Lore/Story For The Wynn (20)

Spoiler: Brothers Bonding

‘Name reveal!’ Hearolie looked at him. If his name was so mysterious, surely it must be someone important or of high status. ‘You promised.’


‘You really don’t recognise me?’ The hunter turned around and faced the archer.


Hearolie felt his heart skip a beat when he saw him. At first, he didn’t recognize him. Then, just as quickly, it turned to denial and shock.


‘I-it can’t be…’ Hearolie stammered. He took a step back, almost falling on his butt.


‘Hello there, brother.’ Rivalor smiled, the sunlight fully shining on his face. ‘It’s been some time.’


‘What…’ Hearolie is still processing what’s going on. His brother had left suddenly for whatever reason, he couldn’t remember. And now he appeared just as abruptly?


Hearolie didn’t say anything, he simply couldn’t think of anything to say. He thought he would have a thousand questions blurted out as one incohesive mess, yet no words left his mouth.


‘I know this is very sudden, but how about we have a duel first?’ Rivalor hoped this would break the ice, it was already awkward enough as it is. ‘Maybe revealing myself wasn’t a good idea here…’


‘Maltic is close, right?’


‘Relatively speaking, yes.’


‘We’ll talk when we get there.’


‘Okay…’


The two brothers walked but kept their distances.


Walking in front of him, the elder brother sometimes looked back to see if Hearolie was willing to talk. But everytime he did so, the younger brother would just look away. With a sigh, he hoped things would be better during their short stay in Maltic. He mentally prepared himself for the many things he would need to explain.

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‘You alright?’


‘Yeah just let me…’ Skywalker gently placed Reygina on the ground. ‘Catch my breath…’


They had narrowly escaped the collapsing nest by climbing through a large opening. The warm sunlight greeted them with fresh air.


‘Now what?’


‘Now we wait for an ally.’ Skywalker reassured.


Krisstal looked at him confused as to what or who he meant. The sound of metal clanking against each other, and she knew it could only mean one thing - Soldiers.


It was at this moment when a man with a trench coat emerged from the bushes, with a small team of soldiers with grey badges right behind them. Krisstal and Reygina immediately recognised them as Theta squad, with Louis with them. His eyes were as wide as the sun the moment he saw them. ‘Krisstal? Reygina? What are you doing here of all places?’


‘That was amazing work. Skywalker!’ Detective Gadget exclaimed; he saw the sinkhole in front of them which was once the nest’s roof. ‘You… you defeated the Arakadicus!’ One of the soldiers quickly went beside Reygina and provided some simple first aid.


‘How did you do it?’ One of the soldiers asked, his eyes gleamed with amazement. The other soldiers also muttered among themselves, some in disbelief, some praised the nightmare being finally over.


‘Our leader would be beyond overjoyed to hear this news.’ Captain Enduyn nodded. ‘Another threat eliminated.’


The first aider had finished bandaging up Reygina’s wounds before helping with Krisstal’s. ‘It’s amazing how none of you got poisoned by spider venom… In my few years treating soldiers, there are less than ten cases like that. You guys are so lucky, no… miraculous to be alive.’


The three recruits looked at one another nervously. Little did they know what they had been through.


‘Wow, that’s some cool weapons you guys have.’ One of the soldiers pointed out. He glazed at the magnificent Elven Greatsword and Nomegusta attached to Skywalker’s back.


‘Thanks!’ Skywalker smiled. It was short lived, as the scene of Krisstal’s stern and intimidating white eyed appearance seeped back into his memories. Now he knew how the others felt when they witnessed his ‘possession’.


‘Well, we better get you to Nemract. Detlas is a bit too far from where we are.’


‘And Maltic is a small town that is having its own problems now. Said a clan of witches are causing trouble there.’ Detective Gadget added. ‘Don’t worry though, we have a horse and carriage for you heroes parked at the edge of the woods that will take you to the town. You’ll arrive before you even knew it.’


‘In the meantime, get some rest.’ The medic replied. ‘You’ll need treatment but you’re no longer in any immediate risk of death.’


They were led through what was once a spider infested woods, the woods still have webs everywhere, but the screeching spiders were no more. The woods were peaceful once again. Soon the carriage came into view as they were helped onto it one by one. The carriage was decorated with white wool with red wheels.


‘To Nemract, quickly please.’ The captain shouted.


‘Yes Sir, right away Sir.’ The driver saluted and the horses quickly gathered speed. Their legs moving in sync as they sped through the ground.


‘Wait, a request!’ Skywalker shouted before he forgot. The soldiers all looked at him, wondering what he had to say. ‘A friend of ours, Hearolie! Tell him we’re at Nemract if he asks!’


‘Will do! Safe travels!’ Detective Gadget yelled back, and thankful Skywalker nodded back, indicating he heard his reply loud and clear despite the sound of galloping hooves.


‘How did you manage to find us?’ Krisstal asked. Her hair spread everywhere as her head rested against the wooden floor.


The ninja sat on the floor next to them, occasionally checking on his friends. Reygina was asleep, trying to sleep through the ride. He told her how he had a gut feeling after visiting the Detlas bank to put away some items. He quickly asked Detective Gadget regarding sending a squad to the spider’s nest.


‘You’re in luck, Theta squad were ordered to depart as soon as possible to kill the spider queen. They found the nest earlier with some help from a few Ragni recruits.’ Detective gadget replied, it’ll take quite a while though, I’d say you’ll be there by nightfall.


‘N-nightfall?’ Skywalker sweated, his heart fluttering at his statement. ‘No, no… I need to go there faster than that.’


‘You better head to the west gate now, they’re about to leave.’ Detective Gadget pointed at a small group of soldiers rushing towards the city centre behind them. The soldiers hurried across the street, attracting the nearby pedestrians' curious gazes.


‘Sure… uhh… thanks!’ Skywalker quickly turned and ran ahead. With every step, his heart felt heavy. ‘It’s not fast enough…’ His heart palpitated as his legs grew weak. Without realising, his legs gave up and he slid across the stony path.


His anxious thoughts verberated in his head, growing louder and louder until the outside world seemed to have been muted.


‘What do I do now…’ He could feel the immense pressure and helplessness building up within. It was just a gut feeling, perhaps he was only imagining all of it, and simply pressuring himself over nothing.


‘But you aren’t dreaming.’ Herobrine spoke.


Skywalker felt his racing heart come to a halt immediately, for a moment he forgot to breathe. It was one shock after another. He looked around while still on the ground. ‘Herobrine? But…’


‘Seems like you’re in a hurry…’ He stated the obvious. He could finally see Herobrine now, in his original form. A black hood draped over his shoulders. He was wearing the familiar cyan shirt and purple pants, with glowing white eyes. Skywalker’s fear and anxiety amped up a thousand times at least by the sight of him.


Skywalker stammered, with shaky hands holding his blade in front of him. ‘Wha... what? You’re not real! Where are we?’ He turned around to see the sky now a hue of grey and black. The same as it was when he dreamt of seeing the mansion. Only this time, there is no mansion. Strange tower of stone and obsidian rose up from the familiar red coloured earth, a semicircle made of the same materials physically connected the spike-like towers.



‘Here’s a suggestion. Use my powers to save your friends.’ Herobrine went straight to the point. His eyes glowed brightly, and Skywalker could hear voices…


‘And you’re the main course. You look so good; I think I'll have a taste of you myself!’


‘Even if you got the antivenom, it won’t help you.’


