Episode : Traces of an Older Brother and the New Javelin
Two days after leaving the Water Tribe, Ivela suddenly stopped in the middle of the forest."Wait." She drew in a breath."…I can feel my brother's trace."
Lian scanned the area."Are you sure?"
"Certain." Ivela's fingertips trembled, but her voice was steady.
Following her senses, they arrived at an ancient stone structure, wrapped in creeping vines.At its heart sat an ornate chest.
Ivela reached out and opened it.Inside lay shards of a broken javelin… and a single scroll.
As she clasped a fragment, a faint spark brushed her skin."Brother…"
Lightning-like energy flowed from the fragment into her body.Lian, Kyren, and Serin watched in silence.
Serin whispered,"Something's… flowing into her."
Ivela unfurled the scroll. The words glimmered faintly in the dim light.
Herald of the Storm: When the javelin is thrown, a storm of lightning erupts, paralyzing foes in a wide area.
Storm of Bond: A guardian of lightning manifests, protecting her side.
Kyren muttered under his breath,"This… is the power your brother left behind."
Lian placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder."Take it. Don't be afraid."
Ivela shut her eyes, then opened them again, steady."I'll inherit it—my brother's strength."
The javelin flared.Crack! Lightning split the air.
Serin smiled."You're not alone anymore. You have your brother's power… and us."
Kyren stepped forward."Your javelin moves like a current. I need to learn from that—to flow as you do."
He silently vowed to blend the fluid grace he had learned from the Water Tribe with the lightning-swift speed of her javelin.
Lian simply nodded, watching them."We're all growing stronger. And… we're doing it together."
Ivela raised the javelin high."Brother, with your power—I'll fight. So that we survive."
Lightning split the sky as the javelin crackled in her grasp.Under its light, the four of them felt their bond tighten.
***
Episode – Sparring and Hidden Unease
A thick fog blanketed the dawn.Though they had left the Water Tribe only a day before, everyone felt it——The next battle wouldn't be a mere skirmish.
Kyren spoke first."Before we see real combat… we need to sync our styles. If we don't get used to each other now, gaps will open when the fighting starts."
He scratched a circle into the stone floor.Inside: attacker. Outside: defenders. A simple rule.
Ivela twirled her javelin, smirking."Even for practice, you'd better be ready to bleed."
Kyren moved first.The crackle of lightning ran up his arm, and his Blazing Lion's Fist smashed into Ivela's javelin.
Thud! The collision rang short and sharp.
Ivela pivoted, counterstriking.The tip of her spear grazed his shoulder as thrusts and sweeps followed in a seamless chain.
"Your speed's improved."Kyren's eyes glinted.
The fluidity he'd learned from the Water Tribe now tinged his defense.He stepped back—not blocking head-on, but letting her strike flow off his arm, like water curling around stone.
Ivela felt it immediately."I have to… let the power slip through!"
She loosened her grip just enough, redirecting his force, and used the rebound to launch her own attack.
From the side, Serin raised a hand.Vines shot from the ground."Enough! You two forget there's no time for healing in real fights?"
The vines snagged Kyren's legs. At that exact moment, Ivela's spear stopped just before piercing his chest.
Kyren raised his hand, smiling faintly."I suppose that's a loss for me."
Lian hadn't joined the spar.At the edge of the clearing, he sat on a rock, driving his greatsword into the earth—over and over, pulling it free again.
Short breaths. Deep breaths. Short again.
For a heartbeat, his eyes flashed red.
Ivela noticed first."Lian. Why aren't you in here?"
He didn't answer right away.
Sliding his greatsword back into its sheath, he muttered,"…I'm fine. You all keep practicing."
Serin came closer."You don't look fine."
Lian shook his head."I'm fine. I can… still control it."
That single word—still—hung heavy in the air.
Serin wordlessly laid a hand on his arm, sending healing energy into him.For a moment, black tendrils of something dark writhed beneath his skin… and then faded.
Lian gave the smallest nod."…Thanks."
Ivela and Kyren clashed again.
This time the rules changed:
• 1 attacker, 3 defenders.
The instant all three—Lian included—moved at once, Ivela's breath caught."So this is… real."
Her javelin lashed out like lightning.
Kyren deflected the strike with a hand-blade, Serin's vines surged behind him, binding her stance——and then Lian's twin blades cut through the air, the last strike to seal the drill.
It was only sparring, but the tension matched any battlefield.
