31 NIGHT HUN

The moon pulled all the fluffy clouds across the earth to cover her intense white waxing gibbous glow at the peak of midnight, being shy about her face kindly shaved by her dark blue backdrop that seems to be slowly dragging her backstage after two glorious days of her marvelous performances in the night sky. A boon it would seem for critters all around as they could find solace to her luminous guidance, helping for them to peek from their burrows to see her perform again for another night. A curse, unfortunately, for hunters all around as they have to take more caution in their approach to their prey, finding every skill they have in their sleeves to muster, to gain the advantage of the darkness that has been stripped away from them.

This holds true with the four brothers sitting on a hill, hiding on its thick underbrush, biding their time to act in hopes of a miraculous thick formation of those hefty cumulus clouds to build up a storm. At least a stormy cloud is better than the intermittent peeking of the moon to the earth. Even a thick cloud to cover the moon's glow would be acceptable in their case but alas, Bathala's tapestry of tonight's sky is different.

The four princes, who are all patiently sitting in a circular formation, originally planned this plot to take place at least a week from today, where a half moon is guaranteed, where night hunters everywhere can take solace from the night's dimming shade: not as pitch black as a new moon but a safe shade all the same. Variables such as further fortification of the target location clearly took precedence that led for the resolution to attack in this particular night.

Kayzar revealed that Nagozul plans to install the spire towers at the four corners of the fortress as soon as possible. With towering spires as watch towers, they will all be revealed before reaching at least a mile from the fortress. With that in place, even with the moon's two-day slumber, they will never create the element of surprise they need.

But sadly, that's just a lie. A ruse Kayzar concocted to force them to do this as quickly as possible. Though it might be true that Prodea has ordered the creation of spires on every corner, this plan is not that immediate and is not of Nagozul's priority as they are currently dealing with a much persistent problem at the moment. Kayzar tricked them into believing this because it is the only way to force them to strike tonight; the only instance for their sister Liv to lend her hand and create her special appearance, a covert appearance that is.

A flower sprouted in the middle of their stare gazing competition. It's a violet. And from behind Yosh, Iyom appeared with every intention of surprising him to create the most humiliating scream a mortal can scream, a thing so impossible unfortunately, however strong Yosh's belief on ghosts and monsters is.

Yosh just smiled at Iyom's earsplitting shriek together with his jumping act in his full effort to exert all of his energy. Yosh smiled not because of Iyom's futile and comedic attempts to surprise him but the look on Karus's face as he immediately stepped back jumping, pulling half of his sword, ready for action.

"Hey, crazy lizard kid, don't ever do that again," teased Yosh pointing at Kayzar as his serious eyes gradually returning to its brown original tint after being temporarily soaked in crimson.

With Iyom's careful eyes, he noticed Kayzar immediately hiding the daggers he pulled in just a fraction of a second being surprised. If he's not used to control his basic natural impulses, he would've thrown that small dagger right at him. These thoughts lingered on till Yosh continued further.

"I know you're ranting that you're always tired because you never get to have a full night's rest but If you're not careful you'll be catching up on your sleep for a day or two with him here. A shame really since I have my permanent marker here on me."

Iyom knows of Kayzar's eye technique. This eye belongs only to those mortals who have achieved power through the Veil of Transitus, an eye only available from the line of the strongest of Sibara's Lineage. The red murderous eyes known as 'the Eyes of Dim'ion' which has not been passed down from anyone over the centuries and has only been seen to the infamous murderer Yiv. A frightening revelation considering he's the brother of Yosh whom his father refers to as the incarnate of Ana'giel. A complete opposite, he wondered but he shrugged the idea as he did not want to harbor such ill-feelings towards them.

"Who are you calling lizard you dirty monkey!" he shouted at Yosh directing all his frustrations on him, ignoring his fear of Kayzar as he slapped Yosh disturbingly hard that concerned his brothers.

Yosh pulled him by the collar and retaliated by punching him. The punch would've connected, possibly robbing Iyom of his front tooth, but a force suddenly blasted the two apart.

"Be quiet the two of you," Reus reprimanded, "Do you want to remain hidden or do you want to reveal our position? If you want to go home now, we could call it a night. Choose!"

Yosh mumbled in frustration as he crawled to get back at his spot, scooching over just a little for Iyom to squeeze in. He crossed his arms with a slight dirty look against Iyom as if warning him that this is far from over which he understood right away as he chuckled in regret. Everybody knows it's better to feel the pain of a punch or a kick now than to anticipate any mysterious vengeful act later. That's taxing to both the mind and the body.

"I thought you're three hundred something years old? Why are you acting like Yosh?" Karus asked laughing to the insulted Iyom.

"He started it!" he pursued.

"Just like Yosh," whispered Kayzar with crossed arms, avoiding to look at him in snicker, insulting Iyom further.

"Well that's the famous twins, Karus and Kayzar," introduced Yosh. "Don't mess with them or else you're going to have a hard time."

Iyom just pouted looking at them in all seriousness, still insulted with their remark about his childish attitude. He looked at Reus who's smiling and fixing his spectacles as he introduced himself.

"Thank you for helping us. I'm Reus, their eldest brother. I say I'm surprised that you came to our aid when you Dwendells try and keep your identities hidden at your forest."

"It's not that we hide. We are forced to hide!" he defended now furious. "Forced to hide by your ancestors!"

"Geez, you got the temper of a burning charcoal huh?" Karus calmed stopping him to continue ranting. "Keep that loud voice up and you'll burn our spot to the enemy."

"I'm sorry if ever I insinuated that you're in hiding. It's just that I really don't know everything about you, and I came to conclude that your people are hiding from us deliberately," explained Reus. "It seems that I still don't know anything about Dwendells after all. If it came as an insult, then I apologize from the bottom of my heart."

