New World - A New Beginning

JAY CADMIUM'S POV:

I said nothing as Selena explained the circumstances of the situation, meeting her eyes as she finished her monologue.

"I see," I muttered, remaining neutral.

Selena remained silent, understanding the weight of her words.

"I want you to have these, Jay," she finally said. I snapped out of my thoughts, my eyes focusing on the two objects in the Empress's hands.

I reached out and picked up the two shining stones. The first one appeared to be an amulet of sorts, a dark velvet gem imbued in the golden chains.

"It might be of use to you," whispered Selena, a smirk spreading across her face. I let out a long sigh, shaking my head with a smile.

"Are you sure you want me to have this?" I asked. This necklace once belonged to the Emperor of the Dragons and accepting it didn't exactly feel right.

"I'm sure. As for my own," continued the Empress, unclicking hers from the back of her neck. She gently put her arms around my nape, snapping the little golden chain back in place. "Both individuals need a matching pair."

I looked down at the shining gem, its divine glint contrasting with my dark shirt and armor.

"You don't even know if I'll give it, you know?"

"That's true, but even if you don't, I'd like the person who I consider my own son to have it," said Selena gently.

My body stirred with the warmth of happiness, cherishing the woman's words. I quickly dismissed the joy, reverting back to my logical state void of emotion.

"What's the second item?" I asked, grabbing a dark purple stone.

"This is the pathway to the Elder Wyvern. If you do choose to meet him, simply crush the crystal. Your physical body will be transported to the specific location."

"Isn't it dangerous to be taken into a battlefield?"

"Only those with royal blood can crack the crystal. This limitation extends to the appointed knights, too."

"I see."

I slotted both the matching amulet and the stone into my space bracelet, meeting Selena's gaze with a smile.

"Thanks, Selena."

"I don't deserve your thanks, Jay. All I can do is apologize for the choice that I've forced you to make. I'm sorry," said the Empress, bowing down apologetically.

"It's fine. If we're lucky we might not even have to resort to it."

"Luck isn't very consistent now, is it?" asked Selena as she began returning to her carriage. I chuckled at the question, looking up into the sky.

"I've been pretty lucky with the people I've met in this world," I admitted. The Dragon Empress looked back with a small smile on her face, not even questioning the bizarre specification.

"Goodbye, Jay."

"Bye."

I watched the carriage depart back to the East, holding my position until the vehicle was out of my sights.

A long sigh escaped my mouth as I returned back to the camp, my mind reverting back to the choice Selena had presented before me.

"It's obvious which one is the logical choice," I muttered, the sounds of life returning to my ears as I began to see the movement of thousands of soldiers once again.

JEAN LYMINE'S POV:

BOOM

I shot back once more, maintaining my balance midair as I touched the ground with both feet. I concentrated on slowing down as I skid backward across the rough terrain, a trail of dirt following my trajectory.

"Your army is falling, Jean," echoed Rena as she stepped through the cloud of dust, her emerald eyes blazing with a mix of fury and power.

Another volley of elements flew above me, crashing down onto the masses of soldiers clashing on the frontlines. The power of the spells was not even a third of what it had been at the start of the fight, fatigue beginning to plague both sides tremendously.

Lio appeared above me suddenly. I winced at his overwhelming positional advantage, raising my rapier as his crimson fists came crashing down onto the weapon.

BOOM

We remained stuck in our clash momentarily, the ground beneath me sinking from the sheer pressure of the attack. A blast of golden energy hit me in the ribcage, sending me toppling over. Rena lowered her weapon, calmly approaching me.

"This is as far as the most powerful S-rank in history goes it seems," she muttered, pulling back on the string as another golden arrow manifested.

A sudden roar of excitement burst from the backlines of the Imanian forces, my eyes glancing back at the commotion. A wave of bind exploded around us, momentarily freezing everyone in place.

"In history?" asked a voice sarcastically, "Come on, Rena, that's giving her too much credit."

"!!"

A flash of pink caught my eyes in the sky as yellow flashes of lightning erupted around the battlefield.

BOOOOOMMM

The floor around me shattered into large chunks of earth, the fragments floating in the air from the overcharged field of lightning bind. A girl stepped forth amidst the ruptured ground, energy flooding out of her body like an invisible fountain.

"Amelia?" I muttered, not believing my eyes. It was physically impossible for the scout to have reached her location in just over a day, so how did she know we needed her aid?

"Hey, Jean. I heard you were having trouble over here," said the girl, a wide grin covering her face. Her excitement was something that I simply failed to understand. How could someone constantly be happy like that?

"How did you-"

"I must say. It was an interesting choice to deliver your message using a wyvern."

A wyvern?

I immediately thought back to Jay, but something told me he wasn't the one behind this. There was no way he was aware of our current situation, and even if he was, he couldn't possibly be able to intervene from his current location.

Then did that mean Dragons were around us? Individuals who simply surveyed the battles, not intervening unless absolutely necessary in order to remain concealed, constantly lurking in the shadows.

I ignored the thought, slowly getting to my feet.

"We can't win, Amelia," I said truthfully, knowing that even both of us combined wouldn't be able to take down the coordination of the Vye twins.

"Oh, I know. But now that I'm here, can you really win?" asked Amelia, addressing herself to the Feis standing before us.

Frustration covered both their faces, everyone immediately knowing the answer to the question. No side would be able to beat the other, especially with the weight of fatigue and bind depletion beginning to settle in.

"We retreat," muttered Rena under her breath, turning back.

I watched as the grueling fight slowly came to an end, both sides creating distance between each other and beginning to gasp for air. I sunk my rapier into the ground, leaning on the weapon weakly.

"What is that teamwork," I whispered to myself. Amelia put her hand on my shoulder, patting it gently.

"Good job, Jean."

I nodded, words requiring too much energy to produce.

"By the way, was this massive hole I see created by you?" asked Amelia, wondering why such a massive crater was present on the battlefield.

I said nothing, recalling Rena's words. The blast had massacred hundreds, maybe even thousands of lives. Were their lives well spent considering we managed to repel the enemy?

It seemed like our first victory against the Fei army's true power had come at a severe price. Whether or not it was worth that cost would never be answered, but all I could do was move forward indefinitely.

Never stop advancing as long as the enemy stands.