【Story】Olden Trio Series

Olden Trio Series Ch. 0

“History Marker – Shamash”

A shiny spiral building, “Hall of History,” was situated in the middle of the land, covered with fine silvery nimbus sand. Inside the building, the crowd was gathering around a glass coffin.

There was an old man lying inside the coffin, who had no vitality on his pale face. Meanwhile, the people put a white flower on his body one by one. With the non-stop weeping sound, the Hall of History was filled with a woeful atmosphere.

Stunned by this scene, the young Shamash looked around the room with her eyes wide open.

“Everyone is crying for the grandmaster…”

Then, a robust man came up to the stage; the moment he stepped on, the crowd quieted down with respect to listen.

“We are the witnesses of history and truth of the universe. Among all of us, the grandmaster made the most contribution. His research has brought us a revolutionary change. He was the one who led us to the next generation. We shall never forget his knowledge. Let us praise him through music.”

The man took the singing lead while the rest followed. During the delightful polyphony, an enormous enchantment was revealed on the floor. With the halos, the body of the elder miraculously withered into glamourdust; the glamourdust then transformed into glowing words, fusing into the wall.

“His history will be marked on the memory veil of the Hall of History, searing deeply into our souls,” said the man of melancholy, marking the end of the ritual. 

Everyone left the Hall of History except Shamash, who looked up at the glorious memory veil.

“I want to be remembered like the grandmaster. I want my name to live on eternally as time.” 

Having this thought, Shamash clenched her fists and swore to herself, “I’ll become the glorious history that everyone looks up to!”

Since then, Shamash had been investing extra effort in academics, hoping to accomplish remarkable research. Yet she couldn’t get any satisfactory results even in her adulthood.

Whoosh—!

Everything on the desk was swept down onto the floor by Shamash. After making a huge mess, she stormed out of her room.

“Darn it! I can’t publish this piece of joke. I gotta find something more mind-blowing…” Shamash muttered, biting her nail neurotically.

At this moment, she glanced at a woman standing on a high platform, who seemed to be concentrating on something without realizing the edge a few inches away.

“Whoa—!”

As expected, the woman fell off the edge. She was too scared to do anything but scream.

“Humph!” Shamash took out her wand. When a rune was drawn, mana consolidated into a water stream to catch the woman.

“Phew…That scared the hell out of me,” said the woman.

The stream disappeared right after delivering the woman to the ground, who was adjusting her breath after such a close-to-death experience. Unlike the cold Shamash, every move of hers gave an impression of innocence.

“What’s wrong with you? How could you pay no attention to the surroundings, and you did nothing to save yourself when you’re falling! If I hadn’t saved you, you would have been dead by now!” Shamash scolded the woman with her arms crossed.

Instead of feeling intimidated, the woman gave a brilliant smile as if it could brighten up the room.

“Thanks for saving me. My name is Enlil.”

“…Shamash.”

Even for someone as stone-cold as Shamash couldn’t bear to blame this lovely Enlil anymore.

“I’m giving you this as a token of gratitude,” said Enlil, handing a brown oval object over to Shamash.

“This is…the bread that our ancestors used to eat.” Shamash squinted her eyes to examine it.

“Exactly! I baked it. It’s tasty.”

When Enlil offered the piece of bread to Shamash with a sweet smile, Shamash rejected it with a frown by pushing her hand away.

“We don’t need this low food to survive anymore. We ingest mana through the extraction from the atmosphere. Our vitality can be maintained by drawing runes.”

“I know.”

Smiling bitterly, Enlil retrieved the piece of bread.

“But sometimes I’d ponder if our artificial way of living would make us overlook the essential things,” Enlil unveiled her deep feeling.

“Humph. It’s a natural instinct to pursue evolution. You’re too naive—”

Shamash’s speech was interrupted by a strange sound from the platform— a cacophony made of some animal roar and cry.

“This is…hurtful…What’s this…I feel an immense pressure…It’s crushing my core…” Shamash had no choice but to cover her ears in pain.

“Oh no! I almost forgot about the activating enchantment.”

Closing her index finger and middle finger, Enlil pressed her lips with the hand gesture. When Enlil muttered a language which was unknown to Shamash, she felt an awe and divinity that went beyond her understanding.

Enlil’s words summoned an enchantment to wrap up the platform. Meanwhile, the hurting cacophony stopped immediately.

“What just happened? What did you do exactly?” Shamash put down her hands in perplexity.

“Hmm, it’s hard to explain.”

Thinking for a second, Enlil reached out at Shamash and said, “Why don’t you come with me and see for yourself?”

Driven by curiosity, Shamash followed Enlil’s lead to the platform, where an active complex enchantment was located at the bottom. A quintet of colors of halos was drifting above it.

“Is this…mana? No…How come! Nobody in history has been able to gather such a large amount of mana!” Shamash couldn’t believe her eyes.

“I lost count of my failures, too, but I finally did it this time,” said Enlil timidly. 

Still, Shamash was completely astounded by her magnificent work.

“We’re about the same age, but why can she…”

It was very hard for Shamash to digest the truth. She asked Enlil with a complicated look, “What are you gonna do with that much mana?”

“Well, I’m planning to analyze the memories contained within mana.”

“…What? Isn’t mana a kind of energy? How could it have memories?”

“Actually, it’s not. Mana isn’t just an energy in our perception, but it contains a myriad of untold memories. I’ve been having this thought since I was small…”

Enlil came to the enchantment and waved her wand. Next second, the quintet halos were drawn to her as if metal met magnet. The halos eventually consolidated into a nimbus stone in her palm.

“Our people have been focusing on the research about the universe, but not our origin. Doesn’t it sound strange to you? I think the genuine meaning of witnessing history should be understanding our origin,” Enlil said excitedly, without noticing the creep in Shamash’s gaze.

“…You haven’t reported it to the grandmasters, have you?” Shamash asked.

“No, because I haven’t found any solid proof yet.”

As soon as Enlil said it, Shamash suddenly grabbed her hands and said enthusiastically, “Can I join you? I’m very interested in your research.”

“Really? Are you really acknowledging my research?”

Enlil held Shamash’s hand back in excitement and said, “Of course you can! Welcome aboard!”

Olden Trio Series Ch. 1

“Righteous Fire – Marduk”

For some reason, the primordial dragons vanished after creating the realm. Despite its absence, the rich elements remained in the realm, not only nurturing a diversified ecosystem, but also attracting some extraterrestrial visitors…

Underneath a vast, lush grassfield, there were countless metal tubes called “vessels”. Inside, iridescent halos were flowing from one end to another, displaying a symbol of vitality.

Walking on the field, a young man, Marduk, was collecting plants and stones of any kind everywhere. The next second, his eyes were caught by something in a tree.

“That’s a dead eagle…It should be helpful to her research, but it’s stuck on the tree…Let’s see if I can take it down.”

Then Marduk laid his hands open. When he slowly exhaled, a wisp of crimson halo gathered in his palm. With a mutter, a nimbus enchantment appeared, turning the halo into fire to be cast at the tree.

Phoom!

The fire burnt all the branches away. Without the support, the dead eagle dropped onto the ground. Marduk had a thought as he picked the corpse up, “This planet is truly amazing. Mana is everywhere. If we can extract the energy, maybe we’ll be able to attain immortality for our kind.”

Marduk headed to a grand building on the other side of the grass field. He passed through a long, complex hallway that led him to a spacious room. Before he could enter the room, some debris blocked his way.