Iyom paused for a while looking down on the ground. "I'm sorry. But it's just insulting that you don't know your history and I guess you're really not to blame there. I heard from Yosh that the history of the Dwendell people, our history that we entrusted with your ancestors, have been burned a thousand years ago. I guess I've been missing the ideology about how the sins of the father cannot be transferred to the child. It's incredibly rude and petty of me to burst out hating like that. I'm sorry too." He finally smiled returning to his cheery outlook all of the sudden.

"So, the curse is true then," Kayzar concluded with Iyom looking at Yosh as if blaming him for not telling them what he, Nine, and his father revealed to him at the forest.

"This talk about curses is getting boring. I didn't really choose to be here anyway. I'm just being forced to help this little monkey by orders of my father." Iyom looked to the front, back and the sides looking for someone till he whispered to Yosh to ask. "Say, where's Grog? He's the one who summoned you to the surface two days ago right? So, where is he?"

Yosh just whispered back answering, trying his best not to reveal it to his brothers who are beginning to be curious to their secret discussion. "It's not really Grog. It's Kuya-Reus who summoned me. He just relayed it to Grog and then to your father, Master Kyrin."

"So, you say Grog's Apprentice is that scrawny looking guy with the glasses?"

Yosh looked at Reus with observing eyes and answered smiling, "Yep. That's him."

"He doesn't look formidable, or something... Sure would like to talk to Grog about this mix-up. Are you sure he's the apprentice of the greatest beast on earth?"

"What are you two droning about there?" Karus asked being impatient. "It has been two hours since midnight. We need to finish this as quickly as possible."

"Nice thinking," complimented Iyom. "Striking at the hour before shift change and when they're all deep asleep will surely cause confusion and chaos in their minds."

"Gee, thanks for the explanation General Obvious," Yosh praised. "Compliment us further why we're doing this in the night instead of in broad daylight."

"Why you little..."

Kayzar clicked his tongue in sudden irritation, stopping the two again from fighting. "This is not the time for that. Karus and I will be the one sacrificing our necks out there. Just concentrate on the assigned jobs and support us with whatever you can. If you do not do that then we're the ones who are going to die. Do not forget that this is the one and only chance we could do this. There are no repeats. Once we retreat, we retreat fully without turning back and it would be favorable if we retreat having a successful mission rather than with a failure."

Karus caught the slight jolt in Iyom's eyes and asked further. "You do know of your part in this, right? Or what we're doing?"

"uh...." He shook his head finally after a few seconds of thought which made the twins look angrily at Yosh that has been smiling wide to somehow calm them down.

"I'll fill him up with the details don't worry," he mollified. "We've done this before. We'll back you up don't worry."

"Be serious," Karus snapped. "Don't forget that this is your primary village Yosh. This is no time for you to act up like a child. Our people depend on our success."

"I know that! Geez, get off my back!" Yosh pouted looking at the ground depressed which calmed the twins who are acting a bit strange that day.

Yosh thinks that, normally, they would be happy at this event. They would be rejoicing that they can perform what they learned all those years of training and simulations but today the twins suddenly became somewhat hesitant, almost afraid, even though they are the bravest of them four. Yosh still doesn't understand this but he's catching up what they are feeling as well like a flu breaking out, the feeling of terror that seems to warn them of what they are up against.

What they're up against is not the usual enemy they are used to encounter. It is a whole new level of danger ahead of them and this is what he thinks are frightening the two bravest members of their team that in turn frightens him too. He doesn't know what his brothers are feeling, but he thinks that these are some clues that he should be sensitive about.

"I can't really help but I'll try my best to be the decoy," Reus smiled changing the atmosphere. "I'll watch over you two and if anything happens, I will reveal myself to the enemy."

"You know you can't appear, Kuya-Reus," Kayzar pointed-out. "You have a unique elemental skill that only two people possess. Only you and father have the Life Elemental. If you do reveal yourself, you'll be giving Auntie every reason to create a civil war."

"But if I do not then you'll perish, and I will never forgive myself if I let that happen when it is within my power to prevent it. I'll try and wait, but that's all I can promise. If I sense that you are in danger, I'll run to your aide as fast as I can."

Karus scoffed mocking the idea. "Don't worry too much. They are no match against us. Just maximize your part on being a decoy and we'll take care of the rest."

Karus smiled and laughed about it but Yosh sensed a bit of disbelief. He sensed the tension that rages in Karus's mind, but he has chosen to just let it pass by and to simply laugh in support. There's nothing he can do for the matter. What he can do is just pray and trust that they make it out in one piece.

-------ooO0Ooo-------

The silent night brought coldness in the air. The cold air that has not been felt in almost a thousand years is now emerging from the horizon that has baffled everyone. It's as though winter wants to come uninvited.

Corporal Arjin shivers as he held his blanket tight, wounding it up twice in hopes to trap the heat that's been trying to leave his tired body. He's holed up in the barbican with his ever-loyal friend and superior Sergeant Djogi who has been keeping a keen eye outside the window slits even after they have been at their second shift.

"Don't you dare sleep on me this time, Arjin!"

"Yeah, yeah. This time I won't."

"You better not!" he firmly warned directing his attention to him. "If you do, then I won't be able to help you in your promotion. We barely escaped the fiasco three weeks ago."

"Good thing you planned on placing us here at the Fletcher's boss," he replied happy. "When we're this close to the capital, there's no way we could get in trouble now!"

"I'm a smart man, Arjin, you know that. Of course, I would think for an assignment that would assure our growth. We're almost assigned back to the southern most part, almost near the trading posts, but no, I immediately seized the opportunity and grabbed it! I made it so, so that we're assigned here."

"More like you chanced it out," entered a Sibara at the corner, arms crossed, yawning. "Yiv is rampaging down there and the troops with lesser essence have been recalled. They sent the Royal Strike Teams there to intercept Yiv and I doubt if there's anything that you can do, so you have been assigned here. There's no place for the likes of you there."

"Shut up, you Sibaran scum!" he croaked feeling embarrassed. "It's rude to enter in other people's conversations, especially when your opinion is not welcome!"

