Greaton is a mighty nation and the strongest power of humankind, the birthplace of countless Heroes and the cradle of many great champions. Greaton is governed by four great houses including StormBlade, SpellSpeaker, Divilight, and Stronghold. The territory of Greaton borders Hesmor along the Emerald Range to the west, and the Great Sea to the east. If one sails south from Greaton, they will enter the Eldloss Sea and reach Break Island. If one sails east, they will cross the DeepSea waters of the Naga, pass by the Merfolk island, and eventually reach the continent of Macarnis which is ruled by The Legion.

  At the northernmost point of Greaton lies the vast frozen region known as IceStorm. This land is famous for the magnificent ice mountain called IceMount and the Moon Lake resting nearby within the Crystal Valley. Its poetic beauty and majestic scenery have become a popular destination for adventurers and a paradise for ice mages. However, this land was once the ancient territory of the savage Ice Giants. It was the great King Hesto who drove them away and claimed this land for the descendants of Greaton. The Giants had no choice but to retreat, crossing the wide Great Sea and settling in the frozen Sanguis mountain ranges of Macarnis.

  Deep within the heart of IceMount, an icy tomb encases the corpses of countless giants who once lived here. The Giants remain motionless within glittering blocks of ice, and at the center of them all stands the largest Giant among them. He died on his feet, his body pierced by numerous weapons, yet he did not fall. His cold eyes stare forward as if glaring at someone he hated to the marrow.

  Beneath the ice that envelopes him, a mysterious woman cloaked from head to toe gently touched the frozen surface. She sighed and tossed a large barrel of Meli wine onto the ice. The wine spilled across the frozen surface, instantly solidifying and becoming part of the great icy mass. She performed this ritual every year as if to honor the true hero who died unjustly under the humiliation of the world.

  "That was your choice, was it not, Horthgar. And what about you, Helion. Or is it Hellion, my apologies for the confusion."

  The woman did not bother to turn around. She was a powerful mage of the NewBorn era and she knew exactly who stood behind her. She was not surprised by his appearance. Perhaps she had foreseen that this day would eventually arrive. The woman ignored Hellion, slowly disappearing into the sweeping white storm.

  Hellion remained silent, a silence more suffocating and terrifying than the black nightmare energy emanating from his body. He did not attempt to greet or speak to an old acquaintance. Now, perhaps they were enemies. His eyes followed the woman as she walked farther away, as if to make sure she had truly departed. He carried a jug of Meli wine as well. As he drank, the burning liquid flowed through him and soaked into his heavy war armor, yet he no longer felt any warmth. Only coldness now enshrouded his heart.

  "My old friend, I feel nothing at all. Is this truly your choice. You know I can always help you return ... Umk, in another form of life. I can help you cleanse every stain the world has forced upon you. You are a hero, Hothgar. We are heroes. Without you, we would have lost. Everything ended that day."

  He threw the half finished jug of wine against the block of ice and gently placed his hand upon it. He seemed to be attempting to reach the soul trapped within. After a long while, Hellion fell silent. Perhaps he had received an answer he did not wish to hear. Coldly, Hellion turned away. He would give Hothgar some more time to reconsider.

  "Whether you desire it or not, Horthgar, you no longer have a choice. You are a perfect corpse, Horthgar. You are an excellent tool of war."

  "Next time, we will leave together, my friend. Next time there will be no refusal."

  Hellion vanished into the snowstorm, leaving behind only the howling cries of the wind echoing through the frozen land.

  Leaving the town of Rumi, the trio of young teenagers crossed a vast forest, chatting as they walked about the useful knowledge Mira had gathered from the library. It would not be long before they reached the DarkCry border plains, the place where Exitus once lived.

  “Madenes at that time was already as powerful as a god and it took the combined strength of ten champions to defeat him. However, in that battle, nearly half of the champions fell. In the end, the great King Helion sacrificed his life to die together with Madenes. After King Helion passed away, his younger brother Hesto ascended the throne and gradually led Greaton to become as strong as it is today, becoming the shield of the Alliance and protecting everyone from The Legion.”

  Mira spoke tirelessly. Among all the dull subjects she had to study, history was her favorite. Through every line of text she could feel the grandeur, the burning resolve of the warriors who fought to protect the world.

  Thane was also deeply intrigued, yet a troubling question suddenly came to his mind.

  “How strange. You said the ten champions fought together to drive Madenes away, and nearly half of them belonged to the races of the current Legion. What event caused them, those who once fought side by side, to turn their blades against one another?”

  Mira nodded. She had once wondered the same thing. Her curiosity had kept her awake at night until she begged Xevia to explain it to her.

  “It is simple. A conflict of interests. When there was no longer a common enemy, they naturally turned to fighting each other for the benefit of their own races. Moreover, another reason was the struggle over the nightmare stones. Madenes was truly the strongest human who ever existed. Even in death he still managed to divide the races, driving them into slaughter.”

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  “What a vicious man.” Vogar nodded beside them.

  “That is also why they pursue Exitus so relentlessly. He is the one who possesses two wishes, the successor of Madenes. Whether it is the Alliance or the Legion, both prioritize hunting him down.”

  Mira sighed. When she first heard that Exitus was the one who carried the wishes, she was genuinely stunned. The images recorded through the Memory Stone were too clear. Mulock was certainly a damned bastard; somehow he still managed to preserve the images of that battle.

  “Renes once told me he was the one who chose to let Mulock go.”

  Only now did Thane understand why Renes felt such guilt. So Exitus’s predicament was in part due to him.

  “But it seems someone even challenged him to a one on one fight. Who was that again? Truly brave. To challenge an Emperor. Ha ha ha.”