“Sigh…Bad habit of Enlil,” Marduk complained in his mind. 

Passing through the books and equipment on the floor, Marduk came to a desk at the corner, where there was a lady sleeping on it.

At this moment, Marduk accidentally kicked down a stack of books on the floor. The noise woke Enlil up from her sleep.

“Oh, hey Marduk, you’re back. Have you gathered everything?” The drowsy Enlil rubbed her eyes.

“All done,” Marduk said, putting the bag onto the desk. When he touched Enlil’s forehead, he felt an abnormal heat from her.

“Enlil, didn’t I tell you to rest? Why did you work on your mana research again when I wasn’t around?” Marduk showed his concern.

“…She wants to know more about mana as soon as possible,” said Enlil.

“Her again…” Marduk pulled a rare long face. “Why are you still befriending her? She snatched the operation lead position by stealing your research findings!”

“Seems you’re very dissatisfied with me,” an indifferent female voice cut in.

Shamash, the elegant lady, walked into the room and looked Marduk right in the eyes.

“Come straight to me if you have a problem with me. Don’t try to cast a bone between Enlil and me.”

“You’ve got it wrong! Marduk wasn’t—”

While Enlil was trying to explain, Marduk raised his hand, signalling her to stop.

“If you say so, then don’t mind me,” Marduk replied calmly.

“You’re too selfish. You had Enlil stay up all night for the research, even when she was ill. Worse, you killed the creatures here whenever you feel like!”

“I did it just to get to the truth about mana faster. All I want is to trace our origin and seek evolution for our kind,” Shamash said.

“This is just an excuse! We, the eldus, should be pursuing the history of the universe, not breaking the balance of this planet! A selfish and disrespectful one like you doesn’t deserve to be one of us, and your name isn’t worthy to be in our history!”

“You——Argh!”

What Marduk had said provoked Shamash, who drew an enchantment in the air immediately. Very soon, the enchantment consolidated azure mana into water blades to shoot at Marduk, who was caught unprepared—

Water blades were fended off by a flame shield. When the two met, the blades were vaporized by the immense heat.

“Enlil!”

Marduk caught the ill Enlil in time before she fell, who conjured the flame shield to protect Marduk. This action almost made her collapse, but she forced herself to get up and give a loving smile.

“Let’s stop fighting, shall we?” Enlil said weakly.

“I hate conflicts. I just want everybody to get along well,” she thought.

“…Humph. If you say so,” said Shamash, leaving Marduk and Enlil in the room.

“She has gone too far! If we don’t do something about it, someday she’ll make things irreversible.” Marduk gritted his teeth.

Enlil stroked Marduk’s chest to calm him down. “I get it, but I don’t want to provoke anyone. I’ll talk to her,” Enlil said gently.

“But…”

“Lemme handle this, okay?”

When Enlil begged Marduk in a lovely way, he surrendered to her and nodded reluctantly.

However, not only did Enlil’s plan not succeed in stopping Shamash’s outrageous behaviour, but the situation worsened.

In addition to the slaughters initiated by Shamash, she also forced her kind to produce Earthlings—a kind of inferior creatures created based on the appearance of eldus, also the ancestors of the later human race in the realm.

Shamash’s outrageous actions had provoked more and more eldus, including Marduk. Acting as the lead, Marduk had been secretly persuading the eldus who felt the same way towards Shamash, planning to overthrow her before the research evaluation day.

To his surprise, his plan was busted by Shamash, who initiated an attack at Mech City beforehand. In order to stop this massacre, Marduk decided to head to the Mech City with his fellows.

“Marduk, I need to go with you,” said Enlil woefully. “Maybe I can talk Shamash down.”

“No, it’s impossible. All she cares about is herself. She won’t listen to you,” Marduk rejected her request. Then he grabbed her shoulders and said, “Your body is not in the condition for this. Besides, don’t you hate conflicts? Just leave this to me, and you rest here.”

“I…”

Enlil gave a complicated gaze. Next second, she lowered her head and said, “Okay.”

When Marduk departed, Enlil would never have expected this was the last time she ever saw him…

Olden Trio Series Ch. 2

“Fire of Sagacity – Enlil”

This day, the daylight was as gloomy as nightfall. 

A lady Enlil was gazing afar through the window. At the edge of the skyline, a few wisps of smoke could be seen, implying a war raging on the land.

This lovely, cheerful lady could no longer smile. Now, only sorrow was written on her exquisite face; a tear rolled down her cheek.

“Why…why did everything go wrong? All I want is to trace our origin, and now it turns everyone against each other…”

Enlil belonged to a species called eldus, who came from somewhere far away in the galaxy. They were passionate about exploring the diverse history of different places, hoping to make their kind perfect by learning.

Among the scholars, Enlil was devoted to the research on their origin. After much hard work, they finally found this piece of land according to the leads. Yet the energy concealed here was beyond their imagination, which induced an internal conflict among them.

It started with arguing, but the conflict had soon escalated into a threat. Shamash, the leader of this operation and also Enlil’s best friend, planned to exterminate the original species of the realm—Machinas.

When the plan was spread, Marduk, one of the eldus, decided to gather the opposite voices in order to stop the catastrophe.

Much as Enlil wanted to take part in negotiating with Shamash, she was ordered to stay behind by Marduk because of her injury, which was also the reason for her living alone right now.

A cold breeze gave Enlil a chill.

“It’s getting cold. I can’t afford another flu…”

Humming a tune, an enchantment glowed above Enlil’s chest. Meanwhile, a crimson halo gathered in front of her. With a wave, she turned the halo into flame to warm her up.

“Mana…also called elements here…What a magnificent energy. Everyone is crazy about it…” Her mind drifted as she stared at the fire.

Boom—! A sudden fierce quake brought Enlil back to reality, who lost balance and stumbled on the ground.

This quake lasted for a long while. While Enlil was getting back on her feet, a pink-haired woman ran into the room in a panic.

“Enlil! Something bad happened! The entrance of Mech City…is gone!”

“Gone…Imposible!”

The shocked Enlil left the room immediately when she received the news. She ignored her injury and cast a high-class sorcery. Next second, she leapt towards the entrance of Mech City.

“Please..Be safe,” she prayed while summoning more mana to speed up. Yet she crashed in the middle of her way as her body was overloaded.

“I won’t give up…This is not far away from Mech City. I should be able to get there on foot,” she thought.

Enlil managed to arrive at the entrance of Mech City by staggering along the desert. Then, she saw a monumentally different place—the metal building that was supposed to be here was gone. Instead, this place was coiled with deformed metal pipes, which were what the Machinas called “vessels”.

These vessels were supposed to be buried underground, serving as a transportation for mana. Right now, all vessels broke out of the ground, intertwining together as if a living creature with pulses.

“What is happening…How could this be?”

The scene was a complete mind blower to Enlil. She stared at the front and said, “What was…that?”

She squinted her eyes to get a clearer image of something shiny in the intertwining vessels—

“That’s the necklace…! I need to retrieve it…” 

Making a stern look, Enlil took deep breaths to run the mana flowing inside her.

By chanting a spell, numerous enchantments were summoned around her. At last, these enchantments combined together into a gigantic one. Immense mana floated in front of it like a burning sun.

“Come on! Burn down everything in my way!”

The crimson halo transformed into an ablaze eagle, storming into the vessels. Extreme heat melted those deformed vessels, and the whole mutated thing was burnt into ashes in the blink of an eye.