"I can't just stay quiet while you yap about how great you are. It's practically annoying. Too many weak Nagozulians jam packed in this fortress. It's actually humiliating to see your army grow this pathetic."

"That says something about you too, you oaf!" he smiled figuring a way to get back. "If we're the lowest of all Nagozulian soldiers, and if we're all stationed here for our protection, logic dictates that you're the lowest of the Sibarans and you'll just get in their way if you're assigned there. That same thing applies to you."

"What did you say, boy," the Sibara stood up now in attention with sharp eyes directing at him.

Arjin just clutched his blanket tight and gulped. "Djogi..." he whispered warning him.

"You heard me right, you weak cockroach," he growled never afraid. "Actually, it's rather insulting to cockroaches if I compare you to them since they are more capable than you are."

"Oh, do you really want that last words engraved on your tombstone, sergeant?" the Sibara smiled pulling a dagger in his sleeves.

Djogi smiled activating his ruby Amplifyer that is attached in the bronze armor at his left chest. "Tombstone you say? How can you engrave that when you'll be cremated today?"

The loud bang of the doors surprised them both. The Sibara hid his dagger at lightning speed leaving Arjin with his amplified Ruby all glowing.

"What on earth are you doing activating your Amplifyers, Sergeant!"

"Oh, uh, sorry, Lieutenant Marko..." he immediately stepped back deactivating the charge he is accumulating. He awaited the reprimand, but the lieutenant just stood there as if waiting for his report.

"Well?" he asked after a few seconds with the confused sergeant tilting his head figuring what he wants. "FORGET THE SORRY! JUST RING THE BELL TO WARN US! ACTIVATING YOUR AMPLIFYERS IS NOT THE SAME AS THE BELL!" he lectured and then he ran outside in a hurry.

Arjin jumped from his chair peeking at the window slit which gave Djogi the idea. He followed him and to his surprise, he saw the two again, standing three hundred feet from the barbican where they are. Yiv and the masked swordsman they call Magnus.

"Why does this always happen to us," cried Arjin stumbling down, shivering from the cold winds of the night as well as the fear that is now robbing him further of warmth.

"Yiv!" the Sibara shouted grabbing the warning bell and rang it in a frenzy. "Don't you just stand there you lazy Elemental! Ring the other bell!"

Djogi snapped from the terror that's been entangling his limbs and rushed to the other side with a bell hanging and rang it like a crazy person. Within seconds, the parapet walls were filled with Elemental Archers from the Eastern Sentries that stood there stretching their bows with Elemental Arrows being cradled in their places, showing arrowheads shimmering with their sharp deadly warnings.

Normally, Sibarans would rush down and attack them head-on but this time they didn't. For one thing, the Sibaran Apprentice's statements were correct. Because of Yiv's non-stop sabotage of all transport cargo to the capital, the army focused all of their soldier's strength near the trading post at the very south of Nagozul. Zeba ordered that this command came from Prodea herself and since the Generals can't confirm it, they just obeyed the order.

Prodea hasn't been showing herself to her Generals for a week and a half now. Zeba said she's preoccupied at the moment, but the Generals now doubt it. It's not like her to have this sort of strategy, a strategy that now will pay a price of blood, Djogi thought, as he rang the bell as hard as he can. This fortress is now a hollow military installation filled with low ranking soldiers and weak Sibara Apprentices. Djogi knows that Yiv knows of this very well since Nagozul mobilized the entire army to march down south to meet her in battle. Maybe that's why they are attacking tonight of all nights. Thoughts like these came flying around his mind when, before he could organize all of them to create a rational conclusion, his loyal corporal interrupted him.

"S-sir..." Arjin trembled. "There's someone far there who is activating a disturbingly large elemental build up..."

"A build up like that resembles an army..." Djogi feared as he devotes all of his concentration to feel the massive elemental charge just behind the hills in front of them. "Do they have a Nagozulian Army with them?"

"I don't know sir but that doesn't feel an army. I think it's just one man," Arjin said with full conviction. Arjin is a Wind Blower and Wind Blowers are the most trusted elemental in detecting any elemental charging.

"Impossible. Only the Grand Princess Prodea has the Elemental Essence within capable of resonating that kind of energy build-up."

"Sir?" he mumbled.

"What..."

"I'm afraid..."

Djogi tried smiling but failed to hide the fear in his eyes, "D-Don't be. We'll be alright... I guess. They can't blast these magic walls. They can't... They won't... I hope..."

-------ooO0Ooo-------

"We're in position," Karus whispered fixing his face mask, standing firm three hundred feet from the barbican gates. "I know I can blast that steel door with my sword dash. I've been practicing an explosive bash like that for months."

"Are you sure you can do that? We could just scale the wall. That's safer... I think."

"Oh!" Karus smiled hearing the ear-splitting bells that would wake even the sleeping creatures underground. "They just found us out."

"Heh! It took them a minute? That's unusual for an Army of Prodigies... Are you sure your intel is true? It seems they're not there..."

Before Kayzar could continue further, the Parapet Walls began to fill up with elemental archers lined neatly aiming at them with their amplified gems lighting the fortress up.

"Ah!" Karus laughed surprised with squinting eyes examining every soldier present there. "It seems my intel is not correct after all. Only General Jowl is in there. I guess this should be a quick stroll in the park then."

"Don't be complacent," Kayzar snickered. "We only got twenty minutes to finish this. And a minute has now elapsed."

"At least Yosh will be having a great time with their Amplifyers glowing like easy targets."

As he stated that fact, a fast hissing arrow flew impossibly fast striking one of the archers in the parapet.

"Great job, Yosh," Kayzar jumped in excitement. "Now if we could just hold this ground, that'll be mighty splendid indeed."

