Sacred Brother

"You really shouldn't do it, Millodas."

A young woman with brown hair tied together in a long ponytail suddenly shouted from behind Millodas who just got out of the guild building in a large town located in the northern part of the Dorell kingdom.

She had an elegant appearance but was similarly dressed as Millodas. However, even her rough clothes of an adventurer couldn't hide her well proportioned-body just like her cute face couldn't hide the worry in her voice.

Millodas slowly turned his head to look at her from behind his shoulder. He had an elegant face filled with youth and bravery. His usual gentle smile was hung on his lips when he simply replied.

"Don't worry Liz. I will be back in a week. When I come back, I will be an A grade adventurer."

Faced with his usual confident attitude, the young woman smiled wryly and could only send a final warning to his back as he moved away.

"Be careful Millodas, if you really can't do it then just come back. You hear me? Come back alive!" She screamed to his disappearing figure.

Millodas simply waved his hand at her and slowly walked out of the town.

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It had been several years since Millodas' first mission as an adventurer.

He wasn't the same reckless and overconfident youth raised in a sheltered environment. He already underwent more life and death battles than he could remember.

However, even for him this mission was different.

This was an ungraded mission.

Contrary to what most people thought, there wasn't always a precise system to classify the various missions of an adventurer. Some requests were put by the guild itself simply after hearing some rumors. Without a clear target or precise information, there was no way to evaluate to risk of these missions. That's why they were the most hated kind of request for an adventurer.

After all, Humans deeply feared the unknown.

Millodas usually avoided this kind of request but the rumors surrounding this peculiar mission awakened his curiosity and interest.

Several testimonies talked about a strange creature prowling at the bottom of a small lake. The strange fact about this was that this probable deviant didn't seem interest in killing. The villagers were able to draw water and other resources from the lake without any problem.

Only those who sought its true appearance were attacked.

This was the interesting part of the story for Millodas.

Someone like him who received a complete education as a noble and who lived several years as an adventurer was very familiar about deviants and the way they were born.

After a period of frenzy during which its core will slowly take form, the deviant will progressively awaken its ability to use magic while its mind will regain its clarity.

A deviant in its frenzied period was extremely dangerous because, whether it could use magic or not, it will often disregard its own safety to attack.

On the contrary, a newly awakened intelligent magic beast with a complete core will often be more careful and choose to hide in the depth of the wilderness even if it was born inside the border of the Dorell kingdom. After all, the kingdom and its adventurers spent an enormous amount of money and efforts to systematically eliminate their kind.

This creature was clearly not in its frenzied period, but its choice to stay hidden in a small lake inside the Dorell Kingdom was probably a sign that it didn't completely awakened its intelligence yet. This creature wasn't a simple deviant anymore, but it probably wasn't a completely intelligent magical beast either.

A deviant not in its frenzied period but also not yet intelligent enough to pose a real threat even if it could use magic.

For Millodas who desperately wanted to become an A grade adventurer, this kind of opponent offering moderate risks, but with high potential rewards was the best he could hope to confront

Of course, if he could think about this then other adventurers could also do the same.

Therefore, Millodas immediately departed after seeing the poster and didn't even wait for his usual partner Liz to come with him.

It only took him a couple of days to reach the small village. Like many other small settlements, it didn't have many things to offer except for quietness and a relative peace under the protection of one of the four great noble houses. However, Millodas knew only too well that this kind of protection had a price.

They had to regularly deliver various resources to this noble house, but as most of them came from the small lake, even when a deviant started to occupy the lake, they still had to risk their lives to continue to harvest resources.

Fortunately, the creature wasn't interested in them and allowed them to continue their activities. This is how the rumor came to be.

Millodas didn't lose any time and simply went straight toward the lake.

He ignored the beautiful scenery and took out his sword only a few meters away from the lake shoreline.

Just like the rumor said, this simple movement was enough to trigger a reaction from the peaceful lake. Dense ripples started to spread and a long shadow slowly emerged from the deep water.

Millodas' determination and confidence on his face slowly started to crumble as the identity of its opponent became apparent.

"This is impossible…" Slowly muttered Millodas in disbelief.

The creature was at least ten meters high with a long and massive body. The water of the lake seemed to obey the creature's will and slowly followed its rise until it stopped completely to surround its left and right flank. This strange curtain of undulating water on its sides completely hid if the creature possessed any kind of arm or wing. Similarly, even if a large part of its long blue body was out of the water, another large portion was still probably hidden underneath the water.

This imposing creature seemed completely devoid of any kind of flesh and only its vigorous black bones could be seen. The curious thing about this monster was that these massive black bones were covered by dense water constantly moving and swirling along its entire length and giving it a beautiful and majestic blue glow.

