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Chapter 571:

Arthur's Point of View

Crawlana

"Stop! Just stop!" She screamed as her hands rested on the cracks. Her magic quickly shot through the temple as its destruction halted. "I'll promise you safe passage from Crawlana if you just stop!" Slowly, the cracks started to mend.

Holding out Defiance, I created another rift which got her to look at me in horror. "Safe passage?" I repeated in a mocking tone. "We both know who has the upper hand here."

Clenching her teeth as she glared up at me, I watched as she practically shook in anger. "I..." Her nose twitched as she spoke in a poorly restrained hiss. "Will be more open to negotiations..." Looking back to the temple as bricks fell back into place, she continued. "If you promise to leave this temple alone." I wasn't convinced. "Look, if you destroy this temple, you'll die with me."

I quirked a brow at that. "How's that?"

Turning from me in anger as she focused on repairing the temple, she answered. "This temple isn't connected to Crawlana. It isn't connected to anything at all." She gestured to our surroundings. "We're not at some undisclosed location at the bottom of the ocean."

"Then where are we?"

"You're inside a seal."

"Seal?"

She nodded with her lips tight. "I cannot leave this place. If this temple is destroyed, the seal is destroyed. When that happens, both of us will be ripped apart by the magic holding the seal together inside the temple." I watched as the wisps of magic she referred to dance from the cracks, but it didn't seem that threatening.

I still wasn't convinced. "Uh huh..." You could practically hear her grind her teeth. "And that's supposed to stop me when I have the upper hand? I can create portals out of here, so you need to come up with a better excuse." The rift disappeared, which seemed to make her relax slightly, but she yelped when I grabbed her by her hair. "You attacked Marina, and you attacked me without provocation. Now you expect me just to stop?"

To my surprise, her hair came to life and wrapped around my arm. It turned to ice and quickly acted as threads of ice that started to move through my arm. My eyes widened and I sunk my claws into her scalp. Again, she surprised me as it turned into a block of ice as her body turned into a sculpture.

A teleportation could be heard overhead. "I admit it..." I looked up and saw the Aridian floating above as she looked down on me. "You were far more powerful than I expected. I dare say you're even stronger than I am." Her icy threads shot up toward my neck.

Taking my free hand, I dug my claws into the arm where her magic resided and shredded it from shoulder to wrist. Blue blood splattered across the ground. My eyes never left hers as her magic faded from my wounds and the arm healed quickly.

"This fight is over." She told me right before a torrent of magic shot out from the temple cracks and start to flare out as it went haywire. "I will not say you've bested me, but I will yield. To fix this mess you made." I was about to reply, but she quickly continued. "You could always just portal away. Unless you want to continue. Then I will keep you locked in here while others head to Lestrania."

"..." I didn't reply as she floated down in front of me.

"I will make sure that your lovely Priestesses are visited along with all associated with them." Make erupted from beneath us just barely to the side. Her hair whipped wildly, but neither of us moved from our stare down. "Including the Farro family, your student... And Lady Lucia."

My eye twitched at that. "It would seem I was mistaken about who all has been watching me." Another burst of magic grazed my chest and pulled my blood into the sky as it separated us slightly. "Here I thought it was Arceana, her nobles, and Thana watching my house these days."

"You are mistaken about a great many things." She glanced at the magic running rampant. "Make your choice."

Twisting Defiance's handle in my grip, I thought on her words. "Fine." Stepping back, Defiance was returned to my back as I returned to my normal state. "Fix your temple."

Without wasting any time, she went to work. Her magic quickly encased the temple as she simply ignored my presence. I thought for sure she would attack when I changed back to my human form. This temple meant more to her than I thought. The magic that had been escaping came to a halt as it started to trickle back inside the temples core as the cracks began to mend.

However, things began to change when a darker, fouler, magic started to appear. My lips turned into a frown as I recognized it. Original magic that Aydan used, and the same magic that appeared in Helmsforth Temple. I quirked a brow as I turned back to the Aridian who looked terrified. Her magic started to fight against it, but she seemed to be losing.

Not needing further prompting, I let the water return to the area. It rushed in violently. Although, it wasn't enough to affect either of us. The High Elf looked at me in surprise, before the water began to ice over against the dark green magic. The magic that had escaped at first seemed like hers, but at this point, I assumed hers was there to keep this magic in check.

Even with her water returned to her, she was still struggling. The cracks that had been mending opened once more as more of the foul magic seeped through. My eyes widened when a faint laughing could be heard. While underwater, it sounded clear as day. Some of the magic approached me, and I realized the amused chuckling was coming from the magic.

