The Legend of Tantus - Book 1

Chapter 8 - The Four Battles of Mérit

    Thorgele and Kraven reappeared outside the walls of Yop. Due to the unexpected presence of the shinobi the ethereal step of the cheater did not obtain the intended result, leaving him still close to the city, the two already fell rolling on the floor and lurching until they rose up, and Kraven just laughed.

- Are you still happy to have murdered your master?! – asked Thorgele.

- He was no longer my master. Hahahaha... – Kraven chuckled. – This atesaki there is probably a curse. Huhuhu... Since we are here we will have some fun, mouse.

- Yes, we will have.

    The black sorcerer decided to play a little with his unexpected enemy before retiring. Thorgele knew he was facing a very powerful opponent, and the chances of being defeated there were very clear, Kraven knew nothing about the shinobi, and he did not care, for he was no more than a despicable victim, but could not imagine how he was in danger of being mistaken. The epic battle between the servant of Zeijadel and the ice shinobi, was beginning. Thorgele put the little book that Tantaluz handed him under the armor at the height of his abdomen and stuck the staff Morgil on the ground, preparing for combat, the cheater began attacking with his fire, but the shinobi defended well with an ice shield, and then retaliated with a rain of the same, forcing Kraven to also use an ice shield:

- Well well, not bad, worm. – said Kraven. – But how far will you get lucky?

    Now the black sorcerer attacked with ice and the shinobi with fire, and the first shock of their powers caused a crash that frightened many residents and soldiers who were in the walls of the city, this allowed the group to discover where they were and went there as quickly as possible, when arrived they faced the magnificent elemental dispute of the highest level. Realizing the presence of the allies, Kraven stopped the clash and once again made his celestial prison, so that no one would help him:

- No luck, boy, you are mine!

    The others came together and began to break the cage immediately, except for John (for obvious reasons). The two fighters resumed combat, Kraven attempted against him the same as he tried against Sumith, created a crater under his feet and flooded it with water, in an attempt to hurl him at the ceiling of the cage, but made the mistake of also touching the water, obviously had not noticed, Thorgele realized this quickly, and before the enemy, used his element of thunder to electrocuting everything, forcing the cheater to jump at the last second, narrowly escaping.

- Northern shinobi? I see you are smart, and interesting, so let's not waste any more time. – said Kraven.

- ... – Thorgele said nothing.

    Kraven appealed once again to the ultimate elemental blast, he wanted to exterminate his enemy just as he did with Tantaluz, he knew that Thorgele did not own even half the elements of the great master and deduced that it would all end there... wrongly... Noticing the concentration and intentions of his opponent, Thorgele began to do the same, which elicited a mocking laughter from Kraven, and when the same fired his maximum power, the shinobi manifested ice, thunder and fire, a beautiful shield with the colors of the three elements began to form, and the power emanated from there was unparalleled, all fifteen elements of Kraven were contained at once!

- What?! The supreme defense?! – said the stunned cheater.

- Thorgele! – shouted Enghon.

    Kraven did not believe what he was witnessing, the greatest of the defenses, the insurmountable shield, the absolute defense, the "Supreme Defense" was before his eyes, something neither he nor Tantaluz could create, and that young shinobi was now showing. Thorgele had just joined a select group of warriors, and at that moment was making history, Enghon was right about him, and was proud to have only participated.

- You! But who are you?! – shouted Kraven.

- You do not need to know old man! – replied Thorgele.

    The incredible elemental blast remained contained by the incredible shield, without yielding, without retreat, and the cheater wisely stopped his power to not spend more of his forces uselessly, now Kraven knew he could not be defeated in elemental power by him, but he could not defeat him even with all he possessed, unlike the battle against Tantaluz, there was only one option: physical combat.

- Unbelievable that a worm as you reach supreme defense. – said Kraven. – It's clear that this battle can not be decided with our powers, but by the skill with the sword.

- ... – Again he answered nothing, just prepared himself.

    The black sorcerer took out Starluz, while the shinobi unsheathed Andriel, until then Kraven had not even noticed the glow on Thorgele's waist, but after watching closely he shuddered:

- The daughters of the lords?! But who the hell are you?!

- Shut up and come!

    The battle of the mighty swords began. Kraven considered himself (arrogantly) one of the best swordsmen that ever existed, and was in fact, but beginning to understand that his opponent was nothing he had imagined, was powerful, worthy of his utmost efforts, and that to underestimate him was a mistake. Swords crossed incredibly violently, Starluz was on the same level as Andriel, responding with the same force, the two warriors remained equated while the others continued to break the cage, which became the scene of a spectacular, frantic and frightening fight, with powerful punches, kicks and spells between the intervals. Kraven then decided to show an exclusive technique, after stepping away he concentrated the air at the tip of Starluz, and attacked, firing thousands of thin piercing bursts, the "Magnificent Cut of the Air", capable of completely shattering an enemy or several, but Thorgele responded with the fury of Tharon, and the two techniques were annulled in the cage in another one out of series dispute. Kraven did not believe that even in this matter his adversary was equivalent to him, and his anger was as great as his frustration, the celestial prison began to show signs of weakening and he was starting to worry, his fatigue was already beginning to take his strength, but the cheater was incredibly resilient despite the previous fight, and experienced, he was better prepared, managed to reach Thorgele with a cut at the height of the abdomen, who was able to cross the light armor, the shinobi felt the pain and then received several other small perforations in the shoulders, arms and legs, Kraven was fast and deadly, ending by crossing Thorgele's right shoulder, causing him to lose much blood, and the elements that strengthened Starluz made the injuries even heavier, leaving him totally at his mercy:

- Whoever you were was good, the best so far. – said the black sorcerer. – But it's over, I will finish bleeding you like a lamb, and you will be able to go to your little friend. Ask someone else to make an ice coffin for you too. – Thorgele's forces disappeared, there seemed to be no hope of overcoming.

- No! – shouted Shayera as John ran back and forth in dismay.

- No, not another friend! – Enghon shouted, using all his strength to break the damn cage, and was accompanied by Solphie and Iris with the same desperation.

- Fight! – shouted the sss. – Fight! Fight! Fight! You have to fight! – And these words, mingling affliction and encouragement, tears forming in her beautiful eyes, rekindled his heart, that was it, to believe, as long as he believed nothing would ever be over, for his friend, for all of them, for her. – Rise up and fight again, until the lamb becomes a lion! Fight! Fight! 

- Yes... I will not give up. It will not end here! – shouted Thorgele looking into Kraven's eyes.

    The shinobi drew forces from the unknown, and with his left hand he took Starluz's blade, even if cutting and his blood dripping more, he pulled it from his shoulder under the astonished and frightened eyes of Kraven, and with the spearhead of Andriel's pommel, struck the cheater's left eye, he could still hold his hand, but not enough to stop it, and his eye was pierced, the black sorcerer fell back screaming and cursing in pain, while the shinobi also knelt very hurt. Kraven crawled away while the others finally managed to destroy the prison, and rushed to rescue his friend while John stood in the front, ready for combat.

- Curse you! – said Kraven standing up. – I promise, I will rip your head off in exchange for the eye you took me today, our next meet will be the last!

- And I promise... that the time to fear you is near the end. – said Thorgele also rising. – When you feel the pain in this eye remember the lamb.

- Damn you! – Kraven said before teleporting and running away again.

    The sun was already beginning to rise, and the epic combat, "The Battle Chosen by Destiny", was not yet finished. Laguna arrived shortly after, calmly, and touching Thorgele's shoulder, he said:

- Sumith and I are proud of you today. – And the shinobi just smiled, falling asleep exhausted in the arms of his friends.

    Several hours later Thorgele awoke in the shipyard's room, still weakened, but in much better condition, Tantaluz's book and staff were on the table by the bed, as was Shayera, who slept in the chair beside him, the shinobi smiled and woke her, and the sss hugged him as soon as she saw him recovered, John, who was outside, just looked discreetly through the door and, seeing them, did not contained:

- And so is looooove! – said making Shayera turn completely red.

    Everyone came to greet him and made a nice banquet right there, the biggest surprise was the arrival of Arkan, who came along with Laguna. The new fellow knew that he was in the harbor and brought him to the young people, the sailor was one of those who most felt the loss of Tantaluz, because they were great friends, but just like in the battle of Vamyar, Arkan was enchanted with the history on the fight of Thorgele against Kraven, and even more to the knowledge that the black sorcerer had suffered a heavy blow. After much conversation Thorgele asked for a moment alone with Enghon, who was clearly pensive and melancholy, and handed him the small book and the mighty Morgil:

- Tantaluz left this to you. – said the shinobi.

- Great master... – said Enghon.

- Enghon. I know that no one can replace Tantaluz, but as he told you, empty your heart of this revenge.

- And why would I do that?

- Because he had a lot of faith in you, he believed you could be so much better, so he left you this legacy.

- ...

- And just as you believed me, I also believe you, my friend.

- As I told him, this is a difficult request to be answered. I think my hatred will only leave me when Kraven is dead, but thank you Thorgele.

    Everyone had a day of well-deserved rest and well spent, after the due and emotional honors of the whole city to the old master, realized that he would never want to see them sad and melancholy, so they hailed him, and began to smile. Arkan, Laguna, John and Solphie stayed in the shipyard playing cards and having fun, Thorgele and Shayera were together as usual, half the time they spent at the shipyard following the card game, and the other half kept company to Iris, who was always by the side of the Sumith's skiff, Enghon spent all day in the room leafing through the little book of Tantaluz. The next day Laguna and Arkan reunited all, it was time for a serious decision:

- From now on, my friends, we must separate. – said Arkan.

