Becoming Legend

Edok has never been alive in his entire life. The hole in his stomach was healed as though it never happened. As if the alghoul's existence was a lie itself.

He was a hunter with average magical capabilities. Instead of hunting monsters or carrying out potential hunter quests to increase his rank, he instead took quests outside of the Hunter's Guild influence where beasts were almost non-existent. Or quests that did almost nothing but escort a group of merchants just so he could flash his hunter's card as if carrying a room of red dust was his only sacred job.

He knew red dust was Burner. And he knew the pay was lucrative for him to keep minding his own business.

So, smuggling red dust was his only job. Until Captain Creft invited a pair of innocent boys. Turns out, however, they could be everything but innocent.

Again, Edok was a hunter but never a warrior. He was incapacitated six more times until the horde of mindless beasts was completely obliterated.

Edok held his left arm tightly. He could not forget how his limbs mawn out of existence only for the elf to heal it. Or how slashes on his belly, neck, back, and face were healed every time a green light appeared out of nowhere and healed him. Those were the wounds that any hunter could be put out of commission.

Yet, he yearned to die. The pain nobody could understand screaming inside his head. It was torture working perfectly he would tell the kingdom he smuggled red dust out and on of the continent. Heck, he would tell them Jack's entire family tree if they wanted to. Or how he used his influence to smuggle men and women and sell them to brothel houses. He would do everything for the kingdom and its people. Everything. Everything but to live and die over and over and over again.

Edok's hands were trembling. His legs shaking and lifeless and he could barely afford to stand anymore.

He must be wondering how he survived, or if the other two humans faired as him. He had forgotten about Jack and Captain Creft on his third incapacitation. Before that, he knew that Jack almost died once and captain Creft twice. Or he simply lost count.

Edok gritted his teeth and prince Aesril smiled. He was enjoying complete control of human lives. He had never thought how addicting it was to control someone's life and do everything that he wanted. Especially if those who did it were humans.

He smiled, almost grinning, as he stared at the stunned Jack and Captain Creft. Slices on both human's cloth but no bruises or wounds were visible. They stared at the elf dumbfounded.

"What did you do!" Jack cried as soon as Prince Aesril made it on the ground. The blades in his hands were slashing wildly after he lunged forward to him.

Midway Jack's roar, Prince Aesril stomped his foot and the ground bent to his command. It shook and half swallowed Jack. Captain Creft did nothing but stare at his human companion. Edok panting behind him.

Prince Aesril paced slowly toward the half-buried merchant. He did take his time as he stared at the human. Once across him, he reached for the soil and conjured a blade out of it.

Blood sprayed out Jack's mouth after the blade was pushed deep into his chest. He raised his hands to slash the prince but prince Aesril caught his wrist and twisted them on the other side. Jack screamed of pain, blood leaking and wrists broken.

Suddenly, a flash of light blurred to his side and Captain Creft ignited animosity towards the elf.

Captain Creft hit nothing but an afterimage. For a second, Prince Aesril was surprised to notice that the captain turned as soon as he appeared behind him. It might be just a hoax that a mere human could read him even though he felt no mana bonded in his lifeforce. Could he use lifeforce even without mana? Instinctively, his hand reached for the captain's neck.

Then Gelethorn stopped him. His hand holding the prince's wrist.

"You had enough, my Prince." Gelethorn gently tapped his friend's chest and pushed him gently.

Dead ghouls formed around them in a tiny hill, blood forming a pond. A distant scream woke prince Aesril's thoughts. Had he gone this far that tormenting the humans was his satisfaction? Prince Aesril snapped and clutched Gelethorn's shoulder firmly and said: "Thank you," was a whisper that came out his mouth.

"W-we need to know," Jack said after coughing blood. Prince Aesril cut his control on the ground that made the merchant rise off the ground as though floating.

Prince Aesril conjured green light on his hand and healed Jack. The healing was visible like time itself went backward to serve the prince.

