Lord of Mysteries:Fire of Destruction

City of Silver, daytime.

In front of one of the city's exits, under the watchful and unblinking gaze of the guards on the walls. An expedition group was leaving.

'This will be my second expedition as a Bard...' With one hand on his Shapeshifter Staff, Derrick Berg breathed gently as his eyes scanned the surroundings intently.

The formation they were using was arrow-shaped. The tallest members were on the left and right, while the shortest were the arrowheads, holding multiple lamps to light the way and keep the darkness at bay.

Although Derrick now had a powerful sealed artifact, he was still sequence 9, so he was one of those with the great responsibility of holding up the lamps and ensuring they didn't go out.

This time, the expedition was to explore and check old roads to the ruins of the villages surrounding the City of Silver; this was merely to secure the terrain for a deeper exploration by a larger team.

This expedition was not very dangerous, so it was a good opportunity for the less experienced to get a taste of what they would find once they left the city's 'safe zones'.

Of course, just because there weren't many dangers, it wasn't 'safe'.

For a moment, Derrick's attention was drawn to the tip of the formation.

Elder Lovia led the front. Her long black robe, embroidered with mysterious purple patterns, danced somberly in the wind. The shadows under her feet seemed to dance gently, like a dark pool, ready to release something at any moment.

Unlike the rest who stayed in the light, the woman stayed at the edge of it. Between light and dark, most of her body in the dark.

Because of her shadow-related abilities, this was the best way to use them to the fullest despite the danger it entailed.

Shaking his head slightly, the young teenager focused all his attention on the task at hand.

"Nervous?" A small whisper came from his side, and Derrick turned his head slightly.

Unconsciously, he couldn't help but smile a little.

Due to the City of Silver's limited environment, the population could not grow much.

The number of people of a certain age was adequate, and although Derrick would not dare to say that he knew everyone, he had seen most of his age group.

Darc Regence had been a fellow expedition member before and was by far the one he knew best on the current one.

The young man was of average height and somewhat chubby. He was cheerful, optimistic, and undoubtedly strong. As usual, his face wore a friendly smile. He was currently the Warrior of Sequence 9 of the Giant Pathway.

Also, recently, Derrick could consider him one of his first true friends.

Due to Mr. Chariot's advice, together with the negative effect of the Shapeshifter Staff, the young Sun was forced to interact with many more people when he went to the training ground on the outskirts of Silver City.

That was where he had met the Warrior again, who was always friendly and the first to strike up a conversation.

From that conversation until today, Darc didn't seem to leave him alone.

His parents had died almost two months ago, and this had made him become silent and withdrawn. He couldn't do much in the face of this onslaught.

Before he knew it, he was already looking forward to meeting his first friend in the field to train together.

With a friendly smile showing all his teeth, Darc Regence looked at him unconcerned.

"There's no need to be nervous because I'm here! There's nothing to be afraid of!" The slightly chubby young man tapped him on the shoulder a couple of times. The lamp in his left hand shone softly.

"Why are you here? Are you a hero in armor coming to save me?" Laughing softly, Derrick playfully returned the tap.

At the word "hero," Darc's blue eyes sparkled like precious stones, and he whispered a little more loudly, "Someday I will be the hero who will bring the City of Silver out of this torment. Just look at me!"

"Please, take this expedition seriously." The soft but firm voice made the duo freeze and look embarrassed at the front of the formation.

Elder Lovia did not turn her head; she looked at them sideways calmly, "Wait until we make camp to talk."

All the members of the formation gave them sideways glances before returning to their guard.

Derrick and Darc could only nod tensely at the reprimand, clearly embarrassed.

The young Bard glanced at his friend Warrior, who could only smile apologetically.

Not wanting to push their luck and knowing this was not the time for games or chats, they returned to their posts...

"Grraaa..." "Gruoaaa..."

A few growls came from the dark vegetation at the side of the road.

Immediately, the formation on the right raised their weapons while the formation on the left focused on watching their backs.

Monsters often drew attention to one point only for another group to attack from behind, so one had to be prepared for this.

Seeing that combat was about to descend upon them, Derrick grabbed the Shapeshifter Staff with his free hand and quickly turned the handle.

With a click, a one-meter sword appeared in his right hand, and a soft murmur escaped his lips just as he began to stamp his feet to a certain rhythm.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Slowly but quickly gathering speed, the slight anxiety that had fallen over the group was disappearing like a shadow hiding from the light.

Having found his tempo, Derrick opened his mouth and began to sing.

"Awaken strength in my soul, courage that the wind calls!

"May my body be swift and fierce, and my spirit, the most pure!

"With the force of thunder, my power, with the agility of the wind, I will run.

"May courage be my faithful shield, and may my mind be clear as crystal!"

Each verse filled those present with courage and strength, their bodies becoming vigorous and agile.

Fush! Fush! Clap!

A humanoid monster, with multiple mouths covering its body and a single eye on its amorphous head, shot out of the dark undergrowth and could barely take a few steps before being cut in half by the weapons of the front group.

In the rear, four-legged monsters shot out of the forest, their speed such that they were nothing more than blurs.

But, a few meters from reaching their targets, they stumbled upon their own shadows.

Before they could get up, their own shadows revealed against them, imprisoning them in black tentacles!

Slash! Plah! Boom!