- What happened? – asked Solphie.

- The journey of summons must not stop, but another mission will start now. – said Laguna.

- Can you explain? – asked Iris.

- Of course.

    Laguna revealed that Kraven murdered Tantaluz, not only on a whim, but on the part of Zeijadel's plan, for as the lord of darkness had the ability to see through the other lords, even though he was imprisoned, the others also saw through him, Kraven intended to destroy Mérit.

- And you know why, right, Enghon? – asked Arkan.

- The Library of Magic... – said the young sorcerer.

- Exact.

    The Library of Magic. The place that is the source of all the magical knowledge of the planet, told the legend that Lurien, the first sorceress, developed elemental mastery after many winters of studies and hard work, and all her knowledge was written in a book, which she kept in the underground of her home, where today it was the great central mansion of Mérit, with the passage of time her descendants and other scholars were learning and writing their own experiences, and over the millennia the great underground hall has turned into an immense library, the largest possible:

- All the elemental knowledge of this world is there. – said Enghon. – I studied there.

- Me and my sister too. – said Solphie.

- Everyone in the world who possesses elemental mastery has studied, or learned under tutelage from someone who has studied. – said Laguna.

- So you mean my stepmother Sorsha studied there? – asked Iris.

- Or learned from someone who has studied. – replied Enghon. – And this holds true for all of us.

- Tantaluz was not only the guardian of the towers, he was also the guardian of magic, the library was the place most guarded by him. – said Laguna. – The enemy could not afford to have an obstacle like him in the way of his plan.

- If that place is destroyed, with them winning the war and already annihilating thousands of lives, all knowledge will disappear. – said Arkan. – And over time, sorcerers and simple elemental users will probably stop forming, this is Zeijadel's plan to eliminate possible future obstacles, but it is not from now on, he had already considered this since the beginning of the war.

- Should we assume that Kraven will try to destroy the city at all costs? – asked Thorgele.

- You bet. – replied the sailor. – And that is where we will bring Sumith back.

- Iris, Shayera, Solphie and John should proceed to the temples of the remaining summons. – said Laguna. – And Thorgele, Arkan, Enghon and I will take Sumith to Mérit and protect the city.

- But should not I go with them? – asked Enghon, for without Sumith he was the fittest to find the temples. – We still have no idea where the temple of Saitar is.

- No, my friend, we will need you, and Solphie will know what to do.

- ??? – Solphie.

    Laguna's words, apparently, meant nothing less than a clear demonstration of trust in Iris and the others. The group headed to the port, the Sumith's skiff was covered and taken discreetly to be placed in the basement of another ship, because the one of Arkan would be in the care of John, who would be responsible for bringing the female trio to the remaining temples.

- Better take care of my beloved ship, you delinquent, or you will get grounded. – Arkan said with a wry smile.

- Next time you see it, it will all be painted blue with white chickens. – said John.

- What?!

- Calm down! Joking, old man.

    And Shayera dismissed Thorgele reluctantly, it was obvious that she wanted to change groups to stay with him always, mainly under the threat of having to fight great battles, after everything he has already gone through, was curiously acting as if she were his protector, giving him some work to convince her otherwise.

- Hey, I am not a little kid, I know how to take care of myself! – said him.

- I know! – said her. – But... You suffered a lot in the last battle. – And she touched his shoulder, feeling the scar beneath his garment. – I do not like to think that you might suffer again, that this wound might be elsewhere... – Now touching the armor towards the heart.

- Dying for you is now included in my duties.

- ! – And she remembered these words.

- I want you beside them because I want you to protect them.

- So I will protect them, but about dying, my answer is no! Do not you dare die! Or I will go to the other world, I will beat you up and bring you back!

- Violent. – said Thorgele smiling.

- I... I learned something in recent times.

- What?

- Atesaki, it can only be hope... – she said, touching his eyes.

- Thorgele, take care of Sumith. – Iris asked.

- I will.

- You promise?

- I already promised. – said Thorgele, touching Iris's head, smiling.

- Hey, John. – said Laguna. – Follow your instincts.

- Ouch! Other Arkan. – said the thief grinning ironically as the sailor nudged his head.

- Come soon, captain. – said Solphie hurrying John.

    Everyone said goodbye. Enghon handed his old staff to John to guard in the basement of Arkan's ship, along with his other rare pieces, and took over Morgil definitively, becoming its new lord. The thief and the female trio continued the journey on the sailor's ship to the west, and the others took another ship to Lieben, the voyage lasted five and a half days without problems or unforeseen. Arkan, Laguna and Thorgele played cards, but the shinobi did not turn out to be a good player, leaving them to fight a private match, which ended with the sailor's victory. Enghon, though he was always with them, preferred to dwell on the book of Tantaluz, immersing himself in the studies it had given him, and seemed to be enjoying much, discovering the three secrets of the great master.

- What does that say, Enghon? – asked Thorgele.

- This book... Now I understand why Tantaluz gave me. – said the young sorcerer. – Here are kept the secrets of three of the most powerful spells ever created: Star Death, Holy Ray and Meteorites.

- Seems interesting.

- And it's a lot. Two of them belong to the holy element, and one of darkness. He trusted me to carry them. It will not be easy to learn this, I do not know if I will.

- Calm down, he knew what was doing.

    On the third day of travel they heard rumors about a beautiful landscape that was formed on the continent of Lieben, at first they did not give much attention, but after Laguna warn they had a great revelation:

- Come, it's time to see something. – said the new fellow, taking them all to the deck of the ship. – Look at that.

    On the continent of Lieben, an immense and beautiful dome with the elemental colors began to take shape, although the other passengers of the ship appreciated the beautiful view, Thorgele again had a bad feeling, just like Arkan, and Enghon stood still:

- It can not be... – said the young man.

    Enghon ran up to his luggage, and rummaging through another old book of his, looked at the others sweating cold:

- The meteor!

- What?! – asked Arkan. – Then it's above Mérit. – said after thinking better.

    The "Meteor" was the largest, most destructive and absurd of all the spells ever seen, with devastating power, equated with the guardians. Told the legend it was this magic that separated the continent of Meira in islands, once executed there was no return, no matter what happened, even if the person responsible was killed, taking about thirty days to finally fall, purposely a true divine punishment having to look up to the sky and observe the inevitable death and destruction, with nothing to do. It was performed only once by one of the lords, long ago, just as punishment for the selfishness and corruption that spread in that land. It could have been labeled as f*******n magic, because just punishment or evil g******e depended only on something that any being possesses: intentions. The lord reflected on this for decades, being tormented by the remorse of creating something that could represent a catastrophe in the future, but the extreme difficulty in executing it became his only consolation, so it was eventually forgotten in the library's earliest studies, because it could only be accomplished by the union of all fifteen elements, nothing less than this, and it was obviously Kraven responsible.

- That bastard, why did he do this? – asked Thorgele.

- Through Zeijadel, Kraven knows many of the events, and the opposite also occurs. – said Laguna. – The other lords looked on successfully through their plans to destroy Mérit, and our friend Sumith is being prepared to prevent this.

- Millenarian shield... – said Enghon, with Laguna agreeing. – It's the only magic that can stop the meteor. It uses the elements of holy, darkness, life, nature and gravity in an unequaled union, but for this it takes an artifact or weapon powerful enough to serve as a source of power, it is purely a "dome" capable of repelling three things: hostile destructive force, evil character and guardians. These are not evil, it is true, but because of their destructive power, which is similar to the meteor. But where will we find something so powerful to protect an entire city as Mérit?

- Right here. – said Laguna, pointing to the sword Laguna of Sumith. – This weapon by itself is already very powerful, but exactly for this it was further strengthened with Isil. So Tantaluz was removed from the board, they believed that he would be the only one able to perform the millenarian shield.

- I understand. – said Thorgele. – And who is preparing Sumith for this?

- The seventh guardian, Anarky. – said Arkan.

- It will be a beautiful surprise. – said Enghon.

- The meteor will take a month to form and fall, it will not only destroy Mérit and the library, but it will also destroy much of the continent, without counting the great damages of earthquakes and tsunamis for the coastal towns. Zeijadel is picking up heavy. – said Laguna. – But he already knows about Sumith, so he will try to destroy his body at all costs, to prevent the millenarian shield, and we must protect him at any price. By the way, this is the same magic that protects the barn of the sons of Alexander.

- I should know. – said Enghon.

    This was the great mission now assigned to them, and one of the greatest in history, to protect the city and Sumith, deducing (correctly) that Kraven would attack them the whole month if necessary, to prevent the return of Lieben's young man and the execution of the "Millenarian Shield", and the failure was unacceptable, otherwise the continent would be severely beaten, taking with it millions of lives, not to mention the library. They argued a lot about it, because it was a very heavy weight on their shoulders, they might even think of evacuating the whole north of Lieben, as well as removing all the books from the library, for they would have a month for that, but the big problem is they were talking about millions of books, which could not simply be hidden in many pockets, and the risk of being attacked by Kraven during the transport, making his task easier, was too great to be accepted, not to mention the many people who would refuse to leave their beloved homes. In Mérit they should bet everything.

    They finally arrived at the Morwen Harbor, arranged another cart for the ice skiff of Sumith, and proceeded immediately to Mérit. People passed by, commenting on the strange dome in the sky, some frightened and some marveling, but none of them could imagine what was to come. Seven horses were arranged, four for the cart with the skiff, which Laguna commanded, and three more for the others, thanks to this it was only half a day of rapid travel until they saw the walls of the hometown of the family of Sumith, Mérit, a beautiful city of classical architecture, its walls were tall and solid, ready for any attack, but this did not make it a strong city like Anarkandy, although the kingdom made a point of keeping a good number of soldiers for their safety, exactly on account of the library.