Not long after, hundreds of flying arrows came piercing the skies towards the fortress's parapet, hitting their targets in great accuracy. The impact created a bang much like firecrackers exploding. All victims have been hit at their right shoulders, just between their armor and their shoulder guard, with a brand-new kind of an Elven Arrow that they have never seen before. It is so precise that they were discombobulated for about a minute to find out what has happened.

"Keep them coming Iyom!" Shouted Yosh with his Eagle Eyes activated. "I need more arrows! Hundreds more!"

"Sheesh! Can you calm down, you grumpy monkey? It's not like my arrows grow on trees."

"It is!" he laughed pointing the tree beside Iyom, a tree blackened like charcoal as if burnt with leaves withered and branches twisted.

Iyom is standing behind his life tree. Dwendells can summon a part of their life tree from their forest whenever they need it. Their life trees are a Dwendell's partner, their life source. A part of their unique powers is the immediate summoning of their life tree. The roots from their original life tree will run towards the river of life and will sprout straight in the surface wherever the summoner is. It has a hole at the middle that springs up arrows whenever the summoner requests it from their tree.

Every Dwendell can summon their own arrows that they use as their weapon whenever they need it. They call it the Seed of Life since they originally use the arrow, which has a sharp seed at the arrowhead, as a life-giving instrument that could rejuvenate a dying tree.

If it is used to a living being unfortunately, it acts differently. Basically, the arrowhead springs up Deep Roots that will slither inside the being's body disabling the region it hits. This roots integrates with the being's body and will try its best not to kill the person, even suturing the wound upon entering, granting a healing effect around that region; unless Of course, it hits the head or the heart which would paralyze it completely rendering the person to die on impact. But Iyom's arrow is different in every aspect. His black twisted arrows are unlike those ordinary white Elven Arrows.

Each arrow is unique, much like a fingerprint that can identify which Dwendell made it and his black arrows are especially identifiable to him alone. The Arrowhead is so brittle that upon impact, the seed will shoot out shrapnel of poisoned pins at the target that, although will render them in a sleep-like coma, would not create a huge injury at the target since the seed reacts as a cushion absorbing the force of the blow and will spray a healing mist around the target before exploding horrifically. All of these will happen in a split second, too fast for an ordinary eye to witness, too fast for an ordinary person to dodge too. The healing mist will repair any bruise on impact and would drench the pins with it leaving for the fast flying shrapnel to pierce the target's body then closing the hole it created, preventing anyone from pulling it off. The shrapnel will then be dissolved inside the body and that will be the poison that would lead for the person to slumber down instantaneously. An effective and nightmarish arrow that is unique only to Iyom. An arrow he's not proud of since his arrows murder dying trees but it is surprisingly effective against living enemies.

"You've a point," Iyom continued. "It does grow on my tree, but this is taxing you know!"

"You're not the one making it! The tree is making it! It's ridiculous to say that you're doing all the heavy lifting. Or is it that you're just too lazy!?"

"Well you don't understand the process yet. So, why are you demanding that much! Quit naggin'!"

"Guys," entered Reus with the white light from his Amplifyer finding every means to scratch its way out of the thick bandana that he fashioned. "They are going to be in trouble if you do not follow through with your second barrage."

"Done!" Iyom grumbled tossing Yosh a bundled one hundred arrows that he requested. "So, what are you going to do with that!?"

"Watch and learn. You might find out a thing or two."

-------ooO0Ooo-------

"General Jowl, sir!" yelled the lieutenant in attention at the parapet walls in the southern face of the fortress. "Someone's been sniping our archers just up those hills. We're yet to pinpoint his current position because of the accumulating fog and because he only shot twice, the second time was a barrage, but after his next shot, we could calculate where he is hiding."

General Jowl quickly ran towards him as if just finished equipping, fixing his battle armor with eyes all puffy, almost irritated for those people responsible for bothering his tea with sandman. Even though they are in great danger, he's eyes sparkle a calm and focused soul as if unafraid of anything.

"Line every archer to the sides and create five feet gaps in-between. Place defensive soldiers to shield the archers and concentrate your attack below. Attack Yiv with full strength and ignore the sniper. If you can't see him then he's not an immediate threat."

As soon as he finishes his orders another bombardment of deafening proportions came blasting half their archers on the parapet. The black arrows came from one direction but came frighteningly fast exploding upon impact as if they are laced with incendiary and saltpeter. There are no lingering traces of burns in the air so he can't figure out exactly what are those black arrows. No trace fragments can be found sticking around after the explosive impact. Only black dust of charcoal remains so he could not quite figure out who or what their enemy is.

"How many are the casualty?" he asked now concerned seeing first time the massive explosions that decimated his troops in half with the almost invisible arrows.

"Sir, a hundred and one a minute ago. This time they took about another hundred. I can be certain until another report comes in, but it seems that his limit is at least a hundred shots per bombardment. No one has died fortunately sir, but all of them are completely paralyzed as if in a deep state of Sleep of Death."

He looked down with the masked man known as Magnus and Yiv just dancing around the fast flying arrows, almost like they are playing, mocking their offensive strikes and suddenly it dawned upon him.

"Deactivate your Amplifyers! Everyone!" he bellowed running in the parapet walk tapping every commander. "You're giving away your positions!"

If Yiv is attacking with a fellow Daomagar, and if what he originally thought is correct, that they are in collusion with the Great Beasts, then, they are surely backed by the Elves as well. The second Elven Rebellion is happening, he thought as he ran reminding everyone to shut off the burning Amplifyers attached in their chest armor brightly illuminating the fortress.

"Keep firing on Magnus and Yiv. Do not let them rest! Turn off all light! Make this fortress pitch black!" he yelled which brought lieutenants all around to scurry and pass his orders. He went near Lieutenant Marko and whispered, "Send a team around and find me that Elf. Use deadly force and if possible, catch him alive."

Elves are the only being alive that can shoot arrows from a great distance with great accuracy and proficiency, he thought now feeling the seriousness of their situation. Daomagarians are skilled warriors and even great archers but they are no match for the great dexterity of the Elves. No one can strike an arrow a mile out, in the darkness of the evening, ignoring the wind direction, hitting all targets on the same spot with great precision. There's no way a Daomagarian warrior can do that and even if there is, there's no way they will associate themselves with Yiv.

