Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix

Despite the victory achieved against the dragons, the prevailing sentiment on the island was not one of happiness. The aftermath of a war often carries a heavy emotional toll that tempers any immediate celebrations. The cost of victory was steep, and the scars left by the conflict ran deep within the hearts of the survivors. Amidst the relief of overcoming the dragons, there lingered an overwhelming sense of loss and mourning. Each person who emerged from the conflict alive bore the weight of numerous losses, friends, family, and comrades who had fought alongside them but didn't survive the battle. Their absence echoed loudly in the hearts of those who remained. The price of victory was counted not just in the physical destruction wrought upon the land but also in the shattered lives and irreplaceable losses suffered by the community. The joy of success was overshadowed by the grief and the somber realization that their triumph came at a significant cost. For many, the victory celebration was subdued, marked by moments of reflection and remembrance rather than exuberant revelry. It was a time to honor the fallen, to hold on to their memories, and to cherish the sacrifices made in the pursuit of peace, acknowledging that even in victory, the scars of war are etched deeply into the fabric of their lives. "This is one of the reasons I don't want to lead any arms anymore, and being stealthy is better," Rain thought while he was helping move those who had fallen. "Still, I am worried about Sealyn… she is stubborn like her mother, so she probably will insist on leading the sea folk until they are finally back to their lands or until they are all dead." The plan of the dragons was to weaken the demi-humans and the sea folk with the cold and the help of the ice dragons, but that didn't end well since, thanks to Rain's plan, they went all out from the beginning, without caring for the dangers. That kind of thing would bother anyone's mind when it comes to those who lead… Rain was worried because the options for Sealyn were bad… Sealyn could either become completely unfazed by the deaths of her underlings or let their deaths get on her mind for a while… None of them were truly good. "I guess my only option is to decrease her workload… the ice dragons are their worst enemies, and I will become the worst enemy of the ice dragons," Rain thought. The clean-up took around five days. During that time, Rain's shield and armor drained a lot of the blood from the water, and he also used some of the materials to unlock the level cap of several skills. Level 1: Aquatic Novice (101) Begin your journey as a fledgling Aquamancer. Gain a 5% boost to your water-based abilities. Level 5: Fluid Manipulation (102) Improve drastically your control over water, allowing you to shape it with precision for both offense and defense, you gain ten percent extra control per level. Level 1: Frostbite (103) - As an Ice Mage, you learn to infuse your spells with the chilling power of Frostbite. They will cause damage over time of the same level of the skill per second for ten seconds and slow them down. "They will come in handy against the fire Dragons… whatever the hell they are," Rain said. "What will?" Seara suddenly asked. "Nothing important," Rain replied when he turned around and saw Seara approaching the cliff that he was. "How is Sealyn?" "She is keeping herself busy. She is also talking a lot with the guys who call the shots on the Island," Seara replied. "Before you say anything, I know, but she is determined to follow this path." "I guess there is nothing for me to say here, then…" Rain said while rubbing his eyes. "Anyway, did you learn anything new?" Seara asked. "You captured Iori, right?" "He already confirmed what I was suspecting. He is being strangely cooperative," Rain said. "For now, he isn't causing problems, but he will behave even more once I find the means to keep on the line with fear alone." "What about the other things?" Seara asked. "It will take a while to learn anything, and I was thinking of moving on with my search," Rain said. "While I am wearing this armor, you guys keep coming at me, and people are starting to ask questions." "I see… so, the plan of reuniting everyone still isn't going to happen?" Seara asked. "Not until I have some more answers," Rain shook his head. The issue now was the fact that the sea folk sooner or later would try to reclaim the underwater capital. The place should be covered in dust and ice after this long, but cleaning up will be easy. The real issue will be to reallocate everyone and then protect the land against the ice dragons… those guys can kill all of them while keeping their distance, after all. "Try not to return only when we need help," Seara said. "You should also say bye to everyone. Everyone except Isa." "Where is my goodbye kiss?" Rain asked. "You will receive one when you return when things aren't only getting dangerous," Seara said while moving away and waving her hand. Rain smiled and then felt a bit guilty… while he was working during that week. He took a few glimpses at Nigel's memories, so he lied to Seara since he wanted to avoid making her worry… in any case, the memories only showed depressing stuff. In any case, Rain went to talk to everyone while he wondered what he should do… Seadrei, Seadir… Van ran away from him when he got closer, showing a cold smile. The most difficult bye to say, as expected, had been Sealyn… she forced a smile and hugged him as well, but she was lost in thought and lacked her usual energy… Rain couldn't blame her. Half of the forces of the sea folk were lost in that battle, after all.