- We got to your home, my friend. – Thorgele said to the frozen Sumith.

    At the entrance they were overtaken by soldiers hurrying into town, claiming to have sighted a large army of goblins concentrating south on the coast, and the group immediately understood.

- Warn the captain, a large army of goblins are concentrated on the coast, south of here! – said a soldier.

- And how many? – One soldier at the gate asked.

- We do not know for sure, I believe that approximately five thousand enemies. – replied another soldier.

    The hour was coming and Laguna approached Thorgele, touched his shoulder and said:

- It is at this moment that you will rise my friend, it will be you who will guide us now, because this burden can only be yours.

- Me? – asked the shinobi, while Arkan agreed and Enghon, after observing them, also agreed. – But how will I carry this weight?

- Steady your feet. – finished Laguna.

    Thorgele did not consider himself capable of assuming the responsibility he should have, or even understood why, but as an honorable and valiant warrior, fellow and friend he was, assumed anyway. He removed the cloth covering the Sumith's ice skiff, and as soon as the people saw him all stopped and recognized, becoming really astonished, they entered the city under the eyes of astonishment and sadness of soldiers and residents. Lieben's young man was very dear to all, and upon seeing him in that state the anguish took all the place. Thorgele decided to show them to understand the seriousness of the situation, a wise decision, and also to give them hope, being confident in his choice. They continued to take the skiff to the great central mansion, going directly to the civilian leader and the captain of the defenses.

- Young Sumith... What is going on? – asked the old man, clearly saddened and worried.

- The city will be heavily attacked. – said Thorgele. – And it will not only be once.

- But how? – asked the captain.

- Do you see that in the sky?

- Yes.

- That is the meteor.

- What?! But why?!

- Do you know what is stored here in the underground?

- The library.

- The one who did this to Sumith is the one who wants to destroy the city, but it depends on us. Sumith is the only one who can protect this place, but he will only return in less than a month.

- The shield... I totally understand. – said the old man after reflecting.

    The civil leader was a man of impressive intelligence, fully understanding, not to say incredibly, what that meant.

- I will not dare ask how he lost his life. – said the old man. – But for someone like Sumith to be dead, we can not be talking about a common enemy.

- A vassal of darkness. – Thorgele.

- Kraven... Then Zeijadel is approaching.

- ...

- You can count on my support.

    But the captain showed himself less than expected, not being able to perform the function.

- I am not prepared for this, forgive me, but I confess that I would like to run away from here and order the withdrawal of all.

- This we can not do. – said Thorgele, with the others accompanying him.

    After several hours of much talk the fact was that the city was without leadership at its most crucial moment, it was when the alarm sounded and the enemy army could be seen taking positions. Mérit had only two gates, east and west, they were not as large as the gates of Vamyar, they were actually much smaller, and the passage was narrow, this would give work to the enemies and it was just in front of these gates that they stood. A great discussion was formed between the soldiers and the villagers, all were confused after the leader gave up responsibility. Despair was beginning to form, but a man there took all the burden and responsibility he could:

- Shut up! – shouted Thorgele.

- Who are you? – They shouted.

- I said shut up! – And the silence has finally been reached. – This is Sumith Maxlyeben, one of you! – said the shinobi. – He gave his life for you, and he is here today, in this state, for you once more.

- But what will we do? If we are attacked the whole month how will we resist? We will all die!

- All people die, but not all actually live. – Thorgele said, shutting everyone off. – This man before us is the only hope we have, and we will fight for him. I see in all eyes, the fear that runs through your hearts and numbs your minds. I may not be one of you, but my will is here now!

- But we are not prepared for something of this magnitude, we do not even have enough soldiers.

- The number is nothing, the will is everything! – shouted the shinobi. – We will fight in this war, for all that is dear to you in this land, for your children and wives, their futures, their freedom. – And as he spoke all eyes began to change, bringing hope and courage to all. – We will rise here and now as the force that will shape the future. I can not guarantee your lives, but our legacy will remain forever, and a promise will be made: no innocent and everything we protect will be touched, while the last of us is still breathing! – finished the shinobi, drawing his brilliant sword to the delirium of the army.

- Haaaa!!! – shouted the soldiers, and waved their weapons high.

- Rise up warriors!!!

- Haaaa!!! – The army of Mérit find their leader.

- I wanted to be younger to fight by your side. – said the old man to Thorgele. – But now I am just an old man...

- For having understood already means a lot. – said the shinobi, returning the kindness.

Behind the crowd his fellows waited for him.

- He very much remembers "him", does not he? – asked Arkan, as the people greeted Thorgele.

- Of course he do. – replied Laguna.

- I have a slight suspicion about what you say. – said Enghon.

    Thorgele left Andriel and Andurel at his waist and took the Sumith's Laguna sword (which was over his skiff), he would use it as a demonstration of commitment and loyalty to the city, and to his friend. The first battle of Mérit was about to begin.

    All the elderly, women and children were sent to the great central mansion and surroundings, as well as the supplies were stored properly, leaving the city completely empty and without risk of danger to the population, and Laguna also took the skiff to the top of the mansion. Archers and sorcerers went to the ramparts and infantry to the gates. The enemy attack began mid-afternoon, Laguna finally drew his sword, which was actually identical to that of Sumith, but without the crystal of Isil. Arkan, who wore a long cloak, drew from his back a beautiful spear that was hidden and divided into two, when he joined, it became Rapina, the scarlet tip, was powerful and had this name because of the beautiful red color of its tip, which had the shape of an eagle head, the old sailor would show his strength. The enemies attacked with rains of arrows, which were answered by the men of the walls at the signal of Thorgele, the defenses of Mérit counted on only two thousand men and moghrans, the goblins brought up high ladders that were protected by cyclops with great shields, and for this the sorcerers came into action, Enghon was in charge of leading them as Arkan in the east, and Laguna in the west, helped the soldiers to block the gates, the cyclops were not getting good results to break them, then the wizards goblins began to use their spells, achieving better results. In the walls the enemies used the ladders and began to climb, and the direct fight began. Thorgele used his powerful ice at the gates making it harder to work on enemy spells and giving them more time, in addition to consuming more strength from the enemy wizards, he and Enghon walked the walls over and over again from one side of the city to the other, exploring their breath to aid in the combat against the attackers of the ladders, the shinobi proved to be skillful with Sumith's sword, although it was heavier than Andriel, he easily adapted and terrorized the enemies with the giant-bite, as well as eliminating several with his unparalleled elements of ice, thunder and fire. Enghon was more powerful than ever in possession of Morgil, his destructive power was scary now. He attacked enemies even on the ground with tremendous efficiency and defended his fellows with ice shields, also made the allied arrows heavier, with the element of gravity, crossing shields and killing more easily, at other times used the same gravity to decrease the weight and puncture of enemy arrows, he was extremely versatile with his new weapon, using nature to command tree roots, knocking down ladders and strangling or imprisoning enemies. But despite their best efforts the magic of the goblins were powerful and many soldiers could not be defended. After more than two hours of violent fighting on the walls, the gates were finally smashed, and the soldiers had a hard time restraining their opponents in the passages, Laguna was an impressive warrior and reminiscent of Sumith in combat, his sword was terrible for the enemies who were beginning to avoid him, he was also extremely skilled at his elements, and at a high level, hurling goblins and cyclops mortally against the walls using gravity, or simply blowing them out with the air, but was the old Arkan who caught the attention of his fellows, Rapina was terror in the shape of a spear, and the sailor proved to be an exceptional warrior, spinning it like a star so that no one could get close, he was responsible for the largest number of cyclops killed. Thorgele's leadership was incredibly fierce, he fought as never before, killing and protecting, taking the soldiers to the pinnacle of their efforts and determination, and opponents to doubt and fear, but in spite of the ferocity of the defenders the number of the enemies spoke loud, and with great losses they began to be pushed away from the passages allowing the opponents to invade more and more, if continued in that way the city would fatally be taken, but the leader had a simple but brilliant idea:

- Laguna, Arkan, follow me! – shouted Thorgele, being accompanied by the two to the top of the wall, ordering the available soldiers to hold the enemies as much as possible. – Laguna, I want you to make a pit around the whole city.

- If you think I am capable. – said Laguna. – You are right!

- Arkan. Use your water to completely flood the pit.

- I got it, leave it to me.

    Laguna concentrated for some time, and using the earth element impressively, opened a large pit around all of Mérit! With about six meters in diameter and seven deep, all the enemies that were in their range fell.

- Perfect! Arkan, now!

    The sailor concentrated his water element as incredible as Laguna, and created almost a river around the city! The enemies who survived the fall were drowned, and the others in the city could not receive support, beginning to be rejected by the determination of the remaining defenses, until they fell into the water and became easy targets for archers and sorcerers. Enghon pulled the swimmers and gravity users down again with the roots, drowning them, and Thorgele finished it all by electrocuting all the water in a spectacular scene (which made him very tired as well). It had been nightfall when the enemy survivors retreated, and the severely reduced defenses had their first victory, the first battle of Mérit, was finished.

*****

    John and the female trio traveled for three days to west of Saitar.

- We cross this continent and not a sign of the temple. – said Iris.

- So maybe it's a good idea to sail the coast. – John.

- I agree.