  Feeling the atmosphere growing heavy, Mira tried to lighten it, recalling a memory she and Vogar had shared when Exitus first arrived in Seabloom. Hearing that, Vogar blushed. He really was the one who picked the fight. At that time, however, Exitus had not yet become the powerful Emperor he was now.

  “Hard to believe that in just a few months he has become so strong.” Vogar scratched his head and quickly shifted the topic.

  Thane fell silent. He remembered the first time he met Exitus, a boy so calm and cold that it was terrifying. Among the long line of recruits waiting to enlist, Exitus appeared like an anomaly, oppressive and full of mystery.

  “When I met him, he was already incredibly strong. Just one glance could plunge me into endless nightmares. One must be that powerful to be the mentor of someone like me. Wa ha ha.”

  They continued their journey in a cheerful mood. Small beasts or a few Goblins meant nothing to them. Even the ferocious forest wolves could not withstand more than a few swings of Thane’s blade. Yet when Thane touched the blood soaked fur of one of the wolves, a strange sense of guilt rose within him. What was happening to him? Was he sympathizing with these wolves? How could that be.

  They left the forest and arrived at a stretch of pitch black land. This was DarkCry, a region devastated by war with Golden and tainted by the dark magic of Dark Despair. The deep green fields were gone, the rustic villages gone. All that remained were cracked black earth and the stench of decay.

  “The destructive force of Dark Despair is terrifying. I heard it is a weapon Greaton often uses to deal with the Orcs in Noland and Mascarnic. But according to what my father told me, it was never this horrifying. Something called Black Ash was mixed into this weapon.”

  As someone destined to lead his family in the future, Vogar had been entrusted with many secrets by Voga. Voga had said that Couer was studying this weapon, yet it could never compare to the finished product from Allblack. The Cerberus in Allblack contained a hidden secret he could not discover.

  “It seems Golden has improved it. The books only say that it requires mixing it with Cerberus droppings and some dark magic components. Xevia and I once synthesized a small amount in the laboratory. But it certainly could not cause devastation like what happened in DarkCry.”

  “This is the homeland of my mentor?” Thane looked around in horror.

  Compared to his own village in the territory of Melor, this place was no different from hell. The more he thought about it, the more respect he felt for Exitus. He could not imagine what Exitus had endured when he was still so young.

  Suddenly, a small boy with his face wrapped in a white cloth approached them. He removed the cloth and revealed a friendly smile, showing a mouth with nearly all teeth broken, leaving only two front ones.

  “Is this your first time in DarkCry? Do you need a guide? Allow me to introduce myself. I am Momo. For only two silvers, I will accompany you throughout the entire DarkCry region.”

  Momo bowed politely. He was quite short, and if one looked closely when he bent down, his neck was covered in vicious scars.

  “Two silvers is quite expensive, boy. Do you think we are fools?” Vogar frowned in irritation. Although he was a wealthy noble, wasteful spending had never been part of his vocabulary.

  Momo smiled gracefully. His eyes curved into crescents. He had heard these words countless times from customers, yet never once had he seen them regret hiring him. As if answering Vogar’s doubt, Momo rolled up his left sleeve, revealing a tattoo of a rat, the slave emblem of Allblack.

  “This price is very reasonable, sir. I am a child of this land, I have survived and witnessed everything. I guarantee you will not regret choosing me.”

  Vogar and Mira exchanged a shocked look. They had not expected to meet a living witness right here. Only Thane remained calm. He observed Momo in silence, scrutinizing him as if trying to discern something. Then he turned to the two youngsters who were excitedly crowding around Momo with questions. Thane sighed. Perhaps encountering this child would be a good thing for them.

  Although DarkCry had been devastated, unable to grow crops or raise livestock, people could still survive here and slowly restore the land. The magical toxins of Dark Despair still lingered in the air, and breathing them over long periods would weaken the body. Therefore, anyone going outside had to wear cloth masks blessed by monks. The white cloth neutralized the black magic in the air, protecting the people from poisoning. The inhabitants here lived mainly by fishing in the Emerald River or traveling deep into the Emerald Mountains to gather materials.

  “Up ahead is fort Fogger, the stronghold used during the war between Hesmor and Golden. More than a hundred thousand soldiers were gathered and trained here before they crossed the river and began the war.”

  Momo continued guiding them while introducing the landmarks of this land. He spoke with raw sincerity, recounting hard earned experiences from his life here, interwoven with sorrowful stories of being captured and witnessing his family fall one by one.

  “This village has always been poor. The adults often traveled to Rumi Town to trade goods. When this place was destroyed, the people were slaughtered, and the children were taken as slaves. Very few children like me survived. Most died in the dungeons of Allblack.”

  “Then how did you manage to escape?” Thane suddenly asked, his voice calm.

  Momo fell silent for a long moment. His face twisted with pain, as though he did not want to relive a memory soaked in grief.

  “I still remember that day clearly. The roar of a Cerberus echoed through the dungeon. I woke up in my cell to see everyone running in panic. Even the wardens had changed into slave clothes to blend into the fleeing crowd. Later I learned that it was Nashor, the warden chief, who killed that beast and released all the prisoners.”

  “I escaped together with a small number of surviving children. We fled alongside the adults, but they split into two directions. Some headed toward BlackMist, hoping to hide on merchant ships. But my foster father told me that going there would only mean becoming slaves to another power. He and a large group, including me, crossed Vayle Valley to return to DarkCry. Many died along the way. Only a few lucky ones survived and returned to our homeland.”

  Momo spoke softly, yet all of them understood how brutal that escape must have been. Mira and even Vogar genuinely pitied him. For a child to survive such horrors was a miracle. Vogar suddenly felt that two silvers was actually very cheap. He felt deeply guilty and planned to give the boy extra payment after the tour.