Kroaarrr!
A massive humanoid winged creature unleashed a thunderous chirp, opening its beak at the sky as the mere sound caused ripples to form on the streamlined flow of the waterfall before it.
It was the Garuda.
But, the Invoked Spirit wasn't Fenn's but Larna's, for she had just become a Common Invoker. The Garuda flapped its wings and blasted into the waterfall, slamming into the hard rock behind to crack it casually, its power terrifying.
It then took flight, swerving in the air rapidly to sway around like a leaf as it vanished from sight in a matter of seconds. But soon after, it returned, landing on the ground with a resounding thud.
"Huff…haah…" Larna panted in excitement, wiping out the sweat on her forehead as she retracted her Invoked Spirit and stared at Fenn, "The jump in my Mental Strength from an Inferior Invoker to a Common Invoker is enormous."
"Yep," Fenn nodded, "The jump in strength is even higher once you become a Superior Invoker. You'll also be able to create an egg after that."
"I understand." Larna nodded, taking in a deep breath to calm herself.
The duo then returned to the village that had developed significantly as compared to before. First of all, the people were fully subservient, like servants, wishing to do nothing but serve the Invokers better.
After all, they had witnessed the Garuda's strength time and again, understanding the sheer power they could grasp as long as they gained Fenn's favour.
And hence, they submitted to Fenn's rule wholeheartedly. With their support, Fenn began to raid the nearby villages, kidnapping everyone from there overnight.
None could resist the might of his Garuda, as the moment it made its appearance, all rebellion was culled. Suppressed by fear, the villagers were tied up and carried into the forest by his people.
And of course, they were all killed one after another to harvest their Mental Fragments, allowing Fenn and Larna to develop at a rapid pace.
Fenn had only created one egg to date, and that was for Larna. The stronger he grew as a Superior Invoker, and having fully assimilated with the Spirit Morph Crystal, Fenn was gradually able to understand one's potential in developing and using the Garuda.
The rest of his eight wives proved lacking, as it seemed their chances of becoming Superior Invokers were nil. It had to be noted that only a Superior Invoker could produce the egg that would birth another Garuda.
This meant that every time someone didn't become a Superior Invoker, it was a loss of an egg and a direct blow to their growth in terms of Invoker numbers.
Once she reached the Superior Invoker Stage, Larna would be able to create two eggs. This meant that for their numbers to grow, those that she picked should be able to become Superior Invokers.
Otherwise, it would result in a vicious cycle that would cause the Garuda to go extinct within three generations.
Since Fenn's wives didn't have a solid enough potential, he refrained from using his precious eggs on them. He could only create three after all.
So, his current goal was to first become an Ascender. He had already begun preparations for that.
It had been a year since he arrived at this secluded village in the middle of a vast forest, having grown a lot, both mentally and as an Invoker.
"Is it today?" Larna asked in concern upon noticing Fenn's grin. "You're not nervous?"
"I needn't be." Fenn smiled in response, "I'm sure that my breakthrough would be successful. My current Mental Strength is almost ten times a regular Superior Invoker. So, I'm assured of my success."
The Spirit Morph Crystal truly helped him tremendously in that regard, developing his powers in all formats. That resulted in his Mental Strength surpassing the level of Invokers already.
"Let's have some evening tea now." Fenn said, locking hands with Larna as the two made their way to their house, "I'll begin my breakthrough after that."
Kieee!
His footsteps came to a sudden halt upon hearing the familiar sound as he stared at the sky, "Impossible! Did the Lan Clan find me?"
"Go, hide in the basement." He stared at Larna in all seriousness, whispering in the end, "If something happens to me, escape through the underground tunnel."
"No, I'll stay here and fight with you." Larna protested.
"Remember that it's not just for yourself." Fenn glared at her, "For our child too."
"…" Larna closed her eyes, taking in deep breaths as she controlled her urge to cry before rushing into the underground tunnel. It was something dug under their house, the route leading into the mountain nearby.
This way, in the case of an emergency, Larna could escape. Fenn's goal was only to ensure Larna's survival, not anyone else.
