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A Song Through Time - Chapter 1
🕑 Added 2024-03-06 02:05:57 +0000 UTCTime was ruthless, yet simultaneously, it was the most merciful thing.
Although it dictated everything, it also dictated itself, making the rules it created contain itself.
Time waited for no one, not even itself.
Time was destined to change everything, especially on occasions like this one.
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In a vast mountain range with absurd terrain, jagged peaks rose to the sky, and countless beasts vaguely resembling humans relentlessly climbed upwards, not caring about the harsh environment or their feeble lives.
Outside the mountain range, the earth had dried up, the temperature rising drastically, and lava and magma always covered the ground as countless demons roamed the lands, constantly heading towards the mountain range.
A giant demon resembling a human stood on a bone throne as it tilted its head toward the peak of the mountain range. Its eyes glowed red, shadows constantly coming out of its body and causing the nearby demons to shake in fear.
At that moment, another demon slowly approached from the distance, clearly coming this way with a purpose.
The demon's skin was pure black, and its features closely resembled an average human's, except for the horns that came out of its head, and countless souls could be seen struggling to get out of it.
Approaching the demon sitting on the throne, it knelt on one leg and spoke after the demon on the throne gave it a sign.
"Your majesty, Demon King Kag'than, the seed has sprouted."
Its voice was hoarse, as if it was not used to speaking yet.
Hearing the demon's words, Demon King Kag'than smiled in satisfaction as a demonic aura much denser than before spread in the surroundings, causing all the demons to kneel from the pressure.
"Finally, this planet will be ours!"
He shouted, a hint of satisfaction appearing on his terrifying face.
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The everlasting Pinnacle, the harshest place on the planet, was the last refuge of all the living races left.
As of year 3241 of the Marinus calendar, the dragons, the magical beasts, the dwarfs, and most of the humanoid races, including humans, vampires, elves, druids, draconians, and beast-men, had perished at the hands of the demons.
The age of Dust had begun, as the actual inhabitants of this world were at death's door.
However, even in these dire circumstances, survivors were still the most robust and resilient people of each race.
They had built a castle at the top of the mountain, using whatever means they had left at their disposal.
The project had taken ten years to finish, but it was finally over.
The Bastion, the last stand of the living races of this world, was doomed to a life of solitude.
The people inside the castle walls heaved a sigh of relief as they finally had a secure way to protect themselves.
The massive walls covered even the giant pillars that people resided in.
The walls glowed in an eerie green hue, countless patterns constantly writhing through its surface. Once in a while, when the lights diminished slightly, a beam of light would come from the 12 pillars that stood as the core.
The clouds were always black in this place, and thunderstorms happened too often.
The people were malnourished, only living through grain pills and magic water.
However, they still hadn't given up hope, as their eyes were full of determination.
They had gone through the worst situation imaginable but were still determined to go on and build and defend a place they knew wouldn't hold out for long.
They were fighters, magicians, healers, and powerful aspect users.
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Inside one of the pillar-like towers, at the tower's peak, an elderly man stood inside a library, repeatedly going through countless bits of information and writing things down with a magic pen.
The appearance of this elderly man was wrinkly, but his posture was upright. Long white hair covered his head, while a long white beard covered his face. The only thing visible on his face was his elderly nose and sharp green eyes that seemed to shine with ruthlessness, while a small mischievous smile was ever present on his lips, making his face strange yet harmonious.
Suddenly, a knock was heard at the door, stopping the elderly man's concentration, as a vein bulged on his forehead.
"Come in."
He said, with evident irritation in his voice.
A young man walked in; his appearance was well-groomed, especially in this environment.
He wore a butler's suit while his head was slightly bowed. His hair was black, while his eyes were brown. He seemed innocent yet, at the same time, ruthless.
"Master, the council members have organized a meeting; they are expecting you."
Spoke the young butler with a hint of disapproval in his voice.
The elderly man stepped back from his desk, looked at the ceiling, and deeply breathed.
He sighed, releasing his anger and calming himself down.
His aura turned imposing the next moment as a chilling smile appeared on his mischievous lips.
"Well, it happened faster than I expected, but that's also good since I don't have much time. Alex, prepare my outfit, I shall head over."
Spoke the elderly man, his ruthless eyes seeming to have calculated this situation.
The young butler nodded, bringing his master's clothes over and helping him dress.