-------ooO0Ooo-------

In just ten seconds the fortress became a dark lonely fort with lights smothered from every corner, giving the bright blue light of the waxing gibbous moon to wash its gray walled façade.

"Hey, no fair!" Yosh shouted upon noticing the fortress joining the dark horizons.

"Does that mean it's over? I mean, is it all up to your brothers now?" Iyom said greatly concerned.

"Hah! Blinding Darkness can't stop me. I'm a Night Hunter. That's what we do best!" with this he called in a series of whistles and from behind a fast flying owl whispered into the night sky.

"Stella? But how?"

"Stella's my eye in the sky. If they think they could stop me by merely putting all of the lights out, then I think they are clearly underestimating my Bathala-given skills. No one will be left standing in that parapet when I'm through! If there's one, I'll make sure he goes down..."

-------ooO0Ooo-------

As the Eastern Sentry's archers have anticipated, the second barrage came without fail and struck another batch of unfortunate soldiers. General Jowl could not believe his eyes. Even in the darkness, they are still getting hit. The massive explosions that ensued echoed in the night as screams of soldiers exhausting their last words resonated like a melancholic melody reminiscing turbulent times. The archers' morale are now wavering as some of them made most of their time hiding behind the parapet paneled arches of the wall instead of shooting their two enemies.

"How can he do this? This is impossible..." he muttered out loud.

"Sir..." Lieutenant Marko stuttered pointing upwards. "W-what is that?"

The General's eyes widened at the Owl circling them up above as if they are his prey.

"Direct your attacks at that owl!" he ordered once again pointing at the small owl almost a hundred feet directly above their heads. "That owl is revealing our position! It must be slain as soon as possible!"

-------ooO0Ooo-------

"Hey, Yosh," Iyom said bothering him once more after his third barrage. "Are you not afraid of him being attacked there? They do have their arrows."

"Don't worry. My Stella is special. We've been practicing everyday and I do my best to shoot at the maximum speed possible. Even Sibara's can't take her down."

"Are you really that confident? What if..."

"Don't worry," he interrupted. "She'll do fine. And besides, her light armor is made by Dal'Gur himself. She's practically invulnerable to projectile attacks. It may jolt her a little, but she knows what to do..."

-------ooO0Ooo-------

The volley of arrows is now aimed at the skies above the fortress. Sibaras and Nagozulian's Eastern Sentry Archers are now focusing all their effort in hitting the fast flying owl who has been dodging them by further climbing higher and higher. The General noticed this kind of tactic but, before he could shout to stop them, it's too late. Their Elven enemy began his fourth arrow barrage. It's a trap! The elf used the owl to lure the archers to give their locations for him to snipe which in turn led to a domino of writhing archers being hit by the sniper. Forty archers fell unconscious with twenty soldiers falling incapacitated being at the receiving end of the exploding poisoned shrapnel. It has been a steep decrease of the elf's efficiency since the lights were killed but still a very dangerous drop of odds for them. Up to now, it is estimated that the casualties of soldiers suffering from the curse of the Sleep of Death are at two hundred forty-one with almost a hundred incapacitated soldiers suffering from the blast of those hundreds of black Elven arrows aimed at them. Almost a third of the soldiers at the fortress are all that remains which comprises mostly of Sibaras who are itching for a battle. There's no other choice but one.

"Retreat to the first bailey!" the General commanded which rang to every officer at the parapet walk. They all complied fast carrying the injured without hesitation as though they are anticipating such an order for quite a while.

"Sir, with your blessings, we could attack the Yiv outside," A Sibara Master whispered now appearing behind him as if like a shadow that just grew in a bat of an eye.

"No, Master Sibara. Stay with your apprentices at the first Bailey and help us there."

"But..."

"This order is non-negotiable, Master Sibara. Our enemy is not any ordinary villain out for vengeance or blood. If they are serious in killing us, we should've already been killed. They want something. I don't know what, but they will want to go inside and breach us. They are sniping our soldiers from a distance to even the odds for when they breach our fortress. The Elf is sniping because that thing cannot join the breach since it will never be able to compare its strength to us in close quarter combat, being frail as they are. No. What you need to do is to make yourself available when that time comes! Do I need to explain everything to you, Master Sibara? Do you need a lecture on tactics now?"

"If I may, you haven't even..."

"I am the General of the Army of Prodigy. Do you dare question my orders?"

"No, sir. My apologies, sir." And he disappeared together with the running soldiers retreating downstairs to the first bailey.

The General looked down on Yiv and Magnus with intense eyes. This is rather an unconventional tactic to seize a fortress. While it is ordinary for an enemy to hit an empty fort filled with newly recruited Nagozulian Elementals, even with a few low-ranking officers in place, it is odd for them to strike it with a four-man-team. Yiv and Magnus connected with the look that he's giving. They crossed their arms as if in wait, as if mocking him. This made him smile a little, feeling a bit ecstatic. He hasn't been in a battle for years and this has warmed his blood in excitement as though the event mimicked the effects of coffee giving him the jolt he needed.

"Sir," Lieutenant Marko knelt behind him reporting. "All injured Elementals and Sibara are now safe inside the main bailey. All soldiers that are able are charging their Amplifyers at the first bailey just after the gates. We're waiting for you there, sir."

"Just wait for the breach and post soldiers on all corners of the fortress. They will never breach if we maintain that kind of charge. No Daomagar can withstand the full force of Nature. If they enter our doors, we will incinerate and bury them here."

"What about that elemental charge just up the hills sir. It's disrupting our senses."

"They are holed up on that hill for a reason, Lieutenant. If he's strong enough, that traitor would've joined Yiv at the front gates. Let the Sibara Assassins take care of them. You have sent them there, correct?"

