Ezra looked at Aurelia with pleading eyes and whispered, “Please, you can’t tell father. If he finds out, the whole house will know my secret. I can’t let that happen. I don’t want to be treated as a freak again.” Aurelia could understand her brother’s fear, but her concern about his safety proved to outweigh what was at stake for him. “I’m sorry, little brother. But this is for your own good. I trust you, but I don’t trust that parasite on your hand,” Aurelia replied. She was about to call out to their father when Marlin spoke up. “At least allow me a chance to explain. You must hear me out if you truly care for your brother,” he blurted out in desperation. Aurelia could hear Lord Sebastian’s footsteps on the wooden staircase above, but she changed her mind at the last moment and turned around. “What exactly are you? And why have you attached yourself to my brother? What do you want from him?” As Ezra raised his hand, Marlin’s curse eye dilated, and its pupil turned blood red. H
The only Spirit Tamer Relic Ezra had awakened before was the fang-shaped, ‘Lunar Howl’ pendant which had been gifted to him by Lord Sebastian on his tenth birthday. However, awakening that relic was almost instantaneous since it was an old family heirloom passed down through generations. All Ezra needed to do was wear it on his neck and vow to keep it safe. Things were quite different with the ring Ezra had just acquired since it originally belonged to a stranger and had exchanged hands several times before reaching him. Till now, Ezra had only read about awakening Spirit Tamer relics in books but had never had the opportunity of witnessing someone do it in front of him. Even Aurelia’s medallion, which was aptly named, ‘Eyeless Rose’ had been awakened before he was born. Ezra felt hesitant about entering the trial since he knew very little about this new relic and the Spectral entity trapped within it. Marlin was quick to put his finger on Ezra’s nerve. “I thought all nobles wer
Ezra gulped instinctively as he opened his mouth to breathe. The sudden drop disoriented him, causing him to splash around helplessly for the first few seconds. The freezing cold water chilled Ezra to the bone. It was as if he was swimming in a pool full of ice. His clothes were completely drenched by now, and the added weight dragged him down. Ezra looked around frantically, trying to locate the shore, but the only dry land around him were the steep rocky cliffs surrounding the lake. He knew there was no way he could climb the cliff faces without any tools, but staying in this water for too long was going to kill him for sure. To warm his body, Ezra started paddling with his legs and swimming across the lake. He went between the ragged cliffs and finally managed to find a piece of flat land. Passing between the rocky outgrowths jutting out of the lakebed, Ezra swam through the fluorescent reeds and dragged his body to the shore. Once on dry land, Ezra took off his jacket and unbu
“That does not look good,” Ezra mumbled as the Basilisk lifted its upper body off the ground and raised its head to survey its surroundings. The snake’s tail slithered and coiled behind it while it balanced its upper body above the floor. It slowly turned its head from right to left, and Ezra realized he was in deep trouble. To avoid being spotted Ezra scampered back and dived into cover behind one of the demi-human statues. Its base was just large enough to help him conceal himself from the Basilisk. Ezra had heard plenty of tales about Basilisks turning their prey into stone with one look from their coral-red eyes. But the books written by eminent hunters and Beastmasters had dispelled this myth countless times. Still, Ezra knew he had to keep his guard up at all times because even without a petrifying gaze, the Basilisk had other weapons in its arsenal. The Basilisk could use its enormous rope-like body to trap its prey within its coils and constrict them to death. And to make
The spirit of the defeated Basilisk returned to the sapphire ring lying on the ground, awakening it from its dormant state. Ezra slowly walked up the magic circle and picked up the ring. He slipped it on the middle finger of his right hand and held it up to admire its dazzling beauty. [Speckled Green Basilisk has been soul-bound.] [Spectral Companion tamed successfully.] As Ezra touched the ring with his thumb again, it teleported him back to his own world. Once Ezra was back in the basement of their mansion, Marlin’s cursed eye and mouth popped open. “I hate silencing spells!” Those were the first words that came out of Marlin’s mouth. He sounded more irritated than angry, but gradually calmed down when he noticed the ring glowing on Ezra’s finger. “Congratulations! It would appear that you have successfully completed the trial and got yourself a new pet!” Ezra did not miss the opportunity to hit back at Marlin for his previous taunts. “I suppose I am worthy after all. This
The following morning, Lord Sebastian and Ramel headed to the shrine of Ishani to seek the Goddess’ blessings for their family and help the priests make the necessary arrangements for the upcoming festivities. Meanwhile, Aurelia and Ezra decided to visit the town square to oversee the festive decorations and theatrical arrangements. Ishtara wasn’t just a time for worshipping the Goddess, but a revelrous celebration of life through joyous songs, delightful plays, and many other acrobatic and artistic performances. The fire-breathers and jugglers had started training several weeks prior and the young actors and musicians were practicing day and night to perfect their performances. Even the bards from different roadside inns and local taverns had flocked to Aranor to sing their ballads and fill their pockets with coin. Aurelia loved how their little town transformed into a lively carnival ground during the annual festival of Ishani. However, her only regret was that it would be over