The green magic struck her shoulder, and to my surprise, it did not heal. Her body shook as ice moved through the cracks, but she appeared to be making less and less progress. I watched as the wound seemed to fester rapidly as green magic appeared to start moving through her arm and around her shoulder area.

With shaky lips, she turned to me. "He-Help me." I quirked a brow at that. "Help me!" She shouted, fearfully.

At that moment, the cracks worsened, and I could see a large buildup of magic getting ready to wreak havoc upon the temple. Aydan always told me this magic was dangerous. While I didn't trust the High Elf, I trusted him. My form changed again as I moved beside the Aridian and yanked her behind me. Using my gravity pillars, I placed a barrier over the cracks to prevent the magic from escaping any further.

Then I used my energy to wrap around the temple and mend the cracks. The High Elf stepped next to me for a moment before she fell to her knees once more. Her magic quickly went to work as it cooperated with mine. Using her magic to seep below my energy, she countered the Original Magic trying to escape. She panted horribly as she sounded like she was dying. Mostly because it sounded like she was drowning through the water.

The faint laughing, and the foul magic, faded. "Thank you." I heard from beside me through a panting huff as the temple was restored. "Truly, you have my thanks." She stood and met my eyes. "While this may have been the result of your brashness, I share part of the blame." The water slowly filtered out to create a small air bubble for us to stand in. "I didn't think you would actually help me."

"Yeah, well..." I reverted once more after I gauged she had used up quite a bit of her magic to fix the temple. "When magic starts chuckling, I figured whatever you were doing was probably rather important." My eyes moved to the wound on her arm. "You going to be able to fix that?"

She glanced down at the wound on her arm. "Ah. Yes. Eventually." Her response was weak as blood started to coat the front of her robes. "My magic is keeping it at bay for the moment. Once I rest, I should be able to purge it from-"

Cutting her off, I placed my hand on her head. "Will you take a chance and trust me?"

The Aridian seemed hesitant as she studied me. "If you wanted to kill me, you missed the perfect moment, so go ahead." She then closed her eyes.

Without further prompting, I poured some of my energy into her body. Her eyes slammed open as she whipped her gaze to me. I watched as she focused her magic to her wound and the green magic began to dissipate. Once the wound was healing, my hand pulled away from her head. To try and annoy her, I patted her head a few times. Tracing the nonexistent wound slowly, she hummed in thought.

"Now you don't have to rest." I stated.

"Not many would pat the head of a goddess."

I instantly groaned which made her give me a curious look. "Please don't tell me you seriously consider yourself a goddess."

Turning away from me and activating her magic made a throne of sorts appear at the end of the temple. "What else would you consider such immense power?" She then moved the water slightly. "To command the oceans tide?" Her fingers then traced her shoulder where wound was as she sat down. "Healing from horrific wounds that others would consider fatal? Regrowing limbs?"

A sigh escaped my lips. "Kay." Was my unimpressed reply.

She paused at that. "Doubting our godhood is like doubting your own."

"Maybe that's because I'm not a god." I responded dryly before I gestured to the temple. "Whatever you got sealed inside your temple seems more godlike to me than you."

"I see... Well, despite what you think, or what you've been told, we are not High Elves." She said the term with disdain. "Being compared to an Elf is like comparing an Elf to a Human."

"...Okay?" I didn't understand that at all.

She sighed as she closed her eyes. "And here I thought you were insulting me... You truly don't know the differences, do you?"

I shrugged. "You all have pointy ears. Only difference with you is that you got wings and an Elf doesn't."

"That is a very 'basic' way of putting it." Her eyes opened as she tapped her fingers on her throne. "I suppose we should start at the beginning. Allow me to formally introduce myself. My name is Undine."

"I go by Arthur."

"You go by many names, and you have many titles, but I am, and always have been, Undine." The woman called Undine said in a serious tone.

"Kay."

She frowned at that. "That is not a satisfactory response, Arthur."

Slow blinking, I replied in the most sarcastic tone I could muster. "...Kay." Undine grasped the arms on her throne in frustration. "Look, you started talking about gods and goddesses before comparing Humans and Elves. If your name has some manner of meaning or standing, I don't know what it is." I told her with a shrug.

"Then I shall clarify." Undine gestured to herself for a moment before realizing she was still covered in blood. "As you already know," She started as her magic removed whatever remaining blood there was. "We are Aridians. How you came across this name is a mystery, but we are not High Elves. Ours is a race of Gods and Goddesses. Descendants from Davost herself."

That caught my attention. "Davost?" I repeated the name.

