Natalie

  I know you’re very busy these days because of your promotion but I would really appreciate it if you would come visit for a while when your sister turns eighteen. She’s been just so excited about becoming an adventurer that I worry that she’ll go out and do something rash. I don’t think I’ll ever be over the loss of your father so please do what you can to keep her safe as well. I know you won’t be able to always be there for her but I hope that you can at least point her in the right direction.

  With love,

  Mom

  Sorry Mom, I wish I had more time. What rotten luck we have for a new villain to appear the same day my sister turns eighteen. I had fully intended to blow off my Paladin duties for a week to help her out but some things simply can’t be put off. I did what I could, now we just have to believe that she will be fine on her own. I have confidence in her anyhow, she is my sister after all.

  I feel the carriage run over another rough spot and I nearly hit my head on the roof due to the sudden bounce. “Are you trying to make us sick?” I complain.

  “Sorry, the road here is always really bad, not much I can do about it,” The driver mentions.

  I fold up the parchment and stuff it down my shirt, not wanting to risk accidentally ripping it.

  “Hey, what do you have there?” The Paladin sitting across from me asked.

  “My tits, why? Never seen a pair before, Hal?” I smiled with mock pity. A series of coughs to my right told me Alissa had decided to take a drink at an unfortunate time.

  “I meant the letter, smart ass,” Hal refuted with a roll of his eyes.

  “Just a message from Mom, nothing you need to worry about,” I said dismissively.

  “Oh come on, we’ve been sitting in here for far too long. Give us some entertainment.”

  “Sorry, not with the children watching,” I shrugged, tilting my head to the right and earning me a well earned glare. I know she’s only two years younger than me and she knows that I know; but it’s still fun to see her sour face.

  “You’re all kids to me!” came a rough voice from a man seated at the front. “If you want a distraction then why don’t you stare at the World Anchor some more?”

  At his words, the three of us exchanged a wordless conversation. We had been looking at it as we traveled, the darn thing was visible from the previous town after all, but we were getting close enough now that we wanted to wait until we were right in front of it before taking it in fully. Neither Hal, Alissa, nor I had been to Ingrel before so we didn’t want to spoil it.

  “How close are we to the Holy Capital?” I asked tentatively.

  “Kids,” Yannis scoffed. “The city is already within view, have a gander already!”

  Immediately, all three of us withdrew from the carriage and started walking alongside it as we looked on in absolute awe. It may be my first time seeing it fully, but I have heard a lot about the Holy Capital of Ingrel, and it does not disappoint.

  Ingrel is well known for its beauty, being built at the base of the World Anchor. The white and gray structure towers towards the heavens and even perhaps past them. Even when viewed from dozens of miles away, the top of the tower is simply impossible to see. Blue mana veins run up its length and continue upward until they feed into the Arm’s of the Mother. What appear to be gigantic blue wings, are actually thousands upon thousands of flashing system boxes, constantly fading in and out of existence. Each time one of these boxes disappear, they release a handful of white mana sparks that fall downward creating a constant shower of light, making it look like it’s always snowing in Ingrel.

  Below the wings, three large rings circle around the tower. Each one is full of plant life that hangs off the side like vines. The rings themselves look to be made of different material than the World Anchor, making it look like the residents below added onto it. Each ring bridges down the one below it and the one at the bottom appears to have two staircases that spiral downward until connecting with the Capital below.

  The Capital itself is quite beautiful as well. Situated atop a scintillating blue lake of mana, created by the coalescence of the falling mana sparks; the capital is made up entirely of pure white stone buildings built alongside ancient looking trees with light blue leaves that reach up just as tall as the buildings–but remain entirely overshadowed by the World Anchor above them. Deep grooves in the ground can also be seen around the edges of the lake, as if a very large knife carved a slice out of the land. It's impossible to tell how deep the grooves are as each one has been flooded with mana. As if the shower of mana sparks wasn’t enough, the entire city is currently bathed in radiant light due to the presence of The Hero.

  To actually reach the Capital we will have to walk over a bridge that stretches over the lake. I can see people standing guard both at the entrance and exit of the bridge. This is likely simply for formality as they knew a coalition of Paladins is set to arrive today. Nobody in their right mind would dream of attacking any place The Hero calls home.

  The carriage pulled to a stop as the others in front of us stopped in a line so we decided to move on ahead to gather with the rest of the coalition. In total thirty nine Paladins have come along to meet with The Hero. At the center of the gathering group is the man that all Paladins answer to.