Aurelia did not want to stir any panic among the residents of Aranor as it would spoil the festive spirit, but she knew they had to act quickly if they wanted to save the children. Instead of informing Lord Sebastian or seeking the help of the town guards, Aurelia chose to rely only on Ezra. “I have a feeling this might turn into a monster hunt. I’ll get the horses ready and you can go and buy some potions and supplies in the meantime,” Aurelia said to Ezra before regrouping with the villagers outside the tavern. Ezra restocked on healing and magic restoration potions and also grabbed a few grapeshot bombs from the store. As the clock struck twelve, Ezra and Aurelia mounted their horses accompanied by the villagers. Together they headed out from the east gate of Aranor and rode hard down the snaking dirt road that passed through the tribal settlements. Although traveling in a carriage would have been a lot more comfortable, Aurelia ditched the luxury in favor of stallions because
Aurelia had kept the findings a secret from the villagers so far, but now that she was ready to leave with her brother, the people flocked to her for answers. “What did you find, my Lady?” the village chief asked. “Who is responsible for the abductions?” Aurelia realized she could not hide things forever and eventually relented. “It’s not a who, it’s a what,” she replied, stopping in her tracks. The villagers looked at each other in confusion; then one of the younger men asked, “Do you mean those children were taken by beasts?” “No,” Aurelia answered with a definitive shake of her head. “They were taken by monsters…necrophages to be precise.” One of the older men in the group stepped forward, pushing through the crowd, and asked, “What are necro…phagus?” “They are carrion eaters who feed on rotting corpses,” Aurelia replied. “But…why would they steal our children then?” one of the women burst out. “Our children were all healthy and…alive.” Aurelia knew if she divulged the horri
Sir Galahar and Servius had been preparing for this day ever since they heard about the Flame Demon sighting outside Avondale. The city’s guard towers had been repaired, and the walls fortified with magic. But the threat marching toward the capital was much larger than they had anticipated.What made things worse was the appearance of the Eye of Doom over the city, which caused widespread panic among the masses. People scurried out of the Arcadium like insects, and those out on the streets rushed homeward to seek shelter within the safety of their houses.Ten squads of City Guards were immediately dispatched to man the walls, and the sirens were sounded from the garrison, spurring the snipers into action.The Mech Defenders were ordered to clear the streets and reinforce the gates while the adventurers were tasked with protecting the guild houses.Servius surveyed the undead army through the magic windows and quickly understood their strategy.“This is not a skirmish. They are going
Shocked gasps escaped from the people in the crowd as Ezra revealed who he actually was. The news of the brutal massacre in Aranor had made its way to the capital many weeks ago, and it was common knowledge that the Romanov family had been wiped out.But seeing Ezra standing there as the living proof of his bloodline subverted all past notions.This white-haired boy had once been hailed as a prodigy across Valaria, but his name had quickly faded from their memory after his tragic accident. But it seemed fate still had one last die to throw, and with the final toss, it had restored his fortunes.The only ones in the Arcadium who knew about the masked devil’s identity beforehand were Tanya and her father. Ezra had revealed his secret to them just last night, but it was a complete shocker for everyone else.Even Queen Guinevere and Princess Aleena had been completely clueless about Ezra’s identity up until now, and this unexpected revelation left him speechless.“So…the dragon still lives
The Duke’s shocking confession turned the whole narrative on its head, spreading further panic among the crowd. Not even Ezra had suspected him to be allied with the necromancers.“Is this another trick of yours?” Tanya questioned, still struggling to make sense of the whole situation. It seemed absurd that a high and mighty noble like Duke Carrington would willingly worship Zepheroth and kneel before the necromancers.But the Duke was quick to clear her confusion. “There is no trick in what I say. I do not worship any Gods, but I understand Zepheroth’s powers cannot be matched by mere mortals. We must kneel before him if we are to survive his reign,” he replied.“So you lied to all of us?” Marquis Desmond’s voice boomed from the distance as he marched into the arena, ready to confront the Duke. “We thought you wanted to protect the king and help the people of Magaravia fight this darkness.”“Fight? How can anyone fight a God?” Duke Carrington retorted in a mocking tone. “Are you even
