Infinite Realm: Monsters & Legends

Gifts

Anrosh sat behind a desk, again. She followed Ryun heading to war, and somehow she still ended up with a pile of paperwork in front of her.

A short drake walked into the room, carrying another stack of papers. Anrosh narrowed her eyes, and deep growl left her throat. The poor woman froze, her eyes widening as she quickly averted her eyes and stared at the floor.

“What now?” Anrosh asked.

“I have reports and messages from seven more sects,” the Dragon Heart Sect secretary answered in a timid tone of voice.

Anrosh sighed, and gestured for her to leave the papers on the desk. As soon as she did so, the woman ran out of the room.

The fear was to be expected, even if it was annoying. Anrosh had taken over the offices of their late Sect Head, and there was some rumbling at that. Ryun had put her in charge of organizing the sects for a counterattack, and then the bastard left her all alone. The moment he left the other powerful Sect leaders had… things to say. She had to be forceful, to dissuade them of any ideas. Anrosh’s strength had soared far above what most others could even hope to achieve. She was Ryun’s Herald, and her power came straight from him.

Following someone else’s inspiration was looked on as a failure, and in most cases they would be right. Anrosh was fortunate enough that the one who had helped her advance was so far above most others that she had risen above most of them too. The more she learned, the more she suspected that this manner of advancement was intended for situations such as hers. For service to people whose power reached for the Heavens. There were drawbacks, of course. She would never be able to reach beyond him, never be able to gain power that could rival his. It wasn’t such a sacrifice for to her. Ryun was her family, the brother she never had, and being able to keep up and protect their interests, their family was all that she needed.

And she had enough power that she could sit here in the office of one of the most powerful Sects in the world and have the members of that Sect bow and serve her. She had to break a few bones, but in the end there wasn’t anyone present who could rival her. Perhaps if they ganged up on her, but that would be breaking the Sect rules.

She turned her eyes back on the papers on the table and silently cursed Ryun. The bastard had left her to organize hundreds of sects and coordinate a simultaneous attack on the invading force across the entire Sect border—insane. She wasn’t a strategist, or even a tactician, but thankfully there were plenty people in the Sects that she could wrangle to come up with a plan. At least until the people she called from her own sect don’t arrive.

She couldn’t be too mad at him though. She glanced at her hand and with a small effort of will reached out to her soul. The white cracks in her red skin started to glow with an ethereal white-blue light. Frost spread across her skin as the Bearer of Chilling Sorrow answered her call.

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No, she couldn’t stay mad at him. He really knew how to give gifts.

She pushed her spiritual instrument away and turned her focus back to the reports on her desk. The work never stopped.

“What’s that?” Nayra asked as she looked at the strange black orb filled with orange wisps that reminded her of flames. She could feel the Essence within, a deep and powerful source of Deathfire and something else.

“It’s for you. A gift,” Ryun said softly.

He had arrived on the sect borders barely an hour ago, and ordered a full mobilization of her forces. They were to head to the Dragon Heart Sect, and then to the new front after that. She had gathered a lot of their warriors on the Twilight Melody Sect border in preparation for any attacks by the Exalted Empire, and everyone had been itching for a fight. It seemed that they would get what they wanted.

They were a bit away from their forces, in a small clearing.

Nayra raised an eyebrow as she looked at the item he was offering her. It was obviously something very powerful. “What did I do to deserve something like that?” Nayra smiled.

Ryun shrugged. “You’ve always been by my side Nayra, someone I could depend on. This is me showing my appreciation.”

She nodded, their relationship was a long one, enough things had happened that the loyalty between them was one of the strongest bonds in her life. She reached out and took the item in her hands, then her eyes widened.

“The Bearer of Burning Anger?” She asked after she read through the item description, then raised her head to look him in the eyes.

Ryun nodded. “I think that it might suit you.”

She didn’t have the chance to answer as she felt something from the sphere, the orb seemed to wake up, its surface rippling like the surface of water. A wave of perception washed over her, searching, then a sense of acceptance struck her. She felt the presence pull back, dim as if going back to sleep. The sphere started to dissolve, seeping through her skin and into her body, spreading over her. It alarmed her, but the look in Ryun’s eyes told her that there was no cause for fear.

She felt her temperature rise, felt the Essences within her surge. Then the growth spirit instrument touched her Soul. It was a sensation that she hadn’t ever felt before. Power lanced straight through the core of who she was. It was a sensation of purest Death and Fire, of Anger. Memories rose within her, her anger at the world, at the unfairness of everything. Her sister, the hole in her heart where Reyla used to be, now Anger flowed inside of it, filling it.

Black fire exploded around her, her control barely there, her clothes burned to ash in a moment and fire curled around her. She was so angry at everything, thoughts and feelings she hadn’t thought about in years rising back up to the forefront of her thoughts. She was angry at fate, at the world itself, for everything that had happened and the things she had lost. ṚÀɴ∅฿Ё𐌔

She felt power in that anger, but she quickly realized that the anger wasn’t all hers. With an effort of will, she reined it in and her emotions calmed. The fire on her body wrapped itself around her, shrouding her like armor, pieces of it turning solid, looking almost like black glass. Wisps of fire still flickered, but a few pieces on her body were solid.

She felt the power of the instrument, felt the well of Deathfire available to her.

“This is… a great gift,” Nayra said once she recovered from the surprise and the effects the instrument had on her.

Ryun took her in. “I fear that you might need it.”

Nayra sighed, he was probably right. They were going to war after all.

“Thank you,” She said. “I’m sure it’ll be of use.”

He nodded. “Gather our forces and head to Anrosh, we need to hit back as soon as possible.”

“You’re not coming with us?”

“I’ll catch up,” Ryun said as he rose from the ground, stepping on air. “I have a few more things to take care of.”

With that, he vanished, leaving her alone. She shook her head, at least she’ll get to see Anrosh soon. She missed her.

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