  He was a handsome man whose heavily scarred face did not take away from his appearance. Wearing thick metal armor while holding a winged helmet at his side, he was the very image of holy might. Seeing our group approached, he turns his attention towards Yannis and asks; “Is everyone accounted for?” Being the highest level besides Orion at two hundred and six, Yannis was the one Orion spoke to most often.

  “Yes, all nine Paladins from my group are here,” Yannis informed.

  “Good,” Orion nodded. “Let’s not keep him waiting any longer.”

  Turning towards the bridge with his red cloak fluttering behind him; Orion began to lead us across the bridge. As we walked I noticed just how perfectly my reflection showed in the liquid mana. It looked like the cleanest and purest water I had ever seen but knowing that it was pure mana gave it an almost ominous feel. Turning towards Yannis, I asked: “What would happen if you jumped in?”

  He scoffed at my question. “Would feel pretty good for a second or two. After that it would burn like the hottest fire you’ve ever felt.”

  “Oh,” I said simply.

  Suddenly I felt someone to my right push against my shoulder, making me collide with the bridge railing and nearly sent me over the side. I regained my balance and glared over at Hal who was snickering mischievously. I straightened myself and put on a neutral expression as I pretended that I hadn’t been just scared for my life. Once Herald and I fell back in line however, I began plotting my revenge.

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  I wonder what a mug of pure mana tastes like, hypothetically. Experimentally, I opened my mouth and caught a mana spark like I would a snowflake but I couldn’t even tell if I caught it or not–I didn’t even feel a slight tingle.

  As we reached the end of the bridge I noticed a elderly man dressed in white robes trimmed with blue with a matching miter atop his head. In his left hand he carries a staff that almost looks like a replica of the World anchor but instead of extending forever, the tip merely curves in a way that resembles a shepherd's crook. This is my first time seeing him but I don’t even need to read the information above his head to know who he is. Similar to Orion, he is the head of all priests and the one usually refereed to as "Father". If that has any relation to Mother herself, none have said.

  Orion takes a knee before the man and bows with his head held low. Following his lead, the rest of the Paladins swiftly join him. “You honor us with your presence, Father.”

  “Welcome, Judicial Paladin, to Ingrel. Please follow me.” Damian turns and begins walking down the central street towards the World Anchor. The moment he moves, the two guards standing near the end of the bridge move to follow at his side.

  “Come on, then,” Orion motions us forward.

  The streets of Ingrel were mostly quiet as we walked through them. The only noise to be heard was the sound of heavy boots meeting the stone walkway. Mana runs through channels carved out on the sides on most streets, allowing mana to flow towards the World Anchor. At each intersection, a bridge is needed to cross over.

  Occasionally I see someone that looked like a normal citizen ogling at us while we passed. I made sure to give each one a cheeky wave when I drew near. The reactions I got made me feel like I was a parade horse that humorously broke character and shat all over the road.

  Once we got closer to the world Anchor I began to feel a weird… vibration inside me. It didn’t hurt but it was very uncomfortable. I could see myself getting a massive headache if I had to stay near this thing all the time. Shaking my head, I attempted to rid myself of the annoying feeling but nothing changed.

  “It’s mana resonance. Cast a spell to drain some mana and you should feel better,” Yannis whispered in my ear.

  “Sfanta Sabie,” I mutter to myself, placing a hand on my sword and giving it a holy blessing. The moment the mana left my hand the vibration lessened slightly so I cast the same spell on the pair of daggers at my hip, dropping my mana to half. The feeling vanished to an almost imperceivable degree to my great relief.

  “How the hell are some of you higher level folk dealing with that?” I asked

  “Poorly.” Yannis shook his head irritably. “But if you have any kind of shield spell, it will entirely negate the feeling.”

  “You could have led with that,” I groaned. I’m a Guardian Paladin for Mother’s sake, shields are basically my entire thing. “Scutul Luminii,” I said, forming a barrier of light around myself. I sighed with relief as the vibration stopped entirely. Various other spells were being cast around me as other Paladins attempted to negotiate the unforgettable feeling. Alissa, being only level fifty six, seemed to be entirely unaffected; she was walking beside me and seemed to be doing just fine.

  Finally reaching the base of the World Anchor, I see the man we had come here to talk with. Having seen him nine years ago when he visited my city, this was the first time I was getting to see his actual level. Sure people like to throw around numbers that they saw with their own eyes but people do love to embellish things. I’ve heard everything from two hundred to two thousand. Seeing the actual number, however, surprised me for two reasons.

