Edited Chapter 8: A Shrinking Monster

Swiftly jumping off his mount and onto the violently swaying grass on the ground beneath him, he steadily walked pass the two guards situated by the gates, without uttering a word of greeting, as if he was walking pass two worthless corpses.

His companion, the large moth-like insect, strangely began to shrink in size, as its large and horrifyingly grotesque, two mile long body shrank in seconds to the size of a small mosquito. After shrinking to that tiny size, it quickly flew into the nose of the walking man in front, bypassing the guards that almost threw up at the smell coming from the tiny insect that seemed to bypass their armor and enter their noses.

Even their unique full-body armors that were extremely durable, and covered in complicated glowing markings, designed to protect the guards from all external forces, started to creak, as tiny fissures and cracks started to form all over them, as if a creepy, violent and supernatural force was trying to break them in order to harvest the lives of the guards within them.

The guards quickly had to steady themselves, otherwise the overwhelming nausea coming from their bowels would’ve forced them to vomit inside the helmets of their armor, and fall to the ground in extreme anguish.

As the tiny insect borrowed into the nose of the ugly and evil looking, dark blue garbed man, crunching sounds echo out, as if the insect was digging violently within the insides of his nose.

The man quickly disappeared into the far reaches of the city beyond the gates, taking the nauseating stench with him, as everyone slowly started to calm down from the torturous experience that they had just been through. With many suffering from what could be considered permanent mental trauma, from the horrifying stench that entered their nostrils.

With the holy hand of Hui Shi situated on her head, used to calm down the deep terror that she felt within her after looking at the insect, Elena said carefully as her fear subsided “That was a scary looking bird! It can even shrink its body. I think it’s a monster…” With the nauseating stench from the insect still a fresh, nightmarish memory in her mind.

Seeing the terrified little girl, Lain said to her, while trying to comfort her, “That thing is not a bird, Elena. It’s a terrifying insect that can only be considered a monster.”

The dashing man, with blue flames for hair also added with a frown on his handsome face, “That thing definitely doesn’t exist within our kingdom. I wonder where this monstrous creature and that cruel looking man originated from.” As he looked into the distant gate where the horrifying man disappeared into, and the blue flame-like sparks that wildly danced around his body, slowly subsided.

Edited Chapter 7: The Stench…

The stench, that was worse than that of a decaying corpse, was so grotesque, that most of the people in line had no choice but to throw up and empty their bowels on the violently swaying grass below them.

Many had no choice but to sit on the ground, as their stomachs felt an excruciating feeling of nausea. Even little Elena wasn’t spared. But due to the quick thinking of Hui Shi, who gently placed his right hand over her head again, soothing her aching stomach, she didn’t throw up like everyone else, as her aching stomach pains subsided.

Even Lain’s stomach acted up due to the smell. But due to his body’s unique constitution, he overcame that feeling of nausea easily.

Due to all the noise and disturbances, the carriage that was parked in line next to the walking group of four opened up, as a handsome man with blue flames for hair came out of the carriage. Looking towards the back of the line, his face with blue flames in replacement for where hairs should be on a normal man’s face, scrunched up in disgust, as flame sparks danced angrily around him.

Hui Shi and Lain also looked in that direction in worry, as they stood in front of Elena and Emily, as a form of protection from the violent winds.

In the direction that they looked, far in the distant horizon, you could see a creepy looking moth-like insect. Covered in eerily green and dark black fur, with a moth-like face so grotesque that it caused little Elena to dry heave immediately in deep fear, as the red feathers on Emily’s back raised in fear, panic, and defiance, it was so large that each of its four, dark green and translucent wings must’ve been at least a mile long.

Sitting on that terrifying insect creature, with two large, dark eyes that looked like they were hiding creatures of the underworld within them, that were desperately trying to escape from within every second, was a tall man, with a hardened face, with sharp ugly facial features.

The man, dressed in a dark blue shirt, shoes, and pants, looked condescendingly at the approaching crowd in the distance, as its mount moved countless miles a second, and the radiating stench coming from the creepy moth-like insect below him, grew unbearably stronger.

After coming from the horizon and flying past the long line of people and carriages within a short span of a few seconds, the moth-like insect and man came down at the gates of the city noisily, as everyone stared at them in utter disgust.

Edited Chapter 6: First Realization

Looking at the beaming little Elena, Hui Shi slowly walks up to her, then rubs her head gently while saying “Sure! I can follow you guys to little sister Elena’s home.” The gentle rub from Hui Shi, made Elena relax, as she felt a radiating energy from Hui Shi’s hand that washed away all the fatigue and stress that had built up over the past few months that she’s spent frantically trying to take care of herself, and Emily, without her father’s help.

That gentle touch made Elena realize for the first time in her life that there were truly divine beings capable of healing those in need, as she looked at him with her small yearning eyes in worship.

Seeing Elena’s relaxed visage, Emily who was carefully watching Hui Shi’s hands, hoping he doesn’t do anything uncanny, relaxes as well, as she also basks in the radiating glow coming from Hui Shi’s body, blissfully. That soft golden glow also healed her weary heart and body that just finished an arduous day and night of hunting and trekking.

Even during the few minutes that they’ve interacted, the grass below the group’s feet had already grown from the previous height of barely reaching Lain’s ankles, to being knee-high in length, as they also basked in the holy glow radiating from Hui Shi, rubbing against his body gently, as if they were caressing a loved one.

Taking his hand off her head, Hui Shi states, “Since we’re pressed for time, it’s best if we go directly to the front of the line.” as he started making his way forward, slowly. Beckoning Elena, and Emily to follow him with his hand.

Hearing this, Lain asks in concern, as he also moves with the group, “Won’t the guards get angry at our blatant breaking of the rules?”

