Burning Soul

“Right!

Aeneas, we need to know what we are fighting?

Who is this Ersa? And why did she kidnap Vivian and Vyaine!” Dimitri asked Aeneas

“I’ll help you locate them!

You can’t walk blindly right!” Jura spoke smugly.

She helped Aeneas sit down and relax before speaking up, “Also, how do you know Jura? You’ve met before?” Nuae asked him in a curious tone.

“Met!” Jura let out a laugh while Aeneas hid his face,

“After he lost his Sigil he was being chased by many beings, at a point even an Avatar chased after him.

He was such a sorry kid back then.

While venturing through the forests he bumped into me, and I took him in as my child” She hugged him and ruffled his hairs,

“I felt sorry for his past and helped him raise his strength!

Also, why do you think he lived this long even without an Ace Sigil?” This answered a lot about his past.

“I wasn’t a kid back then you old Loli hag!” Aeneas replied with a pout, Jura, didn’t take it lightly.

“Every time you call for me, you call me Loli old hag!

Let me teach you a lesson you little punk!” She looked angry for sure.

She then proceeded to grab him by his collar and pulled him while chanting, “Heed my command and grant me thy strength. In the name of the God of Benevolence, Your speech shall be bewitched by cat tongue, Judgement!”

As she finished her chant Aeneas was sweating buckets, everyone was puzzled about what chant she used!

“God of Benevolence? You pray to Gods!” Nuae asked curiously!

“Nah!

But I can chant any magic-using any God’s authority!

Scary isn’t it?” She replied in a smug tone.

“That isn’t funny, Nya!” As Aeneas spoke, everyone burst into laughter.

“Ehe!

What did you say?” Jura was clearly having fun with it!

“I said it isn’t funny you Loli …. Nya!

I can’t talk propurrly like that nya! What the heck nya? Loli hag…….Nya!” His speech was totally destroyed by cat tongue.

“Now you can have all the fun, no need to thank me!” She flicked a flock of hair with a look that scared the heck out of him, “How long nya!” He asked in a sorry tone!

“As long as I wish!

Gwahhh haa ha!” Her laughter was no different than some evil villain.

“I’ll let you talk this while as you talk about Ersa and stuff!

Once it’s over….”

“I got it nya!

I’ll tell you about her and what I know nya!” He continued with wet eyes.

‘Poor guy!’ Everyone had it written clearly on their face.

“This is all I know so if there’s anything I miss, we’ll in a surprise about that.

Ersa, she’s one of the ten top brass of the Chronicles, a society of the people who worship only one God, God of eternity.

It’s like Gnosis but much worse, you saw her right! It’s not that she’s weakest or she’s strongest either. She stands at number 10.”

Dimitri walked forth, “As far as I know, chronicles, as what they call themselves are a part of Human territory to the west, am I correct!”

“What’s with that?” Catherine asked the obvious,

“Yeah they are, and in recent years the nation of humans or the namely Suzdal Kingdom rose up to be one of the most powerful nations!” Aeneas then continued,

“The top brass of Chronicles are not to be taken lightly, we were lucky only one was there! They rival the strength of Avatars, even Duvrion would have had a tough time dealing more than one at a time!

Ersa, I don’t know how or when did she join,

but she is not from this era!

They don't call her a heartless witch for no reason, she's inhuman!”

His revelation was news to everyone present, “What do you mean by she’s not from this era?” Dimitri asked him

“She’s around far longer than any of us here!” Jura added in

“You know her?”

“Not particularly or let’s say I don’t remember crossing paths with her, but I’ve sensed her magic once before. Those were some scary times for mortals!

I can’t forget that sense for sure!” Jura’s words made them worry,

Aeneas then continued again, “She’s right!

Ersa is the reason for my dark past! At least the darkest of my past!”

Confused by his words Catherine asked him, “What do you mean by that?”

“When I was a kid, she murdered everyone in my town including the chief, Mia’s father!

For that silly instrument!” His clenched fists spoke for his memories,

“He made me promise to him that I’d protect both her daughter and this instrument with my life and never let her get it!

This instrument that he gave me, I was curious as to what it really was?

I travelled looking for answers and that path led me to be an adventurer, later both me and Mia became candidates for Ace and you know the rest!

Ersa kind of stayed lowkey during the war.

Only these seven kingdoms didn’t face the ill fate in those times, other places were being attacked too, she must have been engaged somewhere.

After everything went downhill I met Jura and there I came to know what this artifact was!” He pulled out a pouch from his storage,

“She doesn’t know it, but I’ve secured one out of 5 in total, she must have one or two as well! That means…”

“If she finds you, it’ll be over!

We aren’t sure if she has a few or all remaining!

But what is this set anyways? Why is she looking for it?

And the girls? What about them!” Dimitri added in questions to him.

“The set was of some tyrant that ruled the north way before mortals walked freely,

It’s just an old folk tale that Jura told me about, but it’s too true to neglect.

The tyrant wasn’t from this world as it seems, the powers he had were never heard of and the set we are talking about is his own. You can’t imagine, nor can I as it’s said all original Gods fought it and sealed him away.

The fact that all original gods had to fight makes it scary enough! This was his instrument set!

Anyone who can wield it will gain the strengths overpowering to that of the Gods, but the thing is this set is not just incomplete, it’s broken in pieces and so far I’ve managed to secure one entire piece of the set!

Gods back then must have known someone would try to resurrect the powers within and thus they shattered it in pieces.”

“After all they couldn’t destroy it! It was too powerful for even them and without the God of Creation they had no clue how to dispose of it well n good!” Jura added,

But she’s trying to collect them all, and as for girls, one is sure as a bargaining chip and the other for some ritual!

She has no other reason in my view! We must hurry and save them!” Aeneas pleaded at the end of it,

“This is all I know, but who was that guy, I have no idea! Also, she’s a difficult one to defeat, we must only prioritize rescuing the hostages and not fighting to the death as we may die, but she can never!

Her domain is Time and she manipulates it at her will

I’m not sure of the limitations though as I’ve avoided her all this time, and she’s not the only thing that I have avoided, apparently some gods are taking an interest in this artifact and they’d send their avatars to retrieve the piece! ” He warned everyone about the danger.

“There’s one more thing!” Catherine added, “What’s going to happen to Theo?” She asked worriedly.