The elderly man wore a long brown leather robe with a large hood covering his long hair. A jade-green amulet hung from his neck, making him seem more mysterious.
He signaled to the young butler, heading towards another building.
They didn't use the stairs or the teleportation arrays. Instead, they directly flew from the tower's peak towards the bottom, heading towards a majestic building.
The building was round, and it was clear it was meant only for occasions like this, just from its shape and materials.
The elderly man clicked his tongue when he saw the building.
"Here we are, struggling to live and they go ahead and build a thing like this to show their authority, how stupid."
He said, disdain written all over his face.
Alex, the young butler, smiled bitterly at his master's words but didn't say anything, clearly agreeing with him.
The two entered the building, and a man wearing full plate armor waited there. He bowed to them and slowly escorted them to the central area of the building.
It was clear from how the man acted that the elderly person was important.
As soon as they entered the central area, they were greeted by a round table with twelve decorated chairs surrounding it. A few people could be seen occupying some of the seats.
A young man standing at the corner saw the elderly man's arrival and announced it to everyone in the room.
"Grand Strategist William Virtu has entered the meeting."
The elderly man, William Virtu, looked at the young man and couldn't help but sigh.
"What's the fucking point."
He said under his breath, sitting without anyone telling him to.
Although he had only whispered it, the people sitting on the chairs had heard him loud and clear; they weren't ordinary people.
William glanced at them and spoke.
"It seems only that fox Sylmare and Alvin haven't arrived. Well, I guess Alvin is probably training the soldiers and defending the wall, but for that woman not to be here, huh…"
The others couldn't help but smile bitterly but didn't say a word. After all, this geezer was ruthless with words.
Seeing that the others didn't answer him, William sighed and spoke adequately this time.
"It's been a while since we all gathered like this, Zemyrth, Xenos, Gymoris, Alexander, Jesse, Igettha, Astetri, Leonardo, and of course Orpheus."
His demeanor swiftly transformed from playful and mischievous to chillingly authoritative, akin to a wolf shedding its sheep's clothing and revealing its true nature.
The others greeted and looked at him respectfully, clearly taking him seriously.
Suddenly, a man sitting across from William spoke.
"It's truly such a shame that a talent like you was left to rot away and ended up in such a bad condition. If only you had come to the magic kingdom in your early years, with your talent and intelligence, you would have been able to rival me in power by now."
The man's voice was bright and cheery. His hair and beard were bright blue, while his appearance was that of a healthy middle-aged man with prominent features.
William scoffed and retorted back at him.
"Easy to say that now, Leonardo. Although I'm standing as one of the representatives of the last Bastion, I'm nothing compared to you lot. The only reason I'm here is due to the war contributions and my wit. Although I might be smarter than all of you, my brains are meaningless compared to the truly powerful, especially compared to an archmage like yourself. All I can do is rely on you now."
Leonardo sighed but didn't rebuke anything back. William was speaking the truth.
He was already over 250 years old, while William had only lived half of that and was already at death's door with his longevity.
The only reason William was still alive, even though he was 135 years old, was due to his fourth-stage mana heart and the potions supplied by Leonardo.
He was indeed a hidden gem that had no opportunities to shine.
"Even though you didn't awaken your aspect, If we had trained you in magic and swordsmanship when you were younger, you would have been invincible, even when compared to the heroes. We wouldn't have been in such a hopeless situation if that was the case."
This time, a stern military figure with a rugged mustache addressed the group, emanating a commanding presence. Short, jet-black hair framed his piercing red eyes and his sharp canine teeth were visible when he spoke, adding to his intimidating demeanor.
Before William could refute him, another voice chimed in.
"What the blood-sucker said is right. I can't even begin to imagine what sort of monster you would have been if you were properly trained. If we add your aspect into the mix, you could even contend against the demon king with ease."
The man was scruffy, but his eyes were bright. His skin was flawless, but at the same time dirty. His eyes were muddy, but he was able to see just fine. His appearance was unkempt, as his hair and beard were all over the place, but he exuded a sense of natural beauty.
"Gymoris! Watch your damned mouth! How many times have I told you not to call me a blood-sucker!"
The mustached man angrily reprimanded Gymoris.
"Xenos, you clearly don't understand your race… If you are not a blood-sucker then what are you? A blood drinker? A blood eater? A blood enjoyer? Hmmm??"
Gymoris retorted nonchalantly.
The others looked at this duo bickering and didn't say anything. They were still waiting for the final two to arrive anyway, this was much-needed entertainment.