When it was finally over, Serin knelt, resting her hands on her knees."That should do it. We know how each of us moves now. But, Lian—"
Lian cut her off."If I lose control… stop me."
Serin, Kyren, Ivela.
They all looked at him, silent.
Then, one by one, they nodded.
***
Episode – The Kobold and Goblin Raid
Hours after dawn training ended, they passed through a narrow ravine.
The air was damp.
From cracks in the rock, a strange sound echoed—Short. Clipped. Grating.
"Kik-kik-kik…"
A sly, ugly laughter.
Serin halted first."This sound… there's a lot of them."
Eyes gleamed—dozens—in the shadows of branches, rock crevices, and brush.
And then—
They fell.
Kobolds. Goblins. Dozens of them.
Opening Clash
Lian ripped his greatsword free.
WHAM!
The first kobold split clean in half.
"Cover the rear!"
His short command snapped out like a whip, and Ivela spun her javelin.
Shhk!
Lightning's tail lashed across the rocks, paralyzing three goblins at once.
Kyren exhaled, clenched his right fist.
"Blazing Lion's Fist."
His strike cracked the stone beneath his feet, fire erupting outward. Goblins were hurled back by the impact.
Close-Quarters Grind
But their numbers didn't thin.
For every one that fell, another clawed over its corpse.
Serin raised her hand.
Vines erupted from the earth, binding kobold ankles, while a cold surge of water slicked the ravine.
"This should buy you a breath," she muttered.
They didn't waste it.
Lian spun his greatsword.
One massive sweep— whirr!
The bound horde was carved apart, black blood spraying.
Counterattack
But then the goblins blew short, ugly hornpipes.
"Kik-kik-kik-kik!"
The forest shuddered.
—Second wave.
Stones rained down—jagged arrows launched from above.
Ivela snapped her spear up like a shield.
"Above us!"
Kyren leapt, deflecting arrows mid-air, lightning bursting from his palm.
"Get down from there!"
Thunder cracked across the treetops, roasting two kobolds where they perched.
Herald of the Storm
Ivela raised her javelin to the sky.
Her brother's gift coiled at her fingertips.
"Herald of the Storm!"
The javelin plunged into the ravine floor—
KA-BOOM!
Lightning ripped outward, a storm devouring everything it touched.
The rain-damp goblins convulsed mid-scream—"Kyaaaa!"—and dropped smoking to the earth.
Serin caught her breath.
"Water and lightning… perfect."
Clearing the Ravine
Only scattered stragglers remained.
Lian switched to his twin blades.
Fast spins. Faster cuts—three fell in a single strike.
Kyren moved like water.
Every incoming spear was turned aside, every counterstrike a heavy, cracking blow.
Necks snapped. And again. And again.
Aftermath
The short, brutal storm ended.
The ravine reeked of black blood.
Lian let his blades drop, breathing hard.
Serin raised her hand, healing light rising around her.
Vines uncoiled, the blood on the rocks slowly washing away.
Ivela hefted her javelin, nodding.
"For a first live test… not bad."
Lian caught his breath, looking at the ground where dark blood pooled.
"…It was fine. But—"
For an instant, his eyes flashed crimson.
"…The next fight will be worse."
***
Episode – A Great Faith Rising in Astrallium?
Lian and his companions were heading toward Arcanium, the heart of the Astrallium continent.Astrallium had no great kingdom, but Arcanium itself functioned as a city-state, a hub of arcane knowledge and power.
From a distance, they could already see its outline:a sharp black spire piercing the sky, silver walls gleaming in the sun.Around the outer walls stretched sprawling markets and encampments —a second "city" built outside the city itself.
As they approached the gates, a strange energy hung in the air.Most of the people wore robes in black and crimson,long cloaks with hoods hiding half their faces,banners raised high —each one painted with a single eye inside a triangle.
"The Oath of Light…?"Lian muttered under his breath.
Serin frowned.
"I heard that name back in the forest.But I didn't think it had grown this… huge."
At the entrance, a long procession snaked forward.Priests in ceremonial garb were lining up devotees,guiding them toward the city, chanting as they passed.
"The Light will deliver us!""Open your eyes, and pain will vanish!"
Lian paused, brow furrowing.Altekna Kingdom had its share of religions —but this scale?This was something else entirely.
Kaïren's unease deepened.As a monk, he had spent his life following teachings of spiritual freedom.But here, he felt no freedom — only pressure.
"This doesn't feel like a mere festival,"his calm but tight voice warned.