Undine hummed. "She was the first Goddess." She seemed to grow distant as she spoke. "However, she wasn't the first. She was made in her father's image. While she might've been made in his image, Davost is The One True Goddess. Together, the two of them created three more lives."

"Who was her father?" I questioned since she seemed to be moving on. "If Davost was made in his image, I'm assuming he was rather important."

"The First God-" She began harshly, but quickly stopped. "He... I apologize, but I will not be speaking about him."

"Alright. Then what of the three lives they created together? Was Davost created to act as a wife to her father?" Undine looked disgusted by my question. "What? You said they created three lives together!"

"With magic!"

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, that's much more believable." My mocking tone irked her, but she didn't call me on it. "Look, you know how many stories I know about incest gods and goddesses? It wouldn't be anything new."

Undine continued her story as she ignored me. "The father and daughter created three more lives together. Rahl, who was given domain over the oceans to do with as he wished. Kalmos, who reigned over the skies as if they were his own." Her fingers began tapping against her chair almost nervously. "Last was Meerhea. She was given dominion over the earth and all it contained. With all of them together, Crevalis was created."

My arms crossed as I quirked a brow and listened. This was a history lesson I wasn't quite expecting. Had it been anyone else, I would've dismissed it as mythology or something along those lines. However, I met Davost once and her power still seemed overwhelming from what I could remember.

"The world of Crevalis was created under the supervision of the father. Once enough had been created, he disappeared to continue his work. In his absence, Davost decided to create life once more without her father."

"Is this more magical life, or did she sleep with Rahl or Kalmos?" Slamming on the arms of the throne, they crumbled as she glared at me. "It's a legitimate question!"

Steepling her fingers together as he hands rested on her lap, Undine studied me. "The question doesn't seem to be made in a mocking manner, but genuine curiosity. However, stop interrupting me, and you might find the answers to your questions."

I nodded. "That's fair. Please continue."

Taking a deep breath, Undine continued. "Davost, who was wise and fair, created two brothers by herself. However, unlike Rahl, Meerhea, and Kalmos, these were the first children ever. She loved those boys, and those boys became the first Aridians to ever be born. Her love for the two Aridians resulted in her asking Rahl, Meerhea, and Kalmos for help in creating the Aridian race. Thus, our kind were born." Slowly raising my hand got her attention and she gave me an annoyed look. "What?" She snapped.

"Sorry, but I just need some clarification. Why were the two boys the first Aridians? Why not the father or Davost herself? There are also the other three. How come they aren't Aridians?"

"Because they were the beings who created our race. They may have the appearance of Aridians, but they are more than that."

"Okay, but then why do you refer to yourself as a Goddess?" I asked in a genuine tone. "You know your kind were literally created by something bigger than yourselves, yet you still claim such a title? That doesn't make much sense."

She tilted her head to the side. "The Aridian race came from Davost herself. We know that the One True Goddess created us. Our power is an indicator of that. Why wouldn't we be considered gods and goddesses?"

"You know, I expected some manner of explanation that might justify such a view point, but wow." I said in a small amount of disbelief. "Please continue."

"You judge us?" Undine asked curiously. "While others may not have the power to do so, you certainly do, but why do you seem so unimpressed."

"I get that the child of a god could be considered a god itself, but where are the rest of your people?" I asked, and she frowned. "A race of gods seemed to be left to the remnants and rags of this world. Unless Davost created only a few of you, which I doubt, your race inevitably fell. Why?"

Undine leaned back and crossed her legs as she thought on my question. "We were not the only ones to be created. While Davost created us Aridians, her father created a realm connected to this one." She told me. "One you know well."

My grip tightened on my arms. "The Crimson Wasteland."

She nodded. "Davost created us Aridians to rule over this world." That was an immediate red flag. "Her father created the Demons of The Crimson Wasteland. I'm sure you can surmise what happened."

"War?"

"A war unlike anything you've ever seen. It didn't occur as soon as our races found out about the other. In fact, hundreds of years since our creation passed, and there was peace. Even with Davost arguing with her father about our creation, peace was maintained." She explained.

"They argued about your creation?"

"Not mine, specifically, but all of Aridians. He wasn't involved, and that upset him greatly." I watched as she looked away from me. "Things eventually escalated to a war that spanned the entirety of this world."

I suspected that was an exaggeration. Otherwise, there would've been clues still linger around this world. While I knew this was an abridged version of history, it was obvious she was keeping key details out. Not that I blamed her, but mentioning the disagreement about their creation almost seemed like she was trying to gain my sympathy. Too bad for her, I had none to give.

