Chapter 555

"Wow, that's new . "

The bard commented as he watched Zodiak demonstrate his new abilities . There were dozens of black talisman circling around him, all emitting a devilish fog that polluted the air . He tried hitting a normal tree with a talisman and the result was shocking .

The whole tree along with the vegetation surrounding it was consumed by the seemingly sentient darkness, leaving nothing but a permanent black fog in its place . In addition to this, Zodiak gained a new, unexpected ability, it was the power to summon undead . Although he could only bring simple skeletons with blackened bones, it was still a frightening ability . Surely, there was other things Zodiak obtained but wasn't openly showing them, considering them as trump cards . Something used as a last resort .

After what the two had done next to the city, the duo were branded as criminals and the authorities are definitely searching for them which rendered them unable to go back to Claud . They didn't know much about the machines used by the scientist and trying to bypass their detection could be dangerous, perhaps even suicidal .

As Zodiak and Aneirin were on the run, things became heated back in the city . Claud caused a ruckus while trying to convince the council of the incoming disasters . Due to being ignored or ridiculed by his peers, Claud ended up blurting about his ability which caused him to be locked up in a tightly guarded prison though it's not like he can escape .

Normally, he'd have been executed but since he contributed very much to the society, they only imprisoned him, for the time being, at least . However, what he was unaware of is that his wife, Angel, got involved and was actually executed . They accused her of being an accomplice to a mage and, without even a trial, she was sentenced to death .

Claud Venice learned of the truth only from the mouth of a recent inmate and this caused him to almost go insane . His mind became twisted and his hatred grew endlessly as they didn't only kill his wife but his two-year-old girl, who was nothing but an innocent newborn .

For days, he hysterically shouted, cursed and swore to exact revenge on the council, however, it didn't look like he'll be left alive any longer . It happened on the day of his execution, exactly when he was being led by the guards the ground shook and the walls were pulled by a monstrous force . When everyone realized what's happening, it was far too late as the whole city was obliterated . The cause of this? A tornado that was three to four times bigger than the city, it demolished everything in its way and didn't discriminate between a scientist or a beggar .

Even the chained Claud wasn't spared, his body was sent in the air, like a feather guided by the unstoppable winds that whistled and destroyed all in its path . It didn't take long for the human scientist to fall unconscious, waking up only days later, a couple of miles away from the city, which didn't look one after the tornado struck .

With a dizzy mind, the man sat up and touched his aching head . The foul stench of blood assaulted his nose and its dry sensation could be sensed on his hair, indicating that the injury he got wasn't light . Miraculously, he had no broken bones, nevertheless, he didn't feel the least bit relieved . He already lost everything and the only joy he felt was from seeing the demolished city, which lacked its majestic aura .

The sky-high building, tall and well-built towers along with the thick walls all vanished, leaving nothing but large debris and countless lifeless bodies . Claud didn't know what exactly happened to his ability but it apparently mutated after his breakdown, causing him to predict almost everything he touches . He would see how even the grass around him will end, which caused him to because mentally unstable .

Angel never ceased telling him that every life is precious and not all people are evil so he embarked on a journey to warn the rest of the world about the rest of the disasters, which are no less dangerous than the terrifying tornado . In his slow and treacherous journey, he would get visions about the man named Arthur and they were vivid, too realistic to even consider them dreams .

He saw an army of undead marching toward the unknown, a battle against four massive beasts, and how things proceeded in Riarravar .

"No, this cannot be the end . Angel, I will find you . "

It was only a year later that Claud decided to take his own life after properly burying his wife and daughter . No matter how much he tried to persuade the stubborn fools, they didn't believe him and tried to apprehend him . They deemed the tornado as an unpredictable natural disaster and didn't think something like that would happen twice in such a short time .

Unfortunately, they were wrong . Intense earthquake struck half of the planet, splitting the earth and devouring cities . The population was decreasing at an alarming rate and the disasters were getting more frequent and violent . No one knew why they happened and they didn't care, they only wanted to flee and survive .

It was then that the remaining leader started searching for the missing Claud, calling him the Prophecy Holder and seeking his urgent and needed help . Sadly, Claud was long dead, and their efforts were pointless .

Meanwhile, Zodiak and Aneirin were stuck in some sort of illusion, or so they thought . In reality, when traveling to the past, especially through means like the Well of the Lost, there's a boundary and you can't really go anywhere you want .

The two couldn't even go back to the city, they kept walking in a circle, always returning to the same place, a deserted green hill with a lonesome tree at the top .

"I'm tired of this shitty place!"

The troubadour threw his instruments on the ground and sat, his chest going up and down due to hyperventilation caused by his rising tension . He wouldn't react like this if they were stuck for days or weeks but it's been a whole year and they're still going around . The animals they kill will spawn again and the anything destroyed will recover the next day, it was a situation worse than hell .

"If the past is guided us here then there should be something we're supposed to witness . "

Zodiak remained calm as he sat next to his friend and played with a black talisman, clearly as bored as the bard .