However, what shocked Millodas the most was the hideous and terrifying head above this mighty blue body. It wasn't dyed in blue like the rest and was the only part of its body that seemed completely separated from the lake's water. Its sharp fangs, each as long as Millodas' entire body, didn't seem to completely fit in the mouth of the beast while its threatening giant eyes glowed with an ominous blue light even brighter than the lake's water reflecting the glow of the sun.

This impressive creature was far from the idea Millodas had before coming. All his previous assumptions completely vanished and now appeared ridiculous in his heart.

Millodas wasn't sure about this creature's nature until he finally noticed that the lower part of its body appeared almost transparent. As if it was less real and more of a continuation of the water. This strange fusion between the lake's water and its lower body immediately gave Millodas an idea of its identity.

A creature loved by the world and born of one of its primary elements.

"An Elemental being…" He slowly mumbled after reaching this conclusion.

After a careful glance, Millodas also noticed that the creature seemed wounded. A large portion near its right flank was missing. The part was so large that even the dense water curtain by its side couldn't completely dissimulate it.

Millodas didn't stop his slow and careful retreat while he was observing this rare being.

However, the creature didn't waste more time. Immediately after asserting its opponent, its giant body slammed toward him. Even if Millodas was known for its impressive burst of speed because of his earth blessing, he wasn't able to completely avoid. The hard body of the beast missed but the water that followed engulfed him and dragged him inside the lake.

Even inside the water and far from the earth powering many of his abilities, Millodas didn't succ.u.mb immediately.

He valiantly fought and resisted for long minutes.

However, in the end, the advantage of the field was too important to overcome.

The giant jaws of the beast approached to crush him while his body was quickly drowning.

Millodas didn't have the time to pray or regret his choice. This death bringer came too fast for that.

However, just before the mortal attack hit him, a violent heat reached him first. The impact that followed was too strong for Millodas to bear. Even the giant monster that easily overwhelmed him was affected.

Millodas' thoughts couldn't follow this strange development. Despite his effort, the impact sent him even deeper into the water and prevented him from swimming to the surface.

His lungs started to burn while his entire body craved for a breath of air.

However, there was none to find at the bottom of this lake.

Another violent impact followed by a powerful wave of heat warming the cold water finally ended his final struggle and took away his consciousness.

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When Millodas heavy eyelids slowly opened, after coughing a large amount of water, he didn't see the giant monster anymore. Instead, a vivid red color was the first thing to welcome his sight.

It took him a few seconds to focus his gaze and notice that this red color belonged to the hair of a young woman near him. Millodas felt his heart skip a beat when his blurred sight finally got a hold of her appearance.

Long vivid red hair similar to a flame, deep-blue eyes of the color of the sky along with a young and elegant face.

She was crouched near him and was completely soaked with water. Her clothes tightly embrace her thin body and revealed her curves. The woman was breathing heavily while Millodas was mesmerized by her appearance. One glance was enough to understand that she was the one who just saved his life.

"Do you want to die?"

Finally, the young woman opened her mouth. However, in contrast with her beautiful appearance, her tone was harsh and full of reproach toward Millodas' reckless behavior.

Millodas straightened his upper body and awkwardly scratched his left cheek.

"I made a mistake… I never thought an Elemental being would be living here. Those things are nearly extinct after all."

"It's you who nearly went extinct." Replied the young woman sharply.

Faced with her temper, Millodas wasn't sure how to answer. He was a charming and elegant young man who had the best possible education. His manners and appearance were far more refined than the other adventurers so he was quite popular.

Therefore, Millodas was used to talking to women.

However, in this instant, he had no idea how he should face her or what he should say to her.

"If you're alright then I'm going. Don't act this recklessly in the future."

While Millodas was furiously trying to find his words, the young woman suddenly stood up and immediately bade him farewell.

Faced with her impending departure, Millodas was struck by a sudden and deep fear when he realized he would never see her again.

He swallowed his hesitation and quickly opened his mouth.

"What's your name?"

The young woman, who already turned her back on him, stopped after hearing his words. She turned her head, still drenched with water, and simply replied.

"Seledia."

"I'm Millodas. Do you want to return to the village together? We could rest there and maybe drink or eat something together." Quickly added Millodas afraid that she would leave immediately after telling him her name.

Seledia furrowed her brows when she realized his intention.

"Are you hitting on me?" She bluntly asked.

"Yes." Immediately replied Millodas.

His previous shyness was gone only replaced by his usual confidence and shamelessness because he knew that if he let her go, he wouldn't get another chance.

