Rise Of The Spatial Dragon

By the time the first rays of sunlight hit the tent, Kedan was already up. Ever since his encounter with Astrid, his mind had been thinking nonstop on how to counter this very real problem he found himself in.

A real god was coming after him. For anyone to take that title so publicly, even in front of a renown Great God, it could only mean that they had the qualifications to have that title. That meant that they were at Grade S, at the minimum. Not even Dane was that powerful.

Moreover, he had the help of Astrid, Jason's daughter. Even under normal circ.u.mstances, Astrid alone would be a headache to handle, after all, she was also a Grade C Super. While Kedan was confident that he'd still end up on top, with her acting as the Wolf God's aid, his chances of victory were dwindling. All this came after such a resounding victory.

All this would not be enough to make him anxious since he did not have anything to gain or lose. However, there was one thing that was making him extremely anxious. He was done with the Quest, he'd gotten the totem, what next?

Astrid was supposed to be his guide, but now she was on the opposite side. Granted, she was acting as a double agent, but that wasn't even what he wanted right now. This continent, even the planet, meant absolutely nothing to him. Though he wouldn't ordinarily leave the people in such a state, when faced with such resistance, he would choose to flee. Simply put the stakes weren't high enough for him to risk his life in a pointless war.

However, the pointless war was all that he had as a clue. He thought he would gain more from the Quest but he was thoroughly disappointed. The only thing he had obtained in that treasury forest that was even remotely related to his overall mission was a totem.

Taking it out, Kedan began to observe it. There were no special markings on it. It looked more like an ostrich's egg, only, instead of being white, it was crystalline blue. It was translucent, almost transparent, but the thick crystal seemed to have some sort of mist in it. Nonetheless, it was quite a precious looking gem, but that's all it was.

Try as he might, Kedan couldn't crack whatever secrets the totem held. Neither could he deduce what his brother meant when he said, "take care of my consciousness bro!" He feared the worst.

There were cases where someone who was severely injured in battle would choose to hide their soul in a soul stone. Kedan had heard of such stories. This was a way of cheating death by actually dying, only, the soul would be preserved. It could then be rebuilt and the person could be reconstructed.

Needless to say, such a method had a high price to pay. One needed to acquire a soul stone first. There was a reason why a soul stone had been deemed a wicked object and banned in many civilizations.

To obtain one, one needed to go on a killing spree, single-handedly conquering the entire population of an area. It could be a village, clan, kingdom or empire, but the point was, the person doing the pillage had to be alone against everyone else. Even then, it couldn't be formed if the number of people killed was less than 10,000 souls. This was the b.a.r.e minimum.

A soul stone was a scourge, but many immortals wouldn't mind killing a few mortals to obtain one. It wouldn't be enough of a reason to ban such a commodity. What was devastating about the soul stone was that it had a power limit based on the number killed. A soul stone formed from 10,000 souls could barely hold a Grade F Super's soul. To hold a God's soul, it would require carnage of an entire galactic civilization and not a small one at that.

Due to such a reason, Kedan hoped that what he was holding was not a soul stone. Due to them being banned, few had ever come across them, and none that huge. However, he knew the truth even though he tried to reject it. He did not want to believe his brother would have such a wicked object in his possession.

The next reason why that ritual was banned was that it was damaging to the soul. Peeling one's soul while still maintaining consciousness on the body. This was as bad as it gets, and the soul would face numerous damages that could even be fatal, but given the alternative was dying, many would take that chance.

Kedan hoped his deductions were wrong, but he could tell they weren't, not by a very wide margin anyway. Perhaps his brother had been attacked so severely he had turned to such wicked means for survival.

Just at that moment, as he was staring at it, the crystal began to glow. However, the glowing effect quickly faded, making Kedan wonder whether he'd imagined it. Soon after, the glowing effect returned but then disappeared.

"It seems to be a pulse of some kind." Kedan deduced, but at that moment, something else caught his attention.

His tent was surrounded. He could feel the presence of an army all around him. Kedan smiled as he rose to his feet thinking, "They are finally here."

***

Kayla had had some complicated couple of days. It could be said that it had all began when she met that man. The tall handsome figure that didn't seem like much at first, maybe because she was angry. She was the one that told him about the Quest of Keeling. Of course, he seemed to know some details, but she was the one who filled in the gaps.

