After Vaeryn the Flameborn destroyed the portal that connected the mortal realm to Nhal’Tharra—the realm of the mordrens—two centuries ago, scattered remnants of the mordrens who fled from the war and had found ways to manipulate and establish strongholds across the land. One such stronghold stood fifty kilometers northeast of Nebo, deep within the Great Mountains of Muchu Chhish, which served as the natural border between the Empire and the Kingdom of Velanthir.

For twenty years that stronghold had long terrorized the town of Nebo and its neighboring settlements. Raiding, pillaging and kidnapping young women and children at night. The Duke of Valebrant - a province where the barony town of Nebo was located; Lord George of House de Capet, had once sent a force of one hundred adventurers—ranked Titanium, Diamond, and Platinum—alongside his personal levies, led by his son and Marshal George II, a swordsman of Diamond rank. With him the banners of House de Capet, its background was blue with seven golden fleurs - de - lis, arranged four above and three below

Only five adventurers returned. Of the Duke's son, nothing remained but his shattered sword.

Desperate and forsaken by the capital of Velanthir, the Duke sent an envoy to plead with the head of House Veyrdrassil—once counted among the Three Great Houses of the Empire at the time before its downfall—offering three chests filled with Libo's. In response, they dispatched a single Dragon Knight who, alongside the duke's remaining levies, obliterated the stronghold and reignited hope throughout the region.

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“Well… well… well.” Talos said while smacking his kunai onto his left hand. The surrounding area is scorched with flames and ruins; screams of the wounded echoed past them, shouts of people screaming the names of their loved ones. 

“I never thought a priest could wield such a fine sword. Is that Dasmas Steel? Verlin steel?”

Father Howard didn’t answer and remained silent, still his eyes locked onto Talos. 

“Cat got your tongue priest?”

Father Howard again didn’t respond and still continued to look at Talos in the eyes

“STOP STARING AT ME LIKE THOSE FFYCIN IMPERIAL PIGS!!”. A strong breeze swept through the ground pushing back the hood that covered the face of Talos. Exposing only the upper face as he wore a mask to cover his lower face. Father Howard's eyes widened when he saw a familiar face with a slave collar of a white Britacian young man with golden hair, ears long, he had black earrings on both ears. Eyes hazel in color.

“A Britacian” Howard thought to himself.

(A/N: Britacians are elves)

“Are you that boy with three other Britacians girls in one cage on display at a slave market in Roma?”

“FINALLY! The coward talks.” Talos paused, realizing the words coming out from Howard.

“How do you know about that?” Talos asked

“He has grown tall…” Howard thought to himself again without replying

Father Howard raised his sword slowly to his chest and closed his eyes, meditating. His sword slowly glowed in red orange.

“DON’T GIVE ME THAT SILENT SHIT!!” Talos screamed in anger.

Talos conjured eight purple magic circles. Seven of those emerged from a top on Howard that stacked from biggest to the smallest, while the eighth magic circle emerged beneath the feet of Howard. Talos laughed hysterically

“DIE PRIEST! TAMANG KIDLAT! (Lightning strike)” 

Cracks of lightning started from the smallest magic circle as it passed through each magic circle; its luminosity intensified, so did its power. It struck Father Howard with a thunderous applause of lightning. The ground shook, cracking the cobbled stone street. Buildings collapsed from the shock wave. As the purple light from the spell illuminates the surrounding area, flashbacks of young Talos with his sisters begin to emerge. 

Flashback

It was seven years ago. Eight year old Talos with his three four year triplet sisters huddled together to conserve their warmth on a cold winter day. Placed in a small cage, which they can’t stand inside of, was on display at a slave market stall in the slums of the Imperial city of Roma, passersby looked at them with eyes of racial discrimination. Britacians who are native to the Isle of Britacia, north of the province of Lugenden, Empire of Karnorath, who the empire tried to invade four times, but all four invasions failed. Talos covered his sisters with his cloak keeping their heads down while Talos looked at them with resentment. Some spat on them and kicked the cage, frightening his sisters. He tried to retaliate by using his magic, but was blocked by his slave metal collar that glowed in red, he stumbled back and rolled left and right on the cold cage floor. Gripping on the collar trying to remove it, his sisters rushed to him trying their best to help him, by taking hold of the collar that was squeezing tight on Talos' neck, choking him. One of Talos' sisters screamed for help at the slave salesman who was just sleeping on a chair next to a fire hearth. Still the salesman didn’t wake up. The sister used her telekinetic power to lift a small stone on the ground and hurled it on the forehead of the salesman; she didn’t know how to control the speed that it struck the target forehead with such force that the salesman stumbled backwards.