To that question, Hui Shi laughs and balls up his fist while turning back to look at Lain with his closed eyes, as his once handsome and relaxing face took a dark twist that made him give off a presence that was more horrifying and dangerous than anything Lain had seen recently. He then said to Lain, with an evil grin on his face, “This city is my home. And here, I have quite the bit of reputation and fame that could help us get through those guards easily. And if that doesn’t work, I can always use my fists! ”

Seeing the evil visage on his face that made the gently swirling plants from before shiver in fear, Lain had no choice but to agree and continued moving forward.

But as soon as they walked a couple miles ahead of the line, they heard a loud buzzing that filled their ear drums, as if a large helicopter was about to land. Following the obnoxiously loud buzzing was also a nauseating stench that permeated the entire area.

Edited Chapter 5: An Average Person

Elena, upon hearing his beautiful, and divine voice, replied in pure satisfaction and glee, “My name is Elena! And this is my big brother, Lain! You’re so beautiful! Are you really a priest?”

Hui Shi, the priest, replied with a smile on his face that radiated such a relaxing feeling that made Lain and Elena almost feel like bowing down to him in reverence. “Of course.” He said. “I’ve been traveling for a while now, and decided to come back home to visit my parents here in this city, before I continue on with my journey of preaching the gospel of my god, Ensieth, and healing those who are in sick health with his holy grace.” he continued, as his voice bathed all of those who heard him in peaceful bliss.

“That’s awesome!” replied Elena, as she smiled and looked at his handsome facial features gleefully.

Hearing Hui Shi’s words, Lain on the other hand had a head filled with thoughts about Elena’s sleeping father, so he asked Hui Shi in desperation. “Are you really a priest that’s capable of healing? I have an issue that I have that I hope you can help me resolve.”

Looking at Lain, who was a plain looking five-foot tall young man, wearing a plain blue shirt and some khaki shorts, as well as a curved sword strapped to his belt at the waist, Hui Shi could only see the energy of an average person, with no outstanding qualities, radiating from him.

But on a closer look, Hui Shi noticed a hidden edge to Lain that made him respect his existence.

Hearing Lain’s question, he beamed and put his right arm in front of his chest in a show of solidarity and righteousness, as he responded “By the grace of god Ensieth, there is no ailment that I cannot cure. I am willing to help you resolve any issues that you may have!”

‘A righteous and holy man of this caliber will definitely be capable of helping Elena’s father heal from his current sleeping illness, if it’s not already too late.’ Lain thought, as he slowly said to Hui Shi, careful not to irritate him with his begging. “Elena here, has a father that’s been sleeping for more than a couple of days, and I believe something must be wrong with him. Is it possible for you to follow us to her home briefly in order to check out his illness? I believe something very wrong is occurring to him as of this moment.”

Listening to Lain, Hui Shi briefly stood quietly as he thought about his offer. Elena on the other hand beamed and said, “Are you two coming to my house? That’s awesome! I can’t wait to tell dad that I found two big brothers after he wakes up!”

Edited Chapter 4: A Heavenly Being!

Feeling depressed by her situation, he slowly turned around, only to also be amazed by who he saw.

Walking towards them was an almost seven-foot tall priest. Garbed in a light blue priest robe with a resting hoodie situated behind his neck, he gave off a faint golden glow from his body. With a golden, glistening halo of light situated above his bald head, each step he took caused the grasses next to his bare feet to grow a few inches taller, as they bent closer to him, as if to feel the touch of a holy god, and bask in his divine presence.

Upon closer look, Lain even saw that over a mile around him, all the grasses in the area bent slightly towards the priest’s direction, as if they were bowing down to his holy presence as well.

Looking at the perfect smile on the priest’s handsome face, even Lain felt refreshed and at ease, with a slight feeling of worship welling up from within him. The feeling of depression that had gripped his heart all morning melted away, the moment his sight fell on the holy priest that was coming towards them.

As the priest walked closer to the line, the more minute details of his presence began to come to light. Looking closer at the golden glow that shone off his body, you could see faint butterfly and moth-like etheric creatures, dancing gleefully around him, as their beautiful and colorful figures phased in and out of existence periodically.

His face looked perfectly chiseled and masculine, like a sculpture created by a divine god of beauty. His eyes, which were closed as he walked, made you feel like he could see through all things, both physical and metaphysical.

Seeing the priest up close, can only leave you feeling a deep sense of worship and reverence for his etheric and divine existence.

Elena, upon seeing the god-like priest walk towards them, immediately started waving at him frantically, beckoning him over with a wide, happy and endearing smile plastered on her face, as if she was welcoming her long-lost brother, who she missed so dearly, even though Lain could easily tell that she likely may have never met such a figure before in her life.

Even Emily, who previously looked to always be on high alert as if sensing the environment for all forms of danger, both hidden and in sight, became completely relaxed, as her sharp eyes seemed to close slightly, as she enjoyed the etheric and relaxing feeling of reverence emanating from the depths of her soul, as she gazed at the upcoming priest in the distance.

Upon walking close to Lain, and Elena, the priest laughed lightly as an angelic sound, like the most beautiful hymns sung by holy gods, escaped his mouth, “Good morning, my fellow brothers and sisters. My name is Hui Shi. How are you two doing this morning?”

Edited Chapter 3: Sleeping? Missing?

‘Hours?’ Lain thought, as he felt that something was wrong with little Elena’s choice of words. He then quickly asked in doubt, “Was your dad also sleeping for hours yesterday as well? And also, did he ever wake up?”

Hearing his questions, Elena responded after thinking for a few seconds, “No! My dad has been sleeping for a very long time. He didn’t even wake up to make me breakfast yesterday or today. I had to eat the snacks that were in the storage thing at home.”

‘Something must be wrong with her father’ Lain thought, as he quickly pieced together the clues from her words and reasoned that her father must either be dead or in a coma of sorts. But he could be wrong.