That was something she would live to retell all her life. She was the one who told the man that cracked the Quest of Keeling about it, so in a way, she had a role in cracking the Quest.

It had been quite baffling that the one that humans had been waiting for, the most heralded event in their history, was not the most memorable thing that happened that day. One man had defeated an entire city. Not just a city, but a city-state. Who could have thought such a feat imaginable?

Even Kayla had lost hope. There just wasn't anything he could have done, or so she had told herself. How he proved her wrong, how he proved everyone wrong. Deep down, she felt that her hope had been justified. No matter how dark it got, her unwavering faith and hope had told her that he would come through. She didn't know how, but that wasn't her concern. All this time she had never been truly afraid because of that.

Now she stood among many this bright and early morning. She was in a group of civilians, many of whom had been slaves before that fateful day. She could also identify the sailor who had come with Kedan in the group, and the few others she had been with at the inn that day.

Beside her group, there stood the army of the Resistance. Truthfully, calling them an army was stretching it. They stood strong though, despite their rugged appearance and the torn battle dresses. Each one held a spear and shield. They hadn't formed any formations, making them look more of a crowd than a battle array.

Yet one thing shone in each one of their faces. They were proud warriors of the human race, unwilling to bend the knee to any other race. This had been their creed and the reason for them joining the resistance. Now, they no longer had to, all because of one man.

Everyone was congregated around one tent. The warriors, the civilians, even the children were gathered there. Murmurs could be heard from the crowd, as they anticipated the event.

It had all started 3 days ago. They were all gathered together to see off the man. He was the first in a long time to attempt the quest, and many had even taken bets on whether he would make it back, let alone succeed. That was when the attack came. Without warning, swift and ruthless.

Friends and relatives, both a.d.u.l.ts, and children were killed mercilessly. The wolfkin had been like demons sent to massacre them. Even those that survived were shackled and matched to the city, where they were tossed into the dungeons to rot. From the battlefield to the walk and in the dungeon, they had seen many of their own dropping like flies.

Finally, redemption had come in the form of a man. No, this was no man, this was a monster wearing the skin of a man. They both loved, adored and revered him. Their savior, their hero, their deterrent! Because of him, the human race stood a chance for survival and even hope to thrive.

A day of rest, treating the wounded, the weak and the unable. Of finding the dead and giving them a proper send-off. A day to process all that had happened. Now today happened.

From this moment onwards, the Resistance would cease to be a resistance, and become a kingdom, with a king.

As the man stepped out of the tent, the crowd gathered erupted into a loud cheering that seemed to emanate from the depth of their hearts. Many craned their necks to catch a glimpse of this magical man that had done wondrous things and was so deserving of their allegiance.

Kedan himself was taken aback. He had had such an encounter several times in his life as a Faction Protector, but one this he knew for sure, it never gets old. Watching as Joyce and her band of warriors bent the knee, he could feel the power rise within himself.

"LONG LIVE THE KING!"

The crowds cheering transformed into this chant that was loud enough to rock the ground itself. At that moment a human Kingdom had been formed! The King took his place on a makeshift throne. This was one of the golden chairs they had looted from Harrow city.

Then came the march. Everyone was to walk with the king towards the celebration grounds. It was impressive how much the caterers managed to put together for the celebration in such a short time.

A magnificent tent had been put up where the VIPs went. These included the higher-ups of the resistance, some civilians and of course, the King.

Speeches were made.

Food was eaten.

Mead, ale, beer, and water were drunk.

Songs were sung and danced to.

A wonderful party, one that humans hadn't enjoyed ever. The taste of freedom was absolutely magical, but they still didn't understand it though. At the moment, all they knew was that they were free. Free from all the oppressions, shame, and contempt from the wolfkin. They were free of all the negatives that came from subjugation, they still didn't understand the positives of freedom.

On his part, Kedan took some time to enjoy the festivities. Wars will be fought, won and lost. It was moments like these that mattered to mortals. When they got to see what they were fighting for, what they believed in, come to pass. The joy and memories of the day would push them through the dark nights ahead, and it was a tough fight coming indeed.

On his throne, Dane felt that time had come. The pulsing of the totem served as a beacon, calling for him. He could feel immense pressure fall off his c.h.e.s.t. Though he believed in him, Dane wasn't sure that Kedan was up to the task, only, he was the only one he could trust with something like this.

Now that it was done, all he could do now was move on to the second part of the plan.

"Wait for me bro, I'm coming!"