Legend has it that the elves born under the stars were favored by the gods and given countless gifts. The gods guide their path so that they don't have to stumble and fumble in the darkness and struggle to survive in a strange and dangerous world. They know how the gods created the world, they know how everything grows and dies, and they know where their souls will end...... That allowed the elves to create a brilliant civilization in a very short period of time, but it also bred pride and indifference little by little. As they lose their enthusiasm for the world, even the long life given by the gods seems to become a meaningless consumption.

The gods sighed in disappointment...... And so humanity was born.

Not so powerful, not so smart, not so beautiful, not so long-lived...... The only thing we have is freedom.

The human soul is a pure blank sheet of paper that can be painted in countless colors at will. Without the meticulous care of the gods, they moved forward tenaciously in ignorance, relying on themselves to grasp the laws and secrets of this world little by little, and choose their own path.

And when humans were still like wild beasts in the mountains, wilderness, and forests, when they had never heard of the true name of a single god, in the worship and fear of the forces of nature, they created their own gods.

Water and fire, wind and snow, sun and moon...... In the midst of that, Yakhvi, the god of fire, was once considered the most powerful and terrible deity, the source of all creation and destruction. However, over the course of thousands of years, human beliefs and legends have changed a lot as they have grown stronger and more confident due to their interaction and integration with elves, dwarves, and other intelligent races in the world. The easier it turns out when creating and controlling flames becomes simpler. The reverence for the god of fire faded little by little. The once great deity is now more and more engraved on the furnaces of the blacksmiths, to ensure that the fire will never be extinguished.

But perhaps people should learn to regain reverence.

It's twilight. The sunset was dazzling on the horizon, and the large golden-red clouds seemed to bloom like gorgeous flowers, but in the hills that stretched southeast at the foot of Karnak, in the ancient orc fortress, the Stormy Fortress, no one was in the mood to enjoy the magnificent and fleeting beauty.

They were surrounded by another blooming flower, and that caught all their eyes.

The flames that rose to the sky reflected the red sky, dancing lightly with the wind. and in the midst of the violence, it showed a strange enchantment. The golden tongue of fire gently and irresistibly entwined all new life and decay, whether it was the new green that emerged from the branches or the dry bones that had died for a hundred years...... All in the blink of an eye. Trees that have been standing for hundreds of years will last longer. But eventually, they will turn into a hideous black shadow in the flames, and they will collapse and collapse......

The light of fire was imprinted in Scott Criess' golden eyes.

The flames around him swirled slowly, as if they were doing some kind of lazy dance. The scorching air made everything in front of him tremble and twist slightly. It's like a dream.

But Scott knows it clearly. This is not a dream.

He got here as fast as he could. In the face of the swarming undead, he summoned the flames without the slightest hesitation, and for the first time in the face of an enemy, he did not even touch the long sword at his waist.

It's not that there is no other way – but it's the quickest. Even if it comes at a cost...... What doesn't have to pay a price? He has something more important than his senseless insistence...... Something that must be guarded......

But at this moment, he couldn't remember what it was.

He just thought a little casually that maybe the god of fire, the god who had been despised for so long, would be a little bit grateful to him—after all. He retaught people to fear His power.

He wasn't unaware of how arrogant the thought could be for a human being, but he didn't care about it as a matter of course. Such arrogance made him a little surprised and even panicked. He seemed to be annoyed by this senseless panic...... Those erratic emotions made him stand in the flames in a daze, almost blankly staring at the hellish scene in front of him, black and red dancing...... When night falls in an instant, it is as if the whole world has fallen into hell.

Several exclamations crept into his ears with the wind, and someone shouted hoarsely, "Scott! Scott...... Sage!"

Scott shuddered and snapped to his senses, only to realize that the flames had swooped uncontrollably towards the ancient fortress where it shouldn't have been, the people he was supposed to protect.

Just in the blink of an eye, the flames in the sky disappeared violently, leaving only scorched black. In the cracked earth, gray embers rose in the wind, and the countless undead who had swarmed there seemed to have never existed.

Scott held out his hand and watched in amazement as a cloud of ash fell on his palm.

There's a little bit of ...... Like snow. There is no life with temperature, dead snow.