Thinking this, he asked her, “What about your mother? Is she also sleeping too?” Elena quickly responded in an angry huff, after hearing his words, “No! My mom isn’t sleeping. My dad told me that my mother left us a long time ago! And that she was a very busy hero, so she’ll come back home after she was done being a busy hero.” as her right hand reached for the back of her head to twirl her ponytail while thinking deeply, in order to make sure she said everything that came to her mind clearly.

Seeing this and hearing her response, Lain further questioned, “Have you ever met your mother?” as he was starting to believe that Elena’s mother may have been missing throughout her life.

Thinking ‘Big brother Lain is asking so many questions!’ Elena responded, “No! I have never met my mom. But my dad said she was a very beautiful and powerful hero. He even told me that big sister Emily was her pet and she loved her dearly, so I should always take good care of big sister Emily until mom gets back.”

Feeling slightly depressed after hearing her words, Lain responded to her gently and said, “I hope your mother gets back very soon. I bet she’ll be proud of how you’re taking care of Emily right now.” As he started to believe, following the hidden clues in her words, that her mother may have passed away a long time ago, but her father hasn’t been able to tell the young girl the truth yet, due to her young age.

But knowing that her father was also in a predicament, made him even more unsettled, as he thought to himself, ‘It may have been weeks since her father started his sleeping spell. I can’t believe a child this young is left to raise herself.’

Not thinking much of her current predicament, Elena beamed and said to Lain, “Look behind you big brother!” as she and her bird both fixed their gaze behind him, with her eyes gleaming of worship, deep reverence and amazement.

Edited Chapter 2: Big Sister Emily!

Looking at the little girl that was sitting on top of the back of this giant bird-like creature, bewildered, he asked her, “Are you talking to me, little girl?”

Seeing him reply, the girl immediately beamed, and responded in a huff, “Yes! But I’m not a little girl! My name is Elena! Remember that!”

Hearing this, Lain responded with a smile, saying, “Got it. My name is Lain. How can I help you?”

Elena immediately responded with, “You don’t need to help me. I just wanted to talk to you!” as her large, red feathered bird moved slightly closer to Lain, staring at him with its large dark eyes that seem to see through his being, as if to measure him up and ascertain if he’s a dangerous threat that must be dealt with mercilessly.

Its long blue antennas even roamed around Lain’s body a few times, almost touching him, before withdrawing back onto its head.

Lain, who was completely tensed throughout the experience, finally eased his mind after the antennas were withdrawn completely. He then smiled lightly and said to Elena, “So, what are you doing here? And where are your parents?”

Elena, sitting on the bird’s back, shifted comfortably as if to find a proper sitting position, before leaning forward slightly and replying with “I just came back from the forest behind us!”

Then, pointing at the bird, she continued, “Big sister Emily was hungry so we had come here in order for her to look for food for her to eat.”

Lain, finally knowing the name of her bird, responded, “So your bird’s name is Emily? What does she eat?”

Hearing this, Elena chuckled and said, “Yes! Her name is Emily, and she’s a big bird! Big birds eat big monsters! My dad always took us out every time big sister Emily became hungry, but since my dad is sleeping, I decided to do it instead! Today, Emily caught a very big monster and ate it all!”

Lain, hearing the words “big monsters” felt slightly unsettled, and asked “Shouldn’t you have waited for your dad to wake up before you came out to eat big monsters? Those big monsters sound way too dangerous for a little girl like you to be around them. Be careful in the future.”

Elena immediately shook her head in a frown and said, “I’m not afraid of big monsters, because big sister Emily is very strong. I think the monsters are afraid of her. Besides, my dad has been sleeping for hours now, and me and big sister Emily were tired of waiting for him to wake up.”

Edited Chapter 1: I Have Arrived!

At the first light of dawn, a young man was seen walking hastily from a forest. Wearing khaki shorts and a plain blue shirt, Lain, looked slightly exhausted from his long and arduous journey. After walking for another mile through the forest that’s currently barely walkable due to the low amount of light coming from the morning sun, he finally exited the foreign and slightly creepy forest and entered an open field.

The first sight that greeted him was the sky-high gray walls that greeted him far in the distance. Filled with complicated markings that seem to glitter in the early morning darkness, it illuminated its surroundings, filled with grasses. The walls stretched as far as the eyes could see, from east to west.

The next sight that greeted him were the random carriages and people who were lining up in front of the gates situated on that wall. Some carriages were at least 200 feet in length. While others were less than 40 feet long. Every carriage was unique in its own way, but with one exception. All these carriages levitated off the ground and were pulled by one or more tall, gaunt creatures of an unknown species. These creatures had four long legs, that increased their heights to over 7 feet tall. Their entire bodies were also covered in hard, and black, insect-like carapaces that glistened in a light blue shine due to the lights coming from the walls in front of them. Each creature also had curled, steel-like tails that ended with hardened spikes at their tips.

The heads of these creatures were situated on their long and thick necks, and were elongated like those of a shark. Their mouths were covered in jagged teeth, like those of a ferocious predator. With holes for ears, these creatures were a ferocious sight to see in the early mornings of the wilderness.

Seeing the carriages and people busily coming from far distances to queue up in front of the gates in a long line, Lain quickly made his way over as well.

By the time Lain arrived, he was already miles behind on the queue line. Feeling defeated, he sighed softly, and looked around one more time. As he was busily looking at the scenery of the forest behind him, and the short grasses around him that covered the area around the tall walls, he heard a voice. “Hey! What are you looking at?”