"So, you lost the war, and were reduced to hide at the bottom of the ocean?"

"We didn't lose." Undine replied nonchalantly. "The war ended in a draw."

My scoff made one of her eyes twitch. "Almost no Aridians remain, but I've run into several Demons. I'd say there was a rather clear winner."

Undine smirked at that. "Those 'Demons' are nothing like the Demons of old. True Demons were made after the Father's image, which makes them incredibly similar to us. One of the main differences between us was our magic, and our ears." She gestured to her ears. "Have you ever met anyone with multiple ears before and no wings?"

A frown came to my lips as I immediately thought of Pestilence and Credo. "I feel like ears would be easy to manipulate for beings with so much magic and power." I commented.

She nodded at that. "Indeed. During the war, it was popular to change one's appearance, but magic is not something so simple. I'm sure you can agree with that."

"Then why do you say the war ended in a draw if almost none of you are left. Unless all of you are in hiding, which would make no sense, how can you justify this as a draw?"

"Because we did what was necessary." Undine answered before shaking her head. "Not that I expect you to understand, but at least we had a purpose. At least we succeeded in the end." I would've asked for clarification on that, but I doubt she would've explained further.

"Then what of the Demons now? What are they if not Demons?"

Undine leaned forward as she spoke in a smug tone. "Who rules The Crimson Wasteland now?"

My lips tightened for a moment. "Thana."

"An Aridian now rules the home of demons. Why do you think that is? How many actual Demons have you seen work with her?"

"..." I didn't answer.

"You know what those demons are."

"Experiments."

Undine nodded. "Not a single one of her followers is a true demon. Merely her abominations."

My eyes focused on the Aridian. "So, you claim your war ended in a draw because The Crimson Wasteland is now under Thana's control?"

The Aridian frowned. "Do not be mistaken. I've no ties to Thana, nor her followers. To be honest, I'm not sure how she even survived. There are few of us left, and I can barely contact any of them. Certainly not Thana."

"Why not contact Arceana or Elincia then?" I questioned. "They seem to be some of the few living freely. Why not ask them for help?"

"Not all Aridians are all powerful. Do you believe I am here because I was selected at random?" She gestured to herself. "Rahl was my teacher. As such, my rank was rather high in our society."

"Be that as it may, the Royal Family was given to the elves by Davost herself. Unless history is wrong, shouldn't you have helped them or offered aid?" I inquired. "You seem to hold Davost in high regard, so I don't understand why you, or the other surviving Aridians, would ignore them."

Undine stared at me for a moment in thought. "Who said that?"

I quirked a brow at that. "The elf who received the Royal Family when they were only children. He was told the Royal name, and asked to protect them while he raised them."

She looked off into the distance at that. "An Elf... How amusing." Her attention turned back to me after a moment. "Do you know how the elves were created?"

"At this point I'm going to assume they were grown from tumbleweeds or something via magic."

"Keep your mocking tone to yourself." Undine responded sharply. "Believe it or not, humans actually existed before elves did." That caught my attention, and I slowly lowered my arms as I listened. "Much like Davost did for us, in our desire to be considered gods ourselves, we too, created life." I don't know what facial expression I had, but it got Undine to giggle. "You seem upset, Arthur." She pointed out.

"..." I didn't reply.

Continuing with clear amusement in her tone, she spoke. "Are you upset that we created life, or do you just like humans that much? We weren't expecting humans to survive as they did either." Undine chuckled once more as I stared at her with an unknown expression. "Yes, as you suspected, we were the ones who created humans. Do you remember the two brothers that Davost created?" I nodded. "The oldest one was the one who first did so."

"Why?" My question was asked in a whisper.

"Besides to prove that we could?" Undine asked back. "We needed servants. People to serve us, and to work jobs beneath us. Not all Aridians were as powerful as I am. A great many of us held powerful equal or greater to mine, but more were similar to your Priestesses. They bred with humans, and as such, elves were made."

"Then elves are half-breeds?"

"Disgusting, is it not?"

She was truly barking up the wrong tree. "Then what of all the other races? What of the dragons, zugal, or dwarves?"

Undine sighed. "They all came into being at the end of the war due to different reasons..." She shook her head. "But why do you care about the other races. Most of them were mistakes anyway. Elves are nothing more than a stain on Aridian heritage."

"Uh huh."

Tilting her head, she adopted a more dangerous glint in her eyes. "You don't agree?"

"I don't care." Was my blasé response, but I was getting a little annoyed at this point. "If there was such a strong focus on strength, why send the Royal Family forward in time to an elf?"

Undine frowned. "I don't know. That wasn't my role."