‘She’s fine for now, relatively speaking. But not in a few hours.’


It was a hissing sound, definitely not human. But he had no idea who was speaking.


Then he heard bone chilling screams, screams that froze his blood. Krisstal and Reygina are in danger, and his gut feeling proved true.


‘Looks like they don’t have long…’ Herobrine whistled. ‘But you can take your time.’


Skywalker wished he could say no. The screams of his friends kept going on, the torture endlessly ripping at his soul. He couldn’t say no at this point.


‘Wars are always brutal and bloody.’ Herobrine said.


‘What’s the catch, there’s always a fine print in every contract…’ Skywalker asked.


‘In exchange, I just want to possess your body for a bit.’ Herobrine replied smiling, it looked like an innocent smile to the average person. But Skywalker knew that smile hid malicious intent.


‘What? No…’


‘I won’t hurt or kill anyone during your possession, I promise!’ Herobrine sighed. ‘It just so happened I’m after something. That being said, you have to also give me something in return.’


Skywalker stayed silent, ‘What could you possibly want if you’re that strong and powerful.’


‘You will give me all of your so-called “strange weapons”, that’s it!’ Herobrine said. ‘It’s fair enough.’


The ninja remained silent, making deals with criminals is never a good idea, they always have a twist that gives them an advantage or something.


‘Tick Tock, kid!’ Herobrine whistled again. The sinister hissing sound grew louder, same as the girls’ terrifying screams until suddenly, dead silence.


‘Fine! You win! So…’ Skywalker looked around to see they are still in the weird world. ‘How do we make the deal happen.’


Herobrine smiled as he raised his hand towards the human. ‘We look straight into each other’s eyes as we shake hands.’


‘Like this…’ Skywalker shook Herobrine’s hand as he unintentionally made eye contact. Their eyes glowed bright white and then…


‘I don’t remember what and how I got to the cave, but I vividly remember after reaching a long narrow cave that was completely pitch black. After collecting enough tokens and opening the pathway, I was told to jump through narrow platforms and webs to get across, all the while avoiding the spiers’ attacks. He then talked about how in the room before the chambers was a long narrow passageway that was only a foot wide where he had to fight through numerous black human-size spiders. Krisstal immediately knew what he was talking about - Sinister Arachnes.


‘You can’t lose your balance, or you will fall into the lava rivers below. At the end of that long road was a door made like the Arakadicus’s head. I entered the chamber when she opened it for me and… well you know the rest.’


Silence fell between the two soldiers; it wasn’t easy talking about what had happened just now. So much needed to be digested.


Beginning to be fed up with the uncomfortable silence, Krisstal pointed to the axe and sword behind the ninja’s back. ‘So… you have to give him back all that?’


He looked at both weapons, remembering his part of the deal. ‘Yeah, and I thought things will be far worse than that. And it’s very easy, I just need to put the weapons on a rooftop and then it’ll be done.’


‘Just be careful.’


‘What about you?’ The ninja asked. ‘Are you ok?’


‘Yeah, I am fine, still alive.’ Krisstal’s gaze met Reygina, who drifted off to a peaceful slumber. The poor girl deserved rest and sleep out of them all. Traumatised by the event that had occurred, she wondered what she could do for her when she recovered, perhaps she should help her find some therapy.


Skywalker pondered whether he should ask more directly on the subject he was hoping to discuss, he thought for a bit before taking a deep breath. ‘I meant when you grab hold of these… Stellasidus Weapons.’


‘Oh… It was weird, like I’m in control of my body, but at the same time I’m not. Didn’t meet or hear Herobrine, but I did hear something…’


Skywalker's eyes widened as he slowly turned his head to meet her eyes. For a moment, he thought he would be looking at Herobrine. ‘It was a godly voice, saying something something Aquamancer and then Water Bolt. I saw a vision on how to cast the spell and then I did it.’


‘And then?’


‘Nothing much, I felt a bit tired after returning to normal but other than that I don’t feel any different.


Skywalker couldn’t decide whether she told him everything. He probably deserved this treatment considering he wasn’t completely honest at first. Now he truly knew how they felt. ‘Well, if you feel anything wrong, tell me too.’


‘I will.’ She smiled, and for a moment all that doubt he had was gone.


He smiled back before an epiphany struck him. “What about Hearolie? I mean, have any Theta squad members ever met him?’


‘I’m sure when he asks around, he’ll know. Besides, he’ll be fine on his own. Plus Louise was there, he’ll help us tell him when Hearolie asked around.’


Puzzled, the ninja asked. ‘Louise, who’s Louise?’


‘A soldier in Theta squad, we helped him open the spider nest entrance.’ Reygina answered. Her sudden voice scared the warrior and ninja as they jumped up from their seats.


Reygina stuck her tongue and let out a small laugh sheepishly. ‘Hey guys.’ The two friends quickly

grabbed one of her hands as they asked for her wellbeing. ‘Better now… I think.’


‘Louise was the one who told us about Grookwarts. You know, the one those three professors worked in? I think we could consider applying for it.’


‘We’ll talk about it when Hearolie is with us.’ Krisstal squeezed her hand.


‘There’s not any spiders nearby,’ The amge shivered, holding back tears. She shivered before continuing. ‘Right?’


‘We’re out of the woods already,’ Skywalker reassured. ‘we’re going to the sea now actually.’


‘Do they have spiders that are adapted to the sea?’


‘No, no they aren’t.’ Hearing that made Reygina’s whole world a lot brighter.

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Nemract, a town situated right next to shoreline is home to many sea lovers. Sailors and merchants adored the town for its trade to both the islands, Gavel and Wynn; the fresh and salty taste of sea air was no doubt a bonus for them as well. Sea themed constructions and culture were plentiful, with houses with elevated stilts were built using all kinds of wood. They said when the tide comes, the harbour submerges slightly beneath the waves, making it quite a unique experience to walk on it.


Reygina was asleep but thankfully not drifting in and out of consciousness like they thought. Physicians were optimistic about their recovery and even more astonished how the ninja didn’t get poisoned when fighting so many spiders.


The driver had left the coastal city and made a hasty return to Detlas after dropping them off. ‘Detlas’s leader has offered to help pay your medical and accommodation fees for two weeks in doing a great service to Wynn.’ He added before giving them with a liquid emerald.


‘Yet the residents seemed to live a poorer quality of life than those of Detlas despite being a port city…’ Krisstal said as they were resting on beds in the city’s infirmary.


‘Yeah, you would think coastal cities would be richer due to their access to the infinite ocean.’ Skywalker pointed out. Since they were also comparing Detlas to Nemract, they also found how abundant wood structures are, unlike Detlas, very few things were made of stone.


‘Probably because wood has better resistance against salt and water weathering than stone. Wouldn’t be good if the building kept collapsing on our heads.’ She chuckled.


‘Yeah, that’s true.’


‘And… Thanks for saving us.’ Krisstal said, a tint of red appeared across her face. ‘You saved my, our lives.’


‘You did too, believe it or not.’ Skywalker replied. ‘Had you not fire one of your water bolt at the Arakadicus, it probably would have mauled me to death.’


‘You better finish your deal with Herobrine and come back later.’


‘I will,’ the ninja hopped off bed and patted her shoulder. He was looking for something before he could hear Krisstal calling his name.


‘Dude, shoes are in there.’ She pointed to a cupboard with a signage stating, ‘Personal belongings.’


‘Couldn't walk around with our own shoes, remember?’


‘Oh,’ Skywalker laughed, ‘right.’