Turning around, he saw a very young girl, the next in line, sitting on top of an unknown creature, waving at him. She looked about seven years of age, and wore a ponytail with black hair on her head. She was riding a red, ferocious looking giant bird-like creature. This creature, which was about 10 feet in height, was covered in bright red feathers. Its chicken-like head had two, 12 feet long, blue colored antennas growing from the side of its two noses. These antennas waved constantly in the air, and then sometimes curled themselves next to its nose, as if constantly sensing the air for something.

Chapter 53: Global Archives

These pages allow you to browse through information that these people wish for you to learn. You can also find Global Archives pages that allow you to connect and interact with various people all over the empire in real time, as well as other miscellaneous pages that I may not be aware of.

The Global Archives section is filled without countless links, so it may be very difficult for you to browse through. So If you’re looking for a specific page to browse or specific information to learn, click on the search bar at the top of the screen. After clicking on it, you may then type or speak words that you wish to find in the Global Archives section, before clicking on the search bar again and the search bar will locate all web pages related to those words.”

Hearing his words, Lain, quickly clicked on the Global Archives menu button at the top. He then looked down at the canvas below, only to find various rows of words, cluttering up the screen.

These words however were mostly written in Gilbrazen as well, so he could only shake his head in defeat. He then clicked on the search bar. After clicking on the search bar, a small holographic screen quickly popped up in front of the search bar, that looked like a small keyboard of sorts with Svalian letters situated on it.

Lain, quickly took a moment to understand what the holographic keyboard was, then typed the words ‘How to learn Gilbrazen’ in the search bar using the keyboard, before clicking the search bar again.

After clicking the search bar, the holographic keyboard phased out of existence, as the Global Archives screen quickly changed from words written in Gilbrazen to words written in Svalian.

Svalian words in neat rows now filled the screen. Each row of words was a sentence that talked about teaching Gilbrazen. After a moment of thought, Lain clicked on one of those rows of words.

After clicking on the row of words, the screen filled with words quickly changed, as a new screen took its place. Looking at the new screen with Svalian words that said “A Beginner’s Guide To Gilbrazen” situated at the top of it, Lain couldn’t help but feel impressed.

The new screen’s background was dark green in color, and the words on the screen were all written using a unique dark blue font color. Even the font style of the words, were a bit more curved, and cursive than the font style on the previous screen that was straight and rigid in styling.

On the right side of the new screen, was a rectangular menu column, colored in dark green, with a black, thin, border around it.

Chapter 50: Stone Key

Annette, hearing his words couldn’t help but shiver in fright. “Ancient Garund Temple. It seems I may have heard of this place before, I just wasn’t aware of what it was at that time. Thanks for your warning, brother Hui Shi. I’ll stay away from its premises in the future, if I ever venture to an area close to it.” She said, as she finally realized her lack of strength. She then thought in her head, ‘Who knew this empire houses such dangerous places.’

Lain could only say, “Thank you, brother Hui Shi. I’ll try to avoid going to these untouchable zones in the future as well.” as he marveled at the mysteries of the world in his head.

Hui Shi, after waiting for a couple of minutes while the other two contemplated their own ideas in their heads, finally realized that they had no more questions to ask him, so he slowly stood up and said to them. “Brother Lain, why don’t I show you around your new home, that way you can understand how to navigate it in the future, since you may not be used to our city’s architecture.”

Seeing Hui Shi get up, Lain, and Annette followed, with Lain saying, “Thank you, brother Hui Shi. I’ve been meaning to ask you how this key works as well.”

Hearing his words, Hui Shi walked over to Lain, bypassing the standing Annette that was situated between them, and said, “This key functions as both a remote and a key. As long as you have the key on your person, you can push open the front door of the house at any time, and it’ll open without resistance.”

He then pointed at the stone key that Lain, held in his hand and said, “Push in the middle of the key, and a holographic menu will pop up in front of you.”

Lain, hearing his words quickly pushed at the center of the stone key, which concaved slightly at his touch, before a holographic screen appeared in front of him that was as wide as a 40-inch TV.

Inside the screen, was a menu with words at the top, and a blank, white canvas below it. On the menu were the words, doors, living room, kitchen, bedroom 1, and bedroom 2.

Looking at the menu that popped up, Hui Shi then said, “Click on the living room menu button at the top. It’ll display all the settings and changes that you can make within the living room.”

Hearing Hui Shi’s words, Lain quickly reached towards the living room section of the menu, accurately touching it. After Lain’s hand reached the living room section, a clicking sound echoed from the holographic screen, before the blank canvas below the menu showed a 3D version of the living room for Lain to see.

After the screen reflected the living room, Hui Shi continued, “Swiping with a finger vertically across the middle of the screen allows you to change the temperature of the room to your liking.

Chapter 48: Yearning Sweet Town Is Untouchable

As for me, I’ve never cultivated either, because most of my powers, as a priest, comes from my lord Ensieth. As for what will power I was personally born with, I am unable to truly tell, as of now, but I am also certain that I have an innate will power of sorts, that I’m currently investigating. This is truly the reason why I’m so fascinated with the historical records of the past. Maybe one day I’ll be able to answer that question for myself.

The will power of gods are too mysterious, and there are no historical records that I’ve come across that truly goes into depths on how they truly work. So I can only state for certain that I’m neither an immortal nor a celestial, but I am unsure if I’m a god, as there are many other unknown will powers aside from the previously mentioned three in this world.”

While Lain, was busy contemplating the words ‘divine massacre’, and the ancient human race that was just mentioned by Hui Shi, Annette, feeling slightly jealous by both of their answers, couldn’t help but say in shock, “Does that mean, you two were born with innate will powers, and can potentially rival gods in the future?”

Hui Shi, immediately chuckled upon hearing her words, as he replied with a dashing smile, that eased her jealous heart, “I am unable to state that my will power can rival gods, because not all gods are created equal, but I hope to find out the limits of my capabilities in the future.”