"You realize that you just nearly died not long ago?"

"Yes, so what?"

"Are you stupid? You shouldn't think about this kind of thing. If I arrived a few seconds later, you would be dead. Don't you think that you should be more afraid?"

"I was scared and I thank you for saving my life."

"Then…"

"However, right now I'm only afraid of one thing."

"And what is it?" She asked a little curious of his answer.

"You refusing my invitation." He simply replied with a wide smile.

Seledia raised her brows in surprise after hearing his words and simply shrugged.

"Do what you want…"

She ignored him and started heading toward the small village. Millodas quickly got up and followed her.

They spent just enough time in this village to dry their clothes and eat something together before Seledia decided to leave.

Even if she shared a meal and an enjoyable conversation with this man, she still decided to quickly part with him. This was what she always did and what she was prepared to always do.

However, when she exited the village, Millodas was behind her following her pace.

"What are you doing?" She suddenly asked.

"I'm leaving the village."

"Don't follow me."

"I'm not. It's just that this is the only road to leave. Moreover, it's boring to walk alone so let's go together."

"No, thank you." She quickly replied before resuming her walk.

However, Millodas didn't seem to mind her cold attitude and simply followed her. He walked a few meters behind her while talking at the same time. Seledia ignored him at first, but this man was right.

It was boring to walk alone.

So she started to answer him. An hour later, the route finally diverged but Millodas didn't seem to want to separate from her.

"I'm also going this way." He shamelessly explained with a wide smile on his elegant face.

Faced with this stubborn man, Seledia was at a loss about what she should do. She was more used to people being afraid of her than wanting to be with her.

This was always the case after she showed her overwhelming power.

However, this man was different.

He clearly realized that she was stronger than him but he didn't seem to care.

After another few hours of walk and talk together, Seledia couldn't endure it anymore.

She abruptly stopped and turned her head to face him.

"Why are you still following me?"

"I told you, it's boring to walk alone."

"Can you get any more shameless?"

"Of course I can." He answered with a bright expression.

His previous hesitation was long gone, his interactions with her on this short journey swept away his doubts and strengthened his conviction that he didn't want to leave her.

"Then how long are you going to follow me?" She finally helplessly asked but with a thin smile on her lips.

Millodas didn't immediately answer. He put one hand under his chin as if he was trying really hard to find a fitting answer. Then after a few seconds, he finally opened his mouth.

"Until death do us part."

Seledia was dumbfounded by his sentence and didn't know how to answer. Faced with this unbelievable and ridiculous declaration, a simple laugh escaped her lips while she looked at his overly serious face.

At that time, she would never have thought that they would repeat these words together a few years later.

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"MILLODAS!!!"

The scene unfolding in front of Seledia's eyes was far from the happy memory of their first encounter and seemed directly coming from one of her nightmares.

Blood flying everywhere while Millodas was falling to the ground with his precious sword broken by his side. Vated's axe left a deep wound that went from his right shoulder to the middle of his c.h.e.s.t. The sword clearly slowed the deadly weapon and prevented Millodas from being cut in two but it wasn't enough.

A single glance was enough for Seledia to understand that this was a mortal wound.

Large tears started to flow from her eyes as she watched the father of her children slowly losing its last breath of life in a pool of blood.

"I warned you… You should have stayed down, Millodas."

Vated's cruel words triggered Seledia's anger amidst her overwhelming sadness. The tears flowing along her cheeks started to dry faster than what it was normally possible.

The strange heat assaulting her body started to affect her surroundings.

However, her body still refused to move.

Her shaking limbs refused to carry her own weight to rejoin the first man she ever loved and the only one she will ever accept.

She pursued strength her entire life but she never felt as powerless as in this instant.

No.

This wasn't the first time that this unbearable feeling of weakness and powerlessness assaulted her. It was the same the day Sillath was captured.

Even fours years later, this deep wound still didn't heal. On the contrary, this cruel and helpless situation reopened it and let out her pent-up feelings that she acc.u.mulated all these years.

Sorrow.

Guilt.

Shame.

Anger.

These emotions threatened to overwhelm her but also reminded her of the cruel reality.

This world was merciless and unforgiving toward the weak.

This simple truth she learned from her own mother so many years ago didn't seem as real as in this instant.

While Seledia was desperately gathering her strength to stand, Millodas was still weakly breathing with his blurry sight still stubbornly directed at Vated.

Seeing his tenacious opponent finally defeated, but with a breath of life left in him, made him understand that it would take him a while to die.

Even with this kind of wound, with the help of the mysterious healer of this town, there was a chance that Millodas could still be saved.

