Way of the Knights

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"Ancestor Zeus only used this brush to create his decrees and increase his mental performance. The others who picked this thing did the same but failed. However in your hands, it's as if the Brush of Wisdom became something else entirely." Lady Emma commented as she too marveled at the things Raven displayed using the brush. 

"Not bad at all!" The Sect Master praised while looking at Raven. 

Raven nodded and dispersed the things he create using the technique. He then kept the Brush of Wisdom away. 

*Dong!* *Dong!*

Everyone in the Storm Dweller's Peak were alarmed by the sudden gongs sounding nearby. They looked over towards the source of the sound which was coming from the front yard of the abode. 

"That's our cue." The Sect Master stood up along with Alwina and Fallon. He then looked at Raven and said: "Come, let's go to the place where I'll be needing your assistance."

"Right." Raven nodded and stood up as well. 

The Sect Master looked over to the Grand Elder and said: "I'll leave this place to you." 

"You sure do love making me a slave. Off you go then." The Grand Elder snorted however the Sect Master only snorted. 

Raven didn't comment on this and just followed behind them. The four of them arrived at the front yard and to Raven's surprise, there is something in there that wasn't there before when he arrived. 

A pulsing, murky brown portal. It oozed with foul and unpleasant aura. Glancing at the people around him, the Sect Master looked impassive but there was a visible gleam on his eyes. Alwina had an expression of sheer disgust and Elder Fallon's face was solemn. 

Raven didn't know what was going on, thankfully the Sect Master was willing to explain it to him. 

"This is a portal that leads toward a very unpleasant place." He said with a deep voice. "Before we enter, remember that you must not venture any further than fifty meters away from us or else, even I wouldn't be able to save you."

"Pay attention to where you step, if you start feeling a bit bad you have to tell us right away. You mustn't delay, got it?" Alwina reminded sternly. 

Raven nodded in agreement and kept their words on his mind. 

The four of them then entered the portal, not before they covered themselves with a protective dome thanks to the Sect Master though.

As soon as they stepped inside the portal, Raven's pupils constricted. 

This passage looks...weird. That might even be an understatement really. 

It's as if they were currently inside of a gigantic being, this place looked like it's intestines. The passage was pulsing erratically, there was puddles of yellowish acidic liquids everywhere and what looks like cysts, could be found everywhere.

Raven's face involuntarily scrunched up. He couldn't be blamed for that. In fact, Alwina herself had a worse expression than his, and she's stronger than him. 

The group continued flying towards this passage. Raven made sure that he doesn't fall behind since he truly wouldn't want to stay in this kind of place. 

"Ugh, why does it needs to be us who goes in here? Seriously, I would much prefer to be buried with paperwork instead of coming here." Alwina whined. 

"Well, that's on you. You agreed with the switch after all." The Sect Master commented. 

"And how am I supposed to know that this was a part of those responsibilities? It's that smelly old man's fault. He's the ultimate con artist." Alwina retorted. 

The Sect Master and his wife continued bickering, Raven who was tagging along with them felt a little bit lost on their conversation. 

"I'm sure you've at least read about the life of Ancestor Zeus, yeah?" Elder Fallon said softly beside Raven.

Raven nodded at this so he continued explaining: "The titleholders of 'Chronos' and 'Zeus' are bound to be important figures for the sect. Back at the Ancestral Era (era of the true Zeus), Zeus is the Sect Master. Chronos was nowhere around back then. The inheritors of the title added 'Chronos' since if it weren't for him, Zeus wouldn't become an Immortal."

"The titleholders of 'Chronos' were supposed to be the 'Grand Elder' of the sect. 'Zeus' on the other hand was originally the 'Sect Master'. It just so happens that during the previous era, when it comes to contributions and image itself, the titleholder of 'Chronos' was more impactful and prominent instead of 'Zeus' therefore they switched positions."

"Once the current era arrived, Grand Elder Gin and Sect Master Lucas had decided to continue this trend. It's not the matter of power, it's just decided over some food and wine." Elder Fallon explained, chuckling lightly at the simplicity of the matter. 