After all, in their entire village, only she had the potential to become a Superior Invoker and go beyond. So, she was important to him.
Besides, the current him was confident in facing anyone below the Ascender Stage and winning easily. The reason he told Larna to flee was that she wasn't yet experienced in fighting Invokers.
So, he didn't want to implicate her.
Fenn had no plans of dying either. If in the case he failed to defeat his enemies, he would simply flee. As Larna had already escaped, he could track her down later and rejoin her.
They could restart their lives somewhere else. After all, they only needed human Mental Fragments. With the method of propagation of the Garuda, they could form an elite unit anywhere they please in the world.
After all considerations, Fenn stared at the sky, observing a large metallic eagle come into view, shocking him, for he recognised it.
'Wait, why is it this advanced now?' He was shocked upon noticing the dense packing of Mental Fragments in its construction. It meant that Duketace had reached a staggering level of cultivation, which confused him, for, in his mind, his father couldn't even break past the Common Invoker Stage.
"It seems something has happened." He muttered upon seeing the eagle hover five metres above him before it landed on the ground, vanishing to reveal the figure of Duketace and him alone.
Held in his hands was a cube that resembled a tool created by a Human Invoker.
"Dad?" Fenn asked in surprise, "You're fine?"
"Yeah," Duketace nodded casually as he looked around, "You're living…here?"
He stared at the buildings, smacking his lips in distaste to comment, "I must say I'm…disappointed."
"What?" Veins popped on Fenn's forehead at the words, "What the heck do you mean by that, dad? What is wrong with this place?"
"It's not a place fit for someone with ambition, just that." Duketace said, shrugging as he revealed a shocking fact, "Once I broke past my limits, I visited Kowla and your mother, you see."
"And they're faring better than you, by a large margin at that." Duketace let out a sigh of disappointment.
"I know mom will do better since she is strong and smart. But you say Kowla is doing better than me? That brat?" Fenn glared in anger, "Don't piss me off any further, dad."
"I have no reason to lie, do I." Duketace shrugged, "Kowla has already become an Ascender."
"What?" At that point, Fenn was unable to control his shock, "H-How is that possible? Where did she even get that many Eagle Mental Fragments in the first place?"
"She stole them from the Lan Clan." Duketace said, "She has a method of controlling the eagles, just like the Lan Clan Head."
"Dammit," Fenn grunted in anger at the fact that Kowla had achieved it before him. He then asked, "So, what about mother?"
"Oh, she's an Ascender too." Duketace said as a matter of fact, "Moreover, Sturrala has created a powerful Clan that she rules over now. They have more than a hundred Invokers and are growing at a terrifying pace."
"And yes, your sister and mother are cooperating." Duketace said, grinning as he pointed at himself, "They sold the Eagle Mental Fragments to me for cheap and even helped me grow stronger."
"Are you…" Fenn's eyes widened in shock as he stared at Duketace, one on whose back a pair of wings formed. It was the Lan Clan Head's signature move.
"Yep, I'm an Ascender too." Duketace grinned, watching Fenn collapse to the ground in shock as he mocked, "Everyone in our family has become an Ascender except you. We all are living lives of luxury. But what about you? You're living in wooden huts among tribals and don't even have a force to your name."
"Just what did you do over the past year, huh?"
"Stop!" Fenn bellowed in rage, glaring at Duketace, "Have you come here just to mock me?"
"Yup," Duketace nodded, patting the cube once.
Only then did Fenn's attention fall on the cube, feeling an eerie feeling from that as he asked, noticing only after he spoke that his voice seemed to be trembling, "W-What is that?"
"My master." Duketace smiled as immediately, the cube exploded into millions of cords that expanded in every direction, with a good fraction of them slamming into Fenn.
"Shit!" Fenn summoned his Garuda, shocked when the strings pierced through Garuda's tough form. But an instant later, he was startled to see that he couldn't make the Garuda move anymore, only then observing that he was surrounded by mist.
And emerging from the mist was a strange thread that bulged into a tentacle, the tip of which transformed into a mouth that stopped before his ear to speak…
[Disaster, prone by chaos. In its wake, I awaken.]
Forbidden Tale!
