Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix

"... I see… all this happened, huh?" Branden said and then sighed. "His Majesty didn't even meet me. Revan came to talk with me a few times, but only to ask if I changed my mind."

"What about Esmeralda?" Rain asked.

"I don't think that she agrees with her father… but maybe my opinion is too biased," Branden said and then sighed.

"We can always ask her directly," Rain shrugged once he checked his hands, and he confirmed that they were mostly fine. "What is the supposed kidnapping of a princess compared to rebelling against the king?"

"That won't be easy…" Branden said while rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "I am starting to understand Joanis now, and it won't surprise me if the king and his family are out of the capital already and moving in incognito since they know that you can find them anywhere."

"When I used the rain to locate you three, I found several points in the kingdom that blocked my magic," Rain added. "Some of them were in the middle of nowhere, so that could be the case… it will be annoying if the Joanis already produced a relic or something similar that can erase their magic presence."

That kind of tool would be perfect for assassins… that was one of the reasons Rain was so worried about staying away from home for too long.

In any case, when morning came, the group was ready to depart. Orcis knew how to sail, and the group was able to move without any problems. As soon as they departed, Rain filled his belly with some bread. Even though it was hard and cold, it helped him relax and then fall asleep soon afterward.

When Rain woke up, it was already night… he didn't realize that he was that exhausted. Still, fortunately, the trip had been pretty calm since the sea folk used their magic to speed things up by controlling the waves.

"Head wast," Rain declared. "We will use the waterway that we made since there are no other places that we can go to stop… anyway, what are everyone going to do? Seadrei will welcome his people, but we don't have time to send everyone to their homes."

"We should wait for a while longer since we don't know what will happen now… we also need to check things at the border," Branden replied. "The magic people will probably welcome their people too, but that might give them the reason to stop fighting the dragons and face the humans alone."

"I wonder if things will be that easy…" Rain furrowed his eyebrows.

"The dragons aren't taking them seriously. They only sent the young ones to gain experience," Branden explained. "While they might lose some of their territory, if they focus all of their resources on fighting against the humans, they will think that they can win the war fast enough. Even more so if they know about you."

"What about the anti-magic substance?" Rain asked. "They might think that they can win, but soon they will change their minds and see themselves surrounded."

Branden could only nod… things were turning quite grim. All the hard work they put into the truce was being rendered useless thanks to the king's arrogance and Joanis' lack of decency.

Regardless, thanks to the help of the sea folk, the group reached the waterway in two days, and while Rain thought that they would have to land there, he found Seadir and others there, and they had increased the size of the waterway, too… the ship could cross it.

"It seems that you succeeded," Seadir said when he suddenly jumped from the water and landed on the deck. "And you also found a lot more people."

"Nothing happened while I was away?" Rain asked.

"Nothing dangerous, but some troublesome things happened…" Seadir said while looking at the beastmen and women on the deck. "Some of the beastmen had been checking things in the area beyond the mountains… it seems that they are already aware of the situation regarding your country… and their presence will complicate things."

Even though Rain and his group aimed to liberate the beast people, they knew that the situation wouldn't be straightforward. Some of the newly freed captives might not immediately accept their freedom and instead hold grievances or doubts towards humans due to their time in captivity.

This could potentially lead to conflicts or even aggression against them, adding further complications to an already delicate scenario.

In essence, the ongoing battle had evolved into a multifaceted struggle involving four main factions. It could even be considered as five factions, given the division within the human groups. Successfully navigating this intricate web of allegiances and tensions required careful planning and a deep understanding of the motivations and reactions of each faction involved.

"I will deal with it in one way or the other," Rain said.

One day later, Rain found his friends in the middle of the waterway, and half a day later, they were back at home. Roan and his sisters stayed behind because they didn't know what the beast people were planning to do, and someone had to defend the farms in case that happened. In any case, the whole group soon had a meeting to talk about what they should do.

They also called representatives of each group of prisoners to ask them what they wanted to do. The sea folk had already been freed, so Seadir was in their place.

"Well then, it is time to decide our next moves," Rain said.

"The main priorities now are to check things with Esmeralda and see if she is willing to leave her family and come with Branden," Rain said. "Aside from that, we have to check the border and gather Intel about the situation there."

"What about convincing the King's Blade to join us?" Jori asked.

Everyone nodded since that seemed the most optimal choice, but they didn't consider one very troublesome possibility. One that could be their downfall...