Sophia Harris
Stories
7
Chapters
2,628
Words
1.4 K
Comments
0
Reading
6 m
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True to his prediction, he could use yellow skills, though they were still inhibited. Kai ignored the strain mounting in his head to fight the shackles with a single-minded focus. He needed to stretch Mana Engraving outside his body. He would get out of this cell no matter the cost. If the Republic thought they could throw him away when he was no longer useful, they were delusional. They could come up with a hundred excuses for why they were the lesser evil, how they saved the archipelago and whatnot.…-
239 •
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“What do you mean?” Kai stopped himself from making any nervous motion, though stillness could be suspicious too. He rose in his seat, letting some irritation seep into his voice. “If I knew how to stop the beast attacks, I would have done so a long time ago and spared the archipelago.” The smile plastered on Seryne’s face didn’t waver in front of his outburst. She was about to open her mouth when Improvisation urged him to keep the initiative. “ Seryne showed the smallest crease of…
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239 •
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Mana Observer zeroed in on the limping duo. One looked familiar, though Kai couldn’t be sure. He had never studied Makyn’s channels closely after how the man reacted the first time. Sight would solve his doubts. He ran to the entrance of the chamber, heart beating in his throat. The wounded were being rounded up amidst pained moans, leaving only four soldiers to defend the passage. He was no healer. Running up to them would save a few seconds and be of no help. Finally, the guards heard the heavy…
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239 •
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Kai scrambled off the chair, grabbed his sword and almost tripped on his backpack to get out of the long closet serving as his room. He extended his senses through the ruins. It was time to roll the dice. People shuffled around him in a frenzy of activity on par with the churning mana. Essence was streaming into the underground tunnels just like in the recorded anomalies, but the Veeryd’s site was unique. The already dense mana was rising beyond anything he had experienced before. From the remains in…
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239 •
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Kai pressed his lips in a thin line. It had been dark when they arrived at the site two nights before, letting him hope his hunch was wrong. The cruel light of day slayed those illusions. Verdant trees and lush underbrush couldn’t hide the chunks of ivory stone. Beneath the greenery lay a scene of devastation. Whoever attacked the Vastaire millennia ago had done a thorough job. Every rising spire had been cut down with no exception. Towers only grew shorter and more jagged towards the center where a…
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239 •
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Even without the sun as guidance, his grumbling stomach didn’t forget to remind him it was dinner time. They wandered the underground maze to chart the site. They found no more traces of the basilisk than claw marks and ripped weeds. Kai had lost count of the number of mana herbs they passed by. None were higher than Red, giving credit to the Earth shaper—Nelynna. Kai had nicked the most interesting plants with an affinity, he recognized a few from Dora’s book. By chance or planning, the entire…
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239 •
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Kai watched the notification hanging in the air. His boot got caught in a root, but Makyn grabbed his backpack before he had any chance of tripping. “Thanks.” He regained his footing with an embarrassed look. The people who turned at the commotion quickly lost interest. Only Bert grumbled something unkind under his breath. “Any danger?” His porter peered at the bend in the tunnel. It was nice knowing the man had enough confidence in him to expect he wouldn’t trip for no reason. Alas, Kai…
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239 •
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Excited exclamations spread through the group. Kai stepped forward and squinted, the moons were covered by a blanket of clouds. Blinded by the enchanted crystals near him, he shielded his eyes to make out the dark form. A gnarly tree had engulfed the side of a broken tower and morphed it into a grotesque shape. Vines wrapped around the jagged top, with sparse slivers of ivory shining through. Further beyond, similar misshapen giants emerged from the vegetation till the jungle blended into the undefined…
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239 •
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Kai was shoved aside by soldiers running towards the commotion. The King of Veeryd was here, no other beasts could threaten the convoy. Support auxiliaries and mages fled in the opposite direction, thwarting his attempts to move closer. “Form a line!” An authoritative shout rose above screams. “Everyone below Yellow retreat—” Trees cracked followed by a wetter sound. A rattling hiss pierced the chaos of voices: half a dozen different people shouted orders. Kai recognized Seryne and Valela…
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239 •
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Veeryd rustled with life and chirps. Deep into the inner reaches of the jungle, parrots and canaries didn’t fail to let their presence be known. There was no whiff of unwashed bodies, the air smelled of wet verdant plants not yet choked by the humidity of the day. Lost in his surroundings, his boot scraped on a moss-covered root. Kai grabbed a vine and stepped on the spongy ground to balance himself. Once upon a time, he could silently glide through the forest, hopping among the trees without a…
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239 •
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