Inside the city, that feeling grew stronger.Oath banners hung along the main streets,the triangle eye carved into walls,and in the central plaza, a towering altar was being built,priests reciting doctrine to rows of kneeling followers.
Ivela crossed her arms, eyes scanning the plaza.
"This isn't just a religious event.They're digging in, taking root in the city."
Serin lowered her voice.
"People say they've been 'promised salvation.'But… something feels wrong in the air."
Lian narrowed his eyes.
"This city's changing too fast.Those flags, those processions…Is this really just belief?"
Kaïren didn't answer.He simply stared at a passing group of priests,his gaze calm —but sharp with suspicion.
"Salvation can't be forced,"he said finally, voice low but firm.
As they moved toward the city's heart, the Oath's presence grew overwhelming.Black and crimson banners everywhere — on shop signs, beside wells,even carved near children's playgrounds.
"It feels like the entire city's become their 'sanctuary,'"Kaïren muttered.
Ivela swept her long hair back with one hand.
"This scale… it's not just a religion anymore.It's practically a ruling system."
Serin nodded slowly.
"It's in the city's very bloodstream now.But is this 'Light' they preach the same light we know?"
Lian paused, overhearing a nearby sermon.
"Those who reject the Light…shall be swallowed by shadow."
A short sentence —but it made his eyes darken.
'That wasn't just the language of faith.That was a threat.'
Near a tavern, a handful of adventurers were gathered,slamming mugs of ale and talking.
Adventurer A: "The Oath of Light… everyone's talking about it.I just don't buy it. How did they get this big so fast?"
Adventurer B: "I heard the sermon.It's… oddly convincing.This continent has no kingdoms, no order.Maybe this kind of belief is what could settle the chaos."
Kaïren slipped into the conversation,voice quiet, but his words landing heavy.
"Faith can bring peace.But forced faith… becomes the seed that destroys it."
The adventurers fell silent, staring at the monk.
Then —Ivela froze.
A silhouette.
A black cloak,a long staff in hand,moving slowly through the crowd.
Her heart skipped.
"…Brother?"
Her grip tightened on her javelin, knuckles white.
Lian noticed instantly.
"Ivela. What is it?"
She pointed through the crowd, eyes wide.
"Just there.That was my brother.I'm sure of it."
But when Lian and Serin turned —the figure was gone.
"Was he… with the Oath?"Serin asked, unsettled."Why was he carrying a staff?"
Ivela's fingers trembled slightly,clutching the javelin tighter.
Lian placed a hand gently on her shoulder.
"Don't move recklessly.Not until we're certain.We'll find the truth."
Ivela drew a long breath, nodded,but her eyes shimmered.
'Brother… why are you here?'
In the city's central square,Oath banners blotted out the sky.The all-seeing eyes on black clothseemed to stare down at them.
"It's like someone's eyes are always watching,"Serin whispered.
At the plaza's center,a massive altar rose.Dozens of priests assembled metallic frames,placing strange relic-boxes atop them.
Lian's hand unconsciously tightened on his sword hilt.
'This isn't just a religious ceremony.That altar… has another purpose.'
Kaïren fingered his prayer beads.
"Those relics —they're not just symbols.They're the core of the ritual."
Serin traced the runes carved into the ground.
"This isn't a cleansing sigil.It feels… closer to binding."
Ivela kept scanning the crowd —but her brother never appeared again.
Around them, thousands of followers filled the square.Faces blank, eyes glassy.Devotion… and something else.Like hypnosis.
"Their eyes… like they're in a trance,"Kaïren whispered.
Priests began chanting —their voices spreading like waves.The air grew heavy, thick.
Lian gripped the pendant at his neck,checking his team.
"This ritual…It's not normal.Stay sharp."
Ivela pulled her javelin halfway from its harness.
"If we have to —we break that altar."
Lian looked at her,then nodded once.
"But not yet.We need proof first."
As the chants deepened,the sky dimmed.Blue faded to grey.The priests lifted their hands,relics on the altar glowing faintly —but the glow wasn't holy.It was cold.Dark.
Serin whispered,
"This isn't cleansing light."
Kaïren's eyes narrowed.
"This light…promises salvation,but it's chains on the soul."
Lian stepped forward, voice steady.
"Get ready.Today… we'll see the truth."
Ivela swept the crowd again.Her brother wasn't there.
But she was certain.
"He's here.And he's tangled in this."
And then,the ritual began.