The Record of Unusual Creatures

When the old world’s nightmare cleared out, and the dawn came, the real world was ushering in its first sunshine. The storm of Chaos that once sealed off the five continents had retreated to the Sea of Carnos. Even Kanaan, the mysterious realm that had fallen for thousands of years, had resurfaced. Distorted ruins and grotesque landscapes were exposed. The whole world seemed to reveal its real face as if snow melted under the sun.

In the Place of the Golden Roses located in White City, the capital of the Kingdom of Taros, King Rudolph III was listening to the Royal Court Officials’ reports. His two daughters were seated beside him, while Grand Duke Loen sat on a chair not far away.

The optical eclipse phenomenon that plagued one-third of the city did not go away. It seemed that what the scholars said was right: the powerful divine blast had permanently changed the space-time structure around the Sunscorch Tower. Most of the area of the Palace of the Golden Roses was still unsuitable for living. The Royal Family had moved to another location. But before the completion of the big project, the King had to stay back in this palace to perform his duty.

The atmosphere in the palace was solemn as there was an important discussion going on.

General Gloen was speaking, “Your Majesty, news from the borders confirm that the forces of Chaos have completely returned to the Sea of Carnos. It seems the intelligence on the Tides of Chaos stopping prematurely was true.”

“According to historical patterns, each cycle of the Tides of Chaos will normally last for ten years. Even if there are changes, it is very minute. It is the pattern of the Sea of Carnos,” the great scholar Alfred said while holding an ancient scroll in his hands. His voice was not loud but heard throughout the palace with the help of magic. “The premature recession is unbelievable. We have also found many strange changes.”

Rudolph III motioned with his eyes for the great scholar to continued.

“We observed that the forces of Chaos did not stop after retreating into the Sea of Carnos. They continued to weaken and dissipate. Now they are nowhere to be found; in the past, even if the Tides of Chaos ended, we could still detect the power of Chaos in the Sea of Carnos using the magic tower. We have detected several great energy bursts in the Sanctum. During the last energy burst, its barrier reappeared, and the Light of Asurmen was visible in the horizon. Reports from the astrologers mentioned the appearance of a large crack in the sky with starlight flashing and unknown astral phenomenon.”

The three significant pieces of news that the great scholar announced stirred up discussion in the hall. The first two news was easy for the court officials to comprehend, but the fact that after struggling for generations in the nightmares, they would not expect it to be real. The court officials could only hope to gain some positive words and confidence from others.

Rudolph III interrupted the discussion. “Ahem. Scholar, what is your take on these phenomena?”

“Your Majesty, the Chaos is receding in an unprecedented way,” the scholar said. His dim eyes brightened up. “We have reason to see it in a good light—it has completely retreated.”

“Father, I have received a report,” Veronica said while getting to her feet. “Since half a month ago, the followers of the Cult of Armageddon had been going on a rampage in and around the kingdom. But yesterday, their destructive activities suddenly halted, and the cultists mysteriously disappeared as if they had vaporized into thin air. The spies I sent have found evidence of humans goes up in flame spontaneously in the secret ceremony of the cultists. The cultists did not flee. So I suspect that those cultists had disappeared from the world along with the dissipation of the power of Chaos.”

Another round of argument rose in the hall. Rudolph III’s eyes swept across his officials with a heavy heart.

Several nobles were supposed to be present were not at the scene. At least two of the nobility who were not present were related to the Cult of Armageddon.

When thinking of the situation that Veronica mentioned, the face of the old king turned grave.

“Half a month ago, the world of Order was still facing the darkest and most desperate moment, where every kingdom seemed to come to the end of its existence. I really can’t imagine what has terminated the Chaos. What happened to Sanctum?” Grand Duke Loen said.

As soon as the voice of the Grand Duke trailed off, a herald suddenly ran into the hall. Everyone in the hall suddenly quieted down.

It was the king’s herald, who only came into the palace without prior notice in the event of an emergency.

The herald came before the throne and handed a message to Rudolph III, who then glanced over it with a stiff expression on his face.

A commotion rose among the imperial officials. They were curious as to what had caused the king to look that sullen.

“A mass deflagration has happened in Hohenberg. Unknown flames have swallowed up the immediate family of members of the Kant Family, who were held up in various manors waiting for interrogation. The deflagration resembles the outcome of the Light of Order shining on the monsters of Chaos. Also, some members of the Tirian Family, Count Hyson and his immediate descendants, the Viscount Teutoni and some of their immediate descendants, Viscount Kutman, Count Roxon, and the like have all self-ignited.”