Lain, after a moment of thought also added, after hearing Hui Shi’s words. “Maybe before my teacher limited my abilities, I could maybe rival a god. But right now, I can only say I’m much weaker than some cultivated immortals. And this may never change in the future, if I can not control my powers. For my teacher is very strict in the way he teaches, and will never remove my limits, until he’s sure I no longer need it.

As for the identity of my teacher? I’m truly not certain who or what he is, but I do know that when he trained us in the past, he was capable of easily defeating all four of us siblings, even at our maximum strength, and I’m starting to believe all my siblings, must each also have innate will powers as well.”

“Yearning Sweet Town was it? That’s definitely a place I would need to avoid in the future, in order to not offend your siblings or teacher who may be able to rival gods.” Annette said, as she felt tired from the feeling of defeat that washed her soul. ‘I can’t believe there are multiple gods in this world, much fewer people that can rival gods’ she thought in slight jealousy.

Hui Shi hearing her words, could only say in empathy, “There’s probably no need to be afraid of Yearning Sweet Town, if you're not an evil demon going there to harm its residents. I’m also not surprised that such a place exist, where people at the level of gods reside.

Chapter 47: I’ve Never Cultivated

Gods are born with a will power that grants them the ability to controls the heavens, giving them the ability to supervise certain aspects of reality. An immortal is born with a will power that grants them a unique form of immortality, giving them the ability to live forever in their own unique ways.

And lastly, a celestial is born with a will power that grants their souls the ability to temporarily control a certain aspect of reality, giving them the ability to change the rules of the world, and create something out of nothing.

There are countless types of will powers in this world other than the ones that grant godhood, immortality, or a celestial soul, but humans in general are more likely to be birthed with the immortal and celestial will powers. With very few gods being born within our race.

As for my lord Ensieth, although I do not know his real race, due to it being blasphemy to record his real image, I do know he is a god that governs nature’s prosperity, and is publicly acknowledged to have the heaven’s will of nature’s prosperity. That means, wherever there’s nature, my lord will always ensure that it prospers, and wherever nature prospers, my lord will be there.”

Annette couldn’t help but murmur “I see.” after listening to Hui Shi, before she then said out loud, “It seems these will powers are more complex than I thought. And since I am cultivating a will power from a book, I should be considered a cultivated immortal, right? I guess I should stay away from true immortals in the future. Brother Hui Shi, and brother Lain, are you two cultivating will powers as well?”

Lain hearing her question, could only say, “No…I’ve never cultivated my entire life. That means I should be some sort of god, immortal or celestial from birth. My teacher was very secretive about my powers. Even now, most of my strength is restricted by my teacher, so that I can gain better control over myself in the future.”

Hui Shi, thinking back to Lain’s previous outburst that occurred due to Elder Micas emotional manipulations, couldn’t help but say after hearing Lain words, “With the power that you showed me earlier while in front of Elder Micas, I can guess that your powers may be related to your race, as I’ve read records of an ancient race of humans with similar powers like yours in the past, but I am not sure what will power you have either, or the real details about your that ancient race.

But I do know that all members of that race, including their divine beings, have an innate ability related to something called a divine massacre. An ability that makes them a terror of destruction.

Chapter 45: Celestials

Annette quickly replied, hearing Lain’s words as she smiled in understanding, “You’re fine. I grew up here in the Peaceful Shiler District as an orphan as well. Unlike you though, I had to live on the streets, until I was fortunate to be graced by a mysterious man, when I was six years old, who gave me a mysterious book that taught me how to cultivate a unique ability, that’ll turn me into an immortal.”

After talking up to here, you could see the complicated look in Annette’s eyes as she continued slowly. “Cultivating that ability, my body grew stronger, and the constant hunger for food that used to cause my small developing body to feel ill, and exhausted also slowly disappeared, until I was able to stand on my own two feet, and help the city’s law enforcement fight crimes. I also did a lot of miscellaneous jobs here and there growing up, in exchange for monetary benefits.”

Hearing her life’s story, Hui Shi, and Lain, couldn’t help but empathize, as they started to feel sorry for the orphaned Annette who could only live on the streets and fend desperately for herself.

Feeling slight depressed by the mention of her past, Annette continued, as the other two quietly listened with empathetic looks written on their faces, “Due to the difficulty of having to raise myself, I didn’t have much time to go to school like most children, and I only have basic knowledge of the kingdom, based on word of mouth.

A year ago, I applied to become a hero of the city after turning 18 years old, that way I can take on more difficult tasks that will help save the lives of our fellow citizens. I was just coming back from an investigation mission giving by the city’s law enforcement agency to one of the local towns, when I chanced upon the two of you at the gates.”

At this point, Hui Shi, after listening to Annette and Lain’s life stories, couldn’t help but feel guilt ridden by his well-educated and glorious background, as he replied in slight shame, “I’m sorry for the both of you. May lord Ensieth ensure that the past doesn’t repeat itself. I wish your missing parents great health, so they can one day unite with the both of you.”

Annette quickly nodded at his words, while Lain smiled slightly as he reminisced his own past in his head.

Hui Shi, after a moment of somber silence, couldn’t help but say, “Since you two are not well versed about the knowledge of celestials, let me fill you in.”

He then stretched his neck a bit on the chair, before relaxing back again on it and continuing, “This world has many divine beings. These beings from birth wield powers that can manipulate the world to do their bidding. Some of these beings are called gods, with the power to create worlds, and control the rules of reality, while others are called immortals who can live for eternity and celestials whose souls have the ability to force the world around them to do their bidding.”

Chapter 43: Groundworth’s Mystery

From a few of the hidden records that I read in the past, I learned that the Groundworth family was a noble family that was already at its end, with only less than 40 members of the family still alive. But that changed after the birth of Micas, whose talent in their family’s secret arts helped him gain a foot hold in the kingdom and become a proud general of the kingdom’s army.