    The summoner began a training with Solphie, to learn to feel the elemental force distant, a unique and nameless knowledge that the sorceress had inherited from her father and was an exclusive secret of her family, but which should now be passed on. Until then Solphie had not revealed it, for she had not imagined it would be useful in this way, when she remembered it, and also of Laguna's words that she would know what to do, the sorceress nudged her own head, calling herself a fool and a hollow head, which was hilariously reinforced by Shayera. It is true that this would not serve for her to find the temples, for Kenobe's spell would not allow her for not to be summoner, but could have taught before, including to Enghon, facilitating past tasks, however this was still a theory that would be discovered soon. But the sss also possessed this gift, and the sister retorted that she had not remembered it as well, resulting in yet another comic discussion of the twins:

- You knew that too, and did not refresh my memory! – said Solphie.

- You are the witch here, not me! – said Shayera.

- That is no excuse!

- You are dumb as a sloth!

- And you are thick as wrapping paper nails!

- Imagine the others seeing this scene. – said John to Iris. – I am sorry they missed this.

- Hahahahahaha...

    In this way, and the fight ended, the summoner could try to trace the smallest remnant of power of the temples and, consequently, of the summons. The young woman did very well in training, very simple and fast, since she had a teacher, and the theory, put into practice, was right. Iris took the ship to the small lonely island in the north of the continent, the three women went alone, for John could not leave the ship, and in a small frozen forest the temple was, not exactly hidden, but because of the snow that covered the whole place, including indications of the ancient language, they passed two or three times around before they could see him. Enghon, again showing his precocious wisdom, had taken with Sumith some lessons on ancient language, being able to read the scriptures on the altars perfectly, and on the days when they were still together, after the freezing of Lieben's young man, he began to pass it on to Iris. The exact sayings, the names of the summons and elements, and also gave her all the records he possessed, which did not say much, but pointed directions, perfect and sly decision. Once again Iris was successful and added two more summons in her pantheon, Dwarfus, the summon of earth, was a large tartar that seemed made from the cliffs of the beaches, he had crystals attached to his head resembling a crown, and Ashton, the summon of nature, was an immense white tiger with diamond bracelets, magnificent.

    The following day, after returning to the ship and following the trip, they saw the great elemental dome forming on Lieben, in spite of the beauty of the landscape they still had no idea how terrible that could be, even Solphie, who was powerful but not as studious as Enghon, did not find out what it was, but everyone had a tight heart, and Shayera cared very much for Thorgele. Iris avoided thinking about Sumith, as she should concentrate on summons now, leaving her trust in her friends. The young summoner asked John to take them to the Island City, located on the great island south of Saitar.

- But is not there only one temple on this continent? – asked Solphie.

- Yes, but Mr. Laguna told me to look on this island for something we had lost.

- Does...? – said John.

- I think so. – said Iris, guessing the thief's thoughts.

    After an incredible two days of travel, with Iris and Solphie taking turns in the element of air, and Shayera and John doing the rest of the work on the ship, the group arrived in town, typically farmer and nice. The female trio separated around at the request of Iris, and searched all day for something they did not know for sure, after all this time and almost giving up Shayera spotted someone sitting under a tree, apparently was crying, as she approached she saw that was a young lobime, it was Rakasha, the summoner of Galzon, the summon of air, the sss understood immediately and approached calmly without taking her away. Rakasha was extremely depressed, flooded with guilt, and lost in her way:

- It was you that day, was not it? – asked Shayera, approaching without being seen.

- Who are you?! – asked Rakasha, getting up scared.

- It's okay, I am not here to fight.

- You were there, were not you? When I killed that boy.

- Yes I was.

- I just wanted to live, not be a murderer.

- You do not have to be a murderer.

- How?

- You know it was not your fault. You were just being used, by Kraven.

- Kraven... He was like a father to me, but now where is he?

- He has abandoned you, like many others before.

- I was born... a summoner. My parents were gone very early, and my people saw me as a bad omen.

- I understand how this loss is... But it will never be late for what you most want. What do you want summoner?

- Living, I just want to live.

- Then life will come to you, as long as you want it.

- Do you think that...?

- I do not think so, I am sure, because it happened to me already.

- That boy, is he really dead?

- He will be fine, do not worry.

- What can I do to get rid of this guilt?

- For the life you nearly erased, your summon will be needed.

- Are you a summoner?

- I am. – said Iris, who was approaching with Solphie.

- Dear friend, your summon is the key to the victory of this world, you just have to want, and millions of lives can be saved. Kraven used you as a puppet, and even he will have to face the consequences.

- I do not want revenge, I just want to live. – said Rakasha.

- And you will live, I promise.

- Do you really promise? – asked the young lobime.

    Iris approached and touched her hand, and with one look they understood. Both closed their eyes, the light enveloped them completely, and after several seconds the majestic eagle, Galzon, appeared behind Iris, while Rakasha collapsed to the ground, exhausted. The transfer of a summon was something simple, depending only on both wills and could be considered instinctive, obviously it was no longer necessary to go through the testimony, because they were already dignified, but this could lead to death the summoner who gave it, because with him much of the life force of the same was carried along. Rakasha was very sick and was taken with them to the ship, where they took care of her with all attention and affection, something that she never really had in her life, and what made her very happy.

- Thank you. – said the young lobime.

- You looked like Thorgele talking. – said Solphie to Shayera.

- You think? – The sss asked.

- Who would say... – finished the sorceress with a wicked smile, and yanking out another sister's smile.

*****

    The damage in Mérit was great, of the two thousand soldiers in the battle little less than a thousand survived. They all worked to give the victorious dead a dignified homage, also to repair the damage to the wall and rebuild the gates, knowing that the enemies were still encamped on the coast to the south. Thorgele received the news that more of them arrived by the sea and immediately sent messengers to the Kingdom of Lieben, explaining in detail the situation and asking for reinforcements, the kingdom answered and sent them three thousand soldiers, unfortunately they could not make more available, because if Mérit was being attacked, the kingdom could also be in danger as it had happened in the past, and he understood their reasons.

- This victory was not easy, but it was simple. – said the shinobi.

- Indeed. – said Arkan. – Maybe Kraven has planned everything, maybe he wants to cook us before setting the table.

- Ugly thing is coming, ugliest thing. – finished Thorgele.

    Work in the city was intense, and reinforcement troops were greeted with joy. The great pit made by Arkan and Laguna was kept, the soldiers crossed it with the help of sorcerers who froze the water for their passage and undid soon. The wall was repaired in the best possible way and the gates more reinforced. After seven exact days of the first battle the enemies marched again against the city, the troops were prepared under the command of their trusted leader, and a strong storm was beginning to cover the sky in that region, the second battle of Mérit, was beginning.

    The enemy army approached with something strange in front of it, large blocks of earth were brought by wizards using gravity, and there were many advancing on the front line against the two gates. At first they did not understand what they were planning, but soon discovered:

- The pit! – said Thorgele. – They will ground the pit!

    The city attacked with all their sorcerers together, but their number was not enough to disintegrate all, and the large blocks, which also served as shields, were much more than what was necessary to accomplish the task, exactly predicting the reaction of the defenses. The pit around the town was impressively grounded, almost completely, soon afterwards the wizards quickly returned to the rear, forming their own magical defense and attacking at the same time, the enemies now had free access to the walls again. A heavy rain began, and the same plan would not work again, for sorcerers would take it upon themselves to frustrate them. This time Kraven's army had seven thousand soldiers, again a very big disadvantage, but the city trusted Thorgele, and he would give his life if it was necessary at any time for them. The battle began more frantic and violent than before, the many enemy wizards gave extreme work to the shinobi, Enghon and all the powerful elemental users that they possessed, Thorgele used the rain in his favor, turning the drops into hail precisely on the goblins and making the work of archers and wizards opponents difficult, this opened a good gap for the archers of the city to shoot the maximum number of enemies that could. The gates resisted, but with so many spells this would not last long. When the gates were finally destroyed the larger battle began, terribly simultaneous to the enemies that climbed the walls, the city resisted well, inflamed by the great determination of their leader, but the many goblins wizards were razing and unbalancing the war even more.

- Wizards are very powerful! – said Laguna. – They are too protected against the forces of our arrows and spells, if we continue this way we will be annihilated!

    Everything happened at both gates, isolated fights took place in many parts of the wall, the enemies were already invading, if it were not for the ferocity of the defenses everything would be lost long before, was when Thorgele had a crazy and reckless idea, and this curiously reminded him of Shayera:

- Enghon. You and I. Use your gravity, come on!

- What do you intend?

- Throw us among the wizards. Do you think you can throw us from here to there?

- This will be difficult!

- Leave it to me! – said Laguna. – Enghon must spare his strength to ease the fall!

- Hurry! – said Arkan, killing a goblin who almost approached them. – Whatever it is, go ahead, you crazy ones!

- Soldiers! – shouted the shinobi. – You, you and you come with us! – shouted to three strong soldiers who were nearby. – When we land, kill everything you see ahead of you!

- Yes, my lord! – said the three.

- Arkan! – catching the sailor's attention. – Come rescue us!

- Poor me! – said the sailor.

    The rain fell harder than ever, the soldiers circled around the five as Laguna concentrated his gravity. The enemies invaded that side and the defenses resisted bravely, but it was the wizards who did the most damage and needed to be eliminated at all costs. After some resistance Laguna finally threw the five nuts into the air, like a flight. They had an unbelievable view of the battle, and Enghon led them directly and precisely into the midst of wizards.

- Aaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!! – Everyone shouted in the rapid fall.