At this time, two people entered the room, their auras prominent.
"Elder Sylmare Inarel and Commander Alvin Dragonlance are entering the meeting."
At this time, the young man's voice was much louder, grating everyone's ears.
"Seriously, why do I have to put up with this bullshit…"
Muttered William as he massaged his glabella with displeasure.
The two people who entered were a handsome middle-aged man and a tall, elven lady with a grumpy countenance.
The man was in his mid-fifties in appearance, even though his actual age was much higher, with short white hair and a slight stubble covering his face, while the elven woman was beautiful, as she proudly stood upright, her green eyes staring at everyone inside the room and focusing more towards William. Her actual age was uncertain.
She scoffed when she saw him and sat on her seat with apparent hostility, Alvin following her and sitting on his seat.
William didn't react to her hostility, but his mischievous smile became more expansive, and his eyes chillingly cold.
Now, all twelve were seated, ready to discuss the matter.
The first to speak was a middle-aged woman with orange and black stripes all over her skin, her eyes resembling those of tigers.
"A demonic seed has been sown and has already sprouted."
Silence ensued in the meeting as soon as she finished speaking.
All of them frowned evident anger and disappointment in their expressions.
"Which bastard is it? How dare he betray his world!"
An elderly man suddenly shouted, hitting the desk and causing fractures on its surface.
It had to be noted that this table was made with the strength of the leaders in mind, so him cracking the table meant that he had used almost all his strength in that strike.
The others remained silent, clearly agreeing with him. They couldn't care less about the cracked table.
"Jesse, calm down first. Although it's alright for you to get angry with the situation, you are a commander."
A man with scales covering his face spoke this time, his skin slightly tan from the sun, while his hair and beard were ginger, and two small horns extruded from his forehead.
"What Zemyrth said is right. Although the situation is dire, if we, the leaders get into meaningless fits of anger, then all control will be lost."
Spoke Xenos, his face somber.
"Then what do we do? How do we even find the betrayer to begin with? You all know well how hard it is to find the demonic energy once it is properly hidden, especially if the scum is a powerful person."
Spoke to Jesse, and his anger is not subsiding.
"For now, all we can do is wait. Since Astetri used her aspect to divine the appearance of a demonic seed, we can all be sure that it will happen sooner rather than later. I suspect that the betrayer is already walking among us."
This time, the one to speak was William.
His eyes were cold as he glanced at everyone in the room.
"Grand strategist, what do you recommend we do?"
A woman's voice sounded from his right, prompting the others to glance her way.
It was a beautiful lady with dark skin; her curly hair was in a bun, and two black horns extruded from her head.
"Igettha, why are you even asking that weakling for what we should do? He can't even kill a high-stage demon, much less kill a commander with his strength. He is only adept in sound magic as well. What can a fourth-stage mage that is at death's door even do in this situation!"
The one to speak this time was the tall elf, Sylmare. She was being unreasonable in this situation, acting with apparent hostility.
"What's more, if someone in here needed the demonic seed, it would be none other than that weakling, after all, he doesn't have much to live anyway!"
William smiled while all the others frowned at her words.
Silence ensued in the room again, but this time, William was the one who broke it.
"HAHAHAHAHA.."
He burst out laughing loudly, not caring about Sylmare's ashen expression or the bewilderment of the others.
"Why are you laughing, you ant? Why are we allowing this person to even be a strategist, he is a clown!"
"Sorry, sorry~ it's just so funny, I couldn't help myself."
William wiped his tears as he shook his hand, holding his laughter to speak correctly.
"What do you mean it's funny! Explain yourself, or I will make you explain yourself with force!"
Sylmare burst out in rage.
Hearing her words, he slowly stopped laughing, and his expression turned grim.
"Well, I don't have to say much. You finally spoke your true thoughts, so it only means one thing…"
William's lips arched in a horrifying smile, while his eyes turned into crescents.
Everyone felt chills running down their spines when they saw that look.
"The influence has gotten strong enough, you are losing the grip on your emotions. Well, that's to be expected, since you've slowly been transforming since ages ago."
Sylmare's expression turned green after listening to his words. She tried to rebuke anything he would say next, but the other leaders stopped her.
"I've known since long ago that you were the one that caused the death of the royal elf family, including the destruction of the world tree and the extinction of your race from this world. Sadly, I've only joined the higher echelon only recently, so I never had the chance to remove you."