One of the nurses was about to stop him before Krisstal spoke up. ‘He’s going for a walk, will be back within the hour.’ The nurse reluctantly let him go.


Krisstal looked as the shadow of her friend slowly disappeared from sight. Even so, her eyes lingered on for a while before moving away, hoping to find something to distract herself. His dealing with Herobrine was out of necessity, but it’s very clear that Herobrine is always up to no good. What if one day he never came back, captured, or kidnapped by the same devil?


That thought alone sent shivers down her spine. What if there was nothing, she could do about that? Skywalker saved her life, could she save him if, no, when the time comes? It would only be a matter of time till Herobrine once again makes his move and Skywalker would surely be involved in it. Power… How can she gain more power to get stronger? She looked at herself from a nearby mirror, the reflection of a strong warrior replaced with a pathetic looking girl that was bandaged up and hospitalised, needing to be taken care of. She felt so weak and pathetic that for a moment, she was too ashamed to look at the mirror. The dark thoughts slowly invaded her thoughts, the sun setting making the room darker.


She had her moments, and others praised her for her courage and strength. But still she didn’t feel convinced, how could she make a difference if she is always wounded up in a hospital. Bob doesn’t need to be taken care of, does he? The tales state he can fight for days without food, water or rest.


Is there even a point of dreaming to become strong, to change the world if she is likely to fail that anyways? She drifted to sleep without realising as she closed her eyes.

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‘What the…’ The archer couldn’t believe his ears. They had placed The Mushroom Man in a holding cell. The soldiers in Detlas would be coming for him soon to take him to a more secure prison.


Hearolie still couldn’t decide what he wanted to say or what he wanted to do at the revelation. Reality hit him like a Mama Zomble slamming him into a brick wall. Words stuck in his throat, thoughts and scenarios kept looping in his mind. His fists tightened around his weapon when they left the prisoner in the guards’ care. He knew he had to speak something, even if it’s going to be awkward.


‘Let’s…’ Rivalor tapped his shoulder lightly and bit his lip, contemplating his choice of words for what he was about to say. ‘You know, talk.’


‘Yeah,’ Hearolie replied on autopilot. Before he could even process what he had said. His finger and eyes were already scanning for a suitable place. ‘Rynend’s Diner. How about there?’


Rynend’s Diner is practically the only place providing dining services in this small town. People who dine out either go to this restaurant or have to go to another town. Its side had a large stain glass that allowed customers to look outside the small town. There were only around five two story houses near them, very different from Ragni and Detlas which have far taller and more buildings for identification, blacksmithing and other various shops buying and selling goods. None of them are homes.



They ordered their meals before the outside view caught Hearolie’s attention. Through the glass planes, one could see large crop fields stretching to the horizon, with magnificent trees of different types sparsely planted and grown within the fields. A large windmill was built on top of a small elevated plain, allowing the salty sea breeze to help grind grain into flour or draw water from the nearby sea.


‘Maltic isn’t as small as I thought…’ It dawned on him that all of the citizens had their houses built in the centre of their own crop fields and not clustered together like the other towns.



The smell of spices reached their noses, and Hearolie couldn’t help but look at the kitchen where the cooks were making their meals. The diner has a simple interior design yet charming in its own way. Small metal cages dangled from the ceiling containing candles inside, where warm and yellowish light illuminated the whole place. But even if the diner was a bit darker, Hearolie could see Rivalor was somewhat avoiding his eyes. This silence has gone on long enough, it won’t get them anywhere anyways.


‘Where have you been since you left?’ Hearolie finally mustered the courage to ask. Despite him being his brother, it felt like talking with a complete stranger. After all, it had been years since he had last seen him. He wanted to shout everything out at once, and he was going to demand answers. It took all his willpower to remain his composure, something that seemed to surprise Rivalor a bit despite not trying to hide it.


‘In these four years since I reached Ragni, I have joined the army to save up emeralds before traveling around the province.’


Typical Rivalor, his brother has always been one who plans ahead rather than his on the spot way of thinking. That’s one thing he had come to accept through the years. His friends had told him thinking on the spot was not a weakness, just a characteristic. Small things like that that were just neutral had been made into a weakness, an imperfection by his parents, and he wished his brother to be gone. He got his wish for a few years.


Rivalor took his silence as a sign he’s not telling what his brother wants to hear, so he revealed more.


‘While it’s true I have been protecting small cities and villages to earn emeralds as a mercenary. I also have another job at hand, which is why I don’t stay in one place for too long.’


Hearolie acted like he wasn’t interested; he might reveal more if it felt like he was already telling something he already knew. If he has the high ground now, might as well take full advantage of it.


‘I’m investigating something on my own. The amnesia of all Frumians.’


‘Now that was unexpected.’ Hearolie tried his best to hide his shock and excitement. That was something they have noticed as well.


Rivalor lowered his voice as he whispered something to his ear. ‘I’ve only heard of a scientist that is researching this strange amnesia. And I know his lab is located near the Roots Of Corruption. But with that place being so, well, corrupted, I couldn’t go near the area to search for it.’


‘Surely there must be other people who must be curious why they didn’t have their memories in Fruma…’


‘None.’ Rivalor took a sip of water before continuing. The topic is getting more and more distressing. It was maybe his first time being able to talk this deep about the amnesia with someone. And the listener being his brother was somewhat reassuring and miraculous. ‘That's the strange part. Even if some people remember little about their memories, they will eventually forget those as well.’


‘How long did they have?’ The revelation caused a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. ‘Are Skywalker, Reygina and Krisstal going to completely forget their Frumian origins as well?’ All those childhood memories with them having fun under the warm sunlight, how they laughed and goofing off with immature gestures and funny faces will soon be gone. Despite his relationship with his family, he found himself ironically clinging to these memories. He would have wished he could forget about them, but now when there was always a chance on a random day he could completely forget about them unknowingly, he found himself unwilling to let anyone or anything sever those strings. Somehow and somewhere deep inside his mind, he wasn’t really ready to say goodbye to those recollections as he thought he would be. Thinking that made his eyes roll, he couldn’t believe himself.


‘Hey?’ Rivalor waved his hand to catch his attention. ‘Little brother?’


‘Huh?’ Hearolie’s attention returned to reality. The food they had ordered was already in front of him.


‘I said there is no specific time frame on how long the amnesia occurs,’ Rivalor dipped his spoon into his ragi malt. His blue eyes never left his brother. ‘Most if not all don’t remember anything the moment they stepped into Ragni from what I can tell.’


The brothers were enjoying their meal when the doorbell rang. A mother was entering the diner with her small child when she gasped in shock. Hearolie could see she was pointing at Rivalor before whispering something to her child.


The child looked confused as she asked out loud, ‘mama, what’s a psycho?’ The woman didn’t seem to hear nor concern about her child’s question as she practically dragged her out of the diner.


Rivalor sighed as he mentally slapped himself for putting his hood down. Hearolie’s gaze followed the woman and child until they were out of sight.


‘What was that about?’ The archer couldn’t help but ask. ‘You did something to her before?’


He sighed as he lazily took another sip of his meal, ‘no… But I suppose she knows me.’