"We need to know!" Edok broke his silence. He did not care anymore if more of those damned beasts were coming. He needed to know. He has the right to know. No one but him has the right to control his life. No one.

But Prince Aesril was not bothered at all. He nodded to Gelethorn and slung the bow behind his back. His eyes drifted to the roaring forest. He was too engrossed playing with the humans that he had forgotten the reason why they were there. With the portal lost, Prince Aesril needed some answers. He and Gelethorn agreed to check what was inside the Gate while also masking their presence against the elves. But now that he detected no living left on the island, everything had changed. Prince Aesril knew Elder Calanye since he was nothing but an innocent child. And so Prince Aesril assumed Elder Calanye's next step. The elves planned to go inside the Gate, locate more Gates that would lead them to the Realms of Elves. And once discovered, he would lead the elves to the Realm while the portal was being maintained for the elves in the Dark Continent to pass through. King Ascathan assumed the plan was simple but needed all the Upper Seeds' approval. To which they agreed and sent only the most capable of elves to venture outside the Dark Continent and to the Gate.

If the portal broke, then someone as powerful as Elder Calanye was disrupting their plans. No human can match an Elder.

"No, no," Prince Aesril whispered and looked over his shoulder. The next wave was coming, and they must leave. Now. Not that it matters to him how many waves there were. His mana was sufficient enough for two days, or three if he conserved it well. He walked towards the forest, blackness almost engulfed it. No sun. Just snow and ashes. Humans could never have enough. They wanted more. So much that they would do anything even to destroy their own. He stopped before a huge pile of dead horde and conjured fireball on his right hand and wind on his left. Only a selected few could handle the backlash of fire magic. Prince Aesril was one of them, and the best there was.

Behind him, Gelethorn dismissed the angry voices of the three. Explaining that the Prince gave them some of his lifeforce. In normal circumstances, giving someone's lifeforce was to extend life while the one who gives will shorten theirs. But that normal circumstances was not one of those that happened to the three. It was the opposite.

Prince Aesril's lifeforce was attached to them that they no longer had control of their lives. Unless one of them has a stronger lifeforce than the prince, then their faiths were doomed. They could live for the next three hundred years almost dying over and over and over again. They were nothing but puppets and humans no more.

"Then what's the point of all these?" Jack shouted but Prince Aesril could not be bothered as he fought single-handedly the horde of mindless beast.

Jack snatched one of the blades on the ground, reversed the blade so that the point was pointing on his neck, and pushed it.

Captain Creft did not stop him. He would do the same; he just needed to muster more courage. Edok gasped and leaped towards his employer but ceased midway after Jack froze.

"You don't get it," Gelethorn said to the frozen human. "Prince Aesril was in control of your life now. No matter where you are in the world, he will sense you. Stop your breathing. Your heart. Your mind. Your very existence. There's nothing you can do but wait."

That was a speech. Prince Aesril shook his head but smiled.

Splitting his mind between the fighting and sensing the three humans, Prince Aesril fought the same.

***

With Prince Aesril and Gelethorn paving the island. They reached the Gate in less than a day. As they got closer to the Gate, Prince Aesril noticed no recent battle that took place. But once he expanded his senses to the shore, he sensed traces of the lifeforce of elves. And by the time they reached the Gate, Prince Aesril was convinced that the lifeforce were gone and that whoever it belonged to, died.

Before entering the Gate, Prince Aesril extended his mana sense only to the surroundings around them. Captain Creft and Jack were confused about his actions but not to Edok. The Hunter could sense how acute and controlled the elf's mana was.

Prince Aesril ducked and picked something on the ground. This time, not even Gelethorn saw what the prince picked.

"What was it, my Prince?"

Prince Aesril raised his hand and waved for the three humans following them. They then walked towards the Gate even if they wanted it or not. Just with a thought, the prince could send his emotions and intentions towards them.

Once they were alone, Prince Aesril took the thin thread in his hand and raised it closer to Gelethorn, and said: "Gadsi is here."