"Yes sir. They should be there right about now."

-------ooO0Ooo-------

"They retreated?" Yosh pouted whistling for Stella to come back.

"Why are you sad? That's a good thing, right?"

"No," Reus entered. "If they retreat now, still with a formidable army inside, Magnus and Yiv will be in danger."

"Whoa! Magnus and Yiv?!" Yosh reacted surprised. "So, we're going to have our mission code names now?! Then I should inform you of mine. From this day hence you should refer to me as Aether."

"Aether? As in Light? But I thought you like the darkness?"

"Wait a minute? Your brother is the Yiv?" protested Iyom angry remembering the Eye of Dim'ion, an eye technique used to have complete perfect vision in battle.

"No. Of course, not you dummy," Yosh laughed. "Yiv's been killing fifteen years ago or something. They're just fourteen. Go figure. And no, Rex, I don't like the darkness. The dark scares me. I merely adapted to the darkness like Master told me to."

"Hey, how'd you find out my code name?"

"You're so predictable. Using Rex as codename. Phsh."

"Hey that means King!"

"Duh!"

"Hey, I don't want to bother but you said that my involvement here is practically a secret right?" Iyom said interrupting.

"Yes. No one should know what you look like under any circumstance so you're not going to reveal yourself," Yosh answered irritated for repeating what he and his brothers said to him earlier.

"Well then I'll just hide myself here just a moment. I hope you won't mind."

Before Yosh could've asked why, Iyom disappeared being sucked inside his life tree. His tree then shivered and crumbled into dust leaving a blooming Violet on the base to sprout again.

Luna shrieked from behind slowly backing up to her master.

"Uh-oh," Yosh smiled. "I guess we're going to find out how you fare on combat without using your skills, eh Rex?"

"Hah! Good one not using the prefix thing. We don't want to them to know our relationship."

"Exactly, Rex," he said smiling. He's not used to addressing his brothers without the proper words of respect saying Kuya and that created an unusual feeling jerking him to give a smile in response.

Five shadows instantly emerged from the bushes all with long daggers on both hands. The one in front, who appears to be the Master Sibara of that strike team, smiled as he licked his blade.

"Well, well, well. One Daomagar from the Bandhana Clan like Magnus and One..." the Sibara inspected Reus looking scrawny with spectacles on and a tight bandana wrapped all around his head in a mess. "What are you exactly boy? You look Daomagar and yet you're building-up a great Elemental charge. Where's your Amplifyer anyway?"

"What do you care?"

"No matter," he continued. "Where's the elf?"

"What elf?" Yosh said smugly.

"Don't be insolent kid. The elf that fired those strange arrows. Where is it?"

"The IT is me, you rude stinky..."

The Sibara walked a step that looked like five. His fast gentle movements are too misleading to calculate. He's using the Reaper's Walk. It is the most common skill of the Sibara in assassinating a target using a quick dash too fast for the eye that would make the illusion of walking. The two jumped back keeping their distance of at least twenty feet from the Master Sibara.

"It can't possibly be you? You're so tiny and puny to create such devastating attacks. Stop lying or I'll punish you most extensively you'll never use your mouth again."

"I'm the one holding the bow you twerp! Are your eyes that blind that…"

"Shut up, Aether," Reus said with eyes peeled to the four Sibaran Apprentices standing perfectly still as though they are awaiting their master's orders.

"Oh, so it's Aether, huh? What a pathetic name..."

"This is dangerous," Reus whispered to Yosh. Yosh is now getting angry with the outline of his eyes turning black activating his Eagle Eyes. "You need to be careful."

"Hah! It's really going to be dangerous for you kids to have come out and play with us Sibaras! Your parents are daft not to teach you to be..."

"Oh, no. You misheard," Reus interrupted. "What I meant was, it's going to be dangerous if you insult this kid further. He needs to be careful to control himself so that we'll prevent your funeral."

The five Sibara's was stumped with Reus's confident eyes almost laughing at them and looked directly at the troubled kid with the face scrunched up all angry. In a blink, they all felt death clutching their lives for a brief moment before relinquishing it finally to feel the strange sudden pain all over their bodies. The world began to shift, and their vision was torn for about two seconds until finally creating a raucous hiss on their ears. They cannot move, they cannot speak, they can't even breathe. The Master Sibara is now dumbfounded with this new skill that he is now demonstrating. This is not a Daomagarian skill, which could only mean one thing. He is indeed the elf, a funny looking elf that does not look like the myths that describe them at all.

"Hey, Aether," Reus smiled almost pleading. "Mind dialing it just a bit?"

"No!" he pulled five of those unusual black Elven arrows and pointed his bow straight at them as he pulled them with ease showing off his skill. "He told me I'm just a puny tiny kid not worthy of his respect! He called me a kid! 'Lemme just give him something to think about two days from now. Or whenever they wake up."

-------ooO0Ooo-------

"Four minutes... That took a while..."

"Yep, Magnus. We need to keep the pace up. We only got fifteen minutes left."

"Oh..." Karus chuckled all of a sudden appearing as though he's being tickled. "Their elemental charge... it tingles... so this is what an army's elemental charge feels like."

"The front door is scrubbed then?"

"Not necessarily. Don't forget that there's no other way than to go there."

"We could jump?"

"That high?! Are you insane?"

Kayzar sneered at his reply. He knows he could jump that high with his training that spanned for almost a year, but he didn't pursue the idea. "Climb then? Scaling that tall wall is not that impossible you know."

"No. We need to go straight there."

"Okay..." he mumbled with a sigh walking behind him in a slouch.

Karus stood fifty feet from the door and inhaled a lungful of air and then puffed it out slowly. He looked at Kayzar with excited eyes. "Hey, you know about the Deep Root, right?"

"The defensive stance that absorbs great physical impact from the enemy and transfers the destructive force to Mother Earth?"

"Yep."

"What about it?"

"Let's just say, it could be an offensive skill too. Just watch."