“Huff…”

Although Enlil managed to wipe out the vessels, this strike had drained her. Staggering along the way to the necklace, she picked it up and held it in her embrace.

“So good to have it back…”

The overjoyed Enlil didn’t notice the activity of the vessel remains, which were gathering back together. A monstrous slit cracked open on the revived vessels. Next second, the mutated vessels pounced on Enlil like a prey—

A robust figure cut in and blocked the attack for Enlil with an energy shield. The collision startled her. She found out the identity of the robust protector when she looked over—a bulky man who was also an eldus.

“Enlil! It’s dangerous! Let’s get out of here!”

“But…they’re trapped inside! I can’t leave them in danger!”

Enlil looked over to the entrance of Mech City, but all she saw was a bunch of vessels.

“If you die here, you’ll never be able to save them!” The bulky man talked Enlil down.

Clang! More revived vessels attacked the man. Enlil was very well aware that they would be doomed soon if they stayed. She had no choice but to nod, agreeing to retreat.

“What happened?” Enlil asked, who hadn’t recovered from the shock.

“It’s a seal…The machina leader activated an extremely powerful seal to protect monesis from Shamash. The seal isolated the entire Mech City from the realm. Our fellows are all trapped inside,” the man explained.

“What…I won’t let this happen…” Enlil grabbed the necklace tightly.

“I’ll rescue you at all costs, even if I have to destroy this realm!”

Olden Trio Series Ch. 3

“Mind Corrupter – Xada”

Somewhere in the boundless universe, there was a planet made up of numerous meteorites. The meteorites were connected by spectrum chains, constructing a prison-like space.

A pile of unknown was pulsing inside this planet cage. The unknown was jet black, ominously dark as if it contained nothing but pure evilness and void.

The unknown slowly expanded, but then the momentum was restrained by the spectrum chains like a captured prey. Very soon, the unknown contracted, shrinking as if it were drained by the chains.

“My essence, the beginning of all, the rule of the universe, the center of divinity, please let me kneel before you, bathe in your mightiness and feel your grace…”

The unknown chanted with a creepy language repeatedly. Its body bloated again, but it never broke through the chain.

The cycle repeated while countless planets had been born and withered. Its long-lasting effort had eventually paid off.

A superdimensional impulse surged from afar, stunning the whole universe. The newborn stars all bursted into nothing, and the spectrum chains started to fade.

“Power…The power of the seal has diminished…”

The jet black torso of the unknown reflected light while muttering a creepy tune. Its body was pumped big immediately, approaching the spectrum chain. The chain tightened as usual, but it was defeated by the unknown this time. Cracked at first, it shattered eventually.

“Oh…I’m free…My essence…My lord…”

Pulsing fiercely, the dark “limbs” elongated towards a direction as if a moth was drawn to flame.

Unable to hold back the desire, the unknown drifted across the universe and headed to the light. The closer it approached, the stronger the restraining force. The unknown never ceased its journey despite the drastic reduction in body mass due to the force. Its restless effort eventually led it to the destination—a beautiful planet, which was the land of wonders called “the realm”.

At this moment, the unknown had been reduced to a human palm-sized remnant. Still, it decided to dive into the realm and embraced an immense body-crushing pain. The energy of this land rejected it, but it resisted with the last bit of will.

The unknown managed to reach the surface before it was completely wiped out of existence——the land occupied by an extensive amount of bizarre metal pipes.

“Oh…My essence…I sense its presence…but it’s in constraint…I need to liberate it…yet powerless I’m…” the nail-sized unknown pondered.

A female yell sounded nearby, disturbing its thought, “but…they’re trapped inside! I can’t leave them in danger!”

Crawling its way to the source, the unknown witnessed a conflict between a woman and a burly man, who didn’t notice its tiny existence. While the argument heated up, the unknown climbed onto the woman to stick its thin limbs into her body.

“This creature…Hehe…This is incredible. Innocent but evil; Kind but cruel; Authentic but hypocritical…And the despair grows inside her…This resentment…It’s delicious…”

The unknown recovered a bit from the massive destruction after consuming the negative emotions of the woman.

“Parasitize her…Regain strength…” The unknown became a parasite behind the woman’s ear.

Later the days, the woman was buried in research work, but the progress was unpleasant to see. Worst still, more and more of her kind were injured. Everything ongoing in her life made her despair and resentment thrive. That was great news to the unknown, for it had more food to feast on. Its strength had been recovering faster than it expected.

“Not enough…I must gulf more despair and resentment…That is the only way to free my essence…my origin…our origin…”

The unknown refused to stop feasting on the woman’s emotions, so it made a move on the night she collapsed in tears. Confronting the woman, it stuttered with its jet-black body, “I…can make…your wish…come true…”

“Who…are you?” the woman asked.

“Who am I?”

Woman’s question had put the unknown in perplexity. It had been acting instinctively ever since its birth, pursuing only the essence but never questioning the meaning of it.

“My name is Enlil, and you?” Enlil asked gently.

Instead of acting fearful, she approached this spooky extraterrestrial creature calmly.

“Name…Self-descripting…Me…” The thought was lingering within the unknown.

“Xada,” said the unknown. Next second, its body twisted and deformed fiercely, shapeshifting in a spooky way. When the process stopped, it became a female looking alike just as Enlil, but with an entirely different vibe—an unspoken gloom oozing from Xada’s gaze.

“I can make your wish come true,” said Xada, stroking Enlil’s cheek. She spoke as her black, ominous eyes looked into Enlil’s beautiful eyes, “Only if you turn into a demon.”

The seductive curse of Xada had beclouded Enlil’s mind.

Having been so desperate to escape from despair, Enlil put her hand on Xada’s with a sweet smile as if she were the happiest woman in the world.

“If this can end my despair, I’ll do it.”

Olden Trio Series Ch. 4

“Sympathetic Stream – Shui Huan”

At twilight, the sky was painted aesthetically amber and lilac. An azure Runedragon and a maroon Runedragon soared from a mountain into the clouds.

Runedragons lived by consuming the element-filled clouds, which explained their hovering habit.

“I see why Yan Pu loves feasting at dusk. The clouds taste sweeter for real…” Shui Huan, the azure Runedragon, thought as it looked at the way Yan Pu gulfed the clouds, “but the sky looks strange lately…It feels very depressed…”

“Shui Huan, you aren’t hungry? Why the dazed look?” Yan Pu asked, who noticed the absent-minded Shui Huan.

“Huh?” Returning to reality, Shui Huan blinked and responded, “My mind just slipped away…”

“You’ve been spacing out lately. Are you feeling ill?” Yan Pu approached Shui Huan, pressing its head as a caring gesture.

“I’m fine,” said Shui Huan, smiling at Yan Pu.

“It’s just an unsettling feel…like something bad is gonna happen…”

“You always have a precise hunch…Is it gonna get into trouble again?” Yan Pu’s gaze sharpened as its pupils contracted.

Some arguing noises sounded below, signalling an ongoing conflict.

“Humph. Speaking of the devil,” said Yan Pu, turning to Shui Huan, and continued, “let’s head back first.”

Nodding to comply, Shui Huan followed Yan Pu back to the habitat of Runedragons—the highest mountain on the realm. There was an immense dragon bone stuck into the peak, surrounded by countless rocks. Among all, the water stream ran down from the largest one; the water gathered into a small lake around the bone, creating a special vibe.

Meanwhile, two dragons, one blue one gold, were fighting with each other. Other dragons stayed above the rocks to avoid getting into it.

