Chapter 79: The War Has Just Begun
"Argh!" Aiden winced in pain as he emptied a vial of blood-red potion onto the gaping hole.
It gurgled, bubbling under unknown force.
Steam rose from the point of contact, the legendary-grade healing potion, Hydra’s Blood, mending his wounds.
New cells formed rapidly, tissues intertwining, bones once destroyed now whole.
Sweat beaded his brows, the potion had used his stamina to heal him.
Within seconds, the wounds healed, leaving not a scar, his shoulder as if it had never been bruised.
He did same for his face and other parts bruised after the battle.
"This should do it," he relaxed his tense body as he leaned on a tree several miles away from Sigmund.
No matter how powerful, Sigmund wasn’t a God. There was no way he could find him there, not to mention the snow falling around him, his surroundings robbed of their heat as Aiden absorbed the warmth by which Sigmund might sense him.
"I have to let the council know of this." He opened the cork of another vial, a lighter red hue, a stamina potion.
His haggard breaths slowed, regaining their regular rhythm.
"Sixth Resonance?" He stood to his feet, eyes narrowed to slits as he reflected on the battle.
He could remember the feel of Sigmund’s immortal body. The scorching hot lava in his fingers, it felt like no other flame he had come in contact with. "One with the element," he muttered, scrutinizing his own body.
He could only sigh as he knew how difficult it was for one to reach such a realm. For the rest of the populace, it was akin to demigodhood, while the Seventh Resonance was considered godhood.
And most couldn’t achieve this, only 0.0001% of the populace had achieved demigodhood.
"It’s not a realm I can get to now, but soon I will," he resolved, having been stuck in the Fifth Resonance for nearly 12 years now, not that that was bad.
Even Elio was stuck in that realm for 30 years, most of the elders in the Vulcan family having a bottleneck for at least 25 years.
Sigmund fared no better, almost 40 years unable to find the comprehension needed to rank up.
Most never found it, but for those who did, it took decades.
He could only hope he reached it before two decades passed. If not, he might die at the hands of these monsters.
He let the thought settle as he pushed himself off the tree.
Recovered, he changed into a cleaner set of clothes. He closed his eyes, his senses covering kilometers, trying to find where his escort was.
"Found them." He sensed them in Vulcan territory.
Sigmund might have already sensed them as well, but he wasn’t stupid enough to enter Vulcan territory when he knew demigods far more powerful than himself protected it.
Monsters who had been in the sixth Resonance long before he was born.
Sigmund could only retreat and prepare for the inevitable battle between the ones one with the element, a battle that would rewrite the natural landforms of the planet.
...
Several minutes later, Aiden joined his escorts, the earlier fatigue completely vanished from his bearing.
One wouldn’t even notice he had gone through a life-and-death battle.
The warriors were curious, but none dared to ask when he hadn’t spoken.
They all wondered if he had killed Sigmund or found a way to escape, both of which should have been an impossibility.
They walked in silence, eyes darting between each other, their curiosity eating away at them, but who were they to ask when they could only run, not that they had a choice in the matter.
"Commander, how did the fight go?" the strawberry-colored youth inquired, echoing the thoughts of everyone present.
"The war is just beginning," Aiden responded, his gaze absent-mindedly looking into the distance, imagining all the chaos the war would cause.
The strawberry-colored youth could only keep mute. It was clear from his words that he had managed to escape.
For a Fifth to escape from a Sixth meant they were a Sixth themselves, and if they could have that thought, so would the council, using this as an excuse to override the ordinance and allow the Sixth to enter the war.
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The Vulcan Estate.
Alaric sat beside Kai, the latter lying motionless on the bed, her skin slightly pale, her breaths rhythmic.
"She is okay, and don’t worry, what is left of the scar is barely noticeable," a middle-aged woman with midnight-blue hair said to Alaric as she noticed the boy’s silence, one so heavy it didn’t belong to a child his age.
Alaric turned his gaze to the small fingertip-sized scar on Kai’s shoulder.
Upon arriving, he had used healing potions, and the medics had eventually shrunk the gruesome scar to what it was.
"Thank you." Alaric’s gaze stayed fixed on the small scar.
"She should wake up by the close of the day. Whatever happened took a psychological toll on her," she added, looking at Kai pitifully.
She didn’t know what had happened and couldn’t inquire about it, as she was but a servant despite her rank.
But whatever it was, she was sure it had to be gruesome to leave such a scar on the little girl’s fair skin.
"Tha... thank you." Alaric’s body shook slightly at the thought of Kai waking up.
What would he say?
The truth,
Your mother has passed away, and I am the cause?
A lie.
Your mother is in the hospital. We will see her soon.
He had never been good at these things, his small body shivering at the thought of the innocent girl’s gaze, her questions, the guilt weighing on him so heavy he felt his heart could burst.
"Don’t worry, Your Highness, she will wake," the medic comforted. Alaric only nodded.
Seeing she had nothing else to do, she bid him farewell as she left for other matters.
Alaric sat in silence for a few minutes more before abruptly rising.
"I need to let out some steam."
~~~~~
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[A/N I have changed it from the percentage of sixth resonance from 5% to 0.0001%, they aren’t that many, and five percent of five hundred million was a lot but the current percentage is what I have in mine. Sixth Resonance being 1 in a million]