‘The reason why I wore a hood was because I don’t want to be recognised as a psycho. Rivalor signed. Thankfully the chef didn’t seem to hear the commotion and hadn’t asked them to leave. ‘When I had begun to notice the weird amnesia, I made it my goal to investigate it. I began asking around to see how widespread it is and find the cause of it. But people thought I was some psycho and well I wasn’t that welcome in Ragni anymore. Word spreads fast across the cities and I had to wear a hood to cover my face full time to avoid recognition. Working as a mercenary helped salvage my reputation as well, and the Nivla village people were the first to truly welcome me. It’s why I’m most often there and why you met me not in the big cities.’


Hearolie’s chest tightened a bit as the realisation of what he had gone through. He thought his brother would be drowning in emeralds and fame like before. But it turned out to be the complete opposite. He was outcasted and shunned, having to hide himself from suspicious eyes.


‘Could we change your appearance so that you can live a new life easier?’ Hearolie felt himself wholeheartedly caring for his brother, just like how he did when he was a little boy. His words came out before his mind could think otherwise. ‘We could try dyeing your hair or giving you some glasses?’


‘Easier said than done,’ Rivalor sighed as he finished his meal. ‘Your customer is a rumoured person who came out of a mental institute. Still, we might be able to find someone who lives nowhere near the cities.’


Hearolie felt nothing but pity. Everything he thought his brother would have. A perfect career, a flawless social network, a stable income, they were far from reality. Unintentionally he compared his situation to himself, no career or stable income but he is surrounded by friends and making allies such as Enzan, Therck and Vade. For the first time in a long while, he wanted to give his brother some comfort and help him.


‘Let’s give you a makeover now, maybe there’s someone who can help here? If some people in the diner didn’t recognise you, maybe this is the perfect place to change your looks.’


‘That would be a good idea. Any idea what colour will suit me?’


‘Hmm, white seems to go well with your blue eyes.’ Hearolie might not be one who shops a lot but hearing the girls’ conversations about clothing and accessories did help him to be more considerate on how matching certain colour combinations can lead to better visual appearances.


‘Better than the ink blue hair with green ends that you had ever since you came to Wynn.’


‘Ha, we’ll see.’ Hearolie light heartedly kicked him. They began to discuss how to style their hair as well, and what glasses would go well with him. They were so into their conversation that they didn’t realise how much time had passed.


It was nearly an hour before they had finally agreed on a combination. ‘Yeah, I think that would be perfect.’


‘I’m sure my friends would agree.’


Rivalor didn’t know he had come to Ragni with friends. ‘Friends? Where are they?’


The younger brother responded calmly. ‘Probably in one of the big cites, so we’ll have to change your looks first before we could go and find them.’


‘But it’s been a day since I found you,’ Rivalor said. ‘You sure they won’t be having a panic attack and begin sticking missing posters?’


‘They know I’ll be fine on my own. Just like I know they will be. I have known them for as far back as I could remember.’


‘Speaking of the past, how much of your past… Do you remember our time before Ragni?’


How could he forget the dreams and nightmares about them since coming here. ‘Let’s gather notes and see if we both can fill in each other’s gaps, if any.’ He took out the small notebook he had on him all the time as they began writing and drawing what they could remember, each sharing their perspective of events.


The younger brother tried to sound neutral when it came to memories between them, but as the words came out of his mouth, the corresponding memories appeared in his mind. The images and conversations back then almost caused him to blow a fuse.


Rivalor seemed saddened at the fact his brother had been going through this. It finally dawned on him why Hearolie was so bitter towards him for years up until it was time for him to leave and head towards Ragni for war. He always seemed agitated when he was near him, like a stray cat hissing at a stranger approaching. His smile never seemed genuine, and his praises didn’t sound heartful. Had he known about this, he would have talked to him about this issue that had plagued and tainted his heart and mind.


Even though it was mainly their parents’ fault for neglecting Hearolie, Rivalor couldn’t help but felt responsible for causing the downfall of their familial bond. ‘Brother… You don’t have to do this for me if you don’t want to.’ Now is the time to change, he fully understood what Hearolie had gone through. The anger and hate towards him was justified, and he couldn’t believe he was so blind to it. If he is the older brother of the Eantenna family, he must certainly act like one.


Rivalor wasn’t expecting his brother to say that out of all things. His blue eyes were sincere and sad, and he knew he wasn’t expecting any apology. Guilty. That’s the feeling making his heart heavier and sinking. ‘Brother, I…’


Someone burst through the doors of the diner, grabbing their attention. ‘The witches are back! All hands on deck!’


Rivalor quickly grabbed his bow and leapt into action. ‘Come on, let’s go!’ The younger brother nodded and quickly joined him.


A witch was at the centre of town causing chaos. While Hearolie and Rivalor were familiar with the potion antics, they could quickly tell this was no ordinary witch. The witch was standing in front of a small horde of zombies, with three strange, corrupted humans riding on top of zombie horses.


‘Ah, what is this place?’ One of them asked.


‘This place is Maltic, Lord Grain.’ The witch replied with a humble bow towards it. It wore something that resembled a green hood. Its armour had mostly biodegraded, and plants have attached itself all over their skeleton. Whoever they are, they died a long time ago.


‘It’s good to be alive after being buried for so long…’ The second corpse stretched and yawned. It had a mask covering his head that briefly resembled that of a cow, bringing Hearolie’s memories when he and his friends had dealt with Drale and the Bovemist to resurface.


The final skeleton let out a groan when it realised there was still some dirt in his sockets and joints. Annoyed, he brushed it off carelessly as the horse it was riding on let out a grimly neigh. ‘Mor- I mean mooing, Lord Salted.’ It said hoarsely. It wore a strange mask, reassembling a creature that has green skin and blakc facial features. It was nothing that Hearolie had ever seen before.


Hearolie and Rivalor exchanged a quick glance, confusion arose from the citizens, and some chatted among themselves.



‘Impossible, that couldn’t be our lord, could he?’


‘It looks like him.’


‘How could we be sure if it’s the real lord if he’s… like that.’


‘Lord Jumla, good to see you…’ The cow mask skeleton looked around, ignoring the startled villagers and humans. ‘I don’t recall a town nor these strange big nose creatures living here…’


The witch bowed and just like the three corpses, ignored the spectators as if they existed. ‘You’ve been gone for over a hundred years, my lords.’


‘A hundred years?’ The three horsemen shouted. The zombie horses ferociously stomped on the ground, kicking dust and dirt. The horses quickly calmed down when their riders soothe them.


Ignoring the three’s strange accent, someone from the crowd took a step forward to assess the situation. ‘Hello gentlemen, what brings you here?’ He was a young man with glasses, wearing simple clothing that made him blend perfectly with the citizens around him.


The one named Grain got off its horse. ‘Ah, you’re the one in charge here?’ It asked, looking at the human carefully. Its horse sniffed the human and let out a snort. ‘Easy now, Colt De Corruption.’


‘Corruption?’ His ears perked up at that particular word. Alarm bells rang within his head, telling him to draw his bow and shoot first, ask questions later. An arrow appeared on his bow as before his brother could stop him, he fired at the witch.


The witch quickly threw a potion to shrink herself. The arrow harmlessly hit the sand near the town.


Lord Salted whistled at the attack. He leaned back a bit and whispered to Lord Julma. ‘That’s an aggressive one.’


‘As you can see,’ the witch drank a potion and she returned to her normal size. ‘The people are not faithful to your cause.’ To some of the spectators, it was like watching a magic show.


Lord Grain wrote his stallion to rejoin with his group. ‘Those who are not faithful to the Bovemist cannot hope to survive the corruption.’


Chatter once again arose from the gathering crowd. Some of the soldiers seemed unsure what to do next.


