Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix

It seemed that the war was finally over, but no one got the closure that they truly wanted… that abrupt end only left everyone more shocked than anything.

That night, the magic people were called by Seadrei to see the scene where the king died, and while at first, they thought that it was an act, they soon realized that his earth-shattering bloodlust couldn't be fake… the sea emperor wouldn't have any reason to lie after being controlled and humiliated like that.

"... In the end, you surprised me once more, Father," Esmeralda said when she finally was able to see the body of the king. "I didn't think that you would start this pointless war, and I never imagined that you would end your life like this… I can't even bother to ask if you are satisfied."

Esmeralda looked like she had aged a few years in the last few hours… she couldn't understand anything anymore. Now, her mother and little brother have gone missing, and she had a kingdom to rebuild and repair. Considering the end of the war, it wouldn't be weird if the sea folk or the magic people started another war to get the closure that they wanted.

All those worries will make her age a lot faster…

Branden was as much as astonished as Esmeralda… too many things happened too fast lately, and that abrupt end only made him feel like he had lost the ground under his feet.

Although it took a while, Rain eventually handcuffed all the enemies with earth magic. They were as hard as his weights, so one wouldn't be able to destroy them soon or without making any noise.

"What now?" Josar asked with his eyebrows raised. "We suffered far too many losses to let things end like this."

"The king forced all those involved with Joanis to explode. That was already confirmed," Rain explained. "If you want to kill someone, we can give you the royal guards but no one else."

Josar had a hard time controlling his anger… all that was pointless. Just killing all the prisoners was the only logical solution, but he couldn't back down on their agreement. Even the sea emperor was pissed, and he knew that more bloodshed wouldn't change a single thing…

"What about their relics and research?" Josar asked. "We found vestiges of a giant red crystal under the king's house here, but it was shattered and not working. He also had an amulet with him that probably created the anti-physical attacks barrier was destroyed, too. We can give you half of those, but we aren't expecting much from all that.

We will investigate all the resources that Joanis had and keep you informed if we find something.

Josar and the other council members found that hard to believe since such technology would make anyone incredibly stronger… the magic people were the ones who would benefit the most as well. Still, they could only hope that Rain would keep his word… until now, he never lied, after all.

In the end, Josar and the others decided not to kill or demand the royal guards, all in order to make Rain feel compelled to fulfill his part of the bargain later… the clean up job took several days even though they had a lot of magic on their side…. the area around the city had basically been completely destroyed, after all. Everyone was surprised that all that chaos didn't attract the dragons…

The leaders of both sides met several times at dinner to talk about what would happen, but neither of them felt like talking… Esmeralda was worn out, and the sea emperor wanted to kill Joanis and the king, while Josar and the council members felt like they barely had the chance to retaliate in the war. Everyone was confused, but they had to move on with their lives…

"Guys, I think I am pregnant, and since we have been planning to take some time off adventuring, we are going to live somewhere else for a while," Reca suddenly dropped her bomb.

That changed the mood, if anything… to the point that Jori passed out after his eyes were opened widely and then turned out. Rain wondered what that guy was thinking… if you do the deed, then that was bound to happen.

"Congratulations!" Asche said while smiling. "You have a lot of work ahead of you with that guy."

"Congratulations, Reca," Terra said while smiling. "Children are a blessing, I am sure you will be a good mother. Just try not to be so harsh and skip a few steps on the journey since you are the type that rushes ahead."

All the girls in the group congratulated her, and they tried to avoid Rain's gaze… he wanted to ask them why they were pretending that they didn't know, but it was better not to ruin the moment. At least that bomb dropped lifted the spirits of the group a fair bit, but the night was far from over.

"Although things in this war ended like this which is a bit unsatisfactory, things could have been far worse," Seadrei said. "The main reason for that is Rain's hard work and ingenuity… you also helped us freeing my brethren and tending their tired bodies and wounds."

"Nah, it is fine, you don't have to thank me, it was a team effort," Rain said. "But if you insist on rewarding me with something, the original coral spear will do the trick."

"... That is impossible, only the sea emperor can use this spear," Seadrei said. "You are a human, and while you are a friend and an ally, you cannot become the next sea emperor. I am too young to give my throne to the next generation as well."

That certainly wasn't the case, given that he was five hundred years old, but Rain didn't say that.

"Still… with the right bloodline, your descendants could become the next ruler, as such, I am giving you the chance to join our family," Seadrei said.