The spectators who had once eagerly supported Ezra now seemed to regard him as the greatest enemy of the kingdom. The sudden change in their behavior shocked him.“How did they believe him so easily?” Ezra asked, unable to believe what had just happened. “Something is not right.”While it was common for the gullible commoners to be duped by the cunning words of the influential nobles, the change seemed to be too drastic this time. The same crowd that had been cheering for Ezra had suddenly changed sides, almost on a whim, and even the other nobles seemed to be siding with the Duke.Marlin was also surprised by this twist. It was as if Duke Carrington had bought their allegiance with a snap of his fingers.Queen Guinevere stood up to reason with the spectators. “Listen to me, good people of Magaravia. Your beloved Duke is lying to you. King Reginald never intended to sell you to the Lord of Decay. While I agree he may not be the bravest, he is certainly not a traitor.”The Queen though
The Spectral Phoenix let out a piercing shriek that carried its voice across the city, dispersing the gray clouds and illuminating the sky with a brilliant golden radiance.Ezra channeled his magic energy outward and boosted his flying speed, breaking away from the phoenix as it surged toward him.“I have never seen a Spectral Phoenix before. These spirits are primal manifestations of the fire element and are regarded as the most challenging ones to tame. Their flames are undying, and if you get touched by its feathers, it will burn you to ash in the blink of an eye,” Marlin cautioned.Ezra continued flying backward, keeping the phoenix in his sights. But he was so focused on the spectral bird that he forgot all about its owner.Duke Carrington took advantage of this distraction and replenished his magic power with a couple of Superior Magic Restoration Potions before warming himself with the phoenix’s Thermal Radiance ability.Finally free from the numbing effects of the frost, Duke C
Duke Carrington fired a round into the sky to celebrate his victory and turned to the crowd expecting a thunderous applause. But instead of being greeted with cheers and shouts of joy, he was met with a stern silence.“What’s wrong with you all? Are you not happy I vanquished that rookie and offered you a glimpse of my true powers?” he yelled at the top of his voice, staring at the mute spectators. “I am the Champion of Valaria, and I promise Magaravia will be safe in my care.”“So, what are we celebrating?” A voice questioned from behind, wiping the smile from Duke Carrington’s face.“Over there!”“He is alive!”The crowd went berserk with shouts and howls as they spied their favorite Gunner flying near the clouds, holding a sniper in his hand.Duke Carrington clenched his fist, digging his nails into his palms, and turned around to face his opponent.“How did you survive that?” He muttered, trying his best to restrain his rage.“I have been stabbed in the back plenty of times before
Duke Carrington’s eyes widened as he heard the accusation. He could already tell his plans had been leaked, but he could not understand how a stranger could know about his ambitions.“Who are you?” he demanded, staring daggers at Ezra. “The dragon of Aranor,” Ezra replied, staring right back.Before either could speak again, a set of stone slabs and pillars shot up from the ground, redecorating the arena with obstacles and separating the two contestants.The crowd erupted with wild cheers as the brass bell was hammered in the commentary tower, declaring the start of the round.“I don’t care who you are, but that mask is coming off today!” Duke Carrington shouted with full-throated fury, unleashing a devastating volley of Disintegration Rounds from his Rapid-Firing Six-shooter.Ezra ran across the arena, moving from cover to cover as the stone slabs in front of him were punched full of holes. “There is no point running from me. You can’t survive!”Duke Carrington reloaded his second g
The next day, Ezra put on his new attire: a fiery red coat with golden yellow stripes and two split tails. His old demonic mask was replaced with a new one sporting two large black horns and blazing red eyes. To complete the look, Ezra added a black bowtie over a clean white shirt and a pair of red trousers trimmed at the bottom, hanging taut over his jet-black boots.Although Ezra hadn’t cared much about his appearance during the other rounds, this time, he combed his hair back, put on a pair of spotless white gloves, and pinned the dragon brooch to his pocket.Holstering his single-shot flintlock on his right hip, Ezra walked up to the mirror and gazed at his reflection.Ezra still remembered staring at his trembling hands in the mirror in the Romanov Mansion. He was treated like a cripple back then and could not even shoot a target lying straight in front of him. But a lot had changed since then.Magaravia knew Ezra as the Red Devil: a formidable sharpshooter who had defeated the b
Back at the Blackwell Mansion, Ezra was busy at his workbench, trying to craft a new kind of enchanted ammunition for his sniper rifle.So far, Ezra had experimented with all the common metal ingots and alloys and even tried infusing magic crystal shards and dragon scales into them, but to no avail.Each time Ezra tried to craft a new enchanted bullet for his weapon, he would end up with something so brittle and volatile that it would disintegrate as soon as he loaded it into the sniper rifle.“The Celestial Avenger is a Legendary weapon. You cannot load such low-quality ammunition in it and expect it to work just fine,” Marlin barked once more, grinding his teeth in frustration. “I already told you that you need rare metals to craft your round. Try titanium or refined zirconium.”Ezra loaded another newly crafted round into his weapon and watched it explode with a loud bang before finally relenting.“Damn it! I don’t have any rare metals at hand!”“Then perhaps you can ask your careta