After becoming a general, he then used the lands and money awarded to him for his services to invest in all types of businesses across his home city, Yearning Trust. After that, his family members who could barely make ends meet, slowly began to thrive, as they finally became wealthy and married with confidence that their children will not starve to death in the future.

Due to Micas’ ingenuity and business acumen, most of the newer sects and businesses that were created within the past 300,000 years, within Yearning Trust City all have connections to the Groundworth family, and can be said to be primarily owned by them monetarily.

But although Micas was a proud general in the army, I am still unable to determine his true strength even though his acts of bravery have been well documented in the past, due to the army’s privacy clauses, as well as the years that have passed since he did anything remarkable.

Our kingdom also rarely has strifes that require nobles who usually control our cities to act personally, so the abilities of Micas, as well as the entire Groundworth family, like those of most nobles are generally unknown. But the powers of nobles are publicly recognized as the strongest in the kingdom, aside from certain sects, and the military of the kingdom.

I believe the Groundworth family definitely isn’t a weak family, although It has had a rocky past.”

Lain, upon hearing this, couldn’t help but think back to when Micas first appeared before them, earlier. During that period of time, he felt slight driven to attack him due to feeling an extremely discomforting pressure. But now that he was thinking about it, he finally realized that maybe his actions weren’t under his control at that period of time.

So he couldn’t help but ask Hui Shi, based on his suspicions, saying, “Does Elder Micas possibly have the ability to affect our behaviors or control our emotions? Because earlier when I met him, I felt a strong urge to assault him, even though I usually would never assault an elderly man unwarranted.”

Annette hearing Lain, immediately shivered because she also felt slightly pressured to attack when she met Elder Trent as well. She then responded with a question of her own, “I also felt the same way earlier as well. Do you mean to say that Elder Micas was somehow trying to force us to attack, using powers we were unable to defend ourselves against?”

Chapter 42: The Shiler Family’s Illusions

Annette, also had a look of understanding on her face, as she thought in her head, ‘No wonder the grasses when cut, always grew back to the same length within 30 minutes in the past. This district has always been very secretive about the environment, with no one teaching us anything about it.”

Looking at Annette, and Lain, Hui Shi couldn’t help but ask, “I bet you’re wondering, if this was an illusion, how come when you cut a blade of grass or when you pluck a fruit from the trees in the district, you can still eat and cook with them? Well, it’s because as long as your mind believes what you’re experiencing is not an illusion, then everything around you will function as if it is real. That is the power of an array.

A powerful illusion array has the power to convince your mind that everything you see and feel inside of it is real. If I were to tell you that the elder Trent and Micas that we met earlier weren’t their real selves, would you believe it?

The truth is, even I do not know if the two elders that we saw earlier were their real selves. Lastly, you may not believe this, but if you were to die inside an array’s illusion, by the illusionary mechanisms of that array, you will likely suffer real death.

Powerful spells that create illusions, also have the same permanent death effect as arrays. The illusions created by the Shiler family can be used not only to deceive people, but to also harm them as well, when needed.”

Annette hearing his warning couldn’t help but ask in doubt, “So you’re telling me that this entire district can be weaponized by the Shiler family at any point in time to harm enemies that enter it? Forgive me for my lack of knowledge. The Shiler family have always been mysterious and hidden from the public’s eye, since I was born.”

Hui Shi, quickly nodded to her question, as he said “Yes. But this kingdom is usually very peaceful, even here in its outskirts, where we’re closer to our neighboring empire. That’s why the array that encloses the entire district has never been used to harm others before, but theoretically it is possible to use it as a weapon.”

Lain, understanding Hui Shi’s words and realizing the powers of arrays and the Shiler family couldn’t help but question. “So what about the Groundworth family? Are they just as mysterious as the Shiler family?”

“The Groundworth family was once a noble family on the decline about 400,000 years ago, until the birth of Micas Groundworth, from the historic records that I’ve read on my free time. You see, I love acquiring old books, and archives from the past as I try to understand certain things about my mother’s family history.

Chapter 41: Array

Elder Trent, after founding the Peaceful Shiler District billions of years ago, has been known to wander around the city, and has barely done anything notable since the foundation of the district. His family is also known for creating illusionary arrays, and own countless businesses all over the kingdom, that were built around the creation of these types of arrays.”

Hui Shi, couldn’t help but catch his breath, after speaking for so long. He then looked at the two, as if in understanding, before asking. “I guess, you may not know what an array is, right?”

Lain quickly answered in slight awkwardness, “You’re correct. I’ve never came across an array before.” Annette also chimed in as she blushed in shame, “I also may need a better understanding of these things called arrays.”

Hearing their answers, Hui Shi nodded with a dashing smile, then answered them gently, “An Array, just like runes, is a type of formation. Any time energy is constructed in a certain manner in order to create a magical effect, that construction is called a formation. Arrays are formations that are created using special items that are rich in energy.

Unlike a rune that is created strictly by using the blood of creatures, an array is created using items like rocks, trees, instruments, and even animals, and other lifeforms.

The noble Shiler family, are not only powerful celestials that use spells to create illusions, they are also well versed in the use of items to create arrays that have illusionary effects.

For example, our Peaceful Shiler District is actually situated on one giant array. The trees, creatures, and grasses that we see around us, does not technically exist. Neither does the sky above us nor the earth below us. The only thing that exists within this giant district, are the people, buildings, and certain pets and creatures that the citizens of the city have allowed into the district.

Billions of years ago, the trees and grasses of the district were 2000 feet in height. Billions of years later, the trees and grasses of the district are still the same height, and in the exact same location as they were billions of years ago, with the exception of places that have been excavated by its citizens to build roads, houses, and other infrastructures.”