“Don’t you insult my friends! Take back what you’ve said!”

“I said nothing wrong. It’s you, the dragon without Souliade—”

“Huang Cong, shut up!” Yan Pu yelled, “You shouldn’t have said such a thing, no matter what!”

“…Sorry,” Huang Cong reluctantly apologized.

“Why apologize? I’m a heretic in everyone’s eyes, the dragon born without Souliade,” Cang Bi threw sarcasm at Huang Cong.

Runedragons were born in pairs. The dragons born together were destined to be each other’s soulmates for eternity, which was the meaning of “Souliade”. Cang Bi was the only dragon born alone, making it the special one of the clan. Some of its kind, such as Shui Huan, were sympathetic to him; yet some of them, like Huang Cong, alienated him.

“Enough.”

Yan Pu stopped Huang Cong from going mad with a stern gaze. Then it turned to Cang Bi and asked, “Cang Bi, what did you do this time?”

“I want everyone to meet the Machinas,” said Cang Bi with an enthusiastic look. It continued, “Pompeii wants us to become their ally. The Eldus have been provoking wars lately, so he needs our help to protect other creatures on the realm.”

“Humph! Why should we? It’s none of our business!” Huang Cong refuted.

“Why not? If we continue sitting back, someday the eldus may come to us!” Cang Bi defended his stance. Then he lobbied Yan Pu, “Please. Just meet the Machinas first.”

“…I can’t speak for the others. Let’s settle it this way,” said Yan Pu, looking at the other dragons to announce, “fly to the dragon bone if you agree with Cang Bi.”

However, the dragons did nothing but stare at Cang Bi coldly.

“This is not good…No one will be on my side if I don’t do something…I should at least get an ally first.” Cang Bi had an idea when it saw Shui Huan, who stood behind Yan Pu, “right. With Shui Huan’s popularity, they may change their minds if Shui Huan agrees with me.”

Cang Bi came to Shui Huan, grabbed its forearm, and asked pushily, “Haven’t you saved them before? I believe a kind dragon like you will support me.”

“Huh? I…” The soft Shui Huan felt awkward about Cang Bi’s request. Although it didn’t oppose the suggestion, it had no intention to persuade the others, too.

Yet the pushy Cang Bi showed no patience for Shui Huan’s hesitation. When Cang Bi pulled harder, the absent-minded Shui Huan stumbled.

“I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean it!”

Cang Bi apologized promptly as it had done something wrong, but the apology was already too late—Yan Pu was pissed off when its Souliade was pulled down.

“Cang Bi, not getting what you want doesn’t mean you can act rudely. I think you need to spend some time in jail to calm down.”

“No, Yan Pu, I-I was just——” Shui Huan tried to plead for Cang Bi, but Huang Cong cut in.

“I agree.”

Having been waiting for this moment, Huang Cong subdued Cang Bi immediately. With Yan Pu’s help, they threw Cang Bi into the skeleton jail.

“Sigh…When did everything go wrong…I’m too indecisive…” Shui Huan could do nothing but watch Cang Bi from being taken away.

A few days later, on a gloomy afternoon, a blasting noise and a fierce quake happened afar. When the quake ceased, Shui Huan saw a thick smoke rising from Mech City, which alarmed it, but the other dragons acted as if nothing had happened.

“Something…is wrong…Right! Cang Bi!”

Shui Huan came to the skeleton jail as soon as it recalled the imprisoned Cang Bi. Securing the safety of the nearby area, it sneaked into the jail and headed to the cell at the end. Cang Bi, who had its limbs all chained up, turned its back to Shui Huan.

“…Why are you here? To mock at me?” Cang Bi was being sarcastic at Shui Huan.

“It’s not the time to be sarcastic!” Shui Huan shouted, “Your friends…the Machinas are under attack!” 

Olden Trio Series Ch. 5

“Lightning Rider – Huang Cong”

Boom—

The land shook fiercely as if a giant were jumping up and down. Even the highest mountain, where the habitat of the Runedragons was, was affected. Sensing the danger, Huang Cong the Runedragon had soared above the sky before the quake had happened. It saw a thick smoke rising from afar.

“What…What happened?”

While Huang Cong was in shock, a crimson Runedragon flew over—Chi Zhang, the Souliade of Huang Cong.

“I think that’s the habitat of the Machinas…Maybe it’s the attack initiated by the Eldus that Cang Bi mentioned before…Do we need to help?” Chi Zhang asked hesitantly.

“Humph! No need. Their well-being is none of our business,” said Huang Cong in disdain. He squinted and continued, “Lives other than Runedragons are nothing but inferior creatures.”

“Well…You have a point. Nothing really matters as long as you’re with me. Let’s refill some elements.”

As Huang Cong nodded, the two dragons spread their wings to take off. When they were consuming the element-filled clouds, Huang Cong suddenly had an idea.

“Wait…The Machinas are under attack…” Huang Cong grinned for something exciting as he thought, “If I tell Cang Bi that its friends are in danger, it’s gonna lose its mind. I can’t wait to see it panic.”

Huang Cong turned its thought into action promptly, arriving at the skeleton jail located at the center of the habitat. Huang Cong had been involved in a conflict with Cang Bi the Runedragon before, and the incident was ended by the imprisonment of Cang Bi.

Walking cockily, Huang Cong started speaking before he reached the cell, “Cang Bi, I’m here to bring you good news! It’s about your lovely friends, the Machinas.”

No one responded but echoes.

“Why didn’t it talk back…Did it—!”

Huang Cong sped up all the way to the end as it sensed something was not right. As it was predicted, the cell was empty.

“Cang Bi escaped? No, impossible,” Huang Cong muttered with dilated pupils, “someone set it free!”

It didn’t take Huang Cong too long to figure out the one responsible. The next second, the enraged dragon rushed to the culprit’s location. Meanwhile, Shui Huan, the azure Runedragon, was napping and got up as it saw Huang Cong.

“Huang Cong? Why are you so pissed off? What happened—Whoa!”

Shui Huan was bashed away by Huang Cong before it could finish its words.

“Why did you set Cang Bi free!” Huang Cong leaned and scowled at Shui Huan.

“Huh?”

Surprised at first, Shui Huan then replied calmly, “Yes, I set it free. Even though we’re not going to help the Machinas, we can’t stop Cang Bi from doing that! It has a choice!”

“So you just let it get itself killed by saving those Machinas—”

A fearful dragon roar sounded beneath in the middle of Huang Cong’s refute.

Shui Huan broke free to fly down; Huang Cong followed after a moment of hesitation. The two dragons then saw something that they had never seen—multiple objects made up of intertwining metal pipes were climbing up the mountain. There were pumping pulses on the metal surface, making the objects even creepier.

Travelling around the dragon habitat, Huang Cong glimpsed at something crimson buried inside the pipes.

“Chi Zhang!”

With a shout, Huang Cong left Shui Huan and summoned an element. Fusing elements into its scales, Huang Cong’s body shone golden. Next second, the dazzle turned into lightning to strike at the metal object that was strangling Chi Zhang.

Floom! The lightning struck the object into ashes. Meanwhile, Huang Cong seized the chance to rescue the weak Chi Zhang from the objects. When they were getting away, the supposedly dead objects revived to attack Huang Cong again.

Huang Cong would be able to escape if it were on its own, but speed was dragged down by carrying Chi Zhang. The moment when the objects had their limbs on the two dragons, a strong force pulled them up into the sky suddenly.

