Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix

The aftermath of the tremors had calmed, allowing the skies to regain their blue color after the dust was pushed away. But as everyone shifted their attention to the horizon, a vivid red glow began to paint the skyline. It was an intense, fiery hue that stood out starkly against the previously peaceful tone… that wasn't a good sign.

The glow was ominous, hinting at a massive explosion or some cataclysmic event within the magic people's territory. This sudden and alarming change in the horizon stirred worries and uncertainty among those who witnessed it, creating an unsettling atmosphere.

A couple of hours later, Artisia and her squad arrived in the capital while riding the sea dragon. They sure looked nervous, as if they had seen something insane. It took a couple of minutes for them to calm down, a bunch of cups of water as well.

"Master…" Artisia said while her face was blue, that was the max amount of emotion she had ever shown so far.

"Just tell us straight what you saw," Rain said. "They aren't here yet, so you don't have to worry about them."

"A red dragon… that looked like a volcano… exploded itself and destroyed the capital of the magic people…" Artisia said. "The explosion created a massive crater and cracks spread around their country. The shockwave destroyed most of their towers and their barriers disappeared as well."

"... It must have been a meteor dragon," Rain furrowed his eyebrows. "They finally decided to use those to finish the war… they are probably using the fire and wind dragons as well."

"What about the magic people?" Branden asked.

"We saw some of them heading south and escaping once most of their forces were decimated in the explosion," Artisia said. "Their numbers weren't that high… I would say that most of them died over the war in the last few days."

"Do you think that the council went down with them?" Branden asked.

"There is also the matter that their helper decided to fight until now," Esmeralda asked.

"Unlikely, they should have escaped before that happened," Rain said. "Their helper is no ally to the dragons, but he wouldn't risk everything on this. The sins are powerful when used alongside magic, but they make people become monsters in essence. That is why the dragons see themselves as a better species than all the others. They probably consider themselves the only real species here."

From their point of view, one could assume that they wanted to kill all the other species that could threaten their rule… they couldn't prevent the demi-humans from rising and defeating them once, but they learned their lessons… after seeing the magic people, the beast people, and the humans obtaining power to kill them like never before, they decided to make their move.

"... It is time to put everyone on guard near the walls. Seventy percent of them should remain stationary on the western side, and that can change as the battle starts," Branden said. "Karla, I want you to lead the mages and make them move to determined areas on the walls when the fight starts.

We will make them attack the largest groups of dragons with the right element to slow them down while the giant crossbows do their job."

"Yes sir," Karla said and soon left.

"Cor should keep the raging phoenix ready to face any kind of enemy that gets too close to the walls," Branden added. "Rain and the other leaders of the raging phoenix should fight freely. We will trust your judgment to cause as much damage as possible to the enemies. Just focus solely on that."

Everyone nodded and then they went to the walls… while he was waiting, Rain decided to make some more rings for his Dad and sisters, Asche and Liss also needed some. In the end, he made just one that would help their attack powers and all the others to keep their minds on the state of meditation.

"You can use all the other potions," Rain said to Terra. "This won't be a war of attrition and I don't think that this will last for long. So, don't hold back on their use."

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"I can use the lower-level ones. You will need the others," Terra said.

"You can only drink so much without the potions harming you," Rain said. "I will make some rings with the blood of the dragons to help me with that as we fight, don't worry about it."

"Rain, come here," Roan said and moved away from the others for a bit and Rain followed him. "I know that this is a stupid question at a situation like this, but is there something troubling you?"

"... I guess I can be honest with you, Dad," Rain said. "I am just a bit troubled by my own choices. I can't explain them yet, but they cause more harm than help… but I don't want to lose everything we obtained until now and that may cause a lot of suffering."

"I trust your judgment. I know that you wouldn't do anything bad against others… as long as you don't cause harm directly to the others, you can't feel bad for their suffering," Roan said. "Besides, you should take pride in knowing that this country could have fallen a lot sooner without you. The peace and prosperity that we had over a decade is highly thanks to you as well.

More than anyone else, we owe that much to you. So, we can't blame you for being a bit egotistic now."

"A bit is an understatement…" Rain forced a smile.

Rain didn't know a clear solution to the issue, but he knew one that could solve it with high chances. There were others, but they were beyond his current skill level… as such, the only options that he had were too much for him to shoulder… Rain couldn't share them with anyone and he could only hope that they would understand over the years his choices.