Hearing his words, Lain finally came to an understanding as to why the forest of grasses all looked identical in height. He then sighed in wonder, and respect for such power. For he wasn’t even aware that he was in an illusion. The air within the district was still as fresh as those outside the city gates. The sounds of the various animals, echoing within the forests of grasses, were also just as real and intriguing as those of a real forest.

Chapter 19: Masculine Energy

The drowsy Elena, looking at the smiling Annette, could only see a human shaped creature with ripped muscles, exuding the strongest masculine energy she’s ever seen in her entire life. Annette’s slightly beautiful face could only look plain and ordinary in the eyes of the little girl, as she replied to her in a slightly groggy tone, “Please join us big brother Annette.” before lying forward weakly on Emily’s back in tiredness.

Hearing her words, Hui Shi could only correct her awkwardly, “Little sister, sister Annette is a young lady just like you.” Annette couldn’t help but blush in shame, so she looked down at the ground as she walked and replied as well. “Yes, little sister, I’m a young lady just like you.”

She then looked up, after uttering her shame filled words, only to notice the almost sleeping Elena nod at her, before falling asleep on the red feathered back of Emily. Feeling a bit of empathy, she couldn’t help but ask, “Hey little sister, why don’t sleep inside my carriage. The ride is much smoother, and you won’t be woken up by our conversations.”

Hui Shi, and Lain, hearing her words, could only find it reasonable. But Emily on the other head became a bit more alert as her antennas went wild, and went towards Annette's body, before roaming around her frantically for a few seconds, then withdrawing.

After seeing Emily’s antenna probing, Hui Shi couldn’t help but say to Emily. “It’s not a bad idea. It’ll definitely help her sleep better.” Annette quickly added as well, “If you don’t feel secure, you can check the inside of the carriage yourself. I’m a lady of my words.” as she walked towards the door that was situated on the side of the black colored, square shaped, small carriage that was engraved with many light blue runes in the shape of little snakes, and opened it.

Walking up to the opened door, Emily swiftly used her antennas to roam the insides of the carriage before sticking her head in. After looking into the carriage for a few seconds, she quickly removed her head. She then sat down, and looked at Annette, as if telling her to carry the sleeping Elena into the carriage.

Hui Shi, and Lain, seeing this could only become curious as well, as they also went over to the narrow door opening, to look inside it, in order to make sure it’s safe as well. As the two were looking within the carriage, Annette quickly went around them towards Emily, as she began to pick the sleeping Elena up.

Looking inside the carriage, Hui Shi, and Lain felt like they entered another world. The Inside of the carriage was surrounded by pink walls, with extremely tiny, light pink runes engraved all over them, also in the shape of various serpents of different sizes. The space inside of it was weirdly larger than the side of the small little carriage. It felt like they were looking into a large 3-bedroom house. But unlike a normal house, the furniture inside were all made of granite like stones.

Chapter 18: Arrest Him Immediately!

Hearing his words, the holographic application screen in front of the guard automatically filled up with words that were written in a foreign language, as a picture of Lain miraculously appeared in the upper left section of the application. The guard then said to Lain, “That’s all we’ll need from you. As for your weapon…” Before he could continue, Hui Shi couldn’t help but butt in and say gently, “Please brother, my brother Lain here is tired. Can you allow him in on my behalf?” as he placed his hand on the shoulder of the guard, with a slight aggression to his body language.

Seeing the slightly aggressive Hui Shi, the guard could only acquiesce to his demands, due to his feeling of reverence for the holy man. He then turned to Lain and said, “You are free to enter the city, but you have 30 days to find a place to store your weapon, or get the required license to carry it within the city.” before walking to the side to allow him to leave, as the light blue application screen in front of him disappeared before his eyes.

The group then carried on walking through the large opening of the gates that were opened towards the outskirts of the city and rested against the outer walls. Looking at the back of the receding group, holographic screens soon popped up in front of the guards again, as a picture of Hui Shi appeared on them, accompanied by blaring warnings echoing within their helmets. “This criminal is on the premises! Arrest him immediately! I repeat! Arrest him immediately!”

The guards could only ignore the warnings as they continued staring at the back of the walking group, before turning around to greet the next person in line, Annette Duet.

After walking for a few minutes, Annette Duet quickly caught up to them while walking alongside her carriage, as she greeted “Hello there! I hope you don’t mind if I tag along with you guys, do you?”

Hui Shi quickly replied with a dashing smile, “Sure, sister Annette. We have a long journey ahead of us. You may call me Hui Shi. These two before me are brother Lain, and little sister Elena. Emily is the beautiful Griffith that little sister Elena is sitting on.” as he introduced the group to her.

While Hui Shi spoke, Lain, could only look at Annette while thinking thoughts about the carriage that was being pulled beside her, as she held unto the reigns that controlled the two monsters pulling it.

After Hui Shi finished speaking, he couldn’t help but add, “Please accompany us. I have a few questions to ask you if you don’t mind me bothering you with them.”

Chapter 14: Majestic Beauty

They were all drawn in such a life-like way, using the same glowing light blue runes that painted the walls in incandescent light, that Lain could feel their presence emanating from the wall. The majestic and mystical presence of the creatures drawn on the gates all seemed to want to escape the confines of the gates, and bath the world in terror and destruction, as well as delight and joy.

Entranced by the beauty of the scenery, Lain, could only gawk at its splendor. Even Elena and Emily, who’ve experienced these scenes before countless times, couldn’t help but smile in relaxation as they also looked around them in bliss, marveling at the beauty of life.

Hui Shi, who was too busy with certain thoughts that plagued his mind throughout their journey here, was the only one who wasn’t entranced by the view, as he walked up to the guards aggressively.

