The Primeval Era-Chapter 116: Ambush I

Controlling his anger, Damian found himself unable to stay still.

He rose from the ancient bark of the Pillar of the First Age, his body moving before his mind had fully decided on action. Blue flames flickered at his fingertips, responding to emotions he was barely containing. The golden marking beneath his skin burned with heat he ignored.

"Let’s go."

Before anyone could say otherwise, before Serala could ask or Masamuk could question his sudden urgency, he spoke the word aloud.

"Persevere."

HUUUM!

Blue flames erupted around all three of them, sacred fire wrapping their bodies in radiance that sank into flesh and bone and cultivation. They became more than just energized. Power flooded their systems, elevating their reserves, sharpening their senses, preparing them for what was to come.

"Let’s go."

His voice carried a chilling light as he said this. Masamuk and Serala exchanged a glance but followed along right after, rising from the massive tree and taking to the skies once more.

---

They continued across the Lands of Stone.

The geography shifted as they flew northeast, forests giving way to rocky highlands and then to the edge of territories Damian recognized from Masamuk’s earlier descriptions. They were nearing the region where the Imperator had been stationed, somewhere between the Threshold Lands and the borders of the Dominion of Crimson Stone.

The Purple Stone Tribe lay perhaps three hours of flight behind them now, a small point of safety in a vast and dangerous landscape. Ahead, the terrain grew more hostile. No Unbound Tribes dotted the landscape. More Primal Beasts watched from elevated positions. The influence of the Sacred Mountains faded, replaced by something that felt almost like a boundary between worlds.

The Lands of Beasts ended here.

The Lands of Humans began.

And somewhere in between, a Vessel Completion Imperator waited on her floating war vessel.

They stopped above a small forest, canopy spreading beneath them like a green carpet.

In the next moment, something rose from the trees below.

A Beast Lord in the form of a flamingo ascended to meet them, its body far larger than any ordinary bird. It stood perhaps twice Damian’s height, its feathers a brilliant pink that seemed to glow with inner light. Crackling pink Mana surrounded its form, dancing across its wings and trailing from its long curved beak.

Its eyes held ancient intelligence as it nodded toward Masamuk.

No words were exchanged aloud. The two Beast Lords communicated through channels Damian couldn’t perceive, Mana flickering between them in patterns too subtle for human senses. The flamingo’s eyes shifted once toward Damian and Serala, assessing and categorizing, before returning to Masamuk.

After a long moment, the flamingo dipped its head and descended back into the forest below.

Masamuk floated toward Damian and Serala, his obsidian body pulsing with urgency.

"The vessel of that Imperator has begun flying toward the Covenant of the First Stone. She’s leaving these territories. We have to act quickly or we’ll lose our chance."

...!

At this point, Damian’s eyes pulsed with hunger.

"Let’s strike now before she gets too far."

He looked between Masamuk and Serala.

"And how about we take them by surprise?"

...!

Take them by surprise?

Whatever was the Tokoloshe talking about?

---

Serala was doing many things she never thought she would do recently.

Flying alongside Beast Lords to hunt an Imperator. Cultivating under sacred flames that had elevated her to Vessel Completion in moments rather than years. Witnessing the aftermath of destruction and feeling righteous fury rather than

acceptance.

And right now, something she seemed to be violating was touching.

She had never touched the opposite gender in these last few years as the Holy Daughter. The Covenant maintained strict protocols about such things. Physical contact between the Holy Daughter and any man who was not immediate family or approved by the Hallowed Voice was considered a violation of her sacred status. She was meant to remain pure in body and spirit, untouched by the complications of mortal connection.

Yet the Tokoloshe had placed forth an idea, and she was now going with it.

Just the two of them were flying toward the vessel of Imperator Vienna. Masamuk would circle around from another direction, ready to strike when the moment came. But the initial approach required a different kind of strategy.

And the Tokoloshe was carrying her in his arms as if she was someone injured with no consciousness.

This was his idea.

Go toward the vessel of the Imperator carrying an injured Holy Daughter. Get near them. Catch them off guard.

If it was before, she would have said no right away. The Holy Daughter? Being carried by a man? Blasphemous!

The temple elders would have fainted at the mere suggestion.

But before she could have said anything, he had already come up behind her with those intense eyes.

He had nodded to her.

And she had found herself hesitantly raising her hands up.

In the air, he had simply put his left hand beneath her thighs and his right hand on her back. He lifted her from her hovering position and pulled her against his chest, cradling her body in his arms the way one might carry a bride across a threshold or a wounded companion from a battlefield.

And then, to really sell it, crimson blood sparkling with blue luster leaked from his body. He told her he would make it look like she was injured.

That was why at this time, she was playing the role of lying limp while being carried across the skies, her body surrounded by traces of his blood.

"..."

She was finding herself constantly asking one question.

Why...was she not repulsed and pushing him off at this very moment?

"..."

She didn’t have any answers. He thought thst maybe it was because he had done this once before when he saved her from crashing into stone the first time they met.

For some reason, he felt safe.

As if there was some connection she didn’t particularly understand. Something beneath the surface that made his touch feel familiar rather than invasive. Something that whispered to her that this was acceptable, that this was allowed, that this was somehow right.

But she frowned behind her closed eyes.

She knew she didn’t have any connection. She had only known the Tokoloshe for a few days. He was just slightly different than other men, but he was still a man. And the Holy Daughter was sacred.

While her thoughts were wandering, her head swung with the motion of flight.

She had been holding it limp to sell the illusion of unconsciousness, and the movement caused it to lean against his chest.

And there, she felt the booming beat of his heart.

DUM! DUM!

A heartbeat unlike anything she had ever sensed.

It seemed to put her in a trance as she listened to it. Every time it beat, it was like a wild beast was roaring. The force of each pulse surprised her, power radiating outward from his chest with intensity that felt grander than her own.

Was the Tokoloshe of the same power as Vessel Completion?