    The five nuts landed surprising the damn wizards, Thorgele and Enghon handed out deadly spells, and the three soldiers cut dozens of heads and arms to the bent and right, causing great damage to the enemy strategy in a suicidal way! They managed to suppress surprisingly almost half of them until they were actually attacked, due to great unexpected confusion, but the opponents did not possess outstanding warriors like the shinobi and the young sorcerer, this was a tremendous relief to that side of town, as the goblins virtually stopped their magic attacks against them. The five gathered in the center of the mess and would be mortally attacked by all the remaining wizards, but Thorgele had made no history by chance, he created the supreme defense as a cocoon, showing that this magic also had variations, and all enemy attacks were neutralized, scaring the attackers who still went ahead, they could not be touched, but they could not abandon protection. By this time Laguna faced serious problems at the other gate, from that side they resisted as they could, but the crazy plan of Thorgele worked and the goblins turned against them leaving interesting space for the troops of the city, and under the command of Arkan they left of the same one in the back of the enemies of spectacular form, rescuing the five heroically, but not without Enghon causing an absurd blast of fire as soon as the goblins were frightened and the shinobi canceled his defense, Thorgele also shredded many of them with his ice razors, totaling about 90% elimination of the troublesome wizards on that side!

- Do not repeat this at home, boys! – Arkan shouted at the rescue.

    Returning to the city as fast as possible, now with the enemy advantage practically extinct in that sector, because the psychological of the goblins was hit hard. At the other gate Laguna received help at the best possible time, as half of the wizards present were displaced to the other side and the defenses could fight more relieved. Many lightning began to cross the skies, but the fierce struggle would not allow them to worry about it, and it was at this moment, when the weapons were as frantically as possible, that an unbelievable lightning struck the wall, completely destroying a part of it and opening another passage by the side of the gate, allowing way for the enemies with a huge bang that scared even the refugees in the center of the city. It was hard to believe it was a natural phenomenon, but it did not matter, for luck did not seem to be on their side. It was then that Thorgele arrived, leaving Enghon and Arkan resisting on the other side, the entrance fully open to the enemies would surely lead them to defeat, but the shinobi was not the greater user of ice that ever existed for nothing, he concentrated his maximum power, and created a variation of the powerful ice skiff, the "Ice Wall", practically redoing the destroyed wall and completely blocking until the passage of the gate. The enemies within were trapped and annihilated, those who were entering the exact moment were frozen and died like statues inside the wall, and the outsiders could not enter. Thorgele's maximum ice never melt and was sturdier than the solid wall, no one else could get in or out that way, unless he undid it. The morale of their enemies was devastated by such determination and strength of defenses, many of them were struck down and foolishly killed by archers and sorcerers, totally destabilized, they retreat, but it was clear that more was to come soon, so after several and distressing hours, they obtained the second and deserved victory, the second battle of Mérit, was won.

*****

    John and the female trio followed for two days to the continent of Scyra, the favorable weather helped them, passed through the Ratmoor Harbor just to replenish supplies, and sailed south again for another two days with the wind in their favor until three women disembarked on the coast near the city of Andunië. Rakasha remained under John's care, and they followed for a day on a simple trail, but without forests, were near the entrance to the Korn Desert. In the great war the armies of Zeijadel devastated heavily the cities of the continent, but the great king, Korn Ragnar, astutely foresaw the thrust into his kingdom and evacuated the great majority of his people to the Kingdom of Scyra, and in that place he made his army the best prepared among all six continents. The fist symbol in the red armor showed this, and he fought mightily to ward off the enemies to the great desert, taking into account one of the most incompetent commands of the goblins, Korn knew all the sources of water in the place and literally cooked the enemies in the aridity of the desert, winning wisely, even with considerable losses, and it was further north-east in the Dead Land that Harkonen, the holy lord, faced and subjugated Zeijadel in a superb way, putting an end to the damn war. The entrance into the desert was not a problem, since, as said before, there were many oases with great water supplies, for those who knew where to look, and it was in one of them that Iris felt the elemental force and took them straight to the temple. The young woman acquired two more summons, as expected, Revlan, the summon of status, was a strange creature, similar to a humanoid tree, very tall, strong and also very wise, and Maglor, the summon of light, a man of beautiful appearance and pointed ears, wore a simple battle armor, but almost dazzlingly silver, with a beautiful silver staff in the classic form of sorcerers, curved at the tip. They spent the night in the temple itself, and on the following day made the journey back. In the middle of the road they came face to face with a troop of goblins who were in the area, most likely to attack caravans of traders and hunters, were about twenty enemies, and for them was little. Shayera showed her frightening strength, Solphie was benevolent and just used her powers to make the footsteps heavier with gravity, and Iris had the chance to put her skills into practice with the stick. With her new fortified staff she surprised her "sisters" in a powerful way, her training for all this time gave a nice result, the enemies had no chance against the three mighty warriors, and they did the favor of eliminating that annoyance of the routes of the desert. After this unforeseen they returned to the ship without further problems, they followed for six days to Meira, once in the fruitful continent the group went straight to the central island. Iris guided them perfectly and this was the easiest temple they found, not for being little hidden, but for the young summoner who was sharper than ever, seeking to actually accomplish her mission as quickly as possible to return to the company of her friends, and Sumith. Two more summons at her command, Utargard, the summon of ice, a young dragon with frozen scales, beautiful, obviously in the place of fire he was pure ice, and Ayrk, the summon of water, a mer carrying a spectacular bluish trident, and wore shark-like armor. Just two more summons to complete the long-awaited journey, with the attention of Zeijadel and Kraven turned completely to Mérit, a very shrewd decision indeed, this was undoubtedly beneficial to this success and speed, now they should move north to Lieben, and had time for this.

*****

    Mérit received the great reinforcement of six thousand soldiers of the kingdom, totaling eight thousand warriors for the next battle. Among them was Oblap Soeziam, the maestro of the elements, a middle-aged man with black eyes, gray hair and fair skin, carrying a seemingly lightweight metal mace in the shape of a hand holding a stone and flooded with elemental force. This much more complex type of strengthening could be done in any weapon or shield, but it required a certain level, high, of course, extreme concentration and patience, as anyone can temporarily strengthen a weapon, many did this in combat, by the way, but to make it permanent and no longer need to expend forces in this way in battle it took a long time, enough for the magic to penetrate the object. This time varied according to the number of elements, at least half a day, the slightest deviation meant to start again from zero, and the benefits were obvious based on the elements, increasing the damages caused, differentiated results of benefit or indirect damage, such as status. Life, for example, was able to heal if there was physical contact for a few seconds, rare were the elemental users able to do so, and Oblap was one of them (Iris was able to do so on her staff under the tutelage of Enghon). That is why the option of a precious stone, mentioned before, was more viable, although it was used, for the most part, in the staffs, because it needed to be set, besides accepting only one element each, since they absorbed much more quickly, being thus perfect for a fast manufacture, one thing for the other, but that worked very well together, everything depended only on how much one wanted to get far in a weapon. The maestro also carried a beautiful bow and wore the traditional silver armor of the kingdom, but light, to facilitate his mobility, although he seemed a little, or quite, overweight, the maestro was also a specialist in the element of fantasy, the force responsible for the mental fears and mirages of the world. This element had a peculiarity, it did not take as much time to be mastered as the planar life, but it was the second most difficult, and except exactly for this time of learning could be considered the most difficult of all, requiring an above average mental strength, adaptation and talent. It created nothing less than illusions to deceive opponents, being extremely useful in a battle, for the higher its level the more real its effect, but it was not only a question of deceiving the eyes, it allowed to enter the enemy's mind in some ways, manipulating it dangerously, influencing toward illusions, so it was so efficient, and depending on how it was used, and how much was known about the opponent's life, could be terrible. Against a great fantasy user only warriors with highly-trained mental training (such as mercenary shinobis, for example), and full lucidity, were able to distinguish reality from illusion, but this did not mean 100% victory. But fantasy and planar life carried more than difficulty, carried mysteries, these two were the only ones that were never filled in arms, and not only for the reasons already mentioned, simply to use these elements of temporary form in the weapon had no effect whatsoever, being obligatory to be permanent. Scholars estimated that it would take at least about a month for this, extrapolating all the other thirteen together, and making this task virtually impossible. Doubtful storytellers, however, said that in the distant past this had already occurred, and their legends reported exceptional results, permanent hallucinations in minor wounds, and resurrections without sacrifice of their own lives, but they were only rumors that never got any ground. Oblap was friend of Cindy and Kilik Sea, parents of Solphie and Shayera, although they did not know him, he fought in the discord of the power where stood out like one of the most powerful elemental users of his generation, not exactly by his level, which was great by the way, but because of his great versatility and creativity in using them, they said he looked like a maestro conducting an orchestra in battle, was an outstanding reinforcement, no doubt, and got along very well with Thorgele and the others, especially Enghon. Again the work in the city was incessant, prepared in the best possible way now, and many rumors about the mysterious and fearless leader of Mérit defenses ran across the continent and beyond, Thorgele knew nothing about it, but was being called "the leader of the atesaki of hope", all looked upon him with much respect and admiration, his orders were fulfilled without question, no one doubted his ability, some said that he was the reincarnation of the great king Loki, others, that he was him in person. Loki Alberich led the continent to victory in the great war even without his captain, Kin Lyeben, but he fell heroically to protect the kingdom and his family, even though he lost his son. The defenses had ten days to prepare this time, while the enemy army was monitored by scouts of the city, more of them gathered, this time they were in nine thousand opponents, everything seemed to be more equated now, they marched toward the city late in the afternoon for a night attack, and whatever was to come Thorgele never underestimated them. Meanwhile the meteor began to take its true and frightening form in the sky, the third battle of Mérit, the battle of the night, would begin.

