Age of Beast Tamers and Exorcists
Chapter 69: The Eagle Sigil

Chapter 69: The Eagle Sigil

"Captain Silvan... Ferox!?" Zmey exclaimed in shock. "You..." He stuck his finger at him. He became unable to say anything else. Zmey gasped. ’What is going on here?’ *** In the cell where Zmey was inside, two men in armour unlocked the gate. And they entered the room. Unlike a few seconds earlier, the surrounding air was as clear as an ocean. They stopped a few inches from him. The red circular rune and the prisoner’s position piqued their curiosity. They shared glances at each other. "Seems he’s into their common stuff," one of them with a black moustache sitting over his nose said. The other man replied, "What else can we do but leave him be? He can be released some other time." Black-moustached man said, "Yes. Let’s inform the captain about this." They turned at the same time. But, just as Black-moustache was about to move, something held him in place. The other man picked up on this too. Black-moustache looked back and saw the prisoner’s hand clutching his under-cloak. The prisoner had got awake after all. Zmey glanced up at him. There was an immense rage in his eyes, which appeared to stem from something other than these men. His frown stood rigid on his face. He said in a calculated tone, "If you’re here for me, sirs, then there’s no point in heading back already." The men winked at each other. Both crouched beside him. They intertwined their arms with his. Their force brought up his butts. With care, they moved him out of the prison. First, they walked out of the leftwards exit. Then down a pathway carved out of a mountain; there was no grass or shrubs by it. Deep down, Zmey contemplated what went wrong with his Soul Land to have the soul of someone else in it. Or this could be a plan of some sort. Silvan Ferox could be up to something. And could have entered Zmey’s Soul Land with intention right after he got awakened. It was either so, or something went wrong that trapped him in there. Something could have gone wrong with the Inheritance Cycle. Silvan told him that before he rushed out. An order of passing down strength and power to keep the grace of pure magic through centuries. Zmey’s eyes grew hollow. ’I want to find out more.’ Right then, the men took him through the midst of the watchmen at the very entrance. He could see the azure sky again and the trees that keep nature alive. At that moment, Silvan’s request lingered in his mind. He had said it with so much certainty as though he had become one with Zmey. "... Help me reach the goal a revenge-centred fighter like me couldn’t. Kill all Necrots!" Zmey’s response? One that a person like him would have given. *** Zmey felt bewildered by where the men took him. The Hot Spring Mountain. They stood at the entrance back-turned, then asked him to take a bath in there. To his utmost surprise, a set of folded cloths was at the spring’s beddings. Well, this was something he realised right now he had been dying for. He had not taken a bath in days now. He unbuttoned his jacket with care and did the necessary. The steamy air from the spring invited him to marvel at the pool of roses and get lost in satisfaction. His legs slid in one after the other. The warm water levelled up to his ribs, holding him so softly that Zmey closed his eyes and offered a smile. In no time, he finished. Now in the folded cloth; a black v-necked shirt with brown baggy knickers. His jet-black hair flowed the way he thought it always should have been, as he strode to the men. After they saw that he had finished, they flanked his sides again. But now, there were no arms intertwining. They led him through structures he never thought existed nor were in the sanctuary. Well, that was the fun of the walk for him. They walked up high stairs that could have exhausted an ordinary man. The two men remained resolute after hundreds of steps. And surprisingly to them, Zmey was the same. He had smirked. ’Were you expecting me to be a weakling? Tch...’ After a while, they reached the front of a cabin. It had a normal structure, surrounded by various flowers. Their scents filled the air. Zmey stopped right on one spot as his brows creased. Horses waited there, standing still. Of course, their riders were right by their sides, those who looked at the three of them when they arrived there. If he didn’t recognise the others, he was familiar with four: Luca Xero, Skyler, Callister, and Nero. Others were in the same long jacket with an eagle sigil on the back as Luca. The horses grunted and snorted. They also hoed the holes in the ground with their hooves. Luca ordered, his eyes still hard to see from the distance, "Get on your horse, lad. We’ve got to leave Eldengrove before dusk." Zmey interposed, taken by surprise. "Eh? Already?" He looked through the crowd: Skyler and Nero were looking at him with smiley faces. Luca crossed his arms, then tilted his head. "Seven hells... should this be someone I rescued out of the prison? You should be willing to follow my orders, lad. No questions." At that moment, Nero walked closer to Zmey. Nero sighed, placing a gentle pat on his shoulder. He held a firm smile, while Zmey looked at him with furrowed brows. He had no idea what reaction to give at this moment of departure. "See you soon, buddy. You have done it," Nero said. Zmey looked over Nero’s shoulder. He spotted Luca, who was tilting his head at a lone white horse. Zmey knew that would be the one he would be riding. He looked back at Nero. "Did you come to say farewell?" Nero chuckled. He shrugged with another firm smile. No matter how someone hides their emotions, Zmey would always know. He could see through Nero now as though he were a transparent medium. He felt worried. And not satisfied with this journey Zmey was taking on. It was understandable, though, as Zmey saw it. Zmey also wanted to show his similar emotion too. The way he felt as well. That he worried about leaving the one person who saw him as a friend. That he feared he might not find another friend soon. But the other part of himself warned him not to. He never cared that much. Zmey gave him a slight smile in the end. And patted his shoulder too - he went against his other self. "Would be a long time of separation, man. All this to become an Elite Fighter," he said. Nero squinted. "I heard you’ll get missions that involve you coming back home sometimes. When you do, let’s have noodles together in the city. I heard the woman cooks the best here." Zmey nodded. "Sure. But first, I’ll teach you how to re-enter your Soul Land too." Nero smiled back. Then, giving Zmey’s back a pat, he whispered to him not to keep the others waiting. That was the best farewell Zmey thought he was capable of giving. He knew acting indifferent, as he always had done, would likely hurt Nero’s feelings. Soon enough, everyone mounted their horses. Luca took the lead, speeding down the path. A long stretch of vegetation lined both sides. Skyler, Callister, and Zmey followed at their individual paces. Nero kept on waving. Then, right after the trio, the others on Luca’s team followed. Two of them held red flags up towards the sky, which displayed the familiar eagle sigil. They were gone. Heading out of the sanctuary after which they would ride to the border. Nero didn’t know where their journey would lead them. But he hoped them... a safe trip. "May the god I never worshipped be with you lot."