New World - A New Beginning

ASTHIA DARCK'S POV:

"It's become clear that the Dwarves are receiving more and more high-ranked adventurers at the frontlines," I announced, facing both Dragon and Imanian commanders. The only individual not present at the meeting was the one who could understand my thoughts from thousands of kilomels away, but his absence felt disturbing.

"Then why don't we crush them right now?" asked Diana's second in command: Commander Surge. The answer seemed obvious, but for some reason, all of the Imanian commanders believed this to be the correct course of action.

"Because we'll lose, Commander. We can barely hold off their attacks as it stands. If we were to also give them the advantage of defensive positions, we'd be wiped out in a matter of minutes," I explained slowly.

"Ridiculous. I'm sure your Supreme Commander would see otherwise. As long as he's somewhat human, I'm sure reasonable thinking would be something he'd be able to achieve."

"Commander Surge, you may not like it, but the Supreme Commander listens to me," I stated, eyeing the human with frustration.

He scoffed, shaking his head and gesturing for me to continue.

"I've ordered our battalions to the East to advance and pressure the Dominion forces. We believe a final attack is imminent, and we must eliminate all possibilities of being flanked," I went on, pretending the small clash between myself and Surge had never occurred. "We'll begin defensive preparations now."

--

I let out a sigh of relief, slowly walking to the girl who had been listening from the back corner of the room.

"I'm glad to see you're doing better," said Mia, smiling.

"It's already been six months, Mia," I replied, "I'd be doing a lot better though if the Imanian commanders simply listened. It's just constant arguing."

"I think they're intimidated by you. Diana is currently out clearing domains with Jay, so they probably want to act tough as the representatives of their nation."

"Jay doesn't need protection," I muttered, my mood souring immediately. Mia let out a small giggle at my pout.

"You know that's not why she's there. Jay has been acting weird these past few months, so we all agreed to keep an eye on him."

"I know I know," I said, brushing off the reminder.

I recalled the few times I had interacted with Jay after my breakdown. It seemed as if he was plagued by something he was unable to share, a weight that was separating him from the rest of the people around him.

Mia's small movement brought me back to reality, her light steel armor shielding only vital areas of her body. I admired the light blue cape that hung over her shoulders, small pads of fur locking the piece of wool in place.

Each commanding officer of the Dragon army had been given a colored cape to help the Imanian soldiers differentiate each rank. Understanding the position of other individuals in the camp was vital to clear communication, and the idea of using capes to not only help against the cold but also separate the mass of soldiers from the higher-ranking officials was nothing short of genius.

My hand reached back slightly, feeling the texture of my own red cape.

"Let's go prepare," I said, walking out into the orange rays of dawn.

"Right," echoed Mia, following me out.

I looked ahead at the bright red horizon, a calm breeze rustling through my hair.

What exactly was Jay keeping to himself?

JAY CADMIUM'S POV:

I descended into the boss room calmly, both my weapons still resting in the void of my space bracelet.

This had turned out to be a false alarm. Both Diana and I had been dispatched to eliminate the threat that this supposed AA-ranked domain posed, but it was clear now that everything residing in here was nothing more than A-rank.

Diana said nothing as she walked behind me, her eyes glancing around cautiously. I kept my gaze on what lay in front of me, utilizing my aura as a radar to sense everything around me.

I entered a giant circular room, my eyes analyzing my surroundings. A series of torches lit up around the area as two individuals were detected entering the chambers. A massive stone throne lay ahead, disc-like steps leading up to it.

My head tilted upward, eyeing the beast that sat atop the throne. Two red eyes shone amidst the darkness, the wave of light spreading across the room from the torches slowly illuminating the monstrosity that ruled over the domain.

This is no A-rank boss, I thought as I finally caught a glimpse of the monster.

A towering black minotaur sat on the throne, two massive horns sitting on either side of its head. I immediately understood what kind of enemy we were up against, realizing the boss was equipped with armor and a giant greatsword.

"Speak," I said, a surge of bind bursting forth around me as I unleashed my aura. My velvet red cape fluttered from the invisible energy, its color symbolizing the highest-ranking members of the Dragon army.

"J-Jay," whispered Diana, taken aback by the surge of power, "I'm not sure monsters can speak."

A sharp exhale overtook the room, Diana's attention reverting back onto the Minotaur.

"I do not enjoy being ordered around, boy," said a deep voice, the sound distorting Diana's face with sheer horror.

"Are you the leader of the monsters?" I asked, calming down my aura. It was clear that the minotaur would only reveal its ability to speak if faced with power that rivaled its own, and unleashing my aura had allowed me to bring forth the monster's abilities.

"We are the Faros. Do not belittle us with the likes of those savages."

I said nothing, my eyes glinting with a mixture of intrigue and amusement. My mind thought back to the dozens of monsters that had attacked me upon entering the domain. There was no visible communication between them and their attacks seemed savage.

Were the Faros using the wild monsters as a disposable wall of flesh?

If that was the case, then this new 'race' of monsters was way smarter than I made them out to be.

"Identify yourself, usurper," growled the minotaur, acknowledging who currently controlled the situation.

"Jay Cadmium, supreme commander of the Dragonkin," I said neutrally. "I've come to you with a proposition. Do you have a name?"

"I am named Typhon. Be warned, Jay Cadmium, if your proposition has something to do with the fire above ground, I will have none of it."

The name seemed familiar. It seemed almost comical that the minotaur was named after the greek monstrosity himself, but I ignored the coincidence and continued with my original plan. The fact that Typhon had foreseen what I would request of him by using the current situation plaguing Auroria's surface was impressive, but I didn't let it affect me or my initial goal.

"I could help you live on the surface," I said, my words bouncing off the simple walls carved into the cave.

Typhon's eyes widened, his posture changing slightly.

"I'll listen to what you have to say," he grumbled finally, giving in to the deal that touched on one of his people's most powerful desires.

My promise wasn't empty, but it wasn't a simple task either. I had put forth the idea with a way of attaining it in mind, but I was well aware of the cost that it would require.

It wasn't an easy price to pay.