“Who’s this…Cang Bi!”

Huang Cong looked at Cang Bi the azure dragon flying ahead, who turned its wings ice-cold by gathering water element.

“Freeze!” Cang Bi roared. Flapping its wings hard, it created a blizzard to freeze all the crawling objects on the ground.

“Right. That’s the only way to stop those things from moving,” Huang Cong was inspired.

“What are these…It felt like they snatched my consciousness when I was caught up inside…It’s horrible…Boohoo…”

Waking up from unconsciousness, Chi Zhang, who was trembling in fear, still hadn’t recovered from the shock.

“Let’s meet up with the others first,” said Huang Cong, wrapping its Souliade up with its wings to calm Chi Zhang. Then it turned to Cang Bi and spoke sternly, “You come with us too.”

The three dragons arrived at the gigantic dragon bone stuck into the peak, where the other dragons were gathering. Yan Pu, the maroon dragon relieved as soon as it saw them.

“So good to see you three, alright. The whole clan is safe now,” said Yan Pu.

Yan Pu frowned as it glanced at the bizarre object frozen on the ground. 

“But what are these? They look like vessels, but they’re not exactly vessels…” Yan Pu asked.

“I believe it’s related to the Machinas,” said Cang Bi. 

“I went to Mech City, but the entrance was completely gone. The whole city was concealed by a powerful seal, and the place was crawling with countless of those bizarre things. I’m afraid that something unexpected happened when the Machinas were battling the Eldus,” it continued.

“Humph! It’s all the Machinas’ fault! Why couldn’t they just hand Monesis to the Eldus? Their resistance is the reason why we’re in trouble now!” Huang Cong complained.

“How could you say that! If the Eldus are coming for the Ancient Dragon Spine, should we give them too?” Cang Bi yelled at Huang Cong.

“I—”

Huang Cong was tongue-tied. A moment later, he defended his ego and said, “I don’t care. It’s their responsibility for everything that happened!”

“It’s not the time to blame,” Yan Pu cut in and continued, “those things will start moving again soon, so let’s decide what we should do as soon as possible.”

“There’s only one option!” Huang Cong took the initiative and proposed, “We should all move to the sky. Hasn’t Shui Huan figured out how to make rocks float? It’s useful now!”

“What? Are we really going to sit back and watch the doom of the realm?”

Cang Bi questioned loudly, but cold gazes from its kind were all it had in response.

“Looks like we have reached a consensus,” said Yan Pu.

“Let’s prepare to move.”

Olden Trio Series Ch. 6

“Guidance of Clan – Yan Pu”

Above the clouds, dozens of dragons were flying towards a lake at the center of a basin.

“Shui Huan, let’s scout the area first,” Yan Pu, the leading crimson dragon, talked to Shui Huan, the blue dragon. 

The two dragons descended after the short conversation, hovering back and forth to secure the location with caution.

“This place should be vessel-free,” said Shui Huan after searching around. Once Yan Pu received the message, it signaled the others and said loudly, “Come down and extract the floating rocks from the lake bed.”

Descending from the sky, the other dragons dove down the lake to begin the extraction; meanwhile, Shui Huan and Yan Pu stayed on the surface to look out for them.

As the dragons carried the rocks away, Shui Huan started feeling uncertain about the migration to the sky.

“Yan Pu, are we really going to do this…Is keeping ourselves out the right thing to do?” Shui Huan asked Yan Pu quietly.

“Of course. All the dragons agreed to this decision. Weren’t you there too?” Yan Pu responded.

Both Yan Pu and Shui Huan were Runedragons, species residing on the realm. The Runedragons had been living peacefully in their territory, but wars between Machinas and Eldus had turned the underground vessels into mutated monsters, attacking every living creature in the realm.

The clan remained safe with the collective effort of all dragons. Still, they had decided to build a fort in the sky to isolate themselves from the warfare.

Cang Bi, one of the Runedragons, stood up to oppose the idea and suggested that they should save the other creatures from extinction.

Looking at the hesitant Shui huan, Yan Pu heaved a sigh. “Did you ask because of what Can Bi said?”

“I think he had a point—”

“Whoa! Help—!”

A sharp scream from afar cut in. Exchanging a gaze, the two dragons flew towards the sound source immediately.

The scream came from a fiercely burning forest surrounded by a large group of Eldus. Whenever there was a minerelf that ran out of the forest, the Eldus would capture them and sever their crystallized parts. The whole thing was seemingly designed for the extraction of crystals.

“This is…horrifying…”

Terrified by cruelty, Shui Huan hid behind Yan Pu.

Meanwhile, Yan Pu squinted at the Eldus in disgust and said, “Hurry back to the lake and escort the other dragons.”

“Huh? Aren’t we going to save those elves?”

“…What the Eldus did was unacceptable, but we’re not responsible for those elves’ safety either.”

“But…” Shui Huan eventually compromised with Yan Pu. “Alright, let’s go back.”

Just when the two dragons were about to spread their wings, Yan Pu pulled Shui Huan away while hardening its scales. The next second, the tough scale armor blocked an ambush attack to save Yan Pu unharmed. 

“Alien Eldus, what was that about? Please explain yourself,” Yan Pu said, scowling at Enlil, the woman, standing nearby.

The sweet smile on her face and her lean body constituted a great contrast to her despicable ambush earlier. She paced slowly as she replied in a soft voice, “Because you disturbed me.”

Yan Pu didn’t drop its guard despite Enlil’s innocent voice. It continued while staring at her, “We, the Runedragons, have no intention to step in your plan. Let us go, and we’ll forgive your ambush.

“Forgive?”

Enlil laughed out loud as if she had heard a hilarious joke. After a while, she pointed at Yan Pu to declare, “You have two choices, surrender or die.”

A swarm of Eldus revealed themselves from hiding right after her words; All of them cast magic in order to trap Yan Pu and Shui Huan. The enchantments they summoned continuously gathered an immense amount of elements, turning the energy into dangerous thunder.

“Humph. What a naive act. This little trick can’t hurt us!”

Trapped, Yan Pu showed no fear of the threat at all. It signaled Shui Huan with a gaze, and the two of them conjured elemental power together.

As the fire element and water element fused into their scales respectively, the scales bulked to form a protective shell wrapping them up.

“Let’s see who’s stronger then. Die!” Enlil struck the shell with an apocalyptic thunder strike as she shouted.

Just like what Yan Pu had said, there was not even a scratch on the shell. It even shone brighter after absorbing the energy. Meanwhile, a slit was opened on the shell, which allowed Yan Pu to speak to Enlil, “We, the Runedragons, shield ourselves with elements. By fusing elements into our scales, we have the toughest shield able to fend off all attacks.”

“Haha, impressive. You won this time, but…” 

The smile on Enlil disappeared, oozing a violent vibe to intimidate Shui Huan. “Your shield will collapse soon,” said Enlil.

Enlil waved at the other Eldus as a signal of retreat. When they had left, Yan Pu and Shui Huan disarmed.

“These Eldus are too dangerous…” Shui Huan’s voice was trembling as it hadn’t recovered from the horror.

“You’re right…” 

Pausing for a moment, Yan Pu said determinedly, “We gotta move to the sky as soon as possible.”

Olden Trio Series Ch. 7

“Prudent Insight – Spencer”

Pada pada—

The sound of gallops echoed in the mine loudly, startling Spencer the Elemental Beast, who was concentrating on iron mining.

“Spencer, it’s time to patrol.”