Sunlight pierced through the thick lush leaves and struck the horseman, like a newborn opening his eyes for the first time. The three of them seemed intrigued at the sun in the sky. ‘Lord Salted, it has been some time since I last saw the sun and felt such warmth. It was almost cloudy and raining all the time back when we were alive.’


‘Yes.’ Lord Salted’s rib cage expanded as if it were taking a deep breath. ‘It’s good to be back.’


Some villagers and humans, for reasons that Hearolie cannot understand, began to offer emeralds to the three horsemen. Hearolie even caught a glimpse of the identical mother and child pair giving some of their groceries as an offering.


‘You have got to be kidding me.’ Hearolie mentally slapped his head when he saw his brother of all people donating an emerald block. The hunter walked forward nervously and kneeled before placing it gently in the ground in front of them.


As the offerings were being given, the horsemen thanked and blessed every one of them. Hearolie didn’t seem convinced those so-called lords were legit, but he knew better than to stop the believers. They would do anything when they see their Lord descend upon the living, and the last thing he wanted was to be kicked out from an entire town, despite how stupid he thought most of the citizens are. The only thing he wanted to do was kick his brother in order to snap him out of this ridiculous act.


‘We thank you for your kind offerings, faithful disciples of Salted.’ The witch helped collect the offerings in bags and handed them to the three lords. ‘We shall be on our way to spread the Gospel of Salted and tell others the kind acts and warm welcome this town has provided us. Bless be salted.’


Lord Julma and Lord Grain did the Sign of the Bovemist. Their hands out to either side before bringing them into the chest, the fingers touching one another with the palms remain apart. Instinctively, the believers did the same before all of them gently kneel on both knees. The lords in return bow before telling them to rise up. The three of them pulled the leads as the three of them rode across the coastal trail. The believers cheered until the three horsemen were out of sight.


Unexpectedly, the witch was still present. Maltic’s chancellor approached the witch and politely asked despite shaky legs. ‘Excuse me, Miss witch, but wouldn’t you be following them or on your way back to the coven?’


‘True, I should be going…’ The witch cackled, but then the sarcastic smile turned into a furious growl. ‘Not before I have revenge on you and your miserable town.’


The witch threw potion at the poor human. Contrast to the witch’s glee, the onlookers watched in horror as their chancellor started to grow smaller and smaller. Blue sparkling scales began to replace his skin as his legs fused together to form a tail. A blue fish had replaced the human that had stood there, flipping and turning as it tried to gasp for oxygen.


‘None of you,’ the witch sent a barrage of potions at the unsuspecting people. ‘Are safe!’ Most of the available soldiers tried to shield the unarmed people from the deadly vials.


‘Diamond Fortress.’ Green see through bricks surrounded the soldier's body like an armour as he stood firmly in one place. One of the potion vials harmlessly smashed against ‘armour’ as the green brick-like armour disappeared.


Another knight class soldier casted the spell and formed a light blue hexagonal shaped wall in front of him and some villagers, protecting them from the attack.


One of the soldiers dragged a father and her small child nearby, and immediately cast her spell of choice. ‘Spikaz Covrir.’ A cyan dome-like shield with spikes materialised that protected all of them.


‘Dagger Aura.’


‘Heaven Jolt.’ Despite their best efforts, some villagers and humans were hit by the potions, and they too turned into different kinds of fish. Flipping and flopping around, hoping to bounce their way into some body of water to survive.


One of the archers in retaliation fired the familiar spell Hearolie was trying to learn. ‘Piercing arrow.’ The bow and arrow glowed a familiar orange that slowly grew in intensity. The arrow shot through multiple glass bottles before the witch nimbly dodged. The archer tsked that he had missed.


The witch threw another potion on the ground, and she slowly began to levitate. Potions contained in different vials and bottles floated alongside her. ‘Well, let’s get things started.’


Hearolie couldn’t help but whisper to his brother. ‘Now that looks more like a god.’ His eyes never left the witch.


‘Not now.’


She cast a spell using an unfamiliar language as she threw potions into the ocean and ruins nearby. The earth began to split apart as dust floated everywhere. Some of the citizens had come back with bowls of water from the diner to hold the fish that were at death’s door, just in time to witness what they believed to be an apocalyptic event.



The original calm waters were disturbed as seaweed covered zombies arose from the water, their appearance were like their land counterparts, apart from the wrinkled darker skin from necrosis due to the water. Regardless, the humans and villagers didn’t dare to underestimate them, especially since they wielded tridents and water magic.



They weren’t out of the woods yet, from nearby ruins rose yet another horde of monsters.


‘Spitting Zombies!’ One of the soldiers yelled. Hearolie quickly looked at the never before seen zombie variant, it had a green slimy head where its facial features floated randomly around within the gunk.


‘From its name, it’s bound to spit its gunk as a means to attack.’ Hearolie whispered to his brother.


Rivalor couldn’t help but reply sarcastically. ‘Woah, what gave it away?’


‘Well you know, wasn’t sure about your intelligence after knowing you’re…’


‘Here’s something you might not know.’ Rivalor interrupted and pointed to the other new zombie type. ‘Those zombies that are puking goo? Those are Putrid Zombies. You get close to them, and their stench makes you puke as much as them.’


The witch cackled, enjoying the chaos and panic she’s causing. The scared citizens began escaping into the few buildings near them for cover, while the soldiers stayed strong prepared for battle. ‘A gift from Slykaar. An Infected Gunk.’ She dropped down a bit and grabbed an unsuspecting zombie by its neck. ‘Attack!’ The two groups of zombies began marching towards the fighters, firing their spells and attacks at them.


Rivalor quickly whispered to Hearolie. ‘Shoot her now, who knows what potion she’ll give her.’


‘Read your mind bro.’ The archer quickly fired an arrow storm at the witch, who nimbly flew out of the spell’s range all the while carrying the Putrid Zombie by its neck. Before anyone could stop her, she stuffed a potion into the zombie’s mouth, forcefully making it drink the entire contents. The zombie groans before suddenly expanding in size, growing taller and wider with each second which prompt some of the soldiers to use their defensive spells while others attack the growing threat. As it did so, unexpectedly, the zombie began puking so much that it was submerged in its own slimy goo, the soldiers quickly backed away to avoid the vomit; one of them even heaved and vomited due to how disgusting the sight and smell was. Slowly, the putrid mass slowly formed corners as it continued to grow until it was around five metres tall.


‘Must be something from Troms.’ Rivalor observed at the green cuboid body. ‘Slimes are everywhere in that place.’


The witch swooped down and threw potions at the defenders. The brothers continued their attacks on her where the guards were occupied with the horde from both the sea and the ruins. ‘You may have slain my sisters in the coven, but I will avenge them all.’


‘She’s not as fast as Yayha but nimbler with her flight…’ Hearolie thought as he tried to predict her next location. The witch managed to dodge it and flew into the town’s well instead of continuing her assault, leaving the brothers behind with a look of confusion.


‘You two, get the witch!’ One of the generals commanded. He tapped their shoulders so hard that HEarolie thought he would dislocate his shoulder under the force. The soldiers and zombies are locked in combat. ‘We’ll handle the zombies.’


‘Yes, Sir.’ Rivalor saluted and immediately dragged his brother towards the town centre where the well is located. ‘We need to buy time till reinforcements arrive.’