"Isn't it funny that the only living elf is a leader who has only given horrible orders, that have caused us insurmountable casualties? Isn't it funny that you have tried to frame me time and time again in these ten years, despite the contributions I've brought and the countless strategies that have won us thousands of battles? But here we are, even after all the chances we have given you, you still bloomed your demonic seed…"
Just as his last words fell, a chilling black aura came from Sylmare as she launched an attack on William.
William didn't move and only smiled, his sharp eyes staring directly at her.
A flash of light shone in the room, and the next instant, Sylmares' body, which was in mid-attack, suddenly stopped. Her eyes opened wide in disbelief as her head slowly fell from her long neck, causing a fountain of blood to come out, only for it to be bundled up in a sphere.
The leaders didn't even blink at this scene as they sighed.
"Orpheus, you didn't have to kill her that fast. You know we could have gotten more information out of her if we had interrogated her. I'm sure she was in contact with the demons this time as well. All the effort we put in on getting information from her has gone down the drain."
The one who spoke was Leonard, and he used his mana to control the blood coming out of Sylmare's body.
"Trash like her shouldn't live in this world. Not only did she side with the demons, but she framed our only source of victory so far, isn't that infuriating?"
The one who answered him was a middle-aged man with short-styled black hair with white stripes, his face covered in a short beard. He wore clothes that reminded one of an adventurer, a scarf covering his neck.
"What Orpheus did is fine. It doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things. Since we finally got rid of the parasite after so long, we can finally discuss the second and main reason we organized this meeting."
Said William, bringing their attention back to the main topic.
The eyes of the leaders shone as they glanced at William as expected.
That's right. The reason they organized this gathering wasn't only for the demonic seed but another matter as well.
"Did you finally complete it?"
Said a voice full of excitement, his eyes shining with anticipation.
The voice came from an elderly man with a long gray beard and short brown hair. His brown eyes shone brightly as if he had finally seen hope in this impossible situation.
"Alexander, calm down first, and let us listen to William."
Astetri said while glancing at William with undisguised fervor.
"You say that, but I can see your eyes shining brightly, Astetri."
Said Xenos, waiting for William to speak with high expectations.
William smiled bitterly at their gazes but didn't comment. They had the right to be so excited.
"I have indeed completed the dimensional device, it just needs to be built now. All of the theory has been confirmed and the building time will take more than a week."
The leaders opened their eyes wide at his words, their eyeballs almost popping out of their sockets.
"You monster!! You fucking did it?!?!"
"I honestly don't understand why a guy like you didn't come to the magic kingdom. With this level of intellect, even reaching the Supreme Mage stage wouldn't be impossible."
"What supreme mage? With his sword talent, he would have been able to kill even the gods."
"What a guy, the world is truly blessed to have a guy like you in the catastrophe."
"Just how does it work? Did you use the void rifts, or does it work with dimensional cutting technology?"
"Who cares about how it works? We are finally able to free ourselves from this hell! I wonder what dimension we will be able to travel to. We should probably find one with low-level natives and high natural world energy."
The others discussed amongst themselves happily, finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.
William raised his hand to stop them as he placed another hand on his mouth to cough.
He coughed, blood coming out of his mouth and staining his hand.
The others glanced at this scene, and their excitement died down.
"Well, I guess, my time is nigh… I'm glad to have one last contribution to our world."
He said while grabbing the jade green amulet hanging from his neck with shaking hands.
"Alex, please bring your master to the infirmary and give him this life elixir."
Ordered Leonardo, pulling out a glass bottle seemingly out of thin air.
William shook his head at his actions and spoke.
"Don't bother yourself, Leonardo. My longevity has already been extended further than it was supposed to. This is the effect of time catching up to me. Alex, just take me to my room, I would like to spend my last moments in a comfortable environment and not that shitty infirmary that smells like disinfectant and death."
His face had turned paler and paler as if he genuinely was at death's door with just a few sentences.
He took a deep breath and extended his hand, dozens of books falling from the air, seemingly appearing from nothingness. Glancing at the pile of books, he took a book from the pile and spoke once more.
"This is the book that contains the way to construct the device and the way to use it. All the others are the functions, but also the different uses it has, such as attacking methods and many others. This is my last contribution, to humanity, to all the living races of this world, but also to myself in this life."
After doing so, he was escorted by Alex towards his living quarters.