The creature running into the mine was Veronica, another Elemental Beast. Spencer and Veronica were similar in terms of age and interests, so they were very close to each other.

“Wait. Put this on first,” said Spencer, giving Veronica an iron chest armor. “Those mutated vessels are dangerous. This armor should keep you safe.”

Both Spencer and Veronica belonged to the Elemental Beast clan, the species that resided in the mineral basin surrounded by mountains. They had lived a peaceful life until an unorthodox noise sounded in Mech City. Since then, the realm changed.

The broad net of metal pipes called “vessels” located underground had mutated, turning into hostile stranger things that attacked the clan. The Elemental Beasts successfully exterminated all invaders with their overpowering strength. Still, the grandmasters of the clan decided to establish regular patrols in order to keep the cubs safe.

“Thank you,” Veronica said as she put the chest armor on. When the two beasts were ready, they left the mine and started their duty.

“AHH——H-Help!”

Before the two beasts had patrolled for long, they heard a scream coming from the forest surrounding the mountain.

“This is…”

“Let’s head over there!” Veronica ran towards the scream without a moment of thinking, while Spencer followed behind. Very soon, they found a group of Minerelves cornered by mutated vessels.

Veronica cut up a wound to make the purple fluid seep, which was her dark element-fused blood. When the elemental power was activated, the blood became a radiant sword to slash the mutated vessels.

Slash! Penetrated by the blood sword, the mutated vessels withered immediately like a dead plant. The next second, the dead vessels broke down into dust.

“Are you alright?” Spencer asked the elves in concern, and he found that one of them had its arm severed.

“Your arm…What happened?”

“Eldus…Those intruders…They hunted us to get weapon materials…We barely escaped…Boohoo…” The minerelf wept.

At this moment, Veronica came over to comfort them with her paw. “You’re safe now. Let me take you to rest,” she said.

After arranging a hideout for the minerelves, Spencer and Veronica reported the incident to the clan’s grandmaster. The atmosphere in the room suddenly became gloomy and suffocating.

“This is the third case already,” said the grandmaster woefully. “Those Eldus are exterminating all creatures on the realm like avenging.”

“We can’t sit back and do nothing about it. We should form an alliance with other clans to expel those invaders,” Spencer suggested. “Please allow me to seek help from the Runedragons.”

“The Runedragons? That’s impossible!” Veronica disapproved immediately and continued, “They didn’t even meet Pompeii the Machina when he visited them.”

“Things have changed. With the current threatening situation, maybe they will listen. Better than doing nothing,” said Spencer with a smile.

“Spencer is right. Trying doesn’t hurt anyway.”

“Then…I’ll go with you,” said Veronica.

“No. If you come with me, you’ll be getting into a fight before we start talking.”

Spencer knew Veronica’s temper very well. He patted her hand to reassure her, “let me handle it. In the meantime, take care of our home for me.”

Next day, Spencer headed to the Runedragons’ habitat alone. Despite encountering the mutated vessels on the way, he wiped them out easily with the power of the Elemental Beast. Very soon, he arrived at an arduous mountain, where the dragons lived on the peak.

Just when Spencer was about to climb the mountain, he spotted a shadow shrouding above him. Lifting up his head, he saw a golden dragon diving down quickly.

“That…It’s targeting me!”

Spencer dodged as soon as he realized he was being targeted—

Boom! Huang Cong, the golden dragon, smacked a dent in the spot where Spencer had been.

“Humph! You won’t be that lucky next time! Take this!” Huang Cong ascended to prepare for the next strike.

While Spencer was dodging, he tried to explain, “Wait! I mean no harm. I just want to discuss—”

“Shut your mouth! You’re just the same as those Eldus scum!”

The enraged Huang Cong generated electricity to attack Spencer with thunderstrike—

“Huh? Why doesn’t it hurt?”

Spencer was perplexed as he didn’t feel any pain. The next second, he saw an azure figure shielding above him.

“Cang Bi! Why did you protect him!” Huang Cong yelled agitatedly, bashing its body at Cang Bi.

“He’s no enemy at all! It’s you who attacked him out of the blue!” Cang Bi refuted both verbally and physically.

The two dragons were fighting each other until a crimson dragon showed up, who subdued them onto the ground with both hands.

“Are you two done yet?” Yan Pu, the crimson dragon, said.

As they finally calmed down, they looked away to avoid seeing each other’s faces. At this moment, Yan Pu shook its head with a sigh. It then asked Spencer, “Please accept my apology. It was Huang Cong’s fault. Are you hurt?”

“I’m alright, thanks to Cang Bi,” Spencer answered.

“Good to hear that. Excuse me, but could you please leave the mountain?”

Much as it sounded like a question, Yan Pu actually meant a no to Spencer’s visit. Despite its strong rejection, Spencer didn’t give up.

“I’m here on behalf of the Elemental Beast clan, hoping to form an alliance with the Runedragons to defeat the Eldus.”

“No way! Why should we get involved in these pointless wars?” Huang Cong said immediately.

“Those Eldus have already wiped out a few species. If we don’t do something, I’m afraid that they will come to you very soon.”

“Humph! It’s not your concern.” Huang Cong continued proudly, “We’ve decided to build a sky fort. No one will be able to disturb us by then!”

“But if we sit back, more innocent lives will be— Mmm!” Cang Bi had its mouth covered by Yan Pu.

“I feel sorry for that, but there’s nothing we can do either,” Yan Pu said calmly. “I suggest that you had better not seek more troubles. Protect your own clan.”

“It has a strong stance…”

Feeling disappointed at first, Spencer soon braced himself and told Yan Pu, “I respect your choice, but my clan won’t just leave others to die. You’re welcome to find us if you need help.”

Yan Pu was stunned by Spencer’s words at first; then he nodded to acknowledge his promise. The two departed separately…

Olden Trio Series Ch. 8

“Blood of Obscurity – Veronica”

In the ancient age on the planet later called the “realm”, there nurtured a diversified ecosystem of abundant species. One of the creatures called “Elemental Beast” resided in a wide mineral basin. Despite previous conflicts with the nearby clans, different creatures managed to live in harmony with Pompeii the Machina’s coordination.

However, the peace was broken by the visit of the extraterrestrial Eldus. Not only had they been hostile to the indigenous creatures, but invaded Mech City, causing an abnormal activity—the supposed city entrance was blocked by a powerful seal.

Upon the incident, the vessels underground mutated, turning into monstrous stranger things. As for the remaining Eldus, the loss of fellows had driven them insane, slaughtering the creatures on the realm.

Spencer, one of the Elemental Beasts, proposed a cooperation with the Runedragon clan to the beast clan’s grandmaster. Putting his words into action, he went to the mountain peak to lobby with the dragons. In the meantime, many survivors of the other species sought shelter at the Elemental Beast’s habitat.

“Drink some water.”

Inside a cave, Veronica the Elemental Beast offered a pot of clear water to the injured elves and beasts. Then she crushed the iron orbs to feed the cubs, which had kept her busy for a day..

“I wish Spencer could be here. He should be back anytime soon,” Veronica thought.

Boom! A deafening noise sounded from the deepest part of the cave, and it spread to where Veronica and the others were. Meanwhile, the top was crumbling during the fierce earthquake.

“This place is collapsing! Everybody run with me!” Veronica shouted to warn the young beasts and the patients while running towards the exit.

Crack crack!

