Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix

As Terra and Rain's sisters cared for Princess Esmeralda, Rain turned his attention to the peculiar spear he had acquired during their rescue operation. Fueled by curiosity, he couldn't resist the urge to explore the mysteries surrounding this weapon that had played a pivotal role in their mission. Seeking to occupy his mind, Branden decided to join Rain in this endeavor.

While they engaged in their respective tasks, Rain took the opportunity to recount the events that had transpired outside the castle while Branden had been on his mission to locate Esmeralda. He shared the details of the encounters. Branden attentively absorbed the narrative of the fights, responding with nods of agreement and occasional expressions of surprise.

"Yes, I heard about that ability," Branden said while rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "I didn't think that someone would be able to replicate that skill."

The spear Rain now possessed was a striking combination of form and function. Its

Crafted from a dark, polished metal with a rich, mahogany-like color, the spear's shaft exuded both strength and elegance. It featured subtle grooves and ridges carved into the metal, ensuring a secure grip during combat.

Towards the upper end of the shaft, the metal seamlessly transitioned into a gleaming silver, and red-hued metal. This metal extended into the spear's head, forming a sharp and finely honed tip, emphasizing its deadly nature. The spear's overall design and balance were a testament to its creator's skill, seamlessly blending artistry and functionality into a single, captivating weapon.

Branden meticulously inspected the spear, his fingers tracing its smooth shaft and the head. He searched for any hidden compartments or concealed mechanisms but found none. Puzzlement crept onto his face as he rotated the weapon, hoping to unveil its secret, but it remained an exquisitely crafted yet seemingly ordinary spear.

He looked back at Rain, his expression conveying his inability to uncover the weapon's mysterious power. It appeared that the spear's true nature was hidden beneath its elegant exterior, leaving them with more questions than answers.

"A red crystal, huh?" Branden asked. "I wasn't expecting something like that."

"The interior was filled with blood, but the crystal itself wasn't made of glass, it was some other material," Rain added. "The crystal was round, the same shape of the barrier and the hole that appeared on the ground when it was destroyed."

"I guess it was some sort of material that worked to amplify the mana in the blood," Branden said when they arrived outside. "That bastard knows a lot and has too many resources… or maybe it was something he made by cooperating with the king."

Outside the house, the others were taken aback when they heard Branden's usually composed demeanor break, replaced by an uncharacteristic string of curses. The intensity of the situation seemed to have shaken even his stoic facade. Rain looked around the area and noticed the conspicuous absence of his father and grandfather.

"Your Dad and my father went to guide the beast people to the mountains," Leiah explained. "The trip shouldn't last long."

"I am a bit worried since they had plenty of demi-humans there. While they have the blood of the beast people, I am not sure if all of them will be welcomed," Rain said. "At this point in time, this isn't my problem, but I think that it will cause some problems in the long run."

"You shouldn't think like that. You have to stay positive," Leiah said. "You will get wrinkles at a very young age if you worry so much."

"I guess so… we need the help of someone who can analyze and make relics to understand the spear," Rain said. "Lotto is the only one I know that can do that."

"We have people that can do that. They won't like to do it since that spear has an ominous aura, but Father will be interested in learning more about the anti-magic substance," Seadir said.

"All right, I leave this to you guys then," Rain said and then passed the spear. "I am going to depart tomorrow to check things in the frontlines. You need to stay here with Esmeralda, right?"

"Yes, but it will be hard to convince Karla and Cor to come with you without some sort of proof that I am on your side," Branden said and then rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I will see what I can do about that until tomorrow."

After that, the group split. Jori and the others went to check the waterway alongside Orcis and Lorene. Those two didn't have many combat abilities, but they wanted to help in some way. Branden kept thinking about the problem in order not to let dark thoughts cover his mind, and Rain decided to rest as much as possible since he didn't know when he would return after checking the front lines.

When Rain woke up, Terra and the girls were still treating Esmeralda… while he had no idea what they were doing, he could think of a few things. Just like he told Branden, healing Esmeralda as much as possible would fight the poison effects and keep the body active, two ways to make her stay healthy.

After that, they will have to think of ways to deal with the poison, and that was the tricky part, even for Rain… maybe it wouldn't be so tricky if he had used his healing magics more and studied them as well.

In the end, Rain tried to sleep for a bit more at night, but he had recovered already. He used Limit Breaker for a long time, but the damage that he suffered wasn't that high.

In any case, when the sun was rising, Rain began to prepare to leave, but there were no signs of Roan and Meiro returning… Thanks to that, he got worried enough to go and check them, but he didn't have to go far to find them returning to the village and with everyone… Roan was covered in cuts, too.