  I expected him to be high level but I was expecting somewhere around Damian’s level but he’s more than a hundred levels higher! Considering how difficult leveling up gets at higher levels, I can’t imagine what he’s had to go through to get that strong. What confuses me most though, why four hundred and ninety nine specifically? Maybe level five hundred doesn’t exist? I never really even thought about a possible max level, considering I’m just one hundred and eighty one.

  “Paladins,” The Hero spoke with a resounding voice. He stood atop a raised dais which was supported above the liquid mana that had pooled around the World Anchor’s base. The glowing light of the pool illuminated The Hero shimmering blue light. Silence quickly followed his word as if it were a magic spell, and it very well might be.

  The Hero spread his arms wide and addressed us all with a brilliant smile. “I appreciate you all coming this far to see me. As I’m sure you are aware, a new villain has emerged somewhere in the world. If you are wondering, no I am not yet aware of where they might be.”

  A soft mummer swept throughout the Paladins; questions and theories of The Villain’s possible location got thrown around, but most people just seemed to be worried that they might be forming another army somewhere.

  “But that is not why I have asked for you this day,” Verick continued, starling many of those around him.

  “The first place I checked for The Villain was, of course, Rijakos, home of the demons and the location of the previous villain’s old stronghold, but I could find no answers. However, the issue is not the lack of answers. No, I fully expect demons to be … less than truthful towards me, of course,” he chuckles. A few Paladins in the crowd tried to join him in chuckling but were swiftly shushed.

  “The issue is their meekness. The demons not only answered my questions but they even allowed me to search as I pleased and question the local population. The lengths they have gone to prove their own innocence only draws my suspicion more. Even if The Villain truly is not there, I worry the simple announcement of their presence may inspire the demons to act out. I have no doubts that one of the first places The Villain will choose to visit will be the home of the previous one. That is where you Paladins come in,” he pauses to extend his arms out towards us with a triumphant grin.

  “You see, I have no doubts the demons will be on their best behavior when I am around. I would like you to travel to Rijakos and watch for The Villain’s possible arrival or for the demons to make a move. Should either happen, you need only call for a hero.”

  He turned to give each of us a confident smile, as if to show his belief in us. Some were obviously excited to see this plan through, others, like me, seemed more reserved. I really didn’t like the idea of living among demons for who knows how long.

  “I see there are some reservations. Make your thoughts known!” he motioned with both hands for us to stand up and move forward but I remained seated. Not to disobey him, just that … my issues were more selfish.

  “Why don’t we just kill them? They’re demons!” one man whose name I couldn't see shouted.

  The Hero raised a finger at this question and waggled it. “Now, now. We can’t just go and kill everyone for the sins of their brothers. I have been keeping a close eye on them these past ten years and they have been nothing but cordial!” but as the crowd began to murmur softly, I heard him say something else in a voice so quiet, I doubt many heard it; “Not like they’ll give any experience anyway.”

  Experience? If they’re dangerous I don’t know why experience would be a concern. But if he is concerned about experience then maybe that isn’t the max level? I probably shouldn't think too hard about it; it’s not like I will ever reach that level.

  “Any more questions?” he asked, but no one spoke up.

  After a few seconds of silence, I decided to ask my selfish question. After all, who could fault me for not wanting to be away from my family? “How long do you wish us to stay? I feel hesitant being away from home for so long.” I noticed Yannis giving me some serious stink eye but I ignored him.

  “Ah, a valid concern!” The Hero affirmed, pointing at me. “But have no fear; for you only need remain there until I have found The Villain! After that, I will have the flexibility to handle the matter myself. I only ask you to remain there for a year at most. If it takes longer than that … well.. We’ll have other issues to worry about,” he chuckled.

  He had a point, if The Villain runs free for that long, who knows what sort of chaos they could create.

  “Is everyone satisfied?” He asked, spreading his arms wide. “I should add you are not doing this for free. I fully intend to compensate each of you personally before you leave, in exchange for your assistance. How does five hundred gold each sound?”

  This ruined the silence. All the stoic and noble Paladins began to exclaim excitedly at the idea of getting rewarded by The Hero himself. I wasn’t any better. Five hundred gold was more money than I had earned in my entire life! Sure, Mom and Elvira won’t be happy to see me away for so long, but I’m sure their tone will change when I throw a few hundred gold in their face.

  “Good! I see the matter is settled then! Thank you all for your assistance!” He declared with a fist raised into the air.