With a tap of a foot he dashed on forward with the most impressive speed he ever witnessed. A fifty-foot dash from his point to the gate is no simple feat. Not even ordinary Daomagarians can do that. And with a pause for about a quarter of a second, he slashed the metal doors that are at least ten inches thick. The resulting destructive explosion is extraordinary. The shockwave from the blast gave slight tremors in the earth only comparable to the strongest Daomagar's destructive punch. That's when he figured out what he did. By allowing his body to exert the maximum speed, up to beyond its limits, he used the excessive force that should've ripped his body apart and transferred it to the door. It was a rather reckless and dangerous calculation that, if done improperly, would've surely resulted to his instant demise. A margin of error to even at least a percent would be perilous. If he stops, or is hindered, or his attack did not connect in time, his body will be ripped apart by the tidal forces he accumulated in his body in that blink of an eye.

"So, how was it?" he yelled right after hiding in the corner upon seeing the Nagozulian Army on the other side.

Kayzar just slapped his face in disappointment seeing that every Nagozulian fired their elemental charge directly right at him.

-------ooO0Ooo-------

"FIRE!" the General bellowed releasing his own thirty-foot-wide fireball to the now broken metal gates that once was.

All of the other soldiers followed releasing their different elemental skills. Jets of water as sharp as swords came circling burning magma rock boulders behind a whirling twister of daggers the Sibara threw. It was a breathtaking feat of destructive force aimed at Yiv. It lit the fortress bright yellow as if it is day creating a massive bonfire just outside the gates. The explosion roared a disturbing alarm that can be heard for at least ten miles. It continued to burn an intense heat that could've melt even the sturdiest of metals alloys.

This massive display of elemental powers created rich smog that engulfed the fortress. Wind Blowers from the Army cleared the uninvited thick black choking air that is persistently squeezing their way inside and over the walls of the fortress. They are still newly trained Nagozulian Army Soldiers so they could not push the smoke all the way out. All of the Nagozulian Windblowers's attention is directed into stopping the suffocating black smoke that resulted from the explosion. It seemed that the General over-estimated their skills apparently. They are after all, newly recruited soldiers but that display of humiliating skill disappointed him. If they are that weak, then they are as good as cannon fodder. They are actually a liability than an advantage.

Wind Blowers need complete focus in order to maximize the powers of their channeling skills. It is important to maintain that kind of focus or else their elemental essence will be useless. It's comparable to a swordsman fighting an enemy with troubling thoughts bothering their mind. Even if they claim to be the best, the strongest, the more experienced, if they are occupied with fear, or confusion, or the thought of death taunting them, their skills will diminish and will be reduced to at least half their potential. This is what's happening and that thought made Kayzar smile a bit as he entered the fortress releasing four daggers in the air and dashed on forth to meet the routed Army.

In about ten seconds, he managed to poison all of the Army soldiers that are in his way with the exception of those Sibaras who are skilled enough to dodge his every move. Nothing could've stopped him on his path. And with his entrance came the smog that he befriended, concealing his dark silhouette even further.

"Retreat to the Main Bailey!" the General echoed as he remained standing with the Sibara soldiers encircling Yiv.

"So, we meet again, Yiv," said the Sibaran Master fixing a metal gauntlet with sharp claws and thorns drenched in poison. "I will not be so lenient this time. I will show you the pride of Sibara."

"I don't know you," he coldly replied. "When did we meet again?"

The Sibara Master looked him sharply in the eyes, annoyed but somewhat cautious still. "I am what they refer to as the Venom. I will..."

Before he could finish, Yiv disappeared and reappeared behind him. And in a gasp from his peers, he fell down unconscious, without any fight.

"Ah," Yiv laughed. "No wonder we're not acquainted."

"You have no honor, Yiv," another Master Sibara mumbled as they all stepped back.

"When did we ever have this honor you speak of?" he calmly said with his murderous eyes panning to see each and every one of them. "Now who wants to go to bed next?"

-------ooO0Ooo-------

"Stand back!" the General bellowed unleashing a snake-like whip hissing and snapping like it has a mind of its own.

He lashed it on to Yiv which he dodged pretty easily but before he could get lucky for another shot, Magnus dashed to join in and blew his whip into pieces, throwing them back to the General.

"I suppose you're not the only one who'll enjoy this fight, eh?" Karus laughed flicking his Katana.

"Well, if you could scooch him out of the way while I take these other Sibaras in peace, then that'll be mighty super." Kayzar whispered.

With a flick from the two of his fingers as if in salute he quickly disappeared giving a sword barrage to the General that made him run back to gain some ground. Karus didn't even give him time to recover till they are at least fifty feet from Kayzar and the Sibara Goons.

"Why are you doing this?" the General started. "You do not have anything to steal here, no person to liberate. There's even no money to profit! Why are you here?!"

Karus just smiled behind his mask which insulted the General even further. He knows the General couldn't see him gave his widest grin, but he could tell that he noticed it from his eyes. His was a mocking eye.

"You leave me no choice but to defend myself and my troops!"

General Jowl pushed his arms on the ground giving off the most surprising display of Elemental Charge that he has never seen before. From zero to full amplification in just under a second is truly the basis to consider when gauging the difference in battle experience. This General is no push-over, he thought as he jumped back a few feet away further from him. He truly is fit to be the General of the Prodigies.

His metal whips began fixing itself finding raw metal from everywhere lying on the ground, as if Nature is helping him build one. And with a smile, the ground started to tremble beginning again the creation of his fire whip, his ultimate technique, only this time, he's not giving any leeway, any mercy whatsoever, as he completed the skill to its maximum.

The Fiery Magma Snakes, as he coined it, is a rare skill he invented. He used his Earth Element to pull the earth to combine it to his metal whip. With this in hand, he heats it up to at least six hundred degrees with his Fire Element and then attaches it into his arms coiling it up his entire body. The remaining ends of his whips extends to his arms and legs giving him another set of limbs that move about on his command. It is a perfect offensive and defensive skill that would scorch the person going too near and would rip apart anyone on his mid reach.