"Tell me again...... The name of the god you believe in. A familiar and sweet voice rang in his ears: "That I may offer my respect to Him." ”

"He doesn't need to. Scott replied coldly.

He didn't expect Lydia to be wiped out in the flames...... Female mages have always known how to protect themselves.

"No," Lydia's chuckle flickered, "Then why are you here? Why did your god bring you back into this world, why did He give you so much power...... To deceive the poor people into willingly dying innocently for Him?"

"I didn't deceive anyone!" even though he knew that he shouldn't be provoked easily, the defense still instinctively blurted out.

"Really?" asked the mage lazily, "will you tell them that you were a knight of another god and that her mark is still imprinted on your soul, or will you tell them that the gods need them more than they need them?...... I'm guessing you're not going to let them know that you have a younger brother and you're willing to give up everything for him...... And he's an ice dragon?"

There is no way to refute...... In front of Lydia, he always seemed to be.

Scott silently withdrew his hand, clutching the ashes that seemed to be nothing. He wasn't sure how much Lydia knew...... He shouldn't have opened his mouth to say a word to her.

Words weren't what he was good at, and he didn't have time to waste on words.

He closed his eyes and took a step—just a step, and when he opened his eyes, he was greeted by the face of the female mage with a look of surprise and a hint of unsightly panic.

He didn't give her any more chance to make a sound or escape, and that didn't require spells, spells, or even a finger.

It's really simple...... He was a little surprised at why he had foolishly hesitated for so long.

Lydia let out a low gasp and reached for her neck, her face quickly flushing an unnatural flush after a moment of paleness.

She couldn't breathe...... There was a burning flame in her throat, burning her life little by little. The indescribable fear made her almost want to scream, but she couldn't.

But she could hear it. The young paladin who had circled around her like a faithful dog, trying to make her smile in every possible way...... His cold voice clearly drilled into her ears word by word:

"If I want to kill you, I can easily turn you to ashes wherever you are...... Lydia Bell, this is the last time I'll let you go. Don't show up in front of me again, don't bother Isse and Eren in any way...... You know, I went from saying it to doing it. ”

His golden eyes were right in front of her—almost the same golden eyes she'd ever seen, the eyes of Is...... No, that's different. Is's eyes are more like pure gold, bright and pure, but Scott's eyes are like flames burning in hell, and behind the indifference lies endless despair, anger, and shadows as heavy as eternal night.

She nodded almost involuntarily, unwilling to admit that she was genuinely frightened.

The flame burning in his throat was finally extinguished. Lydia breathed heavily, staggering backwards. For a moment she wanted to get as far away as possible from the man in front of her—but as usual, another flame almost immediately consumed her faint cautiousness.

"Do you know what you look like?" "Even though her voice was hoarse and likely to anger Scott again, she spoke arrogantly again, "like the demon I summoned in the basement...... Have you ever looked at yourself in the mirror? Scott Crieses......"

"You have no idea what a real demon is. Scott interrupted him coldly, and without even looking at her again, he suddenly disappeared in front of her, just as he had appeared.

"So have you seen it?" Lydia murmured into the deserted forest, "Have you ever been there?......"

She chuckled lowly, and the laughter grew hoarse and frantic, but then abruptly stopped.

"Get out of here, he won't be coming back. She said lightly.

There was a sound in the shadows of the trees on her left, and a young man in a black robe came out, approached her with a cower, stopped two or three steps away from her, and bowed his head respectfully and ashamedly: "I'm sorry, teacher, but I ......"

"Shut up. Lydia waved her hand lazily, "I'm keeping you because the dead won't talk to me...... Don't make me regret it. ”

The young man kept his mouth shut, and his gaze involuntarily looked into the distance at the smoke that had not yet dissipated—the gray smoke that had turned from black to white, clearly proving their failure.

"You think I've lost, don't you?" Lydia's voice seemed to regain its sweetness, but to the ears of the young man it was more terrible than the curse of the dead.

He could only bow his head and close his lips tightly, and said nothing.

Lydia stared in the direction Scott had disappeared and said nothing.

- Best he thinks so.

A smile tugged at the mage's lips.

The loss was indeed beyond her expectations...... But she got what she wanted, without a doubt.

(To be continued......)