    In the distance the city could only see the torches of the enemy army, the darkness could be a disadvantage now. The goblins concentrated at a great distance, which Thorgele was astonished at, for there was no way to attack effectively so far, unless something invisible in the pitch of the night was being armed, and it was! Thorgele's army only observed fireballs rising to the skies and falling on them like meteors:

- Catapults!

    There were thirty catapults, which struck the city with a deadly attack that devastated terribly, and to make matters worse, they were too far away to be hit by the magic of their sorcerers. Even the arrows had little or no efficiency in that terrible situation, the only good news was that the central mansion was out of reach. The goblin infantry also attacked the walls, it was not a massive attack, but it was enough to contain them in the city giving security to their plan. The disadvantage was terrible and Thorgele continued to wonder at the low number of enemies that hit the walls. The city was violently destroyed gradually, many houses were crushed and burned, and a good part of the soldiers fought to put out the flames, it was when a strange noise caught the attention of all, a noise coming from below, and a great lump in the throat bothered the leader. Oblap, experienced and cunning, thought for a moment, and discovered the treacherous plan of the enemy:

- They come from underneath! Get away! – shouted the maestro.

    Oblap concentrated his element of earth, and touching the ground it opened a great hole, revealing the enemies that advanced by the underground! The goblins dug a tunnel directly to get under the central mansion, to the Library of Magic, so the attacks on the wall were lighter, and the catapults, although they were causing great damage, were still a distraction. Oblap discovered the tunnel that was dug with elemental users, and once discovered they exploded to the surface stunning the defenses of the city, finally beginning the violent battle, as both were more equated in contingent the goblins left the tunnel like ants of the messy nest. The wall began to be attacked with more violence, and such was the anger of the enemies by their plan discovered, but the worst were the catapults that were rampaging the defenses now, killing and destroying terribly. Enghon, Oblap and Laguna had an idea, concentrating their elemental forces on gravity, the three united to create a great gravitational ceiling over the whole city, to prevent the devastating attack, the plan worked out and the fireballs were efficiently diverted out of Mérit, bringing immense relief to the fighters, but they could not withstand such an effort forever, and the defenses should act as quickly as possible to repulse the goblins and close the tunnel. Thorgele took the soldiers again to their utmost determination, managing to push the attackers at great cost and effort while the defenses resisted bravely at the gate, Arkan was called:

- Arkan, make your river! – shouted the shinobi.

- I understood, leave it to me, leader! – replied the sailor.

    The powerful sailor used his water again, and flooded the entire length of the tunnel from the city to the rear of the catapults. Many goblins were spat out on that side, and several others were imprisoned.

- Hurry, we will not resist much longer! – shouted Enghon.

    Thorgele immediately froze all the water in the hole, killing whoever was in it and blocking the passage temporarily, as the fireballs again devastated, the enemy wizards promptly began to melt the ice and reopen the tunnel.

- That will give us some time, but we gotta get rid of those damn catapults! – said Arkan.

- But how are we going to destroy them? – asked Oblap.

- I know how! – said Thorgele.

    Out of sheer lack of attention, or underestimation, of the enemy command in that nocturnal situation, only the west side was starting the bombing, the east, blocked by Thorgele's ice wall, was totally free! Such was the satisfaction of the shinobi to see that tranquil side, he concentrated his power as strongly as he did to create it, and completely removed the mighty ice, so he left Enghon and Oblap to command half of the remaining army in the resistance of the gate, and the other half he took with Laguna and Arkan. The half army gave a long and discreet return in the darkness, now using it to their advantage, and attacked the catapults by the side! The fight was very violent, spells and swords crossed on all sides, and the damn catapults, that were huge and powerful, were destroyed at great cost by the half army, Thorgele had considerable casualties, but the tremendous nuisance was finally over. At the same moment the wizards goblins broke the ice and they invaded again, the army that eliminated the catapults returned to the city by leaps and bounds and even faced the enemies who attacked the wall from the outside for the most part. Inside the city the goblins returned to sprout from the hole, and this time Oblap showed all his talent, the maestro of the elements massacred enemies with ice, gravity and fantasy, creating illusions so real that made the attackers strike randomly, greatly facilitating the work of defenses, he was also powerful in status and filled the tunnel with a strange reddish cloud. Status, the element of venomous creatures and toxic gases of nature, it had the power to create poison, could be spread in the air varying in strength according to the will or level of its user, and being very careful not to reach allies. Oblap used it basically and the enemies inside the tunnel were completely suffocated, entering in despair, exiting on both sides coughing like crazy, those that left in the city were easily killed by the defenses, and the maestro practically danced elegantly while manipulating his powers. At last he and Laguna realized their concentration and sealed the tunnel definitively with earth, and Enghon reinforced with many roots of trees, the other attackers were pushed and expelled from the city by Thorgele and his soldiers. At great cost, with many casualties and with the city badly damaged the defenses have reached the most difficult victory so far, with the invaluable help of Oblap, the maestro, the third battle of Mérit, came to an end.

*****

    John, Rakasha (who was almost fully recovered) and the women went to Lieben, to the last temple, because of the war in Mérit their way remained much less dangerous. Curiously, the thief decided to take a longer route, going west and passing through the Flame Archipelago, which in the past was the continent of Talarr and was destroyed by the battle of the guardians, none of them questioned the choice, after all it was he who had been navigating with Arkan since childhood and should know what he was doing. For three days the sea was calm and the journey was quiet, but John began to hear his name whispered in the wind, sometimes he thought it was a joke of his fellows, but soon began to feel something strange, something that appealed to him, then he remembered the words of Laguna on following his instincts, and was certain he should stop on the archipelago and get something, although he did not know what, John changed direction and went to one of the islands, the nearest one, which caught the attention of the fellows:

- Where are we going John? – asked Iris.

- This place... There is something here, something strange. – said the thief.

- What you mean?

- Laguna told me to follow my instincts, actually I thought this was for you, but now I think he was right. Something tells me that I must go to this place, that there is something I have been looking for a long time.

- So we will go with you. – said Solphie.

- Thank you. – finished John.

    They landed on the northernmost beach of the island, Shayera and Rakasha remained on the ship while John and the other two followed without a fixed direction, the thief was not sure where to go, just tried to feel something. After a long walk, already darkening, John suddenly stopped, then ran out, leaving the two behind in a dry forest, toward some hills that could be seen in the distance, they tried to accompany him, but he blurred them quickly like a thunderbolt. John heard his name more and more clearly and in a voice that seemed familiar, for a long time he searched the place until finally finding a stone altar on top of one of the hills, and beside it was someone, a moghran, who looked at him and spoke:

- Welcome, my son.

- What? – asked John surprised.

- My appearance is no longer the same, but my voice, which for so long educated you, could not be forgotten, I am sure.

- Who are you?

- I am Rondo, servant of darkness and lord of the rituals.

    Rondo is, or was, a powerful sorcerer moghran, of traditional golds and red mane, he wore rags like clothes and looked extremely decadent and ragged. In the past he was known as "the promising", but in fact he seemed to have no more power, shortly after the end of the discord of the power he abandoned his race and disappeared, no one knew of his fate. In fact Rondo was seduced by the malice of Zeijadel before Kraven, and became a high priest of the darkness and master of the prohibited rituals, sought, by order of the lord of darkness, to create the supreme form of life, in order to eliminate the elemental force, to eliminate even lords. Rondo spent many winters making absurd sacrifices and atrocities that involved the most macabre black rituals, for his talent was as great as his cruelty. His loyalty to Zeijadel was immense, but greater than this was his greed, leading him to want to betray his master and take everything in his place. The dark priest sacrificed hundreds of lives in experiments with f*******n spells, torturous death spells and restoration, all excluded from the library of magic for their extreme blasphemy, John listened to his entire story as silent and terrified as his memories were revived.

- For a long time I sought through the blood of warriors and sorcerers, until I had the perfect creature. Here, at this altar, by the blood of the king of Lieben, you were born my son.

- The king of Lieben... – said John.

- I gave you life, this makes me your rightful father, dear John. John Viktor, as I baptized you.

- What I... am?

- You are being able to eradicate elemental force, the black power, non-elemental force runs in your veins.

- The power...? Am I a freak? Am I not even a man?

- The blood of Loki, the king of Lieben, was the only one who resisted the f*******n ritual. You, my son, are the bastard son of a king, and you may become one beside me. Before fidelity moved me, now only hatred keeps me.

- Do not listen to this, John! – said Solphie, who was running alongside Iris. The two of them heard the whole conversation as they looked for him in the part just below the top of the hill. – Rondo, you were a promising sorcerer, even intended by Tantaluz to take his place. Now I see that you are just a shame for your race! – said the sorceress.

- Shut up Sea! – shouted the priest. – You have always been a spoiled girl, always with the pride of your parents, destined to be the protector of royalty, but I would never be anything! Tantaluz would never choose me as a successor, he would always look to the side, to one of you!

- My mother told me that you could be the greatest of our time, but Tantaluz did not see it, so he was right.

- i***t girl. Do you still dream of being the heir of Tantaluz? And how's your quarrelsome sister? Still acting like a man and dreaming with impossible love?

- Say what you like. – said the sorceress, pointing the staff at him menacingl.  – But never speak of my sister again with that filthy mouth!

- I know your sister is precious to you, but she will die solitary, you two will never reach any dream.