The witch had flown inside the well where different colours of smoke and particles bubbled from within as the well suddenly spit slime balls at the two heroes. They quickly rolled out of the way and found cover right before the slimeballs hit their mark, leaving an imprint of the building walls. Rivalor gritted his teeth as Maltic’s well slowly changed the stone and wood to that of a frightening sight, the witches’ clothes and face was on the well itself, with her clothes slowly becoming part of the well.


‘Woah…’ The elder brother shot at the corrupted well. ‘The witch somehow… became the well itself.’ He was sure what was going on, the gruesome sight alone was the stuff of nightmares. How he wished he was just having a terrible nightmare.


Hearolie fired an Arrow Storm, but the witch fired slimeballs to cushion the arrows from hurting her. ‘Any idea what we can do? Your experience is better.’ He didn’t like to admit it, but this was nothing he had dealt with before, and right now, their victory is much more important than his ego.


Rivalor fired the same spell as his brother. ‘It’s a bit hard with it throwing potion laced slimeballs like that, we don’t know what will happen if we get hit.’ A strange bubbling noise came from the well before it erupted like a volcano.



Not liking the looks of things, Rivalor quickly darted and cartwheeled to avoid the projectiles, launching himself and Hearolie off the ground just as the well fired a slimy sludge of potion mixtures at where they were.


The two archers landed on a nearby rooftop. Hearolie’s teeth gritted as the potion mixture set the ground ablaze in purple briefly before it extinguished by its own. Had his brother not saved him, he probably would have died right then and there.


‘How do we get close enough to do that though?’ Rivalor asked. He recapped what they knew of their adversary. ‘It throws potion laced slimeballs for long range. That potion sludge thing for mid-range to prevent us from getting close to it.’


Hearolie’s eyes met his, he could see the gears running in his head. ‘And yet, I doubt that’s everything it can throw at us.’ He quickly fired an arrow to deflect an oncoming slimeball. ‘It must have something else up its sleeve.’


‘Whatever it is, I don’t wanna find out.’ Rivalor looked grimly across the battlefield. There are several soldiers who have already fallen in battle, but thankfully the humans and villagers managed to hold their own and slowly push the zombies back where they belong. The higher ups managed to keep the slime at bay, but it was clear their attacks weren't effective at stopping it, merely stalling and distracting it from the other soldiers.


He could see one of the Skyseer soldiers cast a spell out of the corner of his eye. ‘Underworld Eruption!’ The relick glowed different shades of fiery colours as the ground underneath the slime cracked and glowed red hot, smoke bellowed out as a massive pillar of flame erupted from the ground shortly after, consuming the whole slime. That gave Rivalor an idea.


‘You know the spell Piercing Arrow?’ He hastily blurted out the question. Hearolie looked at him as if he was a psycho.


‘What did you say?’ He shouted back despite being next to him.


He didn’t waste time being sarcastic, the fate of the battle depended on them stopping the witch. The longer this drags out, the more adapted the witch was to their attacks. Desultory Reed was his next choice, but with the wide range attack and near limitless amount of potions the witch has, she was able to easily and immediately neutralise any potion effects he had thrown at her, and that was to say if the spell landed on her in the first place.


‘Do you know the spell Piercing Arrow?’ Arrow Storm could still hit their target despite the barrage of slime balls at first, but not only did the witch brew healing potions on herself to repair the damage. The corrupted well is also getting more precise and smarter with its attacks; now being able to time its barrage attacks so well it could completely shield itself from all of Arrow Storm’s arrows.


The brother fired an attack in sync, combining Arrow Storm with Bolt Blizzard. As if acting on instinct, the well erupted a wave of potions contents to deflect most of the arrows by pushing them off course. ‘So Arrow Storm and Bolt Blizzard aren't just ineffective, they’re useless now. Casting them any more recklessly would be just a waste of mana.’ Hearolie cursed under his breath, he had had enough with the potion shenanigans.


‘No! A professor showed me, but I wasn’t able to do it.’ He leapt into the air with Escape and landed on another rooftop. ‘You know it?’ He shouted so Rivalor could hear him.


‘Yes, but I can’t say I could do it perfectly.’ Distracted, he let a slimeball hit his knee. Immediately, he laid down and hissed in pain. ‘That’s a Potion of Harming… Dang.’ His eyes watered from the pain as he braced himself for the inevitable transformation of an aquatic creature, but a well-timed Arrow Storm saved him from a potential knockout by deflecting some slimeballs away from his location.


Hearolie landed gently and quickly helped Rivalor to move to cover. ‘You alright?’ He saw where his knee had been burned and bled. Without a second to waste, he tore part of his sleeve and used it as a makeshift bandage. ‘You got any health potions? Or do you want me to get a healer for you?’


‘Healer,’ The hunter poured some of his own bottled water before tying the cloth around his wound. ‘I didn’t have the chance to restock health potions after Yahya.’


The young archer nodded before leaping off the building, casting Escape as he landed next to the closest healer he could see.


Rivalor looked on as his brother, memories flowing inside his head. For a moment, he had forgotten all about the battle.


‘Brother, how did you do that?’


‘Do what?’


A young boy looked up to him in awe, as always. ‘All that.’


The older boy chuckled as he began showing him the basics of archery. Rivalor taught his brother how to identify the different types of wood that made the bows and basics of aiming.


‘You have to have that mental picture of how the arrow will go here.’ Rivalor pointed to his head.


Hearolie rolled his eyes, annoyed at the amount of work that needed to be done for something that looks so simple. ‘Sounds like a lot of work.’


‘Yes,’ Rivalor laughed and patted his head. ‘Worst part is you need to have that mental picture instinctively every time you draw the bow.’


Hearolie faked a yawn as he grabbed a training bow from the ground. ‘Can you get to the fun stuff now? I want to learn how to shoot.’


Their mother suddenly called his name. ‘Rivalor, stop playing and start training for the competition. I want to see you win more prizes this time. That neighbour shouldn’t have won first, he must have cheated…’ She babbled on and on with no signs of stopping.


‘I’m sorry brother, next time.’ Rivalor’s sad smile was answered with a cold silence. ‘I promise you.’ The younger brother let out a sigh and reluctantly accepted his offer.


‘I hope so…’ Those last words resonated within his mind repeatedly over and over again. He knew looking back he never did fulfill his promise. The realisation hit him harder than he thought, his mind began to wonder how he could make it up to him, if he could even do that.


A sense of warmth on his injury brought him back to his senses. A mage was right next to him healing the wound as best as he could. ‘That should do it. Smart move to wash your wound as soon as possible, getting rid of the potion content helped prevent further damage.’ He wrapped some dressings around his knee. ‘You’ll be fine in a few days, try not to lean on your leg too much for the time being.’ He quickly teleported away to treat other injured soldiers.


The hunter looked around and saw Hearolie using Escape to leap from rooftop to rooftop while firing at the well. The witch was so confident about her victory, she began taunting him. ‘Another pointless spell. Why not just get inside the well and die? This will make things easier for both of us.’


Usually he would have replied sarcastically, but Hearolie focused on sticking his landing instead, he needed to buy some time for his brother to recover. Someone on the rooftop waved at him, and he saw Rivalor standing and giving him a thumbs up to signify his readiness to continue.


‘We need to finish the witch with everything we got.’ Rivalor said. ‘If she figured out our plan with Piercing Arrow, she might adapt to us again.’


‘How?’ Hearolie wondered out loud. ‘Our spells are practically useless now.’