Before they had escaped the cave for long, the whole mine collapsed, filling the entire basin with dust and dirt. A part of Veronica’s soul was buried when her home was destroyed in a second. At this moment, all she could feel was burning rage and endless grief.

“AHH——!”

Veronica turned around as soon as she heard a scream from behind, and she saw a man kidnapping a young Elemental Beast.

“Wow, it’s exactly like what Enlil said! I’ll get my prey just by waiting at the entrance,” said the man, one of the Eldus. He scratched the young beast with a blade. As the blood dripped, the droplets turned into crystals before they reached the ground.

“Boohoo…It hurts..IT HURTS!”

The man showed no sympathy at all when the young beast moaned in agony. He even spoke out loud with joy, “So it’s true that your blood will become crystal! Amazing!”

“You bastard! Let him go!” 

Yelling angrily, Veronica tried to pounce on the man, but she was blocked by a light shield conjured by him.

Veronica refused to give up and charged again, but her effort also went in vain.

“Ha. Come get him if you can, but first you must break this mana shield,” the man teased.

“…Humph! Watch how I crack this trash-like shield!”

Raising her claws, Veronica made eight scratches on her chest. When the purple blood was shed, it reflected glamorously in the air and consolidated into armor on Veronica.

Tightening all muscles, she crouched down to charge power in her legs. Next second, she was nowhere to be seen——

Clash! The light shield was crushed; the man was blasted away by Veronica, crashing deep into a tree trunk. Meanwhile, Veronica caught the young beast who was thrown into the air, putting him back on the ground safe and sound. 

The moment when the beast returned to the ground, he rushed into Veronica’s embrace and cried, while the other young beasts did the same.

“Boohoo…Veronica…It’s scary…”

“It’s okay, honey. I’ve got you,” Veronica comforted the young beast.

At this moment, strange noises sounded from the other side of the basin.

“My fellows must be battling over there. I need to help them!”

After settling a safe hideout for the others, Veronica rushed to the battlefield as fast as she could. By the time she arrived, it was already too late—

The entrance of the mineral basin was occupied by Eldus and Earthlings, the servants created by Eldus. A dozen Elemental Beasts were trapped by Eldus’ enchantment. With this hostage situation, Veronica decided to stay hidden in the forest, for she couldn’t take the risk.

At this moment, a woman came to one of the hostages, cutting a wound with a jewel blade. The blood splashed turned into crystals before it touched the ground.

Enlil, the woman, grasped a crystal and examined it under the sun. Then she gave a loving smile and said, “Aw, what a precious. Not only does it look stunning, but it can also decompose mana. By using it properly, we’ll be able to defeat those toughest shields.”

Veronica’s rationality was blinded by fury when she saw what Enlil had done.

“Dammit! How dare these god-damned scum torture my fellows! You won’t get away from this!”

Before she pounced on the Eldus, someone dragged her back by biting her at the neck. Much as she wanted to fight back, Veronica was stunned by the identity of the one who interfered.

“Spencer!”

“Shush!” 

Veronica nodded when Spencer signalled to keep quiet. She leaned close and whispered, “Good to see you back. Let’s go save our fellows.”

Yet Spencer shook his head sternly and said, “We can’t. We’re outnumbered, and I just found a lot of wounded beasts inside the cave. We must rescue those who are trapped inside first.”

“But…” Although Spencer was right, Veronica still felt hurt inside. 

“So we’re just gonna sit back and watch the Eldus take them away!?”

“Yes…That’s all we can do. Don’t you think I wouldn’t feel hurt!? I’m not afraid of death, but acting recklessly now will only lead to the doom of our clan. By that time, we won’t be able to save anyone.”

“Spencer…”

“Don’t expect that victory will arrive like a miracle,” said Spencer, looking right into Veronica’s eyes. “But as long as we don’t give in, someday victory will come to us.”

Veronica, convinced by Spencer, nodded and left with him. Before the departure, she took one last look at the fellows and swore to herself, “I will save all of you!”

Olden Trio Series Ch. 9

“Flicker of Scale – Chi Zhang”

The gloomy sky floated above the land, constructing a suffocating vibe. Lightning flashed from time to time, hinting at an upcoming change.

The Runedragon clan was blind to this unsettling sign. They continued to travel between the mountain peak and an unfinished floating fort.

Not long ago, the war between Machinas and Eldus induced mutation of the underground vessels, turning them into aggressive stranger things. With their collective efforts, the clan remained safe for now. But to avoid future wars, the clan decided to migrate by building a fort in the sky, isolating themselves from the rest of the creatures.

During the construction, the Elemental Beast clan had sent a lobbyist to persuade the dragons to form an alliance to resist the invasion of the Eldus. Yet Chi Zhang and the other dragons rejected immediately, for they only wanted to focus on a new home for themselves.

“Let’s call it a day. The construction progress is going faster than we’ve expected. No need to hurry,” said Chi Zhang, the Runedragon, to a golden dragon next to it after putting a floating rock into a gap.

Frowning anxiously, Huang Cong, the golden dragon, responded, “I want to keep going. I just want to get rid of those troubles as soon as possible!”

“But…Don’t be so hard on  yourself.”

As Huang Cong’s Souliade, Chi Zhang knew its stubbornness better than anyone, so it had no intention to convince Huang Cong. Leaving Huang Cong alone, Chi Zhang returned to their original habitat—the peak of the highest mountain.

“Huh? What’s that?”

Chi Zhang was alerted by something on the arduous cliff. “Are those vessels again? …I should take a look over there.”

Staying hidden with the geographic advantage, Chi Zhang slowly approached where strange activity was taking place. When it finally got a clear image, Chi Zhang was completely shocked—troops of Eldus and Earthlings were assembling on the mountain trail.

“They…They are going to raid us! I must tell everyone!”

It didn’t take Chi Zhang long to figure out their intention. Just when it was sneaking out, a woman floating in the air blocked the way.

“Aw. How naughty are you, you sneaky eavesdropper?” said Enlil, the grinning woman, but she pulled out a crimson-edged sword.

“…You have no place to say that, intruder,” said Chi Zhang, staring at Enlil vigilantly. It attempted to search for an escape window, but Enlil figured out its intention.

“Don’t ever try to escape.”

Raising the sword, Enlil was exuded with bloodlust, but Chi Zhang didn’t take her seriously.

“We, the Runedragons, have the toughest elemental shield that can block all attacks! I’m not afraid of her!” 

Summoning elemental power, Chi Zhang’s scales turned into bright red armor.

“Take me down if you can!” Chi Zhang spread it wings to fly towards Enlil.

Meanwhile, Enlil mumbled to cast a couple of enchantments around her sword, igniting the sword in crimson red. In the blink of an eye, the sword was combusted as if an ablaze blossom. 

The fearless Chi Zhang clashed with the fire sword. The contact point between the armor and the sword sparkled. After a round of tug-of-war, the fire won.

Unable to resist the high temperature, Chi Zhang’s armor melted, letting the sword cut into its flesh. 

“WHOA—!!”

Chi Zhang screamed painfully; the severely injured body dropped in the air and got stuck between a rock gap. Apart from the physical injury, it was completely stunned by its failure.

“H-How come she can break through my defense…” Chi Zhang murmured in shock.

“Have you heard of Elemental Beasts?”

Standing in front of Chi Zhang, Enlil stroked her sword gently as if caressing her lover.

“Elemental Beasts…They live in the mineral basin…”

“Exactly. Do you know that their blood can decompose mana…which is what you called elements. And this sword is made of their blood. I worked so hard to keep the blood fresh.”