- Enough! – shouted Solphie, concentrating her power and preparing to attack Rondo.

- No, Solphie! – shouted Iris, holding the sorceress. – Do not be like him, do not loose yourself!

- ...

- I felt your power, John, my son, days ago. It was probably some excitement so it woke you up, and it was by this time that I had been expecting many winters. – said Rondo. – Free yourself now!

    Bad treatment, beatings, humiliation and anger, everything Rondo tried to fill in the child's innocent heart to drive him to hatred surfaced. The thief, who stood as if hypnotized, awakened the same black and frightening power as before, was not the element of darkness, it was much darker, terrifying, "non-elemental" power. He floated a few inches off the floor, shrouded in shadows and his eyes totally darkened, looking like a demon, a great black whirlwind rose up to the clouds and could be seen even in the Pandemonius, rays crossed the skies and strong winds blew terribly, and John had no control over that scary power.

- That is it! But more, more, my son! – shouted Rondo. – Be what I created you to be, be the killer of gods, rule the world by my side when we annihilate Zeijadel!

- John! You are not a puppet, not a monster, you are our friend! John Viktor, you were born to walk beside us! – shouted Iris.

- I... was born... Death... – John was saying without consciousness, as his power grew more and more frightening.

- Remember the man who gave you your true strength, you will never be a freak. You are a man like him, remember your friends who miss you! Remember us! – shouted Solphie.

- We... We...

- Hahahahaha... – laughed Rondo. – He will never escape his fate, he is by my side!

- John, your friends are waiting for you now! – shouted Solphie. – And we are your family!

- Family... friends...

- Idiots! He is my son, I gave him everything! When the fool Zeijadel made the guardians destroy this place, he tried to eliminate me! – shouted the priest. – I will avenge myself on him with the strength of my son!

- He is not your son! – shouted the young summoner, and the two were already struggling to stay on the ground, such was John's black strength.

- Hahahahaha... My son, my son, my son, my son! – Rondo was crazy.

- I... No... No... – said John. – Stop calling me your son!

    John cast his power unbelievably into the skies, clearing all the clouds and opening sight for the stars, the thief controlled the murderous force that Rondo had given him, he freed himself from a cursed, apocalyptic destiny, and arose breathlessly:

- I only have one father, and his name is Arkan Marne. – said the thief.

- Your power serves me! – Rondo was frightened by John's control. – Release your strength and destroy what was born to destroy!

- Wrong. – said John, turning around quietly, pulling his knife and opening a cut in his own hand. – I swear by the pain in my hand that this power will never come out, it will die inside of me!

- The only thing that exists inside you is the hatred with which I educated you! – John turned his back on Rondo, hugged Solphie and Iris, and walked away from that place. – You will never break the bond that unites us! I am your father! My hate is your hate too! – said the moghran as John turned to him.

- My hate will die here with you. – said the thief, taking from his pocket the old chain with his name and throwing it at the priest's feet, going away definitely.

    Rondo stayed behind alone, to die buried by his own greed, and to pay for the crimes he had committed for so long. The three returned in silence to the ship, with Shayera and Rakasha very agitated and nervous by the power that stirred the waters and left them alert. Sophie and Iris told the whole affair to the sss while Rakasha returned to rest and John set the ship to continue travel.

- So that is what happened to Rondo. – said Shayera. – So you mean that subject...?

- Do you still remember? – asked Solphie. – Remember what our mother told us?

- ... – Iris.

- I remember everything. Everything she knew about this black force... – said Shayera.

- So you know what I am going to ask you now. Forget it. – Solphie.

- ... – Iris only heard.

- Forget what you have heard, forget what you have understood, forget all about this as if you had never heard it, so that our world never needs to run a danger like this.

- ...

- ...

- Promise me. – asked the sorceress holding the hands of the two. – Promise before me, my sisters.

- We promise. – They answered after a few moments of silence, and Iris, even without knowing more about it, to see Solphie ask her something so seriously, accepted without wanting to hear anything more about, since what she had seen that day was enough.

    After the long talk of the women, they approached John, who was just driving the ship, silent:

- Arkan always said you were more than you looked. – said Iris, with all watching him. – We are very proud of you.

- Thank you for not abandoning me. – thanked John, receiving a warm hug from all. – Laguna was right.

    Burying necessary and definitely that subject, they finally went to Lieben. For eight calm days the trip was boring, and they still did not understand what that immense dome in the sky on the continent meant. They reached Morwen Harbor at dawn, refueled supplies and immediately proceeded south-west to the Sierra of Lieben, yet they had no idea what exactly was going on in Mérit, despite the heavy and nervous weather in the port city, did not even pay attention to the rumors. Shayera was eager to be near Thorgele again, and Iris still worried about Sumith, John and Rakasha remained on the ship as usual, and the female trio proceeded to the last remaining temple. For two days they did not find a soul punished even in the way, everything was completely deserted like a cemetery, which left curious Solphie and Shayera, because the trails of Lieben were normally well-traveled by the trade, at the end of the day they saw a single soldier with the colors of the Kingdom of Lieben, was on horseback and in a hurry, he seemed a very strong man, but they could not speak to him, for he followed his way like a thunderbolt toward Mérit without noticing them. The next day they arrived at the temple that was located inside the mountain, the road was difficult, but nothing that could not be overcome, and Iris finally completed her fifteen summons with the last two. Roxy, the summon of planar life, right at the last visited temple, was a woman of light golden armor, beautiful and sensual, had no weapon, but wore metal gloves that were part of the armor and appeared to be extremely powerful, and Ferser, the summon of fire, a burning demon with an absurdly scary sword, he wore black armor like smoke billowing from his flames. The mission of the summons was complete now, it was time to start the journey back, this time to Mérit, to meet the fellows.

*****

    Nine days have passed since the last battle, a well-deserved rest for the brave fighters, but the bad news began early. The Kingdom of Lieben could not provide more soldiers, the minimum contingent required was at the limit and the security of the kingdom was also a priority, Thorgele understood, but he never ceased to feel frustrated, his army now had just over four thousand five hundred soldiers, and according to the scouts the goblin army was about twelve thousand enemies! The last battle would be the most difficult of all and the victory was out of reach, all they could do was pray and wait for them to take as long as possible to attack, because it was only a day before the return of Sumith and the protection of the city, to resist was the only option:

- God help us. – said Thorgele.

- I hope he is listening to you. – said Oblap.

    To make matters worse, the shinobi could not rebuild his ice wall at the east gate, due to the fatigue built up by the battles and the preparations in the city, just like many others. This technique consumed as much power to be made as to be undone, frequent use without proper recovery, greatly diminished its efficiency, and Thorgele would need his strength to remove the Sumith's ice skiff, or all your efforts would be worthless at all. They improvised a wall as best they could, even knocked down some damaged houses to make the best barricade possible, now they could only wait.

    In the late afternoon they had a small, or big, surprise, only a warrior came to join them, he made it all the way from the kingdom alone, except for the company of his horse, asking the queen to release him, thinking that he was doing the right thing, and in fact was. He was a very tall and strong man, he appeared to be a little older than Thorgele, with black skin and very short hair, eyes as dark as night, and teeth as white as clouds. He carried a large, frightening two-sided ax and wore the traditional armor of the kingdom similar to that of Oblap, his name was Rengaw Hugston, the lone knight, as he was called by the others. Son of peasants, the Hugston family was one of the greatest farmers in the kingdom, his life was simple, having a pleasant and happy childhood, despite having seen the war in its final winters Rengaw grew up as an honorable young man, joining military force, for his courage called forth to serve a greater good, was probably the most physically strong man among all present, and one of the very few capable of rivaling Shayera in physical strength, was under the command of the sss on several occasions in the recent past, creating great respect for her and considering her the most powerful warrior he had ever known. Thorgele received him with joy, for his courage and determination, for him even a grain of rice could unbalance the balance. Oblap and Rengaw already knew each other in the kingdom, but implied one with the other, and curiously the maestro called him "wagon":

- Hey, wagon, how can you look at your feet without getting dizzy up there? – asked the maestro.

- And you, how can you turn aside without hitting someone with that belly? – replied the lone knight.

- Grrrrrrrr...

- Grrrrrrrr...

    In fact they did not get along well, but now they were comrades of battle and should at least tolerate themselves. The next day the scouts returned, announcing the march of the goblins, all prepared, the city should show all the force in its most difficult moment, the meteor shone in the skies practically complete, the decisive hour was coming, the fourth and last battle of Mérit, was beginning.

    The goblins came to the front of the city, the sea of foes were watched by Mérit's army and their fearless leader, the soldiers trusted more than ever in his command, although there was no chance of victory:

- This is a battle that we will not win, we will only resist. – said Thorgele. – But for how long, Laguna?

- A few more hours and Sumith will return. – replied the new fellow.

- Maybe... Maybe we will have a chance. – said Enghon. – I will need time.

- How much? – asked Arkan.

- As much as you can give me.

- Enghon, did you...? – said Thorgele.

- You do not think I spent all those days reading that book for nothing, did you?

    Enghon positioned himself on the wall, while the attack began violently on both sides. The young sorcerer began to focus his holy element, as if meditating, and nothing could stop him, his fullness of mind training with Thorgele was worth more than ever now, at the east gate Laguna and Arkan fought like never before leading the fiercest defenses yet, in the west Thorgele, Rengaw and Oblap did the same:

- Fight Lieben warriors, for our land, for our lives! – shouted the shinobi, igniting the army.