The two guards were just about to start asking questions, when Hui Shi, immediately approached one of them and shoved him back violently. Saying to them with an angelic but angered voice, “Why did your men allow such a young child to wander outside the city? Isn’t it a crime to let an innocent child go to dangerous places unsupervised!?”

Steadying himself on the ground, the guard that was pushed was immediately driven into anger, but as soon as Hui Shi’s angelic voice reached his ears, his anger seemed to wash away from him, as he couldn’t help but gazed at the charming, and handsome man with a golden halo in front of him. The resplendent golden light, that was emanating from his body, could only fill the guard with endless warmth and deep comfort.

Being too tongue-tied by the beauty of the priest before him, the guard could only try to get up slowly. The other guard, seeing the altercation, couldn’t help but also be entranced by Hui Shi’s voice and presence, with the desire to exact revenge on Hui Shi, and help his fellow guard, completely washing away from his heart by the second.

He determined instead, to just answer the question that was asked by the holy priest before him, as his heart couldn’t bare to hurt such a divine being. But before he could answer Hui Shi’s question on his friend’s behalf, a light blue screen appeared in front of him.

On the screen was the image of Hui Shi, that came with a blaring warning, that reverberated within the helmets of both guards, “This criminal is on the premises! Please arrest him immediately! I repeat! Arrest this criminal immediately!”

Chapter 11: An Instrument

Seeing the look in her eyes, Hui Shi couldn’t bare to turn her down due to her young age, so he said, “Sure, little sister. Once you grow up, I’ll take you to our church and help you become a priest, just like me.”

As soon as his voice died down, the few people in line that noticed his priest attire, after hearing Elena’s shout, quickly realized that he was likely the cause of the great phenomenon, and couldn’t help but come forward to tell him thanks for his miraculous help.

A slightly short, 4 foot tall man within the group, surrounded by bodyguards also said to Hui Shi, and his group, after a couple minutes of heartfelt praises, “For helping us so gracefully, I wish to invite to my pet shop. If you’re ever in need of a pet or mount, please feel free to come to us. By the way, my name is Drunter Dwarg, of the Dwargian Pet Foundation.” He then handed white cards covered in dark blue rune markings to Hui Shi, and his group, before walking away with his bodyguards.

Looking at the card in his hand, then turning to the group of people, Hui Shi quickly said to them with a smile, in a voice so holy, gentle, and memorable that everyone couldn’t help but quieten down and listen to him patiently. “You’re welcome, my fellow brothers and sisters. I thank you greatly for showing your appreciation, but me and my brothers and sisters here have an important matter that we have to attend to immediately, so please have a great rest of your day. May god Ensieth bless your souls with prosperity!”

Hearing this, the group of people, including Mon Dupa, quickly dispersed in great happiness, as Hui Shi, Lain, Elena, and Emily quietly continued on their walk towards the gates that would require a few more hours to arrive.

While walking, Lain couldn’t help but ask, “So, how does this card work? There’s nothing but complicated lines on it?” as he looked at the card in his hand in curiosity.

Elena also looked at the card in her right hand, before trying to bite it, to see if it’ll either break or tear. Seeing this, Hui Shi couldn’t help but laugh gracefully, as he warned, “That card is very durable. Biting it will only hurt your teeth, little sister.” Hearing this, Elena couldn’t help but pause her actions in defeat, as she held the card in hand.

Hui Shi then continued as he looked at Lain with his closed eyes as they walked, “That card is a simple Instrument. If pressed gently in the middle, it will open up a holographic map, with a red dot that points to a certain location. That location is likely the pet shop mentioned by the brother who calls himself Drunter Dwarg.”

Chapter 6: First Realization

Looking at the beaming little Elena, Hui Shi slowly walks up to her, then rubs her head gently while saying “Sure! I can follow you guys to little sister Elena’s home.” The gentle rub from Hui Shi, made Elena relax, as she felt a radiating energy from Hui Shi’s hand that washed away all the fatigue and stress that had built up over the past few months that she’s spent frantically trying to take care of herself, and Emily, without her father’s help.

That gentle touch made Elena realize for the first time in her life that there were truly divine beings capable of healing those in need, as she looked at him with her small yearning eyes in worship.

Seeing Elena’s relaxed visage, Emily who was carefully watching Hui Shi’s hands, hoping he doesn’t do anything uncanny, relaxes as well, as she also basks in the radiating glow coming from Hui Shi’s body, blissfully. That soft golden glow also healed her weary heart and body that just finished an arduous day and night of hunting and trekking.

Even during the few minutes that they’ve interacted, the grass below the group’s feet had already grown from the previous height of barely reaching Lain’s ankles, to being knee-high in length, as they also basked in the holy glow radiating from Hui Shi, rubbing against his body gently, as if they were caressing a loved one.

Taking his hand off her head, Hui Shi states, “Since we’re pressed for time, it’s best if we go directly to the front of the line.” as he started making his way forward, slowly. Beckoning Elena, and Emily to follow him with his hand.

Hearing this, Lain asks in concern, as he also moved with the group, “Won’t the guards get angry at our blatant breaking of the rules?”

To that question, Hui Shi laughs and balls up his fist while turning back to look at Lain with his closed eyes, as his once handsome and relaxing face took a dark twist that made him give off a presence that was more horrifying and dangerous than anything Lain had seen recently. He then said to Lain, with an evil grin on his face, “This city is my home. And in here, I have quite the bit of reputation and fame that could help us get through those guards easily. And if that doesn’t work, I can always use my fists! ”

Seeing the evil visage on his face that made the gently swirling plants from before shiver in fear, Lain had no choice but to agree and continued moving forward.

But as soon as they walked a couple miles ahead of the line, they heard a loud buzzing that filled their ear drums, as if a large helicopter was about to land. Following the obnoxiously loud buzzing was also a nauseating stench that permeated the entire area.