“Decompose element…So that’s why my defense was cracked…Cough…” The injury was so severe that it made Chi Zhang cough up blood.

“Then rest in peace.”

Enlil circulated power to activate her sword again. Then she pointed the ablaze sword at Chi Zhang and thrusted—

Bang! A thunder struck between Enlil and Chi Zhang, which made Enlil drop her sword. In a split second, something swept across to take the wounded Chi Zhang to the high ground.

“Here you are…” Chi Zhang looked at Huang Cong, who had just saved it from death.

“Yes. Not only me, but everyone is here. Don’t worry,” Huang Cong comforted, showing its rare tenderness. As Chi Zhang’s Souliade, it sensed Chi Zhang’s danger and brought backup to rescue it.

Meanwhile, all other Runedragons rested on the mountain, glaring at the Eldus. A confrontation began between the two sides. At this moment, a crimson dragon came forward and stared at Enlil from above.

“We meet again,” said Enlil, reaching her hand at Yan Pu, the crimson dragon. Her gaze was so harmless that no one would’ve believed her invasion. 

“I’m here to break your toughest shield.”

“Alien Eldus, we have no intention to step into your war, but you’ve been provoking us repeatedly. And now you even hurt my fellows…” Yan Pu conjured the power to fuse elements into its scale, which had transformed into magnificent armor.

Other dragons also followed as they conjured power, oozing a strong will to fight.

Squinting his eyes, Yan Pu glared at Enlil and announced with intimidating breath, “We will make you pay for it!”

Olden Trio Series Ch. 10

“Auspice of Protection – Cang Bi”

In ancient times, a war broke out between Machinas and Eldus, which led to the shutdown of Mech City. As the city was sealed, the Eldus inside were all trapped. Since then, the remaining Eldus had been acting insane, hunting the indigenous creatures on this planet.

The Element Beast clan had sent Spencer as a lobbyist to persuade the Runedragon clan about the alliance. Unfortunately, the nativistic clan rejected the proposal immediately.

Cang Bi was the only one opposed to the nativism of the clan, so he visited the habitat of the Elemental Beast alone. Yet everything was too late by the time he arrived. The clan had been raided by the Eldus; Spencer, Veronica, and a couple of young beasts were the only survivors.

For that, Cang Bi lent a helping hand to take care of the remaining survivors. When Veronica’s injury got better, Cang Bi suggested seeking aid from the Runedragon clan, and so they began the journey to the dragon habitat…

Hovering around the sky, Cang Bi was reconnoitering at the metal pipes crawling all over the ground. The pipes were all intertwined together, acting like monstrous creatures.

“Gotta make them inactive,” Cang Bi thought. Gathering power, the elemental-fused scale bulked as if an external membrane on his body, oozing chilling air.

With his wings spread, Cang Bi launched a few blizzards, freezing the stranger things into ice.

“Phew…That should be safe now.”

After dealing with the stranger things, Cang Bi flew towards the forest, where a bunch of elves and beasts gathered.

“Spencer, Veronica, I’ve frozen all vessels ahead. We can move on now,” said Cang Bi to two mature Elemental Beasts, who were taking care of the young beasts and the other injured creatures.

“Runedragons are known for the toughest defense, but such a powerful attack is truly a surprise,” said Spencer.

“Maybe it’s because I don’t have a Souliade, so my power always goes out of control,” Cang Bi answered generously. The conversation reminded him of the important one who resolved his trauma, saving him from being corrupted by solitude, but now he had long gone…

“I’ve heard that Runedragons are born in pairs, and the dragons born together will be each other’s Souliade for eternity,” said Spencer.

“You’re right, but I’m the only exception in my clan. None of us has figured out why until now…”

“Let’s save the small talk for later.. Will those dragons accept us? They rejected Spencer already…” Veronica raised a question.

“Trust me. I’ll do my best to convince them this time,” Cang Bi promised, smacking its chest confidently.

Veronica had no choice but to put her faith in Cang Bi, and it would surely be a good thing to have one more ally.

And the crew decided to continue the journey; as there were young beasts and patients, it took them more traveling time than usual. Fortunately, they arrived at the grass field near the dragon habitat peacefully with the escort of Cang Bi.

“Everyone, cheer up! We’re very close to the destination. Look! That mountain peak is where we live,” Cang Bi said to cheer up the exhausted crew. Meanwhile, Spencer caught something wrong.

“Cang Bi, something’s wrong…There’s a lot of smoke coming out of the mountain.”

Spencer’s heart sank as he had a clue and said, “The Eldus…”

“I’ll head over there. You stay here!”

The shocked Cang Bi soared over to the smoke.

“I have a bad feeling…” Veronica thought as her eye was twitching. 

“I’ll go with Cang Bi. Spencer, you stay here to take care of everyone!”

Veronica had started running before Spencer could respond, catching up with the flying Cang Bi. It didn’t take them too long to arrive at Dragon Mountain, and they saw a mind-blowing scene—a crimson sword pierced through Yan Pu’s body. Its blood had splattered everywhere, tinting the rock into ruby red. Meanwhile, the other dragons were all wounded too.

“You— How dare you hurt my fellows! Outrageous!”

This bloody scene had incited anguish and fury inside Cang Bi, and the elemental power surged as if echoing its agitating emotions, turning into deadly chill targeting the enemies—the Eldus who were holding swords.

The Eldus were all caught unprepared as they had never expected a backup. All their swords were shattered by Cang Bi’s attack, except Enlil’s, who defended in time with a shield. 

This plot twist made Enlil frown.

“Mmm, you’re way too powerful as a Runedragon,” Enlil complained while grinding the sword inside Yan Pu’s body, making the wound deeper. Tormented by unbearable pain, Yan Pu let out an agonizing roar.

“Damn it! Let go of Yan Pu!”

“Don’t go! It’s a trap!” Veronica tried to stop Cang Bi.

The furious Cang Bi had already charged forward. Meanwhile, Enlil gave a grin and drew back her weapon. As she muttered, an enchantment was cast to activate the sword. Next second, she thrust the ignited sword at Cang Bi.

Cang Bi protected himself with the element-fused scale armor.

“AHH—!”

Cang Bi screamed painfully as the ablaze sword melted its armor.

“Ha. You can never win the power of Elemental Beast— What’s this!?”

Enlil saw a purple glow wrapping her sword, and two forces were wrestling with each other.

“Don’t you use my fellow’s blood!”

The purple glow was from Veronica, who grasped the sword with her claws. Purple blood was dropped as the edge cut her skin open, sabotaging Enlil’s sword by decomposing it.

“The blood of Elemental Beast is counteracting with each other!” Enlil finally figured out Veronica’s intention, but the purple blood was about to corrode her very soon. She had no choice but to throw away the sword.

“Wait, what?”

When Veronica thought Enlil would flee, the situation went out of her expectations— Enlil cast an extensive amount of elemental arrows at her.

“Element, be my toughest shield!”

Cang Bi roared as he summoned the elemental power, fending off Enlil’s attack.

“Without the Elemental Beast’s blood, I can never hurt the Runedragons…All the weapons of Eldus were destroyed by that water dragon…We’ll only get defeated if we stay…”

“Looks like we must call it a day,” said Enlil, who decided to retreat eventually. As for the Runedragons, they were too injured to pursue the Eldus. All they could do was nothing but to let them go.

“The Eldus…I can’t have them living on this land anymore! I must defeat them!” Cang Bi swore to himself.