‘No, maybe not with Piercing Arrow.’ Rivalor took a quick peep on the well before looking back at him. ‘I think if I landed that spell at the wellhole, it would buy us enough time to stun the witch to stop its slimeball spamming. Then we keep piling on our Arrow Storm and Bolt Blizzard to overwhelm the witch.’


‘The sludge attack then?’ Hearolie knew the plan would best work if they fired Piercing Arrow as close as possible. The witch had seen the attack before and no doubt would have thought of some countermeasure for that, in case they called for reinforcements.


‘It can only attack in one direction at a time, I’m sure of it. Plus, the wooden cover at the top prevents her from using that attack on us and doing so would only be hurting herself.’ The raven hair hunter replied confidently, ‘we just need to get in close without her hitting us.’


Rivalor looked at him with a sly smile, and Hearolie immediately read his mind. With a nod, Hearolie carried Rivalor high into the air where the slimeballs couldn’t reach them.


The witch looked on, watching them go higher and higher using their movement spells. ‘What are they up to now… I better prepare my sludge attack.’ When they were high enough, he could see one of the boys rushing down towards a nearby rooftop while the other began diving towards her.


‘Foolish humans, you think landing on top of me can hurt me?’ Amused at their stupidity, the witch prepares her attack to blast the hunter away. ‘The wooden cover I reinforced with magic protects me from your arrows above.’


Rivalor began pulling his bow back and focused all his mana and concentration into performing this one spell.


‘Come on… Come on…’ Hearolie watched on anxiously, preparing to catch his brother when he saw the signal.


He had tunnel vision on his target as the bow and arrow glowed orange. With a deep breath, his fingers relaxed as he felt the bow string move forward, pushing the special arrow’s forward. ‘Piercing Arrow!’ That was the signal.


Hearolie quickly cast Arrow Storm to protect his ally from an oncoming slimeball barrage before casting Escape and launching himself towards Rivalor, pushing them toward the nearest rooftop to take cover. The orange arrow phased through the wooden cover and hit the wellhole.


The well let out a deafening scream as the witch berated them, giving them the opening they were looking for.


‘Arrow Storm.’


‘Bolt Blizzard.’


The two brothers jumped down and unleashed their wrath on the witch.


‘No, no, no!’ The witch began to falter under the pressure. Her healing couldn’t keep up with the arrow barrages, and she couldn’t hit both at the same time with them always in opposite directions. ‘My sisters will be avenged!’


More and more arrows began to hit their target, as the witch helplessly tried to undo her spell to split herself from the well and fly away, but she knew it wouldn’t work.


Accepting the inevitable was her only option. ‘I surrender!’ The witch screamed as she transformed herself back into her original form. Rivalor quickly aimed an arrow at her head while Hearolie used his crossbow to knock her to the ground, revealing the potions that she had hidden inside her black, knee-length dress and witch hat.


Finally able to catch his breath, Rivalor glared at the witch. ‘Potions, place them all on the ground now.’


The witch slowly pulled potion bottles from within her sleeves and organised them one by one on the ground.


‘Which ones are for returning humans back to normal?’


The witch seemed hesitant to reply, and the already impatient archer blew a fuse. He shot the witch’s hand and surprised Rivalor with his brutality. ‘Tell us now, or the next arrow goes through your brain.’


‘The grey one…’ She pointed to the potion bottle that was laid before her.


‘If you try anything…’


‘It is this one,’ the witch pleaded with her hands and head on the ground. ‘I swear upon the coven.’


The citizens had begun to leave their hiding spots as the remaining soldiers finished off the remaining monsters. Even the giant slime had been defeated, albeit it took the life of one brave commander to defeat it. ‘Brother, try it on this blue fish first.’


Rivalor nodded as he poured some of the grey liquid onto the water that contained the transformed chancellor. The clear water soon mixed with the grey potion and the effect was immediate. The blue tail split apart and began turning into legs. The citizen carrying the bowl placed the bowl back onto the ground as the transformation continued. The scales slowly turned pale and became skin as the fish began to grow back in size. Soon the fish grew so large it tipped the bowl over as even more human features began to return. The chancellor was soon back to normal.


A woman rushed from the crowd and hugged him tightly, tears streaming from her eyes. ‘Oh, thank Salted!’ Hearolie presumed that it was his wife or someone close, but he was glad the man hugged her back tightly without saying a word.


Rivalor quickly went to work and poured the potion contents onto the remaining fishes, and one by one, they became humans and villagers once again. The crowd and soldiers cheered on as they rejoiced that the fight was finally over. Everyone was cheering and congratulating on their victory, some even shaking hands with Hearolie and Rivalor. There were so many hands that both brothers didn't know who to shake first.


The same mother had her hand out and Rivalor smiled, thinking she was going to shake his. ‘Don’t you dare come close to us again.’ That was unexpected and he felt like he was being slapped on his cheek. Rivalor looked numb as the hand gesture he thought he would see was different to the finger pointing at him. ‘You’re crazy.’ The mother quickly ushered her child to leave as quickly as possible, leaving others to look on and wonder what had happened. Hearolie couldn’t help but place his hand on his shoulder.


The witch took the opportunity to take one of her potions and quickly drank it before anyone could stop her. Hearing the bottle opening, the archer and hunter quickly spun around in time to see the witch smirked and disappeared. ‘No!’ Hearolie fired an arrow, but it merely hit the earth, the witch was already gone, leaving all of her potions behind.


‘A shame she got away, but not to worry,’ Maltic’s chancellor said to both disheartened heroes. ‘She won’t be bothering us for a long time. This fight was in some way my mistake to begin with and having you two cleaning up my mess was my fault.’


Hearolie let out a sigh, he mentally kicked himself for letting his eyes off her. He shook his head in disbelief. ‘‘She seemed to know you, why is that?’


‘Around a month ago, we waged war on the Coven. A clan of witches well known for their potions and witchcraft.’ The chancellor answered. ‘We perceived them as a threat to our survival and went to their island across the ocean.’


‘I guess you won then.’ Rivalor bit his lip, he couldn’t imagine fighting a whole clan of witches if one was nasty enough. ‘Must be quite the challenge.’


He glunched at the realisation that his attack wasn’t as victorious as he had thought. ‘Indeed, we eliminated most of the witches. But it appears some escaped and fled the island before we were able to conquer it.’


Surprised the aggressors were not the witches as he had thought, the hunter couldn’t help but repeat the word. ‘Conquer?’


‘We need more resources to support ourselves.’ The chancellor let out a weak smile that pulled Rivalor’s heart strings. Helplessness and guilt, those would be the two most prominent emotions that surged within him when he made that expression. ‘Corruption has scared the land, harming our agriculture industry for more than ten centuries. We need to find other means to sustain ourselves or we’ll be wiped out like Ancient Nemract sooner or later.’


‘There has to be some other way…’


‘Would have been discovered far before our generation,’ the citizens nodded in agreement. ‘I understand if you pity the witch, but we must also do what we must to survive.’


Rivalor acted like he was fine with it, he forced himself to smile and act like he agreed with the challenor. His heart couldn’t seem to agree with what the humans and villagers had done, and to his dismay, his brother was more in line with the chancellor, engaging in a few more conversations regarding the battle with the witches.


‘Where exactly is the coven?’ Hearolie asked. The witch might have escaped, but he knew if there’s one place, he would likely find her, the Coven would be a high possibility.


