"The sap of the first tree rged with the troll essence, and the mythical human tissues provided by Haldris. Each part tried to dominate the other. I left for the night believing I failed. As expected. Not worth wasting ti on Haldris' project. And yet, what I saw the very next day left panting in disbelief. You must understand, Adam. I've invented and built the first Gate, waged war against the demonic invasion with the humans, and rebuilt the orc civilisation from its ashes. But this... This was impossible... This was beyond us all—a realm-rank project without its will core, or support to help."
Grum'Thal pressed his elbows against the leather covering the war table. He lowered his face between his forearms, bumps pointed at Adam's wide eyes, green fire pulsing beneath his scars.
"Y... You created a mythical human?" Adam's voice echoed higher than usual, while his fingers clamped the edge of the table.
He knew he stood across a living legend, a genius who revolutionised logistics and human wars. But this? With just three materials?
He lowered his gaze to his trembling palms. Impossible. Misha? No... She was mythical because the accursed Ignatius made her the culmination of the animal world. It was pure science, sothing raw, with an evolutionary potential that made her shatter human limits. All without mana. Without energy. Without the involvent of a realm's will or core.
That was the difference. Even though it made Adam's stomach churn and bile tickle the back of his mouth to admit it, Ignatius' madness was brilliant in its own disgusting right. He created what had never existed. But Grum'Thal? He tried to repurpose what the realm had given to humans in another world, and without its consent.
Which was harder? He couldn't tell before Grum'Thal raised his face.
The great shaman's red eyes blazed with sothing that felt like pride buried under loss to Adam.
"I found an embryo in the glass tube. Balanced, the tree parts harmonised. I don't know how or why it happened, but it did. I watched the little thing grow arms and legs every day. It is strange, but even now, my heart throbs each ti I rember its chubby hands and pointed ears. I beca attached before it opened its eyes. It was one of my children, an orc with a different body... soone I would care for."
He clutched his chest, letting silence settle for a couple of drumming heartbeats. Then, his voice darkened.
"Before I could cuddle him, I found a shattered glass tube. I searched every corner of the lab—he was gone. And while I did, soone activated my Gate. Do you know how much mana it needs to connect this gorge to Sryl'vara back in our ho realm?"
Adam shook his head, unconsciously holding his breath.
"I didn't either until that day. We felt the tremors in our bones, more mana than the entire archipelago used until this day, devoured by the construct in front of my very eyes. The air beca dry, and moving felt unnatural as I rushed to it. But it was too late. A sky-blue veil filled the empty fra, and the shadow of soone holding the child vanished inside. Then, everything faded. The connection had lasted for the blink of an eye, perhaps even less. But they were gone..."
He slumped against the back of his chair, letting out a heavy sigh.
"All that remained in the thief's footsteps was Haldris' anger and a crumpled note:"
We are the children of the stars. We do not seek glory. We do not bend to rules. Our stained hands follow the truth, and we do what must be done to shatter this unfair reality we've been forced into. Hail, Lady Mortis, our one true leader. Hail you, Grum'Thal, last and first orc, friend of the lady. We know you seek to cure the demonic corruption gnawing at your sanity. We'll make this child scurry our ho world. If it is sowhere, we believe he'll find it in the bastion of the Silver Moon elves. We sincerely hope he'll deliver it to you in the not-too-distant future.
Grum'Thal fell silent after speaking each word as it had been written millennia ago. Silence strangled the room for a minute.
Then Adam shook his head. "That's how you learned about the children of the stars. You believe that child would have returned with the cure if the Silver Moon elves had it, and since he hadn't, you've crossed out their prison on your search list."
Grum'Thal nodded, his head low. Adam understood him. He had lost the child he had cared for, all for nothing. Wrong. The child likely never found it. Even if he had, how was he to return to the cultivation realm?
His eyes narrowed into slits. He had to learn more—to know if he had ever heard that child's na back ho. "We'll keep Haldris and the obvious consequences out for now. Instead, tell , Grum'Thal, mythical humans call themselves with foolish nas. You know? Like Leoric was Justice. What was your child's na and what does he look like?"
Pride returned to Grum'Thal's voice as he straightened his back. "He had milky white hair framing his pointed ears, a face as graceful as the most ancient elves, and could almost feed his muscles like magical beasts. I planned to teach him how to strengthen his weaker mana circuits."
An icy shudder ran down Adam's spine. It reminded him of... No... Hell no!
"He was not a regular elf, but the firstborn of his species," Grum'Thal continued. "A being I created using the wings of pride. He is—"
Adam leapt on the table. He gripped Grum'Thal's leather robes by the collar, his pupils shrinking. "You gave birth to Selene fucking Sunfire in a glass tube?!"
His fingers twitched on the leather as Grum'Thal's eyes widened. He let it go, sinking into his chair. Arms crossed over his chest, glaring, he snarled. "Apologies. I seldom swear, but had to. The Sun, right? A cocky, arrogant prick whose mana circuits limited him to the arcanist rank."
"Y-You." Grum'Thal pointed a shaky finger at Adam, his voice cracking. "You know him? Impossible! It happened—"
"Around ten thousand years ago." Adam cut him off, mana flaring into thick sky-blue wisps from his eyes. "Let tell you. He found the Silver Moon elves, but never knew about his mission. He broke through the archmage rank recently, partially because of . Do you know what he did with his new powers? He assaulted a tragic cultivator stranded in our world. Not in single combat. Three archmages against a single man. They shattered the ground, lifted the sea, and drowned the lands in a cataclysm. Millions died crushed beneath the shattered remains of what once was the beautiful eastern continent. No one will ever see Jade Vall's lush valleys and natural cities, or the grandeur of the school of astral projection. All because of him."
He spat on the ground. "I don't care who his creator or father is. I curse this bastard. You hear , Grum'Thal? Not convinced? He planned to hunt . I beca ga to his little group, a future slave at the service of the best hunter."
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