Leira’s hands paused over the controls, her gaze darting between the viewport and the others. ’’Then we stay quiet and keep our distance,’’ she said firmly. ’’I’m boosting the mana range to check for any structures or anomalies nearby. If there’s a realm hidden out there, we’ll find it, without getting crushed in the crossfire.’’
As the crew watched, the crab landed a devastating blow, its pincer shearing through the eel’s tail. The wounded creature let out another bone-chilling screech, its movents growing frantic. The crab pressed its advantage, but the eel wasn’t finished yet, thrashing as it fought to survive.
The ocean itself seed to tremble with the power of their struggle, and the won could only watch, hearts pounding, as the battle unfolded. Just then, Mary stepped forward, her green eyes narrowed as she revealed. ’’The Ironclaw will try to attack us next. I’ll go deal with it before it can do any damage.’’
Hera was about to speak, but the older woman vanished, appearing outside the window while transforming into her Naless Thing form. The group watched as a massive snake grew around the sub. Once the change was complete, Mary lunged for the crab, trapping it with her body, crushing it into nothing.
Blood washed out and blocked the view from the sub annoying the won as the machine began traveling through the Deep Sea. Soon, the older woman rejoined them and materialized in the viewing room, muttering. ’’Damn creatures are beginning to get annoying.’’
’’They will only get worse,’’ Hera revealed. ’’We’re coming up the Blackwater Chasm, our first stop on this journey.
***
As the first group explored deep underwater, Archer was walking through the streets of Starfall, the old capital of the Avalon Empire. The place was a ghost town until he ca upon the square, only to stop short when getting a vision of three young n arguing in this very place.
’’Baren! Father said we can rebuild this place!’’ A blue haired young man exclaid. ’’It’s Mother Leira’s holand, she’d love if it rose again.’’
’’What’s the point?’’ A white-haired young man retorted, a mocking expression appeared on his face. ’’We can rebuild this whole continent and it won’t make any of our parents happy!’’
’’Enough, Jackson, Baren!’’ an older boy interrupted sharply, his face etched with determination. ’’We’ve been entrusted with restoring this place to its forr glory, as it was in Mama’s ti. Father will honor us if we succeed.’’
Archer watched as the two younger boys turned to their older brother. His eyes widened at the sight of lion-like ears atop the newcors head, a trait shared with Nala, who stood in front of him. ’’Aslan,’’ he murmured. ’’It seems you’ve inherited my wisdom and compassion.’’
His gaze shifted to the white-haired Baren, whose fiery temper and skepticism mirrored his own flaws. Then he looked at the youngest who must be Jackson, a male reflection of Detra, with vivid violet eyes that radiated his kindness and love. He was shocked as he thought. ’Have my sons gained different parts of ?’
Archer’s gaze lingered on the three boys, their resemblance to himself and the won he loved stirring an odd sense of familiarity. Yet, he didn’t know them, not truly. As he processed their presence, three more young n erged from a nearby road, their footsteps crackling leaves that covered the cobblestones.
Each carried a distinct air that tugged at sothing deep inside Archer, as if they mirrored fragnts of a self he barely recognized anymore. The first to step forward was a tall youth with a roguish grin and hazel eyes that sparkled with mischief. His eyes widened as he realized whose son this was. ’Llyniel!’
The young man’s short brown hair caught the fading light, and his easy, playful movents suggested he could turn any mont into a ga. Archer didn’t know his na, but the boy’s carefree energy reminded him of his own youthful days, when he’d teased his way out of tense monts with a joke.
There was a warmth to this stranger, a loyalty that shone through, as if he’d rally others with a laugh when hope faltered. ’’Brothers!’’ the boy suddenly said, a big smile crossing his face. ’’I’m glad we could et up outside of college, the mothers have us on a strict routine when it cos to learning.’’
Aslan and the other two turned to the newcor as the eldest spoke. ’’Lorienn, it’s good to see you little brother.’’