‘Ah, follow me to my office. We shall discuss in further detail there.’ The chancellor led the two archers to his office, a wooden two-story building with a balcony on the second floor right next to the diner. It was one of the few buildings that was relatively intact, the diner was not so lucky being so close to the well. The crowd began to disperse and help clean up the debris, small kids helped pick up shattered stone bricks while the adults worked together to remove larger pillars away. They all placed the destroyed debris on an open space where caravans will help take them away.


Maltic’s Chancellor took a key from his pocket and unlocked the wooden door that let out a creak when opened. Hearolie was surprised to see Yahya was in one of the jail cells, having somehow been transported here. What wasn’t as surprising was The Mushroom Man talking babbling about mushrooms, ever the maniac. He didn’t pay any attention to them, his eyes only focused on his imaginary mushroom friends.


‘Heh… Mushroom…’ He was somehow a lot more docile than before, while the self-talking was still there. At least he wasn’t running around throwing mushrooms or potions at anyone. Rivalor felt it was a relief he had somewhat calmed down. Like Hearolie, he wasn’t in the mood to deal with any foe right now.


The chancellor ushered them up the stairs, paying no attention to the prisoner. ‘Ignore him, he’s crazy. It’s amazing he was captured, being so elusive.’ Rivalor and Hearolie shared a quick glance as they climbed up the stairs to the second floor, elusive was an understatement for someone like Yahya.


The second floor was the office, with a much more impressive view than just a simple prison below. The large desk housed a candle holder and the nameplate. ‘Chancellor Wilfred.’ Hearolie read the name mentally. ‘So that’s his name.’


Rivalor looked around the walls and saw a notice board containing cut newspaper, showcasing numerous events that the city had encountered and endured. One newsletter caught his attention, ‘Victory over the Coven. Chancellor claims resources will be imported within the week.’ Despite what the witch had done, the hunter felt pity rather than anger towards the lonely witch. He couldn’t imagine what he would do if someone killed his own brother, despite not having the best relationship. The grandfather clock next to the wardrobes and cabinets chimed as the pendulum kept on swaying within its wooden case.


Chancellor Wilfred pointed to a large map that showed the entire ocean. Hearolie didn’t anticipate the ocean would have so many islands. He thought there would be bluer on the map.


‘The Coven where the clan of witches are located are around here,’ he pointed at one of the small islands on the map. The island was shaped like a witch's hat, pointy and hilly at the northern part and a lot wider and flatter at the southern end.


Hearolie inched closer to the map and pointed out something he found interesting. ‘That’s so far away from Maltic. How did you find the Coven?’


‘We didn’t know it was populated until one of our soldiers accidentally discovered them due to a shipwreck a few years ago.’ Wilfred replied, he walked towards one of the cabinets until he pulled out one of the old news clippings. ‘We only knew the witches existed when soldiers and villagers encountered them when they came to see what had happened.’



Rivalor looked around the office but kept his distance within hearing range. Their conversation caused him to dive into his thoughts deeply. Something just didn’t add up from what he learned of the history of Maltic. Still, he decided not to probe further, believing it would be better when he was alone with the chancellor to ask questions. His time investigating the amnesia has taught him one important lesson: Never judge a book by its cover.


Wilfred placed his glasses onto the ‘Here’s the Maltic map piece, both of you. I’m sorry that because of the damage, there isn’t much we can give you right now. But… How about I write recommendation letters for both of you?’



The reward was better than he thought. It would certainly help clear Rivalor’s name and give him a better chance at having a new start in life. Hearolie considered saying yes immediately, but he decided to try adding one more favour. ‘Would you be so kind as to have a barber help dye his hair?’


‘Ah, my wife could help with that.’ Wilfred chuckled. ‘You can rest assured you’ll be well taken care of.’


‘That would be great.’ The younger brother turned around to look at Rivalor. ‘Ready for your makeover?’


Rivalor was stunned at what his brother had requested. He was caring for him, perhaps he had forgiven him? ‘No, it cannot be this easy.’ He thought to himself. His brother likes to make deals, not offers. Still, it was a nice gesture that he wasn’t expecting and even if he needed to return the favour, he knew exactly what he wanted.


It was nearly night when Rivalor had his makeover. The barber shop was practically destroyed when the massive slime had pancaked it, so Wilfred’s wife gave him a brand-new haircut and dyed his hair as promised using the chancellor’s personal chair. Hearolie meanwhile was happily talking with Wilfred, excusing themselves and having a walk around the town.


‘I heard of you before.’ The hairdresser said. ‘They named you The Amnesic. The one who kept on asking about the strange amnesia that you claimed everyone has.’


That brought back memories that Rivalor tried so hard to bury. A time when he was green and naive and was too optimistic. ‘Yeah… I guess.’ He didn’t look at her eyes, he could picture the disgust on her face, just like the mother and child pair.


‘But I have always believed you’re a good-natured person. I’m sure you never meant to scare others.’ Rivalor eyes widen hearing that. He thought he would see another finger pointing at him and the person behind that finger reprimanding him. Those kind words felt like a pat on his head.


‘There!’ She used her scissors, snipping one last time before brushing the small bits of hair off of him with a small brush. ‘What do you think?’


He got up and grabbed hold of a mirror that the hairdresser handed him. ‘It’s perfect.’ The corners of his mouth curved upwards as he saw the reflection. He couldn’t help but let out a smile, a genuine happy smile.

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Reygina woke up with a start. The stars that shine brightly on the night sky greeted her as she stretched. Something hurt her elbow and her mind immediately tricked her into thinking it was a spider’s fangs. She let out a yelp, to her relief the pain in her arm was just her intravenous line kinking.


She carefully straightened the line back. ‘That should do it.’ She found it silly to think it was a spider, there are no such threats here in Nemract, right?


The curtain next to her bed blew under the breeze, catching her attention. Her eyes looked on curiously as two shadows on a rooftop caught her eyes. With their backs turned against her, she couldn’t quite figure out why two people would be on a rooftop at this late hour.


Whoever they are, it seemed their meeting was over. One of the figures moved and headed toward the ocean. The other turned around to climb down a ladder that was set at the side of the building.


When the figure’s face turned, her heart skipped a beat. That figure wasn’t just some person, it was Skywalker. She quickly went back to her bed and laid down, her mind racing as numerous questions surged in her own mindscape. ‘What is going on…’

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And thank you for reaching the end of the chapter, now that Hearolie had reunited with their brother, how would their relationship go on from here on out? Would the past catch up with them? Would they mend their old wounds? The brothers’ long journey to explore their brotherly bond begins.


Now that Reygina has seen Skywalker doing something secretive, how will she react and act around him? Will they cause further tension within the group? Find out more in the coming chapters.


Thank you to every officer, admin, builder and others who created and developed Wynncraft. Do share important information about Wynncraft, such as easter eggs and timelines or even 'wynn'consistencies. As the information will help me improve my story greatly. Thank you once again for reading until the end. I do not own anything except this story. If you are interested, I could add your player characters as characters in my story, just send me your name and a screenshot of your character (with or without gear) in wynncraft, preferably your front, side and back. It would be a bonus if you can list out the names of your gear and mount. Feel free to talk to me about things not related to Wynncraft as well, I would never mind changing topic anyways. Thank you all and may the force be with you. This is an unofficial story made only by myself and everything here is based on either what's currently in the game or my interpretation of what's currently in the game. Hypixel weapons belong to Hypixel. I only own the main characters and this story only.


Other sources:


Wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/699806539-for-the-wynn-king's-recruit-part-1


Fanfiction.net: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12951945/1/For-The-Wynn


Archives of our own: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14778395/chapters/42299039