The salesman rose from his chair, slowly groaning in pain placing his right hand on his forehead, he opened his eyes and heard the screams of Talos who was choking. The sister who woke the salesman screamed in Britac that the salesman couldn’t understand a word.

“Helpu! Mae fy mrawd yn marw!” (Welsh: Help! My brother is dying!)

“HA!? I don’t speak Britac girl!” 

A cloaked knight walked past and heard the screams of the Britac boy, he knelt, unsheathed his blade, inserted it inside the cage and tapped the collar with the tip of his sword. The red glow dissipated and slowly the collar was cut clean in half and fell off from the neck of the Britac boy. The knight sheathed his blade to its scabbard and stood. Salesman witness the situation and ran towards in front of the knight and barked

“YOU HAVE TO PAY FOR THAT COLLAR SIR! EVEN IF YOUR A KNIGHT…”

The salesman was cut off when a small purse filled with Dracs when the knight threw the purse which landed onto his mouth, losing two of his front teeth and the purse landed on the ground. The salesman clasped onto his mouth and groaned in pain, as he composed himself the knight before him was gone. Beside him, the sisters huddled together onto their brother who was still weak due to the pain. 

“Brawd wyt ti'n iawn?” (Welsh: Brother, are you okay?). One of the sisters rocked his brother who was half awake looking at the direction where the unknown knight vanished. The salesman kicked the cage where the Britacs are in, forcing them to stay quiet.

Back to reality 

KABOOM!

Clouds of dust swept through the ground creating a temporary dust storm blinded Talos. He shielded his eyes from the dust, as it swept through him. Moments later he saw two orange hue dots in front of him, like eyes watching him through the storm.

“It can’t be!?” he thought to himself.

Then a fiery shaped sword emerged in the middle of the two dots, it raised upward and cut through the dust. Clearing the dust storm, as Talos begins to clear his eyes from the dust, Howard was nowhere to be seen, he scanned his surroundings.

“Where is that priest?”

As he turned to his left, he saw a tip of a fiery sword just two inches from his left eye, he deflected it hastily and jumped back, skidding through the ground. He looked up and no one was there. Then blood lust behind him emerged as he turned around an edge of a fiery sword was inches away from his neck he deflected it hastily again and jumped to the air, threw a series of kunai knives to the assailant that was pursuing him and threw another kunai with runes at its handle, to a wall of a building behind him. Talos raised his right hand, extended both his index and middle finger, and then ravens emerged, he teleported to the kunai with runes he threw earlier; his left hand holding onto the kunai. Using his right hand he conjured a purple magic circle, as large as a ferris wheel, crimson chains, shoot up toward the assailants location

BOOM

Dust emerged from the impact, splinters of debris of stone and wood flew above the impact. As the dust clears, the crimson chains grabbed hold onto a fiery sword but it was pinned down on the ground. Talos' eyes widened when he saw Howard, with red fiery runes of baybayin scripts moving in circles in a horizontal position behind him, reading; (Filipino: Pinagpala ni Sunfyre translation: Blessed by Sunfyre).

“A DRAGON KNIGHT!?” He screamed inside of his head, he’s breathing heavily of the fear facing an extinct Knight order of House Veyrdrassil.

“Calm down Talos” he thought to himself and closed his eyes.

As Talos opened his eyes, his whole body trembled, when Howard looked straight into his eyes; with eyes of a dragon, making Talos pissed his trousers. The immense aura emitted out of Howard was so intense that ground beneath him crumbled. Talos’ chains pinned down on the ground with the tip of Howard's sword. He removed his sword from the ground, and raised it in the air along with the chains, then using his left fist he punched each chain toward the direction of Talos.

BOOM!

Into the mist of dust and splinters of stone and wood. Talos flew to the air, threw another kunai to a building, but to his surprise, Howard emerged six meters away from him, cutting his teleportation kunai in half. Howard moved his sword toward his right with an intention to use a slash attack targeting Talos' abdomen. Talos noticed what Howard was intending to do, He extended both his arms before him, and enchanted 

“HADLANG!” (Filipino: barrier)

Ten barrier shields emerged from Talos. As Howard swung his blade in a slashing motion toward Talos, the tip of his sword embedded itself into the air, slicing it open, a black void revealed within the tear. Then time around Howard stopped, and he could hear both His and Talos' heartbeat beating in unison. After Howard finished slashing the air from right to left, he sheathed slowly his sword, and snapped. 

Howard then chanted “Elemento Talim. Hiwang Grabidad (Filipino: Elemental Blade. Gravity Slash)