Like the humanoid monster, these were quickly dealt with.

"Keep your guard up, and don't abandon your posts." Elder Lovia ordered with hard eyes.

"Yes, Elder Lovia!" The expedition group followed the leader's orders...

It had been a long time since the monsters first appeared, and several other confrontations passed and ended just as quickly.

With Bard Derrick's chant strengthening everyone present and the occasional support of Elder Lovia, these monsters, while not weak, had no chance of doing more than annoy and were quickly dispelled.

Now, the expedition group took a short break in a small clearing before continuing.

Sitting a few meters from one of the many campfires that lit up the clearing, Derrick calmly ate his rations.

Darc, who was sitting opposite him, looked at him, somewhat astonished and with shining eyes, "I heard from the previous group you were in that your new singing powers had been quite useful, but I didn't think they were that useful!

"I never felt as strong as when listening to your voice! What's your path called? It's the first time I've come across these abilities." Almost trembling with excitement, the young man approached Derrick and whispered.

"Where did you buy it? Was it one of the lower channels?"

Derrick smiled and nodded slightly, "Its name is the Sun Pathway. A kind man sold me the Sequence 9 potion formula in exchange for some materials I had at home. He was wearing a strange tunic, so I couldn't get a good look at his appearance."

The smile on Darc's face tightened for a moment. Grumbling, he bit into his rations, "Seriously, that's all? Everyone who goes to the lower canals dresses like that..."

It was not unusual for some potion formulas to suddenly appear in unofficial canals within the Silver City. Some became the basis of strong families from generation to generation. That was because people kept part of the spoils private. As long as it wasn't too important, captains and senior officers would tacitly overlook it...

While doing so was not a problem, many preferred maintaining their privacy when making these deals.

Derrick only smiled in response, but a sudden chill made him look to one side.

In the distance and with her hands clasped in her lap, Elder Lovia looked at him with expressionless eyes.

The young man tensed a little, but remembering Chariot's words, he took a deep breath and smiled cheerfully at the woman, his eyes shining.

He raised one hand and turned it to greet her, "Hey, Elder Lovia! How are you?"

The woman, taken somewhat by surprise, did not seem to have expected that movement and looked at him, slightly lost.

Without saying anything, Elder Lovia nodded gently and returned her attention to the fire in front of her, a deep look in her eyes that had been lost in the orange flames.

Darc looked at what his most recent friend had done, and he could only press his lips together somewhat uncomfortably.

Seeing that the older woman had turned her attention, he approached Derrick and grabbed his arm with some force.

"Hey... I wouldn't do that if I were you..." The Warrior whispered.

"Why? Is it wrong for me to greet her?" The young man murmured confusedly.

He understood that Elder Lovia had always been strange, with her random emotional swings and strange episodes, but there was no need to act like that.

Darc felt a little lost for a moment before he realized, "Of course, you were never very social, so you don't know..."

"There's a very recent rumor that Elder Lovia ate her husband in one of her episodes a long time ago..."

"What kind of stupid rumor is that?!" Derrick whispered, completely outraged, but Darc's quick signals made him lower his voice.

Someone so loyal to the City of Silver that she was willing to sell her soul to an Evil God so that the city would have a chance to escape this nightmare and go to the world of light doing such a crazy thing?

Never! Derrick might not have been the most perceptive or attentive, but even he could see how ridiculous it was!

This was a slap in the face of Elder Lovia's efforts and of everything the City of Silver stood for!

Barely able to control his fury, the young Sun grabbed his friend's forearm and squeezed it tightly, eliciting a surprised groan from his companion.

Approaching to within just over 20 centimeters of his face, Derrick looked with a fiery gaze at Darc, who had paled a little.

"Those are just meaningless rumors; Elder Lovia would never do that. Do you really think she could be roaming free in the city streets if such an atrocity were true? There's no way the council of six would allow it!

"What you are saying not only insults the efforts Elder Lovia makes every day for the City of Silver but the council's ability!

"Don't be delusional, Darc, and use your head to think!" Barely containing his voice, Derrick finally released his friend's arm and looked to one side, breathing heavily.

The young Warrior brought his sore arm against his body; his dazed gaze focused on the once shy and reserved young man. His mouth opened and closed several more times, but no words came out.

Looking around and hoping that nobody had heard them, Darc could only look on in embarrassment as some of the expedition members who were closest to them looked at him sideways.

Knowing that the situation could worsen if he spoke, the Warrior hung his head in shame.

"I'm sorry, Derrick... I spoke without thinking..."

Pressing his lips together a little, the young man could only shake his head with a sigh.

"Just don't do it again, okay? Don't disrespect Elder Lovia or talk about rumors with no head or legs; they're just lies."

"I will..." Darc nodded sadly before laughing uneasily, "By the Creator, Derrick. When did you grow up so much? Now I feel like I'm the child.

"We all have roles to play, don't we?" Derrick sighed softly,"I can't continue being a child if I want to fulfill mine."

Finishing their chat, the duo fell back into silence, waiting for the break to end and the expedition to begin again.

A few meters away from them, hidden in the shadows, a fleshy blood red ear that had appeared at some point sank back into the shadows...

Elder Lovia raised her head and glanced at Derrick and Darc. Her eyes were no longer disinterested, and they had a certain gleam.

----

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