Every time the old king mentioned a name, it sounded as if a heavy hammer was hitting the hall. While the officials had roughly guessed the truth, they, especially those who had close contacts with these nobles, were bursting in cold sweat. The phenomenon of self- deflagration of the cultists that Princess Veronica mentioned coincided entirely with the situation at hand.

“The Royal Family will investigate to find out the relationship of these people with the Cult of Armageddon.”

Rudolph III so said. But everyone who was present knew that there was no investigation needed at all.

Some were shocked by the fact that the deep infiltration of the Cult of Armageddon. Other nobles with long heritage or knowledge were not that surprised; they knew that since the record of human civilization, the Cult of Armageddon had tangled and infiltrated the Kingdoms of Order as if the shadows of these civilizations. The top echelon of all the kingdoms had long known the existence of these people and been maintaining a delicate and challenging balance. But even those who knew about this inside information did not anticipate these ‘ghosts’ that had latched on for 10,000 years to disappear just like that.

Was it true that as the great scholar Alfred said, the Chaos had completely receded?

Beside Rudolph III, Veronica and Ania instinctively exchanged a look.

All these things happened after Hao Ren and Lady Gloom left the capital. Could they have something to do with these phenomena?

Just as these thoughts went viral in the hall, another royal herald came through the door.

When the herald in gold and red uniform appeared before the royal officials, the entire chamber became silent.

The herald was holding a crystal that emitted a white glow in his hands. The runes on the crystal exuded strong sacred energy.

The Sacred Stone, a unique spar that the cardinals of Fidelinopolis created using powerful magic, came from the broken crystals at the foot of Mount Asurmen, arguably the strongest and most sacred matter in the world. It was used to connect Sanctum and various secular states during an emergency. The powerful magic allowed it to penetrate the storm of Chaos in any situation, even if the storm had swallowed up the entire continent.

In that dark ages, the Sacred Stone was an insurance policy.

Only when mysterious changes began to happen in the Theocracy, the church called back its troops, and Sanctum unilaterally cut off all communication with the rest of the world—the truth was because of a lack of energy supply resulting in signal transmission interruption—the Sacred Stone lost its uses. It had been lying quietly in the headquarters of the Royal Arcanist Guild for the past two months as no one could use it.

But this time it lit up again, and Sanctum had sent a message.

Rudolph III and the royal herald exchanged a few words quietly. With a solemn face, the king face ordered the herald to place the Sacred Stone on a cylindrical silver column before the throne.

The glow of the Sacred Stone stabilized and then grew into a hologram on the column.

Wearing the pope’s robe, Calaxus appeared in the hologram. Together with him were Hao Ren and a few faces that Veronica had never seen before.

“Is it the pope?” Rudolph III asked when he saw the sacred robe of Calaxus. “Isn’t Auguste VII the Pope?”

“Hao Ren? Is it him?” Veronica exclaimed in a low voice.

At the same time, the Sacred Stone of every Kingdom of Order was brought before the local rulers.

A hologram popped up in the palace of these kingdoms, and the voice of Calaxus and Hao Ren was broadcast throughout Collow.

“Rulers of Collow, kings, and protectors of the earthly kingdoms, leaders of intelligent races, my name is Calaxus, the successor to the papacy of Sanctum. I am standing at the of Mount Asurmen, proclaiming to you—

“Lockmarton, the nightmare, and threats looming over the world have been destroyed. His soul, thoughts, body, and all the evil byproducts related to him have been completely and permanently wiped out by the Sanctum Expeditionary Force.

“The Sanctum Expeditionary Force and the goddess’ messenger raided Lockmarton’s lair and purified the Forgotten Abyss.

“The guide of our faith, the protector of the soul, the chosen shepherd of the goddess, the avuncular father, Auguste VII has died a martyr in the purification war.

“The War against Chaos has ended for good today. There will be no more cycle of the Tides of Chaos and no more nightmares. The Sea of Carnos will be calm forever. All earthly kingdoms should work together to rebuild the world.

“At the same time, because of the sacred covenant between the goddess of creation and the foreign goddess, I declare that the observer, protector, and ranger of the world, Hao Ren, be the second pope of Collow. He is the messenger of the foreign goddess, and he came to help us under the covenant between the goddesses. From now on, his authority and status are equal to the pope of the Sanctum and will be responsible for guiding the reconstruction of Collow.

“Now, let us hear a few words from him.”