"Then why didn't you help them? If you, and a few others survived, why abandon them? Especially if you disliked elves so much."

"Many things have been sacrificed over the eras. Time passed, and the Royal Family was nowhere to be seen. Who cares if they appeared two thousand years ago? Do you realize how much time has passed? How much things have changed?" Undine questioned back and I looked down as I examined the questions internally.

Realistically speaking, elves live incredibly long lives. If they're half-breeds from mixing humans and Aridians, that could explain why their lifespans are so sporadic. It also explains why any surviving Aridians may have ignored the Royal Family's appearance. Had they been waiting for so long for them to appear, they likely moved on and would've assumed their plan failed.

"You seem lost in thought, Arthur." Undine spoke softly. "Something on your mind?"

My eyes met hers. "How long did you wait for the Royal Family?"

The Aridian hummed in thought as she gained a far-off look. "It's been so long now. While I'm not the oldest Aridian to exist, I am one of the oldest. The war with the demons spanned several decades before things escalated and both our people were reduced to mere remnants of times past." Undine sighed. "I waited for word for them for several tens of thousands of years. Maybe even tens of thousands. I'm a member of the second age of Aridians, so I'm a few thousand years younger than the creation of Crevalis."

Assuming all this is correct, and from what she's alluding to... "If you are truly that old, then you must be close to being immortal." I commented.

"Any Aridian that is alive today, with the exception of the Royal Family, are all well hundreds of thousands of years old." Undine told me. "Time passes, and yet, we always remain. Do you still doubt our godhood?"

It was at that moment I decided to kill every single Aridian that was truly that old and that I didn't believe a single word that had come out of her mouth. No one lives to be that long without being a living abomination. She's clearly delusional believing she's a god and I'm willing to bet all the others do as well.

I also suspected she was stuck here. Maybe this seal wasn't just a prison for whatever was in the middle of her temple. Perhaps she was forced to remain here as well. The supposed 'druid' in the Hollow Forest that Camoa knows is likely a Aridian. She hasn't left the forest, which means both of them are only able to interact within a certain distance from the seals. Now I was curious where the seal inside the depths of the Hollow Forest might be.

"Agelessness, and godhood, are two separate things. After all, most gods don't go on the verge of extinction after ending a war in a draw."

Undine stood and slowly made her way over to me. "You are a very infuriating individual. Especially for one who came to ask for help." She said as she looked up at me.

I looked down at her from the corner of my eyes. "I didn't come here for your help. Thana has become a problem for everyone. She's just targeting Lestrania for the moment. She'll move on to others as well. I don't even want to know how large of a force she commands given how much time she's had."

"My people are safe. She won't come here." Undine replied as she stepped slightly beside me.

"Because you know her?" I asked in a threatening tone. "Or because you don't think she can come down here?"

Undine began circling around me. "Thana cannot come here with many reinforcements. This is my domain. I control everything inside this kingdom. Not everyone is able to push the water away in such a manner as you did." She stopped in front of me to glance at me. "You were bad match up for me, I admit it, but my hand was forced."

I leaned slightly. "That's because you lost." She frowned as I gestured to the temple. "Just because I used your temple against you doesn't mean our little bout ended in a draw. Whatever you have sealed here doesn't concern me. Thana does. The Royal Family, and other Aridians do."

A giggle left her lips as she looked at me mockingly. "I think we've come to the end of our little talk, Arthur Pendragon. Both of us need to think on what the other had to say." Turning from me, she slowly moved back to her throne. "Although, I think you have more to think on then I do."

"While I am very invested in continuing this conversation, I don't think you will be going anywhere anytime soon. You should expect another visit from me soon."

Stopping, she looked at me over her shoulder. "Don't worry. I'll be waiting. However, I will leave you with one more key detail you should know before you go."

Crossing my arms as she moved to her chair and sat down, I spoke. "And what might that be?"

"Do you happen to know Thana's full name?"

My eyes immediately hardened as she gave me a smug look. "What? Are you sisters?"

She rested her chin on her hand softly. "Not every member of the Royal Family is a Delmaris, Arthur Pendragon. Only two of the five that were given to the elves should have that name. Only two are truly apart of the Royal Family." Undine told me very firmly. "The other three were selected due to other circumstances. However, there is a third Delmaris that still lives."

Undine burst out laughing as I could only imagine how upset I looked on my face. "You've gotta be shitting me." My voice was tight and left my lips in a hiss.

"Thana Delmaris." The Aridian said with a gleeful smile on her lips. "I'm curious. Do you know which of the other two belong to the Royal Delmaris family?"