"I see." Raven mumbled to himself. 

'Yeah, how can I forget. Even back then, Divinity Realm Experts were always eccentrics.' Raven thought inwardly. 

"Heads-up, we're nearly there." The Sect Master announced, waking up Raven from his reverie. 

Raven stared ahead and saw that the opposite end of the portal was near. He threw all unnecessary thoughts at the back of his head and focused on the present. 

Without stopping, the group charged out of the portal. 

Raven's vision blurred but it didn't take long before it recovered. Once his vision returned, he gaped at the sight in front of him. 

There were Red Spider Lilies everywhere. It was legitimately covering every inch of this land. Raven frowned as he could hear some faint whispers in his ears, it sounded near yet far at the same time. It also didn't help that even though the seemingly boundless Red Spider Lilies were somewhat a pretty sight, there is a strong eerie vibe that filled this place. 

"Remember what we told you before." Elder Fallon reminded. "Stay close and report if you start feeling a bit strange."

"Uh...well I do kind of feel strange already." Raven said with an uncertain tone. 

"Eh? That was fast? Quick, what do you feel?" Elder Fallon asked. 

Raven frowned and said: "Creeped out. I feel very, very creeped out. It's as if someone or something was staring at me as if I'm naked. I can also hear some faint whispers but I don't know where they're coming from, I don't know what they're trying to tell me." 

"Shit!" Elder Fallon cursed which surprised Raven. "It's even worse than we thought, what do we do Sect Master?"

He then looked at the Sect Master who's face became a bit solemn after hearing Raven's report. 

"Let's continue moving forward. 9th, if there are any changes in the overall vibe of this place. You must inform us, okay?" The Sect Master stated. 

"Yes, Sect Master." Raven nodded. 

And just like that, the group continued flying above the endless field of Red Spider Lilies. 

"Ah, right! Pay attention to your altitude. Make sure you don't touch the spider lilies. We don't want to unnecessarily alarm some of the slumbering things here." Alwina reminded Raven. 

"Got it." Raven nodded.  action

After that, the group continued moving towards east. Raven made sure to follow their instructions and keep monitoring the 'vibe' as the Sect Master ordered. 

They flew a couple hundred meters when all of a sudden...

"I can hear something." Raven declared softly which caused everyone to halt. The Sect Master instantly looked at him. "It's incoherent but I can make out some words spoken in Devil's Tongue. 'Damned Seal', 'curse aboriginals', 'Revenge', 'Destroy', 'Free'. There are more but it's faint for me to understand."

"It's already at that stage!?" Alwina exclaimed, her eyes flared with a silvery light for a bit before fading away. 

"How about you? Do you feel fine or..."

"I can feel some uh...intents, will? Something like that, trying to influence me. There are four which I can faintly feel. I'm not sure if this the accurate way to describe it but...one feels like it seeks indiscriminate destruction, one felt disgusting, one felt...complicated? And the last one felt like death itself. What's going on?"

"War, Famine, Conquest and Death...shit! It's even worse that what was reported. We have to hurry! We don't have much time!" Elder Fallon was visibly panicking. 

Raven could feel the severity of the situation but he was clueless as to what was going on. He didn't even know why he's here yet since the Sect Master didn't inform him yet. However, he could tell that he's about to encounter something really nasty...

The protective dome around them became thicker thanks to the Sect Master's actions. He looked at Raven and said: "We're going to go fast, pay attention while we carry your forward. From here on out, it'll get more uncomfortable so guard your mind and strengthen your Will."

"Whatever happens, you must remain awake. Understood?" 

"Yes, Sect Master." Raven nodded. Afterwards, the group then flew like a flash of light towards east. Raven was being carried but he still made sure keep his altitude in check. 

The surroundings became a blur due to their speed but it didn't take long before they stopped and Raven saw what this unending fields of spider lilies were hiding.

"The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse."