ElaraFiction

B5 - Chapter 35: The Mantis Stalking the Cicada

Zeke watched for a moment longer as the old man chased the remnants of the warband. The reinforcements from the other camp, now unhindered, joined him in the hunt. Frost and his people were scurrying away in a complete panic, any semblance of order gone.

Zeke turned to his people, who were breathing more easily now that the old man had disappeared from sight.

“Ready?” he asked, getting nods in return.

Zeke closed his eyes and extended his senses. Immediately, several b...

B5 - Chapter 34: A Taste of War

As the sun started to rise, Zeke’s group gathered at the village gate. Because of Frost's announcement, Ash hadn’t hired any workers for the day. The small entrance square was packed with people. A tense silence hung over the scene.

Zeke’s group stood apart from the gathering crowd, clearly not intending to join the assault. Zeke hid behind Ash and the others to avoid drawing attention, his face concealed by a cowl. Since their arrival, no one had seen his features, and he wanted...

B5 - Chapter 33: A Risky Gamble

A figure approached the mine’s entrance, cloaked by a heavy mantle and the darkness of night. A second figure followed a step behind, accompanying them silently. They stepped through the portal, closing the entrance right behind them. The moment they were alone, the first figure took off their mantle, revealing crimson hair.

Zeke scanned the long corridor, taking note of the changes that had taken place since his last visit. It had been three days since they started the renovation wo...

B5 - Chapter 32: Breaking Ground

Ash stood in front of the mine, his arms crossed and expression stern. Arrayed before him were the ten workers they had hired the day before—eight men and two women.

When choosing them, he had made sure to pick the strongest-looking ones, but there had been other criteria: He had picked the ones that looked the most desperate. This, of course, had also been according to his master’s instructions.

If he was being honest with himself, Ash wasn’t sure if this plan was going t...

B5 - Chapter 31: Renovations

Zeke stepped out of the mine and breathed in the cold mountain air. When he turned back toward the entrance, his brows furrowed.

After returning from the hunt, he had been delighted to hear that the mine owner was willing to sell. Moreover, the man had only demanded a fraction of what he had expected. However, he now knew the reason for the low price.

When Zeke thought of a mine, he pictured reinforced corridors and well-planned passages. However, what he found here was far from...

B5 - Chapter 30: A Fatal Flaw

“Now,” Zeke said, his tone becoming more businesslike. “For my plan to work, there are three things we need.” The Chimeroi also turned serious upon hearing his shift in tone.

“The first thing we need is a space to operate out of—a place to make a headquarters,” he explained.

“What are the requirements?” Ash asked.

“We don’t actually need much. It should merely be spacious. Also, it would be ideal for it to be in a secluded location. I don’t want peo...

B5 - Chapter 29: State of the Tribe

The door opened, revealing Ash, Vulcanos, and Gravitas. Their step faltered as their eyes landed on the figure waiting for them. The last time they had seen Zeke, he had appeared close to death. Now, he looked to be in peak condition, with a rosy complexion and boundless energy.

Gravitas was the first to react. “Master, are you alright?”

Zeke nodded, a cheeky grin on his face. “I told you I would be fine, didn’t I?”

Gravitas was momentarily at a loss for words. E...

B5 - Chapter 28: Frostscale Poison II

With a quiet thud, the last remnants of firewood collapsed, leaving only the embers of the once-roaring fire. Hours had passed since Zeke began his task, and the warm environment of the guest room was slowly cooling.

Zeke was still seated in the exact same spot, not having moved an inch during this entire time. However, his complexion was looking even worse than before. Previously, the poison's blueish color had been limited to his hands and arms. Now, however, his entire skin had taken...

B5 - Chapter 27: Frostscale Poison I

After Snow left, one of the guards approached. The man had received a few brief words from Uncle Fang and immediately asked them to follow him. Compared to his companions, this man seemed more laid back. It wasn’t clear if he was ranked higher or lower than the rest, but Zeke didn’t care much at the moment.

He wanted to get off the streets and take some time to deal with the poison. At this point, he was entrusting most of his body’s weight to Gravitas. Also, the fact that Akasha...

B5 - Chapter 26: Warm Welcome

Zeke's eyes followed the sound of the voice. There, he saw a handsome man with white hair and red eyes. The newcomer had a sharp, feral look, with a straight, narrow nose and piercing eyes. He seemed to be in his mid-twenties and was quite tall. Most importantly, however, he appeared fully human.

Zeke glanced sidelong at Snow. It didn’t take a genius to recognize their similar features. Their hair and eye color were almost identical, and given the fact that this man seemed to be a Pu...

B5 - Chapter 25: The Spear

Zeke's eyes narrowed. Something was flying toward them with unimaginable speed and ferocity. It moved so swiftly that even the sound of splitting air hadn't caught up. He focused his gaze, finally recognizing the object. It was an ornate spear, its black-tipped head as long as a short sword, tapering into a sleek, black metal body.

Typically, these types of weapons were used for close combat, but that didn’t seem to matter as the spear was piercing the air with the lethal force of a d...

B5 - Chapter 24: Point of no Return

When Zeke realized the group confronting them didn’t belong to Snow's tribe, his mind started to race. He immediately cast [Bloodbound Clarity] to give himself time to think. A moment later, a familiar, cold rationality washed over him as the world ground to a halt. With all physical sensations stripped away, he could ponder the only question that mattered.

Who were these people?

While they might have been an unaffiliated group, his gut told him otherwise. If that were the case...

B5 - Chapter 23: Almost Home

Zeke snapped out of his thoughts as the world around him began to change. The crisp outlines of the desk in front of him grew hazy. Startled, he looked up and saw the entire room undergoing the same transformation. Maximilian’s study blurred into a whirl of colors and shapes. As he watched this strange display, his vision gradually darkened, and all sensations faded away.

A moment later, Zeke felt uncomfortable. He scrunched his brows and sat up from his prone position on the ground. ...

B5 - Chapter 22: The Deadlands III

Zeke stared at the man, full of expectation. Was he going to learn a secret technique to increase the size of one’s Soul?

Instead of explaining directly, Sheol looked at him deeply. “How much do you know about the Soul?”

Zeke didn’t hesitate to reveal all he had learned so far. “I know that the Soul is the accumulation of past experiences, good and bad. The more meaningful the experience, the more it stimulates growth. I also realized that new experiences are essential t...

B5 - Chapter 21: The Deadlands II

Zeke found himself in a sparse forest, where the sun shone brightly, and the crisp air felt like a beautiful spring morning. The rustling leaves and the gentle breeze created a peaceful scene. However, unlike the serene atmosphere, his brows were furrowed.

He gazed down and inspected the ground beneath his feet. The grass was lush and green. He looked at the trees and found nothing wrong with them.

What was going on here?

He distinctly remembered falling asleep in the Dead...

Update

You may have noticed there was no chapter release on Friday. The reason is simple: I was completely, 100% incapacitated after finishing the last chapter. No joke. I was so ill that I spent the next couple of days in bed without getting up even once. It was the first time since I started writing that I even missed my upload on RR.

I sincerely apologize for the delay.

Now, onto the good news:

1) I'm back among the living! (Hurray!)

2) To make up for the missed chapters, ...

B5 - Chapter 20: The Deadlands I

Zeke woke with a start. His head was throbbing painfully as if it had been kicked by a mule. He gingerly sat up and opened his eyes, but when the world came into focus, he was confronted by a truly peculiar scene. He blinked several times, but the scenery remained unchanged.

What was this?

He was on an endless plain. The earth was a vast expanse of coarse black dirt, stretching as far as he could see. The sky above was equally dark, devoid of sun, moon, or stars, making it impossi...

B5 - Chapter 19: Spirit in Charge

With those words, Zeke fell into a deep, poison-induced slumber, leaving Akasha alone to ponder her Host's command. After all, "Take care of it" was a rather vague directive. Was he talking about the poison? The poisoner? The situation? What was she supposed to take care of?

Seconds passed as Akasha devised hundreds of conjectures, only to start anew each time. This approach was fruitless; her angle was wrong.

The directive was too ambiguous for her to derive a precise solution o...

B5 - Chapter 18: The Border II

Ash looked at him with a perplexed expression, slowly lowering his steak back onto the table. “What brought this on, Master?”

Zeke sighed. “I... realized that I haven’t been entirely fair to you all. What I mean is that our relationship shouldn’t be so one-sided.”

The Chimeroi shared confused glances, evidently unaware of what he was trying to say.

Zeke pondered on how best to explain his thought process. Ultimately, he decided just to be straightforward about w...

B5 - Chapter 17: The Border I

Zeke marveled as the sky gradually turned dark, then looked at the face of their benefactor looming overhead. Rhea, the Titan, had run tirelessly for the entire day without a single break. She didn’t even seem to notice their weight as she carried his group in the palm of her hand. Her stamina seemed endless.

The journey continued for another hour, but just as the sun was about to fully disappear behind the horizon, Rhea's steps slowed. She crouched low, hiding behind the treetops, an...

B5 - Chapter 16: Shadow of the Council

The final chapter of the mini-arc turned out quite a bit longer than usual. Enjoy!

***

As David navigated the narrow streets of Undercity, he was struck by an unexpected atmosphere. The residents looked... normal. Rather than appearing malnourished or miserable, most seemed quite the opposite. It was as if they were emerging from a long drought rather than enduring one.

Wherever he looked, he saw hopeful faces and busy people. If he hadn’t been told of the emba...

B5 - Chapter 15: Shadow Learns the Truth

David followed Aisha and Ravi down the main street. They were leaving behind the portal building and making their way to what seemed to be the richer districts. Curious, where were they taking him?

"Do you have any idea how surprised we were when we found out?" Ravi spoke after a moment of silence.

“Found what out?” David asked.

“…That the young man we had been dealing with was actually the patriarch of his family all along.”

David grimaced. “I apologize...

B5 - Chapter 14: Shadow In The Desert

The world twisted and turned, warped and fragmented, and all David could do was try to stay upright and endure. All his senses were useless as he traveled between dimensions in an unending journey that lasted but a single moment.

Then, suddenly, the sensations stopped. He lurched forward, grabbing onto a handrail to keep from falling over while gulping down deep breaths. The air felt hot and dry as it traveled down his throat, reminding him of dwarven smithies. However, the heat he felt...

Update - Delayed Chapter

I am struggeling a bit on the next mini-arc.
The problem is that I am not quite sure on how to split the chapters. To compensate for this, I'll most likely make this a double or triple chapter-release that will cover the entire arc. Stay tuned!

B5 - Chapter 13: Thief of Joy

This morning, Zeke woke up with a bittersweet feeling churning in his stomach. Three days had passed since his conversation with Snow, marking the promised date. Today, they would leave the treehouse and continue their journey.

On one hand, he was excited to get moving. On the other, the idea of spending the foreseeable future inside a dark, hostile jungle, constantly alert and on edge, wasn't appealing, especially after the peace he had enjoyed the past week.

Yet, all reluctance ...

B5 - Chapter 12: A New Challenge

Zeke took a deep breath, held it as long as he could, then slowly released it. He repeated this, drawing in deep breaths and exhaling gradually. Hours passed as he concentrated solely on his breathing. Over the past week, this exercise had become a standard part of his daily routine.

With each breath, Zeke felt the Mana passing through his body, perceiving the different ways it interacted with his Core. It was the first time since Maximilian’s death that he took the time to delve into...

B5 - Chapter 11: Growth Magic

Zeke's sleepy eyes opened to the sound of muffled cries and distant explosions. Just a few days ago, waking to such a scene would have been like a nightmare. Yet today, the sounds of battle only brought a slight smile to his lips. Instead of getting up, he stretched his arms and legs languidly before sinking deeper into his bed.

The mattress was made from white cloth and filled with a material he couldn’t identify. By all accounts, it should have been uncomfortable. However, contrary ...

B5 - Chapter 10: Black And White

A flash of irritation crossed Zeke’s face, but he quickly reined it in. He had already lost his composure once and couldn't afford to behave so immaturely again. Taking a deep breath, he waited for the anger to subside.

Soon enough, the ripple in his facade smoothed, and Zeke considered their entire conversation up to this point.

Cassius had called him a child—a child who knew nothing about the world—and maybe he was right. After all, Zeke was a teenage boy who had spent m...

B5 - Chapter 9: Old Hatred

Without another word, Cassius turned and walked toward the large tree in the middle of the clearing. His wife, the Titan named Rhea, smiled at the group before skipping after him.

“That went better than expected,” Khai’Zhar said.

Zeke turned to face the humanoid form of the Dragon, studying his appearance. Until now, he had been too focused on their survival to notice, but something was definitely strange with the Dragon’s form. Crimson hair, golden eyes, thin upturned eye...

B5 - Chapter 8: Cassius

Zeke licked his lips, searching for the right words. He hadn't intended to lie, but Khai'Zar's words suggested that even a simple misunderstanding could lead to a confrontation.

How strict was this rule exactly?

For example, the woman had called him a half-dragon earlier. Was it fine not to correct her, or was that already considered deception? Zeke frowned deeply. He hated to play games where he didn't even know the rules. However, judging by her excited gaze, it was already too...