Seledia knew it as well.

She still had a spark of hope burning in her heart.

Therefore, Vated simply raised once more his large axe to extinguish it.

Mercy was a word that he discarded a long time ago after all.

"Don't!" Seledia desperately screamed to stop him.

However, Vated wasn't the kind of man to listen to someone else plea.

Millodas knew it better than anyone.

He realized and cursed that his life would end by this man's hand. However, regret was the only thing left in his heart.

It was already too late for him.

In this instant, Millodas accepted his death and chose to turn his gaze away from his executioner.

Even if his hate against Vated was strong, he still preferred to turn his head toward Seledia who was still on her knees a few meters away from him.

He accepted his death but Seledia didn't.

Millodas' gaze once more ignited her will to fight.

After all the sufferings and hardship they went through together to live their lives as they wanted.

This couldn't be their fate.

She couldn't let it end like that.

Her entire body that was continuously feeling a strange kind of warmth since Millodas' previous earth blessing never seemed a hot as in this instant.

Steam started to emit from her entire body and finally attracted Vated's attention who stopped his movement.

His large axe stayed suspended above his head while Seledia was releasing an unbelievable amount of heat and mana from her already exhausted body.

"How is this possible?" Mumbled Vated in disbelief.

This woman was already defeated but his years of experience clearly told him that she was dangerous.

No matter what was happening, he couldn't let her continue.

After reaching this conclusion, Vated turned his attention away from the dying Millodas and rushed toward Seledia.

His axe was put down in a violent movement to end her life.

However, it was already too late.

*Bam*

A violent burst of heat sent his large body flying backward. Vated quickly stabilized his body but his previous attack was canceled.

Seledia was still on her knees while her body was still covered with grievous wounds but her deep blue eyes never shined as strongly as in this instant.

The will to fight consumed her mind and filled her heart.

"Oaaaaaah!"

A strong scream filled with her will to triumph escaped her mouth while the mana swirling around her became denser. The strange warmth assaulting her body wasn't subtle anymore.

It was as if lava was pouring inside her veins, nourishing her entire body and giving her another kind of strength.

Her weak legs finally regained the strength to fulfill their role. Seledia slowly stood up with her only valid hand tightly clenched to bear the overwhelming heat and pain assaulting her.

Seledia didn't know where this power was coming from.

She didn't want Millodas to die.

She didn't want to lose her daughters.

She wouldn't submit to this absurd fate.

These thoughts continued to circle in her head while her entire mind was submerged by her feelings and her will to defeat Vated. Only Millodas, with his blurry vision was able to sense where she was getting this unbelievable quantity of mana.

Her entire body was constantly absorbing the mana around her. Not just from the earth like his earth blessing but from all around.

It was as if the entire forest, the whole sky along with the earth surrounding them was trying to give their strength to her.

A simple mercenary like Vated who only learned violence his entire life was completely clueless toward the nature of this kind of phenomenon. However, Millodas wasn't the same.

"Finally…" He weakly muttered with a smile on his lips.

The mana continued to enter Seledia's body like an unstoppable tide while the heat and pressure she was emitting continued to strengthen and forced the tired Vated to keep his distance.

Her feelings completely submerged her and seemed to guide the mana toward her.

Memories of a happy past merged with her hope for a better future.

A future where she wouldn't have to desperately hope every single day to see the figure of her lost son to appear beyond the hill of the town.

A future where she wouldn't have to mourn her husband.

A future with her entire family by her side.

"I won't let it end like this!!!" She finally screamed to let out the feelings that were drowning her heart.

A violent blast was immediately triggered with Seledia at its center. The strength of the blow forced Vated to take dozens of steps back before he stabilized his muscular body. However, it didn't impact Millodas' defenseless body in any way as if the violent magic had a mind of its own.

"I won't let you take them away!!!"

Seledia previous weakened appearance was no more. Her anger and determination almost seemed palpable while a dense amount of mana was constantly swirling furiously around her as if embracing her.

Her long red hair was fluttering behind her while her deep blue eyes, reddened by her previous tears, were fixed on her opponent.

In front of her valiant appearance, Vated's massive body holding his threatening giant axe had never seemed as insignificant as in this instant.

While he was facing the unbelievable pressure coming from her, Vated finally realized what was happening.

The phenomenon ignited by Millodas' earth blessing was guided by her emotions and continued to affect her.

However, she wasn't just drawing mana from the earth anymore.

When this thought crossed his mind, he finally realized what kind of existence Seledia just became.

To be accepted and resonate with this world and make its strength your own.

This was a Master mage.