Following that, ca a broad-shouldered young man who he recognized as Kassandra’s son with the sa black hair, his face carved with quiet intensity. His violet eyes scanned the group thodically, each step asured, his hands clasped behind his back as if already sizing up the task ahead.
’’Greetings, brothers. We need to show father that we’re serious about helping the empire. You know he won’t promote us because we’re his sons,’’ he said, looking at each one.
’’Eldrin, you need to lighten up little brother,’’ Baren said. ’’You remind too much of father when his working on sothing important.’’
’’Maybe because this city ans sothing to him?’’ Eldrin retorted, annoyed. ’’This is where he t Mother Leira and wants to bring it back for her.’’
Archer felt a jolt of recognition of the seriousness he carried, a mirror of the resolve he had forged through years of hard choices. Eldrin’s stern gaze held a flicker of protectiveness, a trait he knew from his own monts of stepping up. The last was a lean figure, sharp-featured and brimming with energy, his fingers tapping a rhythm against his sword.
’’Brothers, did you not notice the way father asked us six to do it?’’ the newcor said, blonde hair cut short just like his style.
’Lucrezia’s son,’ he thought when seeing the newcor.
’’Yes, he was emotional,’’ Jackson added, smiling. ’’It’s good to see him like that, especially after being injured by that dumb goddess.’’
Archer noticed the others looked sad as Aslan reassured. ’’Yes, Drenvar we all noticed, it’s why we’re here
’’We can do it, especially when big sister Freya finally appears,’’ Lucrezia’s son replied to his elder brother.
Drenvar’s red eyes darted about, drinking in every detail, and his voice, when he spoke, carried a curious edge. He didn’t know him, yet the boy’s whirlwind of ideas and impulsive spark felt like an echo of his own younger self, always chasing new plans or unraveling mysteries.
There was a brilliance there, tempered by a hint of recklessness he knew too well. While standing there he watched his sons get to work as Lorienn used his Nature Magic to clear the vines and creeping trees that grew from the street. Just then, the scene started to fade and he reappeared in Starfall.
A smile stretched across his face and thanked Maria, the Mana Goddess for passing it on from a strange woman who wouldn’t et him. He wrapped his cloak arouns him as the cold weather intensfied thanks to the Long Winter. Snow was covering everything from benches to abandoned stalls.
Archer soon realized that between the Great War, monster attacks, famine and now the weather, everyone had left the central regions of Pluoria thanks to the wilderness taking over. and life becoming hard Trees were sprouting from the street while vines covered buildings in their tangly ss.
He continued walking through the city and spotted shops he took the girls out when they were youngers. The mories flooded back, a smile stretched across his face as he noticed one cafe they weren’t while attending the College of Magic. Thinking of that place, he rembered Ophelia was now living on Draconia.
Over the years, she’d withdrawn from the world, embracing a recluse’s life, refusing to see him. Each ti he ventured to her secluded cabin nestled deep in the rugged mountains of Draconia, she turned him away, her door remaining firmly closed. Undeterred, he chose to teleport directly to her sanctuary.
When Archer materialized in the clearing outside her cabin, the sight that greeted him was unexpected. The once-solitary retreat now humd with signs of life. She had transford the surroundings into a self-sustaining hostead. A sturdy barn, newly erected, its wood blending seamlessly with the natural landscape.
This was proof to her resourcefulness, built to shield her newfound livestock from the biting chill of the mountain winters. As Archer approached, he noticed a faint glow emanating from within the barn, accompanied by the soft crackle of a fire. Intrigued, he got closer and peered inside.
The warmth of the fire not only kept the biting cold at bay but also cast a cozy light over an assortnt of animals. Chickens clucked contentedly, their feathers ruffled as they nestled in straw-lined coops. Pigs snorted softly, rooting in their pen, while a handful of goats and a single cow lounged in the far corner.
’This place is peaceful,’ he thought, admiring the scene.
Just then, a soft voice sounded from behind him. ’’Hello, Archer. It’s been many years since I’ve seen your face.’’
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