light must have done something to his mind. He is seeing things, hearing them.