    But the enemy force was now monstrous, and there was no way to contain it for so long. After about ten minutes Enghon began to emanate a scary power that terrified the enemies, predicting that something terrible was to come they began to attack him with rains of arrows, climbing up the wall and in any way they could, they knew that they should kill him at any price or they might regret it. Thorgele ordered the formation of a large wall of shields to protect him, but this would not help against some catapults that remained of the last battle, it was then that Oblap took the front:

- I will take care of it. You hold the gate! – shouted the maestro.

    Thorgele and Rengaw continued with the blockade of the passage while the maestro began to conduct his orchestra, rejecting enemies and pebbles thrown by the catapults as best as possible, the protection of Enghon was being fulfilled. At the gate Rengaw proved himself a terrible warrior, with his great ax he was a real giant knocking down giants, the cyclops found in him someone who did not retreat, beat against them and kills them mercilessly with his monstrous weapon. He and Thorgele formed a fearsome duo, annihilating all the brave ones who dared to stand before them, and taking the army to the limit of determination. The battle was still very difficult for the defenses that held the goblins and cyclops with fierce nails and teeth, twenty minutes had passed when Enghon finally opened his eyes, ordering the almost exhausted Oblap to withdraw the soldiers with shields and move away, the young man would now reveal the next level of his evolution, worthy of the greatest sorcerers. Pointing his left hand against the enemy army, and propping it with his right hand, holding the Morgil, the dazzling white light of the holy element formed in his palm, and he fired an unbelievable spiral-shaped holy beam, the "Holy Ray", one of the spells of Tantaluz book. When the ray struck the ground a great absurd explosion was created and spread among the enemies, the power was so great that the sorcerer had great difficulty in maintaining the direction, the ray went from one side to the other, unintentionally but conveniently increasing the damage in the army, those hit in full were practically disintegrated, and the others, caught by the bursts of explosions, made in pieces, with this Enghon eliminated about 30% of the enemies! The young sorcerer went to the ground, totally exhausted and out of combat, he learned that fearsome magic hastily and incompletely, so the extreme fatigue, but regardless of this he had already done his part.

- Oblap, Rengaw, hold the defenses here as long as you can, I will take Enghon to a safe place! – ordered the shinobi.

    Thorgele carried Enghon to the central mansion, where all the residents were protected and more frightened than ever, he was taken to the top next to Sumith's skiff:

- Stay here and take care of our friend. – said the shinobi.

- Wait, I still want to help. – said Enghon.

- You have done enough, my friend, now rest.

- But I...

- Do not even think about leaving here, otherwise I will beat you up and drag you back!

- Wow. You are talking like Shayera.

- It's true.

- Hahahahaha...

    The great damage done to the enemies had a lot of effect, and many legs shuddered after the big explosion. At the east gate goblins were sent to the other side to recompose the numbers, which considerably eased to Laguna and Arkan. The battle continued violently and the enemies could cross the side walls already invading dangerously the city. Thorgele drove the soldiers he could to fight them off at all costs of the central mansion, hours passed uninterrupted fighting, the east side was already lost, Laguna and Arkan recoiled with the remaining soldiers bravely attempting to delay them to the fullest, the battle now spreading through the city, groups of fighters fighting separately containing the enemies that never ceased to spring from the walls, Rengaw and Oblap still resisted at the west gate, but they were also being pushed. The lone knight and the maestro finally understood each other, and thus formed one of the most formidable duo of all time, while Rengaw used fire to strengthen his ax, massacring those who were approaching, Oblap covered spectacularly, firing his arrows precisely and using gravity to pierce shields, his fantasy illusions were extremely useful against those who approached the knight, his ice was also very functional, causing enemies to slip and be cut off by the great ax, the element of nature was used to kill and hurl enemies far away using the trees of the city itself, at one point Rengaw went too far and was attacked by dozens at once, but the maestro was cunning:

- Rengaw, run, fast!

    The lone knight rushed toward his fellow, who opened a very deep hole in the street, ordering Rengaw to jump, he obeyed doubtfully on account of the great distance, but Oblap used his gravity to increase the range of the jump, the knight crossed the crater, and the enemies who naively imitated it fell and were immediately killed, because the maestro closed the hole violently, the others were annihilated by a greenish cloud of pure poison, status.

- Not bad!

    A few soldiers remained by their side and again found themselves surrounded by dozens of enemies attacking all together, but these were frozen and broken by the great power of the greatest existing user of ice, Thorgele arrived!

- Rengaw, Oblap, take the soldiers to the central mansion and protect it!

- Yes, leader! – they shouted together.

    The defenses, now extremely small, were limited to protecting only the great central mansion, the city was completely taken and the enemy banners could be seen already being placed everywhere, the goblins obviously did not have all the knowledge of what was going to happen there, that it did not matter to win or lose, they would all be sacrificed as pigs, deceived by the coldness of their master. Many wounded soldiers were rescued inside the mansion, they fiercely and bravely fought to the maximum of their abilities, until they were forced to enter as a last resort of defense. Laguna and Arkan, at the top of the mansion, were struggling to protect Enghon and Sumith from those who climbed up there, it was obvious they would not break the ice skiff easily, but just being there and beating them was enough for nothing stop the meteor, because if Thorgele did not remove the ice from Sumith it would all go downhill. The windows of the place were totally blocked by the soldiers anyway, and locals also helped, the enemies tried to put down the great iron door, but it was being blocked by only one man, Rengaw, with the help of Oblap, who used the element of life to reduce his fatigue, allowing him to resist for a long time, the purpose here was to protect the inhabitants and not let anything touch them, the library was underground and to get to it they would need to invade first, but it was not the time to think about the books. At the top Laguna and Arkan were reaching their limits alongside their few soldiers, and after so much fighting time the hour had finally come.

- Thorgele! Come quickly! Now!

    The shinobi came up there like lightning, leaving to Rengaw, Oblap and the few soldiers the resistance of the mansion. At the top, he saw dozens of foes surrounding the last defenses around Enghon and Sumith's skiff, and more and more continued to rise, he made his way through leaps and bounds with other soldiers accompanying him, received an arrow in the leg in the middle of the course and had to be carried by two soldiers while a third bravely defended them, curiously they were the same three soldiers who accompanied him in the suicidal flight in the second battle, how much work of destiny, while Arkan provided his rescue with the last remaining elemental forces, the shinobi arrived at the skiff at great cost, concentrating his element of the ice guarded especially for that moment.

- Now! – shouted Laguna.

    Thorgele succeeded, the skiff was removed at the last minute, Sumith's body was free! Immediately he was enveloped by the beautiful golden light, planar life, a small spark could be seen coming down quickly until it blurred the view, and Lieben's young man reappeared standing, alive, and exuding power, the chain mail was still pierced, but the wound in the chest was gone, Sumith was back! Beside him was a man very much like Arkan, in lightly gold suits, gloves and boots, but without any weapon, the seventh guardian, the guardian prime, Anarky! When Laguna stated that all the barriers imposed by planar life would not be a problem, he was referring to Anarky's greatest gift, which until then was unknown to many: immortality.

    The meteor was complete in the orbit of the planet, and now it fell to the total devastation of Lieben. Immediately Sumith held out his hand to Thorgele, the shinobi understood without delay and threw the Laguna sword to him, very powerful, soiled by the blood of the fallen enemies, he held it high, looking down, surrounded by nature, holy, life, gravity and darkness, the power was unbelievable, single, and he spiked the sword at the top of the mansion, immediately a whirlwind of light formed up to an immense height above the city, and from there the millenarian shield was generated while the enemies were still terrified by the simple presence of Anarky, that only with the look left all with the wobbly legs. At the same time Rengaw and Oblap reached their limit as well as the defenders of the windows, the enemies knocked down the door with such violence that the knight was hurled back and far away, at the feet of the villagers, the goblins were already invading the whole place, brandishing their weapons against the people, who only closed their eyes awaiting death, but a magnificent shine invaded everything and expelled all the attackers immediately. All Kraven's army was literally spit out of Mérit, the city was safe from the goblins, but the battle was not over yet, Sumith and Anarky, as guardians, were also expelled from there and disappeared into the sky.

    The millenarian shield covered all Mérit, magnificent, and now an incredible beam of light, as large as the city formed towards the skies, towards the meteor, in the central mansion the Laguna sword glowed intensely nailed to the highest part, was the source of all power. In various parts of the world it was possible to see the two absurd spells clash in the sky, millions watched the confrontation between shield and meteor for ten minutes, nothing could be done, now they could only hope. The earth shuddered, hurricanes formed across the continent, and the seas were violently agitated, after all this time of unparalleled strife in the sky the meteor began to surpass the shield! Little by little it began to be pushed and the magic of Kraven was crossing the orbit, all the people looked with despair at the eminent defeat of the shield, would everything end up there? Thorgele refused to believe in defeat, he would not give up for anything, for his friends, for all the brave warriors who gave their lives in that place, for Shayera. The shinobi did nothing more than kneel down, put his hands on his chest and pray with all his might for the planet. All the soldiers and friends present there repeated his gesture, it was the best thing to do now, and inexplicably, in many other parts of the world, this same gesture was repeated, the people prayed, with faith and hope, for all that they believed in, when the unthinkable happened! The shield gained strength and the meteor was restrained again, the will power of the planet itself would not allow the end. The shield, brighter than ever, pushed the meteor back into orbit, and beyond, until a great explosion was seen and dazzled for several seconds the sight of all those who watched, the glare seemed to have no end, but when it finally ended the sky was clear, all the natural phenomena calmed down, "The Four Battles of Mérit", were finished, the meteor, was defeated.