Karus smiled as he stepped forward but to his surprise he's not yet finished. With a loud stomp of his feet he made a circular web structure on the ground made of fire stretching for about at least sixty feet in diameter with the General at the center. This web like structure incinerated the ground hissing forth hot gasses and random blazing fire walls making the air as hot as the steam from boiling water. Karus is literally standing inside his fiery snare.

"The Trap of the Spider Snake," he said. "I think you ought to be honored I revealed my ultimate skill to you. It is something for your trip to Impierno."

Karus moved dashing around him, dodging fire walls but got stung by his scorching whip behind. He did not notice it. It's so fast his dashes were overthrown. He was tossed back rolling on the hot ground for a few feet squirming in pain.

"Too slow, Daomagar. This trap acts like a spider's web. I know exactly where you are and where you're going." And with a devious grin, nodding as if saying his goodbye, his Fiery Magma Snakes began rushing to him like an angry serpent out for his prey.

Karus saw this and immediately parried the attack. He gave continuous rapid slashes from his katana that dismembered the snakes from his path, but it just magically repaired itself.

He ran off slashing every time they strike to defend himself but to no avail since it grows its head back. To his surprise, it seems that the Fiery Magma Snakes extends to as long as his web trap is. He tried getting out, just to formulate a strategic plan to defeat him from his suffocating web trap but the edges of the web suddenly jettisoned a fifty-foot yellow magma wall a thousand degrees hotter than the web trap.

"You can't escape here," he laughed trying his best to hit him while he ran off in circles. "The only way you could get out is if you defeat me or I defeat you. Either way, you're trapped!"

With no other available option, he smiled and dashed forward to the enemy. A thirty-foot dash in a second surprised even the General and before he could react the blade of the Katana bashed his perfect defense and threw him away almost fifty feet outside of his territory.

Karus used his sword bash that he formulated and was thoroughly delighted he managed to make a surprise attack. The success of his hit made him so glad that it led for laxity to occupy his mind for a while, leaving for him to forget one simple fact: The Fiery Magma Serpents of the General that is attached to him. When his sword connected with the General's armor, the fiery serpents rushed to his side and slammed on Karus's back scratching their way into his body following their master being thrown away like a saw cutting away through wood.

"Got you..." the General mumbled as he rose, throwing away the huge debris of burning wreckage from his impact.

-------ooO0Ooo-------

Jowl got up groggily almost smiling after the fact that he got away with just a broken rib from a fight with the one rumored to be stronger than Yiv. Because of his Steel Armor together with his Fiery Serpentine Magma Defense coiled up around him, the lethal blow of that slash was dampened into a minimal injury, an injury he was still surprised Magnus managed to give him considering that he believed his defenses were almost as impervious as a Master Molder's Defense Enchantments.

As he stood there almost content with his skill, he noticed Magnus kneeling on the ground from where he is before. The thick black smoke that resulted from his smoke-belching trap hindered his vision. He fought the pain from his back and his ribs as he pulled every muscle in his feet to continue getting near to the corpse of the Great Magnus. Every step he made brought cold sweat to trickle down his shivering body while mouthing vulgarities of discontent. He knows something is wrong.

"It can't be!" he finally cried seeing the Daomagar Magnus with his armor stripped from his body getting down on all fours, with his lungs racing to seize as much air to invigorate him once again. His body is without a scratch which troubled him further.

The cracks on the ground proved that he managed to perform the Deep Root as his serpentine whips sawed through him, but what's really troubling is that even with Deep Root in place, the elemental damage of fire cannot be quenched by Deep Root alone. Deep Root only absorbs physical damage made by any element except Fire. Fire is the most destructive of all elements. It has no physical form and no other function but to destroy. His body should be mutilated by his scorching hot magma fires that would've, without a doubt, burned half his body into a crisp but yet he's still there, and there's only one possibility. Only one thing can stop a Fire Starter's destructive flames, and that is to beat his elemental essence. A battle of fire can only be won by a person with the highest essence.

"Y-you're a Nagozulian... but that's not possible..."

Magnus tried to stand up but failed as he stumbles on the ground dropping his half-cooked face mask. He tried his best to conceal his face, but the blood-drenched bandana was all Jowl needed to see to know who he is, the only possible Nagozulian with the greatest fire essence to beat her highness Prodea's fire essence. Even possessing much greater essence to beat the Great Seer Juni, the Legendary Fire Sentinel. It has to be no other than his godchild Karus.

"Y-you can't be the..." he mumbled as he fumbled down confused.

Yiv then entered from the fog with bloody murderous eyes that sapped his strength further. His sharp eyes disabled him to talk anymore as it gave out clear warning not to move, as if ordering him to stand down.

The silence of the Fortress gave clear indication that the Sibaras have now been neutralized. With a mighty explosion of Yiv's smoke grenades, Magnus, who he fears is Karus, magically disappeared into the fog together with Yiv. General Jowl sighed with a heavy heart as he resigned his body to the warm ground. He tried his best not to move, not to disturb the ground that gently sooths his broken body. He heard five explosions he feared are the northern and southern walls of the fort. His eyes opened up, concerned about the fortress but quickly closed it again. He tried his best not to bother. To concentrate on thinking that that night was just a nightmare. To just forget.

The idea of Karus being Magnus sprung up again persisting in his mind, taunting him to question how and why, but the thought of Civil War echoed far loudly than ever. He has to forget it. He has to! For the sake of Artemus, for the sake of Anagea and Narra, for the sake of Nagozul, and most specially for the sake of the preservation of life on the Holy Lands. He must try remembering how to lock his memory in the depths of his mind as his best friend Artemus taught him to. He must do it. He must. Even if it is impossible, he must succeed. He must now summon every power left within him to try. In order to protect everyone, Prodea must never know.